OSC's writing has declined in almost perfect proportion to how much I like him as a human being, so it's not been a hardship giving up buying his new books. But it's also near impossible for me to reread Ender's Game and pretend I don't know about the character assassination he inflicts upon Petra in the Shadow books. (Ptui, may we never speak of them again.)

I have definitely not picked up new authors I might have otherwise read because they've been insane on the internet. Or are connected with people who are insane.

Dana speaks for me. And there are writers I once read with pleasure whose books will never accumulate dust on my bookshelves again.

Well, I'm a couple books behind, and perhaps very dense, but I'd not have read his tea leaves and worked any of that out. Which books do you think it bleeds through in?

1) Don't think there is a main character who is not a tough guy or tough woman - Vlad, the vampire, Lucifer, Cowboy Feng, the historical in Vlads universe

2)Gambling in most of the Vlad books.

But mostly a matter of voice and attitude. Two people mentioned a fear, one they though Brust had not justified. I agree he has done nothing to justify it, but mentioned a possible trigger. If not where it came from then not. But long before I knew any biographical details, I definitely thought of Brust as a writer with a tough-guy and somewhat macho voice. Which could arouse the fear mentioned without justifying it. If you don't see it, you don't. Not an easy thing to prove. Maybe I'm wrong.

Vlad's not a particularly tough guy. I mean, he's a killer and physically very capable, but that's not the same thing. He's emotionally raw for most of the 13 books. He's deeply in love, and very sentimental about his friends, and is often wracked by guilt that seems disproportionate for an assassin by trade. The other books I've read the most of, the Khaavren ones, are really truly not macho at all--they balance the mockery of the flowery higher fantasy level without me ever feeling like it's derisive.

Yeah, Vlad's not macho to me at all, and he's pretty much Brust's primary protagonist.

One of the things I like about Brust's fiction is just that--that his main man is introspective, not overly hesitant about feeling or acting on their emotions, and sincere about them. What's "tough guy" macho about that?

Umm I don't see conflict between sensitive and tough. And macho is almost always a front. It is an attitude maintained, and lived up to.

Crazy author? that's fine - it's the obnoxious/offensive that bothers me.

Oh - and in case you hadn't heard - Anne Rice has written a werewolf book. Looks to be the first of several, if not an entire series.

I saw that. Doesn't her sister write some truly awful werewolf books, too?

...Are they werewolves for Christ?

The phrase "tough guy" has common connotations above and beyond just being tough. Were you not using it that way?

And I contend that the characteristics you listed of Brust's, in combination with *your* term macho, do not accurately describe Vlad Taltos. That's the point of my post. He's tough, but he's not a "tough guy". He's not macho--he's not putting up that front.

Oh - and in case you hadn't heard - Anne Rice has written a werewolf book. Looks to be the first of several, if not an entire series.

I saw an interview on GMA yesterday, in which she was already casting the movie version with White Collar actors. Thankfully, Twilight has already conditioned me to put some werewolf stories in the "not worth the effort of reading" column.

Ooh, I should corner the market on Zombies for Christ, while I still can, huh?