and accept that some (many?) people want their fiction to be pure comfortfood - some kind of narrative equivalent of Twinkies.

Hence the popularity of the Twilight series.

Twinkies that twinkle?

I admit, I do enjoy this sort of thing now and then, in certain moods.

I also enjoy this in certain moods too, although what I usually end up doing in those moods in rereading. This is why there are some books I've read 10+ times. However, I would never think of asking the author to write a different type of book.

The way the new Eragon book was selling on Saturday, a bunch of us bookstore workers were agreeing that the biggest selling book in the world right now would be one that had teenaged vampires flying around on dragons. I added that the vampires had to sparkle, which confused the non-Twilight readers but got a laugh from those that did read them.

huh. i look the book to fit the promised tone. and the romance angst should fit . Personally, I hate lies in romance novels.misunderstandings -- and well you can't always tell some one you are a vampire right away - I get .But Lies where someone is pretending to be some thing they are not -- I get all anxious.

In paranormal romances I don't like a lot of romance angst -- there should enough real danger to push those kinds of things aside.

In light contemporary romances -- I like it when the problems are more things people just need to talk about ,but they aren't sure they can or should presume that the other person cares that much.

I know what I like. But I can't believe that I would presume to tell an authour -- I love everything, but can you change X( major part of the story). That might tell me I don't like it.

Kay Hooper is a good example -- I've loved some of her books and not so much with others. I don't like her physically fragile do to strong paranormal skills heroines . It is legitimate, well-done, just not to my taste.

Kay Hooper is a good example -- I've loved some of her books and not so much with others. I don't like her physically fragile do to strong paranormal skills heroines . It is legitimate, well-done, just not to my taste.

I loved her wizard book, where they went to Atlantis to change their society and its attitudes towards witches. That was a really good book, as were her "Hagen Wins Again" books for Loveswept.

I don't mind characters having dreadful things happen to them if it makes sense in the book and it achieves something. In a series, though, I get tired of the protagonist always being beaten up, dumped or full of angst. After a while, I begin to wonder why I'm spending so much time with such a loser.

a bunch of us bookstore workers were agreeing that the biggest selling book in the world right now would be one that had teenaged vampires flying around on dragons.

Maybe I should dig out and try to make publishable that novel I wrote as a teen where the vampires can go out in the daylight and turn into dolphins.

Maybe I should dig out and try to make publishable that novel I wrote as a teen where the vampires can go out in the daylight and turn into dolphins.

Only if they sparkle.

Actually, I'm sorry, Laga, that came out very snarky and I certainly don't mean for it to. At least, not against you. Anything that can turn a mythos onto its ear in a really creative, fresh way I think is fantastic.

In case you need reminding of where I come in on this debate, one of my favorite books involves a detective standing over a body wishing he had a patch kit. Dude had a "slow leak".(I'm sick. I still laugh. Oh, that Landsman!) But I do have those moods, too. That's what "Raymond" and "King of Queens" are for. Although even K of Q gets people fired sometimes. And there was a surprisingly touching miscarriage ep once.