Here's what I blogged tonight about it. Things like this are
why my blood pressure runs at stroke levels.
Hopefully, I don't sound like I'm dropping names here when I
mention Charles Ardai. I did meet him in NYC when I went to
the Ken Bruen signing, and I'm probably not the only person
on this group who spent time with him. So I think many of you
will agree with my conclusions.
Jim Winter
A debate rages on the Dorothy L list not only whether Domenic
Stansberry's The Confession should have been considered for
an Edgar (let alone won), but if it should be banned as
well.
Tony Fenelly says she was the lone dissenting vote against
Stansberry's novel about a man strangling women because the
killer gets away with it. Somehow, she's come to the
conclusion that Stansberry is glorifying murdering women and
ponders whether the book would have won if the protag had
slaughtered blacks or gays or children. She says the book
should be banned.
I haven't read the book, but thanks to Fenelly's hysteria, I
ordered it off Amazon. All she did was prompt me to order a
Hardcase book, something I hadn't gotten around to yet with a
huge TBR list. (Hey! Amazon! Where are my Vicki Hendricks
books?) The book comes highly recommended the folks on
Rara-Avis. I seriously doubt the Rara-Avians would tout a
book that glorified violence against women. In fact, my
impression was that the protag was a monster on the order of
Dave Zeltserman's Johnny Lane or any Jim Thompson character
you like.
Furthermore, I happen to be acquainted with Charles Ardai,
the book's editor. Now while Charles and I aren't bosom
buddies and pen pals, I did spend quite a bit of time with
him on my visit to New York and can safely say that Charles
Ardai is not a mysoginistic reprobate, the type of person who
might publish a book the way Fenelly describes it. So while I
don't know Stansberry, I do know Charles, and quite frankly,
I'm embarrassed for him having to go through this (until the
numbers come in for sales resulting from this boondoggle.)
Charles would not publish it if he thought it was as
disgusting as it's described. Sorry, but I ain't buying
it.
Now, if Ms. Fenelly had simply written a review and described
her revulsion to the book, I would most definitely have
respected that. I may even reach the same conclusion:
Stansberry wrote a sick book. If I do, I will tell you here
what I think. [Note to RA: Or even if I liked it. Opinions
are like assholes. However, I'll skip showing you the
latter.]
But I will never demand that it be banned. It's that point
where I'm thoroughly disgusted with Ms. Fenelly. A writer of
crime fiction should be ashamed to make such a statement,
especially in the hysterical climate we're in right now.
Words cannot describe my anger that a member of an awards
committee for the MWA would say something like that. She's
certainly free to do so, but free speech, while protected by
law, is not without consequences. While it's a hard,
inescapable fact that you are not free from being offended,
it is also a fact that you are not free from hearing
dissenting opinions. My dissent is listed right, and probably
not in my most professional manner. So what? It's my blog,
and I'm pissed.
But let's speak of professionalism, shall we? One of the
ideals that was pitched to me before joining the MWA was
professionalism. Ms. Fenelly is on an awards committee. It is
considered both professional and mature not to comment on an
awards process. This is true of any professional organization
that honors its members or those in the field it represents.
Of course, there's dissent on these committees.
However, when a judge goes on a rant about how his or her
opinion was discounted, professionalism evaporates. Someone
said Fenelly was courageous to speak up. That wasn't courage.
That was sour grapes and a reason I sometimes wonder why I
paid $95 to join the MWA in the first place. If it were not
for the professionals, both those I know personally, and
those I know by reputation, showing us neophytes how it's
done, I probably wouldn't stay in the organization. I don't
need this from a group that's supposed to be supporting and
promoting crime fiction authors. I've got AM radio in my car
for that kind of tripe.
It makes me angry the scared sheep mindset of this country
has infested the very organizations I've come to admire
because of their members and their achievements. Let's hope
this is the exception and not the rule.
[Thanks to La Weinman for the heads up and Lee Goldberg for
additional info.]
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