Thank you for writing about this. Tinx's comments about queer women and queer desire over the years make her values clear, and I'm disappointed in the romance bookstores and community leaders highlighting this book over the work of actual queer writers who are struggling to get their stories heard.
This essay is written with such nuance and is so deeply important. Thank you for putting so much effort to parsing out this really frustrating and demoralizing situation.
It's interesting to me that when Lola meets Aly at the restaurant, Lola immediately clocks her feelings as desire and intrigue. If this were truly a straight woman experiencing queer attraction for the first time and becoming bicurious, then wouldn't it probably take her a second to see her feelings for what they are? I expected a lot more personal reflection in the beginning instead of things getting gay fast lol Which makes it even more annoying that Tinx won't call a spade a spade: babe, you wrote a gay book!!!
Thanks for writing this and imploring people to think about what is happening and the way it connects to erasure and the current moment in time and in the US. I find it disturbing how the clips and snippets of press from the author continue to center comphet and cisheteronormativity, imo, and that's just not it for this bi babe.
Felisha! Thank you so much for reading and writing me this.
And I completely agree with you -- it's really alarming how comfortable she is while promoting this. Like there's no hesitation to just sweep it under the rug. You can feel how irrelevant it is and that's scary.
last line was really great like yeah lmao why would i (a lesbian) be interested in a queer romance that the writer can’t even announce itself as such. i’m taking the book as seriously as Tinx does, which is none at all 🤷🏾♀️
As a lesbian in the hamptons, and a frequent Jeff Lewis listener this whole situation really infuriates me. Why not just tell a straight story instead of outsourcing something and telling a story that you cannot authentically tell, and sure its fiction and not real but then its some level of fetishization and i despise that. Then to not go all the way and give actual credit, not just the bare min legal disclosure req to the person that legitimizes the story. Her first foray into a whole ass new career and she decides the move is to write a book about an experience she hasn't had and cannot tell herself authentically . She would of been better off making a pseudonym. Every single move she made here is incorrect and unforced. Although i am glad she isn't trying to say she is now one of us to gain sales, so there is that. The fact that they hired someone to make a lesbian show that clearly has some sort internalized homophobia issues going on, is pretty in line with the rest of it though. Sorry for the rant i just felt so relieved to to find the other people that felt as strongly as i did about this and my unsolicited input.
This was excellent. Thank you! I was deeply confused at the marketing. She should have just written a different book bc this song and dance that it’s not a queer romance novel is absurd.
Btw…Maalvika Bhat blatantly plagiarized another writer’s work on Substack. (There were screenshots. The level of theft was shocking.)
Wow Threnody, what a beautifully written and equally heartbreaking comment. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and for taking the time to read my piece. Your support and validation here means so much.
Thank you for writing about this. Tinx's comments about queer women and queer desire over the years make her values clear, and I'm disappointed in the romance bookstores and community leaders highlighting this book over the work of actual queer writers who are struggling to get their stories heard.
The promo is insane! And friends of mine are being told at big pub houses that books with queer characters are getting too hard to sell.
Thank you for reading!! 🧡
This essay is written with such nuance and is so deeply important. Thank you for putting so much effort to parsing out this really frustrating and demoralizing situation.
Consider it parsed! Thanks so much, Hale. <3
It's interesting to me that when Lola meets Aly at the restaurant, Lola immediately clocks her feelings as desire and intrigue. If this were truly a straight woman experiencing queer attraction for the first time and becoming bicurious, then wouldn't it probably take her a second to see her feelings for what they are? I expected a lot more personal reflection in the beginning instead of things getting gay fast lol Which makes it even more annoying that Tinx won't call a spade a spade: babe, you wrote a gay book!!!
yes, EXACTLY! something’s fishy here lol. but the refusal to acknowledge it as queer is just so LOUD and says so much
Thanks for writing this and imploring people to think about what is happening and the way it connects to erasure and the current moment in time and in the US. I find it disturbing how the clips and snippets of press from the author continue to center comphet and cisheteronormativity, imo, and that's just not it for this bi babe.
Felisha! Thank you so much for reading and writing me this.
And I completely agree with you -- it's really alarming how comfortable she is while promoting this. Like there's no hesitation to just sweep it under the rug. You can feel how irrelevant it is and that's scary.
last line was really great like yeah lmao why would i (a lesbian) be interested in a queer romance that the writer can’t even announce itself as such. i’m taking the book as seriously as Tinx does, which is none at all 🤷🏾♀️
absolutely, you said it!!
As a lesbian in the hamptons, and a frequent Jeff Lewis listener this whole situation really infuriates me. Why not just tell a straight story instead of outsourcing something and telling a story that you cannot authentically tell, and sure its fiction and not real but then its some level of fetishization and i despise that. Then to not go all the way and give actual credit, not just the bare min legal disclosure req to the person that legitimizes the story. Her first foray into a whole ass new career and she decides the move is to write a book about an experience she hasn't had and cannot tell herself authentically . She would of been better off making a pseudonym. Every single move she made here is incorrect and unforced. Although i am glad she isn't trying to say she is now one of us to gain sales, so there is that. The fact that they hired someone to make a lesbian show that clearly has some sort internalized homophobia issues going on, is pretty in line with the rest of it though. Sorry for the rant i just felt so relieved to to find the other people that felt as strongly as i did about this and my unsolicited input.
there’s no need to apologize!! thank you for commenting and telling me how you feel. i completely understand where you’re at and feel the same way.
ps, can you open a lesbian bar in the hamptons for us??
Thank you for this!!!
xoxoxoxo
I love this. As a queer writer myself, this take is exactly how I think we should be viewing this. Thank you !!!
Thank you so much Claire and thank you for reading!!
Holy hell none of this was on my radar and this is bananas
absolutely cuckoo for cocoa puffs
This was excellent. Thank you! I was deeply confused at the marketing. She should have just written a different book bc this song and dance that it’s not a queer romance novel is absurd.
Btw…Maalvika Bhat blatantly plagiarized another writer’s work on Substack. (There were screenshots. The level of theft was shocking.)
Thank you for writing this!! She should have not written this book.
Thanks so much for reading, Sara!
Thank you for writing this.
An incredible piece about an insanely disconnected writer!
Wow Threnody, what a beautifully written and equally heartbreaking comment. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and for taking the time to read my piece. Your support and validation here means so much.