Getting to know the authors (through the internet)

It often allows for one to get a "taste" of an author before reading and buying one of their books.

I've found that I often read books by authors that I like, or would like if I knew them. It perhaps goes without saying that a story, as an artistic creation, is a manifestation--a mental-verbal microcosm, if you will--of the author. It "is" the author, in a sense; regardless of how metafictional, how deliberately manipulative or consciously woven, a story represents who the author is.

To put it another way, a story--a narrative, verbal art-form--is an individual's participation in the world of ideas. When we craft a story, we are participating in human thought, the "noosphere."

So when we like a book, we often like the author. We like the way they think, they way they see the world, and the way they express themselves. Sure, there is some great art that has been created by great big assholes, but we like those assholes. Or, we love and hate them (Henry Miller is a case in point).

One of the great aspects of the internet is that it allows one to get to know authors more intimately, whether through reading their blogs, interviews, or even conversing with them on discussion boards. Now what I have found is that this provides the opportunity to "pre-screen" authors, to get a sense of who they are and thus what their writing might be like--and whether or not one would like it.

Now of course this isn't an absolute dictum, but it at least gives us a sense, a taste of the author--and thus their work--before spending our precious dough.

Through this process I have crossed off more than a handful of authors. Why? Because of the Postmodern Chic so prevalent within the specfic community. An example of a commonly held belief: Adult fantasy is Cool; adult fantasy = anything dark and edgy, anything postmodern, nihilistic, dark-leather-wearing, trash-talking, kicking ass and taking names. I see this sort of thing time and time again. The ironic thing about it is that this kind of Postmodern Chic reads more, to me at least, as an extended (early) adolescent, not as authentic maturity. Most adult/cutting edge/new weird/literary specfic fits into this broad categorization.

More soon.