October 23, 2007

Tempest in a teapot(ter)

I’ve never considered anyone else’s sexuality to be my business unless I was contemplatinging an intimate relationship with them. Truely, I can’t imagine any other circumstace in which another’s sexuality would matter to me. It stands to reason, then, that whether or not Albus Dumbledore is seen by J.K. Rowling as gay has little impact on my life. Yet her statement to that effect has caused an uproar and been taken completely out of context to be used as ammunition to castigate her for endorsing a gay lifestyle. Let’s try to put the thought back where it belongs: in the author’s internal creative processes as she developed the character. Surely we can accept that most authors know more about their characters than ever makes it into print. Rowling’s official website is a goldmine of information she developed while writing, but which was never used in the books of the Harry Potter series. One of the magical qualities of the stories is that Rowling has imbued her characters with full-blown personalities. It’s not surprising then, that she spent a great deal of time in forming her own picture of each of the players before she brought them to life in publication, or that she could not possibly have used everyting that she knew or thought about each of them once the writing began.

Was it a mistake for Rowling to make her startling revelation? I don’t think so. She has a reputation for being honest with her fans. A question concerning Dumbledore’s love life was asked by a fan during her recent Open Book tour of the US. Should she have ignored the question, or, worse yet, dressed up the answer in a wardrobe that would have disguised the thoughts that helped her shape Albus Dumbledore into the wise headmaster beloved of many? J.K. Rowling has never talked down to her young fans. Should she have started now, after they’ve helped her become one of the richest and best-known authors of our time? I, for one, relish the opportunity to look inside the mind of the billionaire author, and find nothing offensive in the revelation. Not to belabor the obvious, but Dumblefore is a fictional character. Why, oh why, are so many of you suddenly feeling judgemental of a part of his history that doesn’t change a thing about the role he played in a series of books you all adore?

Rowling herself stated today that she knew Dumbledore was gay “probably before the first book was published” and felt no need to point it out to her readers. Could that be because the information was merely part of the developement process and had no impact on the stories? More to the point, she’s saying that Dumbledore was always gay. He was gay when you first met him. He was gay when you were admiring his wisdom and when you grieved his passing. Nothing has changed except that you now know that he was gay. Can someone please explain to me how that little bit of hindsight has suddenly colored so many people’s opinion of a series and a character they’ve loved?

Sources:

Washington Post.com

Newsweek.com

Canadian Press.google.com

Technorati Tags: Albus Dumbledore, fictional characters, Harry Potter, homosexuality, J.K. Rowling, public opinion

April 2, 2007

The Capo’s Mistress

I’ve been jealous of my friend Karen for a while. She has a well-respected book blog and frequently gets advance copies of books for review. I always have plenty of books around that need reading, mind you, so it’s not the supply I’m jealous of. It’s the advance and free parts I want. That whole idea is just delicious to me. So I’m feeling a pretty special right now, because it’s finally my turn. I not only have pre-publication access to a new book, I got it for free. The specialness bit, though, is an overstatment I suppose. The Capo’s Mistress by Richard Harris is free for the asking to anyone who wants it. Scheduled for release on April 27th, the book is availble now as an MP3 download or to listen to online, read by the author.

Mike Driscoll is a mostly-on-the-wagon alcoholic and retired Los Angeles cop. Stranded when his car breaks down in Virginia City, Montana, he meets and is immediately smitten by Mary Carter when he spends some time in the railroad museum where she works. Mary had found the town by happenstance also, initially only planning to stay long enough to gas up her car. Sparks ignite at their first meeting, and Mike’s first night with Mary begins with fiery passion, then goes downhill into embarrassment as he is unable to keep up with her insatiable appetite. Mary had been a hot-blooded Las Vegas blackjack dealer before coming to Montana, and her time in a small town has left her starved for companionship and romance.

Circumstances quickly force Mary to confess to Mike that she is hiding out from the mob and the law. Gunfire had erupted following a robbery at the casino and one of the robbers, realizing that he was dying, shoved his portion of the take towards Mary. She had no moral qualms about hiding the money for later recovery before leaving Vegas in a hurry when video taken during the event clearly showed her in possession of the bag. Upon hearing the story, Mike, romantic to the core, becomes her knight in shining armor and takes off to Vegas to repair the situation. Wrapped around the little finger of the woman he loves, Mike has decided to recover “Mary’s money,” from the lagoon at Treasure Island in Las Vegas. The money, of course, isn’t hers at all and will lead Mike into more trouble than he could possibly anticipate.

The story is compelling, but I’m disturbed by Mike’s easy capitulation to situation ethics. The author, Richard Harris, is a graduate of Stanford Law School, has been a lawyer and judge, and has served on the faculty of the California Judicial College in Berkeley. Such a background implies high moral and ethical standards, leaving me hopeful that he’ll lead Mike back to higher moral ground. The Capo’s Mistress is the first in the Mike Driscoll series. With careful molding Mike has the potential to become a favorite as a flawed hero we’re all rooting for.

You can pre-order The Capo’s Mistress at Amazon in either book or audiobook form, but it’s free online until its April 27th release date. Kind of makes you wonder how the author plans on making any money, doesn’t it?

Technorati Tags: mystery, suspense, fiction, romance, books, Las Vegas