It's not a secret. Romance novels account for something like 50% of ALL fiction sold. It's a huge genre that makes millions annually. I join you in wondering where the media has been, but then, they typically ignore romance unless it's written by Nicholas Sparks and full of Madonna/whore complexes and "tragic" endings.

I think the problem everyone has with this originally being fanfiction is that the author didn't actually create an original work. But that may be just me.

Totally. When men write boos with romance subplots and sex scenes, it's deep and sexy. When women write books with romance subplots and sex scenes, it's just trash.

I think it did, yeah! I just really specifically remember the ad itself, and my total disappointment when I got the book and read it cover to cover, waiting for the part about how to enlarge the breasts and not finding it.

Angela Moribito, you're no Ann Coulter.

This may be a bit OT, but does anyone remember the "10 System?" It was sold in the back of teen magazines (it may still be, for all I know) and the ads had a picture of an adorable girl in a bikini, with little arrows pointing to all of the parts of her body that the "10 System" could "fix." Because I was such a late…

Yes, cupcakes are fairy cakes (although I see cupcake used sometimes). Muffins are still muffins.

This is ridiculous. Ellora's Cave started publishing erotic romance, with a whole subcategory for BDSM and/or D/s, eight years or so ago and has been making millions of dollars a year doing so, and a lot of other erorom publishers followed suit. There are romances with strong hints of or outright BDSM relationships…

I've done the Ripper Walk! Did you have Rumbelow as your guide? It was fantastic.

You've honestly never heard of people doing shots of vodka? I don't mean to sound rude, but have you never been to a bar or restaurant?

In retrospect it wasn't as clear as it could have been. :-) I'm not at my best early in the morning.

My god, who are these women who designed this shit? WTF, man? Do they really think this isn't totally condescending crap?

I drink vodka as well as bourbon/straight Jack, but otherwise...yes. What you said.

Thank you! I'm a vanilla freak too! Will definitely check them out.

She wants all women to DIE OF CANCER.

Ackermann sleeps with the tulips.

I love that you have friends who own conquistador helmets.

Ditto, and ditto.

Yeah, I admit, I thought that one was just an amusing comment on how St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in the US. Everybody's Irish on St.P's Day, and lots of them are drunk. (I remember a restaurant called Julio's that would, on that day, cover their sign with a banner that read "Julio O'Shaunessy's," and everyone…

That's about our ratio, too, although I think books may actually have overtaken the other stuff at this point.