Last week we posted a summary of an editorial by Linda Brazill of the Madison (WI) Capitol Times where she took a critical look at gardening mysteries. One of the mysteries she took exception with was Bleeding Hearts by Susan Wittig Albert. Ms. Albert wrote a letter to the editor, which was published on The Capitol Times (on madision.com), and is summarized here:
Dear Editor: In Linda Brazill's recent review of my book, Bleeding Hearts, she complains that the book's cover depicts one species of a plant while the text refers to another, "a mistake that only a non-gardener would make," she says.
Ms. Brazill needs to know that fiction writers are rarely consulted about their cover art. It is downright unfair (as well as uninformed) to attempt to judge the author's gardening experience from the artist's cover design. In fact, I've gardened extensively for over 20 years.
There are lots of things about plants that I don't know, and I'm just as capable of making an error as the next person. But I do know enough about the publishing business to be wary of judging a book by its cover.
Susan Wittig Albert
Burnet County, Texas
Technorati tags: mystery books blogs, mystery, mystery books, susan wittig albert.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Thanks for posting my letter to the editor. I am often frustrated by the fact that reviewers can say almost anything (true or untrue), while authors are supposed to sit on on their hands and keep their mouths shut. In this case, the reviewer way off base, and I was tired of being quiet. I appreciate your posting.--Susan Wittig Albert
ReplyDelete