This is a follow up to yesterday’s entry. Bill wrote to thank me for addressing his question, with this:
“P.S. — BY the way, I do read a good number of mysteries with female protagonists…I liked Lonnie Cruse’s “Fifty-Seven Heaven,” for example, and some of the Sue Grafton books and many others….
I certainly did not mean to imply I “NEED” my protagonists to be male….
BUT, though it might sound stereotypical, there are, I suppose, some interests common to men and common to women…It would be a stretch for me to try to be interested in a subtext that involved knitting techniques or quilting or doll-collecting, for example, while my wife might have to strain to work up an interest in a subtext that involved fly-fishing or automotive restoration or NASCAR…”
Well put! I know that in this politically correct world we live in, we aren’t supposed to “notice” differences of any sort between men and women…. BUT, let’s face it, differences do exist! We might feel uncomfortable admitting it out loud, though.
With this in mind, it poses the question “Why do so many Cozy Mystery authors feel like they have to gear their subject matter towards women?”
• Is it because we like to read books that include our favorite interests?
• Is it because publishers push their authors to write themed Cozies with women in mind?
• Is it because we can identify with Cozy Mystery sleuths who seem most like us?
• Is it because the themed Cozy Mysteries that are serialized sell better once they have an established fan base, which is the publishers think should be limited to women?
• Is it because publishers think that ALL men want to read mysteries that include graphic sex, violence, and language – so they keep the non-graphic mysteries for women… focusing on women’s interests?
Hmmmm….. Sounds like I have a lot of questions, and no answers. Doesn’t it?!?
This morning I received a letter asking me for some advice. The writer wanted to know which authors she could try who fall in the Agatha Christie “category” (my word, not hers.) I thought that I would write a blog addressing this inquiry, since I have been asked this very same question by several people.