I'll be a monkey's uncle

[John Robinson]

Yesterday I found out from a very creditable, highly-placed little bird that two CBA houses have asked that no more manuscripts either written by men, or featuring male protaganists, be sent to them. They simply aren't interested "at this time." Thoughts?

[Timothy Fish]

I'm glad to hear that women still like stories about knights in shining armor, since my work in progress is along that line. Actually, the knight in my story isn't a knight at all, he is a High School English teacher. His shining armor is a cardigan, though he only wears that at school because his room is cold. (I'm still debating whether to leave that in or not.) He doesn't go in with sword drawn or guns blazing, but he does go in to rescue the girl, though he isn't so sure that she wants him to.

[Rel]

Sounds fine to me, Tim - LOL!!

[Timothy Fish]

After writing my comment, I gave the cadigan some more thought. I'm thinking that I will weave it through the story to show the change that takes place in a character who, in many ways, doesn't change. Instead of it just being a cardigan, I think I will make it a cardigan that his mentor wore when he taught English. At the beginning of the story, the cardigan will be matter of contension. In the middle, I may try to work in some internal debate over whether to get rid of it or not. Then in the end, he will wrap it around his wife's frail body to give her warmth and protection.

[Rel]

LOL!!! Be sure to make it a cardigan with suede elbow pads!

[Timothy Fish]

Absolutely! I wouldn't want him wear it out from resting his elbows on the chair. I thought he might even have someone replace the pads.

[Rachel Marks]

That's lame!

Wait! I write male protags. And I write first person present with two POVs. And I write about faeries and vampires. Who cuss and may even have sex. *gasp* I guess I'm shit-out-a-luck in CBA too. But then, I knew that. ;)

Come on, John! Just come over to the secular side. They love guys over here.

Men rock! All those undulating biceps and glimmering (or is it glistening?) sweat on their brow. ;)

[Michelle Sutton]

Rach, you SO need to read my book. LOL!

[Deb Kinnard]

I'm not 100% sure this is legal. I might be able to see how not wanting male protagonists might do for a time, but "no males need apply" sounds like a violation of Equal Protection, to me.

My take.

[Michelle Sutton]

Which may be why it's not an official announcement but a "heard it through the grapevine" thing.

[Rita Gerlach]

John,

Which CBA Houses are these?

[Keith Katsikas]

The answer is simple, in my eyes... Give your protagonist a sex change and publish under a female pen. Problem solved. Kinda. lol

[Rachel Marks]

So I did! Secular, secular, secular... ;P There's no way a Christian publisher (CBA or no) would touch my work--not without a lot of editing. I confess I have cuss words (even some I made up), sex, rape, drugs, murder, and the all-dreaded zombie in my work. *gasp*

Un-oh, now no one will want to read my stuff. I do have a motorcycle chase with a vampire and a faerie, though. Maybe that doesn't help...