jimhines: (Default)
( Aug. 23rd, 2022 02:17 am)

The Tweet below has been making the rounds, and with it has come a lot of knee-jerk defensiveness and willful misunderstanding.



[Tweet by [profile] merman_melville: “i think it’s very funny that the house of dragon guys are like ‘we want to reflect the misogyny of the time period’ the time period is the twelfth of makebelieve. it’s the 149th year of sir gooby the dragonfoot. it’s the eighth age of targabargabor. it’s literally made up”]


Responses I’ve seen have ranged from, “Stop telling us to remove conflict from the story” to “But misogyny is part of every human society throughout history” to the more generic, “The woke police are ruining everything!”


Look, the genre police are not going to break your fingers and kick your puppies and throw you in author jail for one thousand years because you wrote about sexism and misogyny and violence against women. The fact that these stories continue to get published and made into popular television series should tell you you’re safe to keep writing your fantasies about violence against women, Mister Author Guy.


But for the love of Cheez-its, don’t try to dodge responsibility for your choice by hiding behind “historical accuracy.” Especially when you’re writing your made-up story in a made-up world. A world where you made up the history.


Even when you write historical fiction, you’re choosing which parts of that historical setting to include. You know how [Popular Grimdark Story] has graphic depictions of violence against women but not, say, graphic descriptions of menstruation? It’s because the author picks and chooses what to write about, what “historically realistic” details to include and exclude.


A lot of writers — mostly men — like to choose to write about sexism and misogyny and violence against women. A fair number do it badly and gratuitously, with little real understanding of what they’re writing about. And these days, it tends to feel pretty unoriginal. Is it any wonder some readers have grown tired of it and prefer more original writing?


Don’t worry, y’all still have plenty of freedom when it comes to choosing what to write about. But could we please GTFO with the excuses and take some damn responsibility for the choices we make as storytellers?

Terminal Peace Cover Art by Kieran Yanner


Today is the day! Terminal Peace is officially available in print, ebook, and audio book formats.


This one had a rougher path than most of my books. Thank you so much to everyone for your patience, support, and understanding over these past few years. I hope the wait was worth it.


“Where can I get a copy?”


If your local independent bookstore doesn’t have a copy on the shelves, they should be able to order it for you. Or you can use this convenient little link list:



“What are the reviewers saying?”


Let’s start with the most important review. I gave my mother an early copy of the book for her birthday this month. Here’s what she texted me over the weekend:


Text Message: "Just finished the book. WOW"


If for some reason you need more than that, Booklist called it a “satisfying and hopeful conclusion to the series.”


I’ve seen a handful of reader reviews popping up as well. Several folks commented that they didn’t expect to get teary-eyed over a book about space janitors, which I take as high praise. (If you’re worried that means it’s going to be overly sad or depressing, reread the “hopeful” part of the Booklist review.”)


“What can we as readers do to help support this obviously-amazing book?”


Aw…you’re too kind, thank you!!!



  1. Reviews are love. Twitter, TikTok, Amazon, Goodreads…it doesn’t matter where. Every bit of word-of-mouth helps tremendously.

  2. Signal-boost the release, either by sharing this post or writing your own.

  3. Does your library have a copy? If not, most library websites have a way for patrons to suggest books.

  4. Are you a famous Hollywood producer who believes the time has come for a humorous-yet-heartfelt blockbuster about underdog janitors in space taking on war and politics and really tough stains? Give my agent a call.


“As long as I’m grabbing a copy of this one, does anyone else have books out today?”


I’m so glad you asked! I get to share a release day with the wonderful Tanya Huff and her book Into the Broken Lands.



“Any closing thoughts?”


Mostly just gratitude. Like I said, it’s been a rough few years, and in many ways, the path ahead is foggier than it used to be. But I’m still writing and still loving that I get to share these stories with people. Thank you all.

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