You’ve Got Mail – Part II

Tom Meg
BobLee
December12/ 2016

You’ve Got Mail – Part II

I know many of you are eager for the next chapter of BobLee & Alex. OK, maybe a handful of you might be. The rest of you keep hoping I have BREAKING NEWS on TGU. ….. As predicted, Alex has responded to my response. We are into Stage II…. This, like the earlier one, is a bit lengthy so go to the nearest HB2 restroom before starting if you need to. This picks up with Alex’s 2nd reply to my reply email

If you missed Stage I you HAVE to go to that last insightful commentary and catch-up for this one to make any sense whatsoever.  Even then it’s a stretch.  I am not trying to convert Alex or any of you; but rather offer insight into a socio-cultural phenomenon some of you may not be familiar with.

WARNING…. WARNING:   Alex IS “an artist” (novelist) and prone to “earthy (salty) language”.  Albert, you might consider an e-mail tester before you jump in here. To anyone who has ever debated anyone of the liberal persuasion, it is nothing unusual. They tend towards “earthy” in self-expression.

NOTE:  Lee Child is the author of the Jack Reacher series of novels… and a close friend of Alex’s.

NOTE: I think she kinda sorta “likes me a little bit”….. or maybe not.

FINAL WARNING:  It is “kinda earthy”.

****

12/12/16 – 2:45 AMAlex Sokoloff
FROM: Alex 

Lee (Child) is more to the left than I am and he and I have had this conversation. Readers in general, his included, are much more liberal than conservative – it seems to be a by-product of, you know, reading. (The exception is Harlequin romance readers – you’ll find a lot of Republicans there, but I don’t know if it’s a statistical majority.) But he is as flat-out amazed as I am that people from the right can’t see the obvious leftist politics in our books.

Keep reading. Maybe it’ll sink in.

Of course – the right has eliminated facts and science – it’s now all about your feelings, hard line fundamentalist interpretations of the crueler parts of Christianity, and that debate-crushing catch-all: “I’m entitled to my opinion”. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you interpret books any way you want as well.

That’s fair game with fiction. Do it with reality – it’s an epic disaster for democracy.

So you don’t know why you checked me out? Please. You checked me out because I’m the only woman on your list of authors. Then of course, because I’m a woman, you felt entitled to lecture me about my wrongness about all issues – complete with insults. Are you similarly moved to contact male authors whose books you admire and hurl insults at them? Just curious.

At least you haven’t called me a b*tch or a c**t, yet – names I get on an almost daily basis from random brothers of yours on the right. I have to wonder why Republican women haven’t committed suicide en masse if this is what they have to deal with from their supposed loved ones and allies. Or wait, here’s an idea – they could turn Democrat, move to an enlightened state and get an actual life.

But it does explain why so many white women actually voted for the p***y grabber. Seriously, you guys must spike the Southern Comfort with Rohypnol.

There is such a better way to live.

And I live it. I live in California and in Scotland. I’m also in the tax bracket that will get the most benefit from the policies of the Russian puppet and his cutthroat collection of self-serving billionaires. Thanks for the sympathy, but you should try extending it to someone who actually needs it. Anyone poor. Anyone sick or disabled. Anyone not white. Anyone non-Christian. Anyone non-LGBTQ. All children, but especially girls. Red states. 99.999999% of the voters who fell for the con man. Unlike the rest of the country, I’ll be fine – as long as that unhinged narcissist who is going to have the NUCLEAR CODES doesn’t decide to blow up the planet in one of his late night Twitter snits.

Trump MonsterAnd we’ll keep democracy alive for when people come to their senses and remember it was a good idea. Like, the best idea in the history of the world.

Look. I do have a book to write. I’m not writing back for no reason. You’re educated. You’re thoughtful. Which I can’t say about – well, any – of the p***y grabber’s supporters I’ve encountered on social media. But you think that guy, that spoiled illiterate hustler, reality talk show host, masturbatory beauty pageant p***y grabber, Putin-loving, racist, xenophobic, mentally unstable, malignant narcissist – you think that guy should be anywhere near the presidency?

Forget party lines. I know more than a few Republicans who get that there is nothing normal or okay about it. How can supporting that be possible in a sane universe? If you voted for that, you just f***ed the world over so completely no one may make it out of this alive.

So if you want me to send you free books you’re going to have to tell me. If you voted for that monster, what the hell were you thinking?

Alex

***

12/12/16 – 7:50 PMBobLee
FROM: BobLee

Alex…. Are we auditioning for You’ve Got Mail – II. You’re Meg and I’m Tom ?? My daughter’s all-time favorite movie btw. “Daisies are such a friendly flower…”

I hesitated to reply to your earlier reply. Not knowing when your Stalker Alarm goes off. I’m glad to continue whatever this is we’re doing. I’m also glad to answer your question…. just to save a few bucks on books #3 and #4. 

Yes, I voted for Trump totally under the Lesser of Two Evils reasoning. PERIOD. I don’t expect you to begin to understand so let’s not get bogged down there. Your latest comments bring up much more interesting subjects.

I’ll take both “thoughtful” and “educated” as compliments. Just PLEASE don’t say “intellectual”. YIKES!  Of course, I’ve been called all that other yucky stuff too. Yawn.

You just went into a screed with all those colorful descriptions of “us people”.  I call those terms “Prius Bumperstickers”. Do “you people” have those insults on flashcards in your indoctrination kindergartens? ….. JUST KIDDING Alex…. Calm down.

I also coined the term “Pentacostal Profanity”. That’s when liberals get so doggone mad they cuss “in unknown tongues”. I have been the target of that too many times to count.

I noticed one of your stand alones takes place at Duke. So you have a familiarity with our metro area. I am a UNC-Chapel Hill alum but well BEFORE it went Full Berkeley. Spent 30 years chasing corporate rainbows all over the country before settling back here a while ago. It won’t surprise you that I was smack dab in the center of both Duke Lacrosse Scandal AND John Edwards & Rielle. “Fun times” for sure!

Our daughter and son-in-law (neither voted for Trump) live in Madison WI. … a/k/a “Berkeley with Winter”.  YIKES! They operate a Presbyterian campus ministry at U-Wiscy. .… apolitical millennial Bible-thumpers! Not much about my life fits your “all a buncha” model.

Actually not much about the crazy right-wingers I associate with fits your model …. but I certainly know more than a few wacky goobers that do. “Our crazies” are every bit as scary as your far-out crazy crowd. Arguing “whose crazies are craziest” is the ultimate “solitaire with a deck of 51”. Lets fence-in either Arkansas or Kansas. We each toss-in a few million of our bona-fide crazies and throw in a bunch of baseball bats and ax handles and let’em have at it. If that culls both herds, the world might be a tiny bit saner.

As to me not calling you those particularly nasty “b” and “c” names. I’m no prude by any means but it would never occur to me to call you those names. Now I’ve been called the male equivalent and worse many times by the more overly-caffeinated of “you people” but – hey – I’m too “thoughtful and educated” to let it bother me. “Sticks & Stones” …. ☺Karin Slaughter

Am I a uni-gender reader? Not guilty your honor. I have read every “Scarpetta” that Patricia Cornwell has written and six of Karin Slaughter’s “Will Trents”.   If you gave Agent Roarke dyslexia, he could be “Will Trent”.  Eerily similar plots in your and Karin’s stories. Both blonds too… huuuumm.

I also read Patterson’s monthly output. Many of his are now co-written by your side of the gender spectrum. LOVE his Murder Club series.

Checking an author’s website is not unusual for me. Going the next step and checking their Twitter page IS new for me. Here’s why….

I am wrestling with weaning myself off Facebook / Twitter. I describ social media as “like watching your grandparents have sex”. One’s initial curiosity is rewarded with a scene you can never erase from your conscious mind. Aaaaiiieeee! …. I was hoping that following “my authors” would get me away from the 24/7 political feces-flinging. It almost did until…..

I’ve lived long enough to know there are A LOT of human hairballs out there. “Human hairballs” are non-partisan. As a novelist you are an expert on the Seven Deadly Sins. You do realize those are all quite non-partisan too.

In the past six months I’ve started following more and more of my favorite authors’ Twitter pages. Gotten to know C.J. Box and a few others. With rare exceptions, their tweets are as apolitical as is possible these days.  Ergo I was taken aback by yours. …. Which led to my central question about “alienating readers” via one’s overt political passions. You have answered that from your and Lee’s perspective.

Pretty much all of my “crazy right wing” buddies are avid readers too. And most of’em’s tastes run much broader than the latest Vince Flynn / Tom Clancy wannabee. Has EVERY former Spec Ops guy “got a novel in him”? Enough already!

Not that you and I need an excuse to keep our E-pen-pal thing going… but howsabout suggestions of other Alex-esque fiction she-writers you want me to check out ? I’m not into Sci-Fi but any other fiction genre works.

My All-Time favorite book is Watership Down. Right behind that is Louis L’Amour’s Barnabas Sackett series. My favorite Baldacci is Wish Me Well. Big Larry McMurtry Lonesome Dove series fan. Yeah, I know he’s very politically misguided too. It’s been said I look like Woodrow Call.

Did I leave out the late great John D. MacDonald? “Travis McGee” is totally in a class by himself. Can we agree on that? MacDonald over Robert Parker but not by much.

I love “sidekick” stories…. Box’s Joe Pickett & Nate …. Crais’ Elvis & Joe Pike …. Coben’s Myron & Win …. Connolly is moving towards making Harry & Mickey a regular twosome.

Alex; I am NOT trying to temper your bone-deep dislike for “us people”.  You enjoy it too much to ever consider throttling back any way. IMO, there won’t be any Kumbaya Moment in America in my lifetime. I’ve got you by a few years but likely not in your lifetime either.

My only objective is that the next time you speak to Lee Child you can say:

“I did e-meet “one of them” one time who had a few redeemable features….”.

Also tell Lee I don’t hate Tom Cruise as Reacher; but Jim Caviezel woulda been better.

And I was not kidding about you naming your next sociopath “BobLee”. ☺

(Not Really So Deplorable) BobLee

*****

To be continued…. maybe.

HERE IT IS ….  PART THREE  (Click)

####

0 0 votes
Article Rating
BobLee
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
40 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
40
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x