I am a girl. And a fan of fantasy. You got a problem with that?

I am almost at a loss for words.

A responsible writer would step away from the computer. Think. Percolate.

But I am not a responsible writer. And I am mighty pissed off.

So. Hi, I'm Leah. I'm a girl. I've been a girl my whole life. I like being a girl. I like dresses and tall shoes and I wear makeup and jewelry.

I also read. A lot. Some of my favorite books are classics. To Kill a Mockingbird. Pride and Prejudice. I read Anne Frank's diary annually. I can practically recite passages of it. I read tons of nonfiction as well.

But much of my taste in literature runs...elsewhere. I read the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy while laid up after having my wisdom teeth yanked. Ray Bradbury and Stephen King feel like old friends to me.

It was probably close to ten years ago that someone handed me a tattered, paperback copy of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones, and from that moment on I've been a devoted fan of Martin's seven-part, not-yet-completed series. So much so, in fact, that I've cursed him many times for NOT WRITING FASTER, because I just want to see what's going to happen by the end of the story! I've forced my brothers to read his novels. I got Charles hooked. We've been waiting with baited breath for the upcoming HBO adaptation of the first book in the series, watching every single "making of" special that HBO has posted on its On Demand Channel. In fact, now that I think of it, we RE-ORDERED HBO simply to be able to watch this damn show!

I am a devoted fan-girl, to say the least.

So, when I read the first few words of Ginia Bellafante's snarky, dismissive review of the series, I was just sort of frustrated. At first. People are entitled to their opinions, and I know that, and just because I love something doesn't mean other people have to. I've even forgiven my father (finally!) for refusing to watch the LOTR movies because, in his words, "Elijah Wood just isn't a hobbit."

But then I read on. And on. And I got progressively angrier, near the point of fury, I think. Here's the thing.

Bellafante's argument boils down to this: she doesn't like the series because she thinks the books, and the show, are designed for men, with some pretty/sexy scenes thrown in to grab the female partners of the male fans. My favorite part has to be this:

"The true perversion, though, is the sense you get that all of this illicitness has been tossed in as a little something for the ladies, out of a justifiable fear, perhaps, that no woman alive would watch otherwise. While I do not doubt that there are women in the world who read books like Mr. Martin’s, I can honestly say that I have never met a single woman who has stood up in indignation at her book club and refused to read the latest from Lorrie Moore unless everyone agreed to “The Hobbit” first. “Game of Thrones” is boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half."

Oh, where to begin....I mean, seriously?

In the first place, "illicitness" tends to make me consider tuning out of a show, rather than in, when I feel it's gratuitous. Sex for sex sake bores me, and I find it annoying in many contemporary shows.

In the second place, like I mentioned earlier, I am a girl, I read a TON, and I don't belong to a book club. And the main reason I don't is because book clubs DO tend to focus on so-called "chick-lit" (apologies to Lorrie Moore - you were unfairly used above, and I know you're better than that), without branching into the horror/sci-fi/fantasy genres that I love. I could probably find a club that DOES focus on those genres, but why bother? I'd already be proving the exact opposite of Ms. Bellafante's point above. But then, to be fair, she doesn't know me.

What I think kills me most of all, though, is that inherent in Bellafante's "review" is the assumption that women who DO read fantasy, who DO love Martin's works (as I do), are this other, when compared to the more traditional female reading populace. It's the stereo-type of the nerd-girl - you know the one. Need I spell it out? Insecure, overweight, acne-ridden. I don't think I'm making this up, and I don't think reading that into Bellafante's piece is that far of a stretch. And it's a stereotype that makes me ANGRY. Because really, we women need to be more supportive of each other than that, and with her words above, Ms. Bellafante slapped in the face those women who DO deign to read literature that she clearly does not. And it was a slap most undeserved.

So, to recap. I am a woman. (Hear me roar, bitch!) I am also a reasonable-looking one - check out my picture on this blog - I'm the blondie. And I LOVE George R. R. Martin's fantasy series - it's on my list of favorites. And I will watch the HBO adaptation with enjoyment and excitement, and not just because the producers threw in some hot, sexy scenes.

I'm not that base.

Oh, and finally...I'm also a woman writer. And my first book? It's about zombies. You hear that? ZOMBIES!!!