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Sam Cameron's avatar

I write queer F1 romances! I really resonated with this part:

"But against all journalistic logic to blend in, I found myself wanting to stick out. To separate myself from the masses. To write on my forehead in pink permanent marker ā€œI’m Not Like These Girls!ā€ I think in some ways these women and their ability to be authentic has always intimated me. I have spent considerable time and effort distinguishing myself from them in a sports media landscape that rewards those who act and assert themselves like men."

I received an erroneous message growing up that sports weren't for queer nerds like me, so I didn't learn to enjoy them until I was an adult. I also received the message that romance was too "girly" and therefore bad and unserious. Plus, I never got to read queer romances until I was an adult. (Romance novels are no less fantastical than technothrillers like The DaVinci Code which get taken more seriously because they were written for/ by men!) It was so hard for me to publicly proclaim my enjoyment of these novels, let alone write them. I feel like I'm constantly needing to defend both my enjoyment of romance novels and my enjoyment of Formula 1.

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Olivia Hicks's avatar

Thanks for reading, Sam! I love your point about romance novels and technothrillers. I would say the comparison is reflective of sports fan bases too: men are just as ā€œcrazyā€ about their sports teams as anyone. I’ve often felt like men who go from sports fans to sports journalists are celebrated, while often women and queer people who make the same transition are encouraged to keep that information to themselves. Being a former ā€œfangirlā€ seems to open the door for all sorts of questions that are too often belittling, unprofessional and a double-standard. I’d love to read one of your books!

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Sam Cameron's avatar

Have you read "This is Not a Book About Benedict Cumberbatch" by Tabitha Carvan? She does a wonderful job of exploring this exact phenomenon, which I've seen as a theme in your writing about the reception of female Formula 1 fans.

While my books are still at least a couple of years away from release, I'll definitely reach out when they hit the shelves! I think many Formula Flash subscribers would enjoy them. I've also been writing some very un-serious Formula 1 content on my substack "Five Red Lights."

https://open.substack.com/pub/fiveredlights/p/which-f1-driver-are-you?r=2h0l95&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

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Alex Murray's avatar

I didn’t realise this genre even existed! Fascinating read

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Olivia Hicks's avatar

Thanks, Alex! I know - it’s a fascinating sub-genre/culture

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Darlene ChaniMaya Postma's avatar

Holy cow. Incredible.

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Olivia Hicks's avatar

Thanks Darlene!

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