Mariah Lynde's Blog
August 6, 2016
Growing Up: Putting Away Childish Things
I waited a week to write this post. Now, that I sit here preparing to share this with you, I’m glad I did.
Instead of hate-filled, angry words and accusations, I can instead address you and hope that sharing this opinion and my own experience will help someone else out there to realize the things that need to be done in their life.
For most of those in my generation, we cling to the idea of keeping our youth. We dream of being more in touch and in-step with the technology and changes of the world around us. Some are gamers, some are programmers, some of us even thrive on game design.
Yet, one fact remains clear, we’re adults now.
Despite the trials and tribulations of adulthood, a part of us remains childlike and young. Clinging to things that are should not necessarily be a part of our adulthood.
In this mess of nostalgia, there is always that one friend. Someone constant and familiar, that clings to the edges of our life as a reminder of that carefree time in our lives. While they may not be your best friend, you hold them close, letting the memories of a time long gone settle you into a sense of security.
That security, however, is false.
It allows for these people to use and abuse the memories you have of them, and in turn, keep you involved in a vicious cycle that you never seem to quite escape. It’s different for everyone, but we all have that one person who we keep close that refuses to grow up and uses the past as a weapon, whether truthful or not.
We all have this friend, who is actually no more than an acquaintance. I am sure I don’t have to say more, most of you are probably reading this now, thinking back on the people in your life to single out that one friend I’m talking about. This is the friend that no matter how much you think they’ve matured, never seems to grasp the full weight of adult responsibilities. They always have an excuse for why they can’t do things at a time that would be socially acceptable but on their own timetable. They never have to take responsibility for their own actions, because it’s someone else’s fault. These friends of our past, show up and while we briefly bask in the euphoria of our childhood, eventually we are saddled with fixing the wreckage left in their wake.
Long after they have used you, acquired what they need and left, you’re sweeping up the tattered remnants of your mind, sanity and soul that they so easily shattered. Finally, when you think you have recovered they breeze back into your world at their convenience and demand all things revolve around them, beginning the cycle anew.
This week, I was forced to take a long, hard look at my life to this point and the impact just such a person had on it.
So now, I sit here, writing this blog post, amazed at my own blind stupidity and hoping I can stop someone else from making the same mistake I did.
Part of growing up, includes that age-old adage, “..putting away childish things.”
Only recently did I realize this is not just about material possessions, but the people and friends we had at that time as well. While yes, it fine and lovely to romanticize and cling to some parts of our past to keep that spark of youth, sometimes you have to let go of the things from that time that only do you harm, even if it’s not something that can physically be seen.
I am a different person now than I was fifteen years ago. True, some of my character is the same, but I’ve matured in some ways, and remained the same in others. Marriage and children give you a different perspective on the world. Love and loss does as well, yet those select few who we cling to from days gone by never mature to that point, and in the end, condemn you for the life you lead.
Yet, this does not stop them from using and abusing you to their benefit. While you’ve grown, acquired a sense of morality and responsibility, they remain childlike. As they enter your world, they turn it upside down and move to acquire any benefit you can offer to further their lives, no matter how undeserving they are.
Recently, I found myself faced with just such a situation. Yet, this was the cycle, the pattern for the relationship with this ghost of my past. The reason I now write this post, is so that other people do not make the mistake I did and let sleeping dogs lie in their bed for too long. You will come up with fleas, and by fleas, I mean personal attacks from this so-called “friend” that leave you reeling when you should have seen it coming.
When you mature, those that you cling to from your past that refuse to grow, will forever remain the teenager you once knew. Sadly, that part of youth is not something anyone misses, not really.
The back biting, the lying, the bitching, the fighting, the petty condemnation and high school antics…we all wanted out of that particular social setting. Yet, these few people we cling to drag us right back in to it. Sadly, there comes the day that their ego and self-importance will explode. Whether it’s over a missed appointment or some imagined slight on their part, you will never be able to make them understand that the responsibilities in your life come before them. When that happens, when they realize they can’t milk you for anymore purpose, they will do what all teenagers do.
They will viciously attack and brow beat you and the people around you to wreak havoc and try to force you back into their way of thinking.
Which is why I’m telling all of you reading this now, if you have a ‘friend’ like this, cut them loose. Not just for your sanity, but to move forward in your life.
The last thing anyone needs in their life is to deal with the high school like mentality of lying, bullying, or attacking someone just because you don’t agree or like what they do or say to you. We’re long out of high school, and nowadays, we’re supposed to be operating as adults. The sad part is, these former ‘friends’ have no sense of morality and things you said to them in confidence, or in believing they were your friend, get chopped up, twisted, and then reported back to others just so they can cause more drama. All in all, it’s a vicious minefield that should be avoided.
In my case, this post is too little…too late.
I’m begging all of you out there: Don’t be me.
If you have a friend like this, a leech that clings to you from the past and feeds on your accomplishments or lifestyle to improve their own…CUT THEM OFF.
You’re an adult, and while the bills suck, the whole point of growing up was to acquire your freedom.
Freedom to live. Freedom to choose. Freedom to live your life on your terms.
You can’t do that when you’re being dragged down by those who are supposed to be on your side.
Get out now, and find an adult you can relate to.
I sure wish I had.
In the meantime, I love you all. Take this post how you will, but I feel better for the writing of it. <3 ML
Instead of hate-filled, angry words and accusations, I can instead address you and hope that sharing this opinion and my own experience will help someone else out there to realize the things that need to be done in their life.
For most of those in my generation, we cling to the idea of keeping our youth. We dream of being more in touch and in-step with the technology and changes of the world around us. Some are gamers, some are programmers, some of us even thrive on game design.
Yet, one fact remains clear, we’re adults now.
Despite the trials and tribulations of adulthood, a part of us remains childlike and young. Clinging to things that are should not necessarily be a part of our adulthood.
In this mess of nostalgia, there is always that one friend. Someone constant and familiar, that clings to the edges of our life as a reminder of that carefree time in our lives. While they may not be your best friend, you hold them close, letting the memories of a time long gone settle you into a sense of security.
That security, however, is false.
It allows for these people to use and abuse the memories you have of them, and in turn, keep you involved in a vicious cycle that you never seem to quite escape. It’s different for everyone, but we all have that one person who we keep close that refuses to grow up and uses the past as a weapon, whether truthful or not.
We all have this friend, who is actually no more than an acquaintance. I am sure I don’t have to say more, most of you are probably reading this now, thinking back on the people in your life to single out that one friend I’m talking about. This is the friend that no matter how much you think they’ve matured, never seems to grasp the full weight of adult responsibilities. They always have an excuse for why they can’t do things at a time that would be socially acceptable but on their own timetable. They never have to take responsibility for their own actions, because it’s someone else’s fault. These friends of our past, show up and while we briefly bask in the euphoria of our childhood, eventually we are saddled with fixing the wreckage left in their wake.
Long after they have used you, acquired what they need and left, you’re sweeping up the tattered remnants of your mind, sanity and soul that they so easily shattered. Finally, when you think you have recovered they breeze back into your world at their convenience and demand all things revolve around them, beginning the cycle anew.
This week, I was forced to take a long, hard look at my life to this point and the impact just such a person had on it.
So now, I sit here, writing this blog post, amazed at my own blind stupidity and hoping I can stop someone else from making the same mistake I did.
Part of growing up, includes that age-old adage, “..putting away childish things.”
Only recently did I realize this is not just about material possessions, but the people and friends we had at that time as well. While yes, it fine and lovely to romanticize and cling to some parts of our past to keep that spark of youth, sometimes you have to let go of the things from that time that only do you harm, even if it’s not something that can physically be seen.
I am a different person now than I was fifteen years ago. True, some of my character is the same, but I’ve matured in some ways, and remained the same in others. Marriage and children give you a different perspective on the world. Love and loss does as well, yet those select few who we cling to from days gone by never mature to that point, and in the end, condemn you for the life you lead.
Yet, this does not stop them from using and abusing you to their benefit. While you’ve grown, acquired a sense of morality and responsibility, they remain childlike. As they enter your world, they turn it upside down and move to acquire any benefit you can offer to further their lives, no matter how undeserving they are.
Recently, I found myself faced with just such a situation. Yet, this was the cycle, the pattern for the relationship with this ghost of my past. The reason I now write this post, is so that other people do not make the mistake I did and let sleeping dogs lie in their bed for too long. You will come up with fleas, and by fleas, I mean personal attacks from this so-called “friend” that leave you reeling when you should have seen it coming.
When you mature, those that you cling to from your past that refuse to grow, will forever remain the teenager you once knew. Sadly, that part of youth is not something anyone misses, not really.
The back biting, the lying, the bitching, the fighting, the petty condemnation and high school antics…we all wanted out of that particular social setting. Yet, these few people we cling to drag us right back in to it. Sadly, there comes the day that their ego and self-importance will explode. Whether it’s over a missed appointment or some imagined slight on their part, you will never be able to make them understand that the responsibilities in your life come before them. When that happens, when they realize they can’t milk you for anymore purpose, they will do what all teenagers do.
They will viciously attack and brow beat you and the people around you to wreak havoc and try to force you back into their way of thinking.
Which is why I’m telling all of you reading this now, if you have a ‘friend’ like this, cut them loose. Not just for your sanity, but to move forward in your life.
The last thing anyone needs in their life is to deal with the high school like mentality of lying, bullying, or attacking someone just because you don’t agree or like what they do or say to you. We’re long out of high school, and nowadays, we’re supposed to be operating as adults. The sad part is, these former ‘friends’ have no sense of morality and things you said to them in confidence, or in believing they were your friend, get chopped up, twisted, and then reported back to others just so they can cause more drama. All in all, it’s a vicious minefield that should be avoided.
In my case, this post is too little…too late.
I’m begging all of you out there: Don’t be me.
If you have a friend like this, a leech that clings to you from the past and feeds on your accomplishments or lifestyle to improve their own…CUT THEM OFF.
You’re an adult, and while the bills suck, the whole point of growing up was to acquire your freedom.
Freedom to live. Freedom to choose. Freedom to live your life on your terms.
You can’t do that when you’re being dragged down by those who are supposed to be on your side.
Get out now, and find an adult you can relate to.
I sure wish I had.
In the meantime, I love you all. Take this post how you will, but I feel better for the writing of it. <3 ML
July 2, 2016
Stalking By Halo - Enough is Enough!
Greetings once again my friends and fans,
As you know, I normally try not to rant and rave on social media. The reason for which is obvious, I depend on you as fans, followers, and friends to come to me not for drama, but for the stories I write. Each word I put on a page is part of a story to tell, whether personal or just need driven.
Those of you here, have read, or want to read my stories because I make them as relatable as possible.
However, as I’m sure some of you have noticed, the numbers on this page have dwindled in the last two weeks. All because of one person who has taken on this crusade of one of the most intensive, hate-driven, psychotic campaigns of cyberstalking I have ever seen.
Those of you here, know me well.
I am not a mean-spirited person. I normally play devil’s advocate for anyone.
This time however, my reputation and my livelihood were attacked in this woman’s single-minded venture to be as fuck nuts crazy as possible.
While I am in no way involved up front with the situation, a friend, scratch that, a SISTER to me is involved. No matter where this situation began, at this moment, the tendrils of this stalker’s crazy have affected my work, my life, and threatened the safety of myself and my sister.
That said, all of you who have read any of my work, know how I feel about bullies.
None of us, no matter race, creed, color, religion, or political party alignment should be subject to harassment and threats for any reason.
In the last two weeks, you’ve seen the number of follower’s on this page dwindle to a new low.
You also have seen the message I put up regarding posts placed here that are inflammatory, demeaning, or insulting to any one person or thing.
These are the product of this woman’s insanity and now, it has reached a new time low.
Despite the fact I have to keep removing posts from this page, despite the fact that I have done my best to stay silent and let this blow over, things have now come to a point where I can no longer sit here and allow this beast to continue her tirade of menace in my life or that of my SISTER.
She has opened a blog, where she makes unfounded accusations, calls names, and then threatens to reveal personal history of people that are in or around this situation.
As you all know, this name is my pen name. So done so I can keep my family safe, and myself innocuous to the world from a distance.
However, this woman and her stalking had her tracking me down from an OUTSIDE GAME source to find this page. Despite the fact it has no links to the game she is speaking of.
This situation has become so outrageous that the police are now involved, but still this woman continues to stalk and harass others.
Private situations should be kept just that, Private. And right now, I’m livid.
This woman, who I’ve never spoken to, had used multiple accounts to harass myself and others just for knowing MY SISTER.
She has threatened to release private and personal information to the PUBLIC because she’s upset about her own failings.
More than this, she has no sense of a difference between fantasy on a computer and reality and now she is putting our families and in my case, my career at risk.
And for what?
Problems that never would have been a problem if she hadn’t been acting this way in the first place.
I’m not asking you to harass her.
I’m not asking you to contact her.
What I am asking you to do, is let people know that this woman is a danger to them. If you see her invite on your FB, ignore it. If you see her post to someone’s wall, make them remove it.
Lastly, and most importantly, do not allow her to bully anyone else. While the police are involved in this matter, only public outcry can get blogs or people trying to blog shut down. So… Below is the link to her blog where she threatens to out the personal lives of others. Also is a link to one of the MANY Facebook profiles being used to harass others.
All I can ask of you now is please help us to stop this woman from hurting anyone else. No matter what situation is taking place, we will not tolerate threats made to someone’s life, family, and career in the guise of stalking and bullying. Thank you all, know that I love you much for staying to support my books and my work, and keep your eyes peeled for news on Contingency and it’s release!
http://fyngthevictim.blogspot.com/?vi...
https://www.facebook.com/halo.evermor...
As you know, I normally try not to rant and rave on social media. The reason for which is obvious, I depend on you as fans, followers, and friends to come to me not for drama, but for the stories I write. Each word I put on a page is part of a story to tell, whether personal or just need driven.
Those of you here, have read, or want to read my stories because I make them as relatable as possible.
However, as I’m sure some of you have noticed, the numbers on this page have dwindled in the last two weeks. All because of one person who has taken on this crusade of one of the most intensive, hate-driven, psychotic campaigns of cyberstalking I have ever seen.
Those of you here, know me well.
I am not a mean-spirited person. I normally play devil’s advocate for anyone.
This time however, my reputation and my livelihood were attacked in this woman’s single-minded venture to be as fuck nuts crazy as possible.
While I am in no way involved up front with the situation, a friend, scratch that, a SISTER to me is involved. No matter where this situation began, at this moment, the tendrils of this stalker’s crazy have affected my work, my life, and threatened the safety of myself and my sister.
That said, all of you who have read any of my work, know how I feel about bullies.
None of us, no matter race, creed, color, religion, or political party alignment should be subject to harassment and threats for any reason.
In the last two weeks, you’ve seen the number of follower’s on this page dwindle to a new low.
You also have seen the message I put up regarding posts placed here that are inflammatory, demeaning, or insulting to any one person or thing.
These are the product of this woman’s insanity and now, it has reached a new time low.
Despite the fact I have to keep removing posts from this page, despite the fact that I have done my best to stay silent and let this blow over, things have now come to a point where I can no longer sit here and allow this beast to continue her tirade of menace in my life or that of my SISTER.
She has opened a blog, where she makes unfounded accusations, calls names, and then threatens to reveal personal history of people that are in or around this situation.
As you all know, this name is my pen name. So done so I can keep my family safe, and myself innocuous to the world from a distance.
However, this woman and her stalking had her tracking me down from an OUTSIDE GAME source to find this page. Despite the fact it has no links to the game she is speaking of.
This situation has become so outrageous that the police are now involved, but still this woman continues to stalk and harass others.
Private situations should be kept just that, Private. And right now, I’m livid.
This woman, who I’ve never spoken to, had used multiple accounts to harass myself and others just for knowing MY SISTER.
She has threatened to release private and personal information to the PUBLIC because she’s upset about her own failings.
More than this, she has no sense of a difference between fantasy on a computer and reality and now she is putting our families and in my case, my career at risk.
And for what?
Problems that never would have been a problem if she hadn’t been acting this way in the first place.
I’m not asking you to harass her.
I’m not asking you to contact her.
What I am asking you to do, is let people know that this woman is a danger to them. If you see her invite on your FB, ignore it. If you see her post to someone’s wall, make them remove it.
Lastly, and most importantly, do not allow her to bully anyone else. While the police are involved in this matter, only public outcry can get blogs or people trying to blog shut down. So… Below is the link to her blog where she threatens to out the personal lives of others. Also is a link to one of the MANY Facebook profiles being used to harass others.
All I can ask of you now is please help us to stop this woman from hurting anyone else. No matter what situation is taking place, we will not tolerate threats made to someone’s life, family, and career in the guise of stalking and bullying. Thank you all, know that I love you much for staying to support my books and my work, and keep your eyes peeled for news on Contingency and it’s release!
http://fyngthevictim.blogspot.com/?vi...
https://www.facebook.com/halo.evermor...
February 16, 2016
My Position Is...#ShutUpKanye
Greetings, my literary contingent! The time has come for another post on the blog. I will be honest with you. I had been considering doing a post about the importance of voting and being involved in politics, but in the midst of my fact finding mission about candidate I found my news feed overrun with the most nonsensical crap ever.
Kanye West.
It seems no matter what research you are trying to do, be it political, local news, world news, or catching up on the Sunday comics, one name seems to flood the news feeds spanning the internet. Thanks to the glory of social media, we’re now privy to the flood when someone with a sense of entitlement decides to break the world to get some attention.
Before I begin my rant/demoralization of said person, I want to make something VERY clear. I am in no way attacking his talent. Like him or hate him, Kanye West is an artist. His talent is not in debate. Much as I may despise the man, I have enjoyed several of his songs. That said, it doesn’t make him entitled to being the most important person in my life or the lives of everyone in the world. He is a talented man, an artist to be sure, but what else is he?
At the moment, I’m seriously trying to make my mind up on just how to categorize him as a person. This is a man whose sense of entitlement has more than crippled him- I think it’s made him mentally deranged.
Look at Twitter, News Feeds, and any networking site on the internet across the world today and you are littered with stories of Kanye’s tweets in the last ninety-six hours. Everything from ‘Pray for us, in this time. Fifty-three million in debt…’ to ‘Hey Mark Zuckerberg, I know it’s your b-day, invest one billion in Kanye West ideas’.
All I wanted to do was research on political candidates, instead I get inundated by a plethora of woe is me, give me money, or pay attention to me because of who I am from the West camp.
I seriously cannot emphasize enough just how bad he is making himself look. Not that we’re unaware of it, it is not like this is something new for anyone who has had to watch his soap opera like mental foibles in media for the last several years.
Still, there comes a time when you have to draw the line and call it like you see it. For me, I just need to make up my mind on which category this man falls into as a descriptor: Is he that much of a Douchebag? Is he unaware of what he is doing and ignorant? Or is he just plain stupid?
Before you get all upset and say I’m being cruel or rude, take the time to consider a few basic facts:
- Kanye West is an artist, but he is not the ONLY artist struggling. I don’t care if you’re a writer, a singer, a sculptor, etc. Being an artist in a world dominated by computers and numbers is always a struggle. Not everyone makes it big, and enjoy only a small following of people who love/enjoy their work. It means the pay is crap. The difference between these people and Kanye West is that they don’t go begging for others to pay for their lifestyle.
- For a man who claims to be religious, asking God to help him through this trying time, he indulges in a lot of things that could be considered un-Christian like. From his covetous attitude, to his repeated attempts to harm other people with word or actions, he’s not exactly got me dropping to my knees to sing his praises and ask him for help.
- Fifty-three Million Dollars! Allow me to point out to you, this is not chump change. This is not a normal house payment and bills, this is FIFTY-THREE MILLION dollars. In order to get that far in debt, you have to be a little bit touched in the head. Most artists in this world are living in low to minimum wage income structures. They’re living paycheck to paycheck, balancing their checkbooks weekly and keeping their families afloat amid mortgages, childcare, bills, groceries, and incidentals. You don’t see these people begging for handouts or money, because they know that no matter what they give to the world, they have to take responsibility for their own lives.
- Public Solicitation with absolutely no remorse-I’m sorry, this one kind of irks me. Was common social and public decency not part of his being raised? Or has he just chosen to forget all of that in lieu of his success? I’ll admit that I’m not as well-known as Mr.West. I certainly haven’t made millions of dollars in my trade, but my fan base is loyal. That small success has not sent me out among the masses to publicly humiliate myself and anyone associated with me by blatantly begging for money in broad spectrum social media.
- Invest in an artist’s idea with money to bank a personal lifestyle. This is the part that has me eye rolling every few minutes. Kanye West seriously believes what is happening to him should be everyone else’s priority. There are children in third world countries starving, war torn nations struggling, and an epidemic of diseases sweeping across certain areas of the world that could all use one billion dollars in a much more lucrative way. How is paying for your mansion, your jewelry, and your spending habits a bigger priority than these?
Seriously, take a good look at all this man has done in the last five years. Other than his music to entertain people, as a human being, he’s not exactly winning any awards. He’s rude, chauvinistic, entitled, and pretty much an all-around jerk to anyone who comes across him. Say what you will, but you can’t justify someone so out of touch with reality that they believe they can act in whatever fashion they wish and embarrass not only themselves but their family and the population of the place they’re from.
What does it say to the world that one of our most well-known celebrity figures is basically panhandling on the internet to support his lavish lifestyle?
In the last five years, we’ve watched this man do any number of despicable things. Insulting others, dismissing his fan base, make misleading political statements when he has no idea what is going on, beg people for money, blatantly deride females in public forums…so when is enough actually enough?
Is he a douchebag?
Is he ignorant of basic human decency?
Or is he willfully stupid?
Time and again, we forgive this man his transgressions, but when is enough, enough? There comes a point where your possession of talent only gets you so far before you need to pay the piper for all your indiscretions.
No matter how you slice this, to have been put in a situation where he is that much in debt, Kanye either didn’t give a damn and assumed people would be bailing him out or he honestly thought he could do what he wanted and it would make no difference.
Whatever the case may be, it is time for Mr. West to grow up and learn what it’s like being at the adult’s table. It’s time for him to learn some of the basic rules of human decency he is seemingly lacking.
What irks me the most, is his little plethora of tweets to Mark Zuckerberg. All of which pretty much boil down to this: ‘Invest in me’.
That alone is an insult to every person following this man’s career. The people following him on Twitter, the people buying his albums, the people that buy his merchandise – All of these people are investing in him daily. That is not including his record label, his managers, producers, and staff.
Seriously Kanye, haven’t people invested enough? It’s time for you to make good on those investments by actually taking off your yoke of entitlement and thinking like an adult.
So, to all you out there in the world, no matter what you think or believe…Do not be fooled. This latest round of events from Camp Kanye is a scam in and of itself. You’ve already invested in ‘West Ideas’ so now make him pony up.
He is in this situation because of his own blind ambition and lack of common sense. Whatever it was that led to his current state of affairs lies on him and him alone. He needs to learn how to get himself out of it. So let me be the first to say it:
#ShutUpKanye
Kanye West.
It seems no matter what research you are trying to do, be it political, local news, world news, or catching up on the Sunday comics, one name seems to flood the news feeds spanning the internet. Thanks to the glory of social media, we’re now privy to the flood when someone with a sense of entitlement decides to break the world to get some attention.
Before I begin my rant/demoralization of said person, I want to make something VERY clear. I am in no way attacking his talent. Like him or hate him, Kanye West is an artist. His talent is not in debate. Much as I may despise the man, I have enjoyed several of his songs. That said, it doesn’t make him entitled to being the most important person in my life or the lives of everyone in the world. He is a talented man, an artist to be sure, but what else is he?
At the moment, I’m seriously trying to make my mind up on just how to categorize him as a person. This is a man whose sense of entitlement has more than crippled him- I think it’s made him mentally deranged.
Look at Twitter, News Feeds, and any networking site on the internet across the world today and you are littered with stories of Kanye’s tweets in the last ninety-six hours. Everything from ‘Pray for us, in this time. Fifty-three million in debt…’ to ‘Hey Mark Zuckerberg, I know it’s your b-day, invest one billion in Kanye West ideas’.
All I wanted to do was research on political candidates, instead I get inundated by a plethora of woe is me, give me money, or pay attention to me because of who I am from the West camp.
I seriously cannot emphasize enough just how bad he is making himself look. Not that we’re unaware of it, it is not like this is something new for anyone who has had to watch his soap opera like mental foibles in media for the last several years.
Still, there comes a time when you have to draw the line and call it like you see it. For me, I just need to make up my mind on which category this man falls into as a descriptor: Is he that much of a Douchebag? Is he unaware of what he is doing and ignorant? Or is he just plain stupid?
Before you get all upset and say I’m being cruel or rude, take the time to consider a few basic facts:
- Kanye West is an artist, but he is not the ONLY artist struggling. I don’t care if you’re a writer, a singer, a sculptor, etc. Being an artist in a world dominated by computers and numbers is always a struggle. Not everyone makes it big, and enjoy only a small following of people who love/enjoy their work. It means the pay is crap. The difference between these people and Kanye West is that they don’t go begging for others to pay for their lifestyle.
- For a man who claims to be religious, asking God to help him through this trying time, he indulges in a lot of things that could be considered un-Christian like. From his covetous attitude, to his repeated attempts to harm other people with word or actions, he’s not exactly got me dropping to my knees to sing his praises and ask him for help.
- Fifty-three Million Dollars! Allow me to point out to you, this is not chump change. This is not a normal house payment and bills, this is FIFTY-THREE MILLION dollars. In order to get that far in debt, you have to be a little bit touched in the head. Most artists in this world are living in low to minimum wage income structures. They’re living paycheck to paycheck, balancing their checkbooks weekly and keeping their families afloat amid mortgages, childcare, bills, groceries, and incidentals. You don’t see these people begging for handouts or money, because they know that no matter what they give to the world, they have to take responsibility for their own lives.
- Public Solicitation with absolutely no remorse-I’m sorry, this one kind of irks me. Was common social and public decency not part of his being raised? Or has he just chosen to forget all of that in lieu of his success? I’ll admit that I’m not as well-known as Mr.West. I certainly haven’t made millions of dollars in my trade, but my fan base is loyal. That small success has not sent me out among the masses to publicly humiliate myself and anyone associated with me by blatantly begging for money in broad spectrum social media.
- Invest in an artist’s idea with money to bank a personal lifestyle. This is the part that has me eye rolling every few minutes. Kanye West seriously believes what is happening to him should be everyone else’s priority. There are children in third world countries starving, war torn nations struggling, and an epidemic of diseases sweeping across certain areas of the world that could all use one billion dollars in a much more lucrative way. How is paying for your mansion, your jewelry, and your spending habits a bigger priority than these?
Seriously, take a good look at all this man has done in the last five years. Other than his music to entertain people, as a human being, he’s not exactly winning any awards. He’s rude, chauvinistic, entitled, and pretty much an all-around jerk to anyone who comes across him. Say what you will, but you can’t justify someone so out of touch with reality that they believe they can act in whatever fashion they wish and embarrass not only themselves but their family and the population of the place they’re from.
What does it say to the world that one of our most well-known celebrity figures is basically panhandling on the internet to support his lavish lifestyle?
In the last five years, we’ve watched this man do any number of despicable things. Insulting others, dismissing his fan base, make misleading political statements when he has no idea what is going on, beg people for money, blatantly deride females in public forums…so when is enough actually enough?
Is he a douchebag?
Is he ignorant of basic human decency?
Or is he willfully stupid?
Time and again, we forgive this man his transgressions, but when is enough, enough? There comes a point where your possession of talent only gets you so far before you need to pay the piper for all your indiscretions.
No matter how you slice this, to have been put in a situation where he is that much in debt, Kanye either didn’t give a damn and assumed people would be bailing him out or he honestly thought he could do what he wanted and it would make no difference.
Whatever the case may be, it is time for Mr. West to grow up and learn what it’s like being at the adult’s table. It’s time for him to learn some of the basic rules of human decency he is seemingly lacking.
What irks me the most, is his little plethora of tweets to Mark Zuckerberg. All of which pretty much boil down to this: ‘Invest in me’.
That alone is an insult to every person following this man’s career. The people following him on Twitter, the people buying his albums, the people that buy his merchandise – All of these people are investing in him daily. That is not including his record label, his managers, producers, and staff.
Seriously Kanye, haven’t people invested enough? It’s time for you to make good on those investments by actually taking off your yoke of entitlement and thinking like an adult.
So, to all you out there in the world, no matter what you think or believe…Do not be fooled. This latest round of events from Camp Kanye is a scam in and of itself. You’ve already invested in ‘West Ideas’ so now make him pony up.
He is in this situation because of his own blind ambition and lack of common sense. Whatever it was that led to his current state of affairs lies on him and him alone. He needs to learn how to get himself out of it. So let me be the first to say it:
#ShutUpKanye
November 11, 2015
Why Should We #BringBackMST3K
It’s been a while readers and bloggers, but I am peeking my head out of my personal hole for a good cause. Despite my small hiatus from blogging in favor of my personal life and writing, this time, I peek my head out of my hole to support what some would consider to be a weird cause.
However, is it really so weird?
Hard as it is to say this, it’s been almost twenty years since MST3K was on the air. Yet despite that time lapse, there are days I still walk around my house and mutter funny little tag lines or quotes from a show that in my opinion was highly underrated.
While not admitting to my age, I can tell you that in my childhood, I sat down on Saturday Nights for family time. Every week, that family time was watching Mystery Science Theater 3000. Some of you may ask, what kind of meaningful time is that? Allow me to answer you now.
For a lot of family’s it’s hard to find something everyone can connect on.
Considering the different interests and influences, personalities and quirks that develop rarely will you find one thing anyone can agree on. Nine times out of ten anything you watch, leans in favor of one or two people but never the collective whole. For many households, MST3K bridged the gap. For your moviephiles there was some random movie that you couldn’t find on general shelves or feeds.
For your outcast, there is the castaway on a satellite alone in space, completely isolated on their island which no one truly understand and always underestimate.
For the creative people, you have your MacGuyver moments with robots and gadgets galore that are created from paper clips, Snickers bars, and duct tape.
For those who like snarky evil, there’s an evil corporation funding this experiment on the Sattelite of Love and just evil enough to be a pain, but not smart enough to rule the world…
And then there’s when they all come together and make a perfect world.
A world where you can sit down and just enjoy a movie, no matter how bad it is because you have the company of others. MST3K made it okay for us to come together and poke fun at the insane, the improbable, and the absolutely horrible. The beauty was, you did it in such a way that you paid a good amount of respect to the attempts that were made, but still had your own brand of fun. It bridges the gap between the old Hollywood era and a new generation where satire, comedy, and sarcasm had become king.
In any household, it also bridged the gap between serious and hilarity. For me, there was nothing better than sitting down on a Saturday night with a bowl of popcorn, a drink, and my family beside me to snicker and laugh at the comments being made. In some cases even adding our own random comments to the fray and having a good time as we pointed out inconsistencies or Tom Servos ever changing wig (there was an episode where he had a blond wig and it kept moving around. So funny…)
Mystery Science Theater made it okay for us to poke fun at ourselves and movies. It made it okay for us to sit with our family and rally for the underdog.
It also gave us moments of side splitting laughter. Laughter which can make you forget the stress of the work week. Of that project at school you just can’t seem to get right. It could make you all sit down and appreciate what was in front of you with the power of humor and laughter.
Anyone who watched this cult show had their own reasons. It touched something inside of them, a spark of brilliance, a hint of laughter or comedy, or even just a kind of low key appreciation for things around us.
Sadly, like most shows that have a small but loyal following, we lost MST3K while I was still in high school.
For years, I’ve had to find streamed copies or some random VHS so I could share just a few of these experiences with my own child. Sadly, it’s not as easy to get a hold of as one would think.
I missed that time. I missed that warmth and laughter that seemed to soothe away the worries of the world.
Now, Joel Hodgson had started a movement to bring it back, in all its glory.
While I would LOVE for him to pick up the jumpsuit to hop onto the Satellite of Love with Tom Servo, Gypsy, and Crow at this point I’ll settle for just having the show back!
For all the foibles, the years of waiting to make fun of certain movies, or some kind of weekly hilarity to bridge the gaps, we NEED this.
Television has become a series of serial soaps, drama, crime, and reality shows that never offer us the one thing that we could all use: a laugh.
We need to remember laughter!
Light hearted banter!
Fun!
Most of all, we need to remember about all that have worked and come before us!
MST3K pays homage to that. It also lets you show these things to your children and makes it fun.
I can tell you honestly, had it not been for MST3K, I never would have known the beauty of old B-Movies like: The Crawling Hand, Project Moonbase, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Gamera, The Castle of Fu Manchu, or The Crawling Eye.
Seeing these movies through the presentation MST3K offered me as a child in the color TV era, opened my eyes up to a lot of different things. It made me receptive to watching and appreciating movies I likely never would have looked at twice otherwise.
Now, we’re being asked if we want to bring it back.
For myself, it would be nostalgia. For my kid…well, it will be an experience to open him up to wider range of things in this world just like it did for me.
So, no matter what your reasoning…
No matter if you’re young, old, purple, blue, a raging nuclear monster, a swamp creature, a disembodied hand, a jock, a princess, a head case, a nerd, or a robot with a penchant for sky blue female cut t-shirts…
Isn’t it worth it to bring back a piece of ourselves and have a little laugh.
Let’s have FUN again.
Bring Back MST3K! We love you, Joel!
Now, let’s all show him how much!
I’m throwing my hat in the ring to save the Satellite of Love, I hope to see more of you there with me!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
However, is it really so weird?
Hard as it is to say this, it’s been almost twenty years since MST3K was on the air. Yet despite that time lapse, there are days I still walk around my house and mutter funny little tag lines or quotes from a show that in my opinion was highly underrated.
While not admitting to my age, I can tell you that in my childhood, I sat down on Saturday Nights for family time. Every week, that family time was watching Mystery Science Theater 3000. Some of you may ask, what kind of meaningful time is that? Allow me to answer you now.
For a lot of family’s it’s hard to find something everyone can connect on.
Considering the different interests and influences, personalities and quirks that develop rarely will you find one thing anyone can agree on. Nine times out of ten anything you watch, leans in favor of one or two people but never the collective whole. For many households, MST3K bridged the gap. For your moviephiles there was some random movie that you couldn’t find on general shelves or feeds.
For your outcast, there is the castaway on a satellite alone in space, completely isolated on their island which no one truly understand and always underestimate.
For the creative people, you have your MacGuyver moments with robots and gadgets galore that are created from paper clips, Snickers bars, and duct tape.
For those who like snarky evil, there’s an evil corporation funding this experiment on the Sattelite of Love and just evil enough to be a pain, but not smart enough to rule the world…
And then there’s when they all come together and make a perfect world.
A world where you can sit down and just enjoy a movie, no matter how bad it is because you have the company of others. MST3K made it okay for us to come together and poke fun at the insane, the improbable, and the absolutely horrible. The beauty was, you did it in such a way that you paid a good amount of respect to the attempts that were made, but still had your own brand of fun. It bridges the gap between the old Hollywood era and a new generation where satire, comedy, and sarcasm had become king.
In any household, it also bridged the gap between serious and hilarity. For me, there was nothing better than sitting down on a Saturday night with a bowl of popcorn, a drink, and my family beside me to snicker and laugh at the comments being made. In some cases even adding our own random comments to the fray and having a good time as we pointed out inconsistencies or Tom Servos ever changing wig (there was an episode where he had a blond wig and it kept moving around. So funny…)
Mystery Science Theater made it okay for us to poke fun at ourselves and movies. It made it okay for us to sit with our family and rally for the underdog.
It also gave us moments of side splitting laughter. Laughter which can make you forget the stress of the work week. Of that project at school you just can’t seem to get right. It could make you all sit down and appreciate what was in front of you with the power of humor and laughter.
Anyone who watched this cult show had their own reasons. It touched something inside of them, a spark of brilliance, a hint of laughter or comedy, or even just a kind of low key appreciation for things around us.
Sadly, like most shows that have a small but loyal following, we lost MST3K while I was still in high school.
For years, I’ve had to find streamed copies or some random VHS so I could share just a few of these experiences with my own child. Sadly, it’s not as easy to get a hold of as one would think.
I missed that time. I missed that warmth and laughter that seemed to soothe away the worries of the world.
Now, Joel Hodgson had started a movement to bring it back, in all its glory.
While I would LOVE for him to pick up the jumpsuit to hop onto the Satellite of Love with Tom Servo, Gypsy, and Crow at this point I’ll settle for just having the show back!
For all the foibles, the years of waiting to make fun of certain movies, or some kind of weekly hilarity to bridge the gaps, we NEED this.
Television has become a series of serial soaps, drama, crime, and reality shows that never offer us the one thing that we could all use: a laugh.
We need to remember laughter!
Light hearted banter!
Fun!
Most of all, we need to remember about all that have worked and come before us!
MST3K pays homage to that. It also lets you show these things to your children and makes it fun.
I can tell you honestly, had it not been for MST3K, I never would have known the beauty of old B-Movies like: The Crawling Hand, Project Moonbase, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Gamera, The Castle of Fu Manchu, or The Crawling Eye.
Seeing these movies through the presentation MST3K offered me as a child in the color TV era, opened my eyes up to a lot of different things. It made me receptive to watching and appreciating movies I likely never would have looked at twice otherwise.
Now, we’re being asked if we want to bring it back.
For myself, it would be nostalgia. For my kid…well, it will be an experience to open him up to wider range of things in this world just like it did for me.
So, no matter what your reasoning…
No matter if you’re young, old, purple, blue, a raging nuclear monster, a swamp creature, a disembodied hand, a jock, a princess, a head case, a nerd, or a robot with a penchant for sky blue female cut t-shirts…
Isn’t it worth it to bring back a piece of ourselves and have a little laugh.
Let’s have FUN again.
Bring Back MST3K! We love you, Joel!
Now, let’s all show him how much!
I’m throwing my hat in the ring to save the Satellite of Love, I hope to see more of you there with me!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...
April 30, 2015
E.L. James vs. Indie Authors - Still 50 Shades of Suck
Normally, I’m a live and let live kinda girl.
Normally, I’m all about making sure people chase their dreams especially those that want to be authors.
However, today I find myself at an impasse.
A recent article has pointed out that E.L. James, the author of that lovely trilogy (insert sarcastic tone here) Fifty Shades of Gray, will be releasing a book on telling others how to be wonderful writers.
Now…that would be all fine and dandy… if she could write her way out of a paper bag.
Look, live and let live is a fine take on life but there comes a point where you have to make a stand against blatant stupidity.
E.L. James wrote BAD BOOKS, based on FAN FICTION, she started because she liked another series of Bad books about Vampires that sparkle.
Some will say that I’m over-exaggerating, but allow me to give you examples.
Here’s a quote of description from Fifty Shades:
“The elevator whisks me at terminal velocity to the twentieth floor. The doors slide open, and I’m in another large lobby – again all glass, steel, and white sandstone. I’m confronted by another desk of sandstone and another young blonde woman, this time dressed impeccably in black and white to greet me.”
Now…let’s start at the most basic of things, description. THERE IS NONE.
Really, take a look… I’ll wait. There is no real description, no setting that you can put yourself in to understand the character’s point of view. Going further, because I’m in a hugely thrashing, analytical mode, let’s go to the being whisked up at terminal velocity. Someone get this woman a damn dictionary, a thesaurus, and an engineering degree.
First off, elevators do not move at “terminal velocity”. They move in slow, measured increments in order to allow the body to relax as it ascends up floors into high pressure zones (like skyscrapers). Terminal Velocity is a rate at which someone falls where impact will pretty much obliterate their inner organs and skeletal frame. Yet…THIS IS THE WOMAN WRITING A BOOK ON HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL AND GOOD WRITER.
To prove my point about the fact that this woman has as much right telling people how to write as an ant has to claim to be King of Beasts, I will give you examples of INDIE authors who may not be as popular but are far more skilled. While I could use my own work, that feels a little too much like peddling, so Instead I will use other authors I know of.
Let’s Start with Jaz Primo. This is a GUY who is writing romance…paranormal romance and does it well:
“As the sun began to rise, Amber marveled at the beautiful, yellow-orange glow forming above the tree line. It was terrifying in its majesty, and the innate urge to avoid it began to grow despite her resolve to meet her end.”
The above quote is from his book, Sunrise at Sunset. Now, take a really good look… Description… detail and more than that he gives you a sense of urgency, an emotion to feed into the scene that is exactly what one should be experiencing with a book.
We’ll jump over and take a look at Felicia Fox. Her book Vixen is a new release, but below you have a quote from that as well:
“Fast forward four months, and you’ll see the new me. Five-foot-eight with long, dark auburn hair pulled back, soaked in sweat. My ivory skin splotchy and red from exertion, and my hazel eyes had that hungry look, because I was hungry.”
Again…take a look.
Description…detail…all the things that create this world in your mind so you can see it, imagine it, become a part of it.
Every single quote I’ve used from these authors are small snippets from the first chapter of their books. They set the stage for how the writer brings you into their world, for their perspective and take on things. What does it say that the multimillion dollar book is a pale, almost sad comparison to those of lesser known writers?
My point is, why are we letting this woman, who can barely set a scene, tell people how and what to write?
Why can’t people like Jaz Primo, Kristen Secorsky, Felicia Fox, Margaret Taylor, Lauren Smith, or even myself write this book instead.
The sad fact is, because not one of us have made it to the big time. My hope in this, is that this little blog will circulate the internet and maybe find some of the people who swear by the Fifty Shades Bible and get them to read some of these other authors.
If I can turn just a handful of people on to GOOD LITERATURE AND WRITING, then I’ve done my part. DO NOT BE FOOLED! Take the time to really pay attention to the stories you’re reading. Pay attention to the author’s way of bringing you into their world. In the end, I hope that this does some good in helping those who truly write well into the spotlight taken by people who just got lucky.
Normally, I’m all about making sure people chase their dreams especially those that want to be authors.
However, today I find myself at an impasse.
A recent article has pointed out that E.L. James, the author of that lovely trilogy (insert sarcastic tone here) Fifty Shades of Gray, will be releasing a book on telling others how to be wonderful writers.
Now…that would be all fine and dandy… if she could write her way out of a paper bag.
Look, live and let live is a fine take on life but there comes a point where you have to make a stand against blatant stupidity.
E.L. James wrote BAD BOOKS, based on FAN FICTION, she started because she liked another series of Bad books about Vampires that sparkle.
Some will say that I’m over-exaggerating, but allow me to give you examples.
Here’s a quote of description from Fifty Shades:
“The elevator whisks me at terminal velocity to the twentieth floor. The doors slide open, and I’m in another large lobby – again all glass, steel, and white sandstone. I’m confronted by another desk of sandstone and another young blonde woman, this time dressed impeccably in black and white to greet me.”
Now…let’s start at the most basic of things, description. THERE IS NONE.
Really, take a look… I’ll wait. There is no real description, no setting that you can put yourself in to understand the character’s point of view. Going further, because I’m in a hugely thrashing, analytical mode, let’s go to the being whisked up at terminal velocity. Someone get this woman a damn dictionary, a thesaurus, and an engineering degree.
First off, elevators do not move at “terminal velocity”. They move in slow, measured increments in order to allow the body to relax as it ascends up floors into high pressure zones (like skyscrapers). Terminal Velocity is a rate at which someone falls where impact will pretty much obliterate their inner organs and skeletal frame. Yet…THIS IS THE WOMAN WRITING A BOOK ON HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL AND GOOD WRITER.
To prove my point about the fact that this woman has as much right telling people how to write as an ant has to claim to be King of Beasts, I will give you examples of INDIE authors who may not be as popular but are far more skilled. While I could use my own work, that feels a little too much like peddling, so Instead I will use other authors I know of.
Let’s Start with Jaz Primo. This is a GUY who is writing romance…paranormal romance and does it well:
“As the sun began to rise, Amber marveled at the beautiful, yellow-orange glow forming above the tree line. It was terrifying in its majesty, and the innate urge to avoid it began to grow despite her resolve to meet her end.”
The above quote is from his book, Sunrise at Sunset. Now, take a really good look… Description… detail and more than that he gives you a sense of urgency, an emotion to feed into the scene that is exactly what one should be experiencing with a book.
We’ll jump over and take a look at Felicia Fox. Her book Vixen is a new release, but below you have a quote from that as well:
“Fast forward four months, and you’ll see the new me. Five-foot-eight with long, dark auburn hair pulled back, soaked in sweat. My ivory skin splotchy and red from exertion, and my hazel eyes had that hungry look, because I was hungry.”
Again…take a look.
Description…detail…all the things that create this world in your mind so you can see it, imagine it, become a part of it.
Every single quote I’ve used from these authors are small snippets from the first chapter of their books. They set the stage for how the writer brings you into their world, for their perspective and take on things. What does it say that the multimillion dollar book is a pale, almost sad comparison to those of lesser known writers?
My point is, why are we letting this woman, who can barely set a scene, tell people how and what to write?
Why can’t people like Jaz Primo, Kristen Secorsky, Felicia Fox, Margaret Taylor, Lauren Smith, or even myself write this book instead.
The sad fact is, because not one of us have made it to the big time. My hope in this, is that this little blog will circulate the internet and maybe find some of the people who swear by the Fifty Shades Bible and get them to read some of these other authors.
If I can turn just a handful of people on to GOOD LITERATURE AND WRITING, then I’ve done my part. DO NOT BE FOOLED! Take the time to really pay attention to the stories you’re reading. Pay attention to the author’s way of bringing you into their world. In the end, I hope that this does some good in helping those who truly write well into the spotlight taken by people who just got lucky.
April 26, 2015
Where Heaven and Hell Collide – A Review of When Angels Fall by Lachelle Redd
When Angels Fall
First off, I will tell you honestly I was given this book to review as part of the Platinum Book Reviews Blog and Site, that said allow me to give you the skinny on When Angels Fall.
As an avid reader and writer, I found that this book is a rather new and unique take on the old mythology of angels and demons. Lachelle Redd gives a new twist to the typical war between heaven and hell with a far more visceral setting than one would be used to.
This is book is a fast paced ride into the debauchery of souls and the consequences of the actions that so many people take part in. Told from a rather unique perspective, this novel is a page turner that will leave you gasping for more. Filled with scene of action, lusty sex, violence, and power; I can tell you truthfully that this is one book that will leave you equally flabbergasted, distraught, hungry, and intrigued for more by its end.
While I would have enjoyed seeing more in-depth looks at the characters you are introduced to, as well as more background on the full scope of the world that you find yourself in, I was pleasantly surprised by the emotions that the author was able to evoke in the scenes described in this book.
While not for the faint of heart, I found myself reeling by the time I made it to the end of the story. In all honesty while I would have loved to see more detail and explanation, there is something viciously satisfying in the surprise ending as well as the questions that this story evokes once you have experienced it.
All in all, I give this book five stars for its sheer creativity and the spin it puts on the war between heaven and hell as well as a few of those that remain caught in the fray. I find myself intrigued by the possibility of this story being continued and eagerly await word on what will come next.
I recommend this novel to anyone with a love of paranormal horror and/or fantasy. This is definitely a book that I would recommend for those who want to be immersed in a world of darkness and debauchery.
First off, I will tell you honestly I was given this book to review as part of the Platinum Book Reviews Blog and Site, that said allow me to give you the skinny on When Angels Fall.
As an avid reader and writer, I found that this book is a rather new and unique take on the old mythology of angels and demons. Lachelle Redd gives a new twist to the typical war between heaven and hell with a far more visceral setting than one would be used to.
This is book is a fast paced ride into the debauchery of souls and the consequences of the actions that so many people take part in. Told from a rather unique perspective, this novel is a page turner that will leave you gasping for more. Filled with scene of action, lusty sex, violence, and power; I can tell you truthfully that this is one book that will leave you equally flabbergasted, distraught, hungry, and intrigued for more by its end.
While I would have enjoyed seeing more in-depth looks at the characters you are introduced to, as well as more background on the full scope of the world that you find yourself in, I was pleasantly surprised by the emotions that the author was able to evoke in the scenes described in this book.
While not for the faint of heart, I found myself reeling by the time I made it to the end of the story. In all honesty while I would have loved to see more detail and explanation, there is something viciously satisfying in the surprise ending as well as the questions that this story evokes once you have experienced it.
All in all, I give this book five stars for its sheer creativity and the spin it puts on the war between heaven and hell as well as a few of those that remain caught in the fray. I find myself intrigued by the possibility of this story being continued and eagerly await word on what will come next.
I recommend this novel to anyone with a love of paranormal horror and/or fantasy. This is definitely a book that I would recommend for those who want to be immersed in a world of darkness and debauchery.
February 20, 2015
That Guy
Greetings my fellow literary juggernauts!
Alas, the time has come for yet another blog post. Mostly because I have been silent the last couple of weeks to let the fervor around a situation die down, but try as I might, it just won’t. So today’s topic is about knowing when to quit.
There comes a time when we all want to be larger than life. Admittedly, everyone has their talent, but there is always that one guy. You know who I mean…that person that no matter what you’re discussing or trying to do, knows everything about everything. These people that I like to refer to as ‘God’s gift on earth’ are a constant bane in the side of society.
These are people that have done it all. They take a job to do one task, but instead insert themselves in multiple places in the project which in the end…can be detrimental to the overall consistency of whatever it was they were trying to produce.
These people are also unable to take criticism or help when it is offered. As if their propensity for pushing into areas they have no business being in is not bad enough, their belief in their infallibility makes them abrasive, rude, selfish, arrogant, and at the end of the day destructive.
One thing we are starting to see among the indie community is the bleed over from one field to another. You have people working in the film industry that are turning around to insult indie writers or musicians. There are some cases where people that work in some kind of industry take out their self-important rants on people who are part of the general public.
My point here is, be proud of exactly what you are. Do not try to be something you’re not just to try and impress people. There is a line that we should all respect and not cross. I’m a writer, so who am I to judge aspects of filmmaking? I don’t know how one films a movie or edits it, I will never claim to. By the same token, being a writer is a whole different ball game then being a filmmaker. There is a lot more to making a patent story or characters than just putting them down to paper as filler for a small moment of laughter.
As for our “God’s Gift” people, we have to learn to ignore them. There will always be that one guy. That one person that will deride, derail, and insult people to try and make themselves the alpha dog.
My advice to you all, Don’t give them the satisfaction. Despite what they may say or do, despite whatever things they pad their resume’ or life with, the sad fact is, eventually these people will be caught in their own webs. The world will burn around them and if you’ve let sleeping dogs lie, you can watch their world burn while you fiddle from your balcony.
These people that know it all, do it all, and see it all, will have only themselves to blame when something doesn’t go their way. At the end of the day, just be who you are and don’t exaggerate the truths. You’ll find life a lot easier that way and you will be less prone to mishaps, foibles, and mistakes.
Alas, the time has come for yet another blog post. Mostly because I have been silent the last couple of weeks to let the fervor around a situation die down, but try as I might, it just won’t. So today’s topic is about knowing when to quit.
There comes a time when we all want to be larger than life. Admittedly, everyone has their talent, but there is always that one guy. You know who I mean…that person that no matter what you’re discussing or trying to do, knows everything about everything. These people that I like to refer to as ‘God’s gift on earth’ are a constant bane in the side of society.
These are people that have done it all. They take a job to do one task, but instead insert themselves in multiple places in the project which in the end…can be detrimental to the overall consistency of whatever it was they were trying to produce.
These people are also unable to take criticism or help when it is offered. As if their propensity for pushing into areas they have no business being in is not bad enough, their belief in their infallibility makes them abrasive, rude, selfish, arrogant, and at the end of the day destructive.
One thing we are starting to see among the indie community is the bleed over from one field to another. You have people working in the film industry that are turning around to insult indie writers or musicians. There are some cases where people that work in some kind of industry take out their self-important rants on people who are part of the general public.
My point here is, be proud of exactly what you are. Do not try to be something you’re not just to try and impress people. There is a line that we should all respect and not cross. I’m a writer, so who am I to judge aspects of filmmaking? I don’t know how one films a movie or edits it, I will never claim to. By the same token, being a writer is a whole different ball game then being a filmmaker. There is a lot more to making a patent story or characters than just putting them down to paper as filler for a small moment of laughter.
As for our “God’s Gift” people, we have to learn to ignore them. There will always be that one guy. That one person that will deride, derail, and insult people to try and make themselves the alpha dog.
My advice to you all, Don’t give them the satisfaction. Despite what they may say or do, despite whatever things they pad their resume’ or life with, the sad fact is, eventually these people will be caught in their own webs. The world will burn around them and if you’ve let sleeping dogs lie, you can watch their world burn while you fiddle from your balcony.
These people that know it all, do it all, and see it all, will have only themselves to blame when something doesn’t go their way. At the end of the day, just be who you are and don’t exaggerate the truths. You’ll find life a lot easier that way and you will be less prone to mishaps, foibles, and mistakes.
January 19, 2015
Clearing the Air: The Truth about this week's Incident, William Lee, and The Mime
Whelp, Apparently sleeping dogs won’t lie. I am now forced to openly address the situation that I posted about a few days ago. The reason for this is a man that is at least twenty years my senior has to act like a petulant child, lie, and then publically blast my name across the community in order to make it seem like he’s in the right. So, as promised to all of you who follow my writing and career, I must now clarify that I am the person you started supporting in the last couple of years.
I will begin by giving you the link to the aforementioned, slanderous post which is now publically on display for the world to see, despite the fact it was removed from Facebook twice already. In an effort to underhandedly demand an apology he is in no way deserving of, Mr. William Lee has circumvented the policy by writing about it in another forum and spreading the link on
Facebook: https://williamxlee.wordpress.com/201...
So, Now that we’ve established the who and what he has done, allow me to clarify a few points. As noted in the above statement where he is all but demanding an apology, Mr. Lee states I sent ‘e-mails’ that were excessively crude. There were not e-mails, but one Facebook message that was sent when his ‘producer’ took to insulting me on a public post and then asked that I message him with details. The following is a word for word quote from that message:
“Jenny Wallace, Raz ( Or Jesse Gilbert ) , Shana. And I'm sorry, as small as this community is, Mr. Lee has been making a name for himself in screwing over the people that work with him. No I haven't worked with him. I'm an author who works in other circles of the Indie community and is a host on a podcast which has featured people Mr. Lee has worked with.
You may also tell Mr. Lee, I knew he wasn't in violation of copyright law, and said as much, I did however, say it was bad form to do what he has done with putting a slasher type Mime character in his movie when he was AWARE there was another production being released. Much like you, I'm concerned with the Indie community being patent and working together, but from all I have been told by people we have interviewed and the things taking place on his movie right now in conjunction with his unprofessional rants, I sincerely doubt he's a person we want to promote in our community. Considering the fact I did use my author profile to advertise and endorse AoC, only to hear and see the things happening in the last ten months that have happened, I have to be careful who and what I continue to endorse, and I am sorry but Mr. Lee is not one of them. As far as the names of all the others, you would have to contact Raz. I do not know them all, I have met them on the podcast maybe once or twice. He has a better list for you to compile.”
Now, I admit to use of the term, “screwing people over” but that is in no way as crude or demeaning as the things Mr. Lee has been spouting for the last week. I would also like to point out, I stated for a fact I had never worked personally with this man, I only knew of the reputation he was garnering for himself among the community in the last year. I reiterated that my concern, was the fact that as a member of the Indie Community I had actively promoted, endorsed, and pandered for his film Architect of Chaos only for to learn that he was in fact hurting our industry and its people more than helping it. I have a long standing record of supporting Indie authors, filmmakers, and musicians because we’re all artists that are coming from the same place. By that same token, if I learn someone is doing wrong by the others in the community that help them, I cease endorsing or helping said person.
HO, ho, you say? But doesn’t that imply you were crude in the initial post?
No.
Again, Since Mr. Lee wants to nitpick about exact details and twist them to his own perverse interpretation, I am giving you the unedited posts so you can see for yourself what is seen as crude and worthy of Mr. Lee’s brazen social attack:
“Mariah Lynde Here's my two cents, though I doubt anyone will really agree with it. Most of us that know Raz, know him through Indie work. Whether this is film, publishing, music, or whatever aspect of the community you're in, we're all working to make it. We're looking for that one little break to cement ourselves in the niche of our industry. A majority of the time, you will find that we help one another out where we can. We help to nurture ideas or stories, influence the artists when they need it, support one another in all the ways necessary to create true art. Part of that support is having the common decency and respect it takes to NOT rip off others ideas, characters, or stories. In this case, I'm going to be frank when I say, Mr. Lee is one of the few people I will no longer be trying to help. It's not just THIS incident that I am using as a reference for such an action. However, this incident is the last straw. I have never worked with him personally, but word travels in the Indie circles rather quickly. While this character will not be exactly like the one in 'The Mime' the similarity is one that is bound to make waves and Mr. Lee is aware of it. This is on top of other incidents. This is a man working in the Indie industry that has made a HABIT out of degrading, robbing, and stealing from the people he works with. There is more than one actor he has screwed over in just the last year. Seriously, look at the credits for AoC, I bet you see several names missing that should be there. Bottom line, Raz is justified in his anger at Mr. Lee, and further more, at Mr.Lee's attempts to yet again, fashion a character after something done by someone else. Whether or not you agree, I can't control, but this blatant use of such a character shows a lack of respect and bad form on Mr. Lee's part. I only hope that soon enough there will be a lack of people being harmed by this man's selfish actions because he thinks more of himself then the community he's part of.”
See, I’m even leaving in the typos. Go me…but, I want to make the truth glaringly clear to anyone that is having to deal with this whole mess. I think any member of the Indie community should know the lengths to which this man has gone to circumvent the real truth. As you can see, the above post was in reference to the initial announcement about the problem between Mr. Lee and my co-host, Raz. T Slasher (Yes, Mr. Lee, that is his stage name, much like authors have pen names. Sometimes, they are a wonderful way to immerse oneself in the world they are trying to make their way in. Snarky comments aside, the fact you felt the need to childishly attack it while trying to bring me to task proves your own level of maturity and lack of moral turpitude).
As you can see from the above post, I spoke in a general term about the perception of the situation. I never said that Mr. Lee should be sued. I only pointed out I know what I had heard in interviews and conversations among others in the Indie community about working with this man. I also underlined what the Indie community SHOULD be as a whole, and what this type of action is perceived as among the Indie community and its patrons. Outright plagiarism or not, anyone who chooses to stand on another person’s working body of work is a show of disrespect, period. It’s also an action that comes from someone that we would not welcome in our circles. The only reference made to a direct action by Mr. Lee is the lack of names in the AoC credits.
I did not realize it was crude to say that it was alright for someone to be upset when another person in their community decides to fashion a character even half way similar to someone’s current body of work. As Mr. Lee said, ‘The Truth will set you Free” and in this case, my saying that his actions were hurting others in his community were just that…truth. Look at where we now sit, I’m sitting here, blogging with an extremely long explanation for a situation that could have been handled if Mr. Lee had merely been exactly who he claims to be: Someone who respects other artists and knows better than to take part in games.
Before he jumps back on his soapbox, I will share with you my other four posts from that same topic:
“Mariah Lynde Hey Shana... And Yes, I'm aware, but I felt like this needed to be said. While none of the other incidents are for public consumption I know of them which was why I alluded to the fact that this is only part of a pattern. Hope you are well.”
“Mariah Lynde As asked, I have sent a message to Harlow Keith, However, that said, I want to clarify something. I did not say there was copyright infringement, I said it was bad form what has taken place. Especially now, when by his own statement Mr. Lee admitted to seeing promotionals and posters. He is right, there is nothing copyright worthy about that, but I wanted to make it clear, I spoke about our functioning as an indie community, and what something like this does. I also said I could not endorse such a person in said community. That is all.”
“Mariah Lynde Considering Matt's company is involved with 'The Mime' and Matt does have it copyrighted, You should probably take that into consideration. It's part of the reason this is causing such a ruckus... Whatever else you might want to say, there is more than just Raz involved in this.. But the Indie Publishing company and people who work for it as well.”
“Mariah Lynde That was uncalled for Harlow, Had you bothered to look up Mr. Feldman, you would have found out he's the owner of the Indie Publishing Company, Meztrailov Fantasy Games, which by the way is copyrighting 'The Mime' and the publications concerning it. You would have also found out that in the Indie Community, he does reviews for known authors and games, as well as publishing authors himself. So yes, he does read. That said, pay close attention to what he said. Mr. Lee's statement means little to an Indie company that finds themselves and one of it's authors under attack. Mr. Feldman is doing what any publisher would do for it's client and himself, protecting his interests.”
Now, That we have gotten those out of the way, you can see for yourself there was no crude remarks. I did not call out childish names or labels, nor did I do anything more than debate the topic at hand. You should note, that Mr. Lee’s “Producer” had spent the times in between insulting us for the aforementioned director.
The only other contact I had with this pair, was after Mr. Lee’s first statement was put up on Facebook to besmirch my name. It was to his Producer and said the following:
“Considering the fact I never called Mr. Lee a crude name, nor did I say anything about him but instead addressed SITUATIONS, I suggest you correct him on his statement using my name, Thank you.”
To those of you that have followed my Author Page, Podcast, and Blog: I am sorry you are having to see all of this. In an effort to make sure you are aware of just what is going on in our community and the accusations (Baseless though they are) being levelled against me, I am showing you the unvarnished truth. As I have openly addressed everything I have said on this matter in this post, it will be my last extensive explanation of the matter. I also apologize for promoting and bringing you into contact with the material of the very man who has made this event necessary. However, I will be closing with a short word to those others that have embroiled themselves in this mess.
To Raz and the Others: I sincerely hope that you get the rewards due to you. I know how hard you have worked and how hard it must be to deal with this kind of public event. This is not something we want in our community and we all work hard to keep it that way. Unfortunately, we cannot always avoid them. Much love to you all.
Finally, to Mr. Lee: You wanted to give your version of the truth and found a way to do so. However, the arena of words is my domain, sir. If you wanted to ring the bell, consider it done, but make no mistake, all of this being posted is exposing you as you truly are.
No, there will be no apology from me. There will be no cow-towing to your little line. You may think that your snide remarks and insults to my intelligence and demeanor are clever, but I assure you that you have fallen far short of the mark.
You are no martyr. You are no hero. I would know, I make a living writing about both. You wanted crude sir, but I won’t even give you the pleasure of that. What I will say, is you are not the innocent man that you are trying to portray to the world. So run on your wheel little mouse, I’m sure when this circulates you will have to considering the fact that it is now PUBLIC knowledge what exactly was in those messages. All of their unvarnished, typed glory is up for the world to see.
So, to quote Kevin Spacey in the Ref,
“Next year, I’m getting you a Cross for Christmas, so the next time you feel that your sacrifices aren’t appreciated you can crawl on up and nail yourself to it.”
Okay, maybe it was paraphrasing, but I’m sure you get the point. Unlike you, I’m willing to throw myself onto the mercy of the public court of opinion with all I have said publically and in messages to you and your producer, I have nothing to hide.
So, Mr. Lee, You’re right, there will be no apology. Especially considering I just eviscerated your enrapturing fable and proved it to be the tall tale it is. If you want to prove you’re the man you say you are, I’ll be expecting my apology within the week.
Good Day,
Mariah Lynde
I will begin by giving you the link to the aforementioned, slanderous post which is now publically on display for the world to see, despite the fact it was removed from Facebook twice already. In an effort to underhandedly demand an apology he is in no way deserving of, Mr. William Lee has circumvented the policy by writing about it in another forum and spreading the link on
Facebook: https://williamxlee.wordpress.com/201...
So, Now that we’ve established the who and what he has done, allow me to clarify a few points. As noted in the above statement where he is all but demanding an apology, Mr. Lee states I sent ‘e-mails’ that were excessively crude. There were not e-mails, but one Facebook message that was sent when his ‘producer’ took to insulting me on a public post and then asked that I message him with details. The following is a word for word quote from that message:
“Jenny Wallace, Raz ( Or Jesse Gilbert ) , Shana. And I'm sorry, as small as this community is, Mr. Lee has been making a name for himself in screwing over the people that work with him. No I haven't worked with him. I'm an author who works in other circles of the Indie community and is a host on a podcast which has featured people Mr. Lee has worked with.
You may also tell Mr. Lee, I knew he wasn't in violation of copyright law, and said as much, I did however, say it was bad form to do what he has done with putting a slasher type Mime character in his movie when he was AWARE there was another production being released. Much like you, I'm concerned with the Indie community being patent and working together, but from all I have been told by people we have interviewed and the things taking place on his movie right now in conjunction with his unprofessional rants, I sincerely doubt he's a person we want to promote in our community. Considering the fact I did use my author profile to advertise and endorse AoC, only to hear and see the things happening in the last ten months that have happened, I have to be careful who and what I continue to endorse, and I am sorry but Mr. Lee is not one of them. As far as the names of all the others, you would have to contact Raz. I do not know them all, I have met them on the podcast maybe once or twice. He has a better list for you to compile.”
Now, I admit to use of the term, “screwing people over” but that is in no way as crude or demeaning as the things Mr. Lee has been spouting for the last week. I would also like to point out, I stated for a fact I had never worked personally with this man, I only knew of the reputation he was garnering for himself among the community in the last year. I reiterated that my concern, was the fact that as a member of the Indie Community I had actively promoted, endorsed, and pandered for his film Architect of Chaos only for to learn that he was in fact hurting our industry and its people more than helping it. I have a long standing record of supporting Indie authors, filmmakers, and musicians because we’re all artists that are coming from the same place. By that same token, if I learn someone is doing wrong by the others in the community that help them, I cease endorsing or helping said person.
HO, ho, you say? But doesn’t that imply you were crude in the initial post?
No.
Again, Since Mr. Lee wants to nitpick about exact details and twist them to his own perverse interpretation, I am giving you the unedited posts so you can see for yourself what is seen as crude and worthy of Mr. Lee’s brazen social attack:
“Mariah Lynde Here's my two cents, though I doubt anyone will really agree with it. Most of us that know Raz, know him through Indie work. Whether this is film, publishing, music, or whatever aspect of the community you're in, we're all working to make it. We're looking for that one little break to cement ourselves in the niche of our industry. A majority of the time, you will find that we help one another out where we can. We help to nurture ideas or stories, influence the artists when they need it, support one another in all the ways necessary to create true art. Part of that support is having the common decency and respect it takes to NOT rip off others ideas, characters, or stories. In this case, I'm going to be frank when I say, Mr. Lee is one of the few people I will no longer be trying to help. It's not just THIS incident that I am using as a reference for such an action. However, this incident is the last straw. I have never worked with him personally, but word travels in the Indie circles rather quickly. While this character will not be exactly like the one in 'The Mime' the similarity is one that is bound to make waves and Mr. Lee is aware of it. This is on top of other incidents. This is a man working in the Indie industry that has made a HABIT out of degrading, robbing, and stealing from the people he works with. There is more than one actor he has screwed over in just the last year. Seriously, look at the credits for AoC, I bet you see several names missing that should be there. Bottom line, Raz is justified in his anger at Mr. Lee, and further more, at Mr.Lee's attempts to yet again, fashion a character after something done by someone else. Whether or not you agree, I can't control, but this blatant use of such a character shows a lack of respect and bad form on Mr. Lee's part. I only hope that soon enough there will be a lack of people being harmed by this man's selfish actions because he thinks more of himself then the community he's part of.”
See, I’m even leaving in the typos. Go me…but, I want to make the truth glaringly clear to anyone that is having to deal with this whole mess. I think any member of the Indie community should know the lengths to which this man has gone to circumvent the real truth. As you can see, the above post was in reference to the initial announcement about the problem between Mr. Lee and my co-host, Raz. T Slasher (Yes, Mr. Lee, that is his stage name, much like authors have pen names. Sometimes, they are a wonderful way to immerse oneself in the world they are trying to make their way in. Snarky comments aside, the fact you felt the need to childishly attack it while trying to bring me to task proves your own level of maturity and lack of moral turpitude).
As you can see from the above post, I spoke in a general term about the perception of the situation. I never said that Mr. Lee should be sued. I only pointed out I know what I had heard in interviews and conversations among others in the Indie community about working with this man. I also underlined what the Indie community SHOULD be as a whole, and what this type of action is perceived as among the Indie community and its patrons. Outright plagiarism or not, anyone who chooses to stand on another person’s working body of work is a show of disrespect, period. It’s also an action that comes from someone that we would not welcome in our circles. The only reference made to a direct action by Mr. Lee is the lack of names in the AoC credits.
I did not realize it was crude to say that it was alright for someone to be upset when another person in their community decides to fashion a character even half way similar to someone’s current body of work. As Mr. Lee said, ‘The Truth will set you Free” and in this case, my saying that his actions were hurting others in his community were just that…truth. Look at where we now sit, I’m sitting here, blogging with an extremely long explanation for a situation that could have been handled if Mr. Lee had merely been exactly who he claims to be: Someone who respects other artists and knows better than to take part in games.
Before he jumps back on his soapbox, I will share with you my other four posts from that same topic:
“Mariah Lynde Hey Shana... And Yes, I'm aware, but I felt like this needed to be said. While none of the other incidents are for public consumption I know of them which was why I alluded to the fact that this is only part of a pattern. Hope you are well.”
“Mariah Lynde As asked, I have sent a message to Harlow Keith, However, that said, I want to clarify something. I did not say there was copyright infringement, I said it was bad form what has taken place. Especially now, when by his own statement Mr. Lee admitted to seeing promotionals and posters. He is right, there is nothing copyright worthy about that, but I wanted to make it clear, I spoke about our functioning as an indie community, and what something like this does. I also said I could not endorse such a person in said community. That is all.”
“Mariah Lynde Considering Matt's company is involved with 'The Mime' and Matt does have it copyrighted, You should probably take that into consideration. It's part of the reason this is causing such a ruckus... Whatever else you might want to say, there is more than just Raz involved in this.. But the Indie Publishing company and people who work for it as well.”
“Mariah Lynde That was uncalled for Harlow, Had you bothered to look up Mr. Feldman, you would have found out he's the owner of the Indie Publishing Company, Meztrailov Fantasy Games, which by the way is copyrighting 'The Mime' and the publications concerning it. You would have also found out that in the Indie Community, he does reviews for known authors and games, as well as publishing authors himself. So yes, he does read. That said, pay close attention to what he said. Mr. Lee's statement means little to an Indie company that finds themselves and one of it's authors under attack. Mr. Feldman is doing what any publisher would do for it's client and himself, protecting his interests.”
Now, That we have gotten those out of the way, you can see for yourself there was no crude remarks. I did not call out childish names or labels, nor did I do anything more than debate the topic at hand. You should note, that Mr. Lee’s “Producer” had spent the times in between insulting us for the aforementioned director.
The only other contact I had with this pair, was after Mr. Lee’s first statement was put up on Facebook to besmirch my name. It was to his Producer and said the following:
“Considering the fact I never called Mr. Lee a crude name, nor did I say anything about him but instead addressed SITUATIONS, I suggest you correct him on his statement using my name, Thank you.”
To those of you that have followed my Author Page, Podcast, and Blog: I am sorry you are having to see all of this. In an effort to make sure you are aware of just what is going on in our community and the accusations (Baseless though they are) being levelled against me, I am showing you the unvarnished truth. As I have openly addressed everything I have said on this matter in this post, it will be my last extensive explanation of the matter. I also apologize for promoting and bringing you into contact with the material of the very man who has made this event necessary. However, I will be closing with a short word to those others that have embroiled themselves in this mess.
To Raz and the Others: I sincerely hope that you get the rewards due to you. I know how hard you have worked and how hard it must be to deal with this kind of public event. This is not something we want in our community and we all work hard to keep it that way. Unfortunately, we cannot always avoid them. Much love to you all.
Finally, to Mr. Lee: You wanted to give your version of the truth and found a way to do so. However, the arena of words is my domain, sir. If you wanted to ring the bell, consider it done, but make no mistake, all of this being posted is exposing you as you truly are.
No, there will be no apology from me. There will be no cow-towing to your little line. You may think that your snide remarks and insults to my intelligence and demeanor are clever, but I assure you that you have fallen far short of the mark.
You are no martyr. You are no hero. I would know, I make a living writing about both. You wanted crude sir, but I won’t even give you the pleasure of that. What I will say, is you are not the innocent man that you are trying to portray to the world. So run on your wheel little mouse, I’m sure when this circulates you will have to considering the fact that it is now PUBLIC knowledge what exactly was in those messages. All of their unvarnished, typed glory is up for the world to see.
So, to quote Kevin Spacey in the Ref,
“Next year, I’m getting you a Cross for Christmas, so the next time you feel that your sacrifices aren’t appreciated you can crawl on up and nail yourself to it.”
Okay, maybe it was paraphrasing, but I’m sure you get the point. Unlike you, I’m willing to throw myself onto the mercy of the public court of opinion with all I have said publically and in messages to you and your producer, I have nothing to hide.
So, Mr. Lee, You’re right, there will be no apology. Especially considering I just eviscerated your enrapturing fable and proved it to be the tall tale it is. If you want to prove you’re the man you say you are, I’ll be expecting my apology within the week.
Good Day,
Mariah Lynde
January 17, 2015
A Letter to my Fans on the Events of this Week
Earlier this week, I took a stand in commenting on a subject dealing with my co-host on the podcast, Raz. T Slasher. This is not neither an apology nor a retraction of what I said, but instead an explanation to you, my readers and followers so that you know my stance.
Being an Indie author, actor, director, musician, etc. is not an easy path to walk. There are many of us that will fight for years to find our place or niche in the world. With that said, it is also the reason that the Indie community is comprised of so many wonderful people. To survive and make our way we band together to show support in any way necessary. There is also an unspoken rule: You don’t impose on someone else’s self-made niche or idea.
Now, earlier this week, there was an incident where my co-host had an issue with another person in the Indie film community. This party (that shall remain nameless for now), stated that they were going to put a killer mime in their own film. While in any other circumstance this could be considered a passing event, most in our circle of the Indie community have seen Raz’s ads and promotions for his film ‘The Mime’ going around Facebook. This was not a case where the person was not aware of the project, if anything, they knew it was in the works long before filming began.
This party and Raz Slasher had a falling out due to other events in previous months, but the blatant declaration of the use of a killer mime in their film, was the last straw. Besides the fact that Raz is my co-host, I felt the need to comment on this because much to my dismay, this was a person that I actively promoted on my own pages. My author page, the podcast page, and even my person Facebook wall had advertisements and varying rally cries of support for this party’s projects.
This blatant disregard that was shown is NOT something I endorse. If anything I have spent months telling most people how wonderful the Indie community is. I have also spoken at length about the fact that we should all support and promote one another to increase our chances of success. However, I cannot be party to supporting anyone who would blatantly insert a character, generic or not, that mimicked something they know another person is doing. Especially a very public project like ‘The Mime.’
Apparently, I am now being accused of saying that this party should be sued. That was NOT something I ever said. What I said, was that they insulted the very Indie community they are trying to work with. I am also being accused of slandering their character, yet all I did was comment on their actions and how those very things would reflect on them among established people in the Indie community.
Today, I was made aware this person has mentioned me by name in a post on Facebook. While I cannot stop them from saying anything, I am being levelled with accusations and derogatory names for standing up for the Indie Community. You as my fans, deserve to know what really happened and why I took this person to task for what they said they were going to do.
Seeing as how this party continues to run on blast about things, I only hope you will be patient right along with me until this matter blows over.
Thank you,
Mariah Lynde <3
Being an Indie author, actor, director, musician, etc. is not an easy path to walk. There are many of us that will fight for years to find our place or niche in the world. With that said, it is also the reason that the Indie community is comprised of so many wonderful people. To survive and make our way we band together to show support in any way necessary. There is also an unspoken rule: You don’t impose on someone else’s self-made niche or idea.
Now, earlier this week, there was an incident where my co-host had an issue with another person in the Indie film community. This party (that shall remain nameless for now), stated that they were going to put a killer mime in their own film. While in any other circumstance this could be considered a passing event, most in our circle of the Indie community have seen Raz’s ads and promotions for his film ‘The Mime’ going around Facebook. This was not a case where the person was not aware of the project, if anything, they knew it was in the works long before filming began.
This party and Raz Slasher had a falling out due to other events in previous months, but the blatant declaration of the use of a killer mime in their film, was the last straw. Besides the fact that Raz is my co-host, I felt the need to comment on this because much to my dismay, this was a person that I actively promoted on my own pages. My author page, the podcast page, and even my person Facebook wall had advertisements and varying rally cries of support for this party’s projects.
This blatant disregard that was shown is NOT something I endorse. If anything I have spent months telling most people how wonderful the Indie community is. I have also spoken at length about the fact that we should all support and promote one another to increase our chances of success. However, I cannot be party to supporting anyone who would blatantly insert a character, generic or not, that mimicked something they know another person is doing. Especially a very public project like ‘The Mime.’
Apparently, I am now being accused of saying that this party should be sued. That was NOT something I ever said. What I said, was that they insulted the very Indie community they are trying to work with. I am also being accused of slandering their character, yet all I did was comment on their actions and how those very things would reflect on them among established people in the Indie community.
Today, I was made aware this person has mentioned me by name in a post on Facebook. While I cannot stop them from saying anything, I am being levelled with accusations and derogatory names for standing up for the Indie Community. You as my fans, deserve to know what really happened and why I took this person to task for what they said they were going to do.
Seeing as how this party continues to run on blast about things, I only hope you will be patient right along with me until this matter blows over.
Thank you,
Mariah Lynde <3
October 11, 2014
Beware! Here thar be Pirate(r’s)!
Greetings my literary friends! I know it has been a while since I have taken the time to write up a blog post. While normally we would all rejoice in such a venture, I’m afraid today’s topic is one that is cause for disappointment and concern.
The subject: Pirating.
Yesterday, as I was preparing for a night to promote my book at an online event, I was informed that copies of both my books in the Vengeance of Avalon series had been leaked and put up on a site for free download. Avast, mateys! Pirates be lingerin’ here.
I will be honest, initially I was in shock. Really? My book, my small little book that has mediocre sales made it to a pirating site? For several moments I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. Then there was denial…surely some unknown author like myself couldn’t be important enough to have their books put on such a site. Then I clicked the link that was sent to me…
There it was, plain as the nose on your face. My book, the novel I slaved over for a year, sitting on a website offering it for free. I was numb. I cannot describe to you the shock that seemed to lock me in place. My first thoughts were probably not the best ones to have: I wanted to kill who leaked the book. I was worried about what this meant - would I ever be able to get it removed from this site? What would happen to my already dwindling book sales? What was I going to do? Would this end my career?
I will admit…there were a couple of other thoughts that I tried to use to bolster my already dwindling confidence in my work: Well, someone thought the books were good enough to leak online? Maybe there is someone who likes my books anyway?
I will be honest, it’s a whirlwind of a scenario I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Still, there is an inherent part of me that want to scream, cry, and yell to the heavens. There is a part of me that wants to seek vengeance on the person who has wreaked havoc in an already shaky career start. This is such a vicious attack on an author, especially an indie author trying to get their start in the publishing world.
Some people would not understand such a heated need for vengeance. There is however, a good reason for this need to strike out at someone who commits an act like this. First, as writers, our stories are like our children. We nurture these stories. We painstakingly shape and mold them to become the vision that we have in our minds. Much like children, they become our legacy in the world.
Worse than that, Indie Authors struggle to make their place in the literary world already. For instance, the books in the Vengeance of Avalon Series have a grand total of seven reviews between them. Reviews are the essence of life for our kind: they generate hits on sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace. We struggle just to get 1 out of 20 readers to leave a review so that more traffic makes its way to our little story. So when books like these are leaked onto Pirate sites and offered for free, it is a harsh blow to our reality.
These people that pirate indie books and projects do not understand just what they are doing. You’re depriving us of true recognition for the work we’ve done. You’re depriving us of the money we could have made in selling those books, money that could be used to take a vacation with the family who lost time with you while you were writing. To be able to afford that nice little Ipod that your child has wanted for two years, but you didn’t have the money to buy it for them.
All this is not even taking into consideration the reason these books are put up on pirate sites. I would love to tell you that all of these scenarios are altruistic. That they are some kind of nameless, faceless person who just wants to spread literary joy around the world. Sadly, that is not the case.
There have been cases in the literary community where someone’s books were leaked to create a dent in sales, or to undercut other authors. It’s a cutthroat tactic (You see what I did there? Another funny pirate reference). It is also a tactic that can be rather effective in causing a stir around the community and can push people away from obtaining your book through legal means. There are other cases where some reader that you did not effectively thank for their words of praise (or lack thereof), decide to hit back by releasing your books to the masses and put a dent in your revenue. While these are POSSIBLE, they are not always entirely PROBABLE. In many circumstances, it’s just a thoughtless public uploading a book they enjoy because they think others should have a chance to read it.
My point is this: No matter the reason for the leaked upload of books, this is harmful to the writers who produce them, especially Indie Authors. For many of us, we struggle with everyday life and responsibilities while still trying to write out stories. These simple books, these small windows into our soul, are labors of love, but also our hope that someone out there will be a kindred spirit and see these words through our eyes.
We’re not Hollywood’s elite. We’re not even on the D-list. Most Indie authors are everyday people, just like you. We work menial jobs and struggle to pay our bills. We clip coupons to make grocery money stretch and live on a budget. We are people that struggle to balance working, writing, and raising a family. Much like the rest of the world we are looking for a way to pull our head above water and just catch a breath.
Not many people are aware that the prices you see on the books produced by Indie authors and houses on most book sites are not the actual amount of money we see. In truth…if you’re lucky it’s only 50% of the listed price that goes to the author/publishing company. If an author is published by a company, take that percentage above and split it again, by another 50% or in some cases 1/3 of that number and THAT is what the author gets paid. Not a whole lot of money, I know. But for us, that little bit of money means a lot. It’s support and income we need, especially to offset the amount of time we have poured into making that story come to life.
Am I saying there will never come a time when that particular book won’t be available somewhere for free. No. But I am asking that anyone who has downloaded books from sites like this take a moment and reflect on my words. I want people to think in terms of themselves. If it had been you who spent well over 20+ hours a week slaving over this manuscript, how would you feel if you didn’t get paid? If your work was basically touted out among the masses as a free flyer so that all you did, became worthless.
It’s not a thought many would feel comfortable with. I can say there is a soft spot in me for those who download these books because they can’t afford them. I understand, I do. And if you’re reading this I hope that when you DO have the means to acquire these books, you’ll do the right thing and buy legal copies so these authors you enjoy see your support of their craft.
I realize this post might seem a bit…soap box-y. For that I humbly apologize, but this is a matter that has been weighing on my mind since I found out about all of this yesterday. I never thought something like this could happen to me. Now that it has, I am torn on just how to respond to it. Flattered? Maybe a little. Worried? Oh, yes. More than I can say. Angry? Most definitely.
Like any other difficulty that we face in life, I’m running the whole spectrum of emotional turmoil, Hi and Low. But this is my situation to own up to and make light of.
So I will end this on a slightly hilarious note. Well, maybe just slightly smirk inducing instead of full-blown funny. Last night, at the book event, fellow author Jaz Primo and I had a sparkling thought. If we can’t stop the Pirates…can we start asking them for reviews? Maybe that would help with everything!
So, that said, much like the days of old – Beware me mateys! Thar be pirates even here. Argh!
The subject: Pirating.
Yesterday, as I was preparing for a night to promote my book at an online event, I was informed that copies of both my books in the Vengeance of Avalon series had been leaked and put up on a site for free download. Avast, mateys! Pirates be lingerin’ here.
I will be honest, initially I was in shock. Really? My book, my small little book that has mediocre sales made it to a pirating site? For several moments I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. Then there was denial…surely some unknown author like myself couldn’t be important enough to have their books put on such a site. Then I clicked the link that was sent to me…
There it was, plain as the nose on your face. My book, the novel I slaved over for a year, sitting on a website offering it for free. I was numb. I cannot describe to you the shock that seemed to lock me in place. My first thoughts were probably not the best ones to have: I wanted to kill who leaked the book. I was worried about what this meant - would I ever be able to get it removed from this site? What would happen to my already dwindling book sales? What was I going to do? Would this end my career?
I will admit…there were a couple of other thoughts that I tried to use to bolster my already dwindling confidence in my work: Well, someone thought the books were good enough to leak online? Maybe there is someone who likes my books anyway?
I will be honest, it’s a whirlwind of a scenario I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Still, there is an inherent part of me that want to scream, cry, and yell to the heavens. There is a part of me that wants to seek vengeance on the person who has wreaked havoc in an already shaky career start. This is such a vicious attack on an author, especially an indie author trying to get their start in the publishing world.
Some people would not understand such a heated need for vengeance. There is however, a good reason for this need to strike out at someone who commits an act like this. First, as writers, our stories are like our children. We nurture these stories. We painstakingly shape and mold them to become the vision that we have in our minds. Much like children, they become our legacy in the world.
Worse than that, Indie Authors struggle to make their place in the literary world already. For instance, the books in the Vengeance of Avalon Series have a grand total of seven reviews between them. Reviews are the essence of life for our kind: they generate hits on sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace. We struggle just to get 1 out of 20 readers to leave a review so that more traffic makes its way to our little story. So when books like these are leaked onto Pirate sites and offered for free, it is a harsh blow to our reality.
These people that pirate indie books and projects do not understand just what they are doing. You’re depriving us of true recognition for the work we’ve done. You’re depriving us of the money we could have made in selling those books, money that could be used to take a vacation with the family who lost time with you while you were writing. To be able to afford that nice little Ipod that your child has wanted for two years, but you didn’t have the money to buy it for them.
All this is not even taking into consideration the reason these books are put up on pirate sites. I would love to tell you that all of these scenarios are altruistic. That they are some kind of nameless, faceless person who just wants to spread literary joy around the world. Sadly, that is not the case.
There have been cases in the literary community where someone’s books were leaked to create a dent in sales, or to undercut other authors. It’s a cutthroat tactic (You see what I did there? Another funny pirate reference). It is also a tactic that can be rather effective in causing a stir around the community and can push people away from obtaining your book through legal means. There are other cases where some reader that you did not effectively thank for their words of praise (or lack thereof), decide to hit back by releasing your books to the masses and put a dent in your revenue. While these are POSSIBLE, they are not always entirely PROBABLE. In many circumstances, it’s just a thoughtless public uploading a book they enjoy because they think others should have a chance to read it.
My point is this: No matter the reason for the leaked upload of books, this is harmful to the writers who produce them, especially Indie Authors. For many of us, we struggle with everyday life and responsibilities while still trying to write out stories. These simple books, these small windows into our soul, are labors of love, but also our hope that someone out there will be a kindred spirit and see these words through our eyes.
We’re not Hollywood’s elite. We’re not even on the D-list. Most Indie authors are everyday people, just like you. We work menial jobs and struggle to pay our bills. We clip coupons to make grocery money stretch and live on a budget. We are people that struggle to balance working, writing, and raising a family. Much like the rest of the world we are looking for a way to pull our head above water and just catch a breath.
Not many people are aware that the prices you see on the books produced by Indie authors and houses on most book sites are not the actual amount of money we see. In truth…if you’re lucky it’s only 50% of the listed price that goes to the author/publishing company. If an author is published by a company, take that percentage above and split it again, by another 50% or in some cases 1/3 of that number and THAT is what the author gets paid. Not a whole lot of money, I know. But for us, that little bit of money means a lot. It’s support and income we need, especially to offset the amount of time we have poured into making that story come to life.
Am I saying there will never come a time when that particular book won’t be available somewhere for free. No. But I am asking that anyone who has downloaded books from sites like this take a moment and reflect on my words. I want people to think in terms of themselves. If it had been you who spent well over 20+ hours a week slaving over this manuscript, how would you feel if you didn’t get paid? If your work was basically touted out among the masses as a free flyer so that all you did, became worthless.
It’s not a thought many would feel comfortable with. I can say there is a soft spot in me for those who download these books because they can’t afford them. I understand, I do. And if you’re reading this I hope that when you DO have the means to acquire these books, you’ll do the right thing and buy legal copies so these authors you enjoy see your support of their craft.
I realize this post might seem a bit…soap box-y. For that I humbly apologize, but this is a matter that has been weighing on my mind since I found out about all of this yesterday. I never thought something like this could happen to me. Now that it has, I am torn on just how to respond to it. Flattered? Maybe a little. Worried? Oh, yes. More than I can say. Angry? Most definitely.
Like any other difficulty that we face in life, I’m running the whole spectrum of emotional turmoil, Hi and Low. But this is my situation to own up to and make light of.
So I will end this on a slightly hilarious note. Well, maybe just slightly smirk inducing instead of full-blown funny. Last night, at the book event, fellow author Jaz Primo and I had a sparkling thought. If we can’t stop the Pirates…can we start asking them for reviews? Maybe that would help with everything!
So, that said, much like the days of old – Beware me mateys! Thar be pirates even here. Argh!
