A.J. Downey's Blog

Okay so this is what I have going on.

Shattered & Scarred - SHMC Book 1
Broken & Burned - SHMC Book 2
Cracked & Crushed - SHMC Book 3
Masked & Miserable - SHMC Book 3.5 (Out Feb. 9th)

Then we have...

Tattered & Torn - SHMC Book 4 (Out March 24th)
Fractured & Formidable - SHMC Book 5 (TBD)
Damaged & Dangerous - SHMC Book 6 (TBD)

Now I am writing...

Cutter's Mark - The Kraken MC Book 1 (Don't know if there will be more to this or if it will end up a standalone. I haven't met any more of The Kraken to be able to tell.)

Then I will write...

Archer's Melody - We Brothers Three (A Novel of the SHMC) Book 1
Rushing Brooke - We Brothers Three (A Novel of the SHMC) Book 2
Schooling Nox - We Brothers Three (A Novel of the SHMC) Book 3

which takes place after the events of Damaged & Dangerous by about a year.

You get all that? Excellent! If you don't hear from me for a while, you know why.

*Tap tap tap*

Is this thing on? Oh. Good. How you all doing today? Good? Awesome! Glad to see it.

I uh, wanted to take a minute here to ask some of my genre... What is your fucking deal lately?

Seriously.

We're all here, we all write MC Romance / Erotica and there is absolutely no reason for some of the bullshit I see flying.

Take a look around you at these fabulous women and yes, even some men too, who read us. Do you see any of them talking about just *one* author?

No.

That's because people don't read just one book. Books are like potato chips. You can't have just one. These wonderful people who read my work read your work too, as well they should! My work is okay, your work is fabulous. What's more? There is always room for more.

We, the grounded authors of our genre, the ones who have been writing it for a while, should be welcoming new writers with their worlds and MC's with open arms. So why am I hearing about established authors ripping on newbie authors with baseless threats and accusations?

Seriously. Take some fucking Midol. Bust out the chocolate and the whiskey and get over yourself! There is plenty of room for all of us here just like there are plenty of readers out there that will read you then me and the new girl and will still be wanting the new you or new me and the new girl a couple of months from now when we get our shit together and hit that publish button for the next big thing in our series or world.

There's no reason for anyone to be insecure on the indie circuit and there is every reason to be a positive force and help our fellow indie authors succeed. You don't have to like me, or the new girl or the next person after that. We're not Facebook statuses. We're authors. I love me some Laurell K. Hamilton, I loathe me some Anne Rice. They both write vampires, that's about where their similarities end.

Same. With. Us.

My MC boys are protective and loving Alpha males which has some girls calling foul, the next girls guys are rough and tough and are borderline if not outright ass holes but they have their place in their world just like my guys have their place in mine.

Doesn't mean Suzy Q Public isn't going to read me over you or vice versa. If anything, she'll give us both a try.

TL;DR version of this?

I am not better. You are not worse. We are just different. Every author needs to stay in their lane and keep on keepin' on!

Thank you.

*Folds up soapbox and exits stage left.*

Monday...
Update!

Books 1 - 3 of the SHMC series are officially in print! I've ordered a case of each for the seller's event and can I just say? OWE, THAT HURT!

You can find them either on Createspace or on Amazon via my author page. Here are the links for each, purely for your convenience, of course.

Shattered & Scarred
https://www.createspace.com/5106339
https://www.amazon.com/author/ajdowney

Broken & Burned
https://www.createspace.com/5106364
https://www.amazon.com/author/ajdowney


Cracked & Crushed
https://www.createspace.com/5106379
https://www.amazon.com/author/ajdowney


Want your copy signed but live out in the boonies? If there is enough interest I may set up a PO box that you can ship them to. Just write your address clearly on a 3x5 index card and send it with the books. I will handle return shipping. - Something like that. If this interests you, leave a comment!

Book 4 came out of it's edits, underwent some rewrites to the tune of an additional 2,500+ words and went into the first round of beta reads within the Sacred Circle. 4 ladies tore into it and have done a fabulous job of ferreting out typos and mistakes either missed by editing or that were created during rewrites. So thank you Melanie Beswick, Sherelle Ross, Jennifer Mitsada, and Deanna Bewley Davis!

Additionally, a beta copy went to Paula Simoes Batista who is absolutely grinding it out right now. Not only is she hard at work on the trailer for Book 4, she's working on 4 other trailers for 4 other books! I hope those authors love and appreciate her as much as I do!

Tracie Warren is working on Book 5's edits and don't you worry, I'm keeping Lia Rees busy too. She's finished with formatting 3.5 for print and it is in it's proofing stage so I have her designing stickers for a swag pack.

A lot of last week was the frustration of trolling through stock image sites looking for THE PERFECT Dray, Zander, Ghost, etc. It's a hard life when you have to spend days at a time looking at hot guy after hot guy trying to find the perfect one, let me tell you. I had the whole Sacred Circle going crazy.

So now the question is, what's going on THIS WEEK?

Well this week is going to be a lot of organization. Sorting through any errors the beta readers have come up with. Working on the swag packs and dealing with the piles of shipments that are going to be coming in.

Additionally, I will continue to write on the military romance stand-alone novel/novella I am working on...

So a lot to do just not a lot to say about it. *Shrug*

Anyways. I need to get back to the grind over here. Any questions, leave them below! You know I am good about getting back to folks. :) Until later, much love and happy reading!

-A.J.

Well Crap! It's another Monday so I guess that means it's time for another MONDAY UPDATE:

So. Much. Happening.

PRINT-

Books 1, 2 & 3 are in the proofing stage. I should receive the proofs in the mail by Wednesday of this week and then I will go from there.

3.5 is in the capable hands of the ever so lovely Lia Rees over at freeyourwords and has already been formatted for the page. Well, the internals have anyways. She got that done in record time people. All she has to do is the back cover and that one will be ready for print too.

Incidentally, 3.5 is available for preorder on Amazon now. In addition, I'm not sure how it happened, but for some reason Amazon didn't like the release date of February 10th. It decided my book is coming out February 9th instead. When I tried to tell Amazon, noooo it's supposed to be the 10th, the website told me noooo it's the 9th and if you try to change it you won't be able to set up any of your books for preorder for a year, so :P

Okay Amazon. You win this time... and by default so do you guys because you're getting Masked & Miserable a whole day early.

COVERS-

The covers for book 4 Tattered & Torn and book 5 Fractured & Formidable, are done. No you don't get to see them yet. Yes I know that makes me a total bitch. It's okay, I can live with that. All in good time, all in good time.

EDITS-

Book 4 came out of it's first round of edits on Saturday and I've been going over it. I'm three chapters in and have added over 1,000 words to the manuscript so it's going to have to go in for a second round of edits before my Sacred Circle gets their hands on it to beta read it. I'm lucky none of my Sacred Circle lives in my state. I'm afraid I would get a hearty kick in the cooter if they did. It is not news any of those girls wanted to hear.

Book 5 has gone in for the first round of edits but my editor got a more well rounded manuscript with that one so I don't think it will need to go in for a round two. We shall see when it comes out of round two if I decide to go as rewrite happy with it as I apparently am going on book 4.

APPEARANCES -

I am gearing up for my first live book selling and signing on February 7th at the AFK Elixirs & Eatery in Renton, WA so if you live here... Mark your calendar! There are going to be a lot of fantastic local indie authors at this thing both selling and signing their work so you don't want to miss it!

OTHER RANDOM CRAP -

I'm busy. In addition to edits and rewrites on the MC series I am working on a Military romance stand alone project that, right now, appears that it will be a novella. It has nothing to do with the SHMC or MC's in general but is turning out to be a sweet story. I'll let you know more about it when I know more about it.

That seems to be it for what I have to tell you this week! I'll see you next time.

It's the end of the year. No, really. It's the end of the line for 2014 in like eight hours from my little part of the world. For some of you it's already 2015 but I can't let this amazing year go out without saying some very important words to some very important people.

Linda Russell - You got me started on this crazy ride when I handed you the first few pages of my stupid little story and you said, "Write more. I want to see where this goes." Thank you for the encouragement. Because off you I had the courage to hit the publish button on my first novel and, well, domino effect. For sure.

Tracie Warren - For picking up the torch and fucking running with it like a madwoman. Mostly for editing all of my stories and being my personal one woman cheer squad, therapist, sounding board and for every other thing you do because let's face it, they are just too numerous to list all of them here. Thank you. I love you with all my butt. I would say heart but my butt is way bigger.

Clarissa Yeo - For all of the fantastic cover art, for branching out into new arenas and creating the logo for the SHMC even though you really, really didn't want to. You put up with my particulars, let me swamp you with work and you keep taking on more and more stuff for me despite how crazy busy you are. Thank you for sticking with my crazy.

Liar Reese - For formatting my SHMC books for print but more importantly for not being afraid to point out flaws and ship them back to me until I get them right before you put them in to print. For the business cards, teaching me new tech and being patient through the gazillion questions I level at you just about every day of the week. Rock on sister. Rock on. Thank you so much for all of the last minute this that and the other and for keeping up with it all.

Michelle Bigioni Slagan - For scheduling shit for me so I can keep writing. You have no idea how much weight you slid off my shoulders by leading the charge on creating a street team and by taking on answering messages and talking to blogs and all manner of rather important stuff so that I can be anti-social and keep my fingers on the keys. Thanks for that in a big damned way.

Jennifer Mitsada - Holy shit. Where do I start? You jumped into the street team with both feet, went nuts making all manner of teasers and shouting my name from the rooftops and now you're my golden beta reader. I don't even... Yeah. Words. I has none. Thank you so, so much for all of your hard work and enthusiasm.

Paula Simoes Batista - For your amazing book trailers and for bringing Reaver and Hayden to life. More importantly for being willing to do it again for Squick. Thank you.

For the rest of the enterprising women of A.J.'s Sacred Circle, my street team - Sherelle, Melanie, Hossler, Jaclyn, Deanna, and if I've missed your name please, please, please don't be mad at me! There's like 15 of you and some of you are really, really quiet! I THANK YOU. For all of your enthusiasm and plotting and planning and helping me do good things.

2015 is looking to be a very bright year for all of us!

Finally, to all of my readers. For buying the books, for liking the books and for sticking with the series even when it gets dark and more than slightly out side your comfort zones. Thank you for reading, thank you for buying and thank you for making my dream of becoming a real life author a reality in the year 2014 and in in the upcoming year of 2015. I'm looking forward to continuing this crazy ride with all of you with more books, more novellas and for taking you on some other adventures a little less MC and a little more fantastical in the coming year.

Much love, and a safe and happy New Year,
A.J.

Okay kids. Here's a friendly little PSA, mostly because I can't keep my mouth shut anymore.

Warning - Explicit Sneak Peak at one small scene of Cracked & Crushed coming here. Along with a some what long-winded tirade because I've sort of had it here.

“I wanna see you bleed a little baby, can I have that?” I asked her. She nodded, eyes welling a bit and I smiled, a wicked cruel curve of lips. She thought I was going to cut her bad. No. Not my thing. I thrust up into her until her eyes slipped shut and her head dipped back. I placed the very point of my blade against the front of her left shoulder beside her collarbone and moved my hips searching for that wonderful place of hers inside. I felt a surge of triumph when I found it and Hayden gave this little broken moan and I struck, nicking her shoulder in a barely there cut about half as wide as her little fingernail. Tiny. Almost not even there.

I let the knife clatter to the bedside table and watched the tiny cut well, ruby red against her peaches and cream skin. I continued to fuck her, my body almost on autopilot, hips surging as I watched the crimson bead slide down her skin. With a groan I covered the tiny cut with my mouth, sweet copper pennies exploding across my tongue. Hayden cried out and spasmed around me. The monster went back into its box. It usually did when it was sated, when the thrill was gone. Hayden’s eyes had become glassy, and I was flying high, drunk off her submission.

For some of you I understand that the above excerpt may hit a trigger or some kind of emotional landmine and I apologize for that. But in an effort to negate any more negative diatribe or any emails expressing disappointment...

THAT'S IT FOLKS.

That. Is. It.

The scene that everyone is freaking the fuck out over is exactly 232 words out of a 110,000 word novel.

I understand when people have personal issues about a piece of content, but there is a vast difference between saying "This book wasn't for me because of XYZ" and exploding about it all over the internet causing so much fear and apprehension my inbox gets flooded with messages telling me how disgusting/depraved/what have you I am over something a fictional character did in a fictional book etc.

Here's the scoop.

Reaver is not all unicorn farts and fluffy rainbows. If people have read the first two books in the series they would know that. If you think something is going to bother you in a book... Just don't buy it. If you are reading one of my books and you dislike it. STOP READING IT AND RETURN IT. Seriously. You won't hurt my feelings. I want you to be happy with the product you buy just like any other responsible, customer service oriented, entrepreneur.

So there you have it. The scene in question that apparently has more than a few people's panties in a bunch.

Again. I love you guys. I really love you but I just couldn't keep quiet anymore. If it bothers you, which I completely understand if it does, don't buy it. If it doesn't, I'm glad and I hope you enjoy the story. THE WHOLE story.

For those of you that want to avoid this book because of this strong theme, I will include a short synopsis of the key points in Cracked & Crushed in the beginning of Book 3.5 and Book 4. Book 3.5 is M/M so if that isn't your thing, you've been warned.

Now try and go out there and have a good rest of your day and sow some positive seeds out in the world so we can make some happy grow.

So last week has probably been the most disastrous and unproductive week thus far since I started this little writing adventure. Mostly because I hurt myself in a grand way on Thanksgiving which required me to see a doctor from all the pain I was in on Tuesday which put me on Vicodin for the rest of the week.


Seriously. Drugs are bad. Mmmkay? Only thing worse than drugs is trying to write while on them which was so not happening.


I was in such bad shape, I had to stay home from my day job on both Wednesday and Thursday because of it. Can I just say ewe?


I tried valiantly to keep up and get things accomplished in other spheres while down for the count and realizing that I couldn't do any of it, partially from a lack of the proper tools and partially because of a realization that if I continued to attempt to handle it all myself you guys would never get another book again... On Sunday, I reached my limit and tearfully began typing and begging for help...


Oh my fucking God. I was completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and the people willing to jump up, jump in and create a street team for me thereby allowing me to get back to doing what I do best - writing books.


I am incredibly grateful to everyone who formed A.J.'s Sacred Circle (A play on both The Sacred Hearts MC and my imprint of Second Circle Press) my very own street team out to spread the word about my books and to keep my social calendar much less messy while I work my ass off on writing this series and other projects that are coming down the line.


I got in a nasty fight with some dirty pirates this week. Some enterprising ass hole had five of my books posted up on a site for free which was soul crushing. Why soul crushing? Because the site gave a convenient little count on how many copies of my book I lost royalties on.


The number of copies was in the thousands between all of the books, predominantly the number of copies lost were of Shattered & Scarred and Broken & Burned though. To say the least, I was not pleased. Not. At. All. They got one hell of a nasty-gram from me and my books were down in less than 24hrs, but still. Damage done.


I don't have much to report on the print side of things. Lia has been hard at work on the internals for the first three books and so there isn't much to show you visually but she assures me that the print covers for books 1 and 3 will be underway and finished by the end of the week, maybe next barring any catastrophes.


This week I have a lot going on. For a lot of people out there wondering why I don't do giveaways of any electronic copies of my books. It's sadly because I don't have the technology... Seriously.

I work and write all my books exclusively on a Surface RT. It's amazing, and I love it, however, in order to format my books in a .mobi or .epub format, all roads lead to Calibre... which is a program you have to download and install and guess what?


The Surface RT is not a Surface Pro 3 and it wants an app for that! There is no app. I need a computer. I have a sad and sorry desktop at home which is in need of a physical and mental evaluation and checkup. It goes to the computer doctor tonight. When I get it back, I should be able to get the whole file extension thing sorted hopefully if not by the end of this week, then by the end of next week.


You'll know when that's accomplished, trust me. So please be patient and I promise to sort things with my street team and put out the word when some copies can be freed up.


This week I hope to get back to finishing book 5 of the SHMC series. It's going to take weeks for book 4 to go through the editing process and that's okay. The big news of the week is really that CRACKED & CRUSHED GOES LIVE TOMORROW!!!


Can you believe it!? Reaver's story is finally here!


Doesn't mean I get to stop, or catch my breath. Nope, all it means is that I will be eagerly skulking in the background like a nervous parent to see what you think of my latest brain child. I hope you like it. Not even going to lie. I'm scared.


This has been one exceedingly long Monday Update, so I am going to quit while I am ahead. If you have any questions, ask 'em! I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can. I love talking to you guys.


Until later!

I've been somewhat neglecting the blog as of late and truthfully, that's because I maintain a much bigger Facebook presence these days. I will try to be better about this. I'm sorry. One of the things I do on my Facebook page is a thing I call Monday Update which recaps everything I did in the previous week and lays out all my plans for the coming week.


They don't always end up matching up perfectly, but it gives folks a pretty good idea of what I am up to when it comes to the books. This Monday Update was no exception so I will now use the magic of copy and paste to fill in all you non-Facebook users who would like to know what's up:



Aaand it's another Monday Update!

Last week was quite productive, the internals for books 1 and 3 of the SHMC series have been completed for the print versions of those books. Book 3.5 has been shipped to the lovely Lia Rees for the same treatment and book 4 has been sent to my editor for it's first round of edits.

I deleted the entire back half of book 5, and by that I mean I only saved Chapte...rs 1-19 of a 32 chapter book. Not to worry though, I have already rewritten up through chapter 21. My goal is to have book 5 finished and to the editor by the time book 4 comes back to me but I am not going to sweat it if I don't quite make that goal.

Because of Lia at freeyourwords.com, starting with book 3.5, the novella that comes between books 3 & 4, I will be able to release the books in paperback simultaneously with the ebook versions.

About my book pricing: Interestingly enough I make about .34 cents less a copy in royalties for the paperback than I do for the ecopy of my books. That being said, with the paperbacks looking to cost around $10.99 a piece, if you buy a paperback of my book, I am not charging you anything for the ecopy. I have set up my kindle matchbook that way on purpose.

I mean it when I say that I am writing these for your entertainment and mine and that it's not about the money. The money is nice, don't get me wrong, but I make sure to put a better quality product out there with what I make. IE: I am dropping a decent bit of coin to make the subsequent novels I write better in quality and I even go back and revisit the ones that have gone before to improve them.

I want you guys to be happy and I try to go a little above and beyond to accomplish that goal.

So what's going on this week?

Well, Lia is hard at work on the back covers for books 1 & 3 of the SHMC series. The proof for book 2 has been sent back in to correct a very minor printing issue with the cover, and hopefully by the end of this week or next I will be ordering proofs for books 1-3 to go over.

Book 4 is at Tracie, my editor's, but this is her finals week so a big shout out and good thoughts and well wishes to Tracie Warren! Kick some ass sister! As soon as she's done with finals she assures me she'll be diving head first into book 4 and won't come up for air until she's done.

I will be working diligently on book 5 and making it mesh with book 4 and book 6, even if it does mean I rip my heart out even more than I already have. Book 4 was extremely difficult to write for me, having to be inside the head of a depressed person who is also the survivor of some pretty heavy violence... yeah. The level of awkward and hurty badness in book 4... well, for all you angst lovers, book 4 is for you. Book 5 is much better on that front and for that I am grateful.

So that's what's up with me for this week. Writing book 5, throwing feedback on the print versions of books 1-3.5 and just generally grinding it out. It's a stressful time of year with the holidays coming up so wish me luck and all and keep an eye out, only a week and a day left before Cracked & Crushed The Sacred Hearts MC Book III and everybody's favorite psycho's story hits those Kindles and Kindle reading apps!

Much love, and if you don't hear from me until next Monday... well you know why!





Oh yeah, and for you non-FB users, here's a couple of teasers that have been making the rounds over there for Cracked & Crushed:






Until next Monday!!!









Until next Monday!!!

Sometimes we read something that sticks with us and worries at the backs of our brains and continues to poke at us with a sharp stick until we sit up, turn around and yell, "ALL RIGHT!!! I GET IT I'M DOING IT, CAN YOU PLEASE STOP NOW!?" It's like the toddler or young child that's kicking the back of your seat for the entire four hour flight and who's parent is zonked out and oblivious next to them for the entire duration.

You really want to open the emergency exit door and pitch the annoying little brat into the ether, but then you look at his or her mom and the dark circles under her eyes and you just don't have it in you to wake her ass up and complain. So you sit, grinding your teeth for the entire duration of the flight and maybe even after but you say nothing and unbeknownst to you, you just earned like a million gazillion karmic brownie points and end up winning the lottery down the line for it.

This, for me, is a lot like that.

So when I first put out Shattered & Scarred this review stuck out at me... Now bear with me because this is going to a real good place. I promise.

Here is the review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Now the specific passage that stuck out at me and has been kicking the back of my seat through books 2, 3, 3.5 and most of 4 is this: Ethan's back story should have been fleshed out a lot more instead of just being touched upon.

That's it. Out of that whole review, that is the toddler that has been kicking the back of my seat through four books and I really, really have to thank you Bev, and all of you should too because after four books of straight up nagging Trigger to freaking talk to me and tell me what the hell happened over there, he caved and we got this little gem, so without further ado... here is a sneak peek at Tattered & Torn Book IV of the SHMC series and an elusive piece of Ethan "Trigger man" Howard's past...

“Shhhh, it’s just Trig. He wanted to talk to you.” I pulled back and frowned at him.

“What does he want to talk to me for?” I asked.

The Big Man rapped lightly at the kitchen door and Ghost opened it. Trigger’s massive frame filled the doorway and he edged into the house.

“Hey man.” Ghost said and they clasped hands and pulled each other in for a hug. Trigger looked me over and sighed. He opened his arms and cocked his head questioningly and I smiled. I appreciated that he asked and didn’t just go in for the hug. I looked at Ghost who seemed fine with it and I opened my arms and Trigger hugged me gently.

“Get gone D.” he said to my man and Ghost slipped out the kitchen door and shut it behind him. I blinked, stupefied by the exchange. Trigger pulled out a stool and sat facing me.

“What?” I asked.

“Derek knows what happened because he was there that day, but this is something I haven’t even told Reaver, or Ashton.” He said and he pulled his e-cigarette out of his cut and put it in his mouth. He sighed out and took a long thoughtful drag.

“We were in this fucking podunk village in one of Afghanistan’s eastern provinces doing surveillance, trying to catch this piece of shit lead of this terror cell. We’d been set up on this ridge for fucking hours. Sun beating down on us, hotter than Hades balls and we’re just about ready to call it a fucking day when this God damned Mercedes pulls up outside this mud hut.” He took a couple more drags off his e-cig and looked at me with haunted silver-blue eyes.

“There he is. Just comes popping up out of the car and we call for confirmation, right? Well it takes a minute and while we’re waiting for the green light to take this mother fucker out, here comes his kid running out of the hut and this dude he doesn’t know I’m looking down the scope at him, and he picks his boy up and his holding him up in the air and it’s this joyous fucking reunion going on down there.” He bowed his head and was silent for a long minute.

“And we get it. Confirmed. Green light. Take the motherfucker out, but he’s got his kid in his hands and he’s bouncing this boy who is six maybe seven and I got it buzzing in my ear to take the fucking shot and I’m telling them, negative that I ain’t got a clear shot and the order keeps coming in, take the shot, to take the fucking shot and D. he’s like ‘I know man but you gotta take the shot, it’s orders’ and so I sight and I pull the fucking trigger and…” he looks at me agonized and I stare back horrified and his next words drop into the silence of the house like a thousand pound boulder… “I missed.” My shoulder’s dropped in relief and Trigger, he shakes his head and looks like he’s about to puke and he tells me… “I hit the kid.”

I stared at him, several moments of silence stretching between us and all I can do is blink, stonily, sitting there and Trigger he takes my hands in his and he tells me. “You did what you had to do to survive Shelly. <spoiler>He was hurting you. He was gonna rape you and nobody, I mean nobody should have to live through that once let alone twice.</spoiler> You did what you had to do to save your life. Big difference from the stain I got on my soul, Sugar. So stop torturing yourself.” He got up and I stared at him openmouthed and horrified.

“What about the man?” I asked hollowly, “The one whose son you shot?” Trigger looked at me incredibly sadly.

“It was the only time I’ve ever missed Shelly and I haven’t ever since for a reason.” He intoned and then to make things crystal clear he said, “I got the son of a bitch with the second shot but I can still never take back the first.” I nodded and pressed the heels of my hands hard into the seat of the stool I sat on, straightening my arms between my legs to hide their shaking.

“Why did you tell me this?” I asked him and I wanted so badly to cry for him. <spoiler>The pain I was living with for ending the bastard who attacked me must be nothing in the face of what Trigger was living with, </spoiler> I mean it explained so much. Trigger looked me over a little sadly.

“Because I thought it might give you some perspective, Baby. <spoiler>That it might get you to stop torturing yourself over a piece of shit male I would have gladly killed with my bare hands for putting his hands on you like he did. That wasn’t a man Shelly. Real men don’t hurt women, or children.”</spoiler> And with that parting shot he disappeared out the kitchen door, shutting it firmly in its frame.

-End-

So thank you Bev, for writing such a thoughtful review and for telling me what you wanted. Here you go. I hope you've stuck with the series and that you continue to do so. Much love for being brave and telling us all what you wanted because I know you weren't the only one thinking it. You were an inspiration. All of my readers are inspirations.

Much love to you guys!

Later.

So this whole thing with The Guardian and Kathleen Hale blew the fuck up like overnight and most if not all of you reading this have already heard/read/talked about it.

For those of you that haven't here is the TL;DR version:

Crazy Reviewer reviewed, Author didn't like.

Author went even more crazy than the crazy reviewer, stalked reviewer, and I mean hardcore stalked the woman, up to and including phoning the reviewer at her place of work and pitching up on the lady's doorstep after renting a car to drive to where the woman lived.

A whole lot of premeditation and a whole lot of crazy.


This blog isn't about that.

What this post is about is the opinion of a different person who posted that authors have no business reading the reviews of their work.

Yeah.

I disagree. I disagree totally.

Crazy authors should probably refrain from reading the reviews of their work but sane ones, should be able to read their reviews especially sane independent authors and here's why:

As a self-published independent author there are certain luxuries I can't afford, such as a professional editor. Seriously. I'm a freaking security guard by day and I can barely afford to keep my car running let alone pay someone $700.00+ to run amok with a red pen leaving me to decipher on my own whatever it is they've scrawled in my margins.

I am well aware of something that seems to be glossed over by like a lot in all of these blogs and articles and what have you...

I don't write these books for me.

I write these books for you, and if you aren't happy then what's the freaking point?

How do I tell if you are happy or unhappy?

Oh. Right. You tell me when you leave a rating or review!

Also, as an independent self published author, how am I expected to improve upon my craft without a big publication company and editing team/guru backing me up?

Oh. Right. Some of those reviews I'm not supposed to be reading have helpful little Easter eggs of wisdom in them! Things like wishes about knowing more about this or that character, wishes that I would lay off of this or that phrase or even wishes that I would pay more attention to certain grammatical errors or errors in punctuation and some of you more enterprising reviewers actually take a lot of time and effort to spell out in very fine detail what my dumb ass is doing WRONG!!!

I APPRECIATE YOU. I LOVE YOU. BUT APPARENTLY ACCORDING TO SOME PEOPLE I'M SUPPOSED TO LET ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS LIE FALLOW AND NEVER READ WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN WHY!?

Because reviews aren't for the author they are solely for readers.

Well I call bullshit on that notion!

So I end this rant with this...

Authors. Read your reviews, get better in subsequent books, just for the love of god lay off the 'message' button. Don't touch it. Read and get what you can out of it but DO NOT ENGAGE. The only time it is acceptable, again, IN MY OPINION, is when a reviewer messages you directly first or in answer to a direct question that can't get you into any trouble.

The ONLY question I answer when I see it is "I wonder when the next book comes out, does anybody know?"

Of course I know! So I hit reply and keep it simple with "This is who the book is about and this is when it comes out, cheers and thanks for reading."

By some standards even that is considered too far and outrageous and unacceptable and guess what... IDGARA.

Anyone who wants to jump my shit for it, feel free! It's your opinion and the first amendment right is alive and well here in the United States of America. Not particularly thrilled about personal attacks but I'm not a crazy bitch. I won't call you, come to your house or perform any background checks... At most you will get this face -_- and a DILIGAF?

So as ever, thanks for reading, you're my favorite, I love you and good night!