K. Street asked Willow Madison:

This isn't really a question? Hi, Willow. I just finished reviewing a book and started scrolling through reviews when I read the one you left for the same book. Sometimes I do that to find new authors or to get book recommendations.I must confess that I read the comments and though I was a bit sad, I was shocked when I discovered you yourself are an author. I can appreciate that we are all entitled to our own opi

Willow Madison Hi, Kimmi. Your full comment was cut off (probably a limit set by GR??). It would help our discussion if I knew to which book you are referring?

updated with full response:

Kimmi, I can tell that you’ve given this a good deal of thought and I can feel how upset you are. I’ll include your message in full at the bottom, because I can’t abide censorship, even by a limit in characters on GR. I’ll also address your comment in full with an equally thought out reply and hope that you can feel what I wish to convey as well, in its entirety.

The details:
I now understand that you are referring to a friend’s review of King, book 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My comments on that review were for book 2.
For the sake of full disclosure – here’s my own 3* review of book 1 which pre-dates the one to which you refer: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... There are no comments posted to this one, only 5 likes at the time of this post. This was not something that I would expect you to know as it wasn’t a part of my review, but I only chose to read this book based on a summer-long team reading challenge. King fit the bill for a pop up for extra points for my team + on a teammate’s TBR + a hot cover. That cover is HAWT.

My reply to your post:
Prior to joining the team reading challenge over the summer, I was reticent to post negative or even neutral reviews. I felt (almost) the same as you – as a fellow author, I should refrain from posting my opinions publicly. I’m not shy or sweet – I write dark erotica after all, but I was being “nice.” Or as I instruct my pets (bubbies) to be – I was being as nice as I can be.
I joined the challenge with a childlike naiveté. I only saw it as an opportunity to be forced out of my dark erotica corner of comfiness. I didn’t think about the necessity of reading books that weren’t my cuppa and then being forced to write a review or leave my teammates hanging in the wind. There were weeks when a book of my chosen tastes was not to be in the cards. I read a good deal of crappa (to me) over the summer frankly. I know we don’t know each other at all; but suffice it to say, I’d never leave a teammate sucking hind tit. Bad form. Bad karma. As a result, over the summer, I left some scathing reviews, all heartfelt and honest.
So the challenge “popped my cherry” on writing “bad” reviews.
King was a book that does fall into my chosen tastes. As my review says, I ended up “in like” with it, so I was curious enough to pick up book 2 (I believe it’s on another friend’s review of book 1 that I curse her for enticing me to read 2 actually). I’ll admit, I was tempted by Mr. Cliff Hanger.
I read book 2. I hated it. It stunk. It sucked. It was lousy. I stand behind my comments on my friend’s review. My comments weren’t based on anyone else’s reviews or comments however. (I would never, another “bad form/karma” point that I wouldn’t expect that you’d know about me though). They were solely my own opinion, formed from having actually read the book.
However, I didn’t rate nor review book 2 on GR. Like so many other readers on here, I was busy and never got to it. And – this is most important for you to understand for the next part of my reply – I didn’t post anything on Amazon.
You may not be aware of this as a reader, but I am as an author. Amazon is “king.” It’s the largest retailer of online book sales. It has this crazily mysterious algorithm that calculates a book’s rating based on sales and reviews. Negative reviews hurt more than positive ones help. As a fellow author, I only post my positive reviews to Amazon. I think of this as playing fair. I don’t post my negative reviews on Amazon. Never. Not once. I won’t. Ever.
GR, although owned by Amazon, is a different animal entirely. This is a forum for readers. Authors walk these halls at their own risk. I’ve been to the Coliseum in Rome. GR is just that. Books are gladiators. Readers are ravenous citizens awaiting their next bite of entertainment, all Caesars with thumbs readied for judgement. Even champions fall prey to sword now and then. And you know what they say about the pen and the sword…the analogy is a bit muddled, but it’s in there somewhere.

Conclusion:
My opinion disagrees with yours on this series and on this point. I am an author. Some could argue that I should be held to a higher standard of public opinion because of that. Others might say I should pander to a more affable public image at least and avoid speaking up. As much as I can, I choose to ignore those lines of thinking. I enjoy GR for what it is – a free space for reader interaction. In an opinion that I have shared with others on here before – authors are welcome, but they should wear steeltoes to avoid getting crushed.
If a reader chooses to judge me based on my reviews or comments, not my books, so be it. I’m not being flippant here. I mean no disrespect. I of course want more readers to enjoy my books. I won’t bite my tongue to make that happen though.
My own books are now scarred and seasoned gladiators themselves. I’ve had my share of negative reviews and comments on here, you can rest assured. My personal favorite so far is Nikki’s for my first Spartacus: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show.... Man did she ever hate that book. Funny gifs though.

(Kimmi’s original question in full)
Willow, here is my message in its entirety.

Hi, Willow. I just finished reviewing a book and started scrolling through reviews when I read the one you left for the same book. Sometimes I do that to find new authors or to get book recommendations. I must confess that I read the comments and though I was a bit sad, I was shocked when I discovered you yourself are an author. I can appreciate that we are all entitled to our own opinion and while I respect that, as a reader I can't support an author who tears down their own colleague. It is one thing to not like a book because you didn't like the storyline but to blatantly rip apart another author is ridiculous.

"Book 2 really stunk - not much plot and even less that made sense. I think there's a book 3 coming out soon, but I will be passing on it. I also think it feels like an after thought. Here's why: (Donna don't read unless you're finished ;)
[I think all the reviews of book 1 that said they loved Preppy and Bear had the author thinking of ways to include them more in book 2. King and Doe both have imaginary conversations with Preppy and there's some bs insinuation that he's a ghost at the end?? Book 3 is supposed to be about Bear since King and Doe have their HEA (lame btw) with book 2 already. Such dumb bullsh!t!"

^ Although I am not currently a published author, I think the above is in very poor taste and may cost you readers that would have otherwise given you a chance. You don't know me from Adam and I'm sure you could not care less what I think but I'm sure you want to increase your readership and in my humble opinion statements like the above have the opposite effect. Just for the record Preppy isn't a really a ghost in the way one would think and drawing conclusions on the speculation of other reviewers is in poor taste.

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