Romance and Zombies in the Air

Ooh-la-la! Writing three romance novels would put anyone in a loving mood. This week has been fun and busy. Where to begin?

Got my writing groove going. Wrote a Cooper POV scene for the Bijou blog. Also this week, Three Chicks and Their Books gave Damaged and the Beast a lovely shout out. Plus, a cool chickadee told me about her review for Beast on a saucy blog called Wicked Little Pixie.

Goals-wise, I plan to have Cobra completed by mid to late September. I adore writing Aaron's POV and the novel feels so much bigger because we can see Ellsberg from different perspectives.

I'm so glad readers suggested I write dual POVs. I know F&G mocks me for listening to readers (better for authors to crap on their customers obviously...that's just good business), but I've gained so much from thinking of every reader as a nugget of wisdom.

I'm still buddy writing Dmitri, even though Cobra is receiving the most love right now. Catalina is a riot and Dmitri is a sexy beast. Can't wait to give them my full attention.

Goofing around with scenes from The Rebound Biker. Nothing overly focused though since I need to check Cobra and Dmitri off my to-write list soon. Blue Awakening and Outlaw are must finish projects by end of November too. Oh, and Scattered for Dakota. Sigh. Write faster, La La!

An author who knows how to churn out a great book fast is M. Lauryl Lewis. She's published three books in her Grace zombie series in less than a year. Normally, she writes a book at a time, but I must have been a bad influence because she started working on Schiessl House while writing Fallen from Grace. It's been a long time since I read a great ghost story, so I'm psyched about spooky Schiessl House.

Unsatisfied to simply instill my bad buddy writing habits on Lauryl, I also got it into my head that she should try writing a New Adult romance. Lauryl has a talent for romance after all. She even made a zombie series sexy! Well, I suggested this idea a week ago and Lauryl already has a title, cover, pen name, and the first few chapters completed for her first contemporary novel. Go, Lauryl, go!

Another great author is Chantal Fernando who is preparing to publish another sexy novel. I met Chantal through my Bijou books and interviewed her on Indie Angie. Now, I have the honor of showing off the cover for Maybe This Time. Sizzle. I'll let everyone know when the book is out.

Speaking of new releases, Vincenzo Bilof just published the second book in his Zombie Ascension series titled Queen of the Dead. I interviewed him on Where Zombies Come to Read back in April. The guy's a real talent in the horror field and I'm excited that his books will be the first my zombie blog reviews. With Lauryl's help, I found a reader dubbed "Deadly Dee" to review books. I'm thrilled to add this feature to the zombie blog.

Super busy on the Whisperer blog this week. F&G has been in a meltdown state and our moles have made it easy to find the hate site's weak spots. Athelissa even responded to one of our posts by attacking an author she claimed to support. It was a fine moment in the struggle to show indie authors the path to professionalism. The more F&G falls apart and displays their nasty reader-hating colors, the sooner the rest of us indies can create a better image in the industry.

Great week around the Horn homestead. Summer is giving its last hot hurrah as autumn teases us from around the corner. La La does love her some fall leaves, jack-o-lanterns, and cooler weather!

High Five for Book Five

What a wild week! Highs and lows, joy and anger, giggles and growls. In the end, it was more positive than negative.

Finally published Vivi#2 aka Ain't No Queen. Thanks again to Candy Girl and Mustang Sally for their help preparing the book. In Candy Girl's case, she helped edit the book, pick the cover, and work on the blurb. She's a badass friend.

I'm currently working on four books. I have a sickness, I tell ya! Still slowly writing Blue Awakening. Fellow author and super sweet friend Lauryl gave the first Blue a shout out. Having gotten a taste of her newest horror book Schiessl House, I can say she's writing one heck of a freaky novel. The cover alone has me salivating for its release.

My writing focus is mainly on the romances. This week, I started Dmitri for my Carys Marie pen name. I had worried about Dmitri being too much of a pig or having a personality that would naturally lead to cheating. I hate cheaters. I wrote the first scenes when Dmitri meets Catalina and they hit just the note. Dmitri was the right amount of strutting bad boy without being a Cooper ripoff.

Working on Damaged and the Cobra too and I am loving how Aaron is coming along. Less certain about Lark. How strange that I was so worried about the H and it's the h who is giving me trouble now. I hadn't been able to figure out Tawny either initially, but she ended up being my favorite Smith sister.

The fourth book is one for my new pen name Etta Simone. I had initially planned to release it under Bijou's name, but I decided to make the characters older. Thirty! One foot in the grave really. The working title is The Rebound Biker and I'm still in the plotting phase.

My goal is still to get Dmitri and Cobra out next month. Unsure if I'll make both books. Really unsure if I can get Blue done. I do know in September I'll start editing Scattered, the third book in the Angelic Redemption series. It's finished but needs deep editing before it'll be ready for the beta readers.

Blogging took up a lot of my week. On Where Zombies Come to Read, I interviewed author R.J. Spears. I had an interview for Indie Angie with New Adult romance author Chantal Fernando. I was also lucky enough to share excerpts from God Attacks! by J.R. Kiefer and Schiessl House by M. Lauryl Lewis. Plus, I worked on several posts for the Whisperer blog. There were so many lies to sort out and bullies to profile that it took awhile to organize. Agent M kept me focused and tracked down the info. As usual, we made a great team.

One of the butthurt authors I've put in the mocklight has decided to make herself the victim (shock). A few months ago, she used a slur against the disabled and said she used bats to deal with them. She claimed later to be kidding. Then, she claimed she liked saying the slur for the attention she received for her blog. She proceeded to use the slur a few more times. Now, she's decided she's the victim.

She even had her friends message me to say how she's the nicest person ever and I'm mean and should never speak for the disabled. Let them speak for themselves. Though her friend who wrote this comment claimed to have autism, I assume he doesn't have much experience with others with spectrum.

Communication difficulties are a common problem for those with autism. Even those with strong verbal skills can have trouble explaining their feelings or standing up for themselves. I know a teenager who is essentially nonverbal. His only speech is parroting. One word he parrots when upset is the slur this author used so lightly.

While I doubt he knows the meaning behind the R-word, he understands enough. When he was called this slur, he was six-year-old. Ten years later, he still uses the word when angry. He knows it meant the woman thought he was defective and inferior. He knows it meant he was bad.

Explaining otherwise does no good because he lacks the cognitive skills to rationalize what happened. He can't tell himself the person who used the slur was wrong. He certainly couldn't stand up for himself as a child or even now as a teenager. I suspect when he's sixty that he'll still call himself the slur. It's burned into his mind.

Yet, the author and her friends think I should lighten up. After all, she was just being funny. They claim it's a common thing to say. Maybe it's a cultural difference. Possibly, these people live in a place where using slurs against others is acceptable. However, I live in the US where it's considered cruel and wrong.

It was disheartening to see how far people will go to defend the indefensible. There is a lot of talk of bullying lately and I can't imagine anything worse than mocking those unable to defend themselves.

As you can see it was an emotional week. The upside is I've published my fifth book this year. I'm writing again and no longer have to focus on boring editing. This week, I enjoyed promoting positive professional authors while Agent M and I showcased the badly behaving ones. As I wrote above, the week was more happy than sad so I'll end with cute Boo...

Happy Birthday, Freckles!

Freckles is celebrating his birthday in Heaven today. Hey, bro. Had planned to publish Vivi on this special day, but decided it would just make everything stressful. Instead, I’ll bake a cake and order his favorite food for dinner.

It's been an amazing week. On Wednesday, I worked at a great school here in Yama. Cool Beans Elementary has an awesome vibe to it. I especially enjoy the ethnic makeup of the elementary students. It reminds me of when I was growing up in a suburb of Los Angeles. Instead of Koreans, the Asian students at Cool Beans Elementary are mainly immigrants from Myanmar.

Most of the children are first generation English speakers, but they embrace education and are some of most charming kids you’ll meet. It’s why I choose to work at Cool Beans out of the dozens of schools available.

Writing is paying the bills, so I don’t plan to teach much this year. For Cool Beans, I’ll make an exception because I have the best time there.

The sweetest part of Wednesday was seeing a boy I’d met when he was in kindergarten. From a quiet kindergartner to a five feet tall fourth grader, he remains as focused, intelligent, and personable as I remember. Even now, I’m grinning thinking about him.

Started my buddy write yesterday. A few sexy scenes between Dmitri and Catalina. Yep, that’s how I write my romances. Jump right into the naughty parts and then build around them. Sizzle.

As for Cobra, I put together a fun scene between Cooper and Aaron. While I worried about getting into Aaron’s head, I've found it a comforting place. He makes more sense to me as I create his back story. Aaron’s not a haunted guy like Judd or an OTT guy like Cooper. He’s a guy suited for love, but he’s missing his girl. This longing is fun to play around with and I had a good time writing him.

Found a sexy pic of a guy I’m using as “inspiration” for Aaron. No tats, but the bod and face are just right. I’ll post it on the Bijou blog in a few days. Also, plan to write up a scene with Coop, Judd, and Vaughn this week.

Remember the reader who wanted signed copies of the Damaged books? Well, she’s a NA romance author too! Her series looks really hot and I’m interviewing her for the Indie Angie blog. I love how connected the world has become because of technology.

Lauryl has given me the go-ahead to publish an excerpt for her fourth book. Fallen From Grace isn't due until winter, but you can get a glimpse on Indie Angie. I’ll have it posted on Where Zombies Come to Read in a few days.

With August halfway over, I hope everyone is staying cool and badass.

How awkward!

Weirdest thing happened yesterday. I was working at Denny's (not the weird part) and one of the regulars started talking books with me (again not weird). She likes those Southern mystery-type books. I don't write them but found myself recommending one. Here's the weird part. It was a Peggy Holloway book.

If you don't know who Peggy is (get in line), she's an indie BBA who whined about reviewers months ago. Why would I recommend her book? Two reasons. Well, mainly one. Here's a hint: p-ty.

Reason One: Mustang Sally read a book by Peggy and didn't hate it (got it for free, of course). She didn't love it either, but that genre isn't really her deal. I tried reading it, but I don't have the patience to read much the last few months. The book wasn't bad. I don't mean it wasn't bad compared to books by BBA like Spamalotta and Krazy Monkey Ass (shudder). I mean, it was an okay read.

Reason Two: I do pity Peggy. I can imagine the chick was trying to fit in with the cool kids back in December when she kissed Claude's stinky ass. All of the lame losers in her author groups were bitching about reviewers, so Peggy did too. She's a sheep, not a shepherd. What did it get her though?

Nothing.

When Breaking Bad Santa posted her picture and called her a liar on his FB page, where were all of her BBA buddies? They didn't give a shit.

Scammer Mouse didn't even offer to buy her damn books like she did with Butt Plug. Athelissa allows Hoax Hugger to post on her shitsite at will, even though she doesn't like him.

No one likes the fucker, but that's the point. They hate readers so much that any author who attacks a reviewer is immediately in their clique. Standards aren't in their vocabulary since none of the shitheads stuck up for Peggy. Not Princess PP or Annabutt. Not the other jerks whose names I don't remember. No one. In fact, Rick still has Peggy's picture plastered on his FB page where he calls her a liar and none of them care.

So I felt sorry for Peggy who wrote an okay book and was screwed over by her allies in the asshat arena. I guess I felt sorry for her because no one else did and she deserved some defending.

Rick was full of shit by attacking her for being a prolific reviewer. Just because he doesn't read or review books except for those belonging to his friends and clients, doesn't mean other people don't read and review a lot. Mustang Sally has read tens of thousands of books over the years. Who's to say Peggy hasn't too? Screw Dipshit for saying otherwise and screw the F&G fucks for not defending Peggy over that piece of shit.

With that said, Peggy remains on my BBA list and I'm not planning to friend her or anything. It was just weird to be in the position of recommending a BBA's book. I think I'm getting too nice in my old age.

Otherwise, the last few days were all kinds of tough because of my new tomato allergy. Getting the hang of avoiding my beloved fruit is tricky since I love salsa, spaghetti, and ketchup. Even as I type this, the bottle of ketchup at Denny's is mocking me.

I've started writing three books today while Candy Girl beta reads Vivi. My main goal is to write Damaged and the Cobra since it's the book that readers want. The last few days I've craved writing Dmitri though. I think because the heroine is Vivi-like and I enjoyed goofing around with her. Blue isn't a goofing around character, but I need to finish the series soon. As much as I liked writing young adult, I'd rather stick to adult books for a year or two.

Oh, Mustang Sally wants a laptop now. In the past, she never had interest in one. As soon as extra money started coming into the house, suddenly she thinks a laptop would help her proof my books. Uh-huh.

I've wanted to buy her one for a while. As I wrote above, she's a hardcore reader. A book a day. While the local library is stellar, more and more of their catalog is ebooks. Sally prefers physical copies, but I know she'd love access to a wider selection. Just the free books on Amazon would keep her in reader heaven. Since Sally's a Libra, her birthday is just around the corner. I guess I know what I'm buying her.

Before I sign off, let me draw attention to a few awesome authors. On Where Zombies Come to Read, I interview J. Powell. His book, Vermont Voodoo, takes zombies in a great new direction. Very cool.

Also, Grace Lost by Lauryl will only be .99 for a while longer. Her zombie books are sexy fun. The sexy isn't with the zombies. Just wanted to clarify that.

KT Grant just released a new paranormal romance called Sharp Bite of Pleasure.

Let's finish with some funky ginger fun...

Sad Week for La La

The first week of school is always stressful, but this one was tougher than usual. So much mayhem and I'm finally ready to air my woes. Get your hankies ready, ladies, gents, and circus freaks (I see you there).

First, Candy Girl (MM) and Lauryl were feeling crappy at the start of the week. The latter still managed stellar writing and blogging. The former managed to make BBA shit themselves. Can't keep those badass babes down.

On Tuesday, my great uncle passed away. He had suffered from health issues for several decades, but it was still a shock. He's high fiving Freckles in heaven now.

I just finished editing Vivi today. It still needs to be picked apart by Mustang Sally and Candy Girl. Haven't started on the blurb or cover either. Unsure if I'll make my deadline.

While the beta readers do their thing, I'll write up a few Cooper POV scenes for the Bijou blog. Blue and Cobra are waiting too. My goal is to write Cobra as a novel rather than a novella. Let's see if the material warrants a full-length book.

Another tough part of my week is holding back a lot of the info I've gotten from moles inside the F&G camp. I'd love to dish all of the juicy details in one info dump after another, but it'll be more fun to spread out the love over a few weeks. Yet, it's difficult because new info is provided almost daily. Gotta stick to my slow-sell strategy, though.

A particular asshat who has dubbed herself Road Kill was on my nerves this week. The emotionally stunted pet is in a rage because I plan to write mermaid books. She acts like she totally invented the concept of mermaids with a shitty book no one's read. What a wanker.

FYI, Bad Santa is freaking out because the Whisperers plan to air his dirty laundry on the blog. Here's a tip, old timer. Don't piss off your allies and they won't come running to us to sell you out. Just saying. Oh, and word has it that Signore Puke was really upset to learn he's not sexy. Shit, someone buy this fucker a mirror already.

As some of you know, I was dealt a huge blow this week when I learned I might be allergic to tomatoes. Anyone who has read my "All about La La" page knows how I love me some tomatoes. I eat them every fucking day. It could be worse, though. I could be allergic to onions. NOOOOOO!!!

Next, I'll answer the question many of you have been asking me since my last post.

Unfortunately, Tinker is still crazy obsessed with canned food. All attempts to wean her from the addiction have failed. Mostly because I can't tolerate all of her whiny meowing. Hell, don't I hear enough whining from BBA? At least, my precious angel (in the body of an evil cat) is fucking adorable. Even those crazy eyes watching me whenever I near the kitchen warm the heart. She's a precious nutter, for sure.

This week wasn't all tomato allergies, addicted cats, sad losses, and giggles at the expense of duh. On Friday, my pals Dick and Maryann showed up at Denny's and asked me to sign Damaged and the Beast. It turned into a signing party where the servers I dedicated the book to also left their autographs. We had a great time and I think it really made their day.

On that upbeat note, let's end with a happy Boo...

Oh! Crap!

Marvelous Miranda just reminded me how NEXT WEEK is the 16^th of Aug, so I need to light a fire under my ass to finish Vivi. My final edit should be tomorrow then I’ll send it to beta readers for proofing. As long as they don’t find any major issues, Ain’t No Queen will be ready by my self-imposed deadline.

My buddy Bill came into Denny’s today and we shot the shit. Chatting with the regulars always puts me behind. Worth it though. The guy has the best f’ed up stories EVER.

He told me a freaky one about a mama duck with her ducklings swimming across a pond. Suddenly, a bass came up and ate one of the damn babies! I had no idea that shit was even possible. Poor ducky.

Some of you may have noticed I added two new series to my “Next” page. I know, I know. There are too many projects already. Yet, when I mentioned how I might do a mermaid book, I received a lot of positive feedback. So I worked up a PNR idea about mermaids finding love (aww), plus a badass UF idea. Now, if I can just finish my five open fantasy series, I’ll add these new paranormal ideas to my "most definitely" lineup. Easy peasy, right?

Brainstorming-wise, I'm having issues with a future romance series. Dmitri’s character is OTT and a jerk (sexy), but his natural character progression leads to cheating. I HATE CHEATERS! Fortunately, I won’t start this book until early 2014, so I’ll have time to work out his character quirks.

If I’m worried Dmitri might be too big of an asshole, I’m also worried Aaron will be too nice. Damaged and the Cobra isn’t six months off though. I need to start the book in a week or so because I plan to buddy write Blue and Cobra.

This is why I need to plan things ahead. With Aaron, I didn’t imagine him as the hero of a romance. He was Cooper’s nice friend. Now, he’s the hot guy hero who carries a book. The sooner I start writing him, the sooner I’ll know what he's like. My characters rarely stay on their leashes.

A problem that comes from the blessing of success is a reader has asked me if I provide signed copies? She lives in Australia. Not even sure how to do that, but I hate saying no to readers. Another thing on my to-do list is writing a few Cooper POV scenes. A reader asked for a scene for her birthday. I’m sure she was teasing, but I’d like to get a few written for her and the other readers who've been so loyal to my Damaged series.

In my last post, I wrote about an author named Margo who's given up writing to be an asshat. She likely noticed because she’s suddenly working on the next book in her series. Yes, I keep an eye on her blog because she likes to attack people on it. Anyway, I noticed she claims to be working on book five. Maybe she’s full of absolute shit (it really fits her).

Or maybe she really will write more and attack readers less. I’ve never read her books, so I don’t know if the world is better off with another offering. If she stops harassing readers as she writes a book, it’s a win for us all.

Tomorrow is our new Whisperer post about Thunderpussy and her ability to cause BBA to piss their pants. Not just Bankie Boy with his bladder issues either. Hell, just Princess PP’s freak out will amaze and delight! This weekend, we’ll post more exclusive info from the F&G moles.

The next time I post on La La, let’s hope I’m sighing with relief at finishing the Vivi edit. I’m really looking forward to writing again. I’m sure you’re all looking forward to me whining less about how boring editing can be.

Let’s end with a little Wicked Walken.

Publishing Assembly Line

A busy week as usual. I really slacked off too much at the beginning of the year and now I'm paying for my laziness. Eek! Still not finished with the Vivi edit. Hope to have it finished by this weekend for Mustang Sally then Marvelous Miranda. Said that last week though. Crap! Will this be another Micah situation?

Dealt with another bummer where someone I interviewed for my blogs turned out to be an asshat. Two in two weeks. I really liked this chick too. It was shocking to realize she attacked reviewers. Just proves how even otherwise nice people can allow their egos to turn them into assholes. Oh, well. There are so many new authors out there to showcase. Most of them are super cool and stay that way.

During a recent freak out by a spamming psycho, I learned readers wish there were more mermaid books. Huh, I should write one next year after I finish with my other fantasy series. I have a cool idea to work with, but only a dozen books to finish first.

I'm playing with the idea of writing dual POVs for my future Damaged books. I did write the Vivi series from two POV, but it wasn't as heavily romantic (Miranda might disagree). Anyway, I'm a little nervous. Planning to start Damaged and the Cobra later in the month. It looks to be my least angsty romance to date. Of course, I thought that about Knight. We'll have to see what happens when I start writing.

This week, Roo started school and was friggin adorable about it. Tigger got a reward for being awesome lately. Pooh was just his usual quiet self.

On the downside, my cats have lost their fucking minds! Bow recently killed a bunny right in front of Tigger who is a tenderhearted animal loving guy. He was super freaked. Bow doesn't usually leave the leftovers from his kills near the house. Not since I took away a giant rabbit whose face he tore off. I guess he's getting lazy or showing off.

Tinker, on the other hand, need an intervention. She's hardcore addicted to can food. Every morning, she freaks out as I come downstairs. The minute I get home, she starts in with the crazed eyes and meowing. Tink is a very animated cat. If she wants something, she lets you know. I adore the little bitch, even if she's always tripping me and jumping on me while I'm working. Her heart belongs to Roo though. Bow is Tigger's baby. Pooh can live without their drama.

Looks like our willow tree is a goner. We lost a few bushes last year because of the drought. This year, we received lots of rain, but another big bush went from bright green to ugly brown. Now, the willow is dying. Hank and his buddies, George and Stan, are doing great and really shade the backyard.

My plan for the week is to finish up Vivi and start Blue. Ideally, Vivi will be published on the 16th for Freckles' birthday. Unsure if I'll get Blue done before I start Cobra, but I've got to keep the assembly line going if I want to get all of my planned projects released.

Finally, I published an interview for the zombie blog. K.T. Grant has a new release that I'll showcase on Indie Angie this week. I need to write a blog for Bijou. I also have a few planned posts for Whisperers. One is about Thunderpussy and the fear she strikes in BBA. The second shoots down the idea that spam by authors is harmless. Finally, we have more info from our moles in the F&G fiasco. Good stuff.

Well, I have a busy day, so I better get to editing. Hope everyone stays safe and sane in the heat of August. Let me end with one of my fave moments from Arrested Development.

Why I Love Goodreads

This last week has been eventful and positive, yet more whiners whined. Sometimes, their noise can be distracting. Take Margo. She’s written three books and a novella. She hasn’t published anything in nearly a year. Writing clearly isn’t her passion. When success didn’t happen with her first few books, she turned bitter. Her newest target is Goodreads.

I adore this site. From reading reviews, I’ve learned so much about writing. I changed Blue Davison after following a reader I’ll call Aly. She hated how every YA heroine was a virgin, waiting to be deflowered by the manslut bad boy. I decided to switch up Blue based on reading so many reviews with the same criticism. The character and series is stronger because of her reviews. Aly and I became friends later, but I was a fan of hers long before she knew I existed.

Recently, I met someone I’ll call Motorcycle Mama. She and her husband are in a real motorcycle club and she’s offered to give me insight for my future series. Where did I meet her? On Goodreads, where readers can safely talk with authors. After all, if I ever piss her off, she can always block me. The site allows for a friendly atmosphere, even if people like Margo don’t utilize it.

I sense Margo uses Goodreads to pimp out her books and join review swap groups. She USES the site, instead of enjoying it. She makes friends who will help her, instead of bonding with people she finds interesting.

When you come to a site like Goodreads with a greedy state of mind, you’re bound to be disappointed. It’s not a site for authors as much as readers. I enjoy the site in both ways. I’ve found many books for Mustang Sally to read. I’ve also learned a lot about writing from reading reviews of books I hated and loved. All of those different perspectives in one place.

With people like Margo, there’s no helping them. I suspect she’s probably as miserable in real life as she seems online. Writing for her isn’t about expressing a passion, but stroking her ego.

After all, I wrote before I indie published. I am always writing. In my head, ideas are always churning. If Margo loved writing and she hadn’t found success with one series or genre, she might try another one. Or she could just accept how most authors never find success. She might write her books and publish them for the few people who stumble upon them in the millions of books on Amazon. If she loved writing, she would keep writing. If she writes to stroke her ego, it explains why she wants the readers on Goodreads to serve her.

Margo and I are on the opposite sides of the readers’ rights battle. She’s not a newbie like M. Lauryl Lewis though. My foe turned friend allowed her ego to act out against negative reviews. Through events on Goodreads, we bonded. The difference between M and Margo is that my fellow zombie-loving mom of three has talent. She loves to write. She’s always working to improve her craft. She is a professional who uses Goodreads to talk about writing and books. She makes friends because she wants friends, rather than minions. She’s a sweet doll like my Monchichi while Margo is an evil doll with creepy eyes.

The best evidence that Margo has made bad choices is who she became friends with on Goodreads. Through my blogs about BBA, I met Marvelous Miranda. Through Margo’s whiny blogs and angry attacks, she met Scammer Mouse. Put positive energy out and you are rewarded with a sweet chick from the Netherlands. Put negative energy out and you end up with someone who treats you like their "asshole of the month" project.

Happy thoughts = Agent M

Ugly thoughts = a mean-spirited user.

Nuff said.

A year from now, Margo will still be miserable. How do I know? She’s clearly unhappy with life. Her blogs are always negative. She never has anything positive say. The world is out to get her. Three books (four including the novella) later and she’s lost interest in writing because no one high fived her for showing up.

A year from now, I can’t be sure how my books will fare (Thanks, Athelissa). I do know I’ll still be writing. I’ll still be a positive person. I didn’t publish my books to have my ego stroked. I write because I love writing. I published because I love the idea of someone else living in my worlds. In a year, I’ll still love knowing someone – anyone - met a character I created.

On Goodreads, ninety nine percent of the readers and authors love books. The one percent like Margo can’t ruin the experience for the rest of us. While she’s temporary, Goodreads and its fans will keep on truckin’.