May 3, Houston: The big one -- the Inprint reading -- occurs at the Alley Theatre on Monday, May 3. Do not miss it or you'll be sorry. I'm not kidding -- I'm going to say the craziest, most intellectual yet hilarious stuff I can think of, and I'll be sharing the stage with the ultra sexy Oscar Casares, too.
June 24, Houston: I'm one of the peeps scheduled to read at Poison Pen, at Houston's famous Poison Girl bar. Besides me, everyone there will be ultra, *super* sexy. Come see me and drink!
June 26, Washington, DC: I'll be reading at the American Library Association conference. Come on down.
My other blog: Go read my the Houston Chronicle parenting blog (or my ChronMomBlog, as I like to call it) and make sure my kids won't resent me more than other kids resent their own parents.
Buy my new novel, Lone Star Legend. Already did? Well, buy a few more for your friends, then. :)
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Flame war ahoy!A genre-fiction author of 15 books complained about getting bad news. Her editor was retiring. The author expressed apprehension at the thought of giving up a seasoned editor for one who was under 30.
In her comments, an anonymous person warned the author not to tarnish her own reputation by complaining in her blog. The author went off on that anonymous person and several others.
An anonymous agent called the author a nitwit. Told her to shut up and count her blessings. The agents fans commented in agreement. The author tried to defend herself, reexplaining her points and declaring that she tries to blog the ups and the downs of being an author. Several of the agents fans told her to stop whining. The author called them wannabes. That pissed them off big time.
As I see it, there are two issues here.
1. Talking smack about your work on your blog.
Should you ever do it? It's up to you. Where do your rights to express yourself intersect with your coworkers' and present/future employers'/publishers' right to read your blog and make negative decisions about you because of it? Only you, the author of your blog, can decide.
2. Whining after publishing a book.
How dare you do it? Do you know how many people would give their toes to be published authors? They haven't been able to do it, but you have. Therefore, you are one of the luckiest people on earth. Therefore, you have no right to complain. Ever. About anything. If you complain, it's only fair that you forfeit your right to be a published author. From now on, any author who complains should give their book contracts to someone who would be more appreciative.
Not only are children starving in China, but people who comment on blogs are going without agents! We're talking about people who've worked hard to achieve the dream of being a published author... a life in which the writer's every dream is realized and nothing can ever go wrong again. Everyone knows that published authors have nothing to complain, whine, fret about or fear. How dare you pretend otherwise, you ungrateful hag from Hell? You are lying to everyone who hasn't yet become as lucky as you. Why are you doing that? What are you trying to do - scare us away from pursuing what must surely be our destinies? You don't deserve your good luck! I deserve it, instead!
Other people not allowed to complain:
Celebrities
Lottery winners
Naturally slender women
Learn it, live it, love it. If you're a published author or one of the people listed above, I suggest you find two or three trusted friends and restrict your whining to private conversations with them, held in dark rooms late at night.
Nobody likes a whiner, you see.
(Unless you're whining about how unfair that you haven't been published yet.) 4:12 PM #
Comments:
I'd give my toes and my ring fingers for a publishing contract at this point.# posted by
shortround : 10:03 PM
You are fah-bu-lous! Congrats on the third book deal!! Soon, I will have a whole shelf of signed, first edition Gwen books :-)
# posted by
Yvonne : 6:54 AM
Your post sounds quite a bit like complaining.
Accordingly, I will forward some papers for you to sign transfering your book deals to me.
I will appreciate them greatly.
# posted by
Andrew : 3:53 PM
Other people not allowed to complain:
Expatriates.
# posted by
tina : 5:51 AM
Great rant!
I too think that certain people should be allowed to complain!
Especially naturally thin women, especially about how they look!
Gees!
Congrats on the multi-book deals!
I guess 2007 (is it?) That's gonna be Gwen's year!
Yay!
Later Janice~
# posted by
Janice : 1:35 AM
Shortround: Have you finished your book yet?
Yvonne: Thank you, and yes, you will.
Andrew: Ha.
Tina: So true. I didn't think of that, but you and Johnny Depp show us it's true.
Janice: Thanks. You mean more people *shouldn't* be allowed to complain, or should? Because I think everyone has the right to complain as much as they want. It's a God-given right, actually, I believe.
# posted by
Gwen : 11:14 AM
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