Pixie Lynn Whitfield's Blog, page 2

Authors and Negative Reviews (article/rant)

Warning: this post may be filled with some comments driven by emotion. It’s probably not structured well or makes a lot of sense at times. I’m really just ranting today.


Yesterday, I sent out a small tweet that seemed to get a good response. Thanks guys. Glad for that. I meant every word too. But in the end, it still left me thinking a lot about the growing number of people being attacked at Goodreads for their reviews by authors and other readers. Personally, this is something that completely infuriates me.


In case you missed my tweet, it said:


Dear Reviewers:
I will never be an “author gone bad”. Hate me. Bash me. Idc. I still love you all anyway. Reviewers rock.


And if you don’t believe me, feel free to go to my timeline and have a look for yourself. @addiction2books


Anyways, back to the point. What brought this on? Well, in case you’ve been under a rock the past year, you’ve probably noticed a backlash of reviewers and bloggers getting attacked by some angry authors for writing negative reviews. What’s the problem with this? I’ll tell you. It’s unprofessional and tacky. These are their opinions and if they don’t like the book, that’s their prerogative. The only time an author should be upset is if a reader is blatantly attacking them on a personal level (I.e. calling an author stupid, fat, bitch) but even then, it’s called ignoring this type of behavior. To get in a hissy because someone didn’t like your book though? Grow up. You put it out there with that chance. Not everyone is going to like it. People are going to diss your characters or the way you built the fantasy world, etc. Authors do not have the right to go attacking their readers due to negative reviews because their feelings were hurt. Get over it and move on. Enjoy the positive reviews. Be thankful for the fans you have.


But Pixie, you’re an author! Don’t you see their point at all and why they get hurt by these negative reviews?


Sure. Negative reviews do hurt. Know what I do though? Laugh it off. I do not write to please everyone. I write because writing is what I love to do. Me. This is what I want to do, and I’m not going to let negative reviews bother me one bit. I completely understand everyone has different opinions. Heaven forbid that people are unique in this world! And you know what? I love seeing those reviewers express their opinions. It’s why I became a book blogger myself last year, because I wanted to share my own opinions of my love of books with other people in the awesome community of readers (and writers).


Before I continue on any longer tired, overdrawn commentary, I’ll close this.
Reviewers, keep being you. Don’t let some of the bad eggs spoil anything.
Authors who are screaming about how unfair negative reviews are: can I get you a binky?


And that’s my two-cents.


Enjoy the little things. Keep writing and reading, lovelies.


Love always,

Pixie

Teaser Tuesday (1)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading.

Today’s Teaser comes from my own! This is a small excerpt from my upcoming novel, Darkness Comes This Way, due out very soon.

Her unique scent of pineapples and lilies filled the air around him. A low, satisfied growl came from deep within his chest. As he stared at the brick wall in front of him with the gun still at his head, his lips curled into a smirk. He may be about to die, but she was in for something interesting in the near future herself. He didn’t have to look back at her. He wasn’t going to be like the others and try to fight. It would be no use against this Guardian. She was ruthless, and always had been. But at least he could leave her with some last surprises.


The human was already dead, still in his arms, and the creature knew he was about to join her. At least he had enjoyed a good last meal, he mused, staring down at the young waitress’ lifeless wide-brown eyes. Her mouth was set in a permanent silent scream.
“You’re next,” he rasped, speaking to his executioner behind him.


Without a word, the Guardian fired.

Zarah Duncan is a Guardian. It’s an elite job that protects humans and the untainted vampires from the real monsters: those lost to the bloodlust. Rogues infest the city. Missing humans, unsolved cases…Zarah knows what the real cause is and she’s been trained since childhood to destroy them.

But she has a haunting past that catches up one day. Zarah was Rogue once, and until her, no one else has ever cured from the poisoned state of mind before. She’s been labeled a miracle, and the mystery only builds. She gets the awful feeling there’s more to it than just a lucky magical come-back. There are deep, dark secrets being kept. Maybe her boss Nathanial knows something? When she gets paired with a partner, Draven Kinsley, it only adds more difficulty. He hates her and swears that with a single look, she’ll poison him. To make matters worse, her Rogue brother has to show up, and he brings with him a shocking announcement. What Zarah learns from him rocks her entire world upside down. She not only begins to question who and what she is anymore, but it can possibly change the Vampire race forever.

The scary part: someone else knows too…and they’ll do anything to get her special blood, spelling disaster for the humans that Guardians have secretly been protecting for decades.

Vampires, fallen angels, war, betrayal, and romance fill this Paranormal/Urban Fantasy debut, the first book to a high-action trilogy.

Hello!

A fine and lovely evening to you all. :)
Many of you may be hopping over here and so, already may know me. I'm a book blogger, but have come to officially kick off this author blog because I feel the need to separate the two blogs. Or perhaps I'm just a little OCD-ish about it.

Without further ado, welcome to my new blog. This is where I'll be sharing my writing news, articles, and events (more often than not, things that aren't quite reading related, but more along the lines of my writing-related). Get it? Good. :) Please be sure to visit, too. I'll also be sure to host giveaways on occasion here.

Well, ta for now. I shall post a bit more later when this new home looks a little more organized. ;)

Questions? Comments? Don't hesitate to drop a line or feel free to visit my other blog: http://the-bookaholic.blogspot.com


<3
Pixie

Print copies

I'm going to have my first set of print copies in a few days of Darkness Comes This Way. How exciting! :)

So what does this mean? I'll probably put up one of the copies in a giveaway here on Goodreads or on my blog. I haven't decided yet. The other copy HAS to go to my brother. I promised him the first one. :P There'll be more print editions within a matter of a few weeks as well, and then everything goes into distribution.

This year has gone by insanely fast already so far. O.o

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend. :)

<3
Pixie