Stylo Fantome's Blog - Posts Tagged "blogs"

I'll keep it real.

Sometimes it's all a bit overwhelming. I've heard stories of people offering money for 5-star reviews. Offering pictures of certain body parts. Offering giveaways.

And here all I thought I had to do was bust my ass and write an okay book ...

I've also seen people give 1-star ratings to books that AREN'T EVEN OUT YET. Books that there is no possible way they could have read them, because they HAVEN'T BEEN WRITTEN YET.

What possesses a person to do that? I get it, we all have our favorite authors and we all have books we don't like - but I can't imagine it going to such a level that I would try to SABOTAGE that author or book. HOW INSANE! If I ever learned that a fan of Jameson was doing that to another book, I would be pissed!

I don't know why people think love for an author and/or book has to be singular. When it comes to reading, your love doesn't divide, it multiplies. You get to have LOTS of favorite books and LOTS of favorite authors! And it's not a money thing either - author A's book is gonna sell a certain way regardless of author B's book cause guess what? People can buy multiple books!

It's not like Walmart vs. Target, where if you're shopping at one it means the other is losing out. You can buy Pepper Winters AND buy CJ Roberts. There's no rule that says you can only get one at a time. It's like Oprah up on amazon!

YOU get a book, and YOU get a book, EVERYBODY GETS A BOOK!

So I encourage you to not "pick favorites" - have LOTS of favorites! I'm a writer, yes, but I looooove to read! I love Lucy Morgan and Mary Balogh and CJ Roberts and Christopher Pike and Leah Raeder. And you know what? I buy AND rate their books.

I also like to help other authors, and I like authors to help me. The literary world is a vain, elitist world - from readers to writers to librarians (ooohhh, the librarians, bane of my existence).

I have actually seen posts encouraging new authors NOT TO post on amazon's new author forum, because other author's will rip them a new one. This is very popular.

I have also seen other authors be rude and condescending, be unforthcoming and unhelpful on purpose. Snide blog posts and lofty statements. Why? What does someone who is bigger and better than the rest of us get out of trying to hold us down? I don't understand it, at all.

I knew virtually NOTHING going into this. All I knew was that I had a story I had written that I wanted to share, and I had a lot of awesome book blogs I followed. THAT'S IT. I had to google and look up everything else. No one offered help or information. A Smashwords book on formatting taught me how to do that, but that's it. Finding actually helpful books or articles on self-publishing are very difficult.

Finding authors talking about how awesome they are and how amazing their books are, very easy.

Some of the most helpful people I've found - brand-spanking new authors like myself. We trade information back and forth as we learn it, cause A) I like to think I'm a good person who would help anyone who needed it, and B) me helping them may mean they'll help me if I need it. And it's worked out that way so far.

The other helpful people, the ones who have made it possible for me to continue doing this - blogs. Blogs. Are. INVALUABLE. Yes, you can do this alone - but it will be a much, much harder road.

Bloggers have answered all sorts of questions for me, taught me how to do things, steered me right as best they can. Befriended me, beta-read for me, offered to read for author friends of mine. This doesn't necessarily benefit them - they have never once asked for anything in return, not even ARCs or anything like that. They simply, truly, love to read, and so they support authors. ALL authors. New, old, famous, not-famous.

Treat them right, and they will treat you right.

It's bizarre to me that a writer wouldn't want to be helpful to another writer. I mean, I would assume if you're a writer, you're also a reader, and as a reader, you would want to encourage someone to put more books out there. Silly me.

For a while, I actually stopped accepting friend requests from authors on my Facebook page because of attitude I had gotten and because of the selfishness I saw being displayed. I don't understand it. I don't like it. I won't encourage that.

I will help just about anyone. I know very little about very little. But anything I know, I am more than willing to share. And I would encourage all authors to do the same.

Any books that I've read that I've liked, I am a fan of the author. If I read something I didn't like, I simply choose not to pay attention to anything else the author puts out. Not hate, just not interested. I would encourage all readers to do the same.

Why so much hate? Why so much disdain? Why so much animosity and snarkiness and petty jealousy? I just don't get it. Maybe it's because I'm halfway to being a sociopath, but I don't experience jealousy very often, so I don't understand. And I certainly can't imagine driving me to damage someone's book and/or reputation.

People can be so strange. No wonder I like dogs and fictional character so much.

SIDENOTE: COVER REVEAL IN A WEEK! SQUEEE!!!!

So for the Hint-o-Bragging:

Oh my giddy-god's pajamas, Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews has picked Degradation as one of their six HOTTEST READS OF THE SUMMER. Died a little. It is in a giveaway that Sinfully does with FOUR other blogs that you just might have heard of, who all also included their top hottest reads - so THIRTY signed paperback books are up for grabs in an AMAZING giveaway, that you can find here:

http://bit.ly/1s2g8lv

Or at any of these blogs:

Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews
The Rock Stars of Romance
Schmexy Girl Book Blog
True Story Book Blog
The SubClub Books

And in the News Department:





Separation releases in ONE WEEK! AHHHHH! Excited and nervous and scared and elated and .... maybe want to throw up a little ...

Since I'm SO EXCITED for the continuation of Jameson's story, I am putting Degradation on sale for that weekend, the 20th, 21st, and 22nd! Only .99¢! So if you've been hesitating over buying it, here is your chance! Get it on sale and then Separation will be available on Monday for a back-to-back read!

Cup-o-Kink:

I have always ALWAYS written some kind of romance, I can recognize that now. It is a theme in every story I've ever done. But erotica!? Hell yeah, I like to read it, but write it!? I can't even get through Pretty Woman without putting a pillow over my face!

So last year, around March, I set out to write a contemporary romance novel, complete with sex scenes. You guys, if you could read it now ... it's embarrassing how bland and boring it is. So I decided to try again - and this time, I wanted to write an Alpha. So I wrote ANOTHER story, so big I had to break it into two parts. Stronger, more descriptive sex scenes, but still very safely in the contemporary department.

And then along came Jameson. "Hallloooo, leave your inhibitions at the door, bitch, cause it's about to become a bumpy fuckin' ride." I had NEVER written full-on erotica, until Jameson's story. That BJ scene in the library? Yup, first time writing one of those! And now it's somewhat of a favorite.

"Hmmm, maybe I actually CAN do this ..."

But "problem" arose - Degradation is considered by a lot to be a "dark" read. How did that happen? I don't write dark. Do I? I wasn't trying to write dark. What would happen if I actually REALLY tried to write dark?

So I tried it. And you know what happened? NADA. Nothing. Kept stalling. Didn't flow AT ALL. Dropped stories and switched pages and booooorrrriiiinnnggg.

So I started again. A lot of time, when I'm going to bed, I try to clear my mind and think very clearly to myself "what do YOU want to see?" and then thoughts and images kinda float through my brain.

I kept picturing James Spader, and thinking a lot about a lot of his movies. A story line started to develop. But I was kind of scared of it, scared that it would stall like the rest, so I waited almost a week before opening that new page.

BOOM. 30,000 words and still going - I had to force myself to stop so I could finish editing Separation. And I think I kinda sorta (not really) figured something out.

I don't write dark - I write SEX. THAT is my genre. Is that a genre? Well, it is now. It just seems to come easily to me (not saying that it's technically good, just saying it's what flows the most naturally).

Kinky sex. Taboo sex. Fetish sex. Things that make you go "this is wrong, but I can't stop reading about it". I love it, I love writing about it, I love exploring it. I'm not very kinky or taboo or fetish-y in real life, but I think that might be part of it - a curiosity about those things, maybe, that drives me to write stories about them.

"Well, I don't like being choked out or slapped around or called names - but I do kinda wonder what it's like to live that lifestyle, or why those people like it. Maybe if I try to write a story about it, I can get in that mind set a little ..."

I have seen people complain about some other book/s being "all about sex"! Well, why not?, I say. Why can't sex be THE plot? A large chunk of most peoples' adult lives revolves a little bit around sex. Losing your virginity, trying to find someone to have sex with, trying to make it good, trying to have babies, whatever - why can't a book be about that? Because it's sex? Sex isn't worthy of its own plotline?

Apparently in my world it is.

I hope you read and liked Degradation. I hope you read and like Separation - it is a very different book, a departure. I hope you read and like Reparation, when it comes out in December.

And I hope you like them enough to stick around and see what else I've got up my sleeves, because I'm thinking there just might maybe some more stuff up there ... some kinky and syrupy sweet and bad for you and so so good for you ... and maybe just a hint-o-dark ...

I don't even have the energy to do this, because I'm so over the craziness of the day.

I just ..., I don't get it. Why do people always constantly feel the need to be telling other people what to do? I'm a bossy bitch, but goddamn, I ain't got time to be telling people on the internet that I haven't ever met how they should or shouldn't be behaving.

So if some blogs want to do a blackout to remind us all of the power they hold, then FINE. It's just a few days! As big of a bummer as that is, seeing bloggers shun authors because of one crazy lady's actions, it's been an even bigger bummer watching other blogs and authors get down right nasty.

All the blogs that I have seen saying they're going to be doing the blackout have been polite, nice, apologetic - explaining that this is something they feel they need to do reestablish the boundaries between author and blog. Which is THEIR choice.

But the blogs and authors I've seen speak against it, a lot of them have gotten kind of mean - "I'll make note of who is participating," "I think all of this is stupid and those blogs are being stupid!", "I'm glad at least some certain blogs still have my back and won't participate!"

Jesus, when did every fucking thing in the book-world become specifically about the person who is reading about it!? I think it's fascinating to watch how many authors have taken it personally, like these blogs called them at home and said "sorry, we're not gonna post about YOU, but we're still helping everyone else."

Do I think the blogger blackout is fair? No. Do I think they have a right to do it? Yes. If some crazy fucking bitch stalked me and showed up at my house, would I probably want to do my own form of a blackout? You bet your ass.

I really do think the boundaries between blogger and author gets blurry. We all cross lines. My street team is mainly comprised of bloggers, and there are bloggers I have met along the way that I genuinely consider friends - not just people I talk to online, but people I would invite into my home or my life, EVEN if they showed up unannounced and uninvited.

For example - Taylor is a friend of mine, my brain twinsie, a woman I know I could probably message at 2am with a question about what the fat content is in an avocado (sometimes you need to know!), and she'd probably answer. I can ask her anything, talk to her about anything.

HOWEVER, Trina and Taylor's Bedtime Stories book blog is a completely separate entity and I never message or harass or cajole them. I respect them as a blog, I follow their posts, and interact with their page as an author interested in what they're posting.

See the difference?

I never EVER forget that bloggers have their own job to do - I never ask those in my ST to post especially for me, I never instruct them how to review or what kind of reviews to leave, I never send repeat messages, and I never EVER make demands. Why would I want to piss off the people that promote me for free!? If they have time, they'll get to it. If they don't, then I have to accept that - pissing someone off never got anyone a friend!

For us smaller-time indie authors, blogs really can make or break us. There are lots of authors who were once something, and then pissed off a big blog, and now ... crickets. Eeesh.

Anyone can write a book. ANYONE. Doesn't mean it will be good, but anyone can do it - if you can speak a language, you can write a book. So I am no more special than any other person out there - I just happened to hit publish. THAT'S IT. I think a lot of authors forget that, and start to think that blogs owe US something.

Well, I never forget that I wouldn't be here - I wouldn't exist as an author - if it weren't for blogs. Not even a little bit. Not at all.

So if y'all wanna blackout for a couple days and remind of all of us that maybe, just maybe, you're as important to this industry as we are (duh), I say do what you need to do. Go for it.

And I will be here when you get back, with the exact same feelings as I had before you left.

Respect for fellow book lovers.

Cause in the end, that's all any of us are.