Do I trust my instincts?

Yes, I do. There has been many times in my life that something felt off and I have stepped away from the situation.

One time I nearly was caught by the scam about a secret file on your computer and Microsoft was calling to help as they detect it. The file, I found out later, was part of the processing system. At the time I nearly gave them full access to my computer, files and passwords but something was hinky. I’m glad my instincts was spot on as the fallout would have been bad.

Nowadays, being an author makes the few offers by marketing people. I don’t mind it, but they need to research people’s books/blog/personalities to understand how to interpret that into a successful business plan for you. Trying to cold call someone because they used a hashtag or another form of exposure shouldn’t make you trust them. As my publisher said to me before I signed up, trust your gut and do due diligence.