Not so much a hard lesson, as an interesting one...
I remember attending the very first GayRomLit retreat in New Orleans back in 2011. I'd never been to NOLA before, but it had long been on my list of cities to visit.
In short, I had a great time both sightseeing and hanging out with readers and fellow authors. But there was one encounter that left me scratching my head.
It was during the welcome reception in the hotel's main ballroom. After all the intros, people got up to mingle. I walked past a group of authors, only one of whom I actually knew. She introduced me around, and everyone said hello.
Except for one author, who gave me the stink-eye and refused to shake my hand.
To this day, I have no idea why. Aside from that one time, she and I have never exchanged words, online or off.
Maybe she thought I was someone else. Maybe she read one of my books and hated it - although that's hardly a good reason to give a colleague the cut direct. A lot of authors write stuff that doesn't particularly appeal to me, but I'd never be rude to them in public. That's just plain unprofessional.
It's exactly that kind of reaction that scared me off regular blogging for the past couple of years. If people were going to hate me when I've never even spoken to them, what would happen if I actually opened my trap?
But life's too short to be scared - and frankly, I've got a lot more to blog about than my latest book. So here I am, camped out in my tiny corner of the 'net, spouting off occasional rants interspersed with book covers and pics of my cat.
Cuz that's how I roll, bitches. If I'm gonna be hated, I might as well enjoy it.
In short, I had a great time both sightseeing and hanging out with readers and fellow authors. But there was one encounter that left me scratching my head.
It was during the welcome reception in the hotel's main ballroom. After all the intros, people got up to mingle. I walked past a group of authors, only one of whom I actually knew. She introduced me around, and everyone said hello.
Except for one author, who gave me the stink-eye and refused to shake my hand.
To this day, I have no idea why. Aside from that one time, she and I have never exchanged words, online or off.
Maybe she thought I was someone else. Maybe she read one of my books and hated it - although that's hardly a good reason to give a colleague the cut direct. A lot of authors write stuff that doesn't particularly appeal to me, but I'd never be rude to them in public. That's just plain unprofessional.
It's exactly that kind of reaction that scared me off regular blogging for the past couple of years. If people were going to hate me when I've never even spoken to them, what would happen if I actually opened my trap?
But life's too short to be scared - and frankly, I've got a lot more to blog about than my latest book. So here I am, camped out in my tiny corner of the 'net, spouting off occasional rants interspersed with book covers and pics of my cat.
Cuz that's how I roll, bitches. If I'm gonna be hated, I might as well enjoy it.
No comments have been added yet.
