Okay, I have to weigh in. There's nowhere I can speak my mind as openly as my own blog, because who the hell is going to censor me? Have you guys been following the kerfluffle on Dear Author and Karen Scott's blog? Well, I'll try to summarize, just in case you missed it.

The day before the review for Ben's Wildflower went up, I got an email from a friend, saying, "Check out this book, it's the worst thing I've ever read!"

Dutifully, I checked it out. And yep, it was pretty bad, nearly as bad as Slave of the Goblin, which I reviewed for RRT. This seems to bear out the opinion that the quality of Ellora's Cave books has been suffering of late. In fact, it's been a while since I read a good one. I'm not saying all their books are bad, but there is a problem somewhere.

The reviews went up first on Dear Author and then on Karen Scott. Both ladies gave the book a big fat "F". From there, the thread predictably became littered with people saying Jane and Karen should be ashamed for saying mean things about this book. To be honest, that whole schtick is kind of tired. I wouldn't even have posted about it if there hadn't been a new development.

Last night, someone purporting to be Kathryn Falk posted a long, rambling diatribe, taking readers to task for being honest about their opinions. The letter was barely coherent, poorly written, and blamed Karen for allegedly causing someone to consider suicide. You really have to read it to get the full impact. But basically, we're all fragile little girls who can't handle criticism because we are full of pure emotion and "emotion makes things happen". Huh?? Here's the full text.

Please let this be a joke. I can't imagine that a professional businesswoman, who has founded a magazine that is a cornerstone of the genre, could possibly be guilty of such egregious asshattery. I'm waiting for her to disavow writing any such thing. Someone had brass balls, though, in using her name.

At any rate, I'm sick and tired of people telling me I'm not allowed to have opinions, that I might hurt someone's feelings, or somehow inflict harm on their delicate psyches. For the last time, a book review is not a personal attack. Saying I don't like a book isn't the same as not liking an author. There are folks I like awfully well; I just didn't care for that particular story. It doesn't mean I won't like their next one.

Why be a professional dipshit? Can't we separate our feelings from our work? An author is not her product. I've been preaching this for years, but I was happy to learn that I truly believe this. My philosophy was tested when Guide got a "C" grade from both Dear Author and Mrs. Giggles. You know what? I'm just pleased they took the time to read and review. I've gotten some fan letters from people who loved it, and that's a nice feeling. Maybe there are also people who bought it and feel ripped off because it sucked so bad. I'm sorry if that's the case, and I hope they like my next book better.

This is some crazy water we're wading into. I think Wendy on Dear Author said it best:

"Authors are in a bad spot - there is no way in h*ll they can please every-single-reader-on-the-plant, which means they're stuck with writing the best book they can and hoping it "sticks" for some. That's about it."

Yep, exactly. So if you're one of the folks who thinks it's mean for a reader to have an opinion, think twice about taking someone else to task. If you charge in with "be nice!" guns blazing, defending your favorite author, you run the risk of making her look like a professional dipshit instead of a professional. If you're an author, then you double the likelihood. Nobody's opinion can be wrong, folks. It's just a matter of differing tastes.