So, I Did the Thing, Bit the Bullet, Whatever, and I'm Writing an Open Letter of Sorts

Hi all! Long time no see, eh? I've been a busy bee, publishing, writing, doing all the things, and setting up my first *gasp* real newsletter. Bet you're all wondering what happened to me, eh? Grab your coffee and settle in. Let's do this thing.

This blog is handy when you need information, and according to one reader, I wasn't doing enough about providing that information. Hence the death of new posts.

I usually don't let comments get to me, but that one was particularly nasty. If you're out there reading this, commenter, congratulations! You won. I stopped blogging altogether. Now where do you get your tips and tricks or general information? Was it worth it, being nasty to someone you don't even know? You not knowing what was going on in MY life at that time and typing out that comment was the literal last straw for me.

My husband was in chemo, and I was dealing with my own medical issues that I'm not going into here because it doesn't matter. I pushed through. I'm still around, just not here where I have to listen to your crap and have no way to block you.

Here I was, busting my fingers each day on a post when I was worn out, taking time to capture screenshots and/or make how-to videos (all free and with no ads, mind you) when it was all I could do to get out of bed and stay that way each day, and I was met with your crappy words.

I can't block you from my blog because you commented here anonymously (and I didn't approve said comment). Way to be brave, hiding behind your computer screen, tearing other people down, and telling them they aren't doing enough for YOU.

But I DO have control over other things: My Facebook (I do love that block feature), my IG (same block feature), and my books. That's where I've been spending my time. Not here, where you can make me feel small.

I DID NOT STOP. I just stopped here.

Now, I've started a newsletter, because I DO miss talking with the people that matter/care and come to me for news and advice on all things bookish.

Guess what? I can block you there, too, and that was my final deciding factor in making one. Oh, and I also got super fit with the time I got back from not blogging, so that's something I guess I should thank you for. #Winning

If y'all have made it this far, thanks for being staunch supporters of my blog (unless you were that commenter). I tried to help others more than I helped myself, and my newsletter will have news from the Indie world, some musings of my own, a great book quote, and information about books that have recently released (mine and others). Perhaps I'll even drop in a review from time to time. Who knows?

You can subscribe here if you're interested.

If not, no hurt feelings, but know I won't be back here unless it's to scream about my new releases, and ALL comments will be turned off on ALL posts thereafter. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life.

I wish you all the best.

Jo out.

Living in the Authorverse

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Is it Friday yet? Ha! Just kidding. We have four whole days of awesome ahead of us; keep it up! You're going to do great things this week! While you're here, why not read through my rambling post for a few minutes? I'm gonna talk about living in the authorverse; you know, that realm where all the writers dwell, silently waiting for their chance to jump into the spotlight in some way or another. These are things I've learned over the past six years. Ready? Grab a blankie, and let's get going!

1. Authors are a Rare Breed
Seriously, if you've never met one of these formidable creatures in real life, you're missing out. One minute they're shy and hiding in a corner, and the next minute they're blowing your mind with their knowledge base, talking to you like you've been chummy forever, and breaking out their (usually pretty bad) dance moves from the 80s. Of course, that outgoing behavior may be alcohol related, which brings me to my next item.

2. Authors are Prone to Drinking Massive Quantities
This is something I didn't know was a thing until I attended my first author conference. These ladies finally get out of the house, sans kids and husbands, and go all out. I watched someone literally fall all over herself (and the floor) that year. It's related to a taste of freedom, which brings me to my next item.

3. Authors are Chained to Their Laptops
I'm not kidding. Getting an author away from the computer is like prying a lollipop out of the hand of a toddler. Whoever referred to something easy by saying it's "like taking candy from a baby" has obviously never tried to take candy from a baby. Authors are the same way. Threaten their computer, and you may just get stabbed. This is because our laptops are literally the surrogate mothers of our children, the bearers of our blood, sweat, tears, and time stolen from our human families, which leads into item four.

4. Authors Treat Their Books like Babies
You've probably heard the term "My Book Baby," but did you ever wonder why people say that? Well, it takes nine months to grow a baby, and it takes nearly the same amount of time to write and publish a book (for most people). You care for it and feed it as it grows, clean it up, dress it properly, and then thrust it into the public eye for criticism. Can you imagine if someone took one look at your actual baby, turned to the crowd, and announced that it was the ugliest kid they'd ever seen? You'd be crushed. This is how a one-star review can feel, and it leads to item two on the list above. But when said author has nothing but three stars and up, it sometimes leads to item five, however, I've found that lots of praise isn't necessary to create this mindset.

5. Authors are Divas
Duh. They have to be. They're required to sing their own praises from dawn to dusk. No one is going to buy a book the author says sucks. I mean, if all authors were self-depreciating, this authorverse would be a very bleak place, indeed. So, we're a little stuck-up and demanding sometimes. You can't be told that you have to sing your own praises every day online but then must behave humbly in person. It doesn't work that way. I've never met an author who sold a book by calling themselves crappy writers. Just saying.

6. Authors are Spacey
Yeah, we really are. We blank out on people. Not because we want to be rude, see, but it's because we're all about the stories, and sometimes, inspiration or ideas hit us when we least expect them to. We're not ignoring you; we're plotting (yes, sometimes, it's your death as a character in the book, but it's fiction! Remember that. We don't really kill people [or do we?]) what will happen next in the story. Real life is hard on us, but we can interact! You just need a little patience (or some booze--see item two). You won't find spacey characters in our books, usually, because we like to write what we don't live. This leads me to the final item, number seven.

7. Authors are Normal People with Imaaaaaaaginations
Darn good imaginations! No, we didn't really fly a spaceship to Mars or engage in a threesome with the neighbor; but if we write it well enough so you believe we did, we've done our job! We're here to entertain you and make you feel as though what we wrote is believable and could actually happen. Don't assume we've done the things we've written about in our books or that our brains even work that way. Remember, we're stepping into the character's shoes for our novels, and we see and experience the world as they would if they were real. We don't have to actually take part in something to understand what it might be like.

So, if you meet an author in the wild, approach with a smile, tell them how excited you are to know about their books, excuse any blank outs or crazy behavior, don't assume our lives are the stories we tell, and try to remember that we're showing you, and talking about, our cherished children. We'd love it if you didn't call them trolls. With a megaphone. On national television.

This, my friends, is living in the authorverse. Know the rules. Be the exception!

Do you have anything to add?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo