Blind Item - Eyes and Ears Seem to be Everywhere

Another blind item landed in my inbox, and each one is more interesting than the next. You like the blind items?  Hate them with a burning, itchy passion? Let me know.

On to the item of limited vision:

This NYT Author’s deviltry won’t come as any surprise to many of her colleagues, as sources say she’s not made many friends in the way of authors, reviewers, or, according to some fans who attended a recent weekend, members of her own fanbase.

The scene: a restaurant, a relatively mellow mealtime during a recent conference. The Author is chatting and, given the gradual increase in volume, possibly arguing with her companions when the waitress approaches to take their order. The Author doesn’t stop her conversation, and waitress is standing, waiting, ignored, for some time. One of the companions at the table invites The Author kindly to relax a moment so the waitress can take their orders.

Commence ruckus at the table: loud crashing and smashing noises and even louder “Goddammit!” as she stands up. By this time, the restaurant is silent and staring, but the still quiet does not give The Author any pause. She hollers at her companions that she will not relax, and that this brash companion has no business telling The Author what to do. The Author then makes her way quickly out of the restaurant.

The waitress, who was understandably shocked and a little embarrassed, tells our source of this fury-tale that The Author’s companions made attempts to apologize on The Author’s behalf and begged that the waitress excuse The Author’s rudeness. But The Author overhears this smoothing-over and bellows from the doorway to a very attentive audience of both her own party and everyone else at every other table in the restaurant that no one should dare apologize on her behalf. Then, The Author departs.

The audience is silent, until a curtain of conversation descends upon every table, each person uttering a variation of, “Did you see that?”

 

Categorized:

General Bitching...

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  1. tilly w says:

    SarahT, I don’t think this particular author’s books have ever been reviewed on this site, or even mentioned here, except maybe in passing.

  2. Strategerie says:

    I love blind items.

    I’m also sitting on one that nobody will care about, but I know it. 😉

    -S

  3. SonomaLass says:

    So far I have not felt that the blind items are too much on this site.  They are, to my mind, part and parcel of the romance “community” thing that we love, and love to snark!  Tag ‘em so those who aren’t interested can skip them, sure, but don’t censor yourselves or your blog.

  4. Genevieve P. says:

    Does anyone else think Miley Cyrus is way older than fifteen in real life?  I think they forged her birth certificate or something.

    Ok, on topic:  I, too, like items on people behaving badly because there’s a little part of me that says: Hey, if you’re rude and inappropriate, you deserve public censure, because that’s how society works (peer pressure, woot woot!  It’s good for more than just pushing high schoolers into damaging behavior).

    On the other hand, I too dislike the fact that if you aren’t up with Every. Tiny. Detail. of the romance authors’ world and blogosphere (this is really the only romance blog I read, I just can’t keep up with all of my favorite authors) you’re left totally clueless as to what’s going on.  It does remind me of high school, when everyone’s talking about the weekend party you didn’t get invited to (or your parents wouldn’t allow you to attend) and when you ask for more details you get told, “Oh, I shouldn’t gossip. Tee hee!”  So only the “in” kids really “get” the funny part of the joke.

    I’d also like more discretion as to what is, and isn’t, considered worthy as a blind-item.  The vagina debacle?  That was pretty funny, because it was clearly an outlandish, out-there story. It doesn’t need names to be funny.  It’s something you don’t encounter in daily life, and even if it was true, not seriously damaging to a girls’ reputation in the long run.  And honestly, in five years, would anyone even remember the girl who took pictures of her nethers on another girls’ camera, or would it be chalked up to the vanity of youth and forgotten altogether? 

    This story, however, is not so unusual or unique.  If it’s really meant to hold an author accountable for their actions – great, fine.  But again, we aren’t really given enough information to form a solid hypothesis as to the identity of the author, so the chances are they will slide by unchecked while another, undeserving author, gets saddled with the blame.  Further, if you want to call attention to bad behavior, wouldn’t that be better achieved with a column about “authors behaving badly” where it is made clear who the author was, what they are accused of, and where said author is given a chance for rebuttal? 

    As for whether or not audiences will pay heed?  I don’t know, some will, but maybe not enough to effect the bottom line. I once went with my brothers to a book signing for an extremely prominent fantasy writer.  We were in line when the person in front of us gushed, “I love your XYZ series.  Shaneria was my favorite character!”  The author stops signing, looks up, and says in a scornful voice, “The character’s name is actually SHAH-NAH-REE-AH and if you can’t say it correctly, I doubt your claim that you truly love my books.” (details changed because of my poor memory – I don’t want to falsely accuse someone)  My brothers left the line immediately, putting their books back.  But more people stayed in line, effectively condoning the author for being a rude jerk.

  5. Christina says:

    Ahh!  I hate that I’m even bothering to ask this, but what has LKH done in the past?

    I too am someone who is totally out of the industry loop, so I know jack all unless it’s a major headlining story on CNN International (which pretty much just limits it to JK Rowling, really).  I’m intrigued by hearing gossip, but I don’t want to be.  Can’t we just have more HaBOs and cover snark?  I like those posts a lot.

  6. flip says:

    Writers are people.  I went to Robin McKinney’s website. I was shocked by her bad tempered rant. Included in her gripes was the failure of people to address her by married name in their emails. McKinney isn’t her married name. As a woman who never changed her name and who gets called by her husband’s last name, I cut people slack. How should they know how you want to be addressed unless you politely inform them. Did I think the rant reflect badly on McKinney. Yes. Do I still read McKinney? Hell, yes. She is a great writer.

    Why did she rant????? Who knows? Maybe ranting made her feel better. Maybe life was a little overwhelming. When my sister was dying from a brain tumor, I had a meltdown myself. Not very adult of me, I admit. But honestly, people do have breaking points. 

    I don’t read the Anita Blake stories, because I hated NIC. I still read the Meredith Gentry series.  The frustrating thing about LKH rants on her site is her failure to accept constructive criticism. 

    Bottom line isn’t it enough that a writer provide me with a good read. Must I require all writers to adhere to a certain standard of conduct. Of course, if you are a new author, I would recommend being nice. I have often bought a book because I found the author to be charming online.

  7. Joanne says:

    Jane said…
    A day without Britney on the tabloid covers makes the angels cry.

    *snort*… Beautiful… it Brought tears to my eyes… just beautiful.

    I was raised on blind items. Not quite Regency era but Louella Parsons and Ed Sullivan columns where often discussed by my mom and her friends so I think they’re often fun to read. They become less then fun when innocent people are named—in print—when they are not even a part of the stupid behavior, so it’s a warning to me to “be careful who you harm” sort of reaction before I post a response.

    If some silly fans want to sit at a table with a mouthy bitch who needs to learn some manners then they deserve what they get with her behavior. And if they buy her books… it’s their problem, not mine. 

    I suppose, if I were to think about it, the authors in the Romance community are the same as the people in every community… some good, some not so good, some nasty,  some so sweet you could pinch their cheeks. I don’t care. Write the books, make me want to buy your next book.

    Yes, I’ll read about how Nora decorates her bedroom (OH please don’t write that) or what J.R. Ward wears to the signings (black) or if Amanda Quick has a multiple name disorder (yes) but I’ll be wondering why they aren’t writing the books… because in the reader’s community where I reside VERY happily … it’s all about us. We want to read. 

    submit word: four98… hmmmm, I doubt I’m up to it.

  8. I’m not a big fan of gossip, but I will listen to an interesting story. I’ve met LKH a couple of times, and she’s always been pleasant, but I don’t know her public personna.

    I think it’s unfair to name or allude to any individual without solid facts. It’s just not playing nice to throw around anyone’s name, like LKH if it’s just a guess. Some initials immediately popped into my mind, but I’d be hurting a person’s reputation if it’s not her. I wouldn’t say, though, regardless.

    My word is house94.  I think today I don’t feel like leaving it. A nap sounds better.

  9. Marianne McA says:

    I’m on the burny, itchy side of the debate.

    Blind items seem too close to flaming someone and signing yourself ‘anon’  – having the fun of the kerfuffle, without having to accept responsibility for the accuracy of the piece.

    If you feel it’s worth reporting, I’d include a name.

  10. I don’t let a few bad-tempered, ill-mannered, full of themselves divas spoil my impression of romance authors.
    I just avoid them like the plague and don’t buy their books.

    Ah. But what if it’s someone whose books you like?

    Not condoning public tantrums but don’t you think all the smiling giggly chocolate-y generic niceness does us as much damage as blatant bad behavior? After all, Jane Austen said nasty things, Charles Dickens was an adulterer and … oh, I know someone out there had a pet haddock named Norman, but I just can’t remember who.

    It’s all about the writing, folks. Isn’t it?

  11. Jana Oliver says:

    I like Authors Behaving Badly stories simply as a “Thou Shalt Not Go There No Matter How Big You THINK You Are”.

    I have a rule: Rant in private, shine in public. I try very hard to hew to that rule no matter how tired or pissy I am. If I’m really cranky I go home and rant at the cat. She ignores me. That’s the sensible approach for such idiotic behavior.

  12. GrowlyCub says:

    Ah. But what if it’s someone whose books you like?

    Then I do what I described above.  I decide that condoning the author’s behavior is not something I want to do albeit in some cases regretfully so.  But in most cases the enjoyment of the books is over once the author idiocy is revealed.

    Some things are just too important and no, for me it’s about the whole package and not just about the writing.

  13. Bethany says:

    Wow!  I’m assuming this happened at RT?  If so, I’m sooo not going…ever!

    There is absolutely no excuse for being rude.  Ask Miss Manners and she will say the same.

    Was this author drinking, perhaps?

  14. Cassie says:

    Fewer blind items, more cover snark!  That’s my two cents.  🙂

  15. Jana Oliver says:

    Best to look at the episode as Book Fodder. Write that scene into your next bestseller. Or the book you hope to be a bestseller. Then mentally thank the clueless author in your mind, but not in your acknowledgments. She would probably sue you.

  16. Miri says:

    The gossip from “the front line” was fun, but, this far after the event I feel it’s a little stale.

  17. Barb Ferrer says:

    Not condoning public tantrums but don’t you think all the smiling giggly chocolate-y generic niceness does us as much damage as blatant bad behavior? After all, Jane Austen said nasty things, Charles Dickens was an adulterer and …

    Why does it have to be one or the other?  Writers are human and subject to bad hair days, if you will, but there has to be a modicum of self-awareness.  I know I’m snarky and have a temper that my mother loves to blame on my father although I suspect I come by it equally on both sides of the genetic fence.  However, again, I try to adhere to the dictum of if I wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, then I don’t say it in a public forum.  If it’s really bad and I still have to rant, I either email or call someone I trust implicitly or talk to the dogs.  They lick my face and then, how I can I continue to feel bad?

    (Or as Jana does, the cat, who ignores me.)

    Besides, the examples you cited, you have to put in historical context.  Would Jane be as well regarded had she been mean and snarky in the age of the Internet prior to becoming known as a world-famous author?  IJS…

  18. Meriam says:

    Count me against. Blind items don’t work for me.

    If there was a valid reason for it (i.e. if it was in the public’s interest), I wouldn’t care if the author was named; but the idea that we should instead engage in gossip, innuendo and speculation doesn’t sit well with me.

    To be honest, I don’t think it reflects well on the blog, either. It’s like tabloid journalism; it infantalises (if that is a word) debate, incites and sensationalizes without solid facts or consideration. If you wanted to spark a debate about how a lack of professionalism might effect an author’s success, it wasn’t made at all clear in the body of the post.

    Just my opinion! Maybe it has something to do with being on the ‘outside.’

    And I second Arethusa: A McKenna review would be awesome. ‘Crazy ass’ doesn’t do her some of her work justice…

  19. Lizzie (greeneyed fem) says:

    I LOVE gossip and reported misbehavior by important folks (or by folks who think they’re important), but I HATE blind items.

    I’ll take my gossip straight, thankyouverymuch. If someone is being an ass, I’d like to know it instead of trying to guess who it might be. I also feel like it puts some onus on the gossip-er to be truthful about the gossip-ee.

  20. Suze says:

    Authors are very lucky in that they have to put extra effort into having their fans be aware of their behaviour, much less have that behaviour affect their audiences’ decision to buy them.  Most authors are essentially anonymous to me, and I kind of like it that way.

    In contrast, Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan have put out some stunningly good work as actors, but as people, I think I’d rather not have to ever come into contact with them.  I’m not even a fan, I don’t go looking for juicy tidbits on them; it’s delivered right into my eyeballs as I’m channel-surfing.  I can still enjoy their movies (most of the time, some of them suck monkey sphincter), because their art is separate from their behaviour.

    With authors, of those whose bad behaviour I’m aware of, I didn’t really like their writing style anyway (e.g. Orson Scott Pompous and Wrongheaded Windbag Card) or their writing has moved out of my taste (Janet Daily, with whom I got bored long before the plagiarism thing came out).

  21. Lynne says:

    Lizzie said:

    I’ll take my gossip straight, thankyouverymuch. If someone is being an ass, I’d like to know it instead of trying to guess who it might be. I also feel like it puts some onus on the gossip-er to be truthful about the gossip-ee.

    You pretty well summed about how I feel about Blind Items. Leaving the names off gives rise to wayyyy too much speculation and collateral damage to people who had nothing to do with it.

    If there’s real dirt that needs to be dished, sure, dish it—and own it. Otherwise, I just don’t see much of an upside.

  22. Ah. But what if it’s someone whose books you like?

    Thus far, this hasn’t been an issue.  And I should probably say I don’t add authors to my Never Buy This Bitch Again list unless they’ve done something to me and mine, personally.  There is an author who publicly called my good friend a cow and told her to “Piss off!”, and regardless of how well she writes, how many books she publishes, how reviewers gush over her, I will never, as long as I live, buy one of her books.  I couldn’t read it with any enjoyment – I’d pick it to death and constantly be thinking of her hateful words.  She so ruined it for me – so in her case, she never made a sale to me, and never will.  No big loss, I’m sure, but suppose she hadn’t been a Class A Bitch and I didn’t dislike her intensely?  Might I have bought her book, thought it rocked, told all my friends, blogged about it, etc?  Maybe.

    Or what about the author who openly mocked my Texas twang in a bar at RWA?  You know, publicly humiliating a reader is not the way to Win Friends and Influence People.  Ask me how many of her books I’ve bought.

    It just doesn’t pay to be a bitch, a diva, a writer who thinks she’s above good manners and kindness because she’s just so awesome and fabulous.  I’m sorry – NOBODY is that awesome and fabulous.

  23. JaneyD says:

    I don’t mind the blind items, but would love to have more clues about the person involved.

    The fact is I just don’t know who most of the players are!

    I didn’t ever believe LKH was involved.  I’ve met her, and she’s a nice person.  If people threw red paint, blood, and books at me at signings I’d get snarky, too.  I liked her early stuff, and when it stopped being interesting I moved on.  Some fans are just too grim!  If you don’t like the show, change the channel!

    So yes, put in blind whatsits—if they are connected to the romance writing world.  Not too many, as I like your reviews, but if it’s been a slow day…

    And more clues.  If anyone knows the ID of this NYT Author feel free to email me.

  24. Meriam says:

    Janet, I don’t think authors have to be ‘nice’. In fact, I think that’s one of the problems we have in this community, the imperative to be nice; not to rock the boat, to get along. To not be ‘snide.’ I was astonished at the number of authors and readers who came out and castigated the Smart Bitches for outing Edwards, on the basis that they ought not to attack a frail old lady, that it was ‘mean.’

    I don’t care if an author I enjoy has a sordid personal life, if she has an explosive temper and hates little children. I do care if she is unethical or betrays a contempt for her reading audience.

    The number of authors I won’t buy on principle is small – Cassie Edwards, Janet Daily, DAM. And, to my relief, I know I’m not missing much.

    In the case of authors whose online ‘presence’ I don’t like, but whose work I read, I’ve just trained myself not to look. I don’t go to Crusie’s blog, for example, but I’m almost certain to buy her next book. I guess that means we’re both happy.

  25. Robin says:

    It’s all about the writing, folks. Isn’t it?

    For the most part, yes.  Except when an author is revealed as a plagiarizer, or exhibits a pattern of publicly disrespecting or attacking or even harassing readers.  I try to limit my boycott decisions to issues that impinge on the writing, in other words.

    However, I have made a decision in several instances to purchase an author’s work used rather than new, and the reasons vary, but again, if the work is good, unless I am at the point where I truly cannot separate the author from her work, I will not punish myself or a book.  And there have been a few authors with whom I’ve had to take a cool off period before reading their work, most often when I haven’t read them before.  There is one author, whose work I adore, but whose online persona has really rubbed me the wrong way lately.  So I literally pretend it’s two different people—the one online and the one whose name is on the covers of the books. 

    A McKenna review would be awesome. ‘Crazy ass’ doesn’t do her some of her work justice…

    Noooo kidding.  I really liked her early books and her novellas, but lately, well, let’s just say that a train can only go so fast around the bend before it flies right off the tracks, and I think this one’s heading toward Greenland right now.

    Actually, I think there should be a SB, DA combination video review, with Sarah and Candy providing the narration and Jane the visuals.  Oh, yeah, talk about crazy ass.

  26. Robin says:

    I don’t care if an author I enjoy has a sordid personal life, if she has an explosive temper and hates little children. I do care if she is unethical or betrays a contempt for her reading audience.

    Yes, thank you; you said what I was trying to so much better than I did.

    And I’ll add that I think it’s the pressure to “be nice” that results in so much snide nastiness.

  27. Or what about the author who openly mocked my Texas twang in a bar at RWA?  You know, publicly humiliating a reader is not the way to Win Friends and Influence People.  Ask me how many of her books I’ve bought.

    It’s probably little comfort, but I heard about that at the time and I haven’t bought a book with her name on it since, nor will I in the future.

  28. Barb Ferrer says:

    Or what about the author who openly mocked my Texas twang in a bar at RWA?  You know, publicly humiliating a reader is not the way to Win Friends and Influence People.  Ask me how many of her books I’ve bought.

    *blinks*

    *blinks some more*

    Um… that’s SO wrong.

    spamblocker word “common31”

    Yeah, I’ll say that’s pretty “common” as in, someone’s mama didn’t teach them right, sort of common.

  29. May B. says:

    I was actually in the restaurant when it happened (and it is not LKH). But being the person I am (usually ignore everything except the food in front of me), I had no idea what exactly happened except the word mentioned (because it is loud) and wondered ever since.

    So now I knew. Thank you very much.

  30. Robin says:

    I was astonished at the number of authors and readers who came out and castigated the Smart Bitches for outing Edwards, on the basis that they ought not to attack a frail old lady, that it was ‘mean.’

    Which brings up one of my greatest struggles:  how to take an author who maintains a relationship without exception or has actively defended another author who has crossed a really bad line.  This, for me, is the hardest call and one I find to be increasingly, sadly relevant.

  31. robinjn says:

    Reading over these, I have to say that for one thing, I think we should be less judgmental of personalities overall. Yes, sometimes authors have really bad days, just like we do. Yes, sometimes I’m sure they say really stupid and even offensive things. I’ve done that too.

    As turned off as I am by how LKH writes about her fans, if I found her books readable (and I no longer do), I’d still buy them. Because to me a book stands on its own merits. And a talented writer doesn’t need to pass some elaborate social test. It’s lovely when they’re nice and sweet and kiss babies and coo over fans. But I really don’t care if they don’t. I do not expect them to exemplify their characters.

    And here’s something else. Sometimes how people write on blogs and in lists, is far more “out there” than how they are in person. I’m prepared to believe that in person LKH is probably quite personable. I know that I’m excruciatingly blunt on lists and blogs, and far more polite and personable in RL. I’ve also met people who write just beautifully on the interwebs who are total and complete asshats in RL. It doesn’t always correlate.

    So no, I’m not about to get all jugmental about people I don’t really know. If I’m personally offended by them I may or may not turn off to their books. But I just don’t think all authors should have to meet MY personal “sweetness and light” code.

  32. Jody W. says:

    I’m with Lynne and several others.  If you want to gossip about the latest hot dish, go ahead and gossip, but own it.  The coy guessy-guessy stuff is kind of annoying and collateral damage is indeed a risk.  We all know how ‘facts’ change with each reblogging, and unlike the curious incident of the armpit in the nighttime, the truth doesn’t always come out immediately, if at all.

  33. Danielle says:

    Ahh!  I hate that I’m even bothering to ask this, but what has LKH done in the past?

    Christina, try checking out the links on LKH’s wiki page over at the Fandom Wank wiki. (I should note that that’s wank as in “you are behaving like a wanker”, not as in masturbation; the wiki is work-safe.)

    SB Sarah, I have to echo Goblin’s dissatisfaction with the email requirement in order to post. As well as her points, I find that I get more spam when I post my email in forums, even when webmasters do their best to foil the spambots. (Damn spambots!)

  34. rebyj says:

    I’m a big hypocrit, I LOVE LOVE LOVE gossip about other people . As long as I’m not the victim lol.

    As far as WHO the author is, my curiosity lasts just long enough to decide that if I cannot figure out who it is, it’s probably someone I’ve never heard of anyway. (said with a sniff and a snooty nose stuck in the air)

  35. Lynne says:

    True, Jody. The truth about the armpit photos came out very quickly and publicly, and in the same forum. That kind of rapid correction is the exception rather than the rule.

  36. GrowlyCub says:

    So no, I’m not about to get all jugmental about people I don’t really know. … But I just don’t think all authors should have to meet MY personal “sweetness and light” code.

    I, personally, draw the line at authors who disrespect their readers and other authors in public or in private.  That has nothing to do with whether they are sweet or nice or whether they hate little kids or are mean to their grandmothers, but has to do with their behavior in their professional life with regard to their customers and colleagues.

    Any author who behaves unprofessionally in this manner will go on my auto-never-buy-again list.

  37. cecilia says:

    Of course, I’m responding to something that’s not the actual topic …

    Personally, when “authors behave badly” (or other artists, for that matter), it may or may not affect whether I want to read their books (look at their paintings/listen to their music).

    Someone having a screaming hissy fit in a restaurant – shrug.  Someone who has a printed hissy fit over whether their readers properly appreciate them – oh well.  Someone (like Herbert von Karajan) who’s a friend of the Nazi party – yeah, now I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth that’s distracting me from the lovely sound.  Someone who puts a cigarette out on his girlfriend’s/wife’sface – pretty sure I’m not going to get the same thrill from the paintings, Pablo. 

    I don’t care if the offense is against me or not. Some things are worth being judgemental over. It’s up to every individual to decide where his/her line is, I guess, but sometimes people deserve to be judged by more than just how they do their jobs.

  38. Angela says:

    Blah…I love gossip blogs, but somehow, pulling the practice into the writing world further pull emphasis away from books and onto authors—which is what creates all the nonsense in the blogosphere regarding reviews, etc.

  39. SB Sarah says:

    The email requirement is part of the gravatar script, and part of what keeps the ebil spammers away. But you can put whatever blah @ stuff.whatnow in that field.

  40. MelanieM says:

    The email requirement is part of the gravatar script, and part of what keeps the ebil spammers away. But you can put whatever blah @ stuff.whatnow in that field.

    Something else you can do is go ahead and fill in your correct email address (which is useful if you want to be notified of follow-up comments), but then enter a made-up URL.  The URL will then override the email address as the link attached to your name.

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