My Thoughts. Your Thoughts? Everyones Thoughts....

As I'm sure you all know (from my lack of posting) I've been really busy lately. Even my reading has been slacking. I'm still reading of course just not nearly as much or fast, and it sucks. But anyway.....Via private emails I heard about things going on in blog land and such. And here's where my blog is going....

Normally I don't give two hoots what an author does personally. I mean their books are fiction and it's the stories that I love, not the person behind it. I mean not to be a bitch but really, do you wanna be best friends with the author or read the book? I'll take the book thank you. And if the author happens to be a really great person and interesting to chat with? Well then all the better, but it still doesn't make or break a book for me.

Some examples: I hear Judith McNaught is kind of snobby. What do I think of snobby people? I'll pass, not interested in wasting my time with them. What do I think of JM's books? She's one of my all time favorite authors. I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HER BOOKS. And her personally does not affect them for me. Now granted I don't care enough to research and chat with her myself to see if she is in fact snobby it's all hear say but still, you get my point right?

And Julie Garwood. I think I heard a bit of a controversy going on a little bit ago because supposedly a long time ago she did an interview and said she NEVER read romance books but then did another interview more recently and said she LOVES romance books. People got all up in arms about her lying. WHO THE HELL CARES? I don't! I love her BOOKS.

Same goes with J.R. Ward, and Sherilyn Kenyon. Are they a bit to into their fantasy worlds with having chats with their imaginary characters and such? HELL YEAH! But I love their books. And as long as I keep both my feet in reality I'm good.

And it goes both ways. Stef Ann Holm, Carly Phillips, Renee Lyons, Anne Rainey, and Lori Foster are all really really great women. Very nice, and just all around wonderful ladies. Some I found nice AFTER I read their stuff and some I was friends with first. But regardless I like their stuff, nice or not. lol.

BUT, and here's my big BUT (HEY! Stop being mean! Not my ass butt! lol. Although that is kind of big too at the moment. lol.) when an author does something in their personal lives that I morally don't agree with and the money that I use to buy their book goes towards funding said thing I disagree with then I have an issue.

Now I am not going to claim to know all the details on this but I got my information from somebody I trust very much. I heard that Jaid Black has some things going on that I don't' really agree with. Now correct me if I'm wrong but this is what I heard:

She was doing some type of research at a prison where she met and fell in love with a prisoner. The prisoner is in for murdering his girlfriend by close range gun shot (as far as I know). Then he shot at her daughter (again as far as I know). I also heard that she (Jaid Black) believes that all men that are young (under the age of 25), poor and first time killers should not be judged as harshly? Or not given life sentences? That they feel remorseful and were not educated enough to know what they were doing to the point where they should be held accountable for their actions?!

Well I'll tell you this. I have very VERY strong opinions about a lot of things, and I will just briefly say that that is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. And I wouldn't give two shits if a man killed my kids and fell into that category. Forget the freaking life sentence in prison, ship that scum off to some remote dirty nasty island where he can rot. He deserves no second chance, he lost that right when he took another life. And I feel it is belittling to the life that was taken to actually think her husband served enough time for his crime! She doesn't get to come back to life so I don't think he deserves to go back and live his.

But I don't want to get all into that. What I wanted to say here was that because of the fact that my money would go to funding her cause of campaigning against these men being locked up I will not ever buy a new book of hers. I feel this is in a total different category than not 'liking' an author. I morally don't agree with what she does or stands for.

I just read a book of hers last week for the fist time, I bought it before I found all this out, and it was actually pretty good. But it will be the last I but new, and I will not review it. I keep saying new because that is the only time they make a profit off of it right? Tell me if I'm wrong here too. But if I bought something in a UBS the author doesn't acutally make any money off of that sale right?+

So what do you think? What are your thoughts? I mean what you say will not change what I am doing or what I feel on this topic but I still am interested to hear what you have to say.

I think Karen Scott said it perfectly over on her blog. And I don't always agree with her opinions. But this time? She was right on.

But then again none of this would have happened in JB hadn't done that first interview and let all her personal issues out. Maybe I should just try my damnedest not to know anything about authors personal lives. I truly do think author Joey W. Hill said it the best:

"I’ve always had an aversion to reading, watching or hearing interviews of favorite actors, authors, musicians, etc. because so often the real person doesn’t measure up to the beauty of the art they produce. Their politics or religion are distasteful, or they’re shallow and self-absorbed, a vacuous mop-head without a lick of sense. From then on, though I may appreciate their craft or art, it has somehow been tarnished. Therefore, whenever I’m asked to provide personal information about myself for readers, a ball of anxiety forms in my stomach as I think: “Okay, the next couple of paragraphs can change forever the way someone views my stories.” Why on earth does a reader want to know about me? It’s the story that’s important."

AMEN!