tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post6132404635450808466..comments2023-11-22T06:35:25.251-05:00Comments on POE'S DEADLY DAUGHTERS: The writer's a jerk. Who cares?Julia Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10270211923343731659noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-87475366491839769562010-12-02T12:48:26.150-05:002010-12-02T12:48:26.150-05:00I have very little desire to meet people whose wor...I have very little desire to meet people whose work I admire, because I realize they're human & may not live up to whatever standards my opinion of their writing has created.<br /><br />My love of Sherlock Holmes cured me of that. When I first learned that he was a drug addict, it hit me hard that my mystery-solving-via-logic idol wasn't as perfect as he seemed. There have been Alyx Morganhttp://www.alyxmorgan.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-91056493405559783092010-12-02T08:29:03.931-05:002010-12-02T08:29:03.931-05:00What fun comments! And I agree - Tim, I want to bu...What fun comments! And I agree - Tim, I want to buy books from that bookstore based on principle!<br /><br />I opt for the library issues for a few authors because of their arrogance, but if the writing is good, why cheat myself?<br /><br />And this is a bit of the flip side, but I stopped buying one BIG suspense writer when he started mailing it in and using "co-authors" to do his Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-57215616802987654262010-12-01T22:06:03.476-05:002010-12-01T22:06:03.476-05:00This happens often with movie stars, and sometimes...This happens often with movie stars, and sometimes I can separate their personal lives if they're really good actors.<br /><br />As far as authors, I wouldn't pick up the book in the first place if I didn't care for the author's personality.<br /><br />Morgan Mandel<br />http://morganmandel.blogspot.comMorgan Mandelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-214098873939349382010-12-01T21:16:55.438-05:002010-12-01T21:16:55.438-05:00Lots of food for thought here, Sandra. As a writer...Lots of food for thought here, Sandra. As a writer I think you always have to be on your toes, whether you're at a mystery conference or even in line at a store. You never know who you might meet and impress or not. It is tough because you might be having a bad day.<br /><br />The one writer whose books I won't buy was at a mystery conference acting as the moderator of a panel. But he wasEllen Byerrumhttp://www.ellenbyerrum.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-45841391873639899222010-12-01T19:56:27.620-05:002010-12-01T19:56:27.620-05:00Sandra,
I never would have given this a thought be...Sandra,<br />I never would have given this a thought before I attended mystery conferences; but now that I've been able to put many names with faces (and attitudes), I find I actually am reluctant to buy the books of people I find repugnant.<br /><br />I agree that there are few of these in the mystery community, but I've met one or two, and then it somehow feels like I'm rewarding Julia Buckleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10270211923343731659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-14769513372002566642010-12-01T19:49:57.410-05:002010-12-01T19:49:57.410-05:00Susanne, you've pointed out the perfect soluti...Susanne, you've pointed out the perfect solution: Read it but don't buy it. <br /><br />Tim, what a story! I've heard a few of the same sort, but I've also heard stories about writers who stayed long after the scheduled time at a bookstore so that every person who bought a book could get it signed. On the whole I think crime fiction writers are wonderful, generous people. Not Sandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-38754187332415730572010-12-01T19:44:59.533-05:002010-12-01T19:44:59.533-05:00There are three authors that I will not read every...There are three authors that I will not read every again. The first one was hot as a two-dollar pistol some 20 years ago. He was invited as the guest of honor at a formal naval function. He arrive late, insulted everyone, refused to sign books, and left early. Interestingly enough, this author has disappeared from the scene. <br />The second author wrote a book that belittled not only a section bo parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09504218582844222769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-591431332553537572010-12-01T19:37:56.983-05:002010-12-01T19:37:56.983-05:00I might still read a book by an author I felt was ...I might still read a book by an author I felt was a jerk, diva, had no respect for the readers/fans, whatever...but I most certainly would not <i>buy</i> that author's books and take part in financially supporting him or her, and I would probably not recommend the author to others who might spend money! Reading a used or borrowed copy is something else again. Unless the work starts to Susanne alleynhttp://www.susannealleyn.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-13000323152028311822010-12-01T19:36:04.656-05:002010-12-01T19:36:04.656-05:00There's always the chance that the writer is j...There's always the chance that the writer is just a social klutz, unaware that they've caused problems by their behavior. I'd put many cases of rudeness into that category and be very forgiving. Shy people are often thought rude. <br />Diva behavior is something else, though -- especially when it's obvious that the diva regards people as "lesser-thans". Peasants, even.Margaret Kochnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-38781163323828348722010-12-01T19:34:40.426-05:002010-12-01T19:34:40.426-05:00I haven't stopped reading someone whose work I...I haven't stopped reading someone whose work I liked because of bad comments. But I have encountered a couple of authors whose books did not appeal to me and their personalities simply confirmed my decision to avoid them. Somehow I'd think an author's attitudes have to come through.KathyWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12724213234832600369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-85000418718786540222010-12-01T19:13:50.028-05:002010-12-01T19:13:50.028-05:00There are a couple of authors I've quit readin...There are a couple of authors I've quit reading because of their attitudes. There are plenty of other books to read. I do have friends who won't go see movies with some actors in them because of things they know about the actor.<br /><br />Most authors I've met have been so super nice that I really don't feel like I have to read the books by those who aren't. Can't read Marilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04179984154939161530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-88599006576025451632010-12-01T18:49:23.501-05:002010-12-01T18:49:23.501-05:00It amazes me, actually, how few real jerks there a...It amazes me, actually, how few real jerks there are among mystery and thriller writers. As a vocation, we have a very low jerk quotient.<br /><br />I had a bookstore owner whom I know well tell me about a BIG writer who walked into his shop, almost 20 minutes late for a signing, talking on her cell phone. She stopped in the doorway, looked around and said, into the phone, "You won't Timothy Hallinanwhttp://www.timothyhallinan.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-48535020885040597152010-12-01T17:23:09.560-05:002010-12-01T17:23:09.560-05:00This puts me in mind of the movie "Amadeus.&q...This puts me in mind of the movie "Amadeus." Artists of all ilks are like everyone else. Some are lovely people and some are jerks. It may not be 'just', but having great talent doesn't mean you're a good person. Look at Richard Wagner!Donis Caseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15207228706777377242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-85285871109388323752010-12-01T13:41:38.227-05:002010-12-01T13:41:38.227-05:00Ah, yes, Hemingway and Tolstoy. DH Lawrence wasn&#...Ah, yes, Hemingway and Tolstoy. DH Lawrence wasn't particularly charming, either. And Ezra Pound was an outright bigot. I was thinking about contemporary, active writers. But even in those cases, their personal reputations are distinct in my mind from their literary reputations, and I can read the work without thinking about the men themselves.Leslie Budewitzhttp://www.LawandFiction.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-66020167922295193182010-12-01T13:32:22.118-05:002010-12-01T13:32:22.118-05:00Someone on Facebook mentioned Hemingway as a write...Someone on Facebook mentioned Hemingway as a writer who behaved badly, but he said it didn't spoil Hemingway's work for him. That made me think of Leo Tolstoy, who by all accounts was a dreadful husband, cruel to his wife in many ways. Yet he wrote with great insight and sensitivity about women, love, and relationships. I love the writer but don't think I would have liked the man at Sandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-81729875255045708052010-12-01T13:23:14.170-05:002010-12-01T13:23:14.170-05:00I have never stopped reading an author because of ...I have never stopped reading an author because of bad behavior -- I'm not aware of any jerkiness by the writers I read regularly. But I certainly have been bothered enough by excessive self-promotion to put several writers on a mental "do not read" list. I wonder if readers who are not also writers encounter this and react the same way.Leslie Budewitzhttp://www.LawandFiction.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-57279707352623735702010-12-01T13:13:54.491-05:002010-12-01T13:13:54.491-05:00Sometimes it's hard to separate the writer fro...Sometimes it's hard to separate the writer from the book, I think. I usually can put negative feelings about authors aside, though. I do have a harder time with misbehaving movie stars--I don't enjoy watching their movies as much. But then, with a movie, we're *seeing* them, instead of just reading their words.Elizabeth Spann Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15625595247828274405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-10348674465380023692010-12-01T13:05:15.847-05:002010-12-01T13:05:15.847-05:00I have to admit, I've encountered one author a...I have to admit, I've encountered one author a few times whose self-pride (let's call it) is hard to get by. The thing is, I feel it taints this person's work, so it's not simply a question of compartmentalizing content from behavior. Maybe the difference is that actors are playing a role decidedly not themselves, while writers often let of some of themselves slip into their jenny milchmanhttp://suspenseyourdisbelief.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-82632537406091009802010-12-01T10:48:02.011-05:002010-12-01T10:48:02.011-05:00There is one writer who was very, very rude to a f...There is one writer who was very, very rude to a family member of mine, in front of several witnesses (all of whom were appalled). I quit reading this author's books, and some of my friends did, too. The author has since been redeemed a bit (and really is not an ugly person, maybe was just having a bad day), but it's hard to let go of what happened a few years back.Joninoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-44697415273216677802010-12-01T10:32:41.780-05:002010-12-01T10:32:41.780-05:00I read a book that was raved about, but which I fo...I read a book that was raved about, but which I found distasteful. Met the author and she was a complete jerk, self-absorbed and dismissive--never bothered to read her again. <br /><br />However, if I love a book, I don't really care much what the author is like. As Sheila said, sometimes the writer is just shy.<br /><br />And finally, there is that wonderful thing when you read a book you Terry Shameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07202071611825887999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-5283563131012013842010-12-01T10:30:38.523-05:002010-12-01T10:30:38.523-05:00I would've said I'm interested in the writ...I would've said I'm interested in the writing first and not the person. However, I can't understand a writer making fun of her fans. The writer has to have some real hang-up. <br /><br />There's always the possibility of a jery writer improving.Pauline Alldredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00847008019331163905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-31670632767754346842010-12-01T10:16:19.667-05:002010-12-01T10:16:19.667-05:00I can't remember dropping an author from my &q...I can't remember dropping an author from my "buy" list because of their personality. That's not to say I would never do so. I do try to keep things separate, though.Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-56135014385619246612010-12-01T10:00:18.460-05:002010-12-01T10:00:18.460-05:00Insulting fans is probably the most self-destructi...Insulting fans is probably the most self-destructive thing a writer can do, and I certainly understand why readers would refuse to buy books by an author who does that.Sandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-67655925961079848912010-12-01T09:11:30.855-05:002010-12-01T09:11:30.855-05:00peabodyYes I have stopped reading an author I prev...peabodyYes I have stopped reading an author I previously enjoyed when she stood at a booksigning and basically made fun of the people who read her silly books. What she said was that she wrote fiction for serious readers and her cute little mystery series for mass appeal to the less discerning support herself. It was a signing for a nonfiction work, but I'll bet half of the audience at leastcarynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06761365713102858135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-88315063299608858762010-12-01T08:36:06.948-05:002010-12-01T08:36:06.948-05:00I think it works the other way as well. When I am...I think it works the other way as well. When I am charmed by a writer appearing at a conference I am inclined to give his or her books a try even if their genre is not usually one I enjoy. I feel as though they must be as likable on paper. That isn't always the case but I have found some great new authors that way.Jessie Crocketthttp://www.jessiecrockett.comnoreply@blogger.com