It might come as a surprise to learn that I’m not the only one with a blog.
As it turns out there are quite a few others out there—-people who actually post daily. Anyone who has been following this site, knows I’m not one of those, but they do exist. I’m not a big web surfer, but a number of Internet-situated reviewers spotlighted my novels, which caught my attention. What I didn’t know less than a year ago is just how much like it’s name the web really is. Touch one thread and the tremor goes out. Book reviewers read each other’s sites and from my perspective it is fascinating, like watching a new world being born, a new Madison Avenue in an electronic infancy. They all seem very cordial, friendly even; unaware they might grow up to be competitors.
It is a nice time. The turn of the cybercentury is the way I imagine the early years of the automobile industry might have been, when if you had a garage, you too could start a car company. There’s room for everyone from the conglomerate connected site to the mother of two college age kids who likes to read. Over the past year or so, I’ve come to know a few of these. They knew me before I knew them. They did a review, or made a comment that got flagged by a search engine and the tremor went out.
Some are dedicated and serious folk who work hard at reading and reviewing books and are often the only conduit for independent or otherwise off the mainstream authors. The new filter for the masses that have made a career out of doing online reviews, although I doubt many make enough money at it to consider it more than a hobby. This is something I can relate to. Rewards for the effort come elsewhere and maybe that is the source of the crosstalk.
Fact is, I feel as if I’ve made some friends with people I’ve never met, but it’s a strange relationship, like befriending a wild animal. These are not tame pets. The same person who loved this book might hate my next, and how happy will I be to read how disappointing I am. Worse I think, is the inability to say thank you to those who have helped so much. Like feeding bears in Yellowstone, the author taint might ruin them, interfere with the public integrity—-their most precious commodity. For the same reason that I would never respond to a negative review, I can’t applaud a favorable one. People on Amazon are suspicious of a review if the poster lives in the same state as the author. Imagine the contamination associated with a writer who routinely thanked a reviewer for favorable posts. At the same time, it is these very posts that have propelled my work and taken it from a lark to a happening. I feel indebted with no means to repay.
And there are others who have taken it upon themselves to champion my books. Strangers who’s fingerprints I find repeatedly on the Internet, popping up in various forums to say, “yes I read those,” or commenting on sites who’ve reviewed them. The same names echoing. I suppose they are called fans, but I have issues with that term-—it is hard to imagine that I have fans, still hard to imagine I am pretty enough to turn heads. Maybe they are just really nice people who feel sorry for me. OMG you’re an author? I’m so sorry, do you have a cup? Here’s a nickel.
So if you have the time, you might consider looking at some of these other sites. Like I said this isn’t the only blog on the net–most are better and do a great job of filling in the gaps that the traditional media can’t handle. Who knows you might find your next favorite author.
Here is a wholly inadequate list of a few such sites. (Sorry if I missed you.) If you know of any other good sites like these, please mention them.
• A Dribble Of Ink
• Adventures In Reading
• A Fantasy Reader
• Andrew Wheeler’s Antick Musings
• Bill Ward: genre writer and reviewer
• Blood of the Muse
• Book Fanatic
• Booklust
• Charlotte’s Library
• Cheryl’s Book Nook
• Cheryl’s Mewsings
• Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews
• Dave Brendon’s Fantasy & Sci-Fi
• Drey’s Library
• Falcata Times
• Fantasy & Sci-fi Lovin’ Blog
• Fantasy Book Critic
• Fantasy Book News & Reviews
• Fantasy Debut
• Fictionstream
• Follow that Raven
• Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review
• Grasping for the Wind
• Gryphonwood
• Jeff VanderMeer
• KingOfTheNerds
• Leap in the Dark
• Library Love Fest
• Mark Lord’s SFF and Historical Fiction
• Marty Halpern
• My World
• NextRead
• OF Blog of the Fallen
• One Persons Journey Through A World of Books
• Only The Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
• Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist
• Post-Weird Thoughts
• Pyr Blog
• Ramblings&More
• Realms of Speculative Fiction
• Rob’s Blog o’ Stuff
• Sci Fi Songs
• Sandstorm Reviews
• Science Fiction and Other ODDysseys
• SciFiChick.com
• SciFiGuy
• Scooper Speaks
• Seak’s Stamp of Approval
• Solaris Blog
• Speculative Fiction Junkie
• Speculative Horizons
• Stomping on Yeti
• TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home
• Temple Library Reviews
• The Bodhisattva
• The Book Swede
• The Book Smugglers
• The Bookshelf Reviews
• The Overlook Press Blog
• The Soulless Machine Review
• The Walrus Said
• The Wertzone
• Top Cow Blog
• Torque Control
• Vast and Cool and Unsympathetic
• Walker of Worlds