Amazon discontinued the ability to create images using their SiteStripe feature and in their infinite wisdom broke all previously created images on 12/31/23. Many blogs used this feature, including this one. Expect my archives to be a hot mess of broken book cover images until I can slowly comb through 20 years of archives to make corrections.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Damn You Author Promo!

It's fairly well known around Blog Land that I had an extreme reaction to Pamela Clare's last romance suspense novel, Hard Evidence. To say it drove me to the brink of insanity would pretty much cover it.

Here's the thing though - I've met Clare a couple of times at RWA conferences and she's nice. Really, really nice. Last year in Dallas I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me because she's so dang sweet and I felt like a shitheel for not only roasting that book over an open bonfire, but for also not going to all the bookstores in my area and buying up every copy they had. Some authors are just like that.

Yes, I know I don't have anything to feel guilty about. Yes, I really strongly disliked that book but that's just me. Other readers, I'm sure, loved it (KristieJ for one and I can't imagine she's alone in the universe). Tastes are different and what drives one person half crazy won't register a blip on someone else's radar.

I came away from my Hard Evidence experience telling myself that maybe Clare's romantic suspense wasn't for me. That I should try her historicals (which I haven't yet - but naturally they're all in the TBR!) because I suspect they're going to work a lot better for me (call it a hunch).

But then comes along that damn Sybil tempting me! If you haven't been over at her blog in a while, Pamela Clare is doing a series of guest posts called Goldilocks Goes To Jail, recounting the 24 hours she spent in jail. Clare, a reporter, pulled some strings to get "arrested" so she could land a story. Oh boy, did she! You can see the first five posts in the series here.

It's been fascinating and riveting reading so far - and it is seriously tempting me to pick up Clare's April release, Unlawful Contact. Seriously, seriously tempting me. Damn. Never mind my extreme reaction to Hard Evidence. Proof that even Super Librarians with TBRs that can be seen from space are not immune to author promo.

8 comments:

Katiebabs a.k.a KB said...

I absolutely love Claire's historicals and Kristie is trying to get me to try her contemps. Once I get through some of the books on my schedule, I will squeeze one of those Claire puppies in.

Mollie said...

I dislike historicals but I LOVED Ride the Fire. Loved it. I haven't read her contemps but I've been following the Goldilocks blog posts; really intriguing stuff. I'll probably get the contemp stuff next time I'm at Half Price Books.

azteclady said...

*giggling* your TBR also? Mine's a mountain range...

Kristie (J) said...

I've read Unlawful Contact and LOVED it - but then I loved Hard Evidence too *g*.
And the thing that is so nice about her - she get's that not everyone is going to love all her books. For example I had a few issues with Carnal Gift. She was fine with it and then explained where she was coming from on the issues I had. So of course I had to go out and get another copy with her thoughts in mind *g*

sybil said...

The book rocks and I read it before I read the blog posts ;).

Rosie said...

It's reassuring to kow that even super hero librarians have their kryptonite...

Lori Devoti said...

Pretty much unrelated to your post, but I hadn't even thought of using Library Thing for my TBR stack. Do you delete books after you read them, or leave them on? Something about both Shelfari and Library thing bring out my anal tendencies where I feel I have to have some "rule" as to what I put on. Shelfari lets you break things down by read, to be read, etc. I hadn't decided yet how to handle Library Things...hmmm.

Wendy said...

Lori:
My Library Thing account is ONLY my TBR - which is really amazing (or sad, I can't decide which) when you see I have 941 books listed on my account. Eeep!

Once I read a book, I delete it from LT. And I'm trying to be diligent in keeping it updated, so I know what I have and what I don't. That said, I've taken to buying my Harlequins as ebooks, and those aren't on my LT account. Need to figure out how I'm going to handle those. Probably just add them and have "ebook" as a tag....