WTF?!

I left Reno on Friday - and it turns out I missed a train wreck moment on Saturday.

Not that it would have mattered, since I technically wasn't registered for the conference. That meant - Wendy goes to no luncheons and no award ceremonies. Dang, maybe I should have shelled out the extra cash?

Instead of rehashing it here, others have already covered the Rita/Golden Heart awards ceremony. Opinions do differ, but the majority of comment-leavers are aghast. Check out:

La Nora
Monica Jackson
The Smart Bitches

Sometimes I think the recent blog explosion provides me with a little too much information. It wasn't until very recently that I "gave up" on authors strictly for their attitudes and online presence. However the recent (and ever ongoing) brouhaha over erotica/romantica vs. romance has led me to dismiss several books and authors from my TBR.

Is this fair? Probably not. But let me clarify -

Authors are people. They are "allowed" to have strong opinions. There are many author's blogs I read that feature strong opinions (Alison Kent and Monica Jackson immediately leap to mind) - and while I don't always agree with them, I haven't banished them to my "Under No Circumstances" List. Why? Because they aren't stupid. Put more bluntly, I don't think they're talking out of their asses.

If you're going to go off half-cocked on a subject, at least be intelligent about it. That's just me though.

It's almost sad really. Author "bad behavior" never used to effect me, maybe because I had had nothing but good experiences. There are countless (I'm talking countless) authors I buy because they are so dang nice. Authors that landed on my "I Give Up" List after a couple of books failed me, end up back on the "Buy" List because I make the mistake of meeting them in person.

Heck, meeting a nice author in person even has me questioning my sanity. I heard Linda Howard speak at RWA this year, and I began questioning why I don't read her. Well, I don't read her because she generally "doesn't work" for me - but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't give her another chance.

Now before anyone slams me here - I will say that my "Never Buy Again" List does not effect my purchases for my library. Heck, if that were the case I wouldn't be buying Danielle Steel. How long do you think my patrons would put up with that? The answer? Not very long.

These are my personal opinions. The library should be an open market of sorts. And while there are certain authors I will never view through naive rose-colored glasses again - that doesn't mean I should go around raining on the parade of my library patrons.

But I probably should have just kept my mouth shut....