Mona > Goodreads Status Update
Mona added a status update
We all know Goodreads has had it’s share of drama. We’re
battle-scarred & throw up our hands saying “we just want to read
books”.
So, I, too, got the message from the troll "Tammy".
But, unlike some, I believe what she posted is true. And IF any of it’s true,
it isn’t just drama. It is HUGELY problematic, potentially illegal, and has the
power to really hurt people.
Please, just think through a few of these things:
COMMENTS (showing 1-15 of 727) (727 new)
Recently the author MA posted on
his blog an entry showing pictures of himself. He said it was because anon
trolls were trying to dox him and out his personal information - something he’s
long said he’s tried to keep private, though much of which he himself has
shared online. *shrug*In this post he himself admitted to sending fake pictures in the past to people in his readership and friend circles. He admitted to this lie. It hurt a lot of people, people who trusted him. That sucks. But maybe, for some of you, that doesn’t sound like such a big deal…fake pictures? Meh. But it’s the lie that sets this stage.
MA tells us he suffers from liver
cancer. He has chronic back pain that is debilitating. Fans send him money to
help him so he can write full-time, so he can pay his overwhelming bills. They
send him gifts for his new home. I sent him money and gifts too. But he posts
pictures that show that he’s a smoker. He posts pictures showing him drinking
and talks online about being drunk. He posts videos of himself riding
intertubes down mountains. Is this how someone with painful cancer and back
issues behaves? And while he was working
full-time in education, writing full-time and making what one would expect is
at least a decent second source of income off his books, and with this Patreon
money given to him because he’s in such a difficult financial state, he BUYS A
HOUSE (and throw in some Michael Jordan sneakers too…yeah, the expensive AF
ones). There are many of us that cannot afford to buy a house. Some who can’t
afford to buy Jordans. But all of us had big enough hearts to donate to a sick
man in debt. Did readers donate to him to help with his medical bills and his
financial dire straits or to pay his mortgage so he can live large? At the very
least, is this a misrepresentation to fans of his situation? And don’t get me started on the
awful words and name-calling he uses towards readers when he’s upset. And the
bigoted slurs about specific people identifying as LGBTQ. But, these come from
screenshots of his conversations posted by anon accounts. So, I’ll steer us
back away from that. One last thing, since this is Goodreads
and we’ve all been through drama before: why have so many of MA’s
very close and most loyal and excited fans and friends from his past dropped
off? Have you noticed this? People he interacted with from as far back as his
online free-fiction days rarely are seen reading his books or reviewing them
with excitement anymore on GR (Goodreads). Some of his most outwardly
enthusiastic fans from his first publishing days, silent. They don’t talk to
him or about him. People removing reviews of his books all over here on GR
(Goodreads). He’d say they were jealous of his fame, they were obsessed with
him, they were overbearing, they wanted to have sex with him (*eye roll*). But
ALL OF THEM? Every single one?I’ve noticed this because I was one of them. I’ve known and interacted with him since 2012. And no, I don’t anymore. (Me = not jealous, not obsessed, admittedly sometimes overbearing, not even one iota attracted to “him”.) The damage that his lies, and then his subsequent gaslighting and slander and bullying, have caused, is widespread.
I know this is all A LOT to take
in. But if even ONE of these things resonates, or if the total of all these
things makes you feel like something is off, I suggest considering if this is
worthy of an AUTHORS BEHAVING BADLY badge. You might LOVE the books, but do you
support this behavior? 
preach it!!!! 
I wish this site had a share
button. Thank you for posting this, friend 
Would the real slim shady please
stand up???? #timesup Lake SLuTsReaD
Reviews wrote: "Would the real slim shady please stand up????
#timesup"Hahaha, I wish I could frame this comment, Mare. :)
Thank you for
this.It's all so unbelievable it can only be true.
Thank you Mona. And thank you to Mia
for coming forward as well. And to Chloe for putting it all out there to get
the conversation started in public. 
This is a very well written blog
post about it all. Thanks to Zoe, Karen, Ashley.https://inglouriouswitches.blogspot.c...
Thanks, you were very brave :).
And I don't have words for him 
One of the
things I'd like to see be discussed in all this is what about his author
buddies/co-writers? Did they know? I'm not sure how someone goes to conventions
and on vacations with someone but doesn't know who they are. These authors have
been rabid in the past at defending his right to privacy & his "dance
space", to the point it makes me feel they all knew he had something to
hide. Their silence in the last week or two has been deafening. I hope everyone
will take note of those people too and do some serious thinking when deciding
whether or not to purchase their books.We have a level of power here. We can refuse to buy these people's books. We can refuse to review these people's books. We can email publishers and let them know their author's behaviors are unacceptable and we won't be buying from them again until they've addressed the matter. We can drop out of people's Patreons.
Despite this show of TERRIBLE author behavior, there are still a lot of great authors out there. A lot of new authors coming into the genre. Give them your money instead.
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