This morning Melissa de la Cruz tweeted about receiving a hateful email directed at her & her publisher. Her response was AWESOME: “The best revenge to someone who hates your books is to keep writing them.”

As authors, we get lots of scathing e-mails, reviews & even up close and personal comments.  There will always be negative reviews because books are like ice cream. Everyone likes (and hates) different flavors. Personally, I don’t mind bad reviews as long as they aren’t personal.  I think it’s important for people to share their ideas & opinions about books, music, even pie — as long as the reviews focus on the book, music, or pie and not the person who made it (unless said person made the pie & then smashed it into your face Lucy & Ethel style).

Margie is smarter than me. She just doesn’t read them. And I don’t read most reviews, but when I see an email in my in my inbox, I think, “Yay! Mail!” Then I open it & read it. Most of them don’t attack us personally, though many like to point out that I am very short and wear weird clothes. (This is true.)

The ones I can’t handle start with “You and Miss Stohl” (who btw is a Mrs.)… or “Your editor…” Our editor is THE BEST editor in the world (we all think this about our editors if they are awesome) & Margie is an insanely talented writer, with or without me. So I will gladly accept it if you think I suck, but I know they don’ t.

I get equally crazy when I see the work of any author I love trashed in a personal manner (which btw most professional reviews & bloggers don’t do).

Then I read something interesting that hit home. It claimed that most people who say things about others actually accuse others of the very thing they fear about themselves. It’s like the old saying that if someone is accusing you of cheating on them all the time, it’s probably because they’re doing it.

Some of these scathing emails I get come from other aspiring writers that are struggling themselves. Maybe they don’t have a great community of writers encouraging them, or friends to read their work and cheer them on? Writing is scary and lonely, and everyone needs support (and a thick skin). So if by chance, someone reading this is an aspiring writer who needs a community, I encourage you to check out these hashtags on Twitter:

#writetip

#YALitChat

#askagent

#amwriting

#askeditor

And if you still think I’m short & I dress weird, you can tell me. But I’ll probably think you’re short, too.

x K