Oops, forgot to mention that my kids and I are rabid fans of BSG and Firefly. And I actually had a beloved friend who joined the Flat Earth society -- a well educated and brilliantly perceptive professor. When I asked him why, he gave me an answer similar to Evan Tanner's response in one of Lawrence Block's books featuring that character -- something on the order of it being necessary to dispute most of the powers-that-be's accepted paradigms.

skrevet af RachelfromSarasota kl. 8:37 pm (EST) den Jun 20, 2008

I am new to LT, and I just posted on Happy Heathens and read your post telling folks it was okay to friend you -- so I am! I just requested your books from my local library -- I'm a poverty-stricken high school teacher so my budget is quite constrained, otherwise I'd pop over & get it from a local bookstore. I look forward to reading them (actually the newest one is still on order for the library). I look forward to reading them. I see from some of the comments above that you're a LMB fan -- Vorkosigan lives! I've been a fan of hers for years. Anyway, I live out in the sticks of southwest Florida (and living in Florida w/o a pool sucks big-time!), and am absolutely starved for literate conversation with folks who actually (gasp of disbelief) read! So I hope we can become real friends and actually e-talk!

skrevet af RachelfromSarasota kl. 8:35 pm (EST) den Jun 20, 2008

Oh, I'm not surprised by the stories you tell! I belong to a small group of authors who have published through subsidy publishers or small publishing houses (we have one or two Kunati authors), and they share stories like this all the time! When I finished the manuscript of High Spirits, my husband presented me with info he had researched on iUniverse and said, "Let's try this and see where it takes you." So I never even sent my manuscript out to any publishers -- I just went straight to iU.

My experience has been -- eh. I did get editorial services and professional copy-editing, but overall they had lackluster customer service -- even though they named my book "Publisher's Choice." And I completely underestimated the prejudice in the book world against self-publishing! I assumed the book would stand on its own merit. (I have great reviews from several review sites and Amazon customer reviews, and I just won a teensy-weensy award.) But people see it's from iUniverse and immediately pre-judge it. And of course, all marketing is on my dime. And that's about all I've got to spend, too!

I dare not send any friend invites here on LibraryThing, because recipients automatically assume I am spamming them about my book. Readers here can be very snarky to self-published authors.

With my next book, I will pay homage to the traditional establishment and humbly send my manuscript out the way we're supposed to do it. Silly me for trying to work outside the "system." Kunati is one of the publishers I plan to try.

skrevet af dsalerni kl. 8:20 pm (EST) den Mar 27, 2008

RABID looks like a great book! I added it to my wishlist!
Do you like Kunati as a publisher? You must have, since you have another book coming out with them.

By the way, I had to laugh when I read the comment on that one review for RABID that gave you less stars than the others. Sounds like some infighting at a Nashville book club! Funny!

skrevet af dsalerni kl. 7:55 pm (EST) den Mar 26, 2008

Ok, that's a good reason. LMB isn't my absolute favorite author, but she's right up there. Yeah, I like Memory - that and Civil Campaign are probably my favorites.

skrevet af jjmcgaffey kl. 6:46 pm (EST) den Mar 26, 2008

Hi TK

If you need any help with covers on your profile let me know, there's a few groups that gives you tips on what code you can use on talk and on profiles, I read some of those and then messed about with it until I got what I wanted. http://www.librarything.com/groups/greyh...

Imp

skrevet af TheBookImp kl. 8:57 pm (EST) den Mar 25, 2008

Thanks for the friend invite! Unlike the people posted below, I don't need to know why you sent a friend request. Isn't this a place for social networking??? Why turn down a new friend?

Besides, I see your a fan of Miles Vorkosigan, and any friend of Miles is a friend of mine. :)

skrevet af dsalerni kl. 7:37 pm (EST) den Mar 25, 2008

I'd also like to know why you asked to friend me. Not meaning to be antagonistic or anything, I'd just never heard of you until a minute or two ago. Your work does sound interesting though.

skrevet af Child_of_Light kl. 6:43 pm (EST) den Mar 25, 2008

"I still live!" If you only knew how many times I have refered back to that little bit of wisdom over the years.

skrevet af TLCrawford kl. 3:33 pm (EST) den Mar 25, 2008

Can you tell me why you want to friend me? LT has had some trouble with authors spamming people with friend invites and messages, so I'm a bit wary.

skrevet af jjmcgaffey kl. 12:19 pm (EST) den Mar 25, 2008

Since we only share 1 book and 1 friend I went to your web site and read some before accepting the invitation. I liked the science for non-majors. If you are ever in the Midwest for a book signing let me know, I am a bit of a collector. Unfortunately if your books deal with child abuse I won't be reading them. Just something I can't deal with.

skrevet af TLCrawford kl. 9:31 am (EST) den Mar 25, 2008

Hi,

We don't share any books, are you able to tell me what drew my profile to your attention and why you asked me to friend you?

skrevet af Aquila kl. 8:52 pm (EST) den Mar 24, 2008

Hi TK,
Glad you could join me at Library Thing. Loved Rabid and I'm looking forward to Callous.
Be sure to get an author's page here. Just follow the directions (they're somewhere on the site as I recall).
Best,
Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds, a novel of the Congo

skrevet af davedonelson kl. 8:42 pm (EST) den Mar 24, 2008

Thanks for the invitation, I see you're new to LT so I hope you settle in ok.

Imp

skrevet af TheBookImp kl. 9:41 pm (EST) den Mar 22, 2008