Once upon a time when the internet was young, I loved a blog called Faster Than Kudzu. It was funny. It was insightful. It belonged to Jocelyn Jackson, who is an author. I would follow along on her blog as she was writing her next book. She’d go on writing retreats. The book would be submitted. It would finally come out. I was excited. I watched this sweet little book being born.
Then I would read the book.
And I wouldn’t like it.
It happened over and over. Her books are much darker than her real life (or blog persona). I gave up trying to read her books when in one the main character shoots her dog by accident. She was aiming for her ex. I had to sit myself down and forceably remember that she loved her dog in real life and would never hurt him so I didn’t hate her forever. (Note that I was fine with the character shooting at her ex.) It was my first experience with loving the author but not loving the book.
Sadly, she shut down her blog a few years ago. I miss it. I haven’t picked up her latest books.
But she isn’t the only writer who I’ve watched birth books (and babies and lives) that I then didn’t enjoy reading. With social media it happens more and more often. I follow a bunch of authors on Twitter. There are several whose tweets I love that I’ve tried to read a few times but haven’t enjoyed the books. They would post times when their books were going on sale and I’d buy them. I figured I liked their writing/tweeting so I want to support them. I got maybe a chapter or two in and realized that it just wasn’t going to work for me. I’d be bored. Then I feel like a bad internet friend.
I’m not going to be naming names of the people I still follow and sometimes interact with but **whispers** I haven’t finished their books. I feel bad enough already.
Do you have those authors in your life or am I just the worst internet friend ever?
Interesting issue! There are a couple of authors that are local to me that I love interacting with on Twitter, and I their books are fine, but they’re not, like my FAVORITES. And I feel kind of bad about that. On the other hand, they are both pretty popular in my classroom library, so I do buy their books, and I’ve gone to author events for one and would for the other as well, so I AM supporting them. I can also say that having heard the stories one of them tells about her research does make the books a tiny bit more interesting for me to read.
It’s kind of the opposite problem of, “I love this book, but the author is a jerk.”
Oh, I’ve had this issue as well! There’s one author I LOVE on social media, but her books are … just not for me. It can be incredibly awkward—and sad too!
Haven’t happened exactly to me yet but this is why I am reluctant on befriending authors on social media, ack!
Well, I guess the fact that I hate Twitter does preserve me from this problem! But a high school friend of mine just wrote a book and I have it here on my Kindle and I’m kinda worried I’ll hate it.
That’s a rough one too. My father in law self published a book before I met him. There’s a copy on my shelf but I haven’t picked it up.
I have this exact same problem! Sometimes I “meet†authors through blogs or social media long before I read their books. It’s always disappointing when I love the person and hate the book. There’s one author who has a booktube channel that I love. On YouTube, she’s funny and super intelligent and has amazing ideas. Unfortunately, I loathed her book. It’s one of the worst things I’ve read so far this year. Yeah. Awkward.
Then I feel awkward even reviewing because “What if she sees it?” I have to remember that I’m not mutuals with most authors.