A Malkuth of Me

Really?

There are days it doesn’t pay to gnaw through the leather straps, my friends. (Some of you know exactly what I mean!) Today was one of those busy, productive, and yet challenging days. First off, I woke up early, made coffee, had breakfast, and even got some writing in before skipping off to work. I stopped and got gas in the car, got to the office and got everything ready for end-of-month billing. I left caught up and ready for tomorrow. I got home and had dinner with DH. We vacuumed a cat. Sometime amidst all of that I had a conversation with another person who thinks being a writer is a get-rich-quick scheme (that conversation is getting really old), cleared up an e-mail misunderstanding, and managed to find out who the winners were for the GenDem giveaway over at demonolatry.org.

Then I read a few blog posts that made me  shake my head and then I got into my daily mail.  My mail today consisted of quite a bit of junk, a Legion submission, another request to be my student, a really sincere, well written, and interesting e-mail asking about some of the finer points of Demonolatry and then I opened some bizarre e-mail that left me wanting to strangle the obvious fool who wrote it.

So for the sake of my recent mail-troll and the two other people who have tried this same bullshit with me in the past three years,  I am adding to my reader etiquette post (again this goes for the NF crowd) –

Please don’t name-drop. There seem to be some folks out there who think if they pretend to know certain people they can force me into submitting to their will or opinions,  or they do it to gain leverage during an argument. Especially when it comes to TG Demonolatry chances are I know the people you’re pretending to know and I’ve talked to them in the past 48 hours. Nothing makes you look like a jackass faster. I’ve had a couple people come to me pretending to know Dukanté, Delaney, and Ellen P. Guess what? You don’t. I checked.  You realize I talk to these people regularly (or in the case of Dukanté, his daughter and some of his old friends), and that they’re personal friends of mine, right?

Please don’t pretend you’re more involved than you are. It’s a small community and I know all the movers and shakers personally. If you and I are having this conversation and I don’t recognize your name outright – you’re not one of them.

Please don’t pretend you know my motivations or that you know me. Especially if you’re a complete stranger. I know my motivations – don’t argue with me.

Please don’t come to me with your gripes pretending to speak for other people. Why? Because that usually says to me that you are lying about the other people. Especially since no one but you is complaining.

Finally – back up your accusations with PROOF before you start blaming me for something or demanding answers. Here on this blog last week someone suggested that somehow Michael Ford and the GenDem group were somehow related based on some alleged videos (that no longer exist) and the fact that people are putting Ford and I on the same Amazon reading lists and somehow all of this made me responsible for the poor editing of Ford’s books. That’s a lot of assumptions to make based on finding my books alongside Ford’s on a few amazon recommended reading lists put together by amazon customers. But you’d be amazed just how often certain people will put one and seven together and get sixty-five. I personally think it’s about shit-stirring, but then I could be wrong. Could just be due to overactive imaginations. And hell – I like a good story as much as the next person, but at least try to have more evidence than that for your suspicions. Especially if you’re going to bitch me out for something.

Finally – don’t write me out of the blue, a complete stranger, and start making arrogant, presumptuous demands of me. That’s the quickest path to “Fuck you” and “Delete” in my world. I don’t need your approval. My sun doesn’t rise and set on your opinion. I’ll keep writing my books and doing my will long after you’ve given up trying to bend me to yours.  I don’t owe you anything. And if you think otherwise, think again. If you don’t like my books or my view of Daemonolatry, don’t buy my books and STFU.

Trust me – your life is better spent minding your own business instead of trying to mind mine.

That is all. Thank you.

Steph is an award winning and bestselling author of thrilling steamy and paranormal romances, dark urban fantasy, occult horror-thrillers, cozy mysteries, contemporary romance, sword and sorcery fantasy, and books about the esoteric and Daemonolatry. A Daemonolatress and forever a resident of Smelt Isle, she is happily married and cat-mom to three pampered house cats. Her muse is a demanding sadistic Dom who often keeps her up into the wee hours of the morning. You can contact her at swordarkeereon@gmail.com

6 Comments

  • Steph

    LOL! No, not usually. Just the one or two folks (or maybe it’s just one with split personalities) who contact me about nonsensical stuff every 4-6 months. I think Demonolatry attracts some sad, lonely, bored, and unstable individuals who have nothing better to do than stir shit and try to cause drama.

  • Goetic Nick

    No drama here, but then I’m not the public face of an entire belief system, nor have I written so many books. I expect people find you approachable for their bullshit primarily because you’re a woman and you look very young. I think you may be right that it’s only one or two people. The writing style and manner of beratement is very similar between them.

  • Goetic Nick

    If some people spent the time they spend creating drama on something productive I think the world would be a much better place.

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