Quote O' the Day

" If you're a working-class American who still votes Republican ... you're stupid."

-Bill Maher

Why Facebook is an Ass: My Adventues with an Idiot.

I'll get this part of the way right now: As a fiction author, I am not only in favor of Freedom of Speech, I depend on it for my choice of career. Still, there has always been a blurry distinction for many between speaking or writing unfettered and using harmful, derogatory or inflammatory language for the sake of causing harm to others. To borrow from my own experience, my short story "Finally, the Source" which was published in the Pill Hill Press anthology Leather Denim & Silver:Legends of the Monster Hunter deals with issues of religious belief and Biblical claims in a way that would be considered blasphemous by many Christians and Jews alike. One reviewer actually wrote, "Holy Shit! Did they really just do that?" in reaction to the ending.

However, my intent was to extrapolate the Creation Myth and turn it on its ear, not to offend. I was even careful with the wording of the piece because I know how easily one can fall into the shock value for its own sake trap. By contrast, there's a Facebook Page called "At least I'm Honest," which is also moderated by a user bearing that phrase as his screen-name. This person goads the religious as often as possible under the cloak of humor with as many offensive comments and pictures as he can. To be fair, his page contains a disclaimer with the welcoming phrase, "If you are easily offended, this page is not for you." As opposed to, say, the Christians Vs. Atheists page that actually encourages discussion that can often turn hostile, At Least I'm Honest prefers to offer up his views as good-natured humor, claiming those who disagree are somehow tight-asses or just plain stupid.

It's the refuge of the intellectually stunted and the small child, and one often wonders if he might be both in equal measure. He certainly seems to me enjoying himself, nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but his vitriol is so hateful and no transparent that even the simple act of someone clicking "like" on the comments of a person who is responding to his insults by coming back with better ones of their own results in a quick dressing down and a ban from his page. It's not a leap of logic to conclude that this man-child is indulging himself in online masturbation. He isn't the first, nor is he the worst offender, but he made one mistake: He presumptuously decided he would put me in "my place."

Below is his message to me regarding the fact that I enjoyed the insults he was receiving from someone he banned and my reply:

ALIH: "I'm leaving all the comments with her name tagged, I"m guessing nobody can see her comments anymore since I banned her. Christopher, consider if you should be here again. If you like her posts when she's talking shit, I don't know why you are around anymore."

At this point he'd already banned me, but I wrote back:" So in other words, we're only allowed to like what you write because it's so hilarious and insightful or you'll ban us like a little groinless bitch. good to know. crawl back inside your own asshole with the rest of your cum guzzling sychophants. "

Keep in mind this was after he'd repeatedly referred to the women he banned as the "C-word" for pointing out how offensive she found his post. Just in case he didn't see the message, I found his comment on someone else's post and posted it there, too. I also reported him to Facebook for targeting a specific religion, resulting in the following exchange:

Hi,

Thanks for your recent report of a potential violation on Facebook. After reviewing your report, we were not able to confirm that the specific page you reported violates Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.

Learn more about what we do and don't allow by reviewing the Facebook Community Standards: https://www.facebook.com/communitystandards.

Thanks,
Viki

My reply: "Wow, so telling religious people to "fuck off" and penalizing them for having differing viewpoints by constant threats of banning while posting offensive pics of Jesus being consumed by zombies among others is difficult to confirm as a violation? I'm not even a Christian and I'm repulsed. Oh, and apparently calling a woman who expresses her religious beliefs a "cunt" is acceptable as well. Nice to know. Now I can create that page I was afraid would be too offensive because apparently anything goes. "

That is why Facebook is an ass!

Quote O' the Day

"In all seriousness, when you listen to Rick Santorum you are listening to a dream of mass extinctions and defilements, a kind of death wish for humanity expressed as being about life."

-Jeff Vandermeer

Quote O' the Day

Again from Mr. Richard Bowes:

It's not just in rewrites that you have to "Kill Your Darlings". If you're any kind of writer you murder them right there in the first draft.

Nice to be appreciated....

Especially by aspiring writers like Mr. Garlow, who mentions yours truly in glowing terms twice, which, as some of you know, is two times as much as once.

Click here for the kind praise.

Quote O' the Day

"I well remember the happy day when I realized that everything in my 100 word biography/bibliography was stuff I had actually done!!"

-Richard Bowes, author of Minions of the Moon

And the second runner up:

"The 100 word bio/biog is the strange place where one writes about oneself in the third person and is never fact-checked or called to account. Heaven for a fiction writer!!"

-Same Guy

Upcoming Reading Event Removes Bad Taste from my Mouth

Two years and seven days ago, our father brought forth upon this...hmm? Oh, sorry. Wrong speech.

Two years and six days ago I posted this detailing my shockingly negative experience with a representative of one of my Alma maters who wanted to bring me in to speak and read and then switched gears into a hostile diatribe that made it sound as if I somehow bore the responsibility of helping create a series of events for her.

Everyone who ran across this story, writers and readers alike, found this to be the height of insult and unprofessional-ism, thereby reaffirming that, in this rare instance, I wasn't crazy. Flash-forward to this month and a college I never attended and observe the difference in communication styles:

Me: Good afternoon, Nichole.

I was advised by my fellow Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers Peggy Christie that you were open to allowing local writers the opportunity to perform readings at your institution. I am a published writer with a novel and about two dozen short stories to my name. I have also done readings in the past and would love to do one at Macomb Community College.

Sincerely,

Christopher Nadeau

http://christopher-nadeau.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Infinitys-Core-Christopher-Nadeau/dp/0979029961/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327952692&sr=8-1

She: Hello, Chris!

Thanks for getting in touch with me about being one of the Featured Readers at WW.

Currently, March 21 and April 18 are open. Let me know which date would work for you.

I would also ask for a short bio so I can create fliers to promote this event.

I am so excited to have you read. Thanks again!

-Nicole

Me Again:

Nichole,

Thanks for the opportunity. I hate to be a nuisance, but what time is the event? That will help me figure out which day is better. Also, is your email address a reference to the Nancy Collins Sonja Blue novels?

C.N.

She once more: Oh, I'm sorry, Chris.

WW meets from 2 to 3:30 pm.

And yes, my email is in reference to Collin's Sonja Blue. I LOVE those books!!!

I think Blue is one of the greatest vampires (vampire hybrids) of all time. :-)

-Nicole

Yep, Me again: Nichole,

Thanks for the quick reply. In that case, March 21 works better for me, as I have a writer''s conference in April. The story I planned to bring is about 600 words long and was published in Science Fiction Short Story Magazine. It has only one mild swear and is a relatively quick read. I'm assuming we each read one piece?

Sonja Blue is, in my humble estimation, the greatest of the vampire/hybrid tales. Collins is a pioneer and sadly not widely recognized in lieu of lesser talents.

C.N.

Note the positive attitude. Also note the fact that the event is already well set up. There's none of that speaking to the writer as if he's an employee of the college "we're in this together" crap. You probably can also tell she's a fan of writing in general and horror in particular, which helps in events such as this. It's refreshing to have an experience like this. Almost makes me forget the other one.

But not quite...

Upcoming Publication.

My lengthy story/novella "Destiny & Home-Made Apple Pie" has been accepted for the Open Casket Press anthology pictured below:

Zippered Flesh Anthology Now Available!!!

This is the Weldon Burge edited anthology featuring perhaps my most grotesque short story yet, "You With Me." It's now available on Amazon in paperback for $14.95 with Kindle version to come.








I also had my short story "Edwin Murphy Sends his Regards" accepted for the Static Movement anthology, "Monster behind the Mask," which is not yet available. (Cover concept art below)

Upcoming Reading Event.

(If you substitute March 21 for February 15 , this flier suddenly refers to the date I will be appearing here)

Creepy Hospital-related Tales.

Just received word my short story, "Marge," is slated to appear in the Static Movement anthology, Hospital, whose submissions period just closed.

This is a story I wrote back in the Nineties, when my mother was in and out of the hospital during the last few years of her life. There was a woman in a nearby room who kept imploring someone named "Marge" to forgive her day and night, non-stop. I couldn't get her out of my head and so I turned it into a short story. I recently rewrote it from memory and then found the original, surprised by the similarities and mostly pleased with the difference.

As always, I'll provide updates once it's available to purchase~