The Other Pandemic: Facebook Group Moderators and Their Out of Control Egos.

Okay, I admit that title is filled with hyperbole but hopefully it grabbed your attention enough to make you want to read further. To be honest, I am burned out on Covid 19 posts and this is one that has been demanding equal time in my head for about a week. Simply put, there are some truly messed up control freaks functioning as moderators on Facebook group pages. And when combined with an already toxic fanbase, what often results is a recipe for disaster.

Case in point: A group purporting to be a Star Wars fanpage that encourages positive commentary on the movies. On paper, its existence makes sense. Star Wars fandom has become rife with trolling, mysognistic, racist, hate-filled assholes who seem utterly clueless about George Lucas' intent. So, creating a safehaven for fans who legitemately love the movies sounded super keen and outta sight. And for a while, it was. Sadly, two things happened to change that.

First, a bunch of trolling, mysognistic, racist, hate-filled assholes started insulting and threatening a female moderator over something unsurprisingly benign, forcing her to threaten a page shutdown because she couldn't handle the attacks. A small group of moderators then stepped in and started bringing down the virtual hammer, banning and blocking jerk-asses until they'd been pretty much weeded out. Things were good for a little while, then the second thing happened.

At some point, at least one moderator, possibly more, began displaying signs of power consumption. Every perceived criticism of their flawless moderating activities resulted in swift retaliation, up to and including banning. One of the main complaints seemed to be due to a lack of consistency and clarity when it comes to the rules they seem so willing to use at their discretion. I wrongly assumed I would actually have to do something notable before I got banned, but as it turned out, all it took was GIF.

Before I show you the offending image, some perspective is in order. In the midst of a bit of a fuckarow regarding members posting things advertising their wares, a moderator attempted to justify her decision to remove posts and ban someone. Another member raised a mild objection while still praising the page overall, pointing out that maybe during a global pandemic, when people are losing money and not working, some leeway might be acceptable. To paraphrase that moderator's response, although our hearts go out to those people, nuh-uh. My response was below:



 Some hours later, I clicked on an alert where someone had liked my comment and it was nowhere to be found. I then realized the page wasn't either. I had been dropped and blocked. That was literally all it took...an opinion on what I still consider a shittily expressed decision that was neither insulting nor especially critical.

So, I started my own group. The conceit is similar: People Who Love Them Some Damn Star Wars but with one major caveat: The Admin and Moderators aren't control-hungry wackjobs. Also, at our discretion, we will allow some advertsing from members who have artwork and written material or even music that is somehow related. My moderators aren't going to be banning people because they had their fwagile widdle feewings hurted by someone finding a decision cold-hearted.

If you're interested, feel free to click here and get to joinin':

https://www.facebook.com/groups/starwarslovesanemoderators/

IF HARLAN ELLISON ISN'T AN AUTHOR YOU ADMIRE, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT MUCH OF A WRITER.

Despite the clickbaity tone of this post's title, I mean it. Although I guess I'll add the caveat that you don't actually have to see Ellison as a hero but you should at least admire him and his talent. I don't care if you thought he was an abrasive asshole and your delicate Middle American/Southern/Whereever-the-hell-else sensibilities were wounded. The man's brilliance shines through his behavior and his absence from this mortal coil is felt daily, especially by those of us who find the current crop of event TV series mostly banal and lifeless.

Ellison not only defended the written word with his every breath but he also stood up for the writer as a professional who deserved recognition and, damn right, to get paid. One of my favorite Ellison interactions involved him receiving a telephone call from a represenative of a film company that was working on a "Babylon 5" documentary. Ellison served as a consultant and wrote for the show. When the woman expressed shock that the world-famous author wanted to get paid for his time and advised him it would be good publicity, he exploded.

"Do you get a paycheck?" Ellison then asked. "Does your boss get a paycheck? Do you pay the telecine guy? Do you pay the cameraman? Do you pay the cutters? Do you pay the Teamsters when they schlep your stuff on the trucks? Would you go to the gas station and ask them to give you free gas? Would you go to the doctor and have them take out our spleen for nothing?" Quote source. 

Publicity. Sounds a lot like "exposure," which is the preferred word for not paying authors these days. Imagine having the utter cluelessness or arrogance to tell an award-winning science fiction author that. The pervasive devaluing of writers and our craft, especially in the U.S., is beyond dishgeartening. I think the only field that gets it worse is the teaching profession, which is indeed a profession and not a service industry job.

So, no. You don't have to like him. You don't have to like anybody. But if you're a writer, particualrly of any form of genre fiction and you don't admire him (the man stood up to that control freak Gene Roddenberry) then you're probably someone who should rethink their choice of vocation.

Because it is indeed a vocation, which is exactly what Ellison was reminding people of when he sat in that window (pictured above) and went to work every day until he was sarisfied with his output. Ellison could have taken the easier way out like so many so-called "writers" these days who basically operate sweatshops with starving writers doing all the work while they slap their names on the cover. He, unlike they, deserves your respect.




*Purchase the Grandmaster's book "Under Glass" here.

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The Anthology with Legs (and probably feet but who can know these things?)

While this anthology is no longer the number one anthology of its kind on Amazon, it is still receiving positive reviews. And my story, "Ultimate Messiah Smackdown" stands out with more than one reader.

The most recent reviewer wrote, "Ultimate Messiah Smackdown was a great critique and snarky..."

Of course, he also goes on to point out a typo that was missed by both the editor and me, but such is life. I'll do better next time.

Another reader wrote of the entire anthology, "One of the best collections...I've read" and another wrote, "Definitely read this book. The writers are excellent."

I'm guessing that includes me :)



Pick up a copy of the anthology by clicking here.

Memo to Game of Thrones Fans...

Sad fanboy is Sad.

Is it over? Can I come back out now?

Good.

The “Game of Thrones” series finale has finally aired. To be honest, I thought the show had gone off the air a year or two ago. Obviously I was not among its devoted followers. I did watch the entire first season which kept me reasonably entertained, but by the second season, the show had succumbed to what I like to call “Mad Men Disease.” I define that as a show that was perfectly entertaining for a year’s worth of episodes but could have easily ended after that and it would have been just fine. “The Walking Dead” falls under this category as well. In fact, several cable series do.

So, I’m not here to discuss what happened in the show’s final, controversial season. I am here, however, to discuss the response that supposed controversy engendered and the disturbing trend I’ve been witnessing for the past decade. I’m also here to commiserate in a manner of speaking, er, writing.

Many of the series fans were outraged at whatever dramatic directions their favorite show took in its final season. I don’t pretend to know what those were but the outpouring of disgust all over social media was palpable. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen something like this, but I usually saw it in response to movies. But GOT is a blockbuster-level TV series and its viewers connect with it in similar ways.

We’ve all been disappointed by the way a favorite TV show ended. Many viewers of “Dexter” and “Lost” expressed their disdain for the finales of those shows. However, nobody decided to organize a slacktivist revolt and make the sort of demands GOT fans who hated the finale have mounted. Now, rather than simply wallow in perceived self-righteousness like “The Simpsons’” Comic Book Guy, these people feel they are owed a refund! Not on the money they paid to HBO for a subscription, but on their very hopes and desires when it comes to the show’s storyline.

These people created and signed a petition  to demand that HBO scrap the entire final season and redo it. Yes, grown people demanded a do-over because they were drowning in butthurt tears.

Over one million people signed this thing. Petition creator “Dylan” said he came up with the idea as a way to vent about his dissatisfaction, adding, “There is so much awful crap going on in the world, people like me need to escape into things like Star Wars and Game of Thrones. We fans invested a wealth of passion and time into this series... I love this story, and I, like most of you, was crushed to see how the last season (and season 7, let’s be real) has been handled."

Crushed. He was crushed.

Again...grown man.

To paraphrase that fun-loving cut-up Richard Nixon, let me be perfectly clear. I understand the sting of disappointment all-too well when it comes to having elevated hopes about the way a work of fiction turns out. Even I as a writer have taken issue with an ending from time to time. And I’ll just say it, I can relate to feeling seriously let down after having invested so many years and, in my case, so much money into a franchise only to see its final concluding installment turn out to be a disappointment.

That’s how I felt recently when I saw “Avengers Endgame.” My initial reaction was a stunned sadness. I didn’t hate the movie but it was not at all a satisfying or particularly thrilling conclusion in my opinion. But somehow, maybe because I have actually written fiction, it never occured to me to create a petition demanding that the Russo Brothers reshoot the parts of the movie I felt didn’t work and make it more like I would have.  

I’ll give “Dylan” credit for one thing, however. He does admit he has no idea what he would have done differently. Much like a Flat-Earther who can’t tell you why they believe in a conspiracy to make up think our globe is round, (see what I did there?) the petition-creator just knows he needs to speak up.

Against what exactly?

I’m sorry but creatives do not owe you what you think you want any more than your parents do. Just because someone has disturbed your comfort zone does not mean they are responsibility for comforting you. That’s your problem, not theirs.

The Russos chose a certain path for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I think it mostly sucks and is the result of terrible writing. I was bummed for about a week and then I moved on. I do know what I would have done differently and I’m arrogant enough to think of it as an improvement. But you know what? It ain’t gonna happen. The movie made two billion dollars. As far as millions of folks are concerned, they got it right. Likewise, GOT followed its creative path, got your money and your time, and now it’s over.

As with all other aspects of grown-up existence, we take our chances every time we indulge ourselves in some form of fiction. And like adults, we should be able to express our disappointment, feel our sadness until it runs its course, and move on to the next thing. But to expect a cable network to re-shoot something that cost them millions just because of all the mopey fans is ludicrous.

Much like those whiny man-children who spent a year complaining about “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” because it subverted expectations, the GOT fans need to learn a little thing called acceptance of the things they cannot change.

It’s just a TV show, people.

Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have Endgame fan fiction to finish!

THE SECRET FORMULA DISCOVERED!!!

Now, after years of writing and posting on this blog, I have finally stumbled upon the secret formula to receiving tons of views and, presumably, people reading my posts. The key doesn't lie in the quality of the writing or the point of view of the author. Nope! While those things have garnered me views in respectable number, the real way to get peoples' attention is to be a prick.

Yep, despite all my efforts to the contrary, herculean though they have been, when I let my inner A-hole out for a walk in the courtyard, people flock to this blog.

I get it. My response to an unnamed critic of my work whose point of view I found moronic and poorly rendered has now become my most viewed post. But what does this mean for yours truly?
Am I going to stop posting other things? Since my posts about my latest published work garner a tenth of the views of  the one about the reviewer, does that mean I will stop sharing that type of news? Well, no because that's this blog's primary function.

So maybe it means I'm going to tailor those posts to the people who seemed to gravitate towards the popular post. Again, nope.

Maybe it means I get it and I won't shy away from posting similar things in the future.

Yeah, let's go with that!

Deadly Bargain: A Colors in Darkness Anthology: Another Positive Review.

Not only did I just receive my copy of this anthology featuring my short story, "Your Future for a Low, Low Price," but I also happened upon another positive reader review. This one doesn't mention my name but since the reviewer thought all of the stories were great, it kind of does!

Read it here.

The Best Comment I've Seen About Bill Maher so far

This one came from an comment on social media but it perfectly puts into perspective how comics fans should regard Bill Maher's insipid comments about the form:

"He's a pot head drug addict who bangs strippers looking down on people who find entertainment, comfort...escape...in ways that don't harm themselves or others"

Without Further Ado, I Present the Blog that the World Doesn't Know it's Been Waiting For!!!

There was a delay but things seem to be moving forward in a relatively positive direction now, so the first post on the new blog is up and ready for your evisceration!

We wound up not starting with the Spider-Man animated film so don't be too disappointed!

Click here to immerse yourselves in the gooey goodness!

Pre-Order your copy of "Deadly Bargain" NOW!!!

The  Kindle edition of "Deadly Bargain: A Colors in Darkness Anthology" is now available on Amazon for pre-order. The rule for this one was simple, so of course I almost didn't do it correctly. Basically, the stories needed to involve a bargain struck with a stranger that turns out badly for the protagonist. In other words, just enough detail but not so much that the act of creation becomes an act of constriction.

However, it wasn't until I was three-quarters of the way finished that I realized I'd missed one final detail: The bargain supplier had to be the same guy in every story. Normally that wouldn't be a problem if not for that fact that my contrary ass (apparently even on an unconscious level) had created a character who could not have been more opposite in appearance and national origin.

In a flash of inspiration (or desperation, if you prefer) I came up with a solution to what turned out to be a tiny problem. The point being made about hatred of the other carried even more weight now and, because I despise preachy fiction, I chose not to dwell on it for longer than a few sentences. What resulted was a story I consider one of the better ones I've written in the past year, my so-called "comeback" period.

Click here to learn more!

Brief Hiatus.

Come down off the ceiling, dear readers. The above post title is not in reference to this blog. It's in reference to the new one which can be viewed by clicking here.

Due to personal issues that would cause a lesser man to curl up in a ball in the corner of his bedroom and weep while singing a sad Irish ballad, my co-blogger is unable to fulfill his duties as snarky pop culture commentator...for the moment.

Rest assured all the crap with which he is dealing will be resolved soon and the page will be up and running.

Until then, here's a picture of a guy who loves himself a little too much for your entertainment pleasure:

Publishing Update.

Despite 2019 getting off to a rocky start, there has been some positivity peaking through the darkness. The Colors in Darkness anthology "Deadly Bargain" pictured above is well on track to being released. I just emailed off the requested edits, of which I can proudly and cockily say there were only three minor ones.

Also on its way in the next couple months is a non-fiction piece collected in a specialty book. I've been asked to wait until this coming Monday to reveal more info. Most of you probably won't care because of how specialized it is but it's a big deal to me.

I have plenty of stuff out there being scrutinized and I'll be sure to share those outcomes as well.

They Love me in the...United Arab Emirates???

Sure, why the hell not?

10 of the Oddest Story Rejection Reasons I've Ever Received. (Updated with a correction)

This is a post I've been contemplating writing for a few years now and I feel I've finally reached a point where I can do it the right way, namely without employing unwarranted insults or naming names. The younger, less confident me might have indulged in both just out of spite but I've reached the conclusion that people be different than one another and no amount of pointing out how ridiculous you find their points of view will change a thing about most of them.

Whenever an editor takes the time to provide personal feedback, it's a good thing. It's also rare. Most rejections consist of "Sadly it wasn't for us," which is not at all helpful. But when someone is taking in hundreds of submissions per month, it's understandable. And I have received some very helpful feedback in the form of rejection letters. These are not the helpful ones.

However, at the risk of incurring undue wrath or burning bridges, I'm going to keep my reasons general without mentioning the particular stories (several of which wound up published elsewhere) or their precise themes. Keep in mind these are in no particular order and they are mostly paraphrased:

• "Your story about revenge from beyond the grave is too angry for my anthology about revenge from beyond the grave."
• "We didn't believe your character could be so desirable to so many employers because she is a customer service rep so the story didn't work for us."
• "Your story about the Old West has a truck in it because it goes back and forth between past and present so it's not really about the Old West even though 80% of the story takes place there."
• "There's too much showing and, presumably, not enough telling in your story."
•  "This story might offend people who like to read because it presents a book store in a negative light."
• "I misinterpreted your homage as fan fiction which we don't publish."
• "Your realistic horror story was too dark and disturbing and might make readers uncomfortable."
• "Readers can't be expected to go back and forth in a short story despite the literal volumes of stories published that make them do exactly that."
• "All the editors LOVED LOVED LOVED this story, so of course we don't be publishing it."
• "The voice of the narrator is well done and fits the eerie setting perfectly.  The suspense carried me along, and your writing is exceptional and even though those would be reason enough, I am one of those people who judges every story by whether or not it has an ending that floors me so it's a no from me."

Every single reason listed above is genuine. I did not pull a fiction writer and fabricate any of them. With time, most of them wound up being funny to me and as with any field, some are indicative of a general incompetence on the part of those doing the evaluating. If you're an aspiring writer reading this post and feeling in any way discouraged, perhaps this next part will make you feel better: Each of the reasons listed above pertains to a different story, meaning there were ten stories. Eight of those stories were published elsewhere. It takes persistence and faith in one's self to take these types of things in stride and keep submitting. Then you too will one day have ridiculous stories to tell~

Correction: The editor who sent me "There's too much showing and, presumably, not enough telling in your story" as a reason replied to my email apologizing for what turned out to be a typo. So, thank God at least that one was an error.)

An Anthology That Had Slipped off my RADAR.

I always knew there was at least one story (not including the ones from a certain magazine whose publisher unceremoniously removed all trace of the work of several authors for reasons unknown) that wasn't included on my author page. A conversation with a co-worker at the new library where I have accepted a supervisor position jogged my memory and here it is...or was. Whatever.

Positive Mention

It's always nice when another author mentions your work. And while the mention doesn't include my name or the title of my story but the concept is and the overall discussion of the anthology is positive. Read it here.

Let's Hear it for Diversity (And paid publishing opportunities)!

Sometimes, when one has been writing long enough and has been fortunate enough to see publication of several pieces, there is the occasional feeling that a completed work is a slam dunk. Such was the case with my short story, "Your Future for a Low, Low Price" which was just accepted for publication in the Colors in Darkness anthology "Deadly Bargain" (pictured below).

My story deals with the provided character who first appears as a non-specified Eastern European handyman/peddler in a well-to-do suburban neighborhood who draws the ire of an immigrant-hating Amurican looking for someone on whom he can take out his lifelong frustrations. But when the peddler offers him the future, his rage gives way to something even worse. As soon as I fiished it, I knew it was likely to get picked up by someone.

I don't have a publication date yet but once I do, I'll post an update.

Latest Review!

As some of you might know, the anthology pictured above featuring my short story, "Ultimate Messiah Smackdown" appears alongside several notable authors. So when I read the latest customer review from a pastor who actually gets what I was aiming for, it meant even more than usual.

Appearing alongside the likes of David Gerrold and Mike Resnick is wonderful enough, but when your story is someone's favorite, that is beyond humbling. Add to that the fact that this particular pastor wants to use my story in one of his sermons and I'm all a'tizzy. Making a difference, one disgusted work of quasi-fiction at a time!

Read the review here.

Diverse Voices in Spec Fic and Why Renaissance Festivals are Evil

One of the many reasons I detest Renaissance Festivals is that they tend to push the laughable narrative that all human progress began in Western Europe around the time people started wondering if monthly bathing might actually be a good idea. There's also the fact that it's primarily attended by nerds (not geeks) and individuals who are perfectly at home attending tractor pulls and monster truck rallies. Now that may sound elitist to you and it is, so let's move on, shall we?

More importantly, at least from my perspective, is the negative and continuing affect they have on fiction, fantasy in particular. When I was a kid, I thought all fantasy was based off Western European society and mythology. It's why I grew to dislike it so much as I became an adult. But even the so-called "Urban Fantasy" which is fantasy occurring in modern-day city settings, not African-American in nature, tended to have its rooted firmly entrenched in the history and culture of Europa.

Boring!

As well-made as it is, if I have to suffer through another episode of some "Game of Thrones" style series, I will probably not emerge the better for it. There are so many other cultures out there with stories to be told and retold. Fortunately, those voices are starting to be heard.

What prompted this post was an ad for the novella pictured below. I haven't read it but the concept sounds intriguing and far more exciting than the by-the-numbers Euro-fantasy we normally see.

Let's face it. You're probably pretty dull if your entire fantasy universe consists of Middle Ages wizards and sword-wielding Crusader cliche's. And let's not forget the science fiction equivalent of the noble young white male hero in the making. There are so many authors writing so many stories that don't depend on such lazy by-the-numbers hackery. Some examples:

Cixin Liu
Nnedi Okorafor
Octavia Butler
Samuel R Delany
S.P. Somtow

Try those on for size and let me know what you thought.