Good vs. Bad

[handful_ofdust]

Good Part: Yesterday my classes ended early, so I was able to do BodyCombat for the first time in a month and a half. Bad Part: I obviously was far more out of practice than I thought, because today all the muscles involved in throwing a hook are in such pain that I can barely raise my arms above chest-level. Good Part: Finished the query package for BFTA and sent it off. Bad Part: Formatted it wrong, so the intended recipient couldn't open/read it. Had to reformat and re-send.

Good Part: Googled myself, thus finding reviews of Words Written Backwards I hadn't run across before. Bad Part: Also accidentally discovered a blog entry in which a person I had hitherto considered some variety of friend states proudly that he's never liked my writing and therefore will never buy anything of mine again--this would seem far less calculatedly an insult if he wasn't actually addressing me directly in said entry, like: "Well, Gemma Files, here's the score..." Thus leading me to A) conclude he's obviously not my friend, and should stay far away from me in future and B) respond with a simple statement: Okay, so-and-so, I'll keep that in mind, but don't do me any favors. Oh, and while I've never before personally felt the urge to blog in a publicly accessible space about what I may or may not feel about your writing, the best way to sum it up would be with these words---"one Crad Kilodney was enough." Thank you, fuck on through.

Yes, yes. I'm a shit. But at least I didn't address him directly, eh?

Comments

[come-love-sleep.livejournal.com]

Aw, fuck 'em. I like your writing quite a bit, and I've never even met you, so I'm probably a better judge than some (potentially jealous) nearer person.
(You've actually got a goodly number of people I know who quite appreciate your stuff. So phttttttbt to that asshole.)

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

I appreciate that, and I even know you're right...I can think of several people off the top of my head who've been nothing but supportive, and are (additionally) well-respected, professional members of the community I belong to (which this dude isn't actually part of--I'm really not surprised at all that he doesn't like my stuff per se, given his own interests, just how he decided to handle blurting it out into the fucking Internet ether). Yet, stupidly, it still hurts--much like that shitty HorrorWeb review for The Worm, by some knob who doesn't even have the stones to post under his own name; for a while, that was always the first thing which came up when I Googled my own name, and it made me feel sick to my stomach.

[baggyeyes]

It is crass, considering he knew you. The least he could have done was give you a kind of heads up. And admit at the same time that your writing wasn't his cup of tea.

Like I said, crass.

Here I thought Canadian authors were this quiet bunch.

Are your books only available online? I'm one of those 'no credit card' types.

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

My books are available through Prime Books, an imprint of Wildside Press, and are listed at Amazon.com, amongst other places. Pretty sure you do need a credit card to order them, though...unless you want to buy from me direct. Which you could.;)

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

Ah. And then there's Words Written Backwards itself, which you can get through Burning Effigy Press. I'm not sure what their ramge of method of payment is, though.

[baggyeyes]

I'm more of a fiction person than a poetry person, so I would have to take a close look at your titles - and prices, of course. When my work actually begins, (and I actually get paid) then, I can' think about lovely things like books. And ice cream.

I may begin pestering you next month. Be forewarned!

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

Contrary to Mr Idiot's assessment, most of my stuff is fiction. I only have two chapbooks of poetry, and you'd have to search pretty hard to find them; nothing I mentioned above is poetry. So...great, look forward to it! I'll talk to you then.;)

[xterminal.livejournal.com]

erm!

"one Crad Kilodney was enough."

Dirt on Crad? May I ask for elucidation?

(If you look hard enough, you'll find me in The Second Charnel House Anthology of Bad Poetry.)

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

Oh no, nothing "dirty" about Crad, per se--just that this person's stuff (satirical-surreal, kissing-"clever" and all-around whiny as it is) has always reminded me, mainly unfavorably, of his. I mean, at least Crad had the chutzpah to stand on streetcorners in all sorts of weather trying to sell his dubious wares himself, instead of complaining about not being "supported" by his community. Or maybe he did, but--ya know?--I never cared enough to study him in great depth.

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

The only one of his I ever read was "Bloodsucking Monkeys from Cheektawanga" which did have some pretty amusing moments, primarily the lesbian sex-scene opening and the "where will the plot go after this scene?" narration that follows.

[sarcobatus.livejournal.com]

The Worm in Every Heart is outstanding writing, and I consider you a very gifted writer.

As for this Crad Kilodney person...name doesn't ring a bell -- but I'm not the most informed individual on the planet. Though now you have piqued my curiosity and have forced me to explore the Internet for said material.

Puzzling.

[sarcobatus.livejournal.com]

Okay...did some research. Some people you just don't need in your life. This fellow is one example.

(He would most likely sell his soul to possess a mere portion your talent and drive, if he could.)

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

Crad was a local Toronto writer, mainly known for publishing and selling his own stuff out of his backpack. Quite the character, and sort of inspiring, in his own odd way. I really wouldn't feel bad about not knowing about him, though, given the geographic divide.;)