This rant has been a long, long time coming. It seems I woke up and it is spring of 2025.

Here’s what brought it on.

I had some free time so I was updating the links in my About the Books section.

I have a LOT of updates and edits that have to be done but I’m ranting now.

Well one thing led to another and I started thinking about old book reviews, especially reviews about a few of my short stories.

I wasn’t just thinking about the negative ones or even the snarky ones- heck those are [or were] quite entertaining.

What I was really thinking about was how they all (or nearly all) vanished.

Around the same time my original website was hacked, my original twitter was hijacked, I couldn’t receive phone calls, and my original facebook page was sabotaged and then deleted.

My complaints fell on deaf ears and received daft responses.

That made me scratch my head and wonder wtf. It kind of irritated the fool out of me but not enough to make me act a fool.

I almost felt helpless. Not in a “poor me” kind of way but in a “I have no recourse” kind of way.

The main thing that burned my biscuits was the reviews being removed. Not just from Amazon (although they were doing some serious scrubbing of independent authors/publishers) but my reviews were disappearing from all of the retailers.

There was one nice review, not glowing, but nice on Amazon that we used to help sell a certain title. I’m not sure if the reviewer removed it or the retailer did. I suspect the retailer because their standard response was something like, “we do not allow reviews from family or friends.”

Even though my motto was/is “fans are just family and friends I haven’t met or wrote about yet” I did not know that reviewer nor did I know 99% of any of the reviewers.

There was another review for Door Number Four (or IIII). It was not a positive review [insert giggle] but it was welcomed. The reviewer remarked about me using the Roman numeral IIII vs IV. He said something to the effect that any fourth grader would know better.

That was the first and probably only time I ever responded to a reviewer but I wanted to take the opportunity to explain the history of IIII being the acceptable representation. I actually enjoyed that review.

I had collected quite a few reviews (good and bad) and was happy that people spent their money or took the time out of their busy day to write something.

And if somebody(s) had a personal issue with me or my work they should have addressed me. I’m a reasonable person but I hate – I fucking loathe a back-stabbing coward.

Whoever or whatever was behind these shenanigans were savvy and/or determined. I personally believe it was a group effort and I think they all must have been spineless shit eating dogs.

Geeeesssh.

I forgot how mad I was about the whole ordeal.

Shortly after the vanishing I was busy with other things. Family and responsibilities and [I make no secret of] essentially losing my mind after my mother died. The whole writing world was a distant memory. Those woes seemed menial and got pressed way back. After all there were “real” things that had to be dealt with.

Well a lot of time has passed and I am back; not fast and furious- just furious.

The crazy and frustrating thing is I don’t know who to direct my fury at.

The disappearing reviews (and social media sites) were apparently the works of a ghost. Or ghosts.

A short aside. After my mother passed and the years of settling her little estate consumed me, I left my works in the hands of people I thought were editing and “cleaning up” my writings as well as seeing to the day to day publishing stuff. Long story short I was left with a big mess. A big sloppy mess.

Let me tell you, I am madder at these ghosts than I was at the people I left in charge of my works.

They were just ignorant and greedy and I was not tending to my affairs in that regard. I forgave them – and me. But these ghosts….

Ohhhhhh

I said I forgot how mad I was. The husband just corrected me and said, “No you are pissed all over again.” And he is right.

My ears are burning and I could throw hands right now but you can’t hit a ghost.

I know I’m older but I would still scrap like hell. … for about two minutes and then I might have to just cut ’em and get it over with. [insert half a giggle]

But you can’t cut a ghost either, can you?

So here we are… here I am.

All I can do is bid the ghost(s) go to hell if they’re not there already.

Write on!!

[sigh]

Go on ghost(s). Go on to hell now, ya hear.