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Subscribe with RSS/AtomCreepy and not great for impressionable children
Posted on July 31, 2011
With the fourth book in the Fog series, Lake of Spirits, due out later in August, I've rekindled my efforts to push the series around on the internet.
To be honest, I've not done a whole lot of marketing for the electronic editions in the past, and I need to, because there are lots of excellent websites and blogs out there that review ebooks just like mine. So I'm currently submitting Island of Fog to various reviewers and hope to start seeing some reviews popping up here and there over the next months or so. I'll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I went to visit Barnes & Noble's website today for the first time in a while, and found that I'd garnered a few more ratings. I also got a negative review for Mountain of Whispers:
1/5 stars: "Creepy and not great for impressionable children"
I have always wondered about the mind of someone who writes about the most inocent creature on the face of the Earth, a child, as if they are a focus for attacks from the evil one. Creepy story in a whole creepy series, I would not recommend this for your children. —Mary Ellen Gobel Pierce
Assuming this is genuine and not a certain disgruntled pastor from Tennessee rearing his ugly head again (see previous post), it strikes me as odd that a reader would struggle through all three books in a series even though they're only worthy of one star. Or, if all three books were enjoyable enough to read and the only beef is that they're not recommended for children... well, a "poor" rating seems a little unfair. On the other hand, I do like the description "Creepy story in a whole creepy series," so thanks for that, Mary Ellen Gobel Pierce, whoever you are!
Of course, there will always be negative reviews, and that's fine. It's up to the reader to decide what are genuinely helpful comments and what are not. The best reviews are those that provide detailed comments about what's good and, where necessary, what's not so good.
If you've read the books and haven't reviewed them or given them a rating, I would be eternally grateful if you would. Below are some helpful links. It doesn't matter if you review the electronic or printed edition, as they're automatically combined:
USA Amazon
UK Amazon
Barnes & Noble (USA only)
Thank you!
If I were you, I'd place "Creepy story in a whole creepy series." under the heading of "Praise for the Island of Fog Series."
My thoughts exactly! I've achieved what I set out to do. :-)
Update: Just from the tone of the so-called review mentioned in this post, I had a sneaky suspicion that M. E. Rosson, the story-thief from that older post I mentioned, was involved here. And now I know for sure. Why else would the same reviewer, by the name Mary Ellen Gobel Pierce, post a glowing review of M. E. Rosson here and here.
So this sad little man has reappeared, like a rat emerging from the sewer. Honestly, how pathetic can you get?
For more information about this man, Google his name or go to such places as GoodReads, where I'm sure he'll appreciate your glowing reviews of his books. I'm sure to add one or two of my own!
Creepy? M.E.Rosson is an expert on creeps! Get over it Rosson and move on. You've been exposed as a charlatan and a rogue. Admit, repent and hope for forgiveness.
Aha. So sometimes she is M E Gobel Pierce and sometimes she is M E Gobel Preece. Mmm. Needs more consistency. I wouldn't let it worry you unduly.
From what I can tell, there is a real lady by the name of Mary Ellen Goble Preece from Kentucky, which is also what Rosson told me an email when he said he had nothing to do with the review in question. But it's too much to believe that Mrs. Preece herself would write two (and ONLY two) reviews on Barnes & Noble — one 5-star review for Rosson, and one 1-star review for me. We're to believe that this is mere coincidence?
Or perhaps she followed a link to my site after reading about all this on one of Rosson's sites... and then what? She bought all three of my books and read them, just out of interest? I find that just as hard to believe. Also, as you said, Kay, why on earth would the real Mary Ellen Goble Preece spell her username as Mary_Ellen_Gobel Pierce?
Not to mention the fact that the words and tone of the review exactly match the sort of thing Rosson would say; his previous reviews had said much the same thing, that I must be twisted to write about children morphing into monsters.
Oh well. Maybe he'll go away eventually.
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