UPDATE: (2/11/18): This post has received so many updates and recent comments since it was first published on December 2, 2017 that I am reblogging it. Please scroll down to the end to see the latest.Internet trolls come in all forms. Some use anonymity as an opportunity for rudeness and verbal abuse which that can be colored by expletives, or even by haughty erudition. Some are ignorant, some are educated, and some are alcoholics. Some use the same name and others use various pseudonyms. I am going to share my experience with an internet troll for the sake of other bloggers and authors who have had similar experiences. The troll who has harassed me on and off for ten years is actually a tenured professor at a highly-respected Catholic college in North Carolina.
About eleven years ago when I began this blog. I was a stay-at-home mother with a toddler. We needed money and I needed to have a job but did not want to leave my baby. So I started the blog as a way to help promote my already published works, Trianon and Madame Royale, which I had written before I became a mother. Now perhaps it was pretentious of me to dare venture into the realm of historical scholarship reserved for tenured professors and professional historians. But I figured a blog was just a blog and my books were just novels, with a small but devoted following. So I began to reach out to my readers and share my research from graduate school. I also began to write about Catholic Church topics and manners and history and art and just about anything else that interested me. People responded and the readership grew so that now I have about 90,000 hits a month. I have met so many wonderful and extraordinary authors, writers and scholars through the blog, and have been invited to speak in some fascinating places such as New Zealand. The blog also helped my long lost relatives in the Philippines to find me. Overall, it has been a joyful journey.
However, about ten years ago I began to receive blog comments from a man named Simon who identified himself as a drama professor at a Catholic college in North Carolina. It puzzled me, because I could tell from his comments that he leaned to the left and I had always heard that the college in question was an orthodox school. His comments were usually critical, and over the years I was unjustly accused of various ugly things including racism and antisemitism. I had not yet learned that people who visit one's blog only to criticize are not looking for a discussion but want to cause discouragement and disturbance. They are trolls.
Now, no one is forced to read a blog they do not like. When a person returns repeatedly to a blog just to criticize and accuse and be generally obnoxious and condescending, the blog owner has no obligation to publish their comments. I stopped publishing Simon's comments which only became more derisive over the years. I could see he had a very high regard for his own perceived genius; I could not understand why a professor at a prestigious institution of higher learning would take the time to harangue a stay-at-home mother. What kind of academic has so much free time? He certainly was not interested in educating me but in denigrating me. It's called bullying.
A few years ago, someone calling himself "Cantilever" began attacking me on Amazon over a review I had written about a book on the Romanovs. The same "Cantilever" then began to read my books, one after another, writing scathing reviews, full of disdain and ridicule. At one point he declared himself as the aforesaid Simon the drama professor. As soon as a new book would come out a belittling review would appear from Simon or "Cantilever" or other pseudonyms (such as "Boris") on Goodreads as well as on Amazon. Soon he was joined by another academic, a woman, and they seemed to delight in tearing my books apart. I have to say that my novels are not complicated stories; the negative reviews are more intricate and complex than the stories are. The reviews also contain a particular disdain for traditional Catholic devotions, such as the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Miraculous Medal. When Catholic educators manifest an aversion for Catholic devotions, is it any wonder our young people are leaving the Church?
Let me just say that I never have had any connection to the college in question. I have never been there. (I used to hope my daughter would someday go to that school but no longer.) I have never sought the advice of the trolling professor, or contacted him in any way. I have only contacted the Dean of Faculty to make certain that Simon the troll did not have a history of violence, since he was obviously obsessed with voraciously reading and publicly trashing my books, after almost a decade of harassing me on my blog. Why a tenured professor would be so intent on depreciating the literary aspirations of a homemaker with a blog remains a mystery.
There are reviews which are a genuine critique of the work which can actually help the author improve. I have had many such reviews and they have helped me to grow as a writer. But reviews of the one-star variety are not meant to help a writer become more proficient at his or her craft. One-star reviews are meant to destroy. They do not care about helping anyone's writing skill. They do not want the writer to ever write again. At one point on Amazon, "Cantilever" suggested that I should contact him. What use would there be in speaking to a troll who wants your work never read again?
I want to tell young writers not to be discouraged by such disparaging reviews. It takes courage to be published, to put your work out there for the world to read and criticize. It is a lot of labor for little or no money. It would be safer and more profitable to have a steady teaching job and never write again. But there is nothing like the joy of having your work read and enjoyed by those who appreciate what you have to say. You write for them, those who do not want your voice silenced. When people use ridicule as a weapon, they do so out of their own incompleteness, and that is very sad. They are to be pitied. As for writers, we must not be afraid to keep learning and growing in our craft, in spite of those who wish to tear us down.
UPDATE (1/1/18): It has been brought to my attention that the professor in question, alias "Cantilever," is now accusing me of stalking him, simply because I inquired of the Dean of Faculty at his college whether or not he "Cantilever" has a history of violence. Here is a link from Amazon. Thanks to reader R.M. for letting me know. I approached the Dean not because the reviews of my books were bad but because of the speed with which "Cantilever" read and reviewed one after another, like a man obsessed. I have trouble getting through a book I hate but it seems "Cantilever" is able to devour my so-called "bad" writing with unholy rapidity. With all the shootings going on today, I needed to have assurance from one of "Cantilever's" authority figures that he was not dangerous. Otherwise, I was going to the FBI. There is still so much hostility coming from "Cantilever" and the lady friend who joins him in his haunting of my books on Amazon. Plus they resent it when some of my readers defend the books, as if freedom of speech belonged only to critics. Yet "Cantilever" claims I am stalking him! Truly, as one person said, I would never have even heard of him if he had not sought out my books and my blog, presumably of his own volition.
UPDATE (1/3/18): More gladiatorial combats on Amazon, courtesy of Professor "Cantilever." Here, here, and here. The comments are backwards in time, with the recent ones first. Read it before Amazon takes it all down, because it has been flagged. The man cannot seem to tear himself away. The nice Jewish lady who is defending my books is really taking a lot of rudeness. But I think it is odd that Professor C. keeps calling her by my name, my real name, as if I were one of his students. And he keeps repeating my name, over and over again. Very weird. And I hate the "sweetie" bit. It reminds me of a psycho slasher film. Plus it is utterly condescending. And that man teaches young girls? Scary. Incidentally, I have indeed mentioned on my blog and Facebook page that I am of Jewish descent, from the Sephardim in Spain. Vidal is a Jewish name. But Cantilever always acts like he knows so much about me, which is very creepy, as I have never met the man, and have never even written to him.
UPDATE (1/4/18): I think we are dealing with a man who clearly likes to humiliate women, and wants to see them trapped and helpless. That can be seen from his use of the word "flailing." Not a pleasant image. And there is such outrage that anyone would even dare contradict him. Funny how liberals consider it abusive when anyone stands up to them. And what a tyrant. Notice how he keeps threatening to destroy me on Goodreads.
UPDATE: (1/5/18, early morning) And now we have the troll's lady friend trying to take down Madame Royale. I am posting a link to the review so everyone can see how pretentious some of our academics have become. Notice how she announces her advanced degrees before taking the plunge. You see, people who have never taught at a university, or even at a community college, should not dare to write about history. Especially if the person is a mother who writes so she can stay at home with her child. And readers have no right to enjoy her work! Unfortunately, the scholar in question (Ms. M) is wrong about the daughter of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, and has not done as much research as she claims. Perhaps she should stick to her own field and leave audacious literary homemakers to our own devices.
UPDATE (1/5/18, late morning) And now Simon the Troll is writing to me on Facebook begging me to take down the comments by "Melanie" and "Robyn" under his bad reviews of my books, saying he will delete his comments if I delete theirs. Unfortunately for him, Amazon does not confer such power to authors. In his letter to me, the worst writer in the world, Professor Simon says that his Dean (whom I wrote to about him):
...was bemused by an author who 1) puts her work out into the public marketplace upon a site which encourages reviews and then 2) is offended by a bad review. If you allow the work to be purchased, whether it is a book or hamburger, the customer also buys the right to review it. That's how capitalism works, Ms. Russell.When will those elitists in their ivory tower in North Carolina realize that it is NOT the bad reviews that bother me. I am used to bad reviews. I have published five books! What bothers me and disturbs me is the obvious obsession that Simon/Cantilever has with my work in general, from the nasty accusatory comments on my blog (of which I have screen shots), to the attacking of my Amazon reviews of other books, to the rabid reading and trashing of my books in a brief time, which he cheerfully describes as being on a "Vidal jag." And then the attempts to intimidate my readers and myself on Amazon and Goodreads with threats, including joining forces with another professor, who see it as their mission to save the galaxy from me. Plus I always think it is strange when a man and woman band together to attack another woman.
Honestly, this is why people voted for Trump. People are tired of elitists in academia and the media telling them what they must think and believe. Simon the Troll and Ms. M are perfect examples of the liberals who have taken over college campuses, even Catholic colleges. Parents should be forewarned.
UPDATE (1/6/18): Now the great scholar Ms. M has taken on my new book, once again emphasizing the fact that she is a great scholar and I am a housewife who has no business writing about history, or writing at all. The problem with her reviews and those of Cantilever/Simon is that the personal disdain and animus towards me, whom they do not know, sullies any objectivity about the books themselves. But as I have said multiple times, it is not the bad reviews, but the obsession that is most disturbing. But as one friend wrote to me, "haters are going to hate." Also, the dynamic duo has carried their campaign over to Goodreads, where I found some interesting public exchanges, here, here and here. I am linking to this to show how determined and obsessed they are to bully and harrass me. It is psychological terrorism and terrorists need the light shown upon them. And here, they are accusing me of harassing them on Goodreads. I have not done anything to them on Goodreads, and neither have my readers, as far as I know. And here is the great Ms. M on Goodreads, attacking my readers. There is more to see, for anyone who wants to click around.
Meanwhile, this post has received almost a thousand hits. If Simon wanted to have fame, he certainly has it now.
UPDATE (2/8/18): I have been banned from Goodreads because of this post. Strangely enough, they left my books up but removed my reviews of other people's books. Even though I am banned, I can still see what transpires, and I am being discussed, HERE. Now this has nothing to do with the novel Trianon, but everything to do with my perceived character. Goodreads does not follow their own guidelines. It's funny how the Professor and his lady talk about me on Goodreads as if they were omniscient. Such a conversation should be banned by Goodreads since it makes personal judgments about the author instead of discussing the merits, or lack of, of the book. I am banned, however and cannot do anything about it. But let me clarify some of their errors. 1. I asked the Dean of Faculty at Belmont Abbey about *Simon* and whether or not he had a history of violence. I was not hysterical but I needed to know since he appeared to be obsessed with trashing my books on Amazon and had been harassing me on my blog for over a decade. Now he is spending a great deal of time trashing me on Goodreads with his woman friend. 2. Those who accuse me of having "socks" have several "socks" themselves, writing numerous bad reviews of the same book under different names. 3. Ms M says of me: "I have often wondered how Vidal--or Madame Vidal, as her sycophants call her--manages to reconcile her public, pious persona with her activities aimed at reviewers who fail to appreciate her books." Calling my readers "sycophants" is just plain ignorant and condescending. As for how I reconcile my "public, pious persona" with my "activities" (whatever that means) is that I go to confession like every other sinner.
As for Goodreads, I am glad to be banned from it and wish they would take down my entire page. Several of my readers have been banished as well. But I am told there is a bias against Catholics and Conservatives. Alas, there is more nastiness HERE from the cabal and their sock puppets. Because I said to a reader: "Thank you for your kind words" I am accused of proclaiming myself a great scholar? Ms M. knows nothing about basic social skills. Oh and *someone* named "Alexandra" thinks I do not know what a troll is. My dear, I have seen too many trolls NOT to know. And *she* thinks that to call what I am going through "persecution" is an insult to the persecuted. But I have not used that word. Someone else did.
Is it time for me to write the President of the college?
UPDATE (2/8/18): Belmont Abbey (which is the college in question) responded in the person of Maggie Scott, who is the infamous "Ms. M.". The following message was left on my Facebook page. They are bringing lawyers into it now. Maggie Scott said:
Go right ahead. The president, the dean, the department chair, and just about everyone else have already seen your various posts because anytime "Belmont Abbey" is mentioned the posts pop up. So they are prepared for your whining about trolls and harassment,, and will be more than happy to respond to you--once they stop laughing.I am glad you are being entertained, Ms. M. And the other illustrious scions of Catholic learning. But there are many parents who are not laughing.
Should you wish to contact my employer and complain about me, I will cheerfully provide you with the appropriate contact information. My employer is a civil attorney, so his reaction to whatever you choose to say is not likely to make you feel all warm and fuzzy.
Keep this going as long as you like--thus far we've had quite a bit of fun.
UPDATE (2/9/18):Here is a letter I wrote this morning to Goodreads, asking them to please reinstate my reviews that they took down. I feel bad for the people whose books I reviewed. Some of them are new young authors who need all the reviews they can get.
Dear Goodreads support,You deleted my account. I do not mind my account being deleted but I feel sorry for those authors whose books I reviewed, who sent me copies of their books in exchange for my honest opinion. I ask that you restore those reviews, since those other authors are innocent of any alleged wrongdoing. I will happily never post on Goodreads again.Please be aware that Simon and Ms M have bullied and harassed me on other social media sites, which is the reason for the blog post, here: http://teaattrianon.blogspot.com/2017/12/trolls-on-internet- and-negative-reviews.html Simon has been harassing me for over ten years. Meanwhile, I ask you to review the screenshots to discern whether such character assassination is part of the Goodreads ethic. I do not mind if they discuss the merits of my writing but they are making personal judgments about me.And please be aware that Simon/Cantilever has attacked me personally on my reviews of other books, before he even reviewed my own works, such as here, where he accuses me of being "UnChristian": https://screenshots.firefox.com/pxjYkFcwEUygMw49/www.amazon. com
Sincerely,
Elena Maria VidalUPDATE (2/11/18): More screenshots.
https://screenshots.firefox.com/Bq1A2Bb8UqMwbHAO/www.goodreads.com
https://screenshots.firefox.com/DxNbjaezlqsj7mNB/www.goodreads.com
https://screenshots.firefox.com/JLDvvI7tR2uVzJpm/www.goodreads.com
Goodreads obviously does not protect their authors and "reviewers" are allowed to indulge in behavior worthy of high school bullies. It is sad to see teachers acting in such a juvenile manner. Their comments go way beyond the merits or demerits of the books.
UPDATE (2/13/18): Oh dear, it seems I have been mistaken. Ms M. is not, absolutely not, the "lady-friend" of Simon/Cantilever. It seems they have no connection whatsoever other than the pleasure of making sport of me online, me the Catholic homeschooling mother with literary pretensions. They got me kicked off Goodreads; Amazon will probably be next. Fine, I will just give up writing and start raising chickens in the backyard. Then I can sell the eggs from door to door, and make more money than selling books, I can tell you that.
UPDATE (2/13/18, evening): I have been receiving the most beautiful letters and notes of kindness from various readers and social media friends from around the world. Thank you, my friends. One mother told me how my books have encouraged her daughter to want to study history. And then yesterday I received a letter from a lady which really lifted my heart. The following is an excerpt:
One such letter is worth all the condemnation the world can give. She recommended some psalms to pray. From Psalm 67 of the Vulgate:Hello,
Firstly, I'd like to say that I found your books & recommended them to my mother after looking at your blog some years ago; my mother is Catholic & a fan of historical novels, & she has said that your books are the best books she has ever read. She loves you. She adores your books & they're the only of her books she's ever recommended to me (because I'm not a fan of romance stories, which most historical fiction is, so she typically doesn't recommend them, but she says I must read your books because they are so good).
Thanks to your blog, I read the last tear-stained letter of Marie-Antoinette & learned about the last promises Louis had to consecrate the country to the Sacred Heart had he lived.
It was so important to me because I went to public school, which of course glorifies the French Revolution as "the Enlightenment." It's very poisonous, & I think the reason my generation are a bunch of Communists is because we're taught explicit hatred of God & God's people, & nihilism in public schools & higher education by our teachers. So it is not surprising to me to see a teacher in even a Catholic college that harasses someone for her devotion.
So, reading the truth of who this King & Queen were & what happened... was actually very significant to me. It was restorative in a very profound way, not only of history, but of fitting together the views of myself & God & His Church. Very significant.
So, what you've done is very important & good.
Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered: and let them that hate him flee from before his face. As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. And let the just feast, and rejoice before God: and be delighted with gladness.This Psalm is perfect for today, the Feast of the Holy Face of Jesus.
and Madame Royale
are to be found at Bodleian Libraries at Oxford. HERE are excerpts from his dissertation which he gave me permission to publish.I was also more surprised than anyone else to find Trianon mentioned in a work about mother and daughter relationships, HERE. I have no idea why but I am glad my book was found useful. I discovered Madame Royale mentioned in Russia and Europe in the Nineteenth Century by Roy Bolton and Grigory Goldovsky, HERE, which is an honor indeed. So I just wanted to clarify the matter for those who think my novels belong with the Harlequins that there exist scholars who have thought otherwise. But honestly, I know of few other historical fiction novels that have undergone such scrutiny as if they were post-graduate theses. Share
48 comments:
Definitely bullying is what this peculiar person is engaged in....and as you say, should his time be spent in this way, and what is the 'pay off' for this kind of behavior? That one needs to enhance one's ego or gain some sort of personal high from this kind of behavior is truly, pathetic and, frankly, seriously maladjusted. As a person who has been educated in European history you have committed many years researching archives in French as well as English language sources and do not commit anything to writing unless it is accurate. The way you have woven historical fact into a novel is brilliant and your many fans applaud you.
Thank you for the kind words.
Its,not,just the Catholic,church- the trends I have noticed in the protestant church are one of two extremes- going away from tenets central,to,the faith or wanting to dial the clock back to,somewhere around 1800. Neither extreme will keep,people.
I just wish the two extremes could be polite to each other.
yeah me too.
Notice how liberals consider it abusive when you disagree with them? Discussion is not allowed.
Right here you can find someone calling my writing "indigeste" - I think the corresponding English term is turgid ... well, I was a bit flustered when writing the original entry ... still no news of the object, though. It contained passport and several library cards.
Cantilever's first point seems to be, write so even a dunce can understand every word.
I had to look up innocuous (despite being a Latinist) and the meaning "safe" seems appropriate.
As to "baited breath" it seems to be a misspelling for bated, alias abated, breath.
But it is so common as a misspelling and you also cannot denounce someone as writing badly for not getting a less used word spelled correctly.
As to the rest, well, Cantilever gave you a backhanded compliment.
"See what Vidal did there? See how adroitly she gives you both history AND an actual quotation? The book hums along like that on page after page."
OK, he's admitting you know what you are doing? He says you actually have some skill!
"It is also hard to tell where Madame Royale's religiosity leaves off and Vidal's own takes over."
Considering Madame Royale and yourself are both Catholics, shouldn't it, to a Leftist with no Catholic (at least no traditional leaning Catholic) sympathies?
"Characters behave oddly."
This is very appropriate in the review of a novel.
In fiction, characters are not supposed to behave inexplicably, and my own fan fic on Susan Pevensie on some occasions would be sinning here, but since I can insert more, I can of course add explanations.
With historic characters, in docufiction, the author is in some ways stuck with what he or she can reach about the historic characters.
I have not read the book, but Cantilever's review makes me want to read it ...
I just took a look at another bad review by Cantilever:
Lusitania R.E.X. by Greg Taylor
And here is a sample of his own writing.
"The two girls are hoydens, doncha know, and spend all of their time after lights out talking about boys. Well, except when Victoria Luise is giving ponderous dynastic history lessons to Wally."
Hoydens, means what? I'll have to look it up ....
Thanks for your feedback, Hans. I appreciate your thoughts. Anyone who has ever written a book using Microsoft Word will know that in the computer age words are often "corrected" incorrectly. Anyone who has ever written a book will also know that often tiny mistakes miss the eyes of the most careful of editors.
It’s beyond my ability to understand why someone who has so much dislike for your writing would continue to read virtually everything you write! This seems to be a masochist with way too much time on his hands. Res ipsa loquitur. Xo
Several people have wondered the same thing. It's strange. It seems he has a compulsion of some kind.
"Anyone who has ever written a book using Microsoft Word will know that in the computer age words are often "corrected" incorrectly."
Not j u s t Microsoft Word!
I have trouble on French computers trying to capitalise common English nouns because if they occurred in French they might be part of a brand name ...
He could be disliking your friendly attitude to Louis Philippe, if I got things right.
I always think it is strange when a man and woman band together to harass another woman.
And this is why people voted for Trump. People are tired of elitists in academia and the media telling them what they must think and believe. Ms M and her professor friend are perfect examples of the liberals who have taken over college campuses, even Catholic colleges.
Oh my, is this creep still around?? I don’t blame you for getting frightened, he’s obviously obsessed. Or is that possessed?! Jesus and Mary keep you and your sweet family safe!
I think they are, but I am not sure Trump will help.
I have of course sympathy for those voting for him for that motive (to various degrees, depending on what ticks them off in liberals).
Thank you, Gette, your prayers have gotten me through a lot. A reader wrote to me today saying that the reviews are so full of venom that they fail to offer an objective opinion about my work.
Hans, so far the economy is soaring and will probably continue to do so, in spite of the voices of doom in the media.
The attacks are diabolical and unjustified. I have read all your books and find them skillfully written as well as historically informative but not pedagogical. Your latest book, Maria Antoinette, Daughter of the Caesars, shows your ability at serious historical research and the patience required in achieving that. I applaud anyone with your ability and discipline.
Thank you, I have been receiving similar comments from readers on Facebook. I have come to the conclusion that their attacks have less to do with my actual writing and more to do with some form of either mental illness or diabolical possession or both. That is what a priest friend wrote to me.
"more to do with some form of either mental illness or diabolical possession or both."
I'd like to sack his superiors from where he went to seminary.
It is so much overdoing psychology and psychiatry and while Gabriele Amorth may have done good in exorcising real possessed people who got misdiagnosed as mentally ill, he may also have done bad in trying to exorcise people who were neither mentally ill nor possessed, but simply misdiagnosed.
I am fairly certain some priests have been taken that stance about some of the things I write and that this is part of the reason (sorry for bringing it up again) why I am not yet in print and better off than having to sleep in staircases or bank spaces or outdoors if finding a shelter.
As for Pope Michael, his take is, if he is to publish me, I must BOTH pay him as in classical vanity publishing and ALSO pay him for doing the work prior to imprimatur (which is precisely what you usually get away from with vanity publishing, so the work for an editor approving content is usual in more traditional publishing, where you are not paying the editor anything : also, I think, charging for an imprimatur is simony).
But I mean some others, closer at hand, Novus Ordo.
As I mentioned vanity publishing, if you went through such a process instead of getting approved by an editor, "Cantilever" may simply be on a "crusade" against vanity publishing and targetting you because you are successful in it.
He started when you had 60 000 readers on blog per month? I have, last month I checked for (up to 4th of January) 37 000 and some more. On all, not on just one of them.
Actually, according to recent stats, I have 100,000 hits a month. When Cant. first came to my blog I probably had 10,000 hits a month. It was awhile ago. I forgot to mention that he also signed up for my newsletter and joined my forum, in spite of the fact that he thinks I am a terrible writer.
Figures you went some way since either 60,000 or 10,000 per month.
Maybe he did you a backhanded favour and drew readers to you?
Did not know you had a forum. I used to have one, which went down in 2009.
It seems he has been reposting this post on Goodreads and so yes, that is generating hits for me.
Yes. If you differ by even the teensiest bit, they go ballistic.
Yes, but according to recent reports, the president of the college and the dean, etc. find this post highly amusing and are laughing uproariously. That's good. I was going to take it down but now I'll leave it up. 1270 hits and counting.....
Nice!
Congrats!
1307
1335.
There are people who are checking this post several times a day which is elevating the hits. Lots of hits coming from Gastonia and from Belmont in North Carolina.
Sure the same ones are checking it rather than to tell each other?
If the places have for instance student populations ...?
I have been informed that the President of the college and the faculty find this post uproariously funny.
But there are lots of hits coming from around the world as well.
Thank you, Ann. Yes, I know several parents that are disappointed to see such behavior from a Catholic professor at a Catholic college. They are looking elsewhere for their children's education.
Elena Maria, Ann Margaret, shared.
Thank you. 1575 hits, from all over the world.
1638.
I feel privileged to have enjoyed your books...those souls that feel the need to be ugly deserve our prayers to become more charitable...you know, virtuous. They are behaving quite vice-like and, dare I say, in need of Confession and penance. Quite disturbing coming from anyone but especially from Belmont Abbey...I get their magazine but no more.
He also praised the French Revolution. I am guessing here but it makes sense he would view the Nazis favorably and the Vendees unfavorably.
Yes, Stephen, you are correct, the school is Belmont Abbey. It is sad to see educated people behaving like bullies. We are praying the rosary every night for them. Perhaps the idea of our prayers will make them chortle but we will keep praying anyway.
Thank you for your kind words and support!
One of the links does not work anymore.
Yes, much of it has been flagged and taken down.
2624 hits. BTW, the bullies have a blog about me. Totally bizarre. http://alexandrasadventures.booklikes.com/?p=1 It would be hilarious except that there is nothing funny or entertaining about what appears to be obsessive-compulsive behavior.
It seems the blog is not totally about you, even though a few recent posts do mention you.
Their point against you seems to be your view of certain reviewers and expressing it has "targetted them for harassment" ...
Hans, it's not just a few recent posts, if you go back to the beginning. Anyway, why would there be anything about me at all, since it is a science fiction blog and I do not write science fiction? My guess is that it is the blog of someone's niece or granddaughter which has been "borrowed" in order to attack me.
Then I found a review of The Night's Dark Shade by one Linda Hilton. http://lindahilton.booklikes.com/post/1640511/not-all-things-are-lights Hilton writes erotic novels with titles like "Starlight Seduction" and "Desire's Slave" and has decided to become one of my critics. https://www.fictiondb.com/author/linda-hilton~3506.htm I am SO happy that such a writer dislikes my book.
2740 hits and counting
Post a Comment