The Sob Story bar

By the way E. Don, I did meet you and your wife at the last conference of some group we were a member of (forgot name) in Orlando or Tampa (I think Tampa) probably in 2007 or 2008.  I sat at your table.  A few writers in the PAMB attended.  I thought then you made an attractive couple.

I remember it well, DK. Very interesting conference, and we got to meet in person several of the people we were talking to on line. We had a great time with Rebecca, as well as with Mark Wirtz. I've visited Mark once or twice in Savannah, and we're still good friends.

As I recall, you sat two or three people away from me, on my right, and while I don't remember our exact conversation I do remember telling Helen who you were and that I was very pleased to meet you.

I'm glad you remember it. BTW, it was in 2007, and it was the W.O.W. group. The Wizards Of Words, that Rebecca Buckley started and ran.

James Elders was the end of  me on the PA board.
He got Lane and me kicked off. Probably a favor to both of us.

I was kicked off and never figured out why.  I was miss helpful and thank you in those days as I knew nothing about publishing and was in awe of those who knew something.  As soon as I learned something I passed it on.  I did complain about some contractual things regarding PA in another forum.  I understood they monitored other forums so that was probably what did it.  But I never found out.  My death knell was when they cut off their "buy" buttons at Amazon.com and the horrific price of my book (started at $35).  However, I couldn't blame PA for that.

All the good guys managed to get banned.  I tried, but never managed it.  I mostly just said tacky things to James, Pier, and Rudy, though.  I didn't complain about PA because, like E Don, I had no complaints.  It seemed to me they did what they said they would do.

I relly enjoyed getting to know Dick.  He was kind of like a godfather to everyone, though he may be turning over in his grave at the term.

When L & L Dreamspell closed because of the death of a major partner, the L & L yahoo group continued to function and still does.  It has been a very helpful forum of around 200 people or less, many of whom went to self-published and others to other small presses.  Friendships developed over the years I was associated, 2008 to present.  Most of the more exotic romance writers were picked up by Wild Rose Press imprints.  I was offered a contract if I added more sexual content, but Ghost Orchid was not intended to be sexual in that way and I already had complaints for it having any sexual content at all...It was picked up as is from Vinspire.  I have a new, reworked novel, Bamboo Ring, due for release December 11 from Black Rose Press.  Black Rose Press is a young small press with a few kinks in early publications, but well-intended and supportive of its authors.  Vinspire has a google group and Black Rose has a Facebook group.  So that's three forums specifically about writing in which I am a member.  They all have a healthy give and take of information that is useful.  This is the only forum I run in the background during my daily writing.

James Elders and Pier got me banned from PA.  They made fun of lots of people, not just me.  Hurting and stabbing kind of fun that was not nice. 
Dick asked me to come here.  I am so glad that I did.  This is a place of sanity.  People have opinions but for the most part they do no try to hurt anyone. 
Love,
Betty

I don't know how I got here, just somehow followed those who moved from other forums but originated at PA.  I agree Betty.  Sometimes discussions become a bit heated, but the regular members try not to say personal things to another posting person.  My belief is that this is pretty much a one-dimensional communication medium.  Thus, I only know a person by their carefully chosen words.

As an example, no one here heard me use some very fowl language the other day when I met several challenges over which my control was nill.  No one went swimming with me today in the beautiful Gulf where it was just lazy times.  No one knows what's really in my heart or the deep challenges each of us carries whether health, loved ones, financial, or otherwise. 

Sometimes a personal issue slips - and then the kindness pours forth.  Sometimes we get advice we don't want to hear because our situation is actually more complicated than we shared.

We didn't get here because we were handsome or pretty or a dingbat.  We got here with a common goal of writing our thoughts and stories and sharing them with like-minded writers and authors.  Wow! That's pretty cool.  No judgment for our exterior life or activities that we may not choose to share, just acceptance for the words we choose to share (or arguments as the case may be).

How many places in life is judgment based only on what we share of ourselves instead of what someone else gleans from our appearance, age, mannerisms, etc.

I got banned from the PA forum multiple times, once for less than an hour. Elders and Pier were the two who were the worst. They somehow managed to talk about everyone, make claims that very few believed, and yet never were removed from the forum. I never cared for either of them, and while Ann has hinted that I disagree with women more than men, it's apparent she never read any of my posts to Elders. If you wanted to see me get personal, you should have read them.

I was a staunch defender of PA so far as their contract went, because they did exactly what they said they would do. I had co-authored a script for a movie about the Harpe Brothers, and the man I wrote it with and I thought that if I could get a book released it might help us sell the script. I'd written what eventually became both of the Harpe books in the mid 90s, so all I had to do was brush them off and find a willing publisher, one that wouldn't charge me to publish the book(s). PA was perfect for what I needed. All I was looking for was a printed copy I could show the people with whom we were talking about financing the movie. As it turned out, it didn't help very much at all. I posted this several times on different forums, but apparently nobody believed it, because they kept on wanting to argue about PA's contract. I finally figured out they weren't as smart as a bag of rocks and stopped posting in most places. I got both of my contracts back a couple of years ago, and have self published the first of the Harpe books on Createspace, which does about as much as PA, but actually pays me some royalties. I'm satisfied.

Elders was  impossible.  He talked so rudely and crudely to Lane, even said he was in bed with Lane's wife.
Lane quite naturally reacted and called James a pig.  at that point the thread was  deleted and Lane and I were thrust from the board. LOL


Genius Ann got Elder's bar eliminated.  I will  let her tell you how she did it.

I'm not sure Elders didn't work for PA undercover.  I challenged him on some of his military acheivment claims once.  I never got a response from him but the next day I was banned.  I wrote PA and got reinstated, then managed to get myself banned on purpose shortly there after.  I started with them way back when PA only had about 2,500 authors.

alice wrote:

Elders was  impossible.  He talked so rudely and crudely to Lane, even said he was in bed with Lane's wife.
Lane quite naturally reacted and called James a pig.  at that point the thread was  deleted and Lane and I were thrust from the board. LOL


Genius Ann got Elder's bar eliminated.  I will  let her tell you how she did it.

I honestly don't remember.  I was saying a lot of things.  My friends were getting banned and I wanted to leave with honor(by getting banned myself).  I think Rudy was involved.

I do remember when Pier said our comments were "Much to do about nothing." I corrected the phrase to "Much ado about Nothing," the name of one of my favorite Shakespeare comedies, and added a description of the play's fool, Dogberry, that was a complete match-up to James.  Thought for sure that would do but it didn't.  That may have been when Rudy barged in with something pretty rank.  It was a long time ago.  I probably ought to feel gulty.  Or not. If you remember, I would like to hear it, I think.

I think many of us got to know one another on the PA Forum.  Seems we all agree about Pier and Elders.  He challenged Dick once and Dick put him in his place. 
I was blocked from the PA Forum and after inquiry, got unblocked.  I always thought that Pier was working for PA, and if she was, then so was Elders.  They were two peas in a pod.

The positive thing I can say about PA is that they brought us together.

Ann,

Pier was grieving over her deleted thread  James was wondering if they all acted charming it could be reinstated.

You cut in,  "that will be when pigs fly."

Bam! That was the end of James thread.

Good move.  I will never forge it.  LOL

Now I remember. Still don't get how it worked, especially without getting me banned.

9/17
                     I don't know why anyone is talkng about PA's Authors
                 message board it's gone nowhere to be found, I guess
                 even their new stable of authors is banned...

                                                     Joe

You were there, Joe.  And you are here now.  You must have found your way here for a reason.

9/17


                                       What ?  I don't get it ? How could I be there when
                           that board was gone a long time ago and yes I was banned
                           for opening my big mouth ! But I didn't care....

                                                         Cheers.......Joe

If they banned you, you must have been there.  I remember you from when I was there.

We are just remembering some of the people and incidents that led to our leaving there and eventually ending up here.  That's all.

9/17

                So what really happened ? How come PA doesn't have a board
                anymore or are they afraid of the authors ?

                                                Joe

Publish America is now America Star.

9/17

                                      Really!

                                       Joe

We met Wilheim Meiners in 2008 he was very congenial and charming.

I'm going to tell a story here in this very appropriate place.  There was once a town in a valley where all the people were quite content with their lives.  They carried in their pockets  little pieces of fur called a "warm fuzzy" that they passed out to each other in greeting, each possessing an unlimited supply that represented the camaraderie they shared.

A visitor whose life was a bit less joyous was quite jealous because he didn't feel that joy and it made his misery much more obvious.  He felt alone in his misery and we all know that misery loves company.  So, he started a rumor that warm fuzzies were in limited supply.  He started passing out "cold pricklies" and convinced people he met that the small, pricklie plastic made a good substitute for greeting everyone in order to hoard the now scarce warm fuzzies for best friends.

Soon, the cold pricklies (now unlimited) caught on.  The warm handshakes and enthusiastic smiles of people greeting each other disappeared.  In fact, the cold pricklies were not even desirable anymore so people stayed inside unless they had to walk through the town.  Just because cold pricklies were plentiful did not make them as useful as people originally thought.

Though the visitor was still a glum individual, he now had glum company and was satisfied. 

One day, a young child looked in the basement at home and saw all the hoarded warm fuzzies just sitting there and did not know that they were in short supply.  He filled his pockets and went about town passing out warm fuzzies to everyone.  The more he took from his home, the more that were available.

His parents took note and realized that they had been hoodwinked by a stranger who they allowed to dim their joy in their wonderful way of life.  All the children in the town were sent to gather up the cold pricklies and take them to the dump and warm fuzzies were brought from every home in the valley and generously shared at a town festival.

Seeing his plot thoroughly destroyed, the visitor took his misery and went in search of new company in some other unsuspecting place.

I have a warm fuzzie for you, DK.