I Am NOT A Cyber Bully

I have noticed on my stat counter that over the course of the last few days I had received a number of hits from a familiar IP address in Austin, TX. So it was with dread that I checked her website. The blog has been resurrected and I have yet again been mentioned, and it's not to apologize either. It's not to put me down either, so kudos on that one. It is, however, a gross misrepresentation of the events that went down.

I want to state, for the record, I am not a cyber bully, Victoria Laurie. In fact, if you look closely at the events and posts of the time, you were the one being the bully. You are the one who had threatening letters sent to me. You are the one who caused me much embarrassment with some very cruel words on your blog. I look back over my posts and can, in fact, find not one instance where I attacked you. Where as, if you look at the files I have on my computer, you'll see where you very publicly harassed me.

I'm glad you're taking a good hard look at yourself and considering that you may be the problem. But believe me when I tell you, that's not enough. You owe me an apology. You owe me a very public, very sincere apology. What you did to me was incredibly hurtful. What you did was threaten and defame me. You caused me many nights without sleep. Many days of worry. You caused my family the same.

You now also owe me another apology for the untruths you are spewing on your blog. I did not make phone calls, as in plural. I made ONE. I did not seek out other cyber bullies. In fact, I had moved on to other subjects when your attorney sent me an e-mail. I then contacted some one who has a law degree and just so happens to blog books as well. You are still, in such a passive-aggressive manner, trying to off your blame onto me. The events of what happened are clear here on my blog. Everyone can follow and see the truth of this. My blog is still here with all the posts. I had nothing to be ashamed of in that whole debacle. Where is your blog posts?

I deserve an apology. I know I'll never get one, but at the very least, have the decency to admit FULL RESPONSIBILITY for the events and stop painting me as the antagonist.

Sincerely,

Chari-Dee

Ethical Blogging

I had planned on posting about a book tonight, but as I sat down to log into blogger and post I did my blog hopping first (why yes, I am a procrastinator, why do you ask?) and I read a post by Janet over on Dear Author that got me thinking. In the post Janet poses some great questions about bloggers and what the responsibilities and standards (if any) we should have. Should there be a standard set of rules (so to speak) that all bloggers should follow? Certain ethics that all bloggers should agree to?

I don't really think so. I think one of the greatest things about blogs (as with books) is that there is something for everyone. I can't speak for every blogger out there, only for myself, and I will say that when I started blogging, I went through some internal debates about what I would post about and how I would do it. Probably most bloggers do this. Or maybe not, how do I know. What I see as the biggest obstacle in putting up a standard Blogger Code of Ethics, is not everyone has the same idea of ethical, and who are we as readers and writers of blogs to try and push our own set of ethics on others? Can you imagine the work and debate and headaches that would happen just trying to pick the bloggers who would head the Ethics Committee?

I thought I'd share tonight my own personal set of "rules" I play by here and the reasons for them. It's not a long list, only 3 items, but it's all I've got.

ChariDee's Blogging "Rules" for Novel Reads

1 - Every post does not have to be about books. While most of the posts here on Novel Reads is about books or authors, there have been a few times where I veered off that path just to talk about what's going on in my life. I do this because a) I just don't have the time to keep up my personal blog and I do have friends that aren't readers that check in here and b) because my outside life does play a great part in what I'm currently reading and how I feel about it.

2 - I will post about books I don't particularly like, though I will try and be objective when I do it and not personally attack the author. For a long time I thought about only posting "reviews" on books I liked. I figured it didn't do a bit of good to say I didn't like a book because that could hurt some one's feelings. But the truth is, I don't like every book I read (though I do like most of them), no one does, so as long as I refrain from personally attacking an author (calling names, insulting their hair, that kind of thing) I'm good with stating how I really feel about the book.

3 - Since I also read blogs, if I want to discuss something I read on one, I will. I did this very thing a couple of weeks ago and look where it got me. However, rule number 2 applies to these posts as well. I may not like what another blogger has to say (be it an author or reader blog) but I will do my best to never personally attack the poster. I will also do my best to not over-exaggerate what I read and am blogging about.

That's it. Those are my own personal set of "rules." I'm sure that as time goes on and I continue to blog, I will cross the line one day. I hope, that if that time comes I will be blogger enough to admit it.

Take Care

UPDATES And A Speed Contest

OY! I have been completely overwhelmed lately! OVERWHELMED! First of all, apparently blogger has declared me public enemy No. 1, because all week-end I could not post. Work has me swamped, but my sitter is sick so I'm squeezing in a full days work into four hours. My alergies are insane right now. It's so flippin' hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. I seriously could go on, but then you'd quit reading.

Anyway, I am still waiting on the Grand Prize winner of the Angie Fox contest to contact me, so I haven't yet gone to the Post Office. Here's why, I am now calling LAST CALL, if I do not hear from the winner by tomorrow night, I will re-draw for the Big Prize. I am keeping the three tee-shirt winners in the draw, so if one of you happens to be drawn for the BIG prize, I'll draw another name for the tee. So, if you are LadyTink_534 , click here and send me your details by tomorrow night, or I have to draw a new name. Why tomorrow night? Simple, I'd like to go to the Post Office after work on Friday, and get ya'll your things! Brandy, I haven't forgotten your box either :)

And although things have been crazy insane lately, we have had some good things. One of which is the little guy at the top. That's Dumas, our newest kitty (that makes two). He's adorable, tiny and a cuddle bug. Some one had been a bit on the mean side to this little guy, because he had one side of his whiskers cut and his tail shaved! He was skin and bones when he found us, and now he's got a belly like you would not believe.

And in the spirit of the happiness Dumas has brought us, I'm offering you a chance to win a signed copy of Fantasyland by Michele Bardsley and some bookmarks. This is a speed contest, because I want to send this one out with the others on Friday.

The Details: The Hubs and I were in silly moods the night Dumas found us. We jokingly said we should name him Dumas after the kids had laid down for bed. The kids heard us say this (they should have been asleep) and the name Dumas stuck.

To WIN: Tell me what Dumas is short for. Remember it was a JOKE meant to be between only The Hubs and myself, and now our poor love-bug of a cat is stuck with it.

I'm also getting ready to post a review, so check back in a few to see if it's up!

Take Care

And The New Winner Is...

wildchild! Please send an e-mail to novelreads at gmail dot com (ya know the drill) and I'll get the book in the mail ASAP. If, once again, I don't hear from wildchild in one weeks time, I'll draw another name, or maybe just run a new contest and make sure to have people e-mail me saying they entered with their snail mail addy in case they win! I feel horrible when some one doesn't find out they were a winner and missed out!

I have a stack of noveltalks to do, but I'm wiped out and on my way to bed. Bear had his first swim meet tonight and it was so much fun, but I'm ready for bed. I have what is probably a severe second degree burn, possibly even a third degree burn on my shoulder (long story, but did you know that the sun is hot?) and it's getting better but the pain wipes me out easily. I'll have a talk posted tomorrow on THE TOUCH OF TWILIGHT by Vicki Pettersson and then I'm hoping to type up these others for reserve!

Take Care

Charlaine Harris Contest Ends Tomorrow!

Well, we did it, reached and surpassed 10 entries for the signed copy of From Dead To Worse by Charlaine Harris. If you haven't had a chance to enter, act fast because at 3 p.m. central time tomorrow, the contest ends and I'll draw a winner. Click Here to learn how to enter!

Also don't forget my Summer Reading Challenge - grab a great book or ten million and join in! I'm off to the ball field now!

Take Care

New Home

Hi, it's me Chari-Dee! This is my new home, home on the web...(yeah, lame). I think my personal blog will go private, as I don't want to delete it and lose everything and I'm way too lazy to copy everything, and I'll use this one for books. I'm really trying to downsize my time on the net, as I am now working semi-full-time, and I refuse to take time away from the kiddos and The Hubs in order to keep up with all the stuff I have done in the past.

Jenny Crusie has this great essay on her site, Taking Out The Garbage: How to Protect Your Work and Get Your Life , and I'll admit, she may talk about being a slow learner, but I am the ultimate slow learner. I read this essay a couple of years ago (or more) and it hit a chord, but I ignored it. And then, I started this job, and I realized that some things were going to have to change. So finally, I re-read the essay and made my lists, and WOW! did I have some things to re- prioritize. So that's what I've done. My family has got to come first. My writing needs to come in above my blogging, and mostly that stuff just wasn't happening.

So, I left dee & Dee, and decided I needed to strike out on my own. Where if I run a contest and no one enters, I can be OK with that, I won't feel like I'm letting the other person down. It was time. I cannot promise I'll post multiple times a week, but I do plan on posting at least once each week. I cannot promise there will be contests, but I'm sure there will be as I absolutely LOVE doing those, they just won't come monthly.

I cannot promise that I won't occassionally bore you with pics of my kiddos, or stories about what's going on in my life.

I CAN promise you that I'll be honest about the books I discuss. Pretty lame as far as a list of promises, but there it is.

So, if you have suggestions of things you'd like to see, drop my a comment. If you're wondering about how I view books and I haven't got many posts up yet, you can check out here and find all the posts signed "Take Care" and those be mine (I didn't have a chance to move them).

Take Care