Beware! Deflating ego ahead!

I was thinking about this anyway, but reading S.H. Allen's marvelous story Reboot in the Dreamspinner Press anthology Cuddling really made me ponder about writers and their egos (mine included). In my opinion, you have to have a pretty good ego to put a story out there and have people either love it or hate it. All "artists" have big egos. Joan Baez once said something about a person who gets up on a stage has a bigger ego than the person sitting and watching. Now, I agree with that...to a point. Big egos, yes...but very, very fragile ones. In Allen's story, a rock singer is enraged when a friend says that rockers don't really have to be able to sing well. The singer, Flynn, reacts in a very real manner. Rather than calmly explaining that the friend's supposition is full of shit, he throws a temper tantrum. Big ego, but prick it and WHOOSH! It's gone. What follows is in parts childish sulking and a "I'll show them!" attitude that is understandable but painful to read about. Writers don't get the instant gratification of applause that stage performers get. We get reviews, reader comments on Goodreads, and maybe, if we're lucky, someone will send us an email or post a comment on Facebook or something similar. And the nice comments make us all warm and fuzzy inside. The snarky comments on Goodreads get to some authors. We've all seen the Facebook posts. Some reader gives their book one star and they're ready to kick the cat, slit their wrists, and immerse their computer in a vat of acid. And let's face it--that's just the reaction the reader wanted. They say (whoever they are) that you should pay just as much attention to the negative comments as the good one so that you can grow and learn. Great advice...but I've never seen ANY constructive criticism on Goodreads. It's always "This book sucks!" or they seem to have expected something else, despite the blurb telling them what the book was about, and decide to take it out on the writer. I've been there. I've been plunged into depression due to a snarky comment on Goodreads. Why? Do I really expect everyone to like what I write? Of course not. Especially as I write humor. You either think it's funny or you don't. Gotta expect that. So, why do I get upset? Ego. Big fat ego. But then someone else says how much they loved the book, and I'm back to "Yeah! I'm good! Take that, world!" I'm such an ass. Another writer said, "You read what readers think about your stuff? That's the literary equivalent of cutting yourself!" Oh, so true. But I can't stop. But it doesn't bother me much any more. Some even make me laugh. Like the one that began, "I admit it. I read this shit..." Don't hold back, honey! Tell us how you really feel! Where am I going with this? Hell if I know. I'm a happy, jovial type. Love people, love the world. But if you come around my ego with a sharp pin, ready to deflate it, just watch out. I fall to pieces so fast that people get hit by the shrapnel. (The above joke about shrapnel was stolen from the brilliant Douglas Adams.)

This is from one of my ghost story book, Ghosts of Northern Illinois. One of the spirits said to be haunting Willow Creek Farm is that of a young girl named Lily. The house's owner has placed a small chair in her room for her, along with some toys.

Blurb for The Scarlet Tide

So...say you're wanting to know just what this new Duncan Andrews books is about. Let's just say you are for the sake of argument. Well, here's the blurb for the darn thing! Let me know what you think! Duncan Andrews, a private detective who specializes in paranormal cases, is back, along with his usual gang. Robbie Church, his boyfriend, is a ghost. Gina, a centuries old witch, is his best friend. And Daisy, Duncan's bulldog, just happens to be a zombie. Odd man out seems to be Nick, a history teacher. He’s a normal, living human. Duncan's latest case leads him to a rock band in Indianapolis called the Scarlet Tide. It doesn't take Duncan long to realize all of the band members are vampires. He sets out to destroy them, but runs into trouble with the charismatic leader of the band, Dominic Hunt. Duncan ends up under Hunt's psychic control, and is forced to examine his relationships with Robbie and Nick, as well as his attraction for Hunt. Can Robbie and Gina help Duncan break Hunt’s psychic grip? Is there any hope the vampire can be destroyed once and for all?