Monica Valentinelli

January 16, 2020

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Goodreads and Harassment

Hello friends! Over the holidays, authors Patrick Tomlinson and Cat Rambo were targeted for harassment on Goodreads. This couldn't have come at a worse time for Cat and, over the course of a few days, I found out this has been going on for months. A group of harassers upset with Patrick Tomlinson (and, by extension Cat's decisions during her tenure as the former SFWA President) have created multiple fake accounts in their name to harass Pat by tanking reviews of his science fiction novels. This harassment extends to other authors they know--including me. Last week, several fake accounts were created using my name to write bad reviews for In The Black. If you see "me" harassing another author, that is not me and that account should be reported. Goodreads has a flaw in their system, unfortunately, that puts all of their reviews into question. It is very easy to sock puppet an account, and there's no way to flag an account for review. To report an account as fake, you need to copy the link and send it through the Contact Us form. To find all of the accounts that are fake, click on "people", go to the Search bar, and search for your name. That will bring up a list of all names under that spelling. Reviews can be flagged as fake on the review itself; when the account is deleted, the reviews are also deleted. On Twitter, I did encourage SFWA and other author organizations, like the Author's Guild, to step up and work with Goodreads to find solutions. I also asked Goodreads and Amazon, who currently owns the platform, to do the same. Books are an author's livelihood, and our identities are so important. While fake accounts and reviews can be spotted, in our current climate this level of targeted harassment is designed to isolate and hurt authors where it matters. It is not an individual user's responsibility to discern the difference between fake and real, but since solutions have been slow thus far? I thought I'd bring this to your attention so you can decide how (and if) you want to be involved. Should you also be affected by this, please know that you are not alone. Next week, I'll have happier news--an exciting announcement about a new release! 'Til then, I hope you have a wonderful week and are making good on all your resolutions. - Monica Website: www.booksofm.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/booksofm Ko-Fi (Donate Coffee): https://ko-fi.com/A527F5H   In the 01/09/2020 edition: *|MC:TOC|*

By Monica Valentinelli on Jan 04, 2020 05:12 pm

Hiya!

I will be neck-deep in meetings this week and will be slow to respond. I’ll also be presenting a panel about worldbuilding at the Midwinter Gaming Convention 2020 that will be filled with fun group exercises!

If you can’t attend (or have to miss it) but still want in on the fun? Contact Me and I’ll be happy to answer a question about worldbuilding for you!

Huzzah!

By Monica Valentinelli on Jan 02, 2020 05:37 pm

Heya,

I’m over at FlamesRising.com talking about magic and motherhood in The Witcher Season One. Here’s a quote from the first part of my article:

“In fantasy worldbuilding, there are a few components to designing magic: where magic comes from, if magic is renewable or limited, how magic is accessed, if magic usage is regulated, and lastly, what magic is used for.” — Magic and Motherhood in The Witcher Season One

I hope you enjoy my deep dive into magic! ‘Til next time!

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