Last year, my mam saw a perfume she liked. It was a limited edition and I couldn’t buy it when I was with her, so had to wait until I could find it on the internet. I eventually managed to find a bottle, online, and thought it would be simple: I paid via Paypal, so knew I’d have some protection. It was sent out to me on 4th Dec.

So, what’s the problem? It never arrived. I emailed the seller, who got increasingly fed up, as it got nearer to Christmas. As I am on a very limited budget, I couldn’t afford to replace the gift, so had to claim through Paypal when 15 days later, it hadn’t arrived. This made the seller very angry (understandably, but I had no option) and she refused to email me about it - she did send me proof of postage, so I knew it had indeed been sent out on 4th Dec. Paypal was useless and actually provided no protection to me at all, because the item had been despatched.

So, who was at fault? We know the package was posted, correctly addressed and well-packed, so there’s no reason it shouldn’t have reached me. Apparently, it was ‘lost’ in the post - ‘lost’ is the preferred word, rather than ‘missing’ (that might suggest I would get it eventually) or ’stolen’ (surely not, as wouldn’t that require investigation).

So, what next? You have to fill out a comprehensive form, attached lots of info and send it to the address dedicated to handling these lost item claims. You then wait for them to investigate something that you already know: item was posted, item didn’t arrive. Easy as that. But no, I waited and waited…and waited. Then I sent follow-up emails to see what was happening: I got a cut-and-paste copy three times! It didn’t even answer my questions. Very frustrating. Eventually, I got a response from @RoyalMail on Twitter.

Guess what? They hadn’t received my form. It was LOST!

To be continued…

As you know, as well as reading chick lit and biographies, I love Sci Fi. I am currently reading Changes by Jim Butcher and am marvelling at how good his writing actually is. I have been getting to the end of one chapter, meaning to put the book down, and been so taken in by what’s happening, I’ve had to read on. Considering I prefer to read in the bath, it’s meant lots of cold water and wrinkled fingers/toes! People often dismiss science fiction (or urban fantasy, as this book is) but the writers work just as hard as other authors. I’ve never understood literary elitism - as with everything else, I think ‘to each their own’, providing they aren’t harming anyone.

Changes is from The Dresden Files, which was also made into a short-lived, though enjoyable, TV series. I love the Dresden character, played by Paul Blackthorne (who is also a very talented photographer) but the books give you so much more. I feel sad when I hear people say they haven’t read the book but have seen the TV show/film - this means that they are seeing someone else’s interpretation, rather than their own. I really enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse books (from which True Blood was based) but didn’t like the television series at all: it didn’t fit with how I’d envisaged the characters, and I felt the show didn’t do justice to the books. Books now, screenplay later!!!

Ruth, who I mentioned previously, continues to climb the book charts with Katy Carter Wants A Hero - so delighted for her. I absolutely love books that let you escape from reality, but do like a dose of humour. I’ve been waiting for Jim Butcher’s latest Dresden novel for months and it’s finally here! I enjoy reading in the bath, as it’s one of the few places I don’t get disturbed by a dog wanting me to move so that they can get comfortable! It looks like it may be a long bubble bath this evening…the book is about 2 inches thick!

Am still trying to improve my diet: just because I’m thin, it doesn’t mean I don’t eat rubbish, occasionally. I’m really into soup, since buying a Tri-blade blender (Kenwood). My current fave is red onion, potato, leek, garlic, pancetta and chicken stock. Historically, the only soup I liked was my grandad’s lentil soup - it is legendary in my family but, when he died, he never left the recipe. I’m told my auntie’s version is pretty close. I’m beginning to enjoy cooking and baking again, as hubby’s taken an interest in learning (no, I won’t be writing a cook book, although…) He’s a pretty good student, but does keep bringing a spoon in for me to taste everything before he serves it!

Still on the topic of being thin: haven’t been able to find a dress for a forthcoming family wedding (congratulations to Cheryl and David, who got married on 1st April). Am now watching a dress on eBay for the princely sum of one pound. Fingers crossed!

Finally, Frankie Boyle. I read a lady’s blog on the internet. She’d gone to see Boyle (knowing his reputation for no-holds-barred jokes). Apparently, he decided those with Downs’ Syndrome and their families were fair game. This lady’s young daughter has the condition and his comments made the lady very uncomfortable. He did notice this and spoke to her (she was in the front row). When she told him why, rather than back down and be apologetic, he became defensive and horrible. He went into a rant about how he couldn’t give a f***, as it was his last tour. He could have reacted so differently, and this poor woman ended up feeling bad! I know some comedians might do inappropriate jokes (both Steve Coogan and Jimmy Carr have made jokes about ME/CFS) but I like to think that, confronted by someone affected personally, they’d be sorry about it. Obviously all Frankie Boyle cares about is the money…

…must you treat me this way? I don’t agree with airing my issues in public, but don’t want anyone else to have similar problems. As usual, I don’t suggest you shouldn’t use the company, as everyone’s experiences are different: read mine and make your own mind up.

Communications between myself and the company have now dried up. Even the previously email-friendly accounts man has stopped replying to my emails. I finally realised that I can’t be amicable any longer? There is a fine line between exceedingly patient and doormat, and I don’t wish to be the latter.

To refresh your memory, my book was released Feb 07. My first royalty statement was due about 6 months later - it arrived, late, but was never paid. After a certain length of time, my contract stipulated that the rights to the book would revert to me (after contacting the company lots of times). The sum that was not paid was VERY small, so I thought it odd that this wasn’t taken care of. An oversight, I thought. So the rights to the book returned to me in Feb 2008 - the company still sold it. I enquired after royalties and was subsequently sold that I hadn’t sold any books…then that I hadn’t sold the qualifying number of books to get paid that period. I did my own research and contact Nielsen, who confirmed that I had sold books (more than I thought).

Since then, I’ve been trying to get paid. It’s not a lot of money, but there’s a principle at stake here, I think. Any money is good for me, but I can’t understand why a company would refuse to pay such a mediocre (to them) sum? I really want to believe it’s all been an oversight, but when everyone stops replying to my weekly emails, I’m not sure that it is. Why can’t people/companies just play fair?

It’s important to note that I did not self-publish, but was published under a traditional contract, after the Undiscovered Authors competition.