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Does this seem fair (part one)?

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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…

Changes!

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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!!!

Random thoughts

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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…

What would you do…and a plug!

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First, the plug. An author I know (and actually met through ‘Karma’) has her debut book in shops/online this week. She’s a lovely person and is trying hard to promote her book and get it in the best-seller lists. Her name is Ruth Saberton and her book is called ‘Katy Carter Wants A Hero’. It’s already had some brilliant reviews, so well worth a read. I can’t give you my opinion yet, as I’m waiting for my copy to arrive! I’ve also bought my mammy a copy for her birthday.

Now, I have a dilemma. Hubby is now dealing with DA, as I no longer have the energy – I’m finding that I’m getting angry with the whole situation and negative emotions and M.E. really don’t mix. I feel it’s becoming personal – I feel as though they’re implying that I’m somehow fudging the figures. However, I’m in a position to prove my own figures, etc, are correct, but to do so may have a negative effect on the company and, as a knock on effect, on other authors. Would you look after yourself, or would you consider other people? It’s in my nature to do the latter, but I really feel that I’m being pushed down roads I wouldn’t usually travel, IYKWIM. For goodness sake, it’s such a small sum: pay me already!

I feel tense again, and I sometimes wish I wasn’t so principled. Life would be much easier that way!

And so it continues…

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Fobbed off again by Discovered Authors, I feel. Still no response to any of my emails. Hubby kindly called them for me last week and was unable to speak to the Main Man. Apparently, over a month later, he’s still ‘looking into’ my issues. How long does it take to read a speadsheet and look at a royalties statement? I get so frustrated with this kind of situation and it makes me even more determined to get a positive result. Honestly, if they knew me personally, they’d realise that not many companies get away with treating me badly: I know my rights!

I know there are other people in similar circumstances who are watching with interest to see how this pans out, and I know you wonder why I haven’t gone to the Press. Believe it or not, I like to look for the best in people and hope they’ll come through in the end. As time drags on, it’s harder and harder to understand why I feel any misguided sense of loyalty to these people. Maybe it’s because I felt they had given me a chance, when I was feeling pretty useless…but on the flipside, they are now stressing me out!

The sad thing is that, these days, companies rely on a positive web presence and good word of mouth advertising, between authors/writers. Could anyone be so short-sighted to not realise that even one negative comment would get people thinking…five would make you distinctly uneasy (as I felt when I trawled the ‘net and did some not-so-light reading)?

Should I, like Karma’s Paige, have doormat written across my forehead for letting this go on so long?

Still waiting…

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Apologies that I haven’t updated my blog for a while. This was for reasons including the usual ME-related stuff, playing FB Scrabble, but mainly because I’d lost my log-in info and couldn’t remember how to get this sorted out!

A few of you have emailed me to ask about the situation with DA. Without going into too many details, I did hear from the MD several weeks ago. He maintained that I wasn’t entitled to the sum I believe to be correct and I believe he is unhappy that I am expressing my disappointment in a public manner. As you know, I have been patiently contacting them for well over two years now, and am not the type of person to say things that are untrue. I also maintain that every person should make their own decisions, based on the information available to them, so I would never tell people to avoid a company based purely on my experiences. Some authors DO have positive things to say about DA.

Anyhow, I responded to this email and provided evidence of sales figures, etc, and he promised to look into it for me. Electronic communication probably isn’t the best way to do things but I’m terrible on the telephone. This responsibility will be foisted (in a nice way) on to a family member, if it isn’t sorted out soon. I haven’t heard a dicky bird since!

On a sad note, and on the topic of electronic communication, I recently discovered that Jack Pickard (who hosted The Pickards web site) had passed away. We ‘met’ online when I was researching Mike Parr, prior to a radio interview. Jack reviewed my book, and attended a talk I gave at the launch of Gateshead Council’s short story contest. He was also a talented writer and a generally kind person. Unfortunately, I did not find out about his untimely passing (he was only in his mid-thirties) until a month later. That’s the trouble with social networking: when someone disappears – even those we class as friends – we may never know what became of them. The internet gives us a wide circle of friends, but can we ever truly be real friends online?

Discovered Authors: why-oh-why…

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…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.

M.E. – Is the condition that's disrupted my life real?

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I’m sorry I haven’t been keeping this blog up to date, but I was ill over Christmas. My first priority is to wish you all a happy and healthy 2010.

The thing that’s prompted me to write on here is a poll on the Daily Mail website entitled: Is ME A Genuine Illness? Readers of the site are invited to select Yes or No. I’m not only incensed about the callous poll, but about the caustic comments left by some people following various articles on the topic.

So people don’t understand ME? Neither do we and we suffer the day to day (or hour to hour) effects. Neither do the doctors. Just because we don’t understand something, must we dismiss it as false? I would never be so arrogant.

It was the Press themselves who created this stigma for ME sufferers. It began in the 80s (when I was first diagnosed) and they coined the term Yuppie ‘Flu’. Since then, the Press has continued to paint a negative view of those who have to live with a condition that can neither be treated nor explained. Some of the comments left state that they saw someone from ME doing chores or going shopping. How dare they? I, like many other sufferers, often hide how I am feeling in order to maintain some level of normality. Only close family and my dr saw me at my worst because I don’t WANT people to think of me as fragile or incapable. I still have my pride. 90% of my life is spent at home.

There are always going to be people who abuse the term or are misdiagnosed (and recover miraculously) or self-diagnose; this happens with many conditions. Don’t take it as red that someone who has ME is one of those people who simply doesn’t want to work. Most of the people I know who have the condition have lost a lot: jobs, friends, homes, marriages, social lives, etc. We try to do what we can, when we can DESPITE M.E., rather than use it as an excuse to do nothing.

Someone suggested that ME sufferers just whinge all the time: why would we if there was nothing wrong with us? Touche!

I could rant for ages but, ironically, I’m too tired. I actually had an update about my writing but that will have to wait!

Here I am!

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I know I haven’t posted for ages, but I was hoping to do something with this out-of-date website. As you can tell, nothing’s happened with it.

I’ll let you know what’s been happening: I spent a LONG time contributing to an interview that was to be featured in Psychologies magazine in their January 2010 issue (out now). It was all about teenage diaries (like in Karma) and how it felt to re-read them. It was also about how things had changed and what the person you were then would think of the current you. I did a telephone interview and many email follow-ups. It was quite emotionally exhausting to revisit the past, discussin things like my ME/CFS and my enforced changes in career. The journalist told me I the mag would send someone to get my photo (if they wanted one) but lady from Psychologies emailed me to ask about me coming to London for a photoshoot. Obviously, this was out of the question. I explained that it would be a 3.5 hour journey there and a 3.5 hour journey back (that was just the train part of the journey) – I wouldn’t have been able to function at an afternoon photoshoot. They came back to me and said they’d arrange travel for me and there’d be somewhere I could ‘rest’. Still no go, so they relented and said they’d send a photographer and a hair stylist to me. Yay! I wouldn’t miss out!

They said they’d be in touch about the shoot, so I curtailed my activity (basic though it is) so that I could participate fully in the photoshoot. I waited and waited. Eventually, I emailed the journalist, who didn’t even reply to me. A few more weeks went by, and I realised that they probably weren’t going to get in touch. I emailed the Psychologies lady, saying, “Have I been dropped from the article due to my ME/CFS?” The only response were the following words, “Yes. Sorry.” She didn’t even address me by name. It made me feel bitter, as they’d always been aware that I had the condition. Perhaps if they’d even contacted me, so that I wasn’t resting up ALL November…

Speaking of disappointment, I’ve heard a lot of people talking about Gumtree, so when I decided to sell my netbook (barely used it, despite thinking I’d take it everywhere and write every day) I posted an ad. Within a few hours, several people had already decided to try and relieve me of my netbook in a non-legal way. Fortunately, I’m quite savvy to various scams, and didn’t fall for them. However, it has made me very cynical about selling on the internet (ok, MORE cynical).

As for the writing, what writing? A New Year’s resolution? Thought I’d made some progress in getting paid by Discovered Authors (almost 3 years since Karma came out and they still haven’t managed to pay my meagre royalties). It’s now a principle. Would be nice to get it before Christmas, but I have my doubts.

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A big THANK YOU!

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We’ve just had the confirmed total back from the Marie Curie centre, in respect of Saturday’s event: £1067.65!

That is a fantastic sum, and we can’t thank everyone enough (although we are trying). Couldn’t have done it without a lot of kind people, both behind the scenes and in front of them…and I hope you all want to do it again next year. I know I’d love to, and my partner in crime, Catherine, is most definitely up for it. How about you?