A bit of distance

      It's always dangerous to learn too much about an author. Case in point: Recently I came across a new book from an author I read quite a bit of in the early 90's. He wrote good, solid science fiction. I can't say I ever liked him enough to buy him in hardcover, but I certainly watched for his paperbacks. But he stopped producing books for about five years until this new one. I bought it and soon wished I hadn't.
      He used to write good stories. You knew where the characters stood and they behaved accordingly. Sometimes they behaved badly, but it made sense when they did. He played fair with the story, never pulling a twist out that didn't make perfect sense after the fact. It was craftsmanship. The new book, however, is simply a mess. Characters wander in and out aimlessly. The plot, what little there is, makes no sense. He devotes twenty pages to two talking heads who discuss their world's situation with pointed references to our current war in Iraq. To say that I thought it was a bad book is an understatement. What had happened to this promising young writer?
      He explained all -- too much -- on his website, the address of which was thoughtfully provided on the book's cover. It turns out that all his earlier books are simply ashes now. He wrote those books, year after year, making a good living, but it was hollow, I tell you, hollow. Finally his muse -- yes, he actually used that word -- abandoned him. He suffered a "crisis of confidence" and worried that his books weren't relevant to today's world. He broke two book contracts with his former publisher and spent some time discussing how they didn't understand the true creative spirit. He was also angry at them when he found out that they weren't interested in publishing his new book. Stupid publisher to not jump an opportunity like that.
      Then he launched into a long, rambling discourse about how his muse had returned and wanted him to write stories that -- and I quote because I certainly couldn't paraphrase -- "delve into our muttered subconscious and release our inner howl while not flinching at societal pressures." Of course, he realizes that his current book won't make his former readers happy, but as it turns out, he never really liked them anyway because they were -- and I quote again -- "too interested in a good story." No, I don't what he meant.
      What a pompous whiner. This is the reason I try to avoid learning anything about writers whose work I admire. Sometimes I'm lucky. Holly Lisle turned out to be a wonderful human being as did Carolyn Hart. Simon Haynes is funny and personable. (Not that I've actually met any of these people. Just emails, their websites, their replies on message boards, etc. Maybe in non-virtual life, Holly, Carolyn and Simon sacrifice cute cats and happy dogs to the Dark Gods of Writing, but at least I don't know about it.) But I've come across other authors who are alive only because it's illegal to kill them and/or there's not a convenient way to dispose of their bodies.
      I remember quite well a "Christian" author who came by my site after I had reviewed his book and wanted me to read his current book. Happily I did so and then reviewed it, stupidly thinking that my honesty was desired. My review was favorable overall, but he took exception with a couple of things I said I disliked in the book. He shot me a vicious email that said I was jealous of his success and that God would punish me for my envy. I wish he had been kidding, but he wasn't. I deleted the review, removed his website from my list of authors' sites and took too much pleasure in throwing his book in the trash. Naturally I've never heard from him again, but I see that he still has best-selling books on the Christian lists so he's doing fine. I know I will never read his books again or recommend them.
      I think, as readers, we make a mistake to believe that because an author writes a wonderful book that we relate to, then that author is also a wonderful human being who is our long-lost soulmate. We love the books so we want to love the authors, too. Most authors probably are wonderful, delightful people, but there will always be a handful who are jerks. A bit of distance is the best thing for both the fans and the authors, and I'm okay with that.