Hello there everyone!
It took some boredom on Google this evening to find this these two gems, but I wanted to share them with everyone.
Back in February I wrote to the site Horror Talk and inquired about book reviews. I heard back from them immediately and my books were signed to a reviewer. The reviewer received my books on lend from Amazon and then emailed me and asked me if the third book was out. I informed her that no, the book would not be out until later this year so she replied back that she would be writing the reviews. I asked her to please let me know when they’d go up and then I never heard from her again.
Assuming that she’d either just forgotten or something else had come up, I left it be and didn’t want to be a bother. The last I’d spoken with this reviewer was March 10. This brings me back to this evening in which I was Googling “Haven by Stevie Kopas.”
This is when I came across the two reviews that Miss Karen Chrichton neglected to send my way out of what? Fear, perhaps? She rated The Breadwinner a 1 and Haven a 2. Comparing The Breadwinner to YA novels like The Hunger Games and saying it was The Walking Dead fan fiction. She pointed out my ::gasp:: 8 grammatical errors and then proceeded to rip me a new one in her heavenly opinionated review. Haven she then compares to The Wizard of Oz and makes fun of.
This reviewer clearly believes I am a woman hating, insulting pig who has no idea about anything and blatantly insults homosexuals. If you read the reviews before reading the next part of the blog then the following will make sense.
I was living with my old roommate Brandon at the time of writing The Breadwinner and huge shocker, his room was covered in feather boas, his boyfriend was a bartender and his favorite color was purple. So I’m sorry to say, but all gay men are not created equal, and any labeling of stereotypes has come solely from the reviewer’s point of view. Yes, I describe Clyde as feminine because that’s what the character is. I describe him as dramatic, because that’s what he is.
I take no offense to a negative review that provides constructive criticism, because I understand that art is subjective. Where I become insulted is when someone I don’t know, and who doesn’t know me, uses their platform in an attempt to assassinate my character. The baseless claim that I am homophobic and insulting to gay men and women is careless and I see it as merely an attempt to stir up controversy where none exists.
The fact that this “reviewer” didn’t even have the decency to email me and tell me personally how she felt about my work, or at the very least that the reviews were completed, strikes me as childish and shows inexperience. The fact that her editor allowed her to place such a heavily opinionated review up makes me question the integrity of the site as a whole. I did some digging and found this reviewer has posted a whopping six reviews on the site. Her average rating? 3 stars.
I have read recently a book I couldn’t even finish to the end because it was so bad and do you know what Shana Festa did? Provided the author with feedback as to why we felt uncomfortable reviewing the book on The Bookie Monster. That’s called class.
So it’s not the bad reviews or poor ratings that have got me fired up, it’s the blatant negligence. Characters are described in certain ways because that is how the writer wants them to be portrayed. If I want stereotypical macho men in my books then that’s what’s gonna be there because I like to think about hot dudes. And if I want my women crazy and screaming, girl, you don’t know the type of women that I know, because that’s what we’re like.
Anyway, thanks for never getting back in touch with me and sharing your opinion. I would have preferred you insulted my character to me directly, because you really didn’t talk about my books in your reviews, you discussed how you didn’t like who I, as the author, decided the characters should act.
I encourage everyone to read the poor reviews and share them to serve as an example of all publicity being good publicity. I officially have reached Hater Status and that means I’m one step closer to being somebody important. 🙂
Til next time everyone, thumbs up and keep spreading the apocalypse!
Stevie
P.S. Thank you for calling me young in your review.
P.S.S. I am a smoker, and in the apocalypse, smokers will not give a shit what they’re smoking. If the dead are walking around and trying to eat me, shit….I’d smoke crack if it were at CVS.
I’m speechless. OK maybe not since I’ve got words to say…but I vehemently disagree with those reviews. Thank you, by the way, for calling me classy…I’ll always graciously accept compliments.
I too hated some of the female characters. But I didn’t take them to mean you were a woman-hater. I felt it was an accomplishment on your part to be able to pen such hateful and loathsome characters. It’d be easy to write a character everyone loves and connects with, but to write one that makes people want to jump into the book to strangle…I applauded that achievement as a success.
I also really enjoyed Clyde’s character. I thought the way he was written was endearing, and didn’t take anything remotely homophobic from it.
I cant fault the reviewer for having her own opinions, but her reviews felt very inflammatory. And let’s be honest…You weren’t writing a biographical piece. You wrote something fun and engaging. I enjoyed the read, and that’s what I base my reviews and ratings on.
Also, to add another smokers opinion. Sure I have a brand…but if a store doesn’t have it, or if I go on a cruise and can buy 5 cartons of something else for the price of 2 cartons, I’m going to take it. If zombies walk the earth, I promise you, cigarette branding will be the last thing on my mind.
I’m sorry you were villainized without merit. It makes me sad to see reviewers that like to stir the pot. Books I know, authors I don’t…so I leave them out of the review as much as I can. Not to mention, who cares about the author when reading the review? Readers want to know about the book. I’d be hard-pressed to slander someone in a public forum because I know what it feels like to have it done to you. Everything comes full circle, maybe the reviewer has been lucky enough to have not yet been on the receiving end of something like that. And if she hasn’t been that lucky, then shame on her for doing it to someone else.
Take from the review whatever can help fuel your writing, toss out the rest. What’s that saying? “Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one but they think each others stink.”
If someone compares the book they are reviewing to 3 successful moviesbooks, It is a compliment. The book was not compared to 3 unknown titles. If a critic compared my book to the Wizard of Oz – One of the most successful titles of all time…all I have to say is LMAO.
Next time I will review grammar error with more diligence before I send it back to you.
So the reviewer slams the books then at the end states she can’t wait for the third book. Makes sense in her world I guess.
I have read books by world renowned authors published by big name publishers and they all have spelling, grammar etc errors, and they have editors and proof readers up the ying yang. Less than 10 errors ( I didn’t notice them while reading) in a self published book is so low it should be applauded there weren’t more.
Never thought for a moment Stevie was a woman hater, as a liberal feminist I would not have bought the second book if for one minute I saw that type of thought, or gay basher.
I will admit the first book, first few pages were tough for me since horror/science fiction genre is usually not something I enjoy but then the character development had me hooked. The second book I made the mistake of downloading at work. Got nothing done that day I read straight through (although I may never forgive you for killing off one of my favorites).
Seems to me this reviewer was looking to nitpick because there was nothing substantial to criticize. I understand that you may not like the book but to slam it for such nonsense is just plain wrong.
Robin
PS as a smoker in an apocalypse I would try to get my brand to be honest but really is that a valid critique? I don’t like the color purple so please leave that color out of all of your future books sheesh.
Umm… Did anyone else notice the blaring grammatical errors in her reviews?
1. Clyde is not a stereotypical gay man by any means. He likes purple, yes, but he is also completely badass. If he was, I think he would’ve been a pansy. Instead, he is totally a valuable member of the team.
2. As a woman, I can tell you right now that I can’t imagine a single woman on this earth NOT losing her shit when the world ends. We are far more emotional creatures than men. That being said, I don’t see how Veronica is a weak female character by any means. Yes, her family died, but news flash it’s the zombie apocalypse and ain’t nobody got time to grieve. Having time to mourn is a luxury no longer offered to the living.
3. The only character I hated was Michelle, and I loved her at first. But, that is what kept me reading! I wanted to know what was going to happen. I wanted to know if Veronica was going to handle it. Or whatever. My imagination was racing.
4. I don’t know how this compares to the wizard of oz at all.
5. How stereotypical of her to compare everything zombie apocalypse to a mainstream zombie show. I mean that’s like saying every pirate novel is based off pirates of the Caribbean. Or every vampire novel is based off twilight, which heaven forbid. Anne Rice would lose her shit.
6. Regardless of the reviews being negative, they are just awful. What a freaking feminazi. Nothing about those reviews actually addressed ONLY the books. Everything was engineered to insult the author. Professionalism is obviously not in that chick’s vocabulary.
7. What a dumb hoe.
Shawna’s comment just made me laugh out loud.