Indie Authors Melt Down on GR

The latest GR blow up involves indie author, musician and blogger Carroll Bryant. He has made a couple of blog posts over the last few days discussing a relationship and break-up with an 18 year old book blogger, her and her friends' subsequent refusal to follow through on reviews of his book, and his posting of a list of bloggers who have supposedly done this (backed out after promising a review, interview, etc) to him and others. Without wading into the mounds and mounds of nastiness, name-calling, jumping to conclusions, etc.--by both sides in this argument--we did want to highlight two egregious meltdown by other indie authors participating in this thread.

First up is indie author Brittany Hiester--who has given an anthology that she appeared in a five-star review (where is the GR reviewer clique righteous indignation?)--decides to throw her comments into the fray, and we initially get this grammatically-challenged rant full of profanity and name-calling:

Dude you make NO sense as to what you did. Some girl that you know bullied you and got her friends to take part! No one said a damn thing to you until you started this whole thing. NO ONE EVEN KNEW WHO YOU WERE. The only person who knows you is Ira. Plus you're not only a Grade A jerk you're a grade A liar. None of those people from those blogs even know you! Plus I believe it seeing as your books have almost no ratings or reviews. If you want people to read those shitty shit shits you call books why don't you get connections like everyone else. Wait, too late you started this crap so now no one will review for you let alone buy your books. Even if they do review them now it'll probably only bash your book and brings it's rating down because of what you did. Besides I've seen the titles they are children's books yes? How about you wake up and open up your eyes wider and realize teenagers and adults don't read children's books. Oh and NOW after we said how you can't spell you come up with that excuse that the letters on your keyboard are faded out. But if that's so true how come there was an "e" at the end of the six on your blog. How stupid do you think we are? Oh yeah that's right you think we're so stupid because some people wouldn't go buy your poor, dusty, cobweb infested garbage! Oh and I'll keep saying this too FEEL FREE TO FLAG THIS ONE TOO! I know every time you delete my comment it's only because you know I am right and I embarrass you to the core.

Wow, that sure was a professional way for an author to present herself, no? Sure makes us want to read her book. [That was sarcasm in case you missed it.] Next come implications of sexual abuse of a minor and drug use:

Ohhh a lawyer. I bet you have same lawyer as Jerry Sandusky.

and

Damn right he's in prison. Just like this sick drugged up hypocrite should be. I love how we're all being called hypocrites for bullying when he did it before all of us decided to fight back.

Brittany's next two comments are merely childish arguing as opposed to the previous, possibly actionable language:

Fighting back for those bloggers that you're lying about. They don't even know you! You attacked them first by threatening to post that list so we're standing up for them against you. I love how you're saying you're on the phone with a detective when in reality you're not. You just say because you think people will be scared away. Well not me. Seriously go ahead and get your "detective". We'll all be waiting

Oh and I hope you know all those blog you blacklisted are getting new followers now. That's the only good thing about this shit. Oh no I cursed are you gonna get your detective after me for that too? XD

More allegations of drug use, plus more profanity (does an author really think that cursing and ranting is the best way to attract potential readers?):

They only take this stuff seriously if it's happening amongst high schoolers. That's why I was saying this crackhead is full of just as much shit as those blog posts he posted. Plus we have no physical contact so nothing will be done. And he's gonna look like a fool because he started it even if a police officer did bother to take a look at this.

Then the crazy-sauce hits the fan. Brittany needs to look up the definition of bullying, because she misuses it here. Ordinarily this would be funny, but since there are so many false accusations of bullying, harassment, and stalking floating around on GR lately, we feel that it is important to use terms correctly.

Yea you never mentioned anyone's name, but you mentioned those bloggers and it's their site that they own. So you are still mentioning them either way. You're right we did choose to come here. I don't recall anyone saying that they didn't. You wanna bully those bloggers that you've lied about? This is what you deserve! You're a big cry baby who can say all the shit he wants, but when it gets thrown back in your face you demand we leave you alone. How about you leave the people who've done nothing to you alone first and I mean those bloggers incase your drug infested head forgets like last time! This is why we are still coming at you! Because you did wrong in the first place by bullying those bloggers. Come on where's that detective where's that police officer I am waiting!!! 

Yikes!! If we had a GR account, we'd be putting this author on our own batshit-crazy-authors-to-avoid shelf. Our batshit-crazy-reviewers shelf would be larger, though, if it were possible to create one. Next comment:

So what you screen shot it. Where is your detective? Come on bring it! Feel free to screen shot mine too for all I care little boy. Hey check this out we're not playing either I'm sending this shit. Good thing we can still kinda see your name. Tsk tsk tsk what a poor troubled old fart you are

Name calling? Check. Profanity? Check. The previous comment occurs in the middle of a discussion of Carroll calling the police and/or his lawyer after another author accused him of being a pedophile--we have that coverage below--and the next comment is in reply to Carroll posting the comment was not criminal according to the police.

No shit she can't be arrested dippity shit that's what we were telling you before. Now maybe you'll be a good little boy and listen us better. Like I said I could care less if you screen shot mine. Tons of your comments have been flagged not only that, but your account is in the process of being shut down. I will have a nice day thank you! I'll be eagerly awaiting for your Jerry Sandusky detectives to contact me. I really hope you're not planning to go to the playground across the street from your house to watch those little kids.

Note that there are even stronger implications of pedophilia in that comment. In our opinion, although we are not lawyers, Brittany is getting very close to defamation herself here. That and she is just being an all-around asshat:

See told ya he's a class A liar. Not that I wasn't right before of course. And we'll leave it when we feel like it how's that?

Her final parting shot before the entire blog and its comments were deleted was the following:

Dude did you even read wtf we said. Clearly not otherwise you would remember who we said you were bullying and how exactly you were doing it. I refuse to repeat myself. Not only can you not spell, but I guess you can't read either. How in the hell are you an author? Whoever helped you must be just as much of a dippity shit as you are. This shit may be in a post, but it's still bullying no matter how you look at it. Stop making excuses for yourself for why you do this shit because none of us are gonna stop until you stop. You started it in the first place with your retarded post. I bet you have almost no money and no life. I bet you still live in your parents basement and all you do all day is eat, sleep, shit, and harass people all over the web. Unlike you I have a life and will be leaving for work in half an hour.

Brittany's line "how in the hell are you an author?" is particularly ironic given her own writing challenges so amply demonstrated by the previous comments. Brittany, honey, if you ever read this, please look up the proper use of commas. We learned how to use them in the eighth grade. Just sayin'... Overall, we recommend staying as far away from Brittany as possible.

***

Now let's expand on something we mentioned earlier: the accusations of pedophilia. Indie author Autumn Rosen--who, like Brittany, has five-star-rated one of her books without being called out by GR reviewer clique and has "liked" positive reviews on her other book (something Kiera Cass was castigated for merely considering doing)--also has a meltdown and posts comments on the same thread. Her first post just plain gets if wrong, about both "bullying" and "children" being involved:

This is just sad. Bullying children on the internet is pathetic at best, just stop before you are in over your head. "Karma's tool" is just a tool. What you post on the net is forever marked upon your digital soul. R.I.P. Carroll Bryant you have sealed your fate on G.R. I feel very sorry for you.

Then comes this doozy:

He's a joke with no punchline. I hope the ban goes through. One less sad example of writing goes into the wind and one less child predator around to spread hate when he gets caught lying about his age by some other poor unsuspecting under aged victim. He dreams about being a pedophile and even blogged about it. Please Good Reads have the sense to ban this horrible person. It may just protect a little girl or boy.

And that's the post that apparently sent Carroll to his lawyer. His relationship was apparently with an 18-yr-old--a legal adult--and whether he is 36 or 48 or 98, that is still a legal albeit rather squicky relationship. None of the girls was accused of being friends with was prepubescent. Further, Autumn's assertion that Carroll dreams of being a pedophile and blogged about it materially misrepresents the gist of the blog post. Even more telling is that Autumn deleted this post shortly after she made it. More whinging from Autumn:

I reported you to Good Reads and we can take this to court if you like. Threats will not bring you readers. Your character has been spread all over the internet without my help.I posted screen shots for Good Reads in the report and they can deal with you as they like. I have you for slander on your site already. We can compare notes and maybe bring in this girl who has so wronged you. Yes we can make this as large as you like. The law is on my side. Free speech is beautiful isn't it? I only wrote what I've read from your site and your words.

And after Carroll reports that he is talking to his lawyer:

Well my spouse is a police officer and I have broken no law in my state or country. Have fun with your chat in Ohio. I live in Britain most of the year and I don't have to tell you where. Catch me if you can, Carroll.

Her husband is probably only well-versed in criminal law not civil law, and aren't defamation and libel torts rather than crimes? Gotta hand it to the delusional chick though, she decides to "stick" to her guns:

I do think you are predatory and I stick by that.

Her last comment, again before the mass deletion, demonstrates her lack of understanding of the difference between opinions and something stated as a fact:

The law is on my side. My opinion of you cannot be found defaming. The end.
My lawyer said. For a statement posted on the Internet to be defamatory, it must be a statement of fact, by definition opinions posted on the Internet cannot be defamatory.
So please come on. You going to pay to fly over here? You would have to come here to sue me and file your complaint here. I guess you can afford that being an international best selling author.

Her lawyer is correct, to the best of our knowledge, about defamation. However, this is typically a matter for a court to decide--whether a statement is a "fact" or an "opinion"--and frankly since we are not lawyers, we can't offer any more insight. But here's the practical lesson: If you call people stupid or asshats or make other judgments about their character, you're probably pretty safe. But when you accuse a person of being a criminal--and a particularly loathsome type of criminal, at that--you better expect them to respond harshly. Even by calling a lawyer and suing you.

So what do we have from today's now-deleted thread: a personal relationship that turned sour and spilled over onto the Internet + two rabid indie authors rapidly destroying their reputations be behaving like reactionary asshats. Just a typical day in the GR cesspool.