Oh No! I'm a Fan!

Sometimes following a message board thread is like watching an accident unfold. You know you shouldn't keep watching and it gets worse as time passes, but you just can't look away.

I've been following the thread I mention in this blog entry, and I've made a shocking discovery. To provide some history: someone in this thread pointed out that a former reviewer posted at an author's message board. Apparently this fact automatically dooms a reviewer's credibility.

Uh oh. Here comes my whispered confession: I am a fan. Oh, the horror!

You might have guessed this already, since I flew to Maryland last year to meet Nora Roberts, and I've mentioned my upcoming trip to Tampa to meet Suzanne Brockmann. According to this poster's logic, this means my reviews are no longer credible.

Last year, when I was preparing for my Maryland trip and (gasp!) posting on Nora Roberts's message board, I considered the potential conflict of interest. What I decided was that I wouldn't ask to review books by Nora Roberts or Suzanne Brockmann. But I won't send a book back if it shows up in my review package. Since I'm not being paid to write reviews, and I'm completely capable of judging a book on its own merits (regardless of author), I think that's sufficient.

And is it just me, or is there something big brother-ish about the fact that someone would remember a reviewer's messages on an author's message board? Especially in this case, when the former reviewer claims to have posted there several months ago.

This topic has apparently hit a nerve, since I can't seem to stop writing about it. Oh well. I'm looking forward to the weekend. I must start packing for my fan trip to Tampa.

Alyssa