Word Wreckage

Guilty pleasures are primarily what I read.  I’m a 30-something who seldom reads “adult” fiction and I like it that way.  I acknowledge this and seldom give myself shit about it.  However, every time I read a book by Tijan, I feel dirty. Alas, not in the good way.  It’s almost like I’m doing penance for reading generally shallow fantasy and romance fiction.  Do I read a Tijan book to remind myself what shit persists in such trite genres?  I really don’t know.  But I’ve read most of her books.  Willingly.  Paid for them too.

Just…take it. I have no shame.

 

I have quit reading countless self-published authors for their audacity to use a book cover I’ve seen on another title.  I have blacklisted authors on my Goodreads account at the mere mention of a character going to church. I DNF’d a book once because the author referenced The Shining as “The Shinning.”  Yet, I continue to read Tijan books—every single one of them poorly edited, logistically leapy, and as dramatic as an episode of Degrassi.

Today I finished a small paranormal trilogy of hers called the The Immortal Prophecy, which follows the lead character, Davy Harwood.  Its category would be New Adult Paranormal, as it follows a college-aged girl, who, though a series of unfortunate events, becomes a carrier for The Immortal thread.  I’m not even going to explain that…I doubt the author could either.  There are vampires, and eventually werewolves and witches.  It’s just…all bad.  I feel like Tijan started with an idea and as she began writing she’d get new ideas and have to somehow write herself out of the old ideas.  There’s so much irrelevant information passed on to the reader that the first book and the third book could be from different universes entirely.  I could forgive that type of story change—in fact my favorite series is nearly unrecognizable from its debut novel to the most recent publishing.  But I could literally skip whole chapters of The Immortal Prophecy and nothing would change.  Then I could skip one paragraph and suddenly the main character is, inexplicably, in a coma for a quarter of the book.

I’m really not trying to call Tijan out on the badness of these books.  Really.  Her Fallen Crest series is so much fun.  I’m mostly here to admit that, regardless of how badly edited or written her books tend to be, I keep coming back for more.  Authors like her really inspire me to get moving on my own literary career in editing (or writing if I can ever maintain momentum).  She, regardless of the issues I have with the presentation of her work, is able to create compelling Hero/Heroine combinations that are the meat of her stories.  If I could get my hands on one of her manuscripts I swear we could at least put out a ridiculous TV show on Freeform or the CW.  The drama!  The suspense!  The backstabbing!  The angst!

This isn’t a new phenomenon for me.  There’s another small series (Mad World) from another self-published author (Christine Zolendz) that I just adore.  The characters are funny, the dialogue is great, and the story is interesting.  But the editing is shit.  There are illogical leaps in the story line that are maddening.  With some editing and rearranging the series would be awesome.  It actually hurts me to see the potential there and know what they released could have been so much better.  I just want to help, so let me end with this:

Dear Struggling Author,

I feel your pain.  Writing is hard!  Once you finish your heartsong, please continue to take care of it.  A story is not complete once it leaves your brain and appears on a screen.  Editing is a must.  Now, I know the attraction of a free editor is strong.  But many of these “editors” are baby book bloggers or simply fans of the genre and like reading and trying to help the process.  All mean well, but not everyone knows their shit.  You must insist upon quality.  Don’t rely on one editor or beta reader.  Be open to criticism and ask for corrections if people can find them.  Believe me, your readers will.  My grandmother still sends corrections to publishing houses.  Publishing Houses.  No one is perfect or will catch everything.  But you have to choose someone who will catch most things.  I beg you.  Your work is worth it.

Thanks,

Tarafina