I do declare . . .

[Awful Arthur]

Unless it's pussy.

A pussy smells like Carnation Milk.

AA

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Rumply,

You may not have been implying anything, but I certainly was (or Sherry, to be exact, but she is me and I am her and....).

I don't think I would have thought a thing about it if all these suddenly new folks that never post hadn't felt a sudden urge to all nominate the same person.

She may be a fine writer, and if there's nothing strange going on, then I owe some apologies all around, but why would these folks that never bother to post, suddenly feel the need to do so? And all for the same person?

If it looks like a fish, smells like a fish, and swims like a fish....most likely it's a fish.

Odds are brightlyiburn has a list of regular readers who are contacted whenever she posts a new story. Lots of folks have those. (All my readers are pretty irregular or I might also.) Either she or someone on the list contacted everyone else about the Most Influential Award and maybe the Valentine's contest. A sizable host of those folks came over to nominate and/or vote.

I don't think it was a conspiracry like we've had in the past. Romance readers and writers tend to be a very supportive group.

The other person who was getting a lot of "virgin" nominations, Patricia51, hasn't written as many stories (who has?) but she's written a lot and in several different categories. The same thing may have happened there.

Just 'tween you and me, the one thing that has always bugged me about this particular award is it becomes a "Nominate your favorite writer" deal instead of a recognition of the writer who has been the most influential. But then Laurel doesn't define "influential" so folks are free to come up with their own definition.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[mismused]

Odds are brightlyiburn has a list of regular readers who are contacted whenever she posts a new story. Lots of folks have those.

====================

I can vouch for that in part. I don't normally notify a list of people when I have a story, but I have had many write to ask when I was going to post another. Some just like some author's styles, and really want to know when they have a story up. In that respect, I did let one who had just asked, know that I had a new story.

I don't know about brightlyiburn, but I know Patricia51 has had many stories, and I have usually loved every one of them. Just my preference, and I know that many others feel the same.

Again, I didn't vote for anyone, but Patricia51 is certainly worthy, as is Colly, Cloudy, Vella, or Impressive (who in my opinion has professional writing talents ) I'm sure I've left out many other's who are deserving, but those are just some I have read that come to mind as being good writers in my preferred genres.

Then again, if someone is just recently activated, then I guess that's cause for wonder.

mismused

 

[bearlee]

For more info, check out the 6th Annual Lit Award Nomination, Most Influential Writer thread. Enjoy.

Rumple Foreskin

Interesting I guess, but on the other hand, you don't have to be registered to read stories. And I, like sarahh(if I understood her correctly), do have an email notification list of people that have sent feedback over the years-don't see anything wrong with it. Can be pain responding to people but a feedback deserves a response and anyone can opt out at any time. Now if I could just get those 500+ people to register today, well who knows...

Rumply,

You may not have been implying anything, but I certainly was (or Sherry, to be exact, but she is me and I am her and....).

I don't think I would have thought a thing about it if all these suddenly new folks that never post hadn't felt a sudden urge to all nominate the same person.

She may be a fine writer, and if there's nothing strange going on, then I owe some apologies all around, but why would these folks that never bother to post, suddenly feel the need to do so? And all for the same person?

If it looks like a fish, smells like a fish, and swims like a fish....most likely it's a fish.

You could send 'em all a PM and email and welcome them to Lit

Unless it's pussy.

sarahh-I'm mortified

 

[Guest]

sarahh-I'm mortified

No you're not.

 

[Guest]

Odds are brightlyiburn has a list of regular readers who are contacted whenever she posts a new story. Lots of folks have those. (All my readers are pretty irregular or I might also.) Either she or someone on the list contacted everyone else about the Most Influential Award and maybe the Valentine's contest. A sizable host of those folks came over to nominate and/or vote.

I don't think it was a conspiracry like we've had in the past. Romance readers and writers tend to be a very supportive group.

The other person who was getting a lot of "virgin" nominations, Patricia51, hasn't written as many stories (who has?) but she's written a lot and in several different categories. The same thing may have happened there.


Rumple Foreskin

Yep, that's my take on all of this, too.

The vast majority of readers and visitors to Lit do not post on any of the forums.

I know brightlyiburn has a large following, so she must be a pretty good writer! Odds are word has got out about these awards, and her fans are just repaying her for her great stories with their loyalty and votes.

Lou - rarely cynical.

 

[CharleyH]

I have only the opinion taking on yester years. Too much is too much. Neither Brightly or Patricia need be blamed. For all we know it could be someone out to sully their names.

Should we all do this much promo? Well considering my profession is PR? DAMN RIGHT!

But for myself? I know how good I am already. I need not people to tell me But I appreciate it :| Thanks to those

 

[Liar]

For what it's worth, I don't think it's a matter of spamming (or whatever we should call it) at all.

First of all, most of those are not people who have registered in Jan 2005 just to cast a nomination. They have been around for a while, possibly registered authors. or people who have checked out the forums found them to be bollocks and proceeded to read stories.

Second of all, I've read some stories by one of the more moninated authors, brightlyiburn. They're actually bloody good, so it's not unlikely that there is a solid following of this author.

So before crying foul, I suggest taking a step back and thinking things through.

 

[Guest]

I'll make just one teeny-tiny comment...

You are very sweet. Last year was a pretty rough year for me personally - I don't think this would have affected me so hard otherwise.

I don't remember much about the other categories because I honestly wasn't keeping track (though the next day I did catch some angry thread arguments). Seems the poetry awards were a mess all the way around.

I like self-promotion - none of us do enough of it for our hard work. Spiteful fools.

I received prose pretty much along the lines of - Can't believe someone with this low quality of work could win this award - The voting system on Lit must be rigged - blah blah blah -

Charming stuff, really.

(especially 'cause it was all anonymous)

And trust me, I am NOT saying this out of spite or in some effort to demean last years winner. I personnally think CT deserved to win as she is an excellent writer and I have enjoyed reading her works. And it's not like I'm so full of myself because I feel I deserved to win Most Influential, I've done that, and considered it an honor to have won previously myself.

So...that being said.

The oddity I noticed last year which I found very interesting was the fact that it had been a neck and neck race (quite exciting actually) to watch from the sidelines. One day I'd be up one or two votes, and the next CT would. I had no problem with that, thought it was interesting to see things going back and forth so closely. But then the odd thing...with like a day or two remaining, there was suddenly (and again...please, am not pointing fingers here. If CT had a fan-club President that went out and solicited the votes for her to ensure she had enough to win...then more power to her. And again...I really do think she's a wonderful writer!!!!!) But to me, it was odd in the last day or so to have such an extremely closely contested race suddenly have a "splurge" of votes appear to ensure she won without it being all that close.

It's ok...I thought it odd only. But I do think, and still do, that there are ways around the system, and for those in the know...they know...how to do just that.

So...been nominated again. That's cool, its appreciated. Like the losers say at the Oscars, it meant something just to be nominated.

Truth is...it is. And that's good enough for me.

 

[gauchecritic]

At the risk of self promotion

genre-transcending category

Do they have a category for best nominations?

As for the conspiracy theory I think Elizabetht gives as good an explanation as any here.

 

[cantdog]

I wouldn't know who was nominated or who won or any of it if it didn't turn up here or in the editor's board in one of the threads. I don't follow baseball, either.

 

[brightlyiburn]

Hmmm, let's see....

The following people have nominated brightlyiburn (the number after their name is the number of posts):

Jenna_in_Dreamland - 4
missi3378 - 3
ZydigoDancer - 1 I really want to tell them that they can't spell worth shit
anaeish - 1
elhund - 1
hoooofie - 1
laurapalmer - 1
Doc6130 - 2
ComeBackToMe - 2
so__kissme - 2
blue_berry - 1
Demorie edited in

for most of them, their only posts have been in the awards threads, I checked.

Is there anything that Laurel can do about this? For the people that are honestly nominated, this really sucks monkey ass.

Okay, you know what? I am beyond pissed off right now. How dare you accuse me of anything? Every single one of those is an honest nomination. What, only people who spend their lives on this forum are allowed to nominate someone? That is complete, steaming bullshit!!!
It's bad enough that you insult me. But don't you dare insult my readers!
Maybe YOU play that way, but I DON'T! And I am getting so damn sick of this kind of elitist snobbery. Why should nominations for me be any less legitimate than ones for Carson or Colleen or any of them? Because this is my first year here? What kind of hypocritical bullshit is that?

 

[cloudy]

Okay, you know what? I am beyond pissed off right now. How dare you accuse me of anything? Every single one of those is an honest nomination. What, only people who spend their lives on this forum are allowed to nominate someone? That is complete, steaming bullshit!!!
It's bad enough that you insult me. But don't you dare insult my readers!
Maybe YOU play that way, but I DON'T! And I am getting so damn sick of this kind of elitist snobbery. Why should nominations for me be any less legitimate than ones for Carson or Colleen or any of them? Because this is my first year here? What kind of hypocritical bullshit is that?

Excuse me, did I accuse you of anything??????

No, I didn't....I just said it was very, very strange.

Get pissed off all you want to, it's none of my concern, but I noticed something, and I said something about it. End of story.

Sheesh.

BTW - I was just the first one to notice it, not the only one.

 

[brightlyiburn]

Excuse me, did I accuse you of anything??????

No, I didn't....I just said it was very, very strange.

Get pissed off all you want to, it's none of my concern, but I noticed something, and I said something about it. End of story.

Sheesh.

BTW - I was just the first one to notice it, not the only one.

Uh huh. Right. Pointing out it's strange that a bunch of people are nominating me, people who haven't posted much...that's not accusing me of anything.

 

[cloudy]

Uh huh. Right. Pointing out it's strange that a bunch of people are nominating me, people who haven't posted much...that's not accusing me of anything.

If you would bother to read the rest of the posts, Miss Sarcastic, you'll also see the rest of what I said.

But I'm sure you'd rather remain high and mighty in your little hissy fit, instead of lowering yourself to read the rest of it.

I never said you or anyone else did anything. I did say it looks suspicious, and it does, no matter how legitimate it is....and if you'd bother to READ, you would have seen that I also said that it may be nothing.

 

[brightlyiburn]

If you would bother to read the rest of the posts, Miss Sarcastic, you'll also see the rest of what I said.

But I'm sure you'd rather remain high and mighty in your little hissy fit, instead of lowering yourself to read the rest of it.

I never said you or anyone else did anything. I did say it looks suspicious, and it does, no matter how legitimate it is....and if you'd bother to READ, you would have seen that I also said that it may be nothing.

And if you bothered reading my post AT ALL you would have seen that I was responding to Sherry Hawk, not YOU.
You call me high and mightly! Pretty self-centered, thinking you're the only one being responded to.

 

[cloudy]

And if you bothered reading my post AT ALL you would have seen that I was responding to Sherry Hawk, not YOU.
You call me high and mightly! Pretty self-centered, thinking you're the only one being responded to.

Doll, I am Sherry Hawk. If you'd read her sigline you'd realize that.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Brightlyiburn,

BB, why are you getting PO'ed about something posted a week ago? There were logical reasons for suspicion. As I and others said, the patterns were unusual, there was a "vote stuffing" problem in a recent writing contest and some questions were raised after last year's nominations.

Since the issue came up back on 1/28, folks have gotten to know you, read your work and the consensus of opinion is you're a good writer and that the large number of nominations from folks with few posts has a rational explanation.

I hope you continue to show up here at the AH. But the folks here will speak their mind. However, even AH minds do change. That's what happened in this case. When you get a chance, read all the thread and you'll see what I mean.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[cloudy]

Brightlyiburn,

BB, why are you getting PO'ed about something posted a week ago? There were logical reasons for suspicion. As I and others said, the patterns were unusual, there was a "vote stuffing" problem in a recent writing contest and some questions were raised after last year's nominations.

Since the issue came up back on 1/28, folks have gotten to know you, read your work and the consensus of opinion is you're a good writer and that the large number of nominations from folks with few posts has a rational explanation.

I hope you continue to show up here at the AH. But the folks here will speak their mind. However, even AH minds do change. That's what happened in this case. When you get a chance, read all the thread and you'll see what I mean.

Rumple Foreskin

Thank you, Rumple.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Doll, I am Sherry Hawk. If you'd read her sigline you'd realize that.

Cloudy,

Being very hard-of-seeing, I may have overlooked it, but while I remember the original sig line for Sherry Hawk having a mention of Cloudy, I don't believe the current one does.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[impressive]

Again, I didn't vote for anyone, but Patricia51 is certainly worthy, as is Colly, Cloudy, Vella, or Impressive (who in my opinion has professional writing talents )

You are just too damned sweet. (Delusional, but sweet. )


Brightly -- FWIW, if your stories sucked, the nominations would be VERY suspicious. However, your stories definitely do NOT suck. I've enjoyed the ones I've read (although Romance ain't my Lit thing -- I'm here for the down-n-dirty up-against-the-wall fucking). You've obviously built a very loyal fan base in a very short period of time. I am envious. (Of course, I write in as many categories as I can -- so I'm not likely to develop a genre following.)

To those who've been here a while -- and seen a couple of annual contests -- it does look odd. It's unprecedented. Hope you can bear with us as we adjust to your incredible success.

Best,

~ Imp

 

[cloudy]

Cloudy,

Being very hard-of-seeing, I may have overlooked it, but while I remember the original sig line for Sherry Hawk having a mention of Cloudy, I don't believe the current one does.

Rumple Foreskin

I did take that bit out, but now it has a quote from Lou, almost identical to the one I have here...."redneck redskin twat in disguise"

 

[TellMeATale]

Wow! I'm an avid reader here. No, I've never posted, never even joined in fact, just loved the stories and have taken much enjoyment from them.

Should I now be afraid to post? Or to nominate for that matter?? (Which I fully intent to do now that I know the contest exists.)

Seems to me the number of posts has little to do with an author's following or how well read they are. BrightlyIburn has a huge following, has contributed continually here and her works are VERY well received...as they should be..since they're some of the best romance short stories I've read on this site or on many others for that matter! That fact that some of her following has reached out to support and nominate her is wonderful and a true tribute to the amount of time and effort she gives her readers.

I say, if you don't want to vote for her, then don't! But making petty accusations of cheating and spamming is childish and only serves to break apart the community.

And perhaps those that only nominate in one or two categories only read those categories??? There's certainly alot of genre's I DON'T read!

We all know these contests are not fool-proof. But then again, neither is our national elections!!

Don't get discouraged Brightly. I for one think you deserve every nomination you've gotten! Those that don't agree are free to nominate their own choice and vote their own way. The wonders of free speech and democracy!

 

[brightlyiburn]

Doll, I am Sherry Hawk. If you'd read her sigline you'd realize that.

First of all, why should I have any reason to think you two were one and the same? I may have my moments of paranoia, but I most certainly do not assume everyone has an alternate handle.
Second, I'm not going to read and analyze everyone's signatures. I'm a writer, not the forensics department.
Third, for someone who's making implications of dishonest nominations...well, having more than one handle is like throwing stones from your glass hose, don't you think?

To Imp and Rumple: I'm sure you can understand why I'm upset. Sherry Hawk or Cloudy or whoever she is, while she may be trying to deny it, was making accusations. For one thing, she used my handle directly. Then she proceeded to make a comment about isn't there something Laurel can do because this is bullshit to the honest nominations. That is an accusation. If she wasn't implying that my nominations were dishonest why would she mention them at all?
I can understand why some people might be unsettled, but to descend to the level of unfounded accusations is silly. Lit is not the first site I've posted on. Over the last few months I've brought some of my readers with me (which I admit I don't understand, since my full archieve isn't here). Those people would not have voted before, would they? Or anyone else who has only come to this site within the last year. To say that, because they all signed up at the same time, it looks suspicious, is silly. It looks to me as if people who either weren't on this site or weren't very involved are now getting involved, which they are well within their rights to do.
I'm angry because this is so disrespectful to me, to my readers, and to other newcommers. Now, I'm not angry at you two, because you have not singled me out the way Cloudy has. I am angry at her.
I am under the impression that many of the top writers are older than me. This is because I get a fair amount of comments from people amazed that I'm so young. Do you know how intimidating it is to be in competition with people who've had more time than I have to hone their talent? You should see the state of my nails!
The day the nominations opened up...well, I was in bed early cause I had to be up for school. When I saw the nominations were open, I went to check it out. Here I am thinking "I'm pretty decent, maybe one of my readers will nominate me". To see that several already had shocked the hell out of me. I can't remember the last time I went off to school in such a good mood.
You see, I look at the long-time Lit writers and they have pages upon pages of glowing comments for their work. I only get a few comments, so I figure I'm not doing as well as them. As I've mentioned, I never check my scores. The only reason I checked the toplist recently is because someone e-mailed me and told me I had the top spot. I don't expect to be able to compete with the top writers here. But I was very touched to see the support my readers gave me. For someone to devalue that support is very upsetting to me.
As I said, I'm sure you can understand that feeling.

 

[cloudy]

If you don't understand why I, and others, found it odd, then you're just being dense. And, I'm not going to apologize for speaking my mind, however upsetting that may be to you.

I've said before that you may be a very talented writer, but it still looked odd. If you have issues with your age or your self-confidence I don't see how that becomes my problem.

I'm through with you. Be mad. *shrug* No skin off my nose.