Shall We Say Hasta La Vista to Patricia's Vampire Notes?

I started blogging as a way to let readers know
about what was being published in the
vampire/paranormal fiction world. I think
it was my librarian soul wanting to get out the
word about all the neat books to choose from.

Patricia Altner, Patricia's Vampire Notes 

 

Last week, among the brouhaha about the YA Mafia (and here and here) there was much discussion about the roles for authors and the role of bloggers. Most people seemed to think that authors and bloggers should be distinct from one another, and that bloggers are not authors' friends. Well, I'm not a big one for rigid rules (except that you shouldn't ruin a good champagne by using it in mimosas), and I didn't see the sense in these rules.

In my half-decade of blogging, I've gotten to know several reviewers on a level that goes beyond "please read my novel, thank you." I've learned their opinions about books, something of their real life, and a little about their other interests. I've come to trust them, like them, and care for them. When they stop blogging, I miss them. When I've been worried, I've even stalked them across international borders (that's you SciFi Guy!) to make sure everything's okay.

In the early days, before the huge vampire/paranormal trend and the thousands of blogs dedicated to the genre, Patricia Altner was writing thoughtful, thorough genre reviews at Patricia's Vampire Notes.  Patricia, a former librarian, treated the paranormal/urban fantasy books seriously, and had even written a guide to them, Vampire Readings: An Annotated Guide (1998).

I can't remember exactly how we became acquainted. I probably wrote to her and asked, "Can you review my book?" She liked my writing and "got" what I was trying to do. We've exchanged many emails over the years. After getting multiple rejections for my YA manuscript and being told to give up on it, I shared it with a few trusted readers, including Patricia. She loved it and encouraged me. That manuscript became Dark Companion, which will be published in July.

When debut authors were trying to figure out how to promo their books, I often sent them to Patricia because she's always supported new authors as well as established and famous authors. (Yes, she's interviewed Stephanie Meyer and Charlaine Harris.) She never became involved in online shenanigans, but was always had a librarian's voice, more concerned with creating a calm place to read than drama.

Patricia was never really one for self-promotion. When she ran contests on her blog, they were simple. She didn't constantly ask for followers or links or even reviews when she put out an updated edition of her book. She was always in it for the love of the genre.

After her many years of blogging, Patricia's going to take a break. She'll still post occasionally at author Michele Hauf's terrific VampChix site, as well as her Vampire Readings website, a directory of vampy books. She also has a family blog, The Traveling Altners.

She has certainly earned it. But I will miss her. But I'm not saying good-bye, only hasta la vista -- we'll see you later, Patricia! Thank you for all you've done for book writers and book lovers. The current lively state of bloggers/reviewers wouldn't be here without the foundation that you helped establish.

You can read my interview with Patricia here.

GRATUITOUS VIDEOS OF THE DAY

The theme for today is partings -- saying goodbye, or adieu, or so long, or see you later.



I don't especially like the overlay of images, but I do like the sentiment.