Okay, so I'm a hard core JR Ward fan. Seriously in love with the Black Dagger Brotherhood and have been anxiously awaiting Rehvenge's story in LOVER AVENGED. Not just a little anxious, but big time, as I pre-ordered it online knowing I wouldn't be able to get to a store on April 28 and well aware I didn't want to wait a moment longer. The book arrived the day after I completed my latest book, DemonFire, which is the first story in my new Demon Slayers series for Kensington Zebra, so I was ready. I curled up on the couch, the house was quiet, and I started to read.
Now, if you're really into a series, ANY series, you know what it's like when you start a new story. You already love the world or you wouldn't be buying the books--in this case, forking over WAY more than I should have for hardcover. LOVER AVENGED is a huge book--close to 600 pages, and I was all the way to page 368 when I went to 369, AND IT WAS FRICKIN' GONE! TORN OUT, JUST A LITTLE PIECE STUCK NEAR THE BOTTOM!!! I sat there for a good five minutes in total disbelief--I had been so caught up in the story that it was like getting physically ripped out of another dimension.
Finally I set the book down and decided to walk away for a minute. Had to leave Caldwell, NY and all the brothers and return to my own dimension, which, of course, meant checking email and going on Facebook, where I did a primal scream and told the world what had happened.
Within SECONDS I had a reply from a Facebook friend, a woman I've never met but someone who took pity on me, scanned both sides of the missing page and emailed them to me. Liz from Colorado has been elevated to heroine status in my book--the pages arrived, I went downstairs and crawled back into the BDB world and stayed up half the night to finish the book, but I realized, as I closed the pages, that what had occurred would have been impossible just a few short years ago.
It also reminded me what terrific people we are privileged to meet through various online communities. Sometimes I complain about what a time suck Facebook and MySpace and even blogging can be, and then I realize what an important connection the Internet has given me with people I'd otherwise never have a chance to meet. There are wonderful folks I've met through my newsletter that I have gotten to meet in real life on the occasional trips my husband and I take--others I've gotten to know through Facebook and MySpace, through replying to their emails about Wolf Tales, all individuals I never would have met if not for this medium that can be either a boon or a blessing.
For what it's worth, the Internet has changed my life, and I'd have to say it's all in a good way. What about you? Can you think of something that's happened in your life that's been totally due to people you've met online? A change in your career, maybe someone you've met you might never have known? I started thinking of all the things that have changed for me, and realized I could go on for days, from my first published books that were digital, to Liz sending me pages 369 and 370 after taking pity on my total frustration. We are a digitally connected world, from Twitter to MySpace, to Facebook, blogs and plain old email. And it's not impersonal at all--it's one more way to connect with some truly fantastic people.
And Liz, this is my public thank you for making this latest book even more special for me--that someone I have never met would take the time to scan and send me the missing pages meant more than you can possibly realize.
Posted by Kate Douglas ::
10:03 AM ::
6 comments
