Then there are all the authors who sponsor or contribute to charity auctions almost non-stop- Laurell Hamilton, for example, although I know there are many, many more.

As for online presence making a difference, Annie Dean/Ann Aguirre is a good example. I very seldom read non-paranormal, straight contemporaries. But I enjoy Annie’s online voice so much that I wanted to read her written “voice”. And, you know what? I enjoyed that, too!

Renee Bernard is another author who’s written “voice” I wanted to “hear” after she filled in for Robin Schone to head the erotica panels at RT Con 2006 in Daytona. I was not the only one there that enjoyed her so much that I made a point of buying (and enjoying) “A Lady’s Pleasure” when it was released a few months later.

Charlaine Harris and Maryjanice Davidson’s presence at the con also convinced me to give their Sookie and Betsy series another try after I realized that I wasn’t “hearing” their voice when I first tried them. Now, I eagerly anticipate the release of their books in audio format.

Fabulous list and I have to agree that Charlene Teglia is right up there with the best.

As always, thanks for some good reading.

EC

Great post, and I loved that you included Charlene for her writing. I'll note that she's also a generous supporter of other writers, sharing ideas and insight.

I’ll second that. I know it’s ever so hard to believe, but there are writers who often show a gracious public face to readers, while playing not so nice with their fellow authors behind the scenes. Charlene is not only a talented writer, but a genuinely wonderful person.

Authors like Jennifer Crusie (Unfortunate Miss Fortunes), Eloisa James (Desperate Duchesses), and Julia Quinn (The Secret Diaries of Miranda Cheever) tirelessly share their knowledge of writing, for free, with aspiring writers.

Those of us who spend/have spent a significant amount of time on the eHarlequin boards (I know there are a few here, at least), know countless authors who give back, but I’d like to personally mention three whose generosity with time and knowledge significantly changed my writing path: Karen Templeton (SIM, SSE, etc), Patricia McLinn (SSE) and Deborah Hale (HH, Luna). They’re not only incredibly talented authors, but wicked awesome ladies, too.

Posts on the internet never die, they lie in wait until you contradict yourself and someone digs it up and makes the poster look the fool.

:)

Hopefully your column will remind all of us that if a reader doesn’t like a book it doesn’t by any means imply that we don’t appreciate or respect the author in other contexts (or by contrast that if we love a book that doesn’t mean we want the author to be our new BFF).

Would I love it if every book I adored had an author-persona behind it that was equally cool? Hell, yes! But when it comes to reading, I don’t care one whit about the author-persona — just give me killer books. When it comes to the online thing, though, the landscape changes and I can enjoy many author-members of the community regardless of whether or not I think they’re writing top-notch Romance.

An author is responsible for her (or his) public face, and, since writing is a business, needs to accept that what she puts out on the internet affects others perception of her and her work.

Completely agree with that statement.