Tuesday Tidbits

There are many things I have learned thus so far on my journey to become a published author. With my debut novel, Raine, set to release on November 10th, the ride to get to this point has been an emotional roller coaster.

Some lessons have been wonderful, others have been a bit heartbreaking.

One major heartbreak I've discovered isn't of my own accord. It's been watching authors that I admire and respect deal with plagiarism and piracy. It's a heartbreaking situation to find out that your hard work and inner most thoughts have been stolen from you in any way.

If you haven't been following the crazy case of Sam Taylor Mullens and Rachel Ann Nunes, you've been missing a lot in the way of the most unheard of plagiarizing case I've ever hear. Some of the details include copy and pasting from one author's christian novel, adding explicit sex scenes, and attempting to publish it under her pseudonym, Sam Taylor Mullens. It doesn't stop there as she also appeared to copy and paste a dramatic fight scene from a returned vet's biography in her debut novel. The drama didn't stop with the detection of the thievery either. It was only the beginning as a round of internet and online bullying began as Same Taylor Mullens, aka Tiffanie Rushton, who happens to be a 3rd grade teacher in Utah, began setting up fake accounts using her student names to badger Nunes into backing down.

Many have blogged in detail about this case. Rather than reinvent the wheel, the links to these blogs are listed here. The John Doppler Effect  Rachel Ann Nunes Blog  Huffington Post Report

This case is truly a devastating one for authors everywhere. Why? Because plagiarism isn't all that uncommon. People have their work stolen daily and with the publishing world so digital these days, it's also easier for people to steal another authors hard work.

Piracy is also on the rise with all the digital copies of copyrighted material finding their way onto torrent sites. Music, books, movies; all copyright material that people knowingly add to sites for others to download without paying. An author friend of mine, Danielle Thorne, found five of her books on a piracy site.

I think this has all been weighing on me because I've said nothing thus far. I want my voice to be among those that stand up against plagiarism and piracy.  Authors work hard for their stories to be born. Countless hours go into creating something for others to enjoy. The joy of writing is one thing, the courage to share it is another, and when those hard working hours are stolen, it is disheartening.

Don't support those who plagiarize or pirate by downloading their material. Purchase it and support your favorite authors, musicians, actors, etc,  Follow the case of Ms Rushton vs. Ms. Nunes and if you can, show support by donating to Rachel Ann Nunes legal fees.