Guest Blog: Sarah McCarty- "Rabid Fans, You Go Girl!!"

There's this latest trend in the internet community to suggest that authors with a very strong, vocal fan base are somehow damaged by this fan base. That this is a negative thing. (pardon my expression of puzzlement) The fans are referred to as Rabid Fans or Fan Girls. It's not a complimentary term. Promo posts by cliques of authors who have a pact to hype each others books are seen as fine, but let an individual speak up on a bulletin board or blog whose only motivation is the fact that they were so blown away by an author's voice that they have to share, and suddenly, we have suspect, negative behavior.

Quite frankly, I don't get the logic. The ONLY way an author can enthrall a reader to that point is to write a book that touched that reader on every level. A book they can't forget. A book that gave them such joy, they want to share it with others. To me, the ability to write a book that generates that level of excitement in a reader speaks of a strong talent I need to check out. I tend to take with a grain of salt postings from authors recommending other authors from their publishing house as I can't tell if it's a brownie point promo moment or the real thing, but give me an enthusiastic-I'm-blown-away-fan speaking up, and as a reader, I pay attention, because quite frankly, the hunt for a great book is a never ending endeavor.

It's true, enthusiastic fans don't hesitate to speak up when asked who their favorite authors are. They answer questions about the books their favorite authors write when they find them posted. They vote for them in contests. They do what they can for the authors they enjoy by getting the word out about their enjoyment. They do it, in part, because they want to share the thrill they themselves received when they had that special moment of connection with a book that touched their hearts, and they do it because it's a way of saying thank you to that author for that experience. I'm not sure where along the way it was decided that this was a bad thing, but I don't agree. To me, genuine enthusiasm is something so rarely found these days, it's to be appreciated, not scorned.

I confess, there are some authors for which I could be labeled a fan girl; Catherine Anderson, Julie Garwood, Robin Owens, and coming up hard into my fan girl level of enthusiasm, Marjorie Liu, and Sunny. I do not hesitate to recommend these authors to anyone who asks. If I'm in a bookstore and someone asks me for a suggestion, I bebop right on over and hand them a book backed by my opinion of why it's a "must read". If there's a readers choice award I can vote in, I make the effort to give my opinion. In my mind, it's the least I can do for authors who've provided me with so much pleasure through the years. If someone posts a dislike of one of their books online, I counter with my own logical assessment of what I saw as the books strengths. Not every book is going to work for every reader. That being a given, I don't see anything wrong with posting a differing opinion in support of a book I love.

And yes, I've been told by other author's that I have some major league devoted fans. I'm not bothered by it. Truth be told, I'm amazed and flattered. I can't think of a higher compliment an author can receive than having his/her books on someone's keeper shelf and having his/her characters be so vivid in a reader's mind that they can envision them as real people.

My yahoo group has always been a very informal place where we tend discuss books of every type, diets, kids, and the ups and downs of everyday life. Usually, those discussions are full of laughter and wry humor. It's a fun place and we all work to keep it that way. To the point, there are even some members that haven't yet read any of my books but are hanging out for the good time :-) When an accusation got back to the group that "Sarah McCarty has some devoted fans" the resounding response was a laughing, "Heck yeah!" It was seen as a growth moment. The Mobettes had gone from invisible to known. I even created a pin to celebrate the moment. Along with the Mobette logo, it also says, "Rabid Fan and Proud of it!"

So, I have to say, as a rabid fan girl of several authors, I'm not going to apologize. My enthusiasm is genuine and stems from the pleasure those authors' talents have given me. And for those fans of mine who have that level of enthusiasm for my work, there's only one thing to say.

Thank you.

Best,

Sarah