A Good Thing and a Not-So-Good Thing

[lagilman]

First, the Good Thing:

I can now confirm that the intro to my story collection DRAGON VIRUS will be written by Walter Jon Williams. *does Snoopy dance* (never say anything until it's handed in, that's the rule). And now I am all verklempt because he Got It. And said nice things he didn't have to (yeah, it's An Introduction, but you can intro and not Discuss, and he Discuses. And that is Praise.)

[and there's still time to pre-order DRAGON VIRUS and not only save $3, but get $1 of my share sent to Doctors Without Borders for their Japan campaign!]



And the Less-Good Thing.

A blogger-reviewer gave PACK OF LIES a good review. But I'm not going to link it. Why?

Because she refers to Laurie Ann Gilman.

*headdesks into eternity*

EtA2: and the blogger has responded to my email and corrected the error. I leave the following comment up because it is an on-going thing, along with people who insist that they have the family-and-friends right to shorten my name without asking. Names are important.

Yes, it really does bother me that much when you get my name wrong. It's not that difficult to spell, it's really easy to pronounce, and for fuck's sake it's right there on the book cover in front of you.....


EtA: before anyone else accuses me of being a horrible no-good person for being annoyed when my name is mangled, yes I did drop the blogger a note pointing out the error, and no, I don't think it was malice or stupidity but carelessness. But it's my name and being called "Laurie" is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

Ah well.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Yay for WJW! He's so cool (and one day I will be able to speak to him without blushing and talking to his shoes).
But getting your name wrong in public is unacceptable. Have you pointed it out? They should correct it as a matter of simple courtesy. My sympathy. (People get my name wrong all the time, particularly the surnames -- neither is easy, apparently. It doesn't impress me.)

[lagilman]

WJW is very cool.

And yes, I have sent an email. And, based on the responses in the rest of this thread, apparently I am a horrible, horrible person for being annoyed at the mangling of my name.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Well, for what's it's worth, I do not consider you horrible for requesting, politely, that the website cites your name correctly. Carelessness is not a global get-out clause.
Kari -- who hates to be called Keri.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by a typo? My fingers have been known to type what *they* expect, rather than the info I sent them . . .

Have you contacted the reviewer?

This

[paradoox.livejournal.com]

Yes, have you contacted the blogger to ask them to fix it? Since it is online it should be pretty easy.

[lagilman]

I have, and I don't really remember attributing anything to malice. Please point out where I showed anything other than annoyance in my own journal at the mangling of my name, and I will amend and apologize.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

A feeble attempt at humor, Ma'am, reworking a fairly well-known saying. Delete it, if such be your whim.

[lagilman]

and had I not been scolded downstream for voicing my annoyance, I probably would not have reacted so to your comment. Fair enough.

[romsfuulynn.livejournal.com]

I can understand the typo making you crazy. But I'd strongly suggest taking this down (and the comments) and recasting this. Unless you plan on never making a typographical error in your entire future career.

[paradoox.livejournal.com]

Or make this post friends locked?

(In which case I won't see it anymore ...)

[lagilman]

Oh for... If my annoyance at having my name mangled offends you, then I am sorry for that. However, I refuse to apologize for being annoyed. I fail to see where I have done such a horrible no-good, offensive thing.

[paradoox.livejournal.com]

Um, I think you misunderstood me.

I can certainly understand your annoyance at having your named mangled. I'm annoyed when people mis-spell or mis-pronounce my name including my boss and my name is a lot harder than yours.

My comment about my not seeing it if you make it friends locked was a hint that I'm not on your friends list.

I'm sorry if I offended you or stepped into something.

I think I'll just go hide under a rock now.

[lagilman]

ah, okay. I thought you were telling me I should not be public with my annoyance. Gotcha.

[lagilman]

I'm sorry if my annoyance at this annoys you. Normally when people drop the "e" from my name I just sigh and ask for a correction. But "Laurie" isn't a typo, it's the wrong name.


And yes, I sent an email to the blogger in question, who I am sure will correct it. I did not identify the blogger nor link and point, I merely in my own journal, evinced annoyance. Again, if this offends you, I am sorry that I caused that offense. But I will not apologize for being annoyed.

[girasole.livejournal.com]

I am absolutely on your side. Your name isn't even difficult, relatively speaking. It is the most basic courtesy to get someone's name right. (I have a very long name with many syllables, and it makes me crazy, too, when people get it wrong.)

[klingonguy.livejournal.com]

Hooray for intros by WJW (he provided one of the cover blurbs on my new novel!).

I am now extra pleased that I already ordered this book.

[icedrake.livejournal.com]

At least when people screw up my name (and I assure you, I get annoyed), they have the excuse of it containing phoneme combinations largely absent from the English language.

[ex-fashioni.livejournal.com]

Oh, how I feel you on the name thing. Realllllly feel you.

But YAY on the intro!!

[difrancis.livejournal.com]

I frequently shorten my name to Di, partly because I get a lot of Diane references and partly because I like Di. But sometimes people add e to the end. Die. uh huh. And you can hear it in the way they say it, too, when they speak it. Sigh.

[smoemeth.livejournal.com]

As someone whose name has only been spelled correctly on the first try without assistance 9 times in her entire life, oh how I feel your pain.

Also, my employer uses a less-than-conventional spelling of her first name, and it blows my mind how many people, especially reviewers, get it wrong. Um, people, it's RIGHT THERE ON THE CD COVER YOU'RE LOOKING AT. (My favorite was the review where not only did they get her name, but also the album title wrong. *headdesk*)

[music-lover3.livejournal.com]

People always spell my name wrong even when they are looking at the correct spelling and it greatly annoys me, so I completely understand where you are coming from.

And congrats on the intro!

[blazedglory.livejournal.com]

Names are important, or we'd just name our children "Offspring One" and be done with it.

I'm always puzzled by the tendency of people to get my daughter Eliora's name wrong: Eleanor, Liora, or Elora. I get people asking how to spell it; it's conceivable that some may use a "y" instead of an "i." Or ... Nope. Don't really get it after all. More amazing? People who read it and still pronounce it incorrectly. How hard can it be?

Yay on WJW! And I've been wondering what to do with my birthday money...