It all began early Friday afternoon when much-loved and well-respected author Liz Fielding reported on her blog that a piece of her work had been blatantly stolen, tweaked, and passed off as the work of someone else. You can read all about it on Liz’s blog post here.

A small group of people from the Facebook group the Seriously Serious Scribes immediately jumped in, providing support to Liz on her Facebook page and on her blog. They shared the news on their own Facebook pages and then off they tootled to do some damage.

First stop was Smashwords where the story in question was being offered as a freebie. The ladies and gents of the SSS reported the offending story to Smashwords as plagiarism and then started to “review” the book as stolen property. I can’t link there any more because the book was swiftly removed.

The plagiarist bobbed on to Liz’s blog and said:

“I cannot begin to describe my shame in releasing what I had done and came here with the hopes that Ms. Fielding my one day accept my apology. I know you can never forgive me because it is an unforgivable sin as an author.
“I did not do this with malicious intent and deeply regret any pain and inconvenience this caused you. 
“As explained on my blog I found this story in a section on my computer where I ‘abandon’ ideas because they were not working out when I first wrote them. In reading it I came up with some ideas that might make it work and tried changing it up a bit. 
“It was never for sale and I did not make any money off the downloads but I am still extremely embarrassed this happened.
“Again I apologize.”

(Typos belong to the plagiarist – I got fed up of keep typing [sic] in so took them all out again …)

This blog comment has since been deleted, by the plagiarist, because straight away it fuelled a whole new barrage of abuse – directed at the plagiarist and not Ms Fielding.

So, of the impression that this may just have been a one-off incident, the SSSs, amongst others by now, continued their rampage and visited the plagiarist on her blog, where the book – and others – was still being publicised. And they started to leave comments on there suggesting that the “author” may prefer to remove the plagiarised work.

The blog comments started to get deleted, so more were added – and deleted again. By the blog owner. Then the pages started to be taken down and all advertising blurb regarding the person’s other “works” disappeared too. Then comments were disabled. And then the blog was taken down.

And so the SSS headed off to Amazon, to where the plagiarist’s other books were being sold … but again, they started to disappear one by one.

Satisfied that they had done their job, the SSSs retired for the evening … only to discover later that the rest of the blogosphere had taken over where they’d left off … because the other books apparently written by the same person were also plagiarised – and different pen names had been used.

And then this comment appeared on Liz’s blog, anonymously this time:

“I’m working as hard and as fast as I can to remove ALL works published under my name or penname. I’ve notified all sites of the issue and linked them to this site. I know it doesn’t excuse anything and I don’t expect it to. Despite assertions to the contrary, it was not intentional and I’m doing everything I can to rectify the situation. Thank you for your patience.”

We’ve since found out that the plagiarist’s books were available on Goodreads and various other places too, and they’re all gradually coming down again.

It wasn’t restricted to just books and stories either. There are further comments on Liz’s blog regarding blog and forum posts that had been lifted by the same person and claimed as their own. With links.

We’ve been warned that the internet is fertile ground for such blatant theft. But this also proves that once you’re found out, you’re found out. And it proves that there’s strength in numbers. We should all join together to fight for writers’ and other creators’ rights.

Our single little solitary “accidental” plagiarist is actually a serial plagiarist … or was the same “mistake” made every single time? Why were these files on the person’s hard drive in the first place? How can any of this be “unintentional”? Not only is this person a thief, but also a liar.

I suspect that someone in the world is feeling very lonely this weekend, but I am proud to be a founding member of the Seriously Serious Scribes.

What do you think about it all?

I have been soooooo busy recently, and I’m absolutely NOT complaining, but I’ve not had chance to even look at Catch the Rainbow for ages. This novel needs to be in circulation by mid-year, and in production by year-end if a regular publisher is going to use it.

So I’m going to give myself a whole weekend off and use it as a writing-retreat-at-home. I’m going to stock up with supplies, pull up the drawbridge, batten down the hatches and – possibly – switch the phones off. And then I’m going to have 2 whole days devoted to just the novel.

Cost stops me taking a writing retreat away at the moment, and I like to be here for the pets. I’ve done this before though, and very successfully too. I just need to decide when to do it again.

My eye test the other day was good. My eyes have hardly changed at all. So we’re just going with reading glasses this time as I really can’t work out the vari-focal things, although for distance they’re great. They said they’d take 7 – 10 days to come in.

It was a glorious day yesterday and I had 2 walks. One was around town to collect 2 parcels; the other was our regular daily dog walk.

I also cleaned out a giant Versailles-style planter my dad gave me for the yard, broke some polystyrene (Styrofoam) into chunks and put those in the bottom (for lightweight drainage and for its thermal properties), and filled it half with compost to stop it blowing over. I checked that there were drainage holes in the bottom and I placed the pot on 3 feet Dad also gave me.

Next time I go shopping I’m going via the garden centre to get a grape vine. This will go in the new giant pot and I should be able to get one for less than £15 (apx $24). When I get the vine, I can top the planter up with compost and give it a good water.

I think one of my minarette apples has died, which is sad, but the other is still okay. When I scrape the bark with a thumbnail, the good one is green underneath, but the other is brown. That’s a shame. I might try further down and then prune back – or I may just need a new apple tree.

I have a huge selection of free seeds to choose from off the front of some gardening magazines. I have one pot already that I tried carrots in last year but the dog destroyed it, so I’ll probably try carrots again. I also have a couple of growing sacks that have handles on so they can be dragged around to suit. There are 2 offers currently in magazines where I can get more of these sacks, with seeds thrown in, for just the postage. But as I’ve not used the ones I have yet, that may be false economy.

This nice weather is making me want to be outside more.

It’s the last weekend of the month, so that means a trip down to my parents’ on Sunday. I have some other stuff to drop off so I might see if they want to go for a run out in the car with me while we’re there – save me adding it on to the start of my journey home.

Have a great weekend.

A dialogue has started between me and the publishers I responded to on Monday, and it already feels nice and friendly.

Yesterday a small package arrived in the post and it was my “prize” for having a letter published in a writing magazine I’ve never had anything published in before. If I said the prize was a Moleskine notebook, most people would know I mean Writers’ Forum magazine – we think it must be the April edition as there’s nothing in the March edition currently out.

I have no idea what to do with a Moleskine notebook … I use shorthand notebooks and Paperchase decorated notebooks, like this one.

And a gig buddy who runs a guitar shop has started an affiliate scheme too, and my link is below. The badge looks as though it was made for the gig list, it looks like it grew there …

So many links today, I seem to be having a LinkFest.

The even better news is that the diary has had an overhaul and I’m fully-booked, chock-a-block to 9 March, and pretty much most of the rest of March is also already booked. BUT … I HAVE cut out the daily competitions slot, shortened my lunch to 30 minutes, and my days finish at 6pm every day with the WHOLE weekend off.

This gives me 35 working hours per week, plus writing the blog and walking the dog, 20 of which are assigned to Pen & Sword. The other 15 hours are writing, invoicing, admin, study.

Next target is a whole day off outside of the weekend, seeing as I didn’t get a proper Christmas holiday.

Here’s my mate’s link.

I had a meeting in town this morning, and I may be entitled to some financial support setting up my new business again. I know I’ve been doing the groundwork for the past few months, but if there’s assistance available, I’d like to try for it. This means I have to write a business plan, preferably before my next meeting next Tuesday. It’s been a long time since I last wrote a business plan. It’ll be a challenge, and fun, and interesting.

Tomorrow I have another appointment in town, this time at the optician. With all of the proof-reading I’ve done recently, I’ve noticed that my near-vision isn’t as great as it could be so I want to get some reading glasses while I’ll still get assistance with those.

While I’m in town I’ll drop off the latest book I finished proof-reading and last week’s invoice (hurrah!). I have another 3 books to proof already in, plus the novel still to edit – but we’re still awaiting the remote-access technology for that anyway. I also have a short story to finalise and submit and an article to get going on.

Later in the week I have another trip into town, this time to collect 2 parcels that Royal Mail were “unable to deliver” this morning, even though I was in … Go figure … Like I need an extra run out this week when I’m already so busy.

I have this basic Work in Progress list on my noticeboard now, and it’s been there for about 3 weeks. It’s brilliant and one of the best visual props I’ve tried. It has the commissioned stuff at the top and the on spec stuff at the bottom, and both lists have the actual or probable income that each job will earn.

When I’ve done the work, and invoiced for the commissioned stuff, the job gets crossed off. I can see at a glance what work I have left to do for this week or month and I can see how much I’m likely to earn from it too. It doesn’t include all the other guff I do, but It’s a good tool to have on hand.

Recently I’ve submitted 2 quotes for further proof-reading work. Both new clients – one a publishing company, one an individual. I’m still waiting to hear from those. And this morning I responded to a call for a British editor from a US publisher, and she’s replied already. I have a test to do and then, if she wants to hire me, there may be some negotiating.

At the weekend I heard from the new client I proof-read the novel for. He said I’d done a great job and that I’d more than earned my corn. That was nice feedback to receive when he was such a new client. Hopefully there will be more work from there in the near future.

This week is a good week for members of ALCS. It’s pay day week. Always a nice little bonus.

Whoo-hoo! Congratulations, Jo. I’ll be emailing you for your snail mail address.

Thanks to everyone who joined in, and thanks to all of those who have already bought a copy. Everyone else (if they want to) can buy a copy of the paperback here, or the Kindle version here.

The good news today is that I have work in. The bad news is it means I can’t go walking. I thought about it and toyed with it, but the sooner I get the work done, the sooner I can invoice, the sooner the money comes in.  I can’t justify the cost of the petrol versus the potential loss of funds and Rufus isn’t being a very good dog just now, so I wouldn’t trust him anyway.

I thought we’d cracked it, I thought he’d learned not to run off when I let him off the lead. He comes back when it’s people he’s chasing after and sometimes he’ll give up chasing them before he reaches them. But if he sees another dog, that’s it.

I think it’s because he only sees me from one week to the next, he’s not mixing with other people or other dogs. So I’m upping the obedience training and getting stricter. I’ve got a clicker/whistle for now, if that doesn’t work, it’s an extended lead and, when I can afford it, puppy school. I’ve decided I’d like to show him, or maybe see how he likes agility fun, and he needs obedience training for both of those.

So, it’s peeing down with rain and I’m stuck indoors. But at least I have some good reading material.

Another good news is that my affiliate account with Pen & Sword is up and running. So if buyers click on my links now, I get commission.

And my final piece of good news – for now – is that I’ve been selected as a book-giver for the 2012 World Book Night. I got my first book choice too, SLEEPYHEAD by MARK BILLINGHAM.

Have a great weekend.

I called my dentist, who said I needed to see my GP. So I called my GP, who said I needed to see my dentist. I made some noise with the GP, and he gave me an appointment for Friday … Friday! Then said to call this morning and they’d see me in an emergency. So I called them this morning, and they refused to see me saying I had to see my dentist …

I think the abscess burst last night, I was in so much pain I would have quite happily held a gun at my dentist’s head – anyone’s head – until he/they removed a tooth, and I’m a bit attached to my teeth. The pain finally went after the cold compress, but I was sick as a dog during the night. Either it was that drug cocktail, or the abscess burst and drained down my throat …

I called my dentist again first thing, and he asked me to go in NOW. So I did, and he gave me some antibiotics, but he did say that as the abscess isn’t due to tooth decay but due to an infection my GP really should have seen me.

There will be a letter of complaint going off to my GP and to whoever else I’m supposed to complain to, and no doubt the story will make it into a national magazine. But at least the pain has gone now, I know it’s going to get better (although the antibiotics taste disgusting), and I can get back on with my work.

The most upsetting thing about all of this is that I had a BakingFest on Sunday and the chronic toothache has meant I haven’t been able to enjoy the crusty bread rolls I baked or the orange and raisin loaf. In fact, I’ve been on gloopy food for the past few days – the scales will be pleased with me, no doubt.

So, to work.

As I was in town on Tuesday I nipped in to pick up another book to proof. I thought there would be 2, but apparently one was quite long, a teeny-tiny font, and my lovely-already-editor didn’t think I’d enjoy it. So, as I already have a very nice pile of work from them anyway, and as he does try to send me ones I’ll like, someone else copped for that one. But he did have this replacement. He also said he has at least 2 more, so he’s going to print those off for when I pop in again.

I could have taken one back to him today, as I was going to the dentist, but as the dentist wanted to see me first thing, that one will go back tomorrow instead.

I missed a competition deadline yesterday, which I’m also sore about. But I’ve not been well for a couple of days with this abscess and, again, it’s a story I was writing anyway but just fielding via the competition. I need to knuckle down and start planning my time better. It’s very well missing competition deadlines, although quite undisciplined, but not acceptable to miss commercial or professional deadlines.

There’s a Ramblers’ meeting tonight, but I may send my apologies for that and catch up on some work. I’m still on target to join them on Saturday afternoon, though.

Today is the last day to enter the competition for a free copy of TWEE TALES. The link is here.

The combination of stress and work (and possibly lack of funds at the moment) has caused the abscess on my jaw to flare up. This happens when I’m stressed or low, and as I’m not feeling very low … I can take anti-inflammatories and painkillers for it and see if it dies down again. If it doesn’t die down it means a trip to the dentist … and he’ll have to remove a healthy tooth so he can drain it (gulp) … OR root canal work (gulp).

I think we can all guess which way my fingers are crossed for.

We think we had the desired effect with the protest. A major national women’s weekly magazine is, basically, trying to fleece its short story writers. We’re sick of this keep happening and if we can’t convince the magazines to pay a decent wage to the people who fill their commercially viable pages then we have to convince the writers not to write for them.

We don’t work for free, thank you. Would you?

The diary has had an overhaul this week. I’m hoping I can shift 3 non-fiction books (proof-reading) and 2 short stories. I dropped one of the stories (for now) because it won’t make the deadline. I’ll use it eventually, though. I’ll just skip the Feb competition I was going to field it via first.

Working all week and all weekend is making Diane very grumpy. So with the diary overhaul I’m hoping to be finished by 6pm every day this week and have the weekend off – which was the original plan, but when needs must …

The Ramblers have a 6 mile easy Saturday afternoon walk over in Slaithwaite and I want to join them for that.

Are you ready? Faint-hearted, look away now:

• I’m just finishing proof-reading a novel
• I’m proof-reading a non-fiction book
• 3 more books to proof already in
• there’s *another* on the way
• 2 quoted private proof-reading jobs pending
• a novel to edit
• 3 short stories to write – due 14 Feb, 16 Feb and 21 Feb
• a novel to write
• AND an article to write by 25 Feb …

And the Ramblers wonder if I’d like to edit their area newsletter … :-/

This is, of course, very good. All of my hard work over Christmas is paying off and I’m incredibly happy. But I’m also incredibly busy. I can hardly wait until I’m incredibly rich too.

On a lighter note, I’ll soon be an affiliate with Pen & Sword. This means whenever someone buys a book as a result of the links on my book page, I’ll get a royalty. And quite a nice one too. So please, if you’d like to buy any of the books I’ve worked on for them, follow my link first and I’ll get a bonus. Ta very much. Oh, and take a look anyway. The more books page is gorgeous.

I also still have a book giveaway running until next Wednesday (15 Feb). Follow this link to take part if you haven’t already, and thanks to those who have.

I’m also incredibly grateful to all the people who have bought TWEE TALES already. This book is doing so well compared to the first one and I really don’t understand why. Perhaps someone will tell me one day.

Here is my author page at Amazon UK; here is my author page at Amazon US; and here is my author page at Lulu.

Okay, that list … later.

I’ve been working hard, promoting the new book, proof-reading the WIP, writing short stories and fillers.

Now that I have the proof-reading and editing coming in on a regular basis (although we’re still waiting for the editing software to work remotely), I don’t have to worry about writing articles I don’t really fancy writing. Instead I can concentrate on fiction again, short stories and novels.

This is good, and I’m very happy with that. And if my short stories don’t sell, I’ll just publish another anthology. But I’m entering competitions too so that I get feedback.

I have a new list on my noticeboard, it’s a WIP list that has all the jobs I have “in” at the moment. I currently have 5 books to proof, 1 to edit, 1 to post back, 3 short stories to write (2 of them for competitions). And, of course, the novel.

The two competitions have deadlines of 14 and 16 February, so those will be the fiction projects I’ll be concentrating on. I’ll also plod through the books in the order in which they arrived.

Since I started with this list I’ve almost forgotten about the diary, but that has other stuff in such as appointments and other jobs and chores that need doing.

I’m constantly watching the sky for snow, but I think we’ve had our lot for now. It is very, very cold, however. I’m glad I don’t have to go anywhere.

I was trawling through my old submissions to see if anything was worth dusting off and sending out, and I started to organise my old successes. It made me think it was a pity they were all sat there doing nothing, but as there’s not much market for reprints – and, let’s face it, there’s not much market for brand new short stories these days either – they seemed destined to collect dust.

And then I had a mild brain murmur. I’d select some of them, add a few new ones, and publish an anthology. I don’t know where these ideas come from sometimes. I was already ridiculously busy, but 1 February is  good date for a new book, and 1 February was looming large. I thought I’d get the bulk of my work done before indulging myself … and then I remembered that Lulu had a free shipping promotion that ended on 31 January.

It would be a bit mean if I published a new book the day after the free shipping offer ran out … so I worked day and night (on the “day job” and the self-indulgence) to get the book published by Sunday – and with at least 3 days left of the free shipping offer.

TWEE TALES  is a collection of 12 published, broadcast and brand new short stories. The cover photograph, a wraparound and one of mine, was taken at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. I’m seriously in love with this photograph, so much so I’ve reproduced the whole thing here:

Buy TWEE TALES  from Lulu for just £3.39 + p&p. The free shipping offer has expired now, but there is a 20% discount available on all purchases until 3 February. All you have to do is quote CHERUBUK at the checkout. The book is also available on Kindle - in the UK for just £1.78, Europe, and in the US for just $2.80, although I can’t seem to get the US basket to work at the moment and it’s supposed to be $2.99 anyway.

This one is flying off the shelves already, I’m delighted to say. I don’t know why, perhaps I’ll get some feedback.

If you would like to win a FREE copy, all you have to do is comment below. I’ll get Rufus to do a draw in 2 weeks time – 15 February.

I’m taking today off. I was supposed to be at the optician’s in Leicester, but we had to change the appointment. As I was so busy, and as I was driving down today anyway, we also postponed my Sunday visit with my mom and dad. So I’m taking Rufus to see them today instead, where I’ll be miles away from a computer so unable to do anything. Or that’s the plan …

Play nicely.