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L.J. Diva

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A.J. Finn issues an apology to The New Yorker

by Filed Under: Authors & Books, Business & Legalities, Humans & Behaviour Leave a Comment

Last week I discussed author A.J. Finn’s notoriously bad behaviour in publishing circles and how far it had gotten him.

This week, he issued an apology to The New Yorker magazine via a PR firm.

Yep, he used a PR firm!

The story in The New Yorker is doing the rounds. Multiple websites have stories, read here, read here, read here, he even made it into a Reddit discussion. And I’m sure many more people and blogged, and done news stories on it because it was a fascinating piece to read.

However…

The narcissism is still riding high. He’s blaming everything on the stress of having bipolar, his mother actually having cancer at one stage, and the stress of his life.

I’m calling bullshit on all of that too.

What happens to you in your childhood, may affect your adulthood, but as an adult YOU choose how to behave and live.

Nothing else.

He CHOSE to lie and manipulate everything for his own benefit, and I still hope his little house of cards comes a tumblin’ down.

 

The meteoric rise of A.J. Finn, and the fall that’s bound to come with it.

by Filed Under: Authors & Books, Business & Legalities, Humans & Behaviour, Publishing Leave a Comment

Last year, on Aussie tv, I saw an interview with author A.J. Finn. I didn’t know who he/she was, had never heard of, or seen he/she before, so had no idea whether he/she was a man or woman.

Turns out, he was a man.

The book he was flogging, The Woman in the Window, seemed interesting, and I borrowed it from my local library.

I didn’t give it a flattering review, but you can read it here…

I found him to be very hyper, always talking, moving frenetically. I wondered if he was on drugs. He mentioned his mother was with him on the tour and in the audience. He mentioned he had bipolar. I thought, huh, okay, maybe that’s why he’s so hyper.

Little did I know…

This week The New Yorker magazine has come out with a blasting expose on A.J. Finn, also known as Dan Mallory and you can read it here…

It goes in depth into his life, his past, his family. Interviews have been conducted, people have been spoken too, and the lies that came out about his life and career are more than telling. It really makes you wonder how liars get away with so much.

From his lies about the death of his mother, the suicide of his brother (both are supposedly still alive), to claiming he had cancer, to social climbing his way through publishing houses and claiming to have discovered authors, to lying about another publishing house wanting him to gain a raise with the house he was already with.

When his book, The Woman in the Window was being auctioned, it created a publishing frenzy. And then those houses found out who the author was and dropped out of the running. William Morrow, who employed Mallory at the time, scored the book and a second in a deal that one New Yorker joked, “The call was coming from inside the house!” Of course they wanted to keep him in house, they would have known he was trouble. 

Fox 2000 bought the rights to the movie which is coming out this year. It was reported he’d earned about two million out of it and no longer had to work. But as we all know, if you don’t work and blow through the money you have, you eventually end up with none. So, I wonder what he’s coming up with next?

The Stylist website have also done a story on him, but in a rather weird twist, made the article all about female authors and how publishing houses treat them, with the damning title of – “This exposé of a crime writer is a damning indictment of the way publishing treats women”.

Seriously!?

The story is not about female authors, it’s about a highly narcissistic male and the lies he told to get where and what he wanted. It ISN’T about female authors, but there will always be one who has to turn everything around to be about them. They sampled twitter replies about the article and Dan Mallory, and all of them turned the story around to be about female authors.

AGAIN, NOT ABOUT FEMALE AUTHORS!

I get really sick and tired of seeing women constantly make everything about them, and yes, I am a woman. For once in your freakin’ lives, read, see, hear what the actual story is about, and not what you WANT IT to be about. IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU AND FEMALE AUTHORS!

It’s about a man who has lied his way through life and used everybody and everything to get what he wanted, and the people who allowed it to happen and turned a blind eye to his revoltingly nasty ways.

I certainly won’t be watching the movie. To quote myself from my book review, “I know this is being made into a movie with Amy Adams, but I have no need to watch it since I’ve read it, and don’t want to see the stupidity of this character on the screen”.

I really hope that Dan Mallory falls from his pedestal, or burns his wings on the sun, because egotistical narcissists like him just don’t need to have their egos stroked.

 

L.J. Diva’s Writing Plans for 2019

by Filed Under: L.J. Diva's Books, Publishing, Writing Leave a Comment

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Since I’m here at a new site, and you may not be able to follow me on the google blog roll anymore, I’m still at bloglovin’.

 

Now, let’s get on with my plans for 2019…

 

(1) Under Tiara King I have these planned…

– 1.1 – see whether it will be worthwhile updating my two paperbacks, How To Be A Jewel Diva and Closet Confidential.

– 1.2 – I added style sheets to the interiors in 2018, which will also be given away for free as a download on my style website when people sign up to an email list once I get it done. I will re-release under my own imprint, but it’s a matter of whether I have time, and if I can get the damn newsletter/sign up happening.

 

– 2.1 – I still want to get my jewellery back into its own website. Selling has been on hold for the last few years due to money, time and energy. I’m still looking for wordpress templates that would suit the type of website look I want, but with everything else going on, this won’t happen for some time.

 

(2) Under T.K. Wrathbone I have these planned…

– 1.1 – The paperback version of last year’s stories is done and will be released in March 2019

 

– 2.1 – Get three stories written up, typed up, edited, and out along with an anthology, and do the e-covers.

– 2.2 – Release all four in October for Halloween.

– 2.3 – Get the paperback version done ready for release next year.

 

– 3 – Overhaul the website and give it a front page.

 

(3) Under L.J. Diva I have these planned…

– 1.1 – Put the next book, DeLuca through several rounds of editing

– 1.2 – Get it to my editor this month, and then edit some more.

– 1.3 – Get the cover finished, and release it as an e-book in March.

– 1.4 – Then comes the paperback interior and cover for release in September.

 

– 2.1 – Get the next book in the series, Spiros & Jenny, written in March

– 2.2 – Type it up through the year and put it through 3-4 rounds of editing.

– 2.3 – Send it off to my editor at some point in July or August.

– 2.4 – Release it in September as an e-book along with the paperback of DeLuca.

– 2.5 – Then comes the paperback interior and cover for a 2020 release.

 

– 3 – Start on the Porn Star Brothers Short Story Collection. At least get them written, and then they can be typed up through the months and edited. I’m hoping to release them as boxed sets through 2020, that way I can write 10-40 pages per story, and not 40 pages per story, so they will get done quicker.

 

– 4 – I still want to re-release my four standalone novels.  The covers are nearly done, and I’ve nearly finished the interiors. All they will need is for the paperbacks to be proofed before release. Hopefully that will be by June, as that is my deadline for getting all four novels out to the public.

 

As you can see, not a lot to do this year overall, just following through with the rest of Porn Stars and the yearly T.K. Wrathbone stories, and finishing what was started late last year, my novels, which will soon be done, and then there are only three books left to move over to my publishing house name in paperback. Although all three are going to go through the updating process, and may not come out again until 2020, so that may be the plan for then.

 

So, what are your plans for the year ahead?

 

A Brand New Year, A Brand New Site, and What I Did Over The Holidays!

by Filed Under: Business & Legalities, Websites & Social Media Leave a Comment

 

Yes, here I am!

Here at L.J. Diva, the official website.

For those who don’t know, I had my dear old Blogger blog migrated on Jan 21st, 2019. It’s the start of a new era for me. Ten years I was at blogger, ten years I had that blog, but, 2019 is my year to cut and cull.

Again!

Every year I cull some social media, some emails, some web pages. This year I will be culling massive amounts of email adds. I have emails for all of my websites and multiple adds for multiple reasons. Outlook, live, hotmail, gmail, ymail, they just have to go.

Over the next month I will be slowly culling all of my excess baggage, along with my weight, yep, on another diet, and hopefully, it will refine and define my online business so it is easier to deal with.

 

As for all of the blog posts here at L.J. Diva…

Well, they came over from Blogger. I will be updating or deleting some I no longer think are worthy of being here. Or, are just embarrassing and hideous and I no longer want around. 10 years worth aren’t really worth it in the grand scheme of things. And it’s a new start here on the new site for 2019.

For those who are new, when I started my blog it was called Bitchfest! I then changed it to A Bitchfest! Lovefest!, it was then Lady Jewels Diva, and in it’s final incarnation, it was L.J. Diva. When I started, I swore, so if you don’t like swearing, don’t go back. For those who don’t care, feel free. I blogged about a lot of things, some, received massive attention and scored many comments, but over the last five or so years, I’ve toned down and written more about publishing, writing, books and movies I’ve read. I don’t feel the need to comment on everything in the world anymore, only when I feel like it.

And, since migrating comes with issues, I only went through the last year’s worth of posts and fixed issues, any from 2017 and beyond, I’m not going to worry about, so ignore the horrible issues that came with migrating.

 

As with every year, I’m sticking around and here’s what I got up to over the holidays.

December 1 – started low calorie diet, also started wardrobe overhaul

December 2 – as above

December 3 – as above

December 4 – skin cancer clinic, had mole cut off right inner knee, continued wardrobe overhaul

December 5 – two doctor’s appointments, some shopping

December 6 – shopping, library, usual

December 7 – washing, housework

December 8 – chiro visit in the morning, started jewellery overhauls

December 9, 10, 11, 12 –  continued jewellery overhaul, cleaning, repairs, reorganising

December 13 – shopping, library

December 14 – washing, housework

December 15 – got stuff done

December 16 – xmas shopping, library

December 17 – continued stuff

December 18 – cancer clinic for stitches out. Borderline melanoma

December 19 – continued stuff

December 20 – shopping, chiro, library

December 21 – washing, housework, weighed self, lost 1 stone/6.5 kilos/14 pounds

December 22 – continued stuff

December 23 – as above

December 24 – ran out to get lunch and dessert, watched carols on tv and had munchies

December 25 – home, some work, sister came round

December 26 – some more work

December 27 – shopping, freakin’ hot

December 28 – washing, finished off all of the above

December 29 – as above

December 30 – as above

December 31 – watched New Year’s celebrations and had munchies

January 1 – started new publishing list for this year, weighed self, gained 3 kilos/7 pounds, back to diet

January 2 – sorted out diaries and finished off others

January 3 – shopping, freakin’ hot

January 4 – washing, stuff

January 5 – edited next novel, DeLuca

January 6 – as above

January 7 – as above

January 8 – shopped online

January 9 – edited DeLuca

January 10 – shopping, library

January 11 – washing, finished off stuff, got some blog posts scheduled and planned ahead

January 12 – edited DeLuca

January 13 – as above

January 14 – did back matter updating

January 15 – started Stefan pb edit, 300 pages

January 16 – continued Stefan edit

January 17 – shopping early as it was hot, library, more Stefan edit

January 18 – started scheduling blog posts

January 19 – went back to hand writing and wrote more of DeLuca

January 20 – as above

January 21 – had L.J. Diva blog migrated, dealt with some business

January 22 – finished editing the paperback proof of Stefan

January 23 – tried to get shit done online, holy hell it’s hot here. Tidied up last year’s blog posts.

January 24 – shopping, library, chemist, burgers for lunch

January 25 – washing, caught up on excess stuff and leftovers and dealt with website stuff

January 26 – back to handwriting more Deluca, finished off other things

January 27 – sister came over, some reading

January 28 – editing

January 29 – edited books and dealt with website stuff

January 30 – typed up rest of DeLuca

January 31 – shopping, library

 

So, what did you guys get up to over the holidays?

 

And, since I now have to claim this blog on Bloglovin’, here is the link – Follow my blog with Bloglovin

 

Happy 10th Blog Blogaversary Birthday to Me….. I’m Moving!!!!

by Filed Under: Holidays & Festivities, Websites & Social Media Leave a Comment



That’s right, this little old blog turned 10 today.

On January 1st, 2009, it started as Bitchfest! under the domain of jewelsdiva.com.au. Over the years, it has grown by name, A Bitchfest! Lovefest! to Lady Jewels Diva, to the same domain just last year of ladyjewelsdiva.com.

But now, with the brand spankin’ new author site LJDiva.com being released late 2017, I have decided to cut and cull my social media just that little bit more, and have tidied up all of the labels here to be cleaner and leaner.

This blog is moving to my author website on WordPress sometime this month.

After ten years, lots of love, and definitely LOTS of colour, we will be setting up our new home over at L.J. Diva. 

It’s nothing new for authors to link up or migrate old Blogger blogs to their new WordPress websites. WordPress has it all over Blogger/Blogspot/Google who have not given bloggers the opportunity to be too much in control.

On WordPress, you are in control of your website and how it looks, with millions of themes available to use, whereas Blogger doesn’t give you much. Although I will miss my kiss background, my huge header space, my side bar (although you do get one on WordPress) and all the wonderfully colourful stuff I’ve done with it, it’s time to adultify myself and move my blog to my adult author website.

Blogger does, however, give you Blogroll, so I will be keeping this profile for now as this blog will be here for the next few months, giving an updated post so people know where I’ve gone. Hopefully you’ll follow me over at my website and continue to post, or even on Tumblr where I send this blog to, same as Google+. If I remember, you can follow WordPress blogs in Blogroll, so I won’t be too hard to find. And I find it better to use than Bloglovin, although my blog is there as well for those on it.

However, when it comes to comments, I may not be providing many on yours. My apologies in advance, but with everything going on in my life (especially the last three years), with the way times have changed, the age I’ve gotten to, all of the books I need to write and have written, and having been doing this for ten years, I’m buggered. Literally! And I need to cut and cull as much as possible and that means no longer following blogs and commenting. 

It’s nice taking December and January off without worrying about posting or leaving comments. Instagram and Facebook is where I find all of my info these days and see what’s going on in the world, or there’s Twitter and Pinterest. Feel free to follow me there instead if you don’t want to follow a blog anymore, and I’ll follow you back so we can keep commenting. But I’ve grown tired and worn out and I’ll be 45 in May, so the time has come to slowly grind to a halt.

I’ll see you on the website in February.

Cheers to ten years!

 

L.J.D. OWNERSHIP RIGHTS

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L.J.D. COPYRIGHT AND CONSENT

2019 AND BEYOND ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, L.J. DIVA.

Requests to publish work from these books should be sent to: authors (at) royalstarpublishing.com.au