What doesn't kill you makes you stronger......

.....well that’s what they say, don’t they?

Let’s put it into practice then will we?

I’m sure you will have seen the drama this past few days. Let me start by saying none of this was done for attention. None of this was done for sympathy. None of this was done to get a public reaction.

This was done purely and simply because I had had enough of the grief I have been getting for this past year and again this week. All of it unnecessary and unwarranted. It is still unclear as to why me, but hey ho. Time to move on?

Well I genuinely thought it was time to move on until something else happened. The genuine love and compassion and pure, unadulterated support of my wonderful wife Jo, happened.

I was informed that, along with other members of the Confessions Board of Directors (the dog), she was unanimously voted in as the Confessions Protector and Dragon Slayer and given the task of sorting the issue out.

I think we can all agree that she succeeded in her task in the most badass way possible and proved to the rest of the world what I have known about her for years. Don’t fuck with her!

The drama has consisted of me being unfriended and blocked by various people over this past year due to a situation that I didn’t cause. It has also seen me subject to snide comments and rants on social media, that again, were totally unwarranted as I had, quite simply, done nothing wrong.

The latest episode in the drama was again caused by me being unfriended and blocked by someone who I have tirelessly promoted this past couple of months and put a lot of time and effort into trying to help out, in any way I could. I had apparently slagged someone off again. Really? Can anyone reading this point me to where I did that?

Anyway. The situation has been calmed somewhat by Jim McLeod from Ginger Nuts of Horror coming to me directly with an apology saying: “Suffice to say have my deepest apologies for everything that has gone down.” I was asked to keep this “between you and me” but I didn’t want to. I want people to finally see the truth. To be honest, printing this instead of what Jo was going to post is the mother of all concessions.

You see I wanted to print this bit for one reason and one reason only.

To all the people who have unfriended me and blocked me this past year because of this issue, and to all of the people who doubted and thought I was the paranoid one, I simply say this:

Told ya so! And be careful, sometimes disguises wash off.

So where do we go from here?

Well Jim has asked that we draw a line in the sand. To be honest I drew that line a long time ago. It’s a line I will not under any circumstances cross ever again. My dealings with Ginger Nuts of Horror are well and truly over and will never be rekindled.

Yeah I got an apology but to be honest it’s probably too little to late given some of the things that have been said, to me and about me.

One thing I will do though is listen to all the voices of the people who have been messaging me and Jo over this past few days: not give up and come back stronger. To be fair, Jo has been telling me this for a long long time. Another thing I should have listened to her about. I am going to do this:

Confessions of a Reviewer, the blog, will soon be dead and buried.

Confessions of a Reviewer, the website, will be up and running just as soon as I can manage it.

This will not be a quick thing. I want to look into a lot of things and make this just perfect. Until that time, the blog will keep going in its current format.

I want to make a few things perfectly clear for when the new website opens.

I will not be turning anyone away from the website. I never have with the blog and I’m not about to start now.

If you want to feature on the website in any shape or form, be it for a review of your book, as part of one of the many features we will have, to ask for some sort of advertising for something you might want to get out into the public eye or to come along and appear as a guest in any way, you will be more than welcome.

I will not refuse to work with anyone because you may be affiliated with anyone else in any way. I have never turned anyone away because they may have something to do with another site I don’t get on with. I’m not about to start now. I actually encourage you to use as many reviewers and sites that you can to get yourself noticed. Regardless of who they are. I know how bloody hard it is for you authors and presses alike to get any sort of publicity at all and if I can play a little part in that, then I will do so. I don’t claim to be an expert but I am getting better and I am always looking for ways to improve what I do and how I do it.

So there you go. Case closed on this current drama. One thing I have learnt from this though; I will never again sit back and take any sort of unwarranted nastiness towards me or my blog or website ever again.

I will never let it get me to the point where I throw everything in the corner and consider giving it all up. If I do that, I am only turning my back on the people I always want to help out in any way I can.

I look forward to working on the new website and trying to get it up and running as soon as I can. I will be looking for some regular contributors for various topics and anyone else who would like to help out in any way is more than welcome to get in touch. Just email me at confessionsofareviewer@gmail.com

All current commitments I have with the blog in terms of review submissions and interview requests will be met. I am just running a few days behind with this current drama so please bear with me. I will get back on track asap.

Thanks for listening and thank you again from the bottom of my heart for all the support you have shown to myself and Jo this week.

Nev.