Hello everyone.

Sorry it's been a while since I've blogged, but I do have a good excuse, or rather excuses--galley corrections, a new contract,  minor re-writes before being offered another contract, and planning a vacation. Let's see--there are how many hours in a day? The galley corrections went off today, and I'll work on the re-writes while traveling. A writer never stops writing.

Which brings me to my subject today--blogging. I read in the paper this morning that a well-known female celebrity is being sued by a clothing designer. Why? Because she said some less than polite things about his designs on her blog. He answered back. She kicked it up a notch. Eventually, the verbal sparring turned personal and downright ugly. The result? A lawsuit claiming the celebrity caused him possible loss of income. Fashionistas might not buy his line next fall.

Now, I understand that I can't say so-and-so is a terrorist or uses drugs (or sells them), but what about free speech? Don't I have the right to issue my opinion? Don't you, as a blog reader, have the right to agree or disagree with what I say? If I object to an action taken by a politician, does that mean I must suffer in silence? Are we all so thin-skinned that we can no longer deal with criticism, feeling the need to rush out to the nearest attorney? We have become a litigious society in desperate need of re-hab.

I am a writer, and I assume most of the people reading this blog are, too or at the very least, readers.  I pose a question. If a book receives a bad review, either in print or online, does that mean the author can sue for loss of income because people might read the review and not buy the book--hence, loss of income?

Think about it.

Until next time.

Suzanne