When I double-checked the particulars, I found out I was wrong about one detail and corrected it.
Showed up this morning and......no authors, just a packed house.
PM'd one author.....no answer. I called; no answer.
Called the second....she told me it was TOMORROW and expressed delight that I planned to attend.
Two hours later, I checked my phone (it had been on the charger) and found the following message:
"Do NOT show up tomorrow. If you do, I will call the cops. You have insulted me as an author; you insulted my book." (Paraphrased; I was in shock when I read it)
It was one of those messages where she'd PM'd me or messaged me under her pen name, so I neither accepted nor rejected the message, and went over to FB to see if there was an angry message under the review I'd left on GR. Nothing.
And now I cannot even FIND the message.
I did PM her again, expressing confusion, and a sincere apology, saying IF I'd done anything to insult her, it was most definitely NOT intentional, and to please tell me how to fix this kerfluffle?
Silence.
I'm in turmoil. Do I show up in the morning and risk her wrath? Do I stick my head in the door and ask to speak to her in private? Do I stay home and pray she answers my PM?
I honestly cannot think of one thing I've done to defame her. My review was 4 stars; I've done everything I can to HELP her in her career.....so I'm praying this was simply a glitch? Maybe she saw something she thought was from me and this whole thing is a huge misunderstanding??
At 2pm, I seriously began to wonder if I'd walked through some alternate universe/time continuam thing, since NOTHING was making sense. Thankfully, everything on the home front calmed down after an hour. Ever have moments like that, where you feel as is you've been thrust into the wrong version of your life?
So what do I do?
*****UPDATE Nov 25th*********
Showed up today and asked if we could talk privately. Thankfully, she smiled and went outside, then expressed her anger at me in a calm manner.
Turns out that a flippant, off-the-cuff remark from me back in JUNE (nearly six months ago!) caused her to feel disrespected. I thought I'd made a joking remark; I thought we'd been teasing each other!
Apparently not the case.
My question is, why didn't she pull me aside the next time I'd seen her (or even emailed me???) to tell me this? Why wait several months when I cluelessly tried to CHAMPION her?
Granted, this person has been under a great deal of stress, and in her mind, it was another betrayal.
I am in NO way 'in competition' with her; she's a newbie author, with only her 2nd book out, and I've tried to help her every step of the way, from introducing her to cover artists, editors, and even publishing houses.
She took my remark and felt as if I was trying to belittle her. That was most definitely not the case.
We've hugged and forgiven each other, and it taught me another valuable lesson: I need to continue to guard my tongue, especially around people I've only known for a few years.
This just reinforces my belief that men are easier creatures to get along with. I don't have to monitor everything I say when I'm with my male friends and colleagues.
Sad.
*****UPDATE Nov 25th*********
Showed up today and asked if we could talk privately. Thankfully, she smiled and went outside, then expressed her anger at me in a calm manner.
Turns out that a flippant, off-the-cuff remark from me back in JUNE (nearly six months ago!) caused her to feel disrespected. I thought I'd made a joking remark; I thought we'd been teasing each other!
Apparently not the case.
My question is, why didn't she pull me aside the next time I'd seen her (or even emailed me???) to tell me this? Why wait several months when I cluelessly tried to CHAMPION her?
Granted, this person has been under a great deal of stress, and in her mind, it was another betrayal.
I am in NO way 'in competition' with her; she's a newbie author, with only her 2nd book out, and I've tried to help her every step of the way, from introducing her to cover artists, editors, and even publishing houses.
She took my remark and felt as if I was trying to belittle her. That was most definitely not the case.
We've hugged and forgiven each other, and it taught me another valuable lesson: I need to continue to guard my tongue, especially around people I've only known for a few years.
This just reinforces my belief that men are easier creatures to get along with. I don't have to monitor everything I say when I'm with my male friends and colleagues.
Sad.
