Happy New Year, And Rene Lyons AKA Dishing Diva Wanted To Get Something Off Her Chest...

Wow, TTG and I are only just recovering from our New Year's Eve blowout. We hosted a party at ours, and I haven't had that much fun, since... last week.

Anyway, I hope you all had an equally good time, whatever you were doing.

Moving on, Rene Lyons, the CEO of the newly formed e-publisher, Dragon Spell Publishing, posted on my blog a couple of days ago.

I think she got a little pissed off by some of the accusations levelled at her, thus this compulsion to set the record straight. Here's what she wrote:

"I just wanted to drop in and give a response to some of these accusations written by two of the Anonymous posters and Puppet Truth.

Let me start with the claim that I "expect to surpass Samhain within a year of operation". That’s preposterous. Nevertheless, I am looking to Samhain, Ellora’s Cave and the other highly successful small presses to see what made them succeed where others have failed. They are the standard by which I’ll judge Dragon Spell. I'm sure anyone can understand that. They are the gold standard and SHOULD be looked to.

As far as me pissing off people, yes, as an author I've misstepped a time a two - put my big fat foot right in my big fat mouth, but then, who here hasn't done or said something that causes them to break out in a cold sweat and wish they could take back? All I can do is learn from past mistakes and solider on and allow the merit of my character and the respectful and honorable treatment of my authors speak for me.

I've also heard it said I "ticked" off someone at ARe. I wrote to Lori James herself and she replied back that such a rumor was utter nonsense and she wondered what someone hoped to gain by saying such a thing. I saved that email from Mrs. James as proof of that blatant lie. I have a very good relationship with the entire staff at ARe.

The RRP authors I've emailed were ones I believed I'd become friends with during my time there as a cover artist. I didn't mass email the authors there. And as far me cold emailing authors, yes, I've done that as a means to introduce Dragon Spell. At the time, I saw nothing wrong with an introduction. I see now that was not the thing to do and have not done so again. A mistake learned from and not repeated.

The claim from Puppet Truth that I am not an inc or llc, that's another blatant lie. It doesn't help their case of discrediting me if someone is caught lying, as Puppet Truth clearly is. How can anything else they say be believed? Our company name is Lyrical Press, Inc. We've chosen to to do business as Dragon Spell in order to broaden our publishing range. You cannot publish erotic along side of young adult, so under the blanket name of Lyrical Press, Inc., we can do both. Dragon Spell can publish all that wonderful goodness that is romance in all of it's forms and genres and Lyrical Press Inc. can publishing everything else.

I was not fired from Red Rose Publishing due to unprofessional behavior despite what is being said. I have the emails and IMs to prove I resigned first as an editor when the publisher did not back me when I criticized the author who posted here "(could have been, I don't know...me)" during edits. I stayed on at RRP for another couple of months (which proves I contunied to have a good relationship with RRP) before resigning at 7am on December 5th after learning that the publisher had begun slandering me (I have saved IMs and emails proving this) the day I informed her I had opened Dragon Spell. I remain at Dark Eden Press as Art Director and have an amazing relationship with everyone there, some of which are actually RRP authors as well.

After making the decision to resign from writing I posted on my personal blog that I would be deleting it and stepping back from the persona of 'Rene Lyons' the author to focus on other ventures. Roughly two weeks later I deleted the blog.

All I want to do is provide readers with good books. I want to give authors a safe and friendly home for their books. I will not be drawn into a tit-for-tat war or reduce myself to playing petty games of gossip. It's unprofessional and highly damaging to a publisher's reputation. That should be remembered at all times and I will do my best to succeed and live up to the promises I've made to my authors of treating them with respect and honoring their hard work.

Renee Rocco
(Rene Lyons)
Dragon Spell Publishing"

Shit, that was long wasn't it?

Anyway, I was really upset when she wrote that she will not be "drawn into a tit-for-tat war", or be reduced to "playing petty games of gossip". Dammit, what the hell am I supposed to do for the rest of the year? Some people are so damned inconsiderate. Sheesh.

(BTW, is it just me, or does Dragon Spell's website go funny whenever I try scrolling up or down?)