So, because I deliberately keep myself detached from wtfuckery lately, I heard yesterday from my lady wife about an author going batshit crazy and stalking a blogger to her house and actually phoning her. Like any sane person I was troubled by this, but it quickly left my mind as I scared myself shitless playing Alien: Isolation (Incidentally - Fuck you Creative Assembly for making me, a 7ft tall man tremble in abstract terror from a digital xenomorph! Why do I love this game so much?).

But then I woke up this morning and the sheer ickyness of the whole thing still weighed on my mind, so I diligently took to my iPad, I brought up the Guardian, and I read Kathleen Hale's foray into stalking.

Oh... My... God...

Seriously, Oh My FUCKING God! What the actual fuck is wrong with this woman? Lets get past the whole author vs reviewer thing for the moment because that is just the tip of the iceberg. 

SHE FUCKING TRACKED A REVIEWER TO HER HOME!

SHE FUCKING LOOKED THROUGH HER WINDOWS AND DESCRIBES WHATS IN HER CAR!

SHE HIRED SOMEONE TO DIG INTO ANOTHER HUMANS LIFE AND THEN USED THE INFORMATION TO STALK HER AND CALL HER AT WORK!

And the thing that Makes me most sick about this whole fucked up thing? THERE ARE PEOPLE SAYING WHAT HALE DID WAS BRAVE, AND RIGHT!

This goes far beyond the mild to moderate levels of creepy and crazy that we saw with STGRB and their ilk. This goes further even than revenge reviews and butthurt fangirls. This is full on sanity destroying. This is a level of crazy that I cannot even begin to comprehend. AND STILL PEOPLE DEFEND HER AND SAY SHE IS IN THE RIGHT. JESUS H. DICK WHAT THE FUCK PEOPLE?

Let's flip this around, if this was a reviewer stalking an author authorities would be called, if this was a Male doing it to a woman they'd be clamouring for his head on a pyke. So why are people defending this insanity? 

I actually cannot fathom the mentality. Blythe writes a review about a book, a review that is negative in tone and content, yet somehow that is a more heinous crime than stalking a woman, hiring someone to do a background check, calling her up at work and then cross referencing responses to what you know about her....

Kathleen Hale, welcome to Crazytown, Population: YOU!

Blythe, if you read this, I am so sorry that this happened to you. It is seriously not awesome. I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to live in fear of this woman knowing these details about you.

Kathleen, if you read this, next time you think this is the right course of action and everyone you talk to about it tells you that it isn't, you might wanna listen to them because this is creepy and weird on a level that begins to come across as serial killerish. I don't know if you have a history of mental illness, if you do, you have my sympathy because that can't be pleasant, but what you did is just wrong. 

It's shit like this that made me stop reviewing and cut back on my blogging to being nigh on offline in regard to books. It doesn't feel like a safe, secure environment anymore. 

And if any author ever takes such offense to one of my opinions that they feel the need to stalk me, please, knock on the door but do not be surprised if I keep a blade or something heavy on or near my person at all times that you're around. And if you sit quietly and don't make a fuss I'll make sure the federal police puts you in a nice cell. 

Annie, this one is for you, a general query about all your insanity toward reader reviewers lately, factoring your release later this year...

Anne motherfucking Rice...

One of the most successful living authors in the world calls the people on STGRB's shitlist "Gangster Bullies" (I'm a gangster now.... OK... Crime obviously doesn't pay cause I still don't have any fucking money).  

Can we just take a moment to fully understand how fundamentally fucking moronic that is?

Annie, I'm not going to call you Ms Rice or Anne any longer, recently I have lost all respect for you, so Annie,

I feel that this is a marketing ploy on your behalf to get your name out there in the forefront of everyones mind because *le gasp* you have a new book coming out later this year. I feel, in my gut (which is rather substantial), that you, Annie, have jumped on this bandwagon of lambasting reviewers for their opinions because *le gasp* you want to be a best seller again. Am I in the ball park at all? Getting warm at all? I think I am. 

Now Annie this, and this alone, makes you a moron. Now before I continue allow me to ask...

You're a moron, because this site, this blog that attacks those who do not agree, has been denounced by multiple actual online anti-bullying organisations in the past. They do precidely what they claim to despise and they don't care who gets caught in the crossfire. They make false allegations, they start rumours, and they drop context. Am I a perfect innocent, no. Did I curse at a minor, yes. Have I ever shelved a book as a personal Do Not Read because I do not agree with the authors beliefs, yes. Have I ever gone out of my way to humiliate an author? No. I'm not perfect, no one is. Least of all you Annie. 

Now before you get all irate, I want you to know I was a fan of yours. I had respect for you. But not after you sicced your fans on a lone unaffiliated reviewer who didn't like your book. Not after you took personal offense to the reception of Blood Canticle.

You have been in the industry long enough to have surely learned you need a thick skin. So I ask you. Where is yours Annie? Where is Melissa Douthit's? Where is Rebecca Fitzpatricks (She wrote that infamous "Be Nice" bullshit blog post)? 

This whole situation really does sadden me because it shouldn't be like this. You of all fucking people should know better. I hope I'm wrong and this is not all a big marketing ploy, I hope to fuck you are not that fucking shallow, but if I am, then it means you're totally naive and ignorant of all the facts. And even though they have been presented to you before, you're incapable of accepting that you're not in the right here. 

So, put on your big girl pants, realise that no one is out to maliciously hurt you and GROW THE FUCK UP ANNIE! YOU ARE NOT A FUCKING HERO!

Pretty short book at 171 pages, but there is enough meat to satisfy if not necessarily a buffet. This was a source for my paper on the Islandmagee (no, really, that is one of the correct spellings for this tiny peninsula in Northern Ireland). I basically skimmed it looking for information/quotes for the paper, but I hope to get to reading it cover to cover. Thinking this will be my history blog's March book of the month club, so I have time. Still need to write up February's book of the month club report, with reviews for here sometime this week.

This depresses the shit out of me, not the fact that she's gay, I couldn't give a shit if she wants to screw men, women or anything with a pulse. 

What depresses me is this little quote:

'In a brief statement, Human Rights Campaign said it “congratulates Page on her brave decision to live openly and authentically"'

It's 2014 for fucks sake. It's still considered brave to be true to who you are? Really? Doesn't anybody else see the massive problem with this? It's 20-motherfucking-14 and it's still exceptional to be able to be honest about who you wanna shag? This, in my opinion, highlights every single little thing that is wrong with the film industry and society that a 26 year old woman, makes news not for being an astounding actress and an inspiration to her peers, no, she makes news for being gay. 

Why is this even a big deal to you? You might be wondering. I'll tell you why. It's a big deal to me because this shouldn't be news. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy for her that she has reached the right frame of mind to be honest and to end the lies by "omission". But by now, shouldn't we as a species be at a place where it's not sensational to be who you are really? Shouldn't it be status quo to be honest about who you are sexually attracted to as long as it is within the bounds of the law (paedophilia will never be cool)? 

Sure, there will now be bigots who boycott her films because they can't stand the thought that she loves vaginas and boobies... to them I say do not fucking breed, the world has long exceeded it's quota on stupidity. First and foremost she should be recognised for what she is. A talented and beautiful young woman who is without a doubt one of the best actresses in her age group. 

So what if she likes to muff dive? 

She will always be the creepy 14 year old who castrated Patrick Wilson in Hard Candy to me though.