Dear Carolyn,

We were talking earlier about DABWAHA, the Dear Author/Bitchery fantasy romance league (or whatever it's supposed to be). This year you aren't playing and I am. And I'm going to do something I don't usually do but I'm going to pimp the vote for an author and then let me explain why.

But first: VOTE IRON DUKE! VOTE MELJEAN!

www.dabwaha.com

Meljean Brook is leading the Dork Squad and she's truly getting her dork on to win this contest. What does she win? Nothing really. So why is she doing it?

Because Meljean really likes her readers.

I figured this out awhile ago when I saw how nice she was on Twitter and Facebook. There are some writers who are on those social media programs and even though they pimp for readers to friend them, but they don't want to interact with readers or even acknowledge them. Readers for some writers, are just a status for how many they have.

Meljean doesn't play that game. Oh, there are many who don't (Tessa Dare and Victoria Dahl and the amazing Dakota Cassidy, to name a few) and Meljean.

I think a lot of that has to do with this little book she wrote called The Iron Duke. You know that book Carolyn because well, you've been one of it's most vocal pimps. I know you got me a copy and Lea. You've told all the women on Underground about how much you loved it. You've become a steampunk knowledge base because of that old Iron Duke.

Meljean would love you, Carolyn.

Books sell because of people like you, Carol, and Meljean knows that. I know that too. I wasn't that interested in steampunk but when it won over my best friend like it did with you, then it became something I was willing to try. You talked about it and people listened. You blogged about it. You put it on Goodreads. And you were the reason for not only your sale and mine but also Lea and Cheryl and I don't know who else.

I could tell you about some of the prizes Meljean is offering on her blog but it doesn't matter. I'm not doing this for that and I won't be entering any contests. I want people to realize how much they matter as readers to authors.

Meljean isn't out there pimping the dabwaha vote for any reason except to say thank you to the people like you, Carolyn, who made Iron Duke a best seller and a phenomenal book. It's the readers willing to try something new and tell others that make a book successful.

You, Carolyn, are one of the reasons that Iron Duke is even in the running for best book on dabwaha. Meljean thanks you.

Lori