Author's Note
Farewell, FP

Dearest readers,

I have some bad news. Very bad news, actually. One of my lovely readers, Erin, informed yesterday me that If This Were a Fairytale has been plagiarized. Word for word. In fact, they turned it into a Gossip Girl fanfic (which makes absolutely no sense, considering the context and plot of my story).

After all of the recent cases of plagiarism, I had said that I would be taking down all of my work if I found out it happened to me. And now that it has, I am sticking to my guns. As of this afternoon, all of my work has been removed. I have left the first chapter of all my novels, but that is meant strictly as enticement.

Because Myrika, angels and effects and I have joined forces to create a carefully monitored livejournal community where we will now be posting our work (I believe JD Allen, simonexsays, and a few others will be joining us there as well). You have to comment on the friends only entry AND request to join (you can’t just do one or the other). Be sure to let us know who you are. I’ve posted the link in my profile, and I believe it is listed on Myrika and angels and effects’ profiles as well.

For those of you who don’t have an LJ account, you can set one up in a matter of minutes. It’s free, and really easy. That way you can request to join the community and follow all of the writers who are moving away from FP. I have a feeling quite a few will be joining our ranks over the next few months.

I have to say, I am disgusted with people right now. It is ridiculous that so many authors on this site have had to take down their work due to plagiarism. Are people SO FUCKING LAZY that they can’t come up with their own plots and characters? Stealing from well-regarded authors on this site (or any other, for that matter) is ridiculous and insulting. I have heard people say plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery, but I think that is complete and utter bullshit. I have spent countless hours writing these stories, put my blood, sweat and tears into them, and then some waste of human existence comes along and steals my work, puts her name on it, and claims it as her own. It’s deplorable, disgusting, and I won’t stand for it. I’m in the process of figuring out some way to take legal action against her (the girl who plagiarized me also plagiarized another author on this site), so if anyone has any information on that, that would be great. I don’t think her taking down the story upon my insistence was enough. I left her a scathing review, and a few loyal readers did so as well (which I greatly appreciated), but being yelled at is not punishment enough. I contacted the people at fanfiction and asked them to ban her from the site. However, that is unlikely, as it seems most moderators on these two sites are incredibly lax (and lazy).

The only way to deal with plagiarizers is to seek legal action, in my opinion. They need to realize the severity of their mistakes, that their actions have consequences. And I don’t like the idea of these people getting off scott-free. So I will do whatever I can to make sure this girl is punished. Because if my worst story was plagiarized, I’m pretty sure my others have been, too. So if you find any of them under someone else’s name, I would love it if you reported it to me.

As one of my readers said, plagiarism is spreading faster than the swine flu. Which is true, and unacceptable. And it doesn’t only affect me, it affects you, the readers, as well. You have all been incredibly loyal over the few years I have been on FP, and me being forced to take down my writing is like punishing you for your loyalty. I feel awful, but in order to protect my work, I have no other option. I still want you to be able to read my stories if that’s what you want, hence the LJ community. It is the most secure option we could think of. And even that is risking it.

To everyone who has ever reviewed my stories, read them, sent me a PM, emailed me, created fanart, nominated or voted for me at SKoW, know that I am SO, so appreciative. Your comments have kept me going when I was feeling down, and encouraged me to push through endless cases of writer’s block. You have made me smile by your jokes and comments, and often reminded me of why I do what I do. I write for myself, but I post for you guys. You have been incredible, and I love you all so much. So I hope you will consider coming over to livejournal, but if you don’t, know that you have influenced my writing (for the best), kept me going, and provided endless smiles.

Thank you all for your endless support. It has meant the world to me, and I will never forget it. Feel free to add me on twitter or livejournal – I would love to stay in contact.

Until we meet again,

Sammy

PS. Did I mention how much I love you guys?