Closure and the Hero

One major way in which fiction differs from reality is with closure. Readers need to have most of their questions answered by the end of the book or they feel dissatisfied. In reality, a lack of closure is commonplace and often leads to a great deal of angst.

A common circumstance that prevents closure is through a death, especially if the death is sudden or unexpected. We may have a tendency to believe that the people surrounding us will always be there and will always be available to answer our questions, when in reality none of us carry any guarantees. A loved one’s unexpected death might then leave us with unanswered questions for months—or even years.

In fiction, the plotline may begin with the death of a loved one. We find our hero suffering from heartbreak due to the physical loss as well as experiencing a sense of loss from all their unanswered questions. This, in turn, places the hero—and the reader—on a journey. A notable bestseller that uses this plotline is The Shack by Wm. Paul Young.

Or we might discover the deceased led a double life and the person we thought we knew was someone else entirely. In A Double Life by Flynn Berry, the deceased is someone that is murdered and the loved one—the hero’s father—is missing for nearly thirty years. In Claire’s journey to discover what happened, she is placed on a path that will determine whether her recently discovered, estranged father is a murderer. The book is inspired by the real life story of Richard John Bingham, 7^th Earl of Lucan and better known as Lord Lucan, who disappeared in 1974.

In other stories, we discover things about the deceased that might have pulled the hero closer to their loved one, if only they had known. A notable one is Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Hg, in which a couple’s favorite child is found dead in a local lake, plunging the family into a journey filled with secrets and longing.

In other stories, the hero might have inherited property from the deceased, often from a distant relative they barely knew. The property is never in the hero’s hometown, but always in an unfamiliar setting, which takes us on a journey of discovery together. They often encounter secrets long hidden, a haunted property, or in forging a new life for themselves, they fall in love or otherwise are placed on a path they had never foreseen. Many times they confront problems, often seemingly insurmountable, and through the act of perseverance they come through the fire, forever changed.

In reality, not having closure is also increasingly common through ghosting, a term I (being of an older generation) was not familiar with until recently, although the AO (Always Online) generation considers it a fact of life. In this case, the loved one has not died but has simply become a ghost to someone with whom they had a relationship. The one that is left may have been unfriended or unfollowed on social media, have had their phone numbers and email addresses blocked, often rendering the other party impossible to reconnect with. This leaves even more unanswered questions as the biggest question of all—Why?—remains elusive. This is particularly frustrating when the parties live far apart, even on opposite sides of the world, preventing the party that was left from physically reconnecting.

One novel that dramatically covers this phenomenon is Ghosted by Rosie Walsh. Two people meet and fall in love and when one disappears, the other is left with a million questions. This is a page-turner that takes our hero on a quest to discover what happened to the man she loves.

Then there are novels in which closure doesn’t occur until decades later, such as Secrets of the Lighthouse by Santa Montefiore, the story of a woman that travels to Ireland and discovers thirty-year-old family secrets—and in so doing, discovers her future.

In fiction, unlike real life, authors must make sense of the journey we’ve put the reader on. In reality, much of our lives appear to have no rhyme or reason and we are constantly discarding those things our subconscious deems unimportant to fill our brains and our time with those things our subconscious considers important. Novels must dispense with the unimportant and focus only on what is critical to the plot. Every scene must perform double duty, and by the end of the book the reader must be satisfied why they were taken on this journey. The best books leave lessons behind. The best books contain characters that come alive in our minds and heart, characters that have become our friends or our foes during the course of the book and that remain with us long after we have finished that last page. To leave the character in limbo or the reasons unexplained is to leave the reader with the sense that closure has eluded them.

The exception is when a book leads us to the next in the series. We still require closure of those challenges that brought us through the plot with the characters, but we also begin to see clues that the characters’ stories are continuing. Perhaps they are given a new job, different mission, a move is imminent or a romance is beginning. We have become invested in the characters so we will eagerly await their next adventure as we have done with James Bond, Jason Bourne and others.

And in that continuing adventure we discover that the novels now imitate life, and once one chapter is laid to rest, another begins.

When Reality Isn't

Watch the video at the bottom of this blog or visit https://youtu.be/Csrn0wd5Ky8.

We often consider memories to be solid facts; framed within a moment of time, we remember actions and people as if we are watching a movie in which the scene has been filmed and canned and is now frozen forever like Rhett Butler in the doorway telling Scarlett he doesn’t give a damn. But what if our memories are not accurate representations but they are merely our perception of what occurred, and we have carried with us not true reality encapsulated in a moment of time but a flawed understanding of what might have transpired?

A few years ago, my doctor abruptly closed his office, leaving his patients to scramble for medical care. Friends referred me to another doctor in town and I showed up for my appointment wearing khaki slacks and a royal blue blouse. I completed the paperwork and a nursing assistant took me to the exam room to discuss particulars. She noted that I had written my vocation as “author” and she called me a liar; she said it was obvious that I worked at Wal-Mart because I was wearing the Wal-Mart “uniform”. (Who knew blue and khaki was a uniform?)

She then asked me about my medical history, and I explained that I was taking Lyrica (a non-opiate, non-addictive, non-psychoactive medication that is frequently prescribed for fibromyalgia) due to nerve damage caused by a botched heart ablation that had been carefully documented in my medical records. A few minutes later, after the nursing assistant had left the room, the doctor entered. Before I could speak, he held up his hand to silence me and told me that he had only come into the room to tell me that he did not want me as a patient and he did not prescribe pain medication. He then walked out without giving me a chance to respond.

If you were to speak to that nursing assistant, no doubt she would relay her memory of that day: how a Wal-Mart employee tried to disguise herself as an author to get pain pills. She might have relayed that information to the doctor as well, and without checking the classification of Lyrica and when and how it is used, he jumped to the conclusion that I was a drug addict there to get opiates for non-existent pain—which is how I was treated. But their memories of that encounter would be flawed by their own perceptions. I have never worked at Wal-Mart, I’ve had 21 books published to date, I have never taken opiates—and I don’t even drink because I never want to lose control of my own senses and actions.

In writing, we see everything through the lens of the character. Their telling of the story (called point of view) is impacted by their beliefs and their often-flawed perception. It may be impacted by their religion or spiritual beliefs, by their cultural and societal upbringing, and even by what they want to see versus what is really unfolding before them.

An example is a comparison of books about the American Civil War. Shelby Foote was a Mississippian (born November 17, 1916 in Greenville, the heart of the Mississippi Delta, died June 27, 2005 in Memphis) who wrote, among other things, The Civil War: A Narrative, which contributed to Ken Burns’ acclaimed documentary series The Civil War. The books are written from the point of view of a Mississippi Southerner that remembered the class system of the Deep South, the ingrained beliefs, cultural and societal influences, and within the framework of many that still fly the Confederate flag today.

Compare his work to The Twentieth Maine by John J. Pullen, about the 20^th Maine Infantry Regiment led by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. Pullen was born in Amity, Maine in 1914. In contrast to Foote’s Southern prose, Pullen’s work is written from the perspective of Northerners, framed in their commitment to keep the United States intact, surrounded by a culture that did not understand—and was horrified by—the slave trade in the Deep South, impacted further by a Mainer’s cultural and societal influences.

Each author tells the stories of Antietam, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg and both culminating with Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. Both authors relied heavily on letters, journals and records of men that fought in those battles, yet each tells of a completely different experience. Even when their days were the same, consisting of forced marches through mosquito-infested swamps or hunkering down in ice and snow seeking to survive against frigid temperatures and wicked winds, they tell completely different stories because each is not a snapshot of memories but snapshots of perception and their roles within them.

Whether your memories consist of moments in your childhood, work days or relationships, it is often stunning how differently someone that was with you remembers the same events. Taken in this context, our memories are not actually reality with a firm, unmovable setting or scene—but our individual perceptions of moments in time.

In psychology, subjects are often brought back to those moments not only to relive them but to reframe them, and in reframing them they rewrite their own history.

Join the discussion about this topic and more by joining me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pmterrell.author/.

Watch the video below or visit https://youtu.be/Csrn0wd5Ky8:

An Author's Legacy

As Hurricane Irma bore down on the Florida Keys, unleashing a wrath that devastated many islands prior to its USA landfall, one famous structure loomed large in my mind: The Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West and the 54 polydactyl cats that live there.

Ernest Hemingway lived in the home for eight years in the 1930’s, writing To Have and Have Not, later made into a film starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and The Snows of Kilimanjaro, made into a film starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Susan Hayward. The structure was built in 1851, ten years before the start of the American Civil War, and is made of solid limestone 18 inches thick.

Polydactyl cats have as many as eight digits on their front or hind paws. Hemingway’s first polydactyl cat was a gift from a sea captain. He became so enamored of this feline abnormality that he eventually had between 40 and 50 living at his Florida residence. For this reason, polydactyl cats are often referred to as Hemingway Cats.

In 1961, his home became a museum and in 1968, it was declared a national historic landmark. By 2017, it was home to 54 cats, about half of them polydactyl. Though residents of the Keys were ordered to evacuate, several staff members remained behind in order to care for the cats. According to the Los Angeles Times, the felines sensed the storm approaching even before their human caretakers and began to seek shelter inside the house. All 54 were rounded up and they rode out the storm in the well-fortified home. Though the storm knocked out electricity, running water and Internet everyone survived and the house, true to form, remained intact.

Ten miles east of Havana, Cuba in the town of San Francisco de Paula is a second Hemingway residence; Finca Vigía was his home from 1940 until 1960. Meaning “Lookout House”, it was built in 1886 and is on the World Monuments Fund and The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places. Hemingway wrote The Old Man and the Sea at Finca Vigía as well as For Whom the Bell Tolls and A Moveable Feast. In 1961 after Hemingway’s death, the property was turned over to the Cuban government.

Hurricane Irma’s path took it over the northern coast of Cuba, flooding parts of the island and destroying homes and businesses and toppling trees. Parts of Havana were flooded and while the Hemingway home is only a few miles inland, there have been no reports as of this writing to how the structure and property have fared.

Though Hemingway died more than 55 years ago, his legacy still lives, which is not unusual for authors. Only 61 years old when he killed himself at his residence at Ketchum, Idaho, he left a body of work that encompassed hundreds of newspaper stories and dozens of poems, short stories, novellas and novels. His last book, a memoir, Under Kilimanjaro, was published posthumously in 2005.

Ireland's Night of the Big Wind

January 6, The Day of Epiphany, is the anniversary of The Night of the Big Wind, one of the most devastating storms in Ireland’s history. There had been a religious group that believed the world would end on the Day of Epiphany in 1839. So when this unusual storm swept across Ireland, it was believed by many to be the end of the world.

The storm, also known by its Gaelic name, Oiche na Gaoithe Moire, actually began on January 5 when an unusual snow storm blanketed much of Ireland. But January 6 dawned quiet and bright and temperatures rose swiftly, melting the heavy snow. This was a time before weather forecasters could easily get warnings out to the public, so children were playing outside while women were busily preparing for the Feast of the Epiphany.


By mid-afternoon, a dense cloud had covered the island and winds seemed to come out of nowhere. By many accounts, the wind appeared to whip the Atlantic Ocean into a frenzy so dramatic that it swept the ocean as well as the melting snow all the way across Ireland, from west to east. Even Dublin, on the far eastern edge of Ireland, suffered heavy casualties.


By the evening of January 6, the winds had increased to hurricane force as a cold front from the north merged with the warm temperatures of the south. Livestock were swept away in the fast-moving waters as creeks turned to rivers. Fields were stripped bare. Many poorly constructed homes were swept into the raging waters. Even historic castles made of stone were heavily damaged; some remain to this day unrepaired.

The waters rose so high that houses were flooded when the waters came rushing down the chimneys. A full 25% of Dublin's buildings were damaged or destroyed.


It is said that in the single Night of the Big Wind, the storm was responsible for more deaths and homelessness than the mass evictions that transpired from 1850 to 1880 - a 30-year period. To this day, that night has become ingrained in Irish history and folklore.

In The Tempest Murders, I used the Night of the Big Wind as the backdrop to a series of murders that culminated in Rian Kelly losing his beloved Cait at the hands of the killer as the storm swept through the village. The book picks up with Ryan O'Clery in present-day North Carolina as Hurricane Irene is sweeping across the Atlantic toward the coast. A detective, he is working a series of murders that are identical to the ones his ancestor, Rian Kelly, was investigating in 1839. When he realizes the next target is his soul mate, Cait, he becomes convinced that they are the reincarnation of his ancestor and his beloved - and that the killer is determined to separate them by death once more. It is the story of what lengths one man will go to alter his destiny and that of the one he loves.

Read an excerpt here: http://pmterrell.com/Pages/Order/ryan_oclery_mysteries.html#Tempest_Murders

p.m.terrell is the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of more than 20 books in several genres. Her first book was published in 1984 and she became a full-time writer in 2002. She has mentored authors for more than 15 years and is the co-founder of The Book 'Em Foundation and the founder of the Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair. For more information, visit www.pmterrell.com. She has also launched a supportive network for authors called The Novel Business at www.thenovelbusiness.com.

The Best Christmas Memories

It's funny; as I look back at Christmases past, I don't remember the gifts as much as I remember the feeling of the holiday, the time with family and friends, and the little things that might have seemed insignificant at the time but which have withstood the test of time.

As a child growing up, I was always excited about the Santa Bag I received each year. My father put them together, and they were filled with oranges, apples, a variety of nuts and hard candies, along with a few prized chocolates.

As an adult living in Washington, DC with my sister Neelley close by, we always enjoyed getting together on Christmas Eve. It became a tradition of watching movies and The Christmas Carol was always among them.

We drank hot chocolate with marshmallows or sometimes hot apple cider. Sometimes we put peppermint sticks in our hot chocolate, which would melt. It's something I still enjoy doing today.


And occasionally, when we were feeling especially brave, we would cook. One year, we baked cookies, cakes and pastries. I doubt that any of it was edible but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

One year, my brother John was also living in the Washington, DC area and after we ate Christmas dinner, we drove downtown to tour the Christmas trees. You see, most people only think of the single White House Christmas Tree that the President lights each year. But there are actually more than 50 trees, one for each state and territory. Each one is decorated with items from that state that depict their state symbols, from birds and flowers to industries that have defined them.

There was usually a nativity scene with live animals and huge logs burning. And on that particular Christmas Day, I remember snow on the ground and standing in front of those logs, warming up our hands. They also offered free apple cider, which warmed us up on the inside.


So this Christmas as I settle in, I'll be remembering those times with family and the special memories we made.


What are your favorite memories?

What AMC's TURN Can Teach an Author

I admit I am addicted to AMC's Series: TURN: Washington's Spies, based on the true story of America's first spy ring and the book, Washington's Spies by Alexander Rose.

As a writer, I often look beyond the surface to discover the reasons I am drawn into a story. TURN takes place against the backdrop of the American Revolutionary War. Since we all know how it turned out, there's no suspense - or is there?

It turns out there is. And it also turns out there's more to the story than what we've been taught in school.

But even more so, I find I am drawn to the characters - and this is where the real genius exists. (All pictures below are from AMC's television series, TURN.)

Washington's Spies is the true story of a group of childhood friends who form a spy ring. All civilians with a military contact, they risk their lives to journey behind enemy lines, leaving documents and information that can turn the tide of war in their favor.

Abe Woodhull becomes the ringleader. His story is a classic tale of a son who can never live up to the ideals of the father. In this case, his father is Magistrate Richard Woodhull, whose home has been turned into the headquarters for Major Hewlett, who governs Setauket, Long Island.

Abe was engaged to Anna Strong but his older brother was killed during the war and he was pressured to marry the woman his brother had arranged to wed. Anna subsequently married Selah Strong. (Anna and Abe shown here.)

I liked Abe from the beginning and could feel his angst as he was caught between seeing the woman he truly loved and bedding the woman he was compelled to marry. However, as time marched on and the twists and turns began to unfold, I found myself appalled at the tactics Abe used to further his cause.

I disliked Abe's wife Mary from the beginning and completely reviled her when she burned the code book she found and then subsequently burned down their house. But as she was pulled into the shadows of the spy ring, she became resourceful, faithful and loyal to her husband - if not to the cause.

Two surprises for me were how I feel about two British loyalists: Major Hewlett was clearly the enemy as the series began so I hated him as any American would... Only there is more to Major Hewlett than meets the eye. We discover he was not a career soldier. In fact, he wanted to become an astronomer. What's more, he is a decent man and a fair-minded man placed into an impossible predicament of winning over the hearts and minds of a colony half a world away from England.

And when Anna Strong's husband becomes a prisoner of war and then a soldier who can't venture into British-controlled Setauket, Major Hewlett becomes attracted to her... And Anna clearly becomes attracted to him. I found myself rooting for their marriage, hoping they would leave war-torn America for England and Hewlett's life as an astronomer. (Major Hewlett and Anna Strong shown.)

Then Major John Andre enters the picture. Andre is in charge of Britain's spy ring and they are every bit as formidable as the colonial ring. He is cunning, opportunistic, shrewd. And yet there is another side to him. While he is in charge of Philadelphia and is given a black woman, he immediately gives her papers that demonstrates she is free. When she chooses to remain in his employment, he treats her fairly and kindly. When he falls in love with an American socialite, we see a romantic side, gentle, attentive, captivated. And when he must depart for New York, he is despondent and melancholy. I found myself longing for them to be reunited, even though I know it might be too late. [And spoiler alert: if you'd like to know what happens to him, follow this link.] (Andre and Peggy shown here.)

Lest you think I've become a loyalist, there are plenty of villains as well and none more vicious than British Lt. John Simcoe. Simcoe as portrayed in this series is a psychopath who clearly relishes his role as a soldier and his position in Setauket as a license to kill and maim without penalty. Brilliantly portrayed by actor Samuel Roukin, even when he is infatuated with Anna Strong and attempts to display a gentler side, his glassy eyes and high-pitched voice can not hide a sinister tendency toward evil. (Simcoe shown here.) [Follow this link for the real story of John Simcoe.]

I am now hooked on the series (in its third year) because I must know what happens to Major Hewlett and Anna Strong; whether Abe and his father will ever reconcile their differences; whether Major Andre and his lover, Peggy, will reunite before history takes its dramatic turn.

And of course, there are those who will always remain in the forefront of history: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, King George and more.

In a war that raged across early America, the majority of the action takes place in Setauket, Long Island and the surrounding rural countryside, with brief interludes of a young York City and staid Philadelphia. For an author always interested in what keeps readers coming back for more in a series, this is definitely a show to watch - and a book to read.

p.m.terrell is the author of River Passage, the award-winning true story of the ill-fated Donelson river voyage to Fort Nashborough during the height of the Chickamauga Indian Wars; and her most popular book, Songbirds are Free, the true story of the capture of 19-year-old Mary Neely by Shawnee warriors in 1780. Check out her website for more information at www.pmterrell.com. 

Being an Author

Today I am appearing at Bunny's Review. She asked me some intriguing questions about the ins and outs, nuts and bolts, of being an author. One question she asked was what advice I would give to a new author.

As I was pondering her question, I received an email from an author who had recently written two books. She wrote each draft and then contacted me about selling her books at an upcoming writers conference I chair. When I responded that the event was just six months away and she didn't yet have a publisher, she replied that she knew she would have one and both books would be published within the next three months.

While it's certainly possible for an author to self-publish quickly, this author was wanting to go the traditional route. I knew from reading her emails that she was in for a real wake-up call.

The best thing a new author can do is learn as much about the publishing industry as humanly possible.

Step One is to write the best book you can possibly write.
Step Two is to edit, edit, and edit some more.
Step Three: get to a professional editor. Do NOT assume because your mother, sister, brother, father, best friend enjoys reading that they are qualified to edit your work.

Once your book is the best you can possibly make it, edit until you are sick of it. Maybe then it will be ready for an agent or a publisher.

Learn how long it takes for publishers to read your work, seriously consider it and then get it into the production schedule. For example, suppose you have an agent and he or she sends your book to one of the large publishing houses. And suppose the editor loves it. That editor does not have total authority to offer you a contract. He or she must present the book to a committee comprised of editors, sales and marketing staff, production personnel - and he or she must convince them that your book is worthy of the $75,000 price tag it will cost them to produce it. If they're convinced, it could take two years for it to arrive on a bookshelf.

Mid-size publishers and smaller publishers can operate more quickly. Because they have smaller staffs, one editor can often decide on a book project. But it still takes time to go through the production schedule - the editing, typesetting (even though it's been streamlined by importing text from a word processing document to a professional typesetting software), graphics design, printing and don't forget the complete marketing plan.

When you try to rush into getting your book into everyone's hands as quickly as possible, you're setting yourself up for less-than-stellar results.

Find out what else we talked about at Bunny's Review and leave me a comment on what you would advise a new author!

Rejections - Part 2

Yesterday I printed several rejection snippets from publishers and agents to now-famous authors.

Today, I'll continue with just a few facts about the number of times famous authors were rejected:

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, the authors of the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book, received 134 rejections before they decided to self-publish. They were eventually picked up by a major publisher and their Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise is worth millions.

Janet Evanovich submitted her work for 10 years and filled a crate with rejection letters before it was finally accepted. Listen to her interview on The View:

John Grisham's first novel, A Time to Kill, was rejected 25 times before he self-published it. It was later purchased and re-released by one of the major publishers.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell was rejected 25 times.

Gertrude Stein tried to get her poetry published for 22 years before one poem was accepted for publication.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull was rejected more than 40 times.

Dick Wimmer, author of Irish Wine, tried to get his work published for 25 years. After more than 160 rejections, his book was finally accepted for publication.

But who really persevered?

Louis L'Amour was rejected more than 200 times before his first book sold.

Rejection

If it's one thing most writers must learn to deal with, it's rejection. Sometimes it comes in the form of no answer. Sometimes it's a form letter that doesn't give you any clue as to why the publishers or agents didn't like it. And sometimes it's a nasty opinion of the book that could have easily led to the author giving up.

Fortunately for us, many now-famous authors hung in there after terrible rejection.

Consider the following:

One publisher said about Animal Farm by George Orwell, "It's impossible to sell animal stories."

One publisher said to Stephen King about Carrie, "We are not interested in science fiction that deal with negative utopias. They don't sell." (He went on to get a $300,000 advance for the paperback edition; millions of copies have sold and a movie was made from the book that also grossed millions.)

One publisher said of Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, "I haven't the foggiest idea of what the author is trying to say."

Emily Dickenson was told her poems "are truly devoid of poetic qualities."

Of J.G.Ballard, the author of Crash, it was said, "This author is beyond psychiatric help."

One publisher said of Rudyard Kipling, "You just don't know how to use the English language."

Of The Diary of Anne Frank, it was said, "This girl doesn't have a special perception or feeling that would lift the book above 'curiosity' level."

Lord of the Flies by William Golding was called "an absurd and uninteresting fantasy"

One publisher said of John le Carre after reading The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, "He hasn't got any future."

Have you received any interesting or horrific rejections?

Kala Ambrose - Ghosthunting North Carolina

One of the pleasures in working with Book 'Em North Carolina is meeting new authors and discovering new books. We have a wide variety of authors represented at each Book 'Em event, from non-fiction (inspirational, how-to, biographical, autobiographical) to the fiction world: mysteries, romance, horror, paranormal, drama, suspense, comedy... And I always enjoy discovering the areas in which various authors are inspired to write about.

This week, I profiled one gem in The Robesonian newspaper. Kala Ambrose is a talk show host, inspirational speaker, and a columnist for various publications, including The Huffington Post and The Examiner. She has also appeared on every major network TV: ABC, NBC and CBS and is an award-winning author.

Follow this link to read the full article as it appeared in The Robesonian on Sunday, June 17 about Ambrose's book, Ghosthunting in North Carolina. Of particular interest to me was the story about the Lost Colony of Roanoke because the Lumbee Indians in Robeson County claim their ancestors were from the Lost Colony. There are more than two dozen wonderful ghost stories in Ambrose's book. I highly recommend it.

Please make plans now to attend Book 'Em North Carolina on Saturday, February 23, 2013. Join more than 75 authors, publishers, literary agents and book promoters. Our headliners are New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe and Hollywood producer Chuck Williams! Admission is free and open to the public.

The Thin Line

At what point does an author cross over the line and betray the trust of their fans?

I know quite a few authors who write under various pen names. One, in particular, I enjoy sparring with online. The persona is that of a testosterone-laden, muscle-building male while I know in fact, it's a petite woman behind the mask. The persona matches the books she writes under the male pen name. But she will be the first to set you straight if you begin to believe the rhetoric, informing you who she is and who the pictures she uses as her avatar really belong to.

But I sat up and took notice this week when I overheard a church community put out the call to pray for another female author's family member. To this church, this author was a male who had developed an entire online alter ego. Turns out, he/she had been blogging about a very ill family member - so ill that the community was ready to raise funds and pray for the member. But there were no family members at all and in real life, this author is single with no siblings.

To me, it came down to simple honesty. Authors write under various points of view, some male and some female, some old and some young, some with completely different religions, backgrounds, culture, and makeup. But it's clear that these are characters, not the author himself/herself.

To me, crossing the line came when the author began to mislead, knowing full well that the audience believed the stories posted on the Internet to be true and factual.

What do you think? At what point does it cease to be all fun and games? When is that line crossed?

p.m.terrell's 13th book will be released this week! Vicki's Key can now be purchased through all fine book stores, amazon and other online stores. It is also available for the Kindle, Nook, iPad, and other electronic readers. Find out more at www.pmterrell.com.