Rebuttals To Strauss's Hate Article

After that outrageous article full of lies, who could ever trust Strauss again? She has proven she cannot be trusted to be objective. She'll stick up for her chums no matter how dirty they are, and Absolute Write is a stranger to soap and water. Rebuttals from the administrators of the blogs that were defamed by Strauss follow:

Rebuttal from WAR
http://writeabsolutereviews.blogspot.ca/2014/09/the-consequence-and-sad-truth-of-hate.html


Rebuttal from Absolute Wrong  

http://accrispin.blogspot.ca/2014/08/haters-gonna-hate-smear-campaign.html?showComment=1410892355692#c2634856846256442671
http://absolutewrong.blogspot.ca/2014/09/backlinks-and-backtalk.html


Rebuttal from Blogination
http://cturkel.wordpress.com/2014/08/30/responding-to-writer-beware/


Rebuttal from The Write Agenda 
http://thewriteagenda.wordpress.com/2014/09/01/the-post-that-victoria-strauss-will-regret-posting-can-you-say-faux-pas/

 Rebuttal from Absolute Blight
 
Victoria Strauss
Strauss has launched a smear campaign against us, full of unfounded accusations, innuendo and lies. She owes us an apology.
Strauss States:
"Right now, though, the most concentrated attack comes from a group of anti-AW blogs:Absolute Blight, Absolute Banning, Forums Review, and Write Absolute Reviews.(the "s" at the end of "Boards" is cosmetic; the only board discussed is AW). If they seem similar--not just in format, but in the circular way they all reference each other--that's no coincidence: there's substantial evidence that they've been set up by the same individual, a long-time forum troll who has made trouble not just at AW, using dozens of sockpuppet accounts, but at the now-moribund WritersNet (a WN member set up this special forum to memorialize her antics)."  

We've never denied having other sites.In fact, we've advertised them on Forums Review and on this site. So it's always been right out there for the world to see.

Everyone else knew about it but Strauss. Here's an example.
  
That's odd considering she's set herself up as the omnipotent poobah of the publishing world. We suspect that she did know, but when did Strauss and her buddies at AW, ever let a little thing like the truth get in the way of their agenda? She raked around hoping to dig dirt on us but found none. So she went with the lie about our sites.

Either way, Strauss owes us an apology for suggesting that we've been hiding this information. We don't, however, own Write Absolute Reviews, and Strauss owes the WAR administrator an apology for that lie. We resent Strauss's assertion that we have 'admitted' to having other sites. How can you admit to something that you never denied in the first place? This is, of course, Strauss's way of trying to wipe all that egg off her face.

Strauss's wild accusation about the sites being set up by one 'long-time forum troll,' is outrageous in the extreme. She has absolutely no idea who runs this site and the others, and we challenge her to provide the 'substantial evidence' that she speaks of, and which she based this lie upon.

Strauss has written a scurrilous article that defends AW and its bullying culture -- of which she is a part -- and brands those it abuses as trolls and sockpuppets. She is also flying dangerously close to the wind with her personal attacks and wild assumptions. For instance, she states that someone who sent her a link to this forum on Facebook, is a 'troll,' named Vicky, who has a phoney Facebook account. Hmmm...how does Strauss know that? Oops sorry, that's all part of the elusive 'substantial evidence,' she speaks of. We have to trust her on this.

Strauss claims that Vicky has used multiple identities, in various writing forums, and set up multiple blogs, including this one!

How Strauss knows all this we're not, of course, privy to. Suffice to say it's all part of this top secret 'substantial evidence' that she refers to. However, even if it were all true, how is it significant regarding the bullying culture at Absolute Write, and that's the issue here. It appears to be a diversionary tactic employed by Strauss, aimed at deflecting attention away from where it truly belongs. In short, we don't give a fig how many user names forum members have used. What we do care about is the vicious and sadistic bullying of authors at Absolute Write! So let's stay on topic here, Victoria.

But Strauss goes even further in her bully campaign against Vicky. She furnishes a link to a hate site, set up to specifically attack Vicky, by a male stalker troll who is obviously obsessed with her. This, as you see, is getting dangerous. Our advice to Strauss is 'Get a grip.' You come across as a totally paranoid wingnut and cyberstalker, hurling unfounded accusations around like Frisbees.

We're also aghast that she would endorse and promote a hate site that's sole purpose is to attack a forum member, and which incites others to do likewise. It's irresponsible and unforgivable of Strauss to put someone's life at risk in this way. We've contacted Proboards and asked that the hate site be removed.

To say Strauss is behaving in an unprofessional manner is an understatement. She's resorting to name-calling and referring to our administrator and staff as 'trolls.'  This is quite wildly amusing since Strauss is notorious as the biggest troll of the lot! And she's vigorously defending a hornet's nest of trolls at her favourite forum, AW.

Every single post on this site has links leading back to the source. We never throw out wild accusations and make assumptions the way Strauss does. Not ever. We back up our information with documented proof, always. In other words, we don't keep our 'substantial evidence' a secret.
                                                                        
Strauss states: "More unpleasant pastimes include attempting to doxx AW's owner, her parents, and AW admins, and to interfere with their livelihoods (Absolute Blight is the worst offender in this regard)."
That, of course, is utter bunk. There's a lawsuit pending and a physical address for Mel/Mac and Lisa Spangenburg is required for that. It was Mel/Mac herself who tweeted information about her parent's location, and made it available for all on the Internet to see. As for the 'interfere with
livlihoods'* nonsense, Mel/Mac did that to herself when she stopped paying writers, and they complained to Writers Weekly. Read all about it: http://forums.writersweekly.com/viewtopic.php?t=8199%22

*Strauss misspelled the word. It should be 'livelihoods.' 

Strauss is continually attacking other writers, publishers and agents, calling them 'trolls' and 'sockpuppets.' She needs to look in a mirror and remember she's in a glass house. She hangs out with and vigorously defends some of the most infamous trolls and sockpuppets on the Internet at Absolute Write. Like the stablehand who owns the forum, and swears like one too, and has never published anything. Birds of a feather flock together.
According to Strauss, who is in no way an unbiased source, all the sites which are protesting the bully tactics at AW have been created by just one person! It should be noted here that Strauss is one of the 'inner circle' at AW, and used to be a moderator. She has posted there 6,537 times.
These are some of the people Strauss suspected might be active in the ever growing dissent against AW.
"Other assorted names, websites, trolls, and sockpuppets that we believe are associated with The Write Agenda:
Turnaround Media (an obscure PR and digital publishing firm, which apparently maintains TWA--see #6 on the Screenshots page for the connections)
Jared Goldstein, Turnaround Media's VP of Marketing (we don't know whether this is a real name or not, but he has a Facebook page)
Jonna Silverman, another Turnaround Media staffer (again, we don't know if this is a real name or even a real person, but she's on Twitter)
Miriam Silverstein ("Miriam" has a Facebook page, but "her" profile uses a stock photo)
Lizzy Greenberg (the name TWA uses for posting press releases, uploading content to Smashwords, etc. "Lizzy" has a Goodreads profile--note the presence of books published by Turnaround Media) Don't these colorful names sound oddly similar?
Nick Caruso (a Strategic Book Publishing sockpuppet. See #6 on the Screenshots page for an appearance by "Nick")
Michael Sigvagni (signatory to TWA's fake Cease and Desist letter; according to Google, there's not a single real person in the world by this name) A mirror blog, also called The Write Agenda Another mirror blog called Writer Be Aware"
http://www.donotlink.com/http://accrispin.blogspot.ca/2011/10/agenda-of-write-agenda.html
Yet now Strauss states that only one person is behind the whole resistance movement. Hmmm... Oh wait, I've got it. So the 7 names listed above are actually just one person too. Right!

It's also been pointed out that Strauss's books don't sell well, and as a result she's a failed and bitter author. Hence, the amount of time she spends attacking other writers and publishers. We checked out one of her books. It's titled 'Wordstone' and the cover is a jumbled mess. Simply awful. In fact, it's so bad it's comical. Whoever 'designed' it needs a lesson in how to add layers. Yet the AW crowd are merciless in their condemnation of 'self-pubbed' book covers. Only the big New York houses get top marks from them. Ironic isn't it? And it's too bad Strauss didn't follow her own advice:
 
"Look for samples of their work (book covers they’ve designed, books they’ve edited, etc.; a reputable provider should be glad to share this information). Ask for references. Plug their names into search engines to see if you can find recommendations or complaints. Check Preditors and Editors and Absolute Write."
http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/pod/

http://www.amazon.com/Worldstone-Signet-AE4756-Victoria-Strauss/dp/0451147561/ref=la_B000APFNCK_1_11_title_1_mas?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409347182&sr=1-11
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,470,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
As you can see it couldn't be ranked much lower, for it's truly at the bottom of the heap. This book received only a couple of reviews, here is one of them:
"5 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer on June 22, 2003
Format: Mass Market Paperback
I am so disappointed in this book! The plot is weak and the characters I found to be a bit boring. Overall I thought this book was sloppy and unprofessional not what I expected by this self-proclaimed bestselling author! WORLDSTONE is a waste of time and good money, in this man's opinion."

72 comments:

  1. Anonymous26/8/14

    That's hiliarious. They sure don't like it when the underdog bites back.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Don Bascombe26/8/14

    There are about 20 forums where you can find criticisms of AW, they can't all be run by one person.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous26/8/14

    Oh man, and who is this 'disgruntled individual?' ha ha ha. I mean, hey, who could possibly be 'disgruntled' at AW???????????????

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous29/8/14

    "sloppy and unprofessional." Woot, woot, woot. Yet this dufus has sat herself up as an expert on writing and the publishing industry, with a bunch of cohorts at AW who shoe horses for a living and have never even written a book.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Don Bascombe29/8/14

    Vicky needs to get a grip and spew all that bile somewhere else.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous29/8/14

    The Vickster needs to either give up writing altogether and take up shoeing horses with her AW friends, or spend more time polishing the craft. No wonder her books don't sell when she hobbles them together as an afterthought while spending 20 hours out of 24, screeching hatred on the net at successful writers who have the Amazon rankings to prove it. Jealousy gets you nowhere.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Merry Maid29/8/14

    I guess being a failed writer brings out the worst in Vic. I don't fault her one bit. I would be exactly as vicious if my book was ranked under six million. What a blow to a big ego like Vic's.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous29/8/14

    Aw, so readers don't like the drivel you scribble, Straussy, what a shame. ha ha ha Hey but you gotta admit they've got good taste.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous30/8/14

    So this Vicky that has a whole website devoted to her is really Victoria Strauss, makes sense. I mean, what are the odds of two weirdos like that having the same name, and it isn't a common one. Vicky Strauss is also Raburrel, Perks, CE Lawson, Allesandra Kelly, Mccardey and Zoombie. She was the administrator of Writers Net for a while, and posted there under various aliases and socks.
    http://www.writers.net/forum/showthread.php?114156-WN-Seminars

    ReplyDelete
  10. Penny Farthing30/8/14

    Vicky Strauss was a moderator at WN, and she started up that hate site about Vicky Scott using the name of one of her socks Will Abrahams.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous30/8/14

      That's what I was told too, and it's gotta be more than mere coincidence that this infamous troll has the same name as her accuser. Seriously, Strauss needs medical help.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous30/8/14

    You can suspect all you like but unless you're Victoria Strauss you cannot know for sure who is posting what on the Internet. Even if they tell you who they are it could still be a case of stolen identity. The WWW is rife with that sort of thing. But Victoria has supernatural powers that pierce through her computer screen to accurately identify exactly who is behind even the briefest message, as well as their complete history of forum participation and every username they've ever gone under. She truly is a marvel, the Great Houdini of our times.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous30/8/14

    She talks about us guessing wrong about AW mods identity and it makes me wonder (and not for the first time) if Melodi calls herself Mac around her writer friends. She has registered at conferences as Mac so it wouldn't surprise me if Strauss wasn't aware that Mac's name was Melodi.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esteban30/8/14

      I think you're right. But this is just a battle of the trolls -- Strauss and Mac Stone being the biggest trolls of the lot -- and as such damned boring.

      Delete
  13. Unless I'm missing something here, VC received a link to this blog from someone on Facebook. She immediately decided this person had a fake account, that she was a troll, and that she'd used dozens of usernames on AW and other forums. Am I right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous30/8/14

      You got it right Greg. I think the old gal needs a month in a padded cell.

      Delete
    2. Don Bascombe30/8/14

      @Greg
      Strauss said the person who sent her a message on Facebook has a fake Facebook account. That s/he is a troll of multiple identities. That a hate site was set up to attack her. And that she also (busy troll) is the admin of this site and many others including Write Absolute.Wowee! :-)
      This rant of madness from Strauss is most encouraging, for it shows just how desperate she and the other worms at AW are getting over all of this. Keep up the good work guys. We luv ya.

      Delete
  14. Yep, she's got bats in the old belfry alright. Then she posts a link to a hate forum that was set up a decade ago and has not had any activity whatsoever, and claims someone called Martine Allard, who sent her a Facebook message is/was the subject of this defunct hate forum. With this crazy nonsense Struss has lost any crediblility she ever had.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous30/8/14

    When you hurl around unfounded accusations the way Victoria did you come out looking real bad. If you can't prove it, don't say it. I disagree with her about AW still having a lot of members. It used to have, but they've dwindled considerably in the past couple of years. Catering to writers is a limited market and once the word gets around people don't want to go there and be pounced on.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This Writers Net that Strauss speaks of, where she was a moderator, was a really nasty place full of trolls, sockpuppets and stalkers. The hate got so bad there that one member actually attacked another in the real world. He apparently got on a plane and showed up at the guy's door. Writers Net is about as close to Absolute Write as you can get. I've never posted at either one of those forums. Not for me.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous30/8/14

    @Allie
    Abrahams, the WN member who set up the hate site Strauss linked to, was the target of the attack you speak of. You can see why. He was a vicious hate filled character and he'd attack unmercifully any newbie. There are a lot of sick weirdos on the net and a whole mess of them hang out in writers forums. I'm appalled that Strauss would approve of a hate site like that and actually provide a link to it. Shame, shame, shame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When that guy got on the plane to seek revenge on Abrahams, it shows just how far he'd been driven by the trolls at WN. Victoria and that crowd of writers advocates have turned out a bit like many labour unions. At first they did a good job and were necessary, but now they're corrupt and there's nothing to tell them apart from those they were set up to challenge. I've watched over the years as Victoria and her ilk have become bullies drunk on their own sense of power. Now who protects the writers from them?

      Delete
  18. Penny Farthing30/8/14

    So what if someone uses dozens of usernames, posts on dozens of forums and sets up dozens of sites. That's what the net is all about. What's the big deal?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous30/8/14

      @Pennyfarthing
      Whether it's a big deal or not depends who's doing it. When its Vic Strass and her ilk it's A-Okay. Get the drift?

      Delete
    2. Penny Farthing30/8/14

      @ Anon
      Too true. One law for them and another for the rest of us. Who do they think they are anyway? They're just a bunch of self styled phoney 'advocates' who enjoy savaging those they are supposed to be protecting. Does anyone see any difference between them and all those wicked 'scammers' they originally set out to attack? Because I sure don't.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous30/8/14

    What would sTrauss be doing if she wasn't engaging in harassment, stalking, defamation and flame wars on the internet? It would be a pretty dull life for the old gal.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous30/8/14

    Vic is being called on her outrageous accusations by Blogination. She's backed herself into a right old corner, for if she doesn't detail exactly how she reached her conclusions about who set up this blog etc. then she's totally lost credibility and looks like a complete and utter fool. But if she does start naming names in the real world she better have evidence to support it that would stand up in a court of law.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don Bascombe30/8/14

      How right you are. Like how do you spell defamation? And Strauss, I believe, has had lawsuits filed against her before.

      Delete
  21. Don Bascombe30/8/14

    According to Strauss there's only one troll and his sockpuppets on here so that should make it a bit easier for you Melodi Macallister Sherman.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Any way you look at it there's an avalanche of bad reviews about AW. And instead of trying to remedy the fallout Mac STone and Strauss are pointing their fingers desperately elsewhere, to anything or anyone they can blame for their present woes. But it won't wash. They alone are responsible for the ugliness that oozes from themselves and from AW. All the trolls in Christendom can never alter that fact.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous30/8/14

    To the Administrator here:
    Is it true the lawsuit is going to be against Spangenberg and not Mac Stone? There's something about that on the Kristopher blog today. It says Spangenberg is going to be sued by an author for libel, and she's asking for millions in damages.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Don Bascombe30/8/14

    I'd be disappointed if Mac/Mel wasn't dragged into court also. And badly as I'd love to see Lisa Spangenberg nailed for libel, I doubt she has a million cents let alone dollars. She's just a lowly scrubber with delusions of grandeur who grubs around shovelling horse shit with fat Mac.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I'm disappointed in Victoria Strauss. She's done a lot of good things for writers over the years, but now she seems to be lost. She's certainly lost credibility and showed unwise judgement by writing this latest article. When I read it I was aghast at all the wild without foundation allegations. I feared it would backfire on her big time and it has.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous30/8/14

    Strauss has a habit of hurling unfounded accusations and lies around. In fact, she's well known for it. So I don't know why everyone here is so shocked by her recent defence of AW and wild meanderings about socks, trolls and other fantasy creatures.

    "Victoria Strauss and SFWA where is the investigation? Where is your documentation and evidence? Based on these results, we believe that these are very serious allegations to be making if no such investigation has been undertaken. In the interest of good business ethics, these postings by Victoria Strauss and the SFWA should be deleted, retracted and apologies should come forth immediately if they are unable to produce any primary source material as evidence of an investigation. "
    http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Author-Victoria-Strauss/internet/Author-Victoria-Strauss-Failure-to-Produce-Documentation-of-Police-Investigation-Regardi-718916

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous30/8/14

    " I can't share the evidence that supports the troll's involvement with the four really vitriolic anti-AW sites--Absolute Blight etc.--because like other info shared with Writer Beware, I promised to keep it confidential. But I have seen it, and I hope that my reputation for providing solid information will make it possible for people to trust my word.
    8/30/2014 5:43 PM "

    Promised to keep it confidential. Oh yeah, No sale! As for your reputation, Vic, it's in shreds. Not least because of your vigorous defence of the AW trolls and sockpuppets and the shredding of anyone who stands up to them. And what possible documentation could there be, that would stand up in a court of law, to show that one person is behind all these websites? Vic's a daft old coot.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Don Bascombe30/8/14

    Why should we trust you, Vic? These forums you're bad mouthing have always provided proof of their findings with links to the source, etc. That's way more than you've done. And it doesn't matter a jot if only one person or a dozen are behind them as long as they continue to provide the sources. For my money, they're doing a damned good job. AW and Writer Beware etc. have placed themselves on a pedestal for way too long. It's time they were knocked off it.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous30/8/14

    Call out to Vick:
    "Trust your word." That made me choke on my coffee. I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw you. I'm from Missouri.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous30/8/14

    " I can't share the evidence that supports the troll's involvement with the four really vitriolic anti-AW sites--Absolute Blight etc.--because like other info shared with Writer Beware, I promised to keep it confidential. But I have seen it, and I hope that my reputation for providing solid information will make it possible for people to trust my word.
    8/30/2014 5:43 PM "
    Okay, I'm a newbie but what the hell is a 'troll?'

    ReplyDelete
  31. Don Bascombe30/8/14

    Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Strauss calls the anti AW sites 'vitriolic.' Does that mean she thinks AW is not vitriolic?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous30/8/14

    You're in a glass house Strauss (hey that rhymes) quit tossing all those stones around.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Esteban30/8/14


    I can’t share the evidence that supports Vicky Strauss’s (aka the troll) involvement with four really vitriolic sites, other than AW and WB, because like other info shared with me, I promised to keep it confidential. But I have seen it, and I hope that my reputation for providing solid information will make it possible for people to trust my word.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous30/8/14

      Split my sides laughing, but no sale, no sale, no sale.

      Cheers

      Delete
    2. Don Bascombe30/8/14

      Sorry there Esteban but no, we don't trust your word or Vic Strauss's.Good try though.

      Delete
  34. Anonymous30/8/14

    Strauss is a lying skunk. There is no 'documentation' that points to one person owning the four websites she is attacking, because I know for sure that's not the case. Strauss has just thrown that out there without a shred of evidence to back it up. And even if it were true, whether one or twenty one people are behind it, matters not at all. I read all these sites and they always support their findings with links to the source. They never throw out wild unsubstantiated accusations the way that Strauss has done. She should be bloody well ashamed of herself the nasty old bitch.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Okay, I thought it time to wade in here and clear up a few things. It's a matter of public record that staff from Forums Review founded Absolute Blight. The reason for doing so was stated quite clearly on our site. We were getting so many complaints about Absolute Write that we had to segregate it to its own space.

    It has also never been hidden that two other sites were initiated by members of our group for the same reason. In fact, their banners are displayed on both the Forums Review and Absolute Blight websites. One was designed to list all the sites opposed to AW, complete with banners and links. The other to document all the infamous AW bannings.

    So it's puzzling to us that Victoria Strauss has sought to imply something devious about this. Also why she's claiming that only one person is behind the sites. Not that it matters, but there is actually a group of us. We're all busy writers with day jobs, so we could never do it alone.

    The lack of time has resulted in the sites not always being kept up to scratch, but we're working on it, and would like to thank everyone who has offered their support, and for their kind comments.

    We believe that when writers seek out a forum, they are entitled to a pleasant supportive environment, that will not tolerate bully gangs. This is what we're working to try and achieve. Peace and God bless.

    http://forumsreview.blogspot.ca/
    http://absoluteblight.blogspot.ca/
    http://absolutewritecomplaints.blogspot.ca/
    http://absolutebanning.blogspot.ca/

    ReplyDelete
  36. Steven Foster30/8/14

    I used to support Writer Beware but never again after this. Strauss has made a king size ass of herself.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous30/8/14

    It looks like Dark Markets have caved into pressure from the SFWA aka Victoria Strauss and removed the article about Absolute Write. That vindictive old bat still has a long reach.
    http://darkmarkets.com/the-cult-absolute-write-water-cooler/

    ReplyDelete
  38. We've penned a reply to Victoria Strauss and rightfully compared her to Tariq Aziz of the old Saddam Hussein regime. She functions in the same way as Aziz did for Saddam, by pretending to be above it all and objective, by pretending to be fighting for the right and decrying all critics as frauds:

    Write Absolute Reviews

    Please stop by to add your thoughts, guys.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous31/8/14

      STRAUSS IS THE BIGGEST FRAUD OF THE LOT.

      Delete
  39. Esteban31/8/14

    Amen to that. But she's really gone out on a limb this time and looks like a proper dufus. ha ha

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous31/8/14

    It looks like Strauss has bitten off more than she can chew this time. She's picked on folk who fight back. Good on ya, guys, give her hell.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Don Bascombe31/8/14

    I'm amazed that Strauss would get involved in something like this where there is clearly a conflict of interest. She admitted that she's a long time member and once was a moderator at AW. That automatically excludes her from being an unbiased source. But she's donning her guise of unbiased advocate to sling mud at every other site that opposes AW. This is very bad form indeed, and it has cost Struass any credibillity she ever had.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous31/8/14

      Yep, it's an abuse of power for sure.

      Delete
  42. Esteban31/8/14

    She should never have attacked this site and others that are trying to get some justice for abused and bullied authors. Cyberbullying is a serious criminal offence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous31/8/14

      Yes it is, and that b!tch Strauss has aligned herself with the criminals. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.

      Delete
  43. Don Bascombe31/8/14

    According to Strauss there's only one 'troll' behind this entire revolution. lol Man, that must be one super troll.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Anonymous31/8/14

    I don't know about the rest of you but i'm enjoying this. I haven't had this much fun since i can't remember when.

    Cheers :-)

    ReplyDelete
  45. Thanks for the link.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Anonymous31/8/14

    Great rebuttal, that sticks to the facts without all the infantile 'troll' business that Strauss trots out.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Thanks so much for this. I've added the Sitejabber reviews to our links.

    ReplyDelete
  48. It was the disappearance of Dark Market that made us think to search for the Sitejabber posts also. They're on the nose, bloke!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Victoria has reposted her exact same smear on her own personal blog. She is probably hoping this one will rank in Google and not the current one that has gone against her.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Anonymous2/9/14

    In her haste to defend her buds at AW she's ended up looking like a right old eejit. She didn't do her homework at all or she'd have known the same people owned several forums and had never tried to deny it. In fact they advertised them on every board they have. Maybe Strauss needs a new pair of specs or something?

    ReplyDelete
  51. Esteban2/9/14

    She knew right enough, it was just part of the smear campaign.There's a ton of bad press about AW, but not a thing about any of the sites that have exposed their antics. This makes it difficult when you're trying to defend the indefensible as Strauss did.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Anonymous3/9/14

    Sherman and Spangenberg have entered the fray on Writer Beware.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esteban3/9/14

      Methinks they are getting worried.

      Delete
  53. Anonymous3/9/14

    It's important to send all this stuff to their advertisers. Hit them in the pocket book hard enough and it might put them out of business.l

    ReplyDelete
  54. Don Bascombe3/9/14

    They could have avoided all this if they'd just treated people decently. Everyone is entitled to respect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4/9/14

      Yeah but when the owner is a stable groom who's never written a single thing, what do you expect? The only reason she bought AW was for the power. She's on a real power trip and doesn't give a f&ck about writers. In fact, judging by the way she treats them she bloody well hates them. It's too bad about AW because there's a lot of good info there.

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  55. Maverick5/9/14

    The above all capper with cursing and insult is courtesy of Melodi "Mac Stone" Sherman. I know because I did the forensic analysis. It was easy.

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  56. Jennifer6/9/14

    Lot's of people run large forums like Agent Query and they don't have dozens of websites blasting them for mean spirited personal attacks.

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  57. Anonymous3/1/16

    Good post.

    ReplyDelete