Let Your Yes Mean Yes: Will there be a Sequel to “Still With Eyes Closed”

Let Your Yes Mean Yes: Will there be a Sequel to “Still With Eyes Closed”
 
About three times a week I’m asked either in person on online when the sequel to “Still With Eyes Closed” will be released. Sometimes I’m simply asked if I am working on it. The short answer is “yes I’m working on it” and in reality I am. But as with all things there is a big but here, and it smells.
In total more than 6,000 copies of all three of my books are in the hands of the worldwide public. 1) Either they bought a hard copy. 2) They bought an eBook version. 3) They took advantage of Amazon Kindle promotions or 4) I gave them a hard copy in exchange for feedback.
I want to focus on number 4. Some have kept their promise and left feedback in exchange for a hardcopy of one of my books, whereas others…I want to examine 2 principals, letting your yes mean yes and theft.
 So there are currently about 50 or so people out there who have obtained a free hardcopy of one of my books that gave their word, or made a promise, that after reading it they would leave feedback. Those that I see on a regular basis have told me how great and wonderful the book or books were. I remind them to leave feedback and I get “Oh I’ve not forgotten.” “I have just not had time.” “I thought I already did.” The excuses go on. So first letting your yes mean yes, if someone does not like something they MAKE the time to tell as many as they can, no excuses. But if they enjoyed something, well excuse after excuse. What has happened is they gave their word or made a promise and have broken it, in effect lied. Second point theft, the book or books were given in EXCHANGE for feedback instead of money. If you fail to pay for something you have stolen it. Regardless of the view expressed by the thief or the justification made, theft is theft. So by taking the book and promising to leave feedback and never doing it the person has lied and stolen.
Many of those who have done this are close friends and a few family members. They all sing praises of the books, but then offer justified excuses why they forgot. Some of these people I see several times a week, others are outstanding members of the community, doctors, church leaders, professionals, professors and as I said some very close friends.
Now the effect, it has been very discouraging to me to constantly hear “Oh I intend to.” “I’m sorry I forgot again.” “Yeah great book and I want to leave feedback but I never have an extra 3 minutes in my life.” (That last one contained sarcasm.) These excuses have been going on for over 2 years. Because authors need feedback to help generate new sales I have been very discouraged by the constant broken promises and theft’s for over 2 years now and it has put water on the fire of my writing. I deeply desire to complete the sequel to “Still With Eyes Closed” but I am totally hurt and disappointed in how ones have treated my kindness. I am not mad at them or even upset with them, but disappointed and let down. I can overlook those whom I do not know on a personal basis, but close friends, and these friends still call and ask me for favors. I will continue to lend them a hand, but if they never intend to let their yes mean yes then simply stop lying to me and tell me that you just wanted a free read.
I will finish the sequel and only one person on Earth will get a free copy, my editor, signed. No one, no matter who they are or how many false promises they make will get a free copy. Of all the aspects of being an author I feel this is the hardest to deal with, being lied to by friends and others so they can steal a copy of my book. It makes me feel taken advantage of and used. So as I stated, no more free copies. When I ran my end of year Amazon Promotion in 2015 I stated in this blog that it would never happen again, and it will not.