Yesterday, I also discovered that a copy of my second Figure Skating Mystery, On Thin Ice, is available free for download, here. (Bear with me, I'll be tying these two random pieces of information together shortly.)
My first reaction was fury (I'm sure the fact that I was hungry may have contributed to that). In a nutshell, a book that it had taken me several months to write - not to mention years to research while I was a TV figure skating researcher for ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBC, etc... - had been stolen from me. I make my living from writing. Every copy that's distributed for free is a copy that I didn't sell, and that's money directly out of my pocket and food out of my children's mouths (again, I was hungry).
While sitting in temple, however, I started really thinking about the issue (while repenting, naturally). My print novels are often resold, either in used book-stores or on eBay. I don't make any money from that, either.
In addition, I'm sure people loan their own copies to friends and family members. Is doing it electronically really any different, morality-wise? (These are the kinds of things one thinks about while sitting in temple on Yom Kippur. Hungry).
By the end of the evening (fasting ended at 7:27 pm last night... but who's counting?), I'd made my peace with the piracy. In the spirit of Yom Kippur, I've decided to accept that anyone who illegally downloads my books is no different from someone who borrows it from a friend or library. Newly sin-free, I am making this my good deed for the year. You want to read an Alina Adams book without paying - consider that you have my permission.
Then again, starvation and sleep deprivation is how they brainwash people, isn't it....
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