Oh my. What an absolute shit storm for Best Selling author Shey Stahl. Word has it she has plagiarized big chunks of her latest release, For the Summer, from a fanfic writers' piece (and yes, the ' goes there, because it was co-written).

Now, let me first say that I've read neither book/work. I went into this whole drama with an open mind. I mean, with all the books out there, some are bound to be similar, yes? But then I read what folks were saying about it...and read...and read, and I gotta say- the similarities are astounding. Too astounding to be coincidental. I'd like to think that it was completely accidental, that the fanfic piece so riveted Shey Stahl that she accidentally let too much of the overtone of it into her work.

But I can't convince myself of that. Too many passages, too closely written. No.

I'm simply disgusted. So many, myself included, write and publish and dream  of someday being a best selling author. But I'll be damned if I'll do it illegally or unethically. Using someone else's talent, sweat and tears to get me there is not only just plain wrong, it's disgusting. It's like drowning a basket of kittens, or shoving an old lady out of your way to get the last seat on the bus. It's low and despicable and makes my toes curls in a bad way. 

Will this make Shey Stahl a has-been? I don't know, but it should. Someone who steals someone else's intellectual property shouldn't sell anything. Ever again. Ever. But it's not up to me (though it should be, like everything else, IMO). I see folks have been busy calling her out on Goodreads and Amazon, and while I generally frown upon the 'wild dog pack' mentality, in this instance, they're right to do it, as I see it.

I'm guessing the lawsuits to follow will be epic. Anything she ever writes again will be scrutinized, page by page, word by word. As it should be.

As of this writing, it looks like ALL of her works are off of B+N and Amazon, and her FB author page has been pulled down.

Doesn't look like innocence to me when you run with your tail tucked between your legs. Doesn't help her case at all. I imagine her publisher made that call, because this shit storm is about to run down hill to them, I suspect.

There's no pride in 'succeeding' by stealing, so what's the point, really? Just my 2 cents, folks.