Official statement from Tiaamboroauthor.com shared on Instagram @tia_amboro_writes about the accusations made by Harper from Harper’s Book Haven.
Dear Readers,
Due to the accusations levelled at me, I’ve been forced to address this issue. Let me say firstly, with much adamance, I did not use AI to write Bang, Bang! To be accused of such slander is monstruous and what makes it worse is that this has come from a woman I admire(d) greatly in the book community.
And why? All because I haven’t shared a photo of myself, my dog, my never ending TBR pile? Isn’t it my prerogative to keep my private life just that – private, without libellous claims lobbed my way? I shouldn’t even have to deny this, but here we are. I’ve been encouraged by my legal team (you’ll be hearing from them soon, Harper) to get ahead of this to limit any further damage, if such a thing is possible.
I’m not going to share my identity, as is my right. I will tell you, I’m a middle-aged woman who enjoys writing spicy cowboy romance, and only my immediate family know that I dabble in this field. Now, because of Harper’s actions, there’s a very real threat that my two worlds will collide with this incessant online witch hunt to find out who I am.
Can we not do that? I like my anonymity. No one is more surprised than me that Bang, Bang! has taken off the way it has. But I can’t take all the credit for it. There’s an entire publishing and marketing team at the helm helping this book find its readers.
Does the success of Bang, Bang! mean I personally need to be teared down? Or is it just plain jealousy? Well, I won’t apologise for my success, and nor should I. Harper, a successful woman in her own right, needs to reflect her gaze inward, perhaps. Women should support women, full stop. Now let’s put the past to bed and move on, shall we? I’ve got cowboy romances to write.
Yeehaw,
Tia xoxo
7
A week later, things have only intensified. All the local jobs I’ve applied for have been unsuccessful, and dropping my CV into bookshops hasn’t worked either; in fact, it’s gone disastrously wrong. Twice I’d been asked to leave once I told them my name. Speaking of my name, it’s still trending for all the wrong reasons.
My friends in the book community have defended me, but it’s like screaming into a black hole. The fallout has gathered momentum, spilling into the outer reaches of the internet where the nastier trolls live. The unflattering memes become more grotesque as strangers use AI, of all things, with my likeness and share them far and wide. People continue to come out of the woodwork sharing one horrific story after another of scandalous things I’ve done – none of which are true.
It’s impossible not to take it personally. It blows me away that one momentary lapse of concentration has had such a nuclear effect. Like a bomb detonated in my life and blew it to smithereens. I don’t understand how it’s still going, since I’m not a celebrity or anyone of note. People just love being an audience to downfall. What have we become?
‘How quickly one can go from glorious heights to stunningly painful lows,’ I say to Lily, who sits beside me, reading a thriller.
She turns to me. ‘What’s happened now?’
I hold up my phone to show her. ‘People are calling for a response from me about the statement Tia posted last week.’ I’ve vacillated endlessly about this, not wanting to stoke the fire, and to let Tia’s statement have its moment, but my silence is being taken as cowardice.
Lily flicks through the comments and mutters under her breath about people needing to get a life. ‘Would it help, or hinder, that’s the thing? Are they just braying for blood at this point? It’s as if they want the next instalment of drama, so why give it to them? They’re not even book people. They’re cyberbullies.’
‘Who have a lot of time on their hands.’
She grimaces. ‘Don’t let the trolls dictate what you do. In saying that, a statement for your Bookstagram friends might be nice. Let that be the line you draw in the sand and then move on.’
My gut roils but it makes sense. ‘There aren’t all that many followers left. Just my mainstays, my friends in the book community. They’re the ones who matter. I’ll admit my shortcomings and apologise. What if Tia does sue me? God, imagine.’
Lily bites down on her lip as she considers it. ‘Would she though? Sue you for what exactly? You thought you were having a private conversation in the comfort of your own home. Yeah, sure, it was streamed live but it was an accident. I can attest to that.’
I manage a wobbly smile. ‘Who knows how these things work? She said I’d be hearing from her legal team, and so every day my chest tightens when I check my emails.’
‘Let’s worry about that when and if it happens. There’s another development.’ Lily swallows hard. ‘It’s Caleb.’
‘Oh?’
‘He’s hard-launched a new relationship with…’
I close my eyes. ‘What?’ I calculate how many days it’s been since #BangBangGate. Ten.
‘That life coach woman. The one who…’
‘I know the one. She helped with the anti-bullying campaign. Seriously?’ While the relationship with Caleb had been relatively new, moving on ten days later is a kick in the teeth. ‘Goal Digger gets her coffee at the same Costa as me most mornings. Urgh, she introduces herself as your friendly neighbourhood Goal Digger on her daily videos. Don’t you think punny names that bad should be outlawed?’ OK, that might be the heartbreak talking; I usually love punny names. ‘How could anyone take her seriously?’ I scrub my face. ‘At this point it feels like a pile on. What else can go wrong?’
I catch Lily blanch and quickly avert her gaze. ‘What?’ I ask.
‘Nothing. It’s only that rent is due.’ She wrinkles her nose. ‘But I can cover?—’
