What does the writer owe the reader?

Ok, this post might just bite me in the ass...but hey, if she sees it then well, maybe she can understand my point of view...don't take it personally, I'm sure you'rea very nice person, but at this moment, I really really fuckin' hate you.

Background here: I read....boy do I read...ALOT. You have no idea...I have over 2000 books NOT boxed up...at least another 500 in boxes until I get more room for shelves. I read *everything* except romance novels. Comprehend how much I love to read...I OWN my own library. I even have textbooks that I didn't get in college. My biggest wet dream consists of a bookstore that has every book *ever* written and an unlimited budget. My second biggest consists of a library the size of the Sistine Chapel AT LEAST. My own private library, not a public one. If I was given a choice between not ever reading again and stopping breathing, I'd stop breathing. Are you getting this?

If I get pissed at a writer then well, you did good man. I must have really got into your novel, way to go. If I want to burn your house to the ground and do impossible things involving shoving your computer/typewriter in interesting places...you fucked up. I'm a very loyal reader...if I find a superb author, I tell everyone about their books, and will buy a book from them without fail. You would think I'd stop doing that considering they will let you down so quickly. Let me list the things you owe a reader, and you DO owe them something.

1. Give them what you promised. If you have promised a 3 book series, then give it to them. You don't leave them hanging in book 2 and then tell them they have to wait 10 years for book 3....maybe, that's if you get to it at all. How would you like someone to worm their way into your emotions and then step back and go "Ok, we're stopping now, for no reason at all. It's been fun! Later" Imagine being left on the cusp of orgasm and then him jumping up, throwing his clothes on and saying "Hey, I'm done...I gotta go". It's one thing to write 8 books independant of one another and make ONE sucky one. Fucking up a series? You're a dickhead. (This is actually in reference to a different writer, but it is owed).

2. You cannot kill off the main character at least 2 books early. The main character is there for a reason. And you have told us that we will be following this character's life. To end it early, and then write more books is bullshit. JUST because the new character is in the old characters body DOES NOT mean we're following that character. If you brain-damaged the main character and gave her an alternate personality that doesn't integrate with the main one, the main one is dead and you're writing a whole new series. Please don't do that. We go into a book expecting Jane, and now we have this whole new personality called Dorothy. Tell us this, so we either go into the book expecting something new, or start a new series. Instead we feel robbed because we bought a book about Jane, and instead got a book about Dorothy. It's false advertising and it's a shitty thing to do. I'm sorry, but a true reader understands that all books carry an emotional investment. How do you expect people to react when you play with their emotions? You didn't just bottle up Cheer in a Tide bottle...you bottled up a person I don't know and does not have the depth of the original into the original's body/story, an original character I love/respect/admire/masterbate to, what-the-fuck-ever.Not fucking cool. To me it says "I'm just trying to sell books". Because everyone will pay for a story about Jane, you fuck them over by sticking in Dorothy and putting Jane's cover on. And if Dorothy sucks (as she does in this case), you're a bigger asshole.

People say if you don't like what the writer does, don't buy the books anymore. Yeah, and I won't. But I can still bitch about it. You cannot do a job based on appealing to the emotions of people and then fuck them over. Well you can, but you only have yourself to blame if they feel betrayed. I'm definitely NOT saying the writer has to write what Ilike, but I do think the writer owes the reader what they are promised. ONLY what they are promised. If I want to buy books about Jane and you want to move on to Dorothy, hey, start a new series and advertise in the new series "If you enjoy Dorothy and would like to know where she comes from, read the Jane series". Or title it something obvious (or sub-title) "Story of Dorothy: After Jane". Then we can say "Oh, I didn't like Dorothy, so Iwon't buy these". Which is probably why you didn't do this to start with. Dorothy probably won't sell as well, so we're going to make them think this is Jane and sell some books.

Now, if Dorothy and Jane are going to integrate after I write this post..well, I can't say I'm sorry. Thus far it seems as if you've killed off Jane entirely. ANd for what it's worth, Jane's husband is a sorry motherfucker who didn't even mourn his damn loss. And I used to LIKE him. Look, a writer is only as good as his last book. In your case your last 2. You built a fanbase that even after the first "bad" book, stuck around having faith that you were setting us up for something good. And what assholes would we be to complain while you give the character one book to grow into something a bit more? But hey, the second book is supposed to return and see the original character grow, not morph into some idiot.

So let me make this position of mine clear: If Stephen King wants to move onto Danielle Steele type books, that's his business. The reader has NO right to demand he keep writing horror. We can be disappointed all we want, but we better get over it. He does not owe us a damn thing in that regard. But if he moves into Danielle Steele type shit and packages it like Cujo...he's a dick and has betrayed his fanbase. He also cannot say he's writing about Lassie and package it like Cujo. That is LYING. I spent money to read about Cujo, I got fuckin' Lassie...ain't that some fucked up shit? You ripped me off. No, don't buy your fucking book back, but damn, at least apologize!

For what's worth, I won't buy another book without reading it first, IF I can bring myself to read it. And I will no longer be suggesting your books as THE thing to read. I don't want you ripping off my friends. And I hope Jane's husband dies a horrible, torturous death and Jane dances on the ceiling, the fickle son of a bitch. Her enemies were more true to her than he was...