Chapter 8
To Tia, author of Bang, Bang! I’m deeply sorry about the statements I made about you on the live stream that I inadvertently continued to record.
My comments were highly inappropriate and unsubstantiated.
I regret that a personal conversation that I thought was private was accidentally streamed live.
There is still no excuse for my actions.
I sincerely apologise for the hurt I’ve caused you personally and professionally.
It was never my intention to malign your name or your debut book in a public setting, as I value the book community and its writers.
In saying that, I understand I have broken your trust, and that of my community, and once again, I fully admit I’m at fault.
This kind of behaviour doesn’t reflect my core values, and I will be taking time to reflect and learn how to do better.
Tia, I wish you well on your future literary endeavours.
I press publish on the post and then write a second one.
To my friends in the book community.
Thank you to those who’ve reached out to check on my wellbeing.
It’s more appreciated than you know. I’m deeply sorry I let you down.
The book community has always been a welcoming space for me, and I hope I reflected that back.
There is not much else I can say except how terribly sorry I am.
A public pile-on is the very last thing I’d ever be part of, let alone the instigator of.
My actions were unjust and unfair and have caused a lot of hurt for Tia, her fans, and romancelandia as a whole.
In light of my actions, I take full accountability and will remove myself from Bookstagram, taking time to re-evaluate.
Before I go, I want to give a heartfelt thanks to all of you.
Meeting bookworms from all over the world has been a huge blessing in my life.
You’ve made me laugh by sharing hilarious book memes, encouraged me to dip my toes into trying new genres (hello, romantasy!).
You’ve inspired me to get more creative with my posts (flat lays are still my favourite!).
And shown me the beauty of taking time to write an eloquent review, and conversely, doing a brain dump video when a book is so lifechanging you can’t contain your emotions.
By its nature, reading is a solitary pursuit, but it hasn’t felt solitary with you there for me, at the touch of button. I’ll miss you all so much.
I’ll leave this post up for a week before I deactivate my account.
All my love,
Harper xoxo