Well, this should prove to be an interesting rant of mine, because this is where I become a grade "A" hypocrite. But it's all okay, considering the fact that it's my page and if you don't like what I have to say, then that's okay.

I was surfing around one of my regular haunts, Backstreet Escapes (which is a must-see page that I haven't put a link to yet...give me time) and I was excited to see the new award winner. A key to finding great fiction to read is to check out the links pages on your favorite sites, or the award winners...Anyway, the Escapes award always goes to, like, fantabulous stories that are just so breathtaking that it's impossible to stop reading them. So I checked it out and voila! All my hopes and expectations were dashed.

The story is called "Cost of A Lie" and it's well-written, captivating, beautiful message about prejudice and whatnot. The problem, you're asking. It was a lot better when it was written by Sheryl Jordan. Possibly one of my favorite books of all time, no matter how old I get, will always be "Winter of Fire" by Sheryl Jordan. And this story is almost a direct knock off of it.

Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating slightly. "Winter of Fire" is a take on what would happen if the world's atmosphere was covered in dust and we couldn't see the sun anymore. How would we keep warm? Well, in the story, they solved the problem by enslaving a race to mine for coal. To keep them from revolting, they brand them, erase their religion and say they that are lesser human beings. They don't let the "Quelled" (as they are called), look the rest of them in the eyes. The story is beautiful and moving and I just love it to death. If you are ever starved for something to read, read that.

So, "Cost Of A Lie" is a direct take on "Winter of Fire". Only differences that I've seen so far is that "COAL" stars a Backstreet Boy and it takes place in our time, while "Winter of Fire" doesn't. She even used the name "Quelled" to describe the race, and the fact that they aren't supposed to look people in the eyes and the candle/gas/mine thing. I was very upset while reading this.

Okay, so the point? I know, I'm knocking off Cyrano de Bergerac with my "Untitled" story. But the only thing that I intend to keep in my story that resembles Cyrano de Bergerac is the fact that one guy loves the girl, she loves someone else, so he helps the guy win her by writing love notes and signing the other guy's name. Everything else is all mine. But to take so much from one story and not give any credit to the original author is just wrong.

And then to win an award for it. Not only an award, but like, the most prestigious award in fan-fiction! All on a storyline that you stole from someone else. It just isn't right. I do realise that I'm being a huge hypocrite, but I at least admit where my story is coming from.