Baubles-- Only Play with Your Own

I received a call from a dear friend this afternoon, a writer.  She was all upset and flustered.  It seems that she missed a magazine deadline that contained a merchandise review-- she had been undergoing unexpected major surgery at the time of the deadline.  Anyway, the vendor in question was naturally ticked off, expecting to find her precious baubles featured in this brand spankin' new e-magazine, in the second only ever edition.  I can understand Miss Vendor's angst...up to a point.  But the writer had one of the best reasons I can think of for missing a deadline.  I know that I wouldn't write well under anesthesia.

So, let's solve the problem...the writer told Miss Vendor that she had the reviews ready to go, and that she had contacted another publisher-- not just *Any* publisher, mind you, but the publisher of a very successful well-known and popular Pagan magazine.  Now Miss Vendor's baubles would be seen by a lot more people in a more prestigious publication, one that you can actually buy in a bookstore, not just download on your computer.

Was Miss Vendor thrilled?

No.

Miss Vendor was more pissed off than ever.  She threatened to sue the writer, and she told the writer to throw the pretty baubles away and to never, ever, *ever* come play in her sandbox again.  She also decided to spread her seething and prickly fever to everyone she could get her hands on who was connected with the writer, including the editor of the e-magazine and the editor of the other "I-am-more-prestigious-and-important-publication".

Is there a moral to this story?

Yes.

"Don't play with other women's baubles...Ever!!