Plagiarism Sucks Back to Blog

(Thank you SO much to the kind folks who alerted me to this situation.)

I’m being plagiarized. It sucks.

I’m not just talking some similarities in a plot line (that can happen). We’ve all read our share of books with similar story lines.  I’m talking about word for word plagiarism of DEADLY HEAT.

I was alerted that a person using the online name of Misconception76 had posted a story called The Devil’s Dance on fanfiction.net. (Here’s a link for you:  http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7129614/1/The_Devils_Dance).  At the beginning of her work, she includes this disclaimer:

The Twilight Series character names belong to Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.”

You see, she’s renamed my characters Edward & Bella.  My SSD Agent Kenton–he’s Edward. My tough female firefighter? She’s Bella.

She changes the names, acknowledges that she’s using them from the Twlight books, and then Misconception76 goes ahead to use my entire Deadly Heat story.  She changes the POV (using “I” instead of 3rd person), but everything else is the same. For pages and pages and pages.

She adds comments at the beginning and end of each chapter–talking about how hard it is to write. How the characters can be difficult.

And she steals my work.

Let me just say this–I want readers to like my stories. I want them to care about my characters. To talk about the plots and twists and love relationships.

What I don’t want? For someone to steal my work and act like I don’t exist.

I work hard on my writing. I often go to bed long past midnight because I’m up pounding out stories. I miss sleep. I miss family functions. I live and breathe my stories.

Please don’t steal them from me.

If you want to be a writer, then be a writer.  Use your own imagination and write your own stories. Don’t lie and act like something is yours when you’ve just taken the EXACT words from someone else.

Please, don’t plagiarize me.

Update:

I realize that some folks who haven’t read my work are coming to the site to check out this story. Some may not believe me when I talk about this plagiarism situation. (After all, if you haven’t read my work, how can you be sure? Makes sense.) So I wanted to share a small excerpt from my published book, DEADLY HEAT, with you:

Choosing to run into a burning building probably wasn’t the smartest decision he’d ever made. Then again, sadly, it wasn’t his dumbest either.

Kenton Lake choked in a deep breath of air—already tasted the smoke–then lifted his arm over his mouth. Some jobs just sucked.

He went into the wall of smoke. Ah, hell.

His nostrils burned. Heat scored his flesh, but he heard the voice calling, the same voice that had lured him to the building, lured him across the street and into this inferno.

H-help! Dammit—h-help me!”

His informer. Upstairs. In the middle of the flames and fury.

He jerked off his jacket, covered his mouth, and tried to stay as low to the floor as he could.

His eyes burned, and the ash and fire singed his nostrils. How the hell had this happened? He was investigating arson, not supposed to get drawn into—

Part of the ceiling fell behind him.

Kenton glared up at the long row of stairs. Ten-to-one odds they’d fall away before he got to the top.

Ten to one.

“H-help…”

Weaker.

He took the stairs. One. Two. Three.

And, yep, they gave way just when he reached stair number four. Kenton went down, hard. The broken wood bit into his arms and legs, and the fire flew toward him.

A blast of water shot out, hard and fast, slamming into the flames.

Someone grabbed him, hauled him up, and a hand locked tight around his arm. Kenton found himself staring right at a firefighter.

He caught a smoky glimpse of narrowed eyes behind a clear eye shield. Kenton had a fast impression of a thick, black helmet and a brown uniform—

The firefighter shoved him forward, obviously trying to send him toward the front of the building.

Hell, no.

More firefighters swarmed around him, battling the fire. Some struck out with axes, some scrambled into the rooms.

Couldn’t they hear the voice calling for help?

He tried to break free and jump for those stairs. There was a gap, he could make it, he might—

The firefighter who’d grabbed him before dragged him right back and gave a hard negative shake of that black helmet.

Screw that, he wasn’t leaving a victim behind—

He wrenched away.

Then the firefighter slugged him. Hard. Right in his jaw. Damn, one hell of a hit.

Kenton went down.

The firefighter’s arms wrapped around him. Another grabbed him. Another.

Then they dragged his ass out of the flames.

***

And here’s the material that Misconception76 posted on FanFiction.net:

~Edward~

Choosing to run into a burning building probably wasn’t the smartest decision I’d ever made. Then again, sadly, it wasn’t my dumbest either.

I choked in a deep breath of air – already tasted the smoke – then lifted my arm over my mouth. Some jobs just sucked.

I went into the wall of smoke. Ah, hell.

My nostrils burned. Heat scored my flesh, but I heard the voice calling, the same voice that had lured me to the building, lured me across the street and into this inferno.

H-help! Dammit, h-help me!”

My informer. Upstairs. In the middle of the flames and fury.

I jerked off my jacket, covered my mouth, and tried to stay as low to the floor as I could.

My eyes burned, and the ash and fire singed my nostrils. How the hell had this happened? I was investigating arson, not supposed to get drawn into–

Part of the ceiling fell behind me.

I glared up at the long row of stairs. Ten-to-one odds they’d fall away before I got to the top.

Ten-to-one.

“H-help…”

Weaker.

I took the stairs. One. Two. Three.

And, yep, they gave way just when I reached stair number four. I went down, hard. The broken wood bit into my arms and legs, and the fire flew toward me.

A blast of water shot out, hard and fast, slamming into the flames.

Someone grabbed me, hauled me up, and a hand locked tight around my arm. I found himself staring right at a firefighter.

I caught a smoky glimpse of narrowed eyes behind a clear eye shield. I had a fast impression of a thick, black helmet and a brown uniform–

The firefighter shoved me forward, obviously trying to send me toward the front of the building.

Hell, no.

More firefighters swarmed around me, battling the fire. Some struck out with axes, some scrambled into the rooms.

Couldn’t they hear the voice calling for help?

I tried to break free and jump for those stairs. There was a gap, I could make it, I might–

The firefighter who’d grabbed me before dragged me right back and gave a hard negative shake of that black helmet.

Screw that, I wasn’t leaving a victim behind–

I wrenched away.

Then the firefighter slugged me. Hard. Right in my jaw. Damn, one hell of a hit.

I went down.

The firefighter’s arms wrapped around me. Another grabbed me. Another.

Then they dragged my ass out of the flames.

***

See what I’m talking about?  And she does this for my entire book.  On Twitter, Evening_Shadow recommended that I tell people how to report The Devil’s Dance as abuse. View the material at: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7129614/2/The_Devils_Dance, and click on the drop-down menu in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.  Then just select the “Report Possible Abuse” and click “Go”.   Hopefully, if enough people report this, The Devil’s Dance will be removed.

Thank you.

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148 responses to “Plagiarism Sucks”

  1. khelsey says:

    I’m so sorry I can’t believe she thought she could get a way with this!

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thank you! I’m wondering is she thought she’d get away with it b/c Deadly Heat isn’t a paranormal story–and she was writing it as Bella & Edward fanfic (so for a primarily paranormal audience)? Maybe she thought there would be no crossover readers to notice?

    • khelsey says:

      But you are a well known and you have many fans. I feel so bad for you it makes me sick that people are that low.

  2. Lynn Rush says:

    Amen! I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this. What a terrible thing!

  3. Romancemama says:

    Honey, I hate that this happened to you!! But there are always lowlifes trying to piggyback on real talent. Hold your head up and know that you are the real deal – and the truth will prevail. Love ya!!!!

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thanks, lady. 🙂 I just feel like she’s cheated me, she’s cheated all of the people on the site who followed the story–and I don’t understand why someone would do this.

  4. Edie Ramer says:

    You bet! I’m so angry for you. I hope the site takes the story off.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thanks, Edie! I’ve sent them 3 notices now and have gotten no response. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it’s b/c it’s the weekend. I’m hoping to hear something soon.

  5. Limecello says:

    I went and reported that person/story for plagiarism. And I saw in the comments/reviews a person has also written your publisher – so hopefully they’ll take steps to deal with it.

    I’m sorry this happened to you, Cynthia.

  6. I reported her…but couldn’t leave a review for some reason. I’m so sorry this happened–it sucks! Karma will get her. Hopefully your publisher will, too. 🙂

  7. linds says:

    Someone needs to post a link to this blog post in her comments. I mean I know people that roleplay book characters but they disclaimer on their sites. Roleplay is one thing, calling something yours is quite another!

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      I agree with you! Roleplay is one thing–this is very different. I mean, if she wanted her Edward to be an FBI agent, fine. Let him be one. Don’t take my entire story and say you wrote it.

  8. Abby Wood says:

    I heard about this blog post on Twitter, and after reading thought I would mention that this very same thing happened to me in February. A person took my book, word for word, but changed the character’s names to Bella and Edward. A reader of mine recognized it on a FanFiction site, contacted the person who owned the site, and also contacted me.

    It makes me wonder if it’s the same person up to her old tricks. When I dealt with her, she registered under a different name and addy than the one you mentioned…which isn’t surprising.

    I was able to have a lawyer contact her, who had her remove my book where she had posted my book on 2 different fanfiction sites.

    Because of the similarities between us, if you need any additional help or information to see if this is the same person, please feel free to contact me. I can give you the info that I have. 🙂

  9. OMG that is just awful! I hope they take it down! You work way to hard to have some nobody person come and steal all of it! Ridiculous!

  10. I’m so sorry. How can she even look at herself in the mirror? Disgusting. Hang in there, Cynthia. I hope this gets resolved soon and they never do this again.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      I can’t understand how she could reply to all the comment she received about the story w/ false info on how she was developing the plot and working so hard on the characters.
      🙁

      Thank you for the support, Bethany!

  11. Danielle W says:

    I hope you get her shutdown and every other theif out there like her. Some people just are not taught the different between right/wrong. I could never steal anything, let alone take credit for the stolen items. Just plain mean spirited. Nobody who does this is a real fan.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thanks, Danielle! And I’m definitely not viewing this as a fan–I feel like if you steal an author’s work like this, you have no respect for her at all.

  12. Na says:

    That is terrible! I can’t believe the person even has the audacity to comment about how “hard” writing is! Talk about adding insult to injury. I hope this matters gets resolved quickly and fairly.

  13. Minx Malone says:

    Oh no! Cynthia that’s awful. How can people do this stuff and think they won’t get caught? I hope you’re successful in getting it removed immediately.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thank you, Minx! Still working on getting it removed. Lots of folks are adding comments to the “reviews” section & reporting it as stolen, so I’m hoping that will help get it taken down faster.

  14. Donna Grant says:

    Cythia –

    I’m so sorry this happened to you. She should be prosecuted. I just don’t understand people’s need to steal another’s work. 🙁

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thanks, Donna! When I hopped on the computer last night, this was the last thing I expected. I’d planned to work on a story, but my mind was too jumbled to think.

  15. Carrie says:

    I reported her last night. I am glad however that Bree and I were online with you to be with you.

    Ugh!

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      I am SO glad you were there. Seriously, last night, I needed you. I needed all the support I could get b/c I was so upset my hands were shaking and my teeth were chattering!

  16. Liza says:

    So sorry this is happening to you. I really don’t understand why anyone would steal another writer’s work. Makes me so angry!

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thank you, Liza! Last night, I was alternating between hot anger and hurt. Today, I’m still angry & hurt, but I’m also incredibly grateful for everyone who is offering me support (like you!).

  17. RG Alexander says:

    Oh that is just horrible. I’m sorry Cynthia!

  18. Viki says:

    I am so sorry about this. I just don’t understand people. If you’re like me and can’t write accept it. Don’t go robbing someone else. It just makes me sick. It’s like those creeps that sell your work on ebay and the like. They are horrible people. Just remember Karma :). We all tend to get what we deserve in the long run.

  19. Colleen says:

    Oh my, that is terrible… I can not believe what some people will do…

  20. anna says:

    Cynthia,
    First off, I must admit that I do not read your work. I heard about this from twitter & have also reported the story.

    Figured though if you and/or your friends are unfamiliar with FFN, you might be able to use some info on the site & the plagiarizers who sometimes turn up there.
    There are many interesting writers who post there. Granted too many seem to be children/teens who are bored & think this will be fun but there are also adults. I’m sure you’ve probably already seen the vast amount of categories.
    Re: plagiarism on the site. There are some IDs that consistently come up in many fandoms who either plagiarize word for word, steal scenes, etc. Some steal from professional writers such as yourself while others steal from other fanfic writers. (yes, I’ve got one who’s stolen stuff from me) Honestly you probably won’t get an answer from the site. Few ever do when they report a story. Usually the story will either stand because they can’t find where it was copied or the story disappears.
    For your friends who can not leave reviews, it’s highly possible that the ‘writer’ as disabled anonymous reviews to the story and the only way they’ll be able to leave one is to have an FFN account.
    Hope you have success.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Hi, Anna! Thanks for coming by and sharing what you know about FFN. I did see the big number of categories at FFN, & I’ve been told there are some great writers there. Unfortunately, this just seems to be the case of one deceitful person who is out to trick others. I feel bad for those who’ve been mislead on the site. They went to a lot of trouble to offer her comment and feedback and she just kept on lying to them.

      And I’m sorry that you’ve had material stolen from you–it’s horrible and every time I hear about this situation happening to others, it just makes me angrier.

  21. I’m very sorry this happened. I’m a writer and I read your books and know how hard it is to create a great story. I don’t understand what the advantage is to doing something like this. It’s not right.

    Abbi 🙂

  22. Barb P says:

    Hi Cynthia! I am sooo sorry that this has happened to you. I can’t imagine what it feels like to have your words stolen. As you know, I love your stories and no one should have or take credit for your books but you. I really don’t understand why someone would do that!! I hope that this gets resolved soon and I am behind you 150%.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Honestly, Barb, it felt like a big old slap in the face. But then all of the support I’ve gotten (like your lovely note right there) has made me feel like I’ve got folks offering me cyber hugs left and right.

  23. Ugh… that sucks. Something like this happened to me on my vacation-somebody took one of my series and changed the names around. It sucks and it makes me wonder how fricking stupid people are. I’m sorry it’s happened to you-hope you get it down soon

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Shiloh, I remember reading about your experience, and I am so sorry that you had to go through all of that. It seems like there are just more and more of these stories lately–and I hate it.

      Thank you for coming by–and for the kind words.

  24. Kellie Lynn says:

    I’m really sorry this happened to you. It’s probably the worst thing that can happen to an author and I hope the person who did this to you gets theirs in the end. From the looks of things you have the writing community behind you and they’re protective of their own. You’re an amazing wirter and readers clearly enjoy the stories that you tell. Kudos to whoever it was that caught this happening and to those who have reported it.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Kellie, you are speaking the truth–the writing community has been awesome. The folks here at the blog, on Twitter, Facebook–everyone has been great. I don’t feel like I’m in this alone. I feel like I’ve got all my friends right beside me.

  25. Spaz says:

    I really can’t fathom this or how immensely disturbing it would be to discover someone has done this to me. Holy CRAP. just… WOW. so sorry you have to endure this violation and I HOPE they take it down!!!!!

  26. Rachel says:

    Well, she’s getting a lot of “great!” reviews by fans. Your fans! She’ll be down in a day or two at this rate. It figures a Twilight fan would steal something from a good writer. Not a fan of Twilight. Its horrible.

  27. This just makes me crazy. I’m so sorry this has happened to you. What kind of person is so thirsty for online kudos that they steal someone else’s work? People are effed up.

    Maybe some of those readers who gave her praise will go out and buy your books now that they know who the *real* talented writer is.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thanks, Manda! But I’m thinking all of those folks will probably never know the truth. The 20,000 hits that she was talking about in one of her comments? They’ve already read the whole story, so they won’t be going back to learn the truth. 🙁

  28. Tina says:

    I would get your publisher involved if you can. Or your agent not only is it stealing from you but its an actual crime, that why they have copywrite laws and contracts signed with publishers… I say sic em on her

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      I’m gonna try, Tina! I’ve sent emails to my publisher; unfortunately, since it’s the weekend, they aren’t around. I’m sure I’ll hear from them on Monday.

  29. Casey Crow says:

    I’m so sorry Cynthia! I hope you, your publisher, and a mass of attorneys get this girl!

  30. I am so sorry this happened to you. I am such a big fan and how truly awful this must be for you.

  31. Miranda says:

    EW! Just ew. People can be so ugly. I hope that some of the people who read and loved the stolen version of the story will come back looking for more from this woman, find out the truth, and buy a load of your books on Amazon like I just did. I’m sorry this happened to you, and best of luck putting the squish to this bug!

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thank you, Miranda. I’m trying to stop it–but so far, it’s not working. People are still reading the story, still telling Misconception76 to keep up the great work. 🙁 I hope tomorrow things will be different.

  32. Melissa says:

    This is terrible! The Twilight fandom and your fans are reporting the hell out of this story. This paints a horrible picture and I’m sorry this had to happen to you. I hope more people will realize the quality of your books when they find out about the plagiarizing and that they will order them all just like Miranda said!

  33. Hi Cynthia,

    I am so sorry this is happening to you. I am all for fan fiction–especially Twilight fan fiction– but plagiarism is a huge no no. I loved the heck out of Deadly Heat so I’m super upset that it’s been plagiarized. I reported to fanfiction.net and hope it will be taken down soon.

    Grace

  34. Julie Leto says:

    Cynthia, I’m SO SORRY this happened to you! This happened to me years ago…twice. Same person at two different fan fiction sites…for General Hospital. It was horrifying and the worst part was, the people who frequented those sites tried to tell me I should be honored by the plagiarism! Someone liked my work well enough to steal it and call it their own? Wow…honored is not the word I’d use to describe it.

    For the future, this person MIGHT try and put this story up somewhere else if it gets taken down from this site. Do a Google alert for a distinctive phrase from her version so that you will know if it goes up somewhere else.

    Hugs!!!

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Oh, no, Julie, I’m so sorry this happened to you. And honored sure isn’t how I’m feeling right now, so I completely understand. And thanks for the warning about future posts. Since she mentioned that she might put up a sequel, I was already worried that she planned to post another of my Deadly books.

  35. Lol, I’m just repeating what everyone else is saying, but this sucks big spaceman balls. What gall & disrespect. We stand behind you, Cynthia.

  36. Barbara says:

    Ahem. I just so happen to have an FFN account and I left a little veiled (thinly) review. Not that it’ll do any good but it made my passive-aggressive self feel a little better for the moment.

    I’m so sorry Cynthia. I’m feeling very growly about people who think it’s okay to take shortcuts by stealing other people’s work, slapping their names on it and just hoping someone will wander by and “discover” their talent. I don’t know how far ahead this person is thinking but there’s no way they were stopping with one. They weren’t and aren’t suddenly going to become a good writer.

    They do it because they figure they’re hidden – no one from there will know anyone from here, right? >:[ Good luck, I hope it gets taken down quickly and there can be some sort of monitoring set up of this place for you.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thanks, Barbara! I feel like some folks thinks that the Internet gives them an anonymous protection. They can pick a name (like Misconception76) and post anything they want. But we’re not anonymous. IP addresses can be traced. People can be traced.

  37. CAJones says:

    Wow, why would someone even do something like this? Empty praise? This stupid person isn’t even giving you the courtesy of the rational motive of profit.

    Oh well. Real talent can’t be faked, and you’ve got that, hun. If nothing else think of the popcorn show that this will bring about as free publicity. You’ll probably sell a few more books due to it.

  38. KristieJ says:

    I saw this via a tweet from Sybil and my most heartfelt sympathies. I truly admire writers and to have their work stolen is just nasty and wrong. I truly don’t understand how people who do this kind of thing can live with themselves,

  39. Stephenia says:

    I don’t like people who steal! We all work hard for what we have, whether it is books written from our imagination, unique ideas in the boardroom or just stuff in our homes – it belongs to US. It is infuriating that there are people in life who are just so selfish that they take someone’s else’s stuff and call it their own, with no regard! I think people do think because it is “anonymous” either via online or from the random house on the road, that they just think they can get away with it. Just know that there are many supportive people out here!

  40. Katie Reus says:

    I know how hard you work and can only imagine how awful it is to see someone stealing from you. The person who did this is clearly unhinged. I’ve officially reported her to FF. Hopefully your publisher will prosecute this person! You have so many people supporting you and I sincerely hope this crap gets resolved soon.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thanks, Katie. Right now, I am SO frustrated. I just checked the site again to see if the story had been taken down–no such luck. But another person has just gone in and left a dozen positive reviews of the story. I can’t help but wonder–when leaving all those positive reviews, did that person even notice the notes on plagiarism?

  41. Darkreader says:

    I’m so sorry to hear this Cynthia. I found out from Shelly’s group this a.m. You know we are loyal fans and know we have your back on this.

    On a good note the post also mentioned a new anthology you’ll be doing with Shelly coming out in 2012-Yeah!!

  42. Na says:

    I can’t believe it’s still not taken down?! I know it’s the weekend so the site admins might not have checked it out yet but I’m assuming the person who put up your work would take it down themself. Considering their like for comments and reviews on her “work” it’s likely she’s read the comments…you’d think? Then again this is the same person who DIDN’T think twice about passing your work off as their own. Aye.

  43. Bobbie Baynard says:

    Cynthia,
    I’m so very sorry this has happened. Like Darkreader, I just found out this morning from Shelly’s group. I wonder if this is the same one who hit Moira Rogers and a bunch of other authors about a month or so ago. That person did the same thing about changing the names and complaining about how hard it is to write. Congrats on the new Anthology!! Can’t wait to get it.
    Bobbie

    • Bobbie Baynard says:

      I just seen Shiloh’s comment. The person I’m talking about is the one she’s talking about. The ladies who are Moira did a blog post and it exploded from there. The lady actually had the nerve to plagiarize Nora Roberts on top of Shiloh and Moira. Again, I am so very sorry this has happened.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Hi, Bobbie! I hate that Moira was hit–her story made me so mad. It seems like I am hearing about more and more plagiarism stories lately. Sucks all the way around.

  44. You are one of the most hardworking authors and one of the most positive and kind people I know and it sickens me that something like this has happened to you.

  45. Allie says:

    Not sure if you did this or even saw it, since it is in the fanfiction user account stories guide under the publishing portion. But I thought I would make sure.

    8. Copyright Policy

    As part of FanFiction.Net’s copyright policy, FanFiction.Net may terminate user access to the Website if a user has been determined to be an infringer. To file a copyright infringement notification with us, you will need to send a communication to us with all of the following information in it, using this format:

    1. Include a statement telling us that you have found a content on FanFiction.Net which you believe infringes your copyright (for example, “I hereby confirm that I believe the story identified below infringes my copyright”).
    2. Tell us which country your copyright applies to.
    3. Tell us the title of the content concerned and the full URL for its page.
    4. Explain to us in what way that content infringes your copyright (e.g. the text is copied, the entire story is a copy of an original work made by you, etc.)
    5. Identify the type (e.g. a book, a short story, a poem, etc.). and details of (e.g. title, publisher, dates, etc.) the copyright work which you own the rights in, and which you believe has been infringed. If this information is available on the internet, it is helpful to send us a link.
    6. Let us have contact information so that we can get in touch with you (email address is preferred).
    7. Let us have the contact information which we can pass on to the submitter of the content concerned, so that they can get in touch with you to resolve your complaint directly (email address is preferred).
    8. Include the following statement: “I have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted work described above is not authorized by the copyright owner (or by a third party who is legally entitled to do so on behalf of the copyright owner) and is not otherwise permitted by law.”
    9. I swear that the information contained in this notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or have an exclusive right in law to bring infringement proceedings with respect to its use.
    10. Sign the notice. If you are providing notice by e-mail, a scanned physical signature or a valid electronic signature will be accepted.
    11. Send the notice, in English, to the following address:
    Attn: FanFiction.Net Copyright Infringement Notification
    Email: copyright@fanfiction.com
    Fax : (888) 743-0192 (United States)

    Please also note that the information provided in this legal notice may be forwarded to the person who provided the allegedly infringing content.

    Make sure you know whether the content that you have seen on FanFiction.Net infringes your copyright. Be aware that there may be adverse legal consequences in your country if you make a false or bad faith allegation of copyright infringement by using this process.

    Also a note to anyone that is reporting the story to fanfiction from the story link. Make sure to included evidence of the plagiarism, the easiest I think would to be include the excerpt that is found under the Deadly Heat link on here and then include a excerpt from the thief’s chapter 1. Which is exactly word for word, except for the name change and POV. This gives them proof that it is indeed true and easier for them to remove it.

    I am so sorry that this happened to you. It is really terrible that someone would be so brazen as to think they could do this and then get away with it. This is not even a case of stupidly sort of using the same plot concept from a book you read a while back and it loosely matches somewhat, this is completely stealing another’s hard work. Disgusting. I have reported this person as well.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thank you for taking the time to post this info, Allie. This was one of the methods I used for reporting (I’ve lost count of all my reports now).

  46. ph47 says:

    I write within this fandom and I’m disgusted to find that another writer is plagiarising work.

    Misconception76 has been reported by more that one user (myself included) and it shouldn’t be long before their account is revoked. Sadly we see this far too often but when we do it’s usually reported quickly.

    Like yourself, we take the time to develop our own writing and don’t take kindly to those who post work claiming it to be their own.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      I feel like Misconception76 has done a huge dis-service to the fandom community. She lied to people, deliberately encouraged them to write reviews and spread the word about a story she stole–makes me so angry. I know there are many in the fandom who work hard on their writing, and again, I just don’t think she is being fair to any of you, either.

  47. BookQueen says:

    wtf. what an idiot.. send a report.. not right.

    Soo sorry that once again people dont have a brain.

  48. Chelsea B. says:

    That is so sucky and pathetic. All of the time they took to copy your work they could have written their own story. It’s just sad.

  49. Damaris says:

    I am seriously at a loss for words over this. I just can’t believe someone would go this far.

    I thought it was just happening to bloggers, but apparently to authors too. Was she contacted and asked to remove the story?

    I am so sorry you have to go through this.

    • Cynthia Eden says:

      Thanks, Damaris. She’s been contacted. She’s been reported. So far, no response. I sent her a PM and have heard nothing. I’m hoping my publisher can get this situation taken care of tomorrow.

  50. Lindsay cummings says:

    Wow…I am disgusted by this. SO SORRY!!