A warning from Diana

For those of you who like to peek ahead when you get a new book, or read the ending first, you should be aware that Diana has been dropping some rather ominous-sounding hints lately about the ending of ECHO.

Here's what she said today on Compuserve:

Well, at least until the book is out, you can't peek at anything I don't want you to see. <g> After that...well, all I can say is, if you read the last page of ECHO first, You Will Regret It.

And a bit later in the same thread, when someone speculated on appropriate theme music to go with this warning, Diana suggested:

like the French horn/tympani soundtrack to "JAWS." <eg>

The <eg> is Diana's "evil grin", which she delights in using to torment her readers on Compuserve. (But not in a malicious way; she just likes to play with our minds. <g>) In this context, it gives me shivers!

She's serious, folks. [UPDATE 5/20/09 8:21 am: Well, maybe not entirely serious; see the clarification at the bottom of this post.] She's been saying things like this about the ending of ECHO since at least last September (as you can see if you go to the link above and read the thread (discussion) from the beginning, paying particular attention to post number 33). Whatever you do, DON'T read the ending of ECHO first! If you are one of those readers who likes to peek, or if you know someone who does, please pass on this warning. Thanks!

UPDATE 5/20/09 8:21 am: Diana posted a message on Compuserve this morning clarifying what she meant, and telling me to tone it down a little (ouch! but I probably deserved that). Please read what she says in her own words, and my reply, here.

I'm sorry for stirring things up yesterday, it really wasn't my intention to have people start to panic!

Hope this makes some of you breathe a little easier. <g>

UPDATE 8/8/09 9:02 am: Diana posted this on Compuserve the other day: "And you shouldn't read the last page first NOT because it's shocking (the last page isn't shocking at all) but because you'll ruin something wonderful for yourself if you do."