I check my WordPress spam to make sure no one gets unfairly caught there. Other than for my spam contest a while back when 3-4 comments got trapped (good work, people!) there’s only been one or two legitimate comments that got caught in spam. But I look just in case. I also check my pending comments to be sure spammers don’t sneak in.

So, a while back, I had a comment held for my review. It was from someone I’ll call Person X. The comment originated from an IP address belonging to a major publisher (Publisher X) who I do not write for. Cool, I thought. Someone at Publisher X is checking my blog from work and leaving comments! The comment was a bit . . . strange in that, well, it seemed to fall into this strange space between obvious spam and a reader actually interested in me and my writing. But I approved the comment and went on.

I got a couple more comments over time from Person X and they were in that strange space as noted. The email came with enough information for me to make a pretty good guess at Person X’s name and, of course, I knew this person had, at minimum, access to Publisher X’s email system. Anyway, turns out Person X works at Publisher X and also writes at some other places. And then I got an actual email from Person X because Person X works on a new community for Publisher X and wanted me to pimp the community, but Person X made no reference to previous visits and comments to my blog.

First, Dear Person X of Community X of Publisher X, I do mean to do that, but I’m snowed under at work and with my own deadlines right now. But you’re in my queue of things I need to get around to.

Anyhoo, is that strange to visit, leave “off” comments, then hit me up for the pimping without mention of the connectedness of the two behaviors? Maybe I was so strangely compelling a blogger (Hey! That’s possible!) that Person X just HAD to comment, but not being a real fan of Romance Person X felt guilty for being engaged by a Romance Author kind of against their will (deliberate gender obfuscation there, not just bad grammar). And to this day, Person X is having strange dreams about reading my books or feels the unsettling compulsion to read an actual romance and is terribly conflicted.

What do you think?