Love's Journey to Awakening

Love's Journey to Awakening is a 572-page Beauty and the Beast (TV) story by Laurel Cain Haws/Karen L. Haws/Karen Hawes, who also designed the cover. It was edited by Dr. Thayle K. Anderson who was a professor at Murray University.
This story was sold for profit on Amazon in May 2008 at Amazon , and later on Lulu at Lulu , possibly beginning in January 2011. It was also offered as a free download. 
The author stated many times over on her blog, and very likely using a pseud in comments on Goodreads and Amazon as Happy-RV-Camper and Art Herbert that fans should purchase and watch the three seasons on DVD before reading her story. This was, in effect, very deliberate unpaid advertisement perhaps designed to ward off complaints and/or cease and desist actions by the official TPTB. 
==Summary from the Author==
==Chapter Titles==
* Biography of the Author (7)
* Introduction (9)
* Dedication & Acknowledgements (13)
* Cast of Characters from the T.V. Series (14)
* When That Hole-in-the-Ground is Home (32)
* Lost and Found (62)
* Satan's Minions (101)
* That King Piece (127)
* Tea Party in Wonderland (166)
* Assembling the Troops (200)
* Unfinished Symphony (247)
* The Day of Vines and Roses (311)
* Exodus to Zion (365)
* Into the Abyss (446)
* New Beginnings (510)
* Beauty and the Beast DVD TV Series Episode Index (563)
==Controversy==
Love's Journey to Awakening stirred up a lot of controversy due to its presence on Amazon, as well as for its style and content, and its general marketing.
A fan recounted how the author had "always claimed she had Ron Koslow's permission to publish her book, which is completely untrue." comments by JoAnn Baca at BBTV-V&C Digest Number 10945 (Nov 30, 2013) 
Fans generally did not like the fact its sale on such a high profile site gave it (and other fanworks) a high a visibility, one which raised the specter of legalities in regards to other fanworks..
It also stirred up unpleasant conversations about fanworks and profit.
At least one embarrassed fan said that if "Love's Journey to Awakening" was a mundane's introduction to fanworks, then it was, due to its quality, an poor one. In 2008, a fan said: "I've read several stories that far surpass this one on every level. It truly pains me to think the general public, and new fans unaware of fanfic, might believe this is a sanctioned series sequel or represents an acceptable concept by collective fandom simply because it's a self-published book for sale on Amazon." Kathleen at Amazon.com 
A fan's comment in 2009 appeared to illustrate that because the story was for sale on Amazon, it was more "official" than fanfiction: "However, it was not until I discovered that a "proper" book had been written by Karen (Laurel Cain) Haws, that I really felt that the story of Catherine and Vincent had a happy ending." Susan Anneveldt at Karen L. Haws's Storefront (via Wayback Machine) 
There were also accusations about fans' jealousy and "sour grapes." "I have noted that some of those negative reviews have been written by other fan-fiction writers, and it seems to me that "sour grapes" would be an apt description for their attitudes." -- Happy-RV-Camper at Amazon.com (Happy-RV-Camper, and later, Art Herbert, are very likely the author, Haws, or Philip Ward) 
Many fans also pointed out the spelling errors of canon characters' names and what they felt to be out of character portrayals.
Fans were also unhappy that the editor, Anderson, was not a fan of the show, had ever seen an episode, nor did they probably appreciate his "masculine" intrusion. "Thayle give me the benefit of his masculine perspective, which was extremely helpful, but he is not a fan of fantasy, nor has he ever seen a single episode of Beauty and the Beast." -- Karen L. Haws's Storefront (via Wayback Machine) 
Haws herself was admittedly a new fan, and some likely felt she had not paid her dues nor followed the social norms of the fandom. This was not helped by Haws' statement that "My target BATB fans are those who, like myself in early 2007 when I was writing this novel, have not yet discovered any of the other fan-fiction sequels available in the world of Beauty and the Beast," Karen L. Haws's Storefront (via Wayback Machine) something that deliberately set her (and her readers) apart from formal fandom. 
Even after Haws was became aware of the existence of the tradition of the fix-its in this fandom and acknowledged that history "One of my book fans educated me regarding the various abbreviations that have developed among Beauty and the Beast fans on the Internet. So, I wish to salute all of the wonderful BATB (Beauty and the Beast) fans out there who have written many sweet SND (She's not dead!) fan-fiction sequels to this heartwarming series. They have been writing sequel stories for the past twenty years, and I am just a newcomer." -- author, Haws at Karen L. Haws's Storefront (via Wayback Machine) , the story's introduction remained unchanged. 
It also certainly didn't help matters that one fan and fervent supporter, Philip Ward, threatened to report fans who gave poor reviews to Yahoo!Groups for harassment. "I would think that the comments, ongoing action and bitterness shown towards a fellow member is almost certainly in breach of Yahoo guidelines and might also be in breach of some Federal or International laws relating to victimization and harassment. [...] I would imagine that Yahoo would take a grim view of this should any complaint be made." -- Karen L. Haws's Storefront (via Wayback Machine) 
===Author's Comments on the Controversy===
==Thank Yous==
The author had many thank yous and acknowledgments, some of which are below. 
=== Thank You to the Editor, Anderson===
Haws thanked her editor, Dr. Thayle K. Anderson:
===Thank You to Lurkers in Email===
Haws thanked unnamed supporters:
===Thank You to Philip Ward and Amy Hazzard===
Philip Ward was a fan who had unsuccessfully tried to sell a screenplay for the show in 2001. "I realize the amount of effort and time involved in such a project as this, because I too spent a long time researching, writing and refining a script for a BATB television movie about 7 years ago, which as with Karen's book, would have given a happy ending to the original story. Sadly, despite his initial interest and assistance back in 2001 at the Nottingham BATB Convention, I never got any further response from Christopher Toyne after he was sent the finished script. But that's another story!" -- Haws at Karen L. Haws's Storefront (via Wayback Machine) 
Amy Hazzard was in charge of the 2008 (and possibly the 2004) convention, Caves and Candles.
Hazzard and Ward later were editors of the newsletter of the same name, Caves and Candles.
 
Shortly after the story was posted to Amazon, Ward, whom Haws described as "a very gallant British screen writer" Karen L. Haws's Storefront (via Wayback Machine) and "truly a knight-in-shining-armor in defending me" Karen L. Haws's Storefront (via Wayback Machine) offered his support, despite having not read the story "Like the majority of you, I also have not had the chance yet to read the book and form my own opinion regarding the story, although I am being sent a free copy by the Author." -- Karen L. Haws's Storefront (via Wayback Machine) .
Haws wrote:
Haws also thanked Hazzard for her support:
==Reactions and Reviews==
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===2019===
==References==
 
Category:2008 Fanfiction
Category:Beauty and the Beast Fanfiction