Almost every second day, I receive a notification that I’ve been temporarily locked out of my website for security reasons. It seems there are people trying to break into the site for their own nefarious purposes. Thank goodness my tricky password (which I can never remember because there are numbers involved) and my security system, seem to be keeping them at bay.

I just don’t understand these people. I can only think of two reasons why a person would bother hacking into another person’s computer. (Well, three if this website was a government-run agency and espionage was involved, but it isn’t so I’ll discount that right off the top.)

The first reason I can think of, is that I’m a writer and the hacker is under the misapprehension that writer = wealthy. (Ahahahaaaaa. Go make yourself a coffee while I laugh myself silly.) A lot of people make the same mistake. They watch “Castle” and see that the fictional  character, Richard Castle, is a wealthy author. They hear that J. K. Rowling is a millionaire. They know that their favourite crime writer owns a personal jet, and they figure the premise has been proven. What they don’t know is that authors generally only get $1, or maybe $2, for every book sold. (The rest is divided up between the publisher and the book store, and the agent if you have one.)

The reason J. K. Rowling is a millionaire, is that she’s sold millions of copies of her books. Most of us are nowhere near so fortunate. It only takes 2,000 copies sold, to be considered a best-seller in Australia. I’m still hoping and praying that I sell at least 300 copies of my books, so that the publisher will be interested in printing book three. (Please tell your friends to buy my books!) Only around 11% of authors in Australia, make a decent living just by writing. Most have day jobs, or perhaps are on some sort of pension or, like me, have long-suffering, supportive spouses, .

So, if you’re hacking into my computer in an attempt to syphon off my riches, don’t waste your time. I don’t even have a personal bank account.

The other reason I can think of, is that you lead such sad, miserable little lives, that this is the only thing that gives you a reason to get out of bed. It’s the only thing that makes your lives worthwhile. If that’s the case, can I recommend you take up a sport? Or join a chess club. Or collect stamps. Or buy a metal detector and scan the beach for loose coins and the hillsides for gold. Why not try an activity that enhances your life, while not being a pain in the butt to anyone else? 

Dear hacker, I feel sorry for you. If you’re looking for money, you’re going to be deeply disappointed. If your life is so dull that this is all you can think of to do, you’re a sad little person with some deep-seated issues and I suggest you get some therapy. Either way, leave my website alone! Thank you.