Do We Hate Affiliate Links?

I hate them. Every time I see one, I wonder if I’m getting ripped off. I assume the person writing the review is just trying to make a buck, and I automatically trust them less.

But here we are.

A friend—okay, the same one who’s been hounding me to monetize my writing “so you can actually spend more time writing”—finally wore me down. His logic: if I want to spend time writing (yes, including that memoir), I should at least make enough to cover some coffee and keep the lights on.

About that memoir… yeah, I’d given up on it. The Yale Writers’ Workshop last summer left such a bad taste in my mouth, and meeting with an agent didn’t help. All he heard was that I’m a veteran. His response? “The world doesn’t need another veteran book, especially not from a woman.” He’s wrong, but I don’t think people appreciate how incredibly hard it is to dig all that shit up and regurgitate it.

Newsflash: my book isn’t about Afghanistan. It’s not even about the military. It’s about what I learned and how I survived it.

But here we are, weeks into being talked to about it again—this time by three different people—so who knows. Maybe I’ll revisit it. But not today.

Back to the point.

I don’t want to just write about heavy research or the state of the world. Sometimes I need to talk about things that aren’t serious, like… stuff I bought for this trip. So I’m going to post about a few items I actually use and tell you what I think. No YouTube reviews, no pro photoshoots—I’m not a pro.

If affiliate links give you the same “ick” they gave me when I didn’t really understand them, then don’t click them. I’ll include both: a regular link and an affiliate link. It costs you the same either way; the only difference is Amazon keeps a couple more pennies if you don’t click mine.

Here’s the deal:

1. I’ll only recommend what I actually use and love. You’ll know I’m not farming clicks because… well, there’s like 25 of you here.
2. I’ll be super up front. Every time, there will be a note: “If you want to support my writing, click this link. If not, click this one.” No hidden sales pitch.
3. I won’t do this often. Only when I find something worth talking about.

That’s it. No BS. No “10 Things You Must Buy Before Traveling.” Just the things that made my life easier or better. Well, okay, there might be a blog post like that but I promise it will not go into your inboxes. If you are going on a trip and want to revisit the items all in one place, then you can go to the blog and reference the general post that will be public for everyone.

If you are on the subscription tiers, please check your emails for a private note! 😏