Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware®


A couple of weeks ago, my Twitter warning about an amateur literary agent received a fairly curmudgeonly response.


Mistaking it for a serious (if misguided) comment, I responded with a thread about why it's, well, bad for an agent to lie about their credentials. Which prompted this:

Ooookayyyy then.

After a couple more exchanges in a similar vein, plus a not-so-subtle threat (I do give this person credit for knowing the difference between slander and libel), "Dr. Mudgett" flounced.


Soon after, several alert individuals messaged me to let me know that "Dr. Mudgett" isn't just a rando with an inflated sense of self-worth and a profile named after an infamous American serial killer, but one of the sockpuppets of an astonishingly prolific Twitter troll possessed of awesome vitriol and seemingly unlimited free time to indulge it.


The troll's full name is Gary S. Kadet--and though I'd never heard of him before he decided to call me out, he is well known in the Twitter writing community as someone who, via large numbers of fake accounts (most of which have been suspended by Twitter), hijacks popular hashtags like #amquerying, #mswl, and #WritingCommunity to launch vicious unprovoked attacks against writing and publishing people of all kinds, especially new writers and literary agents. So copious is his output--we're talking daily, even hourly tweets--that sometimes he runs out of new insults and has to recycle them. (Sample, if you can stomach it, the stream-of-invective narrative of his Dr. Mudgett Twitter feed.)

I'm always interested in the bizarro side of writing and publishing, and Mr. Kadet certainly seemed to fit the bill. So I put out a call for contact.


I got a perfect flood of responses. I heard from agents and agency interns whom Mr. Kadet had targeted for insults, mockery, and general harassment--especially if they were women, and in some cases after they rejected one of his manuscripts (Mr. Kadet is a [currently] frustrated novelist). I heard from writers he'd savaged for nothing more than posting positive comments about something, or announcing a book sale, or just for talking about writing. Much of his trolling seems to be of the drive-by variety, but I also heard from writers for whom he has conceived a deeper grudge--some of whom he has been stalking and attacking for years, and not just with nasty tweets, either. Some of these individuals told me that he has doxxed them, and made public things about their personal lives they would have preferred not to share. One of his targets was forced to seek help from the police.

Several people have written about their encounters with him (prompting him, in at least one case, to send a laughably bogus cease-and-desist). More personal accounts of Kadet encounters are here. Also here. In fact, he's so famous--at least, as a troll--that he has inspired a parody Twitter account. I guess that's some form of validation, right?

Sockpuppet accounts Mr. Kadet has used in the past (all deleted or suspended): @JohnnyRacetrack, @JimboRockfordPI, @JacktheTrippe11, @JacktheTrippe12, @GaryKDarkLord, @GaryKadet, @RealGarySKadet, @CastleMurder,  @MudgettMania, @MudgettRedux, @FrugSigmund, @Joe_Nesmith. @JoeChristmas6, @ImmortalGSK.

Socks he's using currently (that I know of): @JackMcVea, @KatzProserpine.

Mr. Kadet loathes a lot of people, but for one agent in particular, his hatred burns with a white-hot flame: Gina Paniettieri of Talcott Notch Literary Services. In 2018, Talcott Notch rejected one of Mr. Kadet's manuscripts, to which Mr. Kadet took extreme offense, and he has been targeting the agency and its agents ever since. In addition to a veritable tsunami of noxious tweets, promises to sue, accusations of violating his "IP confidentiality" (apparently because Gina revealed the rejected ms.), and bogus bad reviews wherever he can place them (not always successfully, since they are so demented that they get flagged), Gina tells me that he has called her home to harass her, and that he's currently demanding that she "settle" with him--i.e., pay him off--so that he'll stop.


Here's an interview with Talcott Notch agent Tia Mele about toxic writers in general and Mr. Kadet in particular.

So who is Gary S. Kadet IRL? There's not a great deal to be found on a websearch, but he did publish a novel in 2000 with Forge, and was apparently an editor with the Boston Book Review. He has lived in Cambridge, MA and Providence, R.I. Twitter isn't the only place where he has been accused of stalking.

Soon after my call for contact, Mr. Kadet's @KatzProserpine sock account DM'd me this:


Ooooh, scary! Not to be outdone by his alter ego, Mr. Kadet reached out to SFWA under his own name. Of course, he couldn't resist mentioning Talcott Notch. Also note the date: more than a week before I put this post online.


Mystery Writers of America, one of Writer Beware's supporters, received an identical "complaint" on the same date. Fortunately, both SFWA and MWA know how to handle trolls.

So what's the bottom line here--other than the bigger issue of the toxicity that flourishes on social media and the inevitability of encountering it if you're active online? I guess it's really just the familiar advice: "Don't feed trolls". Starve the energy monster. The thing with trolls is that, for the most part, it's really not personal. They don't care about you; it's your reaction they need. They thrive on your distress, and draw strength from your response. Depriving them of these things may not shut them up--they can't really control themselves--but it is probably the single most frustrating thing you can do to them.

So if you find yourself targeted by Mr. Kadet--or, indeed, if any random tweet of yours receives a nasty or belittling response from an account you've never heard of--the best possible comeback is simply to block the account and move on.

UPDATE: I learned this evening that Mr. Kadet today sent his "bad writer Strauss" message to Horror Writers Association, another of Writer Beware's supporters--and for good measure, sent it to MWA a second time. He has also weighed in in the comments here.

UPDATE 4/10/20: Sockpuppet account @KatzProserpine has reached out again on Twitter, alleging, as it often does, that Mr. Kadet has no Twitter presence...


...and claiming that it is not Mr. Kadet's sockpuppet account...

...while exhibiting Mr. Kadet's twin obsessions (Talcott Notch, nefarious "IP practices"--see Mr. Kadet's complaint about me, above).

Today's comic is a guest strip from my good buddy KB Spangler! Thanks buddy! Regular comics resume tomorrow.

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GUWAHATI, INDIA - OCTOBER 17: Claudio Gomes of France and Abel Ruiz of Spain pose for photos with referees prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Round of 16 match between France and Spain at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on October 17, 2017 in Guwahati, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

MUMBAI, INDIA - OCTOBER 25: Abel Ruiz of Spain celebrates a scored goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Semi Final match between Mali and Spain at Dr DY Patil Cricket Stadium on October 25, 2017 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOCHI, INDIA - OCTOBER 22: Abel Ruiz of Spain waits in the tunnel ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Quarter Final match between Spain and Iran at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Kochi, India. (Photo by Mike Hewitt - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: A general view of Spain dressing room prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: A general view of Spain dressing room prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Image was created as an Equirectangular Panorama. Import image into a panoramic player to create an interactive 360 degree view) A general view of the Spain dressing room prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: A general view of the Spain team prior to the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain scores the opening goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Players of England and Spain line up for the National Anthems ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Players of England and Spain enter to the field prior the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Players of England and Spain enter to the field prior the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Philip Foden of England and Juan Miranda of Spain in action during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates the first goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates scoring their second goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Serio Gomez of Spain celebrates after scoring a goal against England during their final FIFA U-17 World Cup football match at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan stadium in Kolkata on October 28, 2017. / AFP / Dibyangshu SARKAR

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates scoring their second goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates scoring their second goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates scoring their second goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain scores their second goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates a scored goal with his teammates during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Jan Kruger - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Jan Kruger - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates a scored goal with his teammates during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates a scored goal with his teammates during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Jan Kruger - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Head coach Santiago Denia of Spain looks on during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Team of Spain pose for a group photograph during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: George McEachran (L) of England battles for the ball with Cesar Gelabert of Spain during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Joel Latibeaudiere of England battles for the ball with Cesar Gelabert of Spain during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: George McEachran (C) of England battles for the ball with Cesar Gelabert of Spain during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Buda Mendes - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain scores his sides second goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Jan Kruger - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Sergio Gomez of Spain celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Jan Kruger - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

KOLKATA, INDIA - OCTOBER 28: Tashan Oakley-Boothe of England and Sergio Gomez of Spain in action during the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Final match between England and Spain at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 28, 2017 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Tom Dulat - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)