Social Media Backlash Spurs Two Prominent Authors to Promise Revisions to Their Recent Novels On 6/9/21 at 5:39 PM EDT Two prominent authors have promised that future printings of their books will not contain particular lines of dialogue that some netizens found offensive, renewing polarizing conversations about free speech, cancel culture and the need to separate the art from the artist. The authors, Casey McQuiston and Elin Hilderbrand were subjected to criticism on social media for their decision to reference tragic and politically controversial topics in their recent novels Red, White & Royal Blue, and Golden Girl, respectively. The first, which became a sensation in progressive circles upon its publication in 2019, concerns a budding romance between Alex Claremont-Diaz, the bisexual son of a fictional president of the United States, and Prince Henry, a gay British royal. The second centers on Vivi, a prolific author and mother of three who is presented with the opportunity to influence the outcome of real-world events in the afterlife after she is killed in a hit-and-run.