Tag Archives: Fiction

Book Reviewer: My book

Cod_Fsfe_Books_Icon_clip_art_mediumA reader informed me they had purchased my book and was now reading it. In the sense of reading it NOW. So this was my range of emotions.

-Someone bought my book. WOOT!
-Man, I hope they like it.
-I hope they don’t find any glaring errors.
-Oh my gosh someone bought my book!
-But what if they don’t like it?

I was getting updates as the book was being read. This was torture. It is not a big book but the updates included how she had to go do this and that so got interrupted. Finish the book darn it and put me out of my misery

I get the confirmation the book has been read and finished. She loved the characters, the way I developed and incorporated them into the book. The ups and downs were done well. She loved it.

I can breathe again. Man is this how it is always going to be when someone tells me they are reading my book?

My Badge of Honor: Trolls

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Trolls, gotta love them. My book came out the 7th of September of this year. On the 9th I got a one star rating attached to a rather mean review. I was confused for the book had just came out two days ago. Not wanting to start a war on my book page I left it alone. Every one told me it happens, it is no reflection on you, move on. My publisher felt that this was a person who was trying to help their friend out, who might be in the same genre, by lowering my book. She had seen this before I believe. I was wowed.

I can handle a one star review if you read the book but I truly did not think it was plausible they did. So I decided to dispute it. The comment complained about the pricing being to high however he/she placed the same review for my ebook and the one in print. I disputed first the ebook. I said this review does not match since they are complaining it is to high at 13.99 yet the book was listed at 5.99.

I then went to the print book to dispute that review. I mentioned how the book had only been out two days. Even if it was in print there was no way it would have been shipped out that fast for this person to have read and review. I did not think that was possible. Plus my publisher said no book had been sold via Amazon at that time. If they had purchased from her again they would not have gotten it that soon.

I placed both remarks to Amazon and moved on. I figured I did the best I could. This past Monday a friend texted me to say the reviews had been removed. I am not sure if my disputing the comments had any thing to do with it, I like to think so.

Writers alike this is a win for us. It is. I will not be able to get rid of every troll, it will happen, it is part of the game. But I am wearing this badge of honor for this time I got rid of one.

Author: A Solitary Life

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The life of a writer is solitary for the most part. Even if you have an office it serves one. You don’t get to have lunch with the office crew. You don’t get Christmas parties or birthday cupcakes. It is just you and your chosen method of writing whether that be by pen and paper or computer.

The social aspect that comes with working in a job with fellow coworkers can’t be reproduced in your office at home. If I had my way, all the writers I know would live in a 25 mile radius of me. They could come visit and write without us saying a single word to each other. It wouldn’t be required. Just the sheer presence of someone else would be worth it. The distractions are there. Within my reach is my fridge, TV, the internet and a host of other things that can preoccupy my mind as I work on any present WIP. One has to stay focus and prioritize when you work in an office of one. Things that might not get in my way if I had regular hours and an office space outside the home.

The solitude can be hard when humans are deemed social creatures. It does not always hit me as I tend to stay busy so my mind does not have time to think. Though there are those days, few thankfully, that I sit back in my chair and wish my office had a larger staff. Someone I could go talk to for thoughts, ideas and just general chit-chat.

Thankfully my characters draw me in as they beg for me to come play with them. How they want me to come and explore what is on the next page. They are always there for me during the good and bad times. I guess in their own right they are my coworkers sitting right there next to me waiting to talk.