Letting Go

Once you publish a book, it no longer belongs to you. It becomes a commodity for people to love or hate; embrace or burn.

This is a hard, hard lesson to learn -- and one I struggle with. I've poured my wine-soaked blood and sweat into my novel. I've anguished over plot lines, character development and word choices. But once my creation is out in the marketplace, I no longer have a part to play: my work is done and I need to move on.

It's so easy to get caught up in review angst -- stories often circulate of authors who even post vitriolic responses to reviews. But as difficult as it is to accept not everyone likes our work, the reality is that it's inevitable. And in my humble opinion, it's not the author's place to comment. If someone bought my book, they have a right to review it however they like.

Of course I want people to love everything I write. Of course any hint of negativity stings. But if I want to continue to write other (and hopefully even better) novels, I need to learn to let my novel go. On Twitter the other day, I said that as a writer, you need to develop thick skin. The wonderful novelist Katie Fforde responded that as writers, we can't help but have thin skin -- it's what makes us who we are.

So... my thin skin may get a little bruised from time to time. But it's a small price to pay for setting my novel free!

Happy Wednesday!

Check out some great top picks at Authors for Japan.

Reviews: The Results

There were so many great comments yesterday in response to my review question that I thought I'd linger one more day and take stock of the results.

When asked if authors or aspiring writers should be 100% honest when reviewing other authors' work in a public forum, the responses were:

Be honest - 10%
Be objective, but with sensitivity - 39%
Focus on good points only - 51%


Elana Johnson summed up the difference between reading as an author versus a reviewer:
You have to separate yourself from it. You have to draw the line.You're an AUTHOR. Sure you read, but it's not your *job* to honestly review books. In my opinion, authors should only talk about, star, and/or "review" books they love. Show the support, you know? However, if you were a BOOK REVIEWER, that's your *job* to honestly review books, good, bad, and ugly. So I stick with what my JOB is.


Catherine Ryan Howard pointed out that bad reviews don't necessarily make for bad sales:
...bad reviews are awful to read and no one likes getting them, but unless all your reviews are bad, I don't think they hurt sales too much, at least not on Amazon.


Summer commented that in some venues, readers should be able to trust reviews are objective:

I read reviews on Goodreads, but not Amazon. And when I go to those reviews, I want some honesty. Especially if I'm paying for the product...

To read all the comments, go here.

Due to a dodgy Internet connection that keeps dropping off, I'm having a tough time returning comments quickly right now. To give myself a chance to catch up ('coz I always feel so guilty when I don't return comments promptly), I've turned off comments on this post, but feel free to weigh in on my previous post and add your opinion to the mix if you haven't already done so!

A quick announcement before I go: Samantha Vérant is holding an Authonomy Splash! Head over to her wonderful blog and see what it's all about.

Karma, Baby!

Mr TR thanks you (subconsciously) for all the lovely comments yesterday!

So on to today's topic: reviews. I've wanted to write about this since even before my book was launched, because it's something I've struggled with and I know others have, too. Reviews are such an important part of the process for authors: too many negative reviews can sink sales, while positive and informative ones can give it a real boost.

As an author, giving reviews can be very tricky indeed. What happens if you agree to give a review and you don't like the book? Should you be unfailingly honest, warts and all?

In my opinion: no. Authors are a community; we should support and help one another. I'm not saying we all need to give each other 5* reviews indiscriminately, but I do believe there is a way to keep your integrity intact and still write a generally positive review. And if you really don't feel you can do that, it's probably better not to write the review.

Believe me, negative words from fellow authors sting far more than criticism from readers. Because it's not just another reader -- it's a colleague who understands how difficult the craft is; how hard it is to even get published.

Really, it all comes down to being nice. Do unto others, and all that. If you slate enough authors' work, do you really think they'll look at yours with an objective eye? It's karma, baby! Karma!

What do you think? And as an author or aspiring writer, how do you deal with this issue?

(I should add that this post was not inspired by any of the reviews I've received!)

Recent Reads

Lately, I don't seem to be able to read anything. I pick up a book, start comparing my prose to said writer, get stressed, then put it down again and amble over to the telly. But I'm always interested in what others are reading, so here -- in 140 characters or less -- is what I've read recently!





The Shopaholic series: Like mother, like daughter! Enjoyable and entertaining, as always.












The story of the creator of the iconic A-Z London Map: because women can read maps!











A fun, romantic read about finding yourself -- even when you're far away from home.












One sentence, one book -- very stressful. I didn't make it through!











An American expat takes on London -- and its men! Lots of this rang true and made me laugh.







Can you read when you're editing or do words stress you out?

If I Stay

First of all, what the heck is with the difference in covers between the US and the UK? I really don't get it (I've blogged about this before, but I'm too lazy to track down the link).

Anyway. This is the second book on my Transworld Summer Reading Challenge. Having finished this more than a month ago, I must admit I'm much better at reading than reviewing.

Amazon blurb:

'Just listen,' Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel. I open my eyes wide now. I sit up as much as I can. And I listen. 'Stay,' he says. Everybody has to make choices. Some might break you. For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope. But life can change in an instant. A cold February morning ...a snowy road ...and suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone. Except one. As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all. Gripping, heartrending and ultimately life-affirming, "If I Stay" will make you appreciate all that you have, all that you've lost - and all that might be.

I admit to bawling like an idiot when I finished this book. I tore through it one Saturday morning, unable to stop reading. It's a beautifully written book about heartbreak and the pull towards survival, no matter the circumstances. I don't read much YA but I think this is a good read for anyone, really. And I'm finding writing this review very difficult without giving too much away!

Come back tomorrow when I'll be announcing my exciting (for me, anyway) plans for the ebook launch of The Hating Game! Whoop! And thanks to everyone who's 'liked' me on Facebook. Happy Thursday!

DJ Kirkby: 'Without Alice'

I'm excited to have author DJ Kirkby here as part of her blog tour for her debut novel, Without Alice. It says a lot about this book that despite it being over 30 degrees on the Central Line, I couldn't stop turning the pages even as sweat dripped from my brow. The narrative sweeps you along through the lives of the characters, keeping you guessing and wondering how it all will resolve -- or indeed if it will -- in the end. With realistic, complex characters and an intriguing storyline, it's a great read.

In true celebratory style, we have a selection of wines and champagne to choose from: Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cava -- take a glass! Or if you prefer, have a fizzy drink or some lovely sparkling water. I've also baked some special cupcakes: Red Velvet; Double Chocolate or Lemon Delight, and DJ's brought some of her yummy blackberry jam. Now that our mouths are full, I'll hand it over to DJ!

You’re a mother and you work full-time. How do you find the time to write? Do you have a writing routine?

I mostly squeeze writing time into some of the time in which I should be sleeping. I think being autistic helps too as I don;t socialise that much which leaves more time for writing too! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...

You’ve done a fantastic job promoting Without Alice. Any tips?

I've got loads of shameless self promotion tips. A whole blog post in fact - follow this link to read them all.

What’s the first thing you did when you got your publishing deal?

I smiled serenely at my publisher, said yes please and thank you in a calm tone of voice while doing a quiet mental "squeeee!". As soon as I got on the train home I phoned my husband and told him the good news. I arrived home to find a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge. My husband is magnificent. Fact.

What are you working on now?

I am currently writing two novels. The Plump WAG’s Club – A year in the life of four fat forty-something friends and A Dappled Life – A young man struggling to leave his past where it belongs.

What points or piece of advice would you give aspiring writers?

1. Write a novel.
2. Pay to have it professionally edited, no matter what your day job is.
3. Believe in yourself as an author!

Thanks, DJ, and congrats. Have some champagne and a cupcake!

And in other news, author Nicola Morgan is interviewing me today on blogging over at Help! I Need a Publisher. If you get a chance, swing by! :)

About DJ Kirkby:

Denyse developed a passion for reading aged just four years old, progressed to writing quirky stories at an early age and then produced volumes of dire poetry full of teenage angst at just about the age you would expect such behaviour. She now has a husband, son and 2 stepsons whom she loves with every beat of her heart. Her home is often filled with the sound of laughter as well as two crazy cats, a grumpy tortoise and loyal friends who stop by from time to time to make sure she isn’t writing anything about them.

You can find out more about Denyse at her blog and on Twitter. A video preview of Without Alice is available here. Without Alice's Facebook page is here.

The Summer Reading Challenge!

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway for Keris Stainton's book Della Says: OMG! I'm very happy to report that the lucky winner is none other than Brigid! Brigid, I smiled when I drew your name because obviously the gods heard your plea! I hope you're feeling a bit better today.

Nothing gets me more excited than the thought of free books, so when I heard about Transworld's Summer Reading Challenge, I signed up straight away! You choose four books from Transworld's list, they send you one to read, you review it and they send you the next on your list (no, I did not choose Dan Brown!).

My choices were:

- Matters of the Heart by Danielle Steel

- If I Stay by Gayle Forman

- Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

- Second Hand Heart by Catherine Ryan Hyde

It's been ages since I've read any Danielle Steel, and I was anxious to see if it was the same as I remembered. I spent one summer living in Texas with no telly, no radio and no furniture. But I did live close to a second-hand bookshop and Danielle Steel novels became my escape.

You know what you're getting when you read one: woman (usually living in Boston or New York) has a tragedy; woman moves to California; woman meets wrong man; woman meets right man (of course I'm generalising, but you get the idea). With fast-paced narrative and some very hunky heroes, it's a definite recipe for success.

Matter of the Heart differs slightly in that there's nothing about California. The same general formula is there, though, like a security blanket to latch onto. You just know that no matter what the heroine's been through, it will come out all right in the end. And it did! It was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Have you read any Danielle Steel? Thoughts, opinions?

Della Says: OMG! by Keris Stainton

I was so happy when I won a copy of this book on Love Reading! I follow author Keris Stainton on Twitter and her updates are always humorous and quirky, so I couldn't wait to see what her writing was like.

I wasn't disappointed. I devoured Della Says: OMG! in a few hours, unable to stop for a second.


Here's the synopsis:

Della’s over the moon when she kisses her long-standing crush at a party – but then she discovers her diary has disappeared... When scans of embarrassing pages are sent to her mobile and appear on Facebook, Della’s distraught – how can she enjoy her first proper romance when someone, somewhere, knows all her deepest, darkest secrets?

What a great concept! Can you imagine your diary disappearing, only to appear on Facebook?

But for me the real strength of this book is Della. She's a smart, forthright teenager I couldn't help but connect with -- and giggle along with some of her discoveries (like when she finds out men have nipples, too!). She deals with all the ups and downs of adolescence, but not in the whingy way that has turned me off some YA protagonists. I loved seeing her relationship with Dan develop and grow despite the difficulties they faced. I wish I had a Dan growing up!

For anyone who writes YA and is looking for a great example to study, this is it!

Click here to order from Amazon UK or here to order from The Book Depository with free world-wide delivery.

Book Review: The Dating Detox

I know chick lit isn't for everyone, the same way vampires and werewolves aren't for everyone. But, like any other kind of novel, there's a definite art to writing chick lit, and Gemma Burgess has got it.

Awhile back, I posted the wonderful trailer for the book. It was such a great teaser that I started reading the book that afternoon!

Here's the blurb, courtesy of Amazon:

If you can't date anyone nice, don't date anyone at all...Dating is a dangerous sport. So after her sixth successive failed relationship, romantically-challenged 20-something Sass decides she's had enough. The Dating Detox is born. No men, no break-ups, no problem. The result? Her life -- usually joyfully/traumatically occupied with dates, clothes and vodka -- is finally easy. Chastity rocks. No wonder nuns are always singing. Everything falls at her feet. Especially men. Will Sass break the rules? Why does fate keep throwing her in the path of the irritatingly amusing -- and gorgeous -- Jake? Will she ever roll the dice and play again? Or is a love-free life too good to risk losing? For the post-Carrie Bradshaw, post-Bridget Jones, post-credit crunch generation of singles, life isn't beautiful, a bitch, or a beach. It's a party.

I'm a big fan of writing in the first person, but it's something I've sometimes found difficult to both read and write. But Gemma balances the main character's internal dialogue with external events so well I never felt trapped within her POV. Indeed, Sass is so lovable that I actually developed a girl crush on her half-way through the novel and I felt rather bereft when I closed the book on the lovely Sass at the end. Every woman can likely relate to Sass' dating disasters, and her wonderful combination of intelligence and determination to change her life made this such a readable book. If you do like chick lit, I recommend it!

Gemma Burgess tweets as GKateB on Twitter and blogs here. The Dating Detox is available on Amazon UK or The Book Depository.

Mouse in the House

I know I said I don't do many book reviews. But, well, I had so much fun reviewing Nicola Morgan's Wasted and Caroline Smailes' Like Bees to Honey that I figured, why stop there? So today I bring you: Mousetrapped!

After visiting Disney World several times, I've had an odd fascination with Orlando. The endless plethora of box-like outlet malls, the wide streets that go on forever with no centre in site, and the crowds of squishy short-wearing tourists -- it seemed like a town plunked down solely to feed its exotic Disney neighbour. So when I won a copy of Irish author Catherine Ryan Howard's Mousetrapped, I couldn't wait to delve in.

Three big dreams, two Mouse Ears and one J-1 visa. What could possibly go wrong in the happiest place on earth?

When Catherine Ryan Howard decides to swap the grey clouds of Ireland for the clear skies of the Sunshine State, she thinks all of her dreams – working in Walt Disney World, living in the United States, seeing a Space Shuttle launch – are about to come true. Ahead of her she sees weekends at the beach, mornings by the pool and an inexplicably skinnier version of herself skipping around Magic Kingdom.

But not long into her first day on Disney soil – and not long after a breakfast of Mickey-shaped pancakes – Catherine’s Disney bubble bursts and soon it seems that among Orlando’s baked highways, monotonous mall clusters and world famous theme parks, pixie dust is hard to find and hair is downright impossible to straighten.

I love reading about behind-the-scenes work-life stuff (yes, I'm that pathetic!), and I wasn't disappointed: Catherine writes with wit and humour about her time in Orlando, and you get a true sense of what living in a town dominated by a massive theme park really feels like. The book includes lots of information about other facets of Disney and Florida -- including Celebration, the town created by Disney -- and provides a wonderful account of a space-shuttle launch.

Ireland v Disney: who comes out on top? You'll have to read to find out!

Coming up tomorrow: an interview with author Gary Murning.

Like Bees to Honey

A week or so ago, I had the pleasure of going to Caroline Smailes' launch of her third book, Like Bees to Honey. Although I hadn't read her previous novels, I'd heard such good things about her writing that I had to buy this book.

Here's the synopsis from Amazon:

Nina, her son Christopher in tow, flies to Malta for one last visit with her aging parents.

Her previous attempt to see them ended in tears. Disowned for falling pregnant while at university in England, she was not allowed into the house. This will be her final chance to make her peace with them. But Malta holds more secrets and surprises than Nina could possibly imagine. What she finds is not the land of her youth, a place full of memories and happiness. Instead she meets dead people. Lots of them.

Malta, it transpires, is a transit lounge for recently deceased spirits and somehow Christopher enables her to see them, speak with them and help them. And, in return, they help Nina come to terms with her own loss. One so great that she has yet to admit it to herself. Like Bees to Honey is a story of family, redemption and ghosts. It is a magical tale that will live with you long after you finish reading.

I read books usually before I go to sleep, so this struck alarm bells. I didn't want anything too ominous or depressing, something that would keep me up all night staring into dark corners and imagining shapes. But Caroline's spirits are nothing like the ghouls in fairytales: these are spirits who are just as real as humans, with their own anguish over not being able to touch the ground or missing out on reality TV (Jesus, in particular, seems to harbour an obsession with telly!).

This is such a beautiful book - unique and unlike any I've ever read. A former linguist, Caroline plays with language and sound to fully immerse you in the world of the main character, a woman who goes to Malta to seek respite from her grief. You breathe the dust of the island and feel the cracks of the pavement almost as if you were there. It's vivid, lyrical writing that wraps around you much like the spiritual inhabitants of the islands themselves.

You can order Caroline's book through Amazon UK or from The Book Depository, with free worldwide delivery.

Coming up tomorrow: an interview with an author who's just signed her FIRST CONTRACT! Yippee!

(I will try my best to get around to everyone's blog tonight but I seem to have acquired a pounding headache over the course of the day thanks to some lovely drilling by my neighbours, so please excuse me if I don't make it over!)

Wasted by Nicola Morgan

First off, I must say that I don't usually do book reviews because after years of analysing literature for my BA, I'm now much too lazy to really write about other books too critically.

However, when I read Wasted by Nicola Morgan, I actually felt compelled to write about it. There's something so unique about the voice that it's almost hypnotic. It's been awhile since I've read something that drew me in quite like this.

Here's the blurb (from Amazon.co.uk):

Jack worships luck and decides his actions by the flip of a coin. No risk is too great if the coin demands it. Luck brings him Jess, a beautiful singer who will change his life. But Jack’s luck is running out, and soon the stakes are high. As chance and choice unravel, the risks of Jack’s game become terrifyingly clear. An evening of heady recklessness, and suddenly a life hangs in the balance, decided by the toss of a coin. In the end, it is the reader who must choose whether to spin that coin and determine: life or death.

The book moves between Jack and Jess, following them as their lives intersect and twist and turn depending on the flip of Jack's coin. It's a fascinating concept, but what really made this book interesting for me is the omniscient narrator who is so present it's almost like another character, watching and reporting on Jack and Jess' every move and thought. It's creepy and spellbinding at the same time. As the reader, you feel just as much under the control of this narrator as Jack and Jess.

I made the mistake one day of delving into this book before an afternoon nap that I really wanted to take. I never got the nap, but I did finish the book!