Absence Does Not Make a Blog Grow Fonder

I have been away too long. I was reminded of this today when my oldest son proclaimed that he was starting a blog.

Giving him some advice, I was reminded how infrequently I have blogged. Ahem. Humility can be such a catalyst for me.

Is this the new me turning over a new leaf where I blog weekly? Probably not.

I am however interested in broaching a few topics. Some questions. Some tips about writing. Some observations about books I have read recently. Some finer points about story-telling, grammar, and editing. Even some things about the phenomenon of the blog itself.

So, I have a makeshift list of sorts of topics. Now, to find the time, the energy, and the discipline to do what I know I should.

I have not followed publishing much in the past year and I feel a bit out of touch. I have spent most of my time trying to motivate my latest book out of my head and onto paper. I have spent time reading reviews, reading books, and playing games.

As far as the reviews go, I think I have found a common thread among them that I think is something with which I can work going forward. I tend to be too "stilted" in my writing. I guess I use too many subjects and verbs not connected with an apostrophe (don't, won't, I'm, etc.). Who knew? I did not.

But, it begs an interesting question: why does this resonate with readers but they can ignore poor grammatical construction? I do not get it.

Oh! And I must fact-check more. I mis-spelled "Krav Maga" and put an extra "r" in there. I knew better. Got spell-checked and everything. Spelled it that way every time. Not sure why. Evidently, it was enough to rate the story a 2-star. That's the break, folks.

I reserve the right to not be too fazed by reviews. I am critical myself in my reviews of books and such. I complain about ignorant sports announcers. I "tsk-tsk" at grammatical faux pas in commercials, the newspaper, in other books. I cannot stand in judgment like that and not expect the same treatment in spades.

In the end, reviews are skewed. They are harder and harder to come by, for one. For another, many readers who are not the target audience for the book are often the most vocal about their disappointment. Why is that? I am not entirely sure. Sometimes you get it right, though, and that is satisfying. It's why we write in the first place, folks. To connect on a creative level, on a human level, with others who can share our experience with humanity. Since we all have different experiences, very individual lives that we live, making this connection can be dicey.

An example of this difficulty can be summed up in this analogy: the other day, for the first time since 1987, I met another human being that shared an appreciation of Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. I was too shy to ask if The Greatest American Hero theme song was one of his favorites of all time or if Alan Alda's voice gives him shivers. If he agreed with those, too, I would have freaked out. Too much of a good thing, I suppose. The point remains: it is a rare thing to share the way we do as authors and expect a massive outpouring of common experience. It can happen. Like lightning in a bottle. Like tapping into a global conduit, a hive brain of sorts, where thousands upon thousands of people share a similar like for what we express. That, my friends, is author heaven. Mass understanding and appreciation of our work, of our imagination, of the characters that inhabit our dreams.

I've Been a Bad Boy

Kindle Unlimited

 
I have been away for too long from this blog. I can throw more excuses out than an NFL wide receiver caught breaking the law (again), but for what purpose?

The truth is, I am back again. I have been writing like mad to hit my self-imposed deadlines (and mostly failing, to be honest). I am in a small lull in writing the rough draft for the seventh installment of the Jake Monday Chronicles (while the 6th installment is getting edited). Therefore, here I am tossing out parenthetical expressions like they are going out of business.

So, here is my update. Mad, Mad Monday will be published as soon as I get it back, make corrections and re-writes, format it, and upload it to the mighty 'Zon. The final book in the series, Monday Bloody Monday will be published in September along with Volume 2 of the Monday Collection (which will contain parts 4 through 7 of the series). Before Christmas, I will publish an Omnibus Edition called Monday: All Week, which will include all 7 installments plus tons of extras (I will brag that Monday: All Week will contain 10% more week!) like an origin story, "the making of Jake Monday," deleted scenes, and a companion story, the first in a series of shorts called Monday Missions. It will be busting at its seams at almost 1,000 pages!


Recently, Amazon unveiled their new program for Prime Members, called Kindle Unlimited. I have heard a ton of great stuff about it so far from readers. Power readers love it. Current Prime members see it as a huge improvement over one book a month from their Kindle Select collection. It is the same collection, now there are no limits. This makes getting Prime ($9.99/month) sound like an even better deal than ever. Amazon really understands how to capture and retain customers.

I have been hearing a totally different song sung by independent authors. For us, Kindle Unlimited (or KU, as we call it), is still an unknown. We understand how it works, but the big question will be on the long tail, how effective it will be at providing us more exposure AND more income. Some estimate that volume will increase, and Amazon has prepared to add funds to our shared kitty, but what happens when the volume increases past Amazon's ability to keep up with the increased demand? Others are worried about a dip in normal sales as more potential "power readers" see a way to make an immediate impact on their bottom line by becoming a Prime Member.

From what many are observing so far, the KU "borrows" effect ranking almost immediately. This creates more buzz for books that Prime Members are excited about reading on their Kindle Unlimited account, which is awesome. However, the potential issue is that to break into the top 5,000 now, an author whose books may not be in Kindle Select will have an even more difficult time. Of course, this pushes many authors to re-think the way they go to market.

Do we give Amazon exclusivity to our product offerings? (I will mention that many of the traditionally published books in KU do not have to maintain that exclusivity, but who am I to rock that particular boat?) Do we abandon our loyal fans that find our books on their favorite reading devices on Barnes & Noble, or Android, or Apple, or Kobo?

For many authors, this is not even an option. The increase in visibility and income from KU will not replace the diversity and volume they are experiencing by having their product in several (if not all) stores. All eggs/one basket is the common cautionary refrain I hear most often.

On the other hand, some authors already have given Amazon their all. Some have multiple product offerings, often under different brands (pen names), with some in and some out of the Kindle Select program. These authors and publishers stand to net the bounty (or downfall) of this fledgeling program.

For the author who does not have all that much traction other than Amazon (like me, for example), will it be worthwhile to pull out of the other stores and abandon diversity for exclusivity even if it is only for the first three months (the length of the contractual obligation to participate in the Kindle Select program)? Some might say: "Go for it! What do you have to lose?" Others may caution: "Don't be a follower. Exclusivity is the wrong move. Don't cave to the big bully on the block with all the best toys."

Both are good advice, but my retort is simply: I am looking at it from all angles. I am not making any rash decisions. I have three titles in Select now. The final three installments of the Jake Monday Chronicles will be in Select until just before Christmas. My only fantasy title available to date is currently in Select. You can read it for free if you are a Prime Member. It is also on sale this week for 99 cents if you are not a Prime Member.

I will wait and see, monitor and observe, calculate and weigh my options. Maybe by Christmas I will have a better marketing strategy other than "wait and see."

How about you? If you are a reader, what do you think about this new program? If you are a writer/publisher, how is it impacting you?

Where to Go From Here

 

I am at a crossroads in my writing. I have tons of ideas and limited time to write. I have even less time to promote, market, and directly sell my books. I have practically no presence on social media. My current books are languishing in the basement of the Amazon store. Even sales of new releases are non-existent.

I am confident that my novels are fit for public consumption. I just have not found my audience yet. When I do, I would like to have a large amount of product from which they can choose (or buy it all--I won't mind).  To that end, I am compelled to write more. Some would say that having eight titles (3 novellas, a collection of novellas, 2 full length novels, a short story and a collection of shorts) out in just over 18 months is prolific writing. Considering that I am writing part time, perhaps it is. My goal for production is much more aggressive, though. I simply have not found the time or the rhythm to meet that rate.

My secondary concern is that in search of my audience and in order to build my brand, I would like to prioritize what I am writing. I have struggled with deciding what to write next. I have a two-month hole (Sept-Oct) which represents about 7 weeks now that the first week of September is gone. In 7 weeks, I can write approximately 50,000 to 60,000 words. This would be equivalent to two novellas. Or a short novel (perhaps in the thriller genre). It could also be a novella and three short stories. Or perhaps two devotional books (non-fiction, religious).

What happens in November? you ask. Well, November is NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. It is a month in which I will partake in the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. Actually, I am aiming at about 60,000 words and 30,000 more in December. I will write the next three novellas in the Jake Monday Chronicles. Then, I will spend January, and February editing the fourth book in the series, release it in March, rinse and repeat (so releases in March, April, and May).

So, my writing schedule is typically constant. In spurts. For example, I finished a fantasy novella Sunday. I edited it on Monday, Labor Day. I have not written since. Except for this blog. However, my writing is always more productive if I have a plan.

So, I want you to help me make my plan. Tell me what you want to see. Here are my novel ideas (pardon the pun):

1)Built in a Day--Re-telling of Roman history. Grand tale that focuses on the Romulus and Remus story and uses it as a device to fictionalize history. Imagine: Tudors meets Game of Thrones.

This one requires some intense research of history. I want to make it series, perhaps 3 full-length novels over three years or 9 novellas, with three installments each year, packaged as a set of 3 in each for Christmas.


2) All Roads Lead Here--a short story (about 10,000 words) set in a Kindle World: Wayward Pines by Blake Crouch. Kindle Worlds are a separate store on Amazon where authors can download what essentially is "fan fiction." I want to write this story and perhaps 2 more. I want to do it more for the exposure and fan reach than actual sales. Priced at 99 cents, I will probably never make a lot from this one, but Blake has a medium-sized following and a new release coming out this month that perhaps I can ride the momentum. That was my philosophy, anyway.

3)Transforming Souls: Diamond, Steel, Clay & Glass--a devotional book. It will be organized to be used as a book for Adult Bible classes. I plan on writing a sequel to it for teens as well at some point. It can also be a good personal devotional book. I have an outline for it and some great ideas. This is the one I am tempted to start this week. My soul is sort of calling for it.

4)Almost Heaven--a "Love Story" in the vein of Nicolas Sparks. It is about a lawyer from West Virginia who decides to represent a young woman who has been given custody of her autistic niece when her sister dies. The biological father (who had never before seen the child or supported her) is suing for custody and the rights to the inheritance. I plan on writing this one in a pen name. I already have 18,000 words written and it is almost half finished (the goal is 40,000 to 45,000 words, or about 200 pages--a short novel, like the old Harlequin romances from the 70s). I plan for it to be the first book in a series with a connected narrator. The second book in the series is the next one.

5)The Nightengale Effect--a "Love Story" in the vein of Nicolas Sparks. It is about a male nurse who falls in love with a patient. She is a famous local newscaster whose family is involved in politics. She is also addicted to drugs, which is why she is in the hospital. The novel is about how powerful love is, even in the face of addictions and betrayal. This is supposed to be the 2nd in my series (I am thinking of calling them American Heart or something like that) with the connected narrator. It will be 40,000 to 45,000 words (short novel) and written in a pen name.

6)Grey Guards of Avignon--this is a series. I have just finished the rough draft and first edit. It is in the hands of 10 Beta readers and the editor. I hope to publish it next week. However, I plan on writing four novellas in this series. It is a fantasy story about an elite group of body guards (think 3 Musketeers or US Secret Service) who find themselves compromised in a kingdom that is totally corrupt. It is about making moral choices when none exist. Epic fantasy. The first novella was 38,000 words or so (about 170 pages).  Although I really enjoyed writing the first installment, I have some reservations about continuing this one too soon.

7)The Man Under the Mountain--another short story set in Wayward Pines. I want to wait until I purchase the 2nd book in the series and read it before I write this one. It could go down in October, if all goes right. As far as marketing and competition goes, I anticipate that Blake Crouch's friends will be writing several books in this world: JA Konrath, Crouch's brother, Scott Nicholson, and even Barry Eisler. Maybe even Ann Voss Peterson. This could be good or it could be devastating.

8)Bald Knobbers--working title. A novel (sort of a western) about the vigilante group in Missouri who were a cross between the KKK and Sons of Anarchy. Their bikes were horses and their moral compass was questionable. They sought justice at the expense of bigotry and corruption. I want to focus on a single character who is working within the group but seeks to disband them. It is a thriller/western feel. About 40,000 to 50,000 words (think a short Max Brand book or Louis L'Amour). This idea was given to me by a young friend, Reese Crawford.

9)The Lonely Ziggurat--a fantasy novel with steam-punk (or "gaslamp") tendencies. I am interested in fusing genres. I like the idea of incorporating some devices of steam punk (think of the game Bioshock or Dishonored) into the setting of fantasy (swords, demons, magic, and dragons). I want to also bring back some of the concepts of my favorite comics growing up--Xmen and Fantastic Four. I think it would be cool to have an "Underground City" ala The Underdark in Forgotten Realms but more like the Morlocks. It is a common theme running through steam punk but I want to insert it into fantasy in a cool and impactful way. I have about three pages of notes on this concept but no real direction for the plot. Just world-building. World building is fun, but it isn't words on paper production. That is what I need right now.

10) My Hand on the Hammer--a short devotional book about our responsibility in the death of our Savior. It will be about 20,000 to 30,000 words (about 100 pages). It was an idea that germinated from Mark Lee's Lord's Supper Thoughts one Sunday. The idea is very dear to my heart and I think there is a place for it as an uplifting reminder to God's people and maybe even a book that an unchurched person might find inspiring and come to know Jesus.

11)Worth More Than Sparrows--Short devotional book about understanding how special we are. It is about developing self-esteem, purpose, and direction in our lives. It is about accepting our roles as servants in God's Kingdom as Ambassadors, Conquerors, and Children. Again, about 20,000 to 30,000 words (about 100 pages). 

12) Walk in the Park--A full-length thriller novel about a young man with a unique power. Without warning, on occasion, he is given a message that predicts the death of a particular person within 48 hours. This "gift" has haunted him since he was a teen. His justification has always been that these were people he did not know. What could he possibly do to save these strangers? Why was he responsible?

Sometimes he will see the message in the newspaper. Sometimes in a text. For years he has ignored the messages. When he gets a message about a former friend who lives about an hour away, he decides to (for the first time) intervene. He discovers that this power comes with great responsibility. 

This book has elements of science fiction melded with a fast-paced story. It is essentially a novel that explores our tendency to be selfish and wrap ourselves in concern for only ourselves. It is a social novel (and a spiritual one, although God is not mentioned, He is there). I have about 4,000 words or so of this one started. I actually had written about 12,000 words, but lost them in a bad hard drive on an old laptop. Needless to say, I was disheartened and put it away.

13) Children of the Mountain--Sequel to Dark Mountain. My original plan was to write this one in the Spring of 2014 and spend a bit of time on it. It is a horror novel that follows two characters from Dark Mountain. I only have it sketched out a bit. No outline yet or list of characters in the novel or anything. Have not even totally settled on a setting. Debating West Texas with Northern Arizona or Southern Colorado. Having problems deciding. Needs to be somewhere scary. Probably Colorado. I hate to compete with Blake Crouch, but I need to stay in the mountains. :) This book has been requested over a dozen times. I am dragging my feet. I do not know why. Dark Mountain is still my best selling book to date.

14)Monday Bloody Monday--the final installment of the Jake Monday Chronicles. With it, I will also produce two more titles: The Monday Collection Volume 2, and The Monday Chronicles Complete Collection, Collector's Edition. This one I cannot write until I finish the other three (which I will write this winter). So, although it is in this list, I will not write it yet.

 So, which book suits you best? Or which story? I am aware that I am genre-hopping. Is that a problem for anyone? I know that it waters down my brand. The thing is, I want to write in all these genres. I read all these genres, including the devotionals.  Let me know what you think. Give me some feedback. I may just be able to be swayed.

Tag, You're It!

I read an interesting blog post today by agent Kristin Nelson that you can find here.  The hot topic this week in publishing concerned "discovery."  Meta data key words reflect one way that end users search for books (and other products online). It got me to thinking about my own "meta data," blog labels, and "tags."  In the past, I have just randomly selected some words that I thought people might search and then find my book.

I did not know that tools on the internet existed that track meta data and searches.  If only I had known.  This would effect the words I choose.  Especially considering that on Kindle Direct Publishing they only allow you a total of seven meta data tags.

My debut book, DARK MOUNTAIN, is a thriller/suspense novel that has elements of paranormal/occult and some elements of horror (especially if people actually ingesting blood makes you queasy).  I chose to use meta data tags for "vampires" and "werewolves" but I declined to mention them in the description.  Then, I also have this dark cover with the tag line, "Sometimes evil runs in the family."  My other five tags were, well, embarrassingly bland.  My name.  The title of the book.  "Thrillers," "suspense," and "Oklahoma authors."

I have changed them now, almost 9 months later.  My tags are now, "Stephen King,"  "horror,"  "vampires," "paranormal thriller," "occult," "Lee Child," and "suspense."  We will see if this increases sales.  This will be an interesting experiment.

My newest book, CRY ME A RIVER, is a suspense/thriller with elements of romance, adventure, and espionage.  It takes place in Colombia.  It has an assassin, a rogue DEA agent, a handsome photographer whose family owns a drug cartel and the woman who hires him.  Of course, she doesn't know his past and soon she becomes a pawn in the fight to protect the family business.

The meta data tags I chose for it seemed fitting, but lo, I have only sold two copies since December 6.  I thought with the Christmas rush and the fact that I gave away over 500 copies of DARK MOUNTAIN, that I would get some attention drawn to this book.  I think it has a catchy cover, but I think that maybe the market is flooded right now.  I don't know.  I think it is the better book.  So, I am experimenting with the data tags on this one as well.  I chose "Lee Child," and "Clive Cussler" for this one as well as "romance," and some other tags that have been getting hits.

We shall see.  I will give it thirty days before I evaluate other ways to boost my sales.  How about you guys?  What are the key words you search for when you are seeking your next read?

De Ja You

Plots are a dime a dozen in fiction.  One author, Christopher Booker, would have us think that there are only truly seven plots in fiction:  Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth.  Whether you agree with his assessment, regardless of the finiteness of plots, there are thousand upon thousands of STORIES.  An unlimited, unfathomable, inexhaustible supply of tales. 

And yet, sometimes, we can find similarities.  It would be easy for one to attribute this to influence.  I read Stephen King and then write a story about a girl lost in the woods, or attacked by a dog.  How many stories have been written about authors who have a "dark side" and it comes out to kill?  I could, if I sat and thought about it, come up with hundreds of other examples from authors ranging from Virgil, to Homer, to Shakespeare, to Hemingway, to John Irving, to James Joyce and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

But, what if I said I opened a book to peruse it and found a story strikingly like my own?  One which I had never before picked up?  What if I said my own story is barely published and originally written in 2008 while the book in question was published in 2010?

Some would want more proof.  Alright.  I have published the story in question, the first chapter of a fantasy "Work in Progress," on my website.  You can find it here.  It is the January excerpt.  While you are there on my website, take 2 seconds to enter the contest by answering one simple question.  There is a small prize in a drawing to be held at the end of the month.

Now, the published work, by an author which I like, SM Stirling is here.  You can read the sample (the first chapter) and compare for yourself.

You can see that I don't have a naked person running through the woods, but I do write something similar:  a panther that is able to communicate via telepathy.  Ok, his is a tiger with black on black striping and eyes of molten sulfur (great imagery, I am sure you agree), while mine is a true panther, but there are similarities.

Now, this got me to thinking about every time I have read a fantasy that tread over the same dwarf, elf, and dragon cliche, or every police procedural that walked that familiar path of evidence, motive, accessibility, and concurrence.  It also reminded me of the similarities of romances:  boy meets girl, boy is a bad boy and girl finds out too late, etc. 

I understand that as authors, we tap into the "Muse," and use our imaginations to concoct new, exciting, never-before-written accounts.  We explore and create new worlds, our own sciences, our gods, religions, societies.  We use our existing world and twist history or create new futures.  Yet, every post-apocalyptic story seems similar in ways, don't they?  Fantasy worlds, no matter how divergent, are familiar and share elements.  Every genre has its iconic elements.  Zombies lurch, vampires bite, dragons fly, women are swept up by the leading guy, and police solve crimes. 

I am not trying to be negative here.  I am saying that we share something.  We share the wonderful world we live in and the thousand upon thousands of stories that have been and will be created.  I think there is a wonder in it.  Whether we are succumbing to influence or calling upon a common human theme of love, abandonment, grief, hope, triumph, quest, voyage, or death, we share a common story.  We share a connection.  There is no shame in what we have in common.  There is no shame in our differences either because even in our individuality, we have something in common.

What about you?  Have you ever come across a story like your own, even a simple element?  Or have you read two books and found so many similarities that it made you wonder?

Death of a Protagonist

I am almost 75% through with reading George RR Martin's A STORM OF SWORDS and have invested approximately 2600 pages of reading into this amazingly gritty and realistic fantasy series he has created.  Last night, as I neared the 70% mark, I almost threw the book across the room.

I don't want to spoil the story.  Besides, many may not have read the books. I was mad, though.  Disappointed, infuriated, annoyed, and mad.

For those that are familiar with Mr. Martin, I am sure you know what I mean.  One protagonist, fine.  Several flamboyant tertiary characters, alright.  After GAME OF THRONES and especially A CLASH OF KINGS, I was beginning to get used to perusing the back of the book and considering striking out all the characters who are now dead.  It felt novel that an author was as free with the deaths of so many characters.  To be sure, he has populated this world with more characters than I have Facebook friends.  To kill off a few feels like culling a herd or at the least, As the World Turns.  Turnover is inevitable when betrayal and violence are common.

But, at the end of the chapter after the Red Wedding, I was shocked even beyond the loss I felt from the two noble wolves of House Stark.  The pup, too!  It cannot be!

Before you respond with condolences and a spoiler alert, I already know.  I was weak and flipped through looking for Arya's chapter.  Found it.  Now I am wading through more about the Onion Knight and this weirdly accurate witch, Milisandre.  Sometimes I wish he had put some of these story lines into another book entirely.  I am always tempted to skip them.  I guess some other readers may want to skip the feasts and the tourneys with their endless descriptions of armor and weapons, food and names of folk we will never meet again or that will soon be dead.

Case in point:  the singer that threatened to blackmail Tyrion.  Why even bother?  He's dead in four paragraphs and mentioned in passing during the feast.  But to what did he amount?  Another corpse to add to the considerable pile.  Another sick joke.  I dunno.  I guess I feel Martin's greatness is dulled through the continual cutting of ties with so many well-fletched-out tertiary characters that come and go so quickly.  Their deaths are often more flamboyant than their lives.

Which leads me back to my original complaint and the rubbing of my cat the wrong way, so to speak.  I am developing a love/hate relationship here.  I am aware that some of this is manufactured.  The author is deliberately pulling the strings.  Characters are created for effect rather than catharsis, or triumph.  As far as I can see, the great lesson, the moral of the story, as far as the Red Wedding goes is two-fold.  Lords will always have bannermen that envy their positions;  the only way to deal with them is with strength.  The second is something that I think the author plans to use going forward:  to harm others to whom you have extended hospitality under your own roof is to bring a curse upon yourself.

Despite this, I feel empty, betrayed, and am loath to trust Mr. Martin going forward.  I don't know. Is it just me?  I feel invested in Catelyn and Robb, Bran and to some extent, Rickon.  Jon and Sam.  Dany and even Ser Jorah.  If these people die after we have invested 2600 pages in them and knowing that we have 2000 more pages yet to come, are we not to feel their loss?  Or is that the point?  Unless we care, they do not matter?  Or is it what Little Finger says to Sansa?

"Always keep your foes confused.  If they are never certain who you are or what you want, they cannot know what you are like to do next.  Sometimes the best way to baffle them is to make moves that have no purpose, or even seem to work against you.  Remember that Sansa, when you play the game...The only game.  The game of thrones."--A STORM OF SWORDS pg 841.

 What do you think?

Book Review--LOVE DOES by Bob Goff

I am so glad that our youth minister, Mike Baskett, gifted this to me. It is a delightful book and made me laugh, inspired me, and made me almost cry at one point. That is a feat.

I highly recommend this book to people who may struggle with faith from a standpoint of a cerebral, bookish approach. Some people are more inclined to do, rather than to analyze, theorize, or be a spectator. This book is for those people who like to do.

This book encourages us to grow closer to God, to have a more personal relationship with Christ by being servants, allowing Him to use us, and move us. Bob is a quirky fellow, and his writing style is indicative of his whimsical nature. I am so glad I read this book. It is perhaps the best individual book of faith I have read outside of the Bible itself.

Reviewing the reviewers

We are a culture that has grown accustomed to reviews.  We review restaurants, movies, sports, television shows, and products.  Reviews are what help consumers make choices.  I want some good sushi, I will read what reviewers think.  I want to make sure that hotel I just booked doesn't have mice, I will read the reviews on hotel.com. 

Reviews and reviewers are common and an important part of marketing.  No one wants a bad review of their new theatre production or make-up collection, or oil change service. 

Two opposing problems are beginning to surface in the world of reviewing and I think books are getting hit the hardest by these excesses. 

First, the overly glowing review.  Sometimes, people over react.  Maybe the lasagna was the best you ever tasted, but are you sure?   Maybe it is a great book, but is that adjective inclusive of a large range of greatness? 

The first thing that I think of when I read an overly glowing review is:  "Who cares what their Mom thinks, anyway?"  Worse, sometimes I wonder if the author PAID to have someone say that.  In infomercials the advertiser is required by law to say that the people on camera were compensated for their appearance. 

The reason for this is because it skews things.  If someone made me ride the Total Gym and filmed it without my consent and didn't compensate me for it, they may not be able to use my opinions of the contraption to market their product.  Pay me a few hundred dollars and prepare me for the experience and I will try to say something nice.  You know, because everyone's watching.  I'm not dishonest, I am just easy to manipulate.

Am I imagining these things?  No. Some indie authors actually talk about it openly on forums.  I just shake my head.  As if indie authors weren't getting enough bad rap for the writing (most times, deserving, I know), now we are paying people to say nice things on Amazon just to falsely promote our stuff?

When someone reads my books, do I want them to review it?  YES!  I even ask (read, beg) people I know who have read the book to take the time to review it for me.  I don't care if they give it 3 stars out of 5.  If that is their honest opinion, I will accept it.  Plus, I need their feedback.  I wanna get better, tell stories that resonate with people, create characters that people remember.  With honest feedback like unbiased reviews, I can do that.  But, will I ever PAY someone to do it, or even give away my book with the understanding that it will get a 5 star review before they even finish reading it?  No.

The opposite end of the spectrum is the negative review.  I understand when someone doesn't like a book (except for mine, of course).  But, sometimes people go overboard.  Look, I have endured some really bad movies.  I just turn the thing off.  If something offends me, bores me, makes me uncomfortable, or isn't my cup of tea, I try not to be too harsh.  I might say: "It was so bad I turned it off and put it back in the mail to Netflix." Or, if the food is so bad or the service so horrible, I just don't tip, or go back to eat there. 

I am not advocating not leaving a negative review.  Don't get me wrong.  Maybe someone else will be helped by learning that your local pub has cockroaches, or the waitress will hit on your husband unabashedly right in front of you.  I just think that there is a decorum and a sense of right that needs to be followed.  Sometimes, we Americans, especially we Christians, get too wrapped up in our own sense of righteous indignation.  Sometimes, bigots, racists, atheists, functioning illiterates, and self-serving cynics leave reviews so scathing that their biases are evident.  Maybe we feel some sort of calling to warn those other Christians, or bigots, or racists as to the nature of the poor novel or novelist. 

An example would be a Christian who would dain to read the 50 SHADES stuff.  If they were brave enough to read that sort of book and then give a 1 star review with scathing remarks and a huffy manner, it doesn't really do what they wanted it to do.  They made themself look worse than the book and might have just sold a few more copies of it.  Conversely, if a person that is bigoted toward people from the Middle East were to leave a blistering review of THE KITE RUNNER, their bias may be so strong that people can see through it and buy the book just because they felt sorry for the author. 

Negative reviews, and there are a plethora of them even for the most popular and well regarded books, are most often the least helpful reviews.  The three-star to four-star reviews often reflect more insight into the book and why it didn't work for that particular reader.  Often, what is repugnant or boring to one reader will be exactly what another reader is wanting from their next read.  The problem with negative reviews is that so much vitriol is expended about the level of just how poor the novel is, they don't give salient and intelligent reasons for why they hate said trash. 

So, I guess I can sum this up by saying that reviews are important.  If you have something good to say, be honest.  If you have something negative to say, be specific.  More to the point, specificity is global when it comes to reviews. 

Let me know what you liked:  the characters, the way the book had twists and turns, the way it ended.  If it sucks monkey butts, let me know why.  Was the author's grammar so poor, you couldn't read it (I have had that happen a couple of times), was the drama too dramatic, or do you have a specific bias that the author just happened to rub the wrong way?  Just admit it.  Say it.  That way I can review your review and maybe put a one star beside it instead of having a  review smack-down right there on Amazon or Goodreads with you.