How To Read Your Reviews — And, Love Them

Negative reviews can be devastating. “I know people who have never recovered,” says actor/director Seth Rogen of Green Hornet fame speaking recently about movie reviews. There are probably many authors who know exactly what he means. Well, here’s how to recover from your negative book reviews — maybe, even enjoy them.

Don’t Look For 5-Stars All The Time

Here’s the thing. As authors we all look for the five-star reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and on any book blog tours for which we’re signed up. The closer we get to launch date, the more nervous we get about reviews and ratings on the Advance Review Copies which have been sent out by the author or publisher. But you’ve got know that not all your reviews are going to be 5-star reviews.

Fool Her Once Book page on Goodreads

Why? Because some readers just aren’t going to be into your novel. Ask any bestselling or award-winning author who’s received rave reviews from all the industry trade publications. They’ll tell you they get their fair share of 1-star and 2-star reviews on Goodreads or Amazon. Not every reader is going to absolutely, totally, love your book. And, even if they are, their 3-star rating may mean the same as another reader’s 5-star rating.

Continue reading “How To Read Your Reviews — And, Love Them”

Oh, Tucker, You Made My Week!

Oh what a fun week I’ve had. I’ve been reading all the texts and transcripts just released in court documents in the defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion (voting machines) against Fox News. But, stop right there for a moment. I’m not gloating. Just  because I’m not a fan of Fox News doesn’t mean I can’t see the media conglomerate winning this lawsuit. Continue reading “Oh, Tucker, You Made My Week!”

How To Host A Perfect Book Club Meeting When The Author Is A Guest

I was on the court with my tennis coach, Jeanne Glevenyak,  a couple of months ago when she said she was going to recommend my new thriller, Fool Her Once, to her book club.

Photo Credit: Jeanne Glevenyak

Regular readers of this blog may remember that Jeanne coached me to an amazing singles win  a few seasons ago!

That was back when FHO was out on submission from my then-agent to editors and publishers.

I considered Jeanne an important part of my publication journey –keeping me sane and calm, focusing on tennis while waiting for publisher responses. So,  when FHO was finally released in hardcover, I naturally gifted her a signed copy. And, when her book club agreed to read it, she asked: “Would you come to our book club discussion?”

“Of course,” I replied.”I’d love to.”

“I’ll arrange for the meeting to be somewhere local,” she added. Continue reading “How To Host A Perfect Book Club Meeting When The Author Is A Guest”

What Do The Children of Real-Life Serial Killers Tell Us About An “Evil” Gene?

Imagine a young woman, 26 years old, a newly married school teacher. One morning, there’s a knock on the door of the apartment she shares with her husband. It’s the FBI come to tell her that they have arrested her father. Her world shatters as she learns that the man who walked her down the aisle just 18 months before is the notorious BTK serial killer who has killed ten people– including two children — and terrorized Wichita, Kansas for more than 27 years. Continue reading “What Do The Children of Real-Life Serial Killers Tell Us About An “Evil” Gene?”

Is There A Serial Killer Gene? Here’s What I Learned While Researching My Thriller

I was clearing out some of my old files recently and found a big, fat one. It was labelled Fool Her Once/research. In it, I found pages of notes on the topic of a serial killer/psycho gene. Can a person be born with evil genes, I’d wanted to know. Is there such a thing as a bad seed? Continue reading “Is There A Serial Killer Gene? Here’s What I Learned While Researching My Thriller”