Funny thing about today–I didn’t realize it was a holiday. I guess some companies are off and some are working. I know the mail didn’t come and that’s when it dawned on me. I still wrote and managed a good bout of writing with over 2,000 words. The story is speeding up and becoming more exciting (at least I hope it is). I’m feeling good about it.
I just wanted to say a quick note of thanks for anybody who either a) lets me know what they think about one of my books or b) posts these thoughts on their blog or on Amazon.com.
Writing is a very solitary craft. When I worked in publishing in author relations, I understood this simply because I interacted with a lot of authors that said this. I was one of their links to the publisher and they appreciated that. Ever since I’ve been writing fulltime now, I’ve come to appreciate my former job more and more. Writing can be quiet and lonely and isolating. So anytime I get emails from readers, it means a lot (and yes, when I say emails I mean positive feedback, though I do also welcome negative input).
Last week I heard from a variety of readers on a variety of my books. A few people had just read my first couple of books (The Promise Remains and The Watermark). It’s cool to see books I wrote almost ten years ago still making an impression. I also heard from readers on my favorite book (Sky Blue) and my most recent book (Isolation). It’s encouraging to me to know readers are enjoying my books. It validates what I’m doing and continues to give me motivation as a fulltime novelist.
I so appreciate readers telling others about my books. Whether it’s in person or on something like Amazon. In the past this has been validating, but now that this is my sole profession, reader reviews are vital.
Boy what I wouldn’t give to not have to “hawk my wares”. But I can’t afford not to. Not in my little tiny boat in the publishing ocean. And not in today’s economical climate.
So whenever a reader sends me a nice email about one of my books, it lets me know that it’s perhaps okay to hawk my wares because there are people who like them. I don’t need to necessarily say these are the greatest books out there. But I can say that a lot of people have enjoyed them.
So thanks for sharing your enthusiasm over my stories, whether it’s to me or it’s to the reading public. (And if you haven’t, come on and join the club before I become HUGE and get a BIG HEAD!)