Congrats on the great review, Janet! Sounds like the reviewer really “gets” the book.
I haven’t gotten any reviews yet — not sure how I’ll react when I do! If they’re negative, I could be crushed, of course. So perhaps ahead of time I will ask my husband to read any reviews, and hide them from me if they’re not positive. 🙂
Of course, if I do, won’t I be thinking “so and so must have given me a terrible review, because my husband hid it from me! I wonder what horrible things it said — perhaps it said I’m fat and ugly and can’t write” — you know what I mean, imagining the worst, even worse than the worst review would be? So mightn’t it be less painful to just read the review? 😉
Or how about painful positive reviews? Surely there are many writers (and people in other circumstances) who have cringed from words that seem to others to be compliments: “cute” “charming” “fluffy” “accessible” “surprising” “challenging” — so many words that have secret powers to cut the wrong way (different words for different authors, I presume).
By this point I’m sure I sound paranoid, or at least excessively negative… 🙂 But keep in mind: no woman who uses so many smiley faces in her posts can be anything but sweet and charming! (No, wait, not the “sweet” word! I’m not sweet! Well, maybe a little. Okay, on my good days I’m sweet, but I’m never cute!) 🙂
Cara (who has arguments with herself all the time — and [optimistically?] presumes that all writers do)
Wow! From the (excessive?) length of my comment I see I’ve truly out-Cara’d Megan! (Or is the term “Cara’d” Megan? I admit I’m still a novice in Meganese! Meganian? Meganish? Maybe we should just call it “the ebon tongue”…)
I think I used ‘Cara’ed,’ but I’m not so skilled in Meganese, either.
As for reviews, I’ve gotten a grand total of one, but I don’t think I’ll have a problem if someone hates my book for a legitimate reason (not, for example, the font size of the ARC, as happened to a friend of mine). Like if they don’t think I’m funny, or they think my heroine is a stuck-up pain in the ass (and the apple falls from the tree how far?), or whatever. I agree with you about the loaded words–there are a few that have already been applied to my writing that I don’t care for, but were meant as a compliment. Oh, well. We’ll see if I can maintain this insouciant attitude when I get my first bad review.
Congrats on the great review, and I especially love the beginning part (it goes with my whole thing about how misleading Regency covers can be).
Painful negative reviews…yes, I’ve had ’em. And sometimes the reviews contradict each other–what one reviewer thought was a strength is exactly what another hates.
And I know what you mean, Cara, about painful positive reviews. Often they will use words like “delightful” and “charming” for any Regency they like. My current one has elements that I hope are delightful and charming, but there are also some gritty parts that are not a “cozy” read.
But it is wonderful when a reviewer really “gets” a book.
So Janet, hope you are celebrating this one properly!
My favorite putdown “review” was from a blogger, who said, of The Bookseller’s Daughter, “Marie-Laure is not the sharpest of girls, but she reads a lot so we are suppose [sic] to think she is intelligent.”
Well, *I* thought Marie-Laure was intelligent, but I was nonetheless charmed by the reader’s smartass tone, and wrote to tell her so. Which was great — she was really pleased, and one of her regular commented that “holy s**t, that rocks!” (don’t know your standards on this risky page . . .)
In general, I enjoy bloggers’ comments, the few I’ve gotten.
Congrats on the great review, Janet! Sounds like the reviewer really “gets” the book.
I haven’t gotten any reviews yet — not sure how I’ll react when I do! If they’re negative, I could be crushed, of course. So perhaps ahead of time I will ask my husband to read any reviews, and hide them from me if they’re not positive. 🙂
Of course, if I do, won’t I be thinking “so and so must have given me a terrible review, because my husband hid it from me! I wonder what horrible things it said — perhaps it said I’m fat and ugly and can’t write” — you know what I mean, imagining the worst, even worse than the worst review would be? So mightn’t it be less painful to just read the review? 😉
Or how about painful positive reviews? Surely there are many writers (and people in other circumstances) who have cringed from words that seem to others to be compliments: “cute” “charming” “fluffy” “accessible” “surprising” “challenging” — so many words that have secret powers to cut the wrong way (different words for different authors, I presume).
By this point I’m sure I sound paranoid, or at least excessively negative… 🙂 But keep in mind: no woman who uses so many smiley faces in her posts can be anything but sweet and charming! (No, wait, not the “sweet” word! I’m not sweet! Well, maybe a little. Okay, on my good days I’m sweet, but I’m never cute!) 🙂
Cara (who has arguments with herself all the time — and [optimistically?] presumes that all writers do)
Wow! From the (excessive?) length of my comment I see I’ve truly out-Cara’d Megan! (Or is the term “Cara’d” Megan? I admit I’m still a novice in Meganese! Meganian? Meganish? Maybe we should just call it “the ebon tongue”…)
Cara
I think I used ‘Cara’ed,’ but I’m not so skilled in Meganese, either.
As for reviews, I’ve gotten a grand total of one, but I don’t think I’ll have a problem if someone hates my book for a legitimate reason (not, for example, the font size of the ARC, as happened to a friend of mine). Like if they don’t think I’m funny, or they think my heroine is a stuck-up pain in the ass (and the apple falls from the tree how far?), or whatever.
I agree with you about the loaded words–there are a few that have already been applied to my writing that I don’t care for, but were meant as a compliment. Oh, well.
We’ll see if I can maintain this insouciant attitude when I get my first bad review.
Congrats on the great review, and I especially love the beginning part (it goes with my whole thing about how misleading Regency covers can be).
Painful negative reviews…yes, I’ve had ’em. And sometimes the reviews contradict each other–what one reviewer thought was a strength is exactly what another hates.
And I know what you mean, Cara, about painful positive reviews. Often they will use words like “delightful” and “charming” for any Regency they like. My current one has elements that I hope are delightful and charming, but there are also some gritty parts that are not a “cozy” read.
But it is wonderful when a reviewer really “gets” a book.
So Janet, hope you are celebrating this one properly!
Elena
My favorite putdown “review” was from a blogger, who said, of The Bookseller’s Daughter, “Marie-Laure is not the sharpest of girls, but she reads a lot so we are suppose [sic] to think she is intelligent.”
Well, *I* thought Marie-Laure was intelligent, but I was nonetheless charmed by the reader’s smartass tone, and wrote to tell her so. Which was great — she was really pleased, and one of her regular commented that “holy s**t, that rocks!” (don’t know your standards on this risky page . . .)
In general, I enjoy bloggers’ comments, the few I’ve gotten.
Pam, huzzahing as well
one of her regular readers, I meant