First Galley Review

Being new to the business of writing and publishing, reviews are still a mystery to me. I am told they come in as the book release date gets close. My release date is February 3, 2009. This date holds the allure and anticipation of Christmas and my birthday all rolled in together.

Here is the first galley review I've found:

http://www.kidliterate.com/?p=39

As I'm sure you can imagine, reading this review is better than opening any gift I could receive.

Wishful Thinking

If I could give my first book to just one person to read, it would be my grandmother. But she has passed away, and so this would be impossible to do. She lived in New York City, and wrote science fiction novels. She talked of things like character motivation and secret desires, and read poetry written by Rod McKuen. I wish wish wish I could take her lunch today and ask her if she thought my own characters were developed enough, and did she like my title, and was my first paragraph enough of a hook to keep her reading.

I wouldn't be a writer had it not been for her influence, but she died before I started writing so I have missed out on so many conversations I want to have with her now.

I have stacks of books she gave me when I was younger. They are about grammar and technique and using your subconscious to write better. I didn't appreciate them then.

I recently tore out a page of one of these books where she'd written an inscription to me, and I had it framed. It hangs on the wall in my home office today, encouraging me with loving words and hope.