The Unearthed, according to You Gotta Read Reviews.
Lupa at You Gotta Read wrote a nice review of TU. While I don't agree that the book starts off slow, it is always good to hear someone's honest opinion on one's fiction--it's the only way to improve as a writer.
4 weeks ago
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12 comments:
Nice to know it is still getting more great reviews. Hope the book is still doing well.
Hey, Brian,
That was indeed a good review, although I didn't get the slow start bit either. Congrats!
Philly,
Well, I'm not ready to retire yet, but the book's doing well. Maybe I'll open a pizza shop instead...
Hey Rita,
Thanks for the kind words. Feedback is so important, it really is the only way to grow as a writer. So I'm going to take what I can from the reviews as they come in and hopefully improve as an author.
You must be excited about your upcoming book signings!
Very nice. I think it's one of those reviewer's pitfalls to say something like 'slow beginning' and then not really be able to define why. A review that said why the writer experienced it that way would be useful info for an author, even if of course not that pleasant to hear. Still, on balance, a good and interesting review, picking up on the major action and themes that I too noticed. Congratulations.
Also, when you get right down to it, 'slow beginning' is much better than 'disappointing ending'. It's more an encouragement to keep on reading than anything else.
Seana,
I'm not saying it happened here, but I do wonder if in general reviewers, agents, and editors come into books with certain preconceived notions about what they should be based upon genre or the book's teaser. I was marketing TU as a thriller, and in most commercial thrillers, something major and shocking happens within the first few pages. Not exactly so with TU, though IMHO I think the beginning adds a lot of realism to the story.
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Just looking at the review again, she does say, "I have to admit I stepped into this one expecting a typical run of the mill horror with some ghosts, possibly a possession, and some mayhem." So, did she step into the book expecting these things because of her concept of a ghost/horror story? Or did she step into the book this way because of how I pitched it? Tough to say. Interesting food for thought either way.
Seana,
Either way, I've convinced myself to make the next book's opening less understated. I only seem to learn by trial-and-error, more error than trial ;)
I was all set to say something about how we readers who enjoy fiction from earlier eras may not understand the need for a fast start to a book, because so many earlier books start quite leisurely. But then I went back and had a look at your beginning and don't think it starts slowly at all. You've got a big horror element with the rug happening within the first few pages. If it was a movie, it would probably be set up exactly like that.
Of course, there's always more we can do to tighten things up and raise the stakes. So it's good to be thinking along those lines for the next time!
Oh, by the way, you will find another review here. I must just throw in that my v word is the somewhat unbelievable 'aidwoofi'.
Hey Seana,
Thank you so much for the great review. Your comments and insightful and perceptive, and helpful as always.
Before I even saw your last comment here, I was going to hop on over to your blog because my Google Alert on The Unearthed sent me an email this morning about it. This interweb thingamajig is crazy, huh?
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