I’ve always considered August as summer’s third act when the fun and sun are fleeting and the end of something magical is near. That’s how I feel about my life right now. I’m leaving a season of innocence and literary elation and entering a phase of life that terrifies me. The launch of The Levitation Game has been pushed to October 17th to collect enough reviews and blurbs to feather my word nest. (I’m sorry for the delay!) But reviews horrify me. Will my book soar? Or will my spirit wither from the jabs of a thousand feisty quills? I never had to worry about such things as a children’s book illustrator.
All authors go through this. I love writing enough to brave the unknown. I must persevere because I’m writing two other books that excite me. But how do authors cope with bad reviews? Recently, I read The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. I loved the movie Knock at the Cabin, crafted from Paul’s book. Indeed, the concept involving the four horsemen of the Apocalypse on a mission to disrupt the lives of a family and a cute little girl named Wen was intriguing. At first, the book pulled me in, only to leave me struggling to reach the end of a scene that was supposed to be nail-biting. That’s when I investigated Goodreads and discovered that other readers felt the same way. One surly individual left a firey trail of GIFs, including one with the white-bearded, handsome, and worldly Dos Equis actor shaking his head in complete exasperation. Perhaps, after M. Night Shyamalan created an exciting movie from Paul’s book the GIF doesn’t sting. Or does it? I feel potential shivers travel the length of my spine at the thought of mean-spirited GIFs.
- Emily Jane,
bestselling author of On Earth as it Is on Television
You can check out Emily’s book above. I love her cover. And the book is out-of this-world! Plus, Katie S. won a free Conspiracy Theory board game for sharing an early review on Goodreads. Thanks to Neddy Games for their ongoing freebies. Subscribers can win by sharing my bookish content on social media.
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