Reviews – and Why They're Always Valuable - Guest Post by Chaz Wood

Every writer needs reviews. That's a fact. Not every writer is great at going out there and soliciting total strangers to read their books and write about them, but unless you are a neo-Renaissance artiste who has devoted their remaining days to starving to death in a garret while penning poems of unrequited love with their own blood, then you will want some written publicity for your works. Most of what follows is written with the online world in mind, but the basics can be applied to any body or individual who review books, poetry or stories.

I won't go too far into the hows and whys of getting reviewed – except to say that I have never paid a penny for a review, nor will I ever. No offence to those who do, or who offer such services, but that's simply not my style. I would take an honest 2.5/5 score any day over a gushing 5/5 from someone who treats book reviewing as a business and who, having cashed my cheque, may feel duty-bound to sing my praises from the belltower. Good for the ego, not so good for sales.

While I've never had a truly bad review (yet!) I've had some that were better than others. Some reviewers have honestly admitted that a certain work simply wasn't 'their thing', which is as much my fault for not thoroughly checking out the reviewer's website or personal tastes beforehand. It probably goes without saying (says he, proceeding to say it anyway) that a little homework can help avoid the worst possible reviews. Don't send your sexy splatter-filled Satanic horror tale to a middle-aged Christian mother of nine, whose favourite book is Wind in the Willows. Try to pinpoint reviewers who operate within a certain genre - say, dark fantasy and sci-fi, or thrillers - as specialist reviewers will have a better grasp of the conventions and minutiae of the genre, which a general reader may not 'get', or comment negatively upon.

Having convinced someone to read your work, you need to prepare yourself for the result. Don't assume that a chatty, friendly email conversation will necessarily result in an awesome write-up at the end of it. Don't be cynical, but don't expect drooling adoration either. Aim for somewhere in the middle when it comes to how you take a review on board.

Don't let great reviews go to your head - it's only one person's opinion. However, enjoy the lift and the encouragement that those kind, glowing words give you - feel vindicated that all of your hard work has succeeded in making someone else happy. I remember when I got my first 5-star review on Amazon, I was genuinely moved that a random reader had cared enough about my work to post her thoughts online. Straight away, I left her a comment, thanking her for her kindness.

Similarly, don't let negative ones get you down - again, it's only one person's opinion. Take from them anything positive that you can, and don't instantly consign your manuscript to the fire because of it. Obviously, if five reviewers from completely different backgrounds all say the same things, then there is likely some truth in the criticisms - in which case, accentuate the positive and look closely at your work and how you can correct those issues in future to avoid a sixth kick in the teeth.

No matter the outcome, always be polite and don't argue with the reviewer once their words have been published. Thank them for their time - reading a full-length work of fiction, then writing about it, demands a serious commitment. If the review stinks, then accept it and move on. And don't make lame excuses either: “Oh, but it's still only a rough draft...”

Also, check previous reviews beforehand to ensure that the reviewer is at least competent. There are now insanely high numbers of book review blogs out there on the web, most of them very good indeed, but don't assume every reviewer with a free blog page is necessarily worth your time. If their own site is filled with typos, sloppy grammar and incoherent writing a la 'i likd it, it was funy' , then ignore them and find someone who actually seems to be literate. However, it's pretty unlikely that such reviewers would convince many readers anyway (such as those pointless 1-star reviews for products on Amazon which moan about totally irrelevant things, such as the packaging the item was posted in, or some problem with Amazon's delivery service or the order).

At the end of the day, if your review is worse than you could ever have feared, don't stress or get angry about it. To cheer yourself up, consider how many authors who are far more famous and rich than you have suffered rubbish reviews in the past, and in far bigger newspapers and journals than yours have appeared in. Of course, rich and famous authors will have their armies of fans who will purchase their works irrespective of reviews, but that doesn't change the words of negativity (nor did all rich and famous authors start out that way, either). Words may hurt, but they're still just words. Sometimes, a bitterly negative review can succeed in driving sales, by outlining things the reviewer disliked but which a passing reader may actually enjoy: for example, "...I hated it - filled with sex, swearing, and blood and guts..." could easily sell a work to those who enjoy that kind of thing, or who are not remotely offended by adult or extreme material.

For example, the first book in my 'Trinity Chronicles' series, Maranatha, opens with a rape and a double murder in a Serbian church, all within the first 5 pages. I had one would-be reviewer who couldn't get any further than that opening section, and I accepted her reasoning – I didn't press her into reading the rest “because it calms down after that.” If an individual finds something too disturbing, too dark or graphic, too silly, boring or confusing for them to cope with, then leave it be and chalk it up as an example of the old cliché about meat and poison.

Be judicious, too, in the excerpts of reviews that you choose to promote your work. An overall 2 or 3-star review may still contain some positive or colourful comments that look good on a back cover or a press release, and (assuming permission agreed beforehand with the reviewer) you'd be silly not to use them to your advantage. Try not to quote too heavily out of context, or cut and paste unrelated words and phrases to create something that was never said – that's only likely to get you into trouble with the reviewer, and a reputation for dishonesty. Ultimately, nothing is more important than your reputation. Be generous, professional and courteous at all times, with everyone and anyone in the industry (no matter how small – today's self-published blogger could be tomorrow's superstar) – you never know when you may meet them, or require their services, again.

Writer and illustrator Chaz Wood runs Fenriswulf Books, publishers of dark and quirky fiction, graphic novels, and more.

Nobody's Daughter and the Return of Courtney Love

I listened to the Hole album Nobody's Daughter for the first time today. I sort of vaguely remember hearing about this album a year ago, when it came out, but this is the first time I ever had the chance to hear it. It's absolutely brilliant.

Courtney Love is the only band member left over from the original Hole, yet the sound is essentially the same. The best songs on it are the title track, "Skinny Little Bitch" and "How Dirty Girls Get Clean." I liked them as much as I liked "Malibu." I'm always going to consider Live Through This as Hole's greatest album, and I also harbor a certain enthusiasm for the early Velvet Underground covers. I can easily see Nobody's Daughter fitting into my music rotation, though.

Although Courtney Love considers herself a feminist, this book blogger finds it interesting to note that Love has publicly feuded with author Camille Paglia. In a 1997 Q+A for Salon.com, Paglia unfavorably compared Love to Madonna. In a November '97 interview in Rolling Stone, in which Love appears on the cover with Madonna and Tina Turner, Love said Paglia's criticism did not hurt her. "I'm a secret Camille Paglia fan," Love told the magazine. "Her criticism of me is probably the only criticism I ever actually paid attention to - if only to argue about it in my head. But in terms of rock & roll, she just got it wrong. She applies all her wacky feminist theories to tribal dance music, and she doesn't understand Led Zeppelin or where it comes from."

The 1997 RS interview also contains my favorite Love quote ever. Love was asked about the female role model who most influenced her. She answered, "It changes all the time. It's like the 12 signs of the zodiac. What mood are you in? Are you in a Bette Davis mood? Are you in a Stevie Nicks mood? They're like goddesses. You use archetypes from popular culture the way Greeks used gods and goddesses."

Love her music or hate it, you must admit Courtney Love has a fascinating perspective on pop culture. If she's going to make albums like Nobody's Daughter, I hope her pop culture star is once again on the rise.

J.R. Ward is a great, and disappointing, storyteller. What about Blay and Qhuinn?

I've been reading Lover Mine by J.R. Ward, the 8th book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I love this series. For those who don't know, the series is about a race of vampires who coexist with humans. Rather than feeding off humans, these vampires need to feed from the opposite sex of their own kind. The race was created by a goddess-figure known as the Scribe Virgin. Her nemesis, the vampire devil, is called The Omega. An elite clan of warriors, the Brotherhood, protects civilian vamps from The Omega's soulless army, the Lessening Society, or Lessers. The "Brothers" are not literally brothers (except Phury and Zsadist, who are twins).

Ward's writing style takes a little getting used to for those new to the series. She writes in a very noir-ish style. I believe she's heavily influenced by Robert B. Parker. She also invented a language the vampires use, which they call The Old Language. She peppers her novels with Old Language words like shellan and hellren ("wife" and "husband").

The thing about J.R. Ward's BDB novels that makes them so hard to put down is the way she keeps her pairs of lovers separated through so many hardships before she'll finally let them get together. That's the basic plot of every one of these novels, starting with the story of Wrath and Beth in the first book, Dark Lover. It makes for compelling reading, but can also be very frustrating.

At the end of the last book, Lover Avenged, Xhex had been kidnapped by the evil Lash, son of the Omega. John Matthew, the young warrior who can only speak in sign language, fell in love with her, but Xhex thought she had no room for love in her life. There's little doubt in this book that he will find her and that, when they get reunited, she'll accept his love. I've always liked John Matthew, so I was anxious for him and Xhex to make their relationship permanent. I love the twist, toward the end, of King Wrath accepting Xhex into the Brotherhood. Now they're going to have to call it the Siblinghood.

The storyline I'm really interested in, though, is the subplot involving John Matthew's best friends Blay and Qhuinn. Every single one of the Brothers is absolutely gorgeous, all six feet tall and pumped up like comic book superheroes. (My favorite is Zsadist--called Z--with his multicolored hair kept super-short, canary-yellow eyes that turn black when he's angry and terrifying exterior that belies how tenderly he loves his mate, Bella.) John Matthew, Blay and Qhuinn are the three youngest of the Brothers. Blay is a redhead with blue eyes. Qhuinn has one blue eye and one green eye, a trait considered a defect in vampire society that makes his aristocratic family look down on him.

Blay is in love with Qhuinn, but Qhuinn feels unworthy and doesn't want to be with Blay. (Blay feels especially rejected by this, since Qhuinn has shown again and again that he'll have sex with just about anyone.) In the last book, Blay seemed doomed to a life of unrequited love. This book introduced Qhuinn's beautiful, genteel cousin Saxton as a potential mate for Blay. There's a gorgeous scene of Blay and Saxton sharing a good night kiss. They'd possible make a great couple, but Blay's feelings for Qhuinn still aren't resolved, and Qhuinn gets jealous when he sees his friend with his cousin. I'd really like to see the Blay-Qhuinn storyline resolve, one way or the other, in the next book.

I'm really torn about which way I want it to resolve. I was deeply disappointed when Qhuinn rejected Blay, but now I'm kinda rooting for Saxton, a young lawyer who lacks his cousin's warrior physique but has lovely blond, curly hair. According to Qhuinn, Saxton is also a little slutty, but that may just be the jealousy talking. Then there's Layla, the female vampire who feeds Qhuinn and would like to be his lover. Maybe Layla and Qhuinn should get together in a future book. Blay, unfortunately, because he's gay, probably won't get to star in his own book, since every other book has centered around a male-female pair. I think I would be happy if Qhuinn paired off with Layla while Blay and Saxton stayed together.

Things don't always end happily, though--look what happened to Tohr and his pregnant mate, Wellsie.

The next book, Lover Unleashed, will center on Payne, the twin sister of the Brother known as Vishous. Payne has suffered a terrible injury and will fall in love with the human surgeon who tries to save her. I expect to read it soon.

Popsicles, Icicles and Other Not-So-Little Mermaid Songs

Earlier this week, I wrote an article for SexIs about Scarleteen and some of the other websites young adults can turn to for accurate sexuality advice. Today my writing mission, should I choose to accept it, is to start a scholarly-humorous piece about the association between fish and female genitalia. One of the research materials I've gathered is A Mermaid's Tale: A Personal Search For Love and Lore by Amanda Adams.

I've had this book from the library before, and I recall that it contains several versions of the European fairy tale of Melusina. I first heard of Melusina in 1999, when I was a college student taking a course on women and religion. One of the texts I read was Sexes and Geneologies by the French feminist Luce Irigaray, which introduced me to the half-fairy princess considered to be the mother of some prominent French families and the architect of a number of castles. (I'm thinking she's associated with Brittany, but that could be wrong.)

Melusina, whom I remember best as Melusine, was cursed by her fairy mother for the crime of imprisoning her human father. Once a month she turned into, depending on your source, either a mermaid or a snake-creature. Like the bean-sidhe (Gailge for "woman of the fairy mounds," appropriated by the English language as banshee), Melusine's cries can be heard to foretell the deaths of her descendants.

I found this fairy tale fascinating and stored it away in my brain for a decade. (Writers, in case you didn't know, are like walking encyclopedias.) Finally I wrote my own version, "Melusine's Secret," which appears in the Hearts of Tomorrow anthology from Melange Books. In my version, Melusine's transformation has less to do with fish or serpents...but I won't spoil the surprise. Suffice it to say there's magic and sexual exploration.

In the Disney version of the The Little Mermaid, Ariel loses her voice in exchange for legs to walk around on land. In the Hans Christian Andersen version, the mermaid gets her legs but must suffer terrible pain when she walks. In the midst of my dual crush on Indiana Pacers Reggie Miller and Rik Smits (see "Pairs of Really Big Ones"), I remembered this aspect of the fairy tale at the tail end of Rik's career, when he was having ongoing foot problems. Putting two and two together, I determined that the big, blond Netherlander was, in fact, a merman.

That's what I know about men and fish tails. Now I must be off to discover the secret behind women's tails and fishes. P.S. "Popsicles and Icicles" is an oldie pop hit for a singing group called The Murmaids, in case ya didn't know.

Jennifer Wylie is our guest blogger today

Love is a funny thing. It's also such a general word. There are so many types of love, between friends, family, lovers, and so many levels of it. It can change over time. You fall in, you can also fall out.

In my debut novel Sweet Light, coming out June 1st, the main character Shara finds herself falling in love when she least expects it. (Isn't that always the way it is?) She is a healer, and that David is her patient doesn't help her confusion. She struggles between following her heart and doing what is expected of her. Just when things seem to going well she must face the arrival of her old lover. Finding she still has feelings for him tears her apart. On top of this, she discovers that her best friend, and David's cousin, is in love with her. When things go horribly wrong between her and David, she has to search her heart and decide on who she truly loves.

Love is never perfect, or easy. It can be cruel and threaten to break you. Sometimes you have to make a choice. When those choices are hard, you can only hope you make the right one and deal with any consequences.

Though a fantasy, set in another world, it is also full of romance. I hope readers will enjoy following the strings of love which wind around Shara and cheer for their favorite hero.

Love can be irrational. It can make you do crazy things. Trying to hold on to love, you may do things you never imagined you would.
What would you do for love?

Sweet Light will available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and OmniLit.


Author Bio: Jennifer Wylie was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. In a cosmic twist of fate, she dislikes the snow and cold. Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens University and worked in retail and sales. Thanks to her mother she acquired a love of books at an early age and began writing in public school. She constantly has stories floating around in her head, and finds it amazing most people don’t. Jennifer writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and short stories. Sweet Light is her debut novel to be published in 2011.

She currently has a number of short stories published as ebooks thru Echelon Press and available at Amazon.

Jennifer resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her husband, two boys, Australian shepherd, a flock of birds and a disagreeable amount of wildlife.

My website: www.jenniferwylie.ca
twitter: @jen_wylie
goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4499919.Jen_Wylie
facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Wylie/151266004895266
My blog: http://jlwylie.wordpress.com/

"Observe Education on Japanese Children from Anime and Manga," a guest post by Kevin

Have you realized that Japanese have already learned how to be a winner from anime they watched and manga they read in the childhood? Japanese children are educated to be persevering, collaborative, respectful to teachers, think independently, never admit defeat and never afraid of loss. Think it over: you will find anime like Flash Kicker, Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, etc tell us stories of struggling for the desired target regardless of difficulty. Simply put, Japanese media consider children to be adults, rather than kids, and don't water down their stories.

Believe it or not, the best opportunities come when you are young, even a child. Education, neighbors, teachers, awards, interest in computers, knowledge of finance management, planning for life, independent thought, demands on yourself in the childhood directly decides your future.

Teachers will more love mature and sensible children. Intelligent and sedate classmates will be the most possible be the leaders. Kids in this kind will get much more opportunities in the growing path. So, have you found the king of children in a yard will gain more or faster approval from the society?

Japanese anime inspires us not to lose at the starting line. They are not only fictional stories, but also guides for people’s lives.

Author Bio : Kevin works for Miccostumes.com, a shop supplying cosplay items online, like Naruto Costumes. He's also busy with running his cosplay blog, where he shares something interesting in cosplay and anime.

My Two Cents (Erin O'Riordan) - I wanted to feature this post because, even though I'm not a manga reader (Twilight the Graphic Novel excluded, of course), I did grow up in the '80s. My first anime experience was Voltron. In the '90s it was Sailor Moon. Oh yes, and who did the English voice of Howl in Howl's Moving Castle? Someone I like, maybe?

Guest blogger Kevin makes the point that you are what you read, so read something interesting that's going to teach you a good lesson, but have fun doing it. Don't be afraid to explore. Personally, if I were going to explore any area of manga, I would probably start with yaoi/shonen ai. That's just me, though.

What are YOUR favorite anime or manga series?

Mila Ramos - Jademystique Blog: Welcome Erin O'Riordan today on the Mystique!

Mila Ramos - Jademystique Blog: Welcome Erin O'Riordan today on the Mystique!: "Welcome to Erin O'Riordan as she speaks about her book The Smell of Gas ! Now you know that as a chemist, my ears perked up when I read suc..."