Bad reviews...ouch! Well, I don't like Pumpkin Pie...so, there.

As a writer, I knew that I'd never be able to please everyone.  I've always dreamed of being a published author, and although I never aspired to fame and fortune, I'd always hoped that folks would enjoy my books at the very least.  I feel as though I'm a decent writer, maybe not as skilled or imaginative as my favorite big-name authors, but I think I do pretty well.  I knew that there would always be those out there who would not like my work, whether because of the subject, the storyline, the characters, or my sentence structure.  If I wanted to put my books out there, I had to be willing to endure the opinions of the masses, both good and bad.

Up to now, my reviews were pretty positive.  Of course, the first people to read Mage's Burden were those who knew me, so they were far more likely to be supportive.  However, I also got other reviews and positive feedback from folks I'd never met, so that got me pretty excited!  I always want honest appraisals of my work, and I do a happy dance for every good review that I get.

Along with the good opinions, suddenly came the bad ones.  In the last 2 days, it seems that a handful of people signed on to Goodreads.com as new members in order to review my book, and wow, they surely didn't like it at all.  Comments about my writing skill, accusations of racism and sexism (seriously?!?), and even suggestions that my use of punctuation was off-putting.  Fair enough.  Everyone has a right to their opinion, even if it's one I don't share.  It was a bit shocking to hear such negative comments on something that I had worked so hard to create.  I want to tell a story of heroism, a battle of good versus evil, magick and monsters...this is supposed to be fun! 

In thinking about all this, I realized that I don't like pumpkin pie.  Honestly, I never have.  Millions of people out there LOVE pumpkin pie.  It's a staple at almost every Thanksgiving dinner, and I don't like it.  I know there are others like me out there, but most folks enjoy it, and that's just fine.  It's also fine that I don't.  The fact that I don't like pumpkin pie doesn't change what the pie actually is, what it is meant to be, or the fact that so many love it.  It's just my opinion.  My favorite authors all have quite a few horrendously negative reviews sprinkled among the shining, positive comments, and they're doing just fine.  You can't please everyone.

All in all, I'm grateful to each and every person who takes the time to read my book, whether or not they like it.  I hope that more people like it than don't.  Having someone write how much they hate my work isn't the end of the world.  I plan to keep writing, keep working, and I'll improve my storytelling skills as I go. 

Those of you reading this, if you've read my book and want to share an opinion, I'd truly love to hear it.  Here are all the places you can write a review.  As much as I'd like to ask for good reviews, I really just want honest ones.

Mage's Burden on Goodreads

Mage's Burden on Amazon.com

Mage's Burden on Barnes & Noble.com

Another Year, Another Birthday!

I'm 45!  As of my birthday a week ago, I am now halfway to 90.  Not even CLOSE to being done.  I joke about being an old man, but although I'm a half-step slower here, maybe not quite as strong there, I'm feeling pretty danged spry, thank you very much.  I'm on the 120-Year Plan, so I intend to keep working out, eating right (more or less, anyway), and keeping a positive attitude.  45...wow.  In just a few short years, I'll be 50.  Cool.

It's been a big year for me, and it looks as though it'll end with a bang as well.  Just a few days ago, I signed a lease for Jade Mountain in a new, bigger, better location.  11 years ago, I had been teaching out of my garage, but we found a spot right off of I-10 near Mason Rd.  It was cheap because it was basically an attic for the store below, which was a Mattress Giant at the time.  Fortunately, the space had previously been a dance studio and also a martial arts school, so it was already laid out perfectly for what I wanted.  Since then, we've been rolling along, having a blast up there, but it's finally time to make a change.  We need a bigger space, a better space, a place that's easier to find!!!  After months of wrangling and financing, I finally put pen to paper a few days ago, and it is on like Donkey Kong.  The lease should be executed this week, then the builder will be put to work, and we'll eventually end up right next to the Alamo Drafthouse on Mason Road in a space big enough to have two classes going simultaneously.  I'll certainly miss the old Jade Mountain, but there are tons of good memories that will be coming with me, and a whole new adventure awaits at the new space.  

In other news, I've been working on Gart's Road (the second book in my fantasy trilogy) and thoroughly enjoying myself.  I've gotten to know other authors, had quite a few folks say nice things about Mage's Burden, and was recently mentioned on a radio show in Nevada!  My friends, students, and family have all been super supportive, and I've signed quite a few copies of MB for folks.  I often feel an odd sense of embarrassment when folks want me to sign one.  In my mind, I'm saying, "It's just little old me!  My signature's not worth anything!"  Yet I'm also quite honored.  I was fortunate enough to have a handful of my copies of various books signed by their authors, most notably, Dennis L. McKiernan, and I treasure those things.  Simply put, I think it's exceedingly cool to have them.  If I stretch my mind a bit, I can hope that maybe one day, others might think something similar when they open their copy of my book with my signature in it.  One day.  Maybe.  I'll just keep writing and see how it goes.

All in all, my 45th year has been pretty good so far.  I'll keep doing my thing and just take one step after another and see where the journey leads me.  I'm thinking it'll be fun!!