My SPFBO entry, In My Time of Dying received what I would call a glowing review from Esme Weatherwax. This is the first writing contest I’ve ever entered so I wasn’t expecting much. When I saw who was judging the book, I got butterflies. Not because I know all about Esme Weatherwax and I’m a huge fan, but because she is a fellow Pratchett Fan. I had a feeling that my book might click with her, what with talking gargoyles and an elderly witch, along with some of the humor within the pages. (It’s a sad story but life will always find a way to make us laugh.) You can read Esme’s review on her blog, found here: Weatherwax Reports. I had to read it several times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I wasn’t.
There’s a gargoyle in this book. A talking gargoyle that kind of looks like a bulldog but is bigger than a horse. I absolutely loved Lucious. He’s the traveling companion of the “farm boy” that the sisters are looking for… however, lol he’s not a farm boy, and Ebony is pretty sure he’s just a man who’s lost his mind wandering around the countryside… but Ellie is certain her “calling” brought her to this man and that they need to help him with his batshit mission to become king.
Esme Weatherwax In My Time of Dying Review
Just before she posted her review, I discovered another one that had been left by a fellow author. His also made me incredibly giddy. I reached out to him to thank him for taking the time to leave a review. They are, after all, the life-blood of Indie Authors who still have to fight against the stigma of traditional publishing being the gatekeepers of quality work. Don’t get me wrong, there are some unpolished, low-quality books out there. However, I’ve only met one indie book I couldn’t stand reading and had to put down twelve pages in. How it went on to earn its author millions I will never understand.
I’ve since doubled-down on my mission to read indie books and leave them all text reviews as well as star reviews on as many platforms as I can manage. This includes Storygraph and Pagebound, two Goodreads alternatives that I am enjoying being a part of. I am hoping that readers will help to build the author reader community by leaving reviews. You don’t have to go into details. In fact I have a review on one book that simply reads, “Good.” Thanks?
Despite my newfound determination to read more often, I am still writing. My Dragon Novel is definitely going to be a chonker. I’m still estimating 200K words for it all in. However, I am toying with the idea of releasing it in four volumes instead of all at once, with a special omnibus edition to follow. For those waiting for the math, that’s four novels of around 50K each. Quite doable for a weekend or week-long read.
For those not following on BlueSky, my chosen Social Media platform, the “Dragon Novel” is the sci-fantasy story of Darius and her bodyguard and how they save a post-climate-apocalypse world from a religious cult. Hopepunk? Steampunkish? Neo-somesuch? Grim? Don’t ask little old ladies to sort this out. Y’all are just going to have to decide what sub-genre it is. I don’t know.
