Thorns and Roses

I know people are reading Island of Stone. Amazon allows us to see daily page reads through Kindle Unlimited. It is just a fraction of what’s out there, but watching that number go up each day lets me know that someone or maybe multiple people are reading the book. It’s a nice feeling. I wonder where they are in the book. Have they met Levi? Has Trevor arrived on the Island? Are strange things happening yet? But more importantly, do they like it? What’s working for them, and what’s not?

Family and close friends have also reached out to let me know they are reading the book. I’ve received some feedback, most of it has been good, but not as much as I hoped. If you’re reading this post and have read some or all of Island of Stone, let me know what you think! You can leave a review through Amazon at the bottom of the page linked above or send me a private message here.

I know what I am asking for and realize it is a double-edged sword. The Island will not be for everyone. I imagine some people will hate it or, at the very least, not care for it. We all have different tastes, but I’d still love to hear from them! I do have to be careful what I wish for. A bunch of negative reviews will pretty much kill my fledgling writing career on Amazon, but I want to get better, and the only way to get there is through feedback. I’m updating my contact page as soon as I post this to help gather that feedback.

Criticism is not easy for anyone, but it is especially biting for an artist. Any bit of art is part of your soul, and to have someone hate that or judge it is not pleasant. I hope that I can rise to the occasion, accept the criticism, and grow through the experience. I’ve been writing for years, but having it so widely available is very new to me. This means I have been very close to my writing. I’ve lived with these stories and characters for years. They’ve been my companions at all hours. With being that close, I know almost every aspect of the story, practically every line of text. Things that are very apparent to me might be missed by a reader. A description that I love and perfectly captures what I am trying to convey from my mind may seem boring or tedious from another reader. Maybe there’s a plot hole, or a scene is not needed. These are the things I want to know about. They will help me with my craft. Also, changes to text through Amazon are rather painless, and updates are applied within hours. I can make a better book!

That isn’t to say that I don’t want to know what works too. God, do I want to know that. I would love to have some validation of all that work and some encouragement to keep going! But life isn’t worth living if it is all a bed of roses. A thorn or two is always going to be in that pile, and their prick reminds you how sweet the blossoms are.

Cheers!