Comments on Cozy Chicks: Am I Allowed to Talk About This?

I never read Amazon reviews ! I believe in Divine ...

2010-01-27T15:07:09.345-05:00

I never read Amazon reviews ! I believe in Divine intervention and Divine guidance so have learned to let the other stuff go. Karma will take care of the rest of the stuff...

Thanks Shauna! I plan to keep doing what I do. And...

2010-01-26T09:39:46.687-05:00

Thanks Shauna! I plan to keep doing what I do. And dollycas, you are an inspiration. That van accident is not a do-over, but you sound like you know what's important in life. Thanks for your kind words.

I love your books!! As someone new to writing rev...

2010-01-26T01:33:16.086-05:00

I love your books!! As someone new to writing reviews I try to give positive feedback, and will try to never give a negative review. If I absolutely hate a book, I figure it was me, who picked up the wrong book and am sure there are people out there who love it. My daughters are into all the paranormal, vampires, etc. I do not like those types of books but like my daughters there are many that do. Hopefully if you have purchased a book, you are going to like it, if someone sends you book to review that isn't "your cup of tea" just say so, they is no reason to be rude, which I THINK THIS REVIEWER WAS!!

As for things we can't control for me there are many, I would like to go back to Mar 15, 2001 at 8 p.m. and have my van stay on the road when I sneezed several times and ended up up-side-down in a creek, but there are no do overs for things like that. I am thankful God decided it wasn't my time and that I am here with my family and the wonderful friends I have made via this computer.

Leann, you write wonderful books that bring joy to many people. Don't ever stop!!!!

You write great books and I enjoy them. Keep smil...

2010-01-25T23:10:16.995-05:00

You write great books and I enjoy them. Keep smiling.

Thanks for all the support. I'm glad there are...

2010-01-25T15:49:26.287-05:00

Thanks for all the support. I'm glad there are still reviewers who actually can critically "review" the book. I learn from that. And I think it takes thought and effort to do that kind of work. The bad reviews still sting, but I am getting better at letting go than I used to be.

I'm sorry, Leann. I'm convinced some of t...

2010-01-25T15:12:08.363-05:00

I'm sorry, Leann. I'm convinced some of those reviewers just like to put someone down, probably because they're feeling bad about themselves. Ignore them. I do.

OUCH! I read that review and it wasn't constru...

2010-01-25T09:34:56.147-05:00

OUCH! I read that review and it wasn't constructive (at least to me) at all. :( I'm sure you're familiar with the old saying; "You can please some of the people some of the time ......" Well, I should add there are those you can't please any time :)

I'm sending lots of good thoughts and a hug your way.

Leann, Honey, Get a grip. Its gonna be OK. Everyth...

2010-01-25T02:06:02.479-05:00

Leann, Honey, Get a grip. Its gonna be OK. Everything looks better in the morning. Focus on the big stuff. Disregard the small stuff. Don't worry. Be happy.

When I write reviews for my blog, I HATE writing b...

2010-01-24T22:08:25.413-05:00

When I write reviews for my blog, I HATE writing bad ones. If there is a reason I don'/t like the book I say so and explain why but always say someone else might enjoy the book more than me.

Ouch is right. You're right. Plain mean--and p...

2010-01-24T20:04:06.838-05:00

Ouch is right. You're right. Plain mean--and probably only because this person could remain anonymous. I'm sorry, Jennifer, and I think your books are great!

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I...

2010-01-24T19:57:26.911-05:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I read a one-star review I tend to wonder about the reviewer's motives. I often think they're expecting something like another genre or another writer and have unfairly judged the book at hand. Often, if you click on those readers other reviews, you'll see that they coast around Amazon being nasty as a rule or they read books way unlike ours. In short, they vent for the masses but the masses aren't that malleable. I think most of us view mean reviews as just that: mean.

I still haven't gotten over the reviewer who gave me a one-star and then said, "I will never read anything by this author again. The only good thing, this book was small (only about 200 pages). I am glad I am finished with this horrible mess of a book."

OUCH!

Thanks RosieJo. You have no idea how much I needed...

2010-01-24T19:20:20.752-05:00

Thanks RosieJo. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now! You are so right.

I worked at the front desk in a public library for...

2010-01-24T19:16:25.010-05:00

I worked at the front desk in a public library for 20 yrs and I have seen and heard most all kinds of comments. The one thing that I know for sure is that what someone says about others (or other's books) says more about them than it does about the subject at hand. If they were decent people they would have had a decent comment, if not...well, you know what I mean...

Great story, Lindy! You never know what's behi...

2010-01-24T18:58:52.783-05:00

Great story, Lindy! You never know what's behind someone's actions or overreactions. I'll have to remember that. And Dennis, I sure HOPE you make it to a convention. You'd have such a good time.

There is one thing we can hold on to - HOPE. I...

2010-01-24T18:55:46.214-05:00

There is one thing we can hold on to - HOPE. I'm not an author and I probably will not ever go to some of these big gatherings of authors - just so I cna meet a lot of them. This is probably unlikely - but one can HOPE. I will probably have to be satisfied meeting one author at a time on an occassion like a book signing. HOPE!!!

John Cleese did a video about feedback that I used...

2010-01-24T18:32:49.396-05:00

John Cleese did a video about feedback that I used in one of my training courses years ago. In it someone came in and yelled at an employee and walked out. John Cleese said to the employee, "His cat died, you know. And his mother is very sick... she got run over by bus." (Something like that anyway.) Now whenever my husband yells about a stupid move by a driver (or whatever), I say "His cat died, you know."

Thanks Shel! You are so right and my logical brain...

2010-01-24T15:05:37.947-05:00

Thanks Shel! You are so right and my logical brain understands this. But my heart sometimes rules my head. Why did it take such thick skin to keep plugging away to get published and then I'm reduced to mush when some stranger says my book is "silly?" I'm saving all these sane comments! You are great!

Leann, (and everyone else who writes anything, too...

2010-01-24T14:43:06.036-05:00

Leann, (and everyone else who writes anything, too), what you have to keep in mind is that anyone can write a review at Amazon. That means - if their dog bit them, the mailman brought an audit notice, or they're just mentally unbalanced in the first place, Amazon is a "safe" anonymous place for them to take out their frustrations on an "innocent bystander" who can't fight back...in other words, you.
Another writer friend of mine was very upset about a one star review she got on Amazon this weekend too. Both her books and your books are fantastic; so the review was unfounded. I sympathize so much with y'all over this - and I'm so glad I don't do anything that gets put in the public eye for people to rant over. But I do want you (and any other author reading this) to know: I completely disregard Amazon reviews. Ok, and most other ones, for that matter, too. Who's that lady who speedreads and gets all the ARC's and then writes a ton of reviews? I ignore her too. If I can't tell by the copy on the back of the book whether or not I want to read it, then I ask someone at Mobile Read who shares my taste their opinion. And then I STILL make up my own mind.

Yes. Toxic friends! What a good way to put it. And...

2010-01-24T14:03:05.681-05:00

Yes. Toxic friends! What a good way to put it. And I did feel soooooo much better. Why did I keep them? Did I think I could wallpaper a room or something? LOL. (I did have enough of them!)

This is a hot topic. And, in fact, author Libby H...

2010-01-24T13:50:50.110-05:00

This is a hot topic. And, in fact, author Libby Hellmann will be blogging about it on tomorrow's Sisters In Crime blog. Be sure to tune in: http://sisters-in-crime-sinc.blogspot.com

rejection letters are just like "toxic" ...

2010-01-24T13:42:36.658-05:00

rejection letters are just like "toxic" friends, once you get rid of them, the better you feel.

Ah, Kiy. You mean there's still hope? hey'...

2010-01-24T13:17:48.287-05:00

Ah, Kiy. You mean there's still hope? hey'd be such great parents, but it really is none of my business and I keep my mouth shut!

If it makes you feel any better about those "...

2010-01-24T13:06:20.271-05:00

If it makes you feel any better about those "reviews" ... I tend to take anything like that with a serious grain of salt. Some people have no power in their real lives, so look to avenues like that to try and wield power. I was in a situation that was exactly that - small minded person with a not glamorous job (to him) who thought by belittling and bad mouthing others it made him the Big Man. Nope.

I do read amazon reviews, to get a feel for a new (to me) author. But I don't necessarily always believe them (or agree!).

About that baby, my mom waited for 14 years ... but hubby and I finally did give her a granddaughter. You just never know. :)

Cheers,

Kiy

I love the picture of that troll! And the ugly b...

2010-01-24T13:05:38.833-05:00

I *love* the picture of that troll! And the ugly baby comparison to a bad review. Perfect.

Helen, you are so sweet. Thanks so much. And Mare ...

2010-01-24T12:44:55.578-05:00

Helen, you are so sweet. Thanks so much. And Mare the librarian, I love you! Get up on the soapbox any time you want! Wendy, I finally threw out my rejection letters last year. It was my "box of pain!" But it also spurred me on to do better, write better, live my dream. True criticism, offered with care, is invaluable. I learn from what readers say. Most of them are experts at knowing what works and what doesn't and I listen. But those drive-by slams? I just don't get it.