The Power of a Review

Recently a friend of mine gave my book, Billy's First Dance, a very nice review on Amazon.  It wasn't solicited and I didn't ask him to buy or read it.  He just did.  Quite frankly, when he told me he'd ordered the book, it made me nervous.  I worried that he would think I'd made light of a serious topic.

The subject matter paralleled with my friend's life in that his late son had Spina Bifida.  Billy, one of the characters in my book, also has this congenital defect of the spine.  I created a quirky little story, incorporating a cast of characters around Billy, that portrays life with humor and sarcasm.  It touches on coming of age during a more innocent time and it's fiction.  My friend liked it.  He was also gracious and kind with his review.  I'd like to share his words with you...please read what he had to say by either going directly to Amazon and searching my name/books or by clicking here at amazon review.

I shared his thoughts on various social sites and, as a result, sales are picking up again.  It's interesting to see how words are capable of making things happen.  Many of us spend months, even years, working on and nurturing a manuscript.  We release our baby to the world and then wonder what happens to it.  We're grateful when it's read and overjoyed when someone likes it.  It's "icing on the cake" when we get a positive review.  Readers have a lot of power when giving kind feedback and authors appreciate it.

Someone asked me once if I wrote about my life or people I knew.  At this point the answer would be no.  As for topics, particularly with respect to Billy, my books aren't autobiographical in nature and they aren't biographies.  I had a cousin with Spina Bifida who lost his life at an early age.  Perhaps that gave me the idea to create such a character.  But the stories are just fiction.  I guess this made my friend's review that much more heartfelt.

My books, Billy's First Dance and Funny Pages, both for the middle grade and young adult readers, have received positive reviews on various sites such as Goodreads, Buybooksontheweb and Amazon.  I do appreciate all of them and would appreciate even more.

Right now, I'm working on a book for "grown-ups" that takes place in the American southwest.  It's an ambitious endeavor, involving a great deal of research.  When I allow this child to take flight, I want to know what kind of impact he/she is having on anyone taking a look.  Feedback and reviews are always welcome.