First Review Whew – Fire Race

“Finish the next one. I want to see what happens.” OK. That summarizes it. I called a friend (definitely not an unbiased source, but a better writer than me) just to ask how they were doing after our windstorm. Fine; now, about the book…

Write a book. Become an author. Then, wait for the second half’s action. People begin reading it. It’s too late to fix it (not really), but it is ridiculous to dive back into edit mode unless there’s something egregiously wrong – like Larry Niven having the Earth rotate the wrong way in a sci-fi novel. Suspense, aargh.

Fire Race was published in paperback two months ago and more recently as an e-book. Considering modern life, someone reading a book in about a month exceeded my expectations. Agonize and enjoy writing a book for a few years while it is safe from others’ judgments. Celebrate finishing it. Pop goes the cork. Then, wait to hear whether readers concentrate on the pluses more than the minuses. Worse, does anyone care?

Whew, my first informal review. It was fun to finally share the story without having to maneuver around spoilers. It was fun learning what they thought was fun. It was a relief and a joy to hear that they want me to finish the next book in the series. Patience. 

Patience. In January 2025, I will begin writing From Middle Class to Millionaire to Muddling By (…to More than Muddling By? working title). 

I don’t know if there are online reviews. I looked once, far before anyone could’ve read it. I won’t be surprised if AIs start writing book reports. The anonymity of online comments discounts them. Don’t feed the trolls! But that also means I miss compliments. My apologies.

For me, there’s only been one book that I edited based on comments. Firewatcher was edited and re-released because the original edition didn’t have page numbers, which I don’t care about, but others do; and because there was a small schism amongst some of my friends who are readers versus editors. I had to know how bad it was or wasn’t according to a third party that was impartial even if imperfect: Grammarly. The book met my criteria. I don’t expect to please everyone. Pardon the many months and delay as I created that revised edition. Consequence? Despite some passionate pleas for page numbers and at least a light edit, there have been hardly any sales tied to that extra work.

Reviews are free and the world’s version of a critique. Sometimes, they’re valuable and may warrant a revised edition. Sometimes, they are free – of value. Usually, every comment has a kernel that is sincere. It is the writer’s choice to read it or not, to learn from it or not, and to engage or not.

I’m old enough and have known many of my writer friends for long enough that we’re calibrated. With the Whew First Review received, I know I can go back for more, particularly as other reviews arrive. Corroboration, or a fluke? Insight, or did they miss the point, or did I forget to write that point? 

So far, we left it in celebration mode. Keep it light and positive. There’s always something to fix or at least improve. But skip the details, for now. What better comment to receive than ‘Do that again. More!”