Ask the Author: Judith Hale Everett
Answered Questions (4)
Judith Hale Everett
1. Don't give up. Discouragement and rejection is normal, and so is taking a long time to find your audience. Just keep writing good books and it'll happen.
2. Don't be a diva. Humility is the name of the game. There is no way to improve your craft if you can't take criticism. Seek and seriously consider helpful criticism of your books. Find people who will tell you like it is but who have some sort of background that qualifies them to give you good feedback.
3. Don't read non-editorial reviews. Online reviews are for readers, not authors. My husband keeps an eye on the reviews and chooses positive ones to read to me when I need a morale boost, but I never read them. It's too psychologically fraught. Online reviewers are not professionals and their criticism isn't what you need to be listening to. You can never please everyone, so don't try. Just write what you love and you'll find your audience who love it too.
2. Don't be a diva. Humility is the name of the game. There is no way to improve your craft if you can't take criticism. Seek and seriously consider helpful criticism of your books. Find people who will tell you like it is but who have some sort of background that qualifies them to give you good feedback.
3. Don't read non-editorial reviews. Online reviews are for readers, not authors. My husband keeps an eye on the reviews and chooses positive ones to read to me when I need a morale boost, but I never read them. It's too psychologically fraught. Online reviewers are not professionals and their criticism isn't what you need to be listening to. You can never please everyone, so don't try. Just write what you love and you'll find your audience who love it too.
Judith Hale Everett
My grandfather grew up with a woman who acted like his mother and his father's wife, but whom he knew wasn't his mother. He never knew what happened to his real mother until his father died and he went through his papers. It was an unbelievable story, and I intend to use it in one of my books sometime.
Judith Hale Everett
I'm always glad for a good book recommendation! Thanks, I'll be sure to try Barbara Pym. I just finished Book 5 of my Branwell Chronicles series, so it's on to Book 6--after I complete my graduate school application! I've decided it's time to go on for a master's degree, so we'll see how that affects my writing schedule...Thanks for reaching out, and good luck with your Valentine's release! Happy Holidays to you!
Judith Hale Everett
From a short story by Georgette Heyer called A Husband for Fanny. In about 18 pages, Heyer presents the idea of a woman who falls in love with her daughter's suitor, and I just thought the idea was too good to limit to such a small scope. So I made it my own!
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