R. Aveen's Blog: R.Aveen's Blog
May 7, 2025
Kindle Unlimited
I've finally added "Animal Listeners" to Kindle Unlimited! I'm excited to try it out.
After no ebook sales for months from anything but Amazon, I've decided to trial KDP Select.
So, if you have Kindle Unlimited, and haven't had a chance to read my novel yet, now might be the perfect time.
Animal Listeners: The Awakening of Quinby Clark
After no ebook sales for months from anything but Amazon, I've decided to trial KDP Select.
So, if you have Kindle Unlimited, and haven't had a chance to read my novel yet, now might be the perfect time.
Animal Listeners: The Awakening of Quinby Clark
January 13, 2025
Reading Time
At around 151,000 words, “Animal Listeners” is not a short book! So I was amazed to learn of some incredibly quick reading times.
Young people often have more free time, but I was still blown away by the super-fast reads happening. The fastest I’m aware of, is a 12-year-old boy who finished it in a day and a half! His mum happened to be in a local bookstore where I was having a book signing and fundraiser. After a brief chat, she was nice enough to take a chance on a self-published author, helping out the local Humane Society too – as I donated 40 percent of that day’s sales. I was thrilled when she came up to me at my next event at a holiday gift market and said, “I was hoping to run into you. My son loved your book. He couldn’t put it down, and read it in a day and a half.” As a debut author, it’s wonderful to receive positive unsolicited feedback from strangers. She said it’s now one of his favourite books and they were hoping I’d write a sequel.
Most adults seem to take between a week and a month to read the whole book. The fastest I know of, took just 5 days despite being a busy Master’s student. Another one that surprised me, was a mum of a toddler, who is also finishing up her Master’s degree, yet she somehow managed to read it in about a week. She apparently, “spent several late nights reading it because it was too good to put down” – a sentiment I’ve heard repeatedly, including from other parents of young kids. Another noteworthy effort was an eighty-one-year-old reader, who finished the novel in under three weeks.
One of my favourite responses was from a tween girl I met at my book launch last September at VegTO fest in Canada. She bought the book on the Saturday evening, on what had been a sluggish start to my sales. She was very excited, saying the protagonist sounded just like her. So when I was feeling sad that night about my lack of sales, the thought of her joy cheered me up. The next day, I was delighted when she was at the festival again, carrying "Animal Listeners", and practically glowing when she came up to the booth to talk enthusiastically about it. She was already halfway through and loving the book. It was gratifying to see how happy she was to have a character she could relate to. You always hope your writing will mean something to someone, and she was my first unknown person sharing their heartfelt response.
However long it takes you to read “Animal Listeners”, I hope you feel a connection to the characters too. Please let me know if you do.
Animal Listeners: The Awakening of Quinby Clark
Young people often have more free time, but I was still blown away by the super-fast reads happening. The fastest I’m aware of, is a 12-year-old boy who finished it in a day and a half! His mum happened to be in a local bookstore where I was having a book signing and fundraiser. After a brief chat, she was nice enough to take a chance on a self-published author, helping out the local Humane Society too – as I donated 40 percent of that day’s sales. I was thrilled when she came up to me at my next event at a holiday gift market and said, “I was hoping to run into you. My son loved your book. He couldn’t put it down, and read it in a day and a half.” As a debut author, it’s wonderful to receive positive unsolicited feedback from strangers. She said it’s now one of his favourite books and they were hoping I’d write a sequel.
Most adults seem to take between a week and a month to read the whole book. The fastest I know of, took just 5 days despite being a busy Master’s student. Another one that surprised me, was a mum of a toddler, who is also finishing up her Master’s degree, yet she somehow managed to read it in about a week. She apparently, “spent several late nights reading it because it was too good to put down” – a sentiment I’ve heard repeatedly, including from other parents of young kids. Another noteworthy effort was an eighty-one-year-old reader, who finished the novel in under three weeks.
One of my favourite responses was from a tween girl I met at my book launch last September at VegTO fest in Canada. She bought the book on the Saturday evening, on what had been a sluggish start to my sales. She was very excited, saying the protagonist sounded just like her. So when I was feeling sad that night about my lack of sales, the thought of her joy cheered me up. The next day, I was delighted when she was at the festival again, carrying "Animal Listeners", and practically glowing when she came up to the booth to talk enthusiastically about it. She was already halfway through and loving the book. It was gratifying to see how happy she was to have a character she could relate to. You always hope your writing will mean something to someone, and she was my first unknown person sharing their heartfelt response.
However long it takes you to read “Animal Listeners”, I hope you feel a connection to the characters too. Please let me know if you do.
Animal Listeners: The Awakening of Quinby Clark
January 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews
I was very excited to receive my Kirkus Review this week and greatly relieved that it was positive!
"Engaging multispecies characters headline a tale that’s both insightful and diverting."
"The animal cast is divine, featuring personable dogs, cats, hens, and alpacas as well as such lesser-known species as currawongs and superb fairy-wrens. The humans shine, too, starting with sympathetic Quinby; she’s ever-resilient in the face of hateful individuals at the school, including her own roommate. Accompanying Quinby are students and faculty members hailing from other countries and different backgrounds. While this lengthy novel certainly isn’t a quick read, it’s easy to rally behind the young hero, who also takes on a puppy farm."
You can check out the full review at the below link.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
Animal Listeners: The Awakening of Quinby Clark
"Engaging multispecies characters headline a tale that’s both insightful and diverting."
"The animal cast is divine, featuring personable dogs, cats, hens, and alpacas as well as such lesser-known species as currawongs and superb fairy-wrens. The humans shine, too, starting with sympathetic Quinby; she’s ever-resilient in the face of hateful individuals at the school, including her own roommate. Accompanying Quinby are students and faculty members hailing from other countries and different backgrounds. While this lengthy novel certainly isn’t a quick read, it’s easy to rally behind the young hero, who also takes on a puppy farm."
You can check out the full review at the below link.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
Animal Listeners: The Awakening of Quinby Clark
Goodreads Giveaway
Thank you so much to the over 7,000 people who entered my Goodreads Giveaway.
Congratulations to the ten winners of a signed paperback - one from Ontario, Canada; and nine from across America: California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania. I hope you enjoy it.
I sent the nine American winners' copies on 30 December, and was finally able to send the Canadian winner's book off this week, once the US post office was accepting Canadian mail again.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Quinby's adventures, once you have the chance to read it.
As a self-published debut author it can be hard to get my book seen, so thanks again to everyone for your interest.
Animal Listeners: The Awakening of Quinby Clark
Congratulations to the ten winners of a signed paperback - one from Ontario, Canada; and nine from across America: California, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania. I hope you enjoy it.
I sent the nine American winners' copies on 30 December, and was finally able to send the Canadian winner's book off this week, once the US post office was accepting Canadian mail again.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on Quinby's adventures, once you have the chance to read it.
As a self-published debut author it can be hard to get my book seen, so thanks again to everyone for your interest.
Animal Listeners: The Awakening of Quinby Clark
