A.E. Decker's Blog

Today is release day for book two of the Moonfall Mayhem series. The Meddlers of Moonshine is out! Go and take a look; sample the first chapter, and feel the addiction. Several people have written verry nice reviews of it already.

Or, if you're feeling peckish, try Rags-n-Bones' final recipe below before curling up with a book. In either case, happy reading!

Take it away, Rags!

Recipe #5. The Meddlers of Moonshine is out today! I think that happy news requires a sweet recipe, don’t you? Perhaps you’d like to sip this nice, cool avocado milkshake while you snuggle up and read.

Avocado Milkshake

Ingredients: 1 ripe Haas avocado, 1 cup regular milk, almond milk, or coconut milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup ice. Optional: 1 sliced banana, chocolate syrup. If you’re using coconut milk or adding a very ripe and sweet banana, you may want to use only one teaspoon of sugar.

Directions: Some people have magical devices called “blenders.” If you’re fortunate enough to own one, put all of the ingredients except for the chocolate syrup inside and mix until well blended, pour into a tall glass, garnish (optionally) with a squirt of chocolate syrup, and enjoy.

If, like me, you don’t own a magical blender, you first must crush the ice.

Oh, dear, this is tricky. Maybe Sir Dmitri could break it up by stepping on it?

That didn’t work. The Captain’s coffee grinder might work, except I don’t want my milkshake to taste like coffee.

This requires thinking. I’m not good at thinking. But once I get the ice crushed, I can mix everything together in a big bowl with a whisk and then have yummy, sweet avocado-goodness to drink.

...I wish I had a magical blender.

All right, it took a while, but Miss Ascot helped me crush my ice. Yay! I’m using regular moo-cow milk and I skipped the banana, which made for easier mixing. Mm! Sweet avocado goodness. I think mine’s lumpier than it would be if I had a magical mixer, though.

I hope you enjoyed my avocado recipes! This is only a sampling of what this magical fruit is capable of. Try mashing them on toast instead of butter, or sliding a few slices into your next sandwich. And remember to sing to them.

If you don’t, the Meddlers of Moonshine might just come for you! Heehee!

This the final day to enter my Twitter giveaway for a chance to win signed copies of the first two books of the Moonfall Mayhem series--that's a signed copy of both The Falling of the Moon and The Meddlers of Moonshine.

To enter, follow me on Twitter. Find any of my tweets where I mention the contest, and retweet it. That's it! you're entered!

My Twitter handle is Moonfall Mayhem. Here's the link: https://twitter.com/MoonfallMayhem

Couldn't be simpler! Best of luck, and don't forget--The Meddlers of Moonshine will be published tomorrow!

Hello, readers! Before I get to the forth in the series of Rags-n-Bones' avocado recipes, I would like to remind everyone that I have A twitter Giveaway going on right now. The prize is a signed copy of the first two books in the Moonfall Mayhem series--that's a copy of The Falling of the Moon paired with a copy of The Meddlers of Moonshine, which is going to be released this Tuesday by World Weaver Press.

All you have to do to enter is go to Twitter, and find me under the name of Moonfall Mayhem.

https://twitter.com/MoonfallMayhem

Once you are there, follow me and retweet any of my tweets mentioning the contest. That's it! You're entered. The contest ends at midnight on October 24th. The winner will be selected by random draw the morning of October 25th.

Good luck, and happy reading. Now, on to Rags-n-Bones' recipes, in honor of The Meddlers of Moonshine's imminent release.

Recipe #4. I like breakfast. Do you? I mean, I like all food, but there’s something special about your first meal of the day. Today’s recipe is slightly trickier than the ones I’ve posted before, but if you’re looking for yummy breakfast goodness, it might be just the thing to make your tummy happy.

Avocado Boats

Ingredients: One ripe Hass Avocado, two eggs, 1 tablespoon cooking oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Optional: sour cream, jack cheese, cumin, garlic salt.
Directions: What we’re going to do here is cook the eggs inside the avocados. First, put the oil in your frying pan and heat it on medium. Now address the eggs. We want the yellow part to be nice and runny while the whites are firmly cooked, and that’s tricky. So, what you want to do is crack the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. Put the whites into one bowl and season with salt and pepper, and the yolks into two small, separate bowls.

Phew! Now it’s time to pay some love and attention to the avocado. Cut it in half and remove the pit, but keep the peel on. Slice away a bit of their rounded bottoms so their tops, with the pit holes, are level. That’s where you’re going to put the eggs, but first, you need to enlarge them. With a spoon, dig out some of the flesh around the pit holes, making sure not to scrape down to the skin. Save the bit you scrape away.

Your pan should be hot enough now. You might want to place your avocado halves face-down for thirty seconds to grill them a little. Then, flip them upright and fill the holes with the egg whites—not to the top; you’re going to put the yolks in later and don’t want to overfill them.

Cover the pan with a lid and let the whites set for about twenty minutes. While they’re cooking, you might want to make a mini serving of guacamole with the extra you dug out from the center. The Captain says you should make coffee to go with your eggs, but the Captain always thinks you should make coffee. If you want toast with your eggs, you can get that ready now.

After twenty minutes, check the egg whites. They should be not quite entirely set, but reasonably solid. Carefully slide an egg yolk into the center of each avocado and cook for 3-5 more minutes, depending on how runny you like your yolks. If you want some cheesy yumminess, top with a little shredded Jack cheese after a couple minutes.

They’re ready to eat! I will say that cooked avocados sometimes get just a little bitter, but the extra guacamole and cheese can compensate. Mmm! Enjoy dipping your toast into the creamy mixture of egg yolk and soft, buttery avocado!

Recipe #3.

How’s everyone today? Hungry for avocados, I hope! Today I have a yummy and easy take on a lunchtime sandwich classic, the BLT. Mine’s the PALT, and I hope you enjoy it!

The PALT

Ingredients: Half a ripe avocado, two slices of firm white bread or a roll, 2-3 leaves of your choice of lettuce, one ripe tomato, two slices of provolone, 1-2 teaspoons of mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste.
Directions: Everyone likes bacon except me. I don’t like eating piggy-wigs. They’re smart and make funny noises. Fortunately, I know of a yummy alternative. Fried provolone! It’s salty, nutty, and crunchy.

To fry the provolone, heat a frying pan to medium heat before laying a slice in the middle of the pan. It will turn brown and crispy, starting from the edges. Keep an eye on it; you still want it to be yellow in the middle when you take it off the heat. Fry the second slice and set them aside on a paper towel. You might one to grill your bread or roll in the pan for extra crispiness.

I find it best to mash up the avocado half with the mayonnaise. Slices of avocado like to slip right out of your sandwich. Season the mashed avocado and mayonnaise with a little salt and pepper and smear on the top slice of bread or roll.

Wash and slice the tomato. Arrange as many slices as can comfortably fit on the bottom slice of bread or roll. Top with lettuce—arugula’s also nice. Top the lettuce with the fried provolone, and then cap with the avocado-smeared slice of bread or roll.

Enjoy with some nice, crunchy chips and a cool drink.

Rags-n-Bones is back with another recipe for you to try! Remember to enter my Twitter Giveaway for a chance to win signed copies of the first two books in the Moonfall Mayhem series!

Over to you, Rags!

Hello, people! I was just petting Nipper. He's my rat friend. Nipper likes avocados, too, although truth to tell, he's not very picky about what he eats. He once ate a wrapper off a can of hash. I tried a bit of it, but it wasn't very yummy--not nearly as yummy as avocados. Speaking of which, let's get to the second recipe!

Recipe #2. Hello readers, and fellow avocado-eaters! Welcome to the second of Rags-n-Bones’ avocado recipes. Today it’s a universal classic.


Guacamole



“Mole” means “sauce.” Does that mean “guac” means “avocado”? It’s not a pretty word, I’m afraid, which is a shame, because guacamole is lovely! Because guacamole is basically mashed-up avocados and spices, there are dozens of varieties. I’ve tried many, and this is my go-to favorite among them.


Ingredients: Two ripe Haas avocados. Four tablespoons of sour cream. Half a teaspoon of cumin. A quarter teaspoon of garlic powder. Half a lime. Sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Directions: Peel avocados, remove seed. In medium-sized bowl, mash avocados with a fork, then mix in sour cream. Add cumin and garlic, mix further, then squeeze lime over top, sprinkle salt and pepper, and whip lightly with spoon. Guacamole should be pale green and lumpy in texture.

This is very much a “please yourself” recipe. Add more cumin/garlic powder/sour cream, etc. as suits your tastes. I like a lot of cumin, as I think it pairs in an exceptionally yummy way with avocados. Sometimes it’s also nice to dice up some fresh tomatoes and mix it in, or perhaps some shredded cilantro. I like cilantro, but the Captain says it tastes like dirty soap. Can soap be dirty?

Serve the guacamole with tortilla chips, or as a condiment for enchiladas, tacos, or other Mexican dishes. Serves 4-6 people, or one Rags-n-Bones.

One week from today, the second book of the Moonfall Mayhem series, The Meddlers of Moonshine, will be released by World Weaver Press. I hope you're excited--I certainly am!

To celebrate the occasion, Raga-n-Bones, the co-protagonist of Meddlers, has generously offered to share some recipes and tips concerning his most favorite food in the world--avocados.

Take it away, Rags!

Hello! I’m Rags-n-Bones. I’m a friend to Miss Ascot, Sir Dmitri, and the Captain, and the terrified servant of The Mighty Terror from the Deepest Shadows. (Miss Ascot calls him Moony, but I wouldn’t dare.)

I love avocados. Even the word sounds yummy! Avocado! Avo-ca-do! Ah-VO-ca-DO! Doesn’t that make your tummy rumble?

Anyway, on October 25th, you’ll be able to read The Meddlers of Moonshine, which is the story of my adventures in the town of Widget. They were very scary at the time, but I met some new friends and it all worked out in the end. To celebrate the occasion, I thought it might be nice to share with you some of my favorite avocado recipes.

But before we get on to actually eating the avocados—oh, and I know what torture that is!—I think it might be good to talk about how to keep them happy.

Avocados are actually a fruit, even though they’re nutty-tasting rather than sweet. Sometimes they’re called “alligator pears,” although I think that’s a scary name! Alligators bite, and avocados would never do that. Avocados like warm climates, so if you live in a place where it snows, you probably won’t be able to grow them yourself. There are many different types of avocado, but the two you’re most likely to find in stores are Haas avocados and a kind from a mysterious land called Florida. You’ll notice a difference immediately. Haas avocados are dark in color, almost a purple-green, and their peel has little bumps all over it. The larger Florida avocados are green, shiny, and smooth. All avocados are yummy and deserve love, but Haas avocados have a richer, nuttier taste and should be used in most recipes. Florida avocados are particularly good in crisp, fresh salads.
The bad thing many people do when selecting an avocado is to squeeze it too hard. Don’t do this! Avocados are sensitive creatures, and even if the avocado is hard when you squeeze it, it will remember and form bruises as it ripens. There’s nothing sadder than opening up an avocado and finding it all black inside because it was hurt earlier.

Instead of squeezing the avocado, probe it gently near the stem end. This is where ripeness will first show. If it’s hard here, the avocado is definitely not ripe and should be stored in a paper bag for two to three days to ripen quietly. They ripen quicker when it’s warm, of course.

But if the area near the stem has flexible feel to it, probe the other end—again, gently! If it’s hard, store the avocado for a day before checking again. If the has some softness to it, you may slowly and gently squeeze the avocado around the middle. You’re checking for pliability, rather than actual squishiness. Overripe avocados can get mushy around the edges. If they’re not too liquid or bruised, they’re still tasty, but are perhaps best mashed up and used as a dip or spread on a sandwich.

A perfect avocado has pale green flesh with the texture and consistency of butter. Their peel should come away cleanly, without clinging to the flesh. Clinging peel is a sign of over-ripeness, or worse, rot. If your avocado does have some dark or squishy spots, it’s often possible to cut them out and enjoy the rest. I like to tear off the peel in strips and save it for nibbling later, but Miss Ascot tells me most people prefer to slice the avocado in half and remove the pit. To keep your knife from slipping and hurting you, thrust the point of the knife in first and then follow along the incision you’ve made. If the avocado’s ripe, the knife should sink in easily.

Recipe #1. Phew! Well, that should be enough to get you started. For this very first day, I will leave you with the easiest of all avocado recipes.

Avocado Au Natural
Ingredients: One ripe avocado. Salt and pepper, malt or apple cider vinegar (optional).

Directions: Find a quiet spot all to yourself. For best eating, avocados require privacy. Pet it a few times, gently, then cut the avocado in half, or gently tear pieces of peel away with your fingernails. If you follow the second option, you may wish to save the strips of peel for later nibbling.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, or, if you cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and fill the hole with vinegar. Eat.

Oh my! *heart* *heart* *heart* *heart* *heart*

Extra note: It’s often advisable to sing to the avocado while eating it. This adds to the happiness of the occasion.

Sorry for the delay in writing a new blog post here, folks. I'm working on book 3 of the Moonfall Mayhem series, and it's been taking up most of my writing time. Plus we got thirty-one and a half inches of snow here a couple weeks ago, and it took a while to dig out. But it's good to check in on occasion., so here I am.

Lately, I've been contemplating my reading habits and comparing them to those of others. Perhaps somewhat arbitrarily, I've come to the conclusion that there are three basic types of readers: immersive, analytical, and voyeuristic.

This, of course, requires explanation. Immersive readers are people who get enjoyment out of inserting themselves into the story they're reading, or, perhaps a little more clearly, they identify so strongly with the protagonist that they imagine his/her adventures as their own. Immersive readers tend to like stories with a lot of action or romance. They prefer characters that fit a specific set of tropes because the more individualistic a character is, the harder it becomes to project your own personality onto them. Immersive readers read to feel.

Analytical readers are the Sherlock Holmes of the reading world. They delight in trying to puzzle out the ending of a story before reading it. They're the sort who might linger over a particularly well-turned phrase or even stop reading to jot down as few notes as an idea in the text strikes them. Reading becomes a sort of art form. Depending on their personality, they are probably drawn to either the literary fiction or mystery/crime genres. Analytical readers read to think.

The final category, that of the voyeuristic reader, belongs to readers who are particularly drawn to strong, unusual characters or settings. For these readers, reading is not so very different from watching a movie. They don't wish to become the main character, as immersive readers do, but they're more emotionally attached than analytical readers are. Voyeuristic readers read to travel and observe.

I belong to the third category, by the way. And of course there's some overlap between the three; I doubt anyone belongs purely to one category. You might be wondering why it's important or even necessary to break readers into categories. Well, here's the thing. In reading, as in so many things, there's a tendency to elevate one type of reading or literature above the others. Perhaps, for example, you're seen an article chastising adults for reading YA fiction.

Balderdash. Putting aside the fact that Huckleberry Finn, Great Expectations, and The Catcher in the Rye could all be labeled YA, the simple fact is no genre of literature--and make no mistake, literary fiction is a genre--is superior to the other. Separating books into genres is simply a tool to help readers find the kind of book they enjoy. And ultimately, reading fiction should be a pleasure. At its best, reading stimulates eager dialogue among fans and brings people together. "What are you reading?" and "Have you any good books to suggest?" are questions that should bring a smile to people's faces. But that light gets lost if the answer is immediately followed by a sneer and a shut-down. "Oh, you're reading that? I'd never read such tripe."

If you're ever tempted to reply in such a way yourself just . . . no. Remember this post. Remember what I said about the different types of readers. Your friend might be getting an entirely different type of enjoyment out of their reading than you are. Different does not equal lesser. Immersive readers have as much right to the stories they enjoy as voyeuristic ones do. And if your tastes don't match, well, there are different books out there for each of you. Much as there are different genres.

Because, y'know, outside of being readers, we're all different. Isn't that cool?

Chapter four of Hawk and Fox has been posted at www.wordsmeetworld.com. If you haven't been following, I've posted an excerpt of chapter one below so you can see what you're missing.

Chapter 1: Hawk and Fox Awaken

It's cold, was his first thought.

How can I be cold when I don’t have a body? was his second.

Nevertheless, he found himself adrift, rotating slowly through a vast, empty...nothingness. Either his eyes were closed or he had gone blind or there wasn't anything to see.

That makes sense. If I’m surrounded by nothing there must be nothing to see, right? He almost chuckled at the whimsy.

A gust of wind ruffled the hair he couldn’t possess. Come to think of it, he couldn’t have eyes either.

Where am I? he wondered, perhaps suddenly, possibly eons later. Time had ceased to have any coherence. Of course it has. I’m out of time. I died, didn’t I?

Yes, most definitely. Without effort, he recalled the dreadful, internal crack of the length of forged steel breaking his spine and emerging through his back. Looking down, he’d seen a sword hilt planted in his chest; shiny brass, like some absurd doorknob. Rage. Disbelief. The struggle to shout it out, blood gurgling in his lungs. Without warning, his legs buckled. As he slid to the floor, a cry reached his ears, seeming to come from many miles off. Time to think one final thought: Sorry.

Then, he’d--

Died.

End of sample. Intrigued? Come read! Until next time!

Before I get to the meat of the post, let me remind readers that today is Sunday, meaning the latest chapter of my free fantasy novel, Hawk and Fox has been posted at www.wordsmeetworld.com. Come read and enjoy! Hawk and Fox is the story of a pair of knights who give their lives in a last stand for for their country . . . only to awaken in a new country that is facing a similar threat of destruction as their old one.

Promotions out of the way, let's talk about one of the most difficult bugaboos faced by writers. Namely, when is your work actually ready to be submitted?

Part of the problem is getting balanced feedback. It's very difficult to judge your own work, particularly when you're just getting started in your writing career. You can love your idea to pieces and that very love will likely blind you to any faults.

On the flip side, you can take that much-loved work to a critique group, and by the time ten to sixteen people have had at it, you'll be weeping softly and convinced you've just crapped out the worst trash ever committed to the written word.

Then you'll likely go home and, taking the well-meant criticism to heart, revise every bit of joy and brightness out of your story, leaving you with technically well-written, but lifeless, prose.

I've been there. I think all writers who are serious about their craft go there at least once. It seems to be part of the learning process. From what I've seen, the real danger in this step is that some authors never get over it. Sensitive writers may decide they can't face the criticism, or become so downcast at thinking their work isn't any good that they stop writing. More confident folk may become so infuriated by the endless and often contradictory advice they receive that they decide "no one knows nothing." They stop seeking advice and submit their work as is.

This is a problem. It's a problem for me as a reader, because if people stop writing, it means I can never read their stories, which might turn out to be the kind of wonderful stuff that keeps me reading late into the night. On the other side, there are few things more frustrating than reading one of those stories that could have been great if the writer had only listened to their editor telling them to rework the ending, or trim the description, or that no, it really wasn't a good idea for Plok the Mighty to kill Princess Aribena with an exploding birthday cake.

The simple truth, as all authors will discover sooner or later, is that writing is an ego-bruising business. Emily Dickinson might have had the right idea, but if you want to see your work published while you're still living, at some point or another, you have to face the critics.

These days, you can bypass criticism for a long time. If you don't want to face a barrage of rejection letters from agents and editors, self-publishing is a perfectly respectable option. You can ignore any reviews; some folk suggest you do this no matter what. But unless you want to be published just for the sake of being published, sooner or later you're going to have to ask the question: "How did you like my book?"

And someone's not going to like it. Or, they'll be lukewarm, and to a budding author, that almost as bad as being dissed outright. When it happens, chances are your feeling will instantly migrate to one of the two extremes I mentioned earlier: either a "f-- you, you know nothing," or "God, I'm a terrible writer. I should never touch a keyboard again as long as I live."

You'll feel this when you receive a rejection from an editor too, by the way. No matter how many stories or novels you send out, it will always hurt a little.

So, how do you push past these feelings and emerge a better writer?

Here's my suggestion: think of your ego as a bouncy castle. Or one of those punch-able clowns--you know; the egg-shaped, inflatable ones with the weighted bottoms. Something that can absorb a punch and come back up, grinning.

Think about it. If you reject all criticism and advice, you may keep your core ideas safe, but you also allow no input. Your ego has become a set of high walls that criticism smashes against, but you stagnate behind them. But if you take every piece of criticism to heart, your ideas will constantly be pounded out of shape under other people's blows.

All in all, if you must lean in either direction, it is better to have a slightly too-large ego rather than an undersized one. At least then, you'll have the confidence to put work out and keep going. Perseverance being one of the main keys to getting published, you'll probably get published eventually. If you hide your work in a drawer or a drive . . . well, it worked out for Emily Dickinson in the end, but what with over a million new books being published every year, the odds, as Katniss Everdeen might say, are not in your favor. No one can write your work. No one else has your particular perspective. If you don't write it, it will never be written. And I will never read it. So, for my sake, grit your teeth and publish, or submit.

And when the inevitable rejection letter arrives, or some jerk leaves a nasty review just because they can . . . remember, you're a clown, Dip back and bounce back up, grinning.

It's been a long hiatus. Hello, everybody, and my apologies for taking so long to get back to blogging here. To make up for it, I have a special announcement--a kind of a gift, actually, to you, my readers. It's posted at the end of this ramble, so skip to the bottom if you like.

The holidays took a lot out of my brain. Then, just when I was getting back into schedule, both David Bowie and Alan Rickman died within a single week. I don't usually mourn celebrities I've never met, but both of those two held a special position in my heart. So it goes.

Enough excuses. For this blog's subject, I return to the question"where do ideas come from?" because--thanks in part to Mr. Bowie's passing, actually--I have a small bit of insight into my own process.

I have come to believe each writer has a trigger, or perhaps a set of triggers, that needs to be pulled in order for a story to come tumbling out.

Some background: I am a member of the Bethlehem Writers Group, and one activity that august body indulges in is to produce an anthology every single year. We have three thus far: A Christmas Sampler, Once Around the Sun, and A Readable Feast.. If you like short stories, you might want to check them out.

Anyway, our fourth anthology will be a book of children's stories. I write YA novels, obviously, but the idea of a children's story was a new concept for me. Truth to tell, I wasn't sure I could manage it.

I underestimated myself. Turns out I have a peculiarly competitive streak when it comes to writing. As I was driving home after one of our meeting, I realized it would be a blow to my pride if I couldn't complete a story for our next anthology. I'd feel as if I'd failed myself; hadn't lived up to my potential. That little spark of determination was the first trigger.

The second was the song that was playing on my CD: Queen's "I'm Going Slightly Mad." If the Mad Hatter required a theme song, that would be it. Some part of my brain seized on the notion of writing a story with a Mad Hatter-type character in it. What could be more fun? And since I needed a children's story, maybe something in the flavor of Roald Dahl?

Once I had that concept, everything else began tumbling into place. I thought back on my own childhood, and the places that seemed magical then. Amusement parks, forests, and, most amusing, shopping malls, were the answer. I couldn't think of any stories set in a mall, so I went with that one, conceiving of the idea of a little girl who loses her parents in a magical shopping mall where you can buy virtually anything--but where you don't want to get stuck after closing time.

The result was a 4,000 word piece titled "Forever Now." I was so pleased with it, I decided to submit it a few places before giving it to the Bethlehem Writers Group.

Fireside Magazine bought it. Yay!

Now I didn't have a children's story for the anthology. Boo.

And again, I didn't think I could do it. After all, I'd already proved I could write a children's story. I tried to come up with some ideas, but the enthusiasm wasn't there, and the deadline for submission was looming. I pictured myself forcing out a second rate story. I've pushed through writing before, and some of it has turned out pretty good, but to me, it always lacks the spark of the inspired ones.

Then came word of David Bowie's death.

I am not a Labyrinth fan. I am exactly the right age to be one. I saw it in a theatre on its original run. It came so close to touching something pure and true and wicked that I could've screamed. Especially at Ludo. Sorry--I hate the "big, stupid, cuddly" trope like poison. I'd outgrown Ludo and his "friend rocks." The script tried to sell cuteness when it needed to be cutting.

But then there was Jareth. I think most of us would agree that there is something about the character Bowie created that rises above the film's mediocrity. I could, and perhaps will, write an essay on Labyrinth, but for now, I'll simply say that although I don't like the film, it has nevertheless influenced my work.

So, when I heard of Bowie's death, another trigger was pulled in my head. I needed to do something to come to terms with the strange sense of loss, and being a writer, what better tribute could I pay him than writing a story?

And again, as soon as I had a vision, ideas began flowing, as if the initial concept was a magnet drawing in stray thoughts. The result, still in progress, is "The Goblin King's Music Box." It's the tale of another girl in peril, although this one finds herself unjustly accused and must find a was to both exonerate herself and bring a measure of justice to the world of dreams. Oh, and it has pony-sized riding rabbits and a guardsman who dances with a stuffed cat and transforms into a polar bear.

It's a lot of fun, in short. I'll be getting back to it after this.

So don't worry so much about getting ideas. Your brain already has them. It's more a question of accepting them when they arrive. We're too much conditioned not to be "silly" or "childish." Unfortunately, that kind of thinking is anathema to creativity. Pretend you're eight when you sit down to write, at least for the first draft. You can be adult and worry about editing and grammar for the revisions.

And now, for your gift: I have decided to give you one of my novels. It's a high fantasy, entitled Hawk and Fox. The concept was inspired by the film Ladyhawke, but it took off from there, as most my ideas do. To read it, just visit my site: www.wordsmeetworld.com.

I will post a new chapter every Sunday. I do hope you read and enjoy. If you do, please spread the word. Until next time, my darlings!

Hello, everyone!

First, a happy announcement. My short story "Forever Now" was accepted for publication by Fireside Magazine. Fireside is a really great market that supports writers as well as putting out a great project, so check them out.

Now onto the meat of the post. Sharp-eyed observers might note I haven't written a lot of reviews. They might be thinking: "What kind of writer is this, who can barely be bothered to read?" Some may have even noticed I've been reading Outlander for over a month.

Well, I actually have read a lot more books than I've reviewed, or even rated. And, uh, the Outlander thing? Sorry, I've discovered Dragon Age: Inquisition. I'm sure there'll eventually come an era when I spend my time reading again, instead of playing it.

Nut the main reason I haven't posted many reviews is that they take time. A well thought-out, articulate review is something of an art form. Even posting a few lines of critique often seems to take more effort than I really wish to extend.

And so, I would like to take this post to thank the unsung heroes of the reading world: the reviewers.

Most writers have a love/hate relationship with reviews. That is, we love the good ones and hate the bad ones. The advice I've most often seen is to ignore reviews entirely, which always makes me laugh, because I don't know a single writer who follows this advice. I'd bet even Stephen King takes a glance at his ratings.

So, what can we do about reviews, both as readers and as writers? For me, as a reader, reviews are a tool to help me decide if I want to make a purchase. This is probably their truest purpose, but I'd be lying if I didn't add that I enjoy reading really snarky criticisms of books people didn't like. Hey, I'm a MST3K-er at heart. But do note that I do not necessarily equate "bad review" with "bad book." That's because I'm looking for a tag to take me into the second part of this post: writers and reviews.

The dirty fact is, all writers crave five star reviews. We'll be humble and say it's because we like knowing we brought pleasure to our readers--and we're not lying. We're just not telling the whole truth. We're human; we crave vindication. We want great--no, sterling--reviews, awards, and many sales. We want to tattoo "GREATEST WRITER EVAH!!!" on our buttocks and have an excuse to drop our pants and show it off at parties.

But we're not going to get it. Let's not go into the whole "no piece of art is perfect" shtick, because that's not what this post is about. Some people are simply not going to appreciate your writing.

And that's their perfect right.

Some people simply do not believe in handing out five star reviews, on the theory that no work is perfect.

And that's their perfect right.

Some reviewers will perhaps post a review consisting of the single word "blarf," or just post a gif of a cat barfing up a hairball.

And that's their perfect right.

Look, I know it hurts, but I too have been disappointed by books. I too have spent hours reading something that I thought initially I was going to enjoy that, in the end, made me want to kick in a wall and disdain the English language for the next thousand years. We've all been there.

So reviewers have the right to vent. You response as a writer? Nod and stay silent. Yes, even if a reviewer says you must be an idiot. Even if they insult your physical appearance. Nod and stay silent. The only time you are allowed to take note of a reviewer is if they make personal threats against you. I think we can all agree that that's something which should not be done.

But while you're nodding and staying silent, trust your reviewers. Really. They police their own. If they think a review is overly harsh, or adds nothing, they'll call their fellow reviewers out on it. And even if you get one of those snarky one-star reviews, it means you moved someone to feel something; moved them enough to take the time to write about you.

And that's really what this is about: being thankful that someone gave you their time. As my record here on Goodreads too plainly states, it's something I often can't do myself. The lure of Dragon Age, you know.

So, again, this post is a heartfelt thanks to all those who take the time to review from THE BEST WRITER EVAH!!!

Want to see my tattoo?