Jen’s review of Learning to Fly > Likes and Comments
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I took the lone 1-star review by Jen seriously. In her review, she points out how truly BAD my writing is - to the point where she gave up on the book a third of the way through. After re-reading LTF in its entirety, I had to agree with her. In fact, I thank Jen for pointing out what no other reviewer saw: my uneven and, at times, embarrassingly sub-standard writing style, especially in earlier chapters. As a result, I pulled LTF from publication. (I had self-published it on Amazon Kindle in 2019). I have now completely overhauled the book, upgrading my telling of the story to reflect my improvement as a creative writer in the six years since it was published. I removed some weak chapters, reorganized others, and added an important chapter that fills a critical void - a major aspect of the plot that I had left unresolved. I even changed the title to Crimes of Endearment, a name that better represents the book's theme. Crimes of Endearment will be published later this month (December 2025) by Newman Springs Publishing. In short, her 1-star review changed my life. Jen may still think the storyline is ridiculous (it hasn't changed), but that's OK. The book is not for everyone. If she does read Crimes of Endearment, I encourage her to read past the first few chapters. There are many gems awaiting her as the story of Fee unfolds. As with many novels, Crimes builds upon itself as the protagonist careens toward an unforgettable climax that will change her life forever.
Crimes of Endearment was pubilshed in December 2025. It received a Kirkus Star Review in May and will be featured in the August edition of Kirkus Reviews magazine.
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Lee
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Nov 30, 2025 09:43AM
I took the lone 1-star review by Jen seriously. In her review, she points out how truly BAD my writing is - to the point where she gave up on the book a third of the way through. After re-reading LTF in its entirety, I had to agree with her. In fact, I thank Jen for pointing out what no other reviewer saw: my uneven and, at times, embarrassingly sub-standard writing style, especially in earlier chapters. As a result, I pulled LTF from publication. (I had self-published it on Amazon Kindle in 2019). I have now completely overhauled the book, upgrading my telling of the story to reflect my improvement as a creative writer in the six years since it was published. I removed some weak chapters, reorganized others, and added an important chapter that fills a critical void - a major aspect of the plot that I had left unresolved. I even changed the title to Crimes of Endearment, a name that better represents the book's theme. Crimes of Endearment will be published later this month (December 2025) by Newman Springs Publishing. In short, her 1-star review changed my life. Jen may still think the storyline is ridiculous (it hasn't changed), but that's OK. The book is not for everyone. If she does read Crimes of Endearment, I encourage her to read past the first few chapters. There are many gems awaiting her as the story of Fee unfolds. As with many novels, Crimes builds upon itself as the protagonist careens toward an unforgettable climax that will change her life forever.
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Crimes of Endearment was pubilshed in December 2025. It received a Kirkus Star Review in May and will be featured in the August edition of Kirkus Reviews magazine.