I really do appreciate the four and five star reviews I get for my novels and stories on Amazon. I am grateful because someone took the time to write them. The nit-picking critical reviews, I don’t appreciate nor do I give them any credence. And I will tell you why: If I read a book that is not to my taste or just plain “bad” I simply remove it from my reading device and go on to something else. I don’t waste time writing a three, two, or one star “review.” Because the people who do write those shitty reviews have never written anything longer than a grocery list. Even a “bad” book to some, may be a treasure to others. And whatever it is; it took a LOT of time and effort to write it.
The review that I treasure the most just came in a couple of days ago and it is the kind of tribute that keeps a writer doing this lonely, low-paying job. I am going to quote it for you so you will know what fuels the desire for an author to keep at it.
“An unbelievable plot unwinds so logically that it becomes believable. Great character and plot development. I have already recommended this book to my friends and family.”
If my imagination can produce something that drives a reader to give up his or her conscious sense of reality, then I have accomplished what every writer dreams of.