Reviews…the good, the bad, and the ugly

By JoDee Neathery

Book reports and book reviews are often considered in the same light, but there is a major difference in the two. The “report” is generally a simple summary of the story and a “review” is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described or analyzed based on content, style, or merit.

An author’s best friend is someone who takes the time to read their book and offer an opinion on the work on Amazon and/or Goodreads. The review should be based on the reader’s opinion with all that is necessary is yes, I liked it and why, or no, I didn’t like it and why. When you have devoted enormous energy in writing a book that you can be proud of, it’s disheartening to read that someone’s opinion was short of enthusiastic. We must remember the reader’s opinion is not a commentary on you, the author, but it’s difficult sometimes not to take it personally. I was told early on in this process to never comment on any posted review…it opens a natural justification dialogue that you cannot win no matter what you say. Especially if it is a critical review, you will be viewed as a whiner sucking on sour grapes.

Authors are keenly aware that less than 10% of those who read their book will review it, but we also know customer reviews drive sales. Often the most critical reviews reveal more than the glowing ones. I received a one-star review recently and honestly appreciated the comment, “It was not my cup of tea. I prefer a faster-paced novel with minimal descriptive phases.” That’s a legitimate statement that should not offend even the most sensitive souls. Where we as authors draw a line in the sand is when a critical review is of the condition of the book with disregard to the reader’s assessment of it other than the cover was creased. This is when it is very tempting to fire back a response…but taking a deep breath is recommended instead. Another faux pas is a bend-over-backwards love of the book with a one-star rating…obviously something went awry in the understanding of I loved it (five-stars) and I hated it (one-star.)

In my capacity as chairperson of our community book club (92 strong on the email list) we research a good number of books before selecting them for our group. We look at the reviews both positive and critical as often threads highlight the same issues giving us a clearer idea of the merits of the book according to the overall reader’s opinions. A recent example of this was our May selection, one with over two-thousand reviews but 6% were scathing as though the other 94% had read a different book.

What we can garner from the mysterious world of reviews as readers and writers alike is to respect a person’s right to an opinion, offer ours in honesty, and take all with a grain of salt.  

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JoDee Neathery, born in Southern California, moved with her family at age five to her Dad’s home state of Texas, residing in Midland. After graduating from high school her eyes were on attending a small liberal arts college in Louisiana, majoring in dance with aspirations of a Broadway career. Her daddy, whom she adored, set her pipe-dream aside suggesting that unless she wanted to be a teacher or a nurse, a better option for her would be to find a job. Thus, her jazz hands were relegated to typing and shorthand with her professional career beginning in the banking industry, moving into public relations executive recruiting until the explosion of the Internet changed the way employers searched for employees. After her husband retired, they relocated to the Cedar Creek Lake area where she handled publicity for the Pinnacle Women’s Club and became chairperson of their book club. “Without the encouragement, prodding, and cheerleading of these members who believed in me before I did, my novel would still be a flight of fancy.” Literary novel, Life in a Box, debuted, July 2017. JoDee and husband Mickey live in close proximity to their only daughter, son-in-law, two grandsons, a bird dog, two cats, a donkey, and a few head of cattle. She continues to chair, write minutes and reviews for her book club, enjoys a by-line in a local newspaper, and loves to share her journey to all that will listen. Social Media links: https://www.jodeeneathery.com https://bookers-online.blogspot.com Twitter: authorihope  Instagram: neatheryjodee   LinkedIn: JoDee Neathery https://www.goodreads.com/authorihope https://www.facebook.com/JoDee-Neathery338945532849036 https://www.pinterest.com/jodeeneathery https://amazon.com/author/jodeeneathery

Who Are They? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Choosing Character Names

By Cindy Blackburn

I used to be a teacher, so let’s start with a quiz. Yes, it’s a bit of shameless self promotion, but I promise it will be fun, and I’m sure you’ll earn an A+. Your task: Match the names of some of the characters from my cozy mysteries to their correct identification. Which decription FITS which name? Answers are listed at the end of this blog. No cheating!

1. Miss Rusty              a. Construction worker, well-meaning but a bit naïve                                 

2. Ethel and Doreen    b. Obnoxious TV news reporter who’s always butting in where he’s not wanted

3. Karen Sembler        c. 2 goats who wander off the farm and into trouble

4. Rose and Ruby        d. Bra saleswoman who’s partial to wearing mini-skirts and stillettos 

5. Evert Osgood                      e. Parrot who repeats everything it hears

6. Bee Bee                   f.  A chubby basset hound

7. Candy Poppe                       g. Carpenter who considers her tool belt a fashion accesssory

8. Jimmy Beak                        h. Best friends, 2 fiesty old ladies who take pride in driving their grown sons nuts

All done? Easy, right? If so, I did my job well—I gave my characters names that reveal something about who they are.

In genre fiction, it’s fun to use names to provide hints about a character’s gender, age, job, and personality. For instance, would Ethel and Doreen really be the names of two goats, or two teenaged girls heading to a tatoo parlor? No! Ethel and Doreen are the old ladies, of course. And does Evert Osgood sound like an obnoxious reporter or the kind-hearted construction worker? Jimmy Beaky’s the nosey (Get it?) reporter. Who’s the bra sales woman in stillettos? Karen Sembler or Candy Poppe? Do I even need to clarify that one? That leaves the animals. A basset hound named Bee Bee is possible, but doesn’t Miss Rusty say so much more? And Bee Bee for a parrot who repeats things? I like it!

Although I gave you a test, try not to test your readers. Names should help the reader keep track of who’s who. With that in mind, avoid giving characters names that sound alike (Jimmy and Timmy), and/or start with the same letter (Ethel and Edna). Avoid names that aren’t gender-specific (Francis, Gale, and Terry could be boys or girls), and avoid names that end in “S” because conjunctions and possessives get so darned awkward. (Miss Rusty is Francis’s dog, versus Miss Rusty is Frank’s dog. Neither is a great sentence, but you get the picture.)

Always be on the lookout for the perfect name. Call me odd, but I love wandering around cemeteries! I also have a book of baby names and keep a stockpile of old-fashioned (pre-cell phone era) phone books. Church directories and commencement ceremony booklets are other good sources.

Names may seem like a minor detail, but they’re important!

Answers: 1-f, 2-h, 3-g, 4-c, 5-a, 6-e, 7-d, 8-b

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Cozy mystery author Cindy Blackburn spends her days sitting around in her pajamas thinking up unlikely plot twists and ironing out the quirks and kinks of lovable characters. When she’s not working on the Cue Ball Mysteries or the Cassie Baxter Mysteries, Cindy enjoys taking long walks with her cute hubby John or playing with her fat cat Betty. A native Vermonter who hates snow, Cindy divides her time between the south and the north. Most of the year you’ll find her in South Carolina, but come summer she’ll be on the porch of her lakeside shack in Vermont. Cindy’s favorite TV show is The Big Bang Theory, her favorite movie is Moonstruck, and her favorite color is orange. Cindy dislikes vacuuming, traffic, and lima beans. Learn more about Cindy and her books at www.cbmysteries.com.  Cindy can also be found on Facebook and Twitter   www.cbmysteries.com/blog   @cbmysteries  www.facebook.com/CindyBlackburnAuthor

Writing Where You Live: The Good, the Bad, and the Serial-Killer Suspicion

By LynDee Walker

I love Richmond.

Sure, the Texas girl in me still gets a little choked up at the sight of an old gray barn across a sea of bluebonnets, but Virginia has become home for my family in the last seven years.

Folks have asked me why I “decided” to set a mystery series here. I’m not sure I did. It just was. The first time Nichelle popped into my head, she was locked in a car trunk down in Shockoe Bottom. Her story grew from there, and Richmond was always as much a part of it as her Manolos.

Writing about the city where I live is a lot of fun. The bonuses are that I don’t have to keep track of fictional streets and businesses (I have very talented author friends who make detailed maps and spreadsheets for this, so if you go the entirely-made-up-town route, there’s a tip for you). The hard part is that I skate a fine line between make believe and reality.

For instance, before anyone comes to town looking to tour the Telegraph newsroom or go to a Generals game, I have fictionalized some things about Richmond. You won’t find Grant Parker (sorry, ladies) at the local newspaper office, and while the Diamond is a beautiful ballpark, it will never see major-league cleats. Our baseball team is a AAA Giants affiliate called the Richmond Flying Squirrels (you can’t make this stuff up, y’all).

Many of the places in Nichelle’s Richmond are real, though. I avoid using names when I can, because things change and restaurants and shops close, but I can’t go back and edit a published novel. Bonus: a lot of fun has been had with that at book club meetings around town this year. People like to guess the place Nichelle frequents. It makes me happy when they get it right, because I know I described it well.

Writing about Richmond makes for some interesting family outings, too. My husband came in from a run along the James River last summer, and the first words out of his mouth were “I know where your next body’s going to turn up.”

A few weeks later, we took a family hike around Belle Isle to investigate. He was so right. I found enough places for people to dump or hide corpses down there to last thirty books. My kids got really into helping, too. At one point, on a sunny September Sunday with dozens of people around, my son (he’s 5) shouted “Mommy! Look, you could put a dead body up there!”

People turned to stare, but no one called the cops. I still can’t decide if I’m relived or disturbed by that. I mean, I don’t think I look like a serial killer, but Ted Bundy didn’t, either.

Sans police intervention, my son won the day—Nichelle will get called to a body recovery in the location he picked in the fourth Headlines in High Heels novel, DEVIL IN THE DEADLINE. I’m writing it now, and it’s been such fun to describe that bit of Richmond. It’s super-creepy, and it’ll be fun to see if people can guess it when I’m through.

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LynDee Walker’s award-winning journalistic work has appeared in newspapers and magazines across the nation. After nearly a decade covering crime, courts, and local politics, she left full-time reporting for motherhood with a side of freelancing and fiction writing. LynDee’s debut novel, FRONT PAGE FATALITY, is an amazon and Barnes and Noble #1 bestseller, and an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel. SMALL TOWN SPIN (Henery Press, April 2014) is the third in her Headlines in High Heels Mystery series. The fourth arrives January 2015.LynDee adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is either playing with her children or working on her next novel—but probably not cleaning her house. You can find her online at www.lyndeewalker.com Twitter: @LynDeeWalker 

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