Yep. That's right. I was a Facebook virgin. I mean, I've been on Facebook for years, but this was my first event. It was awesome! What a blast. Eight authors got together with J. L. Clayton to take over Facebook for the afternoon and celebrate the release of her latest book, A Darkening of Magic. Click here to check out the event page. Many of the contests are open through the evening, so it's not too late to get involved.

​So...yeah, I guess now you could say I'm somewhat of a veteran. Yeah right! Everything went so fast. I could barely keep up with making my next post while trying to like and respond to comments. And to think, I was worried about not having enough to post about. My last post came in right under the wire.

​The best part about the entire event was getting a chance to interact with the other authors and readers. There was some serious talent hanging around today. I feel truly honored to have been a part of it. Everybody was great. You should definitely swing by and check out some of the trailers. Wow! They blew me away!

​I want to personally thank everyone who spent the day with us, or even just swung by for a bit to hang out. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and can't wait to do something like this again. Now that I have one under my belt, I'll be coming in with all guns blazing.

​Now, this entire thing was to help a fellow author celebrate and spread the word about her upcoming release. I would be remiss if I didn't throw some plugs in here for her:

​Website - http://jlclayton.wixsite.com/chosensaga​
​Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/J.L.ClaytonBooks/
​Twitter - @JLClaytonBooks
Blog - https://www.facebook.com/Blogging-with-Author-JLClayton-1013383125386828/?qsefr=1
Street Team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1525525834410742/
Amazon author link: https://www.amazon.com/J.-L.-Clayton/e/B00L2P0LW4
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/JLClayton

One star. Ouch, that stings. I can’t think of anything more crushing for a writer than to read a scathing review of what amounts to months of their blood, sweat, and tears. Okay, full disclosure here, I’ve never actually lost tears while writing. But blood and sweat? Sure. My wife has this thing about air conditioning. I don’t know why she hates it but, being that I live in LA, I’m usually sweating while I work. And let me tell you, I’ve earned more than a few paper cuts while shuffling paper. There’s your blood. Anyway, the point is, that one-star review hurts.

Let’s take a step back. When you’ve finally picked yourself up off the floor after seeing that one, lonely gold or red star followed by all those empty ones, read that review. As difficult as it is, you earned it. Like it or not, a reader’s interpretation of your message is the most important thing. It’s why you write. You don’t do it for you, unless you’re some kind of masochist. Writing isn’t fun. Words don’t always do what you want them to do. Sure, it can be therapeutic sometimes, but the reason you do it is to report or entertain. You want somebody to read your story and say, “By George, that was a fantastic story!” When somebody takes the time to read your story and write a review, you should take the time to see what they thought of it, even if it hurts really, really bad.

Okay, so paying back effort with effort isn’t the real reason you should take the time to read these reviews. In fact, the reviewer will probably never know whether or not you read their review. The real reason, is so you know what they hated about it. If you read it, and I mean really read it, you may find some useful tips to improve your writing. Not always, some bad reviews aren’t helpful at all. For example, here is what Amazon Customer said about Hell and the Hunger, “the author is a vampire...and keeps sucking your energy while you are reading the book”. This wasn’t helpful. I can’t even tell if they actually read the book. It was a verified purchase, so I hope they did. In any event, they probably read at least some of it and hated it. I earned that. They did not like my story. This, of course, is only one end of the spectrum. Some negative reviews can actually be very thoughtful and helpful.

In a Goodreads review, Johnny also gave Hell and the Hunger one star. Here is a link to the full review. The difference with this one star review and the other I mentioned is the time and thought that went into it. Johnny’s review is actually one of my favorite reviews for Hell and the Hunger. There were some things he really liked. However, there were many things he simply didn’t like. Hell and the Hunger is about a vampire who is much more than just a vampire. Johnny was looking for a straight vampire story, something more akin to Anne Rice’s work. My story isn’t that. There are angels fighting demons, a priest killing hookers to help nurse a sick vampire back to health, and a whole slew of other non-traditional vampire nonsense going on. Bottom line, I messed with vampire folklore. Not all fans of vampire stories are going to appreciate that. Some do, I have a handful of four star and five star reviews by readers who really liked what I did with the story. Those reviews aren’t any more important to me than Johnny’s, or even Amazon Customer’s. I earned them all.
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Good or bad, own all your reviews. By all means, don’t let them define you. You can’t please everyone. Keep reading, keep writing, and be happy that, not only did someone take the time to read your work, they cared enough to share their feelings about it. Bravo, my friend.