After the first month or so post-release, generally, the excitement over a new book dies down as the first wave of eager fans (bless them every one) get their hands on the book, read it, and then…move on to the next book they’re eager about.
This is the natural life cycle. The writer will still check for new reviews, but you understand that they will become fewer and farther between, as time goes on.
But when one does appear, your heart beats a little faster – a new blip! is it a positive blip? Oh please, let it be something new I can crow about!
This morning’s discovery is a definite crow. Finding Wonderland says of SILVER ON THE ROAD, “I read it — passed it along to Tech Boy who also read it and said, “Wow, it just… worked.” What’s harder to say is… why. And we aren’t the only ones – NPR’s book reviewer had the same reaction: wow, this is cool, wonder what makes it so? In some ways, it’s a simple Hero(ine)’s Journey adventure… and in other ways, not so much…
Though this is the first novel in a series, it ends as if it’s the entire story told – which is a lovely extra. Isobel is a confused, conflicted, resentful, hopeful, frightened girl who is just driven to do a good job, and teen readers will relate with her desperate desire to be seen as an adult and capable, and not one of the kids anymore. I am eager for the next book in this series….
This novel isn’t marketed to YA, but can be considered another crossover for older readers not afraid of reading a book with big ideas and sturdy vocabulary, and who enjoy adventurous females who dream bigger for themselves than they imagined.”
LAG again. Â Is it immodest to admit that I love hearing people say “I don’t know why this was so good?” Â Because I do. Â Because it means I made all the sweat and swearing and revisions disappear under a (mostly) seamless exterior, and all you saw was Story.
(if you then felt the urge to check under the hood and see if you could figure out how the engine worked, that’s fun too!)
See, that’s why I’m so looking forward to re-reading. I really DO want to figure out how you did it! (Apart from natural brilliance, of course.)