Hey Folks,
Today I am very flattered to be the featured guest over at CONFESSIONS OF A MYSTERY NOVELIST .
Drop by and see what Margot Kinberg has to say about me and the Sasha Jackson Mystery series! Her article is a combination of profile and review, which I think is a pretty cool way of doing things.
Link HERE.
Big THANKS to Margot for inviting me to do this!
Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book reviews. Show all posts
Friday, May 4, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Fab review of THE LIES HAVE IT
This review of THE LIES HAVE IT came in over the weekend, and it sure made me smile! I am always happy to read a review, but it especially pleases me when reviewers pick up on my favourite aspects of the book(s).
The two things I love most about writing the Sasha Jackson books are 1) the main character, and 2) the setting. I find those two facets of writing to be the easiest and most enjoyable to do. (I also like writing dialogue, but have to remind myself to do it).
Anyhow, Helen Ginger's review starts off by saying "I like Sasha. She's tenacious," and ends with " I'd like to meet Sasha," so naturally, I was quite pleased.
As for the setting, well, Ginger says, "Edmondson makes Toronto come alive on the page. She makes me want to go there." Praise for the setting doesn't get much better than this!
Read the whole review on Straight from Hel (and read many other great book reviews here as well).
The two things I love most about writing the Sasha Jackson books are 1) the main character, and 2) the setting. I find those two facets of writing to be the easiest and most enjoyable to do. (I also like writing dialogue, but have to remind myself to do it).
Anyhow, Helen Ginger's review starts off by saying "I like Sasha. She's tenacious," and ends with " I'd like to meet Sasha," so naturally, I was quite pleased.
As for the setting, well, Ginger says, "Edmondson makes Toronto come alive on the page. She makes me want to go there." Praise for the setting doesn't get much better than this!
Read the whole review on Straight from Hel (and read many other great book reviews here as well).
Friday, February 10, 2012
A Review I Really Appreciate
The Lies Have It just got a super review by Bill Selnes on Mysteries and More . My first two books were also reviewed by Bill on his site, and those reviews were favourable as well. So, I am thumping my chest a bit (hee hee).
Besides doing a little happy dance, the reason I am writing about the review by Selnes is that - for all the books he reviews, not just mine - he gives specifics and details and examples and substance (But don't worry: he never gives away endings or spoilers).
I've had many positive reviews for all three Sasha Jackson books, but in some cases, the review doesn't offer much in terms of WHY. It's all well and good to know what a critic thought of a given work, but it's more interesting (and to me it's very helpful) to also know why a reviewer liked or didn't like something, whether it be a plot line or a character or what have you. I try to repeat the things that work, and to avoid in future the stuff that rubs people the wrong way.
Another reviewer who does what Bill does is Amy Steele of Entertainment Realm. Full disclosure: Amy has also reviewed all three Sasha books favourably. I regularly read Steele's reviews, and often pass them along to others. She often writes about books I've never heard of, and she does not focus exclusively on mystery fiction, but because of the detail Amy includes, she piques my interest quite a bit. (Steele also writes about music and movies and all things in the entertainment realm).
So there you go: reviews with substance and specifics matter to me as both a reader and a writer.
Besides doing a little happy dance, the reason I am writing about the review by Selnes is that - for all the books he reviews, not just mine - he gives specifics and details and examples and substance (But don't worry: he never gives away endings or spoilers).
I've had many positive reviews for all three Sasha Jackson books, but in some cases, the review doesn't offer much in terms of WHY. It's all well and good to know what a critic thought of a given work, but it's more interesting (and to me it's very helpful) to also know why a reviewer liked or didn't like something, whether it be a plot line or a character or what have you. I try to repeat the things that work, and to avoid in future the stuff that rubs people the wrong way.
Another reviewer who does what Bill does is Amy Steele of Entertainment Realm. Full disclosure: Amy has also reviewed all three Sasha books favourably. I regularly read Steele's reviews, and often pass them along to others. She often writes about books I've never heard of, and she does not focus exclusively on mystery fiction, but because of the detail Amy includes, she piques my interest quite a bit. (Steele also writes about music and movies and all things in the entertainment realm).
So there you go: reviews with substance and specifics matter to me as both a reader and a writer.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Awesome review of "The Lies Have It" in the Globe & Mail!!!
The Lies Have It
By Jill Edmondson, Iguana, 252 pages, $11.95
Been to a fetish party lately? Even if you aren’t a habitué, you’ll like this stylish, smart novel set in Toronto’s downtown arts and culture scene.
This series, featuring aspiring musician-turned-private eye Sasha Jackson, has been optioned for television and it has all the hallmarks of success. There is a winsome PI, a sexy cop for a potential love interest and Hogtown as we would all love it to be: racy, witty and full of interesting, polymorphous perversity.
The mystery is a nicely plotted whodunit, but the real charm here is the setting. Edmondson, a communications professor, knows her town intimately. Even better, she knows how readers want it to be.
Review by Margaret Cannon. Link to the Globe and Mail review column here.
You can order "The Lies Have It' on Amazon here.
By Jill Edmondson, Iguana, 252 pages, $11.95
Been to a fetish party lately? Even if you aren’t a habitué, you’ll like this stylish, smart novel set in Toronto’s downtown arts and culture scene.
This series, featuring aspiring musician-turned-private eye Sasha Jackson, has been optioned for television and it has all the hallmarks of success. There is a winsome PI, a sexy cop for a potential love interest and Hogtown as we would all love it to be: racy, witty and full of interesting, polymorphous perversity.
The mystery is a nicely plotted whodunit, but the real charm here is the setting. Edmondson, a communications professor, knows her town intimately. Even better, she knows how readers want it to be.
Review by Margaret Cannon. Link to the Globe and Mail review column here.
You can order "The Lies Have It' on Amazon here.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Awesome review in Ellery Queen!!
I was totally thrilled to see Dead Light District reviewed in Ellery Queen!!! It's a great review and the following line is the highest praise I could ever imagine:
"Sasha is a true literary granddaughter of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, complete with smart mouth and clever similes."
To be mentioned in the same breath as two of the greatest, two of the forerunners is indeed an honour!
Link to review here.
Dead Light District is currently on special on AMAZON kindle for $2.99!
"Sasha is a true literary granddaughter of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, complete with smart mouth and clever similes."
To be mentioned in the same breath as two of the greatest, two of the forerunners is indeed an honour!
Link to review here.
Dead Light District is currently on special on AMAZON kindle for $2.99!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Some of the "greats" get slagged...
This post is a follow up to the previous post in which I talk a bit about The Washington Post book reviewer Patrick Anderson and his book The Triumph of the Thriller. In Triumph, Anderson takes a look at the changes in people's reading choices/preferences in recent years. As well, he looks at the evolution of crime fiction from back in the days of Poe, Doyle, and Christie, to modern day masters like Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane.
Patrick Anderson has written a great many favourable book reviews, but there have been a few blasts as well. Interestingly, some of the attacks have been about brand-name authors with book sales in the gazillions.
Here are some of the highlights:
On James Patterson's The Beach House (and peripherally on Kiss the Girls): The book [Kiss the Girls] was sick, sexist, sadistic, and subliterate, so I tossed it and made a mental note that this was a writer to avoid at all costs. The trouble with The Beach House is that it unfolds like an unspeakably dumb comic book.... One can skim the book in wonder at the awfulness of its prose and the absurdity of its plot. But no one with even a minimal appreciation of good writing could possibly read it for pleasure.
On David Baldacci's Hour Game: The novel abounds with bizarre scenes that exist to provide cheap thrills.... Beating odds of probably a billion to one, I survived this novel with my sanity intact. With this book, Baldacci has entered the James Patterson Really Bad Thriller Sweepstakes.
On Trace by Patricia Cornwell: You couldn't pay me to read another of her novels.
On The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer: As I write this, Jeffrey Archer's latest is already on the best-seller list, so my warning may come to late to save you from this piece of nonsense. If not, caveat emptor.... Why he is writing claptrap like this is anyone's guess.
(You can find all the above excerpts in chapter 18 of The Triumph of the Thriller).
Fortunately, I've never had anything even close to what's written above said about my Sasha Jackson novels, and I really hope I never do!
Patrick Anderson has written a great many favourable book reviews, but there have been a few blasts as well. Interestingly, some of the attacks have been about brand-name authors with book sales in the gazillions.
Here are some of the highlights:
On James Patterson's The Beach House (and peripherally on Kiss the Girls): The book [Kiss the Girls] was sick, sexist, sadistic, and subliterate, so I tossed it and made a mental note that this was a writer to avoid at all costs. The trouble with The Beach House is that it unfolds like an unspeakably dumb comic book.... One can skim the book in wonder at the awfulness of its prose and the absurdity of its plot. But no one with even a minimal appreciation of good writing could possibly read it for pleasure.
On David Baldacci's Hour Game: The novel abounds with bizarre scenes that exist to provide cheap thrills.... Beating odds of probably a billion to one, I survived this novel with my sanity intact. With this book, Baldacci has entered the James Patterson Really Bad Thriller Sweepstakes.
On Trace by Patricia Cornwell: You couldn't pay me to read another of her novels.
On The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer: As I write this, Jeffrey Archer's latest is already on the best-seller list, so my warning may come to late to save you from this piece of nonsense. If not, caveat emptor.... Why he is writing claptrap like this is anyone's guess.
(You can find all the above excerpts in chapter 18 of The Triumph of the Thriller).
Fortunately, I've never had anything even close to what's written above said about my Sasha Jackson novels, and I really hope I never do!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
OUCH! Criticizing the Critics.
“Having the critics praise you is like having the hangman say you've got a pretty neck.” -Eli Wallach
“Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how it’s done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves.” –Brendan Behan
“Critics are like pigs at the pastry cart.” –John Updike
“Pay no attention to what the critics say... Remember, a statue has never been set up in honour of a critic!” -Jean Sibelius
“The world has paid too great a compliment to critics, and imagined them to be men of much greater profundity than they really are.” -Henry Fielding
“Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost how it feels about dogs.” –Christopher Hampton
“Critics search for ages for the wrong word, which, to give them credit, they eventually find.” –Peter Ustinov
“I never read a book before reviewing it - it prejudices a man so” –Sydney Smith
“Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how it’s done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves.” –Brendan Behan
“Critics are like pigs at the pastry cart.” –John Updike
“Pay no attention to what the critics say... Remember, a statue has never been set up in honour of a critic!” -Jean Sibelius
“The world has paid too great a compliment to critics, and imagined them to be men of much greater profundity than they really are.” -Henry Fielding
“Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost how it feels about dogs.” –Christopher Hampton
“Critics search for ages for the wrong word, which, to give them credit, they eventually find.” –Peter Ustinov
“I never read a book before reviewing it - it prejudices a man so” –Sydney Smith
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Reviews for DLD - Round Up of Good Karma!
I am very fortunate (and proud!) to have received a number of favourable reviews for Dead Light District in the last little while. Here are some of the highlights:Reviewer Amy Steele of Entertainment Realm says: "Dead Light District makes the reader adore Sasha even more ... Dead Light District makes the perfect summer read as it speeds along and follows Sasha’s train of thought as she works to solve the case."
Lynn Farris, who reviews mysteries for The Examiner.com says: "While the book is well written, offers solid characters and an interesting plot, the strength of the book is based on philosophical questions and the research that went into telling this fascinating story. Edmondson shows extreme finese at attacking these deep subjects, while keeping the story still enjoyable to read and exciting."
The love keeps flowing with this review by Joan Barfoot in The London Free Press where she says: "interesting moral ambiguities get discussed in Dead Light District, and Sasha continues to be an appealing character."There are also some very nice reviews posted on Amazon, some of the warm fuzzies include:
"Sasha Jackson is a spunky, vibrant, witty girl that gets caught up in the seedy underworld of prostitution and sex slavery while investigating her latest case. This is a fast paced novel ... The author's sense of humor is prominent throughout the book and has many points where I actually Laughed Out LOUD!" From BobbiD.
Another review says: "DEAD LIGHT DISTRICT is another fun romp by Jill Edmondson... The storyline keeps the reader turning the pages right up until the surprising conclusion. Sasha Jackson is sexy, funny, irreverent, hard-working and many other things besides." From Bryan Bessner.
And there's some good karma on Good Reads:
"It's a soft-boiled, sometimes madcap mystery ... but its heart is always in the right place and, despite some of the more outrageous things she does, it's hard not to be routing for Sasha ....A recommended diversion, perhaps over a freshly made mojito." From Alexander InglisOf course, I was really happy to see all of these reviews - they sure put a smile on my face!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Reviews and Spoilers...
As a first time author, I am thrilled to get reviewed at all (hey! they noticed me!), and I'm even more thrilled about the fact that the reviews have been good!!! Blood and Groom has been reviewed ten times (that I know of) by various print media (including the Globe & Mail, Quill & Quire, London Free Press, Hamilton Spectator, etc.), and by various online magazines and blogs (Reviewing the Evidence, Bookgasm, etc.)
So what do I have to complain about? Well...
One or two of the reviews (not on sources listed above) have kind of given away significant clues or spoilers. Even though the reviews in these instances have been positive, I wonder if a potential reader may be turned off because they've learned too much about whodunit and won't have the sense of suspense one longs for in a mystery.
I have never written a review of a mystery novel. As I think about it, yes, I imagine that it would be a challenge to write an informative review without giving away key plot points.
For those of you who have written mystery reviews, how do you balance writing an objective and interesting critique without saying too much?
For those of you who read book reviews, has a review ever turned you off by saying too much?
So what do I have to complain about? Well...
One or two of the reviews (not on sources listed above) have kind of given away significant clues or spoilers. Even though the reviews in these instances have been positive, I wonder if a potential reader may be turned off because they've learned too much about whodunit and won't have the sense of suspense one longs for in a mystery.
I have never written a review of a mystery novel. As I think about it, yes, I imagine that it would be a challenge to write an informative review without giving away key plot points.
For those of you who have written mystery reviews, how do you balance writing an objective and interesting critique without saying too much?
For those of you who read book reviews, has a review ever turned you off by saying too much?
Friday, February 26, 2010
Bookgasm
I just came across this review on Bookgasm.com (learned of it via Google Alerts):
http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/mystery/blood-and-groom/
It's a fun and well-written review... and it's a very favourable review - here's an excerpt:
"Edmondson has a sharp and sassy style that’s deliberately not patterned noir, but a fresh and contemporary approach perfectly suited to her characters. It’s a remarkable first novel."
A great way to start the weekend!
http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/mystery/blood-and-groom/
It's a fun and well-written review... and it's a very favourable review - here's an excerpt:
"Edmondson has a sharp and sassy style that’s deliberately not patterned noir, but a fresh and contemporary approach perfectly suited to her characters. It’s a remarkable first novel."
A great way to start the weekend!
Friday, January 8, 2010
More good reviews!
I'm so very fortunate! I just saw two more reviews for "Blood and Groom". Both reviews are on blogs and both are really good!
Living a Life of Writing says:
"A fun fast paced read, with a better ending than I could have imagined, Sasha Jackson deserves a repeat performance. The writing is witty and fun, with more than a few twists on cliches."
Check out the review at: http://rebeccasbook.blogspot.com/2010/01/review-blood-and-groom-by-jill.html
The next review is from She Does The City, and says:
"Bonus fun for Toronto readers are the spot-on descriptions of local settings like The Pilot, Steve’s Music Store and The Horseshoe. It’s a quick, entertaining read best enjoyed with double vodka tonics and morning after grilled cheeses."
Check out the review at: http://www.shedoesthecity.com/blood_and_groom
It's so great that people are writing about it. For a first time author, I am pretty darn lucky.
I must comment here on my previous post about reviews. So far, I have only had two reviews in traditional press, i.e. print, but I have now had five reviews on various blogs. This leads me to wonder about reviews in general and where readers look for book info. Given that print publishers have reduced the amount of space devoted to book reviews, I think it's safe to guess that more and more readers will check out blogs to find out about new releases... In any case, I'm very lucky (and very glad!) that I'm getting reviews, whether online, in print, or via carrier pigeon!
More on luck later this weekend: Out of the blue today, I got not one but two requests for interviews! I've never been interviewed before, so this will be cool!
Living a Life of Writing says:
"A fun fast paced read, with a better ending than I could have imagined, Sasha Jackson deserves a repeat performance. The writing is witty and fun, with more than a few twists on cliches."
Check out the review at: http://rebeccasbook.blogspot.com/2010/01/review-blood-and-groom-by-jill.html
The next review is from She Does The City, and says:
"Bonus fun for Toronto readers are the spot-on descriptions of local settings like The Pilot, Steve’s Music Store and The Horseshoe. It’s a quick, entertaining read best enjoyed with double vodka tonics and morning after grilled cheeses."
Check out the review at: http://www.shedoesthecity.com/blood_and_groom
It's so great that people are writing about it. For a first time author, I am pretty darn lucky.
I must comment here on my previous post about reviews. So far, I have only had two reviews in traditional press, i.e. print, but I have now had five reviews on various blogs. This leads me to wonder about reviews in general and where readers look for book info. Given that print publishers have reduced the amount of space devoted to book reviews, I think it's safe to guess that more and more readers will check out blogs to find out about new releases... In any case, I'm very lucky (and very glad!) that I'm getting reviews, whether online, in print, or via carrier pigeon!
More on luck later this weekend: Out of the blue today, I got not one but two requests for interviews! I've never been interviewed before, so this will be cool!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Very Excited! Just got a great review!
"Blood and Groom" got a great review by Don Graves in today's
Hamilton Spectator!!!!
The full text can be found here: http://www.thespec.com/Entertainment/Books/article/689371
Excerpts of Don Graves's comments:
"Edmondson shows promise with deft plotting and
The full text can be found here: http://www.thespec.com/Entertainment/Books/article/689371
Excerpts of Don Graves's comments:
"Edmondson shows promise with deft plotting and
clues constructed to provide inroads
into the characters and the action."
"Edmondson shows the storytelling skill to turn this debut into
"Edmondson shows the storytelling skill to turn this debut into
a Toronto-focused series with room to grow. "
Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled!
Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled!
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