Aw shucks... Thanks... Gee golly whiz...

At the risk of sounding syrupy-sweet or like I'm gushing, I really am flattered and grateful to see that readers continue to pen reviews of the Sasha Jackson Mysteries.

Just this week, a reader posted this review of Blood and Groom (2009) on Amazon:  "This was a good mystery book with lots of humor, interesting characters, and several interwoven plots." 

A few weeks previous, another reader reviewed The Lies Have It (2011) on Amazon, saying: "In the Lies Have It she delivers another well paced well written adventure for Sasha.  The plot moves at a good pace and the mysteries are well written so you do not solve too quickly."

And of Dead Light District (2011), a reader recently said this on Amazon: "Having said that I really, really liked Sasha, she was a hoot. Smart, sassy and a little self effacing. She had it all going on..."

There have also been a few reviews recently on GoodReads, and these too have made me smile!

I feel I can speak for ALL authors when I say that reviews are welcome! It's so nice to get a response from a reader.  I really do appreciate it when a reader takes the time to post a comment online.  Feedback from people always gives me that little boost during those moments when writing frustrates me.  It really does help to keep me pushing forward!   Thanks folks!

Wonderful Double Whammy!

I had a very pleasant surprise this weekend - actually, TWO pleasant surprises. 

Generally speaking, an author doesn't know who will review his/her books, nor does the author know when a review will come about.  Even in scenarios where a reviewer has asked for a copy to review... Well, sometimes a review just never comes.

So, I was quite happy to see that the book review blog Have You Heard, run by Melanie Carrico, reviewed both Blood and Groom AND Dead Light District this weekend.  Being reviewed of course made my day, and the content of the reviews put a big grin on my face. (Both books were rated 5/5.)

Of Blood and Groom, Melanie says:
"Sasha Jackson is a down to earth, quick to the punch character.  The plot is woven so well you won't know whodunit until the very end."

And of Dead Light District, she says:
"Jill Edmondson has created the next great detective series. Keeping the character reachable and "normal" will endear Sasha Jackson to the readers.  Move over 007, you've got some   serious competition in Sasha Jackson."   

Melanie's full review for Blood and Groom HERE
Full review for Dead Light District HERE

While I'm in *bragging mode*, I should also mention a couple of other wonderful reviews that came out in the last while.

On the Irish online magazine called Writing, Lawrence Wray says Blood and Groom was:
"an unputdownable easy read.   Everything ties in very nicely at the end and it was a disappointment that the book was actually finished."

And, finally, Deena on E-BookBuilders recently reviewed Dead Light District, and she had this to say: "I found this book fun and engaging. I liked the characters, enjoyed the interaction between them.  I wanted to have a gin & tonic with Sasha and could easily picture her as one of my ‘real life’ friends.  I found the dialog snappy, the action fast paced and the storyline not something that I had read a thousand times before. So big points for originality go to Ms. Edmondson."

Warm Fuzzies from Peers!!!

Good reviews and positive feedback are always nice to get, but they mean even more when they come from one's peers!

I was quite pleased to see fellow author Scott Whitmore's  review of THE LIES HAVE IT.  Scott had previously reviewed both Blood and Groom and Dead Light District, and he quite liked each of them.  I'm very happy that he enjoyed book three in the series as well.  His review ends with:

"I highly recommend the Sasha Jackson series for anyone looking for fast-paced and fun light mysteries. Perfect companions for curling up on the couch on a rainy day or taking to the park or beach."

Needless to say, Scott's review made my day! 

The other recent warm fuzzy came via Margot Kinberg.  Now, Margot and I have never met, but we seem to have a lot in common, and I bet we could talk each other's ears off if we ever met face to face!  We're both academics, we're both mystery authors, and we're both avid bookworms.

Margot has an impressive list of books in her Spotlight series, and I feel honoured to have my book listed among some wonderful crime novels.  The write-up ends with the following:

"Blood and Groom is a believable PI mystery that features a witty, likeable Sasha Jackson, a cast of interesting characters and a unique setting. The pacing keeps the reader engaged, and there are some really funny moments." 

Watch me thump my chest!!!  Yeah Baby!

The Spotlight piece is not the only time Margot has mentioned my novels: She also gave Dead Light District an honourable mention in a post called "The World's Oldest Profession." 

So, I've had some great karma lately from some fellow authors, and it has really put a smile on my face!

Good Reviews Only... Every review is a good one...

Last night, I posted another quickie review on Goodreads.  I noticed that once again, I gave the book five stars and said nice things about it.  Seems that just about every book I've reviewed and/or rated was excellent and earned four or five stars.

Naturally, the question is raised: Aren't there any crappy books out there? Surely there must be some dreck that I'd only rate one or two stars...?

A few years ago, I read "The Triumph of the Thriller: How cops, crooks and cannibals captured popular fiction" by Patrick Anderson.  Anderson is a novelist (Lords of the Earth, and The President's Mistress, to name just two of his many novels), and he is also a book reviewer (The  Washington Post, among others). 

In Anderson's book (which of course I'd say is excellent and I'd give it five stars), he discusses a possible misconception stemming from the high percentage of books he's reviewed favourably (see chapter 18). 

Anderson explains the seeming tilt in his oeuvre of book reviews.  There are so many books out there that there's no need to read (or finish) books you do not enjoy.  He said - not surprisingly - that he only reviewed books he had actually read all the way through. As he points out "I don't want to spend my time reading bad books."  There's only so many hours in a day, after all... So there you go, you gotta like the book enough to stay with it until the last page. 

Then, if you actually do finish the book, you want to have enjoyed it a fair bit.  As Anderson said, in essence, why would a reviewer want to spend any additional time thinking about or talking about something that ultimately was not enjoyable? 

This is logical: If you've been to the doctor's office for a pap test or prostate exam, do you really want to spend time afterwards reliving the moment, sharing it with your friends, reflecting on it further and writing about it?  (I guess the fact that a book gets reviewed at all is in itself something of an endorsement then.)

This isn't to say that Anderson (or other reviewers, who may in fact work quite differently from him), never pan anything.  But the book has to be bad enough to warrant being written about, if for no other reason than to "save decent people from surrendering $25 for a piece of crap." 

To be continued...

Recent Reads: Ladies Under Choke Rye

Ladies And Gentlemen The Bible! -  by Jonathan Goldstein
 My take on it:  Hilarious, though a tad tedious towards the end.  

 
 

  
Under The Volcano: A Novel - by Malcolm Lowry  
My take on it:  Hard work and heavy duty, but brilliantly written and evocative. 

 

 
 Choke - by Chuck Palahniuk   
My take on it: OMG - I loved it!  Fast & funny; I wolfed it down! 


 

  
Rabbit at Rest - by John Updike   
My take on it:  I love Harry Angstrom.  I've read the whole Rabbit series.   Loved all of them, old friends, neighbours, family.  I know these people.  

The Catcher in the Rye - by JD Salinger
This is a fantastic book and I really enjoyed re-reading it.   Worth another look if you only read it in high school.