What I've learned in the past two weeks

A lot has happened over the last two weeks, and I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the lessons that I've learned.

1.  People can be mean- I've spent several hours over the past two weeks reading the 1-Star reviews of some of the most popular pieces of fiction.  Wow! People can be very mean. I suppose it is possible that I am just too nice, but I've never disliked a book so much that I felt the need to write a mean review.  In my opinion, if a book is horrible then I really don't want to spend my time writing about how bad it is.  Despite that, Amazon.com, and I suspect all the other online bookstores as well, are littered with the contemptuous ramblings of dissatisfied readers. 

2.  People can be funny- As much as I hate to admit it, some of the reviews that I read were quite humorous.  I can even be gracious enough to say that a few of the comments made about my books were a little witty.  Not everyone who dislikes a book chose to completely trash it.  Some people were able to find the humor in bad writing, lackluster plots, and unlikeable characters. 

3.  Character quirks don't always translate to the page-  If you are a fan of Grey's Anatomy then you will probably recall how the word "seriously" was pretty much a member of the cast the first two seasons.  Watching 'Ocean's Eleven', you can't help but be amused by the fact that Brad Pitt's character is eating in every scene.  Both of those quirky things came across well on the screen.  Cami's frequent eye rolling from 'A Week at the Beach' didn't quite translate well onto the page. Several people commented on the overuse of the eye rolling.  I don't know about you, but when I was in my twenties, I rolled my eyes at everything!  I work with girls in their twenties and an eye roll is a genuine response to every statement.  Often times, an eye roll is the punctuation that ends their own statements.  Quirks like these tend to be contagious, so the people around start to pick up on it and unwittingly add it to their own repertoire.  Unfortunately, that didn't come across on the page in 'A Week at the Beach'.  Don't worry, I don't blame anyone but myself.  Obviously my writing did not make this clear to the reader and therefore started to become an annoying habit of bad writing.  Sorry!

4.  Nothing makes people happier than cake pops.  I know that this has nothing to do with writing, but I did learn this over the past two weeks.  I'd also like to point out how sitting around eating cake pops with a bunch of women quickly turns into a giggle session about balls!  ;-)

5.  Lastly...It feels weird and almost uncomfortable to use this word, but I can't think of any other way to say this and I feel it is important to make this known. 

I have the best fans in the world!

Whether it is people leaving comments on Amazon.com, Goodreads.com, following me on Twitter, friending me on Facebook, or even those of you who have stopped by this blog to read my ramblings and leave a comment, my "fans" are amazing!  When I read the wonderful things that you have said about my books, I can't help but be humbled and pleased that I have made you smile, laugh, and even cry.  Thank you!  You make me believe in this crazy idea of publishing my little books.