I was talking to my sister over the weekend, the number one self professed fan of my books, and I casually asked her; “Have you reviewed it yet?”

“Oops, no! Where and how do I do that?”

I know a lot of readers who use Goodreads and refer Goodreads friends to books they’ve read and enjoyed. I do it myself, I like to know what’s out there that’s in the same field of interest I have and whether or not they enjoyed a new author.

And I do something you are probably guilty of too.

I don’t review all the author’s books I’ve read.

Which isn’t a bad thing, I don’t know about you but I’m an avid reader and I don’t always jump up and down about every book I read. It may be OK, or a new favourite that I’ll buy the next in the series when I get paid. Or maybe the pay after this one.

Now I get to be on the other end of the spectrum and I can tell you how I felt after I got my first five star review. Over the moon! I couldn’t have been more excited, I wanted to leap through the computer and hug some random stranger who liked my book that much. I got more reviews from friends and family I recognised, and more from strangers.

In a way I’ve been lucky in that I haven’t got a bad review yet, but I don’t expect everyone to like my book so I know that it is coming, and I’m going to try very hard to stay away from the scorpion pit when it happens.

Like my book or not, if you have read it please review it, but not just me, any author you’ve loved, liked, obsessed with, didn’t like even, it’s important to review it. There were so many books now that I have been to review and found a host of one star ratings and people unhappy with it, even though others like myself loved it. We are all different people with different likes and dislikes and opinions. And that’s completely OK.

If you love an author’s work, write a review.

You never know when you are making their day.

The Last Prophecy went to the editor last weekend which is why there was no update last week.

I was sitting there, sipping champagne, and thinking it was good, and while I’m sure Scott will come back with all the little changes that perfect it I’m *very* happy with the storyline and I can’t wait to start telling you about it.

But not yet…

Release is planned for April at this stage, depending on a few things.

That will mean the first two novellas in the series are done, and now I can get cracking on the first book. If it was going to be the size of novella I’d be doing well. But it really isn’t.

What’s fun is the research; pirates, sea monsters…. treasure!

Oh yes, precious, treasure.

Depends if you want it or not….

The Well of Youth is becoming an exciting book to write with all sorts of hidden depths and challenges for the characters, but is the groundwork for much to come, hiding in the shadows, which will eventually come to light, whether or not we are ready for them.

On another note I have been periodically thrilled when the ratings for the book shoots up and suddenly I’m number #15 on the steampunk list for Kobo, or the top #100 steampunk books on Kindle. And furthermore the book sold 100 copies, which I may or may not have danced around the study at 6am one morning, and had to be convinced it wasn’t a good time for champagne. Still not convinced.

Thank you to all those who bought it, and thank you for the reviews!