I just checked the comments on my last blog entry about becoming an Amazon reviewer. I. J. Parker and John Dishon questioned why I'd want to review my own book, and warned that it could destroy my credibility. So I'm hereby clarifying: no, I didn't review my own book on Amazon, but I did post some biographical information under the heading "Please allow me to introduce myself." (Mick Jagger's "Sympathy for the Devil" was running through my head, but I didn't source the quote - probably another… Continue

Today I finally threaded my way through the convoluted process of becoming an approved Amazon reviewer. My first official act was to award myself a five-star review for Eldercide. I'll have to wait 48 hours to see if it goes through or if they're picky enough to catch the blatant self-promotion and maybe ban me forever.



To be a reviewer in good standing, you also have to surrender your credit card number and to have purchased books from Amazon in the relatively recent past. I… Continue

Tonight I got drawn into some forum threads about self-publishing and POD. Some of the disparaging comments kicked my adrenaline into overdrive. People choose print-on-demand for all sorts of reasons. It doesn't necessarily mean they're bad writers; perhaps they simply lack the armadillo armor necessary to persevere through the traditional channels. At least that's true of me.



In one of my comments, I mentioned my publisher, Virtualbookworm, as producing high-quality products. The… Continue

Through our Mavens chapter of Sisters in Crime, I've come to know the wonderful mystery writer Nancy Means Wright. She posted the following review of my first novel, Mood Swing: The Bipolar Murders, on Amazon, and since BSP is OK on our personal blogs, I'm posting it almost in its entirety:



I began this novel with trepidation - like many others, I'm a little in awe, a little uncomfortable with people with "mood swings." But as I read this terrific novel and got to know the… Continue