I spoke too soon.

Having made several snide remarks about customer reviews on amazon (well, I've had some unfair ones and those somehow stay with you), I now take it all back.

I just (Feb. 10) got a delightful review of ISLAND OF EXILES from a total stranger who is not a regular reviewer and who could not have had anything in mind except to offer a thank-you for an enjoyable read. And that makes this one of the best reviews I ever got, including those from professional…

Most of my days are ordinary. Occasionally, there's a depressing one, but that feeling tends to pass with work.

So I like to mark days when hopeful things happen, and today two happened in one morning:

1. I typed "The End" for my new novel, feeling pretty good about it -- even though plenty of small changes loom for another month.

2. I signed two contracts, one for translation rights for two novels, and one for audio recording rights for five.

It would be nice if…