• About
  • Book 1: Rider’s Revenge
  • Book 2: Rider’s Rescue
  • Book 3: Rider’s Resolve

Alessandra Clarke

~ Author of The Rider's Revenge Trilogy

Alessandra Clarke

Tag Archives: reading

About Reviews

27 Friday May 2016

Posted by Alessandra Clarke in Rider's Revenge

≈ Comments Off on About Reviews

Tags

books, reading, reviews, thank you, writing

So, first, in case anyone is wondering, book two in the series is coming along amazingly well.  Cover artist is hard at work on the new cover which I hope will be even better than the first one and I’m chugging along on edits.  Well, writing and edits, because I did a pretty significant overhaul of the first draft.

Also, Rider’s Revenge is in the self-publishing fantasy blog-off and it made the first cut in its group of thirty being reviewed by Pornokitsch.  So, yay!

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about today.

I’m here to talk about reviews.

A couple weeks ago I had a lovely woman reach out to me about Rider’s Revenge.  She’d just finished it and loved it and wanted to tell me and ask when the sequel would be out.  Which, by the way, MAKES MY DAY every single time it happens.  To think that someone read something I wrote and liked it enough to tell me about it is just wonderful.

Never hesitate to reach out to an author if you loved what they wrote.  Sometimes those little moments of encouragement are all we have to keep us going through until the release of the next novel.

(Having said that, I’m not that kind of reader, so never feel obligated.  But if the urge hits you, do it.)

Anyway. I wrote her back and thanked her and said I’d noticed that she’d left a wonderful review of it and I was so pleased with that.  She responded with a comment that sort of pooh-poohed her review because she wasn’t as good a writer as me.

So I wanted to address that for her and for anyone else who ever doubts themselves.

First, when it comes to a review, I, as a reader  and as a writer, am never going to judge anyone by how they construct their sentences or what words they choose or whether they place their commas in the correct place.  And anyone who does do that is not someone you should spare a moment’s thought for.

Because it’s not the words you choose that matter to me, it’s the sincerity of the emotion behind what you say.  Good or bad, love it or hate it, if how you really felt shines through in what you say, that’s the best possible review.

We may not agree.  I’m sure there are people who’ve hated books I loved. (War and Peace, anyone?)  But I’d rather we disagree and you put out there something real and authentic than that you don’t speak at all or write something forgettable but agreeable.

Let me also say that, as a writer, I’m not going to judge a review by the number of stars you give. You can like a book enough to review it and not think it’s five-star worthy and that’s okay.

As a matter of fact, sometimes people don’t trust a book that has all four or five-star reviews.  They think it’s just the author’s friends putting up reviews.  So put up whatever rating you want.  It’s your opinion and that’s what counts.

And for anyone who does review my book, thank you.  Not only for taking the time to read something I wrote, but for taking even more time to share what you thought about it.  I don’t directly respond to reviews, because I think that’s something for readers to share with one another, but I do appreciate every single one.

So if you ever are motivated to review a book, don’t hesitate.  Do it.  It’s valuable to the author and it’s valuable to other readers.

Why Are So Many Characters In Books Orphans?

18 Tuesday Aug 2015

Posted by Alessandra Clarke in Reading Related

≈ Comments Off on Why Are So Many Characters In Books Orphans?

Tags

loss as character motivation, most people wouldn't want to do what main characters have to, reading, writing

I look back at the books I’ve read over the years and so many of the characters are orphans.  Or they’ve lost a spouse or sibling or child or best friend or everyone they ever loved.  (Looking at you GRRM.)

It never bothered me too much.  (Except for how NCIS seems to kill off a strong secondary female character every time they need a little extra juice in their story line.)  But it was something I noticed.

When I started writing, I really had to think about this.  Because when you first start writing you want to be unique and different and not do the same thing a hundred people before you have done.

But, see, here’s the deal.  Loss equals change.  Especially traumatic loss.  It shakes us out of our every day and forces us onto new paths we wouldn’t have taken otherwise.

And those orphans?  Well, there aren’t any parents around to protect them or save them.  They have to face challenges on their own because they have no other choice.  There also aren’t ties to bind them to home so they can run away at a moment’s notice.

Walk up to a lonely, isolated orphan and say, “Want to get away from here and save the world and be the hero and be adored by everyone?” chances are the answer will be yes.

Walk up to a child who is well-loved and well-protected with a strong family and strong community around them and ask the same question and they’ll either want to ask their parents’ permission (who will say no) or they’ll pass.  Because why risk everything they have on some potentially catastrophic adventure?  And when it does go bad (as things must in all good stories), why not just turn around and go back home?

The best characters, the ones who persevere and push through challenge after challenge, are the ones who have nothing to go back to or are so driven by their loss that they can’t imagine stopping before the end.

So, that’s why I think so many main characters are orphans.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives

Categories

January 2023
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Mar    

Category Cloud

Reading Related Rider's Rescue Rider's Resolve Rider's Revenge Uncategorized

Notice

This site uses affiliate links, so if you click on a product link from this site and purchase a product the owner of the site may be compensated for directing you to that vendor.

Publication Day!October 1, 2015
Aaaand Publish!

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Alessandra Clarke
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Alessandra Clarke
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy