Getting a review is never easy—whether it’s a school exam, a performance review at work, or results in a competition. Personally, I find the most difficult part to be that time in between submission and discovering the outcome.

Awaiting feedback is particularly difficult when it comes to creative pursuits like books. The moment you hit “submit,” it’s out there in the world. First, there’s relief: “Yay! I’m finally done!!” Then, the little questioning voice rises from the depths: “Will they like it? Should I have done anything differently?” During this time, a person can run through every possible scenario—from the book becoming an overnight success, to NO ONE buying it. In reality, the results are most likely going to be somewhere in the middle. Yet, our minds tend to go to the extremes, despite best intentions to remain rational. For this reason, I find that this waiting period is one of the most difficult parts of the publication process. I want to know where my work stands in reality, rather than losing myself to far-fetched “what ifs.”

Eventually, the reviews do come. I won’t count those initial gushing reviews from family and close friends, because there’s an element of obligation there. What’s truly exciting and rewarding is getting the first review from a total stranger—and, having them genuinely like it. Whether we admit it or not, that kind of validation is a dream come true.

But, not every bit of feedback is going to be positive. While I certainly don’t take a critique on my writing as a reflection on me personally, it does require a thick skin to hear someone say your work was just “okay”—or worse yet, actual dislike it. I choose to take such commentary as an opportunity to identify the specific ways I can improve going forward. But, after spending thousands of hours creating something, a negative review still stings.

Through it all, I know that I can only grow as a writer by taking a hard look at the weak elements in my storytelling and presentation. Outside feedback is a valuable component of that honest assessment. Any writer that wants to grow needs to be willing to take the bad with the good. So, I listen to it all. Some people just might not like the series and my style, and that’s okay. The key, for me, is to find the middle ground of creating something that I’m proud to call mine while still finding an audience.

And so, I wait. I would not consider the nine reviews I have on Amazon at present to be a representative sample. I am eager to hear what my readers like, and what they’d like to see in the future. I know I can’t please everyone, but I will try to be my best (channeling some “Dollhouse” here :-)).

Thank you for all the support, and I look forward to your feedback!