In the comments to my last post, I received this very kind response from a reader named Imara:
"James I just finished Dragonforge and I didn't think there was any way I would like it as much as I liked Bitterwood - boy was I wrong. Your books are awesome I love the character development, the way you weave the plots, the underlying cutural/societal/enviromental references, the way you mixed fantasy (my beloved) and sci fi (yuk) and made it work!!! I mean I could go on and on. Thank you so much for writing these books and I am sooo looking forward to then next. And if you still need more reviewers I would love to volunteer. I am currently reviewing my cousin's work who is an up and comming fantasy author."
Imara, by all means, I'd love for you to post a review of the book on Amazon (or, if you blog, on your blog). Obviously, you already have a copy of the book, but if you want to email me at the above address, I'll be glad to send you a free Dragonforge button if you review the book.
Once I turn in the third book of the trilogy, Dragonseed, I'm not under contract to write any further books. But, this will quite possibly change, and one sure fire way to see more books based in the Dragon Age is if my publisher, Solaris, sees a strong fan reaction to these books. Every review posted on Amazon, no matter whether it's positive or negative, shows my publisher that the books are finding an audience and getting a reaction. And, if shoppers browsing on Amazon see a book has a lot of reviews, it's likely to make them all the more interested in reading the book themselves. Even if people don't sit and read through dozens of reviews, the mere fact that readers care enough to post comments about it sends a signal that the book has substance to it.
The great thing about the age we live in is that readers have more power than ever to let publishers know what they think of various books. Amazon reviews, Barnes and Noble reviews, blogging, podcasts, and probably outlets I'm not even thinking off all add up to buzz, and buzz sells books. As an author, let me state that each and every mention of the book online is appreciated. If anyone bothered to try to leaf through the rather chunky acknowledgements at the end of Dragonforge, you'll find I tried to acknowledge as many bloggers and online reviewers of Bitterwood as possible. I'll be repeating this in Dragonseed. So, go forth and review, Imara, and any other fans of the series. The future of the Dragon Age is in your hands!
2 comments:
I'm rather ashamed to say that while I'd convinced myself that I would save Dragonforge for what promises to be a very boring 4th of July alone at work, I was simply unable to keep myself away.
Devoured all in one sitting, I was not disappointed in the least by this newest entry. During the course of my reading I laughed very hard. I also worried deeply. I truly enjoy that the quality of your writing forces us to treat your each and every one of your characters as individuals no matter what their race, making it oh-so-easy to find myself attached and sometimes just as repelled.
It's a extremely cohesive, highly original - and most importantly, exquisitely enjoyable universe you've created. As a fan of fantasy and a Dragon enthusiast, the quality I appreciate most is that there's simply nothing else quite like it. It's with a deep twinge of selfishness that I say hope you write many more.
The world of Bitterwood is one I'm sure I'll be revisiting many times.
Thanks, Thunder! I'm really impressed you read it all in one sitting. You must be a much faster reader than I am. Of course, honestly, I have no idea how long I would need to read one of my own books. Before the books are in print, I can't read them as a reader because I'm constantly revising. After they come out, I don't read them because I'm still finding sentences I could have rephrased, or a beat in the dialogue I could have handled better, and these things keep me awake at night. I'm coming up on the five year anniversary of my first published novel, Nobody Gets the Girl. I'm thinking I might try reading it finally. I've heard good things about it; it sounds like the sort of book I'd be interested in....
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