What's Happening #1

What's Happening will be taking the place of Update Thursday. I found a new meme I might want to participate in on Thursdays, and even if I don't do it regularly, sometimes it's a rush to post on Thursdays, so this post will either be Thursday or Friday from now on (or maybe even sometimes Saturday, depending on my blog schedule and how busy I am). It's going to be the exact same format as Update Thursday.

  

 

 Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown {GoodReads}

I only finished reading one book this week. I enjoyed it but not nearly as much as the first book in the series, Lies Beneath. Deep Betrayal was really slow and I wasn't sure where it was going most of the time. It took me over a week to read it which is just nuts.  

 

Will & Kate by Alice Hudson {GoodReads}

Mind Games by Kiersten White {GoodReads}

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts {GoodReads}

I reviewed The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark and gave it four stars. It was a really unique, compelling, sexy (holy GUH, it was sexy) adult paranormal read.

I'm participating in Bout of Books 6.0 this week. All my goals, updates, and challenge answers are in this post.

I reviewed Belles by Jen Calonita and gave it three stars. It was okay, but really predictable and a tad juvenile for my tastes. I think younger readers might enjoy it more - I just couldn't relate to the characters.

I participated in Top Ten Tuesday for the first time in ages and talked about my bookish goals for 2013.

I participated in the cover reveal for Winter Queen by Amber Argyle. You guys seriously need to check out this cover, it is stunning.

I participated in Throwback Thursday and spotlighted Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Music Monday has been moved to my author blog - this week's song was from my personal soundtrack for the The Game Changer.

I've started a weekly writing recap on my author blog, but I'll just mention that I finished writing my Christmas novella last Friday, and I've started revising book #3. For more details, and to find out how I found my beta readers for the third book, check out this week's recap on my author blog.

*Some exciting news in my personal life: my brother and sister-in-law found out the sex of their baby on Monday and...it's a girl!!! I'm so excited I could burst. I've wanted a niece for so long, and I'm finally going to get my wish! I talk about it more and share a sonogram picture on my personal blog. 

*The Bachelor and Downton Abbey started up again this week. I wasn't sure if I'd be watching this season of The Bachelor until I found out it was Sean - YUM. I loved him on Emily's season and hoped he'd be the next bachelor, so I had to watch. I've been going through major Downton Abbey withdrawals for months, so I was glad to be reunited with the Granthams and all the other characters.

*I got a new camera on Monday - hence all the new blog graphics (you'll be seeing more in the coming weeks). I've been playing around with it a lot, doing test shots and little photo shoots with my books and stuff. I'd still love to own a DSLR someday, but for now a point and shoot with 16 megapixels (my old camera had 7) is good enough for me!

*The one-year anniversary of Blue Sky Days is next week, and I'm working on something special to celebrate. I'm thinking...giveaways? Yes, giveaways with an S! I just need to iron out the details.

How has your week been? Any plans for the weekend? What have you been reading?

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2012 A to Z Blogging Challenge: Developing a thick skin

Check out the A to Z Challenge!

Developing a thick skin is basically a necessity for any artist, whether you’re a writer, a painter, a musician, or whatever. Not everyone likes the same things or shares the same opinions, and some people are very vocal about their opinions, good or bad.

It’s not easy to put your work out there and know that people are going to judge it and possibly tear it apart. As a writer, you may think you have the greatest story ever, but reviewers might rip it to pieces and give it terrible reviews. I speak from experience when I say this is painful. People say not to take it personally - it’s your work that’s being judged, not you, but it can be really hard not to take it personally, especially when some people are just plain nasty. You’ll likely hear most writers say that their books are their babies, and for me that’s true. Writing is something you pour your heart and soul into - not to mention endless lonely hours in front of a screen or notebook - and because it’s such a personal thing, it can be hard to separate yourself from it.

Here’s what I’ve learned: basically, you need to make up your mind not to let things bother you. If you’re proud of your work, that’s what really matters. Even if you have a very small following, that’s better than nothing, right? Ever since Blue Sky Days came out in January, I’ve obsessively checked the ratings on GoodReads. The initial reviews were amazing - I had so many 5 star reviews, I was floored and excited and incredibly humbled. Then the negative reviews started coming in, and even though I knew they were inevitable - whether because people just didn’t enjoy the story, or because some people are just contrary and give everything a negative review - it was difficult for me to watch my star ratings drop and read the negative comments.

I’m a pretty sensitive person in general, but I’m very proud of myself for learning to develop a thicker skin. I’ve decided I’m going to have to stop reading the reviews. It’s as simple as that. The negative reviews are basically all the same, and I don’t need to hear in a million different ways that the story had issues. I see that now. I’m trying not to let it haunt me. If I could go back and change those things, I would, but there’s not much I can do about it now except take it as a learning experience - hone my craft, work harder, become a better writer, and appreciate that although there are negative reviews, there are also a lot of people who loved the book and who were deeply touched by it. Those are the reviews I reread when I’m feeling down or when I need to remember that I’m living my dream.

On a lighter note: D is also for Downton Abbey, one of my current obsessions. I just finished watching season one on Vision TV (in Canada) last Wednesday, and tonight is the premier of season two - woohoo! I'm so hooked! I love how we get to see inside the characters' lives and discover that scandalous things happen whether you're rich or poor. It's just pure brilliance in my opinion. Anyone else watch?

 

Do you consider yourself thick-skinned? Why or why not? What’s your advice to other people when it comes to developing a thicker skin?