Praise for Queen of None from Publishers Weekly

You know I’m pleased when they call me clever.

The review for Queen of None from Publishers Weekly just went live, and I’m still grinning. Is the validation required for writing? No. Does it help? Absolutely. Are things right now a trash fire and this is a much-needed moment of fresh air? You betcha.

 “…a layered, engaging retelling sure to please fans of the Arthurian tales.”

Publishers Weekly

I wrote a bit of a longer piece on Facebook about this, and the review process, so I’ll paraphrase here: your writing career is not one review, or even ten reviews. If you want a career in writing, you’ve got to learn to roll with the punches, to keep going even when you feel like you can’t, and to grow. It’s been nine years since I had a book reviewed at Publishers Weekly. I remember, as a baby writer, seeing friends of mine have their books reviewed there, and it felt like this tremendous accomplishment.

There are dozens of times I wanted to give up on Queen of None. The book required many revisions over many years, and the fact that it’s here now is pretty remarkable. But I learned to keep believing in this story, in these characters, and in the hope that other people might connect with them, too. And reviews aren’t that, exactly, but they help to work as guideposts to lead people to your story.