The end of this month I will be releasing my two books, Magel’s Daughter and Magel’s Ghost. I am already gearing up for the reviews. To quote Jeff Goldblum in The Lost World, “Oh yeah, Oooh, ahhh, that’s how it always starts. Then later there’s running and screaming.”

Having been down this road before, I’ll share some of the things I’ve learned. First of all, the good reviews are so welcome. There’s nothing like approval. Then there are the bad reviews: here is where I start running and screaming. I find it interesting that in the past, when I’ve read my reviews on Goodreads, they post some self help which goes something like this: don’t take this personally, every author experiences a bad review. And please do not contact the reviewer to find out why they wrote what they did. Clearly, Goodreads understands and tries to talk the author down from the ledge. The advice is sound and helpful, but so is a large glass of wine with chocolate cake.

That said, when the dust settles, the bad reviews are the ones I learn from, and, like going to the dentist and having my teeth drilled or a colonoscopy, they are necessary. So I’m girding myself for the inevitable: a case of Pinot Noir, and Duncan Hines cake mix in hand.