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I have to admit I was bummed. I received the first review of my book in the mail Friday. It was in an envelope from my publisher and arrived without warning so I opened. Our state chapter SCBWI leader, Esther, has always told us not to read reviews. But I had no idea what was in the envelope.

Part of the review was unkind--it said my "verse often falters annoyingly," which annoyed me to no end. But I was prepared to receive a less than favorable review because everyone doesn't like rhyming books and they are often held to a higher standard.

The part of the review that was just plain inaccurate, however, is the part that sent me to depression. "Bright colorful illustrations portray Shante's energy and determination to save her family tradition, but, of course, these seem to be miracle peas that don't need soaking overnight." DUH! These are FRESH peas, explained in the accompanying recipe, but even if they were dried peas, this is a misconception about soaking peas overnight.

So after about only an hour and one Dairy Queen ice cream cone, I figured out how to turn this lemon-filled review into lemonade. I'll keep you posted.

If you want to buy my book and judge for yourself, check it out on Amazon.com or contact your local bookseller. 


Shante Keys and the New Year's Peas 

A few years back I used to refer to Jane Yolen as my on-line mentor because I was obsessed with her On-line Writer's Journal. (If she knew I existed, she probably referred to me as her on-line stalker.) As with most of my obsessions, it finally burned itself out, and I don't go to her journal anywhere near as often as I used to. But the last couple of times I've been there I've found some very juicy stuff.

If you go to her Journal and scroll down to March 11, you'll see a fascinating post about how receiving no reviews for a book is far, far worse than receiving a bad review. Talk about "Telling the True."

Many years ago I was a member of a book club, and we were reading what I thought was a quite fascinating nonfiction book by a couple of professors at UConn. (I can't remember the title or the authors. Really.) It must have been my month to lead the discussion because I researched the book, looking for reviews, and couldn't find any. I asked my local librarian about it. How could there be no reviews for a book that was only a year or so old?

Her response? "The journals must not have thought the book was important enough to review."

I'm not scared of bad reviews. I would prefer not to get them, but I'm willing to take a punch because a bad review means your book is important enough to discuss. You're still a contender. But no reviews? That is my big fear.