I’m very excited to report that this week’s edition of Publishers Weekly includes a review of Daughter of Aithne!

The review caught me a little by surprise. I’d submitted the novel at the beginning of 2017 using BookLife, the independent author platform managed by Publishers Weekly. My hope was to score a PW review in time for the novel’s release in May.

PW reviews are free, but there’s no guarantee they’ll select your novel. So when months went by without any news, I assumed that Daughter of Aithne had been passed over in favor of other books in the slush pile.

Then, about six weeks ago, BookLife informed me my novel had been selected for review. Woohoo!! Imagine my joy – and my angst!

It’s a great privilege to get the attention of PW, but nothing tweaks an author’s nerves like the prospect of an editorial review. I’ve long since learned to let reader reviews wash over me, but editorial reviews matter, because they are guaranteed to be seen by people – librarians, publishers, agents – who could play a significant role in getting your novel out to more readers. Editorial reviews are also critical to building a professional resume as an author.

And this editorial review is a good one.

PW describes Eolyn as a “standout character,” and states, among other positives, that “the best elements of love, war, and plotting” have been retained from my previous novels. The conclusion? “Fans of the trilogy won’t want to miss this hard-hitting finish.”

Did you hear that? My novel is hard-hitting! 

You can read the complete review on Publishers Weekly’s web site. 

This is a very exciting moment for me, and also one of deep satisfaction. I now have a complete set of editorial reviews from two highly respected sources. Both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly have considered all three novels of The Silver Web Trilogy, and both of them have been consistently positive in their analysis.

It’s a nice note to end the year on, and great way to start holidays. The closest feeling I can compare it to is drinking a cold beer at the end of a long days hike. Sure, the hike itself was rewarding, and I don’t really need anything more than that beautiful sunset over a mountain lake to believe the intense pain in my muscles was worth it, but hey, if someone wants to hand me a cold drink to top off the day?

By all means, pass that bottle my way!

It doesn’t get any better than this.