Encouragements and Validations

I’ve just deleted the daily 20+ spam comments here at the Brassbright Chronicle, thus saving you from knockoff handbag and sneaker offers, as well as the “CEO” of various companies who promise to really make this site take off. Meh. It’s a chore but there’s no way I’m letting that beldercarb get posted. Actual, real comments are perfectly welcome though, and make a nice break from Discount Ray-Ban offers. Been a while since I’ve seen a pertinent comment come through, now that I think of it. No guilt or pressure though, and I’m staring at you with huge pleading eyes simply because I’d like a handful of your Cheetos, honestly.

A friend recently gave her young daughter a copy of The Flight to Brassbright as one of her Christmas presents, much to my delight, of course! I saw pictures of the girl reading my book at the dinner table, and hoped she might have a pithy, positive review to give me.  But kids are kids, and being asked to write a review probably sounds like being asked to do homework that will never count in school. I get that!  But, today I received this report from her mom:

While I have not heard any further comments from [Child’s Name] about the content of your book, it has taken up residence on her bedside table and I often find her up there reading it, even though she has finished it.  😀

NO review can top that. My day is made. I remember being her age, and what it was like to finish a book, and feel that craving to re-visit a world that had come alive for me. I think Larry Niven’s Ringworld series was my favorite… and I still love it.  I’d pick up those books again from time to time and read bits, occasionally opting to read it all again. It means so much to me that this child hasn’t stuffed my book into her bookshelf to gather dust, but is keeping it close and re-visiting it. There is no better reason than this to write.

Announcing my plans to be part of AnomalyCon as a guest author has been received with great enthusiasm!  When I said “I figure I will either fall over and die or else I will have finely tuned my con-skills by the end of this,” a friend retorted with “You’ll be a total Con Artist by the time you’re done!”

In other encouraging news, the 18th Annual Preditors and Editors Reader’s Poll results are in. The Flight To Brassbright ended up in the Top Ten in two categories—#3 in Steampunk and #7 in Young Adult novels. Fun!  Check out all the other categories too, and bulk up your reading list.