Across the Stars and Ashes--Updates

Hello dearest readers and supporters.

It is with a heavy heart that I'm having to, for the first time, say that I won't have this release available on time. The date is being pushed back to December 18th instead (or as close to date as possible, whether before or shortly after). Reasons? I'm barely wrapping up the final-drafting. From there, I still like to have at least six-seven weeks at best for editing/revising, formatting, etc.

I have not been a good writer-person lately. :( The motivation left me for some time during the summer, causing me to barely get any work done. And there just have been many days when I wake up and feel like giving up entirely. Especially after recent events with how some bloggers and reviewers have been treated because of reviews. It makes my heart hurt because of me being a blogger also, and some of them are close friends, so it's caused me to just feel "blah" against two things I love dearly and mean the world to me lately.

However, thank you to my wonderful readers. I appreciate every one of you. I don't have many of you, but the support you've given me has been awesome. *hugs* And I do apologize once again for the slight delay in the release of Across the Stars and Ashes. It's coming! Don't worry! =)

To hold you over until then, here's a small teaser:


“I will kill you. Maybe not today, but I will see the feathers from your back fall. I will see the light leave your eyes. And I will enjoy every drop of your blood.”

“Oh such empty words from a vampire lying on the floor in silver chains,” he barked a laugh before reaching down to haul her back to her feet. Zarah winced as he clutched her against him. “Kathleen tried killing me also. To save Seth and your father. Obviously that worked so well. It only bought her time to hide for some years before I found her again.”

“There’s a difference between me and my mother,” she began. She watched his expression become quizzical, and his grip loosened enough through the confusion that she knew she had her opportunity. “I’m not my mother.” 

 


Thanks again everyone! I will post again soon. I have other things to post about... like Chasing Dirt Roads, which is releasing early next year! Annnddd and a new Super (Not Really That Much Of A Secret) Secret Project currently in the works for the coming year! =D

Love,
Pixie

Tweet Tweet

There was an interesting question raised on Twitter today by someone I follow.
It went something like this:

“If you’re a writer, and still review books, do you leave negative reviews?”


Well, I sat there for a good minute and thought this through. It affects me in some ways because I’m both an author and a reviewer. When I was about to publish a few months ago, I had a few people approach me and ask something similar, except it was in a more condescending way. This Tweeter was just curious about how authors/writers go about reviewing, if at all. When I was approached in a different manner about this, I was told it would be wrong of me to continue my blog as an author or aspiring writer. I was told I should shut it down and that if I ever left any kind of reviews again, no matter what I thought, they should be positive.

Um.
No.
Absolutely not.

But, Pixie, aren’t you worried that if you leave negative reviews, it’s going to backfire on your own work?

I responded to the above Tweeter’s question earlier. My first response had been a simple: No, I’m not worried at all. Before I published, I was a blogger/reviewer. I will happily continue doing what I do. Then tweeter asked if I thought it would impact my own reviews. I knew they were curious, and it was quite the interesting conversation. Enough so, that it’s made me create an entire post around it.

When they responded with that question, I had to stop and think again. Am I worried about a backfire? Will some fanatic of another author that I negatively review get mad at me and then go negatively review my work as payback? Or will a publisher look at me and think “unprofessional”?

Here’s my response:

If they do, then they do. It doesn’t bother me. Because guess what? Negative reviews don’t bother me. I won’t turn into a raving lunatic. I won’t attack you. You don’t have to wait around and see if you can get me to snap and see if I’ll be like some of those “others”, if you know what I’m saying. I’m just an honest person. If I don’t like what I read, I’m going to say I didn’t enjoy it. I’m going to say why. And that’s that. Why should I sugar-coat my ratings and reviews to please everyone? Why should I give up reviewing at all if it’s something I love doing?


So what do you think?

Do you think it’s okay to be an author and a reviewer?


With Love,
Pixie