I've been terrible about keeping this blog current, and I apologize. Time just seems to dash away with me, especially as the publication date for THE LAST QUEEN looms ever closer and a myriad unexpected details that require my attention begin to pop up, from marketing to publicity to my own ceaseless nerves.

 But, I did get some good news last week. My first official review appeared in Publishers Weekly and everyone at my publishing house (Ballantine Books) was thrilled. The galleys had gone out only recently, so I was surprised that a review had already appeared. I was also taken aback by its generosity; I suppose, had I know it was forthcoming so soon, I'd have had more time to really work myself into a froth over the possible implications of a less laudatory review. I've been warned by fellow writers - each more established than me - that these reviews can "make or break" a new writer's career. That in of itself seems rather unfair: I mean, is not reading subjective? How can a mere review determine the fate of a writer?

Well, apparently, it can - and often does. More and more, overworked booksellers and librarians are looking at these reviews from the four big sources - Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist and Library Journal -to decide which books to buy and/or stock their shelves. The marketplace is crowded; space in physical outlets is shrinking; independent stores are struggling. No bookstore can stock every book published, and reviews assist buyers to make decisions regarding their merchandise. 

It's hard for me, both as a reader and a writer, to regard books as "merchandise", though in fact that is exactly what they are in the commercial setting. To me, the copy I buy is unique, imbued with the magic of words meant for me alone. I tend to forget at least another 5,000 copies sit elsewhere, waiting for other besotted readers to make them their own. I suppose it's just as well that I can persist to some extent in my own naivete: I do have a marketing background that will help me immeasurably to hit the ground running, so to speak, when my book is released; yet to retain some of that wonder I've always had when I see a book will also help buoy me past the crueler shoals of the big bad world of large scale publishing and sales.

Anyway, so I got congratulatory e-mails and a good PW review. It should have been *starred", my associates lament. Honestly, I'm rather pleased I glided gracefully past this particular shoal, seeing as it could have sunk my ship.

If you want to read the review, here's the link. Scroll down until you find THE LAST QUEEN: 

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6549912.html