I try hard not to read reviews of my stuff but sometimes I can't help it. This particular review set snuck up on me. It was a really, really bad review of the Apex Magazine companion issue to my newest anthology, Close Encounters of the Urban Kind. This is close to me because I chose the stories to be sent to Jason (who picked the ones he liked) and Jason bought my inspiration story for the anthology. One place hated the issue. Hated just about everything about it and hated my particular story, Snipe Hunting, so much that all they could say was that it should not have been included. The other place liked all of the stories, found them entertaining and gave the issue a big thumbs up.

When I read the bad one first (which, really, is the best way to go about these things), I got hot and flushed and embarrassed and thought, "Oh my god…" And then I clicked on the other link and found the other "we like it" review. I sat back and thought, "Well, at least someone liked it." Smiled, shook my head and then shared both reviews with a couple of friends.

I am slowly learning that if someone doesn't like my work it does not mean they hate me. They just did not like it for some reason. Ok. I can live with that. My husband may want to punch someone because he loves me and doesn't want me to hurt but… really, I'm OK.

I think that was the strangest thing to realize about these two reviews is that I'm OK with both of them. Not depressed about the bad one and not over the moon about the good one. Obviously, I prefer the good one but overall, everything is just the same. I'm finally learning how to deal with reviews on a much more objective level.

Still, sometimes I think about the strange lives that authors live; wearing their hearts on their sleeves and hoping people will love their work.