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.
