My debut novel Unladylike Pursuits was recently reviewed by www.bookreviewcafe.com, and while I suppose I should be disappointed with both the review and the ranking (3 cups), I just can’t bring myself to feel that way. I’ve copied the entire review below…judge for yourself.

“This book is about a girl named Emily who lives in a world where women are raised to be proper ladies and marry men who are wealthy, so they can live in luxury. Emily doesn’t believe in this concept and starts to live her own life without any regrets.
The book is long-winded with description and slow. It reminded me of the Jane Austin novel Pride and Prejudice. The only thing I liked about the novel is that it stood up for women’s rights.
Bottom Line: This book is slow. If you like Jane Austin novels, you will like this one.”

As far as I’m concerned, being lumped in with Jane Austen on any level is just fine with me. That the reviewer happened to compare my novel to one of the classics (my own personal favorite) is icing on the cake.

I recently joined the ranks of self-published authors and in so doing, took on not only the tasks of publishing, but of marketing and promotion for my novel as well. Several friends and family members have joked that all I needed to do was have my novel get picked into “Oprah’s Book Club”. I assured everyone that my light-hearted, humorous historical romance was not the type of book Oprah was looking for.
And then I wondered…has Oprah ever selected a book that didn’t have deeper themes and darker emotions? Has she ever picked a pure romance? Has she ever even read a romance, and did she enjoy it?
Despite the huge fan base for romance novels of all sorts, the genre has been denigrated by critics and readers alike, plenty of which, I am certain, have never read even a single romance novel. I would suggest to Oprah that she open a discussion on the topic of escapist enjoyment to be found in romance novels. There is a romance novel for anyone and everyone searching for one. My brother has read (and enjoyed them). My husband has read my own romance novel through several stages of revision and raved about it each and every time. Supportive family members and friends all bought my book as soon as it was released, and even those who do not normally read romance novels all told me how much they had enjoyed it.

Why the stigma? What is so wrong with a happy ending or even a giggle? Can’t a book just be admired, loved, applauded because it lured you in, put a smile on your face, and kept you enthralled through 400 pages? Life is serious enough without insisting that all worthy reading materials be serious-minded too.

Come on, Oprah. Relax, lighten-up, live a little through a romance.

P.S. I, of course, would be happy to appear on the show as an author of romance living the American Dream.

Probably the least attractive feature of self-publishing. True, the decision to go it alone does have some distinct advantages, but having to store, invoice, package, and ship cartons of books is not one of them. The daily workout notwithstanding, I wasn’t really prepared for some of the issues I’d need to be dealing with. When books arrived from the printer, it was necessary to unpack and inspect ALL of them to check for printer problems and cover imperfections. Then they all needed to be repacked and stored until shipment. Whenever an order comes in, unless the order is for a full carton quantity, books need to be removed from the shipping boxes and packed in smaller ones to fill the order. And—heaven forbid—if there should be any returns, those all need to be inspected for damage in shipping, and then they need to get repackaged up and restocked.

Here in Texas the humidity and a little native creature called a silverfish can wreak havoc on paper products, books falling firmly into that category. Silverfish actually like the swelteringly hot and humid Texas weather, and paper is a delicacy, so I need to be extra careful. I’m in the process of re-inspecting my books for any signs that they’ve been the basis of a silverfish meal or have begun wilting in the heat, and so far, I’m in luck. There has been no damage to the books. But to avoid any future problems, I’m moving the books to a climate-controlled location with better bug control.

And while I’m hoping for full-carton quantity orders and no returns, I thank heaven for the genius who invented the handled packing tape tool.