As a debut author, one of the questions I get asked a lot is, “How do you deal with negative reviews?” That’s an interesting query, on a number of levels. Because one of the things I’ve realized is how much reading, as an activity, has changed with the advent of the internet.

When I was a child, I was a very precocious reader who read “adult” books very early. In middle school (and to this day), one of my favorite series was Mercedes Lackey’s Last Herald Mage trilogy. I adored that book, loved Vanyel, wanted more than anything to have a Companion, and absolutely worshipped Mercedes Lackey.

So I did what any twelve-year-old fan worth her Whites did at the time: I joined Misty’s newsletter, became a “Herald” by penning some bad poems and drawing a picture of my Companion, and started writing to other fans. (more…)