Goodreads and surreality
Last week, I did a series of Tweets in response to the #ShareYourRejection hashtag. In it, I talked about how I was rejected by over 50 agents before one signed me. Then, my book was rejected by every single editor in its first round of submissions. In its second round of submissions, only one editor wanted it. That editor was Erika Tsang from Avon/HarperCollins, and the book was Halfway to the Grave. Yesterday, my agent emailed me with the subject line of "Goodreads Top 50!" Of course, I clicked the link as fast as I could.
So yesterday, Goodreads posted a list of their top 50 Fantasy books, their requirements being a 4-star minimum rating plus an unspecified minimum number of reviews. I saw many iconic names in the list, such as J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings), C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia), Stephen King (The Stand, Green Mile), George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones), Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere, Sandman), as well as some of my current favorites (hi, BFF Ilona Andrews for the Kate Daniels series!), Patricia Briggs for the Mercy Thompson series, and Kim Harrison for the Hollows series. I also saw two of my all-time childhood favorites, Watership Down by Richard Adams and The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. I cannot tell you what those stories meant to me as a child and pre-teen. In fact, Winston the alcoholic ghost in Halfway to the Grave was inspired by the skeleton in The Last Unicorn that demanded an empty bottle of liquor so he could "remember" the taste before he'd tell the unicorn the fate of her people.
I mention all this so you can appreciate what I felt when I saw Halfway to the Grave listed among these books. I won't lie - I started to tear up a little. Then I hit "refresh" on the page a few times because I half expected to see my title disappear due to its listing being a mistake. It didn't (as of writing this, it's still there. Yes - I kept checking, heh.) Somehow, it not only has the required 4+ stars, it also has over 120K ratings from readers *faints.* Do I think it belongs among these iconic titles, some of which helped foster my love of fantasy and reading as a child? Of course not! Am I so, so thrilled that it's there anyway? YOU BETCHA.
Thank you, everyone who had a hand in this. You truly make dreams come true :). For the complete Top 50 Goodreads Fantasy list, go HERE .
So yesterday, Goodreads posted a list of their top 50 Fantasy books, their requirements being a 4-star minimum rating plus an unspecified minimum number of reviews. I saw many iconic names in the list, such as J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings), C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia), Stephen King (The Stand, Green Mile), George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones), Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere, Sandman), as well as some of my current favorites (hi, BFF Ilona Andrews for the Kate Daniels series!), Patricia Briggs for the Mercy Thompson series, and Kim Harrison for the Hollows series. I also saw two of my all-time childhood favorites, Watership Down by Richard Adams and The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. I cannot tell you what those stories meant to me as a child and pre-teen. In fact, Winston the alcoholic ghost in Halfway to the Grave was inspired by the skeleton in The Last Unicorn that demanded an empty bottle of liquor so he could "remember" the taste before he'd tell the unicorn the fate of her people.
I mention all this so you can appreciate what I felt when I saw Halfway to the Grave listed among these books. I won't lie - I started to tear up a little. Then I hit "refresh" on the page a few times because I half expected to see my title disappear due to its listing being a mistake. It didn't (as of writing this, it's still there. Yes - I kept checking, heh.) Somehow, it not only has the required 4+ stars, it also has over 120K ratings from readers *faints.* Do I think it belongs among these iconic titles, some of which helped foster my love of fantasy and reading as a child? Of course not! Am I so, so thrilled that it's there anyway? YOU BETCHA.
Thank you, everyone who had a hand in this. You truly make dreams come true :). For the complete Top 50 Goodreads Fantasy list, go HERE .
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Latasha
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Aug 21, 2018 08:41AM
You deserve it. Your books and characters are some of my favorites - and are definitely on my "favorites" shelf with all of those other books.
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Dude! Halfway to the Grave was like one of the first I got recommended and read when I was venturing out of the YA genre and into urban fantasy and paranormal romance and for good reason. I cannot recommend your Night Huntress Series enough! Trust me, you deserve your spot on that list!
Halfway to the Grave is the book I use as my 5 star benchmark when I review other books. I always ask myself if I liked this book as much as Halfway to the Grave, if not it doesn't get 5 stars! Thanks for sharing that world with us. I can never get enough Bones!
Super happy & ecstatic for Cat & Bones 💕 Congrats! 💕
You are absolutely a top 50 fantasy author!! Indubitably! In my PNR favorites, you are amongst them. I fell in love with you at Night Prince. I had no idea what the reading order was, where I actually started. I literally swallowed those four books and mourned that there were only four. Then Night Huntress was my newest obsession! I sincerely feel thank you for writing these books! I look forward to rereading them over and over. On my kindle and my complete paperbacks! If you ever go back to Night Prince, ooooh I would be so happy. Vlad Is one of my favorite characters in your books and in general as is Leila. And I couldn't stop rooting for Maximus!
In short, I was just as thrilled to see you on that list! You earned it! And overtime, the Night universe will be a revered classic.
Does your book belong aside King, Tolkien, etc.? You bet it does. I’ll NEVER forget Cat & Bones, one of my first paranormal series.
Years ago, a friend recommended I read your Night Huntress series. I sent her an email letting her know I'd started with One Foot in the Grave. Her immediate return email was in all caps and went something like..."STOP READING RIGHT NOW! YOU'RE READING OUT OF ORDER!"Yes, I took her advice, and went back to the beginning, met Bones for the first time and wanted to punch him in the face. I got over that impulse, eventually because, yeah, it's Bones.
I have LOVED every book...especially the ones that made me sweat, (chapter 32), and the ones that made me ugly cry, and all those times you went there and tortured the characters I love.
Does your book deserve to be on that list? ABSOLUTELY!
And CONGRATULATIONS!
This is so encouraging to read for any creator. It's so easy to get down after yourself after just a few rejections. But it doesn't mean your work isn't good enough or that there isn't an audience out there who will love it!
