Chris asked L.E. Modesitt Jr.:

As an author who has such a large and loyal following (including myself), I'm curious if the constant praise, thanks and admiration ever become old or tiresome to you?

L.E. Modesitt Jr. No... but it's not all "constant praise, thanks, and admiration." Thankfully, the majority of comments I receive are indeed positive, but not all of them are by any measure. As most other authors I know will admit, if only privately, one nasty comment stings far more than five positive ones help. Objectively speaking, that shouldn't be so, but I have to admit that it still feels that way. Also, I get a number of comments to the effect of "good, but it's not up to [my favorite, his best, what he's capable of, etc.]" That's a positive comment, but...

Then there's the fact that my first professional sale was in 1972, and I didn't start getting all of the positive feedback until the early to mid-1990s. You do tend to remember all those years of writing essentially in a vacuum. And I certainly don't mind hearing that what I write brings pleasure to readers; that's one of the major reasons that I can keep writing, because if people don't enjoy what I write, the publisher won't keep publishing my work.

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