Hello gentle readers --

I'm now completely obsessed with this contest. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that for the next few weeks you'll have to indulge me.

My Publisher's Weekly and Amazon Top Reviewers reviews were posted yesterday. They were not glowing. Well, one was, but you have to hit "See other reviews" to see it! How's that for frustrating . . .

and the first of the Amazon Top Reviewers review has factual -are-you-sure-you-really-read-this info in it -- the review, who I will refer to as HE tho I don't know for sure -- commented on the scene where Sam's mother takes her apartment shopping, among other things (called Sam a hippie! I THINK NOT!) -- well, if Sam had that type of mother who would take her apartment shopping then there wouldn't be a novel. That simple. Didn't happen. Sam didn't even apartment shop. She made one phone call and arranged a space in a group house.

And the Publisher's Weekly reviewer said that having a good job and being in such awful debt stretched PLAUSIBILITY. Now, say it with me, BABY BOOMER. Really? Is that what you really think? HAVE YOU BEEN READING THE PAPER IN THE LAST 20 YEARS?

Sour grapes? Yeah, probably. Please still take time to write customer reviews -- no one knows for sure how Penguin is deciding what to read . . . the original rules said that only the top 100 would receive PW reviews -- and seeing that I got one and not everyone did, we can all see that as a good thing -- tho mine may not have been good enough to get me to the top 10 which will be announced on March 2.

Thanks for reading this far --
hildieblog

PS -- if you have no idea what I am talking about, on Jan 15 I was named an Amazon Breakthrough Semi-Finalist -- the 5,000 word excerpt is available for free download at
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012658EO


or at Amazon by searching Hildie Block if the link doesn't work. Part of the judging is based on the reader's reviews -- so please if you can take the time to write a review, especially one that points out that it IS perfectly PLAUSIBLE to have a job that is sudden and good and STILL be in horrible debt.