Mad About the Boy

Hi Karen, This is convincingly done because of the protocol of the photo shoot and the difficulty of having the private conversation. That seemed real too and on the level - the business with Chris bringing a subplot into Elizabeth's subterfuge. I guess Elaine's motives are to free Marsha from Chris in telling all. It wouldn't work so well she stayed with Chris. This seems to dredge the process of these exposes. It's very well-rendered. Easily shelved - Katherine (The Swan Bonnet)

Your books have the consistency required for a best-selling author. The market is there and you are ideal for it. Paula Barrett (Cuthbert-how mean is my valley)

Dear Karen, I got so excited when I saw that you had backed, "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not." :) Thanks so very much. :) Since I have already backed your 3 books, I will put your book on my watchlist. Could you please take a moment to back my completed unedited memoir version, "Tell Me True Love Stories?" I'd be ever so grateful. :) Thank you from the bottom of my heart. :) Love, Susie :)
authonomy quote: "Every time you place a book on your bookshelf, your recommendation pushes the book up the rankings. And while that book sits on your bookshelf, your reputation as a talent spotter increases depending on how well that book performs."
Here is the response I received from authonomy concerning backing:
When you back a book, it only improves the ranking of that book, not yours. However, the author whose book you are backing may decide to back your book also, in which case yes, your ranking would be improved."

Dear Karen
I love your book cover, this was the first thing that drew me to your book. Then of course your long pitch just made so many promises that I had to start reading , which I did. I have not finished it yet, but will carry on and comment further down the road. Need less to say you are fulfilling those promises... so far your characters are just popping in and out of my head, quite obsessive, and a compliment to you for sure
SO I will back this now so that I can assist your climb to the top which I feel sure you will be before long
THE VERY BEST OF LUCK
with your book
and i really hope you find he time in all this to COMMENT (positive I hope) and BACK my book, but if you dont that is OK also.
Denise
The Letter

Dear Karen, I just backed your 3rd book & discovered your other 2, so am backing them, too - could you please back my 2 memoir books? Thank you from the bottom of my heart. :) Your heroine, Elisabeth's story is somewhat like mine & my mom giving up her son at 15 - lots of other similarities, too, to my memoir. Great write & I was wondering if it's based on fact. I cried a lot when I wrote mine. ;( Will go to your 3rd book, now. :)
Love, Susie :)

'Oh what a tangled web we weave....' Your writing reminds me of Jackie Collins and, just from the little I've read, I think this book has blockbusing potential.
Katy Christie
No Man No Cry

Yours is one of the most professionally written books on the site, Karen. Well done and backed. Cynthia Drew, Tabernacle

Karen: Good work on this - echoes of Sunset Boulevard. Backed. Cynthia Drew, Tabernacle

Well defined charcters and diolouge. That created a unique voice. C W

Hi Ariom

Thanks for the comments. This book has actually been published for almost two years!!! It has probably been edited since you read it as I uploaded it ages ago! I'm actually looking for comments on my new book The True Tale of Jezebel Cole.

Karen

I had a look at the first chapter (which made me want to read on, and I did) and although I think this has promise, I also think you need to work on it. Issues like punctuation, telling rather than showing etc can do with some attention. I’m also not too sure about Lizzie. She seemed to accept what Elaine said all too easily and also more or less admitted her true identity too quickly. I would have thought someone in her position would have been more concerned about retaining the role she had had written for herself. Anyway, this, of course, is just ‘in my opinion’ and may be useless. Nonetheless, I intend to read all four chapters. I’m quite fond of Lizzie!
The other comments you've had look to be useful. Yes, watch those pronouns and also the similarity of names. Look out for speech tags like uttered, blurted, sighed, etc … they might be better changed. (Just imo, of course!) When you edit, these things can be fixed. Good luck!
Ch 2 … argh! Guessed who the father was; this is sad and must have happened so many times. I like Bertie!
I think you ought to start promoting this; it’s not Great Literature, but it’s better than some I’ve read. But please don’t pay any more attention to me than you want; I also am unpublished

I had a look at the first chapter (which made me want to read on, and I did) and although I think this has promise, I also think you need to work on it. Issues like punctuation, telling rather than showing etc can do with some attention. I’m also not too sure about Lizzie. She seemed to accept what Elaine said all too easily and also more or less admitted her true identity too quickly. I would have thought someone in her position would have been more concerned about retaining the role she had had written for herself. Anyway, this, of course, is just ‘in my opinion’ and may be useless. Nonetheless, I intend to read all four chapters. I’m quite fond of Lizzie!
The other comments you've had look to be useful. Yes, watch those pronouns and also the similarity of names. Look out for speech tags like uttered, blurted, sighed, etc … they might be better changed. (Just imo, of course!) When you edit, these things can be fixed. Good luck!
Ch 2 … argh! Guessed who the father was; this is sad and must have happened so many times. I like Bertie!
I think you ought to start promoting this; it’s not Great Literature, but it’s better than some I’ve read. But please don’t pay any more attention to me than you want; I also am unpublished

This got me interested straight away, although like another person commented, I found the various 'she', similar names (Elaine, Elizabeth, Lizzie), and early references to quite a few different women initially a little confusing. I do worry a little that some of the characters may become a bit stereotypical cliches - depending on how they are developed. I would like to read more as you've set up various 'cliff hangers' that are intriquing.

also Karen, in your pitch:
'When her son Christopher, cheats on his fiance, she asks her journalist mother to write...'
the 'she' threw me a bit. I know it goes on to mention the expose on Lizzie, but to me it reads like the 'she' is Lizzie, not the fiance.
Simon

Hi Karen
this is not a genre I would normally read but I said I would on a forum thread of yours, so here I am!
and I have to say that despite this, I enjoyed the prologue - lots of questions raised and I like the way you presented a lot of backstory through dialogue, but I would save the juciest revelation for the last line, maybe adding, after the last question, 'Especially when that adoring public found out that....' or something like that.
I'm glad you've done this as a prologue, as I have one too. It's very short, under 400 words, but I'd be delighted if you had a look and gave me some feedback.
Good luck!
Simon

This looks good, Karen so I am listing it for a greater and more in-depth read. Do please take at the scandalous Lust Orders! Tell me what you think.
Best,
Sean