X-citing Review

Yeah, I'm cheating, right? Oh well. I started with X.

Every time I think about the review Publisher's Weekly gave my book White as Snow, I get giddy and excited inside. In the beginning, there is so little payback as an author. I really needed this confidence boost.

Here's what Publisher's Weekly says about my book:

"This retelling of a classic fairy tale features Branca, the 16-year-old princess of Irena, who feels overwhelmed by her position as heir to the throne. As Branca ponders her future as Queen and her duties to the nation, her stepmother Cinthia is busy devising ways to kill the young princess and establish her son as the new heir. Shedding her guise as the perfect parent, Cinthia uses magic to enslave the mind of the head groomsman, hypnotizing him to kill Branca. But Branca escapes through Cinthia's magic mirror, using its powers to travel into the past. There, she becomes a surrogate mother to seven orphan boys and falls in love with a man who is betrothed to another woman. But even living in the past, Branca's life is in danger when Cinithia sends people and evil magic spells through the mirror to destroy her stepdaughter. Though this novel doesn't break new ground, it does add something different to the genre of twisted fairy tales, combining time travel with romance and magic. There is enough action to keep the plot moving and skillfully developed characters with understandable motivations and reactions add to the depth of the story."

I just love that review. It makes me feel so good, I'm flying high! Sure, it's not about Perilous, the YA novel I just got published. But if I'm a good writer, I'm a good writer. This week I feel successful, and I'm happy about that.