Reviewers Are The Bee’s Knees!

Once again I have revised my book - The Story of Rachel. For the third time. I want to thank the people who reviewed this book in December up until now. Reviewers are like colonies of bees pollinating the literary fields - they promote growth. Of course the comments sting sometimes. But they can also spur a new author, who takes heed and who cares that their work is absolutely the best they can do, to re-work it once more. Believe me, I feel like I have worked on this book for about a million times.
But your comments almost consistently, flamed Tinderbox and Ladylike. (pun intended) Some people found their antics amusing but most people commented that it was too much like ‘the inner goddess’. Having a degree in psychology, my thought was Freud’s id, ego and superego. But the reviewer buzz was to ditch them. So farewell Tinderbox and Ladylike.
Another comment concerned ‘head hopping’. I’ve have been reading about first person POV and deep third POV. And I totally GET the reviewer complaint. I have gone through the book and removed the legs from my keyboard which had been crouched ready to hop into anyone’s head who would allow it in. Or is the analogy more like an Exorcism of a head hopping demon. I don’t know but it’s gone now. And again that is thanks to the reviewers and what I have learned.
So keep reading and commenting reviewers because you help us writers hone the craft and produce better work.

Pandora

Why did I choose a sex club set in Canada’s largest city - Toronto - to be the backdrop and common thread linking my three books? It is, after all just an adult playground, totally fictitious. Don’t visit Toronto and try to find it in the yellow pages. When I wrote the books, I had in mind a setting like Eyes Wide Shut for the elegance of the setting but without the dark, underlying theme.

I’ve done a little research and now I know that Eyes Wide Shut is based on a novella written by Arthur Schnitzler - Dream Story - in 1926. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157409.Dream_Story?auto_login_attempted=true

Of course, I have placed this book on my reading list. According to the description, It is the story of a married male doctor’s dream, part of which involves visiting a secret sex club and making hard choices. The fact that Arthur Schnitzler was a close friend of Sigmund Freud’s adds to the appeal. I was a Psych major in university.

And then there’s the Greek legend of Pandora. She was the first woman created by the gods, endowed with beauty and wisdom. She was given a box and forbidden to open it. Of course she was curious. Who wouldn't be? Just one peek? She opens it and all manner of evil fly out to plague mankind. She despairs at what she has done but there was one item in the box she discovers hadn't escaped. HOPE. Hope for mankind in dealing with the evil and hardship.

And this is where my three books come in. Hope for love when it seems to have passed by my main characters. And hope wins out. At the risk of getting schmaltzy, this mirrors my own life. Not that I’m going to orgies with Tom Cruise. He’s never asked. But that I didn't give up hope, found the love of my life in Desmond and am now living my dream life, writing and creating.

So what about you, fellow writer? Is there a movie which has inspired your writing, or a book? And readers, is there a book you would like to see made into a movie? As a reader myself, how about Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series of books made into a movie.  There’s always hope, right?