The Encouraging Word

When people find out I write fiction, I usually get a variety of reactions.  Some are "Oh, that's nice!" while others say "Listen, I've got a great idea for a story. Let me tell it to you, then you write and we'll split the profits."  Every once in a while, you'll get someone who says, "I'm going to write a book too," as if putting a good story together is as easy as making toast.

But every once in a while, you get a reaction that makes all of your efforts worthwhile. I was fortunate enough to have that happen to me twice last week.

One was a reader who had picked up a copy of "Devious" the first book in the Jamie Richmond series.  She enjoyed it so much, she couldn't wait to get her hands on "Vanishing Act" the second book in the series. And she even went so far as to write a nice review on Amazon and give the book a 5 star rating. Ya gotta love that.

The second one was from author M S Spencer, who writes some very engaging stories and has a knack for creating memorable, believable characters. Truth be told, I've read a couple of her novels, "Lapses of Memory" and "Artful Dodging: The Torpedo Factory Murders" and thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

We've traded a few messages in the past and I asked if she would be interested in doing an early read for "Why 319?"  After some delightful banter and complaints about her busy schedule, Spencer agreed to take a look.  This was the comment she sent when finishing the book.

"If you’re looking for a riveting police procedural, pick up Mark Love’s new murder mystery, Why 319? Fast-paced, authentic, with a slew of distinctive characters and an unconventional mystery, the story’s twists and turns (not to mention a few backtracks) kept me guessing way too long."

Encouraging words like that not only bring a smile to a writer's face and a fist pumped into the air, but it also motivates me to keep writing.  If you'd like to find out more about Spencer's efforts, here's a like to her site.

http://msspencertalespinner.blogspot.com/ 

Meanwhile, I'll be counting down the days to the release of "Why 319?"  Can't wait to add the cover to my group.