It’s the first Wednesday in May, so it must be IWSG day! It’s the day to post your thoughts, talk about your doubts and brag about the fears you have conquered on your own blog or site. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit around the group and connect with your fellow writers. We’re all insecure down here!

#ImSorryIMadeAStephenKingPun #CouldntHelpIt #ConstantReadersGonnaConstant

The co-hosts keeping us all on track this month are Jenni Enzor, Jemima Pett, Jamie of Uniquely Maladjusted but Fun, and Kim Lajevardi!

And the optional question to answer for May is What was the most inspiring feedback you received from readers, including agents, editors, and beta readers?

It’s easy to remember the most inspiring feedback I ever received, because it really did inspire me. It came at the perfect time. It stuck with me all these years. This feedback can be boiled down to the immortal words of Chumbawumba; if you get knocked down, get back up again (you ain’t never gonna keep me down).

Almost exactly 5 years ago, in April of 2021, I wrote a post about how querying and trying to publish traditionally had been what could politely be termed an “epic failure”. But the manuscript I was querying had been through to the finals of an RWA contest ( and let me tell you there is no more brutal feedback than the anonymous feedback from RWA judges). It had been through two rounds of developmental editing, courtesy of the wonderful Jessica Renwick who has since stepped back from editing to focus on her own writing and job. I (selfishly) wish she were still editing because she is that perfect mix of kind, but also helpful. She and her pages of developmental edits are definitely my answer for the most inspiring feedback from an editor.

This particular manuscript had also been through not 1, not 2, but 3 rounds of beta reading before the editorial process. If you’re a member of RWA one of the perks is an online database which connects you to other romance authors who have put their contact information on it (willingly) to offer beta reading. It’s a free trade kind of deal, and it’s awesome. One of my beta readers was Brigitte Kirady, another aspiring author from this list. She read my post saying I would be setting off on a dangerous indie author voyage and commented her support, how she couldn’t wait to read the published book, and how glad she was that I was focusing on the positive feedback instead of the negative of not getting an agent or contract. If you get knocked down by querying, come up swinging with an indie published book! Brigitte no longer has a website and has also focused on other things lately, otherwise I would already have offered you several links to her site. When she does come back to the writing world, I hope she sees this post and knows how much her beta reading feedback and comment meant to me.

I also have to shout out and otherwise praise the constant, kind, positive comments that Natalie Aguirre leaves on the blog. Another member of the IWSG, Natalie isn’t even another romance author and yet she still takes the time to comment on my (sometimes wildly NSFW) posts. She writes in the children’s book genre and is incredibly generous about featuring other children’s book authors and especially agents on her blog, Literary Rambles. Your unselfish kindness is an inspiration all by itself, Natalie, and I want to sincerely thank you for being such a regular visitor to the blog for so many years. If I could wish a mega contract with a movie deal your way, I would!