Patty Mayeux Blog

My buckling bookshelf is stacked high with novels written by people I am connecting with through writing groups. What a perk to read their words. I make a point of thanking them when the last page is turned, offering specific praise for a job well done. Mostly it is because I’m hungry to read well-written, non-formulaic and generally happy fun books, even when the characters are steeped in a world of hurt that seems devastating. If you love reading, I hope you find a way to send thanks to the authors. Don’t be fooled by the glamorous idea that writers don’t need encouragement as they can sit back and enjoy fame and fortune. Hah! Or that they do it only for the money. Again, hah! Writers write because we have something to say. We revise and edit and query and sell and promote on an endless loop only to begin again so that another book can grace your shelf. Knowing there are readers out there helps us feel less like a lone and silent tree falling in a forest. We write because we must, no matter the feedback, but words of appreciation fuel that perpetual engine that makes our world go around.