If you don’t already know it, my first review for Little White Lies came through this week. I’m happy to say, it garnered a full 5 of 5 stars and I did quite the ::happydance:: upon receiving it.

Now, some of you are probably wondering how someone has already read Little White Lies when it’s not yet been released.

Well, that’s where pre-readers and advanced-reader-copies and beta readers come into play.

For me, my beta readers really help me solidify my story line and tell me what they like and dislike about the story before I do anything with it.

Then there are the readers who read the story once it’s getting ready to be published and offer their names for cover blurbs, for reviews, etc.

And there are the actual reviewers. <-- those are the scary ones, that I both dread and can't wait to meet. They're like movie critics. They can make or break a career. You gotta love 'em. You gotta worry over 'em. You gotta realize they are also human and just might not like your story, but it's not about you … it’s about the story.

A lot of reviewers want the book before it comes out, so they can fit it into their queues and if they love it, help make a big splash for the book. Unfortunately for me, my abbreviated schedule for release prevents a long enough time to really get the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) into the hands of these folks, but I do have a trusty few souls willing to deal with the pre-ARC … the version of the story that came BEFORE all the good line and copy edits.

These pre-readers for me, validate all the final changes and have set the tone for the Little White Lies release. They are the folks who’ve given me their blessing and suggested I’m good enough, smart enough and that dog-gonnit, people will like me … it. 🙂

So, for this first review, of my very first book, I am over the moon with those 5 little stars. It’s validation. It’s excitement. It’s faith.

Even if it’s the only set of 5 stars that I every get, I will cherish each and every one of them. Now to get it into the hands of some reviewers. J. Taylor is handling some of that, but I can also do it, so I’m off to hunt and peck through the Internet universe to find people who want to read it.

Oh, and I did find one. I’ll talk about her in another post about what *I* deem ‘success’. Until then, I hope if you are a writer, that you too, one day, get 5 stars. And I hope, if you are a reader, that you can enjoy Little White Lies as much as my first reviewer. And if you are a reviewer (or anyone else who reads Little White Lies in July or anytime afterward) …. thank you for taking the time out to read my book.

Got a 5-star moment? With anything? Share! Let’s chat about it!