{"id":9128,"date":"2022-02-16T01:05:46","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T06:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/?p=9128"},"modified":"2022-02-15T19:57:45","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T00:57:45","slug":"guest-blogger-viviana-mackade-vivimackade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/?p=9128","title":{"rendered":"Guest Blogger: Viviana MacKade @ViviMackade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Please say hello to today’s guest blogger Viviana MacKade. Today Viviana is posting about reviews. Welcome, Viviana!<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I wrote this article a couple of years ago, mostly out of frustration at the whole review world. And that was it.<\/p>\n

But then, last week, I saw a book review. Loosely quote: \u201cI don\u2019t understand how nobody caught how bad the writing was. Someone should tell the author you simply cannot write in the first person and in the past tense. I\u2019m just happy I only paid 99 cents for it.\u201d 1star.<\/p>\n

Someone should ask this lady how she manages to recount what she did, I dunno, yesterday, to her friends.<\/p>\n

By itself, it is a stupid thing that hopefully if laughed away by any \u2013 ANY- other person. But that 1 star goes so much further.<\/p>\n

And I decided to brush off what I wrote.<\/p>\n

Here it is. I hope you enjoy it.<\/p>\n

Why I don\u2019t write 3star or less reviews on Amazon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not all reviews are made equal, and not all reviews are fair.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say you buy a toaster.<\/p>\n

It works, all good, you give it 5star.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t work, 1star.<\/p>\n

In between, there\u2019s how well it cooks bread on both sides, how easy it is to clean, to use. All those things, though, can be judged in a fairly impartial way, on a works\/doesn\u2019t work scale. There\u2019s little left to personal interpretation in a burned slice of bread you had set the timer at 2 minutes for.<\/p>\n

How does that relate to books reviews?<\/p>\n

It does by contrast, because books reviews gravitate in the opposite realm: writing, like all other forms of art, is strictly personal. The works\/doesn\u2019t work rule hardly applies.<\/p>\n

There are wrongs, sure, but the line is subtle, grey, and often based on the (over-inflated) ego of the reviewer.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take grammar.<\/p>\n

Some things are plain wrong. Just wrong. But with so many types of English out there (US, UK, Australia, India, New Zealand) which are all correct in their own variations, a different phrasing might end up being considered wrong.<\/p>\n

Would an Australian author deserve a 1star review from an Indian reader because, in each country, that concept or thought is written differently? To me, it\u2019s a hard no.<\/p>\n

On top of it, a lot of what goes into a review is a matter of personal taste.<\/p>\n

Overthinking characters. Domineering Hero. Vaguely silly Heroine. Violence. A lot of action. A little action. Explicit sex or closed doors. Unclear settings. All the above, and so much more, can be capital sins to a reader and shruggable details to another.<\/p>\n

Does the Author deserve a 1star review for any of the mentioned scenarios?<\/p>\n

Debatable.<\/p>\n

Personally, being both a writer and a reader, the golden rule is clarity, so as long as things (settings, actions, and characters) are clear, I\u2019m good\u2013if I like the story.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s truth in the fact that many 1star reviews mean something is not working in the story, and for sure readers are entitled to their opinion. It\u2019s what art is about, as I said. It\u2019s personal. Authors know the game.<\/p>\n

The problem is another, and it doesn\u2019t touch book reviews only.<\/p>\n

Have you ever spent some time reading all the negative reviews of a product, any product?<\/p>\n

If you have, you\u2019re bound to have met some stupidity.<\/p>\n

I kid you not, following are some of the reviews I found \u2013<\/p>\n

About a pair of shoes: \u201cI ordered the wrong size\u201d. 1 star.<\/p>\n

About a set of children\u2019s painting set that had a different choice of pre-set colors. \u201cI wanted to order the other set of colors.\u201d 1 star.<\/p>\n

About an erotic novel: \u201cThere was too much sex, it was offensive.\u201d 1 star.<\/p>\n

About an adventure book: \u201cI don\u2019t like the cover.\u201d 1 star.<\/p>\n

Sadly, I could go on.<\/p>\n

Again, it would all be good and well because if I\u2019m interested in buying a product, it\u2019s not that kind of review that makes me question it. It may crack the faith I have in human intelligence, but it would not stand against the product.<\/p>\n

Back in the books market, though, such reviews do more damage than that.<\/p>\n

To promote your book on websites with huge newsletters, those that assure the book decent exposure, you need to have an average of ten 4star reviews for a newly released title.<\/p>\n

So that little 1star, idiotic review any functioning brain would discard within 10 seconds, actually does a lot of damage. Math, being the merciless bit&h it is, states clearly that it takes more than one 5star review to take up the average of one 1star.<\/p>\n

That author will be refused from those websites, will not advertise a book that maybe has merits, and make no money.<\/p>\n

Yes, the problem is the system, is bonding advertising to something as fickle as people\u2019s judgment, but as this topic would require a blog post all on its own, I\u2019ll leave it at that.<\/p>\n

So, to put it all together, being this a world where one can say what one thinks, I will certainly review books and publish reviews with less than 3 stars.<\/p>\n

On my blog, on someone else\u2019s blog, websites, and so on. Not on Amazon.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll never publish a less than 3 stars review on Amazon, unless I see there are so many positive reviews (I\u2019m thinking numbers in the hundreds) where my review will not impact that author\u2019s chance to advertise his or her work.<\/p>\n

An author, especially one fighting for reviews like indies or newbies do, has a lot to lose from a review I write that might be tainted by my own ignorance, not the Author\u2019s.<\/p>\n

And for what people think is okay to write in those reviews, I\u2019ll leave it for another fight.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

Valkyrie Love<\/strong><\/p>\n

Valkyrie love never comes easy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Brenna left Asgard with a curse on her name and a broken heart.<\/p>\n

A Valkyrie now free and independent, for millennia her life had been great. Just great.<\/p>\n

Then a bleeding Elf knocks at her door holding a baby.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Alexander Reed left the Marines and lost the wheel of his life.<\/p>\n

A soldier without a worthy fight, he became everything he despised.<\/p>\n

Until he ends up in the wrong backyard at the wrong time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Flj\u00f3\u00f0a, Queen of the Light Elves and last of her lineage, is an infant with a death sentence on her head.<\/p>\n

Hunted by the Night Elves, her survival brings Brenna and Reed together for the ultimate mission: take the little Queen to safety in the Vanaheim Realm, deep in the Roots of Yggdrasil.<\/p>\n

Not simple, but straightforward.<\/p>\n

Or so it seemed.<\/p>\n

Between flaming giants, demons, and an army of Half Breed determined to kill the Queen and conquer all the Elvin Realms, Brenna and Reed will have to face their inner monsters.<\/p>\n

Monsters appearing in the form of feelings neither want but cannot control.<\/p>\n

Link:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amazon Kindle ~ only 99 cents while in preorder<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B09M5CHN5L?ref_=k4w_embed_dp_err&tag=kpembed-20<\/a><\/p>\n

Amazon\u00a0 Vella ~ Get 3 episodes FREE<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Valkyrie-Love\/dp\/B097F9VM7V\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Valkyrie+Love&qid=1626223950&s=falkor&sr=1-1<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow Valkyrie Love on tour!<\/p>\n

Find the dates at www.viviana-mackade.blog<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Author Bio<\/strong><\/p>\n

Beach bum and country music addicted, Viviana lives in a small Floridian town with her die-hard fans and personal cheer squad: her husband, her son, and her daughter. She spends her days between typing on her beloved keyboard, playing in the pool with her babies, and eating whatever her husband puts on her plate (the guy is that good, and she really loves eating). Besides beaching, she enjoys long walks, horse-riding, hiking, and pretty much whatever she can do outside with her family.<\/p>\n

Find me:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to know me is through my website (and the books I host): \u00a0http:\/\/www.viviana-mackade.blog\/<\/a><\/p>\n

On FB<\/a><\/p>\n

On Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

Amazon Author page<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Excerpt:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reed rested his elbows on his knees, observed his scarred hands before zeroing his quiet, blue-green eyes to her. \u201cWhat am I doing here, Brenna?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe saw you in a vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMae?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Elves have that ability. She saw you and me in Vanaheim, cheering for victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I\u2019m destined for something? Because visions and destiny can kiss my \u2013 you know what. I\u2019m done having people making choices for me.\u201d Soft, slow, his words held iron and steel, an unbreakable will. \u201cI choose for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brenna chuckled. \u201cYou can relax, Alexander Reed. Visions are not what\u2019s necessarily going to happen. It\u2019s not a prophecy. They are one of the millions of possibilities. If<\/em> you decide to come, if<\/em> you survive the journey to the Vanaheim, if<\/em> we do everything that specific vision requires, then there\u2019s a chance for us to end up becoming the vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter.\u201d Then he frowned. \u201cWhat do you mean, if I survive? What about you?\u201d He stopped. \u201cWait a second, what are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Brenna could be selling him some crap, or at least try to. What would the point in doing as much be? This man, a stranger, was way in already, she might as well come clean. \u201cI\u2019m of the Aesir people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is the name familiar?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the realm I come from is Asgard.\u201d<\/p>\n

She saw the moment where realization dawned on him. Very few knew about Vanaheim, or Muspelheim, the land of the fire giants. Many, many people thought they knew about Asgard\u2013thank you, Hollywood. His eyes grew huge, and he ran a hand over his messy short hair. \u201cShit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because there was something deeply comic in the way he took that news after all he\u2019d learned, she tilted her head and dealt the final blow. \u201cI\u2019m a Valkyrie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut the fuck up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brenna burst into laughter. \u201cI will not,\u201d she said when she could speak again.<\/p>\n

He kept looking at her, up and down, like she came from another planet. Well, okay. She did. But so did Maeraggyth, and he didn\u2019t get a seizure for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are<\/em> a goddess,\u201d he finally said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m not. We served Odin and Freyja, who are Gods, but we were not goddesses ourselves. Strictly talking.\u201d Brenna shook off the uncomfortable feeling her past always gave her and readdressed the topic. \u201cReed, is it? No Alexander, no Alex. Sandy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, Reed, nice to meet you and welcome into the mess that\u2019s Yggdrasil. Are you hungry?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without a second thought or hesitation, Brenna headed to the door. \u201cThen come,\u201d she told him. \u201cWe\u2019ll eat and talk more later.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Please say hello to today’s guest blogger Viviana MacKade. Today Viviana is posting about reviews. Welcome, Viviana!   I wrote this article a couple of years ago, mostly out of frustration at the whole review world. And that was it. But then, last week, I saw a book review. Loosely quote: “I don’t understand how…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1074],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viviana-mackade"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9128"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9132,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9128\/revisions\/9132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kate-hill.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}