Bafflement
Aug 15th, 2006 by Sandra
I got up this morning to the news that CataRomance had released its Reviewers Choice Award nominees. Since Dead Reckoning received a glowing 5-star review, I trundled over to see if it made the cut.
Nope. Nada. Nothing.
However, several other Bombshells are on the list, including a 3.5 and several 4 and 4.5-star books.
Color me baffled.
I shouldn’t be surprised. The Orchid Hunter was once described in a review as “the best Bombshell has to offer” while receiving only 4.5 whatevers, and then took a pounding in the RITAs, coming in in the bottom half of the entries.
I might be tempted to chalk all this up to the vagaries of reviewers, but it’s starting to happen too often to be coincidence. As some friends of mine say, If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck….
The problem is, I don’t know what kind of duck I’m dealing with. Is it that I write technically good but otherwise unmoving books? That my stories don’t stick in people’s minds so that between writing the review and choosing nominees, the reviewers forget the story exists?
Whichever, a huge congratulations to the Bombshell authors who did make the cut! That’s going out with a bang, isn’t it? Teehee!
Dead Reckoning isn’t listed because this is the awards ceremony for January - June. Your book is listed as January [actually, July]. Which means it’ll probably be nominated in December.
Ally, thanks so much for the clarification! I was just looking at the review dates of the books nominated and assumed that a book reviewed on the same day as mine had the same pub date as mine.
I’m an idiot.
I’m just glad that I can stop wracking my brains (for today) wondering what I’m doing wrong…..
If you got a 5 star review from Cata, you ain’t doin’ nothing wrong. :)
Hi Sandra,
I was distressed when I saw your Blog because I am the one that listed all the books that the reviewers chose from. I went scurrying back to make sure I didn’t blow it and was relieved to see I hadn’t this time. I see Ally explained it to you. We give two awards per year because there are just so many great books. Your book, DEAD RECKONING, will be in the second half of the year. Amelia would be hurt if I forgot any of her Bombshells!
Sorry for the misunderstanding,
Donna
Oooh, Donna, sorry to have distressed you!
I’ll try not to make that mistake about release dates and review posting dates again!
Gosh, Sandra, there was NOTHING WRONG with Orchid Hunter! You DID just have bad luck in the Ritas. For darn sure I wasn’t one of your judges. :)
Dead Reckoning is on my To Be Savored pile. I know I’ll love it. And you’ll sell elsewhere, I have no doubt. You know how they’re always saying “it’s about voice”?
They’re talking about your books.
Orchid Hunter was AWESOME! Dead Reckoning is in my TBR and moving up ;)
Yo Natalie and Mary,
Thanks for the good words on TOH. I’m not stressing, I promise — just busy being baffled. But thanks for stopping in and giving me the feedback! Authors are a strangely arrogant and yet insecure bunch….