I was once told by a writing instructor that you should never start with a question. Maybe he was a journalism professor where I earned my BA. I don’t remember, but whenever I start a piece or a novel, I follow that advice.
Anyway, have you ever received bad news and good news at the same time from the same source?
I did—today.
PAGE ONE:
Dear Lloyd,
Thank you for participating in the 16th Annual Writers Digest International Self-Published Book Awards. Unfortunately, your book, My Splendid Concubine, was not among the winners. Competition was particularly fierce this year and we could only award one grand prize and nine category prizes ….
____________________________________________________________
There’s more from this page but that is enough from the “BAD NEWS”.
Also, enclosed was the judge’s commentary on My Splendid Concubine. That was the second page where I discovered the Good News--at least to my eyes.
____________________________________________________________
PAGE TWO:
Author: Lloyd Lofthouse
Title: My Splendid Concubine
Category: Mainstream/Literary Fiction
Judge: 28
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “poor” and 5 meaning “excellent,” please evaluate the following:
Plot: 5
Grammar: 5
Character development: 5
Cover design: 5
Judge’s commentary:
What did you like about this book?
I was struck by the beauty of the cover, and I certainly was not disappointed by the book’s contents. A fascinating illumination of nineteenth-century Chinese culture and the complex Englishman Robert Hart, the father of China’s modernization. Hart’s struggles adapting to Chinese culture, always feeling the pull and force of his Victorian British background, are compelling. His relationships with his concubine and his concubine’s sister are poignant—the novel is as much a study of the complexities of love as it is anything else. A powerful novel whose beauty exceeds that of the book’s cover.
Enough from Page two. I see this as another review for My Splendid Concubine.
_______________________________
Share
Save
