I have had cause, recently, to read some of my amazon reviews. This is a strange process, as amazon haven't linked them all up, so instead of seeing all the print reviews on the Kindle site, you know "This review is from a different edition of this book", mine are all separate. Anyway, while checking this, I discovered all these nasty reviews, complaining about how much time Libby and her mates spend eating and drinking. Someone with no life had actually bothered to count how many cups of tea etc had been made/consumed. Now, why? If she was so incensed (I'm assuming it was a she) by this style and the behaviour of my characters, why did she bother a)to read it all and b) to count the things?
I have already commented about the free download system, and the license it gives to the generally miserable to "buy" and comment on books they would normally never read, but this was following on an email from someone who tried my book and "had to get used to the style". She finishes up saying she's now hooked on the series and - ahem - thought she'd got over being hooked on soaps!
I know my style is chatty, but it got me to thinking, perhaps I don't actually write proper crime. Perhaps people buy my books expecting murders and gore and car chases? No, I didn't think so either, and this is why I label my books "Mystery" rather than crime. And do people really mind about Libby's tea and wine consumption? At least I don't talk about her obsession with her weight, or Big Pants.
Anyway, I just wondered if I was misleading readers. Perhaps I should suggest to my publishers that we start renaming the series as "Mystery" rather "Murder". You know, like "Mystery of the Pantomime Cat" and the "Mystery of the Bad Reviewer". Now, I quite like the sound of that...
If you've read this far, here's a little bit of promo for my son Leo, whose first novel Welome the Pigz is now available on amazon, Do give it a try. (Yes, all right, I'm a pushy Mum.)
