Here's the weird thing about writing a novel.

With grandson, Silas (last year)

The hardest part about writing a book has nothing to do with writing.

The hardest part involves going up to strangers—or friends—saying, "hey, I carved a year out of my life and I sweated bullets to write this great book. Wanna buy it?"

Most writers are so severely introverted they would rather lop off a body part.

Writers used to be able to just write ... I'm told. Some big publisher would sign up a writer who would then hole up and work. Period. The big publisher would do the rest.

I missed that bus.

The best way to get your book reviewed.

Prayer.

But seriously, reviews are my friends. Reviews are  others telling readers how good my books are with no loss of body parts.

When you read a book and tell your friends, "hey, I liked this book, you should look at it," ... that's word of mouth advertising, the best kind. The only kind that really works. We trust our friends.

And I'm not just talking about my writing and my books. I'm talking about any book and any writer. Your reviews are the rocket fuel that helps those books and writers rise into orbit.

What about magazine reviews? Turns out magazines like "Library Review," and "School Library Review," don't review self-published books ... those not published by the so-called big five publishers in New York, even though only 16% of recent e-books were published by those folks.

Read my book, write a review ... tell your librarian!

It's that simple. And if you're facing a long summer with kids or grandkids, check out my Cheechako series for middle grades. There are three books, not expensive. Each is an exciting Alaska adventure, with books two and three also featuring strong female characters. So not just for boys.

If you do read or have read any of my four published books (these three plus an adult mystery,) I'd love to see you post your review on Amazon or Goodreads, whether you liked a book or didn't. Just write a couple of lines of what you think. And thanks in advance.

So what do you say? Want to buy a book? Cheechako