Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award

So it's been nearly a week since Amazon announced those moving on to the semi-final round. Alas, Ryan's Run did not make the list. However, I did receive a good review from Publisher's Weekly. I am including the full review below. Note that everyone's book who made it to the quarter-final round was reviewed by Publisher's Weekly. Not all the reviews were positive, based on the ones I read on the ABNA discussion boards. Also, all the reviews are pretty much the same length and format: a summary of the novel with a few lines of analysis.

ABNA Publishers Weekly Review

Sixteen-year-old Ryan Whitaker and his best friend, Ralph Speckler, are on an art field trip in Chicago when Ryan draws a girl with a scar on her face and then becomes obsessed with finding the girl. Ryan’s brother Jack was killed the year before in Afghanistan, and Ryan thinks of him as the hero and of himself as “just the comic book geek.” Seeing the girl changes his life. He soon learns that she’s real, but in a parallel world, where he soon ends up. Much of this well-written book involves plotting by Ryan’s small group, headed by Mungo, who owns the comic book store. The author’s statements on war, which are presented through Ryan's thoughts, do not slow the story nor do they feel like tacked-on lessons. The protagonist is sympathetic, even loveable. He wants only what is right. Violet is a strong female who puts the love of her people before her own safety. As Ryan rushes against time to save each world, the bad guys get closer. Except for a disappointing ending that feels like a setup for a sequel, this book is a page-turner.

As I said, I'm pleased with the review and I'll definitely use it to promote the book on my website. It's funny though, the one bit of criticism--that the ending is "disappointing" because it "feels like a setup for a sequel" sounds strange. The ending is a setup for a sequel. I don't know how that makes it "disappointing." Unless of course, this reviewer prefers his or her books to be tied up in neat little bows by the end of a novel, with no cliffhangers. *SPOILER ALERT* Ryan's Run ends in a cliffhanger. 

But that's the nature of the beast. Not all critics will like your work. 

Now I'm at work on next year's submission, an adult horror novel with some elements of sci fi. I apologize for those who want the sequel to Ryan's Run--Ryan's Quest--to come out as planned this summer. But unfortunately, also the nature of the beast, is that career comes first. I'm pretty excited by this new novel, and need to get it done so that it is ready to be entered by next January. I think those who liked Ryan's Run will really enjoy this new novel. And I promise I'll return to Ryan's Quest when I can.