My parents taught me good manners. Say please when you want something and thank you when you get it. It’s pretty simple, really.
I’ve been saying please read my new book, Chasing the Case. Now I say thank you for those who have, and especially those who took the time to leave a review on Amazon.
Why are reviews important? As I’ve said many times, there is writing and then there is the business of writing. Books that get a certain amount of 
reviews get love from Amazon. From what I’ve been told by fellow authors, 30 is an important number.
Chasing the Case doesn’t have 30 reviews. It has 14, and for those I am grateful. A couple are hefty. Most are short. The majority gave the mystery five stars. I am thankful for each one.
Here’s a sampling. (I will omit the names. You can find them on Amazon.)
“Love it.”
“Just finished Chasing the Case by Joan Livingston. This talented storyteller has woven an intricate tale of love, betrayal, and family loyalty. The perfect read to begin the summer!”
“This book is an auspicious start to a promised series all featuring the same detective. The book is set in Western Massachusetts and, after reading it, it seems that I lived there for a chunk of my life. The characters are nicely drawn and developed and the plot is suitably complicated. All in all, this was a fun read! Indeed, Ms. Livingston has create a cadre of fascinating characters and has set herself up nicely for the future books that I am now eagerly anticipating.”
There are the international reviews, thanks to my connection with my publisher Crooked Cat Books. Amazon has UK and AU branches, where people from the United Kingdom and Australia buy anything — and can leave reviews.
I’m chuffed, as my friends in the UK would say, that my mystery set in the rural U.S. resonates with people in other parts of the world.
Here are fans from the UK site.
“I heard great things about the first title in Joan Livingston’s Mystery series… and book 1 has certainly lived up to the hype, and some. Sassy female characters who break every stereotype, a rugged array of male suspects, and a fabulously quirky style of writing, kept me up late 2 nights in a row and turning the pages. I can’t wait for the next installment!”
“I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well drawn and very engaging, the murder mystery well plotted. I loved the setting too — a small town where everybody knows everybody else’s business. I particularly enjoyed the way Isobel, the main character, develops as the story unfolds. I love coming across a new-to-me author and discovering that the book I’m reading is the first in a series. (In this case, The Isobel Long Myseries) I can’t wait for the second in the series, Redneck’s Revenge, which I have already pre-ordered.”
Here is one from Australia:
“It’s always a good sign when I finish a book less than 24 hours after starting it! I literally couldn’t put this book down (apologies to my family). Everything about this story was unique and refreshing – the writing style, the setting, the storyline and my favourite part … the characters. I was in awe of the stereotype-busting silver-haired widow and her 92 year old mother, who were the lead sleuths solving this case. We need more books like this! Which is lucky for me (and you!) because I believe there is a second book coming out soon.”
And not to seem ungrateful, I do get a kick out of meeting people who tell me in person they read and enjoyed Chasing the Case. How much fun is that?
So here is my pitch. If you read Chasing the Case, again thank you very much. If you are so inspired, please leave a review on Amazon. I’d like to hit that number 30. You didn’t have to buy the book on Amazon, and yes, it can be very short and done with a pseudonym.
UPDATE: So what am I working on now? I am heavy into the final edits of my novel, Redneck’s Revenge, which is the next in the Isabel Long mystery series. The book will officially launch Sept. 26. The Kindle version
is available to pre-order now: http://mybook.to/rednecksrevenge. Paperbacks will be out in August.
Of course, Chasing the Case is available in both forms now: http://mybook.to/chasingthecase
And in the midst of all this and moving into the home we renovated, I’ve been writing the third book in the series: Checking the Traps. To use baseball terminology, I am rounding third on that one.
ABOUT THE PHOTO ABOVE: That’s part of my office in the home we renovated. Yeah, I will be getting a more comfy chair sometime in the future.