Reviews for Indie Books

I wanted my book The Messenger (Mortal Beloved, Book One) to be traditionally published. I spent hours crafting agent queries, researching the best agents to approach, started getting form rejections and then began - waiting.

Got requests for fulls and partials followed by... waiting.

My shoulders were now drifting toward my ears, threatening to swallow my neck. 

Next up were more rejections, more requests, more hours spent following up and more - waiting.

My upper back felt like it was glueing itself together.

I entered the Amazon Breakout Novel Award competition. Made the first round cut. Yippee! A small press wanted to publish The Messenger (Mortal Beloved, Book One) I declined their offer and queried more agents. More waiting.

Five new wrinkles etched their way onto my face.

Waiting...

The verdicts came in for ABNA's next round. My book didn't make the cut. One reviewer liked it. The second reviewer said I was not allowed to write time travel, as I could only write what I know. Leave time travel to those who know about time travel. 

Apparently there is a secret cadre of authors who actually time travel and then write about it. And I wasn't one of them. Boo.

I decided to stop waiting, and indie-pub The Messenger. 

But it's not the easiest process to get reviews. Everyone jumps up and down to review trad published books. My process took longer. And I haven't bought the pricey Kirkus review (yet.) I'm relying on word-of-mouth, a blog tour (thank you AToMR Blog Tours!) bloggers, and referrals from author friends. 

But little by little, the reviews are adding up. Take a peek.


REVIEWS FOR The Messenger (Mortal Beloved, Book One):

Having just read THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy, I was hard pressed to find another book that would involve me as deeply. The Messenger did that and more." Shelly Fredman (Author of Brandy Alexander mystery series.)

"This is a wonderfully creative and updated twist to time travel stories. Not only is there history here, and teen trial and tribulations, but also the concept of this girl being a "Messenger" who can help those in the past and help to make things right..." ABNA Competition 2012 Expert Reviewer

"The Messenger... offers the can't-lose combo of time travel and romance... it was a runaway train of a book -- definitely in a good way... by the end, I was getting a bicep workout from all the fistpumps... I'm dying to hear the rest of the story it started telling me right at the end of the night." ForeverYoungAdult.com Review

"This book held me captive because not only did it have time traveling in it but it had Native American history in it… a magical story with lots of twists and turns. This is one series to watch out for! 5 of 5 stars" A Diary of a Book Addict Blog

“For those who like The Immortals series by Alyson Noel, Timeless by Alexandra Monir, or The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller – The Messenger is a must read.” Breathe in Books Blogspot

"I would really recommend this to fans of time travel, historical fiction, or even mystery fans…I will be reading the next Mortal Beloved book, because I am hooked!" Unabridged Bookshelf

"DuMond is a superlative writer who sets the stage for an historical romantic adventure, and then fiendishly leaves the reader hanging at the end. Will we read the next book? You bet!” Midwest Book Review, Shelley Glodowski

READERS say: 

“…I stayed up to 5 a.m. to finish this book.” 

“…I couldn’t tear myself away from it.”

“…connection with another human being so strong it defies time…”

“…Samuel – I wanted to stick my hands in and grab him… and pull him out.”

“…I really wish I could give it more than 5 stars.” 

“…See it as a movie as you rip through the tale.”

“…I was in love with the character (Samuel), myself just like Madeline was.”

“…adventure, romance history all in one amazing book… praying she writes another.”

“…I was captivated.”

“…this author is fantastic.”

“…without question. Buy it. Read it…” 

“Yes, a page turner indeed…VERY good read. Can’t wait for more from this author.”

"Has it all! Intrigue, romance, suspense and a dash of horror!"

I'm doing a Goodreads give away in a couple of days. I'll keep you all informed when that happens.

Keep writing and reading and carrying on! If you must wait, do so with shoulder massages and anti-wrinkle cream. And if you want to read a very fun book at a very do-able price, well...

http://www.amazon.com/The-Messenger-Mortal-Beloved-ebook/dp/B007T07YU8

xo

Pam DuMond