by Christy Barritt, @christybarritt
During Sunday school, I was talking to some kids in class about their favorite colors. One kid said red was his favorite color, and he then proceeded to look insulted as he discovered that red wasn’t everyone’s favorite color.
The conversation got me thinking. Though I could understand the child’s flawed logic, as an adult I knew it was silly to be insulted that everyone didn’t share the same favorite color as me. I realized I could apply this advice to my own life as a novelist, also.
Sometimes, as writers, we want everyone to like our books. We want to be the one that readers rave about and that the masses love. We want 1000 five-star reviews from people who couldn’t find a single thing wrong with our story and that confirm our inner longing for perfection—or, at least, for connection—between readers and the story.
However, this isn’t reality. There are so few things in this world—if anything—that a majority of the people love. The bulk of people don’t have the same favorite color, don’t have the same political views, don’t all prefer the beach over the mountains, and everyone doesn’t love bacon-wrapped cream cheese jalapeno poppers (which are clearly the most delicious food ever). People are as different and diverse as the millions of books out there.
So when people don’t love your book—the one you’ve poured hours into, that you’ve cried over, that you’ve laid your heart on the line for—don’t be insulted. Everyone just likes different things. Some readers will like yellow over red.
Sure, it might not be your favorite thing when someone gives you a less than flattering review. Maybe they didn’t like the characters or the plot or they found the whole story predictable. But it all goes back to their experiences.
Each of us is comprised of different traits that help make us the unique individuals we are. We have different backgrounds, different personalities, different passions. A person who loves plot-driven novels might have accidentally stumbled upon your character driven one. A person who loves unique twists on novels may have somehow figured out your story before the end—whereas hundreds of other readers didn’t.
And you know what? It’s okay. It’s okay to acknowledge that each of us and our preferences is different. It’s okay that not everyone loves you and your work in the way you dream about.
Why is this okay? Because there are hundreds of other readers out there who will love your stuff. You just have to find your audience. You just have to find your core readers who think your stuff is the best. That it’s their favorite.
Find your tribe of red-loving readers—and paint your story world in the colors that make you happiest.
You can take the detective out of the investigation, but you can’t take the investigator out of the detective.
A notorious gang puts a bounty on Detective Cady Matthews’s head after she takes down their leader, leaving her no choice but to hide until she can testify at trial. But her temporary home across the country on a remote North Carolina island isn’t as peaceful as she initially thinks.
Living under the new identity of Cassidy Livingston, she struggles to keep her investigative skills tucked away, especially after a body washes ashore. When local police bungle the murder investigation, she can’t resist stepping in. But Cassidy is supposed to be keeping a low profile. One wrong move could lead to both her discovery and her demise.
Can she bring justice to the island . . . or will the hidden currents surrounding her pull her under for good?
Christy Barritt
USA Today has called Christy Barritt’s books “scary, funny, passionate, and quirky.”
A Publishers Weekly bestseller, Christy writes both mystery and romantic suspense novels that are clean with underlying messages of faith. Her book, Hazardous Duty, is currently being made into a movie, and her Worst Detective Ever series has been optioned for film.
Christy spent six weeks straight as the #1 author on Amazon in the Religion and Spirituality category, and she’s sold more than 1.4 million copies of her novels. Her books have won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery, have been twice nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and have finaled for both a Carol Award and Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year.
She’s married to her prince charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious—but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover who’s known for spontaneously bursting into song, and a road trip aficionado.
Christy currently splits her time between the Virginia suburbs and Hatteras Island, North Carolina.
For more information, visit her website: www.christybarritt.com.