Good reviews and happiness

Today, Friday 15th March 2013 (a day that is nearly over) has been a very special day for me. 

Within the space of 24 hours I have received some excellent reviews for two of my novels The Hidden and After Rafaela. The reviews, written by strangers - (and people I will never meet) - expressed a real interest in and enjoyment of my novels, and a strong appreciation of my writing. 

I have sold quite a few copies of my novels but few people take time (or have time) to review my work. Most people (and I do this) read a novel and get immersed in the story. They finish the story, then put it away and move on with their lives. This is natural and normal, after all a novel is escapism and that's where it ends. 

There are a million things in life to interest us and our attention is fractured and scattered. This makes a review even more potent to the writer. I have been writing for a long, long time. I write because to write is pure escapism. I read because to read is pure escapism. Both are blissful, but then the experience is over, and the feeling both experiences leave is put aside as one to file in the archive of memory. 

To read that my writing has affected a stranger in a profoundly positive way is like winning the lottery. A good review makes me deliriously happy. I won't say that it makes writing my novels worthwhile because I would write my novels regardless, but it is special and it is beautiful and for that I am so thankful.