The first book reviews for The Shiver Tree are trickling in from ARC readers, and I’m experiencing the predicted anxiety-induced nausea with a side of giddy joy. Obviously the book isn’t going to be a hit with everyone—I knew that going in—so I’m doing my best to take criticism in stride and remind myself that I’m also getting very positive feedback. To the readers who have noted the fact that I am in no way trying to write the next Game of Thrones or some “romantasy” epic, that the book is meant as nothing more than a fun quest with friends without agenda or political entanglements, thank you. To the readers who have not found satisfaction between the pages of this adventure, I wish the outcome had been different, and I hope future books bring more joy (mine or others)! Thank you for giving The Shiver Tree a chance.
As someone who hates to disappoint others, I will certainly take every unsatisfied review hard, but my goal was to bring a spark of literary pleasure to even a handful of readers, and it seems that goal is being accomplished. Sharing a creative work, especially one so close to the heart, is an emotional mine field. I haven’t yet learned to avoid all the things that go boom. In time, I will become a better navigator (I hope). For now, I will keep writing the stories I love and hope that a horde of quest-loving readers out there is ready to go on the adventure with me.
To those who are wondering if The Shiver Tree is the right read for you: If you are wanting six hundred pages of world-building and political intrigue with coups and battles that drop characters off left and right, this is not the fantasy you are looking for. If you are wanting steamy romance and endless pages of will-they-won’t-they, this is still not the fantasy you are looking for. There is nothing wrong with those at all, but my goal in writing this novel was to depart from some of the current fantasy tropes and just tell a good-old-fashioned adventure story, romance light. My hope is that it gives vibes of sitting around a table with friends playing Dungeons & Dragons, or questing through your favorite high-fantasy video game (BG3, anyone?). For the non-gamers, may you still find new friends, a sprinkling of humor, and inspiration to follow your dreams.