There's a lot of talk about what makes a pro-quality novel and what doesn't on Authonomy. There are endless threads about rules and when, if, how to break them or, conversely, follow them.

there are two rules to writing professional fiction, two.

1) Grab the reader, fast and tight.
2) Hold the reader until you are finished with them.

A book that doesn't do both those things is not professionally written, paid contract or not.

A NYMPH'S HEART is a rarity on this site. This is a book that should ALREADY be on the shelves of your local shop. It should already be for sale in ebook formats.

I knew from the first paragraph that I was in good hands here. The author knows intimately not only the skeleton of his world (and it's a big one, spanning multiple time periods), the solid bits that make what you're reading seem real, but he knows the intangible things about it as well, the textures, the smells and tastes that hit you under your mind's radar and make a story you know never happened feel absolutely true, nonetheless.

Jack Cerro has a voice and, more importantly, he is absolute control of his Voice as a storyteller.

I haven't backed a book in a while. I haven't read more than a few pages of anything on this site in a much longer while than that. This one I may actually have to finish.

If you want an eduction on what to do Right, this is the book for you. If you want to just sit back and be pulled and lulled into a new world that seems familiar at first blush but is soon shown to be anything but, this is the place.

My only rule for backing books here is, "Would I buy this, after reading what I have, in a real-world shop?"

The answer here, after three chapters, is an enthusiastic, "Yes."

Backed. With pleasure. view book

One little thing though: in the dialogue, there are little line block things? What are they meant to be or are they an error?

Anyway, well done!
(:

no, they are there to denote longer time breaks or shifts of POV. I stopped using them later in the book so the MS that goes out to editors doesn't have them. But thanks for the kind words. I never set out to write a book one can just toss away even if it seems like it's just one more in the genre. I hope you had fun with what you read. view book

Yeah, you're backed. this is fun. terry pratchett fun. my rule is simple: would I buy this in a book store based on what i might read while standing there?

the answer is, "yes."

you held me for three chapters; you made me smile by the middle of the first, so you're backed. nice work. view book

lol.

i love this. no complaints. no notes. seriously. just good solid writing and a wicked strong Voice. You grabbed me on sentence one and held me until section 5 and I only broke off to return to work.

my rule is simple: "Would I buy this in a shop based upon what I've read in this sitting?"

Yes. Yes, I would.

backed. view book

thanks for the actual critique. Rarely do people actually delve. I will modify the liquor thing (i don't drink so it was an easy error. fixable.)

as for the stuff about the water, I've lived in coastal cities all my life and you can definitely smell the water in the air when you're close to a large open body of it. Salt or Fresh.

the bitch line also stays. i'm not sure if you're American or not, but trust me, in this context, a guy could and would say that about himself.

Again, thanks for the read and the REAL critique.

Does Bourbon work for you?
view book

You know what you're doing. This is fine work. usually I'll mention the pacing or the imagery or how the writer was able to strike just the right (or nearly right) balance between the Real and the Fantastic. I'm not going to say any of that in this case because it's redundant. This is a book. This is a real book that I would really buy if I was skimming new authors in a bookstore. Since that's my only criterion for backing, guess what happens now.

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hah. this is just fun. realistic enough to be well grounded for when the whacky begins. I like Mehret a lot; she feels like real kid to me and, as a traveling brat for many years myself, the whole new kid in town thing plays as very real to me as well. I believe I would buy this for my younger self or for my nephews when they're older. You're backed. view book

uhm.

all i can say here is "wow."

I'm two chapters in (out of my usual three) and I know I would absolutely purchase this book were i to stumble on it in a shop. Taught economical prose, realistic dialogue and relationships, clean descriptions of, well, everything, effortlessly dropped in without disrupting one moment of the overall flow. You need that sort of grounding to tell fanciful tales and this author knows it well. There's absolutely no fat on this cut and I for one, am grateful.

Sorry it took me so long to get on this bandwagon but I'm on it now. Shove over. Make some room.

Backed. view book

Kick ass, hard core prose, simply delivered in a series of voices that are authentic and engaging. And different. One of the hardest things to pull off for a writer is giving us characters who we can identify simply via speech pattern and actions. Miss Hansen has done that here, apparently without effort.

This gripping stuff and well worth any serious attention HC (or ANY publisher) might give it. Well done.

My criteria for backing is simple: "Would I buy this?"

You're damned right I would.

Backed. view book

I like it, ladies. It's watchlisted. I can't believe I'm saying this but I'd ditch the prologue if I were you. It doesn't really add anything (IMO). Just dump us right into the story. As for the rest, like I said. I'm digging it. If I make it to chapter three, you're backed. If not, I'll tell you why.

Fair? view book

LOVE the new cover. view book

yes. wow. good questions all. I don't want to give too much away but this is a novel about transformation. The narrator does NOT escape the consequences of his actions or inactions. In fact he is put through the ringer and has to make some pretty hideous decisions by the end.

Thanks for the heads up on the typos. the little buggers just keep getting away from me.

I will send you a note about the leathery wings thing. It's a spoiler. view book

Wow. Very deft. After the first paragraph (which was a bit of a tongue twister for me for some reason) this thing just clips along getting just a little more sinister with each scene. I think the dialogue is great– naturalistic rather than realistic which is, to me, best for fiction– and you slide us into the characters and their established relationships (which I feel will be changing in not-very-pleasant ways soon).

Deft is the word.

My criterion is simply, "Would I buy this based on these few chapters?" I'm going to say I would. BACKED. view book

Wow. Very deft. After the first paragraph (which was a bit of a tongue twister for me for some reason) this thing just clips along getting just a little more sinister with each scene. I think the dialogue is great– naturalistic rather than realistic which is, to me, best for fiction– and you slide us into the characters and their established relationships (which I feel will be changing in not-very-pleasant ways soon).

Deft is the word.

My criterion is simply, "Would I buy this based on these few chapters?" I'm going to say I would. BACKED. view book

LOL. Even though it's a rewrite, it's still an old story (for me). I'm working on a brand new fantasy piece that is more in line with how i think and write now. view book

Look, I'm a sucker for this sort of thing. It's got all the elements i require in an author I don't know: intriguing subject matter, well drawn fascinating characters, naturalistic/realistic dialogue used to ground us in an otherwise very fanciful yarn, adventure, sex, magic, intrigue, threats and lies.

I love how you flit between the more "old-fashioned" narrative style and the more modern. I love the mystery of the storyteller. I LOVE Outiz! This is just a cracking good time.

Yeah. well done. Backed with prejudice.

If it turns to crap in chapter eight I'm coming after you. view book

Really intriguing Synopsis, I'd be happy to exchange reads/backing if you are game?

please read my profile. view book

I like it. The prose flows effortlessly and naturally, easily immersing us in the world that is just to the left of familiar. it's not quite conversational but it has that feeling, as if someone you know and like is telling you a really good story.

I don't have anything critical to add. I made it to chapter three and was thoroughly pleased and even a little delighted with the whole thing.

My only rule for backing is, "would I buy this?" I try to simulate as closely as possible (as no money is being exchanged,) my experience when browsing in a bookstore. I read the "back cover;" I sample the opening. If it hooks me I buy. Simple. Would I buy THE FOREVER GIRL? Based on these first three chapters, absolutely yes.

Well done. view book

Wow.

I'm hooked. This is awesome from the first paragraph. I'm guessing this is a YA adventure and it hits all my buttons in just the right way. I have no complaints. No advice. No nothing except applause. Which is rare for me.

If you look at my other crits, you'll see I'm rarely this gushy. This is just top notch.

Well done.

Backed. view book

Wow.

I'm hooked. This is awesome from the first paragraph. I'm guessing this is a YA adventure and it hits all my buttons in just the right way. I have no complaints. No advice. No nothing except applause. Which is rare for me.

If you look at my other crits, you'll see I'm rarely this gushy. This is just top notch.

Well done.

Backed. view book