The duo had to persevere technical issues to get episode 26 recorded. They’re true professionals, although Clare is heads above TB when it comes to pronouncing difficult words.

On Tuesday, TB finished a project and celebrated by going to the beach on Wednesday. She ended up having too much fun and checked into a hotel, turning her beach day into a short vacation in New Hampshire. But she needed a break since she’s about to release the first of two standalone novels. Exciting!

Clare is still having family time, which has involved a lot of karaoke. TB learned Clare’s sister, who is 18 years older, is way cooler than TB. On the work front, Clare is going over a draft of a novel she penned six months ago, and it’s like a brand-spanking-new story she’s never seen before. Don’t fear; she plans to punch it into shape and look for an October release!

They move onto the topic of the week: reviews. In order to get your book noticed, you need social proof, which means getting reviews. Simply put: reviews are the lifeline of books. Dealing with reviews isn’t always easy, and Clare shares a story about how easy it can be to internalize a negative one. TB reads reviews and tries to see similarities, good and bad, in them in order to hone her writing. Clare points out reviews are great for quotes. Both share some of their favorite one-star reviews. Also, they discuss the importance of ARC teams. While reviews are vital for authors, it’s important not to let them get you down. They’re one person’s opinion, and no author can please everyone. The best thing to do is to keep writing.

Stop back next week for a lively discussion about going wide versus Kindle Unlimited. If you’d like to leave a comment on the episode, head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com. They’d love to hear from you. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Happy listening!

Clare and TB