How To Sabotage Your Writing Career in Three Easy Steps, Or Ways to Avoid That

Authors melting down. I think we've all seen it. No one, not even best-selling authors are immune. (Think Anne Rice.) But unless you have a million dollar selling backlist like Ms. Rice, please do not do the following things, or you might find your fledgling writing career over before its begun.

AUTHORS AVOID DOING THIS:

1. Never, ever respond to negative reviews by READERS on Amazon, GoodReads or the like. It makes you look petty, and boy does it turn new readers off.

2. Do not under any circumstances call readers: dumb, stupid, morons, curse at them, use sexist/racist terms. Again, it makes you look unprofessional, and lets face it, your first impression to readers is important! Do not make it a negative one.

3. If for some reason, you do not follow advice one and two, then step back and apologize to anyone you may have offended. An apology goes a long way and makes you look like a grown-up. We've all lost our tempers, but how you handle that afterwards might determine who buys your book in the future.

Review: Sixth (Mad Dogs #1) by Brenda Cothern

Title: Sixth (Mad Dogs #1)
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 153 pages

Grade: C+


BLURB:

Brian Hay’s only dream in life was to be part of America’s elite, yet unacknowledged, Delta Force. After years of training to be the best the 75th Ranger Regiment had ever produced, his dream was finally coming true. But what starts out as what he thinks is a Delta hazing op soon turns into much more when Brian not only becomes a Delta Force soldier but a Mad Dog.


MY REVIEW

Shifters and the military? If you like those concepts, then Sixth by Brenda Cothern will be right up your alley. The book starts out with Brian Hay joining a Ranger division. He's their new sniper, and the other five guys have a strange initiation for the new guy!

This is the fourth book by Ms. Cothern I've read, the others were not paranormals, so I was excited to see her delve into this genre. The best part of this new series, entitled Mad Dogs, is the world building. The author was able to create an unique world that I haven't seen before in shifter books, which is an accomplishment in itself, since I've probably read over five hundred paranormal M/M books over the years.

However, as much as I loved the world building and the possibility of what comes next in this series, I did have a few niggles, which is why I did not rate it higher. First, from the beginning to nearly the end of the novel, I wasn't sure who Brian's love interest would be. There are five guys in the Ranger unit and there was no real chemistry between them and Brian until the very end when Brian mates. In a romance novel, I tend to like the main characters to have more interaction so I can fall in love with them as a couple. But, if you like a little mystery in your romance book, then you might like the approach the author took in her final surprise reveal.

Second, as some other reviewers have stated, the book ends on a cliffhanger, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Yes, a second book is coming this summer, but I've always felt each book should be self-contained and any plot pieces not left dangling. Plus, I wanted more action between Brian and his mate before the book ended!

So, for all readers looking for a different type of shifter book, look no further than Sixth. I'm looking forward to the next installment.