May is the month of expectation, the month of wishes, the month of hope (#IWSG May 2026)

Yeah, I know this is two days late.

Happy Birthday to me.

That means it's been one year since the reasons of Gale Harbour 3: Dirtbag Satan Worshippers From Down by the Bay, and eleven years since my first book, Ten Thousand Days. And there is no new books on the horizon.

That's not to say I haven't been writing. I've been writing quite a bit, actually. I have two mostly-complete first-draft manuscripts and two or three more that are half-finished. I just haven't been able to commit to finish anything. This year has been quite a roller coaster, with my father-in-law's passing and just general craziness keeping us busy all the time. I just haven't had the motivation to write the way I used to.

So now should be a perfect time to go back and read some old reviews for inspiration, right?

May Question: What was the most inspiring feedback you received from readers?

Oh, this will be fun. I've shared a few of these before, but they're too good to not mention again.

"Not rating this as I noped out of this one very early."
- SPFBO reviewer 

"A review will follow."
- a different SPFBO reviewer on a different book (spoiler: a review did NOT follow)

"This book had some errors, relied completely on allusions to the pop culture of my childhood and bordered on cheesy from beginning to end."
- Goodreads review

"too much about 13 year olds thinking about sex."
- Amazon reviewer who has never met a 13-year-old boy.

"Our favorite bunch of Nova Scotian teenage nerds"
-  Goodreads review (and yes, the very first word in the synopsis is "Newfoundland")

"The first book in the series really pulled out all the stops resulting in a book that was as suspenseful as it was hilarious."
- Goodreads review talking about the second book in the series.

"It's not bad, you know, if you've got nothing better to read."
- my father-in-law

"This is pretty good, where did you plagiarize this from?"
- my father

"You should read Patricia Lynne's book. She's a much better writer than you."
- my wife 

I'm being silly of course. There were plenty of good reviews in there, too. In fact, the first Gale Harbour book recently crossed 50 reviews on Goodreads, and it has a 4.3 rating overall (4.7 on Amazon), so I can't complain. But it's always easier to focus on the less-than-stellar feedback. I'm certainly never going to get a big ego, that's for sure.

Anyway.

We're going to an Ottawa Rapid FC game tonight and then to a pirate-themed restaurant for Karaoke on the weekend, so I can't complain about my birthday celebrations, either. Here's my daughter at the Rapid home opener last weekend:

She got to meet three of her favourite players: Min-A Lee, Choo Hyo-Joo and Minyoung Jung, who in addition to being in the starting line-up for the Ottawa Rapid, are all also members of the South Korean National Women's Team. She was very excited, it was so cute.

May all of you have received great positive feedback that inspires you to write more and better. And for all the crappy reviews? Fuck'em.

Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com