This publishing journey has been full of ups and downs. Reviewers seem to have a love/hate relationship with my novel and it has left me on a roller coaster of emotional turmoil. From being touted as the “fictional discovery of the year” by a premier review magazine to waking up to a message from an outraged reader with, “Are you kidding me with this bullshit?”—this wide range of reviews has given me serious PTSD when I hear my author e-mail chirp with a new message. While the latter reviewer clearly was not into my particular sense of humor, it still is a shock to get such extreme views on my work. So it was a definite up when I made it as a finalist in the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, which is a very prestigious writing competition. Even though I didn’t win, to be named a finalist is a true honor, especially given the off-beat cross-genre category my book falls under. So I will ride this high for now and try not to have a heart attack the next time my phone alerts me of a new review.