So, I’ve been struggling (obviously) with the release of the Queen and last night figured out why I don’t feel 100% settled with the book. Thus far, my lovely friends and family have been the reviewers and certainly, they have been generous in their comments (thank you, fam). With both Joe and 702, I’ve had a fair number of reviews (both good and bad) from unrelated people who simply read my books. It’s not that I value the opinions of my friends and family any less (or that I could do this without their support) it’s just I’ve been waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop for some time.
Basically, I want a stranger to read my book and give an honest opinion. I’ve been waiting nearly a month and it hasn’t happened yet. Yes, I know I should stand proudly by what I’ve produced, but I would love to know if the book resonates with anyone. After all, I wrote the Queen, like all my novels, to be read and enjoyed. So, call it validation or whatever you like, but I think it’s what is stopping me from moving on to a larger marketing push, etc.
If you need me, I’ll be obsessively refreshing the Amazon page to my book…
annbenjamin 
Just a quick question. Have you not reached the editing stage yet?
Oh, it’s been edited professionally… And beta read by countless friends and strangers. And they all loved it. I’m still trying to figure out why a complete stranger’s opinion means more than all of the above.