The Sting of Rejection
A very successful writer I know recently mentioned that she never reads reviews of her work. No matter how many glowing reviews she receives, she finds herself obsessing over that one lousy one.
I get that. Some really nice things have happened for me writing-wise in the last couple of weeks. My novel, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU, was re-released by White City Press, and I am thrilled that it has a new publishing home! Meantime, DEATH IN THE END ZONE was named the 2026 NYC Big Book Award winner in the mystery category. 
But I have to admit that a rejection I recently received from the Kentucky Book Festival, the premier book festival in my state, really stung. I had submitted MISSING MOM and was feeling good about my chances. After all, the novel had been a Readers’ Favorite Award winner, an Agatha and Silver Falchion finalist, and had been named one of the top 25 notable books for 2025 by Shelf Unbound.
Alas, the Kentucky Book Festival didn’t accept it. A literary writer I know explained to me that they are less willing to take on “genre authors from small presses.”
Understandable, I guess, but it feels yucky anyway! This is the downside of putting our creative work out there. We are vulnerable to the judgements and opinions of others that may or may not be fair. My husband, an award-winning choreographer, went through this during our dancing days. Along with the wonderful reviews of his choreography were a couple of negative ones that stung. 
I suppose that’s the price we pay for the privilege of doing creative work, a privilege and a gift that makes life so much more rewarding.
But truthfully, rejection still hurts.