on writing (II)

There's nothing like good reviews to fuel the fire for writing. My favorite review came from an older woman who told me she became so engrossed in one of my books that she ended up burning dinner in the oven and filling the house with smoke; a second favorite comes from a guy who exclaimed, "This cat can fucking write!" Here are a handful of other reviews (all for 36 Hours, which I self-published in 2005 and rewrote in 2010):

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"Hello Anthony. I read 36 Hours and it was the most gripping book I have read. It knocks the socks off Stephen King and other famous horror writers. George A. Romero would have a field day turning this book into a film." - Trevor from UK

"I loved this book!!!!! You fucking rock! You took a typical zombie thriller and brought it to a whole new level. What happened at the end? I've always wanted to read a book like that. I hope you write others like this; I LOVED it!!!" - Peter

"I've never written to anyone like this in my life, and I wanted to tell you how much I loved [36 Hours]. I've been into zombies for a few years now, but I never heard of you somehow... You absolutely satisfied me with this book. Kudos, you made an awesome enough book to get me to write you." - B. Adams

"I have to say [36 Hours] was very fast-paced and made me never want to put it down." - S. Peterson

"I read your story online at work, and I just wanted to tell you that I enjoyed it immensely. I thought it was a really good zombie novel, and there are not many of them around!" - R. Marmol

"I have taken two minutes away from reading your novel 36 Hours to tell you that I only tore myself away from it long enough to eat! Needless to say that I am so engrossed that I will possibly not sleep tonight. Thank you so much for entertaining me. Rarely do I become so involved with a novel. I think I will become your new groupie! Bravo on a fun and compelling piece of work!" - L. Spiers

"I just wanted to let you know [that] I have been reading zombie stories for [years] now. I must've read over 200. I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed 36 Hours. What a great, well-written story. It kept my attention the whole time from beginning to end. What I loved most is it seemed very realistic. So many zombie stories lose my attention or have fake aspects I can't overlook. I found none of that with your story... [36 Hours] has to be up there in my Top 3 Zombie Books of all time. Thanks for one hell of a kickass story!" - M. Scott

"I have just read your free version of 36 Hours and it is one of the best books I have ever read. Especially towards the end, the story develops a depth only few books and even fewer zombie movies could ever dream of attaining, making the tears of soft-hearted and romantic guys like me flowing like waterfalls. I would like to thank you very much for your great novel." - J. McAllester

"I have recently read [36 Hours] and wanted to let you know that I think it is an extremely good, well-written story. I particularly like the pacing as it really worked in building tension and excitement. In my opinion, it is only a matter of time before a major publisher picks it up." - A. Walker

"In the past year I've begun to dig into the field of zombie thrillers. I love reading, and out of the few zombie based novels I have read, and out of all that I own, this book is by far the best I've read. Every second kept me at bay, as if I were the one in such danger." - R. Freitas

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These reviews are encouraging, to say the least.
Oftentimes I doubt my skill and talent.
Knowing that people, young and old, enjoy my work...
Well, that makes it a little more meaningful.
(and a little more worth all the effort writing takes!)