Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

I #Read My Own #Book, and I Liked It! #Romance


I read my book, Valentine, and got a kick out of it!

Authors, do you ever go back and read books off of your own backlist?

I’ve always avoided it, I’m not sure why. Maybe, I was scared to find out how bad they were, lol. I think we writers have fragile egos (or I do, anyway) and worry we’re doing the old, fake it, til we make it, with regards to our books. Then too, I’m my own worst critic, so that doesn’t help.

I remember the first time I made bread. Spoiler alert; I hate baking, but I wanted to do something nice for my family, so like a trooper, I got the recipe from my mom (who makes baking look like child’s play) and put all the ingredients together, feeling pretty proud of myself. But then, the loaves came out of the oven, flat and heavy and looking nothing like my mom’s. Hubby said he could use them to fill in the holes in our driveway, they were that bad!

I never baked bread again.

You may wonder what this has to do with writing, and honestly I’m not sure, other than to say I’m glad writing doesn’t require kneading!

Do you have something you epically failed at? Were you like me and gave up, or did you keep going until you got it right?

My Review for Valentine: A Hearts & Kisses Romance

Free until Feb 16th

It’s been a couple of years since I wrote Valentine and had forgotten most of the story. It was like reading a new book- one I really enjoyed!

Sierra Johnson is recovering from a bad breakup (boyfriend conned her out of all of her life savings) and works two jobs in order to survive. One is a temporary caretaker/home repair person for an aging brownstone, and the other is her dream job- catering. Unfortunately, her boss isn’t the easiest to work for, and her fellow boarder at the brownstone is an obnoxious, aggravating male who keeps showing up at the wrong moment.

Val Hodgins is on the island to help his great-aunt with her brownstone, and his twin sister with her catering business, but an annoying, klutzy, cute firebrand keeps him on his toes.

Favorite Lines

Love was a two-way street and it turned out theirs was a dead end.

Valentine- Jacquie Biggar

She looked stricken. “Val, I’m sorry we didn’t work out. I love you, I’ll always love you. I’m just not in love with you. It took me a long time to figure out the distinction, but it’s all the difference in the world, isn’t it?”

Valentine- Jacquie Biggar

If betrayal were a color, it would be gray.

Valentine- Jacquie Biggar

I highly recommend going back and reading your books. You might be proud of what you’ve achieved!

I love having guests on the blog. If you have a new release, a sale or just want to chat, send me an email via the contact page and we’ll set something up. Hope to see you soon!

36 Replies to “I #Read My Own #Book, and I Liked It! #Romance”

  3. Hi Jacquie,
    I enjoyed your above lines. Very apt…
    Re-reading old work can surprise you. Sometimes, it’s a good surprise and sometimes not. And now and then, you think ‘Did I really write THAT!’ (In a good way. That’s the best feeling… Good fortune to you. xx

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Because I go to schools and read from my books, I do get to reread the older ones. Sometimes I think, hey, that´s not bad. I think we learn as we go along though. I have found some mistakes, which makes me shudder. I have this one on my Kindle and will be reading it soon. xo

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I love: “hey, that’s not bad.” That’s exactly what I thought with this story. You’re right though, I can see a few little editing errors that I would have caught now.
      I’ll be waiting to hear what you think 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I read some of my short stories out to the family when we’re all together for Sunday lunch. They all clap and cheer at the end of a story, while I wonder if they’re doing it because I’ve finished or because they really did enjoy the story. I keep telling myself that our earlier writings are the beginnings of something special.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. The lines you chose from your book to highlight here are wonderful, Jacquie. What a great idea.

    I’ve read many of my books after they’re published. Especially, before publishing another in the series to see what happened and if there is anything I should refer to in the new book. This advice comes from a best-selling author many of us know and love. I haven’t reread all of mine yet. Sometimes when I am searching for an excerpt, I will get caught up in the story and keep reading, forgetting I am there to find a snippet, and I think, “Wow, cool.” With one of mine, while searching for a snippet, I found formatting mistakes and tons of errors as if the wrong file had been uploaded. I freaked out and pulled the book while rewriting it and fixing the errors and formatting. I was devastated. It’s time consuming while writing but sometimes important. Great post.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, rereading during production is super important, Mary. I read a chapter or two prior to every new chapter I write and then my critique group goes over it again. After the book is done, I leave it for a week or two and then Mom and I read it, AND THEN, I send it out to ARC readers, who are great at giving feedback.
      This is a bit different. I wrote Valentine a couple of years ago, so I’m coming into it almost as a new reader- it was fun!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I mean reading parts or all of the previous book in the series to catch up on what happened prior to the upcoming book. 🙂 I also go back and reread what I’m working on, edit and revise, and especially reread what I had written the day before. Many say we shouldn’t do this, and just keep writing, but I can’t go on unless I know the previous stuff is done how I want it. Sounds like that works for you too, Jacquie. Glad you enjoyed reading your Valentine book! That is always awesome when we like our own words. ❤ In fact, I read parts of another of my books this morning while looking for a Book Hooks snippet. I loved it! 😚

        Liked by 1 person

  9. I haven’t gone back, Jacqui. If I did I know I’d want to makes changes;) Nice you had a good experince! If I tried something I didn’t like to do and it went poorly I think that would be it for me, too. If its something I liked I’d keep trying.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Writing is more of a hobby for me than anything else; I’m not claiming to be an expert. Joining a critique group in the last year has been the best decision I’ve made in quite some time. I can look at things that I wrote two years ago, and objectively see the flaws. As a former elementary teacher, I’ve always supported the role of collaboration in any endeavor. Where we get in trouble is when we take on an attitude that there is nothing else to learn.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I think it’s fun you read your own book, Jacquie. I do it now and then. Usually when I’ve been removed from the tale for a while and can approach the story simply as a reader. I ALWAYS enjoy reading what I’ve written, and I think it’s a great way to keep our motivation going as authors.

    I have your Valentine book on my Kindle and look forward to enjoying it myself!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree. Sometimes, I get discouraged and feel like I have no talent, but reading my early work made me realize I’m not that bad, lol
      Thanks for taking a copy of Valentine, I hope you enjoy it!

      Like

  14. I’m sure most of us share in this worry. I must say when I hear the audios for my books, as you have to review them once they are ready, I also feel very surprised, and find myself eagerly waiting to see what will come next, as if I didn’t know! Perhaps you should give making bread a second try! Thanks for sharing, Jacquie. Love the quotes as well.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes! I love hearing the review copies of my audio books! Dan Purcell does a wonderful job of switching up the voices depending on the characters, which adds a great layer to the story.
      I wish they could do like the old radio mysteries where sounds are incorporated, such as a ringing phone, gun shots, etc. It made those stories, like Gunsmoke and Dragnet 🙂

      Like

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