I almost started a post about this elsewhere with the comment, "I wish people had said such nice things about the book when it first came out," but I deleted that after a moment of thought, because, you know, they did. Archangel Protocol came out to rave reviews and it won two awards: the Barnes & Nobel Maiden Voyage award and the Shamus (for best original paperback featuring a private eye.) I really can't complain about then or now, especially considering that it was my freshman effort and there are some turns of phrase in the book that my partner knows she can randomly quote if she wants to watch me squirm in embarrassment.
Also, I had to smile when I read the Sense of Wonder reviewer's comment "the ending seemed a little rushed." I think that's a phrase that appears in pretty much every review of anything I've EVER written EVER. Probably a review of my grocery list would say, "Well organized, creative and innovative spelling, but the ending seems a bit rushed."
I wish I could say that I've improved in this regard, but there's something about endings that continues to baffle and challenge me. I do TRY. I swear one of my goals with each new novel is, "Stick the *^%! ending!" But, then, after my writers' group, my partner and my editor all make me go back and revisit the ending to see if I can't "slow it down," the reviews will come out and at least one of them will say, "But the ending seemed a bit rushed."
Ah well. At least I have something to improve on. Or perhaps I can use it on my tombstone, "Here lies Lyda Morehouse: The Ending Seemed a Bit Rushed."
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