JL Merrow

Have just had an absolutely brilliant review from Sarah F at Dear Author:

I adored it. The characters were brilliant. The world-building was so subtle and so well-done — how different the wolves were from the humans, but how Nick used both sides of himself to win Julian and the battle against Julian’s abusive partner and Julian’s father. The tone/voice was pitch perfect. The setting was wonderful.

And kudos for Samhain Publishing: I love that Samhain is just going with the flow of your Englishness to the extent that they’re not even changing English spelling to American.

Wouldn't it be nice if some other non-UK publishers felt able to relax a little on this point?

...and it's my turn today! If you hop on over to Brief Encounters you'll be able to find out the sad truth about my culinary and motoring skills (or rather, lack thereof)!



And there's also a lovely review of my latest release:

...and I thought, blow that for a game of soldiers! ;)



But darn it, all that research can be hard work, and it's always a worry that something might slip through the net. So I was chuffed as anything to get an email from a rower, asking me if I rowed myself as all the details in Stroke to His Cox were spot on! So huge thanks to the lovely people at Verulam Writers' Circle who helped me get it right.

And I'm delighted to report a lovely review of the story, by Jenre over at Brief Encounters:

One thing I loved about this story was the way that JL Merrow’s dry humour shines through the character of Dave...I was pretty impressed all round that the author managed to fit in a rowing action scene, enough background on the characters and a very satisfying sex scene into such a short story, as well as retaining a good sense of place

You can read the whole review here - and while you're there, check out Tam's review of josephine_myles's excellent story First Impressions. Now, I'd already read this story and loved it - but if I hadn't, there's no way I'd be able to resist the tagline, "When ugly socks attract"!

Oh, and it turns out the rower who contacted me has his own rowing story coming out at the end of the month! It's Rocking the Boat by Christopher Koehler, and handles some serious issues as well as the rowing.

I was delighted to see that A Ghoul Like You has been awarded 4.5 cherries by Whipped Cream Reviews:

The author’s trademark humor is sprinkled throughout this enjoyable story. From the small details to the large, this short story is littered with great lines and sly nods. The characters and their dialogue are particular highlights...You may find yourself rooting for ghouls as the newest heroes.

I have a trademark humor! *beams* :D

Many thanks to the lovely Jenre, who's been very quick off the mark in reviewing A Ghoul Like You!



Those with a strong constitution and a love of Halloween stories are going to enjoy this one a great deal. I did. - Jenre (read the full review here)

When I heard Kassa was going to be reviewing my new release, Pricks and Pragmatism, I must admit to a certain amount of quaking in my stylish-yet-affordable (all right, down-at-heel-and-knackered) boots!

Of course, a review is only one person's opinion - but Kassa's opinion happens to be one I respect, and I regularly check out her site, Three Dollar Bill Reviews. So I was vastly relieved to find she seems to have rather liked P&P!

"The writing and quick wit displayed throughout in addition to the solid characters makes the story simply fun to read. There are numerous touches of humor and dry wit that come across, mostly in Luke’s thoughts, but they keep the story engaging and entertaining" - Kassa.

You can read the full review on Jessewave's blog here.

Yes, despite the best efforts of pesky volcanoes, I have made it back from Denmark only slightly later than planned (and a fair amount poorer *winces*).

Now, what did I miss?

Well, for starters, I missed... an interview with me! ;)
This appeared on the 15th at MichelenJeff reviews - if you've ever wondered what a typical writing day chez Merrow looks like, check it out! (Warning: you will be deeply disappointed by my total lack of anything resembling a work ethic.)

They were also kind enough to review my short stories Angel and Good Company, awarding each of them 4 kisses! :D

The Care and Feeding of Demons anthology has had a 5 cups review from Coffee Time Romance

I particularly liked this bit: I absolutely fell in love with Rael and Lars and would love to read more about them. JL Merrow has created two unforgettable characters everyone should have an opportunity to meet.

Have I mentioned that A Blast from the Past, the sequel to Rael and Lars' story in the anthology, will be coming out in August 2010? ;D

Yay! The lovely and well-read Jenre has reviewed the Scared Stiff Taste Test recently released by Torquere. You can read the review on Jessewave's blog here! :D

The Taste Test contains stories by me, Sunny Moraine and Mercy Loomis.

You can find an excerpt from my story on the Torquere site, and an excerpt from Mercy's story is featured on elisa_rolle's LJ here

*collapses in exhaustion from all that coding* ;D

Well, it seems I was overly pessimistic with the forecast yesterday (talking of which: we had a hailstorm today. Why? It is summer. It is even reasonably warm. Why, then, is ice falling from the sky? Discuss.)

I did, indeed, finish Under the Mistletoe today, and yes, it reached around 13k. But... the blues don't appear to have hit. Why? (again)

Well, it might have something to do with this review of the Torquere Cherry anthology in which my story Different Strengths appears, by the lovely Jenre on Jessewave's blog. (Note to self: must get Jenre to write my story synopses in future: she does it far better than I do)

D'oh! moment: One thing I’ve noticed about JL Merrow is that she likes to inject a certain amount of darkness into her stories. I swear, I wasn't consciously doing this! Yet, looking again at Under the Mistletoe: 2 significant characters dead before the story even starts, and 1 during the course of it.

*realises, at this point, she probably shouldn't mention the dead bunnies*