Rejection sucks, but does it have to? Thoughts by Maggie Thom, author of 'Tainted Waters'

Rejection Sucks... But Does It Have To?

By Maggie Thom

Rejection, even the word doesn't sound very nice. Unfortunately it is one of the harsh realities of the world we live in - someone is going to reject something that has to do with you. They're not going to like something you wear, you do, you say, you act, you write... The sad truth is that often we take it personally as being rejected, as not being good enough...

And that's what will keep you stalled.

First you need to look at what you consider rejection. Within the first three days of my book, Captured Lies being published, someone bought and then returned the ebook. My first reaction was, 'Oh my God, it's true, I'm no good.' It didn't matter that I had several other sales and people telling me how much they loved the book. Thankfully I didn't stay in that place of not being good enough, very long. All it meant was that my book wasn't for that person. Which is okay. Ironically at the same time this person was returning the ebook, I got a five star review on Amazon from another reader. Funny how the positive always loses out to the negative, right? I was excited about the five star but it was still overshadowed by the returned ebook.

We seem to be so programmed to look at the negative no matter how small or insignificant. What that meant for me was that I was allowing someone else to judge me and to determine if I was any good or not. And I was listening.

Once I recognized that, I was able to stop that. I reminded myself that it just meant my story wasn't what that person was looking for. It's no different than when I read a story and like it where others don't or I don't like it where others do. And that's okay. We all have different tastes, likes and dislikes. As an author, I know that my stories appeal to those who love fast-paced suspense/thrillers. So that is the audience I want to find.

If someone criticizes, judges or puts down my book I will see if there is anything constructive in what they are saying that I can apply to my work to improve my work otherwise I let it go. It's their stuff. Not mine. And if someone does criticize, judge or put down my writing, again it's not about me. Writing is something I do and I strive to improve it all the time but it does not define who I am. Someone's thoughts and feelings about my writing DOES NOT define who I am. It took me a long time to separate myself from that. In fact, it was getting to that point that was what finally gave me the impetus to leap into publishing.

Do not take the negative personally. Learn from what others says but remove the emotional attachment.

Remember your gift is something you do, it is not who you are.

What is your experience with rejection?

Suspense/Thriller
Date Published: April 2013

He didn’t commit suicide but who’s going to believe her...

Frustrated at being fired from her latest job and overwhelmed by her consolatory family, Sam decides to move to the family’s cabin at the lake. A place she hasn’t been since her dad committed suicide there, twenty years before. Or did he? Snooping is something she’s good at but someone seems to be taking offense to her looking too closely at what has been happening at the lake. What she discovers is shocking. Now she must uncover what’s real and what’s not. All that she learned growing up, may be false.

Keegan, who has recently moved to the area to finish his latest book, is also trying to find out if his grandfather, who’d passed away ten years before, died of natural causes or was murdered? The descendants of the four families, who own the land around the lagoon, are dying off.

Since Sam and Keegan are the only ones questioning the deaths, they find themselves working together to seek the truth. Are people being murdered? Who would benefit from their deaths? Why would there be barricades and armed guards at the north end of the lake? To stay alive, Sam and Keegan must find the answers and convince others, before more people are killed... including them.

Read an excerpt:

Was any of it enough to want to kill Sam? 

He supposed if she was digging up dirt on the guy that he’d paid to bury, maybe. Frustrated he shoved his hand through his unruly curls only to wince in disgust as he felt the greasy build up. He needed a shower. He took his laptop, quietly tiptoed to his bed, set it down and then went back for the case. Knocking it over, his air stick fell out. Annoyed that he’d missed it the first time, he shoved it into the laptop. Within a few minutes, he saw that Harry had made a few more phone calls that had downloaded before he’d grabbed it from the cabin. Deciding he might as well take a quick shower, he would then reset the stuff up and listen to it after. He clicked to close the program but the computer didn’t seem to respond. There was a little circle spinning on his screen but nothing was happening. Sam’s deep, endearing blow-out breaths were still steady. Not wanting to waste the opportunity and figuring he’d be back in time, he climbed in the shower. After knocking his elbows a few times, he realized that since they weren’t at the Ritz things like shampoo and soap weren’t a given. He scrubbed his hair, face and body as best he could with his hands, partly to stave off the chill of the cool water and partly to remove all the sweat and dirt clinging to him. Within a few minutes he was drying himself with a threadbare hand towel, which made him think the housekeeping staff or the owner had a hell of a sense of humor.


He’d been so deep in thought about all that was going on and the relief of finally being clean, that the sounds coming from the bedroom didn’t register for a few minutes. 

‘...heart attack...’ 

‘Sam...' 

‘...it’s done...’ 

He jerked on his pants, yanked open the door and dove for the bed, hitting the off button. That silenced it but the computer froze. His relief was short-lived when he realized that Sam's gentle snoring was also gone. Looking over his shoulder, with the bathroom light spotlighting her - she was sitting up, her knees drawn to her chest. Her eyes black obsidian, never leaving his face. 

“Uh...”

Book of the Year 2013 - Suspense and Thriller Turning the Pages Magazine

"I LOVED this book! It was fast paced and had me gripped from the start….. And talk about twists! Just when I thought I knew where this story was leading…… Bang!….. Plot twist!..." Orchard Book Club

"... Exciting story, loved the beginning introduction to Sam. She is a firecracker and had me chuckling... Another wonderful read from Maggie Thom..." Musing from an Addicted Reader

"...the book will truly keep you on the edge of your seat unable to pry yourself from it... Maggie brilliantly creates suspense and the atmosphere of unease..." The Most Happy Reader

"...What makes Tainted Waters by Maggie Thom stick out from the crowd is that you really don’t know exactly what you’re getting into..." The Queen of All She Reads

Buy links

Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ Smashwords \ Kobo \ iTunes

About the author:

Award winning author, Maggie Thom, took the challenge and leapt off, leaving a fulltime, twenty year career in management, to write full time. After publishing her first suspense/thriller book Captured Lies, October 2012, she published her second novel, Tainted Waters, April, 2013. Tainted Waters went on to win 2013 Suspense and Thriller Book of the Year through Turning the Pages Magazine and Captured Lies won book of the Month through LAS Reviews (February 2014). She published her third novel, Deceitful Truths (The Caspian Wine Series - Book 2), March 2014. An avid reader and writer her whole life, she decided to break the monotony of wishing to be an author by making it happen. She is a wholehearted nature lover and likes nothing better than to take a book, hike to a remote spot by a river or waterfalls and read. Married to her best friend, she is learning that humor, love and patience help her navigate her way through her twins’ teen years. Her motto: Escape to read and Read to escape. "Maggie Thom writes a fast paced thriller laced with romance that keeps the reader interested and on edge!" InDtale Magazine

Links:

Website: www.maggiethom.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaggieThom

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maggiethom2

Blog: http://maggiethom.wordpress.com/the-write-to-read/

Google +: https://plus.google.com/+MaggieThom/posts

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/maggiethom2/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6549592.Maggie_Thom

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