I have been writing for 20 years, my mother has never liked a single thing I wrote. When she read the first novel I ever wrote she said, "Well, it's not my cup of tea, but maybe someone will like it." The next time she read any of my writing she told me, "I liked your other novel better."
You have to understand, reading has been a very large part of my mother's life. If she doesn't have a book open, it's because she is doing a puzzle. My whole life I grew up surrounded by books. The only problem, is that my parents are mystery fans and the only genre I like less than mysteries, would have to be cat books. So I know we will never see eye to eye when it comes to the things I write. I try to write things that both interest me and are deeply rooted in mainstream popular culture. My mother just wants a body and an interesting plot twist to keep her turning the page.
But recently the unthinkable happened.
I received praise from my mother. What's more, she kept the copy of my manuscript I gave her and has refused to give it back! She once again told me, "This is not my cup of tea-" which I knew, as it was a horror story and I knew that would be well out of her wheelhouse. But she finished that sentence with a sincere, "But it was very well written!"
So I finally received praise from my mother!
Now if I can just get some from a publisher...
