I am deeply grateful to everyone who writes an online review of one of my books, whether or not it's a positive review. Because reviews are one of the best ways for readers to find books -- they don't have to be five-star raves to serve a really valuable purpose. If you didn't like the book, obviously that's fine! Your opinion is your opinion! There's a way to express "it's not for me" that doesn't resort to "this book sucked" or the ever-non-informative "meh." Unfortunately, some reviewers seem to relish the chance to take the wind out of an author's sails, and when that happens, the best way to get our wind back, so to speak, is to laugh about it.

And so. Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, who write as a team, rounded up fellow authors to read our mean reviews onscreen, and this video was born. I shared a review of The Magician's Lie that I found, well, rather surprising. Honestly, as soon as they asked if I wanted to participate, I thought, "YES! I've got just the thing."

Plus, you can go to this Facebook page and follow the instructions to enter a great big giveaway for the latest book from every author in the video. (Deadline is June 30.) We promise, the books are MUCH better than these reviews make them sound. Enjoy!