One of the rare joys of writing is receiving feedback that one of your books got someone thinking. I’ve been lucky to hear a few of those comments over the years, and I remember and cherish each one. Erik Tyler is a frequent visitor to this old blog, and he also beta read the whole Rose Shield series for me (my hero!). Well, I guess I got him thinking and he actually wrote a post about the magical (and not so magical) power of “influence.”
On to Erik’s post:
During my six or so years of blogging, I’ve met some stellar people online. One of those people is Diana Peach, a fellow blogger and prolific novel writer in the fantasy genre.
Just last week, Diana released Catling’s Bane: Book I of her four-book series known collectively as The Rose Shield. And — lucky me — I got to be a beta reader for the entire thing, the final installment of which I’m currently reading.
If you’re a true lover of fantasy, do yourself a favor, read my Amazon review, get yourself a copy of this book — and prepare to lose some sleep over it. In short, I’ve read hundreds and hundreds of books in this genre and this series makes my top five of all time. (She will, no doubt, decry my high praise as “stuff and nonsense,” but it’s true nonetheless.)
Now, my site isn’t a book review site. And Diana has no idea I’m writing this (surprise, Diana!). But I’m telling you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this Rose Shield series. And so, I’ve decided to go with the flow and incorporate some of those thoughts into this week’s blog post, in a way that I trust will be consistent with who I am and what this blog is about.
If you’ve read even a few pages of my book, The Best Advice So Far, or more than two blog posts here, the theme that runs through everything I write should be apparent: “You always have a choice.”
Building upon this foundation, I’ve also proposed such notions as these:
No one can make you happy.
No one can make you mad (or jealous or insecure or a host of other negatives).
And while compliance can be forced, we cannot make others respect us.
Nor can we make another person love us.
But … what if we could?
What if it were possible to soothe another’s anger, suppress their violence or calm their anxiety, all by force of our will?
What if we did hold the power to irresistibly compel the others around us to respect us? Desire us? Permit us? Love us?
What if we could inflict unspeakable pain or induce euphoric pleasure with a thought, heal with a touch — or, with the same touch, end a life?
Really think about that what-if for a moment. What would you do differently if imbued with such power? Who would you influence — and how? In your secret heart, what would be your biggest temptation?
(Continue Reading: Influence)
Myths of the Mirror 
I absolutely second Erik’s review of Catling’s Bane — every word of it! I am so taken with this book and its very particular mythology; I’m eager to see how it develops in the subsequent novels…
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Thanks so much, Sean. The book is doing well, and your review was/is contributing to its journey. I appreciate all the kind support. I’m truly excited to hear what you think as you get to the end of the adventure, whenever that is. 😀 Have a great day and keep up the writing!
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Wow, high praise indeed I will have to investigate further and pop over to Erik’s blog. 🙂
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Drop in any time, Marje. The door is always open. 🙂
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Thank you Erik will do. 🙂
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Thanks for reading, Marje. It was a wonderful surprise and so sweet of Erik to do. I couldn’t have been happier. Do pop over to his site. He has a great blog that’s worth browsing. 😀 Have a great Friday!
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Thanks to you, Diana, I read Erik’s posts regularly now. Insightful. Wise. I feel like I’ve met a new friend. His review of your book is stupendous.
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Thank you, Pam. I feel exactly the same reading yours!
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Stupendous is the right word. So thoughtful and generous. And I’m not surprised the two of you get along. Two of my favorite bloggers. ❤
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I really enjoyed Erik’s review and his post! Congratulations Diana 💛
I can’t wait to read it now!.. and to visit Erik’s blog.
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Thanks for the kind words, Val. Drop on by any time. 🙂
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Erik has a wonderful blog, Val. Full of advice on how to live a kinder, happier life. He was incredibly kind to post this lovely review and talk about how the book made him think. I hope you head over and take a peek 😀 ❤
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Congrats! That is a well-written review. 🙂
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Thank you, Marietta. It was easy to do with such great fodder.
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It was a great surprise, Marietta, and so sweet of Erik to do. I like it when someone “gets” one of my books, which doesn’t always happen! lol. Happy Writing!
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You know, I keep thinking he’s crossed that line, like ten lines ago, but so far he’s untouchable.
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At this point it comes down to the Republicans and their willingness to sacrifice their ethics and patriotism. Apparently power is more important than their oaths and morals and country.
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Absolutely, what’s happening is disturbing and unprecedented.
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Fantastic and great support!
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I know. Wasn’t that nice of him? I love this blogging community. Friends and kindness everywhere you turn. 😀
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Congratulations, Diana on the great review of your book by Erik. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thanks for stopping by to read, Suzanne. It was a wonderful surprise and great fun to share. Have a great day, my friend. ❤
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High marks to a talented and outstanding writer who is also one of my best blogging friends. I love your writing, Ms. Peach, and I’m certainly not alone. 😀
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Nope. It’s a pretty big fan club. 🙂
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😀
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Thanks for the incredibly sweet comment, Lana. You actually made me tear up. 🙂 Well, you know I am fan of yours so the lovely sentiment goes both ways. Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend. ❤
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Diana, I know Erik’s wonderful words put you on cloud nine. Thanks for sharing this. Mega hugs.
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They did, Teagan. It doesn’t happen often that one of my books gets such special treatment, but I’m not complaining when it does! Thanks so much for stopping by to read. Hugs ❤
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Congrats on the wonderful review, although I can say it’s no surprise. I’ve recently found you and your books. While I’m loving the chance to immerse myself in a new world of fantasy, my wife is a little grouchy with you. The honey-do list is not getting much shorter…
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Apologize to your wife for me 😀 😀 And thanks for the great comment. I was delighted by Erik’s generous offer to beta read all 4 books, and then this surprise post topped off the whole launch. I don’t know what I’d do without the great writing community here on WP. Thanks for the visit, Gabe, and Happy Writing!
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Wow, I’ve never heard the term “the honey-do list”! That’s a keeper (the phrase, not the list).
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Congratulations on the great review!
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Thanks, Stacey. It really touched me that Erik took the time to read, reflect, and then write such a wonderful post. I hope your day is full of positive influences. Happy Writing. 🙂
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What a wonderful, thoughtful review! I need to get my butt in gear and speed up my reading so I can get to these 🙂 Erik has a great site, and is a fine writer himself. He’s done a great job spreading the word! Congrats, Diana, and good luck with the fully-released series!
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😀 Thanks, Julie. Erik is a talented author and his posts are always thought-provoking. This one was a lovely surprise and I couldn’t be happier to share it. I hope when this one rises to the top of the pile you enjoy it! ❤
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Thanks for the kind mini-review, Julie! 😀
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It must make you feel all warm and fuzzy reading such words about your work. Congratulations!
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Warm and fuzzy is a great description, Kristina. It was a wonderful gift and very touching personally. Thanks for stopping by to take a peek. ❤
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Fantastic, Diana!
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Thanks, Mick. It was such a kind thing for Erik to do and I’m thrilled that the book elicited a bit of reflection. So glad you stopped by. Happy Writing. 😀
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Fantastic post. How kind and what a commendation. I’d copy and paste this on my wall, Dianne. Thanks Erik for the heads-up on the book.
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Please do read it, Judith. You’ll thank me all over again. 🙂
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I will, Erik, thanks
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Thanks so much, Judith. Wasn’t it amazing? I just loved finding this and am so honored that Erik took the time to reflect and then write a whole post about it. Thanks for sharing and have a lovely day. ❤
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This review was like a beautiful story in itself. You must be floating on air Diana. So well deserved. The subject matter may even be reflective of current times in another realm. 🙂
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I see your point, Debby, on “current times.”
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Yes 😉
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Wasn’t it great? I was so surprised and totally tickled that Erik took the time to reflect and write. I do think we influence each other through the obvious routes but also energetically in ways we may not understand yet. Thanks for the visit, my friend, and happy writing! ❤
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Thoroughly enjoyed. ❤ Happy writing to you Diana, although my writing is on the back burner much of this week 😦 ❤
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Wonderful! This is perhaps as good as it gets.
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I can’t imagine much better, Jennie. This is a wonderful virtual community and I feel lucky to have made such caring friends. Erik is one of many stars and I’m grateful. Thanks for visiting and have a lovely day. ❤
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Best to you, Diana!
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A beautiful review! 🙂
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Thanks so much, Bette. It was a such a wonderful gift from Erik, and I’m delighted to share it. BTW, I have my Amazing Matilda book. I’ll do a review after Tornado Boy weighs in. 🙂
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I just love your writing and am looking forward to delving into one of your books very soon. Thanks so much for your support and encouragement–have a GRAND time with Tornado Boy! 🙂 xo
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How wonderful for you, Diana, a terrific review! Congratulations! 🙂
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Thanks for reading, Steven. It was a nice surprise and I was blown away that Erik took the time to write such a cool post about one of the themes of the series. So fun to share. Happy Writing, my friend.
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Absolutely cool. Congrats again. 🙂
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Congrats on such a wonderful review. What an artful way with words he has!
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I know. Eric is a talented author in his own right and pulls together a great post as well as a review. Thanks for the visit, Jacqui. I’m finishing your new book tonight. So excited about it!! 😀
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What a wonderful post about your books, Diana. Left a comment on Erik’s blog.
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Thanks so much, Robbie. I’ll comment over there 🙂
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Congratulations. I think that review was well earned. Erik sounds like a gem. Like attracts like as they say…
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Erik is a gem, Brigid. It was a really kind thing to do, in addition to beta reading all four books! Thanks so much for stopping by to check out the post. Have a wonderful day. 🙂
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You too. 😊
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Wonderful, great write up for you!!!
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Thanks for stopping by. Erik’s post was such a treat – it made my day and I couldn’t wait to share it. The community here in blogworld can be pretty special. Have a wonderful day ❤
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❤️
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A wonderful review Erik! And I am too a fan of Diana and I too love the Rose shield.
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It was an easy post to write. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed Diana’s incredible story as well!
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Thanks so much for reading and for your wonderful comment, Bibhuti. Erik went overboard with his kindness in this review and I’m grateful. Happy Writing, my friend. 🙂
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Impressive review, Diana – what a compliment!
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It was such a sweet and heartwarming surprise, Teri. A real gift. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Reading. 😀
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I’m having some difficulty trying to comment on Erik’s site, so I’ll leave my comment here.
His post is the best kind of feedback a writer can get and such a huge compliment to you. Your writing has not only been enjoyed on its own merit, but it has left an impression that has inspired – and yes, influenced – beyond its original intent. High praise indeed!
I loved the last line in his post “ask yourself if it’s the story you want to be telling”. If only more people would stop to reflect on the words and actions they’ve chosen and question whether that’s the lasting impression they want to leave.
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I’m sure Erik will stop by here at some point, Joanne, so he’ll see this comment. It was so kind of him to pull together that extended post/review. And a high honor indeed when my little book provokes some reflection. Yes, a great last time. He does a wonderful job of bringing the discussion back to personal choice in our lives. Have a great day, my friend. Hope a little sunshine finds you. 🙂
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Yes, Erik did respond and I gave him some feedback.
I hope you are having a great week 🙂
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Sorry to hear you had trouble posting your comment to the site, Joanne. If you have a moment, could you describe what kind of problem you encountered? I’ll look into it!
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Hi Erik – great piece on “Influence”. I really enjoyed it. I’m a great believer that our actions and words leave a ‘wake’ behind us like a boat moving through water. Your closing line really resonated with me in this world of “act quickly and regret in leisure”.
The problem I had seemed to be related to fully loading your post. Although I got the content of the post, it wasn’t loading the remaining info such as *likes* and comments. Although there was a comment box provided, I couldn’t put a cursor in the box to start typing. I waited a bit thinking it just needed more time to load, but eventually just abandoned it.
Hope that makes sense.
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I’m with you, Joanne.
As for the site, I started six years ago with a free WP site and have since migrated to a self-hosted site. So I keep both going. The free site only contains part of the post with a link at the bottom to the full post on the new site (this was so previous readers who’d bookmarked didn’t get lost in the shuffle).
Would you try THIS LINK and let me know if you see the comment section and are able to click inside of the comment box? And what browser do you use (e.g., Google Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, etc.)? Thanks for helping me troubleshoot!
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Just to add a bit more info, Erik. Your “like” box almost never loads for me on your self-hosted site. I’ve never worried about it because I leave comments and figured it was just me. I use Edge and Chrome.
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Yes, the self-hosted “Like” is a new addition by WordPress, and they apparently haven’t yet worked the kinks out of it. Thanks for the added information.
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I figured it was my old slow computer.
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Nope, not this time.
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What an absolutely fantastic review, Diana! I hope you get to enjoy some of this beautiful sunshine before the rains return! xoxo
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Thanks for stopping by to check it out, Kathryn. Yes – more weeding and garden prep today. Then planting after this next batch of rain. It’s been glorious outside. I didn’t realize how sun-starved I was!
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How nice, congratulations on the great review Diana! You deserve it! You wrote a great book!
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Thank you to another beta reader! This extended review was a fun surprise and I’m honored to share it. Hope you have a day full of wonderful influences. 😀
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Thank you 😀
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That’s a pretty awesome writeup for your book!
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Yeah, No kidding. I was thrilled to find it on Erik’s blog and more than happy to share. It was super nice of him to do. Thanks so much for stopping by to take a peek. 🙂
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It just had to be written (and I loved surprising Diana with it rather than telling her up front).
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I was lucky enough to beta read the first book and am currently enjoying all over again in its finished state. I usually wait years (sometimes decades) before re-reading a book yet here I am once more savouring a story I only read a few weeks ago! Love it! 🙂
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Thanks so much, Nick. I can’t believe your reading it again. Can you see the changes based on your feedback? I hope so since I used all of it! 🙂 Thanks for the kind comment, your generous support, and happy reading!
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Yep, the revised cursing flows along very nicely! 😉
It is genuinely a terrific read and I recommend it to anyone who likes well-written fantasy with excellent characters, a pacey plot and beautiful imagery.
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LOL I forgot that you helped me with Tiler’s cursing problem. Ha ha. We had a few emails going back and forth with a discussion of levels of acceptable slightly made-up profanity. Thanks for the laugh!
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There were a few in the original draft that could really make your hair curl and jaw drop! :-p
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Hee hee. You served as my UK filter. I hope I caught them all. ❤
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Well, I noticed today that “raging cock-bender” was still there! That Tiler is a bit of a card, isn’t he? 😉
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Oh! Was that one that crossed the line? Tiler makes me laugh. He was so fun to write the whole way through.
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Borderline. It made me laugh though!
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Wait … I thought “raging cock bender” meant Tiler had a rubber chicken he squeezed for stress relief when he got angry. Did I miss something?
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Tiler is one of those free spirits who struggles with filters. I almost never swear and it was fun to let my inner foul mouth go wild.
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Then my work here is done 🙂
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HAR HAR HAR!
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This is as grand a review as my own, if you ask me, Nick (and you accomplished it with far fewer words, at that!).
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Thanks, Erik! I’m really looking forward to reading the next 3 books. 😀
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What a great review. You should be very proud of yourself. I am happy for you.
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Thanks Bridget. It was so sweet of Erik not only to review but to write a post about his musings. I’m honored to share it. Thanks for reading and for the kind comment. Have a great Tuesday. 🙂
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Wow! This is an awesome review. It inspires people to just read the entire series. ❤️
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I was so delighted with finding this on Erik’s blog and had to share. It’s such a treat and so kind of him to go a step beyond a review. Thanks for stopping by to read, Bel. Happy travels!
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I do hope people will read this series, Bel (though I know that, if they read the first book, they will be drawn in and read the whole thing).
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It’s on my reading list!!! ❤️
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❤ ❤ ❤
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A wonderful review for a book worthy of such a review!
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Thanks Rob. I was so tickled and honored by Erik’s post and had to share. Thanks for stopping by to comment. 🙂
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The theme of having our abilities to influence others dramatically increased, in ways that bespeak magic and deity, is fascinating. I also like the way that Erik tunes us in to how we already influences others, and are influenced by others, in our lives.
That your work deals with this makes me all the more eager to read it. I don’t ordinarily read fantasy, and what little I’ve read of Caitling’s Bane (as I wrote earlier) had me desiring more.
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Thanks for the lovely comment, Andy. I like taking something from “real” life and pushing it to the next level with some what-if questions. The book is definitely fantasy, though. Thanks for influencing my morning today! You got a big smile out of me. 🙂
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With Diana’s story as your introduction to Fantasy, Andy, you’ll be hooked.
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You are so lucky to have friends like Erik! He is one of those gems who work silently but influences people around him!
Influence is undoubtedly a powerful force, unseen yet having a gravitational pull, without which we would be floating rudderless. Lovely post Diana. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by Balroop. It’s one of the joys of blogging – making kind, generous, and talented friends all over the world. You just influenced a smile out of me, my friend. Have a great day. ❤
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You too! 🙂
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Aww, thanks for the kind review of … well, me … Balroop! What a nice surprise. 🙂
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Tweeted and may it help in furthering your always amazing words. Well done to Erik.
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Wasn’t that nice of him? I had to share. Thanks for spreading the word, Richard 😀 Happy Writing.
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My pleasure. 😄
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Thanks, Richard! That post was just itching to be written. I wasn’t going to be able to write anything else until I got it out of my head. 😀
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You did good.
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You have every right to cherish this post – he said such lovely things about your work. Very nice indeed. Enjoyed reading Erik’s thoughts.
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Thanks for visiting, Marjorie. I think I was reading on your site while you were over here! Yes, so sweet of Erik to take the time on all counts and to share his thoughts on his blog. I was tickled. 😀
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I was just as “tickled” to write it as Diana was to find out I’d written it. Glad you enjoyed it, Marjorie!
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Lovely words! You’re blessed indeed to have such reviewers. 🙂
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This is the first time a book has resulted in a post, and it was so kind of Erik that I had to share. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and Happy Writing!
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It’s quite a community around here. I hope you’ll stay and become part of it!
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Thanks Erik, I hope so too. 🙂
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