I've been making Stamps.com work overtime as I mail out a ton of advance reading copies of The Accidental Terrorist, and it's beginning to pay off. My little book—okay, okay, it's not so little—is attracting some crucial early bits of critical attention.
Most gratifying, the first actual review to be posted appears at the web site of the Association for Mormon Letters. The AML is a pretty important organization out west for promoting LDS-related titles, and with a book like mine I was rather nervous about what their reaction would be. But reviewer Richard Packham turned out to be a most sympathetic reader. You can read his review in full here.
I have a couple of advance quotes in hand as well, so the blurbs that will appear on the cover are beginning to take shape. They will likely consist of the three quotes below, though I'll have to do more compressing so the cover isn't overwhelmed by text:
This just may be my favorite true-life amazing-but-true tale—never has threatening an aircraft been funnier or more thought-provoking.—Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother and Homeland
I devoured the more than four hundred pages of this memoir in what was essentially one sitting . . . Yes, it was that gripping. . . . This memoir is a welcome addition to the library of Mormon autobiography—educational and highly entertaining.—Richard Packham, Association for Mormon Letters
The Accidental Terrorist provides vivid glimpses into the American phenomenon of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . You will read few other books as smart, funny, honest, and heartbreaking as [this], and I unreservedly recommend it to you as both a home-grown cautionary tale and a highly original coming-of-age saga.—Michael Bishop, author of Ancient of Days and editor of A Cross of Centuries
I think that's a pretty broad and excellent trifecta, myself. Okay, okay—yes, I'm bouncing up and down on the inside. I'm more eager than ever to get this book out and into your hands.
Crossposted from Inhuman Swill