My Love Letter To Amy Matayo

That title will probably garner me some dirty looks from a few readers, but worry not: I’m still faithful to my wife. But my wife didn’t write The End of the World. Amy Matayo did. And I’m in love with her for what she’s written.

The End of the World

The End of the World

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I’ve discussed my man-card issues here before, and this situation is no different. I keep the man card based on my beard, wicked good skills with weaponry, superior driving ability, lawn-mowing agility, snow-shoveling prowess, and a shaved head that blinds jet pilots at altitude on a sunny day.

That having been said, there are a few women authors of romance novels who probably should get new titles. It’s not a romance novel. It’s a wonderful story of pain, anger, hurt, struggle, victory, and resolution. I wish these damned literary boxes weren’t so confining: they hurt authors.

Amy Matayo has hit an absolute bulls eye with The End of the World. I hate spoilers, so you won’t get them. I will, instead, tell you that only one other author, Rajdeep Paulus, has torn a bit of my heart out in the way that Amy has done with this book. You will experience angst as a given, joy in abundance, sadness in its depths, and hope springs forth in many places.

You will also feel fear. Lots of fear. Fear of what others might do and how you might react to that fear. I am not ashamed to say that from this day forward (when I remember) I am painting a fingernail in solidarity with abused and beaten children. I have always taken my role as a sheepdog seriously, but as of today I’m a polished man. Click the link. Join me.

If you're going to wear nail polish, it should be sparkly and purple.

If you’re going to wear nail polish, it should be sparkly and purple.

If you’re searching for a way to write a novel from two points of view (The Sacred P.O.V. that writing teachers babble about constantly) you need look no further. Amy is teaching the final lesson on the subject. Study with a master. The same goes for setting scenes and dialogue. Not only does she know what bits to use to make you present, she also knows what not to tell you. The dialogue is what you’d expect from real humans. No exposition. No babbling about deep feelings and meaning. Terse. Tightly crafted. Wonderful.

There is an air of suspense throughout the work that is masterful. If there isn’t a film made of this very soon, someone should hang in Hollywood. Yes, it’s that good. I found myself ripping through the book at a near record pace. I lost precious sleep trying to finish it before I had to go to work. It is a fast read as a result.

Amy, thanks for an outstanding book. Shaye and Cameron are beautifully written. The villains? You did an amazing job bringing that evil to light – they are as you’ve depicted them in the real world. It’s always good to glimpse the darkness and know where to thrust that beam of light. Most of all, you remind us that forgiveness is there for the asking. We’re all broken. Thank you for some of the glue that will put your readers back together.

Go buy it now. Don’t dawdle. Best money you’ll spend all day.

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I have a favor to ask of my readers: would you kindly share this blog with your friends, family, and colleagues? We hit a million views in 2014, and while the readership continues a nice growth trend, it could be a lot better. Just hit the Facebook like button, share it on your timeline, tweet the blog with a link, and tell that person at the next desk that there’s this lunatic who writes about all sorts of stuff that they might like.

I appreciate your help. When we hit 2,000,000 readers I will give away something cool to a drawing from the subscribers (that’s the box on the right toward the top) who have helped promote this mess. No used sheets, probably not honey, more likely gift cards. Be a part of it. I’ll update from time to time where we’re at in the count. Thanks.

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Comments

My Love Letter To Amy Matayo — 2 Comments

  1. Joe, this is an amazing review. I love Amy’s writing, and have been a big fan from the beginning, but even if I wasn’t, this post would persuade me to give her a try! I can’t wait to read this novel.