SHORT: 'A Prom Queen’s Revenge' by Kody Boye

TITLE: A Prom Queen’s Revenge
AUTHOR: Kody Boye
PRICE: FREE
GENRE: Horror
ISBN: N/A
PUBLISHER: Yellow Mama Archives

"Don't take criticism as a bad thing. The only thing criticism is for is to help you, the writer, learn from it."

I knew this was the author's attitude well before I checked out his web page. The whole process went something like this.

POD People gets an email from an author asking us to consider reviewing a short story in an ezine. I thought, what the hell--okay.

The story is pretty good. I read it from beginning to end and was entertained. The author bio shows that the author is only fourteen. This effects my attitude in two main ways.

1) Here is the criticism. The language was technically sound and the story had some twists and turns, but I simply didn't buy what the characters did and what motivated them. Would any real person act that way, talk that way... I'd be pretty sceptical. But as an early work by a young writer, well, a little melodrama and tell-itus is only to be expected.

2) The website, the writer getting his work out, his active solicitation of reviews and feedback--that puts him one step ahead of the competition, possibly two or three--right out of the gate.

Many wanna-be writers never get to the point where they realise becoming a writer requires that one write, get the work out there, get feedback and listen to it. Did I love this story, not really, but I didn't hate it--and I'm thinking Kody Boye might be a horror writer to watch out for.

RATING: no rating because I am a patronising old biddy who has trouble passing judgement on writers too young to drink, smoke, drive, vote and do all those other things that are bad for us.