The author’s holy grail is the story that readers can’t stop reading. I was grateful to receive that kind of feedback when I was drafting and editing my manuscript from a hand-selected audience of publishing professionals and friends.
A few weeks ago, I sent a review copy of my manuscript for Hermit: The Mysterious Life of Jim Whyte to the folks at Reader’s Favorite. Here’s what they had to say:
I knew even before I began this book that I was in for a marvelous experience — and, indeed, that’s exactly what reading Hermit was. Ryan makes each scene feel real, and his masterful account of Ben’s coming of age and later adventures tracing the life of Jim Whyte felt so very real. I quickly forgot that Ben was a fictional character and found myself out there in the Maine woods along with him and loving every minute of it. Ryan’s writing is so at ease with and suited to the outdoors that it seems to flow like fresh stream water, and the storyline makes the book impossible to put down. Hermit: The Mysterious Life of Jim Whyte is most highly recommended.
Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite
Part coming of age book, part mystery and part tribute to early 20th-century life in rural Maine, Hermit is already generating the kind of notice every writer hopes for. I am thankful that Myron Avery, the tireless builder of the Appalachian Trail, literally started me on the path leading to the story of a lifetime.