In the book of Genesis, Leah says, "Give me children or I will die." Our stories and our characters are our children. When Jill said that her stories sucked, it was said out of frustration and hurt, and likely borne out of the actions of others that were misunderstood or misinterpreted. Nevertheless, it does hurt when our children are ignored; try being a parent when your little girl or boy isn't invited to the party or included in kickball or tag. We thrive on comments about our stories just as much as a proud mom or dad beams when their little girl scores the winning goal in soccer or their little boy plays lovely at his first piano recital. The polite applause is wonderful, but the other parents' remarks about our children give us reason to believe we're doing a good job as parents. When few or little comments are posted regarding a story, it's like our kids being ignored or dis-invited. And most of the time; almost all of the time, in fact, the other parents don't mean to exclude our kids; it's just that they have their friends and their own families. It hurts even more, if I may be so blunt, when the abundance of blogs are directed toward one or two authors or series. I'm a big girl; even when I carp and complain, I know that it's really just a matter of personal taste and preference, but if you have the time to read, please take a few more moments to let the author know how much you liked their work. Our hosts have encouraged us to comment, and I try to encourage and compliment as much as I can. And I'm dealing with a life-changing affliction that limits what I can do. So how bout it girls (no, Stan, I haven't forgotten you or our brothers on this site) let's build each other up. I consider it a privilege to be a part of this community, and I consider you all friends as much as that is possible. All my love and affection to you all! God bless! 'drea