What do you think? Does this work...

Blazing Reader,

So... from Kirkus Reviews' rather grim 500-word review of my rather controversial 150,000-word novel, Much Ado About Corona, I think I was able to salvage a glowing book blurb:

"...filled with quirky delights... 
exciting, character-driven scenes and... 
some intriguing ideas..." 

— Kirkus Reviews

Gwyneth, one of my proofreaders, said, "Good to publish but the review extract does seem to miss the point of the novel. It could just as easily be a review for a children's book."

Do you agree? Am I trying too hard to make lemonade out of mainstream Kool-Aid? How does the blurb sound to you? Let me know by email or by replying to this post on X.

—John C.A. Manley

P.S. If you missed Saturday's Kirkus Reckoning live stream you can still watch the replay on YouTube, BitChute, Rumble and X.

John C. A. Manley is the author of Much Ado About Corona, All The Humans Are Sleeping and other works of philosophical fiction that are "so completely engaging that you find yourself alternately laughing, gasping, hanging on for dear life." Get free samples of his stories by becoming a Blazing Pine Cone email subscriber.