My new novel Smileyville has been out for three months. People tell me they like it. But then, what are they going to tell me, they hate it? They had qualms? Get out of my doorway, you creep? No, people are nice. Especially Canadians, as suggested in this review by Melanie Cutting at Good Reads (two words), which originally appeared in The Sherbrooke Record, the local English daily here in the Eastern Townships.
So what else are people saying, you ask?
“Along the way, there are plenty of smiles and laughs. Murray the humourist doesn’t let us down. While there may not be as much laugh-out-loud, roll-in-the-aisle humour as in A Hole in the Ground, Murray’s satire has mellowed and matured, finding the sweet spot between the difficult truth of human relationships and not taking yourself too seriously.” — Angela Leuck, The Townships Sun (Sherbrooke, Que.)
“Mr. Murray has the ability to create sympathetic characters…. Similarly, the relationships between the books’ main characters always have genuine heft. Mr. Murray is clearly a generous soul and treats his creations with respect, the possible exception of Mayor Dumb-Ass…. Both [A Hole in the Ground and Smileyville] offer stories that are engaging and entertaining.” – Joseph Gresser, The Chronicle (Barton, Vt.)
You can read other reviews of Smileyville over on Goodreads (one word). If you’ve read Smileyville and it gave you feelings, please add your own good words (as many as you like) to Goodreads or Amazon, where you can order your copy. Or contact the author — that’s me — directly.
Drinking Tips for Teens 
Good basis for rational exuberance, enviable reviews — congratulations!
Restrained hysteria, as it were. Thanks, RP.