No Real Effort?

A tiny timeline goof—and a big reminder that MY books aren’t written by robots

Jan 23, 2026

Fan Mail?

An unhappy reader wrote me an email because she found an error in my book. I mistakenly said characters were playing with Game Boys, but they didn’t hit mainstream USA until 1989.

She went on to say:

Just needed to vent because these type things feel like the author is underestimating the readers as just some GenXers that will read anything set in the ‘80s without having to put any real effort in to make the timeline right.

What Counts as Research?

Hmm. Does having lived through the 80s count as research? Gosh, I sure hope so. It’s not the sort of thing you can fake. True, I’m decades past the 80s, and my memory might have failed me. True confessions, I did not make a diary entry about Game Boys. They weren’t even a blip on my horizon.

So, I goofed. I erroneously added a toy that didn’t exist at the time.

But, geez, lou-eeze, did I underestimate my readers? Did I think they would read anything?

Um, no.

Did I Neglect to Put in Effort?

Not hardly. Allow me to present the evidence, your honor.

See the screenshot below:

Revisions, Revisions, Revisions

This past Tuesday, we finished the edits for All In. I thought you might enjoy seeing the number of versions that went back and forth. See, my husband David was my editor for that book. If you remember, on December 22, I discovered I only had half a manuscript. The other half must have been lost when I switched computers. Did I panic? Sort of. But I’d promised this book, and by golly, I was going to get it done. So I set to work.

Pre-Order All In

Please notice the number of times the book was revised. This is what effort looks like. This is one portion of the invisible work readers don’t see. Most of the work of writing happens after the first draft. And of course, the author doesn’t know what the author doesn’t know. I can’t check the date of, say, a Game Boy, because it doesn’t occur to me to question it.

What you can’t see is that there were also 573 notations in the review pane of one version. One version alone. This doesn’t count the number of times I checked to see whether to use hyphens or not, and so on.

Just for the record…

A good book gets written.
A great book gets revised.

(You can quote me on that. This involves more than editing. It’s about questioning every word you write.)

Skimp? Not me!

Does that screenshot look to you like I skimped on effort? Nope. Didn’t think so. Notice, too, that some of those files were opened at 4 in the morning. Some were closed at 8 and 9 p.m. I found myself dreaming about the book. So here’s the message I have for that reader:

Dear J. W. – Thank you for taking some of your valuable time to write to me. I am truly chastised. I admit I got the release date of Game Boys wrong. But I do want you to know—this book was written with real care, real effort, and a whole lot of love. I am not a slacker. I am, simply and unapologetically, human. – Joanna

Early All In Readers Said This--

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I loved it! I started reading at 7am this morning and just finished.”
—Early Reader

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Interesting and suspenseful.”
—Beta Reader

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A deeply satisfying plunge into the world of Brick Lansky… tension is masterfully sustained throughout.”
—Advance Reader

The World Beyond Words

When I’m not revising at 4 a.m., I’m trying to stay creative in a different way. One of my Christmas gifts this year was a class by Lucas Lopes, the creator of The Worlds Beyond Words. https://www.lucaslopesart.com/about He has a unique artistic view: My goal is simple: to open doors to new perspectives and inspire others to see the world a little differently. Since one of my 2026 goals is to improve my skills with watercolors, and I dove right in. Here are some of the pieces I’ve produced—and yes, they are still works-in-progress.

All of these will be “interactive.” A challenge, to be sure. The one on the far left represents Gordie Lansky and his dog, Peefur.

Won’t You Be My Valentine?

Do you remember how much fun it was on Valentine’s Day as a kid when you opened all those cards from friends? My friend Neil Plakcy and I loved that feeling—so we would like to send you a postcard and a small gift for Valentine’s Day. But to get it, you need to share your postal address. Go here and add your name and mailing address to the Google form we’re compiling by FEBRUARY 4, 2026
https://forms.gle/jYCMFAHRaxE7kXes9 (Your address will only be seen by Neil and me.)