The Judge in the Writers Digest Self-Published Book Contest had this to say about SALUTING THE SUN. Very nice review; unfortunately, we didn’t place in the top ten.
“Mary Hutchings Reed’s SALUTING THE SUN’s best feature is that it has two compelling women at its center: the cousins Dawn Ann McKnight, a Chicago weather forecaster, and the free spirted, hippy-trippy Neveah (“Heaven” spelled backwards) Thera. They could not be more different on the surface, which is of course the point. When they move in together with Dawn’s husband Derek, all sorts of problems reveal themselves. I was attracted to this novel from the beginning, thanks to this intriguing premise. What I like most about it is that while it could’ve devolved into TV-movie cliché, the characters are finely drawn enough that this never quite happens. The writing itself is often quite smooth and solid, and the dialogue is wonderfully realistic and believable. In addition, the book is nicely paced. Reed seems focused first and foremost on telling a good story, and getting it down and out without making it labored or burdensome. There’s a lightness to the book that I find very refreshing. I’m quite impressed with this. Very compelling and interesting. As one of the blurbs on the back of the book puts it succinctly, “Reed really knows how to tell a story.” “
