To anyone who has endured the delightful agony of producing a book, well done. Storytelling is an art whereas writing is a craft, one that has to be learned like any other. I started writing novels when already in my early seventies. With lots of help from a good editor I learned the nuts and bolts of how to put together a readable novel. Three finished and um... doing reasonably well so far. With the fourth I am at the stage where the thing has taken over and seems to have a life of its own. Delight and agony at the same time.
There's nothing wrong with criticizm. A reader who has paid for a product is entitled to express an opinion about it. Personally I welcome it (yes, really!) because it is the only way to improve, even if one does not always agree with any particular view.
Good luck to you, Mimosa. Keep writing and keep banging the drum.