Thank you all for your feedback and encouragement. I appreciate all your comments, and I'm learning so much from them.
It has become clear to me that if there are parts to a story that I find weak, readers will also find them that way. So I guess I better stop being so lazy, and work (read: strenthen) those weak points!
I hope to incorporate these lessons into my future submissions.
Thanks again everyone!
Cheers,
Apollona