Saturday, March 29, 2014

Book Watch: The Soul of the Sun by Genevieve Crownson #bookwatch


Title: The Soul of the Sun
Genre: Paranormal/Young Adult
Author: Genevieve Crownson
Publisher: Genevieve Crownson
Pages: 348
Format: Paperback; Kindle
Purchase at AMAZON

“The hands of time turn on the face of the sun. Only you can move them. If the Watcher controls the hands of the clock he can go anywhere, past or future-- and destroy our planet.” 

Since the days of ancient
Greece, the Argos dynasty has kept a secret, a mystery passed down through their descendants from generation to generation, in the hopes that the forces of good can stop the evil destruction of planet Earth. 

Margaret Ingall is harboring that secret. Time is running out for the descendants of the
Argos. They know a great healer and time traveler will be born of their blood. But the only person that knows whom they will call “the soul of the sun” is Margaret’s sister, Abigail. Before she can reveal the healer’s identity, disaster strikes… 

Evil stalks them, watching and waiting to find out which member of her family has the ultimate power. Is it Margaret’s own child? Or her beloved granddaughter? Or even herself? Their only clue is a powerful protective amulet that will lead them all in a cat-and-mouse game to discover secrets as ancient as time. 

If the Watcher discovers the truth before they do, all will be lost. 

Fate, time and love weave together in their struggle to fulfill their destiny. Will Margaret’s fears sabotage her family’s protection? Can the healer accept her gifts in time? And once the soul of the sun is finally revealed, will it be too late? 

Her power is incredible. The sacrifices required of her are immense. 

Will it be enough to stop the Watcher? 
 

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Book Review: Milo's Reading Adventures

Title:Milo's Reading Adventures
Author: Debbie Madson
Genre:Children's Picture Book
Publisher: Debbie Madson
Pages: 22

Summer is fast approaching and kids will be out of school planning fun things to do and usually it does not include reading (something they've already been doing for nine long months).  I remember summer vacation - no more school, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks!  Unfortunately, our society has a problem with getting children and teenagers to read for fun.  Along comes Milo's Reading Adventures and now there is hope!   Here's one thing about this book that I really really liked - it encourages literacy amongst our children once they read this book.  It's free at Amazon for a limited time (click title above to take you to Amazon).  Believe me, this is a really entertaining book.  The cover is so cute!  But inside the storyline accompanied by the beautiful illustrations will definitely encourage your child to read by reading about a little boy whose mother came up with a delightful way to get her child to read throughout the summer by giving him an incentive.

Because I feel this book would be a great thing to pass on to your child and encourage literacy in our youth, I give this book five book trees.

My Rating:


Book Review: The Ultimate Guide to Sleep: How to Combat Insomnia and Sleep Problems

Title: The Ultimate Guide to Sleep: How to Combat Insomnia and Sleep Problems
Author: Jessica Lopez
Genre: Self-Help
Publisher: Jessica Lopez
Pages: 30

Last week, I tried out coffee that I had bought off a friend who orders the best coffee beans out there, then grounds them.  The house is filled with the most aromatic smell and the coffee was out of this world.  I love coffee but I usually don't drink it unless I'm dining out that sort of thing. All I usually have at the house is instant coffee which isn't the same.  This coffee was so good that I drank it from morning until slightly after lunch to prepare myself for a shopping trip.  When I retired for the night, images were buzzing through my head at break neck speed and I could not go to sleep for the life of me. I'm not usually a coffee drinker and I rarely have insomnia.  It was about 4 a.m. before I finally was able to settle down and sleep.

One of the points in The Ultimate Guide to Sleep was that you should keep to your usual pattern or rhythm before retiring.  Anything different that happens to you during the day or night before you retire for the night might trigger insomnia.  In my case, I knew it was this coffee that had done it because I usually fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow no matter if I've been shopping all day or sitting in front of the TV.  Not so my friend who wakes at all hours of the night and this continues night after night for her.  I tried to give her advice on what might help but before this coffee incidence, I never had any trouble going to sleep so it was hard to relate.  I did suggest that she do more in the daytime to bring on exhaustion at night and that might help her but she said nothing helps.

Perhaps she needs to read The Ultimate Guide to Sleep.  It's a short little book but it's jam packed with explanations on why you might not be sleeping and a few antidotes if it happens.  I knew about the warm milk (milk makes me throw up so that was out for me anyway), but I didn't know about other things that might helps like lavender for example.  No, you don't eat it, but the smell is a great sleep inducer.  There were a lot of other things I hadn't really thought about and you can believe tonight I will make changes in my bedroom because I woke up at 4 and couldn't go back to sleep.  I don't know if that qualifies to be labeled insomnia but it was definitely irritating to have to lie there wishing daylight would come fast or I could go on and go back to sleep.  Little things will wake me up during the night but I usually have no problem turning over and returning to dreamland.

There were lots of useful pointers even though the book was only 30 pages long.  Frankly, I am loving shorter ebooks now since my Kindle is on the blitz and I can read these quickly on the computer.  The author did a very good job getting her message across, it was informative (I learned a few things I didn't know which gives it extra brownie points) and something must be mentioned about the book cover which I thought was fantastic - very professional.

Not a bad little book, chock filled with good sleep inducing pointers and I really think it would help those with sleeping problems.

My Rating:



Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Free eBook: Last Train Home #freeebooks




Title: Last Train Home
Author: Megan Nugan Isbell
Genre:Young Adult Romance
Publisher: Not Listed
Pages:309

17-year-old Riley Regas has spent her entire life in Boston, so when she learns she’ll be picking up and moving to her mother’s childhood home of Carver, Kansas, she is less than thrilled. In fact, she is downright furious. Riley’s only visited Carver a handful of times. She barely knows her family that lives there and she has no desire to spend her senior year among the backward, simpleminded residents of Carver.

Reluctantly though, her views begin to change, despite her encounters with Adrienne, a girl Riley quickly realizes is determined to make her life miserable, when she meets Alex Bettencourt. Alex is popular and gorgeous and Riley’s never seen brown eyes quite like his before.

While Riley couldn’t be happier, she knows Jesse, her best friend in Carver, isn’t sure of her new relationship with Alex. She soon finds a balance between Alex and her friends though and life in Carver doesn’t seem so bad after all, even if her relationship with her mother is rocky at best.

Just when Riley thinks she might be happy in Carver, a single decision changes it all, leaving her to find out who she really is and who matters most in her life before she loses everything.

Book Watch: The Living Memories Project by Meryl Ain, Stewart Ain & Arthur M. Fischman #bookwatch



Title: The Living Memories Project: Legacies That Last
Authors: Meryl Ain, Stewart Ain, & Arthur M. Fischman
Publisher: Little Miami Publishing
Pages: 196
Genre: Nonfiction
Format: Paperback

Purchase at AMAZON

Three years after the death of her mother, Meryl Ain was still unable to fill the hole that the loss had left in her life.  In talking to friends, Meryl discovered an insight shared by those who had successfully overcome grief; there simply is no closure.  It was a breakthrough for her. She writes, "Our loved ones will always be with us if they are not forgotten. It is up to us to integrate them into our lives in a positive way that reflects their unique personality, values and spirituality. In that way we keep them alive in our hearts and minds always."

Meryl enlisted the help of her brother, Arthur Fischman, and her husband, Stewart Ain, and began a quest to interview people who had moved beyond mourning through meaningful action. The Living Memories Project: Legacies That Last by Meryl Ain, Ed.D., Arthur M. Fischman, & Stewart Ain (March 2014, Little Miami Publishing Company, Trade Paperback, 196 pages, $18.95, ISBN:978-0-9882553-7-1) is a result of that research.

The Living Memories Project presents more than 30 interviews with both celebrities and others who share their experiences and the projects they undertook to memorialize their loved ones. The authors have sought to demonstrate that any tribute, big or small, can be a meaningful way to preserve memories of loved ones. Establishing a foundation or scholarship, using a recipe on a particular holiday or family occasion, creating artwork, embarking on a project or even an entire career – all could be traced to a specific talent, interest or value of the deceased.  Each chapter offers a rich first-person history that will engage and inspire readers of all faiths.

Among them are:
  • Linda Ruth Tosetti, who made a documentary film about her grandfather, Babe Ruth, to highlight his humanitarian side – a value she cherished and believed was often overlooked in Babe’s biography. Ruth was a German-American, who publicly denounced the Nazi persecution of the Jews in 1942.
  • Liz and Steve Alderman, who established the Peter C. Alderman Foundation to honor the memory of their 25-year-old son, who was killed on 9/11 at the World Trade Center. The foundation trains doctors and establishes mental health clinics on four continents to treat PTSD.
  • Eileen Belmont, a quilt designer who helps others preserve their memories of deceased loved ones through the creation of memory quilts. 
  • Singer/songwriter Jen Chapin (daughter of the late folk rock icon Harry Chapin), who carries on her father’s legacy of music and feeding the hungry.
  • Dr. Yeou-Cheng Ma (sister of Yo-Yo Ma), who keeps the memory of her father and music teacher /mentor alive through the Children's Orchestra Society and her poetry.
  • Robert Meeropol (son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed as spies by the US Government in 1953), who established the Rosenberg Fund for Children to help children whose parents are imprisoned.
  • Author, actor and raconteur Malachy McCourt, who presents his unique take on how he keeps alive the memory of his brother Frank (Angela's Ashes) through the Irish tradition of song and story.
 Not everyone can create a foundation, fund an orchestra or make a documentary film, but the authors' hope is that readers will find inspiration from the wide range of actions they read about. The authors are currently compiling narratives for the second volume of The Living Memories Project and welcome input from readers.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Book Watch: Still Life With Strings by L.H. Cosway #romance #bookwatch



Title: Still Life with Strings
Author: L.H. Cosway
Publisher: L.H. Cosway
Pages: 350
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle

Purchase at AMAZON

My name is Jade Lennon and I stand still for money.

The night I saw Shane Arthur watching me everything changed. A man in a suit always catches my eye, but it was the way he looked at me that was different. Like he knew me or something. He didn’t know me, especially not in my costume. My sobriety rests on staying away from men, but there was something about him that made me throw caution to the wind.

After all, I was never going to see him again, right?

Wrong.

Standing still isn’t the only way I make my money. I also bartend at a concert hall. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Shane was going to show up there. Not only that, but he’s the most recent addition to the orchestra. So now on a daily basis I have to resist one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever met and he plays the violin. For me that’s one hell of a deadly cocktail.

He wants me to teach him how to live. I’m not sure how much a twenty-six year old recovering alcoholic who works in a bar and moonlights as a living statue can teach a world class concert violinist, but I’m sure going to try.

Still Life with Strings is a story of music, art, sex, magical realism, and romance that you will never forget.

Free eBook: Head Over High Heels #freeebooks



Title: Head Over High Heels
Author: Marley Gibson
Genre:Romance
Publisher: Excite-Lite Media
Pages:368

Irina “Ira” Jeffries and her roommate, Fernanda Lopez, turn heads, even in a paradise like Miami’s South Beach where beauty is the rule, not the exception. Ira lands local modeling gigs while working at an ultra-hip art deco hotel. Fernanda’s classic Hispanic looks catapult her to the top of the local pageant scene. Both women take a mind-blowing ride into the cutthroat and competitive fashion and pageant worlds filled with seductive men, thousand dollar champagne toasts, Botox parties, spiked drinks, and the most incredible cities. Ira must choose between the frenetic pace of the fashion runways or the man she loves, sexy Spaniard and aspiring shoe designer, Pablo Andrews. Fernanda’s quest for being the best and nabbing the crown of Miss United States drives her into the arms of local celebrity and former trash-talking Miami Tarpon football player, Thomas Traylor. Each woman eventually has to make the biggest decision of her life about who she really wants to be. The options leave them both Head Over High Heels.

Free eBook: Four Seasons of Creative Writing: 1,000 Prompts to Stop Writer's Block #freeebooks



Title: Four Seasons of Creative Writing: 1,000 Prompts to Stop Writer's Block
Author: Bryan Cohen
Genre: Nonfiction
Publisher: Build Creative Writing Ideas
Pages:110

Have You Ever Had Writer's Block?

Do You Want a Book That Could Keep It Away for Good?

Writing prompts are questions and hypothetical situations that are able to cure writer's block instantly. This book gives you exactly one thousand idea-generating prompts that focus on the coldest, warmest, toughest and funniest days of the four seasons. These 1,000 prompts work for blogs, scripts, stories, poems, essays, songs and anything else that requires you to stare down writer's block and start writing!

This book covers many different aspects of the seasons including:

  • Holidays
  • Festivals
  • The Five Senses
  • Entertainment
  • and many more!

˃˃˃ You Should Buy This Book Because...

1. Author Bryan Cohen is an Amazon #1 best-selling author for the Writing Skills category.
2. His first book of 1,000 creative writing prompts has 23 five-star reviews.
3. This book contains 1,000 new prompts that can take your writing to a new level.

Click here to pick up your free e-copy at Amazon!

Book Watch: The Soul of the Sun by Genevieve Crownson #YA #paranormal #bookwatch






Title: The Soul of the Sun
Genre: Paranormal/Young Adult
Author: Genevieve Crownson
Publisher: Genevieve Crownson
Pages: 348
Format: Paperback; Kindle


Purchase at AMAZON

“The hands of time turn on the face of the sun. Only you can move them. If the Watcher controls the hands of the clock he can go anywhere, past or future-- and destroy our planet.” 

Since the days of ancient
Greece, the Argos dynasty has kept a secret, a mystery passed down through their descendants from generation to generation, in the hopes that the forces of good can stop the evil destruction of planet Earth. 

Margaret Ingall is harboring that secret. Time is running out for the descendants of the
Argos. They know a great healer and time traveler will be born of their blood. But the only person that knows whom they will call “the soul of the sun” is Margaret’s sister, Abigail. Before she can reveal the healer’s identity, disaster strikes… 

Evil stalks them, watching and waiting to find out which member of her family has the ultimate power. Is it Margaret’s own child? Or her beloved granddaughter? Or even herself? Their only clue is a powerful protective amulet that will lead them all in a cat-and-mouse game to discover secrets as ancient as time. 

If the Watcher discovers the truth before they do, all will be lost. 

Fate, time and love weave together in their struggle to fulfill their destiny. Will Margaret’s fears sabotage her family’s protection? Can the healer accept her gifts in time? And once the soul of the sun is finally revealed, will it be too late? 

Her power is incredible. The sacrifices required of her are immense. 

Will it be enough to stop the Watcher? 

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Book Review: Caribbean Recipes by Jessica Dreyher

Title: Caribbean Recipes
Author: Jessica Dreyher
Genre: Cooking
Publisher: Encore Publishing
Pages:78

Who doesn't dream of lying on a beach in the Caribbean especially since we've had one of the worse winters in our lifetime?  To those who have done this, I'm sure you tested out the wonderful local food there? I know that would be the second most wanted thing to do there with lying on the beach the first.

I've never been to the Caribbean but when I found out Caribbean Recipes by Jessica Dreyher was available free in the Kindle store, I was all over it.  While I tend to give short ebooks a middle of the grade score because of brevity, this ebook came in at 78 pages which is longer than the others I have read lately and is jam packed of Caribbean local delights that you can make at home so I was willing to give it a try.

Number one, Bruschetta is one of my daughter's favorite things in all the world and by reading over the ingredients, I didn't know how easy this would be to make.  She gets it every time we go to Olive Garden.  Not sure where to get mango though.  Do they sell it at the grocery store?

Omg, Zesty Jamaican Shrimp Skewers.  I suck at cooking shrimp on the grill.  I don't know whether they're done or not so I tend to overcook them but you haven't tasted anything better than shrimp on the grill.  I am dying for summer.

Did I mention curry powder was one of my favorite spices?  I just discovered cumin through my daughter who added it to the most delicious chicken she cooked in the oven.  I'm getting hungry.  But one recipe included curry powder - Spicy Chicken Stew - and rice!  Omg.

Okay, no matter how long or short this book is, this is a winner and I'll give it 4 1/2 book trees.

RATING:

 

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Book Review: How to Sell Crafts Online by Monica Van Zandt

Title: How to Sell Crafts Online: The Little Handbook of Craft Selling for Beginners (Selling Crafts)
Author: Monica Van Zandt
Genre: Crafts
Publisher: Monica Van Zandt
Pages:34

Years ago, when I had lots of time to devote to crafts, I made little sachets covered in calico and filled with rose petals and other herbs and flowers from either my garden or the fields surrounding my countryside home.  This was way before the Internet.  While some entrepreneurs started mail order businesses, I opted to sell them by consignment in local shops.  Did I sell many?  Not really, but they were just so much fun to make that any money I would derive from something I loved was good enough for me.  But I think the real reason why I didn't sell many is because I really didn't know how to sell them other than have them in local shops which was about the only thing to do at the time other than starting your own mail order business.

Voila, along comes the Internet and now craft persons are rolling up their sleeves and selling their homemade goodies online with a vengeance.  Still, where do you start?

This is where How to Sell Crafts Online comes in handy.  While it's a short ebook, it's packed with great information like suggesting different things you can sell online plus where to sell it.  I'd heard of Etsy and eBay before, but hadn't heard of Artfire.  It even gives suggestions on how to stand out from all the others selling their wares.  Not a bad little book.

I gave this 3 1/2 book trees only because of its brevity. I purchased this book for free on Amazon and received no compensation for this review.

 My Rating: 3 1/2 Book Trees 

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Amazon Bestseller: What's the Secret?

How to Get on Amazon Bestseller Lists (via The Writer's Life)
Writing your book is the easiest part.  Getting people to buy it is a whole other story.  I have recently had two of my authors at Pump Up Your Book get to the top of their categories at Amazon.  In other words, they are both Amazon bestsellers. …

Thursday, March 13, 2014

In the Mailbox: The Afterlife of Billy Fingers

Call me a sucker for afterlife books.  It's the genre I write kinda sorta plus it gives me another glimpse into a world we all really don't know a thing about and if we do, we're dead and can't talk about it, but this guy did talk from the beyond to his sister and she wrote down all that was told to her and voila, The Afterlife of Billy Fingers.

Someone announced the book in Facebook and I jumped at the chance to review this.  I see this as becoming a movie!

The Blurb:

Annie Kagan is not a medium or a psychic, she did not die and come back to life; in fact, when she was awakened by her deceased brother, she thought perhaps she had gone a little crazy
In The Afterlife of Billy Fingers: How My Bad-Boy Brother Proved to Me There's Life After Death, Kagan shares the extraordinary story of her after death communications (ADC) with her brother Billy, who began speaking to her just weeks after his unexpected death.

One of the most detailed and profound ADC's ever recorded, Kagan's book takes the reader beyond the near-death experience. Billy's vivid, real-time account of his on-going journey through the mysteries of death will change the way you think about life. Death and your place in the Universe.
In his foreword, Dr. Raymond Moody, author of Life after Life, explains the phenomena of walkers between the worlds, known to us since ancient times, and says that Dr. Kagan's thought-provoking account is an excellent example.







Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Book Review: Slow Cooker Recipes by Angela Edwards

Title: Slow Cooker Recipes
Author: Angela Edwards
Genre: Cooking
Publisher: Angela Edwards
Pages: 53
Format: eBook

Back in the early seventies when I bought my first crock pot, I loved experimenting with different foods.  After all, cooking in a crockpot (or slow cooker) was the best invention aside from the microwave.  Throw in food, let it simmer all day and voila dinner!  As time went by, the crock pot was put in a cabinet and I'm ashamed to say didn't get much use.  Eventually I threw it out or gave it away; I have no idea where it ended up but years later I was on a mission - to find another crock pot and renew my love for effortlessly slow cooked meals. I did buy another crock pot years later for mainly roast beef and barbecue country ribs which were absolutely yummy.  I had lost the cookbook that came with it so I turned to the Internet and voila there was every slow cooker meal imaginable.

When Slow Cooker Recipes came up free at Amazon, I thought this was fabulous.  More recipes!  Most of the recipes you can probably find on the Internet, but there were a couple I am really dying to try.  It's not a bad little book as it does give you delish recipes such as Slow Cooked Sweet and Spicy Chicken (yummy) and Slow Cooked Short Rib Ragu (double yummy).  I gave this 3 book trees only because of its brevity and the fact you can probably find these on the Internet, but overall it's not a bad little book for free.

I purchased this book for free on Amazon and received no compensation for this review.

 My Rating: 3 Book Trees

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Book Review: Four Seasons of Creative Writing: 1,000 Prompts to Stop Writer's Block

Title: Four Seasons of Creative Writing: 1,000 Prompts to Stop Writer's Block
Author: Bryan Cohen
Genre: Nonfiction
Publisher: Build Creative Writing Ideas
Pages:110
Format: eBook

I've got to say this book gets an A+ for cover design.  I really like it. Writing has been my life since the moment I discovered paper and crayons.  When I was allowed to finally use a pen, there was no  stopping me.  I usually was never without ideas but now?  Oh the brain is on overload.  Sometimes I'll go to write a blog post and I'll say, "What do I write about?"

That's where Four Seasons of Creative Writing is going to come in handy. It must have taken this author a whole year to put together this many writing prompts.  I loved it where he categorized them into sections.  Under "Science and Snacks" - Describe a trip through a local farmer's market to buy fresh vegetables and herbs for your family.  What did you enjoy about the market and why?  Why don't you enjoy and why didn't you like it?  Under "Science" - A particle of sand that you pick up from the beach could be from thousands of miles away. Imagine the journey of that single grain of sand. How do you think the sand ended up where you might be sitting during your summer vacation?  I love these prompts.  Anything that helps you think and is related to writing is AOK in my book and for this I am giving it 5 book trees.

I purchased this book for free on Amazon and received no compensation for this review.

My Rating:

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Book Review: Essential Oils for Beginners by Prescott Marshall

Title: Essential Oils for Beginners 
Author: Prescott Marshall
Genre: Nonfiction
Publisher: Prescott Marshall
Pages: 51
Format: eBook

I remember back in the late seventies, my husband had just joined the Air Force and we had to go go to Illinois for training and I was allowed to go.  We stayed off campus in a little 3 room bungalow (if the bathroom counts that was adjoined to the bedroom, then 4) in Rantoul.  On the weekend, we would prowl.  On one of our prowling adventures, we headed into what was called back then a "head shop."  Head shops were the only places back then where you could buy oils.  There might have been mail order companies back then, but nowhere else physically could you buy these unless someone was selling them out of their home.  I had heard about a particular oil called patchouli oil and I just had to have some.  What we did back then was apply it to our wrists or back of the ears.  It was the perfume of the sixties and while I was a latecomer, our new life away from home just had to include patchouli oil.  Almost 40 years later I still have that oil and it smells just as if I had just bought it.

While I used my oil for perfume reasons, I didn't realize oils can be used for healing purposes until I read Essential Oils for Beginners by Prescott Marshall.  While the book is right on track with giving me ways different oils help you, it mentioned that essential oils last for about a decade while citrus oils could last two to three years.  Like I mentioned above, my patchouli oil is 40 years old and is still going strong.  I guess it might depend on how you store it.  Mine has been in darkness since I packed the bottle away years ago so that might be the answer to keeping your oils fresher longer.

I did love the way the book explained to me how oils can reduce stress, give you mental clarity, was good for hair and skin care while giving you the names of which ones do what.  I bet you didn't know peppermint oil was good for alleviating anger or frustration?  The next time someone gets all big and bad on you, throw some peppermint oil their way.  Have a negative attitude and can't shake it?  Lavender oil.

That's what I really liked about this book.  Sometimes we just want to grab a prescription bottle when oils is so much better for you. I think you should give this little book a try while it's free on Amazon.  Anything to help improve and doesn't cost anything?  I am so there.

I purchased this book for free on Amazon and received no compensation for this review.

My Rating:

4 1/2 Book Trees

Friday, March 7, 2014

Book Review: Monsters Stole My Bedroom by Julia Abby Thomas



Title: Monsters Stole My Bedroom
Author: Julia Abby Thomas
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: Toy Surge Group, LLC (March 3, 2014)
Pages: 29
Format: eBook

I don't usually read children's picture books.  My kids are grown and I don't have grand-kids but if I did, this little book would be downloaded and read to them before they go to sleep at night.  I love it when I read children's books that help children get over their fears and having monsters in the bedroom is the most common fear kids have.

Beautifully illustrated, Monsters Stole My Bedroom tells the story of a little girl who, after brushing her teeth at night, hears sounds from her bedroom overhead.  Lots of purple furry monsters are running about causing such a mess that the girl gets over her fear of having them there by worrying more about the mess they are making.

Cute, cute book and the illustrations are whimsical and it makes you just want to hug the monsters instead of being scared of them.

I purchased this book for free on Amazon and received no compensation for this review.

My Rating: 
5 Book Trees
 

Thursday, March 6, 2014

In the Mailbox: Hair of the Corn Dog

Give me a book that will guarantee me to laugh and I am so there.  This came in recently!





In the latest laugh-out-loud confessional from A.K. Turner’s “Tales of Imperfection” series, the author of This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store and Mommy Had a Little Flask relates her adventures on the Jersey Shore, at an Idaho drag show with her in-laws, and surviving the perils of an elementary school ice-cream social with equal parts wit and heart. The laughter pairs well with two parts cocktail.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

A thing or two about reviews, reviewers and uncouth practices

I have two things to talk about today and both are related to reviews.  I know how hard it is to be judged especially for something that is near and dear to your heart as your book.  Publishing your book comes with limitations and one of them is accepting what others think about it.  You may not agree with what they say - that's okay - but they have a right to their opinion.  The one thing that you do not want to do is blast the reviewer no matter what.  It just goes without saying.  You must be some kind of a moron to go on someone's blog where they have posted a review that you didn't agree with and cuss them up and down.  It certainly does happen and it happened recently and I was appalled to see it along with the many bloggers who were floored to think that someone would have that kind of mentality.  Here's the thing.  You have your online reputation to consider.  While you may think that you're giving your side of the story and it feels damn good to let them have it, it doesn't look that way to whoever sees it.  It looks childish and no one will ever buy a book by you because of it.

The second thing I want to talk about is plagiarism.  Suddenly bloggers are bombarded with review requests from authors, publicists and publishers in the last few years and it's because authors, publicists and publishers have figured out an easy way to get reviews - just email a book blogger and if it's a genre they like (and I'm hoping the author, publicist and publisher did their homework to determine that beforehand), voila you have a free review just for sending them a book and if you can talk them into an ebook, it's an even better deal.  The thing is - looking at the reviewer's respective - free books look very enticing.  No more having to buy books anymore.  All they have to do is open up their email and there are dozens of inquiries.  They don't even have to go to the library anymore - they are building their library kingdom right at home.  It's all good though because reviews are priceless and if a blogger wants to read my book and write a review, I have chalked up another review for the price of a book and again reviews are priceless.  But here's the thing.  It's so easy to say yes and hard to say no to a book you just have to have.  No matter if you never heard of it before, the author, publicist or publisher has given you enough to go on that you just have to have it.  After all, you don't have to have it read for maybe a month and some don't even put limitations on when you have to have it reviewed.  But then there are some people who do have limitations.  They are blog tour companies.

Depending on how many tours a blog tour company has going on that month and it depends on how many reviews they have to get for each author, they can sometimes rake up to almost 20 reviews per author per month.  Usually unless it's a strictly review tour, you don't have to have that many, but for the sake of this blog post, let's say you need maybe five to ten reviews per author per month.  I personally have well over 10 blog tours each month to coordinate.  Sometimes it's an insane amount but for the sake of this blog post, let's just say I have to have 50 reviews total in one month.  That's fifty bloggers I must find for that author in order to fill my quota.  And let's say other authors, publicists and publishers and on top of that other blog tour companies besides my own need reviews.  That's an awful lot of reviews needed per month.  Thank goodness there's a lot of book bloggers out there and if you'll notice the really popular ones with all the followers fill up rather fast.  Some of these blogs review lots of books each month - an insane amount.  How do they do it?  I barely can fulfill my own obligation of one or two a month.  How can they possibly review upwards of twenty a month, you ask?

Well.  Recently I had the unfortunate experience of finding out one of the reviewers who reviews for me sometimes plagiarized her review for the sake of scrambling to get it done in time.  I understand book bloggers are like the rest of us - we aren't robots and we do have lives - but they tend to take on too many and then they resort to copying snippets of reviews other reviewers have written about this book and using it to make their own review.  Instead of emailing me and telling me something came up and they couldn't post on a particular day, they "borrowed" snippets of someone else's review and the author caught it.  I didn't catch it myself because I hadn't read the book, but the author knows their reviews like it's the back of their hand.

Let me tell you something.  Plagiarizing for the sake of getting something done is not the answer and creates bad relations if you are found out.  Of course a blogger feels no one will be the wiser but here's where the reviewer went wrong.  In her haste to get the review written that night, she copied snippets from another book the author had wrote and that was the tip off that alerted the author.

Oh this has been going on for years.  It's nothing new.  But it's wrong.  Dead wrong. The author didn't want to have anything to do with a company who writes fake reviews and she was outta there.  Even as much as I tried explaining I didn't write the review, it didn't matter to this author so it's bad relations all the way around when this happens.  I would have been livid myself.

The problem is that in order to catch these people in the very act, you have to take time out to study the review and the reviews before it and not everyone has time for that.  But usually the author has some kind of censor built in and can recognize it right off the bat.  I would suggest authors go back over their reviews and make sure this hasn't happened to them.  On the other hand, some authors won't mention it for the sake of a five star review if that's what the blogger gave them.  It's crazy, simply crazy and sometimes it makes you wonder about the world today.  The country is lacking morals; why wouldn't it pertain to books?

Monday, March 3, 2014

Riley Murphy's Requested Surrender Book Blitz!

Riley Murphy's Requested Surrender Book Blitz! (via The Writer's Life)
Book Blurb  She knows he’s dangerous for a woman like her. He knows she’s perfect for a man like him. From their first meeting, David Hollan is intrigued because Lacy Pembrook is subconsciously hiding someone. Herself. And David wants to know why…

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Historical fiction author Andra Watkins on Natchez Trace Walk to promote new book

I thought this was such an interesting story that I will be blogging about this as it happens.  Andra Watkins will be walking the Natchez Trace to launch To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis and will be the first person of either sex to walk the 444-mile trail as the pioneers did since the rise of steam power in the 1820′s. March 1, 2014 to April 3, 2014. Fifteen miles a day. Six days a week. One rest day per week. She will spend each night in the modern-day equivalent of stands, places much like Grinder’s Stand, where Meriwether Lewis died from two gunshot wounds on October 11, 1809. She will take readers into the world of the book. You’ll see the places that inspired scenes and hear the backstories of different characters, with running commentary by her father, who’s tagging along with her.

I have her on tour in March and April and she has promised me she would keep me updated as she will be walking the trail as her tour progresses.

Here she is just getting started today - Day 1



Can you imagine doing this?  She's a trail blazer for sure!  Andra will be sending me more videos as her journey continues, but I am so in awe of this woman.

If you want to pick up a copy of her book, To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis, click here.