For Everly by Raine Thomas - Promo Blast

Synopsis:

**This is a New Adult novel recommended for ages 16+.

Determined to overcome a dark and tragic past, college student Everly Wallace is only months away from earning her degree in physical therapy. She’s consumed with school, caring for her ailing grandfather, and figuring out how to pay the next bill. The last thing she wants is a relationship, but it just might be the one thing she needs.

Major League pitcher Cole Parker hasn’t fought for anything in his life. He went from a privileged upbringing to a multimillion dollar All-Star career. But when his pitching shoulder starts to give him trouble at only twenty-four years old, he faces the possibility of his injury becoming public knowledge and costing him everything.

In a desperate bid to save his career, Cole decides to hire someone to treat his injury, someone who will keep things off the record and out of the media. He finds the perfect solution in Everly. As mysterious as she is beautiful, she provides an enticing distraction from his pain. Soon, physical therapy is the last thing on his mind.

When an act of betrayal brings the truths they both fear to light, Cole will have to fight for the first time in his life…not just for his career, but for Everly’s love.

Buy Links:

Amazon * Amazon UK * B&N * iBooks * Kobo 

Excerpt:

“I know you’re not seeking any romantic connections right now, Everly,” Wyatt interrupted, giving Cole a quelling look. “We’re here in a strictly professional capacity.”

Now she looked more at ease. “I see. Are you seeking a consultation over Cole’s rotator cuff injury?”

Cole stiffened. He glared at Wyatt.

“I haven’t told her a thing,” Wyatt said with raised palms.

“You didn’t have to say anything,” she said with a shrug, leaning back against Rowan’s desk. Her keen gaze met Cole’s. “I noticed that you favored your left hand throughout your meal, using it to drink, eat, and bring your napkin to your mouth, but you’re a right-handed pitcher. And just now, when you moved to clear space on the couch, you stopped breathing and swallowed hard when you moved your right arm, telling me you’re hiding pain and have a reduced range of motion.”

His mouth opened over her observations. He looked again at Wyatt. His brother gave him a look that said, See?

“But how do you know it’s a rotator cuff injury?” Cole asked. Could other people see what she did? If so, he was so screwed.

“That, I’ll admit, was an educated guess based on your age and profession,” she answered. “I’ve only observed your symptoms and haven’t done any scans or tests to confirm. You’ll want to rule out bursitis, tendonitis, adhesive capsulitis, and other possible causes of your shoulder pain, of course.”

Despite what he’d seen this evening and his brother’s assurances, Cole was surprised by Everly’s quick assessment. She looked like she should be out club-hopping, not spouting medical jargon with such an intent expression on her face.

He also realized, since she knew his profession, that she had known who he was the moment she saw him. So why hadn’t she mentioned that before now? Maybe she wasn’t a fan.

“We’ve had scans done,” Wyatt said. “X-rays, an MRI—the whole load.”

He moved over to the desk. Everly stepped to the side as Wyatt reached over to retrieve the large manila envelope resting there. She hit Cole’s leg and nearly toppled onto his lap. Out of instinct, he reached out to help her maintain her balance. His hands ended up on her nicely shaped rear end.

She sprang away like a gazelle fleeing a lion. When she turned to look at him, he realized her cheeks were nearly as red as her hair. Her reaction went a long way toward putting him back on an even keel.

“I don’t bite,” he said with a grin. “Come and have a seat.”

He patted the cushion beside him. She looked at it warily, then moved her gaze to him. He patted the cushion again. Her lips moved on a whispered comment of some kind as she stepped around his legs and sat down. It was a small victory, but he felt better.

When he turned to look at her, he caught her scent, a unique fragrance that reminded him of whipped vanilla cream and frosted wildberries. She met his gaze. The combination of her nearness, her scent, and the cautious look in her lovely eyes had his whole body reacting.

Oh, this was such a bad idea.

Author Bio:

Raine Thomas is the award-winning author of bestselling Young Adult and New Adult fiction. Known for character-driven stories that inspire the imagination, Raine recently signed with multiple award-winning producer Chase Chenowith of Back Fence Productions to bring her popular Daughters of Saraqael trilogy to the big screen. She's a proud indie author who is living the dream. When she isn't writing or glued to e-mail or social networking sites, Raine can usually be found vacationing with her husband and daughter on one of Florida's beautiful beaches or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.

Author Links:

Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Amazon Author Page  * Pinterest * Linkedin * Website * Blog 

Becoming a Book Blogger - Getting Books and Writing Reviews

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, we're gonna discuss how you write your reviews on the blog you've been creating, and where to get books. You should already have your rating system in place, as well as a review policy, and you may already have a few titles in hand (because of that last post and the weekend you had to nurse your social media connections. Anyway, grab your pen and notebook and let's get to it!

Here are the past posts and what's coming

• Choosing a Name and Review Policy
• Branding Yourself With Imagery
• Picking a Platform for Publishing
• Design Considerations
• Structuring Your Rating System
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy
• Writing Reviews (you're there now)
• Money, You Say?

First off, go out to your social media outlets and put out an APB for some books that need reviews (I can promise, you'll very quickly become overwhelmed). Then, make a reading list. Write down the titles in the order you plan to read them.

Start with the first one, and get it read from front to back. Make notes on things as you go along (if you wish to do so). And, you're ready to write your very first review (don't publish it yet, wait until Friday's post for that).

So, read book in hand, or close by, sit down and think about all the things you liked.

Consider:

• characters
• plot
• pacing
• grammar and punctuation
• inconsistencies
• tone
• writing style
• even point of view (if you want)
• anything else related to the story
• cover image and typography (if you so choose)

Write it down.

Now think about all those things you didn't like using the same guide as above.

Write it down.

Somewhere in your review (IF YOU GOT THE BOOK FREE), you need to add a disclaimer that you were sent a copy of the book for free, and who it came from, in exchange for an honest review.

Like so: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Or: Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Go on to talk about how the book made you feel, what you thought, and whether you'd recommend it to someone else. There's no need to restate the plot or summarize the book in your review, people will see that on the book's page on the sell site, or (if you summarize the book before your review), they'll see it on your blog.

Don't post spoilers (telling people how the book turns out or ends). IF you do, be sure and put at the BEGINNING of your review: ****SPOILER ALERT**** That way, those who have a serious interest in reading the book won't read your review. You can probably see how that could be an issue (you want your reviews to be read).

Yeah, it's gonna take some practice to fall into your groove, but I know, once you do, you'll grow to love writing reviews more every day.

So get going and hold on to that review post until Friday, when I'll discuss money and posting your reviews to the relevant sites.

Any of you old hats wish to add some advice here? You're more than welcome!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Author Interview - B. J. Sheldon

HAPPY MONDAY! Oops! I'm yelling. Bad karma. *grin* I'm just so excited to be bringing you yet another awesome author interview from my super amazing series. If you don't have tickets to UtopYA con 2015 yet, you need to get them right now. Go here! Next year is gonna be a four day conference and there's some awesome stuff lined up that I'll be talking about over the next eight and a half months. Wow. Yeah. Just eight and a half months away now... I have so much to do... Anyway, back to my interview! I met this affable lady at UtopYA 2014, and she's so engaging, I kinda accidentally stuck to her. Besides, she was a ton of fun to have around. Without further ado, I give you B. J. Sheldon. Make some noise!

Jo: OMG! I have the fabulous B. J. Sheldon on my blog! I’m seriously giddy as a teenager with a new cellphone. B, how the hell are you? Are you ready to get our interview on?

B. J.: Ready when you are, darlin’. The dog is asleep in the other room, the cats are hiding under my bed, and I’ve bribed my 10-year-old with a lifetime supply of Skittles, so you have my undivided attention.

Jo: Yum! Skittles! *grin* Not sure if you’ve read the interviews I’ve done with other people, but I hope you aren’t too scared of what’s to come. *lets out evil laugh* Ahem. Anyway, let’s get going! So, I read that you have a ton of projects on your mind. I also know you have a WIP rolling along. Care to share some details about all that with us?

B. J.: I’m currently writing book 3 of The Dusty Chronicles trilogy. The series follows high schooler Dusty Vermeer, and her relationship with Jack, the ghost who haunts her home – and her dreams. Book 1 is called Haunting and introduces you to the young couple and their fight to discover the mystery behind Jack’s death. Book 2 is Imprint, the continuation of their love story and the complications that ensue, including an evil force keeping them apart. I mean, after all, Dusty is a normal teenage girl with normal teenage friends. Anyone would find it impossible to balance their real life with their realistic dream life, especially when the only way she can be with her first love is when she’s asleep. But after the series is completed, I will be starting a stand-alone novel about angels. But not just ordinary angels. I’m hoping to tie local Native American lore, the Book of Enoch, and various mythology together to spin a story of story of fear, redemption, and revenge. The story has been bouncing around in my head for weeks now. The problem is (and this is a problem for most authors) that I have to be able to focus and finish the book I’m working on now before I can start my next project. It’s times like these that I wish I had super powers – but that’s a whole different story for a whole different interview.

Jo: Dear me! Jack! He's the guy in I, Zombie, too! He certainly gets around... Haha! Your books are on my TBR list (I'm reviewing a bunch of UtopYAn books at the start of next year), and I can't wait to get to them. *sticks tongue out at readers* I, of course, have those signed copies. Okay, off the bragging. You have three beautiful daughters. Lucky dog! What were some of the challenges in raising them, and how have you used those trials to enhance your writing?

B. J.: My three daughters – the three biggest accomplishments in my life. They are amazing. Challenges? They’re girls, which is the biggest challenge there is! The other challenge was trying to find a balance between raising them and writing. Being a mom is nearly a full-time job, but it’s made even more difficult when you also have a day job. My oldest daughter has been dealing with a medical condition since she was 15-years-old, so I spent a lot of time taking her to and from doctor appointments. But she was also a huge inspiration and one of the driving forces behind Dusty, my main character. Her strength and will combined with her empathetic spirit and love for the kids with special needs was the basis for the protagonist. And then there’s my middle daughter. She is the typical artistic type. Her drawings and paintings are amazing, and I’m not just saying that because I’m her mother. She dreams of one day making a living at either movie make-up, as an illustrator, or an actual gallery artist. But like most artistic types, she never feels like her stuff is good enough and ends up being harder on herself than anyone else could be. This is another Dusty trait. And finally, my youngest daughter, who still lives at home, is my little angel. She drives me every day to work harder, write more, and strive to be a better role model.

Jo: I love that you used them as inspiration for your characters! Mom is one hell of a full time job. I bow to your greatness. You and I had a dance off at the awards party in 2014. Mind sharing where your bad a$$ 80s moves came from? Did winning cause your head to swell?

B. J.: Oh honey…I ROCKED the 80s! I owned the 80s! No one, and I mean no one, could beat my dance moves back then…not even Carlton Banks. Strangely enough, I grew up in Northwest Iowa – a place that wasn’t known for training up-and-coming dance stars. But I lived for American Bandstand every Saturday as a kid. I studied every move and practiced every step until I had the moves down. But don’t tell anyone about that…it’s a little embarrassing. And as for beating your butt on the dance floor – let’s face it – if it had been a hip-hop dance off, you would have kicked my a$$. But when it comes to the 80s, I rule the school. (I’m going to pay for that next year at UtopYA, aren’t I…)

Jo: Maybe. I might be practicing and honing my mad skillz. *grin* You’ve had some epic battles with bugs. Tell us about a couple of the worst ones, please.

B. J.: Epic doesn’t even begin to cover it. I think there is a conspiracy in South Dakota. I keep asking people if there was some kind of nuclear explosion that resulted in the mutation of once normally tiny harmless bugs and itty-bitty spiders into crazy-huge, face eating monstrosities! I spend most weekends chasing enormous spiders through my kitchen, stepping over gargantuan beetles, and running away from pterodactyl-sized mosquitos, moths, and wasps. I even have a broken toilet seat that cracked into 3 pieces in the process of trying to capture a giant wolf spider from the ceiling of my shower. I haven’t fixed it yet in an effort to constantly remind myself of my cowardice. I wish somebody would have warned me about South Dakota and its bugs. But one of my friends told me about these things called “hedge balls”. They’re an ugly fruit-looking thing that you are supposed to place throughout your house to keep out the bugs. I plan on buying a truck load of them and placing them in every window in every room of my house. Die, bugs, die…that’s my motto.

Jo: Oh my... Can't. Stop. Laughing. At the visuals right now. Do you think you’ll ever use any of those experiences in your books?

B. J.: I would hope that my characters are far braver than I am. However, I have used my fear of frogs in the first book when I hinted at Dusty’s aversion to the old shower curtain with cartoon frogs all over it. Who knows – maybe a future book will find one of my characters spending 10 minutes to buck up the courage to get close enough to spray a giant spider in her garage with Lysol before smashing it into a gooey mess with her daughter’s broken flip-flop…not that that ever happened.

Jo: Frogs? What's that? You're afraid of frogs? *evil grin* I know what I'm bringing you as a gift next year. Maybe shouldn't have told me about that one... What’s it like living in The Black Hills of South Dakota? What do you love? What do you hate? Will you ever move?

B. J.: To answer your last questions first – I will never move. This is the end of the line for us. I’ve moved too many times over the past 28 years. I want to put down roots and grow my own family tree – too corny, right? But, I love living in the Black Hills. It’s gorgeous here. The people are great, and I’ve made some amazing friends. People may think that South Dakota is backwoods. But I can drive 15 minutes and see the Rush play hockey, watch Broadway musicals, enjoy a concert, and eat at amazing restaurants. Rapid City is a tourist town with endless site seeing possibilities. It will be years before I see it all. What do I hate? Well, for one…THE GIANT BUGS!! The only other thing I don’t like is the snow. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the cold weather. There’s nothing I love more than bundling up when it’s below zero…no, seriously! But with my husband gone so much doing his Army thing, shoveling snow from my driveway is one of my least favorite things to do in the world. Shoveling it and driving in it. Actually, I’d have to say driving in it is worse. This past winter was particularly harsh in South Dakota, and there was one day I was trying to get home on the Interstate and I could barely see a car length in front of me. That was a scary drive. But, other than the snow (and the enormous bugs), I absolutely love South Dakota.

Jo: No. Not corny. I totally get it. People think where I live is backwoods. Gotta love the privacy and accessibility all rolled into one, eh? Rock on! Rapid fire question time! Forward or Backward?

B. J.: Forward

Jo: Favorite number?

B. J.: 3

Jo: First crush?

B. J.: Corey Haim and Corey Feldman – You couldn’t love one without the other back in the day.

Jo: That's soooo true! Let’s get to the time travel question of the interview. *grin* If you could go forward in time for one day only, what day would you go to and what would you hope to see there?

B. J.: Hmmm. This was a hard one. I think I’d like to go a thousand years into the future and see how advanced the human race has really become. How people travel, how they dress, the kind of technology we have. Just think about the advancements between the year 1014 and the year 2014. So, I can only imagine what the differences will be between the years 2014 and 3014. Then, after spending the day in the distant future, I would come back and write a Sci-Fi book that would enthrall readers and spark their imaginations causing some of them to begin the early research that will grow and eventually become to launching pad for the technology of 3014, thereby creating the question of “If I hadn’t gone to the future and written the book about the future, would that technology have ever been invented based on what someone read one thousand years into the past, ultimately molding what is now our future?” - - - Yep. I know. I need serious help. Either that or I need to stop watching Doctor Who.

Jo: Oh man. Now we're getting into that whole space/time paradox thing. *brain overload* What was your favorite read over the last year? What was so awesome about it?

B. J.: My favorite read from the last year is Hugh Howey’s WOOL. It’s inventive, creative, and kept me guessing until the final chapter. It’s been a long time since a book had that kind of pull on me. The writing was graceful and powerful, but it didn’t shove the plot down your throat. The writer and the reader all take the same road and get there at the same time. It’s the kind of book I hope to write one day.

Jo: That book is on my TBR list. Hugh and I have a title in common (which I didn't know until the book was written and titled, and no other title fit it). Haha! But his is adult, and mine is young adult. I greatly admire him. I have to know: Why did you choose ghosts as the topic for your novels?

B. J.: I have always been fascinated with the paranormal. Ghosts, spooks, specters, anything that goes bump in the night. I’ve listened to numerous stories from friends and family about their own personal experiences with ghosts. I’ve also had my own experiences. Am I positive they were really ghosts? Maybe – maybe not. The point is, far be it from me to shield my eyes from the mysteries of the universe. For a while there, my favorite shows on TV were Medium, The Ghost Whisperer, and Ghost Hunters. So, it only seemed natural to write about ghosts. There are multiple stories out there about girls falling for vampires, werewolves, or shapeshifters. But there weren’t many stories involving ghosts falling in love with the living. I have tried very hard to make their relationship real – giving the reader the feeling that their kind of relationship could actually happen. I think I succeeded, but only my readers could really tell me that for sure. I mean, thinking about it, a ghost having any kind of real relationship with the living would be impossible – even implausible. But that’s the joy of fiction – anything is possible.

Jo: I adore ghosts (especially ones who aren't all boo! and in your face scaring you). What are you looking forward to most about UtopYA 2015? Why?

B. J.: Number one, seeing my friends. Oddly enough, I don’t do well in social settings. I’m an extroverted introvert – don’t judge – it’s a thing. I’m a nervous talker, but I don’t do well as the anonymous person in a crowd. It takes everything I have not to run and hide in the farthest corner of the room waiting for everyone to leave. However, it you put me in front of a crowd of people where I’m the center of attention, I thrive like I did back when I used to sing in public. There are 2 me’s – one that is comfortable in front of people and one that is terrified of being around people. And yet, somehow, my friends at UtopYA have had a way of making me relax and be myself. I have nothing to fear or prove with you guys, and I love that. I continue to go to gain as much knowledge as I can and squeeze my friends’ brains for as much wisdom as they can spare.

Jo: I'm exactly the same way. How could I judge? Well, that’s all the time we have for today. *frowns* Thanks for joining me on the blog, B! I can’t wait to give you a huge hug next year! Anything I didn’t ask that you wish I had?

B. J.: Well, it would have been nice to have been asked about my Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Christopher Egan, Star Wars, Star Trek, RomComs, and Nathan Fillion obsessions – but we can save that for another time. Other than that, don’t forget to pick up book two in The Dusty Chronicles trilogy. Book three is due out in April 2015.

Jo: We totally didn't have the time (or space) for all that. haha! I'll be on the lookout for that book three though.

Now, it’s time to tell all you lovely readers about the featured book of the week!

Title: HAUNTING: The Dusty Chronicles – Book One
Author: B. J. Sheldon
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Length (print): 152 pages
Buy links: Amazon $7.65 Paperback  ~  $0.99 Kindle eBook
 
Synopsis: After a family tragedy, 15-year-old Dusty Vermeer has to start her sophomore year in a new town and a new school. Rural Iowa introduces her to Mark, a charming football player. Dusty can hardly believe her heart. Then, to her surprise Dusty meets another guy. The chemistry between Dusty and Jack could spark a prairie fire on a rainy day. The only problem? Jack’s dead. The handsome soldier comes to Dusty in her dreams and introduces her to the horrors of a foreign battlefield and the enchantments of first love. While Dusty tries to balance her feelings for the two new guys in her life, Jack steps out of Dusty’s dreams and into her reality. And he wants something. Jack has no memory of how he died more than half a century ago. Dusty vows to uncover the mystery, but her quest for justice puts her in the path of evil, a force that won’t stop until she’s silenced.

Haunting book trailer on YouTube: http://youtu.be/14zyveee3xw

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give B. J. a follow on every social media platform I could think of when writing up the template for these interviews?

Twitter: @BJSheldonAuthor
Facebook: B. J. Sheldon
Pinterest: BJSheldonAuthor
Website: B. J. Sheldon
Blog: B. J. Sheldon
YouTube: B. J. Sheldon
Google +: B. J. Sheldon
Goodreads: BJSheldonAuthor
Amazon Author Page: B. J. Sheldon

Can I just say how much I love the consistency of the nomenclature? *grin*

Now for the best part! B. J. is giving her books away to one lucky ducky reader of my blog! *swoon* Runs through the 19th of October.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you have any questions for B. J., pop them into the comments below!

Well, that’s all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Becoming a Book Blogger - Building an Audience

Happy freaking Friday, good people of the blogosphere! It's been a long haul, but we're on the final three posts. You'll get one today, one on Tuesday, and one on Friday. I have some awesome stuff coming your way next week: An author interview on Monday with B. J. Sheldon, a book review of Off Target on Wednesday, and a cover reveal for A Reaper Made on Thursday. So, it's gonna be an exciting week! By this time, if you've been following along, you should have a name, policy, look and feel with imagery, a posting platform, a well designed blog, and a rating system. Today, we focus on building your social media presence. Okay, enough of my jawing, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

 Here are the past posts and what's coming:

• Choosing a Name and Review Policy
• Branding Yourself With Imagery
• Picking a Platform for Publishing
• Design Considerations
• Structuring Your Rating System
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy (you're there now)
• Writing Reviews
• Money, You Say?

How many social media networks are there?

A ton. I'm not gonna list them all.

Here's the thing: You don't have to be on all of them, you just need to be on the right ones. I'm referring to the places your target audience hangs out, which outlets you feel most comfortable with, and which ones will do what you need them to (drive traffic to your blog).

So, here's the link list of social media sites I encourage you to sign up with, and a little bit about how to build your audience once you're there:

Twitter - This is a place where people with short attention spans can gather a lot of news without being bogged down by huge chunks of text. It's easy to share tweets and simple to follow someone. Build your audience here by following at least thirteen new people every day. Do a search for this: #amreading Then, follow about thirteen people who use it. Why? Because they're readers! Alternate with a search for this: #amwriting Give those folks a follow, too. Why? Because they're the writers who'll want you to review their books. Alternate by days and give a follow back to anyone who adds you organically. Once you have a couple, go at least three times a week and retweet some content. You'll find your follower base grow by leaps and bounds.

Facebook - Create a page if you haven't already. Here's a trick you must know to succeed on Facebook: It hates auto-posts and buries them beneath muck. You'll be lucky if fifteen people see an auto-post. Seriously. You'll be better off posting to your Facebook page organically, with no links in the main message (put all links in the comments). Invite all your friends to like your page. Interact at least three times a week with folks. Join a reader group on Facebook. Go to your search and type in: readers. When the box drops down, click on groups. Get to know people. Once in a while, ask them to share your blog with any writers who may want a review. Now, go do the same thing with writer groups. Be sure you're sharing if you expect others to share in return.

Goodreads - Yeah. Just do it. Go poke through the groups and join a couple there, too. Goodreads has a ton of review groups. There are always authors there asking for reviews. But wait! Join reader groups, too! This is a place where you'll be led to wonderful works of fiction, and it's a place where you can discuss books with others. Wow. Plus, you'll need a Goodreads account when you start writing reviews. More on that Tuesday!

Google+ - When you set up a gmail account (you did that, right?), you automatically got a Google+ page. Go to it, add your stuff, and set your custom URL. Then start adding people you already know. Yeah, I bet a lot of them read, too! Readers attract readers as friends.

YouTube - If you think you may ever want to do video reviews, go ahead and set up a YouTube channel. It can't hurt. Share videos by other book reviewers.

Here's another tidbit for thought: Go to one of the major book review sites (like Reader's Favorite or KBR) and apply to be one of their reviewers on staff. All they can say is no, right? You won't know if you don't try.

Two more places to put in your name:  Netgalley  and  Edelweiss
Both of those companies work with major publishers and will send you physical copies of books to read and review before the release dates. Just make sure you do it, or they'll drop you from the list.

Of course, it you want to stick strictly with Indie authors, we'll all love you forever and spread your name like wildfire through our ranks *grin*

I think I've given you all quite enough to do over the weekend. So get to it!

Any of you other book reviewers, where do you connect with readers and writers?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Becoming a Book Blogger - Structuring a Rating System

Happy Thursday, everyone! Yay! We're over the hump and moving forward with my series on becoming a book blogger. Today's topic is structuring your rating system, and I'm going over your 1-5 "stars" and perhaps a total bomb idea. Stay with me! Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First, a recap of the past posts and what's coming:

• Choosing a Name and Review Policy
• Branding Yourself With Imagery
• Picking a Platform for Publishing
• Design Considerations
• Structuring Your Rating System (you're there now)
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy
• Writing Reviews
• Money, You Say?

Ratings are the number of stars you give a book. They can range from 1-5 on most book selling sites. But we're talking about your blog! You can give a book zero stars if you so choose.

What's important here is to decide what the ratings mean for you. If you give a book a rating of 1, does that mean it was a total stinker; or does that mean it wasn't so bad you wanted to burn it or couldn't get through it, but wasn't good enough that you itch to read it again?

Once again, we'll use my go-to, The Chicken Coop, as an example.

1 Egg means = It wasn't for me
2 Eggs mean = It had a couple of redeeming qualities, but fell flat on all others
3 Eggs mean = There was something about it I didn't like and something I did
4 Eggs mean = I enjoyed it immensely
5 Eggs mean = Author gets a parade and confetti the book was so good
Big, Fat, ROTTEN Egg means = It stinks

Of course, how you rate is up to you, and you'll find the number of stars mean different things on different sites. You'll also probably find yourself on the fence between two ratings sometimes. So, if you used the egg rating system, be sure you mention how many you gave and what that means when copying over your review.

Also, put your rating system somewhere easy to see on your blog (perhaps in the banner across the top?) so folks know right away what they're reading about when they see your eggs.

Plus, you can have cute icons like these for your ratings (note the requisite half an egg):

Be sure you're consistent when using your icons. Your brand matters!

What have you come up with? Share! I'd love to see your works in progress as we go along here.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Book Review - Finnegan's Quest

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I have another book review for you all today. Seems to be a bit of a theme with them showing up on Wednesday's, eh? Well, when I scheduled my blog through the end of this year, I decided to try and give you a review once a week through the end of October. I'm blazing through my pile for the Indie Fever 2014 Reading Challenge (check out more reviews by that group here)! Speaking of which, here's a little reminder of the books I've reviewed so far, and the ones that are coming soon (no particular order):

Gloria Piper Finnegan's Quest  REVIEW BELOW
Skylar Hamilton Burris The Strange Marriage of Anne de Bourgh REVIEW HERE
Tamar Hela Feast Island REVIEW HERE
Rebecca Trogner The Last Keeper's Daughter REVIEW HERE
Scott Marlowe The Five Elements REVIEW HERE
L.K. Evans Keepers of Arden: The Brothers Volume 1 REVIEW HERE
Sarah Mäkelä The Witch Who Cried Wolf REVIEW HERE
Felicia Tatum Masked Encounters REVIEW HERE
David T Griffith The Bestiarum Vocabulum REVIEW HERE
Thaddeus White Sir Edric's Temple REVIEW HERE
Heather Topham Wood The Memory Witch REVIEW HERE
N. L. Greene Illusions Begin REVIEW HERE
J. A. Huss Tragic REVIEW HERE
Pauline Creeden Sanctuary REVIEW HERE
Casey Bond Reap REVIEW HERE 
Casey Bond Devil Creek REVIEW HERE
S. G. Daniels The Druid's Doorway REVIEW HERE
Misty Provencher The Fly House Amazon Kindle $3.99
Peprah Boasiako The Hitman Amazon Kindle $0.99
C. S. Janey Surrender To You Amazon Kindle $2.99
Elle Todd The Elect Amazon Kindle $3.99 
Morgan Wylie Silent Orchids Amazon Kindle **FREE**
Laura Howard The Forgotten Ones Amazon Kindle $0.99
Christina Marie Morales Ambience Amazon Kindle $2.99
Molly Taggart Off Target Amazon Kindle $2.99

As always, a little about the book up for review before we get going!

Title: Finnegan's Quest
Author: Gloria Piper
Genre: Fantasy Satire
Length (print): 284 Pages
Buy Link: Amazon Kindle $4.99

Synopsis:
Who will be Finnegan’s most perfect guru? Someone big, mysterious, and scary? It’s what the young fox believes. His quest leads him into Squiggly Wood, only to find no welcome from its critters, except for Crookshank, an elder crow reputed to have an evil foot. Finnegan, if he is to have any help in his search, accepts her offer of friendship. Shortly after, the woods erupt with guides and misguides vying to mentor him and separate him from Crookshank. Why should anyone care? The two friends investigate the cause of this attack and find it tied to a scheme by a secret force to take over Squiggly Wood. Finnegan’s Quest is a fantastical allegory that pokes fun at life’s foibles, political, religious, and social. Young and adult readers will find a quick and amusing read that invites them to look at life in new ways.

I'm jumping right into my review here, so strap in and get ready! *grin*

I picked up Finnegan's Quest during a promotional span on my blog where I ask Indie authors to come pitch their books for a chance to win a purchase and a review. Well, dear Finnegan got me from the sample, I bought it, read it, and will now get to my thoughts on it.

From a Reader's Perspective:
What I thought I was getting into--a book about a wily little fox on an adventure to find himself--was almost what I found. That being said, I didn't expect the very human situations and agendas I discovered buried in the text. I adore books about critters (loved Watership Down), and I figured this one would be more along the lines of a fox story with a rabbit flavor. But, sadly, I was disappointed. As a whole, the plot moved at a good clip sometimes and dragged along at others. I loved the crow, Crookshank, but she wasn't enough to save the story for me. It seemed the author had so much to argue against, her moral tale and overall agenda got lost as the story ambled along. Some of the puns were funny, and I laughed at those a time or two, but I kept reading in the hopes that the story would get better, which it didn't. If you enjoy books with a thick undercurrent of opinion about religion, politics, and other such things, this book is for you. If you're looking for a fluffy critter story, it won't whet your appetite. I did like little Finnegan, and enjoyed watching him grow into his own through the pages with Crookshank's guidance. Also, I see satire and I expect to laugh a lot. This book missed that mark, too, but I'm not gonna ding it for being categorized in that way.

From an Editor's Perspective:
I didn't find a lot of errors. No more than a usual couple. But those were negligible. Nice editing job on the grammatical end.

Rating:
1 Star for giving me Finnegan and his bushy curiosity
1 Star for showing old arguments in a new light
1 Star for editing
-1 Star for plot and pacing
-1 Star for too many agendas packed into one book

Overall, a solid 3 out of 5 stars. Recommended for those who enjoy opinion books.

Would this title be up your alley?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Becoming a Book Blogger - Design Considerations

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today, we're going into design considerations for your blog. Step four in becoming a book blogger. I do hope you're getting excited as you follow along and create your blog. By now, you've chosen a name, have a URL, and have picked a publishing platform. More than that, you have your review policies (what you will and won't review and how to submit)! You should also be a little bit familiar with your hosting service. This post is going into your blog design (layout) and content. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First, a recap of the past posts and what's coming:

• Choosing a Name and Review Policy
• Branding Yourself With Imagery
• Picking a Platform for Publishing
• Design Considerations (you're there now)
• Structuring Your Rating System
• Building an Audience - Social Media Crazy
• Writing Reviews
• Money, You Say?

Now, take a close look at my blog. You'll see there's a background that encompasses my logo and color/design scheme. On the sidebar, I don't have a ton of clutter for folks to wade through. One thing I have going on right now is my UtopYA con author interview posts. Because of that, I have two additional images on the right hand side. But, as you can see, my subscribe box is above the fold (this is referencing the part of your blog that's visible before the scroll).

Moving on down, you'll see another couple of ways to follow me and my posts (you do want your blog to be read, right?), then it goes right into my archive. Not having an archive where people can browse your past posts isn't a good idea. You want them to stay and look around a while.

Let's go back to the top!

You see my banner telling you what my blog is about, then a set of links I think are pertinent for everyone on social media to make as easy to find as possible. Note they're above the fold.

Because I'm OCD, and my blog is my haven for all the information I impart to my fellow Indie authors, I have a categorized link list. This is a whole separate page on my blog I use to sort posts into categories (with a little snap of what the post is about) so people don't have to wade through my archive to find specific information.

But my blog loads fast on a browser. Six seconds. Ideally, you want five or less, but I'm okay with six. I've visited blogs that took over a minute to load because there was all this extra "stuff" all over them. I waited, but only to take a look at the mess, click away, and never return.

You have about fifteen seconds to catch someone's attention. They won't wait much longer than that (if they wait at all). So, keep the clutter down and increase your load times.

Black text on a white background in an easy to read font is the next thing you need to consider for your design. If you make it hard to read your posts, people will be turned off and not come back.

You want them to come back. That's why you're blogging.

Make sure all your stuff is harmonious. Not that everything has to be identical, but when someone clicks on the link to your Twitter page, make sure it at least resembles your blog, website (if you choose to have one), and Facebook page. Don't let them doubt they've found the person they're looking for.

The Chicken Coop can have one chicken image on their blog, a different one on Facebook and Twitter, and still another on their website, and (as long as the look and feel is the same) they'll connect the dots.

Remember your name! If you've chosen The Chicken Coop for your blog, be @TheChickenCoop on Twitter as well. Be facebook.com/TheChickenCoop or facebook.com/ChickenCoop. Sign up for TheChickenCoop [at] gmail!

Be consistent and keep it simple.

If you want a couple more tips and tricks on making your public appearance gel, grab my free PDF on branding here. Feel free to download, study, read, print, and redistribute at your leisure. As long as you don't charge for it, I'm good.

What do you think? Have you built up your blog yet? Got any subscribers?

Go on and get those signup boxes going! I'll be back later in the week with advice on structuring your rating system.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo