Bookends & Another Bookish Thing

October 23, 2015October 23, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 10 Comments

More Bookends for you Today.
Tomorrow, Book Shelves!

Of course, this isn’t a bookend, but I couldn’t wait to share it with you! How marvelous!

The black, die-cut ones are so imaginative. I’m going to have to buy one of these, sooner or later.

Another one. Apparently someone DID release the kraken!

And another mermaid. They’re quite popular as bookends. This one is really elegant.

More dragons, also very popular subject for bookends.

And finally, this gorgeous whale. Don’t you just love him?

Stay tuned tomorrow for some very creative and interesting bookshelves.

#FabulousFridayGuestBlogger – Rosie Amber

October 23, 2015October 23, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 35 Comments

Today, our guest blogger is Rosie Amber, who is going to talk to us about how and why she does book reviews, where you can follow her blog, and how you can contact her if you’d like to submit something of your own for her or her team to review. Thank you for being here today, Rosie. Now take it away, Flower Lady! 🙂

Thank you for inviting me to The Write Stuff blog today for a chat about book reviewing. I’m Rosie Amber and I run a book reviewing blog at https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/
You can also find me on Twitter @rosieamber1

Why as a reader I think reviews are important

In today’s world the book market is reaching saturation point. Self-publishing and e-book opportunities have opened the doors to publishing which were once held closed by publishing houses. More and more people are buying books online where they look at the book cover, the book description and they check out other reader’s reviews.

I love reading and want to share the books I love with others, so what better way than by writing a review and posting it on various online platforms and book buying sites.

As a reviewer, I post reviews about nearly all the books I read as long as I can rate them 3* or above. Below this I won’t review, I feel a “no review” says as much as a 1 or 2*. If I’ve been asked to review the book for an author and it will be below 2*, I’ll contact the author with an appraisal of their book, with my thoughts on how it could be improved.

What makes a good review?

I write short reviews. I’ll explain the book genre up front, then if it’s not one a reader likes, they can move on. I’ll usually talk quickly about the main characters and where or when the book is set. I’ll then go on to give a bit of information about the storyline, so that readers can decide themselves if the book sounds enticing. I’ll finish with a summary of what I liked about the book and if necessary what didn’t work for me. If the book needed another run through editing I will mention that and it will reflect in my rating. It’s so important in this competitive market for writers to put out their VERY best piece of work and not rush to publish.

Running a review blog

A year ago I filled my blog with all my own reviews, but my request list was getting long and I was being asked to review genres which I didn’t enjoy. So I created a book review team. Members join on a voluntary basis and review books around their own lives. There is no minimum or maximum number of books to read as long as they read and review a book in a month. We post reviews on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Goodreads, reviewer’s blogs and I get a copy of each review which goes out on my own blog.

It is set up so that authors provide several copies of their work and we give them multiple reviews of the book all from one place.

It is complex, I’m fielding book review enquiries from authors, managing the review requests from the team, making sure they review within the one month and dealing with any of their queries, sending out notification to the author when the reviews comes in and drafting up my copy of each review for my blog. On top of that I have my own review request list which is currently around 50 books. I try to read a book in no longer than 2 days. This is a hobby, I have to work it around family life and part time employment. All the reviewing is free with no monetary values exchanged. This is important with the current Amazon clamp down on paid reviews and fake reviews breaching their rules.

Approaching us for a review

The best type of author wanting a review is one that has found my blog, spent a good time checking out the type of books we read, the style of reviews we write and actually getting involved with some of the posts via comments and sharing on social media. I hang out on Twitter a great deal.

Then when they have got a good feel for us I’m happy for them to make contact via the contact forms. There is a good set of instructions about the RIGHT way to go about it.

It’s very obvious if a new author finds my blog, “Follows” by joining and then fills in the book request form. I get all the e-mails, the one which says “You have a new follower” and when it’s followed by a book review request I KNOW the author has spent little time checking me out.

Then when they send a copy and paste review request or they call me Amber or no name at all, I get miffed. Most authors understand I’m busy reading and living my life and I will get to their book, some are a little impatient. DON’T OFFEND A REVIEWER BEFORE THEY’VE READ YOUR BOOK!

All I ask is that authors remember the team and I are human, we do this because we like reading, we won’t like every book we read but we won’t be rude or leave a 1* and no reason why. We spend several hours reading your book and thinking about a fair review all for free and in our own time so that you might benefit from others who will buy your book.

What else do we do on the blog?

I like to put fresh ideas out on the blog, so I get involved with other projects too. Every April I take part in the April A-Z Challenge, where bloggers from all over the world blog their way through the alphabet. This is a fantastic way to meet new people and make new friends/ followers. If anyone is trying to build up their blog, I recommend taking part in this free challenge. http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

I also run my own free tours, I’ve just finished the third annual #RomancingSeptember tour with fellow blogger Stephanie Hurt. Earlier in the summer I also ran a Beach Reads tour and last year I ran a #MysteryNovember tour. These are hard work but a lot of fun for all that take part.

This October I’m running a Readathon, where I’m inviting anyone who follows the blog to read and review three books and we’ll post their reviews.

The #FridayFiveChallenge is a quick research post for people who blog. Each Friday people write a post about a book they found online after just a five minute search. The idea is to use a search term and then scan the book covers and choose a book from its cover/ book title. There’s time for a quick read of the book blurb and maybe a look at the number of reviews, then you must make an instant decision, would you BUY or PASS? The idea behind it is to look at it from a buyer’s POV. Many people now shop online for books and the thumb-nail book cover is often the first point of sale, get it right and hook the reader, get it wrong and they’ve passed you by.

There is plenty more, from my Wednesday Wing posts with tips from a readers POV, Resources for writers and posts by Avid readers, people who aren’t book reviewers but friends who say they’ve read a great book and tell you just a couple of lines about it.

Do drop in, say hello, pull up a chair and get comfy with people who LIKE books https://rosieamber.wordpress.com/

#FREE short story – SPRITE NIGHT – #UrbanFantasy by Deborah Jay

October 22, 2015 / Deborah Jay / Debby Lush / 10 Comments

FREE

Hey folks, my short story SPRITE NIGHT is free from today until the 25th, so please go ahead and grab yourself a copy from Amazon. It’s a companion story to my Caledonian Sprite novel, DESPRITE MEASURES, but is also a complete stand alone story.

Discover a unique eco-urban fantasy with a touch of romance.

When Scottish water sprite, Cassie, volunteers for an anti-fracking protest, the last thing she expects is to find herself at odds with a druid. But with time running out for the local environment, she can’t afford to be distracted by the handsome hunk of a Highlander.

Intent on a minor act of sabotage, Cassie is totally unprepared to be caught in the cross-fire of a magical battle. Can she avert catastrophe? Or will she become the very agency of an ecological disaster?

What people are saying about SPRITE NIGHT

***4.8 stars***

“This story flowed smoothly and gave the reader an enjoyable glimpse into the world of Cassie Lake. The author intertwined real life elements into her magical world of druids, magicians and sprites. It was a clever twist to include internet links to various real life sites to bring a touch of realism to this fantasy. I would recommend this story to anyone looking for an easy, quick story that will make you smile.”

“There was a lot to love crammed into this short story. First, there’s the interesting world-building, centered around a water sprite who can dematerialize into her individual molecules at will. Next, the Scottish setting and culture was very vivid and intriguing, like an armchair vacation. Add in the hydrofracking issue that is currently so important on a world-wide level and you have an intellectually intriguing and enjoyable read.”

“Another wonderful Deborah Jay story, proving that she writes short fiction as fabulously as she writes novels! I love her dialogue best – believable, funny, and her heroine Cassie is always sassy. The balance between plot, action and information (who knew all that about water sprites?) is perfect – the writing is truly fast-paced at time, yet still includes such strong imagery to make you wince, or laugh, or both simultaneously.
Perfect follow-up to Ms Jay’s Sprite novel, but works as a strong stand-alone, too.”

” This story gives you an excellent chance to dip your toe into the Cassie waters. Sorry, couldn’t resist that.”

Download your copy from Amazon HERE

Bookends, Book Nooks & Other Bookish Images

October 22, 2015October 22, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 16 Comments

Just can’t resist sharing a few more things with you today. Hope you enjoy them!

Sign outside of bookstore. Don’t know about you, but I’d buy books here! Lots of them!

When my red-haired (bee-YOO-tiful) daughter was in high school, everyone called her The Little Mermaid. I’ve been fond of mermaids ever since. These are gorgeous!

In keeping with the oceanic theme…RELEASE THE KRAKEN!

Who wouldn’t enjoy curling up with a good book in this little reading nook?

Unless you’d rather stretch out on this, instead?

And last (for now) how about some handpainted bricks as bookends, for you crafty folks? How clever are they?

#Bookends Galore!

October 21, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 5 Comments

Some wonderful bookends for you. Enjoy!

For your Mystery & Mayhem collection!

Maybe in the kitchen, for cookbooks?

New ideas versus old. 🙂

This way, there be dragons!

Curiosity doesn’t seem to have hurt this guy!

Bookends & Book Nooks #2

October 20, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 5 Comments

Okay, so I’m taking a break from writing, and sharing another wee piccie with you. Or maybe two. 😀

How About a Table for Your Book Nook?

Or A Really Clever/Cute Set of Bookends?
These would work nicely for your Horror/Urban Fantasy Collection. 🙂

#Writing Prompt – Candlelight

October 19, 2015October 18, 2015 / D.G.Kaye / 31 Comments

Hidden

The aging Diva primped for her grand entrance to the Christmas party she hosted annually. She reminded her assistant for the umpteenth time, to make sure the Grand Ballroom was to remain dimly lit — candlelight only. Her vanity dictated that she’d only be seen in best light.

The aging recluse hid within herself what she didn’t want to face in the mirror — the lines and wrinkles which marked her time on earth. As she entered the Ballroom, her flaws remained hidden to the crowd, but not to herself.

The Diva managed to conceal her face, ravaged with time, by wearing scarves and hats, and her signature cat-eye shaped sunglasses when she absolutely had to go out; trying her best to stay out of the limelight during the day. But certain social gatherings were expected, and obligatory.

As the evening progressed, a woman in an intoxicated state stumbled into the elegantly decorated sweet table. She was unaware that the jagged claws encasing the expensive diamond in the ring on her hand had latched on to the tablecloth in her passing stupor. As she continued to walk, without noticing, a thread remained attached to her ring causing the tablecloth to rip away from the table.

The disturbance captured the attention of the guests as the candles fell over and caught fire to an edge of the tablecloth and everything else flammable on the table. Pandemonium ensued, and in instinct, a guest dashed to flip on the lights.

The room was illuminated and the ornate chandeliers sparkled in all their glory. Guests and wait staff tossed pitchers of water at the spreading flames, and within moments, the fire was extinguished.

The Diva was nowhere in sight.

October Writing Prompt Challenge by Eldon Brown

October 18, 2015October 18, 2015 / Marcia Meara / 8 Comments

Hi, Eldon. I took the liberty of moving your October challenge entry to its own post, so folks will see it. (It was lost beneath another conversation.) Thanks for taking part, and this is terrific!

~~~

There was something strange about the barista. True, this was Japan but he was strange. Ordinary Japanese don’t display tattoos. They are considered vulgar and only circus folk and yakuza have them. I stepped to the service counter, grabbed a few napkins, and sprinkled some cinnamon on the steaming surface of my coffee. I love the smell of cinnamon, especially when mixed with the wonderful aroma of rich, strong coffee. I turned and faced the barista. He was so close that I accidentically spilled some hot coffee on his hand, causing him to drop the knife.