Kristie Cook's Blog, page 34

Life is all about change. We all know that. If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't adapt to change, we get left behind. The last couple weeks have been nothing but changes.
We converted two of our business computers, including my main one, to MacBook Pros.I moved into a real office. Well, not real as in I have to leave the house to go to work, but real as in I'm no longer working in a corner of my bedroom. I invaded the college boy's room, leaving him a sliver for the weekends, and now have a space of my own. Yippee! I'll share pics - or maybe even a video - soon, once it's done.Then there's Facebook. Need I say more? Didn't think so.However, there is another online change that's been going on for quite a while that you, reader and writer friends, may not be aware of. Last spring and over the summer, Amazon significantly altered its algorithms, changing how books are ranked and how they get placed on high traffic pages.

This new method seems to be hurting the indies while allowing even bigger pushes for the Big 6 publishers, which is kind of odd because Amazon and the Big 6 really don't get along too well. But Amazon does still make lots of money off Big 6 books, so there you go.

For indies, though, it makes it harder to get on the best-sellers lists and even more difficult to stay there. The new algorithm seems to give a lot of weight to pre-orders, which Amazon doesn't even offer as an option for indies and small presses.

I'm telling you this because there are ways you can help your favorite indie authors that only take a few minutes of your time, cost nothing and can make a ginormous difference:
"Like" the book (right under the title on the Amazon page)Write a reviewMark or create some tags (under the reviews section) If you want to go further:
Recommend the book to your friends and in your social media outlets to get them to buy (sales = higher rankings = more exposure)Talk about the book in Amazon communities and forumsMake lists of your favorites - fave books, fave characters, fave couples, fave werewolves/vampires/warlocks, etc. Get creative and have fun with your lists.Again, these make a big difference in rankings and getting the book noticed by new readers.

I thank you in advance for any help and support you give indie authors. And also for any good thoughts you send out for the world to settle down a little bit. Just for a while, so we can all get caught up. Because even those of us who adapt easily and want to change are falling behind.

Are you a change agent? Or do you follow the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" camp? Do you think we'll ever get used to Facebook's changes just like we always seem to do or did they go too far this time?

Every Wednesday, I'll be featuring a writer, hopefully introducing you to some new authors and books that I know you'll love. Today, we welcome Elizabeth Isaacs, author of The Light of Asteria: Kailmeyra's Last Hope and the upcoming sequel, The Secret of the Keepers: Kailmeyra's Strength. Welcome, Elizabeth!
A bit about Elizabeth:  I have my master's in music performance and at one time considered a career in opera. My teacher's heart wouldn't stand for it though, and so we moved back to Kentucky and I found a wonderful elementary school that needed me; I've been there for ten years now.

Books have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I've always been a closet writer. The Light of Asteria is the first in a series of three. The Secret of the Keepers, Kailmeyra's Strength is slated to be released in the fall of 2011.   About the The Light of Asteria: Kailmeyra's Last Hope:

If Nora Johnson hadn't been on campus that day she would have never known her true destiny. Helping her friends move into the dorm that she wanted to call home, Nora accidentally collides with mysterious stranger, Gavin Frey. His very first touch sends flames through her heart. The world seems different-something within her has changed.  [image error]Nora tries to resume her mundane life, but she is now consumed with the one whose very presence ignited her soul, the one with eyes of emerald. Nora soon learns that an energy buried deep within has been unleashed. She now wields unimaginable power and has become Gavin's source, his strength. 

Her newfound joy is shaken when she discovers that Gavin is not who he appears to be and she has been thrust in the middle of a war of mythical proportions. Negativity has allowed all things evil to flourish, the earth is under siege. The fate of creation hinges on the power within her heart. Will she be strong enough to survive?
A gripping tale of unbounded love and ancient power, The Light of Asteria will take you on an epic adventure filled with war, treachery, and demons, as well as unimaginable delights.

Now on to the interview! KC: Tell us about you in 10 words.EI: *Big breath* I'm adog-loving-music-teaching-arts-camp-coordinating-author-mom.
KC: Whew! Here's another mouthful: If you tweeted about your latest release, what would it say (140characters or less)?EI: The most adventurous book I'veever written. The Secret of the Keepers is the sequel to Asteria. Full offantasy, intrigue, and romance.
KC: Ooohh! I can't wait! (BTW, lovelies, Asteria is awesome, if you haven't read it yet.) If you could spend the day with any of your characters, who would it beand what would you do?EI: I'd spend the day with Rena. Shecould teach me how to sculpt and paint and then we'd hit up the latest bookstore. She'shonestly one of my favorite characters. She loves to laugh so we'd get alonggreat. 
KC: Aw, she's so great. What a fab day you would have together. So what's your favorite part of being a writer?EI: As Ray Bradbury once said "yourintuition knows what to write, so get out of the way." That's my favorite partof writing. I love creating worlds where people can escape, where after thelast page is turned they feel better. 
KC: What's the hardest part of being a writer?EI: Making time for the craft. I bet I haven't watched three TV showsthis year, and I haven't slept late in I couldn't tell you when. My writing daystarts at 4 a.m.  I write until 6:15, getready to teach,  and then start writing againfrom 9 until midnight. I rarely take a day off.  
KC: Wow. I thought I knew what being a sleepless writer meant, but even I get more sleep than that. So besides the fact that you'd never sleep again, what else do you wish you would have known before you became a writer?EI: I wish I would have been better prepared for the feeling ofvulnerability that comes with people reading your story. The first few monthsThe Light of Asteria was live I was a basket case. It's gotten better, but I'veoften said sharing your writing is a lot like walking naked. It's that samefeeling of complete exposure. 
KC: Yes! So true. Now, what made you decide to go indie?EI: Honestly, I stumbled into thepublishing industry. The Light of Asteria was originally written for mydaughter as an example of what true love is supposed to be and the power offorgiveness. I never really intended to share it with the world. But then herfriends wanted a copy, people got wind that I had written a book, and I startedlooking into publishing. When I researched the idea of going traditional, Isoon understood the sheer amount of time needed to pursue an agent, publishinghouse, etc. Kate was a junior at that point, and I wanted her friends to have acopy before they headed off to college, so I went indie.  
KC: What do you like most about being indie?EI: I love everything about being an indie writer. The freedomto choose your critique partners, your beta group, your editors, and bookdesigners. It's all decisions that you make. No one is going to slap a cover onyour book for the sake of "trends". No one is going to make you change thatplot point to something that an analyst says is more marketable. It's yourbaby.  
KC: Agree! If a writer came toyou asking advice about going indie, what's the most important thing you wouldtell them?EI: Do your homework. Be aware that the self-publishing industryis a huge market. The bigger companies don't have a business plan designed tomake money selling books.  They have abusiness plan designed to make money off your dreams.  
Also, take time. Let your words steep. Find a critiquepartner and beta group to share your work with. Whatever you do, realize thatyou cannot edit your own work. You're too close to it. Your brain automaticallyputs in those missing words, or overlooked homonyms.  We need editors, and there are plenty outthere who are reasonably priced. Avid readers don't care if there is a typoevery now and then, but everyone gets frustrated when bad grammar pulls thereader out of the storyline. 
KC: What's the last book you read and what's next?EI: The last book I read was HopeCollier's The Willows: Haven. It just came out this week and I enjoyed itimmensely. The next book I'm planning on reading is Lisa Kleypas's newest bookentitled Because Your Mine. I'm a sucker for historical romances. I read themoccasionally during down times, and the reason I picked this one is becauseit's not out until October, and I'm still in the throes of getting Keepersready for publication. Reading time is scarce these days. 
KC: I'm right there with you with Genesis. No time to read for fun, but we'll make up for it, right? Ha! Okay, now, what book or author can you read over and over again?EI: There are so many. I'm a chronic re-reader, and so anythingI read once I read at least ten times. It allows me the freedom to jump into a story and not have to worry ifI've missed something.
My favorite books though would come from authors like: JKRowling, Ray Bradbury, Tolkien, Maya Angelou, Stephen R. Donaldson, andrecently I've been re-reading Lisa Kleypas's Hathaway series.  I know. I'm all over the board, but I lovediversity!
KC: Diversity is always good, especially for authors' reading choices. And hello, fellow-chronic-re-reader! Glad to know I'm not alone. Now one more - Ebooks or Dead Tree Books? Why?EI: Selfishly, It would have to be deadtree books. I love to smell them, the way they feel in my hand. I love to breakthe spine and lay them flat.  But I canno longer deny that we are wasting precious resources, and so I've recently gonethe ebook route.
I do still go to our local indiebookstore when I simply need a soft cover, and I shop the local consignmentbookstore as well.
KC: Where can we connect with you?EI: You can find me:Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/kailmeyraFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeth-Isaacs-author/107839445917029Website: http://elizabethisaacs.comPersonal blog: http://www.thelightofasteria.blogspot.comWriting group blog: http://www.chirenjenzie.blogspot.comGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1783576.Elizabeth_IsaacsAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Isaacs/e/B003NAYLBS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1316390275&sr=8-1

If you subscribe to my newsletter or are a fan on Facebook, this might not be much of a tease, but for the rest of you...well, it's not really a tease, either. It's a full reveal! I introduce you to...

The Genesis Cover!


Thank you so much to the lovely Brenda Pandos who once again did a fabulous job on the cover!!!

Based on the cover, can you guess what it's about?

I had some nasty hacker/virus issues with the website last week, making it nearly impossible for people to access it (although it technically didn't have any problems itself - it just linked to another site that was having problems). I hope you'll scroll down and check out last week's posts. I actually had lots of them (in comparison to my lame blogging history). (Seems I'm full of parenthetical statements today.) (You've been warned.)

I featured five book bloggers for Book Blogger Appreciation Week and hope you'll take a look at their awesome blogs. I also welcomed Heather McCorkle for Writer Wednesday. All of my guests were fantabulous!!!

A couple weeks ago, I took The Farewell Tour for my grandmother. All-in-all, it was a great trip. On our first night, we stopped in Gainesville to have dinner with the college boy (and to deliver a few necessities), then drove onto Georgia. The next day, we checked out Savannah, Georgia, which was gorgeous! We did a walking tour of the historic district:

I absolutely fell in love with the old Southern homes!
If you've seen Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, you might recognize this fountain.
Did I mention I love the old homes??? You can look down just about any street in historic Savannah and it looks something like this. Even the trees look ghostly!I definitely want to spend some more time in Savannah - it is very muse inspiring. I think it's also a great location for a romantic weekend or a long weekend with the girls. After our self-guided walking tour, we did a drive down River Street (the touristy area, with all the hotels, restaurants, bars and shops), which just reinforced my belief that a girls weekend there would be awesome.
Quick shot of the old shipping warehouses on River Street, now used to entertain the tourists.
After our couple of hours in Savannah, we drove onto North Carolina, where we spent the night, then headed onto Northern Virginia on Labor Day. About an hour out of town, it started raining and it hardly stopped the entire time I was there.

The book signing in Arlington was hampered a bit with the crappy weather, but it gave me the chance to catch up with some old high school friends. Ugh - front and center makes me look huge compared to them in this self-portrait.
From Monday to Friday morning (when I headed home) the sun peeked out once. For the fifteen minutes we were graveside at Arlington National Cemetery for Grandma's services, the clouds parted and a few rays shone down.

And I'll leave you to ponder that. (I love you, too, Grandma!)

It's Book Blogger Appreciation Week ! AKA BBAW - September 12-15. Book bloggers everywhere are sharing their love of books and blogging with each other and their followers, but, as an author, I wanted to share my love of book bloggers in my own way. Why? Because I wouldn't be where I am without them. Seriously.

[image error] Our last-but-not-least book blogger this week is Stella at Ex Libris. I was absolutely thrilled when Stella agreed to read Promise because it meant my book was going overseas for the first time. See, Stella lives in Budapest, Hungary! What a thrill it was, as a new author, to have my book "reviewed internationally." Turns out there are lots of awesome bloggers all around the world, but it was - and still is - way cool. Although Alexis and Tristan do some world traveling (*cough* hint for Devotion *cough*), I never imagined Promise making its way around the globe, especially before it even came out.

So, yeah, I was a little excited, but what my email discussions with Stella really drove home back then was how widespread and diverse readers of American books are. It made me feel pretty small because here were all these people reading literature not written in their native languages and I can barely remember 20 words in each of the three (yes, three!) languages I took in high school and college. I'm so pathetic. I know.

But I'm eternally grateful to Stella and all the other international readers and bloggers. Thank you! Merci! Gratzi! Gracias! Danke! (And I remember the Russian word for "thank you" but not how to spell it with the Latin alphabet. :-P)

Anyway, let's get to know Stella!

KC: Tell us aboutyourself in 10 words.
S: Passionate reader and dreamer, loyal friend and devoted bigsister. :-)
KC: If you tweeted ageneral message about your blog, what would it say (140 characters or less)?
S: Curious to know what I just read and what I thought of it? Swingby Ex Libris for a fun chat about books, characters, genres and a lot more! :-)
KC: What's your favoritegenre to read? 

S: Romance and urban fantasy!
KC: What are you favoriteblogs to follow? 

S: All Things Urban Fantasy Book Lovers Inc. Yummy Men and Kickass Chicks Smexy Books Among the Muses Paper Cut Reviews The Forbidden Bookshelf
Just to name a few, but there are so manywonderful ones!
KC: Have any bloggers inspiredyou or your blog? 

S: Book Chick City was one of the first blogs I stumbledupon when I discovered book blogs existed and was amazed at how shiny and fullof info it was.
 I was a big fan ofBook Lovers Inc. and now I'm part of their team and love all the girls! :-D
Steph from Paper Cut Reviews inspires me all the time. Sheis full of wonderfully creative ideas to make the blogosphere a better worldand bring bloggers closer. She is one of the kindest and most generous people Iknow :-)
KC: How did you getstarted blogging? 

S: Oneof my colleagues told me about cooking blogs and after a few days I wondered ifthere were blogs where people talked about books. Oh, I had no idea!  So Igoogled it and happened upon tons of book blogs! I debated for about 1 weekwhether to create one of my own, whether I would have the time and whether Icould contribute anything besides so many great blogs, but I wanted so much totalk about books I have read, that I thought, what the hell, I'll start andwe'll see. And it has been 1.5 years since then and I'm loving it :-D
KC: What is your favoritepart about being a blogger? 

S: The community! Meeting other bloggers with whomwe can passionately debate about books and characters and the big revelationwas discovering how friendly and approachable authors are! I'm still amazed :-)
KC: What's the hardestpart of being a blogger? 

S: Organizing everything! I have a 10 hour-a-day fulltime job and there simply isn't enough hours in the day for me. My inbox is oneof the things I fear the most and am constantly battling with, my guilt will bethe death of me.
KC: What do you do when abook you agreed to review just isn't working for you? 

S: I try to write anobjective and balanced review where I tell the things what didn't work for me.It may not be the book's problem, it might simply be that it wasn't the bookfor me.
KC: Do you ever getreviewer's block or in a reading slump? 

S: Reviewer's block yes! I am usuallystruck by inspiration when I'm walking to the bus stop or around town, fullsentences just flow in my mind about what I want to say about a novel, thenwhen I am on a deadline and see the blank page those wonderfully constructedsentences are lost and I can't recall them. I am a procrastinator Queen, sosometimes scheduled reviews are left until the very last minute, when thatputs some additional pressure on me as well ;-p
KC: How can we connectwith you? 

S: You can reach me at my blog: Ex Libris (www.stella-exlibris.com ), Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Stella_ExLibris, Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/lucyriver/posts/262885640409066#!/pages/Ex-Libris/105923872768585and Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/stella_exlibris  
Thank you, Stella! And thank you to all our book bloggers this week who participated and all of those I didn't get a chance to interview. One common thread I've seen all week long is that these lovely ladies' favorite part of what they do is the book blogging community, which should tell you something. It really is a fabulous community.

If you're not involved in it, I encourage you to follow a few book blogs. I've given you 5 this week and they've each provided even more links. Check them out. Find the reviewers you click with most. Support your favorites. And if you have your own book blog, please list it in the comments below.

It's Book Blogger Appreciation Week ! AKA BBAW - September 12-15. Book bloggers everywhere are sharing their love of books and blogging with each other and their followers, but, as an author, I wanted to share my love of book bloggers in my own way. Why? Because I wouldn't be where I am without them. Seriously.

Please give a warm welcome today to Colleen at Lavender Lines! A mutual online friend introduced us and although Promise didn't fall into Colleen's normal choices for reading (she's such an unromantic - ha!), she agreed to read and review my book. She took a chance on me. That's something an author doesn't frequently get. So I sincerely appreciate Colleen's willingness to read Promise. Thankfully, she liked it and enjoyed Purpose even more. So let's meet Colleen.

KC: Tell us about yourself in 10 words.C: Only ten words? Sheesh. :0P Okay here goes:  loyal, stubborn, anxious, quiet, loud,book-loving, dreamer, cautious, loner, funny
KC: If you tweeted a general message about your blog, what wouldit say (140 characters or less)?C: Rambly and gushy, but always honest reviews. I'm just easilyexcitable.
KC: What's your favorite genre to read?C: What day is it? LOL It changes daily, but most of what Iread is YA (paranormal, contemp, urban fantasy, dystopia). But lately I've hada real hankering for non-fiction.
KC: What are you favorite blogs to follow?
C: Amy McKie Reads (no relation, just one of my best bookiebuds!) Escape Through the Pages  Chrisbookarama Beyond Books  Rayment's Readings, Rants and Ramblings
KC: Have any bloggers inspired you or your blog?C: Hmm I would have to say all of the above mentioned bloggershave helped shape me into the wonderfully weird blogger I am today.
KC: How did you get started blogging?C: I started doing reviews for Edwards Magazine Bookclub (heya Christine!) and went from there.
KC: What is your favorite part about being a blogger?C: When I write a review of a book I LOVED and the authorcontacts me. I've made quite a few author friends that way.
KC: What's the hardest part of being a blogger?C: Deadlines, dealines, DEADLINES! I am horrible with them.  Also, when I really don't like a review book.So icky.
KC: What do you do when a book you agreed to review just isn'tworking for you?C: Yeah, I'm a total wimp so I kinda just set it aside and hopeit disappears.  I know I totally shouldcontact the publisher, and sometimes I do. I used to force myself to readreview books, but now? I give it a chapter or two.
KC: Do you ever get reviewer's block or in a reading slump?C: OMG yes!!! I just went through a horrible one this summer. Iactually considered giving up book blogging. For the whole summer I think Iread about 10 books?  (I'm normally a 3-4book a week kinda gal.) But as usual it passed.  I think it happens to everyone, but bookbloggers just notice it more.
KC: How can we connect with you?C: Well, I'm ALWAYS floating around online on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/Lavender_Linesor Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=652810114.I also have my book blog, of course - http://lavenderlines.wordpress.comand my writing blog, which is woefully neglected - http://colleenmckie.wordpress.com
You read that right - Colleen is also a writer. We need to keep an eye on her and one of these days, we'll be reviewing her book!
Have a question for Colleen? Just ask.

Every Wednesday, I'll be featuring a writer, hopefully introducing you to some new authors and books that I know you'll love. Today, we welcome Heather McCorkle, whose debut novel The Secret of Spruce Knoll, just released this summer.

A bit about Heather:
[image error] I am an author of young adult fantasy, in all its many sub-genres. Helping other writers and supporting fabulous authors is my passion. When I'm not writing or surfing my social networking sites, I can be found on the slopes, the hiking trails, or on horseback. As a native Oregonian, I enjoy the outdoors almost as much as the worlds I create on the pages. No need to travel to the Great Northwest though, you can find me here, on my blog four days a week, and Monday night's on Twitter where I co-moderate the #WritersRoad chat with my good friend TS Tate. 

About The Secret of Spruce Knoll:

[image error] It's hard enough being a teenager under normal circumstances; imagine being orphaned, sent to live with an unfamiliar aunt—and learning that there really is magic in the world. Following the tragic death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with her aunt. Little does Eren know the entire town of Spruce Knoll is filled with "channelers"—a magical group of people who immigrated to the small Colorado town when they were driven out of their own lands.

Channelers are tied to the fate of the world. As the world slowly dies, so do they—and they alone have the power to stop the destruction of Earth. Now, Eren learns she not only lives among them, but she is one. When she meets local boy Aiden, his charm convinces her that being a channeler may not be all bad.

As Eren and Aiden's relationship blooms, so too does a mystery in Spruce Knoll. The town holds many secrets—and many enemies. It soon becomes apparent that the untimely death of Eren's parents-and Aidens-was no accident and that her life might be in danger, too. Only time will tell if Eren has the power to protect the people she has come to love.
  
Today, Heather talks with us about a lesser known reason some authors go indie:

It is harder than it's ever been to breakinto the publishing industry right now. I know, I've had two agents and havehad two manuscripts on editor submission during the time ofthe 'great change (digital)' in publishing. Editors of publishinghouses are buying fewer manuscripts than they ever have before. Because listsare shrinking, so are opportunities with traditional houses. Never fearthough, opportunities are opening up in other avenues as this is notonly the digital age, but the age of self-publishing as well.
Self-publishing is starting to lose it's bad name(slowly) and some agents are even encouraging their clients to self-publishwhen their manuscript doesn't sell in the traditional market. I won't get intohow I feel about that, but I will delve into how I feel aboutself-publishing. I'm ashamed to say that I used to question the merit ofmost self-published books. But after being on editor submission to traditionalhouses and hearing editor after editor say "We love this but itcompetes with another one of our titles" or "We love this but wealready have all the urban fantasies for our list this year", Irealized something.

Publishing houses are passing up greatbooks because they feel they will compete with a title or authorthey already publish. This means great, publishable books (and their authors)are not getting published for the wrong reasons. Just becauseyou are rejected doesn't mean your book doesn't have merit. In fact, it couldmean that it does.If you're getting rejection letters with either of those excuses in them, don'tgive up. It may be time for you to think about self-publishing. Just rememberto give your book its due, hire a good freelance editor anda cover designer, and be ready to do marketing! 

Thank you for sharing, Heather! 

Have questions for Heather? Go ahead and ask here. Or, you can find her at these fine establishments:

http://heathermccorkle.blogspot.com/https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Heather-McCorkle/211058455603533https://twitter.com/#!/HeatherMcCorklehttp://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

It's Book Blogger Appreciation Week ! AKA BBAW - September 12-15. Book bloggers everywhere are sharing their love of books and blogging with each other and their followers, but, as an author, I wanted to share my love of book bloggers in my own way. Why? Because I wouldn't be where I am without them. Seriously.

Today I introduce to you Amy at A Simple Love of Reading. Amy's enthusiasm for my books really helped to spread the word on her blog and on Twitter and I've sincerely appreciated everything she does, not just for me but for all the authors she features and supports.

So let's get to know her!


KC: Tell us aboutyourself in 10 words.
A: Mother, book-lover, photography-lover, cookie-lover, animal-lover,movie-lover, slightly OCD and married. :)  KC: If you tweeted ageneral message about your blog, what would it say (140 characters or less)?
A: Hey Everyone, come on over and get comfy with my simplelove of reading!  Reviews, Giveaways andmore!  KC: What's your favoritegenre to read?
A: Paranormal Romance, although I do enjoy a variety ofothers.  KC: What are yourfavorite blogs to follow?
A: That is a really hard question.  I follow so many that I love...but a few are: Electrifying Reviews Not Your Faery Tale Parajunkee's View The Book Vixen YA Urban Book Faery ...And so many more, I could keep going and going!
KC: Have any bloggersinspired you or your blog?
A: Oh, definitely!  Ihave read some wonderful reviews and they inspire me to do better with my own.  KC: How did you getstarted blogging?
A: I found that I was reading my books too fast!  I would go through almost a book a day andneeded a way to slow myself down, so I started my blog.  This way I would have to take my time readingin order to think about the books and the characters so I could write down mythoughts, as simple as those thoughts may be they still require some time tosit down and blog them.  In the beginningI would just talk very briefly about the books, but as my blog has grown sohave my reviews.  I can only hope that Ihave improved and will continue to do so as time progresses.
KC: What is your favoritepart about being a blogger?
A: Talking to authors. I'm still amazed when authors welcome doing an interview or guestposting on my blog!  And getting to knowmy fellow bloggers through their own writing. One more thing I love to do is share my books with some of the othersthat can't always afford to buy their own books.  Some of the amazing bloggers I follow arepretty young, and don't even have jobs yet!
KC: What's the hardestpart of being a blogger?
A: I guess, for me, that would be always coming up with newthings to say in my reviews.  I keep minesimple but there are still times when I find myself to be repeating something Ihave said before.
KC: What do you do when abook you agreed to review just isn't working for you?
A: When an author offers me a book to review, I promise theman honest review, and if it just so happens that it's not working and I can'tfinish the book (although I feel terrible) I contact the author.  I explain to them why the book is not workingfor me, I keep the conversation between the author and myself because I do notfeel it is fair for me to judge the book in any way if I did not get very farinto it in the first place.
On the other hand, if a book isn't working but I do manageto finish it, I always try to be as fair as possible in my review.  I say why I didn't like it, but also talkabout the things that kept me reading the book to the end.
KC: Do you ever getreviewer's block or in a reading slump?
A: I can be lucky enough to say that I have never experienceda reading slump (*knock on wood*).  Butthere are times when I sit and just stare at a blank page wondering how I amgoing to get my thoughts about a book into some sort of understandablereview!  I usually pull through in theend, but I'm not always sure I'm satisfied with the end results.  I've never had any complaints...but maybepeople are just too nice!  ;)  KC: How can we connectwith you?
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AmysSimpleLove- Email: simpleloveofreading@rogers(dot)com- And of course myblog: http://simpleloveofreading.blogspot.com/
Please check out Amy's reviews and other posts. You'll find lots of great stuff, including giveaways.
Have a question for Amy? Go ahead and ask!

It's Book Blogger Appreciation Week ! AKA BBAW - September 12-15. Book bloggers everywhere are sharing their love of books and blogging with each other and their followers, but, as an author, I wanted to share my love of book bloggers in my own way. Why? Because I wouldn't be where I am without them. Seriously.

Several book bloggers have helped spread the word about my books to each other and readers with their reviews and by hosting me with guest posts, interviews and giveaways. There's no way to know for sure how many sales they brought, but I do know that thousands of people would have never heard of my books if not for book bloggers.

So this week, I'm featuring a handful who have really made a difference in my writing career. I've turned the tables by interviewing them with those same tough questions they give me. Haha! And they've come back with fantastic answers!

Yesterday for BBAW, you met Jessica, who introduced me to Lisa, whom I'm introducing to you today. Shortly after Jessica and I connected, she was telling me all about her bloggy friend Lisa at A Life Bound by Books and that she couldn't wait for Promise to come out so she could read and review it. Whoa. Another blogger wanted to read my book before it was even out??? Of course I sent her an ARC immediately! And another great friendship was born.

Lisa has been incredibly supportive of my books and whenever she has something special going on with her blog, she thinks of me to contribute. In fact, in a couple weeks, she and Jessica launch their Haunted Halloween, where Alexis, Tristan and Owen will be sharing a ghost story on A Life Bound by Books. They do awesome things like that.

Anyway, Lisa's reviews are always fantastic! If you're ever on the fence about whether to read something or not, check out her blog. In the meantime, let's get to know her better.


KC: Tell us about yourself in 10 words.
L: Wife. Aunt. Daughter. Sister. Reader. Blogger. Caring.#Idrathergivethanreceive. #movieandTVbuff. #coldweatherjunkie.
In case any of you are wondering about the hashtag or #, it'sa twitter thing. So, I cheated lol :P
KC: If you tweeted a general message about your blog, whatwould it say (140 characters or less)?
L: A Life Bound By Books, 1 book review, interview, guest post& giveaway at a time. Drop in, take a peek, leave a comment & visitagain soon!
WOW, that was really hard! LOL I don't even think I came upwith a good tweet, but… it gets the point across, right? At least I hope itdoes.
KC: What's your favorite genre to read?
L: I tend to read more YA paranormal romance than anythingelse, BUT… I pretty much always go with the idea of if it sounds good I'll giveit a try. So, my taste goes all over the board when it comes to YA. I usuallystay away from historicals, BUT this year I've read a few that I have reallyenjoyed, so now I'll sometimes give those a try as well.  As for adult titles, I also tend to loveParanormal/Urban Fantasy/Supernatural Romance. I've read some chick lit aswell, but usually it's those Para/UNF/SPN Romances that get me each and everytime.
KC: What are your favorite blogs to follow?
L: I'm going to do this one in a list for you:
Confessions of a Bookahlic - http://www.totalbookaholic.com/Mindful Musings - http://themindfulmusingsbookblog.blogspot.com/Le Femme Readers - http://lafemmereaders.blogspot.com/Wicked Awesome Books - http://www.wickedawesomebooks.com/Teens Read & Write - http://www.teensreadandwrite.com/The Book Vixen - http://www.thebookvixen.com/The Book Pixie - http://thebookpixie.blogspot.com/The Book Cellar - http://www.thebookcellarx.com/The Book Scout - http://thebookscout.blogspot.com/
Just to name a few. More of my favorite blogs, blogs I readcan be found in my blogroll on my site.
KC: Have any bloggers inspired you or your blog?
L: A few bloggers have inspired me. Though they probably don'tknow it, but they have. Jessica from Confessions of a Bookaholic inspires medaily. She's such an amazing person who knows me, gets me and I totally love todeath! Another person who has inspired me is Natalie from Mindful Musings.She's another great person who I love talking to and I miss! Natalie, if you'rereading this, we really need to catch up! Also, Eleni from La Femme Readers, Idon't know her well, but I love her reviews and what she's created for herselfand the readers on her blog.
So many other amazing bloggers out there, I could go on and on!Seriously, it was hard to stick to just these 3. So many of you need to patyourselves on the back for the impact you've made on others inside and outsideof the book blogging community.
KC: How did you get started blogging?
L: I started blogging 2 years ago now. WOW, how time flies! Iwanted a hobby that had to do with reading. My family has some readers in it,but we usually never like reading the same things, so it's always hard to talkbooks with them. Truly I was looking for an outlet to find others out there whoI could gush and squeeee and talk about books with. While surfing around theinternet about 3-4 months or so before I started blogging, I found a couplethat I liked to read and then I found Goodreads and the rest kind of happenedfrom there. Since I always am trying to make it better, I'll forever think ofmy blog as being a work in progress.
KC: What is your favorite part about being a blogger?
L: My favorite part about being a blogger – easy question! Thefriends I've made and amazing books and authors I've found because of all theamazing bloggers and various other people out there. Hands down, best andfavorite part is the friendships I've made that I know will last a long, longtime.
KC: What's the hardest part of being a blogger?
L: The hardest part about being a blogger, that's a goodquestion! Sometimes it's actually writing reviews. Finding a way to usedifferent words or find different ways on how to express how I'm feeling abouta book can be hard because I always feel like I get stuck. It's more of how tomaneuver around those words that are stuck in my head to find bigger, betterand more epic things to say. It's not all the time, but that is one part forme. Another part would be… and this is more of an observation, but the need forsome bloggers out there (and NO, I'm not talking about YOU, yeah, YOU readingthis. And I'm not talking about your BFF or any one blogger in particular, soplease don't think it's you or your sister, brother or friend) feel the need tomake this into a jealous battle between one another. I mean seriously, we alldo this because we love to read. Why does it have to be made into anything BUTthe books and authors? I love to hear the great books that my friend might getand I can't wait to read because I'm excited for them. So that's another partthat's hard when it comes to being a blogger.
KC: What do you do when a book you agreed to review justisn't working for you?
L: This is a REALLY hard question. First, I feel really guilty.Then, I have to remember that not everyone is going to love everything that isout there. It might sound good, amazing even, something I'm excited aboutreading…  and sometimes it falls flat, orI don't connect with the characters, etc. However I try really hard to readeach and every book that I receive for review and sometimes, the book and I… wejust don't "fit". There have been a couple of books recently that I've agreedto read and review and it was difficult for me to finish, but I did. Will Icontinue with that same practice in the future? It'll really all depend on thebook.
KC: Do you ever get reviewer's block or in a reading slump?
L: I think that happens to us all from time to time. As Imentioned above, somewhat recently I've read a few books in a row that justdidn't "fit" with me. I finished them, but they seemed to drag. I try to takebreaks here and there as well to help keep me out of a reading slump. Some daysI might only read a few pages, which doesn't help me in tackling my stack ofbooks for review! However, I think it does help keep me from falling into ahuge reading slump, so it all evens out. Or at least I hope it does lol. Nowfor reviewer's block – that would be a HUGE yes! Also, as mentioned above -often feel like I use many of the same words, or don't talk enough about what Iliked or didn't like about a book. I never want to spoil anyone, so I try tostick to things that won't give anything away. Which that in itself cansometimes be a struggle, but it's a struggle I don't mind.
KC: How can we connect with you?
L:Blog: http://alifeboundbybooks.blogspot.com/Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoundByBooksGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/foreverin_abook
Thank you, Lisa, for joining us today! I look forward to reading all the reviews you have in store for us. Have a question for Lisa? Ask it here!

It's Book Blogger Appreciation Week ! AKA BBAW - September 12-15. Book bloggers everywhere are sharing their love of books and blogging with each other and their followers, but, as an author, I wanted to share my love of book bloggers in my own way. Why? Because I wouldn't be where I am without them. Seriously.

Several book bloggers have helped spread the word about my books to each other and readers with their reviews and by hosting me with guest posts, interviews and giveaways. There's no way to know for sure how many sales they brought, but I do know that thousands of people would have never heard of my books if not for book bloggers.

So this week, I'm featuring a handful who have really made a difference in my writing career. I've turned the tables by interviewing them with those same tough questions they give me. Haha! And they've come back with fantastic answers! So without further ado, let's get to our first one.

Jessica at Confessions of a Bookaholic and I have a fun story with how we met. I was just starting to spread the word of my then upcoming debut novel, Promise. As I was figuring out which bloggers seemed to have the best fit, Jessica contacted me, asking if she could review my book. Her blog was only a few months old and she had maybe a couple hundred followers. As someone who was also just getting started, I thought it was perfect. The big blogs scared me at the time. LOL But I was concerned because her blog focused on YA and I wasn't sure she'd like my book. She told me that she enjoyed adult books, too, so I took a leap of faith and sent her the ARC.

Jessica read Promise (in one night, I believe), loved it and wrote an awesome review. (WHEW! I was so relieved.) And a friendship was born. Now we've both "grown up" - she currently has over 3,400 followers and one of the best blogs on the web.

Since she's one of my best and earliest book-bloggy friends, it's only fitting to start the week with Jessica. So, let's get to know her:


KC: Tell us about yourself in 10 words.
J: Mother, wife, reader, blogger, quiet, shy, procrastinator,student, sensitive, determined
KC: If you tweeted a general message about your blog, what wouldit say (140 characters or less)?
J: A YA book blog featuring my favorite books and authors witha hope to share my love for reading and inspire that same passion in others.
KC: What's your favorite genre to read?
J: My first love was paranormal but I have moved on to includea lot of contemporary as well. Plus, I never expected to enjoy so manydistopian novels but they never fail to amaze me.
KC: What are you favorite blogs to follow?
J: My best blogging buddy Lisa at A Life Bound By Books, Mundie Moms,and Eleni at La Femme Readers. Plusthere are several others I skim each day to keep up with news and events. Ifollow a lot of author blogs too (like you my dear!).
KC: Have any bloggers inspired you or your blog?
J: I think the first blog I ever visited was Fantastic BookReview. I had no idea how large theblogging community was at the time but I loved her blog and from there Istarted visiting other blogs she had links to. I remember thinking there was noway I could figure out how to do a blog like that. :)
KC: How did you get started blogging?
J: During the time I started visiting a few blogs I had reallystarted to pick up reading again. One of the first authors I looked up wasJennifer Echols after I fell in love with her book Going Too Far. I posted  acomment on her blog and was SHOCKED when she responded. That made me think "areauthors REAL people?!" Then for my birthday I got a kindle and wrote JeriSmith-Ready after reading Shade anddeciding to jump into blogging as a birthday gift to myself. She was so kindand on my blogoversary even commented on how she loved my blog…which was prettymuch the best gift ever!
KC: What is your favorite part about being a blogger?
J: The community. As cheesy as it may sound, I love that we arelike a group. Authors and bloggers working together to promote reading.Everyone is always so willing to help out and that is really what makesblogging fun. You never have a feeling of working alone. Plus, there is nothinglike being able to talk to some of your favorite authors on a daily basis.
KC: What's the hardest part of being a blogger?
J: Time! Time has been my enemy lately. I am a graduate studentand I have a 3 year old. Recently my husband has been working from 8am-11pm athis new job so I pretty much feel like a single parent and it's hard to findthe time, and energy, to do blog work. I used to have a schedule but thatdoesn't seem to be working out as well as it did. Plus, I think it's natural tohave a time where you may not feel as inspired to blog. Sometimes I get intoreading slumps and I focus more on blog work, and other times I read more andslack with blogging. I've had to learn to never force blogging because thattakes the fun out of it. But, sometimes it's hard to find a nice balance.
KC: What do you do when a book you agreed to review just isn'tworking for you?
J: Maybe this is wrong but if I can't finish it, or would giveit a 1 or 2 star (which I've never came to this point while blogging) I wouldcontact the publisher/author and tell them the book just wasn't for me.Luckily, mainly due to the research I do on books beforehand, I typically likeeverything I read. Before blogging, I had several books that were so terrible Ihad to force myself to finish them. Now, I check out reviews, Goodreads, andthe summary before taking on a review book. I don't think any publisher/authorwants to force a review and sometimes a book just doesn't work for a person. Itdoesn't necessarily mean the book is horrible, so I would feel bad tearing itapart if it just wasn't my type of story.
KC: Do you ever get reviewer's block or in a reading slump?
J: Oh YES (as I happened to mention above). It is a commonoccurrence for me. Especially with reviews! I try to make them special but it'sjust so hard to explain feelings about a book sometimes. Oddly enough, I havean easier time picking out what I disliked about a book. I sometimes feel Ican't explain how much I enjoyed a book or I feel that my words don't do itjustice. That all leads to me procrastinating big time with reviews. Readingslumps are more rare but they do happen. Usually it happens if I'm forcingmyself to read something because a review is needed. It doesn't mean I don'twant to read the book, but just that maybe it's not what I need at that time.I've realized that when this happens I need to put that book away and pick upsomething I really want to read. I always go back to the original book and canusually really enjoy it later. Example: I can't read too many "deep" books atone time. I have to break it up with something lighter or it gets a littledepressing :)
KC: How can we connect with you?
J:I blog (http://www.totalbookaholic.com/)I tweet (http://twitter.com/#!/TotalBookaholic)I goodread (http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3734744-jessica)
Go check out Confessions of a Bookaholic. You will love Jessica's reviews. They are some of my favorites because you can tell she puts a lot of thought and heart into them.
Thank you, Jessica, for joining us here! And thank you so freakin' much for all the time, blood, sweat and tears you put into your blog and for everything you do for readers and authors.
Do you have a question for Jessica? Ask away!