Saturday, June 30, 2018

Reading Now: The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep


A War-Torn Countryside Is No Place for a Lady

Mercy Lytton is a lady like none other. Raised amongst the Mohawks, she straddles two cultures, yet each are united in one cause. . .to defeat the French. Born with a rare gift of unusually keen eyesight, she is chosen as a scout to accompany a team of men on a dangerous mission. Yet it is not her life that is threatened. It is her heart. Condemned as a traitor, Elias Dubois faces the gallows. At the last minute, he is offered his freedom if he consents to accompany a stolen shipment of French gold to a nearby fort—but he is the one they stole it from in the first place. It turns out that the real thief is the beguiling woman, Mercy Lytton, for she steals his every waking thought. Can love survive divided loyalties in a backcountry wilderness?

What are you reading today?

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Book Spotlight: PR for Poets by Jeannine Hall Gailey

Didn't quite finish this one, so posting a spotlight. Look for my review coming soon.



PR For Poets provides the information you need in order to get your book into the right hands and into the worlds of social media and old media, librarians and booksellers, and readers. PR For Poets will empower you to do what you can to connect your poetry book with its audience!

EXCERPT

CHAPTER 7: PR KITS AND PITCH LETTERS

Do It Yourself or Hire Someone?

In this chapter, I'll answer the questions: “What is a PR Kit? What is a pitch letter? Do I have to do these myself? What's my publisher's role? Can I hire someone to do it?"

If you haven’t worked as a journalist, reviewer, or in publishing before, you may not be familiar with a PR kit. A PR kit, also known as a media kit, is a collection of physical or digital marketing materials designed to get the attention of the media. PR kits are sent to traditional media outlets, such as newspapers, radio and TV stations, journalists, and prominent bloggers. A pitch letter usually accompanies the kit and is the hook that piques the recipient's interest. Pitch letters are critical when you don’t have a relationship with the person or organization receiving your kit. Your kit can be in a digital format (often a PDF file), which is usually sent by email or made available for download from a website. Some outlets still require that a hardcopy be mailed.

Your Basic PR Kit And “Sell Sheet”

The basic PR kit includes a "sell sheet," which is usually a single sheet, sometimes printed on both sides (often in color). Your sell sheet can be both digital and in hardcopy. It should include the following information:

Key data for your book—this includes the publisher, distributor, release date, number of pages, format, ISBN number, website, and the PR contact. This provides important information about the book and facilitates the ordering process for libraries, bookstores, and universities/schools.

A summary of the book—this is usually 200 words describing the breadth of the work. It's important to be broadly descriptive because many of the blurbs will hone in on specific aspects.

A graphic of the book’s cover—because color images have more impact, you may want to spend extra on color copies or borrow the color laser printer at work for your hardcopy version.

One or two blurbs—these blurbs are short and only consist of a sentence or two. They present different facets of the work not covered in the summary. Pick the most famous of your blurbers to feature. Sometimes this choice is up to your publisher, not you.
Your author photo—hopefully you already have this, so it's time to use it.

A short author bio—really, keep this short. Include only your key accomplishments or items that might hook the specific reader (for example, if you are from his/her home town).

PURCHASE FROM:





Jeannine Hall Gailey served as the second Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington, and she has been a featured contributor in Poet’s Market for many years. Gailey is the author of five books of poetry: Becoming the Villainess, She Returns to the Floating World, Unexplained Fevers, The Robot Scientist’s Daughter, and Field Guide to the End of the World, winner of the Moon City Press Book Prize and the SFPA’s Elgin Award. Her work has been featured on NPR’s The Writer’s Almanac, Verse Daily, and in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror. She spent four years teaching in the MFA program for National University, worked fifteen years as a corporate writing manager, and worked in publishing as an Acquisition Editor for Microsoft Press.


Jeannine’s twitter handle is @webbish6.
For more information, visit www.webbish6.com.


Top Ten Tuesday: Series I’d Like to Finish Someday



Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Top Ten Series I’d Like to Finish Someday


Many, many moons ago, I was reading over 100 books a year. Then I went back to work. I lost touch with some of my favorite authors and series simply because I couldn't catch up. Some of their books are sitting in boxes in my office. Others are simply items on my Amazon Wish List or Goodreads Want to Read List. 


Karen White's Tradd Street series captured me right away. I've read the first two books. The third book--and I think the fourth--are here. The fifth book came out last year. Need to catch up.


Spirit Shapes is the last Deputy Tempe Crabtree book I've read. Marilyn Meredith has released two more since then that I would like to read. I would also like to go back and read the books before Judgment Fire, which is where I came into the series.


The Rocky Bluff P.D. series has one of my favorite characters--Gordon Butler. The last book I read was in 2014, Murder in the Worst Degree. At least one other has come out that I know of, so I need to grab that.


I read the first book in Kathi Macias' Quilt series, The Moses Quilt. I never picked up the next two, but I would like to do that. She also used to release one book each Christmas. I should buy those too.


Thanks to the Hallmark Channel, I got into Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series. I've read the first three books and A Cedar Cove Christmas. It's doubtful I could ever catch up, but I would like to plod along anyway.


The thought of continuing on with The Lunar Chronicles is tough for me. The girls and I read the first book, Cinder, together. We picked up Scarlet right after we finished the first book and started reading it. Then, suddenly, the girls decided they didn't want to read with mom anymore. I'm still sad over it. Silly, but I can't help it. I might return to this series one day.


Even though I thought I had finished the Harry Potter series, as soon as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was released, that series became unfinished. I bought this final book for the Lil' Diva, but I know I have to steal it one day and polish it off.



Vannetta Chapman, one of my favorite authors, released 3.5 books (I never question these things) in her Plain and Simple Miracles series. I've read the first two, but the last 1.5 remain unread. Sarah's Orphans is in  my TBR pile. I don't own Brian's Choice yet. 


How can you finish what you never started? When I promoted Diana Gabladon's 20th anniversary release of Outlander, I felt part of something special. Every reviewer encouraged me to read the books. I still haven't gotten to them, but I hope I do before too long.



The Lil' Princess has been encouraging me to read The Selection series by Kiera Cass forever. I keep telling her, "When I finish all my other books." I might have to sneak this first book in to try it out...if for no other reason than to tell her I am listening. 

What are some series you would like to finish?

Monday, June 25, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - June 25




It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Welcome back to Monday. It's my favorite Monday of the year--the one right before we leave on vacation. It's going to be hectic, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Pet sitters and house sitters are all set, so packing and getting ready--in between working--is what's on tap this week.

I'm finishing up this book due for review tomorrow.


Also occasionally dabbling in this one...


I really wanted to like it more, but it's just been okay for me. 

Not sure what I'll read on the drive down to North Carolina. Maybe I'll start this one first...


What are you reading now? Is there something I should be adding to my wish list? 

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

My Favorite..Dream


My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info and the upcoming subjects visit the My Favorite Meme.. page.

Dreams are so much fun. We are encouraged as children to dream big, but then we become adults and we tend to satisfy ourselves with smaller dreams. I have two favorite dreams and they are tied to each other.

My first favorite is to retire to Manteo, North Carolina. It's my favorite spot on earth. I can't wait to see it again in a couple of weeks. We've begun looking at property on the Outer Banks, but probably won't be able to buy in Manteo since rental income would help finance having the second house. Manteo isn't exactly the hot spot for OBX rentals. It is, however, a nice place to spend some time walking the boardwalk in downtown, grabbing an ice cream at Big Buck's, popping in at Downtown Books or any of the other shops, or hanging out on the waterfront. It's where we go to relax, which is why I would love to own property there, but anywhere on the Outer Banks would make me happy.

When I retire to the Outer Banks (hopefully Manteo), I would like to write full time again. I love selling real estate, but my true joy is writing. That's why I continue to blog despite my crazy work and personal schedules.

What are some of your favorite dreams?

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to Read By the Pool/At the Beach



Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I'm of the opinion that any book can be read by the pool or at the beach. That said, some books inspire reading in that setting more than others.


Nothing screams summer like a beach house.


If you like emotional roller coaster rides, this might be one to pack in your beach bag.



Tuck this one in your tote bag if you want to read about friendships and betrayals.


I've never read a bad book by Karen White. She blends past and present, secrets and looking for love in this unforgettable story. Setting it on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia gives it that beach read feel.



Many people I know take off for beach weekends. This book by Mary Kay Andrews is for those who enjoy a nice mystery where personalities clash. 


A summer on Nantucket is just what the doctor ordered. This main character wants to experience the summers from her childhood one more time. This is a good choice if you're looking for romance, laughter, and ties that bind.


How about a little bit of intrigue this summer? Mercer Mann is a young novelist offered a reward to locate F. Scott Fitzgerald’s manuscripts that have just been stolen from a secure vault. Set in an island resort town in Florida, there's also a character who owns the local bookstore. Hmm....


If you like emotional books that unfold as a result of something posted on social media, this might be one to tuck in your suitcase. One photo is all it takes to throw these people's lives into a tailspin. 



Paula McLain's The Paris Wife was an amazing read. McLain returns to Hemingway's life with Love and Ruin, a story of his third wife, Martha Gellhorn. It sounds just as intense as her first book. Have you read it yet?


Summer romances can be so much fun, especially when the main characters are traveling across the country recording their views of a single American summer.

Hope you'll find something on this list to add to your beach bag. Anything else you can recommend? 

Monday, June 18, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - June 18




It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Happy Monday! Always great to be able to connect with readers at the beginning of the week when we are all fresh. I finally made it out to the garden and got everything planted. Hopefully the animals don't eat it all.



I finished It's Messy: Essays on Boys, Boobs and Badass Women by Amanda de Cadenet last night. Can't say it was my cup of tea. She's done amazing things with her life and had to deal with some tough stuff, but who hasn't. Her ideas on how you feel after becoming a mom are fairly spot on, but I couldn't really connect with her other than that. This simply wasn't a book I felt was worth my time reading. It was for Amazon Vine, so I felt determined to make it as far as I could. Finally bailed at page 143. I'm sure if my feminist Lil' Diva read it she would love it from beginning to end. I'm simply past the time in my life where I feel I have to stand up and say, "I am woman. Hear me roar." I've experienced discrimination because of my gender, but that's the other person's problem. Not mine. The back cover of this book says it addresses "the issues, concerns, and experiences relevant to women today." That might be true for some women who read this book; just not me. I wanted to relate to the author's experiences, but found it a challenge.

I've begun packing up the paperbacks I'll take with me to North Carolina. I usually bring seven to ten, but this year I'm going with four and both of my devices. I'll have some books to read for upcoming reviews, so want to focus on the e-books this year. Here's my list of beach books:





There are eight new books that I added to my Kindle Fire since the end of May, so maybe I'll get a chance to read a few of those too. 

What have you been reading lately? What's up next for you? 



Friday, June 15, 2018

Coming This Fall: Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy


A bold, heartfelt tale of life at Green Gables . . . before Anne: A marvelously entertaining and moving historical novel, set in rural Prince Edward Island in the nineteenth century, that imagines the young life of spinster Marilla Cuthbert, and the choices that will open her life to the possibility of heartbreak—and unimaginable greatness

Plucky and ambitious, Marilla Cuthbert is thirteen years old when her world is turned upside down. Her beloved mother has dies in childbirth, and Marilla suddenly must bear the responsibilities of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, keeping house, and overseeing the day-to-day life of Green Gables with her brother, Matthew and father, Hugh.

In Avonlea—a small, tight-knit farming town on a remote island—life holds few options for farm girls. Her one connection to the wider world is Aunt Elizabeth “Izzy” Johnson, her mother’s sister, who managed to escape from Avonlea to the bustling city of St. Catharines. An opinionated spinster, Aunt Izzy’s talent as a seamstress has allowed her to build a thriving business and make her own way in the world.

Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables and discovers new friends and new opportunities. Joining the Ladies Aid Society, she raises funds for an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity in nearby Nova Scotia that secretly serves as a way station for runaway slaves from America. Her budding romance with John Blythe, the charming son of a neighbor, offers her a possibility of future happiness—Marilla is in no rush to trade one farm life for another. She soon finds herself caught up in the dangerous work of politics, and abolition—jeopardizing all she cherishes, including her bond with her dearest John Blythe. Now Marilla must face a reckoning between her dreams of making a difference in the wider world and the small-town reality of life at Green Gables.

Pre-order here!

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

My Favorite.. Thing To Do Next To Reading


My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info and the upcoming subjects visit the My Favorite Meme.. page.

What a neat topic. Very tired and a month shy of 50 (gasp), I should probably say sleeping. LOL! It used to be cross-stitching. Who has time for that anymore? It really should be writing too. I mean, shouldn't writing be my favorite thing other than reading? I've published four books so far.

Alas, it is none of those things.

My all time favorite thing to do next to reading is...gardening. I am so awful at it, you would think it would be a source of frustration. I drive down the street and look at all the pretty, well-manicured landscapes. Then you get to our yard.


  • There's the Blue Festuca Grass that is now hiding under some ground cover that took over one of the flower beds.
  • There's the mulched ring around the lamppost that one year had tulips and other early spring bloomers. For some reason, only the green leaves appear and then they wither away. Too much sun, maybe? Who knows? Certainly not the girl with the brown thumb.
  • On one side of the house are the hostas, which the voles attacked two years ago. They started to come back this year, but there are gaping holes left by those that did not survive.
  • On the opposite side is a half dead lilac bush that took a wallop when a large tree fell during a storm (missed the house by about 6 inches). On that same side is the mint that I planted to keep the varmints out of the generator box. It has spread EVERYWHERE! Note to self: never plant mint anywhere other than a container.
  • The flower boxes fell off the shed two years ago. Sadly, they remain in pieces. I need to buy new ones.
The one thing I usually have success with is the vegetable garden. Not great success, but I can usually grow potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, and herbs. This year I planted those plus sweet peppers, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce (which I usually kill), blueberry bushes and a blackberry bush. I put the lettuce toward the back of the garden this year so it won't get as much sun. That should help.

Silly me bought strawberry supports and then forgot to buy strawberry plants. I might buy container ones to see how it goes. Potatoes grow great in bags. I'm trying carrots in bags this year too. 

Do you enjoy gardening? What are some of your favorite things to do? 

Monday, June 11, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - June 11




It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

It's Monday again. My, that goes so quickly. I totally missed blogging all of last week. Work. Work. Work. Pretty much all I do lately. Still planning to get out to the garden one day.

Here's what I'm reading right now:


This is a book overdue for an Amazon Vine review. Not my typical read, but I like to stretch my wings from time to time.

Also working on finishing this one...



Do I really want to know all this stuff about Miss Beadle?

Up next is hard to say. There are so many on my list. Here's what I need to accomplish for reviews over the next few months:





What are you reading? Any good ones you're looking forward to?