Throwing Books

Have you ever read an entertaining blog post that generated ideas for a post of your own? That happened to me a few weeks ago. I was over at Write First, Clean Later reading Lj's post about why she puts books down, doesn't finish reading something she started. As I read, I had this vision of myself hurling a book across the room. I can't say I remember ever doing such a thing, but I've wanted to --- more than once.

What makes me want to throw a book across the room?

• Mysteries that introduce the culprit in the last chapter
• Any book that seems to end in the middle of a story, like the author just got tired of writing
• Books that are not clearly identified as being part of a series that stop in the middle of the story and then tell you the next installment will be out in about a year
• Any book in a series where a beloved character is killed off for a cheap theatrical moment

Have you ever stuck with a book until the end and then thrown it across the room in frustration (or at least wanted to)?

DIY 2008 Book Award Winners Announced

Congratulations to susan Madden Lankford, award winning author of Maggots in My Sweet Potatoes. Ms. Lankford has been named winner of the 2008 DIY Book Festival. Ms. Lankford spent two years researching life in prison - visiting with her camera and tape recorder - before creating her depiction of life behind bars.

Much has been written lately about the quality of self-published books. If you own opinion is based on what you've heard or on something you read years ago, you may want to check some recent entries. The DIY web site lists award winning self-published books from 2003 through 2008.

Have you read any self-published books lately? Use the comments link below to tell us about your reading experience.

Review: The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing

A few months ago, I joined an online group called Blog Book Tours to learn how to plan and execute effective virtual tours for future books. From this group I not only learned what I’d hoped, but also learned how to effectively use social networks, how to create a blog site of my own and grow readership, and how to become a good host for other authors’ virtual tours. You, fair reader, are a vital part of the cyper-space tour, just as readers are a vital part of in-person author appearances. In a virtual tour, blog readers use the comments button at the bottom of the artical to submit questions. The authors check in throughout the day to look for and respond to your comments and questions. This is your opportunity to ask the authors anything, and you don’t have to stand in line to do it!

Today I’m pleased to announce my very first victims, I mean guests. Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards have bravely agreed to be the first to bring their tour to this site. Let’s use the comments to extend a warm welcome and ask many questions to keep them busy throughout the day.

Ms. Calvani and Ms. Edwards teamed up to create a much needed guide to writing book reviews. I used tips and suggestions from their book to write the following review.

The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing
Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards
Twilight Times Books
ISBN: 1-933-35322-8
Copyright 2008
Paperback, 186 pages, $16.95
Non-Fiction

Do you know the main difference between “reader reviews” and “professional reviews”? Do you know how to interpret the first sentence in professional reviews? As a reader, do you know how to determine if the review is a fair and critical review that you can comfortably use to make purchasing decisions? As a reviewer, do you know how to write negative reviews in a fair and constructive manner? Have you ever wished for a reference book that could help with these kinds of questions? If so, you wish has been granted.


Authors Mayra Calvani and Anne K. Edwards, two professional reviewers with more than ten years experience between them have created a concise, helpful, and easy to use reference for both readers and reviewers at all levels. Ms. Calvani has a Bachelor's Degree in Literature/Creative Writing from the University of Bridgeport, CT. Her stories, articles, and book reviews have appeared in many online and print publications in the States, England and Puerto Rico, and she is co-editor of "Voice in the Dark" ezine, where she writes a monthly column. Ms. Edwards is an author, a voracious reader of mysteries and reviews books for All About Murder, Murder and Mayhem, and Reader to Reader.


The two define a well-written review and go on to say, “A well-written review may lure the reader into a new genre, thus opening a new market for that genre’s writers and giving the reader a set of new places to visit and new people to meet…Reviews that are well written offer much to the reading world, they carry information about the book, the author and the reviewer. A poorly-written review offers the same information, but may turn readers from exploring the book, future works of that author, or turn them against recommendations by the reviewer…”

The book is presented in three parts. Part One covers all topics related to writing the review itself – everything from how long different kinds of reviews (i.e. fiction, non-fiction, children’s) should be, what topics should be covered in each, how to write negative reviews in a professional manner, and even how to handle email/phone calls/letters from angry writers/editors/publishers/readers. It even provides tips on how to create your own review site. In Part Two, the authors discuss how reviews are used by different entities such as libraries, authors, book clubs, and readers. Part Three offers an extensive list of resources for anyone who wants to see their reviews published either on the world wide web or in print. Throughout the book, there are little gems of information that can keep reviewers or of trouble. For example, did you know that some electronic review sites have a policy that states if you post a review to that site, you give all rights to that review to the site, which means you no longer own your own work and may not post the same review to other sites. Would you know which popular book sites have policies similar to this?

Readers do not just receive the wisdom and views of the two authors. Other experts in the field (e.g. Maggie Ball, owner and book review editor of The compulsive Reader, and Alex Moore, Editor-in-Chief of Foreword Magazine) are effectively quoted. James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Review wrote the extensive forward.

The book is filled with examples that clearly demonstrate how to implement the guidelines. The authors do not shy away from the tough questions, either, but tackle them head on in the same straightforward manner with which they address the fun topics. All reviewers and any reader who depends on reviews for purchasing decisions will find value in this book. I plan to keep The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing on my desk for handy reference. Highly Recommended.

You can find the complete tour schedule for The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing here.

Now it's your turn. Use the comments link below to ask your questions and check back later today for answers. I'll start.

Review: At Home in Mitford

At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon is a wonderfully penned tale of a life in a quiet little hamlet where nothing ever happens. At least that was my impression while reading. Then I started thinking. Would I feel like nothing ever happened if in the space of a year I:

• thought I had a valuable painting from one of the masters
• took in a troubled young man who needed much guidance
• found someone living in my attic
• was assaulted by a friendly dog, and then by the dog's not so friendly owners
• learned a new friend was dying
• found myself falling in love

These are some of the events in the life of just one character. So, perhaps life in Mitford is not as calm and peaceful as it first appears. Perhaps it is the wonderful storytelling skill of Ms. Karon that makes life seem idyllic in Mitford. Perhaps Ms. Karon's characters and their reactions to life's events are what make this town so special.

I loved this book. I read it mostly at night, just before bed - and looked forward to ending each day in the real world with an hour or so in Mitford. I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone.

Possible books for next week's review include Juliette Ascending by Rosemary Poole-Carter, Tea is for Terror by Gayle Wigglesworth, and Carols and Crimes, Gifts and Grifters - an Anthology. If you have a preference or a special request for future reviews, please use the comments link below to share your thoughts.

The New and Improved Schedule

Now that Houston's Ike recovery is firmly under way and most of The Final Twisters are operating under their own power, it's time to get back to business here.

A Little Background (or a lot of background)
Near the end of July, I joined a Yahoo! Group called BlogBookTours. The purpose of the group is to teach authors how do conduct effective virtual tours. My purpose in joining the group was to learn to do just that.

It's been an interesting and enlightening two months.

You see, I joined BBT just in time to see Dani Greer's blog-a-day challenge. Dani, master of all that is BBT, suggested that learning by doing is the best way to go. She said we needed to learn to develop a blog following by making regular posts and that sticking to a daily regimen for 31 days would embed the lessons deep into our souls so we would remember always...or something to that effect. Sounded good to me. I accepted the challenge.

My first question - what is a blog, where is it, and how do I get permission to write to it. (Okay, take a minute to finish laughing, I'm sure Dani did. Or maybe she cried.)

Answer - you have to create your own blog.

Oh.

So the start was a bit rough. I scrambled, crammed, learned the answers to my questions, fell on my nose a few times and created this blog in time to join the challenge. (Not exactly what happened, but close enough.)

Then I blogged everyday in August (sort of). I watched with amazement as readership numbers climbed. Blogging started to get exciting. I checked in several times a day to see if I needed to reply to comments. I thought I was doing great.

Then the September critiques started. My fellow blog-a-day challengers came up with questions like:

• "Does the URL match the Blog Title?"
• "Does the content match the Title, do readers know what to expect when they take time to read your blog?"
• "Is there a way for readers to subscribe so new blogs are pushed to the reader instead of the reader having to check in periodically to look for new posts?"
• "Did you think to had your books so reader know they exist? Did you include a link to an on-line bookstore just in case anyone might like to buy your books?'

Okay, so my blog wasn't really in the same universe as 'good'. There was more than a little room for improvement. I started making lists. I ignored my blog. Readership fell. Fast.

I resolved to do better. Hurricane Ike resolved to make that a challenge.

Honestly, I was one of the lucky few who lived without electricity for only 24 hours. Most of the members of my writing group were not so lucky - and the group's blog was not available for weeks. This was a major issue because we have an anthology of mystery stories coming out October 10 and had planned to use the group blog site to showcase the authors during September and to get the word out about the launch party for A Death in Texas.

Solution - use this blog for The Final Twist blog posts. Simple, right? Try contacting sixteen people who have no, or unreliable, phone service, no electricity, and water that only trickles out of the faucet. And when you find them, ask if they wouldn't mind ignoring the tree in the living room for a little while longer so they could figure out how to email a blog post. (Okay, only one person had a tree in the living room - and it didn't crash through the roof, it pushed through the French doors without breaking any of the windows.)

Somehow, it all worked out. And now The Final Twisters all have electricity and the group site is back up. I've had plenty of time to procrastinate, er, I mean, plan, and I'm ready to try again.

The New and Improved Blog

The new and improved blog has a stated purpose and a schedule. The purpose is to share upbeat, positive information about books, writers, and the reading/writing universe in general.

Monday is for readers. Every Monday, I'll post a review about a book I enjoyed and feel good about recommending to others. When possible, I'll interview the author. Please use the comments link below to share any questions that you would like to ask the authors.

Wednesdays are for writers. The posts will be short and will include inspirational or entertaining writing quotes, links to helpful sites or handy information, or my own learning experiences. If there is a topic you would like to see addressed, please use the comments link below to share your suggestion/request.

Fridays are potluck. Whatever strikes my fancy.

That's the general schedule. In addition, I'll have guest bloggers from time to time and I'll be hosting book tours - something I'm really looking forward to doing.

The rest of the time is open to special requests.

We start Monday with a review of At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon.

Is This a Good Month to Market Your Book?

Yes.

"Tie your book to a current event..."

How many times have you read a version of this tip?

Until recently, I couldn't figure out a way to use this advice in my own marketing campaign. You see, I write mysteries - make believe murder and mayhem stories. It seems more than a little crass to consider tying my stories to the latest gruesome murder in an effort to receive free publicity. Just how would that call begin? "Good morning Mr. Producer! You know that story you ran last night on the slaughter of the much loved pastor of that little church over on main? In my recent novel, a minister finds his end in much the same way. Do you think the murderer read my book? Perhaps we can talk about it on your morning show..."

I think not.

Some mystery series have themes. The protagonist has a hobby (scrapbooking, knitting, antiquing) or a profession (catering, teaching, archeologist) that can be used to approach special interest groups. I wasn't that smart. My protagonist is a PI and her spare time hobbies seem to revolve around dating and helping out the homeless. She isn't even an expert PI. She's young, inexperienced, makes mistakes.

Early this morning I started to wonder about those National __________ Months. Who decides? Is there a list? Is there something for Hacksaw or the challenged Eva Baum?

Google to the rescue.

Did you know that 2008 is the International Year of

• Languages
• Planet Earth
• The Potato
• Sanitation

What about the month of September? September is (partial list)

• Be kind to editors and writers month
• Library card sign-up month
• National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
• Menopause Awareness Month
• National Potato Month
• Pleasure Your Mate Month
• Healthy Aging Month
• Shameless Promotion Month
• National Hispanic Heritage Month
• Hug a Texas Chef Month

And on the weekly list (partial list)

• Sept 8-13 Lind Dance Week
• Sept 27-Oct 4 - Banned Books Week - Celebrating the Freedom to Read
• Sept 18-21 International Women's Ecommerce Days
• Sept 21-27 Build a Better Image Week
  

And then there is a daily list that includes things like Be Late for Something Day, Google Commemoration Day, Salami Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day, Responsible Dog Ownership Day, Elephant Appreciation Day, and International Literacy Day.

Anyone can find a tie-in to their book and use it for marketing - check it out at http://www.brownielocks.com/ or http://www.quamada.com/months.html

In case you were wondering - October is National Toilet Tank Repair month. Be ready.

What are your favorite marketing reference sites? Please use the blog comments to tell us about it.

Women of Magdalene by Rosemary Poole Carter

Rosemary Poole Carter wrote, among other books, Women of Magdalene. This story is a work of art. Ms. Carter takes the reader to post-civil war Louisiana with all its colors, flavors, and prejudices on display. The story is dark, and the characters haunted me for weeks after I finished the book. I can most definitely recommend this book. I'm already building a Poole-Carter collection with the purchase of Juliette Ascending and fully intend to acquire What Remains.

Ninth Lord of the Night

When I made my list of topics to blog about for the August challenge, I included reviews of recently read books and included Ninth Lord of the Night by Diana L. Driver. I was sure I had just read the book because the characters and story were so vivid in my mind. So, I was bit surprised when I picked up the book to read the ISBN and airplane boarding passes from April fell out. Since I regularly use boarding passes as bookmarks, I’m now certain I read this book in April and the story has stayed vivid in my mind for months. This is quite a feat for a work of fiction whose target audience is supposed to be young adults.

In Ms. Driver’s exciting tale, we travel with the teenage Zack from sunny California and his plans for a surfing kind of summer to the Guatemalan jungle adventure that is thrust upon him. Zack, the misunderstood, black sheep of the family, is traveling with his older brother – the good son, the popular athlete. Our young protagonist faces challenges from the underworld, his brother’s new friends, GIRLS, his uncle, and the mysterious Mayan gods. Through it all he sticks to his own moral compass and reaps the appropriate rewards.

Ms. Driver (http://www.dianaldriver.com/) weaves a great tale, with believable characters – all while educating the reader on Mayan history. This was a wonderful book. I hope there is a sequel.

Ninth Lord of the Night, Diana L. Driver, L&L Dreamspell, $16.95, 230 pages, ISBN: 9781603180023

The Sex Club

I travel nearly every week. On each trip I spend between nine and sixteen hours waiting – waiting in security lines, waiting for airplanes, flight crews, cabin crews, maintenance crews to show up, waiting for planes to be repaired, waiting for planes to take off, waiting for them to land, waiting for a gate so I can get off the plane. Much of the waiting occurs on the plane. I used to spend this time working, but personal space on airplanes is now so small that it is risky to open a laptop. If the person in the seat in front of you decides to recline his or her seat, the seat will collide with the pc – and the seat will win. So, I now spend the time reading. Last week, after some hesitation due to the title, I carried and read in public a book titled The Sex Club, by L. J. Sellers – and I’m glad I did.

Ms. Sellers (http://www.spellbinderpress.com/) doesn’t wait for page one to begin her story. She starts with the dedication, which begins with, “This book is for women around the world who have been denied reproductive choices and services.” The author clearly has a strong opinion on a divisive social issue. I was concerned that I had set myself up for a 347 page position paper. I should not have worried. Ms. Sellers uses her considerable story telling talent to present a very evenhanded, fictional tale of the various views on the issues. She does so with engaging, believable characters, a plot with unexpected twists and turns, and suspense that builds to an exciting climax. I hope to hear more from Ms. Sellers and the characters who survived The Sex Club.

The Sex Club, L. J. Sellers, Spellbinder Press, $8.50, 347 pages, ISBN: 9780979518201

Blog a Day Challenge

Dani Greer, founder of the Yahoo! Group blogbooktours (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blogbooktours/) is a wonderful, generous woman. She founded the Yahoo! Group so she could share her considerable blogging knowledge with writers. She wanted to teach us how to use blogs to let readers know our work exists.

I joined the group several months ago and have been 'lurking'. I didn't know I was lurking, I thought I was keeping quiet until I was sure I had something valuable to contribute. But Yahoo! Groups have a language of their own. People who only participate by taking - never contributing - are lurkers. Sadly, I was a lurker.

A few weeks ago, Ms. Greer decided to give us lurkers a good kick in the, well, you know. She threw down the gaunlet in the form of a challenge - write a blog a day for thirty-one consecutive days. Wonderful! Brilliant! An opportunity for lurkers to get off the bench and into the game. Okay, so it sounded more wonderful, brilliant, and exciting when the start was two weeks away. Now, 2.5 hours before the first deadline, I'm wondering if I'm out of my mind.