Thursday, April 30, 2015

SPOTLIGHT: Mamma Mia, Americans "Invade" Italy - Stephani Chance


This book contains hilarious, hair-raising, and true stories of what Americans do in Italy. Hop aboard with Stephani Chance and her Sicilian papa Tony Filaci for the most magical and fairytale adventures of your life as they take you to Italy and beyond. After fourteen-plus years of taking groups of Americans to Italy twice a year, Stephani finally shares some of the "true stories" of what the Americans experience on her Italy tours. These true and unbelievable adventures will take you on a ride like no other. You will be speechless as she takes you to hidden jewels inside the remote parts of Sicily and, while holding on tightly, you zigzag to amazing places all over Italy. You will eat with family and friends for the Last Harvest of the Grapes and dine with a genuine count in the rolling hills of Tuscany. You will laugh until you cannot anymore, and then you will stand in awe when she takes you inside places that existed before Christ; such as Little Jerusalem, located in a remote area of Italy. Come on - hop aboard with Stephani, ride with the Americans off the tourist paths, and stay in fairytale places that will remind you of stories such as Jack in the Bean Stalk. Hang on to your seat as you explode with every imaginable emotion that will surely ricochet from hilarious laughter to spellbound tears. While you're still begging for more, Stephani will take you behind the "pine curtain" of East Texas, and reveal an intimate look at how the flip of a magazine page moved her out of the legal world into this life of travel and adventure.
Buy on Amazon
About the Author 


  • I Take two (2) Tour Groups to Italy twice a year for the most magical story-book adventure of your life! If you love gorgeous things for your home, then get to Decorate Ornate in Gladewater, TX.. Visit the www.DecorateOrnate.com -


    An author of a Best Seller book: Mamma Mia, Americans "Invade" Italy! 

    I love creating beauty; a dolce pastry; daily kisses; chatting; candles flickering; music that stirs my soul; adventures; books are my weakness; flowers are always near; Passport is always ready; love the taste of chocolate; being a wife, mom, Fluff & friend to many..

    Owner of Decorate Ornate, which is an importing store located in Gladewater, Texas; 

    I travel to France, Italy, Germany, etc., finding Castle Doors, Beautiful Architectural pieces, and just about anything you can imagine for your home. If you haven't been to Decorate Ornate, then you are missing a huge treat! I started Decorate Ornate going on 11 yrs. ago in the Antique District of Main Street, Gladewater - 

    Open Tuesday - Saturday - 10:30 - 5:00

Author Links


 photo email_zps1ff7c9ad.png  photo goodreads_zps00371d7e.png  photo twitterbird_zps53a3b02d.png  photo google-Copy_zps49b07d3d.png  photo pinterest_zps2d5df537.png  photo bloglovin_zps87218985.png

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Madeline Cain: Adventures in Fashion - Emily Craven + Review + GIVEAWAYS!

BLURB:

Madeline Cain knows that after six chaotic months, the rest of her time in New York City will be smooth sailing with Kevin -- her new squeeze -- by her side. That is, until Madeline's idols drop a bombshell - she needs to pick a specialization before the year is out or risk losing the career of her dreams. The problem? She's about as sure of her photographic passion as a hiker is of outrunning a bear.

Thus Madeline begins her search for her one true path with student-arranged assignments featuring certifiably insane children, lip-synching rockers, a dog whisperer, and… zombies? But it’s not until Madeline secures a 'life-debt' by saving a potential mobster from a gun-wielding cross-dresser that she sets her sights on an amazing internship opportunity.

Is her new patron really part of the mob? Can she nail this internship when all her experiments are going to hell? And how does she deal with Kevin's obsession over her escapades?

Written as though you’re reading Madeline's Facebook page, Adventures in Fashion will leave you giggling on the floor as Maddie posts about the second half of her Big Apple adventure.


Excerpt: 

Enough was enough. The constant thought storm was getting me nowhere except nauseous.

So I asked myself: what would Mum do?

The answer?  A pros and cons list.

**PROS & CONS**

PRO: Sorella is awesome-sauce on wonder-bread. If you could crack her brain, gold would surely fall out. You’d be rich. In knowledge that is, not golden brains.

CON: Ted just told a room full of women who have nothing else to do with their time, about an opportunity that allows them to get high-end fashion for free. Competition is going to be like a cage fight with a chimera.

PRO: You’re not done with NYC, not even close. Leaving the city after a year is like licking the outside of a chocolate ice cream and never taking a bite. This job gets you a green card so you can go past licking and crack open that chocolate casing to suck on that sweet, sweet creamy centre.

CON: How are you going to build a portfolio of fashion snaps when your wardrobe consists of broken high heels and jackets worn by waiters at a pizza store? You’ve got five planned gigs, but can’t guarantee all your subjects aren’t going to be colour blind, let alone wearing underwear. To turn this to a PRO, you need clothes that make people look good, rather than look like an 80’s boy band.

PRO: Your boyfriend is hot, he’s not camera shy, and is one model that will get a kick out of you fussing over him for hours. Perfect for underwear modelling. Use this gift wisely.

CON: Not really committed to fashion. Doesn’t mean it won’t become an obsession that sees me horde hundreds of Jimmy Choos, but just that I was never that girl who cut out outfits from my Mum’s magazines and made them for my Barbies. I had mud pies that needed making and smooshing in my brother’s face. To turn this into a PRO I need to learn how to make people look cool. You can learn fashion from watching America’s Next Top Model right?

CON: Having to listen to Tara Banks on America’s Next Top Model.
PRO: Clothes. Lots of them.

CON: Models. Lots of them. Could end up in a situation where I give into the urge to bludgeon them with a camera.

PRO: You would have a real photography job, one that supported a healthy diet and regular bowel movements. One that makes use of everything you’ve learnt this year, making you an expert, a player, a person of interest but for the right reasons, not because you were followed by a man with a fake moustache. It would give you some direction, a clear path, a strong mentor, a specialisation rather than playing ‘hobbies’ like you use to play ‘dress ups’.

CON: You could stuff it all up.

Review: 

**I received this book via Goddess Fish Promotions and the author in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.** 


The way this book was written was a very interesting concept. You're reading Facebook posts from Madeline and her friends and family. With technology the way it is these days and most people glued to their phones/tablets and spreading news they learned via Facebook, I found it very relatable and easy to read. 

The jams that Madeline seems to get herself into are really funny! I found myself chuckling out loud to this book and I don't do that very often. This is a quick read but it is a lot of fun and the characters are very lovable! I did get a little antsy waiting to find out whether Dom was actually in the mob or not. This is a great read, well-written, and completely different than a lot of the other YA books I've seen out lately. I cannot wait to see more from Emily Craven!

About the Author: 



Emily Craven was first inspired to placed pen to paper when she was 13, after she learnt her favourite author, Isobelle Carmody, began her first novel at 14. Emily finished three books while completing a Bachelor of Science (Space Science and Astrophysics and Geophysics) at the University of Adelaide. So technically, she can claim to be an astrophysicist (stars), geophysicist (rocks) and writer (crazy). She writes YA fiction, fantasy and non-fiction and teaches teenagers storytelling.

Links:

Buy Links:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 photo email_zps1ff7c9ad.png  photo goodreads_zps00371d7e.png  photo twitterbird_zps53a3b02d.png  photo google-Copy_zps49b07d3d.png  photo pinterest_zps2d5df537.png  photo bloglovin_zps87218985.png

Pleasant Day - Vera Jane Cook + Review + GIVEAWAY!

Vera Jane Cook
Publisher: Moonshine Cove Press  (February 1, 2015) 
Category: Contemporary Fiction/ Women’s Fiction/ Southern Fiction 
Tour Date: February-March, 2015 
Available in: Print & ebook,  285 Pages 
 With murder in common friendship is inevitable: As fifteen year old Pleasant Day struggles with her mother's distance, her father's infidelity and the death of her best friend, she draws closer to Clarissa, an older woman with the secrets to heal her. But Clarissa has struggles of her own as she faces betrayal and seeks to come to terms with old wounds. With her unpredictable but psychic ability to 'read people' Clarissa uncovers the answers to a deadly crime and to Pleasant's true identity. In the end, both Pleasant and Clarissa's worlds are transformed by the truths they're forced to accept.

Praise for 'Pleasant Day' By Vera Jane Cook:

"Absolutely unputdownable, a real page turner. Be prepared to clear your schedule for the day. You're going to read this one straight through! This is Vera Jane Cook's best one yet!" -Wall to Wall Books 

 "A beautiful blend of past and present with loveable, memorable characters and a page turning pace, I was sorry I couldn't read it in one sitting." -Jenn Doyle, Books & Life. 

"A beautiful piece of southern fiction...a great page turner...this book is filled with delightful characters, charm, warmth, love and last but certainly not least, wonderful humor."-Arlene Uslander, Editor and writer.

Review: 
** I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.** 

Pleasant Day was an interesting book and I'm glad I was given the opportunity to review it. The characters in this book are complex and most of them are harboring secrets that they don't want anyone to ever find out. Living in a small town threatens that pipe dream, though, because everyone knows just about everyone. 

I really liked the dynamic between Pleasant and Clarissa. It was like a grandmother-granddaughter situation which fit well with the book. Pleasant has seen a lot in her young life and Clarissa is able to help her process and develop as a character. Just when I thought I knew how things were going to turn out, something else I wasn't expecting happened to take the story into a whole other direction. The twists and turns in this book will keep you gripping the pages until the very end!

About Vera Jane Cook:

Vera Jane Cook

Winner: Eric Hoffer Award for publishing excellence and the Indie Excellence Award for notable new fiction! 5 Star Clarion ForeWord Review! 
 Vera Jane Cook, writer of Award Winning Women’s Fiction, is the author of The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, Lies a River Deep, Where the Wildflowers Grow, Dancing Backward in Paradise and Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem. Jane, as she is known to family and friends, was born in New York City and grew up amid the eccentricity of her southern and glamorous mother on the Upper West and Upper East Side of Manhattan. An only child, Jane turned to reading novels at an early age and was deeply influenced by an eclectic group of authors. Some of her favorite authors today are Nelson DeMille, Calib Carr, Wally Lamb, Anne Rice, Sue Monk Kidd, Anita Shreve, Jodi Picoult, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Her favorite novels are too long to list but include The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Cheri and The Last of Cheri, The Picture of Dorian Grey, Wuthering Heights, Look at Me, Dogs of Babel, The Bluest Eye, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Body Surfing, Lolita, The Brothers Karamazov, She’s Come Undone, Tale of Two Cities, etc., etc., etc., 
 Vera Jane Cook’s Website: http://www.verajanecook.com/ 
 Vera Jane Cook on Twitter: https://twitter.com/verajanecook 
Vera Jane Cook on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vera.j.cook

Buy 'Pleasant Day' by Vera Jane Cook:

Amazon Barnes and Noble

Follow the Tour:

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Apr 7 Spotlight & Giveaway 
  Bound 4 Escape Apr 8 Review 
  Confessions Of A Reader Apr 9 Interview 
  What U Talking Bout Willis? Apr 13 Review 
  Mythical Books Apr 14 
Interview Room With Books Apr 15 Review & Giveaway 
  Winter Reads Apr 17 Interview & Giveaway
  Elizabeth McKenna Romance Author Apr 20 Excerpt 
  Wall To Wall Books Apr 21 Review 
  Teddy Rose Book Reviews Apr 22 Review 
  From Isi Apr 27 Review 
  Writer In Progress Apr 28 Review & Giveaway 
  Sapphyria's Book Reviews Apr 29 Excerpt 
  The Book Diva's Reads Apr 30 Review & Excerpt 
  Suko's Notebook May 5 Review
                 Deal Sharing Aunt May 6 Review & Giveaway 
  Lightning Chronicles May 12 Review, Interview & Giveaway 
  Indie Review Behind the Scenes May 14 live I 6 pm cst 
  Melina's Book Blog May 18 Review & Giveaway 
  Cassandra M's Place May 21 Review & Giveaway 
  Jersey Girl Book Reviews May 22 Review & Excerpt 
  The Mama Games May 25 Review 
  Pinky's Favorite Reads May 26 Review 
  Pinky's Favorite Reads May 27 I & G 
  Bassgiraffe's Thoughts May 28 Review


a Rafflecopter giveaway



 photo email_zps1ff7c9ad.png  photo goodreads_zps00371d7e.png  photo twitterbird_zps53a3b02d.png  photo google-Copy_zps49b07d3d.png  photo pinterest_zps2d5df537.png  photo bloglovin_zps87218985.png

Monday, April 27, 2015

WARNING! NEGATIVE REVIEW: Fallen - Annie Lobert



**I received a copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.** 

Warning: This is going to be a negative review. 

I do not like doing negative reviews. To date I think I only have two negative reviews posted on this actual blog. I usually save negative reviews for Goodreads/NetGalley. But, in this case I feel like I need to post about this book and why I am giving it a negative review. I actually threw this book away. I am one of the most enraged people when I hear about someone just throwing a book away but I threw this one in the trash with no hesitation. That is how much I hated this book. 

I would have rather read Fifty Shades of Grey in Russian sitting naked on an ice cube in the North Pole while getting a root canal than to ever read this book again. 

If you've seen some of my other reviews on here or Goodreads, at some point I've reviewed other Christian books and I even mention my own faith. Let me start this out by saying I am NOT a perfect Christian and I do not pretend to be one. I'm an ugly sinner just like everyone else. This is not a post to be pious. 

I was really excited to have the opportunity to read this book. I first learned about Annie Lobert and Hookers For Jesus a few years back when my husband and I were watching a documentary about the sex industry. The whole idea seemed really great to me and I thought it was something that was an opportunity to be an amazing ministry and way to reach a lot of people that most churches shun should they attempt to darken a church door. I am a sucker for a powerful testimony and I love seeing how far people have come from where they were before their relationship with God. It's an amazing, emotional blessing to see God working in others' lives. I thought I was going to be reading a story about redemption and how she found her way to God and how she's now helping other women who are hurting, struggling, aching for God in their lives. This was not the story I got. 

I knew that I was going to be getting Annie's history at the beginning of this book. That is how most books like this begin. You need to know the sinner in order to appreciate the saint. Within the first two chapters of the book I was already starting to lose interest because she immediately starts blaming other people for her poor life choices. I'm okay with people making bad mistakes in their lives. I've made plenty. But I accept responsibility for my actions. I've had some pretty dark things happen to me in my life that weren't necessarily my "fault" but had I made better decisions I wouldn't have gotten myself in those situations to begin with. Annie blaming the fact that her father was strict and didn't often physically show affection as part of her reason to become a hooker just left a bad taste in my mouth. And then she compounded that blame onto past boyfriends. She slept with her first serious boyfriend and he didn't want anything to do with her afterwards, so she became a hooker. She went to wild college parties and got completely trashed and had drunk sex with random men, so she became a hooker. She and her best friend went to this nightclub and met an older man who looked like he had lots of money, so she became a hooker. 

The last one is what really got to me. She mentions in the book that she flies to Hawaii to see her best friend after her best friend starts dating this older man and before she even got on the plane she knew she was going to be hooking in Hawaii. I tried to go with it. There are a lot of women who do porn just because they enjoy it. No one enticed them, they made up their own minds. Women's lib! I thought after the first mention of this, it would quickly progress into "I was a hooker, I got into some bad stuff, I found Jesus, and now I'm helping other hookers find Jesus, Amen." (A little simplistic, but you get the point.) Instead, the first TEN chapters of this book went on and on about she was such an amazing hooker and was soooooo good at what she did that she was pulling in all of this money and she was practically sleeping on stacks of dollar bills because she was such a hot, amazing hooker. I wish I were exaggerating this, but I'm not. She literally spent ten whole chapters talking about what an awesome hooker she was. And how much money she made. And then talked about her abusive boyfriend who beat the crap out of her in front of people more than once and once beat her so bad that she couldn't work as an awesome hooker and stayed in a bed for weeks trying to re-cooperate. Pimp was cutting into her money. This guy loooved her so much that he shoved her face in dog crap. And what did she do? Stayed. But why did she stay? Not because she "loved" him as she claims. If you read a few sentences past the "but I loved him's", you'll see that she stayed with him because he had all of her fancy jewelry and she wanted it back. She actually LEFT him and then went back because she wanted the jewelry. 

So, this book rocks on...more awesome hooker-y stuff until she talks about her sister's death and her self getting sick with cancer. Somewhere in the midst of this she had already made a "deal" with God that she would straighten her life up if he would help her. God followed through, she didn't. (Haven't we all done this? The "spare-tire" religion promise?) I thought, "FINALLY, I can relate to her!" I've been there in those dark moments begging for God to help and promising something that I knew I wasn't really going to deliver on. I don't know many people who haven't. But here's where the book got weird for me on a Christian stand-point. She talks about seeing her sister's ghost and some other strange things  happening in her sister's house after her sister died. And that's what brought her to Jesus, again. That's not a Biblical thing so I'm not really sure if she dreamed (she swears she was awake) or if she hallucinated it out of exhaustion and grief. The other thing that got me was her saying that she received the Holy Spirit before she accepted Jesus into her heart. That's definitely not Biblical. And then stops hooking, because she's straightening her life up, right? But then she starts stripping because that's not the same thing as hooking and she can still make big bucks. And then she goes back to hooking because she needs to make more money because now she is sick and she can't get a regular job with benefits because hooking pays way more money for less hours so she can just hook her way through cancer treatment and then give it up once she's better. Logic. She even goes to meet "Johns" with open wounds from her chemo radiation because she would rather not go and get a real job with health benefits because she makes so much money hooking. Oh and at this point she's been hooking for 15+ years but not because she's being forced into it. It's because she likes the money. Money, money, money was also a main theme for the majority of the book. 

Somewhere in the midst of all of that she also gets with a guy who tells her she doesn't have to be a hooker anymore and that he will take care of her. So she stops hooking again. But then she starts gambling. And then goes back to hooking so that she can pay off her gambling debts. Her boyfriend finds out and instead of being mad, he just makes her promise not to do it again and they go back to their normal lives. But then they both make a bad business deal and lose a lot of money and are about to lose the "castle" that she lives in so she gets hooked on cocaine. And in order to hide the fact that she's on cocaine she starts hooking again to pay for it so that her boyfriend doesn't know. And then somewhere in there she just decides one day that she's not going to do it anymore and she gets right with God again. It was such a quick progression that I almost missed it. 

And then we get into her pursuit for a rich husband. And the fact that she prayed to God to send her husband almost immediately after she got saved. A rich husband because men are supposed to provide for their wives and she shouldn't have to work. Or something like that. And so she landed a "rock star", Oz Fox, whom most people of my generation have never even heard of. (I actually had to ask my husband who he was.) But instead of being incredibly grateful that God did in fact send her a rich husband, she went straight into talking about how great it was for her to have married a rock star because she's always wanted to make music (I forgot to mention that she bragged about hanging out with Prince in the beginning of the book) and that being married to a rock star would help her live out that dream. Never once does she give God any credit for any of this. It's all about making more money. 

And then finally we get to the part about salvation and giving your life to God. If you blink, sneeze, drop the book, etc., you will miss it. It was very disappointing because Ms. Lobert had a real opportunity to reach a lot of people that mainstream churches do not reach. And there are a lot of people in this world who, when debating about whether to give their lives to God, will read books like this to see how God has worked in their lives. First-time Christians probably aren't going to get much out of this one. 

Let's go over what I DID learn from this book: 

  • Hookers in Hawaii can make a lot of money if they go after all of the Asian businessmen because they are not intimidating and they are usually smaller in stature so you can give them a beat down if they try anything funny. 
  • If you're blonde, have long legs, and look younger than you really are,  you will make A LOT of money being a hooker. 
  • Hooking makes you a lot of money but eventually a Pimp will "break" you and you will have to give him all of your money. 
  • If you decide not to give him all of your money and become a "rogue" hooker, you're going to have a bad time. 
  • If a pimp has all of your expensive jewelry, you should go back to him and be his "bottom chick" again so that you can get your jewelry back. It doesn't matter if he beats you. 
  • Buy a condo, let said pimp move himself and his other hoes in and then just leave. 
  • Cancer is not a reason to stop hooking. 
  • When asked why you started hooking, blame everyone but yourself. 
  • Get a rich husband who just happens to be a rock star with music connections so that you can finally record your own album since you didn't get to record one with Prince because your friends were concerned about your hooking.
  • If I want to make a lot of money in a short period of time, I should become a hooker. 
  • If I need a lot of money, I should become a hooker. 
  • If I want to know how to be an awesome, amazing, super hooker, I should look up Annie Lobert because that's what her book is about. 
  • If I want to sell a book about what an awesome hooker I was, I should throw in the last few pages something about God. 
That last bullet point. That's how I feel about this entire book. I do not feel like Annie Lobert was genuine in anything that she wrote in this book in regards to trying to turn people on to a relationship with God. I know as a Christian you aren't supposed to judge people. It's something I struggle with every day. Even this post, it's hard not to pass judgement on her as a write this review because this book was essentially about her life. If I look at this book as a work of fiction, it would basically be eyeroll after eyeroll of "seriously?", "you've got to be kidding me!", "how many more tropes can you throw in here to make it even more fantastical?". This isn't a book to bring people to God. As a matter of fact, if I didn't already know something about God and Christianity, I wouldn't even want to be a Christian after reading about how amazing and glamorous her life was before Christ. It honestly felt like she just wanted to write a book about her amazing hooker life and thought she would sell more books if she used the Christian angle. Very disappointed. 

I give it negative 5 "nope, it's in the trash" stars. 








 photo email_zps1ff7c9ad.png  photo goodreads_zps00371d7e.png  photo twitterbird_zps53a3b02d.png  photo google-Copy_zps49b07d3d.png  photo pinterest_zps2d5df537.png  photo bloglovin_zps87218985.png

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Spotlight: Denai Touch - Tiffany Shand + GIVEAWAY!



Cate McCray is no ordinary witch.

Prophesised to be the one to destroy the Covenant, an age-old organisation who seeks to enslave all Magickind, the race is on for them to kill her before she receives immortality.

But before receiving the phenomenal power that comes with it, she must first survive the ascension and the only person who can help her is her elemental partner, Jason Talbot. But when the time comes, her forbidden love for Jason threatens to destroy them both.

As leader of Excalibar, an elite team of Enforcers, they work to infiltrate the Covenant leading Cate into life-threatening situations. Can she outwit them before it’s too late?





Denai Touch Kindle

Author Interview

·         When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve been writing stories for a long as I can remember. I always loved reading, so I think writing just came naturally.

Writing is great therapy as well; I think it’s a great way of clearing your mind and making yourself feel better.


·         How many books have you written?

Denai Touch is my first novel, but I have had two short stories published in a charity anthology called Magic, Mystery & Mayhem.

·         What inspired Denai Touch?

I love witches and reading paranormal/fantasy so I decided to write the kind of book I really wanted to read.

·         What was the hardest part of writing Denai Touch?

For me motivation was the hardest thing as I sometimes get distracted or bored easily and had to really motivate myself to get it finished.

·         Is this part of a series or a stand-alone?

It’s the first part of a series.

·         Who is your favorite character in this story? Why?

I love all of my characters, but I would have to say probably Cate. She’s a strong woman and feisty, but she also has a vulnerable side.


·         What do you do when you’re not writing?

Usually reading or studying as I’m studying for a journalism degree and that takes up a lot of my time.


·         What is the strangest writing habit that you have?

I can’t write unless I have a cup of tea and some chocolate nearby!

·         What advice would you give aspiring writers?


Try to write every day, even if it’s only a few sentences. The longer you stay away from writing, the harder it becomes. Read a lot and see how other authors have crafted their characters and their worlds.



About the Author





Tiffany Shand was born in Essex, UK and started writing short stories when she was a child.
She has always done writing in one form or another and started writing novels in her early teens.
Tiffany loves to read books and discovered her love for fantasy and paranormal romance during this time.
She writes both non-fiction and fiction, but mostly fantasy and paranormal romance.
After doing a creative writing course in her early 20s she is now a freelance writer and professional proofreader. She is currently studying for a journalism degree.
Tiffany lives in Essex with her two spoiled cats and one very nutty hamster.


Click here to see the goodies available in the giveaway!! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 photo email_zps1ff7c9ad.png  photo goodreads_zps00371d7e.png  photo twitterbird_zps53a3b02d.png  photo google-Copy_zps49b07d3d.png  photo pinterest_zps2d5df537.png  photo bloglovin_zps87218985.png

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Book Publishing Depression

When I finished my book at the end of NaNoWriMo last year I was incredibly excited. I was so proud of myself that I had finally, at long last, actually FINISHED a story and accomplished a goal. It may not seem like a big deal to you but to someone who is a chronic procrastinator and my own worst critic, it was incredibly satisfying to see that little screen saying that I had won. It was like being on a drug high. I was ecstatic! 


While still riding that high I decided to use my coupon from NaNo to get to free paperback copies of my book from CreateSpace. And that is how The Letters was published. Like a premature little baby that was exactly quite ready for this world, I pushed it out there anyway. I was so proud and top of the world that I thought surely someone will read it and like it. Then came the pep talks to myself of "Well, even if no one else ever buys it, I wrote and published a book, which is something I've always wanted to do so there's that." And there it was, indeed. 

I should have done more research beforehand instead of learning as a I go. I'm sure it would have made this process so much easier. But I didn't, and here we are and I'm not complaining because I've actually sold almost $100 worth of books and I had maybe $10 total invested in it? 

But.....here I sit, researching ways to market this book and promote it and feeling not necessarily discouraged but depressed. That's the only way I can describe it. My book has gotten several good reviews. And those reviews were from people who didn't even know me! I've started on a prequel to The Letters to introduce more back story of some of the main characters but I can't seem to stay focused on it. A part of me just doesn't want to write about those characters anymore. At least not right now. The high has worn off and my inner critic has come back and all I can think about are all the things I have done wrong when it comes to this book and publishing it. Not to mention that I'm really on the fence about Amazon and I'm sliding more and more to the side of wanting to tell Amazon to suck it. 


I just can't seem to get out of this funk where my book is concerned. I've got it on a few review sites. I've done some promotional pricing. I've done giveaways. I'm still researching how to do more but it just seems to depress me more. Don't get me wrong, I love The Letters and I'm proud of my writing. I'm just....in a funk? 

Has anyone else had these feelings of depression after putting out a book? Am I being weird or is this a writer thing? If it's a writer thing, how do you overcome it? And as a bonus, what are your thoughts on Kindle Unlimited? 




 photo email_zps1ff7c9ad.png  photo goodreads_zps00371d7e.png  photo twitterbird_zps53a3b02d.png  photo google-Copy_zps49b07d3d.png  photo pinterest_zps2d5df537.png  photo bloglovin_zps87218985.png


blogger template by lovebird
Web Analytics