We Need To Talk....Book Blogging - It Is Also About Community

Book blogging is about more than just books. It is also about community. I learned that over the past two weeks. 
I try to keep personal stuff from bleeding over into my blog because I want to keep it focused on writing and books. I'm a writer and a book blogger, after all. Sometimes, though, it helps to share something personal. 
Over the last two weeks I've been dealing with a very sick husband. I won't go into the details, of course, but it involved lots of doctors and hospitals and just general suckiness. There was no fun to be had anywhere for anyone. And I was really worried about him. A few authors and blogger friends know what I have been going through and I am eternally grateful for their patience and understanding through everything. And I want to give a big THANK YOU to all of you other hard working book bloggers out there who have posted fantastic discussions, reviews, and just general silliness that I was able to lose myself in during those waiting room visits. 
I love being a part of a community of bloggers that is so passionate about books but is even more passionate about other people. It's very heartwarming to see people who in some respects could be your competition reaching out to you and just leaving a simple "How are things?" in your inbox. Or a funny reply to a comment that you left them on your blog. The littlest things matter to people when they're going through something big. 
My wonderful husband has, by the grace of God, been given a clean bill of health, for now. We have finally gotten back into the usual swing of things and I can get my focus back on writing and trying to work on this blog. Posts and newsletters will eventually get better. Eventually.....
To all of you book bloggers out there, thank you for the hard work that you do and thank you for allowing me to be a part of your bookish world. It means more than I can ever really express. 

Get To Know Me | 2015 Book Blogger Love-A-Thon

I'm so excited to be a part of the Book Blogger Love-A-Thon this year! I can't wait to meet some of the other lovely bloggers and learn all about them! You can find the list of other Book Bloggers here at AlexaLovesBooks. Be sure to give the other bloggers some love! Thanks for stopping by! 

• What’s your name? 
• Ella 
• Where in the world are you blogging from?
• Sweet Home Alabama :) 
• How did you get into blogging in the first place?
• I started this blog shortly after I started writing for National Novel Writing Month. I wanted something that would keep me accountable for my writing goals and an outlet that I could use to get out my writing frustrations. From there it turned into a book promotion and book review blog by accident. 
• How did you come up with your blog name?
• It's very literal. I am a writer in progress. It feels weird to just say "Oh, I'm a writer." because I feel like it's a process. No matter how seasoned you are, you can always improve so I'm always "in progress". 
• What genre do you read and review the most on your blog?
• I've noticed a romance trend. Completely unintentional but I can't resist a good love fest. 
• What other types of posts do you do on your blog, apart from reviews?
• I honestly haven't done much lately. I've been a little neglectful of this poor blog. I've posted some discussions and some rants, mostly rants. I've also posted some promotion for my book; a playlist, excerpts, a review opportunity, etc. I'm thinking up some new stuff to add soon. 
• Best blogging experience so far?
• Having an author that I really like commenting on my blog. I'm not much of a 'fangirl' but I definitely squealed for that! 
• Favorite thing about the blogging community?
• For the most part, the people. I'm very much an introvert so I've been very slow to interact with people in the blogging community but those who I have come in contact with and interacted with are really fun and very welcoming. 
• Name the 5 books you’re most excited for this 2015!
• Red Queen
• Never Never
• The Girl At Midnight
• Go Set A Watchman
• The Sin Eater's Daughter
• What’s an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read?
• Oooh, good question....I would say The Selection by Keira Cass. I will say these aren't the most well written books I've ever read but I like the concept and I really do love some of the characters. 
• Which book boy or girl would be your book BFF?
• Scout Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird. 
• Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests?
• I write, obviously, but I also love spending time with my kids and our smelly dog, sewing, making jewelry, playing basketball with my husband, or binge-watching trashy shows on Netflix/Hulu
• Apart from book shopping, what else do you like shopping for?
• Craft supplies, office supplies, and purses. Not necessarily in that order. 
• At a party, the DJ suddenly changes the song – and it’s your song. What song would be playing?
• Um. My "song" changes just about every day but right now I'm really stuck on Sugar by Maroon 5. I sing it to the hubs quite often. 
• Pick out either a book you want turned into a film/TV show, or a film/TV show you want turned into a book. 
• I don't really like it when books are turned into movies or vice versa but if I had to choose, I would probably go with Empty Cup by Suzanne Costigan. I was just given the opportunity to review this book (review coming soon) and it is amazingly heartbreaking. I could really see it playing out on a movie screen though because of some of the drama in the book. BUT -- if it ever becomes a movie, theaters should offer free boxes of tissues for people who get the ugly cries. It will happen! 

We Need To Talk....Goodreads, Reviewers, & BingoGate

I'm usually a day late on everything, I have no problem admitting that either. It is what it is. Yesterday I got on Goodreads to read a new review of my book. Thinking back now, ironically, the review of my book could have been taken negatively. I was so tickled to have an honest review that I didn't even think to let it hurt my feelings. As a matter of fact, I sent the reviewer a heartfelt "thank you" message because I truly appreciated the fact that she took time out of her busy life to read my book that may or not be crap. 

While on Goodreads, I noticed a review for a book on my To-Read list had gotten a lot of attention. And thus was my introduction into BingoGate. If you are behind like I was, let me break it down for you. 

• Author wrote a book 
• Author allowed people to review the book
• Reviewer posted review on Goodreads 
• Author didn't like review on Goodreads
• Instead of taking the criticism and turning it into something positive or ignoring it all together, Author acted like a 5 year old and created a "Bingo" card for other YA authors who are also part-time kindergartners. 
• Reviewer(S) saw said Bingo card and felt insulted
• Author tried to backtrack and say that it was all out of fun and that she wasn't intending to insult anyone (although she did post on a question on Twitter asking what pissed you off the most in Goodreads reviews of YA novels right before the posting of the Bingo card and then posted about how it took an hour for anyone to get mad at her about the Bingo card which let me know that pissing people off was exactly what she intended) 

I've seen several authors saying that it was funny (kudos to you if you thought it was) and that sometimes authors just need to blow off some steam and that is probably what she was doing. I'm sorry, I call bullshit on that excuse. There was a lot of thought put into this Bingo card, which means she had time to think about what she was doing before she posted it. If she wanted to feel some sense of validation for her feelings and shared it with other authors where reviewers couldn't see it, I don't necessarily think that would have been a bad thing. Instead, she knowingly put something out there that would hurt feelings and cause drama. 

The biggest problem I have with BingoGate and the issue between authors and bloggers is that SOME authors treat book bloggers like they're beneath them or that they should be falling all over themselves because an author gave them the opportunity to review their book.

GET REAL.

In the world that we live in today where most people are connected to the internet, book bloggers are of vital importance to your book. Not the other way around. Book bloggers do not NEED your book on their blog to keep going. They can pick up several other books and keep right on moving without it even affecting them. Authors, on the other hand, need that promotion to keep people interested in their book so that people will buy it. Before I became a book blogger I checked Goodreads quite frequently when I was thinking about buying a book in order to see the reviews. I don't want to waste my hard-earned money on something that really wasn't worth it. 

As an author, I am THANKFUL for any review that I get. Even if a review says that it sucked and they send me a video of themselves setting my book on fire, I am still thankful and appreciative that they took the time to read my book. Yes, I will probably have the Ugly Kardashian Cries for a little bit BUT that comes with the territory of being a WRITER. As much as you want EVERYONE to love your book as much as you do, it's just not going to happen. Someone somewhere is going to find something wrong with your book even if you've had God himself edit it twice. 

Instead of throwing a fit all over social media, take all of the criticism, good and bad, and use it to make your writing BETTER. No matter how long you've been writing, you can always improve. Use the reviews as a way to evaluate your work with an outside eye. Or say lots of cuss words and scream into pillows. Cry. Do whatever you have to do to deal with it personally but do not act a fool in public. It makes you look very unprofessional and very ungrateful. Most of these book bloggers aren't professional book critics. They are READERS who share a love of books and want to take an active role in the book world. They are the people who are going out and buying your other books or telling their friends to go out and buy your books. If you piss them off or piss all over them, you run the risk of losing your readership. As it stands now, I've seen several people state that they're not reading the Bingo book simply because of the author's behavior. And yes, I am one of those people. 

I feel like I just wrote about this a few days back. Snobs in the Bookish Community

Don't treat people like crap just because you didn't like something that they said. And don't be mistaken and think that book bloggers owe you a positive review because you gave them a free book. They owe you nothing other than an HONEST review, which you agreed to when you offered them a free copy of your book. 

To sum it all up: 

Don't put your book out into the world if you aren't ready for the reviews. Don't criticize others if you cannot take criticism yourself. Be grateful that people are taking the time to review your book. Treat your readers with respect. Stop being a cry baby. Be a professional. 

Or stop writing. 

31 Days of Better Blogging: Day 23 - Pros and Cons of Blogging (I'm the Queen)

This challenge was made for me. I am the QUEEN of Pros and Cons. My husband says that on Judgment Day I could probably talk my way into Heaven with a Pros and Cons list. It's that serious. A little background info on me, I have a social anxiety disorder and am recovering from serious OCD issues and the Pros and Cons list have helped me deal with things the past few years of my life. It sounds very elementary but it allows me to see in writing what I'm giving up or missing out on in certain situations if I let my mental illness issues control what I do. 
Pros and Cons lists are a great way to help you evaluate things in your life and to let you see where your priorities are. A great example of this would be the Pros and Cons list would be any time I need to plead my case to my husband about why it is necessary for me to spend obscene amounts of money on something he doesn't realize we really need. 
Some people like to rank their Pros and Cons in the order of importance. I'm not usually one of those people because I'm usually so focused on just trying to get it all out of my head. Ranking your Pros and Cons does seem like a good idea though because it can help you see what is most important to you and that will help you make your decision. 
Here are my Pros and Cons of Blogging:

Pros of Blogging	Cons of Blogging
The ability to be “social” without having to physically interact with anyone.	Having to actually make contact with other people in order to be “social” and not knowing what to say.
The opportunity to get my work out to the world.	Strangers actually reading my work and possibly hating it.
Free books. Hello!	Tight deadlines to read those free books in order to continue getting free books.
Connecting with an author’s work that I really admire	The awkward conversation with an author when I didn’t really like their work and I didn’t give them a good review
Having a schedule to adhere to every day	Having a schedule to adhere to every day
Learning a new skill (blogging, blog design)	Feeling like an idiot when you still can’t figure out why your HTML isn’t working and your SEO isn’t up to par
Being a part of a community of book bloggers who can share the love of all things books	Wishing some bloggers in the community of book bloggers would spill coffee on that new ARC they got that you’ve been trying for weeks to get and have yet to get a response or been denied for
Being able to expand my reading world to genres and books that I wouldn’t have necessarily have read otherwise	Having a TBR list so long that when I die there will still be 200 books left waiting for a review. (Can you leave a review blog to someone in your will? Congratulations, Tiny Tyrant, all of these books need to be reviewed by tomorrow!)
The sense of pride when your follower numbers go up and your page views continue to climb	The awkward conversation you have with family members who don’t “get” what you do
The ability to promote my book	Feeling as if I’m annoying people with my book promotion
Discovering books before they’re made into movies	Listening to people talk about the movie and you silently judge them because you know the book was better and they are ruining the story by supporting the movie

What are your Pros and Cons? 

31 Days of Better Blogging: Day 13 - New To You Blogs

Today is all about finding 5 blogs that are NEW to you and leaving them a comment! 

Part of your blogging success is based on your online presence and how you interact with others. One thing I've realized over the past few weeks of blogging is that I have to break out of my shell and start visiting other bloggers and commenting more on other blogs because if I spend all of my time on my own blog then I miss out on what is going on out in the blogging world. I also isolate my blog and make it seem like I'm not interested in anyone else but myself. 

You can find new bloggers by doing a keyword search for something that is relevant to you such as "book blogger" or "book reviews". You can also find other good blogs by checking the sidebars of the blogs you already visit. 

Now, on to the search.....

Review Opportunity: The Letters by Ella Drayton (That's me!)

I finally finished it. My book is done. It's published. And now I need reviewers!! 
Brodie Barrett is a widowed mother of a 10 year old girl and a homicide detective for the Birmingham Police Department. Everything seems fine in her world until her ex-fiance, Keaton Maddox walks back into her life. She's ready to start a new life with Keaton but he's also got a pregnant girlfriend working at his restaurant. Things at work start heating up for Brodie when someone decides to send her love letters at work. These aren't your ordinary love letters, though! These letters leave clues for Brodie to find bodies of her admirer's victims. Who could be sending these letters and why do they want Brodie to find the bodies?
If this sounds like the type of story you would be interested in or if you believe in supporting indie writers, signup and review my book! I'd love for you to review the book on your blog but it isn't necessary. I will be happy with a review on Amazon and/or GoodReads. Even if you end up hating this book, I would still love to have your review. (Just be respectful, please.)  Hopefully, you won't hate it, though! :) 
Signup Here