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Do You Think About The Author?

I know many of you who review books also write them, so you probably don’t need to read this post. But I have a question for you. As a reviewer, do you ever stop to ask yourself this, “How will my words directly impact this author?” I don’t write a ton of reviews. I will…
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Chit Chat – The Hunger Games

So I may be one of the last people on earth to read The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, but I’ve just finished it. I heard all about it when it first came out. A lot of my friends read it and raved about it. I didn’t get around to reading it. Truthfully, I wasn’t…
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What Are You Reading Right Now?

Every now and then, I’ll throw this question out at you. What’s on your nightstand or Kindle or whatever, RIGHT NOW? And if you’re one of those lucky people who can manage to read several books at the same time, which one is really grabbing you the most? Why?
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Writing A Review – What Makes The Difference For You?

 Being the curious being that I am, I’m always asking questions. Always asking “Why?” “Why’d you do that?” “Why’d you say that?” “Why in the heck are you wearing that…” Okay, I digress. As an author, a published author since March 2011, I’ve had to curtail my obsession with the why questions, because sometimes I’m…
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Talking Books

Okay, let’s talk about books. We love them. Reading them. Writing them. For those of us who write them, the challenge comes in trying to keep up with our always growing TBR pile, right? I struggled with this for a long time, but this past year I’ve read a lot of really good books. Have…
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How This Works…

I usually have a bit of trouble explaining myself, (yes, I know I’m a writer), so it’s no wonder I’ve received a few emails from confused people. Let me try and break it down. This blog is for READERS. This blog is for READERS WHO REVIEW CHRISTIAN FICTION. This blog is for AUTHORS WHO WRITE…
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Welcome to The Blog About Books!

As a debut author, I’ve spent the last six months connecting with readers, authors and reviewers. It hasn’t been easy. In fact, at times it’s been downright difficult. Why? Because there are thousands of blogs, thousands of bloggers who love books, and thousands of bloggers who love books and review them! How do you sift…
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When the World Stopped

March 30, 2020 |

It took a couple hours to get through the cobwebs to find this page. It’s been a little over a year since I wrote my last blog post. I figured it was a waste of time, and I had better things to do. Better things to spend my time on. Time was precious.And now there…

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And So We Plant

October 2, 2017 |

It’s been a hard season. A scary few months. We began May with much joy, still celebrating the birth of our first granddaughter, Annabel Rose, born at the end of April. And she is everything we and her parents prayed for. She is beautiful. Perfect. All amazing baby cuddles and snuggles and sleepy smiles and…

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It's ACFW Conference Time!

September 15, 2017 |

I know, it’s been an age. And honestly, I’m not sure you’ll hear much from me around here anymore. I haven’t quite ‘hit’ the formulae that keeps people hooked. So this is more of a fun post that my friend Laurie Tomlinson has going, so I thought I’d join in the fun. It’s almost time…

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And So We Choose This Thing

June 21, 2017 |

Thirty one years. Today. I stood before him in a long white gown that cost more than my father wanted to spend, but he bought it for me anyway, because it was the one and he was ‘the one’ and my Dad would have bought me the moon if I said I wanted it. I stood…

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Is It Supposed To Hurt This Much?

June 8, 2017 |

That was a text I got from my daughter a few hours into labour. “Is it supposed to hurt this much?” I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t. Because, yes. It is. And it does. And it will continue to. With every challenge that comes with being a parent. Being a mother or father or…

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We're Waiting For You!

April 25, 2017 |

Dear Baby E, You’re late. I suspect this may be a good indication that we will get along well. (I think this trait may come from both sides!). As your grandmother, I reserve the right to tell you what’s up, and rest assured I probably will, whether you like it or not. Heads up –…

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Onward to 2017!

December 27, 2016 |

I hope your Christmas was fabulous! We spent a quiet day together, and then, in a shocking break from tradition, we went to a restaurant for Christmas dinner! It was lovely not having to spend the day chopping, peeling and cooking, constantly checking the clock to make sure everything was running on time. I’ll admit,…

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Where Is Your Identity?

August 29, 2016 |

I’ve just returned from a few days in Nashville, where I attended the American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference. I was trying to figure out dates in my head and I think this must be at least the eighth conference I’ve attended, and still, I’ll be honest, it’s the best of times and it’s the…

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Grace Awards 2015 Winners ~ in Faith Based Fiction

May 31, 2016 |

So honored to be a recipient of this year’s Grace Awards! And since I’m knee deep in edits this week, it gives me something to celebrate! And blog about. 😛

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Guarding The Writer’s Heart

May 9, 2016 |

Source: Guarding The Writer’s Heart

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Do You Think About The Author?

I know many of you who review books also write them, so you probably don’t need to read this post. But I have a question for you.

As a reviewer, do you ever stop to ask yourself this, “How will my words directly impact this author?”

I don’t write a ton of reviews. I will post on GoodReads on a pretty regular basis, but that’s usually if I’ve really enjoyed a book, or (yes) if I know the author. How does that work? Well, just as I asked a bunch of people to read my book, Yesterday’s Tomorrow, when it first came out, I get similar requests from other authors. Usually I enjoy the books and have no problem finding great things to say. But I’m always conscious of how my words are going to affect that author. Yes, even those authors I don’t know personally.

I remember the days after my book released. I would sit in fear and trembling, work up the courage to hit the link for Amazon and check if any new reviews had come in. I’d already seen the ones from those wonderful people who read advanced copies and gave endorsements…so I did have a certain sense of security that I hadn’t written 375 pages of complete drivel, but you know, there’s always that little voice in the back of your head that starts those nasty rumors…I was terrified that one day I’d wake up to find several really bad reviews plastered all over the internet for the world to see.

Fortunately that hasn’t happened. Not that it could never happen. It just hasn’t. Yet. But I’ve seen posts on various writing groups from anguished authors who have been getting those bad reviews. They’re crushed. Some of these reviewers seem almost vindictive in their words. And I just shake my head and wonder, what’s that about? Why is it necessary to be so cruel? So you didn’t like the book. Big deal. Say SOMETHING nice about it or don’t review it. (We talked about this here, and there were great comments).

I’m in the process of judging several entries for a writing contest. I’ve been on the other side of this. I know what it feels like to get those low scores and not so encouraging remarks. I’m really trying hard to be encouraging in the comments I’m making, even when I can’t give a high score. I sure don’t want to be responsible for making an aspiring author throw their laptop out the window and go back to working at Wendy’s

Do you know what I’m getting at?

Just as we writers carefully craft each sentence, each scene, every bit of dialogue that goes into our manuscripts, so should you, the reviewer, carefully craft the words you say about the finished product. If you are going to take the time to write a review, be responsible. Professional. And above all, do no harm. A little melodramatic? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Some will scoff and say pish-posh, reviews don’t matter, nobody reads them anyway.

I disagree. They do matter. They matter to the author. 

A good review is validation. It’s confirmation that all the hard work, frustration, tears and sleepless nights have been worth it. When I read a great review, I think, “Yeah. They get me.” And that’s an amazing feeling. A bad review cuts deep into the soul, and even though you smile and shrug it off, you know you’re not going to forget those words in a hurry.

Maybe you are one of those sensitive reviewers who do think about us authors before you start hitting keys and sending your thoughts into cyber-space.If so, I applaud you and thank you for a job well done. Maybe you haven’t really looked at it this way before. May I encourage you to do so? Your authors would really appreciate it. And you’ll make a lot of friends in the process. And who doesn’t need friends?

How about you? Do you think about the author before you send out that review?

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