Archive
April Updates and March Reflections
Boston’s space savers got repurposed into ice falling warning signs.
Hello my lovely readers!
I mentioned at the beginning of March that I was hoping to start doing a monthly post reflecting on my reading and writing, blog happenings, and mentioning any updates that need to be mentioned. Here’s the first one!
I did quite a bit of work on the blog this month. You already know that I upgraded to my own domain name. I also totally revamped my astore. For those who don’t know, an astore is a listing of items hosted by Amazon. I use mine to conveniently list out books I have read and reviewed on this blog that I recommend. Every book listed in my astore has received 4 or 5 star reviews on this blog. Previously the lists were mostly just divided into fiction or nonfiction. That was getting unwieldy. They are now divided into much more convenient genres, such as historic fiction or urban fantasy. As always, my astore is linked to in the sidebar of the blog under “Shop 4 and 5 Star Reads,” or you can click through to it right here. I hope my readers find it useful when looking for something to read for themselves or to pick up as a gift for another.
I’ve been book blogging since March 2009. I was thinking that it would be nice to highlight some of the older books I reviewed and really enjoyed. So every month there is now going to be a book of the month. The book highlighted will be one I read and gave 4 or 5 stars to in the same month of a previous year. The book will be featured in the blog sidebar and also in the landing page of my astore. For the month of April, the book of the month will be:
Glasshouse
First reviewed in April 2011.
“I recommend this to scifi fans, and highly recommend it to GLBTQ readers and advocates.”
My monthly updates will briefly mention the book of the month. I hope you all enjoy the monthly throwback!
The final change to the sidebar is I have added links to my publications. So be sure to check that out!
One final addition to the blog is a new page (pages are linked to on the header). The new page is called “TW Lists,” and you can view it by clicking here. Basically, I realized that I frequently find myself noting the content of rape or attempted rape in books that I am reviewing whose blurbs gave no hint as to having that content. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a book having a plot point of rape or attempted rape, but some readers seek to avoid them for personal reasons. Some readers just don’t like reading about rape or attempted rape, while others find reading about rape or attempted rape to be triggering for a mental illness they may have, such as PTSD or OCD. It is for the latter reason that a content note like the one I am providing is often called a “trigger warning,” often shortened to an acronym of “tw” followed by the content note. For instance, “tw: rape.”
The content I by far find myself needing to note in my reviews more than any other is rape or attempted rape. I thus decided to curate this list of books I have reviewed on my blog that contain rape or attempted rape. A book being included on this list does not necessarily mean I consider it a bad book or a badly written book. It is purely a content note. To see the list, click on out to the TW Lists page. I hope my readers who need to a content note on rape or attempted rape will find this listing helpful.
That’s it for the blog updates! How was my reading, reviewing, and writing this month?
March books read: 3 (1 urban fantasy, 1 scifi YA, 1 paranormal romance)
March reviews: 6
Other March posts: 1 update, 1 short story, 1 giveaway, 1 reading challenge sign-up
March writing: My current project is progressing, and I am excited at a new direction I came up with thanks to a helpful chat with my fiancé. I also posted an older short story to this blog. You can read it here.
Coming up in April: Get ready for an influx of fantasy, folklore, fairy tales, and mythology, thanks to my participation in Once Upon a Time IX (sign-up post). I have also finished reading the first of my accepted ARCs for 2015. That review will be posted, along with a giveaway!
Happy April and happy reading!
600 Follower Freebie Celebration!!
Hello my lovely readers!
To celebrate my blog reaching 600 followers, I’m offering up ebook copies of my novel, Waiting for Daybreak, for FREE for three days! And that’s an unlimited number to everyone who wants one!!
What is normal?
Frieda has never felt normal. She feels every emotion too strongly and lashes out at herself in punishment. But one day when she stays home from work too depressed to get out of bed, a virus breaks out turning her neighbors into flesh-eating, brain-hungry zombies. As her survival instinct kicks in keeping her safe from the zombies, Frieda can’t help but wonder if she now counts as healthy and normal, or is she still abnormal compared to every other human being who is craving brains?
Still not sure if you want this bad-ass free book? Check out the reviews from the blog tour, on Amazon
In order to get your FREE ebook, go to this page, add it to your cart, then put in the coupon code at checkout for 100% off. You may choose a version compatible with any ereader, computer, and many phones. That’s right, read it for free on your kindle, iPhone, Kobo, and more!
I’m so excited to have so many followers, and you all definitely deserve some special access to my work. So are you ready to grab the coupon code and check it out?
Your coupon code is……
LC57W
Again, just go to this site, add the book to your cart, then enter the coupon code at checkout for 100% off!
Feel free to share the coupon code with your friends. It will expire on Sunday. And thank you to one and all for being my followers!
❤
Announcement: Waiting For Daybreak Now Available in Print!
That’s right, you can now choose between an ebook
Interesting fact: the print version is 172 pages, and the kindle version is about 104 pages.
Friday Fun! (Kindle Cover, TRX, Karaoke)
Hello my lovely readers! There’s not too terribly much to report this week. Last weekend Boston suffered a torrential downpour that destroyed my ipod. Sad day. I’m a bit poor right now, so I ended up bidding for a used one on ebay and winning. Here’s hoping it actually works when it gets here. *knocks on wood*
My kindle cover also broke this week. The doohickey that holds the kindle in place got bent out of shape (no, I have no idea how). I called Amazon, and they overnight shipped me a new one for free! Awesome. Sauce. I will say, I think my kindle cover got a lot more use in its six months of life than the designers perhaps anticipated, lol.
Last weekend I tried out a new recipe–walnut-encrusted baked tofu with spinach l’orange. It was….a bit more time-consuming than I was anticipating, but also delicious and filling. I got three meals out of it (one dinner and two lunches). Not too shabby for the relative cheapness of the ingredients.
My trainer had me try out TRX this week. There are these straps hanging from the ceiling that you use to help you work out your muscles using your own weight and gravity as resistance. It was super-duper fun to do push-ups and such in the air, I have to say. I really loved it. I’m half-tempted to join one of the gym’s TRX teams now.
I also went out to karaoke with my friend Jill this week. It was tons of fun, as karaoke generally is. Although this single lady did not see a single guy she was interested in, the crowd was a good karaoke crowd. Everyone was good-natured, supportive, and well, tipsy. Plus there were plenty of people buying drinks for us, which is always a plus. 😉
Happy weekends all!
Announcement: I Am Published!!
Hello my lovely readers! So, the super-secret project that I’ve been working on is to finally get my own writing out where people can read it! I’ve been writing since…..well, since I could put pencil to paper. I am completely passionate about story-telling, and this is where I truly feel my talent lies. Since I finished grad school in January, I’ve been cracking down and getting serious about my writing.
Well, I can finally announce that I have published the first entry in a new series to the Amazon Kindle store! I started with my idea to reclaim the old format of serial books. Every entry in the series is 99 cents and short enough to read in one sitting, such as on your commute, a plane ride, a bath, etc…. The storyline is complete in and of itself, but it will be continued in another entry in a few months. Join Tova Gallagher in her paranormal world with the few moments you have to spare in your busy day! It is ideal for the busy, modern, paranormal romance lover.
The first entry is entitled Ecstatic Evil
Tova Gallagher isn’t just your average tough as nails, intelligent Bostonian. She also just so happens to be half-demon, and halvesies have an important role to play in the supe world. Whether they choose to go with the instincts of their demon or human half is supposed to predict the outcome of the endtimes, and now Tova has a deadline to choose sides. But all of that is hard to care about when she’s just met a sexy stranger on the edge of the Charles River.
Please do check it out! I write because I have stories to tell and want to entertain. At only 99 cents, it’s worth the shot, right?
Also, I started with the novella series so I could practice with the ebook publishing software before my first serious novel, which I plan to release in October for Halloween. I am very excited about it and can’t wait to let you guys know more details! In the meantime, be sure to keep an eye on my new Publications page on this blog. ❤
Check Out Ecstatic Evil
Friday Fun! (Announcements Galore)
Hello my lovely readers! I actually have a few exciting blog announcements for you today!
First, I set up an aStore. An aStore is your own personal section on Amazon full of items you recommend. I have five categories: books, movies, tv shows, videogaming, and household. Every single item in my store is something I’ve personally read/watched/played/whatever and would give at least 4 out of 5 stars to. Since it’s just recommendations, you’re still buying the items from Amazon or a third-party seller, not me, but I do get a small percentage of the profit as a thanks from Amazon for referring you to them. There is a link to the store on the right sidebar of my blog, so if you want a centralized list of trust-worthy reading/viewing/playing recommendations with easy 1 or 2 click buying, please check it out! It’s good for me and good for you. It’s a win/win.
Next, I realized how embarrassingly odd and disorganized my categories were. I was still pretty much using the same ones I set up the first couple of weeks I was blogging before I really realized what I’d be posting on a regular basis. I didn’t even have genre categories for my plethora of book reviews. How annoying for you guys! I mean, say you like the dystopian reviews, but there was not category for that. Blergh. So, I totally revamped the categories. Not only did I add genres, but I also made these Friday Fun posts and Imminent Arrivals and TBR posts their own categories. It’s exciting and organized and it made me happy! Be sure to check it out, and please let me know if there are any categories that you think don’t make much sense. What makes sense to me might not make sense to people that aren’t me, after all.
Hokay, finally I wanted to give you guys a heads-up that next week is going to be a bit different as I’m participating in Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW). Basically, it’s a week every September since 2008 that exists “to recognize the hard work and contribution of book bloggers to the promotion and preservation of a literate culture actively engaged in discussing books, authors, and a lifestyle of reading.” It consists of themed posts, visiting blogs new to you, and awards! It’s an awesome idea, and major props to Amy of My Friend Amy for coming up with it. I just missed it last year, and I’m excited to participate this year. So next week in addition to my regular schedule of reviews there will also be the BBAW daily posts. Each day will have a different theme like the first book blog you read, so it should still be interesting for my readers who aren’t book bloggers.
That’s it for announcements! I hope you enjoy the store, the categories, and the BBAW posts next week. 🙂
Friday Fun! (My Dad, Amazon Associate)
Hello my lovely readers! The invasive species removal on the Charles last Sunday was lots of fun! It was overcast, so we weren’t sitting in the direct sun for hours, and the river was so peaceful and beautiful. Removing the water chestnuts wasn’t so hard, but it did give me some splinters and blackened my fingernails, so I wound up with manicured fingernails for once this week to cover it up, haha.
The rest of the week was a bit rough for me. My dad had a triple bypass last year, and when he went in for his annual cardiac check-up they decided to check him in as an in-patient. He had a bit of an angina and other symptoms they were worried about. They put a camera in his leg up through to his heart (a procedure he’s had many times) and checked out his heart. Apparently some of the arteries that used to be completely blocked up now are losing blockage due to the bypass, so they put in stints. After that, they adjusted his meds and warned him he needs to quit his job as it is bad for his heart. He’s now home on short-term disability and trying to figure out if he can get long-term disability or change to a type of job that wouldn’t be bad for his heart. He’s spent his whole life doing machine tooling/carpentry/construction all of which is too stressful for his heart, so it’s unlikely he can find a job that won’t be bad for him. Although it all turned out well, the original phone call from my brother certainly sent me into a panic as we only knew that he’d been checked in, and the last time that happened he wound up getting the triple bypass. Given my mental issues, it takes me a bit to calm down and return to normal functioning after being that level of worried. I’m still a bit off today, but I expect the weekend will smooth the last bit of anxiety over.
In other news, I have a brief blog announcement. After a lot of consideration, I’ve decided to become an Amazon Associate. I waffled on this for a while until I saw that several book bloggers I highly respect are Amazon Associates. Additionally, if a reader decides they want to buy whatever it is I have reviewed, it will be easier for them to do so with one click than by opening another tab and going off to wherever they buy from. My reviewing style will not change beyond adding a link to buy the item. My reviews will stay the honest, cheeky style they’ve always been, and I promise to keep any Amazon links as unobtrusive as possible. I hope you all understand my decision and will still respect me as a blogger.
Happy weekends all!
I’m on the Kindle!
If you have a Kindle or the Kindle app for iPhone/iPad, you may now download my blog directly to it to read at your convenience, just like a newspaper or magazine! You may subscribe by going here. Excitement!
Note: If you do subscribe through your Kindle, I will receive a small percentage of the subscription fees, but I’m not offering this for the money. I just thought it’d be convenient/cool for those of you who enjoy eReaders.
This work by Amanda Nevius is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Opinions of a Wolf 