What a Week

Today’s Brew: Blueberry coffee to go.
by Kristen

HOLY CRAP. I don’t know what it is about this week. If I did, I’d bottle it so I’d have it forever.

• Seasons in the Sun is on a blog tour this week. The reviews are so awesome. I can’t stop smiling!  Check them out here.
• Seasons in the Sun is FREE on Amazon! Not sure how much longer it will be, so if you haven’t grabbed it yet, go get her! Even better than that, ever since I mentioned it on Twitter, it’s been in the top 10 for its category!! Oh. My. God. That’s YOU GUYS who did that. Wednesday Night alone saw over 100 retweets, favorites, and shares about the book. You guys. *beats chest, fist pumps in your general direction*
• I was featured in the local paper for the paperback release of Because the Night. If you’re visiting the blog for the first time because of that article, hi! Enjoy your stay! Check out what Julie has to say, too.
• Because the Night is also enjoying a nice boost because of all of this attention.  I’m  doing a little giveaway on Goodreads, too.
• If you guys can still stand me on Monday, we’re revealing the cover of Night Moves, book 2 in The Night Songs Collection. It comes out March 26, so you have a little bit of time to catch up on your reading!

 

Bad Reviews: Nothing Personal, Just Business

Today’s Brew:  All the coffee.

by Kristen

One star reviews blow.  There’s no way around that one, but there’s no way to prevent them, either. You wrote the book you had to write.  Not everyone is going to agree that it’s a masterpiece.  That’s fine. I have read plenty of much hyped, best selling books that I can barely stand to finish.  I usually just don’t review them.

As more of my friends release books, I find myself spending more time paying attention to the reviews books in general receive.  Everyone has some clunkers.  Like I said, nothing wrong with that.  A one or two star review with valid reasoning of why someone did not enjoy the book is helpful to other readers.

A mean spirited insult fest is not.

There seems to be a crop of these mean reviewers online who enjoy doling out these spiteful reviews. It’s pretty easy to do, sitting anonymously behind a computer screen using a screen name.  I have to wonder if they put themselves out there at all or attempt anything creative.  It’s pretty easy to criticize when you have no idea what goes into a creative process.

What really got me hot was a recent one star given to a fellow writer.  It had 22 comments.  I clicked on it, figuring it would be people disagreeing.  I was absolutely disgusted by what I found.

The thread developed into a personal attack on the writer. Making fun of her and her bio.  What. The. Actual.  Fuck.  I can’t even begin to tell you how uncalled for this is. And if it’s a surprise to you that this behavior is considered piss poor, get off my blog. Now. Really, I’ll hold the door for you. If you want to be considered a professional book reviewer (this person had an advanced copy of the book), you need to pay heed to that first word. Professional.  Personal attacks are disgusting in middle school and even more deplorable from adults.  I hope the publisher of this book bans this reviewer from getting any more advance, FREE copies of their books.  Again, not because of the bad review, but because this person doesn’t deserve the perks of their job until they learn how to express their opinions in a professional manner.

For all the people who joined in on this attack, shame on you.  You write a book, you put yourself out there, and then after it’s all said and done, go back and read what you wrote.  I’ll wait.  You should be ashamed of yourself if you’ve participated in this.  Dislike the book all you want, but don’t attack a person you know nothing about.

The Running Home Media Takeover Begins!

Today’s Brew:  Hair of the Dog for Julie, Tea for Kristen.  The Keurig is broken.  Again.

by Kristen

We are three measly little weeks away from the release of Running Home.  This coming month on Deadly Ever After will feature character spotlights, extras, and all sorts of Running Home goodness.

Kat Ellis

Julie will also be doing guest posts on other blogs as well!  Her whirlwind world wide tour begins TODAY on Kat Ellis’ Blog.  If you’re not familiar with Kat, do yourself a favor and acquaint yourself with her awesomeness.  (I wish Blogger and WordPress would let us reblog each other, but we can’t, so a link it is.)  We will keep you posted on other upcoming Julie appearances.  If you would like to have your very own Julie guest post, comment below and we will get in touch with you to set something up.

I can speak for Julie when I say how overwhelmed we both are by the show of support you have all given us.  We hope that you enjoy Running Home and all of the other crazy creations we have coming down the pike as much as we enjoyed writing them.

Running Home is on Goodreads!  Add it to your Want To Read list!!

Running Home Is Now On Goodreads!

We don’t have an exact release date yet, but it won’t be long until Running Home is available.  We don’t have a cover yet either.  But you know what we do have?  A Goodreads page.

Please make Julie  a happy girl and mark it as “Want To Read.”  We’ll keep you updated on when Running Home will be available for everyone’s reading pleasure!

Click here to add Running Home to your Want To Read list.