Review- The Etiquette of Social Media by Leonard Kim

Goodreads Summary:

The Etiquette of Social Media: How to Connect and Respond to Others in the World of Social Media

Social Media is paving the way of the future. It is a new trend that is becoming standardized as a part of our daily lives. This new standard includes media outlets ranging from Facebook to LinkedIn to Quora and Twitter, along with many others.

With how new social media is, there are no classes at our schools that cover the etiquette of social media. Whether you are in high school or a senior level executive, chances are you are oblivious to the guidelines of how to act on social media. In this day and age, that has been forgivable.

Why?

Because never before has there been a guide covering The Etiquette of Social Media, until now.

Inspired by best-selling author James Altucher, Leonard Kim decided to write his first book of many. Being a personality with high visibility and a Top Writer on Quora, an Online Knowledge Market, Leonard has seen it all.

From comments to messages to public attacks, Leonard has broken free from the viewpoint we all have of what is right in front of us. He has been able to expand outside of the myopic bubble of the Internet we have all come to see. He has expanded his view of our online society as a whole. In a single year, Leonard went from being a nobody to having over five million views on the internet. He went from being an introvert with less friends than he has fingers to cultivating friendships all across the world.

Through decades of experience, Leonard has acquired a unique skill set. With a background in branding, Leonard understands the importance of your online reputation. He has been able to identify the key points to ensure that you come across as an approachable and likable human being.

Are you looking to make new friends? Manage your online reputation? Or expand your business connections?

This book will provide you with the essential tools you need to get ahead.

The world is changing. Soon it will no longer be forgivable to be ignorant of your behavior on social media. People will start to judge you for each action you make. Read this guide to prepare yourself before that dreadfully awaited day finally arrives.

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of The Etiquette of Social Media by Leonard Kim in exchange for an honest review. We thank Leonard for the book! 

Initially, I did not want to read author Leonard Kim's The Etiquette of Social Media. It's just that it didn't sound like something I would require. But I was very interested in knowing what the book is all about when I was making the author interview and giveaway post we did for the same. While it wasn't the best book I've read, I really do not regret reading The Etiquette of Social Media as I learnt a lot from the book; most of which I'll definitely be keeping in mind while establishing social media relations henceforth. 

In a very simplistic, systematic and meticulous way, in his book, author Leonard Kim explains how, by being a little more aware of our surroundings by knowing how what we say to someone online affects them and stays on the internet forever, it just takes some common sense and a few easy steps to be accepted and appreciated online. While most of the stuff is pure common sense, we all know that common sense is not very common, so this book is really very helpful and useful. I did feel that there was a lot importance given to the "image" that one creates of oneself and how one is "expected" to be. Although those lean towards negatives for me, I did get the author's point when he stressed on how this affects our future and our present in many ways. 

The Etiquette of Social Media is a very informative read that will make the reader think twice before typing and hitting send. For a very short read, the book is seriously packed with information. Some points are even illustrated with examples. I don't know if publishing the comments is the way to get back to someone who said something mean, but these people do exist all over the internet, and those of us who use the internet to actually gain knowledge and make a mark there need to keep our distance and stay safe. With a nice exercise, the author manages to make readers question their purpose in life as well. That made the book very reader/ user- friendly to me. 

Overall, The Etiquette of Social Media was a good read that social media beginners will find very apt before starting their online journey. 

RATING:

Review- Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh

Summary-

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her world of angelic rulers, vampiric servants, and the woman thrust into their darkly seductive world...

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux wakes from a year-long coma to find herself changed—an angel with wings the colors of midnight and dawn—but her fragile body needs time to heal before she can take flight. Her lover, the stunningly dangerous archangel, Raphael, is used to being in control—especially when it comes to the woman he considers his own. But Elena has never done well with authority.

They've barely begun to understand each other when Raphael receives an invitation to a ball from the archangel, Lijuan. To refuse would be a sign of fatal weakness, so Raphael must ready Elena for the flight to Beijing—and to the nightmare that awaits them there. Ancient and without conscience, Lijuan holds a power that lies with the dead. And she has organized the most perfect and most vicious of welcomes for Elena.

Review-

I got into Archangel's Kiss right after finishing Angel's Blood because I just couldn't not. I wanted to find out how things progress with Elena and Raphael after the events of Angels' Blood. If I can say so myself, Archangel's Kiss was even more amazing than Angel's Blood. We get answers to a lot of questions but we get even more questions.

Elena wakes up from her year long coma to find herself with angel wings. But Elena is considered very weak among the immortals because she is just a baby angel. I still loved Elena just as much in this book. There were so many changes happening in her life but she was taking it all in her stride with Raphael by her side. I love being in her head and seeing things from her point of view.

I also genuinely loved Raphael in this one. He was fiercely protective of Elena. Almost everybody saw Elena as a weakness but he still stuck by her side. Their connection just grew deeper in this book with both of them going beyond just the physical aspect of their relationship. Things are definitely getting serious between them.

I also loved the fact that we get to meet all of Raphael's Seven in this book. I do seem to have a soft spot for Illium, the blue winged angel. Most of the others like Venom, Aodhan, Jason and Naasir have made me curious. Dmitri is the head of Raphael's Seven and I know he gets a book after the next but I'm not warming up to him as of yet.

Nalini Singh has created a beautiful world in the Guild Hunter series. The politics which play out keep me hooked to the book. With loads of romance and action Archangel's Kiss is a stunning sequel to Angel's Blood. I am totally into this series and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Lanch Day Blitz- Shooting Scars by Karina Halle

Hi, guys! Have you heard of author Karina Halle's The Artists Trilogy? I haven't had the opportunity to read the series yet, but my God! Have I been intrigued by it since time immemorial or what! Seriously, the series sounds so addictive and I can't wait to start it sometime. 

As for now, we're part of the Lauch Day blitz for book #2 in the series, Shooting Scars hosted by Julie Paulauski. I'm super excited and glad to be part of the same. The launch actually happened on October 28. It might still be the same date for some of you, but here in India, it's the 29th and because we already had something up yestersay, I decided to post this today. I hope that's okay. Alright then, let's get on to what's in store for you in this post. 

That book cover though, guys! *melts* 

ABOUT SHOOTING SCARS:

Sometimes the right choice can be the deadliest.

When Ellie Watt made the ultimate sacrifice for Camden McQueen, she never thought it would be easy. But walking away with her ex-lover, Javier Bernal, in order to ensure Camden's safety has brought a whole new set of dangers. With Javier's plans for Ellie growing more secretive by the moment, Ellie must find a way to stay ahead of the game before her past swallows her whole. Meanwhile, Camden's new life is short-lived. Fueled by revenge and pursued by authorities, he teams up with an unlikely partner in order to save Ellie. But as Camden toes the line between love and retribution, he realizes that to get back the woman he loves, he may lose himself in the process and turn into the very man he's hunting.

BUY THE BOOK:

BARNES & NOBLE / BOOKS-A-MILLION / INDIEBOUND / AMAZON 

EXCERPT:

I hadn’t had a panic attack in weeks so it snuck up on me, like a hand reached around from behind me and began squeezing my lungs until there was no breath left. I started gasping for air, my hand at my throat, trying to take nothing in. Tears filled my eyes and spilled down my cheeks in dirty rivulets and my body began to shake.

                “Jesus Christ,” Javier swore, nearly taking the car off the road. “Ellie, Ellie. What’s happening?”

I gulped and gasped unable to stop from crying, panic seizing me all over from my shoulders to my feet and I thrashed back and forth in order to get free.

                Next thing I knew, he’d pulled the car down a private dirt road that ran between two orchards and he was undoing my seatbelt. He came around to my side and took me in his arms and away from the car. We disappeared into the orchards, the smell of orange blossoms in the air.

                He put me down, propped up against a tree and smoothed the hair off of my face. His sunglasses and baseball cap were gone, his hair mussed, his worried eyes searching me.

                “Hey, Ellie,” he said gently, running his hand down the side of my face and feeling the pulse under my jaw. “It’s okay, it’s all going to be okay.”

                I shook my head, feeling disgusting and messy and lost. I sobbed. “It’s not going to be okay. I can’t do this, I can’t do this.”

                He cupped my face in his hands and forced me to look at him. “You can. And you will. You are strong. You are very strong. Right here.” He lay his hand in the middle of my chest. “You will do this and you will succeed.”

                I finally found my breath again, the fresh air flowing down the sun-streaked orchard coming into my lungs. “I will fail.”

                “You won’t.”

                I sniffed. “I don’t even want this,” I admitted.

                He cocked his head and let go of my face. “Then why are you doing this?”

                “Because you’re making me!” I cried out. “You’re forcing me to!”

                His head jerked back. “I am doing no such thing.”

                “You are! You’ll kill my Camden if I don’t.”

                I didn’t see the outburst coming. Suddenly Javier was in my face, his skin turning red, his eyes narrowing into viper-like slits, all yellow and full of hate.

                “He is not your Camden!” he screamed. I closed my eyes.

                “He isn’t here with you now,” he went on, words harsh and short, like bullets. “I am here with you.”  

                “I know!” I screamed back. “And I hate it! I hate it! I hate you!”

                Then before I knew what was happening, I had wound up my hand and slapped him hard across his face. The sound ricocheted down the groves.

                I waited, surprised at myself, breathing hard. I watched as his face contorted in the same type of shock. And then something odd flashed across his brow. Something like betrayal. I knew betrayal all too well. I knew it had been on my own face when I found out what Uncle Jim was planning to do.

                My dead uncle.

                I slapped him again, harder this time, my palm stinging like I was being stabbed with a million tiny knives. “That was for my uncle!” I cried. “You killed him.”

                Now I wound up for a punch and decked Javier right in the side of the head. “You killed him,” I repeated, tears streaming down my cheeks again. “You keep taking everyone I love away!”

                The whole time, Javier just stayed there. Not ducking my hits, not getting out of the way. He just let me, watching me with that same look upon his face.

                “Well, come on!” I screamed. “Hit me back. You know you want to!”

                I got up into a crouch and decked him in the head again, my knuckles exploding in pain. “Come on!” I pushed my hands into his shoulders and tried to throw him to the ground. He fell easily, and I threw myself on top of him, throwing punch after punch after punch until he finally reached up and grabbed my wrists with both his hands.

                “I’m not going to hit you,” he said, gazing deeply at me with wild eyes, his lip bleeding. “You can hit me all you want but if you’re doing it so I can hit you back, it won’t work. You’ll just break every part of me.”

                “I want to break every part of you!” I exclaimed but gave up and collapsed on him. “I want you to break,” I whispered, my head on his chest, my eyes focused absently on an orange tree.

                “You have,” he said softly, his hand stroking the back of my head. “I told you that you broke me when you left. And you did. I’m not lying to you.”

                “You always lie.”

                “No. Not now.” His voice dropped a register.

                I raised my head to look at him. He brought his hands on both sides of my cheeks and held me there, his eyes searching me for something.

                “Angel,” he said through a breath.

                He pulled my face to his, my lips meeting his, slowly. Just a taste of blood and tears. Lips and tongue. The sensation pulled me under, the heat that spread from him and through me, the memories mixing with the smell of orange blossoms. All the pain disappeared as our kiss deepened, all the worry, all the danger melted like my lips and his did together.

                It was wrong. So wrong. And I didn’t care. Like I had so many times before, I was willingly bad.

                

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and the USA Today Bestselling author of Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, and other wild and romantic reads. She lives in a 1920s farmhouse on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

AUTHOR LINKS:

FACEBOOK / WEBSITE / TWITTER

GIVEAWAY:

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Have you read this series or some book/ books from it? Let me know in the comments below. Let's hope I get to read this series soon. Thank you for stopping by, and happy reading! 

Release Week Event- Until the End by Abbi Glines

We would love for you to join us in a release week event for UNTIL THE END by New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Abbi Glines from October 28-November 4, 2014! 

Title: Until The End (Sea Breeze #9)

Author: Abbi Glines

Publisher: Simon Pulse (October 28, 2014)

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The backstory that fans have been clamoring for—how Rock and Trisha fell in love—is the final installment in the Sea Breeze series from New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines. And don’t miss the sizzling Epilogue, where Abbi wraps up all the Sea Breeze couples’ stories!

Trisha Corbin always knew how to hide a bruise. With her momma’s boyfriends unable to keep their hands off of her, she had no choice. And as long as it meant the guys wouldn’t go near her little brother, Krit, it was worth it. But her days of dreaming that Prince Charming would ever come rescue her are far, far in the past.

Rock Taylor always had a plan. Through football, he would rise above the life he was born into. A full ride to play for a major college team was within his reach—assuming he didn’t let anything get in his way. But scoring a date with the hottest girl in Sea Breeze was proving harder than expected. Trisha Corbin was every man’s walking fantasy, and she wouldn’t even glance his way.

When Rock finally does get Trisha in his truck, it isn’t for a date. It’s because he picks her up on the side of the road, beaten and bruised and walking to the local hospital. Before Rock knows it, football is no longer his life. Trisha Corbin is. And he’ll do anything to save her. And keep her.

In addition to Rock and Trisha’s love story, this special novel contains the wrap-up stories of all your favorite Sea Breeze couples: Sadie and Jax, Marcus and Low, Cage and Eva, Preston and Amanda, Jess and Jason, Krit and Blythe, and Dewayne and Sienna.

 EXCERPT

Rock, The Past

I had tried words with her. I had tried actions. I had tried everything to get her to realize that I wanted her. That I wanted to be near her. That I wanted her to be mine.

She was making me lose my mind.

I stalked toward her and she backed up against the wall as she watched me, wide eyed and confused.

Dammit she was too sexy to be fucking cute too. That was shit guys couldn’t shake off. Girls like her weren’t supposed to exist. They made men weak. She had me so fucking tangled in knots it was painful.

I placed my palms on the brick wall on either side of her head and stopped only an inch from our bodies touching. “What do I have to do to get you to get this? What, Trisha? Fuck, you’re all I can think about,” I said softly as my gaze dropped from her eyes to those plump lips I played with in my fantasies.

The tip of her pink tongue wet her bottom lip and I was lost.

My mouth covered hers and the small gasp that broke from her lips was the only chance I needed to slide my tongue onto the sweet heat of hers. I had kissed a lot of girls. But never had I felt like my world was being completely rocked.

Trisha’s hands slipped over my shoulders and she held onto me. And that was fucking perfect. She wasn’t pushing me away. She was holding on to the ride and, damn, it was one hell of a ride.

The softness of her lips moved under mine and then she began to join in on the kiss. It took all my willpower to keep from pressing her against the wall. I had to be careful with her ribs. But I wanted my hands on her. I wanted to get lost in how wonderful she felt.

When she leaned into me and whimpered I broke the kiss and moved back instantly. “Are you okay?” I asked, looking down at her ribs.

She didn’t respond, and panic that I’d hurt her started to grip me. I found her eyes and saw the same arousal in them that I had been feeling until that whimper had scared me.

I started to lower my mouth again, needing to taste her more.

“No, wait,” she breathed, pressing both her hands on my chest this time.

“Did I hurt you?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “No, it’s just. I… we shouldn’t… why did you do that?”

I closed my eyes and forced myself to be patient with her. Trisha had her issues and trust was one of them.

“Because I’m crazy about you. Because your lips are the prettiest damn lips I’ve ever seen. Because you think you’re a burden to me when I just want to keep you close to me all the time. Because you are making me lose my mind. Because I don’t want to be your friend, Trisha. I want to be yours.”

Her mouth fell slightly open as her blue eyes stared up at me in surprise. How did she not already know all this? It wasn’t like I was being subtle.

“You’re… you’re crazy about me?” she asked.

I held back a laugh. “Yeah, and everyone seems to see it but you.”

GIVEAWAY

5 ebooks, Until the End
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Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/NGE1MDEyNTkzNmEzMjcwYWY1N2NlODA1YWVlMmE3OjQzMw==/

About the Author:

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of TWISTED PERFECTION, FALLEN TOO FAR, NEVER TOO FAR, JUST FOR NOW, WHILE IT LASTS, BECAUSE OF LOW, BREATHE, THE VINCENT BOYS, THE VINCENT BROTHERS, THE EXISTENCE TRILOGY.

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Review- Impressions of Egypt by Douglas Misquita

Goodreads Summary:

In November of 2010 I spent a little over a week in Egypt. I was fascinated and humbled by the history and culture of the country.
This book isn't a picture-book; there are far better pictures available on the internet and in travel magazines than the thousand plus I clicked with my point-and-shoot.
This book is all about the impressions, emotions and implications that no picture can convey, but something that can only be experienced when you bask in the glorious Mediterranean sun in Alexandria, are belittled by the sentinel pyramids at Giza, come to terms with the engineering feat of relocating Abu Simbel, appreciate the historic grandeur of the museum-city of Luxor, or relive the romance of the Nile as you drift past gently-swaying date palms and white-sailed feluccas. 

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Impressions of Egypt by Douglas Misquita from the author in exchange for an honest review. We thank Douglas for the book!

Author Douglas Misquita's Impressions of Egypt is a tiny collection of memories the author has shared with his readers in the form of a small book from his short travel to Egypt. Like the author, and probably like most others, I have also been fascinated by Egypt for a long time now. Studying about the country in Geography class in school, playing games based on some Egyptian aspect or the other and then coming across Egyptian references in books all added in making me really curious about Egypt. That's the main reason why I was looking forward to the book, and the best part about it, for me, was that it's an extremely quick read that I devoured in an hour. 

Because Impressions of Egypt is Douglas' own experiences put into words, I must say that the author has described everything really nicely. The writing was easy to read and simple to follow. It was difficult to imagine everything that was described- and I'm sure Douglas will agree with me here- as I know it must really be difficult to capture the beauty of Egypt. I quite like this one particular line used by the author in the very beginning of the book: 

"I suddenly realise the English vocabulary is extremely limited: It cannot convey my experience [...]" 

At the same time, however, I cannot deny the fact that for me, as a reader, it was the closest I could come in touch with Egypt and it was great to try see it with the help of this book. 

Impressions of Egypt is a great collection of Douglas' travel experiences and he has done a very nice job of sharing the same with his readers. I liked reading the book and for a such a short read, it was almost like a travelogue and was packed with lots of facts and information that I will definitely retain. 

RATING:

Author Interview- Laura Lee (Identity Theft)

Hi, everyone. Today, on the blog, we have with us author Laura Lee. I have previously read and loved the author's homosexual story, Angel and her poetry collection, Where Souls Grow Warm. Additionally, I have also read and really liked her book, Identity Theft. The book is going to be released soon, and with it, I will publish my review of the same. As for now, we have the author here to talk to us about the book. Previously, we interviewed Laura for Angel and you check that out right here if you're interested. Let's get on to what we have in store for you now. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from Goodreads):

I am the author of more than a dozen books, the novel Angel, and numerous non-fiction titles including The Pocket Encyclopedia of Aggravation (Black Dog and Leventhal), now in its third printing and published in France under the title Le Dictionaire des Contrairites; Arlo, Alice and Anglicans (Berkshire House/W.W. Norton), which tells the story of the church made famous in Arlo Guthrie’s song and movie Alice’s Restaurant; The Name’s Familiar: Mr. Leotard, Barbie and Chef Boyardee (Pelican Publishing), a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate selection and its sequel The Name’s Familiar II; the 100 Most Dangerous Things in Life (Broadway Books/Random House), which was featured on Good Morning America and CNN’s American Morning; Blame it on the Rain (HarperCollins), The Elvis Impersonation Kit and A Child’s Introduction to Ballet (both Black Dog and Leventhal), Schadenfreude, Baby! (Lyons Press), and Broke is Beautiful (Running Press). 

The San Francisco Chronicle has said of my work, "Lee's dry, humorous tone makes her a charming companion… She has a penchant for wordplay that is irresistible."

AUTHOR LINKS (from Goodreads):

WEBSITE / TWITTER / GOODREADS

ABOUT THE BOOK (from Publush):

Candi Tavris is on the verge of turning 30, she works in the packaging department of a company that is downsizing and she is hounded by calls from creditors who mispronounce her name. She wakes up every morning praying that the folks at Life Lock will perform their work in reverse and give her "identity" to someone else. Her younger sister, never a serious student, married a rich executive and lives in a mansion. Candi's only solace is escaping into the music and image of the 80s pop star Blast.

Ethan  Penn,  a  22 year-old college dropout who smokes pot and lives in his mother's  basement, works in the rock star's office. (His desk sits under a framed gold record with a dead spider caught in the glass.)

His boss, whose real name is Ollie Thomas, is as socially awkward off stage as he is charismatic on stage. He is depressed about his pending divorce. His greatest fame is behind him, his biggest hit "Partly Cloudy Thursday (Blast With Me)" was a cliched monstrosity written to please record executives. His rock n' roll lifestyle mostly consists of finding ways to keep his laundry from stinking while on the road and trying to remain anonymous while buying Preparation-H.

Blast assigns the task of keeping up with his social networking to Ethan. Ethan starts to correspond with Candi through e-mail and chats in the guise of the rock star. The conversation soon becomes steamy. The game spirals out of control when Blast performs a concert in Candi's hometown and Candi is mistaken first for a groupie and then

for a delusional stalker.

Candi must try to prove (and retain) her sanity. Ethan must decide whether to risk jail by telling the truth. A terrified Ollie has to come to terms with his relationship with his Blast character and the consequences of his fame.

For more information, check out the book's page on Publush and Facebook. 

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: 

1)  Tell us about your book, Identity Theft.

It's the story of a bored office worker in a rock star's office who is given the task of running the musician's social networking. He starts to flirt with a fan in the guise of his boss. She feels as though her world is transformed when her favorite rock star takes an interest in her. Of course everything spins out of control when the fan meets the real rock star face to face.  The story gets quite interesting at that point, but I don't want to give too much away.

I actually have an Identity Theft theme song! 

It was written by Collin J. Campbell.

2) What inspired you to write your book?

Identity Theft evolved over a long period of time. The first germs of the idea came back when the internet was fairly new, not brand new, but in this period when people were just starting to figure out how to relate to screen names in fan forums and to form relationships that way. Before the internet the relationship between a celebrity and a fan was one way. Now people know they have at least some ability to speak back by posting comments or taking part in on-line chats or maybe getting a reply to a tweet. When I worked in the office of a musician the idea came to me that it would make a good story to have someone use that kind of a position to pose online as the rock star and to seduce a fan.  That idea simmered in the back of my mind for a while.

I find that I need some greater theme to propel me through a novel. I started to become quite interested in how we project social identities, how this differs across cultures, and the whole question of mental illness-- when we label someone sick because it is causing them pain and when we do it because it is inconvenient to us to have to deal with someone who is different. So those are the underlying themes. What is a self and how is it created? What happens when a sense of self is lost? (This was a theme in my first novel, Angel, as well.) They're only undercurrents in the book, of course, or it would be a philosophical treatise. It's actually a fast-moving fairly humorous book.

I was able to put in a lot of the funny anecdotes about working in an entertainment office and being on the road (two life experiences I have had) as well as some of the humor of relating online. It's almost a classic romantic comedy in some ways, but I've twisted a lot of the expectations of that genre.

3)  Tell us about the whole publishing process and how it went.

This will be my first independently published novel. I've turned to the literary crowdfunding site Pubslush. I'm taking advance orders in order to fund the creation of the book.  There are only a few days left on the campaign. As of today (October 21) it is 53% funded with 8 days to go. Pubslush has a minimum and maximum goal, so it has hit the lower number and the book will be made. Now I'm looking for support to make it the book I'd like it to be. The funding levels are modest. They are essentially just advance orders of the book. You get a book and also the knowledge that the book could not have been made without your support. So it's your book in more ways than one!

After 15 books or so with traditional publishers, going it alone does make me a bit nervous. But the slow pace of the traditional publishing world started to get to me. I have been extremely prolific since Angel came out, but you'd never know it based on what has been published. Publishers are overwhelmed with submissions, each book takes months to make, and there is no way to make that beast turn quickly. Your momentum as an artist is always being stalled and your career momentum-- your ability to make a living, gets stalled too. So I would like to be able to share what I make on my own time table. Musicians discovered years ago that they were better off putting out their own music than trying to get the big labels to do it. Even big stars have their own labels now. There are some projects that I wouldn't want to do on my own, and I'm sure I'll keep working with traditional publishers. But for something like this, I'm going to take my destiny into my own hands.

4)  According to you, in today’s day and age, how important a role does social media play in spreading the word about a book?

You know, I think social media is a bit overrated. It is an important part of modern life, and it is a way that people can spread the word about their projects without having to go through a gatekeeper. But you will hear a lot of recycled advice about tweeting and building "an author's platform" on line. In terms of actual sales results, though, it is not tremendously effective to tweet about your book. Most tweets are not interacted with in any way. So it can give you a false sense of communication. "Hey! I just put this out to 2,000 followers. They will buy my book!" A lot of those followers followed you because they want you to follow back and buy their books. It is very time consuming to put out interesting content on a regular basis, and you have to do a real cost-benefit analysis. (That is if you're thinking of it solely in marketing terms) I think most people find that the amount of time they spend on it is not yielding serious sales results. An advertising firm would pull the plug on any campaign that got the kind of return on investment that most social media marketing by authors does.

What I found with Identity Theft is that most of my support came from people I knew in the "real world." It was indirect. It grew out of things I had done with no thought to building an audience or marketing a book. I work on the rummage committee at my church and I enjoy it and put in a lot of time at it. That builds relationships. When I put my book out there and said I needed a "crowd" to fund it, they really got behind it. It was touching. That is what really gave the project its momentum.

I'm hoping that when I'm able to up the pace a bit, and put out books as I write them, that I might be able to create an audience that is excited for the next book before they've forgotten the previous one. That goes back to why I want to self-publish. I'd like to be able to build a relationship with an audience where there are people who want to support my projects because they like what I have shown them and to give them something new before they've forgotten I exist and I have to start from scratch.

5)  What is next in store for you? Do you plan on writing more?

The audio version of Angel was just released.  I'm currently trying to sell a biography to a traditional publisher. I've been working on that for some time. (I'm kind of a marketing nightmare because I want to do such varied stuff.)

I've written a play that I've been trying to get staged. It's a comedy that draws on my experience touring with a ballet company. I've gotten some good feedback, but it has a fairly large cast which makes it harder to get staged. I also have a novel that I started working on about 20 years ago that is complete to my satisfaction and ready to go. It is set in a high school so I suppose you'd call it young adult. This might be my next book after Identity Theft. It has come close to being published a couple of times, so it is a good candidate to publish on my own.

That's all I have for you, guys. If you like the sound of the book and would like to see it published, do check out the Publush website mentioned above and help Laura get her book published. I'd like to thank the author for being so kind and doing this interview with us. Do keep stopping by for my review of the book, which will be up soon. Thank you for stopping by! 

Review- Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Summary-

Why can't you choose what you forget ... and what you remember?

There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four-year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.  But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all--the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug--of all people-- suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life--a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

Summary-

I have only read Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols and I had really enjoyed it at the time. So when I had nothing to read, I picked up Forget You. Forget You was a really good read, signature Jennifer Echols or at least what I've come to expect of her books but I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I would have read it say, a year or two back.

Zoey is our main character. Life, it seems is falling apart for her and she's trying her hardest to play the part of the perfect daughter. Zoey is the one I had some issues with. She wanted to be the good girl but then she went and did some of the most stupid things imaginable. Like Brandon. If only she could see things more clearly and see who really was on her side.

Then one night Zoey is in a car cash and she can't remember anything that happened. And things have suddenly changed for her. I do have to say that the whole mystery surrounding what really happened the night of the car crash kept me going throughout the book. I wanted to know badly why things were the way they were. 

Then there's Doug. He's the bad boy who has never liked Zoey, or so she thinks. Now he's suddenly always there for her. I really liked Doug though I would have liked him to be more expressive. He kept not only his feelings but also what happened that night from Zoey. But once we find out his reasons they seem more justifiable.

Jennifer Echols writing style is impeccable. I loved how realistically she portrays Zoey's thoughts and the pressure she has to face from her family and friends. I definitely want to read more books by Jennifer Echols. Forget You was a nice read for me.

Waiting on Wednesday #103

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Confess by Colleen Hoover

Publication Date: March 10, 2015

Summary-

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a new novel about risking everything for love—and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies. 

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…

I really loved some of Colleen Hoover's books and Confess sounds super interesting.

What are you waiting on? :)