A Review you can use: A Dirty Shirt

Hello everyone!

Every once in a while I get to meet and new author and review his/her new book. Thanks to the wonder of my Face book page I met Author Jim Landwehr who is, this very week, releasing his new book:  Dirty Shirt: A Boundary Waters Memoir. 

I was pretty excited to read this because I'm an outdoorsy person who loves, loves, loves being outside in the woods.

Okay, those of you who know me know I can't stand the idea of dirt under my fingernails and while I enjoy a weekend of camping every couple of decades, no, I'm not outdoorsy at all.  But THAT'S what's so great about Jim Landwehr's book!  You don't have to GO TO the Boundary Waters to feel like you're IN the Boundary Waters.

This memoir, which follows brothers and their friends up to the wild beauty that is The Boundary Waters, is full of gentle humor, family history, and plenty of outdoors instruction.  There is an underlying hint of nostalgia that borders on melancholy, but without bringing down the room.  The key to the book is the brothers' father, a figure known only in stories and memory, and in his love of the outdoors.  The brothers take their wild pilgrimage and learn about themselves and about their father.  Then, they turn around two decades later and teach the same love of the wild, the same need for preparation, and the same connection with family history to their own children.

Check out the trailer:

I love reading about real people in places I've never been.  Somehow putting a real person, someone I might run into at the grocery store, draws me into the book even more.  I will probably never paddle a boat anywhere near the Boundary Waters.  But I'm okay with that because I've read Jim Landwehr's memoir and I feel like I was out there with him and his brothers.

This book is a must read for different groups and for different reasons:  The adventurers, those looking for someplace outside to explore will enjoy the detailed description. Those of you who enjoy memoirs are going to love Landwehr's down home voice and obvious fondness for the stories he's telling.  And those of you looking for a new book by a new author who truly has something to say and is able to say it very well.

A really great summer read, and it'll available HERE and NOW!


Check in tomorrow when I have my Ten Questions interview with Jim Landwehr and we find out very important things about him, his new book, and where HE thinks the best coffee on the planet can be located.  (I may have to debate that one!

A review you can use: To Find You by Linda Schmalz

Good morning!

Every so often I like to review a book that's new to the reading public, or that's got my attention.  In this case, the book I'm reviewing is both new and attention grabbing.  It's the new historical romance by Linda Schmalz, To Find You

To Find You is set in New York City immediately following the Titanic disaster.  Here;s a quick bit:

Brigid O’Brien is not in love with David Cavanaugh, but agrees to marry him and move to America to escape an arranged marriage in Ireland. All hope of a bright future fades, however, when David perishes on the Titanic. With nowhere to turn, Brigid finds work as a kitchen maid in the stately mansion of millionaire Charles Ransom and his wife Eliza. Unfortunately, Charles and Eliza each have their own plans for the new maid. Thomas Ashton is a medical student, studying in New York. Hearing of the Titanic disaster, and hoping to aid the survivors, he goes to Pier 54, but can’t reach the ship due to the crowds. It is there, however, that he meets the beautiful Irish immigrant, Brigid. Over the next few weeks, Thomas and Brigid become friends, and romance blossoms. Enter Charles Ransom who decides he’s waited long enough to put his ideas for Brigid into action. When Brigid inexplicably goes missing, Thomas teams up with Eliza Ransom, and together they search for Brigid and a missing child. Set in the spring and summer of 1912, “To Find You” is a historical fiction novel and a mystery. Most of all, it is the tale of romance between a man and a woman, and a story about the never-ending love between a mother and child.

To Find You .is Linda Schmalz's first historical romance.  I love reading historical romance novels because I don't have the patience to do the research to write one of my own.  Schmalz has a great ear for the manners and movement of this era.  She gets the smallest details right, which is so very important to a successful historical romance.

What's really good, and what makes this book a worthy read, is the way the suspense quietly sneaks up on you and grips you.  Not unlike "Downton Abbey" this seems to be a still, quiet story about an Irish immigrent. But the constant sense of foreboding turns into all out, edge of your seat suspense and you realize hours have passed and you can't put the book down.

While the book is set after Titanic, Schmalz only uses that well known disaster as a jumping off point.  She takes the reader to places in American history many of us never learned in school:  North Brother Island and orphan trains.  But even the gripping drama of history takes a back seat to Schmalz's strength:  Her characters.  Step by step you will fall in love with Brigid and her friends, and and they will stay with you long after you've finished the book.

Available at all online retailers in e-book form and at Amazon in print form, To Find You,  is as good a read on a long winter night or a sunny beach afternoon.

ELSIE W IS FREE THIS WEEKEND!

Hey all!

Well, call me a sucker, but I'm trying it again!

This weekend, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, my newest book, "Not While I'm Chewing!" will be FREE to Kindle users!

All I ask of you, my faithful readers, is that when you read the book and you love the book you please WRITE A REVIEW of the book!  (if you didn't like it, just remember it was FREE and you don't have to be mean!  LOL!)

CLICK HERE  to order the book via Kindle.  And, if you want a print copy of the book, you can use that link as well.

I'm FREE!  But only for this weekend!

Reviews: How seriously can you take them?

Good morning and Happy Memorial Day to everyone!  (Here in the US we take a day in the spring to remember our veterans and to thank them for the service they've given to their country.)

Just got my first really, really negative review.  It was on Dream in Color, and the author of the review opened with "Don't waste you time and money."  Ironic, since the reviewer, SB  (not me, my initials, yes,  but not me) didn't pay a nickel for the book. SB went on to say that the characters were too far fetched, but not in a good way.  Looking at the other reviews she wrote for other books, I see 1)  She reads a lot and 2)  she really likes thriller series involving people in super heroic situations.

So I guess it would be true that a story about a middle aged woman living a life of quiet desperation and being in love with a rock star from her childhood would seem a little out there.  I guess having an overbearing boss and a nosey mother is just something SB has never encountered.

Okay, enough sarcasm.  But seriously, I'm letting this affect me.  This three sentence review done by a person I don't know, someone not brave enough to put his/her full name on the review has gotten me down and I'm wasting a golden day of writing fretting about this.

How seriously can we take reviews?  When you're new and unknown in this business, as I sort of am, every review is important because there aren't many of them.  Most of my reviews are from people I know or friends of friends or someone with some sort of connection to me.  Only recently have I been getting reviews from complete strangers.  Some are very nice...one is very not.

We all want positive reviews.  It makes us feel like we're on the right track, like we're doing something good.  One negative review, especially one this  completely negative, can send anyone into a tailspin.

Is it a measure of talent. this review?  Is it a true commentary on the content of the book...or is it just that a person who has no connection with a character quite as "every day" as Ramona Simms may not understand the ache in her heart every day for something she isn't supposed to want or have?

Folks, I can't be objective here.  But you can.  Kindle owners, I'm giving away all three of my books today on Amazon.  Today only! 

Click here to get started!
If you like them, leave a review.  If you don't...well, be honest...but gentle!

There's no resting on the laurels for an indie writer!

Hello everyone!

I got a message from a college friend of mine last week begging me to write another book.  I told her I just released one less than a month ago.

Apparently, she'd already read that one and wanted another.

Which made me realize that there is no down time for an e-pub indie author.

The perception among many traditional authors is that e-pubs live by their own schedule and write when they feel like it.  Speaking as one of those e-pub authors, I can tell you, deadlines are very real, especially since there's no one out there helping you hit those deadlines.  All delays are strictly your fault and there's no one to blame but you when things don't go right.

Add to that the fact that every single e-pub author I know has to work other jobs.  No big advance for us, nope.  We find writing time at either end of what is typically a long work day.  This is not to day that traditionally published authors don't also have to work outside of writing.  Many do.  But many are able to work at jobs that are writing focused because, well, they are recognized authors.  In the world of e-pubbing, we are still working in the shadows, and therefore, to pay the bills, we have to work other jobs. 

So I thought since I'd put out a novel in 2010, 2011, and 2012, that I was okay for a couple months.  Nope, I guess not. 

Some statistics show that e-pubbers are churning out novels more than two a year.  That is a staggering amount of work for a population already working full time, especially considering most e-pubbers do the bulk of their editing, formatting, and marketing.  (I personally would be lost without the help of my wonderful critique partners and the team over at 52 Novels who do my formatting.)

What's the bonus to reading e-pubbed novels?  Well, for one, you're supporting a completely talent driven market. E-pubs don't get Oprah's seal of approval, and most e-pubbers aren't reviewed by the talking head reviewers who tell us what to read.  Our reviews come from readers.

Which means, for those of you who are not writers, you still get to push forward an author's career.  A positive review from reader is so vital to an e-pubber.  Forget leaving reviews for John Grisham's latest pile of words.  He doesn't need them and he doesn't care what you think.  Trust me.  Instead, find a book that has one, maybe two reviews.  E-books typically aren't more than $3, so you're not out that $24.95 I know you probably paid for Snookie's book.  (By the way, don't bother reviewing her book either.  My bet is, she can't read it.)  So spend the $3 and read a book written by someone who is probably more like you than you know.

And leave a review.  Without reader reviews, we indie authors are dead in the water.

Meanwhile, I have to go write another book so my college classmate is happy!

A Rose by any Other Name...

Good morning!

I've been taking a bit of a writing break the last couple weeks.  With "Fresh Ice" in the line at 52 novels awaiting formatting, I've decided NOT to do NanoWrimo this month and regain a little sanity in my daily schedule.

I was talking to my mother the other day, sharing my excitement at the release of my third book.  Now, my mother, I'm sure, is a well meaning woman, but she shared a thought with me and I'm not quite sure how to take it.

"For your next book," she said, "write under a different name.  You've published three books now with moderate success.  People have already made up their minds as to whether or not they're going to read your next book.  So for the next book, write under a different name and maybe more people will buy your book."

I had to remind her that I've really only published TWO books and that my third wasn't actually due out for a month.  But that little child, the insecure, uncertain child inside me told me my mother was right.  People who have read my books have already decided whether or not they're going to read any more.  Maybe I should "Trick" the reading public into buying my next book by changing my name.

Well established authors do this from time to time, but typically if they change genres.  Lori Foster, noted romance author, writes under L.L. Foster for her books that are not strictly romance.  I heard her speak at a conference once and she said she did this so that the reader would know what to expect from the book.  (She didn't mention how her mother felt about it.)

I do not consider myself a well established author.  I believe, as author J.A. Konrath preaches, that the self publishing business is a business of numbers.  The more you write, the more people will read.  (Konrath also writes under different names, again, when he's jumping genres or book series.)  The Sarah J Bradley brand has only been a thing for two books, and really, not even three years.  Do I have a best seller?  No, but I market two books I'm very proud of  (Click on the book covers above to purchase) and I will continue to write the stories that are in me.

But should I write them under a different name? 

What makes a book sell, especially in the e-publishing world, is a question few can answer.  The amount of time an author has to market helps  (I have none) the amount of time an author has to write helps.  (I've cranked out a novel every 15 months so far.)  Some authors catch fire right away, and we're not sure why, while some authors write and write and collect their quarterly check and are able to maybe pay the light bill with it.

But is it the name of the author?  I grant you...if I had an odd name, or one difficult to pronounce I might consider it.  Or, since I'm working in the romance world, if my name sounded too industrial  (My maiden name is Schultz.) I might change it.  I know I read books by some authors because I've read and enjoyed their work before and want to read more.  I know I will probably not read a lot of Herman Melville's work because I hated "Moby Dick" so much.  BUT, authors I've not read, I've not heard or, do I read them or not based on their name?

I don't see my sales, or lack thereof, as a problem with my name.  I see it more as an issue of time dedicated to marketing, and possibly the price point on the print copies.  As popularity of the e-reader grows, so will my reading public, so long as I continue to put out new material.

Will I write under a different name for my Elsie project next year?  Yes.  Because it won't be romance, it will be humor.  But I made that decision long ago, it had nothing to do with my mother's advice.

This is, after all, the woman who actually tells people that the first hundred pages of "Dream in Color" are really the only pages worth reading in the book. (She doesn't get that in those pages I'm working out some serious mother issues, and I'm completely mocking her.)  I was doing a book signing/book giveaway in my home, promoting both my books, and when she said that, all interest in the book went out of the room.  After all...if the author's MOTHER didn't like it...

My friends, we all have questions we have to answer when it comes to the direction of our writing careers.  What will make my books best sellers?  I don't know.  I put my heart and soul into each one.  My reviews, while not many, have been very positive.  Readers have come up to me and raved about them.  I'm so excited to share my next story with everyone I can't wait.  But clearly I'm not supporting myself with my writing at this point, and some people think I should be.

Shakespeare wrote, "A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  A book written under any other name would still be my book.  It would still have my voice.  It would still be written by me.

So what do I do?  Change my writing name?  What are your thoughts?

A tool you may not be using...the beta reader.

Good evening!

Writing is a fairly solitary activity.  Sure, we have writer's meetings, conferences, get togethers, all of that.  But the actual act of writing is solitary.  Many writers joke about how busy they are with friends...the ones in their plot, the ones in their heads.  The bigger joke many writers have is that we writers are all a tiny bit schizophrenic.

The problem with a solitary activity is that we tend to lose perspective from time to time.  I'm not talking about sitting at your computer, thinking you're writing the next Gone with the Wind, and you're really not even stringing together coherent sentences.  We all have those moments, most of us recognize them, and we cheerfully hit the delete button and move on.

I'm talking about getting to the end of a manuscript and thinking that this is truly the finished product. 

Well why not?

You've had your critique partners critique it chapter by chapter for you.

You line edited it.

You had your college aged brother/kid/neighbor line edit it for you in exchange for a hot meal.

You are ready to submit it to a publisher...or better yet...publish it yourself!

But wait.

There's a tool you should have, could have, in your writing tool box, and you may not be using it...you may not even know you need it.

I certainly didn't.

When I was writing Dream in Color (Click here to purchase)  I was convinced...CONVINCED that I had a complete project on my hands.  So I sent it out...and got rejection upon rejection upon rejection.  REjection letters being what they are, I didn't have a clear idea what was wrong with it.

Until I talked to my friend "Penny."  Penny is not a writer.  She is, however, an avid reader, and better yet, an avid reader in my target audience.  I told her I was writing a book, she expressed a wish to read it.  I asked her if she'd read it and comment on it for me.

She agreed.

About a week later, Penny handed me back my three ring binder.  "Over all I like it," she said, " but there's just something....I'm not sure how you'd fix it, but it needs fixing because it's a little confusing.  Although I'm not sure what else you could do it."

Not exactly a rave review.

BUT, knowing that a reader had actual feelings about the book, and was able to at least tell me that there was something unclear about it, I went back to the manuscript.  I fleshed out the characters.  I made Ramona's daydreams more vivid.  I added more of the mother character, much to my own mother's delight. 

And then I asked her to read it again.  This time, she loved it.

And I sold it to The Wild Rose Press.

My next project, the much rewritten, oft shelved, never quite forgotten Lies in Chance (click here to purchase) got the same treatment.  I set it to Penny.  Again, a week later, she handed back my three ring binder and said the words I will never forget.  "Your last book was good. This one was a joy to read."

It is,  to this date, the best review I've gotten.  And that's saying something since, reviews for Lies includes a woman who came up to me at a writer's conference book signing, pointed to Lies in Chance, and shouted..."I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THAT BOOK!"  (and no, it was NOT my mother.)

So I guess what I'm trying to say is before you send your baby off to an agent, an editor, or a formatting company, pause for a moment and think about the reader.

I know, weird, right?  I've taken probably 800 workshops on how to write to get published.  I have taken classes on how to pitch a book to sell it, how to write three chapters to win writing contests, and how to get an agent to look at my book.

What we writers seem to have overlooked is...the reader.

In this day of self publishing, we get to cut out the middle man to a certain extent.  Oh we still need to edit, to critique, but if self publishing is the path you've chosen, you no longer have to write to please an agent or an editor.  You have to write to please the reader.  So it stands to reason, then, that you should probably have a READER read your book before you publish it.

It may just be the most important tool in your bag of writing tricks.

A Review you can Use: What Dead Women Want

Hello all!

So it's almost Halloween...and I have a book that will give you shivers of all kinds!

What Dead Women Want by Linda Schmalz is a rare mix of haunted houses, naughty calendars, and really sexy romantic moments.

Carly Middleton either has ghosts in her attic or bats in her belfry, and neither option deems all that spectacular. She is apt to choose her craziness however, rather than admit that her new home in Lake Della, Wisconsin is haunted. But when hunky and handsome Mike Valentine shows interest in Carly's paranormal problem, hormones rule her head, and she agrees to have the house investigated for ghosts. When the investigation proves her home haunted, Carly calls in a psychic who discovers her housemates are two sisters from the Civil War era who refuse to leave until they get what they want; and what they want is a man, and that man is Mike. Unwilling to sacrifice her boyfriend, Carly must find someone else to seduce her dead house guests to the other side. When Hal Davenport, the abusive town menace returns to Della, Carly finds her candidate. But can she convince the ghosts that Hal is a better catch than Mike? Can Hal lure the lingering ladies close to "the light" without dying? As Carly contemplates her plan, her world becomes further complicated by a sick dog, meddling parents and the return of her ex-fiancé. Finally, when Carly is certain she's sent the ladies packing, something still seems amiss.

Schmalz goes to her small town roots for this one, and we are the winners for it.  This book is funny, sexy, and spooky, all rolled into one!

Rated: 

4 hearts out of four!

"What Dead Women Want" is available where all fine e-books are sold.

Want to win a free copy?

Leave a comment on this blog or tomorrow's interview with Linda Schmalz and your will be entered into a drawing for a free e-copy of her book "What Dead Women Want!"  All comments left now through Thursday will be entered to win.

Good luck!

On a personal note, have you voted for the title of my Elsie book?  You have until tomorrow night!

Author Kelly Moran on Book Reviews

Hello my friends!  I have a really special treat for you all! 

I'd like to introduce you to a woman I'm proud to call friend:  Kelly Moran.  Kelly is an author of several published books, recipient of an Editor’s Choice Award for Outstanding Achievement, inducted into the Who’s Who Book of Americans, placed as a Finalist in the 2008 Best Books Award, a Finalist in the 2009 Indie Excellence Book Awards, a respected reviewer for Bookpleasures, a former staff writer for Poetic Monthly Magazine, and a Romance Writers of America member. 
In short, when it comes to writing, Kelly knows her stuff!

She also interviews authors on her blog and offers Manuscript Critique Consultations. Though most of her family is in the Carolinas, she resides in Milwaukee, WI with her husband, twin sons, and black lab.  (Oh yeah, and she's expecting another happy bundle soon!)

What brings us all together today is Kelly's newest book, "SUMMER'S ROAD" brought to us on FRIDAY, the 25th by our friends at The Wild Rose Press.  I'm so thrilled to be able to share this with you all!  (But I'll let Kelly give you some more details herself!)


One of the things Kelly is passionate about, in fact the very reason we met, is book reviews.  Today she's talking about just that thing and tomorrow she's allowing me to fire off some hardball questions for your reading pleasure.  And, in the end, when the dust settles,  one of you lucky folks who sends us a comment  (And contact info) is going to get yourself a FREE eBook copy of "Summer's Road."

Oh I have your attention now, don't I?

Well, my friends, sit back and take a listen...Kelly's got some words of wisdom!

Big, big thanks to a fellow author and friend, Sarah, for letting me guest the next couple days. After my guest post and Sarah's Q&A, she'll pick a commenter to receive a FREE eBook copy of my new release, SUMMER'S ROAD, coming March 25th wherever books are sold. 



I have quite a few guest blogs coming up, so here I think we'll discuss reviews! Reviews? That's what I said! Reviews.


As all of you now know, I am an author. I am also a book reviewer for Bookpleasures, judge a number of writing contests, and I interview authors on my Blog at Blogger.


Let’s start with my bad experience. (Drum roll.) Awhile back, a friend of mine from a social media site alerted me to a negative review on Amazon about one of my books. Intrigued, I went to check it out. It was, in fact, not a negative review, but a slam on me. It was apparent that said reviewer had not read the book and was interested only in slamming me. This probably wouldn’t have bothered me, except said reviewer put words in my mouth that I did not say, which was of concern. I contacted Amazon, and they removed the review. This person then went about setting up a Blog to ridicule me and further put inaccurate words in my mouth. After the support of friends and family, I just let it go and said reviewer has been mute.




What did I learn from this? Never provoke crazy? Oh yeah, that too. But seriously, as a writer, don’t let it get you down. It has always been my opinion that when you put yourself out there as an author to be reviewed, you have to be able to take the positive and the negative. Not everyone is going to like your work. Simple as that. And reviews are just opinions. Take the advice and criticism, and use it to better the next book. Of course it was my reputation that concerned me at the time, it dawned on me afterwards that no one would have taken it seriously anyhow. Not to mention, negative reviews can have as much of an impact on sales as positive ones. We are human. It hurts when a bad thing is uttered about our precious pages. But remember, this too shall pass.


I have reviewed small press, self-published, and large mass market authors alike, positively and negatively, through Bookpleasures. The bottom line, they all thanked me. That is my advice to you as a writer. Thank the reviewer for their insight and time, and move on.


However, if you do not review professionally and are an avid reader posting reviews, please remember, good or bad, that there is an author behind every page. Try to be constructive and tactful, and for the love of all humanity, make it about THE BOOK!


Best of luck to you! XO

Thank you Kelly for a great point of view!  Now, friends, if you've got questions for Kelly about her book or book reviews, go ahead and ask below.  Remember to leave a bit of contact info because one of you might just win an ecopy of Summer's Road for FREE!

Reviews you can use!

It's a rare thing for me to blog twice in the same day, but this is a rare thing!

Someone reviewed my book!

I know, I about fell out of my chair, too. I mean, the first one I sort of expected...Wild Rose Press sends all the new books out to almost a dozen online critics, so I figured one of those had to give me some sort of review. And, of course, my mom liked it a bunch. Dad, the English teacher, gave me a B+.

But then a lovely lady, and fellow Rick fan, Susie, gave me a review. This was one I was at once waiting for and surprised by. Obviously, this book has a bit more attraction for Rick Springfield Nation (though if you crush on ANY celebrity, this is a good book for you. My favorite Barista at 'Bucks, Kelly, is a HUGE Keith Urban fan and she's digging the book.) but I was a bit nervous about how it would be received by...my "people." LOL!

Anyway, I'm going to try and get these links working so you can read what other people think of "Dream in Color!"

Cheers!