Riley Amos Westbrook's Blog, page 122
June 16, 2015
Cruisin’ through books cause books make life worth living with Aly #RileyAmosReviews 6/16/2015 part 1!
Lunar Rampage by Samantha Cross
I enjoyed this book. The main female character was my favorite. I like to see my “real” characters in these book. I think I relate more to them. I am a big animal lover myself so I already have some things in common with the character of Cora. I’ve been to my Grandma’s house many times and nothing this strange has ever happened. You should check it out. This book is fun to read and enjoy. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
Filed under: Riley Amos Reviews, Support Indie Authors Tagged: Book Review, Riley Amos Reviews
June 15, 2015
20 Symptoms of Writeritis
I think I might be coming down with something….
Originally posted on Myths of the Mirror:
image from pinterest.com
As some of you know, a pervasive syndrome has troubled a segment of society for centuries. After years of research, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders finally classified these symptoms under the diagnosis: Writeritis.
Writeritis is defined as a persistent, maladaptive pattern of writing that leads to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by six (or more) of the following within a single month:
A marked craving for increased amounts of writing, and longer periods of time to write.
An unquenchable thirst for coffee.
Repeated efforts to cut down or control word count is unsuccessful.
Withdrawal occurs when writing is discontinued or suddenly reduced. Symptoms include shakiness, moodiness, and/or irritability.
A tendency to rapidly relapse into extreme patterns of excessive rewriting – even after periods of abstinence or control.
After writing, a compulsive urge to return and edit.
An inability to initiate household chores until a plot hole is…
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First chapter of a new title for your enjoyment.
This one is entitled Urban Punk, and it is frickin’ hilarious. If you like a story that is a gut buster, this one will be for you! Check it out on BigWorldNetwork.com!
Filed under: Urban Punk Tagged: Action, Adventure, My books, Riley Amos Westbrook
Call to Arms – Book Marketing Results
Can’t believe I missed this Nicholas! Thanks for taking the time to put this together! #SupportIndieAuthors!
Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:
Following my Call to Arms, a number of you responded by sharing with me your book marketing experience. I now have about a hundred responses by some fifty authors. Although some of the responses were expected, there were quite a few surprises in there for me.
Methodology
For anyone wishing to take a look at the raw data, you can download this Excel spreadsheet. I grouped the results according to whether the book was offered full-price, discounted or free. I also have a fourth category titled Other, that includes any entries where this was not specified.
To compare the various ad media, I came up with a number that represents the ratio between number of sales and cost of advertising. In other word, if you spent $1 and had one sale, then this number would be one. If you spent $1 and had two sales, the number would be two, etc.
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June 14, 2015
Who would have thought I’d need a bit of time to recover… #RRBC #IAN1 #ASMSG #SupportIndieAuthors
I’ve spent the past week trying to battle a bout of exhaustion. No idea where the hell it came from, just started waking up after 3 hours sleep, and finding it impossible to go back. So, I’ve been surly, moody, and a little bit hysterical at times, but I think I’m back to normal now. Well, at least I slept well last night.
Anyways, I wanted to come on by and tell you guys about the 4th of July Book Blast some friends of mine and I are having next month. We’ll be offering our books up for FREE for one day only, so don’t miss out on your chance for some awesome reads!
As you can see, a few names from read books on the board there, a few new ones, and more to come!
I’m also looking to expand my Tweetjukebox to include some other works than my own as well, so if you would like to be added to it, and you’ve had your book reviewed on the site before with a 4 star or higher rating, I would love to put a twitter ad together like this one for you.
I know some people are afraid of twitter, but that’s no reason we can’t try to help spread the word about your books! There’s just one thing, if you would like for me to do this, you give me permission to use the twitter ad as I see fit, including using it to make a How-To-Tutorial for the technologically challenged.
All I would need from you is your cover, a shortish blurb, and a copy of your favorite review. I’ll slap them together, add them to my tweet jukebox, and you’ll start making the rounds on twitter without you having to lift one single finger.
Anyways, that’s it for today. I hope you all have a wonderful week, and a great summer!
Filed under: Support Indie Authors Tagged: musings, Riley Amos Westbrook, Support Indie Authors
#SupportIndieAuthors, Is there a Doctor in the house? edition!
Bio:
Tof Ekund is a nonbinary transgender author, parent, and professor of Creative Writing at Full Sail University. Their interests include fantasy, romance, comics, videogames and RPGs. Their work includes RPG supplement The Unconventional Dwarf, and a forthcoming videogame set in the world of Autumn Harvest.
Blurb:
Autumn Harvest: Maiden isn’t the story of the orphaned “hero of legend” who will do great deeds. It’s the story of how the promised one’s parents met, and how they faced being fated to love and die. Yelen is a large woman, a woman of color, and a Maiden of the Order, a witch, sent to backwards an patriarchal Thrycae, a nation slowly recovering from being a vassal state of the brutal High King. Yelen saves the life of a Prince and finds love, but court intrigue, supernatural horrors, morning sickness and swollen ankles all stand between her and her hopes of keeping the happiness she had found.
Twitter: @tofeklund
FB: https://www.facebook.com/ProfessorEklund
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/tofeklund
Blog: www.tofeklund.net
1. What do you do to keep your spirits up through a bad review?
While accepting and learning from criticism is essential for any author, bad reviews aren’t always learning opportunites: sometimes, your thing just isn’t a reviewer’s thing, and not all reviewers are upfront about that. I don’t try to make myself slog through harsh criticism when I’m upset: I leave it and come back when my head’s clear enough to sort out valuable feedback from “I didn’t like it.”
2. What has been your greatest inspiration for writing your story?
My family, including family of choice, is my greatest inspiration, and not merely in the sense of providing love and support. Autumn Harvest began as a short story written for my spouse, and was greatly influenced by my excitement and my fears as she was pregnant. The imperfect, unidealized experiences of our little family and of a great many friends and connections have given me the ability to engage in flights of fancy that are grounded in the real struggles of lovers and families.
3. Are there any people you feel need a shout out for supporting you?
I tend to keep my cards close to my chest as a writer, in part because I’m scribbling on them with a Sharpie, changing their pips, adding mustaches and otherwise futzing with the details to fit the overall scheme. Shira Glassman, the author of the Second Mango series, has been a huge help to me, both as a sounding board when I finally admit I need one, and as a guide to doing promotions, something she has a knack for that I lack. I also wouldn’t be here without my editors, Meagan and Amanda. All authors need editors and/or beta readers.
4. Has self-publishing taught you any lessons that you feel will help you in life?
Increasingly, the difference between being indie and having a big publisher is one of degree, not kind: no matter what, you have to be a self-starter (and “finisher,” finding a way to set and meet deadlines), and if you’re an introvert and/or prefer not to speak about yourself, you have to find a way to put yourself out there anyway. The skills I’ve needed to get books done have make me better at time and project management in every context, and helped me put myself forward not just to do things that needed doing, but also to accept credit and praise when it comes. It’s also sharpened my appreciation of quality time with family and friends, and of the time and energy other people put into their projects. Writing and getting your work out there makes a person better at life.
and last, What’s your favorite color?
I love peacock colors and jewel tones, but if I had to pick just one color? The deep purple of an eggplant’s skin.
Filed under: Riley Amos Reviews, Support Indie Authors Tagged: Support Indie Authors
June 13, 2015
Cruisin through books ’cause books make life worth livin’ with Aly #RileyAmosReviews, 6/13/2015 ARC part!
The Widow by Colette L. Saucier
I enjoyed this book. DEA agent, David Alvarez, invested four years infiltrating the ruthless Sonora Drug Cartel. He then has to protect Catherine Martinez the his main contact’s widow. The book keeps me in the story line until the very end. You want to know what happens next. * I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review* 4/5
Filed under: Riley Amos Reviews, Support Indie Authors Tagged: Book Review
Cruisin through books ’cause books make life worth livin’ with Aly #RileyAmosReviews, 6/13/2015 part 2
The Society of Imaginary Friends by Kristen Pham
I really enjoyed this book. I think this book has a lot of good points for me, suspense, drama, action, adventure, friendship, heroism and so much more. I don’t remember having an imaginary friend when I was younger so I probably did not have one. But I should’ve because we could have gotten into sooo much trouble together. This was a great book for any age. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review* 5/5
Filed under: Riley Amos Reviews, Support Indie Authors Tagged: Book Review
Cruisin through books ’cause books make life worth livin’ with Aly #RileyAmosReviews, 6/13/2015 part 1
I think this book is very different from most books in a good way. I enjoyed the author’s use of different mythologies to create a new world and another reality. This book is very fun to read and a change from the normal for me. I think you should see what you think when you are looking for something new. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review* 4/5
Filed under: Riley Amos Reviews, Support Indie Authors Tagged: Book Review
June 10, 2015
‘HELLO’ FROM AMAZON – Big Brother style review censorship
Originally posted on writerchristophfischer:
Dear Readers
A few weeks ago I woke up to this message:
Hello from Amazon.com 
We are writing to inform you that we have removed your review privileges and suppressed all of your reviews. Any new reviews written will automatically be suppressed. We took this action because you have failed to comply with our review guidelines and manipulated product reviews. For detailed information on the guidelines, please visit: http://amazon.com/help/customer-reviews-guidelines.
Surprised and curious I asked them for clarification on the matter but have had no personal reply to my appeal. Amazon removed all of the reviews I wrote: 1700 of them without discussion or ‘trial’. Eventually I received this:
Hello, 
We’ve removed Customer Reviews left by your account because it’s come to our attention that you have violated our policies by manipulating Customer Reviews. Any attempt to manipulate ratings, feedback, or Customer Reviews is prohibited.
After reviewing your account, we’ve determined…
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