Alleece Balts's Blog, page 3

Booktube Review by Brigitte Cormier

I’m a big fan of Brigitte Cormier’s Booktube Channel on YouTube. Brigitte always has great recommendations and even though she has 3,300+ subscribers, she just seems like such a down-to-earth girl next door – someone you could totally go have coffee with! And how adorable is this girl?! Seriously.

So a few weeks back, I sent her an email (honestly, not really anticipating a reply). Well, not only did she reply, she did a lovely review!! Brigitte was so sweet to correspond with, and I smiled so hard watching her review that my face hurts!! Check it out here and go show Brigitte some love in the comments!!

Review from Reading Is My SuperPower

I’m honored that Carrie from Reading Is My SuperPower read my book! I loved her wonderful, candid review!

Do you agree with what she said? If you’ve read The Crowd or plan to read it, please share your reactions and opinions in the comments section on her blog!! And be sure to enter the GIVEAWAY!

“In Alleece Balts’ debut novel, the topic of bullying is handled honestly and realistically, but it’s not left to be just another story about teen angst. It’s one of those books that takes you by surprise more than once… I think this would be a great book for teen and young adult readers to choose for book clubs as many scenes and characters provide excellent topics for discussions!”

Looking for some more great reads? Be sure to stop by Carrie’s site!! She has so many fantastic recommendations!

Beach Reads in August Giveaway

I’m so excited to announce that The Crowd is a part of Rockin’ Book Reviews‘ Beach Reads in August Giveaway.

The giveaway runs from August 1st to August 14th, so head over to the blog and enter the giveaway for your chance to win a free copy!

 

Author Interview

Today I joined Kasey Giard from The Story Sanctuary for an interview to share a little about my inspiration for writing The Crowd, and things to look forward to in the upcoming sequel, The Journey.

You can find the interview here – where we talk bullying, character quirks, favorite scenes, and more – and be sure to check out her blog for other great YA recommendations!

 

Review from Seeking With All Yur Heart

Does it make me a bad person if I love hearing that The Crowd is keeping people awake at night?

Check out this review from Lisa & Cleve Johnson at Seeking With All Yur Heart and be sure to stop by Lisa’s blog for some more clean reads!! Whether you agree with the review or not, I’d love if you to share your reactions and opinions in the comments section on the blog!!

Review from Seeking With All Your Heart

Does it make me a bad person if I love hearing that The Crowd is keeping people awake at night?

Check out this review from Lisa & Cleve Johnson at Seeking With All Your Heart and be sure to stop by Lisa’s blog for some more clean reads!! Whether you agree with the review or not, I’d love if you to share your reactions and opinions in the comments section on the blog!!

Review from The Story Sanctuary

Wow! I’m so blown away that Kasey Giard from The Story Sanctuary reviewed my book!!

Do you agree with what she said? If you’ve read The Crowd or plan to read it, please check out her blog. I’d love if you to share your reactions and opinions in the comments section on her blog!!

Whether you agree with her review or not, if you ARE a teenager, or HAVE teenagers, or KNOW a teenager, check out her blog! As a parent myself, I admire the time she takes to put together reviews and assist families in finding books that are not only great reads, but also age-appropriate material.

Herald Journal Interview

I had a really engaging interview with the Herald Journal last week to talk about “The Crowd” and help promote three upcoming writers workshops I’m hosting Tuesday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. this month at the Cokato Public Library. Events are free and open to all teens and adults.

• June 14 – This session will focus on general writing, including characters, setting, and showing versus telling.

• June 21 – Editing and its importance will be addressed in this session.

• June 28 – Participants will learn about the process of self-publishing and promotion.

 

The article can be found online here!

Writer’s Workshop Coming Up!

Coming up in June, I’ll be hosting a three-week Writer’s Workshop at the Cokato Public Library in Cokato, MN. Join me Tuesday, June 14th, 21st, and 28th from 6:00-8:00pm.

The first week will deal with the topic of general writing, including characters, setting, and showing vs. telling in a story. The second week will deal with editing, and the third week will cover the process of self-publishing and promotion. This event is free for the public, but registration is encouraged!

For more information, please visit the library website!

 

Random Acts of Kindness Day!

One of the best days of the year is here! February 17th is National Random Acts of Kindness Day!

Kindness is a major topic in The Crowd, and it’s something anyone can do. You really can’t fail at being kind, and very often being kind doesn’t cost a thing!

Need some ideas? Here are 15 random acts of kindness. Share something kind you did today! I’d love to hear your best random acts!

Clean someone’s windshield
Send dessert to another table at the restaurant
Offer to carry someone’s groceries to their car
Pick up the tab for the person behind you at the drive-thru
Buy flowers for the cashier at the grocery store
Let someone get ahead of you in line
Babysit (or dog or catsit) for free
Invite someone who is alone over for dinner
Put up anonymous, happy sticky notes for strangers to find
Compliment a work colleague for their excellence (bonus points for telling their boss)
Share your secret recipe with a friend
Buy some extra groceries for the local food bank
Donate one of your favorite possessions
Leave a nice server the biggest tip you can afford
Tweet, text, or Facebook message a genuine compliment to five people RIGHT NOW!