Tonya Duncan Ellis's Blog, page 18

Day One Update: The Snitch Blog Tour

I finished my first Sophie Washington: The Snitch blog tour interview today with Rogue’s Angels! They asked plenty of interesting questions about how I came up with the idea for my book and what led me to become a writer. Check out the full interview here:

http://roguesangels.blogspot.com

Tomorrow it’s on to This and That Blog where I share more about my books and some of my favorite things at:

http://thisandthatbookblog.blogspot.com

Hope to see you there!

@GoddessFish @RoguesAngels

 

 

Read More Books In 2018

One of my New Year’s Resolutions for 2018 is to read 50 books. A study I read recently said the average American woman reads 14 books a year and the average American man reads nine, so I’ll be breaking charts if I make my goal. I love to read and usually don’t have a problem fitting it into my busy schedule. If you’d like some tips on how to up your reading game in 2018 here’s a list I put together that may help.

Turn off the TV – This one is obvious, but think about it, if you binge read as many book series as you binge watch shows on Netflix think how many books you would have completed by year end?

Bring books with you everywhere – I read from my phone a lot so this is pretty easy for me because I don’t leave home without it. Held up in a waiting room or stuck at one of my kids’ many practices? No problem. I always have a good book to keep me company. Before I got digital I carried a book or some other reading material in my purse or glove compartment, always.

Get audio books – I subscribed to Audible audio book service a week ago and have already finished two books during commutes. Be entertained by good literature, or listen to knowledge being dropped from nonfiction experts when you are stuck in traffic instead of sitting there bored or irritated.

Read when you workout – This only works if you use an exercise bike or walk slowly on a treadmill when actually reading text on your own, but you can use audio books if you’re running or lifting weights.

Join a book club – I’m a member of a book club with a group of friends. We meet once a month, eat and drink, and sometimes have detailed talks about our books. Even if the discussions veer off course I’m often exposed to books I might not have picked up otherwise and I always have a good time.

Read in the car – I definitely don’t recommend reading and driving, but when you’re a passenger a great way to while away the time is to read. It takes a half an hour to get anywhere in the city I live in and I’ve finished several books each summer just by reading books when not in the driver’s seat, and I make sure my kids read when we’re in the car for long periods too.

Hope these suggestions help and Happy Reading!

Sophie Washington: The Snitch is Going on a Blog Tour!

Sophie Washington’s got a secret…and it will be revealed in her first ever virtual blog tour! From January 22 to February 16 Sophie Washington: The Snitch will be featured on book blog sites around the globe.

Exclusive interviews and blog posts will give details about the book and how it came to be. And lucky visitors and hosts will win Amazon gift cards and information on how to get review copies of my upcoming book, Sophie Washington: Hurricane.

Join in on the tour at the following blog spots. Hope to see you there!

Tour Schedule

January 22: Rogue’s Angels

http://roguesangels.blogspot.com

January 23: This and That Blog

http://thisandthatbookblog.blogspot.com

January 24: The Reading Addict

http://thereadingaddict-elf.blogspot.com/

January 25: Books in the Hall

http://www.booksinthehall.blogspot.com

January 26: Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews

http://lisahaseltonsreviewsandinterviews.blogspot.com

January 29: Fabulous and Brunette

http://fabulousandbrunette.blogspot.com/

January 30: T’s Stuff

http://teresanoel.blogspot.com/

January 31: Reviews by Crystal

http://reviewsbycacb.blogspot.com

February 1: Notes From a Romantic’s Heart – review

February 2: Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!

https://archaeolibrarianologist.blogspot.de/

February 5: The Avid Reader

http://the-avidreader.blogspot.com

February 6: Two Crazy Ladies Love Romance – review

February 7: BooksChatter

https://bookschatter.blogspot.co.uk

February 8: Mixed Book Bag

http://mixedbookbag.blogspot.com

February  9: Lampshade Reader

https://lampshadereader.com/

February 12: Up ‘Til Dawn Book Bag

http://uptildawnbookblog.blogspot.com

February 13: Locks, Hooks and Books – review

http://amybooksy.blogspot.com/

February 14: Kit ‘N Kabookle

http://kitnkabookle.blogspot.com

February 15: Hope, Dreams, Life…Love

http://www.elainepcantrell.blogspot.com

February 16: Long and Short Reviews YA

http://www.longandshortreviewsya.com

 

Sophie Washington in Houston Chronicle

I’m excited to have my upcoming book Sophie Washington: Hurricane featured in today’s Houston Chronicle newspaper in an article highlighting children’s books about “Girl Power.” Empowering girls in particular wasn’t my focus in writing my series. But I’ll take it! The four (soon to be five) book series presents a lovable and flawed, but strong, main character, who encourages girls and boys to achieve, stand up for themselves and feel comfortable in their own skin, while they are being entertained with her many antics. Thanks again to writer Joy Sewing for including me in your fabulous piece with the ranks of author’s like the former first daughter, Chelsea Clinton, Vashti Harrison, Sarah Parvis, and photographer Kate T. Parker. I am humbled and thrilled!

 

 

Deck the Halls

Christmas is just 10 days away. The decorations are up and those last minute gifts are being checked off the list. Wrapping presents for my children recently reminded me of one of my favorite gifts growing up. A pair of white roller skates. They had purple trim and laces and purple pom poms on the front. I had hours of fun gliding on the sidewalk in front of our house in those skates and showing off my backward skating skills in them at the local roller rink. That gift gave me great joy and I hope to pass that feeling along with all the holiday presents I give. What was your favorite Christmas gift?

Sophie Washington Autographed Value Packs!

I’ve added $30 Sophie Washington Autographed Four-Book Value Packs to my website, allowing visitors to purchase gifts via PayPal, debit or credit cards on the site. Individually, the books are $7.99 and $8.99 so this is a great value for those holiday gifts. The link to buy the autographed books can be found under the Contact tab at my website at www.tonyaellisbooks.com. Happy Shopping!

Reviewer Promotion Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Sophie Washington reviewer promotion! Winners in the drawing will receive $50, $25 and $10 Amazon gift cards.

First Place – Maine Caulfield

Second Place – Barbara Senteney

Third Place – Sandra Crane

Thanks for taking time out to review my books!

Sienna Plantation Holiday Market 2017

Upcoming Event, Saturday Dec. 2

Join me this Saturday, December 2, 2017 at Sienna Plantation’s Community Farmer’s first annual Holiday Market from 9am to 3 pm at 9600 Scanlan Trace. Over 80 vendors will be on hand offering unique holiday gifts. I’ll be selling Sophie Washington stocking stuffer book gift packs. Hope to see you there!

Black Friday Promotion/Chance to Win $50, $25 or $10 Amazon Gift Cards!

Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving with family and friends! Now that the holiday season is in full swing, I’m offering a Sophie Washington Black Friday holiday promotion for readers.

Post a review of any of the Sophie Washington books you’ve read on Amazon and Goodreads and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a first place $50 Amazon gift card, a second place $25 Amazon gift card or a third place $10 Amazon gift card!

Reviews must be posted between now and December 6, 2017. The three prize winners will be announced and mailed in the following week so winners can use them for holiday shopping.

Post reviews of all the Sophie Washington books you’ve read, as you’ll be entered for each review you write. Reviewers who previously participated in my Goodreads giveaways will be included in the drawing.

Your support really does make a difference, and I value your feedback. If you’d like to leave a review, please use the Amazon links below and click on the box Write A Review to leave your rating and comments. Type Tonya Duncan Ellis in the search bar on www.goodreads.com to post reviews to my books on that site.

Queen of the Bee 

https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/145751754X/ref=acr_search_see_all?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

The Snitch 

https://www.amazon.com/Sophie-Washington-Snitch-Tonya-Ellis/dp/1457526492/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509910696&sr=8-1&keywords=sophie+washington+the+snitch

Things You Didn’t Know About Sophie

https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/1457557096/ref=acr_search_see_all?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

The Gamer

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...

Thanks again for your support of my work and Happy Reading!