Laura McNeill's Blog, page 3
March 4, 2017
Student Interviews: Teaching Effectiveness Assessment Method
With student interviews, the researcher works with the faculty member to create a list of interview questions around a question/issue/topic. The researcher then interviews individual students and asks them to respond to the themes.
According to Merriam and Tisdell (2016), “in education, if not in most applied fields, interviewing is probably the most common form of data collection in qualitative studies.” In my research areas of interest – student engagement and instructor formative feedback – I have developed specific questions which I will test and refine for my future dissertation work (I will share them below) but none of those questions, no matter how exemplary they are, will work to obtain meaningful data (or information) if the method with which I capture them is faulty.
Care must be taken to craft objective, non-leading questions, and ask those questions to students once you have addressed the subject of the research, and ensured they are comfortable with supplying you information. Researchers should attempt to maintain a polite, professional, yet friendly space, use open body language, and pay attention to the student and his or her replies (rather than typing on a laptop or scrolling through a phone). Effort must also be taken to record the replies verbatim, helps ensure the validity of the research (using a video recorder, audio recorder, etc.). Questions that only yield a yes or no answer should be avoided; open-ended questions yield more detailed answers. Follow-up questions and probes can be used to delve deeper into the student’s responses.
Prior to the interview itself, any gatekeeping and barrier (noise, language, culture, consent, etc). issues must be addressed. Once the interview is complete, field notes should include descriptions, observations, direct quotations, and observer comments (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Research Question (draft, in progress)
What factors of instructor formative feedback positively impact student engagement in online courses?
Introductory Questions
What is your name?
What is your major, and your year/level (sophomore, junior) in school?
Interview Questions (draft, in progress)
What does it mean for you to engage with course material?
How important is engagement with course material to you? Why?
How do you know you have “engaged” with course material?
Can you describe a time when you really engaged with course material?
What happens if you don’t engage with course material?
Any other thoughts about engagement that you would like to share?
Changing gears…what does the term “formative feedback” in online learning mean to you?
How does “useful and meaningful” formative feedback help you perform as a student?
Can you describe an example of “useful and meaningful” formative feedback an instructor provided you?
What, if anything, did receiving this “useful and meaningful” feedback help you accomplish in the course?
What happens if an instructor does not offer “useful and meaningful” formative feedback on an important paper or project?
Do you feel that you can ask instructors for formative feedback?
Any other thoughts about formative feedback that you would like to share
February 25, 2017
Teaching Philosphy
My teaching philosophy is drawn from constructivism (Driscoll, 2005; Ertmer & Newby, 1993), Gagne’s theory of instruction, Bandura’s self efficacy theory, and Chickering and Gamson’s Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education (1987), as well as from pedagogy and best practices of instructional design.
Constructivism
Constructivism is a theory that equates learning with creating meaning from experience (Ertmer & Newby, 1993). Constructivists contend that what we know of the world stems from the interpretation of experiences; creating meaning as opposed to acquiring it.
Learners do not transfer knowledge from the external world into memories; rather they shape a comprehension of the world based on individual experiences and human connections. According to Lee (2016), “constructivism states that learning is an active, contextualized process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it…knowledge is constructed based on personal experiences and hypotheses of the environment.”
Gagne’s Theory of Instruction
Gagne’s Theory of Instruction is a process that starts with gaining the attention of the students (Driscoll, 2005). The instructor is also responsible for assessing and implementing behavioral modifications, which can assist students in reaching their full potential. Instructors may use techniques such as encoding, chunking, and retrieval, which can be crucial to developing a student’s cognitive information processing.
Behavioral reinforcements may also be utilized, especially if they are found meaningful and motivational to the learner. Learning activities designed by an instructor should help students to problem-solve, interact in communities of other learners, provide occasions for self-study, leadership, and cooperation, as well as assist students in determining how learning is connected to their own goals and objectives.
Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory
As with any learning theory, challenges to learning exist and must be considered. Instructors can use Bandura’s self-efficacy theory to identify students lacking motivation to learn. Practices that can be implemented include approaching material in unique or innovative ways, varying the instructional presentation, building on learners’ previous experiences, providing opportunities for students to achieve goals, providing learners with some degree of control over their own instruction, using positive reinforcement, and providing learners opportunities to use and demonstrate or problem-solve with new skills or information (Driscoll, 2005).
Instructors must also pay attention to distractions in the physical environment, such as noise, heat, distractions, lighting, and time of day. Most students will benefit from an instructor addressing and solving these issues to the best of her or his ability.
Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education
Chickering and Gameson (1987), first introduced to focus on undergraduate education, is equally applicable to graduate instruction, and provides a solid conceptual framework for the goals of my teaching philosophy. Chickering and Gamson also assert that good educational practice does the following:
Encourages student-faculty contact
Encourages cooperation among students
Encourages active learning
Gives prompt feedback
Emphasizes time on task
Communicates high expectations
Respects diverse talents and ways of learning
Instructional Technology
Instructional technology is much more than the initial definition of planning, producing, selecting, utilizing, and managing learning modules and objects. Instructional design should be thought of as “the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources” (Branch, 2004).
Instructional designers have been charged with “translating principles of learning and instruction into specifications for instructional materials and activities” (Smith & Ragan, 1993). To achieve this goal, according to Ertmer and Newby, “a designer must have the ability to diagnose and analyze practical learning problems … (as well as) have an understanding the potential sources of solutions (i.e., the theories of human learning) (2013).” Designers should have an ample collection of instructional approaches available, along with the ability to discern when and why to use each, considering the demands of the task with an instructional strategy that has the highest chance of helping the learner (Ertmer & Newby, 2013).
As suggested by Warries (1990), a selection based on strong research is much more reliable than one based on “instructional phenomena.”
Teaching Philosophy
Using these educational theories and my knowledge of instructional technology, my goal is to empower learners through reasoning, critical thinking, understanding, practical use, and real-world application of knowledge.
I believe that students must be active participants in the learning process. This includes students participating during designed learning activities, but also includes taking responsibility for their own learning inside and outside of the classroom. The learner should be motivated to self-regulate learning by having some control over their own learning, setting developmentally appropriate and attainable goals, while being allowed to demonstrate and apply new knowledge. Reflective thinking should be encouraged in order to deepen the connection made between new knowledge and prior knowledge (Driscoll, 2005).
By providing a safe, positive learning environment in which students can experiment, question, and try new things, it is my hope that students will build confidence in their own abilities and begin to self-appraise and reflect on new knowledge. I will also strive to incorporate a variety of instructional technology tools that will stimulate curiosity, promote engagement, and encourage interaction with peers and the community.
Finally, it is my goal to remain a life-long learner, continuing to research, test, and utilize the latest, most interactive, and impactful instructional technology tools in order to provide an exemplary, valuable, and innovative learning experience for students.
References
Branch, R. M. (2004). Personal communication.
Chickering, A. W. & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. AAHE Bulletin, 39, 3-7.
Constructivism (2017). Learning Theories. Retrieved from https://www.learning-theories.com/con...
Driscoll, M.P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon: Pearson Education.
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50-72.
Lee, J. (2016). Constructivism. Learning Theories. Retrieved from: https://www.learning-theories.com/con...
Reiser, R. A. (2007). What field did you say you were in? In R.A. Reiser, & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (2nd ed.). Columbus Ohio: Pearson Education, Inc.
Seels, B., & Glasgow, Z. (1998). Making instructional design decisions (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Smith, P.L., & Ragan, T.J. (1993). Instructional design. New York: Macmillan.
Warries, E. (1990). Theory and the systematic design of instruction. In S. Dijkstra, B. van Hout Wolters, & P.C. van der Sijde, (Eds.), Research on instruction: Design and effects (pp. 1–19). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology.
July 1, 2016
10 Book Giveaway Winner Announcement
I am so pleased to announce the winner of our month-long giveaway of 10 fabulous books by 11 amazing authors!
The winner of the giveaway, chosen by Rafflecopter from more than 3,000 entries, will be mailed the grand prize back with ten signed novels from:
Kerry Lonsdale
Mary Kubica
Pam Jenoff
Laura Lane McNeal
Cynthia Luhrs
Kimberly Belle
Kristy Woodson Harvey
Nicole Waggoner
Karma Brown
Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
I am pleased to share that Laura Bryant from Fort Riley, Kansas is our 10 Fabulous Book Giveaway winner! Here is a recent photo of Laura and her children …
Thank you to everyone who entered! Stay tuned for news about next month’s giveaway, which will be announced after the July 4th weekend!
xo,
Laura
June 30, 2016
Author Q & A: Surprise (And 10 Author Book Giveaway)
If you could repeat one year of your life, what would you do differently? This heartwarming and hilarious novel from the authors of The Status of All Things and Your Perfect Life features three best friends who get the chance to return to the year they turned forty—the year that altered all of their lives, 
in ways big and small—and also get the opportunity to change their future.
Hometown: Liz and Lisa are both from San Diego.
How long have you been writing? We’ve both been writing stories since we could hold a crayon.
List the books you’ve written: Your Perfect Life, The Status of All Things and The Year We Turned Forty
Share the best thing a fan’s ever told you: A reader came up to us at a recent book signing for The Year We Turned Forty and had tears in her eyes. She said the book had such a profound impact on her she had to tell us in person.
Share a line from a recent Goodreads review:
“Not only are their books a literary triple threat but they are as well–fierce, fun and fabulous.”
Tell us about the book you are working on now: It’s about a wife whose husband dies while driving on The Road to Hana in Maui. Only that’s just where the story begins. Because he was supposed to be in Kansas.
Describe the book in three words: Suspenseful, twisty and layered.
8. Where can readers find you online? Everywhere. Ha!IG: @lisandliz
Twitter: @lizandlisa
FB: https://m.facebook.com/LizFentonandLi...
Snapchat: LizFenton11
9. Where can readers buy your books? Amazon or go to Lizandlisa.com to the page “our books”
Would you like to win Liz & Lisa’s book, plus 9 other fabulous novels?
Here’s the link to enter the JUNE giveaway:
xo,
Laura
June 28, 2016
Author Q & A: Karma Brown (Plus 10 Novel Giveaway!)
As a kid, this author could usually be found with her face buried in a book, or writing stories about ice-skating elephants. Now that she’s (mostly) grown up, she’s a National Magazine Award winning journalist published in a variety of places, including Canadian Family, Best 
Health, Canadian Living and Chatelaine. Her debut novel, Come Away with Me, hit shelves August 25th — and is a Globe & Mail bestseller! — and her second novel, The Choices We Make, arrives July 2016.
A former Torontonian. Karma Brown now lives nearby in the ‘burbs with her husband, daughter, and labradoodle. When not crafting copy or mulling plot lines, she is typically running, hanging out with her family, making a mess in the kitchen, and checking items off her bucket list.
Here’s the lowdown on Karma ….
Hometown: (very near) Toronto, Canada
How long you’ve been writing: As a career, 7 years. As a hobby, a heck of a lot longer.
List the books you’ve written:
Come Away with Me (out now)
The Choices We Make (July 12, 2016)
Share the best thing a fan’s ever told you:That I perfectly captured the experience of grief. It was tough to write certain scenes, and while I’m heartbroken for anyone who has endured such great loss I’m grateful to know I wrote it authentically.
Share a sentence from a recent Goodreads review:
This was one of my favorite recent reviews – succinct and simple, but satisfying: Sad. Joyful. Surprising. Lovely.
Tell us about the book you’re working on now:
I can’t say much right now (still in early days), but will say it answers this question : “What if” a woman’s whole life falls apart – and she risks losing those she loves most – because of a simple decision to stop her car and wave a teenager across the street?
Describe the book in 3 words: Remorse. Responsibility. Consequences.
Next event where you’ll be signing books or speaking?
I’ll be on a panel at the American Library Association conference in Orlando (June 27), then running workings (and probably signing a few books) at the Midwest Writers Workshop (http://www.midwestwriters.org/faculty/) in Muncie, Indiana (July 21-23).
Where can readers find you online and on social media (website & links)?
I’m addicted to Twitter (
https://twitter.com/WriterKarma
), and am also happy to connect via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WriterKarma/),
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/writerkarma/), and my website (http://karmakbrown.com/)!
Where can readers buy your books (links)?
All ‘where to buy’ retailers can be found at the bottom of my website’s book pages! ( http://karmakbrown.com/comeawaywithme/ AND http://karmakbrown.com/thechoiceswemake/ )
Would you like to win K’s book, plus 9 other fabulous novels?
Here’s the link to enter the JUNE giveaway:
xo,
Laura
June 23, 2016
Author Q & A: Nicole Waggoner (Plus 10 Novel Giveaway!)
Nicole Waggoner is author of the delightful and enjoyable Circus of Women Trilogy. Told in alternating points of view between the five friends, the first installment in the trilogy, Center Ring, is a story that I read in just under a day … a tale about modern women finding balance through action, relationships, and growth in the midst of challenges and change.
In addition to being a writer, Nicole is also a decorated teacher with 12 years’ experience teaching upper level English and Literary Criticism courses. She is proud to call her husband, Mike, and children, Noah and Maya, her biggest fans. The other loves of her life include green tea, great conversations over vino, all things theater, water and sand, women’s health, and a fanatical commitment to live her belief that love is a verb to be paid forward.
Here’s more about Nicole:
Hometown: Midland, Texas
How long you’ve been writing: I began writing when a re-location took me away from my tribe of girlfriends four years ago. The running joke about the first book is that I moved to Oklahoma and missed my girlfriends so much that I made up five imaginary friends.
List the books you’ve written: Center Ring, The Circus of Women Trilogy, Volume One (released 4/26/16) and The Act, The Circus of Women Trilogy, Volume Two (release date to be announced this summer).
Share the best thing a fan’s ever told you: This book was my bright spot during chemotherapy. I could not put it down and welcomed the distraction. Thank you for creating these ladies.
Share a sentence from a recent Goodreads review: “Nicole Waggoner hit one out of the park with her debut novel.” –Melissa Amster, Chick Lit Central
Tell us about the book you’re working on now: I am busy editing the second book in the trilogy, The Act, and writing the final volume.Describe the book in 3 words: Fast-Paced, Relatable, Romantic
Next event where you’ll be signing books or speaking? I will be kicking off my summer book events with a signing and Q&A at BookPeople in downtown Austin Texas!
Where can readers find you on social media?
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/NicoleWaggonerAuthorCircusofWomen/
Website: http://www.nicolewaggonerauthor.com/
Twitter: @NicoleCDFauthor
Instagram: nicolewaggonertheauthor
Where can readers buy your books?
My books are available in bookstores and at all online retailers, including Amazon.
Would you like to win Nicole’s book, plus 9 other fabulous novels?
Here’s the link to enter the JUNE giveaway:
xo,
Laura
June 21, 2016
Author Q & A: Surprise Guest (Plus 10-Book Giveaway!)
My surprise guest today proclaims herself a Southerner through and through, a North Carolina girl who loves all four seasons – especially fall in Chapel Hill, where she went to college (Go Tarheels!) and summer in Beaufort, where she spends every free moment.
Her first women’s fiction novel, Dear Carolina was released on May 5, 2015 and her next novel, Lies and Other Acts of Love was published April 5, 2016.
Please enjoy this video with today’s surprise guest, Kristy Woodson Harvey!
Hometown: Salisbury, NCHow long you’ve been writing: Forever! I always thought I would be a journalist and had my first newspaper column when I was 17. Writing novels wasn’t something I ever thought I would do, but my debut, Dear Carolina, was published May 5, 2015!
List the books you’ve written: Dear Carolina, Lies and Other Acts of Love
Share the best thing a fan’s ever told you: Someone emailed me yesterday and said Lies and Other Acts of Love was her favorite book she has ever read… Can’t top that!
Share a sentence from a recent Goodreads review: “Lies and Other Acts of Love is the deepest, truest book I have ever read of family loyalty, respect, and love.”
Tell us about the book you’re working on now: I’m working on a novel about three grown sisters at very different places in their lives who, for very different reasons, all end up coming home—two with children in tow—to their childhood home. It’s the first book in a series in which each of the women faces her own struggles, uncovers secrets and re-learns the true value of family. (Sorry I can’t say too much about it yet!)
Describe the book in 3 words: Powerful, family, love
Next events where you’ll be signing books or speaking: July 22: Duck’s Cottage Books, Duck, NC, 9-11 am, July 22: Manteo Book Club Lunch, 12 pm, July 22: Downtown Books, Manteo, NC, 2-5 pm
Where can readers find you online and on social media?www.kristywoodsonharvey.com
@kristywharvey (Twitter and Instagram)
Facebook: facebook.com/kristywoodsonharvey
Pinterest.com/mydesignchic
www.mydesignchic.com (My interior design blog!)
Where can readers buy your books?
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books A Million
Hudson Booksellers:
IndieBound
Powell’s
Target
Walmart
Would you like to win Kristy’s book, plus 9 other fabulous novels?
Here’s the link to enter the JUNE giveaway:
xo,
Laura
June 16, 2016
Author Q & A: Kimberly Belle (Plus 10-Book Giveaway!)
Today I welcome Kimberly Belle to my blog as part of my month-long tribute to my favorite authors and writer friends. Kimberly and I met last year at the Decatur Book Festival and were 
lucky enough to both be invited to speak on panels in Canton, Ga. at the city’s book festival last month. She’s a gem of a person, a talented author, and I’m proud to call her my friend!
Here’s more on Kimberly….
Hometown: I split my time between Atlanta and Amsterdam (the hubs is Dutch, as is a significant chunk of his business). Can I claim both?
How long you’ve been writing: I’ve been writing full time since 2007, and my first book was released in 2014. Seven years to seeing my book in print felt like forever at the time, but it’s actually pretty quick in the publishing world. But now that I’m writing full time, I can’t imagine doing anything else.
List the books you’ve written: The Last Breath, The Ones We
Trust, and The Marriage Lie (January 2017)Share the best thing a fan’s ever told you: I was invited to speak at a book club for The Last Breath, and one of the readers took me aside to show how she’d marked her copy up, flagging her favorite passages and making notes in the margins. She’d made a study of my story, and it was the best compliment she could have given me.
Share a sentence from a recent Goodreads review: This one’s for The Ones We Trust: “A Few Good Men meets Scandal in this intense drama about a military family who is seeking the truth about the death of their beloved son and brother, killed during war. Moving, poignant and intense, The Ones We Trust gave me a book hangover.”
Next event where you’ll be signing books or speaking? I’m still working on the schedule for The Marriage Lie events, but in the meantime, I’ll be at the American Library Association Conference in Orlando in June (http://2016.alaannual.org/). My events page is the best place for an updated list: http://kimberlybellebooks.com/events/.
Describe the book in 3 words: Adventurous, suspenseful, surprising.
Tell us about the book you’re working on now: It’s still untitled, but the story is about Mia Davidson, a newly divorced woman hiking the Appalachian Trail. She’s three weeks into the hike when she comes across two small children, underfed and underdressed, in the North Carolina backcountry. A verbally and physically abusive man professing to be their uncle claims them, and Mia has no choice but to let them go. But she also can’t move on, not until she knows they’re okay, and her subsequent search will lead her down a rabbit hole of trouble.
Where can readers find you on social media?
www.kimberlybellebooks.com
Goodreads
10. Where can readers buy your books?
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
iTunes
FoxTale – Such a GREAT Bookstore in Woodstock, Ga with signed copies!!!
Google Play
Would you like to win Kimberly’s book, plus 9 other fabulous novels?Here’s the link to enter the JUNE giveaway:
xo,
Laura
June 14, 2016
Author Q & A: Cynthia Luhrs (Plus 10-Book Giveaway!)
I am so happy to introduce the prolific and multi-talented Cynthia Luhrs today on my blog! I was introduced to Cynthia through my BFF super-star reader and social media guru Laura Rash, who adores Cynthia’s writing!
Not only is Cynthia a creative writer, but she has an artistic side as well, as evidenced in her gift cards and special presents to her friends and followers.
Celebrating, also today, Cynthia’s newest release, “There Was A Little Girl,” which was just been released May 27th!
Here’s the 411 on Cynthia:
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
How long you’ve been writing: 4 years
Books you’ve written (and are releasing soon!):
Forever Knight – coming 6/19
There Was A Little Girl – (JUST OUT! 5/27)
Darkest Knight
Lonely is the Knight
Knight Moves
A Knight to Remember
Beware the Woods – Children’s book
I Am NOT A Chicken – Children’s book
My Favorite Things Journal & Coloring Book for Book Lovers
Embraced by Shadow
Born in Shadow
Reborn in Shadow
Iced in Shadow
Desired by Shadow
Lost in Shadow
Share the best thing a fan’s ever told you:
That I kept her up all night because she had to find out what happened.
Share a sentence from a recent Goodreads review:
“A terrific ending for an absorbing trilogy. The final book was just as much fun to read as the two previous ones. Fantasy and fiction woven together uniquely. Cynthia Luhrs is a new favorite author mine.”
Tell us about the book you’re working on now:
First Knight. The third book in the Thornton Brothers time travel series. It’s time for Edward, the oldest brother, to find his happily ever after. Though he gets more than he bargained for when Jennifer falls through time.
Describe the book in 3 words:
Light-hearted, escapism, family
8. Where can readers find you online and on social media?
Website – http://cluhrs.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/cynthialuhrsauthor
Instagram – http://instagram.com/cynthialuhrs
Twitter – https://twitter.com/wickedgreens
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/cynluhrs/
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/CynthiaLuhrsAuthor
9. Where can readers buy your books (links)?
On my website – http://cluhrs.com/portfolio/books/
Would you like to win Cynthia’s book, plus 9 other fabulous novels?
Here’s the link to enter the JUNE giveaway:
xo,
Laura
June 8, 2016
Author Q & A: Surprise Guest (Plus a 10-Novel Giveaway)!
I’m thrilled to welcome another very talented writer to the blog today … this author from New Orleans. I was fortunate enough to meet her at the Hoover, Alabama Library (near Birmingham, Ala.) just a few months ago! We had at least half a dozen people tell 
us we look like sisters!
Let me introduce Laura Lane McNeal to everyone! Now, how can you go wrong with a name like that??
Truly, Laura’s debut novel is really lovely ~ it takes place in New Orleans. I listened to the Audible version and just adored it! I can’t wait for the next one, also set in Louisiana.
Without further ado, here’s Laura Lane McNeal ….
1. Hometown:
New Orleans, born and raised!
2. How long have you been writing?
I was in advertising for most of my career, worked a journalist and ran a magazine before taking the leap into writing fiction, a decision spurred by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that made me realize life is fleeting. Writing DOLLBABY was my way of giving back to New Orleans, of putting New Orleans back on the map even when politicians said the city shouldn’t be rebuilt.
3. List the books you’ve written:
My first novel DOLLBABY, published by Pamela Dorman Books/Viking in 2014 and the paperback by Penguin in 2015, was a 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards Top Ten Finalist in Historical Fiction, a 2015 SIBA Awards Finalist, A New York Post Must Read, an Indie Next Pick, A SIBA Okra Pick, and a Library Reads Pick, among others.
Set against the backdrop of the civil-rights era, DOLLBABY is a coming-of-age that weaves together the lives of five women who prove that family can be found where you least expect it. When Ibby Bell’s father dies the summer of 1964, her mother deposits eleven-year-old Ibby in New Orleans with her eccentric grandmother, Fannie. Her grandmother’s rundown Victorian mansion is like no place Ibby’s ever been, and Fannie like no one she’s ever met. Ibby falls under the care of Fannie’s cook, Queenie, and her outspoken daughter, Dollbaby, who initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secrets. DOLLBABY is a dazzling love letter to the Big Easy, featuring a winning young heroine and an unforgettable cast of characters.
4. Share the best thing a fan has ever told you:
As authors we sit alone behind our computers, not knowing how the world will receive our work, so when we receive compliments from readers, it makes our whole struggle seem worthwhile. Even so, I’m always humbled by a compliment. When a fan hugged me tightly and told me that DOLLBABY was a masterpiece and the best book they’d ever read, a tear came to my eye. Even now, thinking about it makes me blush. This is why we keep writing, right?
5. Share a sentence from a recent Goodreads review:
Laura Rash’s signed copy of DOLLBABY!
Goodreads is a wonderful venue for readers to check out new books! I was thrilled when the readers voted DOLLBABY as one of the Top Ten Best Historical Fiction novels of 2014! It was hard to narrow down, but this sentence resonated with me (from a male reader no less!):
Dollbaby is an absolutely spellbinding debut that is written with intelligence, warmth, humor and reverie….
6. Tell us about the book you’re working on now:
I recently completed The Wisdom Of Water, a novel set in south Louisiana in the 1920’s about two young women whose lives collide during the Great Flood of 1927. Publication date is TBD, but I hope to have it out some time in 2017.
7. Describe the book in 3 words:
Three words???? Oh my, lets see….Epic Southern Saga…. Louisiana Historical Fiction…Evangeline meets Huey Long… oh sorry that’s four words! That’s a tough one!
8. Next event where you’ll be signing books or speaking:
After two years of traveling promoting DOLLBABY I’m taking the summer off, but check my website or follow me on Facebook where I’m constantly updating my schedule!
9. Where can readers find you online and on social media?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraLaneMcNeal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/llmcneal?lang=en
Website: http://www.lauralanemcneal.com/
I’m also on Instagram as @llmcneal.
10. Where can readers buy your books?
Anywhere books are sold! But here are a few links:
My website: http://www.lauralanemcneal.com/
Indiebound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780670014736
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Dollbaby-Novel-Laura-Lane-McNeal/dp/0670014737
Powell’s: http://www.powells.com/book/dollbaby-a-novel-9780670014736
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dollbaby-laura-lane-mcneal/1117225081?ean=9780670014736
Would you like to win Laura’s book, plus 9 other fabulous novels?
Here’s the link to enter the JUNE giveaway:
xo,
Laura
