Nenia Campbell's Blog, page 20
April 3, 2016
Unapologetic Romance Readers!
Hi guys! I started a new Goodreads group for men and women who love romance novels. I wanted to wait on posting about it until things got a little livelier, and they have! There's several active discussions going on about various tropes and concepts, and we have a buddy read planned for April 8th (Sugar Daddy).
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Additionally, there are also forums for linking to your blog and reviews, sharing pictures of book hauls, articles about romance novels and upcoming movie adaptions, and links to free Amazon Kindle romance novels!
If you love romance novels and want to connect with others who share that passion, please join us! And don't forget to post a few ideas for new buddy reads in the buddy read folder. We're looking for new blood. ;)
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Additionally, there are also forums for linking to your blog and reviews, sharing pictures of book hauls, articles about romance novels and upcoming movie adaptions, and links to free Amazon Kindle romance novels!
If you love romance novels and want to connect with others who share that passion, please join us! And don't forget to post a few ideas for new buddy reads in the buddy read folder. We're looking for new blood. ;)
March 30, 2016
Cloak and Dagger Free Thru 4/1
Book #1 of my IMA series will be free on Kindle until April 1st!
You can snag a copy here, from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009...
You can snag a copy here, from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009...
March 27, 2016
Important Note: Deleted All My Reviews
I have received a lot of messages asking where all my reviews went. It's nothing sinister, don't worry. I deleted them all myself.
I touched upon some of the reasons why in this status update I posted while I was doing the deleting, but there are three main reasons that prompted me to delete seven years' worth of reviews:
1. I'm tired of getting harassed over negative reviews.
It's exhausting, having to defend yourself against ad hominems because you said you didn't like a book. Some of the comments sections of my reviews were literally pages of insults and variations of "you're wrong." I decided I didn't want to look at them anymore. That's not why I signed up to use this site.
2. My opinion has changed a lot.
I joined this site in 2009, when I was still a teenager. I'm almost 30 now, and my taste in books has changed considerably. I have changed considerably. A lot of my reviews were no longer accurate representations of how I feel about various books and issues.
3. I wanted a fresh start.
I was never really comfortable with the fact that all my most popular reviews were all super negative. Now that I'm so busy, I'd rather focus my time and attention on books that are worth reading. Life is too short to focus on bad books. I no longer have the time or the motivation to force myself to finish books I don't enjoy.*
I'm not leaving Goodreads, and I am going to continue to review books. My old reviewing blog, The Armchair Librarian, is now private, and I'll be posting all reviews from this point on at my new blog, Readasaurus Reviews. The focus will be on romance novels and nonfiction, since those are what I enjoy most.
*Please note that this is not a criticism on negative reviews, or the people who write them. I don't think that negative reviews are a bad thing, and I don't think people should be attacked for writing negative reviews. Even if you only managed to make it through a page before calling it quits, that shouldn't render your opinion invalid. I still support negative reviewers, even - especially - the ones who review my own work. I'm just tired of dealing with the fallout from the ones I wrote myself.
P.S. Thank you so much for your support. All of you have been so amazing about understanding and encouraging my decision; it was the best possible choice for me, and I already feel so much better. So here's to good books and better times!
Nenia C.
I touched upon some of the reasons why in this status update I posted while I was doing the deleting, but there are three main reasons that prompted me to delete seven years' worth of reviews:
1. I'm tired of getting harassed over negative reviews.
It's exhausting, having to defend yourself against ad hominems because you said you didn't like a book. Some of the comments sections of my reviews were literally pages of insults and variations of "you're wrong." I decided I didn't want to look at them anymore. That's not why I signed up to use this site.
2. My opinion has changed a lot.
I joined this site in 2009, when I was still a teenager. I'm almost 30 now, and my taste in books has changed considerably. I have changed considerably. A lot of my reviews were no longer accurate representations of how I feel about various books and issues.
3. I wanted a fresh start.
I was never really comfortable with the fact that all my most popular reviews were all super negative. Now that I'm so busy, I'd rather focus my time and attention on books that are worth reading. Life is too short to focus on bad books. I no longer have the time or the motivation to force myself to finish books I don't enjoy.*
I'm not leaving Goodreads, and I am going to continue to review books. My old reviewing blog, The Armchair Librarian, is now private, and I'll be posting all reviews from this point on at my new blog, Readasaurus Reviews. The focus will be on romance novels and nonfiction, since those are what I enjoy most.
*Please note that this is not a criticism on negative reviews, or the people who write them. I don't think that negative reviews are a bad thing, and I don't think people should be attacked for writing negative reviews. Even if you only managed to make it through a page before calling it quits, that shouldn't render your opinion invalid. I still support negative reviewers, even - especially - the ones who review my own work. I'm just tired of dealing with the fallout from the ones I wrote myself.
P.S. Thank you so much for your support. All of you have been so amazing about understanding and encouraging my decision; it was the best possible choice for me, and I already feel so much better. So here's to good books and better times!
Nenia C.
March 7, 2016
25 Bookish Facts About Me
This also appears on The Armchair Librarian.
There's a meme floating around the interwebs that's about books. Obviously, I have to do this - and you should, too!
1. I learned to read when I was four years old.
2. Nonfiction is my favorite genre of book. Whenever I'm having a book funk, I can almost always bring myself out of it by reading some good pop-science books or memoirs. I love to learn!
3. Science-fiction and classic literature were almost ruined for me by a slew of really bad English teachers in high school. I came to associate the genres with humiliation, stress, and punishment.
4. The Velveteen Rabbit will always make me cry when I read it. Every time.
5. Harry Potter gained popularity in the U.S. when I was ten years old - about the same as Harry. With a book coming out pretty much every year after that, ending the year I graduated from high school at age seventeen, it really does feel like I grew up with Harry and his friends.
6. I took a Medieval Literature course in college. We read DON QUIXOTE, and the 900-page tome ended up becoming the first required reading that I actually loved in an English class.
7. My love for READY PLAYER ONE is rivaled only by the crushing disappointment I felt after reading Cline's follow-up, ARMADA.
8. The more I like a book, the less I want to see the film adaption.
9. I spent a summer volunteering in a program for kids with reading disabilities. It was really great to help the kids overcome their shyness and discover how great books can be.
10. For two years, I volunteered at my library, and if you think used car salesmen drive aggressive sales pitches, you should have seen me sell those books to the poor patrons who came into the library looking for one thing and ended up leaving with giant stacks of Nenia-approved books instead.
11. I keep telling myself that I ought to join a book club, but I have yet to find one that I really like.
12. My favorite fantasy novel is a toss-up between THE LAST UNICORN and FIRE AND HEMLOCK. One is a beautiful story about a unicorn who goes on to save the rest of her kind, the other is a retelling of the ballad of Tam Lin.
13. I think Anne Bronte is way more talented than either Charlotte or Emily, and it kills me inside that she is the most underrated of the three.
14. I have a soft spot for books that have a low rating on Goodreads. Titles I'm interested in go on my low-rated-books-i-want-to-adopt shelf. If I read a title that has a rating below 3.5 and end up giving it 4 or 5 stars, it goes on my everyone-hates-it-but-nenia shelf. I've had to remove a few of these books from said shelf because their average ratings later spiked. I like to think that this is because of me. ;)
15. I collect vintage out-of-print historical romances and bodice rippers. I'll keep the ones with the prettiest covers or the wildest stories, but usually I end up giving them away as gag gifts.
16. I rarely re-read books. Usually I read a book once and then either delete it from my e-reader if it's an e-book or donate it to the library or one of the local schools if it's a hard copy.
17. I actually like getting feedback from the authors or publishers, as long as they're chill. It can be nice to know that your opinion has been heard, and you're not just reviewing at a brick wall.
18. The book genres I tend to like the least are NA and erotica. I've found a couple good books within those genres, but most of them are the polar opposites of what I want out of a book. If anyone knows of any good BDSM erotica or good new adult, please let me know. :)
19. I love the idea of leaving books behind on buses or on dining tables for strangers to pick up.
20. I know lots of random book trivia. Like - did you know that Roald Dahl (author of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and THE WITCHES) did the screenplay for the Bond film You Only Live Twice?
21. I've been liking YA less and less, and I'm not sure whether that's due to changes in what's being published or the fact that I'm getting older or some combination of the two.
22. It really annoys me when a character in a novel - usually female - is characterized solely by her love of books. Readers tend to be fascinatingly complex people, and it's insulting to portray us with such a lack of depth.
23. I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings. Mercedes Lackey, Sheri S. Teper, Tanith Lee, and Joan D. Vinge have authored some of my favorites. Look those ladies up - you'll thank me later.
24. Even though I'm iffy about science-fiction, I always get super excited when I find a space opera book/series authored by a woman. Traditionally, science-fiction has been a genre dominated by men, so it's cool finding another geeky lady who loves the genre so much she decided to write one, too.
25. I relate to Felicia Day's YOU'RE NEVER WEIRD ON THE INTERNET and Allie Brosh's HYPERBOLE AND A HALF on a spiritual level. Combine these two books, and you get a fairly close approximation of what I am like as an individual.
There's a meme floating around the interwebs that's about books. Obviously, I have to do this - and you should, too!
1. I learned to read when I was four years old.
2. Nonfiction is my favorite genre of book. Whenever I'm having a book funk, I can almost always bring myself out of it by reading some good pop-science books or memoirs. I love to learn!
3. Science-fiction and classic literature were almost ruined for me by a slew of really bad English teachers in high school. I came to associate the genres with humiliation, stress, and punishment.
4. The Velveteen Rabbit will always make me cry when I read it. Every time.
5. Harry Potter gained popularity in the U.S. when I was ten years old - about the same as Harry. With a book coming out pretty much every year after that, ending the year I graduated from high school at age seventeen, it really does feel like I grew up with Harry and his friends.
6. I took a Medieval Literature course in college. We read DON QUIXOTE, and the 900-page tome ended up becoming the first required reading that I actually loved in an English class.
7. My love for READY PLAYER ONE is rivaled only by the crushing disappointment I felt after reading Cline's follow-up, ARMADA.
8. The more I like a book, the less I want to see the film adaption.
9. I spent a summer volunteering in a program for kids with reading disabilities. It was really great to help the kids overcome their shyness and discover how great books can be.
10. For two years, I volunteered at my library, and if you think used car salesmen drive aggressive sales pitches, you should have seen me sell those books to the poor patrons who came into the library looking for one thing and ended up leaving with giant stacks of Nenia-approved books instead.
11. I keep telling myself that I ought to join a book club, but I have yet to find one that I really like.
12. My favorite fantasy novel is a toss-up between THE LAST UNICORN and FIRE AND HEMLOCK. One is a beautiful story about a unicorn who goes on to save the rest of her kind, the other is a retelling of the ballad of Tam Lin.
13. I think Anne Bronte is way more talented than either Charlotte or Emily, and it kills me inside that she is the most underrated of the three.
14. I have a soft spot for books that have a low rating on Goodreads. Titles I'm interested in go on my low-rated-books-i-want-to-adopt shelf. If I read a title that has a rating below 3.5 and end up giving it 4 or 5 stars, it goes on my everyone-hates-it-but-nenia shelf. I've had to remove a few of these books from said shelf because their average ratings later spiked. I like to think that this is because of me. ;)
15. I collect vintage out-of-print historical romances and bodice rippers. I'll keep the ones with the prettiest covers or the wildest stories, but usually I end up giving them away as gag gifts.
16. I rarely re-read books. Usually I read a book once and then either delete it from my e-reader if it's an e-book or donate it to the library or one of the local schools if it's a hard copy.
17. I actually like getting feedback from the authors or publishers, as long as they're chill. It can be nice to know that your opinion has been heard, and you're not just reviewing at a brick wall.
18. The book genres I tend to like the least are NA and erotica. I've found a couple good books within those genres, but most of them are the polar opposites of what I want out of a book. If anyone knows of any good BDSM erotica or good new adult, please let me know. :)
19. I love the idea of leaving books behind on buses or on dining tables for strangers to pick up.
20. I know lots of random book trivia. Like - did you know that Roald Dahl (author of CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and THE WITCHES) did the screenplay for the Bond film You Only Live Twice?
21. I've been liking YA less and less, and I'm not sure whether that's due to changes in what's being published or the fact that I'm getting older or some combination of the two.
22. It really annoys me when a character in a novel - usually female - is characterized solely by her love of books. Readers tend to be fascinatingly complex people, and it's insulting to portray us with such a lack of depth.
23. I'm a sucker for fairytale retellings. Mercedes Lackey, Sheri S. Teper, Tanith Lee, and Joan D. Vinge have authored some of my favorites. Look those ladies up - you'll thank me later.
24. Even though I'm iffy about science-fiction, I always get super excited when I find a space opera book/series authored by a woman. Traditionally, science-fiction has been a genre dominated by men, so it's cool finding another geeky lady who loves the genre so much she decided to write one, too.
25. I relate to Felicia Day's YOU'RE NEVER WEIRD ON THE INTERNET and Allie Brosh's HYPERBOLE AND A HALF on a spiritual level. Combine these two books, and you get a fairly close approximation of what I am like as an individual.
February 21, 2016
Good News, Everyone!
I've been trying to reformat my books so they are available in more formats (you know, in my copious free time)!
Anyway, I got WITCHFIRE and DEADLY GAMES up on Barnes and Noble! You can now download them on the Nook!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Ne...
These two books are anthologies: each one contains three books bundled together.
WITCHFIRE contains:
-Black Beast
-Touched with Sight
-Crowned by Fire
DEADLY GAMES contains:
-Fearscape
-Horrorscape
-Terrorscape
I'll try to get some others up, as well. But I thought two wasn't bad for a start! Plus, if you buy them bundled like this, you save a bit of money, so there's that! ;)
Anyway, I got WITCHFIRE and DEADLY GAMES up on Barnes and Noble! You can now download them on the Nook!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Ne...
These two books are anthologies: each one contains three books bundled together.
WITCHFIRE contains:
-Black Beast
-Touched with Sight
-Crowned by Fire
DEADLY GAMES contains:
-Fearscape
-Horrorscape
-Terrorscape
I'll try to get some others up, as well. But I thought two wasn't bad for a start! Plus, if you buy them bundled like this, you save a bit of money, so there's that! ;)
February 20, 2016
Black Beast Broke 200 Ratings!
ohhhhmyyyyygooood guess what? BLACK BEAST broke 200 ratings today! That is so amazing - you guys are so awesome. This is the best way to wake up EVER.
Thank you so much for reading my books! Every rating, every review, every casual mention - they all make my day. x I'll have to think of something fun I can do to celebrate this. Maybeee a giveaway on my Facebook page? We'll see! Stay tuned for details. :)
OH - and THANK YOUUUUU! <3333
Thank you so much for reading my books! Every rating, every review, every casual mention - they all make my day. x I'll have to think of something fun I can do to celebrate this. Maybeee a giveaway on my Facebook page? We'll see! Stay tuned for details. :)
OH - and THANK YOUUUUU! <3333
February 8, 2016
I found a story I wrote when I was nine y.o.
SO I'm looking through my old blog (it's over ten years old, so yeah, it's OLD), just so I know what's on there. I'm finding all kinds of fanart and banners, charpics, and some hilarity that I posted randomly.
One of these is an excerpt from a story I wrote when I was nine. It's called "Watch Out for the Purpel [Sic] Goo."
Also:
-I gave myself my own publishing company: "butterfly books" (and this is a horror novel).
-the dedication reads: "dedicate to mom and dad for their anniversery [sic]"
-I also included a blurb: "Will Anna get help before it's too late?" (you used it's correctly! go nine-year-old me!)
---
Hello my name is Anna if you live in the forest it is as bad as it gets let me tell you my story. "Do we have to live here?" I complained.
It was saturday in rain town woods it looked like the groud was soggy cornflakes. my brother ran out fo the van, probably looking for worms my brother's name is kale it sounds like kill. I call him nerd breath which realy makes him mad. I went in the house. My dresser was put in its spot. I put away my clothes yuck the floor was all wet probably decomposing I thought. Then I took a tour of the house it was all wet.
"It's like this whloe house is rotting" I heard kale say. The floor creaked and smelled of mold "I'm going to hurl" I whispered to my self. "Anna lunch time" I heard my mom call. I raced downstairs. My mom said "For lunch we're having Liver wrust anna is that all right?" my stomach churrned, my face turned green, quickly I said I'm not hungry. "Gee this place sucks I guess I'll write in my diary.
Dear diary I hate this place I miss my friends and our old house.
I shut it, looked out side and saw a purple pond.
A purple pond?! I began to get exited and scared. I told my mom about it she said "Why don't you check it out you barely go out." So I went out into the forest It was hot and steamy I began to sweat. Leaves were all over the soggy ground moldy trees covered the area. I began to wonder what animals lived here but that thought left my mind when I saw the purple pond for a minute I was scared but then I realized some one probably dyed it purple. I put a life in knowing it would float, but it didn't it was being sucked inside the purple goo. I thought I saw some eyes and a mouth but I didn't stick around to find out I ran out of the woods.
I raced into the door into my safe cold room. Breathing hard I closed my eyes and layed on my bed. After a while I looked out my window again it was raining I looked and saw the purple pond there was a secret hidden by the pond little did I know that I would soon find out what it was.
---
I'm pretty sure this is a rip-off of like 90 R.L. Stine stories. But it's not horrible for a kid LOL.
One of these is an excerpt from a story I wrote when I was nine. It's called "Watch Out for the Purpel [Sic] Goo."
Also:
-I gave myself my own publishing company: "butterfly books" (and this is a horror novel).
-the dedication reads: "dedicate to mom and dad for their anniversery [sic]"
-I also included a blurb: "Will Anna get help before it's too late?" (you used it's correctly! go nine-year-old me!)
---
Hello my name is Anna if you live in the forest it is as bad as it gets let me tell you my story. "Do we have to live here?" I complained.
It was saturday in rain town woods it looked like the groud was soggy cornflakes. my brother ran out fo the van, probably looking for worms my brother's name is kale it sounds like kill. I call him nerd breath which realy makes him mad. I went in the house. My dresser was put in its spot. I put away my clothes yuck the floor was all wet probably decomposing I thought. Then I took a tour of the house it was all wet.
"It's like this whloe house is rotting" I heard kale say. The floor creaked and smelled of mold "I'm going to hurl" I whispered to my self. "Anna lunch time" I heard my mom call. I raced downstairs. My mom said "For lunch we're having Liver wrust anna is that all right?" my stomach churrned, my face turned green, quickly I said I'm not hungry. "Gee this place sucks I guess I'll write in my diary.
Dear diary I hate this place I miss my friends and our old house.
I shut it, looked out side and saw a purple pond.
A purple pond?! I began to get exited and scared. I told my mom about it she said "Why don't you check it out you barely go out." So I went out into the forest It was hot and steamy I began to sweat. Leaves were all over the soggy ground moldy trees covered the area. I began to wonder what animals lived here but that thought left my mind when I saw the purple pond for a minute I was scared but then I realized some one probably dyed it purple. I put a life in knowing it would float, but it didn't it was being sucked inside the purple goo. I thought I saw some eyes and a mouth but I didn't stick around to find out I ran out of the woods.
I raced into the door into my safe cold room. Breathing hard I closed my eyes and layed on my bed. After a while I looked out my window again it was raining I looked and saw the purple pond there was a secret hidden by the pond little did I know that I would soon find out what it was.
---
I'm pretty sure this is a rip-off of like 90 R.L. Stine stories. But it's not horrible for a kid LOL.
January 31, 2016
Thank You to Everyone Who Bought My Books in January
Since today is the last day of the month, I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who bought one of my books in January. I am always so, so grateful to my readers for everything they have done but this month was more special than most because with your purchases, you helped me pay for both college and textbooks! ;)
So thank you for that, and for being a fan, and for being yourselves, and for just being amazing in general.
Love,
Nenia ♥
So thank you for that, and for being a fan, and for being yourselves, and for just being amazing in general.
Love,
Nenia ♥
January 16, 2016
Free Book Promotion : BLACK BEAST
Reader reception of my books this month has been absolutely AMAZING. My books broke several milestones, and readership has been increasing, and things have just generally been amazing - so to thank you all, I'm doing a promotion of BLACK BEAST on my Facebook fan page.
All you have to do is 'like' this status, or leave a comment on it, and I will give you an ebook of BLACK BEAST (I have MOBI or EPUB):
https://www.facebook.com/aficionenias...
Thank you so much for your encouragement and enthusiasm. ♥
All you have to do is 'like' this status, or leave a comment on it, and I will give you an ebook of BLACK BEAST (I have MOBI or EPUB):
https://www.facebook.com/aficionenias...
Thank you so much for your encouragement and enthusiasm. ♥
January 15, 2016
Horrorscape Broke 1,000 Ratings!!
This happened yesterday!
Thank you so much for reading my stuff, you guys. :)
Thank you so much for reading my stuff, you guys. :)
