Nenia Campbell's Blog, page 31
September 7, 2014
Author Interview with The Platinum Journal!
I got to give another interview (my second this week! :O).
This one is for The Platinum Journal, which is for young adult books.
We talked about Black Beast. :D
Check it out here!
http://theplatinumjournal.com/2014/09...
This one is for The Platinum Journal, which is for young adult books.
We talked about Black Beast. :D
Check it out here!
http://theplatinumjournal.com/2014/09...
September 5, 2014
PSA: Don't Do the Cinnamon Challenge
For all of you doing--or thinking about doing--the cinnamon challenge, cinnamon contains coumarin which is toxic in high doses.
In addition to damaging the liver and kidneys, it can also hurt your throat and lungs...
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cinnamon-...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coumarin...
In addition to damaging the liver and kidneys, it can also hurt your throat and lungs...
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cinnamon-...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coumarin...
September 4, 2014
Amazon Author Profile -- I Haz One!
I didn't realize I hadn't filled out my Amazon author profile! Oops!
Now, all thirteen of my available books can be accessed here: http://www.amazon.com/Nenia-Campbell/...
TERRORSCAPE is missing because it has been banned by Amazon although I am going to devote next weekend to trying to get it unbanned. (We'll see !)
In the meantime, it can be purchased from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Now, all thirteen of my available books can be accessed here: http://www.amazon.com/Nenia-Campbell/...
TERRORSCAPE is missing because it has been banned by Amazon although I am going to devote next weekend to trying to get it unbanned. (We'll see !)
In the meantime, it can be purchased from Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
September 1, 2014
Unnaturalism -- CHAPTER 3 is LIVE!
Read it here!
http://www.wattpad.com/68789441-unnat...
And please post a comment letting me know your thoughts or suggestions. :)
http://www.wattpad.com/68789441-unnat...
And please post a comment letting me know your thoughts or suggestions. :)
August 30, 2014
Unnaturalism Fan Cover + CHAPTER 2 LIVE!
Chapter 2 of UNNATURALISM is now live on Wattpad! You can read it here!
http://www.wattpad.com/68396529-unnat...
ALSO:::
Oliver Urban made me this awesome fan cover for UNNATURAL. It's posted on Wattpad, although you can admire it here in all its glory.
He also made the awesome BLACK BEAST book trailer that is on my profile. <3
http://www.wattpad.com/68396529-unnat...
ALSO:::
Oliver Urban made me this awesome fan cover for UNNATURAL. It's posted on Wattpad, although you can admire it here in all its glory.
He also made the awesome BLACK BEAST book trailer that is on my profile. <3
August 29, 2014
BOUND TO ACCEPT Featured on Tattooed Book Review
My new BDSM romance, BOUND TO ACCEPT, is being featured on the blog, Tattooed Book Review!
Check it out!!!!
http://tattooedbookreview.com/spotlig...
Check it out!!!!
http://tattooedbookreview.com/spotlig...
New Story...FREE ON WATTPAD!
So because you guys are SO AWESOME, I'm posting the first installment of my latest series for free on Wattpad.
http://www.wattpad.com/68208591-unnat...
I'll post updates whenever I add a new chapter. I thought it would be a fun thing for you guys to read while I work on my other books. It's a little raw, since it's basically a first draft, so all feedback--good or bad--is welcome.
Here's where you can add the book on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
And here's the summary:
Piper Sloan is an eighteen-year-old pansexual college student hailing from the ultraconservative Central Valley. When she gets accepted into UC Davis, she feels like, for the first time, she is finally allowed to be herself--
--Until she gets attacked by a Russian firebird on the way to buy her girlfriend a donut.
Chasing down the bird is Marx, the brains behind the enigmatic organization, DRACO (Department for Regulation of Arcane, Chimeric Organisms), who serve as the gatekeepers to the supernatural world.
Piper soon learns that magic isn't all firebirds and unicorns. There's a dark side to it, too. A dark side that comes in the form of an evil fairy prince who's got his fingers in Sacramento.
He wants to get them into Piper, too.
http://www.wattpad.com/68208591-unnat...
I'll post updates whenever I add a new chapter. I thought it would be a fun thing for you guys to read while I work on my other books. It's a little raw, since it's basically a first draft, so all feedback--good or bad--is welcome.
Here's where you can add the book on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
And here's the summary:
Piper Sloan is an eighteen-year-old pansexual college student hailing from the ultraconservative Central Valley. When she gets accepted into UC Davis, she feels like, for the first time, she is finally allowed to be herself--
--Until she gets attacked by a Russian firebird on the way to buy her girlfriend a donut.
Chasing down the bird is Marx, the brains behind the enigmatic organization, DRACO (Department for Regulation of Arcane, Chimeric Organisms), who serve as the gatekeepers to the supernatural world.
Piper soon learns that magic isn't all firebirds and unicorns. There's a dark side to it, too. A dark side that comes in the form of an evil fairy prince who's got his fingers in Sacramento.
He wants to get them into Piper, too.
August 27, 2014
The Guardian Linked to My Review of Doodaaa!!!!
I usually check out the stats of my reviewing blog in the morning to see how my posts are faring. I noticed I had a huge spike in traffic today, so I checked out the sources of said traffic...and found out that THE GUARDIAN linked to my review in their article, THE TOP 10 FICTITIOUS BIOGRAPHIES.
Doodaaa is #9 on the list, and clicking the link takes you to my reviewing blog.
What makes this extra special (and mortifying, tbh) is that all of the other books were reviewed by professional reviewers from the Guardian and the NYT. The fact that my review was included among theirs makes me want to go hide in a corner, because my reviews are hardly professional (*flails*).
But anyway, this made my day, and I just wanted to share this with you. What an awesome day! :)
Doodaaa is #9 on the list, and clicking the link takes you to my reviewing blog.
What makes this extra special (and mortifying, tbh) is that all of the other books were reviewed by professional reviewers from the Guardian and the NYT. The fact that my review was included among theirs makes me want to go hide in a corner, because my reviews are hardly professional (*flails*).
But anyway, this made my day, and I just wanted to share this with you. What an awesome day! :)
August 25, 2014
Blogging and Reviewing as an Author
This is something that I've been thinking about a lot over the past couple weeks.
I've been on Goodreads since 2008. Before that, I used the VisualBookshelf app on Facebook. It didn't really work for me though because I read a lot of obscure or esoteric titles and many of the books I've read weren't in the database.
When I first joined Goodreads it was really small. Nobody posted gifs in their reviews, and I would see pretty much the same people over and over again, posting reviews in their specific genre.
That feels so long ago now!
I didn't really become a popular reviewer until 2011. I posted under the name Pikachu Ketchum (which is why some of my older friends still call me Pikachu), and for the first time I broke the top reviewers' list. I had a following of people who were really friendly and shared my quirky sense of humor, and respected me for always posting an honest opinion of the books I read. In late 2012 I started publishing novels under the name Nenia Campbell. I also started my modestly successful reviewing blog, The Armchair Librarian where I posted reviews of the ARCs I received, both from authors themselves and also from Netgalley.
When people take issue with me—as is inevitable on any online venue—it's usually for one of several reasons, and one of the main ones is that people think it is hypocritical of me to post reviews as an author. Which I totally get. "Your books are shit, Nenia. How dare you give that author a 1-star review! Your books are even worse!"
I don't weigh authors' books against mine when I'm reviewing. I know what I like. I like books that are well-written, that feature interesting and complicated characters. I like plots that make me think about the world in a different way, whether it's some frightening glimpse of the future or an insider's look at some under-reported subculture or a heartbreaking (or not-so-heartbreaking) love story with LGBTQIA themes. I like books, basically, that don't make me feel like I've wasted my time and my money.
I reviewed books for four years before I became a published author. A lot of the friends on my friends list are friends with me because they like my reviews. When I first started publishing, I made a promise that I would keep reviewing as I wrote books, and that I wouldn't change my reviewing methods just to ingratiate myself with others.
I won't lie and say that it's not hard. I lose friends pretty much every time I post a negative review of a popular book. Sometimes if someone doesn't agree with one of my reviews, they decide to revenge-rate all my books. Or harass me with sock puppets. I don't get nearly as much crap as some of the more popular reviewers on this site do, but I do get some, and sometimes it's crushing.
Maybe if I only posted positive reviews I wouldn't have this problem, but reviewing is such an integral part of my life. I love the feeling of reading a really good book and sharing it with others. My 1 star reviews can be harsh, but I think it's important to be honest. I love knowing that people actually trust my opinion, and know that when I give a book 5 stars it's because I genuinely loved it and not because I'm trying to buy my way into someone's good favor.
I've been on Goodreads since 2008. Before that, I used the VisualBookshelf app on Facebook. It didn't really work for me though because I read a lot of obscure or esoteric titles and many of the books I've read weren't in the database.
When I first joined Goodreads it was really small. Nobody posted gifs in their reviews, and I would see pretty much the same people over and over again, posting reviews in their specific genre.
That feels so long ago now!
I didn't really become a popular reviewer until 2011. I posted under the name Pikachu Ketchum (which is why some of my older friends still call me Pikachu), and for the first time I broke the top reviewers' list. I had a following of people who were really friendly and shared my quirky sense of humor, and respected me for always posting an honest opinion of the books I read. In late 2012 I started publishing novels under the name Nenia Campbell. I also started my modestly successful reviewing blog, The Armchair Librarian where I posted reviews of the ARCs I received, both from authors themselves and also from Netgalley.
When people take issue with me—as is inevitable on any online venue—it's usually for one of several reasons, and one of the main ones is that people think it is hypocritical of me to post reviews as an author. Which I totally get. "Your books are shit, Nenia. How dare you give that author a 1-star review! Your books are even worse!"
I don't weigh authors' books against mine when I'm reviewing. I know what I like. I like books that are well-written, that feature interesting and complicated characters. I like plots that make me think about the world in a different way, whether it's some frightening glimpse of the future or an insider's look at some under-reported subculture or a heartbreaking (or not-so-heartbreaking) love story with LGBTQIA themes. I like books, basically, that don't make me feel like I've wasted my time and my money.
I reviewed books for four years before I became a published author. A lot of the friends on my friends list are friends with me because they like my reviews. When I first started publishing, I made a promise that I would keep reviewing as I wrote books, and that I wouldn't change my reviewing methods just to ingratiate myself with others.
I won't lie and say that it's not hard. I lose friends pretty much every time I post a negative review of a popular book. Sometimes if someone doesn't agree with one of my reviews, they decide to revenge-rate all my books. Or harass me with sock puppets. I don't get nearly as much crap as some of the more popular reviewers on this site do, but I do get some, and sometimes it's crushing.
Maybe if I only posted positive reviews I wouldn't have this problem, but reviewing is such an integral part of my life. I love the feeling of reading a really good book and sharing it with others. My 1 star reviews can be harsh, but I think it's important to be honest. I love knowing that people actually trust my opinion, and know that when I give a book 5 stars it's because I genuinely loved it and not because I'm trying to buy my way into someone's good favor.
