Jessica Samuelsen's Blog, page 30

Sunday Post – September 11

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at the  Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

Not much going on here. I am on a juice fast for health reasons, so I am really hungry! Not really juicing is not so bad and its good to cleanse. I’ve been a bad girl eating too much sugar so it’s time to take a break and reset.

This Week In Review – 

This week Feature and Follow was have you ever not liked a book to change your mind later.

This week’s discussion was about building your social media following.

Coming Up – 

Reviews – 

Blog Tours – 

Giveaways – 

Question of the Week – What is your favorite pumpkin treat?

I don’t usually like pumpkin, but I made these pumpkin cupcakes with butterscotch frosting that were amazing.

Have a great week!

Friday Coffee & Bookish Speaks – Building your Social Media Following

This week I’m switching to tea while I am on a juice fast. I am drinking Red Lavender tea. It’s so yummy!

What are you drinking?

Last week I talked about tips for building your book blog. I said I would talk this week on building your social  media, so here we go!

I fell like building social media was very simple though took some investment of time and money.

The biggest builder of my social media numbers is doing giveaways. Doing giveaways and having people follow you via social media is my biggest builder of numbers.  I usually do giveaways with Bookhounds. Go check her out and look under her giveaway tab.

The next way to building your following is to just simply follow other people. More often than not people are likely to follow you back.

The last thing I am going to say about social media is tag authors whenever possible. Don’t be spammers or stalkers, but if you have written a review for an author’s book tag them on twitter or wherever else possible. They usually love it. I recommend doing this especially if it is a raving review. My policy is to tag any author that I give a 5 pearls to.

That’s my simple advice for social media do giveaways, follow other people, tag authors.

How do you build your social media?

Feature & Follow -Have you ever disliked about a book only to later change?

Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can read. 

Have you ever disliked or felt “meh” about a book only to later change your mind and love it?

I’m pretty set about whether I like a book or not. I don’t usually change my mind after the fact.

There are times where I’m in between liking a book and not and figure it out after I thought about if for awhile.

How about you?

Instagram follow would be appreciated.

 

Review – Confessions of a Wedding Planner by Michelle Jo Quinn

Confessions of a Wedding Planner (Bliss Series Book 1) by Michelle Jo Quinn
Published by Author on July 26, 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 212
Source: Xpresso Book Tours

I received this book for free from Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Goodreads
Amazon

He may be the best man, but he’s the worst man for her…

Wedding planner, Veronica Soto-Stewart believes everyone deserves a fairy tale–even her ex-boyfriend. Unable to refuse his request, and with the help of Bliss Events motley crew, she finds herself creating the most magical event for the perfect couple.

But nothing is ever perfect…

And not all happy ever afters can be planned…

Levi Laurent can’t believe his luck. Thanks to his best friend’s wedding, he finally has a shot at the woman he’s always wanted–Veronica. From San Francisco to Paris, and back, he pulls out all the stops, so she knows where she really belongs–with him. But Veronica wants nothing to do with the rich, sexy, irresistible playboy.

Can Levi convince Veronica that her perfect happily ever after is closer than she ever realized?

Veronica is a wedding planner and she is faced with the most daunting task planning her ex’s wedding. He left her for the woman he is going to marry. She agrees to do the wedding because she wants him to have is happily ever after even if it is not to her. While she is planning the wedding she keeps running into rich playboy Levi. Adamant to not be another of his conquests she sets to avoid him which will be hard to do because Levi has eyes only for her. Will Levi win her heart while she plans the wedding for the man she still pines for?

In an Oyster Shell – It was a cute story, though I found myself to get quite frustrated with the main character.

The Pearls – The story and concept were really cute. I liked the idea behind this book and am considering reading more books in the series.

There was a great cast of characters save the main character which I will say more about. The setting was nice, set partly in Paris.

The writing was really well done. The craftsmanship was good.

The Sand –  I was often frustrated with the main character. The conflict of this story mainly came from her bad decisions. At first, I thought the character was just naive´, then I was considering the character to be assuming and selfish. Not a character I enjoyed at times.

The concept of the story was a little far-fetched. Planning the wedding of the man who dumped you for his soon to be bride. I don’t see that working in the real world.

3 pearls

About Michelle Jo Quinn

Michelle ‘s love for writing blossomed when her father gave her a diary. However, instead of recounting her daily life, she wrote stories of fictional people. Like most of her characters, she believes in Happily Ever After. Naturally, she finds harmony in writing romance.

An unabashed, self-proclaimed foodie, Michelle loves to try new food whenever she travels. She once had triple crème Brie and duck rillette for lunch on top of Grouse Mountain.

Michelle is an active member of RWA and several of its chapters. She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two kids.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Review – Zero by Morgan Dark

Zero by Morgan Dark
on June 28th 2016
Genres: YA, Mystery
Pages: 378
Source: Publisher

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Goodreads
Amazon

A baffling robber.A mystery hidden for years.And an elite boarding school where no one is who they say they are.Kyle Bradford is the envy of Drayton College, but everything takes a turn when a dangerous shadow, hidden in the darkness, starts to stalk him. From then on, his life falls apart. Unjustly accused of being the main suspect behind the robberies terrifying high society, he is forced to prove his innocence. And to do so, he has to find the real culprit: Zero, an infallible criminal who keeps his identity hidden under a silver mask. What Kyle does not know is that his enemy is keeping a secret. A secret he would sacrifice everything for.A dizzying, heart-stopping thriller you won’t be able to put down.

Kyle Bradford has it all, except his parents. He is the adopted son and heir to a wealthy woman who took him in after a terrible accident killed his parents. All is going well as he is going to the highly esteemed boarding school Drayton. That is until Zero assumes his identity and tries to frame him for all his crimes. Kyle must find out the truth about Zero before he ends up taking the blame for the million dollars of items that have been stolen.

In an Oyster Shell –  This book was a fun mystery that had some very unexpected twists. I recommend it.

The Pearls – The concept was really interesting. This book is shrouded in mystery. From the book itself to the identity of the author mystery is the name of the game. I liked it.

The plot was interesting and entertaining. You think that the mystery is solved in the beginning. At least the police think so. Everything twists and turns so much I had no idea how it was going to end up. I was very pleasantly surprised by the ending. It showed great ingenuity on the author’s part.

The main character was intriguing. The story was moved along by the great cast of characters. Whether it was friends or foe, minor or major.  All character were distinct and had their roles to play.

The Sand – The pacing was off just slightly in some places.

4 Pearls

About Morgan Dark

Morgan Dark is one of the most original teenage literature writers. Always enveloped in suspense, as of yet no one knows her true identity. She began writing Zero after a hooded man robbed her in her New York apartment. Included amongst the stolen items was her favorite ring. Yet in exchange, she received a publishing contract for her new novel. After Zero became one of the most awaited teenage books in 2015, her ring showed up in her house again…in black envelope with no sender.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Feature & Follow – Spelling out your Blog Name in Books

This is a blog meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. 

This week’s discussion/challenge is to spell your blog name in book titles. I am going to attempt to do this from my review archive. So if you see a title you like it will link to the review!

Wishing for You (I Wish) by Elizabeth Langston

Rose Petal Graves by Olivia Wildenstein

I’m Not Her by Cara Sue Achterberg

Thing Is, The by Kathleen Gerard

In the Context of Love by Linda K. Sienkiewicz

Natalie’s Getting Married by Rosa Temple

Girl in Seat 24B, The by Jennifer Peel

 

Professional Boundaries by Jennifer Peel

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

All Shook Up by Chelsey Krause

Risk by Alexis Ferguson

Loop (Loop #1) by Karen Akins

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

That was fun. I hope you check out the reviews. It was a blast from the past to go through my review archive. Have a great week!

Friday Coffee & Bookish Speaks – Tips on running a successful book blog

Fall is fast approaching I am so excited. I am content with my fresh-roasted coffee and cream.

What are you drinking?

I approach this subject hesitantly. What is success? I have struggled with defining this myself and success mean different things to different people. Sometimes I count success as having gotten out of bed and taking a shower some days that’s a win for me! I digress. I think success is what you make it. I define success as setting your goals and achieving them.

The goal  I set for my blog overall was to build a  blog that would enable me to work with as many authors and publishers as possible. My goal for my blog is to set up a friendly environment where authors can be encouraged as they interact with me and get their review.  That overall goal turned into obtainable goals like posting at least two reviews a week and building up my following. Those are the things that attract publishers and authors.

After a year and a half of blogging, I consider those goals achieved. I am contacted a few times a week by author and publishers alike. They contact me because I have good content and some even like my Alexa rating. More than that I have a great following and I have made some blogger/reader friends. I am very happy with what I have achieved.  So now I will give some tips of how I got to where I am today.

Envision What You Want – 

I had very specific goals in what I wanted to acheive with my book blog. I had my overall vision helping authors and broke that down into obtainable goals.

This doesn’t have to be your vision. Maybe you are just looking to interact with the blogging community make some friends. Go with what you want because that’s the first step towards success if you are doing what you want to do you more than likely will keep doing it!

Create Content Consistently – 

Make a plan of what is a realistic posting schedule for you i.e. once a month, once a week, more than that.

I suggest plan out a posting schedule. Keep a calendar.  I keep a google calendar with all my reviews, memes, and discussion posts. It’s a great visual to see what you are posting and what’s to come. It makes scheduling reviews for authors and publishers much easier.

This was very important for me to do in light of my goals because publishers look at the consistency of your postings. How much you post, and what you are posting. If you are posting mostly memes and very few reviews they are not as likely to work with you. Publishers generally like to see at least two reviews a week.

If that isn’t your goal and  you just want to post memes and few reviews at your whim. Do it have fun and make friends. This community has some quality people that you will be blessed to know.  If Your goals are different and there is nothing wrong with that. So it always goes back to knowing what your goals are.

Interact in the Community – 

Your best audience comes from other book bloggers. I like to think that we book bloggers are in this together so we help each other out.

Here are my suggestions for Interacting –

Follow as many blogs as possible that have to do with your blog. With book blogs, this is easy there are so many of them. I recommend Bloglovin. I am following hundreds of blogs and I just need to go through the feeds and pick and choose which posts I want to interact with. When I first started I was doing this daily. My numbers (visitors, comments, followers on social media) all reflected highly to my level of interaction on other people’s blogs.
Do Giveaway Hops this brings the community to you giving you more exposure. People see your blog they see you. I bet they will like what they find and may stick around after the hop is over. It’s what happened for me.
Get involved in memes and make sure to go to other people’s blog who do that meme.
Get involved in activities such as readathons, twitter chats, blog swaps. I did this when I first started blogging and it really helped me to get to know others in the community. I found that this doesn’t work for me now. I occasionally do a readathon or a swap but not as much as I did.

Build and Maintain your following – 

Interacting will build your following of readers and bloggers. Having consistent (quality) content will build your following of authors and publisher.
Watch your numbers. See how many visitors you get daily Be mindful of your activity level of interacting it will reflect in your numbers.*
If your numbers go down which they will. They will wax and wane its natural. Increase your interactions on other blogs. Giveaway hops are great number boosters.
Be sure to be building a Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads following along with your daily blog count. I will post next week more on how I built my social media numbers.

*I would like to note that sometimes low numbers are out of our control. I know summertime and holiday time I get low numbers. I think people are busier and I know I am less consistent around those times as well. My numbers reflect that!

That’s the basics of how I built my book blog.

Do you have any more suggestions of things that have worked for your blog?

Review – Former.ly by Dane Cobain

Former.ly: The Rise and Fall of a Social Network by Dane Cobain
Published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform on June 11th 2016
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 198
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Goodreads
Amazon

When Dan Roberts starts his new job at Former.ly, he has no idea what he's getting into. The site deals in death - its users share their innermost thoughts, which are stored privately until they die. Then, their posts are shared with the world, often with unexpected consequences.

But something strange is going on, and the site's two erratic founders share a dark secret. A secret that people are willing to kill for.

Dan is in need of a job and is lucky to land a job at a new start-up social media company called Former.ly. He has no idea that this new startup will take over his life. As he works for the company people involved start mysteriously dying. He gets suspicious and starts looking into what’s going on with the company. Will he be able to find the truth before anyone else gets hurt?

In an Oyster Shell – This is a dark, thought-provoking read that gives you a glimpse into what social media can look like from the inside.

The Pearls – This book evoked feelings of melancholy. It really drew the emotion out of me. Not a heart-warming read. Yet, a read that looks at the darker side of humanity. It stayed with me long after I finished the book.

The book is written in first-person perspective of the main character Dan. This limits how much of the story you get to see. Yet, it helps us to be more in the story because you get very close to Dan as you experience his every thought.

This author has a gift for writing. The writing was crisp and clean. The plot was well thought out and well executed.

The Sand – The pacing of this book was a little off. Just my personal preference I didn’t like how dark the book was. Wouldn’t be my first choice but it was very well written.

3.5 Pearls


About Dane Cobain

Dane Cobain (High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, UK) is an independent poet, musician and storyteller with a passion for language and learning. When he’s not in front of a screen writing stories and poetry, he can be found working on his book review blog or developing his website.

His debut novella, No Rest for the Wicked, will be released by Booktrope in the Summer of 2015.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Blogtour with Review – A Clearing in the Forest by Kim Love Stump

A Clearing in the Forest by Kim Love Stump
Published by Foxcroft Publishing on August 14th 2016
Genres: YA, Fantasy
Pages: 330

I received this book for free from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Goodreads
Amazon

Princess Adriana is about to leave the Kingdom of Ayrden on the Journey of her sixteenth year.

If she is ever to ascend to the throne, Adriana must go—alone and unarmed—into the unknown. She’s been trained and gifted for the journey, just like all the royals who preceded her—even the ones who never returned.

Adriana leaves Ayrden on her brother’s black stallion the day after her birthday celebration, with bravery in her heart and hopes for a quick return. When three paths emerge, one of grass, one of gold, and one of gemstones, she chooses the pragmatic path of grass. Although it seems safe, and the landscape familiar, she soon finds she will have to overcome nearly impossible challenges. Ultimately, an unexpected friendship not only changes Adriana, but the very kingdom she someday hopes to rule. The question is, will the friendship turn into everlasting love?

Princess Adriana is about to take the journey of her 16th year. All the royals in the family take the journey if they someday want to rule the kingdom of Ayrden. She leaves on her journey and finds lands and family secrets a long the way. She helps save a kingdom and finds herself but will she make it back to her kingdom?

In an Oyster Shell – It was a lovely YA fantasy.

The Pearls – The fantasy had great imagination and lovely details. It felt as if I was reading in technicolor. I liked the descriptions of the different lands Adriana found herself in.

The reader sees the main character go through a lot of personal growth. She is quite naive′ when she starts out on the journey to the point I want to shake her. She grows out of it through the story and it was a delight to experience.

The plot was really good it was a real adventure with dragons and all. I liked that the author had a female character going through the coming of age adventure. It kind of broke the mold on coming of age fantasies. I liked that the princess had her own heroic tale.

Blog Tour Schedule –

August 29th

The S.K.A Reader     http://theskareader.blogspot.com/   Review

Books and Kats http://katticusbookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/    Review

A Backwards Story     http://abackwardsstory.blogspot.com   Review

I Read Indie     http://twimom101bookblog.blogspot.com/     Promo Post

August 30th

Writing Pearls    http://www.writingpearls.com      Review

Preeti’s Panorama     https://preetispanaroma.wordpress.com     Review

Loves Great Reads    https://lovesgreatreadsblog.wordpress.com/    Review

Books,Dreams,Life    http://staceyschneller06.wordpress.com     Review

August 31st

Natural Bri    www.goodreads.com/naturalbri  and www.facebook.com/naturalbripage    Review

The Queen Reads    http://thequeenreads.wordpress.com   Review

Hear Me Out!  http://shakyradunnauthor.wix.com/seerofwords#!heartheseer/z4ftd Promo Post

September 1st

History from a Woman’s    http://www.historywomanperspective.com    Review

The Reading Queen    http://thereadingqueen.com    Review

Adventures Thru Wonderland   http://adventuresthruwonderland.blogspot.com/    Review

September 2nd

The Silver Dagger Scriptorium   http://silver-dagger-scriptorium.weebly.com/   Review

A Page to Turn Reviews       http://Apagetoturn.net    Review

Just Us Book Blog     http://justusbookblog.blogspot.com/    Promo Post

YA Book Divas    http://www.yabookdivas.com Promo Post

About Kim Love Stump

Kim Love Stump has loved to read and write ever since she can remember. Whether it was writing a story in third grade called I am a Date, or curling up in her swinging chair reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, fiction in all its forms has always been the fastest way for her to transport herself somewhere else. Now, as an author, Kim strives to transport others in that very same way. She and her husband of more than 30 years make their home in Charlotte, NC.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Review – Welcome to Sortilege Falls Grape Merrieweather Book 1

Welcome To Sortilege Falls by Libby Heily
Series: Grape Merriweather,
Published by Fire & Ice Young Adult Books on May 31st 2016
Genres: YA, Paranormal, Mystery
Pages: 250
Goodreads
Amazon

Sixteen-year-old Grape Merriweather has just moved to Sortilege Falls and already she knows something isn't right. A small pack of teenage models, too beautiful for words, holds the town in their sway. The models have no plans on making Grape's life easy. But no matter how cruel they are to Grape and the other “Normals”, no one can stay angry with them for long.

Grape's life changes for the better, or so she thinks, when Mandy, the only “nice” model, befriends her. But that’s when the trouble truly begins. Mandy's friendship places Grape smack in the middle of a medical mystery that has the entire town on edge. One by one, the models fall ill from an incurable disease. Grape quickly realizes that the models' parents are hiding a secret, even as they watch their children die. To save her only friend, Grape will have to find the truth–and that means putting her life in danger.

Grape is going to a new school at Sortilege Falls. She doesn’t mind in that its what is best for her family. The town seems strange in their are two types of people in the town models and normals. The models seem to get whatever they want and draw lots of attention. Suddenly they all start to become sick and Grape gets suspicious. She starts to investigate and what she finds out could be dangerous for all involved.

In an Oyster Shell – An easy read with a great mystery.

The Pearls –  I found the story to have an interesting premise. That there was a group of people that were more beautiful than norms. It was weird and I liked it. I  liked how the main character Grape was able to be enamored but it didn’t stop her with being friends with the models. This ultimately made the story work really well in the end.

I liked the setting of a small town. It made the dynamics between the models and the norms more striking. I liked that this town was mysterious.

The Sand – I found the writing of this book to be dry in the beginning. I had a hard time connecting to the story and the main character for 20% of the book.

3.5 Pearls


About Libby Heily

I was born during a blizzard. I’m told it was pretty cool, but I have no memory of that time. I grew up in two tiny towns in Virginia and spent most of my twenties moving around the US. I’ve lived in Virginia, Florida, Missouri, and Washington. I’ve settled down, for now, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

I’m a writer and improviser. I studied acting in college but spent more time rewriting lines than memorizing them. My first play, Fourth Wall, was produced my junior year. Since then, I’ve written several full length plays, one acts, and screenplays. I started writing fiction in my late twenties. Now, I focus mainly on novels but still dabble in theater.

Fun facts about me: There are none. I’m sorry to disappoint you so soon. But, I do love to read, write, and run. My hubby is my favorite person on earth. Dogs are my second favorite. All dogs. Know that. I love orange juice, especially when it’s mixed with club soda. Carbonation is better than alcohol. Jaws is my favorite movie. Everything I’ve said so far is true.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads