Blogs I Like To Read
No one writes in a vacuum. We all do research. Most of us are either reading a lot of books, or googling everything under the sun, or reading other authors blogs. You can't help but want to know other people opinions on things, which is why I hope you're reading my blog, I mean just before you click on the links to buy my books, which is why all us writers do blogs in the first place. So if your wondering what blogs I look at here are a few.
http://sharonstevenson.moonfruit.com
Sharon Stevens blog features information on her books, reviews of other books, and author interviews. Sharon was one of the first of my fellow authors that I met on-line. She was the first to review my books and the first to post an interview with me, so there is a little bit of loyalty here. But it's not all about loyalty because I've really enjoyed Sharon's books and she writes a lot of reviews. Sharon's tastes are a bit different from mine, but that's why I like reading her reviews because it opens me up to a whole list of books that I wouldn't pay attention to unless I read her reviews. Then I like her author interviews because they're with writers like me, people who are just starting out, self publishing their own books, and need help getting their name out to the world. I know I can use all the help I can get and am willing to give other authors that same support. BUT do not get me wrong on this, Neither Sharon nor I are doing the one hand washes the other routine here, if either one of us doesn't like a book we will be the first one to say so. I'm of the firm opinion, and I think that she would agree, that you review books honestly, and if you have problems you say so, because if you don't then we as writers won't get better, so it's in everyone's best interest to be critical when necessary. With that point made, please check out Sharon's blog because I think there are a lot of good things there.
http://russellblake.com
Russell Blake's blog is a must for any self-published author. If you missed his post on How To Sell Loads of Books at http://russellblake.com/how-to-sell-l... you missed out on one of the best set of instructions for self published authors I've read so far. Russell might not be for everyone, he's a bit gruff, has a dry sense of humor, and is very opinionated. But once you get past all that he's pretty damn funny. A lot of his blog posts start with, "So I was drinking tequila that other day and…". and you know when any post starts that way it can only go down a few humorous avenues, which he usually does. But beyond the blog Russell Blake is a really good author. If you haven't read his Jet books yet, you should, they're like action movies, with adrenaline level pacing, and wonderful descriptions. Blake has written twenty plus books, and according to him, they're selling very well, or at least well enough for him to live comfortably down in Mexico and be able to afford a sufficient amount of tequila. Blake's Blog is a blueprint of how an self-published author can promote his book in a wildly entertaining fashion. He rants, he raves, he talks about drinking, and somewhere in there he promotes his books. And we should all take notes because far too often I see a constant onslaught of repetition in promotion that lacks creativity, Russell Blake not only shows creativity, but also a good amount if humor, which I think more of us should have.
http://www.redwoodsmedicaledge.com
This is a great blog. The woman behind it, Jordyn Redwood, works as an emergency room RN, and has for over twenty years. She calls herself a medical geek because she reads medical textbooks for fun. Her blog seeks to answer other authors questions about the medical accuracy of what they're writing about. Ok maybe this blog would be no help to someone writing romance novels, but to someone like me who's writing thrillers, it's just great. Where else are you going to find the answers to questions like "What kind of pathogens could cause someone to become a zombie?" "How long does it take to recover from Traumatic Brian injuries?" "In what dosage can certain Hallucinogens be fatal?" or "what are the typical injuries you see from an assault in an emergency room?". There is just post after post that answer questions like this and many more. You never want to plagiarize anyone, ever, but it's hard not to have a few ideas float through your head after reading this blog. And if you already have an idea in your head and your wondering if it's anywhere close to reality, just ask, I get the impression that the weirder the question is the more that Jordyn will enjoy answering it, so don't hold back. This blog just has great stuff, so check it out.
http://paper.li/KnightTrilogy
I came across the Knight Trilogy Daily the other day because I got a Tweet on Twitter that said that I'd been mentioned. I always like when that happens because any publicity is usually good publicity. so I flipped over to the Knight Trilogy Daily and found not only me listed, but a whole lot of other stuff. there are stories, updates, links, photos and videos, most of which pertain to writing, but some of which are just interesting little tidbits in the mass of information available in blogs and on the web. I find something interesting every time I go there and you might to, so check it out.
http://ginger-read.blogspot.com
I really like the way this blog looks and the way it arranges it's content. They do reviews, interviews with authors, giveaways and a few contests and challenges. Now I have to say that the books they review are not exactly what I like to read, but that doesn't keep me from really appreciating how they put their blog together. They have really nice graphics, they have cool pictures, their links are right up front and easy to find, and they have a nice directory for past reviews, which make finding a book you might be interested in that much easier. Like I said before you never want to copy anybody, ever, but you can look at well put together sites like this one to get ideas to help launch or improve your own.
So there you have it! Those are a few of the blogs I enjoy reading. Please check them out, but don't forget to come back here to my blog, because you really never know what I might say next.
http://sharonstevenson.moonfruit.com
Sharon Stevens blog features information on her books, reviews of other books, and author interviews. Sharon was one of the first of my fellow authors that I met on-line. She was the first to review my books and the first to post an interview with me, so there is a little bit of loyalty here. But it's not all about loyalty because I've really enjoyed Sharon's books and she writes a lot of reviews. Sharon's tastes are a bit different from mine, but that's why I like reading her reviews because it opens me up to a whole list of books that I wouldn't pay attention to unless I read her reviews. Then I like her author interviews because they're with writers like me, people who are just starting out, self publishing their own books, and need help getting their name out to the world. I know I can use all the help I can get and am willing to give other authors that same support. BUT do not get me wrong on this, Neither Sharon nor I are doing the one hand washes the other routine here, if either one of us doesn't like a book we will be the first one to say so. I'm of the firm opinion, and I think that she would agree, that you review books honestly, and if you have problems you say so, because if you don't then we as writers won't get better, so it's in everyone's best interest to be critical when necessary. With that point made, please check out Sharon's blog because I think there are a lot of good things there.
http://russellblake.com
Russell Blake's blog is a must for any self-published author. If you missed his post on How To Sell Loads of Books at http://russellblake.com/how-to-sell-l... you missed out on one of the best set of instructions for self published authors I've read so far. Russell might not be for everyone, he's a bit gruff, has a dry sense of humor, and is very opinionated. But once you get past all that he's pretty damn funny. A lot of his blog posts start with, "So I was drinking tequila that other day and…". and you know when any post starts that way it can only go down a few humorous avenues, which he usually does. But beyond the blog Russell Blake is a really good author. If you haven't read his Jet books yet, you should, they're like action movies, with adrenaline level pacing, and wonderful descriptions. Blake has written twenty plus books, and according to him, they're selling very well, or at least well enough for him to live comfortably down in Mexico and be able to afford a sufficient amount of tequila. Blake's Blog is a blueprint of how an self-published author can promote his book in a wildly entertaining fashion. He rants, he raves, he talks about drinking, and somewhere in there he promotes his books. And we should all take notes because far too often I see a constant onslaught of repetition in promotion that lacks creativity, Russell Blake not only shows creativity, but also a good amount if humor, which I think more of us should have.
http://www.redwoodsmedicaledge.com
This is a great blog. The woman behind it, Jordyn Redwood, works as an emergency room RN, and has for over twenty years. She calls herself a medical geek because she reads medical textbooks for fun. Her blog seeks to answer other authors questions about the medical accuracy of what they're writing about. Ok maybe this blog would be no help to someone writing romance novels, but to someone like me who's writing thrillers, it's just great. Where else are you going to find the answers to questions like "What kind of pathogens could cause someone to become a zombie?" "How long does it take to recover from Traumatic Brian injuries?" "In what dosage can certain Hallucinogens be fatal?" or "what are the typical injuries you see from an assault in an emergency room?". There is just post after post that answer questions like this and many more. You never want to plagiarize anyone, ever, but it's hard not to have a few ideas float through your head after reading this blog. And if you already have an idea in your head and your wondering if it's anywhere close to reality, just ask, I get the impression that the weirder the question is the more that Jordyn will enjoy answering it, so don't hold back. This blog just has great stuff, so check it out.
http://paper.li/KnightTrilogy
I came across the Knight Trilogy Daily the other day because I got a Tweet on Twitter that said that I'd been mentioned. I always like when that happens because any publicity is usually good publicity. so I flipped over to the Knight Trilogy Daily and found not only me listed, but a whole lot of other stuff. there are stories, updates, links, photos and videos, most of which pertain to writing, but some of which are just interesting little tidbits in the mass of information available in blogs and on the web. I find something interesting every time I go there and you might to, so check it out.
http://ginger-read.blogspot.com
I really like the way this blog looks and the way it arranges it's content. They do reviews, interviews with authors, giveaways and a few contests and challenges. Now I have to say that the books they review are not exactly what I like to read, but that doesn't keep me from really appreciating how they put their blog together. They have really nice graphics, they have cool pictures, their links are right up front and easy to find, and they have a nice directory for past reviews, which make finding a book you might be interested in that much easier. Like I said before you never want to copy anybody, ever, but you can look at well put together sites like this one to get ideas to help launch or improve your own.
So there you have it! Those are a few of the blogs I enjoy reading. Please check them out, but don't forget to come back here to my blog, because you really never know what I might say next.
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