Blogging A to Z

Well, S was supposed to be for SHIPMENT, as in shipment of paperback copies of my book, but alas, they did not arrive in time for me to take a snapshot. Instead, S is for Shameless Self-promotion, a last minute impromptu post.

As readership wanes in the last days of Blogging A to Z, I’m more willing to post this stupid video I made on my Mac with the templates that came with my iMovie program and the Mac’s built in camera.

I must explain a little first. I’m not a huge fan of vlogging or video blogging. No offense to those who make and love to watch them, I’m just not one of those people. If the maker doesn’t know what she needs to say before the camera rolls and she doesn’t edit, it’s not cute or funny or interesting. It’s a home movie your best friend shows of her kid’s dance recital shot from fifty rows away where the microphone picks up all the noises not from the stage but from the audience….and it’s the entire recital not just her little princess’s number.

One day I said, “Enough!” and that’s why I made this, a video that has been on my bio page for eons but only a small handful of people have been brave enough to click it. Remember, this is intended to be a parody because I really do make a fool of myself in it.

Click me or just keep cruising and pretend you never noticed this link.

I did tell you I was silly.

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Please be sure to visit more A to Z Blog Challenge participants today! Here’s where you can find their names and link to their blogs. The topics are endless.

R is for reading…

as in my favorite books and why.

I don’t write public reviews now that I’m an author myself. I love reviews from others but shy away from treading that thin line between being constructive and possibly bruising someone’s chances.

That being said, I do pick my favorite ten books each year. I’ll list my 2010 and 2011 top ten and explain why I liked the books I chose. The books are listed in the reverse order in which I read them.

2011:

Bayou Moon (Ilona Andrews) UF The stunning world of The Edge–the land that forms the border between the Weird (where magic rules) and the Broken (where non-magical humans live)–is a fantastic urban fantasy. Strong female heroine and an alpha male with a secret mission. Ilona Andrews at her best.
Silk Is For Seduction (Loretta Chase) Rom A seamstress (yay!) is commissioned to dress the fiancee of a rake only the seamstress and the rake fall in love with each other.
Goliath (book 2 of Leviathan) and Behemoth (book 3 of Leviathan) (Scott Westerfeld) YA (Steampunk) Wow! Incredibly creative alternative world where Darwinists and “Clankers”, those who use machines, clash in World War 1 era. One male and one female main character except female is disguised as male so almost like three characters.
Scared Stiff and Frozen Stiff (Annalise Ryan) Mys See my notes on Working Stiff in 2010. More witty dialogue and narrator observations and a bit of slapstick.
The Virgin Proxy (Georgia Fox) Rom (Ero) The story’s premise is erotica-oriented, but what made it good was watching the hero try to get the heroine admit she was the woman he took to bed on his wedding night all the while falling in love with her and she with him though neither will admit it.
Divergent (Veronica Roth) YA — What can I say? I’m a sucker for YA dystopian books. This and Hunger Games were among the best of the genre/sub-genre I read.
Just Like Heaven (Julia Quinn) Rom (Hist) I just love Julia Quinn and this romance between two childhood friends all grown up was sigh-worthy
Wicked Games (Jill Myles) Rom — Mix a rocky love story with a very realistic portrayal of Survivor and you get this little gem. I’m a HUGE Survivor fan and Jill Myles injects just the right amount of wit and humor into her writing. ‘Nough said.

2010:

Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson) YA — Wow, blew me away with not only the story but how the words were placed upon the page.
Anna and the French Kiss (Stephanie Perkins) YA — Fantastic feel good book, despite its very flawed hero and heroine.
Magic Bites (Ilona Andrews) UF — This series got better and better the more we got to know Kate. I particularly liked this one
Working Stiff (Annelise Ryan) Mys — I adore Annelise Ryan’s sense of humor and like my book, she writes about a heroine whose unusual job factors into her crime-solving.
The D.U.F.F. (Kody Keplinger) YA — Wesley…sigh…bad boy who really isn’t so bad on the inside and when he shows us his vulnerability, we melt.
City of Ghosts (Stacia Kane) UF and Unholy Magic (Stacia Kane) UF — These two Downside Ghosts books will grip you by the shirt collar with its drug-addicted heroine, the terrifying supernatural creatures she deals with and her heartbreaking romance with her drug dealer.
Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) YA — You have to be living under a rock to have not heard of this book. Horrifying, compelling, unforgettable.
Naked in Death (J.D. Robb) Mys — the first of the Eve Dallas futuristic cop tales with a healthy dose of romance with gazillionaire Roarke.
An Ice Cold Grave (Charlaine Harris) Mys — Sigh…I love Harper and Tolliver in this book so much because so much finally happens for them in their personal lives, despite all the chaos around them. The concept is uber cool too. Watch for this to be made into a movie or TV show too…or so I’ve heard.

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Please be sure to visit more A to Z Blog Challenge participants today! Here’s where you can find their names and link to their blogs. The topics are endless.