Books, Blogs and Bites

Books, Blogs and Bites

 

What to Read Next: Wrapped Up in You by Jill Shalvis

My Assistant Crystal has a pile of Christmas books that she loved this year. She’s going to share a few of them with us this month. Crystal says that all of these books are must-reads if you love Christmas romance books as much as she does.

I am so excited that Maddy is letting me share some of my very favorite Christmas books with you. I LOVE Romance and I LOVE Christmas so when you put those two together I can’t get enough.

It’s Christmas time and the Christmas books have been coming out for a couple of months and I have devoured them like the delicious candy that they are. Wrapped up in You by Jill Shalvis was actually one of the first books I read this Christmas season and it was a great start to the Christmas books for me. I read this book the second it hit my hot little hands and I devoured it in one sitting. It is that good!

Jill Shalvis has knocked another one out of the park with Wrapped up in You. The charters are charismatic, charming and very easy to bond with. The story is packed full of drama, suspense, deep and long-lasting friendships, family issues, and a hot and steamy romance. Overall this book rocked! I love Christmas stories and Jill Shalvis has created one that I could not put down.

You may read much more of my review on my blog Reviews by Crystal, here.

• Amazon Buy Link- https://amzn.to/2PdHxzI

Gem of the Week: Book + Main.com

Have you discovered Book + Main Bites yet? It’s a unique spot for readers and authors to really connect, and it’s perfect if you love romance. Built specifically by romance authors to reach their readers, Book + Main Bites makes searching easy, includes bites selected by the author, not just the usual blurbs. It’s a cross between searching a book site and connecting on social media. I think you’ll love it.

 “Book+Main is built for romance and is the BEST way to find the books you want. Explore stories with Bites—highlights chosen by the author—to immediately decide if a book is right for you. Love a book? Click to Amazon, Apple Books, or Kobo to download.”

Authors share samples, chapters, serialize their books or provide an entire book for you to peruse. Follow your favorites, send them comments and feedback. It’s free to join, easy to navigate.

I discovered it when Kate Canterbary serialized her new release The Magnolia Chronicles on Book + Main. I was really able to savor the book too, since she released it chapter by chapter preventing me from staying up all night to read it in one sitting. I confess, I did save up a few chapters to read all at once. How will you savor your bites? Sign up now to find out.

 

Not Just for Authors: Guest Blogging

 As 2019 barrels toward its inevitable conclusion,  I suspect many of you are like me, busy planning writing, publishing, marketing and promotion schedules for 2020. And budgets – always budgets.

Mine is tight – and even if yours isn’t, I suspect you don’t want to waste money where you don’t have to. Which brings me to guest authoring on your fellow author’s blog. It’s a way to reach a new audience that is already prequalified as readers of the types of novels you write. Find and connect with authors like yourself and ask for a spot on their blog.

Here are some guidelines on being a guest author from book marketing expert Sandra Beckwith, author of  bookbuzz.com and numerous books on marketing.

Her article “Sell More Books with Guest Blogging” first appeared on The Book Designer website in April of this year.

Sandra outlines both the reasons to guest blog and the rules for good guest-blogging behavior and success. There is a link to a helpful cheatsheet, too. The guidelines for guest blogging specifically on The Book Designer are here, but they are useful suggestions for guest blogging anywhere.

I offer romance authors a chance to guest blog every Tuesday here on my website so I appreciate those that follow the rules and deliver. There is nothing worse than the guest author who begs off in the eleventh hour! My rules are simple, offer information about one of your books, provide sell links that work and share a little something personal about yourself. Perhaps you’ll tell my readers where you got the inspiration for this novel, or about your five cocker spaniels, that you are a coffee junkie, whatever you like.

Are you interested in promoting a romance on my blog in 2020? Sign up here, follow through when your assigned date arrives and for heaven’s sake – follow the rules laid out by Sandra.