Tag: reviews

Author Services You May or May Not Know About

Are you new to this blog?

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I know that not everyone following this blog is an author / writer / aspiring writer, but many of you are.

If you aren’t familiar with this blog, I offer a few services that you may or may not know about.

  • Email List Book Promotions
  • Writer’s Workshop (Details TBA)
  • Book Reviews
  • Book Review Follow-Up: Where Are They Now?
  • Introduce Yourself

Email List Book Promotions are Book Covers, Blurbs, and Buy Links that I promote to my email list at no cost. But you must be on my newsletter to take advantage of this offer.

Sign Up HERE and then send me your Book Cover, Blurb, and Buy Link. My newsletters go out once a month (18th) or twice a month for those who choose bimonthly (3rd, 18th).

Book Reviews are published to this blog on Friday’s. New Book Review submissions are currently closed until my TBR pile is low. However, you should keep checking my Book Review Registry to see when I am open again. Again, I am not currently accepting new submissions for book reviews.

BUT, it’s a good idea to follow this blog so you can get first notification when I re-open!

Understand that registering for a review does not guarantee you the review. I still have to see if it’s the book for me. I will then get in touch with you and let you know.

It is good to register because I have lots of books to read and the registry puts you on my list and secures you a spot in line.

I review books in the order in which I receive them. When I am open, you won’t see the message that I am not accepting responses. I will also be vocal about it on this blog and social media.

Books that I promote (Book Reviews or Book Promos) are also listed under the Indie Author page in my sidebar.

When I open back up I’d like to read more of my favorite genres in addition to the others. I encourage authors with African American centered themes in particular to reach out to me.

What’s New?

Book Review Follow-Up: Where Are They Now? – I’ve been reviewing books since 2015 and have met some great writers. But once I’ve reviewed you, I’d like to continue to support you. I’ve been in touch with some authors and have decided to introduce a Follow-Up segment of the Book Reviews. Book Review Follow-Up: Where Are They Now? is an author interview following up on the authors whose books I reviewed. I have not set a date for this feature but I do have some authors lined up who are eager to meet you all. When I lock their dates in I will do an entire post dedicated to this new feature and give you the start date and the frequency of the interviews (weekly or monthly).

If you’re interested in being interviewed on this blog please email me HERE.

You must have had your book reviewed by me to qualify for the Book Review Follow- Up since this is a book review follow-up series. (yea, kinda self-explanatory but you never know…)

If I’ve already reviewed your book, send me an email.

Introduce Yourself – Can’t get a review in at this time? I have a new feature that I will be doing a separate post on real soon. I will share the motivation behind this segment in that post but in brief, at the close of last year I stated I wanted to offer another service for authors on this blog aside from the Book Reviews. After much thought I have many ideas (some I won’t implement at this time) and some that I will.

Many authors have been writing for years and have multiple works out however they are unknown in the blogging community or writing community in general. Even for those who are known there are always someone who has never read your work or probably don’t even know that you’ve written a book.

I’d like to offer this space to new and established authors as an opportunity to introduce themselves in an interview-like setting. The questions in particular will be tailored toward getting to know more about you as an author and as a person.

More information on Introduce Yourself coming soon.

UPDATE: Learn more about author interviews HERE.

MIA on Purpose

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I’ve been intentionally missing in action this week. There’s a saying somewhere that says that when you’re working on anything that you want to succeed, it is really dangerous to listen to what everyone says. Sometimes you just have to tune everything and everyone out for your sanity.

In addition to solidifying some business endeavors, I’ve been putting the final touches on the ARC Copy of Renaissance for my advanced readers next month and have decided to lay low in the process. I’m so excited to introduce Nora to my team! (Email Me to join my Advanced Review Team for Book One in The Nora White Story). I am officially knee deep into revising Book Two. I’m not even going to look at Book One for at least a month! After spending so much time on a project you get to the point where you are relieved to let it go out into the world. Sure, you’re nervous about what others would think of your creation (I am trembling). At the same time, there’s a weight lifted at having made it to this point. A sigh of relief to have been done with it. What happens now is what will.

But that’s not all….

I’ve also been away because I’ve not felt motivated to speak. I have been tempted to re-blog! But I didn’t want to break my silence until today because it’s the day I set for myself so I held back. Silence is something I think we all need every now and again. I look forward to it and enjoy being still. I’m not unhappy, I just appreciate silence in a world that never stops talking, as the saying goes. This also helps me to write. There’s something amazing that happens as a result of muteness. How the creative juices flow and the mind ignites with clarity. I’ve had blog post ideas but I have not felt like saying anything. Sometimes you just gotta take a step back and reevaluate. Like looking at a chess board, it will require you to step outside yourself to see the whole board. You’re able then to see your moves in a genuine and unbiased way. What could I do better? Where have I went wrong? How can I improve? What revelations can I turn into tangible action? I turn inward and listen for instruction on the next move.

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Beautiful Boy and Beautiful Girl by Jenita Hunt

Title: Beautiful Boy, Beautiful Girl

Author: Jenita Hunt

Print Length: 22 pages

Publisher: J L Hunt; 1 edition (March 23, 2016)

Publication Date: March 23, 2016

Language: English

ASIN: B01DDYU91E

Beautiful Boy and Beautiful Girl are two concise picture books for children. Simple, fun, and rhythmic, these books are great as goodnight stories or quick reads for your little ones. Incorporating everything a child enjoys, colors, pictures, and rhyme, will encourage them to look at their world in a positive light.

The Author, Jenita, has always had a heart for children and writing. She has worked several years caring for children as a Professional Nanny and has been honing her writing craft over the years.

After around four years of teaching creative writing as a part of Louisiana’s In-Home School program, I helped operate a research and fellowship center in Shreveport for another five years while also working with children and teaching. Having spent time around children and working with them, I appreciated taking a break from reading novels to focus on something straightforward. I found these books to be a breath of fresh air. I realized I was grinning as I read each of them. In the future, I’d like to see more work by J.L. Hunt.

Ratings:

Entertainment Factor: 5/5

Authenticity / Believable: 5/5

Thought Provoking: 4/5

Overall Rating: 5 / 5

Beautiful Boy and Beautiful Girl are both available on Amazon in both eBook and Paperback.

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As a reminder, I am closed to Book Review Submissions at this time for a chance to catch up on my TBR pile. I will let everyone know when I am open again.

Stay tuned for my next awesome author!

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Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – The House on Candlewick Lane by Amy M. Reade

Title: The House on Candlewick Lane

Author: Amy M. Reade

Print Length: 263 pages

Publisher: Lyrical Underground (February 7, 2017)

Publication Date: February 7, 2017

Sold by: Penguin Random House Publisher Services

Language: English

ASIN: B01FBZXR3K

When Dr. Greer Dobbins receives a call from her daughter’s school to confirm that her little girl is out, she is surprised. Ellie should have been in school.

Ellie is missing, and Greer could experience no greater agony. Having been abducted by her ex-husband Neil, Ellie has been taken by her own father. A marriage that fell apart over Neil’s gambling addiction, there’s no telling where he’s taken, Ellie. Distraught, Dr. Dobbins is at her wit’s end as she and the police try to piece together the details of the disappearance.

They discover a man is spotted on an airport security video in Albany, New York, holding the hand of a little boy. The man’s face is concealed, but the little boy turns around and faces the camera. The little boy is Ellie. Greer is taken aback. Neil has cut their daughter’s hair and dressed her in boys’ clothes.

Unfortunately for this professor, things do not get better. Having already sugar-coated the divorce details to the police, Greer must inform them that neither she nor Neil is from the United States. In providing information about Neil’s parents and siblings, she reveals that she and Neil are both from Scotland. At this point, after discovering that both she and her daughter’s passports are missing, it is clear that Neil is headed home.

After a frantic attempt at boarding a plane without a passport and going through several airport personnel to rectify the situation, Greer heads to Edinburgh, Scotland, searching for her daughter. On the plane, she meets James, and a casual conversation sparks the beginning of a relationship and a long search ahead. We learn more about Neil and Greer’s relationship, her strained relationship with her former parents-in-law, and other secrets the city holds.

I enjoyed how the author didn’t allow the book to end until all the questions were answered. I love this in a good novel: everything is resolved before the book end and we have a solid and satisfying conclusion.

Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5

Entertainment Factor: 3/5

Characterization: 4/5

Authenticity / Believable: 3/5

Thought Provoking: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3 / 5 stars

The House on Candlewick Lane is  available now on Amazon.

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Be sure to contact this Best Selling Author at the links below!

Amy can be found online at the following places:

Website: www.amymreade.com

Blog: www.amreade.wordpress.com

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/8189243.Amy_M_Reade

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Amy-M.-Reade/e/B00LX6ASF2/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/AmyMReadesGothicFictionFans/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/readeandwrite

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/amreade

Instagram: www.instagram.com/amymreade

Stay tuned for my next awesome author!

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews Special Edition: Introducing William Spivey’s Strong Beginnings

Title: Strong Beginnings

Author: William Spivey

Publisher: TBA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrongBeginningsaNovel/

Blog: https://enigmainblack.wordpress.com/

E-mail: wspiv001@aol.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/william.spivey1

Twitter: @wspiv001

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This is the last book review of the year, and what a way to go out. Today’s review is a special one.

I’d like to welcome William Spivey, who frequently writes about politics and popular culture for the Inner-City News. Also, he writes under the name “Enigma in Black” about various socially significant topics, including politics, religion, and poetry. He is the creator of the Facebook sites Enigma in Black and Ordinary Citizen Forum. While attending Fisk University, William won the “The Importance of a Liberal Arts Education” Essay Contest, open to all students. He lives in Orlando, Florida, and graduated from Fisk with a B.A. in economics.

His goal now is to make his voice heard and make a difference, and he has given me the honor of advanced reading his soon-to-be-released Political Fiction/Romance novel Strong Beginnings.

When Frederick Douglass Strong witnessed the murder of four African Americans on the Moore’s Ford Bridge in Covington Georgia in 1966, he set into motion a string of events that would influence his family’s actions for years to come. After all, Frederick wasn’t the only one to witness what would be known as The Moore’s Ford Bridge Four but so did Chris Lee Thomas, the teenage friend of his son Roosevelt and the son of one of the white men who just murdered the four.

Gripped with anxiety, Frederick goes home and is unable to sleep. With a thorough understanding of the time, he is drenched in fear of what could happen next. Neglecting to reveal the details to his pregnant wife, he suffers silently until a knock is heard on the door. It’s Chris Lee Thomas and he wants Frederick to step outside. Frederick does and is faced with a lynch mob. Meanwhile, his son Roosevelt is peeking through his bedroom window, watching as the men chase his father.

However, Chris also sees Roosevelt just as his father, and the family is panicked with a decision of a lifetime. After Frederick’s death, it is clear, they must leave Covington if Roosevelt is to survive.

The story follows the life of Roosevelt and his family fifty years after The Moore’s Ford Bridge Four in Orlando Florida. His daughter, Voncelle Strong is one of the foremost voices of the novel. She is a passionate teacher and blogger. We watch as she positively influences her students, battles the unfair school system, juggles relationships, and comes face to face with relatives she didn’t know she had.

As for the incident, can the Strong family outrun their beginnings? What will happen when they come face to face with their past?

I recommend Strong Beginnings to anyone passionate about the plight of African Americans, those concerned about education politics, and those with a love affair for strong families.

Ratings:

Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5

Entertainment Factor: 5/5

Characterization: 4/5

Authenticity / Believable: 5/5

Thought Provoking: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5

Strong Beginnings is not yet available. Stay tuned.

Don’t forget to Follow this Author online!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrongBeginningsaNovel/

Blog: https://enigmainblack.wordpress.com/

E-mail: wspiv001@aol.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/william.spivey1

Twitter: @wspiv001

I have many more authors to come so be sure to return to The PBS Blog after the new year.

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Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews Special Edition: Introducing William Spivey’s “Strong Beginnings”

Title: Strong Beginnings

Author: William Spivey

Publisher: TBA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrongBeginningsaNovel/

Blog: https://enigmainblack.wordpress.com/

E-mail: wspiv001@aol.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/william.spivey1

Twitter: @wspiv001

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

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This is the last book review of the year and what a way to go out. Today’s review is a special one.

I am honored to introduce to you William Spivey, a regular contributor to the Inner-City News where he writes about politics and popular culture. He also blogs as “Enigma in Black” where he explores poetry, religion, politics and all manner of things socially relevant. He is the founder of the Facebook pages Average Citizen Forum, and Enigma in Black. William is also the winner of a University-wide Essay Contest while at Fisk University titled, “The Value of a Liberal Arts Education”. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Fisk and resides in Orlando, FL.

His goal now is to make his voice heard and make a difference, and he has given me the honor of advanced reading his soon to be released Political Fiction/Romance novel “Strong Beginnings”.

When Frederick Douglass Strong witnesses the murder of four African Americans on the Moore’s Ford Bridge in Covington Georgia in 1966, he set into motion a string of events that would influence the actions of his family for years to come. After all, Frederick wasn’t the only one to witness what would be known as The Moore’s Ford Bridge Four but so did Chris Lee Thomas, the teenage friend of his son Roosevelt and the son of one of the white men who just murdered the four.

Gripped with anxiety, Frederick goes home and is unable to sleep. With a thorough understanding of the time, he is drenched in the fear of what could happen next. Neglecting to reveal the details to his pregnant wife, he suffers silently until a knock is heard on the door. It’s Chris Lee Thomas and he wants Frederick to step outside. Frederick does and is faced with a lynch mob. Meanwhile, his son Roosevelt is peeking through his bedroom window, watching as the men chase his father.

However, Roosevelt is also seen by Chris just as his father was and the family is panicked with a decision of a lifetime. After Frederick’s death, it is clear, they must leave Covington if Roosevelt is to survive.

The story goes on to follow the life of Roosevelt and his family fifty years after The Moore’s Ford Bridge Four in Orlando Florida. His daughter, Voncelle Strong is one of the foremost voices of the novel. She is a passionate teacher and blogger and we watch as she positively influences her students, battles the unfair school system, juggle relationships and come face to face with relatives she didn’t know she had. As a former teacher, I enjoyed Voncelle’s fight for the student’s well-being.

As for the incident, can the Strong family outrun their beginnings? What will happen when they come face to face with their past?

There were many things to love about this book, such as the History, the family bonds, and education. Most of all, I loved how the title to this book is appropriately titled. Not only in its relation to the Strong family and the symbolism of new beginnings, but the beginning of this novel also starts out strong. I was nervous for Roosevelt as the family was deciding what should be done before making the decision to leave Covington. I also enjoyed the relationships, how they were tied into the story in a realistic way. For instance, when Voncelle travels to Europe she meets two young men who have more in common with her than she thinks and when a family member contacts Roosevelt all those years later for a family reunion, it sets in motion a string of revelations that would impact the family for a lifetime I am sure.

I recommend Strong Beginnings to anyone with a passion for the plight of African Americans, for those concerned about the politics of education and those who have a love affair for strong families.

Ratings:

Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5

Entertainment Factor: 5/5

Characterization: 4/5

Authenticity / Believable: 5/5

Thought Provoking: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5

Strong Beginnings is not yet available. Stay tuned.

Don’t forget to Follow this Author online!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrongBeginningsaNovel/

Blog: https://enigmainblack.wordpress.com/

E-mail: wspiv001@aol.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/william.spivey1

Twitter: @wspiv001

I hope you enjoyed our final review of the year! It’s been amazing and I am truly honored to be in the company of such a talented group of individuals. Don’t forget that you can contact all of the authors on the new Indie Author Page HERE. It’s a new page so there isn’t much going on right now but over my break (which started about…5 seconds ago) I intend to update it so it looks more “authorly” (whatever that means lol).

I have many more authors to come so be sure to return to The PBS Blog after the new year. If you’re an author in need of more reviews, be sure to register your book HERE for consideration. Also, do not forget to update me on any special occasions or anything exciting you have going on! I love supporting the authors I review so let’s stay in touch. Each one, reach one.

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