Reviews and the Reader

I have been curious for quite some time now about reviews. I like to write reviews myself but wonder how much they actually influence a potential buyer. So that is the theme of my second blog poll.

How much importance do you place on reviews? (The poll to the right is anonymous; please be completely honest. If you'd like to share your views, comments are welcome. If there is an answer missing that you feel should be added, let me know.)

On the one hand, I tend to be influenced by the negative ones. If the negative review is poorly written, attacks the author, or is so vague it could have been written for a dozen other products, I ignore it. I have recently found reviews written by people who haven't even read the book. How ethical is that? This gives me a much more cynical outlook of chronically negative reviewers and their reviews. Conversely, I become more interested in the product being slammed.

On the other hand, positive reviews can be off-putting for me. Nobody's perfect. If all the reviews claim perfection the hype builds until the book cannot possibly live up to it.

I try to take each review as it comes, make an educated decision based on the reviewer's review history and the tone of the review.

How much importance do I place on reviews? It all depends on the reviewer, so I would say moderate importance. Please note, this does not mean I would not buy a book with no reviews. If the book sounds interesting, reviews, or the lack thereof, mean nothing.

So that's my opinion. What's yours?

Romance vs Horror

I discovered recently that I enjoy writing horror. Very odd thing to realize about oneself after writing over a dozen romances.

How did I discover this?

I stumbled upon a flash fiction contest and was immediately intrigued. Flash fiction? 1000 words or less? Ooo, a challenge!

And, oh my, what a challenge it is! I had never before tried short stories let alone short short stories. I attempted to write one in my comfort zone, ie, Regency England. Somehow, the words were not flowing. 

How, I asked myself, can you possibly put someone in a historical time in less than 1000 words and incorporate the excitement of a complete story? This may be possible if the reader is a fan of Regency romance who already has a fairly decent knowledge of the time. To put a newbie there, however, is challenging.

I stopped. Looked up some examples of flash fiction. Pondered the concept.

Then it happened. I opened a blank page and started typing, just letting the words take me where they would. It was thrilling!

So my story ended up contemporary. And not romance. At all. I was quite shocked to discover I'd written a horror-ish story.

I made my husband read it, unsure of this new area into which I'd stumbled.

He asked me to turn it into a full-length novel.

(That was high praise indeed considering horror/thriller is his favorite genre and he's quite picky about it.)

I won't go into the story here. I want to enter it in the contest. When that is over, I'll post it here and on my goodreads profile. It will then be open to comments and constructive criticism.

Don't forget, the 30 Days, 30 Prizes Contest is still on. You still have 5 days to enter for the June 1^st prize!

Happy reading, writing and blogging!

Welcome to Our “Summer Treasure Hunt: Dig for Clues and Win” Contest!

Hello everyone!

Some friends and I have put together an exciting contest to kick off your summer! Beginning June 1^st, we will be giving away a prize a day. That's right: 30 days, 30 treasures! There should be something for everyone: romance, mystery, historical, contemporary, and young adult fiction; children's picture books; a variety of non-fiction; and just to liven things up even more, we've included a few exciting non-book prizes: a free 30 page manuscript edit, for you aspiring authors out there; an ebay gift certificate; and a gift certificate for a Vinyl Expressions Quote.

How can you win one of these fabulous prizes? Follow the rules below:

SUMMER TREASURE HUNT RULES:

You can send in an entry for each day's prize, or only for those prizes that strike your fancy. The rules are simple:

1. Go to the website or blog indicated for each day, find the answer to the question for that day, then email the answer with your name and mailing address to jdipastena@yahoo.com.
2. Please send a separate entry for each day and type the day you are entering in the subject line. (Such as: June Treasure Hunt, Day 1; June Treasure Hunt, Day 2, etc.)
3. Deadline each day: Midnight PST
4. The winner will be contacted and announced on the day following the deadline.

You do not have to wait until the designated day to enter. You can start sending in your entries right now, or begin entering at any point along the way. And check back here each day between June 2^nd-July 1^{st to read the names of the winners.}

If you have any questions, feel free to email Joyce DiPastena at jdipastena@yahoo.com.

And now...let the treasure hunt begin!!

June 1

SPONSOR: Aubrey Mace

PRIZE: autographed copy of my new YA fiction book, My Fairy Grandmother.

QUESTION: What is the title of my upcoming book to be released Fall 2009?

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.aubreymace.com

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES

WINNER: Terry Fleming of California

June 2

SPONSOR: Rachel Rager

PRIZE: By Love or By Sea, romance, autographed copy

QUESTION: What question does the stranger ask Alice? (Hint: Read excerpt of By Love or By Sea on the “Reading Room” page.)

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://www.rachelrager.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Phyllis Lamken of Idaho

June 3

SPONSOR: Josi S. Kilpack

PRIZE: An autographed copy of culinary mystery Lemon Tart OR a pre-ordered copy of English Trifle (release date is August 2009)

QUESTION: How many original recipes are included in the culinary mystery, Lemon Tart? (Hint: click on “Lemon Tart” tab on website)

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.josiskilpack.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Debbie Lambson of Utah

June 4

SPONSOR: Cindy R. Williams

PRIZE: Arizona Glyph Award Finalist: Chase McKay Didn’t Get Up Today Children’s snuggle, giggle picture book. Autographed by the author and the real Chase McKay.

QUESTION: What is the name of the dragon book Cindy is completing?

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.cindyrwilliams.com

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES

WINNER: Gloria Lyons of Michigan

June 5

SPONSOR: Kersten Campbell

PRIZE: Autographed Copy of the Motherhood humor book: Confessions of a Completely (In)Sane Mother

QUESTION: What does the dog beg for when he escapes into the neighbor's house in the book Confessions of a Completely Insane Mother? (hint: if they click on the book they'll find the answer)

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.kerstencampbell.com

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES

WINNER: Wendy Steed of Idaho

June 6

SPONSOR: Lara Niedemeyer

PRIZE: $20 gift certificate towards merchandise and shipping at my store—8pizza on eBay

QUESTION: What is the lowest priced item and what is the highest priced item listed in 8pizza’s store? (Hint: use the “Sort By” feature).

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/8pizza

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Gayle Oreluk of Illinois

June 7

Sponsor's name: Kathi Oram Peterson

Prize: Autographed copy of The Forgotten Warrior, YA Inspirational Time travel

Question Who is Tarik?

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.kathiorampeterson.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Heather Justesen of Utah

June 8

SPONSOR: Donna Hatch

PRIZE: Autographed copy of paperback of the Regency Romance, The Stranger She Married

QUESTION: What is Cole accused of doing?

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.donnahatch.net (Hint: read the excerpt under “Bookshelf” tab for The Stranger She Married)

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: IN THE CASE OF AN INTERNATIONAL WINNER, AN E-BOOK VERSION OF THE STRANGER SHE MARRIED WILL BE AWARDED

WINNER: Valerie Bongards of Germany

June 9

SPONSOR: Diony George

PRIZE: Autographed copy of Torn Apart, a fictional novel based on a true story. "If it could happen to Alyson, it could happen to anyone..."

QUESTION: What TV station interviewed Diony about her book? (Hint watch video for the answer)

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://diony-george.blogspot.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: June Kirk of Arizona

June 10

SPONSOR: Tina Scott

PRIZE: autographed copy of Coyote's Grand Adventure - children's picture book

QUESTION: What did Coyote always dream of doing? (Hint: Look under “Library” tab)

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://tinascott.net

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES

WINNER: Venetia Wilhelmsen of Arizona

June 11

SPONSOR: Cindy Beck

PRIZE: Winner's choice of one of the following anthologies featuring Cindy's stories (autographed copy): My Dad is My Hero, Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors, or Cup of Comfort for Horse Lovers.

QUESTION: What was the name of my horse? (Hint: You can find the answer by going to the website and clicking on the button marked "Books."

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.bythebecks.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Scott Duncan of Pennsylvania

June 12

SPONSOR: Valerie Ipson

PRIZE: $15 gift certificate and free shipping for a Vinyl Expressions’ Vinyl Lettering quote (check out http:// vinylsignsanddesigns.blogspot.com for examples of prize)

QUESTION: What is Valerie’s personal writing quote? (Hint: see quotes in right sidebar under “OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF WRITERLY PEOPLE: Valerie’s “personal quote” means just that…her very own quote!)

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://valerieipson.blogspot.com/

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Krista Darrach of Arizona

June 13

SPONSOR: Joyce DiPastena

PRIZE: 2007 Whitney Award Finalist: Loyalty’s Web, medieval romance, autographed by author

QUESTION: What is Heléne’s prayer when Gunthar brushes her cheek with his thumb? (Hint: Click on “Excerpt” tab on website)

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.joyce-dipastena.com

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: IN THE CASE OF AN INTERNATIONAL WINNER, A $20 AMAZON.COM E-CERTIFICATE WILL BE AWARDED TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF A COPY OF LOYALTY’S WEB

WINNER: Ginny Romney of Arizona

June 14

SPONSOR: Joan Sowards

PRIZE: LDS Word Puzzles

QUESTION: What is Bednar?

WEBSITE: http://joansowards.com/node/110

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Martha Lawson of Mississippi

June 15

SPONSOR: Anne Bradshaw

PRIZE: Autographed copy of Please, No Zits! & Other Short Stories for LDS Youth, but non-LDS will enjoy it, too! - YA genre (12 upward)

QUESTION: What does author Jeffrey S. Savage say about Please, No Zits? (Hint: scroll down right sidebar on blog)

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://annebradshaw.blogspot.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Stacey Starley of Utah

June 16

SPONSOR: Laurie LC Lewis

PRIZE: an autographed copy of BOOK ONE of her Free Men and Dreamers series, Dark Sky at Dawn.

QUESTION: What current political situation has caused a verse of the Star Spangled Banner to be nearly forgotten? (Hint: click on “news” link on website)

WEBSITE: www.laurielclewis.com

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: IN THE CASE OF AN INTERNATIONAL WINNER, A $25 AMAZON.COM E-CERTIFICATE WILL BE AWARDED TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF A COPY OF DARK SKY AT DAWN.

WINNER: LuAnn Morgan of Washington

June 17

SPONSOR: Jaimey Grant

PRIZE: FREE download of the eBook of your choice (Betrayal, Spellbound, Heartless, or Redemption)

QUESTION: What was the title of the very first Regency romance that Jaimey wrote from beginning to end? (Hint: Check out the post titled: "My Mind : What a Twisted Place to Live")

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://jaimeygrant.blogspot.com

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES

WINNER: Dena Walton of Washington

June 18

SPONSOR: Danyelle Ferguson

PRIZE: Free 30 page edit of your manuscript ($30 value)

QUESTION: How does Danyelle's business card describe her? (Hint: check right sidebar on blog)

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://queenoftheclan.blogspot.com/

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: Danyelle says: “If they live in the USA, I will print their 30 pages, hand edit, then mail back. If they live outside the USA, I will edit the .doc file and email back.”

WINNER: Julia Groves

June 19

SPONSOR: Walnut Springs Press

PRIZE: I Can't Believe It's Food Storage by Crystal Godfrey (non-fiction)

QUESTION: What is the most recent new release listed on our blog? (Hint: check out post for April 13, 2009)

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://walnutspringspress.blogspot.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: John Ferguson of Kansas

June 20

SPONSOR: Caroline Gregory and Shawnette Nielson

PRIZE: Puppy Stew, Children’s Picture book. Finalist for Foreward Book Of The Year award. (If you would like an autographed copy, please note that in your entry.)

QUESTION: “In order to stay warm, what do you wear underneath your shoes?” (Hint: look under the “Witchisms” tab on website)

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://puppystew.net

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES

WINNER: Carrie Lundell of California

June 21

SPONSOR: Marion Webb-De Sisto.

PRIZE: An autographed copy of her ground-breaking book, Crystal Skulls.

QUESTION: Does this book explore ancient crystal skulls or contemporary ones? {Hint: Take a look at “Books” in the main menu)

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.marionwebb-desisto.com

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES

WINNER: Karen Haas of North Carolina

June 22

SPONSOR: Inglestone Publishing

PRIZE: Autographed copy of Counting the Cost by Liz Adair

QUESTION: What is the name of the main male character in Counting the Cost?

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.inglestonepublishing.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Auriette Lindsey of Florida

June 23

SPONSOR: Cecily Markland/Inglestone Publishing

PRIZE: Autographed copy of children’s picture book, If I Made a Bug, by Cecily Markland

QUESTION: Who is the illustrator of If I Made a Bug? (Hint: the “bookstore” tab)

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.inglestonepublishing.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Shirley Bahlmann of Utah

June 24

SPONSOR'S NAME: . Jacquie Rogers

PRIZE: Faery Special Romances (YA novel)

Autographed in USA, not autographed elsewhere.

QUESTION: Why does our family support Neurofibromatosis research? (Hint: Click on “Neurofibromatosis research” link and read Mercedes Rice’s story)

WEBISTE: http://www.jacquierogers.com/faerysr.html

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES: WINNER LIVING IN A COUNTRY NOT DIRECTLY SERVED BY AN ONLINE BOOKSTORE WILL RECEIVE A PDF COPY.

WINNER: Patricia Cochran of Texas

June 25

SPONSOR: Terry Deighton

PRIZE: Cup of Comfort for New Mothers (non-fiction, anthology)

QUESTION: Name any two titles from the Cup of Comfort series. (Hint: Look in the store.)

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.cupofcomfort.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Torren Wilhelmsen of Arizona

June 26

SPONSOR: Leatherwood Press

PRIZE: Messiah: The Little-known Story of Handel’s Beloved Oratorio, by Tim Slover

QUESTION: Who was the art designer for Messiah: The Little Known Story of Handel’s Beloved Oratorio? (Hint: see post for May 15, 2009)

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://jdp-news.blogspot.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Taffy Lovell of Utah

June 27

SPONSOR: Dawson Publishing

PRIZE: Copy of The No Cussing Club by McKay Hatch

QUESTION: How many members of the No Cussing Club are there to date

WEBSITE: www.nocussing.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Sandi Brown of Idaho

June 28

SPONSOR: Nicole Zoltack

PRIZE: Woman of Honor (fantasy romance ebook)

QUESTION: What color is Caelan's eyes?

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://nicolezoltack.blogspot.com/

OPEN TO INTERNATIONAL ENTRIES

WINNER: Cindy Sampson Fleet of Canada

June 29

SPONSOR: Sarah M. Eden

PRIZE: An autographed copy of the Sarah M. Eden Regency romance of your choice

QUESTION: "Name all 7 Jonquil brothers." (Hint: check out "The Jonquil Brothers Series" tab)

WEBSITE/BLOG: www.sarahmeden.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Eva Minaskanian of Virginia

June 30

SPONSOR: Marsha Ward

PRIZE: LDStorymakers Writing Secrets

QUESTION: Who is Rulon? (Hint: Click on “Man from Shenandoah” under “Novels” link on website)

WEBSITE/BLOG: http://marshaward.com

USA ENTRIES ONLY

WINNER: Rachel Hanchett of Arizona

Happy reading, writing, blogging, and digging!

Prison Hulks : 'Hell On Earth'

(pencil sketch of a prison ship, ©2009 Jay Lyons)

I am working on a new Regency, one that completely fascinates me. It revolves around the hulks, decommissioned ships that were converted into prisons and moored in the Thames. These prison ships were meant to be temporary solutions for prisoners who were sentenced to transportation when England could no longer ship them to America during the American War of Independence (1776). They ended up being just another convenient place to contain petty criminals that lasted until 1859 in Britain. 

By 1828 over 4400 prisoners were contained on ten ships. More died than were released some years. The convicts were forced to do hard manual labor; stone-breaking was considered undemanding work suitable for invalids. The hulks were supposed to be for the worst offenders but boys as young as ten were included. The convicts were packed close together on three decks at night, locked in and left to fight amongst themselves. Gambling was the main recreation and talk of crime was rampant; the majority were determined to return to it.

Young boys were held with their elders until 1823 when it was determined it would be best to hold them separate. Eight out of ten released returned to their old life, their hatred for authority far outweighing their fear of the hulks. The statistics were similar among the older criminals.

Announcing the Winner of Deception

Personally, I think my first blog poll and contest went rather well. The winner of a signed copy of my upcoming release, Deception, is none other than...

JOYCE DIPASTENA

Congratulations, Joyce! I will be contacting you soon. 

Thank you to everyone who entered my contest. 

Happy reading, writing, and blogging!

The Results Are In

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is a redbud. This “tree” grew near my house in Maryland. In fact, they covered most of the mountainsides in Allegheny County. (I realize that the pictures I include in my posts usually have nothing to do with what I'm posting. They usually have everything to do with how I feel.)

Out of 23 votes in my recent poll (How Important Are Author Photos?) 18 votes were for “so-so” on up to “essential.” Apparently, it is pretty important for an author to allow this connection. Having seen how the results were leaning, I have already updated my profiles accordingly. I do not think I will be putting my picture and bio on my books just yet, however. Maybe someday.

Thank you to all participants! The drawing for Deception will take place May 15^th with the winner being announced the following day.

Happy reading!