The Sunday Post Mailbox & Recap #12

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 
~this meme was inspired in part by - In My Mailbox~

It's a chance to share News. 

A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog. 

SQUEEEEE!!!! Tuesday is my surgery, so depending on how the week goes, there may or may not be a Sunday Post next week. Only two more days, I can hardly believe it. God, I hope it helps. Breathing is so damn useful. 

Did that previous paragraph give you deja vu? It was in last week's Sunday Post too but then the hospital called on Monday morning saying we needed to reschedule because they forgot a critical step. Grrr. So the new date is this Tuesday, the 31st. 

 

Anyway, though I only had 1 review this week, I had a cover reveal, 2 giveaways, an opinion piece and a bunch of news posts; InkWolf Press, Banned Books Week news, The UK Book Show.  

 

I also started my first feeelance editing job this week for a book that's being revised and re-released. Sorry, can't share yet, but I list all books I work on on this shelf on goodreads. NFR stands for Not For Review. The shelf also includes books put out by my publisher that I didn't work on but that I've read or own. I don't review their books in order to avoid a conflict of interest.

And on that note, I did have a great week for books. No. An AWESOME week for books. Yeah, awesome, that's the word. And I'm glad that the majority are ebooks or my bookshelves would be overcrowded again. As is, my goodreads TBR shelf is up to 581 books and I'm currently reading 2 books.

Bought

 

 

It arrived!!! Actually, they arrived. I accidentally ordered two copies from two different vendors. (hey, I was excited!) So, one copy is up for grabs. I enjoyed it, was a little disappointed, and I'm very sad the series is done. *cries*

 

 

I bought this book for one reason only: To support Ms. Kane. I read her comments at goodreads concerning the recent Asshat Author and his "list", and her posts on her blog. Smart, articulate, witty and unafraid to speak her mind. I now follow her on twitter too. If I like the book, great; if not, she still has my respect and my money. :)

 

 

I love the Newsflesh series so this was a must-buy. I haven't read it yet.

And now, the many books I bought from my publisher. They are having an ebook sale through the end of July and I stocked up.

Amazon loved me last week, with all of the books I bought. Though, I used gift cards; I'd been saving them and I'm glad I did. I still have some left, which is a delightful feeling.

Kindle Freebies

 

 

I purchased Darkhouse due to the author's comments in the Asshat Author GR thread. I have to say, as a result of that thread, I now have new books, new GR friends and new Twitter friends.  Still, I'd have preferred to have found them some other way.

 

Review Books 

 

 

I enjoy Karen Robards, she was a library find several years ago. Now with this book, she's adding some paranormal elements to her blend of romantic suspense. Many thanks to Random House for the digital galley. 

Wheeew! That's all. I did say I had an awesome book week. :D Leave a link to your sharing post in the comments and I'll try to come by and visit.

The UK Book Show

The US has BEA, BookExpo America, and the UK has The Book Show. They're not exactly equivalent;  Book Show is a conference for authors and publishers with less focus on new titles than BEA, though there will b exhibits. This year, the Book Show will be held on September 22nd. The ticket price includes access to all panels, talks and zones, as well as Breakfast, Lunch and Afternoon Tea. Centrally located in Luton, Bedfordshire, one minutes’ walk from the main railway station, two large car parks (parking lots in the US), and a few minutes from junction 10 of the M1 motorway.

While there, you'll be able to network with other authors, meet publishers, agents, marketing and PR gurus, get the low down on self-publishing, working with digital and paper publishers, and relax and chat to other like-minded individuals.

There will be talks and discussions including a publisher panel, author panel, self-publishing (hopefully that panel will include talks about how NOT to behave), marketing and PR, writing erotica, and working with agents, amongst others. Zones and Exhibitors will include a publisher zone, author zone, erotica zone, publishing services zone, author signings, marketing & PR zone, agent zone, and a bar and food zone. Publishers in attendance include Apex Publishing, Andrews UK, Silver Moon, MX Publishing, and many more.

Sponsorship and exhibiting Opportunities are still available, contact them for details if you're interested.

Where to find The Book Show online:   website     facebook    twitter

Anyone planning on going? Maybe you can share your experience with us if you do.

ABFFE Seeks Art for Banned Books Week Auction & Other News

As many of you know, I don't believe in banning books (or anything really) and for the past several years, I've used my blog to spread the word about the American Library Association's annual Banned Book Week. Banned Book Week, sponsored by the ALA among other organizations*, highlights books that have been banned or challenged, discusses the pros and cons of banning and of censorship and encourages people to make their own decisions. I'm still planning this year's blog event but it will be smaller and simpler than in previous years.

In the meantime, there are some things, dear reader, that you can do to support the cause. According to the daily book business newsletter, Shelf Awareness, The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression is seeking donations of original children's art for an online auction that will be conducted during Banned Books Week, which this year is being held September 30-October 6. The first such auction, building on the Children's Art Auction held annually at BookExpo America, was held last year and raised more than $5,000.

For more information, or to donate, click here.

The ABFFE will also be repeating, Net Read-Out, an event from last year that was popular and brought much attention to Banned Book Week. In conjunction with booksellers and other interested people, more than 800 videos of people reading from banned books were posted on YouTube. Interested? Click here. 

I thought about doing a video last year and wimped out. Maybe this year. IF I do, I'll post it on the blog as well as on YouTube.

*Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; the American Library Association; American Society of Journalists and Authors; Association of American Publishers; Comic Book Legal Defense Fund; the Freedom to Read Foundation; National Coalition Against Censorship; National Council of Teachers of English; National Association of College Stores; and the PEN American Center.  It is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and Project Censored.

Giveaway of Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong - US & CA

I was so excited about this book that I accidentally ordered two copies of it, one from Amazon and one from Barnes & Noble. :D Now I do sometimes buy doubles of my favorite books but I don't need two hardcover copies. When the paperback comes out, I'll buy a copy or two and I'm debating getting a Kindle copy (though that doesn't have the short story at the end that the hardcover has).

So, you all get to benefit from my confusion. I'll mail out my extra copy to one reader of the blog. Enter using the rafflecopter below. Please read the Giveaway Policy before entering.

Oh, and PLEASE, no spoilers for Thirteen in the comments, if you have already read it. Thanks.

ETA: I see that many people are entering who haven't read the series yet. This is the final book in the series, you really should read the preceding books prior to this one, and you definitely need to have read the two books immediately preceding this one. 

Some Authors Are Classy

There has been a frigging meteor storm on the web lately about authors and bloggers behaving badly. I won't link to any of the misbehaving sites or obnoxious posts. Not even to the calm and rational posts addressing the problems. I need a break from the drama. No, this post focuses on the authors behaving themselves.

In the past few days, I've received emails from two different authors concerning posts on this blog. One was a nice thank you for a promo post I did; the author thanked me for participating in her book's blog tour. Now, most of the time, a thank you is considered a good thing. In the blog book reviewing world, it's not so simple. Many people feel authors shouldn't comment on, or even acknowledge reviews, while others feel it's rude if the author doesn't. The poor authors are damned if they do, damned if they don't. Now granted, this wasn't a review, but it was still nice, and a bit risky on her part, to email me. I appreciate it.

Now, the other email I received was in respect to a review I did. It was a mixed review, some negative points and some positive points. I tried to be balanced, and to give examples. I received a thank you from the author (brave! but he did do it via email, privately), and it included the following quote:

If I didn't write this ebook I would  go out buy it myself after reading your review."

Now that's a classy author.

I wrote this post on the spur of the moment and didn't check with the authors in question to see if they were willing to have me use their names publicly. So for now, I'll keep their identities private, but I felt I should share their examples of authors behaving well. We can all use a smile now and then.

Got any examples of classy authors? Share in the comment section, by name or anonymous, doesn't matter.

InkWolf Press, new indie publisher, now open for business

Inkwolf Press is a small press that YA author J. A. Campbell, who has written guest posts and reviews on here and whose books I've reviewed, created with three friends: S. N. Holl, D. F. Paul, and Allie O’Connor. Their intention is to publish their shorter works of fiction, novellas and short stories and even possibly some poetry. Right now they have one novella available, "Doc, Vampire-Hunting Dog" by J.A. Campbell. However they have two more projects close to completion, a Steampunk novella and an Urban Fantasy novella.

J.A. is the publisher, formatter, owner of the business and is a traditionally published author of several fantasy novels and short stories. S. N. Holl is an author and graphic artist, D. F. Paul is an author, poet, and our line editor. Allie O’Connor is a writer, editor and horse trainer.

One of Inkwolf Press's goals is to be able to sell their works directly, digitally, and in print for those we send to the printing press. Their online store is now up and running and accepts payments through PayPal so everyone is protected.

They are running a fundraiser for the WOLF Sanctuary, a rescue and education sanctuary for wolves and wolf-dog crosses in Fort Collins, CO. From July, 1, 2012 until October, 31st, 2012 J.A. will donate half of the proceeds on all sales of "Doc, Vampire-Hunting Dog" to the WOLF Sanctuary. They, like so many, were evacuated by the High Park Fire in June and the ongoing costs of running a sanctuary never go away. You can help by buying a copy of one of Doc’s stories.

Inkwolf Press is not open to submissions at this time.

For questions contact Inkwolf Press at Inkwolfpress [at] gmail [dot] com

or Mail them at:
Inkwolf Press
PO Box 251
Severance CO 80546-0251

Giveaway & Cover Reveal: Red Dawn by J.J. Bonds

Are you a fan of YA? Love speculative fiction, but getting tired of vampires? Then you really need to check out JJ Bonds' series, Crossroads Academy. Book one, "Crossroads", came out in November of 2011 and book two, "Red Dawn" will be released August 28th. Today I have the pleasure of being part of a small team of bloggers who are revealing the cover of "Red Dawn".

Are you ready?

Oh wait. I almost forgot. At the end of the post will be a chance to win something.

Ok, ready now? What a silly question. :D

Look at the details and the colors? Isn't that gorgeous? And those green eyes. It's an eye-catching cover for sure. You may have even heard of the cover designer;  the book blogging community's very own Parajunkee. Want to know more about the book? Read on.

Book Blurb (from author):

Katia’s done running. She’s fought fiercely to protect her identity, her secrets, and those she loves most. And while it hasn’t been easy, she’s finally making peace with the past. Katia’s even looking forward to the start of a new school year at Crossroads Academy.

Too bad things at Crossroads are going to be a little different this fall. There are new rules, new students, and new relationships. Katia quickly discovers that navigating the halls of Crossroads is as complicated as ever.

When a friend’s life is at stake, Katia will be forced to choose between the safety of Crossroads and an enemy more dangerous than any she’s ever faced. Will Katia have the courage to risk it all -including her life- for a friend?

J.J. Bonds is an independent author who writes young adult speculative fiction. Her debut novel, Crossroads, was released in fall of 2011. It is the first in the Crossroads Academy series. J.J. lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where her love of all things paranormal keeps life interesting. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two rambunctious dogs.

Facebook | Goodreads | Shelfari | Twitter


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So, now that you have seen the yummy cover and know more about the book, are you ready to try the series? JJ has generously offered a copy of either "Crossroads", the first book, or "Red Dawn", the upcoming book, to one lucky winner, and it's open internationally.

 Enter using the rafflecopter widget.

 Please read the directions carefully and if something doesn't make sense, ASK!

Oh, and please read my Giveaway Policy.

Good Luck!

Surgery Postponed

Yep, you read that right. The hospital screwed up; they were supposed to start me on a pre-op drug last week, and although I called them and gave them my pharmacy info, they didn't call it in. So I talked to the research nurse this morning; she was very apologetic, admitted they screwed up, but they will NOT perform the surgery tomorrow. I have to be on the drug for three days before the procedure.

Oh I was furious. Then I had a meltdown. It's been a major challenge staying healthy enough to be able to have the procedure; I teach at a year-round early childhood center so I can't just call out, I need a sub to cover me; I made other plans for the summer based on the original dates. Sigh. An hour later, a nurse from the pulmonary department called and we talked. Not only did they not call in the prescription, but they were supposed to send me some paperwork beforehand, which they didn't. Sigh. The one good thing was that both nurses I talked owned up to their mistakes, and admitted they, and the medical team, were at fault.

By the time I got to work, I was calmer but still upset. I spoke to the assistant director and she was very calm and reassuring. She empathized with my situation and said not to worry, they'd figure out coverage. I gave her the new dates, had some coffee and by the time I was due in my classroom I was in reasonable shape.

So, new surgery date for the first procedure is now next Tuesday, the 31st. Since there has to be a minimum time of three weeks in between procedures, the dates for procedures two and three have been pushed back a week.

New countdown to surgery - 8 days!