Teaser Tuesday ~ Buried Secrets by Brandi Salazar

We're giving some love to an oldie but goodie today. Check out this excerpt from my very own Buried Secrets!

“If you’ve seen Olivia Tremain, or know of her whereabouts, police and local official ask that you please contact them immediately.”

            The fork hovered in front of James’s lips as he sat frozen in his chair. He recognized the girl from the photo and as realization set in, he felt sick to his stomach. 

            “Do you believe this crap, Jeanie?” his dad said, rising from his recliner and heading into the kitchen. “Jimmy,” he said curtly, not bothering to spare him a glance.

            “Dad,” he managed, resting his fork on the plate, but James couldn’t bring himself to move or say much more. His thoughts were flying a mile a minute. The girl on the news, Olivia, was at the theater last night. More importantly, she was the one AJ had set his sights on, and the last time he saw her, she was leaving out the back door with AJ at her side.

            He didn’t want to think it, but it was inevitable. Could AJ possibly know about, or be responsible for her disappearance?

The Terrifying World of Authors and Reviewers

Most of you probably don't know this, but last year I wrote a review of a book that thoroughly pissed me off. I paid good money for it, and found that it was complete trash. In my review, I wrote about all the plot holes and the complete non-effort the author went through to make sure that it was edited properly. I also offered some sage advice, which was to get an editor and take the time to flesh out the story and its characters (this was a published author, btw, so there was no excuse for this level of inattention--she knew better)...and I was attacked ferociously.

By whom, you may ask? Well, I got together with a group of people who investigated the private messages I was being harassed with and they were able to track it back to the author's very own husband and a set of their mutual friends, some of who created accounts just to 1 star all of my books in retaliation. After my review hit, dozens of people stepped up and found that I was on to something, and that author's work was put under a microscope. In response, she attempted to distance her bad work from her successful work by putting it under her maiden name. It didn't work. Reviewers are smart. They know when someone is trying to dupe them. It was then that the author pulled the book, designed a new cover, gave it a new title, and rereleased it. Readers flocked to it....and found out it wasn't much different. A couple of them even made the connection to the old book, having already read that one, and were understandably upset that they had once again been duped. Needless to say, that book is not doing very well.


As for me, well, reviewers were so upset by the fallout I experienced that they rallied together and boosted my books back up to where they had been previously, while simultaneously attacking the other author and dragging her book down into the trenches. I've never seen such a show of solidarity before, and it gave me the lift I so needed at the time. However, my experiences during this dark time definitely left a scar. I am no longer the reviewer that I once was. Why? I guess I am a little afraid to voice my opinion now knowing what may come of it if someone doesn't agree with my opinion.

My feelings were confirmed yesterday when I came across some surprising posts regarding another author's work that I had recently considered checking out: Reviewers hold considerable power.

Kendall Grey, author of Strings, recently wrote a post about her story calling it out for what it is: smut. She holds no illusions to what it is and she makes no apologies. What she does, however, is  tell her adoring audience that she is a "sell-out." She proceeds to say that she prefers to write urban fiction, because that's where her heart lies, but she never got the recognition she felt she deserved from it, so she chose to give the readers what they wanted, and that was erotica. She said she wasn't comfortable in that genre, but she wrote in it anyhow--and she'd be willing to write in any genre that she wasn't comfortable with--just to make money. She has succeeded. Very well. But then she went too far. In not so many words, she called her reviewers simple-minded, who wouldn't know true art if it walked up and bit them in the ass.

Readers went nuts.

As I combed through the reviews, I noticed at a number of people who have enjoyed the book actually went back and revised their ratings in response to these comments, added her to their DNR shelves, and are boycotting everything she has written or will write in the future. They are on the attack, passing the message along like a plague. It has reached the upper echelon of the book world. In essence, we have a witch hunt on our hands.

Now, I agree that Ms. Grey was wrong to say what she did. If she thought that it wasn't going to get out to the masses because it was said within the privacy of a very public forum she belongs to, she was sadly mistaken. This is the age of technology. You cannot hide. Once you put something out there, it is forever accessible, so whatever you say or do, you'd better put your best foot forward, always. This is my understanding, and I practice it every day. Sadly, Ms. Grey seems to have missed the memo.

To be fair, she has no clue all of this is going on (or so she claims). The only knowledge she has of any controversy comes from those in her group who monitor Goodreads and other sources. As an author, I can't say that I entirely believe this. No matter how busy I am, I keep a pretty close watch on all my work. I know what is happening at any given time and how my words impact the public. Now, she did issue a very unofficial public apology. If you care to read it, it's located in the bottom rungs of a blog post on whales in response to a reader's advise to do address her public and stop the insanity. You can find it here:

 http://www.kendallgrey.com/?p=4596&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kendallgrey%2FhBBU+%28Life+is+but+a+dream...%29 

How generous of you, Ms. Grey. I just know that every reader/reviewer out there will appreciate your extraordinary efforts to make things right.

If I sound less than thrilled, well, I am. Had this been me, I would have jumped in front of the firing squad and issued that apology with flair to be sure they heard and understood my message. I would NOT behave as if a token apology that people have to comb the Web for was good enough. It's kind of a slap in the face to the consumer.

I decided to check out the sequels to Strings and found that this has, indeed, impacted the future of Ms. Grey's writing career. For those she has rubbed wrong, they are being proactive and shunning her upcoming work. Heck, some of it already has 1 star ratings, and guess what? It isn't even out yet!

Will this impact her sales? Probably. In fact, she'll probably start selling like hotcakes, but will it last? Probably not. These reviewers are similar to the long arm of the law. If they don't want you to succeed, then you probably won't. They will swarm in and bring you down.

It's a terrifying reality, but it's true.

I don't ever want to be where Ms. Grey is. Although I have added her to my "do not read" list on principle (I cannot support an author who does not respect or appreciate her readers), I feel for her situation. It is not a good position to be in, and I truly hope she doesn't let it dissuade her from continuing her passion to write. From what I have read of her work, she has a talent for it, but she's kind of shot herself in the foot.

My advice: Stick to what you know, write what you love. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. And most importantly, watch your tongue, because other certainly are.


UPDATE: 

Ms. Kendall addresses her readers
 http://www.kendallgrey.com/?p=4600

Frankly, I think this is a very well-written apology. It explains her stance, why she decides to write what she has, and how it has affected her. Regardless of what you or I or anyone else may think, this lady has balls, and you have to respect that.

While I don't think it's going to change the die hard haters' minds, I do think an apology goes a long way in soothing hurt feelings and mending fences. I hope Ms. Grey is able to get beyond this hiccup and continue making herself and her readers happy.

But please, Ms. Grey, no more "selling out." If you write it and you own it and you do well at it, you have simply transitioned. You are not selling out for deciding to branch out.

I've said my peace. Peace out!

Weekend Writing Warriors 8 Sentences ~ That First Kiss by JC Valentine

His lips grazed lightly across her cheek and Piper closed her eyes as they gently touched her skin and made a slow path along her jaw to her mouth. His breathing was heavy and ragged as he held her close, breathing her in. “I love you, Piper Donovan,” he whispered.

Piper’s breath came to a screeching halt and her heart bottomed out. Had her ears deceived her, or had Tate just told her he loved her?

“I love you so damn much, and it scares the fucking shit out of me,” he confessed through gritted teeth, as if admitting that had cost him dearly. “I know I’m an asshole, and I’m sure as hell not worthy of you, but if you give me a chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to be.”

***

 

Hope you enjoyed the snippet! 

That First Kiss is almost here and to celebrate, we have a couple giveaways happening. 

Check out the side bar and enter the Rafflecopter to win one or both Night Calls ebooks, a gift card and a signed paperback of That First Kiss available only from Goodreads!

Sneak Peek Saturday~ That First Kiss by JC Valentine

“Well, that asshole,” Shelia breathed down the line. Piper could practically hear the steam coming out of her ears. “And to think that I was going to do you a solid and take that piece of hotness off your hands. Well, he can just think again!”

            “Thanks, Sheila. Your generosity knows no bounds, truly.” Piper couldn’t help smiling a little. There was a reason she called this woman her friend, and it was because she always knew how to make her smile, even when it was the last thing she felt like doing.

            “That’s what I’m here for, doll.” Piper cringed at her chosen endearment, her thoughts reflecting back to when Tate had used it on her. She didn’t want to think about any of that. “So, are you going to kick his ass, or should I do the honors?”

            Piper stared at the door Tate had blown out of less than an hour ago and sighed. “I just want to forget about all of this.”

            “Well, that’ll be a piece of cake,” Sheila said sarcastically. “Considering he’s the first person you’re going to see tomorrow morning.”

            Like she needed the reminder? “I know. Believe me, I know.” She shook her head, trying to clear away the disturbing thought.  “Look, I can’t think about this anymore tonight,” Piper told her truthfully, though she knew she would probably be awake all night doing just that. “Talk to you tomorrow?”

            “Of course. I’ll call you after I get off work.” There was a pause. “You’ll tell me if anyone needs their ass kicked, won’t you?”

            “You’ll be the first person I call.”

            “Good, because I’ve been thinking about taking up boxing, and I could use a dummy to practice on.” 

*** 

Hope you enjoyed the snippet! 

That First Kiss is almost here and to celebrate, we have a couple giveaways happening. 

Check out the side bar to enter the Rafflecopter or Punch Tab to win one or both Night Calls ebooks, a gift card and a signed paperback of That First Kiss available only from Goodreads! 

Review of The Ghost in My Bedroom by Heather Jones

Lucy Warner has managed to fall in love with her roommate – who has been dead for about 25 years. Since he’s been haunting her bedroom from the time when she was a baby, they have grown to be very good friends; a secret that no one else knows about, not even her best friend Ling. But Lucy wonders if it is possible to be more than just friends, as she realizes Ryan is the perfect guy for her.

It is the summer after high school graduation. Lucy finds herself newly single, and slightly bitter after a bad breakup. When Ling sets her up on a date with Jon, she plays along to try and forget about her ghost and get on in life with a real living guy. But when she finds out Jon can see ghosts too, keeping her secret gets a little complicated.

I don't see the point in rehashing the plot, so I'll just get to the heart of my review.

I picked this book up because I liked the title and the description seemed like something I would really be interested in since I am a big fan of YA paranormal romances. However, once I began reading, I experienced mixed emotions. I'll begin with the good stuff...

The Good Stuff-
Lucy is an average girl who just so happens to share her bedroom with a ghost. A good-looking, moody, teenage ghost who's been dead somewhere around 20 years if I recall correctly. While Lucy herself isn't entirely likeable, I did like her prospective boyfriend, Jon. He was shy and screamed of innocence, but when you scratched the surface, he was just your average hormonal teenage boy. A diamond in the ruff, if you will. The descriptions of Lucy's experience were also good. It painted a clear picture of what she was feeling when she encountered Ryan, so no problems there. Lucy's knack for sewing was also an interesting detail, and I often wondered if the author had some personal experience in a lot of what Lucy did in her day to day activities, because the knowledge involved was very thorough. Overall, it was an imaginative story with a lot of promise.

The Not So Good Stuff-
From the opening chapter I was faced with extreme run-on sentences, frequent grammatical errors, and unrealistic dialogue. Frankly, I was pretty close to calling it quits by the end of chapter one. I didn't want to give up, though, because the premise really captured me and I wanted to give it the old college try before I cast it aside. The story picked up a bit and, like I said before, the descriptions were well-done. I can't say the convos improved much, nor did I connect with any of Lucy's friends, but I did feel a little bad for the way she constantly ditched Ryan. They were BFFs since she was a baby, and yet she left him alone constantly. I call that rude and inconsiderate. Even if he is dead.

I also took issue with Ryan's sudden mood changes. At one point, Lucy made him upset with something incredibly minor, and he flipped out unnecessarily and called her a b**ch. I don't mind books with language, but it was so inconsistent with what I had read up to that point that it was a shock. This moment also marked a gradual increase in strong language.

Jon was a nice addition, but as we try to get to know him along with Lucy, the author sprinkled a few disturbing and, imo misplaced, encounters with Lucy's ex-boyfriend. I think this was a simple means to add drama and work an ending, but to me, it actually took away from the story. Her ex is detestable and is constantly showing up when she is all alone. His increasing display of violent tendencies and her constant disregard for her safety made me want to scream. Without giving anything away, I could see how this was going to end a mile away.

The ending was also something of a letdown. While not entirely bad, it ended up being a switching of roles. A choice had to be made, and the author did just that. I can't say how I would have liked it to go, but either way, I just wasn't feeling it.

All in all, I give Ms. Jones a thumbs up for creating a story. I know what hard work it can be and how difficult it is to get from A to B. This wasn't a bad story. Not by a long shot. I think a lot of people will really enjoy it, and I did like some of it (I finished it, didn't I?). I feel that the biggest issue with this book is not so much the storyline, but the editing(run-ons, drug instead of dragged, than instead of then and vice vera, and redundancy). If the book was cleaned up, it would make it run smoother and I allow the reader to focus more on the characters and less on the story's problems.


I'm giving this 3.5 stars and I'll say it's worth the read.

Teaser Tuesday ~ That First Kiss by JC Valentine

 An extra long treat for the senses! 

**** 

The fierce look of possessiveness Tate unleashed on her made Piper’s knees tremble. Desire consumed her and before she knew what he was doing, before she could even consider stopping him, Tate’s mouth crashed down on hers.

            Threading his fingers through her hair, Tate grabbed fistfuls of it in both hands as he plundered her mouth, robbing her of all breath as he licked at her lips and sucked on her tongue. Piper moaned loudly, the breath rushing out of her as he slammed her back against the wall, pressing his hard lines into her soft curves as he groped every last inch of her body.

            Pushing his knee between hers, Tate forced his way closer, completely obliterating her personal space. Still gripping her hair in one hand, he released the other to let it wander lower. Skimming down her neck, he followed the path of his fingertips with his lips, stopping to nip and suckle her pulse point until she was gasping for air. When his hand came to rest over her right breast, he lifted his head to look into her eyes.

            “You’re so hot, baby,” he whispered, massaging the turgid peak. Piper whimpered, her hands clenching the material of his shirt and pulling him closer. She couldn’t seem to get close enough. “So damn sexy.” He pinched her nipple through the soft cotton and Piper sucked in a gulp of air, desperate for more of his touch. “Tell me you want me,” he commanded, dipping his head again to run his tongue along her collarbone.

            Despite her compromised state of mind, Piper knew that she couldn’t give in. She couldn’t tell him what he wanted, because that would give him far more power over her than he already had. And he did have power over her; she would be the last to deny that. Every time he looked at her, she melted. Every time he touched her, she exploded. Tate might have total command over her body, but she would never let him command her heart. 

****

That First Kiss is scheduled for release on June 18th! 

Be sure to add it to your TBR!