Welcome all!
Babs Hightower (BabsBookBistro) and I have created a new list of Book Bloggers. We work on a daily basis with authors, trying to teach them how to market their books and how to approach book bloggers. What we found, is that most of the lists that exist are badly out of date or difficult to navigate (I hope I’m not stepping on any toes here).
We hope we aren’t re-inventing the wheel, but we are trying to create a comprehensive list of Book Bloggers that is searchable by genre and is kept up to date. Please drop by and fill in our form to be registered on our site.
The link is http://bookbloggerlist.com
Event & Giveaway Line-Up
On May 10th at 6pm EST, a virtual kick-off party is scheduled to take place where readers will have an opportunity to interact and ask questions of the anthology authors: Lori Foster, Brenda Jackson, Virna DePaul, Catherine Mann, and Jules Bennett.
RSVP for the event at http://www.eventbrite.com/
During the live event, each of the anthology authors will be giving away one autographed book to a guest from the pre-registration sign-up. You must attend the event and be present to win a prize. One of the books being given away is a Limited Edition Print Copy of “Love Bites” signed by all five authors!!
Other ways to win more books:
- Exclusively for my newsletter friends: Those that pre-register by clicking on this link: http://www.eventbrite.com/
event/3434726359/ and providing your information will be entered to win an autographed copy of Tawny Weber’s upcoming Blaze “Blazing Bedtimes Vol. VII” (with Rhonda Nelson).
- Follow along on the anthology website, http://www.lovebitesantho.com, to see author and blogger pet pictures. Each week we’ll be giving away more books to commenters!
- Coming on May 10th, the same day as the live kick-off event, the “Love Bites” Facebook page will launch. This page will allow readers to stay connected with the anthology authors during the pre-release. Additionally, US residents will be able to share their own “love bites” pet story in order to be entered into a sweepstakes for the chance to win more autographed books donated by each of the anthology authors! The sweepstakes will run from May 10th – June 1st.
Stay up to date on the latest “Love Bites” event news by visiting
http://www.lovebitesantho.com
Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!
Welcome to Friday! We’re going to take some time to talk about upcoming events!
The Romance Reviews is hosting an Erotic Romance Madness Hop.
The date is approaching fast – May 10th to 14th. Put this on your calendar and stay tuned for more details. Events on The Romance Reviews are always fun and filled with great prizes! I’m not participating in this hop as a blogger/host, but I’m planning on winning some cool prizes and books! For more information click HERE.
* * * * *
Now on to books to be released soon….I guess I need to hope for a late season snowstorm to allow me enough time to read….
On May 29th, I’ll be sitting waiting for the bookstore to open to get:
Anne Wynter might not be who she says she is…
But she’s managing quite well as a governess to three highborn young ladies. Her job can be a challenge— in a single week she finds herself hiding in a closet full of tubas, playing an evil queen in a play that might be a tragedy (or might be a comedy— no one is sure), and tending to the wounds of the oh-so-dashing Earl of Winstead. After years of dodging unwanted advances, he’s the first man who has truly tempted her, and it’s getting harder and harder to remind herself that a governess has no business flirting with a nobleman.
Daniel Smythe-Smith Might be in mortal danger…
But that’s not going to stop the young earl from falling in love. And when he spies a mysterious woman at his family’s annual musicale, he vows to pursue her, even if that means spending his days with a ten-year-old who thinks she’s a unicorn. But Daniel has an enemy, one who has vowed to see him dead. And when Anne is thrown into peril, he will stop at nothing to ensure their happy ending…
May 22nd is D Day for the next in Karen Hawkin’s series.
The fourth book in the Hurst Amulet Series
A DETERMINED EXPLORER
When famed Egyptologist Michael Hurst discovers that the infamous Hurst Amulet is hidden in Scotland, he insists his trusted assistant, Miss Jane Smythe-Haughton, accompany him north. Strangely, the usually unflappable Jane seems perturbed by their destination—the mysterious Isle of Barra. A fascinated Michael watches as his staid assistant transforms, revealing intriguing layers of mystery and vulnerability. Could he be about to uncover not one, but two, precious treasures?
A DAUNTLESS PRINCESS
Once her clan’s princess, Jane fled Barra years ago to avoid a forced marriage. Since then, she has made her living as efficient Miss Smythe-Haughton—the perfect (and highly paid) assistant. Now she must confront her secrets . . . including her feelings for her irascible employer, too-handsome-for-his-own-good Michael Hurst.
A PERILOUS PLEASURE
Others are also searching for the missing amulet, however. Can Jane and Michael learn to trust each other in time to solve two riddles: the location of the Hurst Amulet, and the meaning of the vivid passion flaring between them?
And on May 29th, the highly anticipated book from Elizabeth Boyle! Check out this blurb:
Along Came A Duke
The Duke of Preston is about to take a Bride . . . or so he thinks
The Duke of Preston has ruined more young ladies than Society can tolerate and turns their collective back to him and his family. In order to retake their place in Society, his aunt insists he take a bride to regain their respectability.
What Preston never imagines is that he will fall in love with the most unlikely of ladies–Miss Tabitha Timmons, a vicar’s daughter who is cursed in love and vowed never to marry. Now it is up to the notorious duke to change her mind and teach her lesson in love–before the infamous Kempton curse catches up with them.
With 2 books being released on the same day, I guess we know where I’ll be for the next few days after that!
What’s new on your Friday?
So….you can imagine my surprise when I logged onto my computer this morning…..coffee in hand and spotted this:
I stared. Clutching my cup of coffee. Really?? Were they referring to me? I need time to finish my first cup of coffee to decided if I was really seeing what I thought I was seeing.
Very Cool!
I have had people dropping to visit all day!
My day got even better! Just before lunch the courier showed up and my door with my new collection of swag from Avon! In addition to my t-shirt
I also got another pile of books! See?
Pretty exciting! Not only did I get a Lynsay Sands beach ball and a Jeaniene Frost notepad, but I also got 5 copies of Confessions from an Arranged Marriage by Miranda Neville, Wicked Road to Hell by Juiana Stone, Kiss of Pride by Sandra Hill and Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson!
Do you see a giveaway in your future?? Stay tuned….I’ll read these as fast as I can and then I’ll pass them on!
I’m enjoying being an Avon Addict!
Related articles
- Avon Romance Searches for Super Readers to become “Avon Addicts” (romanticcrushjunkies.com)
Happy Monday everyone!
I have an unexpected day free!
I thought I’d take the opportunity to just chat about blogging and stuff! I was at a conference a few weeks ago and we had several discussions about blogging philosophy. These conversations got me thinking about the direction I want this blog to go in.
I started this blog for two main reasons:
1) the technological challenge
2) to write down my thoughts on books that I’ve read
I didn’t aspire to be a writer, in fact, I’ve never aspired to be a writer. I am a reader, a voracious reader. I am never without a book close at hand. I can remember reading a post shortly after I started this blog about someone who received free books in the mail. I thought to myself – that will never happen to me. Holy cow, has it happened to me! I have a TBR pile that numbers in the multiple hundreds and I have had to close to reviews to try to catch up. The reality is that I can’t possibly read all the books that I have been offered.
This made me realize exactly how many authors there are out there that have books that need at least a little voice. In fact, if it wasn’t for this blog, I wouldn’t have met some wonderful authors like Maureen Driscoll, Norah Wilson, or Virna DePaul. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to read some of the best stories that I’ve read in my life! Feel free to drop by and say hi to these wonderful women….and read their books!!
Frankly, before this blog, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to read something that didn’t come out of a New York Publishing house. If I couldn’t buy it at a bookstore or Walmart or the grocery store, I didn’t read it. I didn’t have any sort of an ereader and I preferred to be able to hold the book in my hands. That has changed also! I understand the advantages of my Nook!
I now realize that more and more book bloggers are the new gatekeepers of book promotions. I don’t post more than once a day, but I have 7 days a week to give some publicity to some authors. I simply can’t read fast enough to post 7 reviews each week. As a result I post about 3 reviews on average each week and then offer up the rest of the days to author interviews or promotions. I want to use the vehicle of my blog to promote as many authors as I can. Does it matter to me that I may not have read their books? Not really. I feel that everyone deserves a chance to talk about their book. My readers are smart cookies! I think that everyone can decide for themselves if they want to read a book that is being talked about. They don’t need my 2 cents on every book they read!
So, have I met my original blogging objectives? Yes! I have conquered the technology and in fact spend a good portion of each week teaching WordPress and optimization to other WordPress users. I have had the opportunity to write down my thoughts on the books that I have read, and met so many wonderful authors.
I have discovered that my readers, like me, like romance, be it contemporary or historical or erotica, but they like romance. When I try to promote an author from a different genre, there isn’t much interest – ie hits. Because of this, you will see a bit of a change in the next few months. I’ll be narrowing the focus of this blog to just adult romance. I might as well stick with what I like!
Thank you to everyone who has filled out my survey – more to come on that in the next few weeks, and thank you to everyone who continues to share my enthusiasm for romance novels.
Hope you all have a great week!
Related articles
- Blogger Confession Time: Switching Genres (geekybloggersbookblog.com)
- Coffee Talk ~ With Moira (brazenbroadsbookbash.blogspot.com)
- Escape to Romance: More Historical Romance Chat with Jenn LeBlanc (booksavvybabe.com)
- Weekly Recap: What Ya Missed (3/26-3/31) (lovetoreadforfun.com)
Welcome to the last week of March break – at least in this household!
I’ve determined that I need to get more organized before summer break arrives 
My ability to be a last minute poster reached new heights this week……
My survey of book bloggers continues. I’ve had such a wonderful response that I’ve decided to extend the deadline for another month! If you haven’t had the opportunity to share your thoughts, click HERE to go to the post.
I hosted Genie Gabriel, author of Picture Perfect Legacy yesterday. She is touring with Goddessfish Promotions and is giving away a gift card to a commenter from the tour. Drop by the POST and leave a comment to be entered.
On Monday, Mallory Kane dropped by to share some information and has offered up either a copy of her book Hard to Hold or a book from her backlist. To be entered click HERE to go to the post and leave a comment. Good luck!
The giveaway for several of Sabrina Jeffries‘ Hellions of Halstead Hall series books will still be active until Sunday. Click HERE to go to the post and enter the giveaway!
Lastly, I want to congratulate Nancy Lee Badger for winning first prize in the Silken Sands Self-Published Star Contest for her book Dragon in the Mist! Drop by and congratulate her on her win.
Hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks for dropping by!
Related articles
- Where did March Break go? (ryanturgeon.wordpress.com)
- The Romance Reviews Anniversary Party (gbisset.blogspot.com)
- Weather Win for March Break (wistfullywandering.wordpress.com)
The Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference is coming up fast! Just over a month from now – from Mar 7th to 11th. I attended last year and learned so much! This year I’m serving as a panelist for several panels as well as a moderator for several more. I’m pretty excited! We are going to be talk about some pretty important topics! Not only are the discussions great, but everyone who registers gets free books!
This is the 3rd Book Bloggers and Publishers Online Conference, March 7-11 2012.
We are excited to welcome some fabulous publishers and bloggers this year as we work together to better understand the relationship between authors, bloggers, and publishers in the industry.
There will be audio panels and simultaneous chat rooms for the live interaction. All panels are recorded and available to attendees for a month after the conference. This is an opportunity to make new friends amongst bloggers and other industry professionals. There will be authors, editors, speakers from PR and Marketing departments, publishers, and specialists in social media, time management, and online organization.
All attendees will also receive books for giveaway from participating publishers. There are print and e-book titles available. Titles are being added to the giveaway page daily.
Below you will find a listing of the Panels and a short list of the panelists speaking at the conference.
More info can be found at pacomediagroup.com
Scheduled Events – All Panels are Subject to Change
Wednesday – March 7th
Panels – Opening Day
Where do Books Come From: Review Copy Distribution – Netgalley – Goodreads – Publisher Blogs: Tor.com, Romance at Random, USA Today Book Blog
Review Guidelines: Don’t be Overwhelmed
Thursday – March 8th
Panels – Working with Authors
Approaching Authors – The Creative Process for Authors and Bloggers – What Authors look for in Reviews – Publishing: The Options Authors Have Now – Should Authors Review?
Genre Discussions: Category Romance – GLBT – Inspirational – More TBA
Friday – March 9th
Panels – Industry Day
What PR Departments do – Working with Private PR Companies – Blogging’s Role in “Traditional” Media – Building a Relationship with Publishers – Obligation to Publishers: What are the Expectations?
Saturday – March 10th
Panels – Young Adult Focus – Online Safety – Keeping Social Media Social – Review Guidelines: Defining Your Blog
Negative Reviews: Fallout and Fears – Finding Independent Presses and Mis-use of the Term – To Review or Not to Review Self-Pub
What Bloggers Want: Don’t make Publishers Read Our Minds – Book Blogging as a Business?
Sunday – March 11th
Panels – Time Management – Online Organization Specialist – Writers Block: Creativity Coach
Covers: How Important are They? – Graphic Novels: Reading and Reviewing – Meet Your Local Book Store – Blogger Manifesto 2012
Speakers:
Sue Grimshaw – Random House Publishing Group
Jennifer Bonnell – Penguin YA Editor
Robert Dugoni – Thriller Author
Lindsey Rudnickas – Netgalley
Kristen Lamb – WANA Consulting
Don Dauria – Samhain Publishing
Ariel Tachna – Dreamspinner Press
Kate Lied – Bloomsbury Publishing
For more information and to sign up go to Paco Media Group today!
Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books – The Home of the Romance Novel!
So…..on Sunday January 8th I and my niece headed off for a drive to an event I found out about on Facebook:
An Affair to Remember – An Afternoon of Romance
Please join us for an exclusive romance tea, hosted by Avon Books and University Book Store in Bellevue, Washington! An intimate tea and conversation with bestselling romance authors, Eloisa James, Julia Quinn, Christina Dodd, Lisa Kleypas and Connie Brockway.
What could be better than the opportunity to listen to some of my favorite author talk about their books and maybe get a signed book to two…..
We had a few problems finding the bookstore mostly because I typed the address incorrectly into Google Maps 
I was so happy to arrive and find that although we were a few minutes late, some of the authors hadn’t arrived yet!
Not to worry, we settled in to relax and listen; happy to be in a non-moving seat A few minutes later, the rest of the group arrived with stories of all the places they had been during the process of trying to find the University Bookstore. I’ll tell you, they got way more lost than we did! Not only that, they saw alot of more interesting places in the process of finding the bookstore – we should have been following them
The next hour or so passed quickly, with each of the authors talking about their latest books and answering questions from the audience members. Although I’ve read books from all of the authors, I’ve probably read more books by Lisa Kleypas, Eloisa James and Julia Quinn. I found it delightful to be reminded of some of the older books by all the authors as they talked about their favorite hero and heroines. My niece that came with me has not read a book by any of these authors. She is *gasp* a sci-fi fan and was chuckling at me as I was smiling and nodding to the various answers from the authors. I’ll have you know, however, she took home a romance by Julia Quinn…..we might have a convert
Once the Q&A was done, we could get some books signed by the authors!
The line-up was long but the time passed quickly as everyone in line was discussing their favorite authors and their favorite books – a great way to pass time! I decided to get a copy of Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn, Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James and A True Love Wedding Dress by Catherine Anderson, Connie Brockway and Casey Claybourne. I got them all signed and am planning on giving them away!!
As you can see, in addition to the books, I got some swag In the bottom left of this picture you can see I got a promo piece with the artwork of Julia Quinn’s next book. Here’s a closeup of the cover.
Everyone who reads this blog on a regular basis knows that I LOVE the Bridgerton series! Just Like Heaven is sort of an extension of the Bridgerton series and so is this book.
Isn’t this cover beautiful??
But May 29th???
Really???
We have to wait that long??
How am I ever going to fill my time?
Right…..there’s that TBR pile that my husband claims is so large it needs it’s own room! Oh well, I guess time will pass, but in the meantime, look forward to a review of the books that make up the Bridgerton Series in the weeks before this release!
This post can’t be finished without a mention of Eloisa James. I’ve read alot of her books, but I’ve never heard her speak to an audience before. She’s funny, she’s engaging, and I love how her writing challenges my brain! I look forward to sharing my thoughts about Kiss at Midnight with you. ( I loved it!)
Until then, happy reading and stay warm
Welcome back to Sugarbeat’s Books!
I’m happy to be back to blogging after my brief hiatus! I’ll spare you the details
While I was separated from my beloved blog I was a busy girl!
Back in December I had the honor of attending an on-line video chat with Virna DePaul and Tawny Weber. It was alot of fun! I could watch the two of them respond to questions both through the video chat and also typing responses in the chat window. I have read and enjoyed quite a few of Virna’s books and I’ve read tons of Tawny’s books. Tawny writes for Harlequin and quite a few of her books are carried by the Blaze line which I have a subscription to. I don’t think I’ve reviewed any of her books, but that will likely change because of a series that she is working on….more on that in the future.
Because I attended the video chat, I won some cool prizes. First of all, I won a copy of Wild for Him and it’s currently loaded on my Nook, patiently waiting it’s turn! I was also lucky enough to win another prize!
Pretty cool, right? Of course the first thing I noticed was the chocolate! Chocolate is always welcome in this household I also got a signed copy of Going Down Hard by Tawny Weber along with some swag. Along with the CD of music specifically for moms I got a copy of Love With The Perfect Scoundrel by Sophia Nash. I haven’t read this book yet, and it looks great!
I’d like to thank both Tawny and Virna for taking the time to share with us all in the video chat, and I’d like to thank them both for the wonderful prizes that I won! Stay tuned for more reviews!
I thought I’d take a few minutes and wish everyone a great Christmas! Thank you to everyone who dropped by and said hi over the past year! Thank you also to the authors that shared their books with me! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your families and friends. Sugarbeat’s Books will return on Boxing Day with a visit from a new author.
We are eagerly anticipating Santa in this house and watching NoradSanta with great anticipating.
My favorite activity around Christmas is to be able to see Handel’s Messiah. The next best thing is to see the look on the faces of people that are surprised by a flash mob while they eat their lunch! So….here’s the Youtube link to Handel’s Messiah!
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