#AugustReviews Hall of Fame ~ the first five days!

#AugustReviews is an initiative to get genuine readers into the habit of leaving book reviews on Amazon.  My original post about it is HERE

Another huge thank you to everyone who has shared, RT or re-posted the blog, and especially to those who have written versions of it on their own blog.  There has been so much sharing activity that to thank and comment on all individually would take me hours and hours of each day that I don't have, so please take this as an official thank you, and you're on my RT list. :)  If I don't RT you, give me a nudge!

  
*Please note: #AugustReviews is NOT about own book promotion.  
All hashtags suffer 'hashtag abuse', but I don't want this idea to get lost under yet another mountain of 'buy my book' tweets, which can only be counterproductive, as it will put off any genuine readers who might join in.

Many have already reviewed, so a big thank you to all who have joined in, and please see the list below.  

Please do not tweet blog review links to the hashtag.   

Why not?

• The purpose of this initiative is to get more readers posting reviews on Amazon.  If you post blog links, it might put new reviewers off and lead them to think you need a blog to review.
• It causes more work for me, as I have to go and seek out your review on Amazon! 

I would LOVE to see some reviews from readers who haven't written one before ~ so if any of you are reading this, please don't be shy!  If you're not sure what to put, just have a look at the ones below, which should give you a few pointers, or read this terrific post on With Love for Books with some great one liners: it's HERE.

Huge thanks to Barb Taub for her fab graphics, 
and welcome to the first...
  
...#AugustReviews Hall of Fame!

Click the title of the book to see the review :)
 

Sharon Booth reviewed Summer at Skylark Farm by Heidi Swain

I reviewed Out of Love by Diana Appleyard

Mags Cullingford reviewed Scotch on the Rocks by Lizzie Lamb 
 
Barb Taub reviewed Abe Lincoln on Acid by Brian Anthony and Bill Walker

Carol Thomas reviewed To Squeak and Hattie by JJ Morval 

Stacey from Whispering Stories reviewed:
Recipient by Dean Mayes
Becoming Phoebe by J Michael Neal
The Tudors  by Marcia Williams
Franny The Fearless Firefly by Christina Murphey

E L Lindley reviewed The Family Line by Laura Wilkinson 

Elizabeth Ducie reviewed: 
The Broken Road by Lindsay Stanberry-Flynn
A Killing Tree by Paul Toolan
Blood Hits The Wall by Judith Cranswick 
What Happens in the Alps by TA Williams
Perditas by Alison Morton

Wendy Janes reviewed Marielle by Peter Davey

The Happy Meerkat reviewed The Demon Within by Byron Nadgie

Luccia Gray reviewed:
Escape Plan by Elizabeth Hein 
I let you go by Clare Mackintosh
Under a Cornish Sky by Liz Fenwick

Liz Lloyd reviewed Trust Me I Lie by Louise Marley

Elle (Capes and Corsets) reviewed Fudge Berries and Frogs Knickers by Lynda Renham

Adrienne Vaughan reviewed Escape to the Riviera by Jules Wake

Cathy Ryan reviewed Banshee by Sarah Cradit

Catherine Hokin reviewed:
The Girl In The Glass Tower by Liz Fremantle
and my book Kings and Queens

Ella Noel reviewed:
Horizontal Living by Ray Green
M'TK Sewer Rat by Delinda MCann

 
Rosie Amber reviewed:
Harbinger by Marcia Meara 
Her Enemy At The Altar by Virginia Heath 
Dante's Key by G L Baron

Rachel Poli reviewed:
The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse 
A Spark of Justice by JD Hawkins
Walking Over Eggshells by Lucinda E Clarke

Shelley Wilson reviewed The Last Necromancer by C J Archer

 
Sarah Houldcroft reviewed my book Best Seller 

Jenny Worstall and Anniek Snowroses reviewed my book Round and Round 

Thanks more than I can say for everyone's support in this, and keep them coming!  I may not be as active on social media as I would like at the moment because of some bloody annoying back problems, so I'm sorry if I don't thank you personally, but am giving #AugustReviews top priority. 

The Z Files: Catherine Hokin ~ Scorpio

Welcome to The Z Files!  I invited a selection of writers and bloggers to show how the characteristics of their star sign influence their work; the instruction was to treat the subject as seriously, cynically or lightly as they liked.
Links to all previous posts can be found at the end of this one.

"...vampy and dressed in scarlet like a souped-up Veronica Lake..."

Sneaking down a dimly lit alleyway in dark glasses, all the way to my blog, is Catherine Hokin ~ another deep, dark Scorpio!  I discovered Catherine via Twitter, she has an excellent blog called Heroine Chic (click for link) and, best of all, is bringing out a book about Margaret of Anjou in January 2016, which will go straight onto my to-read list!  (I've just discovered that Margaret was born under that fellow Mars-ruled sign, Aries.  A more typical female ram I couldn't imagine :)

So, Catherine, how is being a Scorpio writer working for you?

Bad Moon Rising

Scorpio - it is the best of signs, it is the worst of signs…

"Sensual, intense, deep thinking, loyal, philosophical...cruel, dogmatic, possessive, jealous. It’s a writer’s dream! To be honest I’ve always been rather proud to be a Scorpio – the female images are usually vampy and dressed in scarlet like a souped-up Veronica Lake. I also like the sting-in-the-tale aspect – sarcasm is only the lowest form of wit if you don’t know how to use it and I’ve always considered a sharp intake of breath and a slight look of panic as a compliment when I’m being ‘funny’."

"It wasn’t until Terry asked me to do this, however, that I looked at my writing in terms of my star-sign. It explains a lot – from my blog Heroine Chic to my short stories to my forthcoming novel, my work has Scorpio rising. My female characters are a bit twisted, very self-willed, always strong-minded – they do what is expected for as long as they can and then they rebel, that’s why I like them. Margaret of Anjou, the protagonist in my forthcoming novel Blood and Roses splits opinion like Marmite. Love us or hate us, I know which one is safer." 

S  Sexy

C Crafty

O Observant

R Ruthless

P Private

I  Inscrutable

O Opinionated

I've got two self-willed, strong female Scorpio writers for Catherine!

Determined to get away from the image of women writing light romance ~ 

Mary Ann Evans, aka George Eliot...

...and ultra cool Zadie Smith 

(whose 10 Rules of Writing I love - read it HERE)

 

Follow Catherine on Twitter ...if you dare... and find out more about her book and others to come on her website, HERE.

Next Up: a very precise Virgo!

Previous Posts (click name to view article):
Leo and Aries: Terry Tyler and Julia Proofreader 
Leo: Anne Goodwin, Alex Johnson
Aries: Cynthia Harrison
Gemini: John Privilege, Shelley Wilson
Aquarius and Capricorn: Nicky Black
Aquarius: Cathy Ryan, Lynda Renham
Sagittarius: Wendy J Lennox, Katrina Mountfort
Cancer: Katie Oliver, Mark Barry
Virgo: Barb Taub
Pisces: Sacha Black
Scorpio: Jenny Twist
Taurus: Val Poore