#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: Elizabeth Ducie: Virgo

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, and asked them 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.

The second Virgo of the series ~ and this one, unlike the last (HERE!), is in no doubt how typical she is of this sign.  Welcome meticulous business systems writer turned fiction author, Elizabeth Ducie.  Okay, Elizabeth, I'll admit it - I've just removed the justification from the right hand margin of your piece.  It's a test.  See how long you can resist emailing me to request rejustification!

"As a scientist and technical author for a long time before I turned to creative writing, I have always dismissed astrology as superstitious nonsense—but I have to admit I am a typical Virgo. I spend far more time than I should working on newsletters, updating websites or formatting anthologies for my writing groups; I prepare detailed ‘To’Do’ lists on an annual, monthly and daily basis—and sometimes, I even stick to them. I find the process of editing to be engaging and can sit for hours trawling through text for stray commas."

"I use correct punctuation in texts. I scream at the TV if someone uses ‘less than’ instead of ‘fewer’ and am far more likely to judge a piece of writing by the accuracy of the apostrophes than the message of the words. My writing is carefully catalogued in duplicate on my laptop, and my desk is generally clean and empty at the end of the day; however, in the rest of my life, I am very untidy, scattering shoes, bags and books all over the house!"

 

★.:*´`*:.☆

As followers of this series will have noticed, I change to 'bold' the phrases, words and sentences which typify the sign of the writer ~ with this one I felt I might as well give up and 'bold' the whole lot!  Even the way it was written is super-Virgo; it's also typical of the sign to be messy around the house, actually.  (Elizabeth, I have four planets in this sign in my natal chart, and am meticulous and ordered in all work, hardly do any housework and use correct punctuation in texts, too).

I must add that Elizabeth is also modest, kind and helpful - other positive traits of the sign :)

 

You can follow Elizabeth on Twitter and have a look at her website, on which you will find her most interesting pieces on the business of writing, and details about her own work, including her short story collections and first full length novel, Gorgito's Ice Rink.

Now, Ms Ducie, here are two more Virgos with whom you might like to discuss the infuriating misuse of semicolons...

As Gorgito's Ice Rink is set in Russia, I've chosen Virgo Leo Tolstoy 

- perhaps he just wrote such long books for the joy of editing them!

...and as you've written so many short stories, 

here's a Virgo who has written a few himself - Roald Dahl :)

Coming next: at last, the first Libra!

Previous Posts (click name to see article):

Leo and Aries: Terry Tyler and Proofreader Julia

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

Virgo: Barb Taub

Pisces: Sacha Black

Scorpio: Catherine Hokin, Jenny Twist

Taurus: Valerie Poore

Cancer: Katie Oliver, Mark Barry