#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. 

Five books for under a fiver!

I've joined with four other writers, Bev Spicer, Carrie Ann Lahain, Wendy Janes and Dylan Morgan (click name for Twitter profile!) to promote five of our novels, in five different genres, on offer from 10-16 June - just 99p or 99c each.  You can't go wrong, as they say!

All have (genuine!) reviews from a variety of sources, and are also available on Kindle Unlimited; please click title for Amazon UK link, and I've also given the Amazon.com link.

Kicking off with my dark family drama The House of York, also on Amazon.com HERE.

Love, loss, jealousy, abduction and murderous intent form the basis of this highly acclaimed, complex family saga spanning the years 1993 - 2014.

"The ending to the story kept me thinking for days." ~ Shaz Goodwin, book blogger and Amazon Top 100 reviewer.

"Best book I've read this year." ~ Joanne Phillips, top selling women's fiction author.

****

I love this guy's books, I've read nearly all of them!  Here's Dylan Morgan's THE SICKNESS.  Amazon.com link HERE.

Forced home to attend his parents' funeral, James Harris returns to a place of childhood torment and gruesome horror.

"If you like your supernatural horror to be dark, gruesome and unequivocally gory, then this is the book for you. It is explosive, expertly written and riveting." ~ Shelley Wilson: author of YA fantasy novels.

"A captivating and suspenseful read . . . a story-telling standard equal to some of the biggest names out there in horror today." ~
Sharon Stevenson: author of The Gallows Novels and the After Death Series.

****

Next, here's Bev Spicer's super creepy psychological drama/thriller What I Did Not Say, on Amazon.com HERE.

Jessica Morley is on her way to meet with a man she has not seen for fifteen years. In her bag there is a package she must deliver.

"Outstanding mystery/thriller.  I was blown away by this novel…" ~ Babus Ahmed, Amazon Top 1000 reviewer and prolific book blogger. 

"Part 2 was the trial, where the pace and tension were excellent. The pages seemed to turn themselves." ~ Amazon Reviewer.

**** 

 

For fans of the cosy mystery, here's Death Times Three by the girl who knows Las Vegas because she lives there ~ Carrie Ann Lahain!  You can find it on Amazon.com HERE.  

A Las Vegas librarian trips over a murdered artist and an amateur sleuth is born. Two short stories and a novella.

"Elinor (Gray) is a wonderful amateur sleuth—she’s whip-smart and determined without coming across as nosy or arrogant." ~ Elizabeth Maria Naranjo, top Amazon reviewer.

"I'm a sucker for stories involving a female
who can't resist sticking her nose into a curious puzzle and the
attractive man who can't stop her." ~ Teri Case.

**** 

Popular with family drama lovers ~ here's What Jennifer Knows  

by Wendy Janes.  On Amazon.com HERE. 

Jennifer Jacobs unwittingly discovers a link between two of her friends. Should she speak out or stay silent?

On half price offer 10-15 June only

"Jennifer is the kind of woman you would want as your friend..." ~ Liz Lloyd, book blogger.

"I started off liking What Jennifer Knows...I finished the novel loving it." ~ Judith Barrow, novelist and creative writing tutor.

****

Hope there's something there that appeals to you.  Please do share this with your friends!  Thanks for your interest, from me, Bev, Carrie, Wendy and Dylan. :)

The Z Files: Wendy Janes ~ Capricorn

Astrology ~ a bit of fun, a load of rubbish, or something to take seriously?

I invited around 70 writers/bloggers to write a piece about how typical they are of their sign, and how its traits affect their writing life ~ if at all...

Has your favourite writer been featured yet?  Links to all previous posts at the end of this one :)

Since I made my initial invitations to be featured in this series (I invited about 65-70 writers and bloggers; at the time of writing 51 have taken it up), it's been interesting to see which signs have given me an immediate 'yes please!' and which have not been so interested.

Those cautious Capricorns were one of the three least responsive, then, just when I thought I'd got all submissions in, the goats began popping their horns into my email inbox!  Perhaps they were seeing how it panned out, first... and here is one of late, hircine arrivals, proofreader, supportive social networker and now contemporary drama writer, Wendy Janes :)

Wendy's recently published her first solo novel, What Jennifer Knows ~ it's HERE on Amazon UK.  And there's a rather nice trailer for it, too:

 
Now I'll step back and let her tell you about her Capricornian traits!

"Let’s ignore those negative Capricorn traits and dive right in with the positive ones."

 "Yes, my approach to writing is ‘organized’ and ‘efficient’. I revel in the sense of order and purpose I achieve via daily, weekly and monthly to-do lists for all my writing projects. 

I aim for ‘high standards’. I plot, I plan, I write, rewrite and rewrite, edit and re-edit over and over again. Sometimes the initial getting the words on paper/screen is a little akin to pulling teeth, but once I have something down I love tinkering with it until it feels right. 

I’m definitely ‘resourceful’. The initial spark for most of my fiction comes from my own experiences or, more often, from those of my family. The genesis for my short story ‘Verity’ came from rescuing an elderly lady who had fallen in the street. ‘Verity’ also contains a number of anecdotes that have become family folklore. My husband says he’s a trifle concerned that anything he says or does will be used in my writing. Oh look, I’m even doing it in this post."
(Terry's note: 'Verity' is from a lovely anothology about mothers, definitely the best anthology I've come across since Kindles were invented, my review HERE)

"People tell me I’m funny, so I’d like to think that in addition to creating some ‘witty’ characters, I’m fairly witty on social media, and hope I spread a little smile through the ether.

I can’t finish without making reference to the Capricorn trait of being ‘simply irresistible’. As I’ve only recently published my first solo novel, I think it’s a little too soon to judge whether the reading public think What Jennifer Knows is simply irresistible, but I can dream!"

If you'd like to know more about Wendy and all she does, here's her website, Facebook author page, and her Twitter profile

Now, well known Capricorn writers ~ and indeed we are none of us worthy...

...because the first one I've chosen for Wendy is one of my absolute favourites, the High Priestess of historical fiction ~ Phillipa Gregory 

...and Booker prize winner 

(does it make me a pleb to say I've never read one of his?) ~ Julian Barnes.

Up next ~ A book blogging Scorpio!

Previous posts: (click name to view article)

Leo and Aries: Terry Tyler and Proofreader Julia

Leo: Rose Edmunds, Alex Johnson, Anne Goodwin

Aries: Trisha Ashley, Cynthia Harrison

Gemini: Haydn Lee, Norah Colvin, Jerome Dumont, John Privilege,
  Shelley Wilson

Aquarius and Capricorn: Nicky Black

Capricorn: Annie Lyons, Steffany R

Aquarius: Cathy Ryan, Lynda Renham

Sagittarius: Rachel Amphlett, Wendy Lennox, Katrina Mountfort

Cancer: Sarah Boucher, Katie Oliver Mark Barry

Virgo: Louise Marley, Elizabeth Ducie, Barb Taub

Pisces: Julie Haiselden, Sacha Black, Maria Savva

Scorpio: Gemma Lawrence, Robert Leigh, Catherine Hokin, Jenny Twist

Taurus: Valerie-Anne Baglietto, Val Poore

Libra: Tom Hocknell, Jen Ammoscato, Joanne B