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Reviews, Reviews, and More Reviews!

Dec9

In order for any independent author to make it to the best-sellers list, he or she will need at least five professionally written reviews of the published book. And nothing is more pleasing to an author than he or she reading the published reviews of their readers.

Reviews also help a book’s ranking on Amazon.   

“Do you know that a succinct review of your book can boost your book sales dramatically? In fact, that very review could be the reason you make it to the best-sellers’ list.”

If your book receives more than 20 positive reviews on Amazon, the book title would be automatically recommended to others browsing through the same category of titles your book belong to. And if the book receives more than 50 positive reviews, Amazon would list the title in its daily newsletter and recommend it to new readers who just completed a similar read.

Holiday Blues? Depression? Lonely?

Dec7

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Holiday Blues? Depression? Lonely?

It has been five days since I posted on my blog. I have, and still have serious depression.

Truly holidays should be a time of celebration and joy, yet some individuals are depressed. I know this for a fact as I have been depressed during the holidays since 1982. My firstborn son was born dead that year. Losing a child is the King of Loss. My youngest son, at age five years, passed in 1990 after a horrible cancer battle. I never thought I would see happiness again, ever. Sam’s favorite song is/was ‘Silent Night’. I cry every time I hear that song. I have lost a baby brother and my father and those deaths were difficult as they would be for anyone. Still, my children passing is, and will always be, my biggest trigger during the holidays.

There are different triggers for everyone who suffers depression during this joyous time of year. Many people are lonely and socially isolated, and that very isolation triggers deep depression. Some people have small or even non-existent social circles. These ‘loners’ withdraw from being around others and so they suffer from depression badly.

WebMD has great information on depression and how to help others. Actually they have 25 ideas to help combat depression!

Depression Hotlines for Support

Take a minute to look over the following phone numbers for crisis support. All of them are toll-free numbers. This means you don’t have to pay for the call, and it will not show up on your phone bill.

Suicide

  • Suicide Hotline

1-800-SUICIDE

  • National Suicide Prevention Helpline

1-800-273-TALK

  • National Adolescent Suicide Hotline

1-800-621-4000

Depression

  • Postpartum Depression

1-800-PPD-MOMS

  • Veterans

1-877-VET2VET

All Types of Crisis

  • United Way Helpline

1-800-233-HELP

  • Youth America Hotline

1-877-YOUTHLINE (1-877-968-8454)

  • Covenant House Nine-Line (Teens)

1-800-999-9999

  • The Trevor Helpline (For homosexuality questions or problems)

1-800-850-8078

 

This entry was posted on December 7, 2016. 5 Comments

Last Day Of FREE Children’s Book!

Dec2

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Last Day Of FREE!!

Shadow and Friends Spend Christmas in New York!

In Shadow and Friends Spend Christmas in New York, a fox squirrel named Stubby receives an invitation from his twin, Shorty, to spend Christmas with him and his squirrel family and friends in Central Park. Stubby invites Shadow, a small dog, and his squirrel family to go with him. They board the Rodent Road Adventure Tours jet, flown by Pilot, and Shorty greets them with a hello from atop the Empire State Building as they fly past! Not only do children learn safety and are introduced to the Eastern Gray Squirrels that range on the east coast of the USA, they have many fun adventures. In this delightful and funny book for children, the squirrels and Shadow learn about the huge Central Park in the middle of New York City. Children are entertained by the adventures of the group as they build a snowman, and Foxy goes shopping at Saks on Fifth Avenue. They decorate a Christmas tree, go ice skating at Rockefeller Center, and decorate a float for the annual Central Park Christmas Squirrel Parade! Add to this mix a few rocking horses, teddy bears, nutcrackers, candy cane castle, angels, elves, and a manger scene, and children are entertained. On Christmas Eve, all of them go to the Central Park Chapel, and celebrated the birth of baby Jesus! Targeted at ages 4-11, this book is easy to read and perfect for home or classroom. This story illustrates how beautiful Central Park is in winter, and the illustrations will fascinate children and adults.

“Shadow and Friends Spend Christmas in New York” is a cute and hilarious book for those with children of all ages, and certainly hits age target range of 4–11. My grandchildren loved hearing about the adventures of one small dog and a squirrel family. They loved the illustrations of Central Park, and they laughed at seeing Shadow and her squirrel friends on ice skates! This delightful story kept them engaged with all the Christmas floats, rocking horses, teddy bears, nutcrackers, one candy cane castle, angels, and elves. As a Christian, I loved how the authors wove in Jesus’ birth, and made this children’s book to be Christian as well. This book is perfect for home, schools, and libraries. I highly recommend this book. ~ Susan Vance, author, “Leaving Savannah.”

More Truth, Lies and Propaganda: in Africa

Dec1

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More Truth, Lies and Propaganda: in Africa  by Lucinda E Clarke

I just finished reading this well written book and my review follows the author’s blurb found on Amazon.

“More unbelievable tales from behind the camera lens, as Lucinda and her ‘rainbow crew’ travel across South Africa. They meet Mandela, endure a terrifying helicopter ride and empathize with the forlorn Bushmen. There are riots, an abandoned patient, a ram with an identity crisis and a house that disappears. Their stories are both hilarious and heartbreaking, revealing the truth about what goes on behind the scenes in the media. This book proves that propaganda is alive and well on television screens across the world.”

Clarke has written and enlightening memoir of her trip in South Africa with her media company documenting the entire way. Clarke spins and weaves humor throughout, from meeting Nelsen Mandela and into the bush with the bush men. This narrative is highly detailed and certainly a great read for those who haven’t actually ‘lived’ in South Africa. Not all is sparkling and glittery; and certainly not bullet ridden doors of schools and lack of sanitation combined with AIDS and other various details of South African life. I will leave details about South African politics and traditional medicine usage for those who read after me.

This entry was posted on December 1, 2016. 2 Comments