Finally Friday: #Reviewersrock

Face it, writing can be a very insular profession.

You write, edit, publish, repeat. Sometimes, you get so caught up in the creative process you forget that real people will pick up your book and read it. And…gulp…leave their thoughts about it in a review.

The wonder happens when a reader connects with a story on the same level that grabbed you, the author, while you were writing it…and then shares her thoughts in a review. To paraphrase Sally Field, “She gets it, she really gets it.” Wow! What a feeling!

Because this doesn’t always happen, I can’t help but celebrate when it does. Here’s a Goodreads review from a reader named, Maria.

Maria’s Reviews > That Cowboy’s Forever Famly

That Cowboy's Forever Famly by Debra Salonen

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5 of 5 stars
That Cowboy’s Forever Famly (West Coast Happily-Ever-After Book 6) 
by

Debra Salonen(Goodreads Author)

F 50x66

Maria‘s review

Apr 12, 2018
it was amazing

 

That Cowboy’s forever family is a sweet, heartwarming book that entertains, moves, and leaves the reader with a wonderful sense of hope and trust.
The plot is rich with lively characters and a myriad of different situations, as well as plenty of beautiful cameo episodes. It has a well paced narration that keeps the reader entertained and interested throughout the book until the very last page.
Even though this is a highly emotional story, the author masterfully avoids excessive drama. Instead, the character’s feelings, personalities and emotions are explored with a rational and balanced approach.
Tom, the protagonist, is an amazing character. Abandoned by his wife while she was pregnant with their second child, he has managed to overcome his betrayal and loss, maturing into a balanced, generous and loving individual. When he suddenly becomes solely responsible for his two daughters, he dedicates all his efforts into being a nurturing full time father for them. His readiness to overhaul his entire life for the sake of his children, his capability to overcome his pride, accepting help and embracing change, encouraging dialogue, his strains to make his daughters feel secure and loved, give life to a beautifully engaging story.
Abby, the female heroine, travels an emotional journey of her own. She is going through ia moment of change, and has an instinctive understanding that she needs to step up her life, break the status quo and fight for what she really wants. Obviously easier said than done, until Tom’s love and moral integrity give her the final push towards self realisation.
Angela and Heather, Tom’s daughters, are well described, lively characters. The first one almost excessively portrays a typical teenager, abruptly thrown towards adulthood by the circumstances of her life. Her emotional evolution is heartfelt and very credible. Heather is sweet and funny. Dealing with her grieving process is a completely different challenge for Tom. His efforts to be a parent to an angry teenager and at the same time heal his little girl’s soul give life to some of the best pages of the book.
The plot is also filled with many other side characters, all of them well depicted and giving an essential contribution to the story.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. Opinions and comments are solely my own.

Is that a great way to start the weekend or what? I’m so inspired, I’m sitting down with my Kindle and writing reviews for the last three books that I read–and neglected to review. My hope is one author will read one of my reviews and feel appreciated. Believe me, it’s a great feeling!!!

Happy reading, my friends,

Deb

PS: Here’s the link to That Cowboy’s Forever Family, in case Maria’s review inspired you: BOOKS2READ.

Finally Friday: Friday the 13th

Does Friday the 13th worry you?

Daisy, my middle granddaughter, was born on the 13th–which makes it a special number/day in our lives. The next time her birthday falls on Friday the 13th will be in 2025. She will be turning 18. (Can you tell I love calendars and dates?)

So, even though I no complaint with the number 13, I do think it’s a great excuse to hunker down with a book–or ten. 😉

I included my BLACK HILLS RENDEZVOUS boxed sets in this meme because they were the first I placed on the “shelves” of my online Bookstore. At $8/book, that’s a pretty good deal for three complete novels, plus, with the 25% coupon, the price drops to $6. Sweet, huh?

This week I added my two naughty comedies–the wildly irreverent JUDY UNCENSORED, which features a 54-year-old, self-proclaimed “trailer trash” heroine who is searching for love in all the wrong places and her spin-off holiday novella JUDY DOES CHRISTMAS. Just when you think you’ve found your happily-ever-after…along comes the holidays.

You can read a sample here: BOOKSTORE.

And don’t forget to use this coupon:DD4WDK2JU5.

Be safe, my lovelies! And happy reading and have a wonderful weekend!

Deb

 

 

Finally FRIDAY: Before and after…blurbs

Blurbs! Ack! Kill me now!

I hate to write book descriptions–or, blurbs as most writers call them, which we all know are key to selling a book.

Blurbing (not a verb, but it is in my mind) should be an Olympic event. Think about it. You take several long, meaningful, and carefully thought out paragraphs that describe the story you just spent weeks or months, maybe years, writing then you mince said paragraphs into bite-size fragments designed to tantalize, tease, tell the reader just enough about the book to make her slap down her hard-earned money to buy it.

I’m terrible at it. Really bad. So, I signed up for a BestPageForward Webinar on the subject. (I’ll share the replay link below in case you’re interested.) I learned a lot. I learned that this process is really hard, completely subjective and brutally tough on the ego. You have two choices: develop a split personality or hire it done.

Since all my “pin-money,” as my late mother-in-law would say, is earmarked for my website remodel,  I’m going with split-personality. Writer-girl is hiding under the covers while blurb-girl gets out her erase key and thesaurus.

Here’s my BEFORE and AFTER. I consider both works-in-progress and will take any/all suggestions gratefully.

Here’s the link if you want to learn more from Bryan Cohen and Abigail Dunard. * Want to see how Abigail Dunard and I write book descriptions? Click here to watch the webinar replay! *

Have a great weekend!

Deb

PS: We’re transitioning to a server and this just got moved. After comments, here’s my final (for now) blurb.

Life can change in an instant. The same amount of time it takes for a bullet to kill.

Ranch foreman Tom Butler loved his ex-wife enough to let her go when ambition lured her to L.A., but he never stopped loving their two daughters. His rustic lifestyle in the Central Valley added light years to the distance between them until the day tragedy struck. Tom may not be the dad his daughters know, but he’ll do anything for his family—even ask for help from a beautiful stranger.

Victims advocate Abby Davis’s life needs a major overhaul–just not the kind her newly single boss has in mind. On the verge of quitting, she meets Angela and Heather Butler–and their father. She can’t turn her back on two brokenhearted children and their beleaguered father, but can she do her job without losing her heart in the process?

That Cowboy’s Forever Family is Book 6 in the West Coast Happily-Ever-After series. If you’re a fan of deeply emotional stories that make you smile through your tears, then you can’t miss Debra Salonen’s cowboy dad, his brave little girls and the woman they were meant to love.

Buy That Cowboy’s Forever Family to escape into a warm, happy place where love thrives.