Category: Guest Posts

Contributions from other writers, usually, but not limited to book promotion or writing tips.

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Guest Posts

Book Review Etiquette by Paula Hrbacek

Authors can’t sell books without reviews.  Especially now that a lot of authors are going the self-published route, book reviews are crucial elements that authors seek and crave.  Well, good reviews are craved.

Recently, there has been a trend for readers to post reviews before they have even read the book.

“A fellow author recently received the following ONE star review: I did not read it I just downloaded it,” says Raebeth Buda, author of ‘Silenced’ and host of the Writing World web site.  “Last year I also got a ONE star review that said, “I haven’t read it yet, I will leave a review when I do” They have yet to review it. That star has been sitting there hurting my rating ever since. And with only 10 ratings on that particular site, it hurts LOT.”

It hurts the author because most book review sites give an average star rating, figuring all the reviews into one score.  It’s like getting straight A’s all semester, and then getting one F that pulls your grade average down to a C.

“It seems like common sense, but I think more people need to be aware of how much needless one star reviews can hurt. It’s great you bought the book, it’s great you intend to review it. But leaving a one star “placeholder” hurts the author much more than leaving no review at all.” Buda says.

Stars on a book review are pretty much equal to the five point grading system used in schools.  A five star rating is the same as an A on an essay.  It means you thoroughly enjoyed the book.  Four stars means the book was enjoyable, but had a few faults.  A three star rating means the book barely passed.  Anything below three stars warns other readers to pass the book by and buy something else.  A one star rating means the author should not have published the book in the first place.

When writing a review for a book, the reader should give a summary of the story to let the next reader know what the subject of the book is about.  It also lets the reader know that the reviewer did in fact read the book.  It should then point out the book’s virtues and weaknesses.  Is it well paced?  Does the plot make sense?  Are the clues foreshadowed, or does the answer appear out of nowhere?  Are the characters believable and likeable?  Is it well researched?

The conclusion of the review then gives an overall reaction to the book: it was a pleasant read, it was a page turner, I couldn’t put it down, I highly recommend the book, I can’t wait for the next one.  The conclusion of the review should not be what is called a “spoiler”: the butler did it.  It’s acceptable to say that the ending was surprising, but not to say what the surprise actually was.

So, please, write your reviews, but follow the rules and format of a good review.  Even if your opinion is bad, every review posted should be good in quality, helpful to other readers, and a true reflection of the reader’s opinions.

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Paula Hrbacek is the author of five books including: Stars Shine After Dark, a sweet Christian romance, available in paperback, Kindle and Nook, and Day Camp in Hawaii, a complete program guide for summer camp or summer school, available in paperback, Nook and Kindle.  For more information see http://paulahrbacek.weebly.com or her author page at https://www.amazon.com/author/paulahrbacek. She also writes two columns for The Examiner, a free online newspaper; Children’s Arts and Crafts, and Book Reviews.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Guest Posts

Going to Mali by Darlene Jones

provided by D. Jones

Many years ago a young girl left the safety of Canada for adventure in Africa. This was in a generation when young girls didn’t go anywhere on their own and certainly not to the “the dark continent.”

I was that young girl and going to Mali demanded that I adapt to:

  • A different climate. I exchanged the snowy cold of Alberta winters for the arid Harmattan winds of the Sahara. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the force of the heat that pressed on me as I stepped off the airplane. Over the days and weeks that followed I learned how the heat saps your energy until you feel that you can barely drag yourself around. A person who shall remain nameless said that the Africans were lazy. This person lived in an air conditioned house, drove an air-conditioned car, and worked in an air-conditioned office.
  • A different culture. I very quickly packed away my mini-skirts and wore a pagne, the rectangle of cloth that women wrapped around themselves to be a skirt. I hired a house-boy – sounds degrading, but the $8 a month I paid him supported a family of seven. (My salary was about $140 a month and that was ample to live on.) I learned the proper greetings that came before any exchange whether it be buying a stamp or fruit at the market. I learned to bargain. The list goes on.
  • A different language. I spoke French, but not fluently so I had to work at perfecting that. I also tried to learn a little Bambara, the most common local language. My students put me to shame. They could speak four or five local languages, had learned French (the official language of the country), and were studying English (I was their teacher) and German in school.

But above all, I had to adapt to time travel, for most Malians lived the way they always had. Modern conveniences consisted of basic items such as kerosene lanterns and little else.

I brought home with me a love for Mali, the Sahara, and Malians that burns as brightly now as it did then.

It was the plight of Malians that inspired my novel series. Since I couldn’t wave a magic wand to make life better in Mali, I chose to do that fictitiously. I wrote my books to entertain, but also with the hope that readers would see the world in a broader perspective. I hope that doesn’t make my books sound preachy, because they’re not intended to be, but I don’t think I could have written them in any other way given my experiences in Mali. The wide warm smiles of Malians stay with me always. I hope that warmth and positive outlook is conveyed in my stories.

For more from Darlene Jones, check out these links: www.emandyves.com and Amazon Author Central.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Guest Posts

Life Without Junior High Students- Impossible by Darlene Jones

Fuzzy-Dice
provided by D. Jones

“You asked for this,” I tell myself as I stand in front of the unruly grade nine students. They’re big. They’re loud. They’re bold. And, I’m not all that much older than them.

They’re my PFL class—Perspectives for Living. I’m supposed to teach them life skills—self-esteem, drug and alcohol education, sex education.… They’re here because the drama teacher and the art teacher are fed up with them and only the academic kids take the other two options offered—French as a Second Language (which is the bulk of my teaching assignment) and music.

I have great plans for this class, field trips to see court in session, guest speakers, etc., but I can’t do any of that until I get some control. The first couple of weeks do not go well so I hatch a plan.

“Here’s the thing,” I say. “You guys put yourselves in groups of four and every Friday I’ll take a group for lunch. You pay for your meal. I’ll pay the tip.”

Group one pile into my car that first Friday and we drive to a small restaurant near the school. We have a great time. Group two and three go equally well. The atmosphere in the class begins to change.

“Shut up! Mrs. Jones wants to talk.” This is the biggest, toughest kid in the school talking and they do. Shut up, that is.

Then it’s group four—five boys from Lebanon with very shady reputations. “Where’s A?” I ask.

Waiting for us in the parking lot. And he is. Sitting in the driver’s seat of his own car. I didn’t know he was old enough to drive. He gets out and gallantly opens the passenger door for me. Great! I get to ride shotgun which wouldn’t be bad normally, but the car is festooned with huge fury dice and pompoms, and upholstered in plush red velour.

“It’s okay. I’ll sit in the back,” I offer.

The young man insists I take the front seat. I slide in and sink down as low as I can. I don’t particularly want to be seen in this car. It’s not a matter of snobbery, honest. It’s a matter of professional reputation. As with the other groups, lunch is a huge success. They reveal a side of themselves that I would normally never have known. Underneath the bravado, they’re kids.

Nor do we neglect the academic students. My fellow French teacher and I offer to take the grade nine students to a French restaurant at the end of the year. Seventeen kids take us up on the offer. We have a wonderful time. They even use a bit of their rudimentary language skills with the waiters, who it turns out, don’t speak French at all…

To see the rest of this article and learn more about Darlene Jones, visit the ECS blog.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords