"Deep in my heart, I know there’s no promise I’ll be free from trouble in this life. In fact, I’m usually either getting out of trouble, currently in trouble, or about to meet trouble around the next corner."...... I hope you'll stick around for my "Lucille Ball/Gracie Allen" adventures. It promises to be a wild ride.
I am here to confess – and my sisters and anyone else who knows me well, will be looking around thinking – where is my sister and what have you done
with her because SHE doesn’t talk about these things – back to confessing – I actually
threw a pair of underwear away today. The kicker is – they were clean, but
none-the-less full of holes.
Seriously, do you throw underwear away,
or are you like me? I see that it needs to be trashed, but then who throws away
dirty underwear? Yuck! I know, who is going to see it? So, I wash it, and then I
think – I’ll just wear it one more time, it is clean after all and so the cycle
continues. The underwear never makes it to the trash!
Today, I threw away a pair of clean
underwear. Now, I am asking all of you to fess up – do you throw away underwear
– and if you dare – clean or dirty? I am throwing down the gauntlet. Leave your
confessions below and know that we’ll keep them in the strictest of confidence.
There was time in my life when I allowed
another’s lies to define who I was.
That was a lifetime ago; and that time
has ended.
I
don’t know why God put this on my heart today. Maybe with all the violence and
ugliness going on in the world, we all need to be reminded to love one
another. Maybe someone needed the message I had to impart.
We learn, as Christians, to see Jesus
when we look at people; but how many of us actually have that thought running
rampant through our mind every second of our busy days?
My former mother-in-law never missed an opportunity to voice to my mother that she told her son he should not have married me – and this was while we were married. Do you think she was seeing Jesus when she spoke those words to another mother? Truth be told, it would actually hurtme to voice that sentiment to another mother. I identify with other’s feelings on too deep a level to ever consider voicing such a hurtful comment.
A "What Would Jesus Do?"
I remember a time when my former husband
and one of his co-workers went fishing for the day. At the end of the day, after
cleaning the catch, we shared a meal with the other family. As women will do, we
talked as we stood in the kitchen preparing the meal. I was surprised – or
perhaps not – when she very candidly told me that her husband had told her of a
conversation he had with my then husband. In that conversation, he said that I
was a bitch. There is no other way to phrase that particular word – my
apologies. She went on to tell me that her husband said that he was told I did
nothing but scream and yell and fuss all of the time.
Anyone who knows me will tell you I do
not handle matters in that particular way. I am a person who holds their anger
inside. I rarely ever show my anger or hurt. I detach and become very quite. That
doesn’t mean I am not human. I am, and I have been known to slam a few doors –
loud and hard- did I mention loud and hard - but screaming is not something I do. I do not like confrontation,
and I avoid it whenever possible.
Ephesians 4:29 – “Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say.”
I asked this woman, if after getting the
chance to know me, if she still thought that I was this kind of person. I did
not let on, but I was extremely hurt when she replied that she did in fact
still believe all that she had heard, because she did not feel that my former husband
would lie – which said to me that she thought I was lying when I denied the
allegations. What I wanted to do at that time was grab my daughters and leave. I
did not want to stay in a place that was detrimental to my emotional
well-being. I could feel myself shutting down, and pasting on that fake smile.
What I did was hide my hurt and anger
inside of me, and stayed for dinner. I never told anyone how devastating that
conversation was to me. Little did I know that it would become one of many such conversations in the years to
come.
Colossians 4:6 – “Your speech should always be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person.”
Ever since that night, when the thoughts
come back to haunt me, I get angry with myself. I am angry because I did not
stand up for myself. I am angry because I did not confront my ex-husband. I am
angry because another person believed his lies. I am angry because I let what this person believed bother me. I am angry because I wish the memory would vanish. And, that, is not very Christian like either.
And, then I think, maybe the memory comes
back to remind me that I am worthy. I am worthy of Jesus’ love. I do not need
people like this woman in my life because they make me feel like less than.
And, to feel less than, is an insult to God. It is also a lesson that we need
to know and remember. Lies hurt; lies maim; lies destroy; and lies kill. Lies
destroy a person’s spirit; what lies within.
Proverbs 14:1 – “A wise woman builds her house, while a foolish woman tears hers down with her own hands.”
For a while, the WWJD – What would Jesus
do – bracelets were extremely popular. It seemed as though everyone was wearing
some form or another of the symbol. I wonder if our actions would be significantly
different if we had WWJD branded on our foreheads. While it sounds like a
farfetched idea, I urge you to think about it for a moment. When we opened our
mouths to lie, or to gossip, would we continue or would we close our mouths?
This story brings me to a lesson we need to remember.
Everyone is of God. And, to insult or lie or belittle another person, is to
belittle God, our creator. For that reason, when we see or speak to others, we
need to remember one of the greatest lessons of all – look for Jesus in each
face we see and not be led astray.
As always, I encourage you to share your
opinions and experience, and/or questions. Remember to show courtesy to others
in your comments.
" Sherry Parnell began creating worlds of her own into which she could escape, dream, and live for a moment outside of her own life. Now this passion has become her profession with the release of her first novel, "Let the Willows Weep"."
I hope you'll give a wonderful welcome to my guest Sherry Parnell.
Where is
the line between destruction and redemption?
What happens when one doesn’t know—do they fall or do they find their
way?
When the
tenuous ties of her family break, Birddog Harlin is forced to choose a path
which leads her away from those she loves, threatening to completely destroy
her before she ultimately seeks her salvation.
Birddog
is a willful and bitter woman whose husband, after years of suffering her
emotional abuse, leaves suddenly one morning. She is left with her precocious
and introverted young daughter who is devastated and angry, further
deteriorating their already strained relationship. But during a seemingly
insignificant moment with her daughter, Birddog privately recollects her own
adolescence and the tragic events which drove her to make the choices that
threaten to destroy not only her own life but also that of her daughter.
Memories of loss, love, and unbearable hurt flood her mind. But as each
moment recedes once more, Birddog realizes that although life is partially
fated, it is her own choices that determine her true destiny.
My guest today is Brooklyn James, the author ofThe Boots My Mother Gave Me. Boots won the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award as a Quarterfinalist in 2011. Please welcome Brooklyn James.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk through life in someone else's shoes?
Strong-willed tomboy Harley LeBeau puts you in the boots her mother gave her, as she takes you along her journey of escape from an abusive childhood and the desire to find herself as she comes of age. Made to feel a burden to her father simply by her gender, Harley is determined to prove her worth and independence, leaving the small town she grew up in and the one boy who gave her a soft place to fall, Jeremiah Johnson. Torn between saving herself and abandoning her mother and younger sister, Harley chooses her own life in hopes they will choose theirs, too.
A mature, candid read for everyone. A must for women. The Boots My Mother Gave Me explores the dynamics of abuse and dysfunction, the courage to overcome, the strength in sisterhood, and the ongoing conflict and unconditional love between mothers and daughters.
Climb into Charlene the Chevelle for a fast-paced story about a girl who is tough enough to survive and tender enough to learn to trust in love.
Signed Paperback & Original Music Soundtrack to The Boots My Mother Gave Me can be found at www.brooklyn-james.com
My guest
today is Jane Wenham-Jones, the author ofPrime Time. If you are a fan of romantic comedy, you might want
to check out this book. Here is Jane to tell you a little more about it.
My new novel, Prime Time, is the story of Laura, who
is persuaded onto a TV discussion programme which has life-changing
consequences.
I’ve done a few TV
shows now – often on little-watched channels with three viewers - and one of
the things I’ve learned is that you need to be ready for anything…
On
Loose Lips on Living TV, I was called
upon to give off-the-cuff relationship advice as part of a live phone-in.
I’m not sure what sort of counsel I
cobbled together – the woman in question was having an affair I seem to
remember, so I probably said: For God’s sake don’t get caught – but it was the
first in long line of situations where I’ve had to think on my feet.
I once nearly spluttered on air
having just heard myself introduced by one regional radio station (clearly
desperate to fill five minutes before the travel news) as a “relationships
expert” and finding I was being called upon to offer guidance to Helen who felt Kevin no longer loved her,
when I’d thought I was just there to plug a novel.
My guest today is Johnny Ray, the author of Her Honor's Bodyguard. If you are a fan of romantic thrillers, you might want to check
out his book. Here is Johnny to tell you a little more about it.
About the Book:
Do first loves ever really die? While reunions can take many forms, there is always one question that has to be answered sooner or later—what happened?
Vance had always been extremely proud of Noella, and just because his life had been ruined, he saw no reason why she had to have the same faith. When his dad died, leaving him and his mother penniless, he dropped out of law school and ended his relationship with Noella, but in doing so, he stopped a scandal that could have ruined her family. These secrets he would never let her know. Ironically, years later, he would have never guessed she would be instrumental in ruining his career with the Tampapolice force.
I
was reading an email that I received today and it immediately brought to mind
my first marriage. The topic was about longing for a person to turn to, someone
to defend you, and keep you safe.
The
reason I thought of my ex-husband was I did not receive this acceptance and
love from him. He never defended me, in fact, he often belittled me and told
lies about me. I learned the difficult lesson that without mutual love and
respect, the relationship does not prosper and grow; it falters.
Maybe
I am a little old fashion, but my core beliefs are a husband/wife should love
his wife/husband unconditionally. He should be willing to do battle for her - not against her,
and above all, he should respect her. This was not what I found in my first
marriage. I have heard my ex-husband’s family described as mean. Sadly, I would
have to agree. I have bore witness to it on too many occasions; and since the
divorce -16+ years ago-, some of the meanness has developed into hatred towards
me; and the relationships with my daughters directly affected by the
detestation.
When
I met my husband -Hubby-, I knew that I would not settle for less than I deserved.
Love and respect had to be part of the package, or there would be no
relationship. Having gone through a similar marriage and divorce, he felt the
same. It was hard for me to trust in the beginning, but with him as a light in
my life, I learned how to trust again.
I do! Even acquaintances of mine will tell you it doesn’t
take long to see I am all about manners and proper etiquette!
title page of Etiquette an Rococo-Arabeske (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I was reading
an article the other day about the proper way to handle different etiquette situations,
and the topic of being invited to a shower or a party (etc.) hosted (and I use
this term loosely) at a restaurant, but with the intention of you paying for
your own meal. I thought it was funny because this is a pet peeve of mine, a HUGE one! I have addressed etiquette on my blog before and I thought - it's a favorite subject of mine, so why not do it again? I love hearing what other people are thinking, so I really hope you will comment. It can't be just me who is missing those long ago days of manners, along with "Please" and "Thank you."
(Back to the subject) This has
happened to me on several occasions, and I must admit I chose not to attend the
functions. We all view situations in a different light, and this is only my opinion. “Hey, we are having a baby
(wedding, etc.) shower at (insert restaurant) in (insert town 2 hours away) on
(date, time) for (insert name). We would love (exaggerating) for you to attend,
but you will have to buy your own meal.
My guest today is Jeanette Baker, the
award-winning author of fifteen novels.
Welcome Jeanette!
About the Book:
Possessed of a luminous beauty and a delicate grace, Tess Bradford left Maryland for London with but one purpose, to secure the release of her husband, a devout American patriot, who had been seized by the British navy. Only one man could help her secure his release, James Devereaux, Duke of Langley, former aide to Wellington. But Tess wasn't prepared for the passion that burned beneath Devereaux's implacable demeanor.
Completely Whole is resource filled- guide full of
practical and Biblically-based principles, real-life application strategies and
prayers to give the readers a holistic approach to living a life of wholeness
through Jesus. Christ. This book is inspiring, optimistic, hopeful and
encouraging while providing a clear-cut, scriptural blueprint for each reader
to follow as they allow the Word and the power of God to transform their pain
and restore their lives on their road to becoming Completely Whole.
Harper plainly states that “words have the
power and ability to create (76)” which can place you in a position
to be completely whole. The purpose of her book Completely Whole is to “bring
the reader to the place of wholeness—spirit, soul and body.” She provides
a biblical foundation, personal experiences, prayer and a confession in each
chapter to give a voice of reason to the women who cry out to learn more about
who they are, where they are to go and why it is so important to know God’s
word. Her personal walk is the example within the text. Jewell
Williams
Enough is enough! What does it take for a troubled woman to finally let go? SBR Martin's second novel, "Pig," answers this question by bringing dark topics to light in an unnerving, yet inspiring, story of domestic abuse, sexuality, reflection, and loss. - - - -
Her name is Lily, but she's gone by different names over the years - Lilith, Mom, Flower, and Pig, to name but a few.
She's sitting alone on a couch in the corner of a crowded funeral home, desperately clinging to a scrap of paper in her right hand. She's avoiding contact with those around her, keeping to herself, because she holds more than that scrap of paper - she holds a lot of secrets, including one she's keeping from herself.
In the other room, which she dare not enter, a man lies in a closed casket. That man is her husband. Only she knows how he got there, and only the telling of her story can tell his.
As Lily guards her secrets on the couch in the corner, the familiar faces of funeral home patrons stir a lifetime of memories, a collection of past events brought to pass before her eyes.
How did her husband get in that box? And what is she holding in her hand? Step into Lily's past to answer the present questions. But don't expect to be pleased with everything you learn. Some stories just aren't meant to have happy endings.
About the Author:
Sarah Beth (Rem) Martin, penname sbr martin, was bred, born, and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she continues to live and work as a writer, journalist, and mother.
Martin is an alumna of The Ellis School, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Her writing has received recognition through awards, invitation to the New York Conference on College Composition and Communication, and citations in scholastic works and legal texts. Her journalism experience includes projects with AOL's Patch Network and CBS Local Media Pittsburgh.
Described as "a psychological and thoughtful novel of suspense" by Midwest Book Review, Martin's first novel, "in wake of water," was published in Oct. 2011. Less than a year later, her second work, "pig," hit the market after being honored as a Second Prize Quarterfinalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.
I had a little
extra cash in my pocket the other day, so I stopped at a used bookstore to
search for a few titles I’ve been meaning to read for some time. First on my
list was “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert Pirsig.
Tiny wire
basket in hand, I waltzed over to the Psychology section, where I found
everything but Zen. So I moved on to Metaphysics, where my crisis was not
resolved. I turned to the Self-Help section. No help there! The plot continued
to thicken in the Fiction/Literature aisles.
As a last
resort, I decided to look in the Eastern Studies section. Lo and Behold, there
sat a tattered copy of Pirsig’s acclaimed work! I’d found it at last. The hunt
was over, and I was relieved.
Still, I
couldn’t help but chuckle to myself and shake my head in a gesture caught
somewhere between disbelief and defeat. I’ve never read “Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance,” but even I knew that it was no more about “Zen” than
it was about “Motorcycle Maintenance.”
Obviously, a quick-handed agent of the bibliopole
had improperly shelved the book based on a cursory glimpse of the title alone.
Not surprised
to not find it there, I eyed the Paperback Fiction section, in case someone
didn’t hold Maguire in as high esteem as did I. Greggy-boy wasn’t there; nor
was he in the Witchcraft section, where I thought the same quick-handed agent
might have mistakenly filed him away.
I eventually
found “Son of a Witch” in the Mythology/Folklore section, along with the other
books in Maguire’s “Wicked” series. Mythology/Folklore? Really?!?
I’d had
enough. I was mentally exhausted by the entire ordeal. I ended my search in the
physical world, deciding to purchase what books I had in hand and search for
the others online.
Driving home
from the bookstore, I was fuming mad. Was there something wrong with that
God-forsaken, over-glorified bookrack? Worse yet, was there something wrong
with me? Had they put certain books in the wrong sections, or had I looked in
the wrong sections for certain books? Was this laziness or miseducation on what
categorizes what?
And this
wasn’t the first time I’d contemplated the complexities of classification. I’d
thought over them only a couple months earlier—not as a reader of books, but as
the writer of my most recent release, “pig.”
"Pig" is the story of Lily, a woman
holding on to too much pain and too many secrets, including a big secret she's
keeping from herself. The entire novel takes place at her husband's funeral,
where she sits alone on a couch in the corner, desperately clinging to a scrap
of paper she refuses to reveal.
The narrative comes from Lily's memories, as
stirred by the familiar faces of funeral home patrons. Domestic abuse, graphic
sex, and devastating loss are but a few of the past events reawakened by Lily's
reflections—as are love, mothering, and redemption.
“Pig” taunts its reader with psychological
suspense, leaving him turning e-page after e-page to find out how Lily’s
husband got in that box, what she’s holding in her hand, and, ultimately, what it
takes for a troubled woman to finally let go. Stepping into Lily's past to
answer the present questions, the reader is taken on a rollercoaster ride of
plot twists and narrative turns where he is shaken, unsettled, and reminded
that some stories just aren't meant to have happy endings.
So… what kind of book does this sound like to you? Of course, I hope you’ll say it
sounds like a good book, but we both know that’s not what I mean. What I’m
asking is: How would you classify
this book into an existing genre?
Our friends at the used bookseller would, I
assume, have an easy time with this one. Unless they tossed it into the Agriculture
section because the title is “pig,” they’d likely place it in the Fiction New
Releases portion of the store when it first came out, maybe amidst the
Paperback Fiction collection if it had a soft spine.
I’d love for it to be shelved in the Fiction/Literature
stacks, as it definitely is Fiction and I can only hope that it is one day regarded
as true Literature.
But the mere placement of my book on a physical shelf
was not the issue I faced some months ago, and not just because my book is
currently available exclusively in digital format. The issue I faced was
tossing it alongside other reads on a digital shelf. I wondered: Into which of
the dozens of existing genres should I classify my work?
My question was only further confounded by
certain facts: (1) any business-minded person knows that cross-categorizing a
product increases its exposure, in turn, optimizing sales; and, (2) Amazon gives
you the option of listing your book in as many as three different categories.
Three! One would think it would be easier to place
a work into three categories than to place it into one. But it’s not.
Amazon’s Literature & Fiction tab seemed to
be an obvious choice for my novel, though that one choice burdened me to make
other choices. On the site, there are 20 subgenres listed under the Literature
& Fiction genre, some of which continue to splinter off into sub-subgenres
and the suchlike.
The Mystery, Thriller & Suspense tab may
seem unintimidating at first, as it has only four second-tier subgenres. But
don’t be fooled—those four spider-web out, out, and out some more.
Between these two top-level genres, there were
quite a few subcategories into which I could have placed “pig,” and a couple
more above them that would’ve worked too. But there was, and is, no one, two,
or three that fit my title to a T.
Psychological Thriller. Suspense. Tales of
Intrigue. These are subgenres that also describe the thoughts that raced
through my head when listing my book.
There’s a little Romance in “pig,” some Gay
& Lesbian themes, perhaps a little Erotica in the right light. The
protagonist is a female who suffers and finds salvation in her own way—this is
the stuff of Women’s Fiction, no?
The boozing, violence, and crime could cast it
as an Urban Life yarn, while the matters of marriage and motherhood could make
it a Family Saga. It ain’t what the Greeks would consider a Tragedy, though
it’s pretty damn tragic at times—maybe Drama would be a good match?
It’s set in Pittsburgh, PA, and there are
references to Las Vegas. I could label it United States, right? I can’t call it
British, since the English accent of a main character is faked, which is kinda
funny if you think about it. Is this enough to make it a Humor tome?
I’m sure you get my point by now. Even for we
who create what is read, the task of genre selection is an arduous one, made
even more daunting by the fact that where we place our books determines who
sees, reads, and embraces them.
I understand that Amazon’s genre breakdown is
designed to make the shopping experience easier for consumers, but the leveling
structure is somewhat complex and makes it easiest only for the reader who already
has a very clear picture of what she wants to find.
To make matters worse, we must remember that
Amazon, albeit the biggest commercial vendor in the universe, is not the only
site or system out there that categorizes writers’ works. Shifts and changes in
the literary world are creating new genres and subgenres at an alarming pace,
resulting in a mass market with no uniform system of classifying the written
word.
Not that a uniform system would help all that
much anyway, considering the quick hands of the bookstore employee mentioned above,
and, considering the fact that I may think my book is an apple while my reader very
much considers it an orange.
Ah yes, the readers! How could I market my book
to catch the most readers and/or get the most reviews? I don’t want anyone
inadvertently being repelled by, or even attracted to, my writing because it
was mislabeled along an already blurred line.
If I list this book as Erotica, would
conservatives give it a cold shoulder? Would I lose male readers if I tag it
Women’s Fiction? Are folks blistering on the Bible Belt gonna run for the hills
if I brand it Gay & Lesbian?
This reviewer reads only Romance, and that fellow
won’t look at anything but Genre Fiction. Ms. So-and-So likes Dystopia,
whatever that is. A famous Harvard professor has a one-palate taste for
“Contemporary Fiction,” but isn’t anything that’s written today “contemporary”
by definition? Whom, if any, of these reviewers should I query? And what should
I put in, or leave out of, my pitch?
Should I even care about any of this jazz?
Well, if I want my book to sell, I’m gonna have
to. There’s no other way, really. I have to call it something, even if there
was never any something I intended it to be called.
When I sit down to write, I have only one goal:
to write a good book. My style of writing is marked by the fusion of
traditional, as well as new, genres. Without following any recipe(s), I take a
little of this and a little of that to create an unforgettable read. I don’t
avoid things like adult content for fear of rejection. I don’t add a character
or plot element just to make my work qualify as A, B, or C.
So, as I write with no particular genre in mind,
it’s not too big a shock that a particular genre is hard for me to find. Nonetheless,
juggling genres has become a personal pet peeve. For very practical reasons, I
still find myself second-guessing the genres I eventually selected and asking
my self, “What the Hell Did I Just Write?”
Think you can answer that one? Take a gander at
“pig” and let me know what you think.
Seems in my
zest to delete all the extra photos on my phone, I only have this one picture. I
took quite a few pictures to get just the right shot and I thought that I had
uploaded all of them. So much for thinking!
We live in a
small community along Bayou Lafourche called Valentine. How sweet is that? Hubby’s
favorite saying is, “Everyday is Valentine’s Day because we live in Valentine.”
I think he says that – especially on Valentine’s Day – to avoid buying a mushy
card. Although, my sweet Hubby writes me poems and love letters and leaves them
around the house for me to find. (I have them all tucked safely away in a box
he built for me.)
In fact, that
is what he did when he picked our wedding date. We had been engaged for a while
and knowing Hubby as I do, no decision was going to be made before its time,
and that meant picking a wedding date. Hubby always prays about his decisions
and he takes a long time in making those decisions. I am someone who gathers
facts, analyses them, and makes a decision and moves forward. That is my
personality. It is not Hubby’s personality. His personality likes to gather
information, and then gather more information (praying in his case) and then
they want more information.
My personality
is sitting, no make that standing and toe tapping, waiting for him to make a decision;
Me of little patience! I usually pray and tell God to give me a billboard that I
can view the decision I should be making as I fly by. I am a testament to the
fact that God does takes our personalities into account when showing us His way.
Hubby always
has a “dilemma” as I like to refer to his decision making. Every time he sits
down and says, “I was thinking”, it sets off bells and whistles in my head. “Oh
no! He has a dilemma!” is what I begin thinking.
But, getting
back to leaving little notes around the house, that is exactly what he did when
he finally figured out just the right date on which to be married. I woke up
one morning and found a note with a clue on the pillow. That note lead to
another note, to another, and finally the last clue, which held the date he had
chosen. He was so excited as he followed me around the house as I found the
clues (which were easy because I just do not get clues!)
The date he
had chosen, now our anniversary date, was April 19. Now – do you want to know
why he finally chose this date? I am going to tell you anyway. The answer is
not quite so romantic, but given the way he thought up clues, I let it slide.
He chose the 19th because his birthday is on the 19th and
he knew the date would be easy for him to remember. He told me he would always
remember April 19 because his birthday is May 19. He also knew that having forgotten
my birthday one year, the date thing was important for him to remember.
What are you
going to do but love this guy? That is why everyday in Valentine is Valentine’s
Day.
Back to the
picture! We planted crepe myrtles down the driveway and this spring when they
bloomed, their tips were touching. It is as though you are walking through a
tunnel. All that is missing is the horse and carriage, although for Calypso and
Ryka, they have ridden through the tunnel of love in a wagon hooked to the lawn
mower. It brings new meaning to “Lucky Dogs”.
Happy
Valentine’s Day from Valentine, Louisiana! I hope you find your tunnel of love.
NEW COMPANY AIMS TO BE THE
QUALITY STANDARD OF THE INDIE BOOK MARKET
Grub Street Reads
Highlights Quality Indie Books With New Endorsement Standard
SAN DIEGO, JULY 2012 – The
last few years have seen explosive growth in the number of authors choosing to
self-publish. As more and more indie novels flood the market, readers have
struggled to distinguish good quality from poor. A newly-launched company is
seeking to solve this problem by instituting a quality standard for indie
novels.
Grub Street Reads offers its coveted endorsement seal to fiction
indie novels that pass an evaluation process based on fundamental and objective
components of good storytelling. The company was founded by Jessica Bennett and
Leslie Ramey, both independently-published authors and successful business
owners.
“Right now, we’re experiencing an indie publishing Renaissance.
With the rise of online book retailors and the proliferation of e-readers, it’s
easier than ever for indie authors to get their books into the hands of
readers,” said Grub Street Reads co-owner Leslie Ramey. “Unfortunately, this
ease of distribution encourages a lot of indie authors to publish before they are
ready, which plays into the pervasive indie stigma of low quality. Grub Street
Reads was created to change that. Our endorsement spotlights great indie
titles.”
Grub Street Reads accepts all genres of fiction for evaluation.
The company’s evaluation system was developed to be as objective as possible.
Submitted manuscripts are read by trained evaluators who assess them based on
the following core storytelling principles: Plot, Characters, Pace, Accuracy,
Grammar/Layout, and Overall Assessment. Manuscripts that meet these basic
standards in each category earn the Grub Street Reads endorsement. Authors may
include the Grub Street Reads seal on the cover of their endorsed novel and
post it in the Grub Street Reads library. The price for an evaluation is based
on the length of the submitted manuscript.
“The indie book market is in desperate need of a standard,” said
company co-owner Jessica Bennett. “The Grub Street Reads endorsement seal will
become synonymous with quality, finally making it easy for readers to discover
great new indie books. As voracious readers ourselves, Leslie and I understand
how a good story can touch a reader’s soul. Grub Street Reads facilitates that
magic by connecting readers to the best indie novels on the market.”
Those interested in finding out more about Grub Street Reads,
learning about the company’s evaluation process, submitting a manuscript for
evaluation and/or accessing the company’s endorsed book library can visitwww.GrubStreetReads.com.
***
Grub Street Reads seeks to encourage higher
readership of indie authors by providing a quality standard for independently
published novels. The Grub Street Reads endorsement is given to those books
that pass an evaluation process based on the fundamental qualities of good
storytelling. The company wascreated by
indie authors Jessica Bennett and Leslie Rameyto protect authors and readers and help
strengthen the overall indie market. For more information, visitwww.GrubStreetReads.com
Cutting Through The Ebook Muckiness
By Jessica Bennett
As savvy readers, you may
have noticed some changes happening in the world of books over the last five
years or so. You know, how book stores have been making like dinosaurs, how
this little thing called a Kindle has started popping up at beaches and
airports like dandelions, and how Amazon has kicked down the barriers to
publishing with a resounding BANG!
In other words,
“topsy-turvy” wouldn’t be such a bad description of how things have been going.
It’s been a good time for self-published authors who can now upload their books
on Amazon for free in less than an hour. For readers, well, the results are more
than a little mixed.
It’s certainly refreshing
to have so many additional reading choices, but the problem with the “no
barriers to publishing” policy that Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online
retailers have established is…well, there are no barriers.
I love authors,
especially indie authors, but even I have to admit, there’s a lot of “ebook muck”
out there. I define “muck” as those books that just aren’t polished enough to
appeal to the average reader. You know you’ve got a mucky book on your hands
when the plot has enough holes in it to second as a sieve; when the characters
are so cardboard you worry that a light spring shower will do them in; when the
story is so predictable that it’s won stereotype bingo a dozen times by the
end. The biggest muck red flag (in my opinion) is
consistent grammatical errors throughout the book. If an author won’t even
splurge for a proper copyedit (there are tons of great, professional
copyeditors offering their services), it makes me wonder how serious they are
about the whole “publishing a great and entertaining creative work” endeavor in
the first place.
Mucky books are no good
for anybody, and that’s the point of this blog post. Authors who self-publish
too early set themselves up for poor reviews, poor sales and a poor reputation.
For readers, opening a mucky book is like accidentally taking a big swig of
curdled milk. Not only will this cause much gagging and spitting, but the
reader will be twice shy before picking up another quart of milk at the store. This
is a shame, because there are some truly talented indie authors on the scene.
Trust me, I’ve read a lot of them.
So what is a poor,
harangued reader to do? Distinguishing great indie books from the rest of the
muck isn’t as easy as it might seem. Most authors, even those with muckiest of
the muck, can convince some sympathetic friends and family to write five-star
reviews on Amazon.
You can probably tell
that I’m working my way up to something here. Right you are. There is a way to
find great indie books without getting your hands mucky. I made it. Well, my
business partner, Leslie Ramey, and I made it. Grub Street Reads is a new business
that endorses books that meet a strict quality standard based on the
fundamental components of good storytelling.
All you readers are in
luck, because Grub Street Reads officially launches today (whoo-hoo for us!),
and our library is already stocked with some pretty stellar endorsed books.
So, if you’re looking for
a reasonably-priced new novel to add to your reading list, we invite you to
take a stroll down Grub Street and swing by our endorsed books library. We have
books available in almost every genre, and our library grows each week, so
check back regularly.
If you’re an indie
author, you’re definitely invited too! We’d like to explain why we think
quality standards are necessary to protect readers and authors. We also want tell you more about what our endorsement is
all about in case you’d like to see our endorsement seal on your book’s
cover one day.
To wrap things up, the
book world may feel like it’s turned upside down. There’s certainly a lot of
muckiness out there, but that doesn’t mean readers need to get mired in bad
books. Take the high road, which will lead you to Grub Street Reads and better
indie books. We’re officially open today, so come by and say hello!
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