Never Enough...Book Giveaways!

Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt like you weren't enough? I know I can think of several. Okay, yeah, a LOT of times. In high school I worried about not being thin enough, not being cool enough. Actually, those worries still plague me at times, but at least as an adult I'm comfortable enough with myself to not let those passing insecurities overwhelm me.

As part of the release for NEVER ENOUGH, the newest YA novel from my agent-mate Denise Jaden, several author-friends contributed their thoughts on not feeling like enough. You can see them on the video embedded below.





But wait! That's not all!

Denise is also hosting a HUGE book giveaway. Leave a comment here and then visit her blog and share the link back to this blog, and that will earn you TWO entries--one for commenting, and one for sharing the link. You can see all the books she's giving away by visiting this post: http://denisejaden.blogspot.ca/2012/07/blog-tours-and-entries-and-prizes-oh-my.html

Speaking of which, I can tell you exactly what I never have enough of: shelf space for all the books I want to read! 

DITCHED and One-Star Reviews

There are so many wonderful people with books coming out this year. Another one of my friends celebrated her debut release with a signing in Santa Monica at Diesel, A Book Store. Not to be confused with Diesel, the clothing store. Trust me, I now know the difference since I showed up at the clothing store first. *head palm* Ugh.

Fortunately, I was close to being on time for a change, so we made the 3-mile trek to the right Diesel with plenty of time to hug, listen to and have a book signed by the wonderful Robin Mellom. Her YA novel, DITCHED, came out on January 10 and believe it or not, she has another book, a middle grade novel, coming out in June. Talk about a banner year!

As for me, I just got back more edits so my nose will be buried deep in revisions while I wrestle with the last act of my story. But I can't sign off without mentioning a great list I found on Mediabistro. There has been a lot of uproar in the last few weeks about one-star reviews and whether or not people who rate books on Goodreads or Amazon can really call themselves reviewers.

My answer? It doesn't matter whether you're reviewing for the New York Times or your own personal blog. Reviews make people aware of a book but it doesn't mean they're going to buy it. And the list I found on Mediabistro kind of proves the point. Look at this list of books and how many one-star reviews they had on Amazon. I've read some of those titles. I know they're awesome.

One-Star Reviews for Bestselling Books
1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (669 one-star reviews)
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by  Stieg Larsson (396 one-star reviews)
3. A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin (344 one-star reviews)
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (169 one-star reviews)
5. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (157 one-star reviews)
6. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich (119 one-star reviews)
7. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (118 one-star reviews)
8. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (191 one-star reviews)
9. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (96 one-star reviews)
10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (81 one-star reviews)


Yes, everybody wants good reviews, but your book isn't going to appeal to everyone. People can be mean with their opinions, but it doesn't mean you have to respond in the same way. More importantly, it doesn't mean people won't read your book. All you can do is write the best story you know how to write. The rest is out of your hands.

And, oh yeah -- can someone remind me of this sometime down the road when I'm stressing over a bad review!!