Tuesday, April 17, 2012

What?! I Have a Blog?

Wow! I cannot believe it. I have my very own blog! I never dreamed of reviewing or having a blog. Initially, the thought of putting my thoughts and feelings about a book into writing scared me. What if I was incorrect in my thinking? What if no one agreed with my views? As a people-pleaser, these questions weighed heavily on my mind. Because my mind is always racing one hundred miles a minute, I then switched gears to authors. Man! If I worry over people reading and trusting my reviews, how much more do authors worry over people liking their books, their babies?
I equate my reason for writing reviews to shopping. Ah, now I have your attention! I love a bargain. In fact, it must be a great deal for me to spend my money on it, as my husband’s frugality has truly rubbed off on me over the years. But I digress. When you find an amazing sale or a coupon scenario that will get you a free product, what do you do? You call, text, FB, or tweet your closest friends, letting them in on this amazing deal, too. Or at least that is what my friends and I do. The same logic applies to books. If I read an amazing page-turner I cannot put down, I want to share it with all of my friends, letting everyone know why I enjoyed the book. The same holds true with receiving terrible customer service and a poorly written book; you want to let your friends know to stay away. But ultimately, the decision to take advantage of the sale or avoid the terrible customer service is up to them.
When reviewing, I strive to capture the various thoughts and emotions that go through my head while reading so other readers can take that information, process it against what they feel makes an interesting story, and decide for themselves whether this particular book should be added to their TBR pile. I hope you find my reviews insightful and trustworthy. I look forward to sharing my love of books with you, and hearing your thoughts in return.
With all of that said, I want to take a moment to thank the amazing friends who have offered much needed support and encouragement. Without them, my reviews and this blog would be somewhere with leprechauns, unicorns, and those imaginary friends one has as a child. My first and biggest thanks go to Mary Simonsen. If it was not for her, I would not be writing any reviews. Mary took time to explain to me how important reviews are to authors. As a result, I figured if authors can provide me with hours of delightful diversions, then the least I can do is write a review in return. And so it began! Over the last year, not only has Mary become a great mentor to my writing, but also a dear friend.
Next up is Angie Kroll. I hate, that’s right, HATE technology. If I could be like Judge Judy and not know what an iPhone does, how to tweet or what kind of purpose a blog serves, my life would be grand! Unfortunately, I am not old enough to get by with Judge Judy’s ignorance of social media and devices. Angie is a technology smarty pants and has offered much needed help and suggestions.
Finally, since many of you have already stopped reading this post two paragraphs ago (as I have recently been diagnosed with logorrhea), I will wrap up with saying a big thank you to the following people for the invaluable support, encouragement and friendship: Candy Morton, Monica Perry, Erica McFarland, and Meredith Esparza!

31 comments:

  1. Yay! Congrats Jakki! I'm excited you have a blog now and I'll definitely be popping in. Thanks for the mention, too. I was searching for your "follow button" and saw it. You're so sweet and I'm glad to know you.

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    1. Thanks, Monica! I look forward to your comments! :)

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  2. Yay!!! I'm excited that you're officially with us now, Jakki! :oD Don't worry, you'll be great!

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    1. Hey Rebecca! Thanks for the confidence; it's much appreciated! :)

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  3. Jakki,

    Beautiful site! I'm so glad you're taking the plunge and having your own reviews site. Looking forward to checking it out regularly.

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    1. Thanks, Nina! You too have been so encouraging and supportive! Thanks for everything! I look forward to seeing you pop in! :)

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  4. Congratulations! Happy Launch Day! Of course, I'm following you and will be stopping by often! You've become a dear friend to me too!

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  5. It's your big day, and I am so excited for you. Thanks for all the compliments, but you're a great reviewer. This blog is going to be a huge success. I'm out there spreading the word.

    P.S. Leprechauns are real!

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    1. I have added your blog to my stream. Posted to Twitter, Google, and FB.\

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    2. I just can't thank you enough, Mary! Thanks for tweeting, FB, Google, and stream! You are truly wonderful! :) Thanks for your faith in me as a reviewer, too! :)

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  6. So that's where you've been!! Congratulations and I love the name! Looking forward to reading your reviews!!=)

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    1. Hey Kelli! I know, I have been terrible huh? ;) I did send you a letter yesterday! :) Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope to see you Thursday for my first giveaway! :)

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  7. I cannot imagine a more supportive environment in which to begin this adventure. Someday, all of us are going to meet f2f for the first time at our 'reunion.'. Better go and by those lottery tickets now!

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    1. Thanks, Angie!! Oh, what a day that will be to finally meet everyone! :) You're the best, BTW! :)

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  8. *Adding Leatherbound Reviews to blogroll* YAY! So happy to be visiting YOUR blog, Jakki! I wish you much success!

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    1. What a day! I am sitting here reading all of these comments and the wonderful support I have with a huge grin on my face! WOW! This is such an exciting day!! Thanks so much for taking the time to come by Meredith! :)

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  9. Welcome to the bloggiverse! Hope you enjoy it and look forward to your thoughts on books :)

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    1. Thanks for the warm welcome, Jenny Girl! I look forward to your comments! :)

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  10. You'll do fine, Jakki. Be fair and be honest. That's what readers AND writers are looking for. Okay, writers are looking for gushing and accolades galore, but you can't always have what you want. ;-)

    Enjoy the blogging ride, it's always interesting.

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    1. Hi Susan! Thank you so much for stopping by! I truly appreciate your kind words!

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  11. Love ya chick! I am so proud of you! Adding you to my blog feed. :)

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    1. And it all began with the best roomie and proofreader of those terribly written papers in college. You are the best! Love ya, too! :)

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  12. Welcome to the blogosphere! I'm your newest Follower - good luck!

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    1. Thanks so much, A Scattering! I hope you enjoy the blog and my reviews! :)

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  13. Congratulations on your new blog! I'm so excited to see it, and I love the name. Now, if you need a paperback for an upcoming giveaways, contact me!

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    1. Thanks so much, Jennifer! Wish I could take credit for the awesome name (friend's husband thought of it)! I too love it! :) Looking forward to At Fault! :)

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  14. So glad to see you have joined the blogging world! :)

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  15. Congratulations on a very successful launch. I especially love the name. I look forward to reading all your reviews!

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    1. Thanks, P O! I am feeling a bit like Mr. Collins by your humble attention and great condescension in following my blog. :)

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