(Early) Thursday 13 Book Blogger Appreciation Week!

I just found out that there is a wonderful initiative to celebrate book bloggers! I thought I'd participate in the Thursday 13 meme to tell you about it (even though the post is on Tuesday!)

The second annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week will take place September 14-18. Click on the link for all the details!

There have been several book bloggers that have really stepped in and made a difference as I published THE LIST. I've thanked several by nominating them, so if you're at a loss for who to enter in the "Best Book Blogger" contest, let me help. :)

First, clearly, I wouldn't say no to a nomination for http://thelistbook.blogspot.com for the "Best Published Author Blog", (or the "Best Design", the "Best Writing" or for you book reviewers "Best Book of 2009!") Be sure to nominate me here. I'm even suggesting that people write in a nomination in the "write in" space, for author bloggers to be recognized!




Here are 13 other wonderful bloggers to consider (and I've included their url so you can cut and paste into the nomination form, should you like):


1. Malena Lott, who also has her own book published, Dating DaVinci - edits Athena's Bookshelf (www.athenasbookshelf.com). She ran a marvelous interview with me there, which you may read again if you'd like. She also blogs under her own name at http://www.malenalott.com/Malena_Lott/Blog/Blog.html


2. Denise Robbins, who wrote It Happens in Threes and the new Killer Bunny Hill interviewed me on her blog, and I interviewed her on mine!


3. I received a wonderful review for THE LIST from Love, Romance, Passion (www.loveromancepassion.com) - where it's all romance books, all the time. It's a great place to go to find new romance/chick-lit reads.


4. Another outstanding review for THE LIST came from Coffee Time Romance (www.coffeetimeromance.com). Another great spot for honest opinions about romance novels to read (or not!)


5. Kay's Bookshelf (www.kaysbookshelf.com) also liked THE LIST when she reviewed it, and I've found her reviews to be most insightful. :)


6. #LitChat (http://litchat.net) is a wonderful Twitter chat about books that takes place a few times a week, but they also maintain a blog. That's where they posted the transcript of the one time I was a guest host. I find the chat, and the blog follow ups, to be a wonderful resource!


7. Kimber Chin (http://businessromance.com/)is another successful author and blogger, and has created quite a stir when it comes to romance e-books. :) She was a guest poster for my blog when I was on vacation.


8. While I concentrate on the romance genre, Richard Ridley (http://rwridley.wordpress.com/) is a great YA author and blogger. He has great things to say, and runs killer contests. :)


9. Then, there is my friend Steve Weddle, who blogs at http://steveweddle.squarespace.com/. If you're an author, he's a good guy to know. :) Plus, he's a fiction writer and poet, whose writing style is addictive!


10. My friend Sara Taney Humphries is a new paranormal author of the Amoveo Series and you can find her blogging over at http://amoveoromanceseries.blogspot.com.


11. Authors of I'll Have What She's Having Liz Fenton and Lisa Stienke write some of the most humorous and insightful blog posts, and not all of them are about their obsession with "The Bachelorette." Check them out at http://www.chicklitisnotdead.com.


12. One of the most ingenious pieces of blogging - that every author must know about - is the Authors Promoting Authors site. (http://authorspromotingauthors.blogspot.com)I've not run across another site that so openly gives authors free space to get their name out there!


13. This space is for your very own choice. Get out there and Google "book bloggers" and find your own favorite!




Home of the new Thursday 13

Thursday 13 - Linky Linky!

Here are some links to important (to me) things from the past week.



1. THE LIST was featured in my sorority magazine (Alpha Xi Delta). You can view the PDF here, and scroll to page 29.

2. I co-hosted a LitChat in April. If you're on Twitter, it's a literary discussion every M, W, & F at 4 p.m. EST under hashtag #LitChat. You can view the transcript of my chat here.

3. Here's a link to Amazon if you'd like to buy a copy of THE LIST.

4. I don't know if I told you, but we have a new travel agent/cruise business. We can give you lots of info, and help you book an awesome deal! View our Website for Cruise Deals/info.

5. I posted my trip photos on Facebook. You don't need an account to view them. The first set is of the Keukenhof gardens and the TULIPS!

6. The second set is the Red Light District. (Don't worry, this is the PG version.)

7. The third set is of our Mike's Bike Tour of the Amsterdam countryside.

8. The next set of photos is the sites on our canal boat tour.

9. These are the general Amsterdam photos, Volume 1

10. These are the general Amsterdam photos, Volume 2 (I took a whopping 1000 pics on this trip!)

11. These are the Brussels photos - just the chocolate parts.

12. These are the Brussels photos - the things to see in Brussels parts.

13. Did you see my iReport on the Netherlands on CNN? They mentioned my name! And Jim's! http://bit.ly/ugpnk My part is at about 2 min 30. If the player won't work, do a search of CNN's site for "CNN: May 2, Pt. 3"


Home of the new Thursday 13

Happy Monday

What is it about weekends that makes them fly by so quickly, while weekdays seem to drag along? I guess it's the "time flies when you're having fun" theory.

It was a good weekend. On Friday, I did a co-hosting stint on LitChat, search for #LitChat on Twitter, or view the transcript on the LitChat blog. It was a lot of fun!

Because of that chat, I networked with lots of new people. Including a representative for several local Virginia newspapers. We're going to see if one of them might interview me about my book. Fingers crossed!

And then on Saturday, I got a copy of my sorority alumni magazine, The Quill, and there was a little snippet on me and THE LIST!

Plus, it was just a gorgeous weekend, so all was good.