No longer doing review requests

I'm no longer doing review requests.
Yep, that's right. No longer accepting review requests.
I've decided that keeping up with the review requests, responding to them, etc., was sucking the fun out of my book reviewing; which I was enjoying again. So I'm dumping review requests. Instead, I'm going for review invitations. What that means is if I run across a book I'd like to review, I'll contact the author about a review. But that's probably going to rarely happen, cause I was really enjoying reading the free books I pick up. Plus, there's always NetGalley, which has tons of free books I can pick up to review. And there's other sources of free books. But just keeping up with the review requests just wasn't any fun. So that's that. Take care, Jackie.
P.S.
If you run across a free book or upcoming free book that you think I might be interested in, there's a form where you can submit that. You'll find the info here:
https://jdslzone.blogspot.com/p/about-review-requests.html

Check this book - The MacBrides-Hannnah and Ash

Hannah was proud to be part of the MacBride clan. She loved her family, their land and her lavender. 

When she found a love she'd wished for all her life on a trip to Paris she thought she had it all. But hidden circumstances separated them leaving her back home with an unexpected reminder of her brief love affair. 

When Ash shows up on their ranch she is torn between wanting to share all her joy with him and afraid to trust him to love her, not just their child.

~ Universal Amazon Link ~ 
~ Good reads ~

J.L. Petersen lives in Denver with her husband.

She finds inspiration in her adopted state of Colorado and her belief love is the most powerful, positive emotion we can experience.

~ Publishers Profile ~
~ Amazon ~ Facebook ~

Snippet:

Confused for a moment about where she was, it slowly started coming back to her. Good god, she had fainted. She’d never fainted before in her life. 

Today was her brother Clay, and new sister-in-law, Sandy’s wedding and it was being held in the backyard of the main homestead on the family ranch. Frowning, she tried to remember more.  She remembered helping Sandy get ready along with her sister Sarah and Sandy’s sister, RJ. They’d joked about RJ and Hannah’s other brother, Logan, having gotten engaged the night before.

Then it came to her. Ash. He was here. At the wedding. She remembered the feeling of being watched as she stood up front during the ceremony and scanned the crowd. When her eyes found his she’d panicked. Which is why she had escaped to this private area after the ceremony had ended. How had he found her? Oh, my god! He couldn’t know of the baby. The one they created on their single night together. The one she hadn’t even told her family about. Oh, god, please make him go away, she pleaded.

Author Top Ten's List:

1.     No, the men in the stories are not fashioned after any men in my life. They all asked me about that :)

2.     I love movies from the 30s, 40s and 50s.

3.     Rereading a favorite book is like watching a favorite movie or TV show again.

4.     I love the mountains in the spring and summer. Not a skier. I know I would hit the tree :)

5.     I enjoy hosting and entertaining our friends and family.

6.     I can stay up all night reading a good book and pretend I'm not exhausted the next day.

7.     Love road trips with girlfriends.

8.     My husband actually knows what book I'm working on including what series it belongs to hahaha

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Check out Something About Forever by Kimberly Loth

    Something About Forever by Kimberly Loth
 Boys. They are bound to be the death of me. Especially one with blue eyes, perfectly Mormon cut hair, and probably the inspiration for the girl’s camp song "Hot Priest". Why the heck did he have to be the bishop’s son? Cause here’s the thing. While I’m Mormon, I don’t really belong. I mean, I want to, but I just can’t seem to keep on the straight and narrow. Seriously, look at me. I’m not even supposed to use the name Mormon anymore, but Latter-Day Saint is a mouthful. So I’m sticking to Mormon. Sorry, Prophet. The bishop knows my past. He knows my problems. There is no freaking way he’s going to let me date his son. Yet, Nate comes after me anyway. And I fall hard. But eventually….I will have to tell him about my past. And I know, he’ll run far, far away from me when I do.

Get it Now on Amazon

Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

  Praise for Something About Forever: Something About Forever hit me directly in the feels. I haven’t read a book in a while that’s made me cry but this one got my tear ducts flowing. Lauren and Nate’s story is very reliable. I completely recommend this book if you haven’t read it yet! ~Brianna   While this book could have been preachy, it is far from it. Religion isn't forced on you, even though it plays a major role in the story. It is simply one part of what helps Lauren turn her life around. I liked the way Lauren struggled to overcome her past and forgive herself. It was realistic. This story is unlike any I've read by Kimberly Loth. She moved in an entirely new direction with her writing. The result is a story well worth reading. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next book in the series. ~Donna   Being not so perfect either, this book resonated deeply within my soul. The power of forgiveness for yourself and in giving to others can change your life. What a masterfully told story of love, acceptance, and forgiveness that is appropriate for teenagers and adults alike. ~Alie   I'm not really someone who is big on books with religion, but I really loved this story... This is such a sweet and forgiving story that the entire time I read it I felt light-hearted and happy. I really enjoyed the adventure of Lauren and Nate. ~Ruby   A different genre than normal, I was totally enraptured by this tale. This author truly breathed life into these characters and captured the very essence of forgiveness and redemption. ~Patty   A heartbreaking love story. It was hard for me to get passed the specificity of religion but I feel it could fit into any Christian setting. It's a good story. Well written. I hope that you enjoy it too. ~Richard   This book draws you in from the beginning and keeps you enthralled in Lauren and Nate’s story. It’s a real tear-jerker, so make sure the tissues are handy when you read it. It has great characters that you soon become invested in and an emotional plot that keeps you turning the pages. ~Rabid  

Add to your Goodreads Shelf

  EXCERPT - 
I pulled into the parking lot and gaped at the school. It was at least three times as big as my old one. Now I wished Mom had come with. Terror gripped me. A few kids looked at my car funny. Oh yeah, this probably wasn’t the best image. I needed to get out of there, so most people’s first impression wasn’t of a crazy girl in a ladybug. Seriously. My dad had to know this would humiliate me. I hurried out of the car and kept my head down as I approached the school. I entered the front doors. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. The light inside was unnatural and weird. I spotted the office right away. Mom had already submitted all my paperwork, so all I had to do was pick up my schedule and a map. The secretary was impersonal and short with me. So much for a good start. I stopped outside the door, not sure where I was going. Nicki’s familiar purple head bobbed over to me. She gave me a wide smile. “Hey, you look lost.” “Yeah, a little.” She had no idea how glad I was that she found me. “Here, let me look at your schedule.” She perused it. “We’ll make sure you don’t get lost.” “We?” “Yeah—me, Jessica, Emma, Nate, and Fitz. Come on. Nate brought donuts.” What an odd thing. “Does he always bring donuts?” Nicki gave me a crooked grin. “No. Don’t tell Jessica, but I think he’s trying to impress you. Either that or his mom is making him be nice. My money’s on the first one though. Nate’s a nice guy, but this is a little over the top.” “Why would he try to impress me?” I wanted to believe her, but it seemed too good to be true. She sniggered. “I’m not even going to answer that. Miss I’ve-got-curves-for-miles, great hair, and a smile to die for.” Yeah, so I had an hourglass figure, and I did have good hair. It was deep brown and thick. No one ever mentioned the smile before though. Nicki chattered as we moved through the crowds. “We all eat lunch together. Don’t feel obligated to sit with us though. It’s just something we’ve done since freshman year. It’s more than just us though, and it’s a mix of juniors and seniors. You’re a junior, right?” “Yeah.” “Me too.” I liked her a lot. Something about being around her immediately put me at ease. It was like she assumed we’d be friends. Things were like that with Cherise, but Nicki was a better person than Cherise. At least I hoped so. We entered the cafeteria, and conversations buzzed all around us. “There are so many people.” I missed my little school where everyone knew everyone. Though maybe this was better. No one here knew my past, and I didn’t have to be that person. Maybe my past would go away. “Yeah. It’s easy to get lost among the crowds.” I sat across from Nate and shocked myself on the table. I tried not to look like anything had happened, but Nate met my eyes, and I got another shock. My heart raced. Nicki took the seat next to me. “She’s in my pre-calc and lit class.” She handed the schedule to Jessica. “We’re in American History together,” Jessica said with a fake smile. Nicki took the schedule back. “Oh, you’ve got speech with Fitz.” “If you’re in Jessica’s history, I’m in there as well,” Nate said. My head spun. It sounded like I’d have classes with all of them. Emma sat on the other side of Jessica but didn’t even look up at me. She had her head buried in some book. Nate opened the donut box. “I got glazed because everyone likes that.” He met my eyes for a half second and then dropped them again. My heart raced. There was no way he was interested in me. He was completely out of my league. I took a donut even though I’d already eaten. Jessica looked down her nose at the box and stood. “I’ve got to run. See you in class,” she said and spun on her heel. She’d decided not to like me from the moment she saw me in the chapel. She never bothered to even know who I was. She pretended to be nice, but I’d obviously angered her in some way just by existing.  

Author Kimberly Loth Kimberly Loth has lived all over the world. From the isolated woods of the Ozarks to exotic city of Cairo. Currently, she resides in Tucson, Arizona with her family including an old grumpy cat named Max. She’s been writing for ten years and is the author of the Amazon bestselling series The Dragon Kings. In her free time, she volunteers at church, reads, and travels as often as possible.

Website * BookBub * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter

 
$50 Blast Giveaway
Winner's choice of a $50 Amazon Gift Code or $50 in PayPal Cash Ends 10/29/18 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. The giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Another $100 dollar giveaway from Clean Wholesome Romance

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

I'm excited to bring you this $100 giveaway sponsored by a FABULOUS group of authors.

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Just think how many books you could buy with $100! Or maybe you need a new Kindle! Or maybe you want to try Kindle Unlimited! So many possibilities!! Each of these sponsoring authors writes clean wholesome romance.  

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  Please show these amazing authors some love! Visit their sites. Sign up for their newsletters. Download their books. Review their books. Follow them on Social Media. There are so many ways you can support them!  

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One winner will be awarded $100 in Paypal Cash or a $100 Amazon Gift Code! Winning entry will be verified! Make sure you actually subscribe and confirm your entries so you don’t get disqualified. Please give these authors a chance. I personally subscribe to all these newsletters and have read books by many of these authors. Their newsletters aren’t spammy and often contain great ebook freebies, deals, and new releases. Most authors email out at most once a week so your inbox isn’t going to be overflowing if you subscribe to all of them! If you already subscribe to an author’s newsletter you can, of course, claim the entry! Ends 11/2/18 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter, Amazon, Paypal or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. The giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader/Clean Wholesome Romance and sponsored by the participating authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Enter the $100 Giveaway via the rafflecopter below. $10 BONUS Giveaway #1 - Visit this Facebook Post & tag 2 friends to enter to win. $10 BONUS Giveaway #2 - Visit this Instagram Post & tag 2 friends to enter to win. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Writers of box set slammed online because of their race

Well, where do I begin?

Perhaps by saying that I wanted to get away from all the negative, toxic backbiting and hating that goes on in the internet world. So I thought, I'd retreat back to books and writing, a friendly place of fun. I even revamped this very blog.



Then I read in a post in a writer's group, something that I found rather unpleasant. Something that threatens the fun world of writing and reading and books. She said that a group of writers were being attacked for being white and writing an Asian hero box set. I commented on the post about how insane I thought that was, then I set about find out how I would review the box set. Here's the box set:

And here's the Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GDQLSBB

I was successful in getting a review copy, and I downloaded it to my reader just today, to read. I like keeping up with the books I've read by adding them to goodreads, and I added this one to my currently reading list. Then I decided to check out the reviews, to find out if anyone was slamming the book in the reviews. The first one I found, on Goodreads, was this:

Her 'review' mainly just quoted the link to the original post on Twitter that apparently started all this. By the way, I reported her review, then later learned that she's a Goodreads Librarian. She and another who attacked me, for a couple of comments I made in support of the writers. Here's the other person's comment:

I was bullied and teased in high school. I've been harassed and bullied online enough that I know how that all goes. I beat a hasty retreat. I've blocked both of them on Goodreads in an effort to protect myself. Her review wasn't a review, but was the sharing of a hate post.

And what of the original post that started it all, you might ask? Well, here it is:

https://twitter.com/RhondaMerwarth/status/1042096531950784513

Now you'll notice that was posted on Twitter, which, in case you don't realize it, is a liberal's playground where they can sling forth any insult that they want with impunity. I went ahead and posted a couple of comments on her tweet, and here's what I said:

So make sure I'm getting this. You haven't read the book, nor has much of anyone else who has commented. You don't know much of anything about the authors of the books in the set. But you object to it? And white people can't write about asian characters? 

Does this mean that black people can't write about white people? Hispanic people can't write about asian or black or white people? What? Are we segregating writing by race now? You can only write about people of your own race? Explain this to me.

And here's the response I got from her:

 She blocked me. Turns out she had taken to blocking everyone who didn't agree with her. She didn't have to cajones to take what she dished out to the authors of that box set. And then in subsequent tweets, seemed like she tried to explain or back away from what she initially said.

What really ticked me off was, the more I read about this, I discovered that pretty much all the people criticizing the box set hadn't even bothered to read it. Didn't seem like they had researched anything about the writers at all either. They just deemed them 'a bunch of white women writing about Asians', and 'how dare they'.

It's both sad and ridiculous that this crazy liberal bigotry and hate has made it's way into books and writing. So I'm doing what I can:

• writing this post, 
• am reading the box set for a review based on the merits of the stories and not the skin color of the writers,
• reporting hate posts trying to masquerade as reviews.

I feel sorry for the writers of the box set, because they truly don't deserve this. They didn't do anything wrong. 

During the sixties and seventies, we made such great strides to remove bigotry from our society, to where people were just treated as people, and the color of their skin didn't matter. For some reason, the liberals seem bound and determined to undo all that and bring to rise bigotry and hatred and segregation. 

It's just sad. Beyond sad even. It's tragic.

And with that, I'll close. 

Giveaway to enter

An amazing group of authors has joined together to bring you one great prize! Just think how many books you could buy with $100! Or maybe you need a new Kindle! Or maybe you want to try Kindle Unlimited! So many possibilities!! Please show these amazing authors some love! Visit their sites. Sign up for their newsletters. Download their books. Review their books. Follow them on Social Media. There are so many ways you can support them!

Giveaway Sponsors

Bree Livingston Crissy Sharp Debra Erfert Elana Johnson Evangeline Kelly Heather Gray Heidi Kimball Jenna Brandt Jennifer Griffith Jewel Allen Jo Noelle Joanna Barker Joyce DiPastena Kaylee Baldwin Kennedy Larsen Kristen Ethridge Laura D. Bastian Lorin Grace Marie Higgins Tiana Smith

Now it's time for the giveaway! One winner will be awarded $100 in Paypal Cash or a $100 Amazon Gift Code! Winning entry will be verified! Make sure you actually subscribe and confirm your entries so you don't get disqualified. If you already subscribe to an author's newsletter you can, of course, claim the entry!   Giveaway Details $100 Amazon Gift Code or $100 in Paypal Cash Ends 10/28/18 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner may be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter, Amazon, Paypal or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. The giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader/Clean Wholesome Romance and sponsored by the participating authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

BookBub and Goodreads tips for writers

Authors, do you take the time to put listings and info about yourself and your books on book websites? If you don’t, you should. Two really good sites that you should be listing yourself and your stuff on is on BookBub and Goodreads. Both are free to do and will just take a little bit of your time.

Now you may ask why you should do this. Here’s why - readers frequent these sites, list books they want to read, post reviews about books they have read, find books they want to read. How are your readers going to do any of this if you’re not on their site? This is especially important if you’re soliciting book reviews from book review blogs. Most book review bloggers will be more than glad to put their review of your book on these sites, if you’ll just ask and provide them with a link to your book on that site. So now, on to some helpful links.

BookBub links:
How do you get your books on Bookbub
Author profiles on BookBub
Info about author profiles on BookBub

Goodreads links:
How do you join the author program on Goodreads
How do you add a book on Goodreads
More info about the Goodreads author program

Hope this info helps you out.

Guest post by Charles Driggers - Sinners in the hands of an angry God.

 Quote -- 

"I enjoy my beer as much as the next guy."

<<<<<<<>>>>>>>

These words were penned by a good active churchman on a sports website. It sums up in a nutshell the problem facing the church in the 21st century.

I first observed it when God got the boot from our schools.
Next to fall was the Lord's Day.

The church offered little resistance to the lure of money and convenience.

The next thing to fall was preaching against divorce. The term adopted was irreconcilable differences. People didn't want the truth anymore and the pastor's voice went strangely silent on the subject.

I haven't even touched on the greatest sin in American History. Over 63 million American babies have been slaughtered in the womb of their mothers! Are we so ignorant of the ways of God?

On and on, the church failed, giving in to the demands of this sinful world.

The problem in a nutshell is simple:
churchmen want their church on Sunday and their favorite sins on Monday through Saturday night.

Preachers have fallen in love with their fat paychecks.

Thus saith the Lord has been replaced with nice warm sermonettes that warms the hearer and tickles their fancy.

I warn you today!

Payday is coming!

Someday. 

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness...... 

before it's to late. 

Reference:

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Remembering Rev. Billy Graham

This is the Billy Graham that I remember. Just knowing that he is no longer in this world fills me with both sadness and joy. I'm sad that such a great man of God is gone from us. Happy that he is at home with God, whom he served so faithfully; happy that he is reunited with his beloved wife.

May we carry on spreading God's Word, God's message to the lost.

It's a heart & soul problem, not a gun problem

Whenever a shooting occurs, people's knee jerk reaction is to run around and cry for stricter gun control laws. 

Like taking the guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens is going to fix the problem! 

I get so mad at people's stupidity!

It's a people problem, not a gun problem. People are sucky human beings right now. Most don't give a damn about others, and routinely bully and harass people and think it fine. A lot of people value animals more than other human beings. And that's wrong.

You want to pass stricter gun laws? Fine. Go ahead. 

But while you're at it, ban the virtual guns in games, where children play at killing. You all never want to talk about that, now do you! And what about all the violent-ass movies?

Don't overlook the heart and soul problem, in your thirst for a band-aid fix. The problem goes much deeper than gun laws! 😠