Leenie Brown

What’s There to Like about Book Reviews?

A snapshot of the star rating system which Amazon sent to me in an email asking me to rate a purchase.

When you purchase a book, do you read the reviews first?

As authors, Rose, Zoe, and I know that book reviews give “social proof” to our work. In other words, prospective readers can see the reviews and know that others have read and (hopefully) enjoyed that particular book.

Personally, I’m not a review reader very often for books. I read reviews before purchasing something like electronics but rarely do I read them for books. However, when I do read book reviews I will often scroll through looking for the “spoiler” reviews. I know some people hate those sorts of reviews but for me, their lovely little golden nuggets that give me what I need to know to make my decision about a book. I even do this with movies. I will Google search spoilers for movies I might be on the fence about seeing. Spoilers might ruin a book or movie for you, but they do not for me. (I also tend to read the end of a book first. 🙂 )

Another thing I tend to do when reading reviews is vetting the reviewer. This means I look at the reviewer’s other reviews. I’m looking for things such as: does this reviewer only post low star reviews or is there a wide range or have they read any books that I have read and if so, how does their opinion compare with mine?

But what about when it comes to reviews of my own books? Well, Zoe and I are going to talk about that, as well as share some reviews we have enjoyed, in today’s episode of the LLS Society Papers*.

The live stream will begin at 3 PM EST or 4 PM Atlantic. (But you can always watch it later, too. 🙂 )

Books and links mentioned in the show:

Leenie’s Links

NEW RELEASE: His Darling Friend https://mybook.to/HDF

MASSIVE book sale http://bit.ly/FridaysFeature

What’s in KU page http://bit.ly/KUreads

One Winter’s Eve http://bit.ly/OWE_link

Henry: To Prove Himself Worthy http://mybook.to/HTPHW

Master of Longbourn http://bit.ly/MOL_link

Sweet Tuesdays http://bit.ly/SweetTuesdays

Zoe’s Links

Lady Catherine Impedes: https://books2read.com/u/3L9rM7

Darcy’s Secret Marriage: https://books2read.com/u/47zwJq

Matches Made at Netherfield: https://books2read.com/u/3yPM2n

Have a great weekend! Thanks for joining us!

*Longbourn Literary Society (LLS) is a Facebook group founded by three friends, who share a love of writing and Jane Austen for the purpose of promoting those loves and our work.

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You can find Rose and Zoe’s websites at these links:

ROSE FAIRBANKS ZOE BURTON

Promenade Dress 1824 (Rudolph Ackermann)

Fashion Plate (Promenade Dress). England, London, October 1, 1824. Rudolph Ackermann. Los Angeles County Museum of Art [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons

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“Oh, do skip over the people I know, Reginald.” She huffed. “Why must you insist on being such a trial?”

“Because I am much like you?”

“Reginald Arthur Fitzwilliam, do your duty as you should,” Lady Matlock retorted.

Westonbury chuckled. “My full name and not even five minutes have passed. That must be a record.”

“Indeed,” his mother replied dryly but with a smile for her eldest son. “Now, get on with it. And do it properly.”

[from Loving Lydia, book 3 in the Marrying Elizabeth Series]

~*~*~

Confounding Caroline, book 1 ~ Delighting Mrs. Bennet, book 2

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Music Monday: Mayapple Road (Thad Fiscella)

“More, Mama! More!”

Thomas Prescott heard the small child’s squeal of delight before he rounded the bend in the path and saw her, a small bundle of excitement, dancing with her hands in the air attempting to catch the white petals falling from the apple tree above.

Thomas stopped where he was. He would eventually have to continue on his way, but he did not wish to disturb the child’s fun just yet. He would let her twirl and giggle for a few moments longer before intruding on her play.

“More, Mama!” the child pleaded when the shower of petals slowed.

“One last shake,” the lady, who must be the child’s mother, said from her perch on a bench beneath the apple tree. “But we must save some flowers so that we can make apple pies for Christmas.” Rising up on her toes, she grasped a branch and gave it a gentle shake. The flurry of white petals caused by the action was met with clapping hands, bouncing curls, and happy laughter.

[From Apple Blossoms, an original sweet Regency romance short story, and the Sweet Tuesdays story for the next four weeks]

Provided to YouTube by CDBaby, October 19, 2015.

The excerpt above is how the new Sweet Tuesdays story, Apple Blossoms, begins — with Mr. Prescott, a bachelor, meeting his new neighbours, Miss Abigail Watson and her mother the widow Watson. This short story will be shared in four parts, starting tomorrow.

Apple Blossoms is a short story of about six thousand words. It has a complete story arc (beginning, middle, end sort of thing). It has characters that are developed, and the main character does grow (learns something new to him). There is a desire that the main character has, as well as obstacles (of his own creation) to overcome. In other words, it is a complete story.

However, because of the short length, the plot of a short story has to be kept tight so there are no side plots, and the number of characters is limited as is the time frame and the number of problems. It should be a sweet little tidbit which will (hopefully) leave you with a smile and a sigh. I hope you will join me for this story starting tomorrow.

Apple Blossoms will be one of the stories eventually included in my next Nature’s Fury and Delights collection whenever I get the rest of the stories written. 😀 I have really fallen down on that goal for this year. I have an inspirational image selected for the next story for the collection, but that is as far as I have gotten with that project. There have just been so many other things needing attention.

Let me tell you about some of those other things which have claimed my time this past week: Continue reading Music Monday: Mayapple Road (Thad Fiscella)

Behind the Scenes: Writing Spaces

Back in September, I took part in an Instagram challenge to post various things daily. Day 10 was to share our writing nook — this is still how it looks for the most part.

In today’s episode of the LLS Society Papers*, Rose, Zoe, and I are going to let you take a peek at our writing spaces, which means I should probably tidy up a bit. 😀 I mean, one always does some cleaning before company comes, right? (Even if that company is only visiting virtually.)

I hope you can join us live, but if you can’t, you can always watch later.

The live stream will begin at 3 PM EST or 4 PM Atlantic.

Books and links mentioned in the show:

Rose’s Links

Stolen Moments with Darcy http://books2read.com/u/mZN2wD

Leenie’s Links

His Beautiful Bea (Free until 11:59 PM May 12, 2019) https://mybook.to/HBB

NEW RELEASE: His Darling Friend https://mybook.to/HDF

Zoe’s Links

Darcy’s Secret Marriage Large Print Edition https://amzn.to/2LCJCGM

Have a great weekend! Thanks for joining us!

*Longbourn Literary Society (LLS) is a Facebook group founded by three friends, who share a love of writing and Jane Austen for the purpose of promoting those loves and our work.

~*~*~

You can find Rose and Zoe’s websites at these links:

ROSE FAIRBANKS ZOE BURTON

A Doctor and a Sick Boy (Ralph Hedley)

A doctor placing his hand on the head of a sick boy, outside a country cottage. Photogravure after R. Hedley, 1898. Iconographic Collections Keywords: Ralph Hedley. Wellcome Images (public domain) via Wikimedia Commons.

A/N: We are not going to meet Lady M this week. The residents of Netherfield and Longbourn are just preparing for her arrival, and this image made me think of her.

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“It is good to see you in the drawing room,” Darcy looked up from the book he was reading as Richard entered the room with his brother standing watchfully at his side.

“I hear Mother is to arrive. I thought it best to look as fit as possible so that she would not send for every doctor in London.”

“And a few from other locales,” Westonbury quipped.

Lady Matlock had never been one to just allow her children to recuperate as the good Lord deemed, as her husband said it. As certain as her husband was about the fact that medication and doctors were not needed for every ailment, she was equally as certain that if doctors and medication were not needed then the good Lord would not have allowed them to exist. Therefore, if her children did not regain their health and vigour within a specified window of time – more or less mutually agreed upon between Lord and Lady Matlock – a physician would be sought.

[from Loving Lydia, book 3 in the Marrying Elizabeth Series]

~*~*~

Confounding Caroline, book 1 ~ Delighting Mrs. Bennet, book 2

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