Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Book Review of “Northanger Alibi” by Jenni James




Claire Hart is obsessed with “Twilight” and so when she has an opportunity to go with family friends to Seattle for the summer she is ecstatic. She meets the Russo twins Tony and Nora and she thinks they are going to be weird but instead finds them very intriguing. The twins take them out on the town to show them the Seattle sites. Claire starts to recognize some weird similarities about Tony and “Edward.” Not only is Tony drop dead gorgeous but he keeps staring at her and answers things she is only thinking. Oh no he can read minds! Claire accidently touches his chest and he is like stone. When they go to the top of the Space Needle’s very expensive restaurant Tony doesn’t eat his food. Claire is convinced.

Cassidy, Claire’s older sister who was forced to come on this summer trip with Claire as a chaperone thinks Claire is completely crazy. Claire gives Cassidy “Twilight” to read so she can see for herself that Tony is a vampire. Cassidy doesn’t leave the house the rest of the trip while she is obsessed reading the whole “Twilight” series.

On a shopping trip with Nora, a tall, dark, mysterious man walks right up to Claire and kisses her. She is shocked but not completely turned off. When she finds out his name is Jaden Black and he’s from the Quileute Native American tribe Claire is sure she’s meet a real life werewolf. Tony acts jealous when he hears about the kiss. Claire who never dated back home and never had been kissed finds it very exhilarating to have two men fighting over her. Claire had no idea that coming to Seattle would put her in the middle of the Twilight saga.

LOL! I loved this story because I could relate to the obsession with “Twilight” and I loved that Cassidy started reading and couldn’t put down the series (been there done that.) Claire is young and naïve but you grow to adore her wild ideas. Claire is the youngest sister of Chloe who was the main character in “Pride and Popularity.” I love the spin off idea, this way we can hear a little tidbit about the characters we learned to love in previous books. This was a perfect adaption to Jane Austen’s story where a young girl leaves her small town and goes to a busy city. The character Catherine in Northanger Abbey let her imagination from reading get the best of her and it was a great similarity of Claire letting the Twilight story get mixed with her real life experiences.

 Bravo Jenni!  What a great idea taking something we can all relate too in our modern times and showing that the same issues were prevalent in 1790. This book made me snicker at my own obsession with Twilight.

http://authorjennijames.com/






To purchase:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/northanger-alibi

http://www.amazon.com/Northanger-Alibi-Jane-Austen-Diaries






Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Be Social "Like", "Circle", "Follow", "Tweet", "Pin" and "Post"

Are you social enough? There are so many ways to reach your customers these days.

In Facebook we want people to “like” and "share" 
https://www.facebook.com/geodepress

Right now we have a contest for the 50th person to "like" us on Geodepress's Facebook they win a free book of ZENOBIA - Birth of a Legend. 


Google + we want our “circle” to grow 

Blogspot.com we need “followers” 

Twitter you want people to “tweet” too. https://twitter.com/ZenobiaZenobia1
or https://twitter.com/JulieMWallace


So many social networks, so little time. 


Here is a great article I received from The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter.
The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter By http://blog.kissmetrics.com/beginners-guide-to-twitter/
Even though they are speaking about Twitter the information below is very useful in all social networks.

“The key to remember with social media is that it’s about engagement.
The number one rule in social media when you are first starting out is to listen.
Most businesses start off by not listening and go straight into “talking”, promoting and pushing content. And most of those companies get very little use out of social media.
To start off on a good foot, search for keywords in your industry and see what conversations are happening. Listen to what people are saying about your brand; listen to what they’re saying about your industry. If you see a conversation that you can join, then do so. Don’t try to sell a product when you join a conversation, but rather provide value. You can do this by: Offering helpful answers (be as unbiased as possible), try to solve problems that your customers may have, and point people in the right direction (say if someone is looking for your returns policy).”

Here is another article on The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter by Patrick O’Keefe. I found it very interesting and it will broaden your social media even more. http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/how-to-engage-in-online-forums-for-your-brand/

“The social web is a big place. It’s always funny to me when I meet people who think it primarily consists of Facebook and Twitter. If you believe that, you really are missing a majority of the social web. It’s a lot bigger and more diverse than that.
Forums and structured, focused communities offer a great deal of value, representing a concentrated audience of the people that you probably want to reach. They are engaging now, around your company, your products and your industry. I’m not saying everyone should join a forum and start contributing, just that you should be aware of them as a legitimate, powerful platform. Engaging with individual forums should be a strategic option you consider, right alongside engaging with people on Facebook and Twitter. They are worth your consideration.”

Happy Socializing! 

*Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com




Saturday, July 14, 2012

BOOK REVIEW TIME AGAIN! Pride and Popularity by Jenni James



Chloe doesn’t care to be part of the popular crowd and for sure doesn’t want to be part of the Taylor Anderson fan club. Ever since the first time Chloe meets Taylor she sees how conceited he is and she vows not be a part of all those girls that swoon over him. Chloe’s senior year lands her in art class with Taylor and he sits at her table with her two best friends. She tries and tries not to fall for his stunning good looks and charm but it becomes obvious to everyone around her that Taylor is into her and she doesn’t believe it. Taylor is rich and always has a cheerleader as a girlfriend so why would he be interested in her? As they butt heads many times Chloe has to come to terms with her true feelings.
This is a perfect modern-day twist to the great story with all the important characters from the original Pride and Prejudice. I loved when I recognized a character and the part they play in this new version. Chloe is a red headed spicy girl who portrayed a modern Elizabeth; she is a very enjoyable character. Taylor Darcy Anderson is a dreamboat who grows on you. 
My favorite part is the costume party Chloe throws for Halloween; I totally want to steal that idea. 
This is a fun read and I couldn't put the book down. I read the whole book in one day. I’m excited for the other books in “The Jane Austen Diaries” and see how Jane Austen’s stories adapt to our teenagers lives today. 













How to buy this book:




Coming soon author interview with Jenni James and book review of Northanger Alibi!! 

Persuaded is the next book in the series available soon. I CANT WAIT!