ENTER CONTEST
Created by a former teacher motivated to help other aspiring authors on their individual paths to discovery, Tales2Inspire® fulfills its promises and much, much more.
This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.
Showing posts sorted by date for query free reviews. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query free reviews. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Great Reviews For Tales2Inspire ~ The Ruby Collection
TITLE OF BOOK:
Tales2Inspire ~ The Ruby Collection (Gifts of Compassion)
ISBN-10: 149594008X
ISBN-13: 978-1495940088
ANTHOLOGY BY AUTHOR/EDITOR:
LOIS W. STERN
FAVORITE LINKS:
https:/www.tales2inspire.com
/twitter.com/tales2inspire2
/youtube.com/winningtales
ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW:
X Yes, I have received permission from each reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety.
CELEBRATING THESE GREAT REVIEWS FOR
TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE RUBY COLLECTION
TRUE STORIES OF INSPIRATION, COMPASSION AND LOVE
By Gail Sobotkin
I have read each story and can honestly say I don't have a favorite. Each and every story touched my heart deeply. If you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world where people and animals are treated with compassion, kindness and love, where the human spirit rises up again and again to meet seemingly impossible challenges, where faith triumphs over despair, where young children and abused animals teach adult humans life lessons, where the homeless are treated with respect and compassion, you must read The Ruby Collection, an amazing anthology of 14 true stories that will inspire you to live your own life with an open heart--- despite, or perhaps because of, whatever difficulties you may face.
Compassion is a gift that keeps on giving; it changes the giver, recipient, and all those who witness the compassionate act. It makes the world a better, kinder place and when delivered with love, has the power to transform the globe one person, one animal at a time.
The Ruby Collection makes a great gift for children and adults. Treat yourself to a copy and buy one for your friends, colleagues and relatives. Ask them to read the book then pass it on to an institution such as a library, hospital or school so that the stories will be spread far and wide, planting seeds of inspiration, compassion and love.
INSPIRING
By Shauna L Bowling
Freelance Writer/Copy Editor
. . . a book of inspiration that uplifts the reader with each story. From human/animal spiritual connections to human/human connections, these true stories of courage, love, and strength are proof that good exists in the world. We can and do overcome the odds each and every day. If you have any doubts about the power of love, read this book. All it takes is one person to reach out to make positive changes in someone's life.
I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages. It just may change your life!
ANOTHER CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL
By Bani Sodermark
Reviewer for Book Pleasures and Amazon Vine Voice Reviewer
This is a feel good book documenting a collection of true stories that involve genuine empathy and kindness to other living beings including oneself. It arose out of a writing contest by an organization called "Authors Helping Author" and includes the best contributions that were submitted. The result is a very readable and well written book enshrined in the symbol of the ruby which stands for kindness and compassion.
That which is most appealing about this collection of stories is that the kindness shown at one instance of time is nearly always repaid in some way or other, forging deep and lasting bonds as the protagonists walk their life paths in tandem with one another. In some cases, they may experience a total reversal of a bodily malfunction as in the case of the first story, in which a man took care of a wounded eagle, unable to fly and nursed it to wellness. Later on, he was afflicted with cancer and he is convinced that dream conversations with his pet eagle, supplemented with chemo, was the cause of his total recovery.
A second story documents the success of a program called "Labs`n Life" in which dysfunctional children with learning and other problems are made to train Labradors. The interaction with these intelligent and loving animals, miraculously opens up these children and helps them integrate into the mainstream.
The theme of working with animals continues with the rehabilitation stories of Dusty the horse and Rae the dog who are restored to their playful selves and fulfil memorable relationships with their caregivers.
A few of the stories will touch you deep down inside. There is the erstwhile convict, Ray, who after years of confrontation with the bullying and sadistic warden of the penitentiary that he had occupied since his late teens, helped set fire to it. The warden was changed to one who had a record of successfully rehabilitating dreaded inmates and the whole atmosphere of the place changed as the convicts applied their energies to study and vocational training. There were no more incidents of arson or otherwise and our friend, Ray, after he was released was able to successfully land a job, get married and raise a family.
There is the holocaust survivor, who neutralized the actions of local politicians by going out with his own message of peaceful coexistence, ultimately reaching out to millions.
Another story that I will find difficult to forget is the story of a young African American black belt karate champion on the karate circuit, who it seems always acted rough if he or his team lost. It turned out that he had dedicated his life to saving children in the roughest quarters of Miami from a life of crime, by loading as many as possible into a van that was to take them to the tournament. If he did not win, he would have to borrow the money for the gas home.
There is the story of a former citizen of Rwanda, who returned to his homeland after the genocide and helped many people work their way out of poverty using his engineering skills and thus finding the way to his true calling. . . .
Other inspiring stories include that of a young woman who appeared in the Guinness Book of Records after running seven marathons in seven continents. There is also the unusual story of window cleaners outside a hospital dressing up as children's heroes, e.g. Batman to cheer up children suffering from debilitating diseases.
The length of the manuscript is optimal, not too long, not too short.
This book, in my opinion, the best so far, in the Tales 2 Inspire series, created by Editor, Lois W. Stern. The storytelling is chiseled and evocative. . . . One can never read too many of such stories, of seeing the way love and spirit redefine priorities and guide the human race out of black holes of its own making.
Saturday, May 13, 2023
Want a New Review for Your Book? List Your Review Request Here.
This is your how-to page for authors to submit a query for
Lois W. Stern to help you find reviews for your book.
(Kindly use the form below.)
Lois W. Stern, author advocate and associate of TheNewBookReview, offers readers who are authors a path to getting free and ethical reviews for their books. No kidding! Lois explains how to do it below and you'll learn more about her other "Authors Helping Authors" projects in her biography below those guidelines. Please feel free to let those in the publishing industry know about this service.
Welcome!
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Your #TheNewBookReview blogger
"Marketing is a huge part of a book's success, and getting reviews is a huge part
of marketing a book or any other business.
If you don't believe it, ask a plumber who has had poor reviews on Yelp!"
~Quote from Page 18 of How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
__________________________________
How to Let Lois W. Stern Match Authors and Book Reviewers
Get your review request (it's like a mini query for reviews!) listed here on this The New Book Review blog at no charge. Send your request to Lois at tales2Inspire2@gmail.com with REVIEW WANTED in the subject line. If you need help writing a query, see Carolyn Howard-Johnson's The Frugal Editor. (Check the Appendix for sample letters and the Index for help within the body of the book.)
Note: Please be sure the book you want to offer for review is already available for sale at Amazon.com or another online site where books are sold and include that link in your query.
All of this blog's services are free, including this "Learn How to Use Our Free Book Review Service."
________________________________
Be sure to submit the exact information below in the email you sent to Lois.
Put QUERY FOR LOIS'S REVIEW SERVICE in the subject line of the email and send it to tales2inspire2@gmail.com
AUTHOR's NAME:
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL: Contact information for person submitting (be it author, reviewer, reader reviewer, or publisher.)
TITLE OF BOOK:
SUBTITLE OF BOOK (if any):
GENRE:
BOOK DESCRIPTION: (100 words max) - Make your description pop to entice others to want to read your book! Hint: Use strong, present tense verbs! This is not a review, but a logline or tease like you see on movies posters--something to entice a reader to want to read your book. Usually two lines. Something like, "When so and so does this....then this presents a problem." You don't reveal the ending.
NUMBER OF PAGES:
AGE/INTEREST LEVEL:
AMAZON OR OTHER ONLINE BOOKSTORE URL: Kindly send full link (NOT shortened link, as they do not seem to be working on Google sheets).
* BOOK FORMAT(S) YOU ARE OFFERING FOR REVIEW: (Please note: Paper books are more likely to get review offers than e-books.) Paperback or hard copy books - Yes or No Electronic versions of your e-book such as Kindle, pdf - Yes or No
AMAZON OR OTHER ONLINE BOOKSTORE URL:
How Authors Handle the Review Requests They Receive
When you get a request from a fellow author who wishes to review your book, send a review copy directly to your volunteer reviewer in whatever format you have offered, along with any promotional material you wish to share that might be helpful to the reviewer. The reviewer will then give your book an honest and fair review. Those interested in maximizing their efforts to get and use reviews to market their books will find Carolyn's How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically a big help.
Disclaimers: 1. In the spirit of Authors Helping Authors, Lois is happy to provide her review-getting service to her fellow authors at no cost, but cannot guarantee that your listing will attract a reviewer.
2. Due to conflict of interest concerns, Lois does not review the books listed on her review-request page herself. Nor does The New Book Review employ reviewers. All reviewers are subscribers or visitors to the blog who volunteer their services because they love to read, want to support the publishing industry, and may want a little extra online exposure for their own projects.
Disclaimers:
1. In the spirit of Authors Helping Authors, Lois is happy to provide her
review-getting service to her fellow authors at no cost, but
cannot guarantee that your listing will attract a reviewer.
2. Due to conflict of interest concerns, Lois does not review the books listed on her review-request page herself. Nor does The New Book Review employ reviewers. All reviewers are subscribers or visitors to the blog who volunteer their services because they love to read, want to support the publishing industry, and may want a little extra online exposure for their own projects.
_______________________
Helpful Hint For Attracting Reviewers
Authors are more likely to find new reader-reviewers for their books if they promote (network) the link on the web--everywhere from website to blog to social media likeTwitter and Facebook! Lois will help guide you through that process upon request.
In Carolyn Howard-Johnson's book, The Frugal Book Promoter, she says
"For promotions to work, ya' gotta promote the promotion."
We at #TheNewBookReview do a lot of that promotion for your book, too!
__________________________
MORE ABOUT YOUR REVIEW COORDINATOR
Tales2inspire® was a kernel of an idea I started in 2012, which has grown to proportions even I didn’t dare to envision. My innate curiosity about potentially fascinating human interest stories was the spark that ignited this idea, but it was the confused state of traditional publishing that propelled me forward. You see, in my heart I am all about authors-helping-authors and Tales2inspire® is another of those projects. It delivers exactly what it promises as both a project and a contest. Free to enter, this competition is open to talented newbies and seasoned authors alike who are willing to listen to their fellow author's critiques to better their work. Learn more here.
A multi-award-winning author, Lois's work has been featured in The New York Times, Newsday (Act 2), and Long Island Press, on Local Access TV, and in live presentations in a multitude of venues. She has now published ten Tales2Inspire® books of her contest winners' stories. Fans of Chicken Soup for the Soul are particularly enamored with Tales2Inspire® books because, aside from their inspirational themes, they are filled with original photos to enhance the power of each story. Lois invites interested readers to get a free Tales2Inspire® sampler book click here.
To learn more about entering Lois's next Tales2Inspire® contest, click here.
Spend some media marketing time with Lois at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2
More About This Blog
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or use this link to take you there. Or you can use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" plan for requesting reviews. Just scroll up on this page to find her guidelines for getting reviews for your book or books!
Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
Badges, Banners and Illustrations on this blog are provided by Carolyn Wilhelm. She tweets @jamsandbooks and offers educational aids on Pinterest as well. You'll also find her book and study guides by going to https://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com 's handy search engine. Or just subscribe! We'd love to have you!
Discover Great New Books to Read and Review
Hi there,
It's Lois W. Stern, your #NewBookReview Review Acquisition Coordinator, back again to help you promote yourself with a beautiful handcrafted banner - when you lend a helping hand to a fellow author.
Our #AuthorsHelpingAuthors Project
Step one: Discover a book in your Fav genre by clicking on its genre badge (or icon) below.
Step two: Contact that author to get a copy of their book. (You will see all author info when you click on any badge listed below.)
Step three: When your review copy arrives, write a review for that book and post it on any of the credible online book review sites. (Remember, keep it honest and sincere. If it doesn't deserve at least 3 stars, decline to review it tactfully.)
Step four: Email the link to your posted review to tales2Inspire2@gmail.com with the words "TNBR Link to Posted Review" in the subject line. Once we receive it, we will create a beautiful personal banner just for you - free for you to use for all your platform-building efforts.
Send Us Your Fav Book Review
Hi, it's Lois W. Stern here, your #NewBookReview Review Coordinator, with another idea to help you get more eyeballs focused on your book. We all know that reviews help sell books, so how about sending me your FAV REVIEW and I'll get it posted here.
HOW TO GET THIS FREE MARKETING TOOL FOR YOUR BOOK AND FOR YOUR REVIEWER: Did your book get one fabulous review that you wish you could share with the world? Well wish no more. Now you can. Just send it to me (Lois!) @tales2Inspire2gmail.com/ WITH "My fav book review" in the subject line using the format below, and I'll post it for you on TheNewBookReview blog. And that’s a big deal ‘cause this blog gets tons of readers.
Note: Please get permission from your reviewer to republish their review.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR FAV REVIEW: To make the submission process easier, first copy and paste the template below to help you gather all your data. Then I will post it for FREE at: https://thenewbookreview.
TITLE OF YOUR BOOK:
AUTHOR OF BOOK's NAME:
AUTHOR'S EMAIL ADDRESS We don't publish this!
AUTHOR'S FAVORITE LINKS: (website, amazon, blog, etc.)
ADD THIS ASSURANCE TO SATISFY COPYRIGHT LAW:
__ Yes, I have received permission from the reviewer to reprint their review in its entirety.
REVIEWER’S BYLINE: (i.e. John Doe, author of, Group leader of , originally published at xxxx. )
INCLUDE THE THE REVIEW ITSELF, of course!
MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER: (100 words or less) You may include the reviewer's links to website, blog, book's buy page or whatever the reviewer would like to use that is book related or might serve as a resource by #TheNewBookReview's audience--visitors or subscribers. Include the reviewer's social network addresses. It may include:
REVIEWER'S TWITTER MONIKER (Strongly preferred but not required.)
REVIEWER'S TWITTER MONIKER (Strongly preferred but not required.)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR WHOSE BOOK IS BEING REVIEWED: (Don't be shy. This is a golden opportunity to brag a bit about yourself so include any links, photo, and where #TheNewBookReviews visitors and learn more that author.) It may include:
REVIEWER'S TWITTER MONIKER (Strongly preferred but not required.)ABOUT THE REVIEWER BIO (OPTIONAL): This may include information on the reviewer's book if they are also authors or information on their favorite writer-oriented project. (We do not accept information that includes selling book reviews.) You may include the reviewer's links to website, blog, book's buy page or whatever the reviewer would like to use that is book related or might serve as a resource by #TheNewBookReview's audience--visitors or subscribers. Include the reviewer's social network addresses. It may include It may include:
REVIEWER'S TWITTER MONIKER (Strongly preferred but not required.)
INCLUDE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING IMAGES WITH YOUR EMAIL:
AUTHOR'S IMAGES: Author headshot and Author's book cover image
REVIEWER'S IMAGES: Reviewer headshot, Reviewer's book cover image (if they are also a published author). We will use these images to create a free personal banner for the unrestricted use of both author and reviewer.
E-MAIL YOUR REVIEW TO ME AT: tales2inspire2@gmail.com. Write “NEWBOOKREVIEW BEST REVIEW" in the subject line of your e-mail.
AND HERE’S THE BEST PART:
Place a Tweet about your review on Twitter, (YOU ARE ON TWITTER, RIGHT?), and tag both Carolyn Howard-Johnson @frugalbookpromo and me @tales2inspire2 and we will retweet your review to our over forty-six thousand Twitter followers.
Now how's that for some great additional exposure for you,
your reviewer and your books!
Your NewBookReview Acquisition Coordinator
Lois W. Stern
Lois W. Stern is a multi award winning author whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in many varied venues. She has now published twelve Tales2Inspire® treasured anthologies of her contest winners' stories. As TheNewBookReview review coordinator, Lois serves as an outreach to help authors on their paths to discovery.
Lois created her Tales2Inspire® ‘Authors Helping Authors’ project in 2012, helping hundreds of talented newbies and seasoned authors alike enhance their visibility. Click here to learn more about entering her annual no fee Tales2Inspire contest. That’s right, it’s free! What emerges from these annual contests are highly professional anthologies of inspirational memoirs. Fans of Chicken Soup for the Soul are particularly enamored of Tales2Inspire® books because, aside from being expertly crafted inspirational memoirs, they are filled with original photos to further enhance the power of each story. Lois invites interested readers to get a FREE Tales2Inspire® sampler book at: www.tales2inspire.com/gifts and visit Lois at these Media Marketing sites:
Website: https://www.tales2Inspire.com
Spend some media marketing time with Lois at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tales2inspire
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tales2inspire2
Saturday, February 25, 2023
Veteran Educator Carolyn Wilhelm Reviews Third Edition of The Frugal Editor
Title: The Frugal Editor
Edition: 3rd edition
Publisher: Modern History Press
ISBN: 9781615996001
Available on Amazon
Pages 279 including Index
Awards: Reader Views, USA Book News, Irwin Award, and more
Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm originally for Amazon
Technology changes and changes - a reliable book to keep up with the times. Like the addition of the chapter on making back-matter work harder for authors. Yes, please.
Why is it so difficult to find mistakes in our own writing? Why is editing so difficult? Why do writers need editors - many in fact. It is because writers and authors know what they mean to say. Our brains fill in the missing words and fix errors as we try to edit our own work. It is really difficult to notice our own mistakes. Having taught first grade, I see how children learn to read and write - with plenty of errors. And teachers could not understand children’s writing without filling in mistakes and making sense of it.
Why is it so difficult to find mistakes in our own writing? Why is editing so difficult? Why do writers need editors - many in fact. It is because writers and authors know what they mean to say. Our brains fill in the missing words and fix errors as we try to edit our own work. It is really difficult to notice our own mistakes. Having taught first grade, I see how children learn to read and write - with plenty of errors. And teachers could not understand children’s writing without filling in mistakes and making sense of it.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson understands the great difficulty of perfect final drafts, and even books published professionally. Using tools like Word in specific ways (but never relying only on Word) she helps writers and editors by giving strategies to catch gremlins and typos. Even library books might have 5% of errors.
I was in a writing group where members would divide and conquer by separating editing tasks. One person reads for understanding, one for punctuation, one for consistency, and so on. But there are tools and tricks to weed out problems before paying professional editors. Carolyn Howard-Johnson knows them all!
Avoid publishing scams, hire help after most of the editing is done, and adapt the included sample query letters to your own style.
Great book to keep on your writing desk ad use as a reference during your writerly life.
More About the Reviewer
Carolyn Wilhelm is a veteran educator with a pile of academic letters behind her name as well as a frequent reviewer for Midwest Book Review, Amazon.com, and others. Find her teaching aids on Pinterest at WiseOwlFactory, many of them free.
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others on her The New Book Review blog. Find guidelines for submitting to that blog and other free services in the tabs at the top of the home page of this blog or go to https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews. It is open at no charge to authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love.
Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too.
Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing
Friday, January 6, 2023
Escape Rooms Introduce Novels with Sample for The Hurricane Code by James Aura
Escape Rooms Introduce Novels with Sample for The Hurricane Code by James Aura
Previously, I wrote about The Hurricane Code by James Aura and provided discussion questions. Book groups and high school teachers alike could use another free resource to help readers better understand the 2099 climate change fictional story (Cli-Fi). The activity is auto-graded for teachers and group leaders. The book is not required for using the free digital escape room at this link. We hope the escape room will motivate a reader to want to locate a copy of the book.
The video below explains the escape room for this particular book. Digital escape rooms are similar but not all the same. They use free Google apps: Google Sites, Google Slides, and Google Forms. Incorrect answers are marked in red as answers are entered, so people know if they successfully unlocked a code or not. There are number code locks, text code locks, directional code locks, and color code locks. Answers should be in all caps with no spaces for this room.
If that didn't explain it, this answer key will help. I am providing answers as escape rooms are new and are a learning experience for most, at this time. Digital escape rooms are similar but use different icons for the locks. Instructions should be followed such as capitalization or lowercase, spaces or not, and so on. Each room could be different as they are made individually by people like me.
The book captures life in North America to Canada as the year 2099 brings pythons moving north due to the warming climate, chocolate as a rare treat, and an exodus of people trying to get north. Travel agents are not honest. An engaging read worthy of discussion, The Hurricane Code was an All About Books Goodreads group pick last summer. This is where to find it: on Goodreads and Amazon. Author Aura has a link/tr.ee, also.
Thank you for reading,
Carolyn Wilhelm, reviewer
More About #TheNewBookReview Blog
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books.
Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing
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