Blogging From Alabama!! Susan Sands

Dear Friends,

Happy Summer!! I'm thrilled to finally be able to say those words and really mean them. My daughter graduated from high school last week and we are free and clear. We've had a good run, Georgia public high schools, but we're done here.

I'm in my hotel room writing this post from Huntsville, Alabama in anticipation of the RWA Heart of

Dixie luncheon. I'm so looking forward to meeting the readers my table and sharing my hand-made gifts! I wanted to capture the essence of the South. How did I do? They turned out pretty cute, despite the blue paint under my nails and splinters in my fingers.

My mom and I drove here through the pouring rain from Atlanta and had to stop a couple times because the rain was so heavy we couldn't see the road. Thankfully, it was clear (and later than planned) by the time we arrived.

Great news! My second Alabama-set novel, Love, Alabama has a free BookBub ad scheduled for June 2nd. Download a copy if you missed it!

I so appreciate the hard work my publisher does to help get these ads that allow my books to reach more readers! If you've never read one of my Southern romantic women's fiction stories, now's a great time to start!

Have a fantastic weekend!

CJ Carmichael: So Many Books... So Little Time

When I was a kid growing up on a farm in Saskatchewan (think North Dakota, only less cutting-edge) it seemed I couldn’t get my hands on enough books. Our one-room school house (think Little House on the Prairie meets Lord of the Flies) received a rotating number of books every month from the local school library system. But I always plowed through those before the month was over. As a results I re-read my favorites many times over.

Those days are long over. Now it seems I am flooded with books. Every time I go on Facebook or Twitter, or visit Amazon, Kobo or Audible, I see dozens of books I’d love to read. And don’t get me started about Goodreads! Or bookstores!

The most amazing thing of all, is that having identified a book that interests me, I can have it purchased and downloaded to my Kobo, Kindle or iPad within five minutes (or less)!

Buying books is easy, fun…and addictive. But time to read them is increasingly scarce.

So…how to decide what to read next? For me I usually circulate among the following:

·        The monthly  reads chosen by the “Happy Bookers” my Calgary reading group

·        New releases from my favorite authors

·        New releases getting a lot of “buzz” on Goodreads, Publisher’s Weekly, or the Globe & Mail (think New York Times, Canadian style)

·        Older books I always meant to read…sometime

·        Classic titles I haven’t yet gotten around to

 

What about you? How do you decide which book you’re going to read next? Do you, for instance, pick up titles you see discussed on Facebook or Twitter? Do you receive author newsletters and buy a lot of books from those? Or do you subscribe to discount newsletters like Book Bub or ENT? And hey, does anyone browse actual book stores anymore?!? I do. Witness this photo taken in Portland this summer...

I really want to hear from you on this! To prove it, I have a lovely mug and totebag which I will be sending to one randomly chosen person who comments below with their top 3 ways of picking their next read. If your name is chosen you need to contact me with your mailing address (via Facebook or my website) so I can send you your prize! (Just follow the links under my name.)

Oh, and while I have your attention, why not enter my website contest for a grab bag of 10 books? (If you win you won’t have to worry about what to read next for a long time!)

Happy Reading!

C. J. Carmichael

C. J. Carmichael Website

C. J. Carmichael on Facebook