5 easy ways readers can help out their favorite authors

I'm going to do a separate post about what authors can do to promote their books, but since I'm a very avid reader, I wanted to share a few ways you can help your favorite authors very easily. Aside from buying their books, which obviously helps them.

1. Tell the author you liked their work.
Writing is lonely. You don't always get feedback, and sometimes when you do, it's the people who hated your work the most who will be more than happy to share that. Yes, writers want to sell books, but that's the business side. The person/creative side is happy when someone genuinely engages with their work. That doesn't have to mean you fawn over it and tell them they are the best author ever. You might even disagree or grapple with a concept. That's fine; as long as you're reading their work and have something to share, I'd take a wild guesstimate that 99% of authors would love to hear that. If it feels weird to send a fan email, do it via Twitter. I've interacted with lots of my favorite authors, like mystery author Sue Ann Jaffarian (@sueannjaffarian) and paranormal YA author Tera Lynn Childs (@teralynnchilds) and not only do I get excited when they Tweet back to me, but 140 characters is less intimidating than an email, and unless they're Stephen King level of famous, they are probably going to read what you Tweet.

2. Like their book on Amazon.
This literally takes a second and looks good for the author. (Note: I don't 100% understand what it does for their book's rankings on Amazon, if anything, but still, if 100 people have liked a book, that surely counts for something with potential buyers.)

3. Review the book on Amazon, Bn.com, Goodreads, etc.
Reviews don't have to be long or eloquent to get the point across. You think ___ is like ___ on acid? Or __ is a beach read page-turner? It's all good.

4. Request your local library and bookstore carry the book.
This one requires a bit more effort, but goes a long way. You might even find that you turn the librarian or bookseller on to a book, and they in turn may tell others, and also may recommend books to you.

5. Share your love of the book on Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Often this may simply mean you retweet or repost something the author has posted; it's that simple. You may also find them holding contests, posting about events, or offering up recommendations for what to read next, or giving sneak previews of their upcoming work.

Read this if you like Greek myths and YA: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

Thank you to Amazon Vine for sending me Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs (also available in a Kindle edition). Visit her blog for a chance to win a copy!



My review:

I've been a fan of all of Tera Lynn Childs' YA novels, and this new series delivers on its premise and more! Taking another cue from Greek myth, this time Medusa, she presents a new series featuring triplets Gretchen, Grace and Greer. Gretchen is an old hat at accessing her superpowers and fighting smelly monster all over San Francisco; she's tough, from her Kevlar wrist cuffs to the daggers she stores in her boots. Grace and Greer discover their powers and have to both make sense of them, and the danger they're in, and come to terms with no longer being "normal."

The dragons are colorful and creative, looking to anyone not able to see their true nature like regular people, but the girls can see the truly hideous outsides and their murderous intent. Childs once again makes mythology come alive as each sister uses what she knows, along with a little help from some special elders, to help her do her duty. There's also the requisite cute boys, or in Greer's case, a mock surfer stud; Greer's chapters are among the most fun, because she's got the most to lose.

This is a delightful start to a trilogy, and even though I remembered almost nothing about Medusa, I quickly learned about the myth (or, in Sweet Venom's world, the "myth" of the myth). I'm not really a gore lover, but the scenes where the girls have to use their literal sweet venom to attack are fun and the girl power here is not the Spice Girls kind, but the creative, ingenious, bonding kind. I'm looking forward the next installments in the series.

Want to read: Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs

Fins are Forever has been at the top of my 2011 want to read list and has been; I pre-ordered my copy and am eager to dig in to this sequel to Forgive My Fins. I got hooked on Tera Lynn Childs' work with her YA novels Oh.My.Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp and have enjoyed every one since. Plus she sends cool swag (I have these bookmarks and temporary tattoos on me, so just ask for one if you see me at an event):





Official description below. Click here to read an excerpt and see author Tera Lynn Child's collages she made for inspiration (and a most excellent example of an author website done perfectly, with everything neatly organized, easy to navigate, fun extras and more)!

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form, when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

And I just found out she's in New York tonight:

* June 28, 2011
* Readers For Life Booksigning
* 5:30-7:30pm
* Marriott Marquis Times Square
* 1535 Broadway
* New York, NY

* July 8, 2011
* Blue Willow Bookshop
* 7:00pm
* 14532 Memorial Drive
* Houston, TX

* July 9, 2011
* Katy Budget Books
* 3:30-5:30pm
* 2450 Fry Road
* Houston, TX


If you're into YA or know someone who is, do check out her work; I have a feeling you'll be hooked too!

And just because it's so gorgeous, here's the cover of Forgive My Fins again and my review. Click here to read an excerpt.



Spoilers. Forgive My Fins features Lily, a half mermaid, half terraped, with the soul of a teenage girl who's desperately in love with Brody. The only problem is, she gets kissed by Quince, the annoying boy who's always spying on her. This wouldn't be such a big deal except that in her world, that means they are bonded for life unless her father, King of Thalassania, gives them a special separation agreement. First, Quince has to learn to swim, as well as absorb the news that Lily is actually a mermaid.

This story was beautifully told, and while elements of special powers will be familiar to readers of Childs' previous books, this one is special and, dare I say, even better and more romantic. Lily insists on thinking that her feelings for Quince are only due to the bond that's been placed on them, which allows them to read each other's thoughts. The reader is treated to umpteen examples of Quince's gentlemanly charm, but Lily persists in her delusions, while also trying to acclimate to being back underwater after three years away at a regular high school. The push/pull between Quince and Lily is beautiful and touching, as he, the supposed tough guy, puts his heart on his sleeve again and again and risks so much, including life on land, to prove his passion for Lily.

This is a charming, delightful book, and I will indeed be reading the 2011 release Fins Are Forever. The only off note in my opinion was the very end, which dealt with a side character, Lily's cousin Dosinia, and seemed to come out of nowhere; it gives a preview of what's to come but I was still blissed out on Lily finally figuring out what's in her heart. Watching stubborn Lily reject Quince again and again, coupled with her fish puns and the descriptions of the magical underwater world, where tears make a mermaid's eyes sparkle, was great fun.

3 June books (and 2 others) I cannot wait to read: Ink Flamingos, Uncommon Criminals, Fins are Forever

Here are three books I'm thrilled will be coming out in June and cannot wait to devour. Like, plan to buy on release day or stalk in case I can find them sooner.







2 more YA books I also want to read:

Beautiful book cover of mermaid YA novel: Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

I love how gorgeous this cover of Tera Lynn Childs' new YA novel Forgive My Fins is. I recently read her first two connected novels, Oh.My.Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp, about a teenager who discovers she's a descendant of Nike and goes to school with other descendants of Greek gods. Both were hilarious and delightful. I don't usually read anything fantastical but wanted to check out this mermaid novel.



Official description from Tera Lynn Childs' site (click to read an excerpt):

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life.

When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.