HAPPY NEW YEAR!

To all who visited my blog this year...HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you for coming to read the airings of my mind. Thank you for reading my books. Thank you for your support. Thank you!

NetGalley, the professional blogger, the professional reader and me

Well, I know lots of writers crow about the wonders of NetGalley. So far, I am not in their numbers. I signed up with a co-op for a discounted, 2-month-long slot on NetGalley to introduce my latest historical romance, Dissent. I was not impressed. I should have known that it was going to be a wash when from Hour One things went south. For some reason, the site has a rating system for book covers. Thumbs up or thumbs down. Simple and telling. As I noted from Hour One of Dissent being available for review to bloggers and professional readers, the book cover got “thumbs down.”  Apparently, the folk with access to voting were feeling grumpy and a tad… biased that day. And for days to come. Can’t believe that the 30 votes the cover got, 22 were “thumbs down.” How? For such a beautiful cover. How? All I can think is that people disliked the thought of an interracial/ intercultural couple sooooo much that they voted down a portrait of one? Insecure much, ladies? And they say there is no bias in the romance biz? Yeah and I’m Elvis’ lost love child.  Plus, it was days after the presidential election. The Trump Effect maybe?

I have no intention of telling my cover illustrator the news. The young lady had poured her soul into drawing and painting that picture. Kirsten McKenzie is a talented artist and was so thrilled to be part of the project. See her website: http://www.kekreations.com.  She’d never been asked to do that pairing in a portrait before and was pumped to do it. It’s sad that the female “industry professionals” (and I know they were female. A male will be many things, but in something as innocuous as this…only females stuck at the petty level would indulge) who voted, could be reactionary about a simple cover. I point them out because NetGalley prides itself on only catering to the pros, be they reviewer or blogger or “professional reader.” Whatever the hell that is. Regular readers aren’t allowed. Thing is one must have a following to get access to the books on there. Gotta have street cred to… review a book? Veddy, veddy interesting. I thought a working brain, a way to access the book and an open mind were enough. Umm? I’m so behind the times.

Anyhoo, my time with NetGalley ends Dec. 31^st. And it was wasted time. WASTED. There were NO requests by any of those “industry professionals” to read the book. Not a one. I never received a single report showing the number of times the book synopsis was viewed, or the book requested. ZILCH.  Now if I get one next week, that’ll be a surprise.

My take? If you have written a romance with a broken NavySEAL, or a firefighter, or still yet another billionaire, or a New Adult MMA fighter/ex-con, or a Cowboy, or a Viking demon/vampire/angel/shifter – who are all into BDSM and pie—well, baby, you got it made in the shade! It can’t be snatched up fast enough for review.

So, no, NetGalley was a wash for me. Funny, because the “industry professionals” constantly lament that there is a dearth of historical romances with characters who aren’t the “default.” My book is, was, such a book. So where were the requests? I think they need to alter that lament to convey their true feeling. That they want PoC in historical romance but only if these romances are written by the “default.” Sorry. Gotta call ‘em like I see ‘em.

Lip service. Lip service. Lip service.   

The bright side to this experience is that a reader must have rushed and bought the book and read it to have left a 5-star rating at Christmas on Goodreads for my book. Goodreads of all places. Usually folk are brutal on there. It made me smile. Plus, several bloggers have Dissent slated for review in the coming year.

Thumbs down? Yep, NetGalley “professionals,” you got that and another choice finger from me.  

Don’t mind me. This was my experience with NG. Yours might be different. Especially if you have a romance with an angst-y, lost, ancient Viking firefighter who wants to do naughty things to people with his hose while eating pie.

The three African-American female scientists who put John Glenn in orbit - Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan!

Physicist, mathemetician, space scientist, aerospace engineer - These women were all that and a bushel of Idahoes! Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan. Why so long to honor these ladies? Why have they been Hidden Figures? Treated like that chick a guy doesn't want his family and friends to know about. Same goes for the Navajo Codetalkers. The men and whose language saved the USA's bacon when the Nazi couldn't figure out what that language those secret messages were being sent in.

Man. Always invited to the dance on the condition one cleans up afterward. Damn.

Anyhoo, back to the ladies.

Taraji P. Henson is playing Katherine Johnson in the film scheduled for Christmas release 2016, Hidden Figures. Olivia Spencer and Janelle Monae play the other scientists.

Miss Katherine is still kicking. She is 98 years old. And still quite sharp. Miss Dorothy passed in 2008 at the age of 98. Miss Mary passed in 2005 at age 83. Misses Katherine and Mary married and had kids. Miss Dorothy did not.

I salute you ladies. You kicked in some barred doors and I am certain, made LOTS of asshats angry. Too effin bad.

DISSENT - Update! - It is now available in Kindle and as a Createspace paperback

Dissent (Love Vanquishes All, bk. 2) is now available in Kindle and as a Createspace paperback! This second book in my stand-alone historical series is just as wonderful as bk 1 (KINDRED) was. As I said, they are not connected. Their only link being that they both are historicals and they both have a BLACK heroine. They do have different covers. Something I found out a lot of self-pubbed works have when they are available in ebook and print.

The Createspace paperback is oversized (7 x 10) and is priced at $15. I know. Not cheap but think of the lovely artwork in that size and plus, it's ideal for holiday giving.

The ebook is $4.

Anyhoo, choose the version you want. Or both if you got the coins. Just don't pirate it. Please. Below are the covers for both versions and the links.

This was my first hands-on self-pubbing experience and it's been...interesting.

Okay. The shameless self-plugging.is over.

But do check out Awa's and Blaise's love story. It's not like anything out there. I swear.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

KINDLE:

https://www.amazon.com/Dissent-Love-Vanquishes-All-Book-ebook/dp/B01N0NY53L/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RNBBEMFHRTCMWJQ7T28T 

PAPERBACK:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1540301907/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5DK6Z66XZQ34R0XAXP5X

June Bacon-Bercey - The first African-American female to earn a degree in the field of meteorolgy in the '50s AND to be on TV giving the weather scoop!

http://blackamericaweb.com/2016/12/09/little-known-black-history-fact-june-bacon-bercey/

I am sure hearts went a fluttering when this learned beauty gave the weather report back in the 70s. And you pervs know who you were. So, feast your eyes again, Buffalo, NY and walk Memory Lane!







info courtesy black america web