When I first met Nan Jones at a Christian Devotions writers’ conference several years ago, I immediately sensed the fragrance of her love for Christ.Over the years, I’ve watched Nan consistently cling to that love and put her faith into action.
She is an author/speaker who “uses the words of her heart to assist fellow Christians in discovering the Presence of God in their darkest hour. Her devotional blog, Morning Glory, has become a place of community for Christians to find encouragement in God’s Word and comfort in His Presence.”
She has been published in several anthologies as well as the online inspirational sites Christian Devotions, and Inspire a Fire.
Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas will release her debut book, The Perils of a Pastor’s Wife June 30, 2015. Blessed to be a beta reader, I can say this book is wonderful. You’ll hear more about that in an interview I do with Nan later this summer.
Nan also features as a guest blogger on several sites and I’m delighted to have her guest blogging for me this week
Finding God's Presence ~ Daddy, I Love You
by Nan Jones
The pitter-patter of tiny feet echoed through the hallway, running gleefully towards her dad.
"Daddy! Daddy!"Daddy sat his briefcase by the door just in time to receive a leaping toddler into his strong arms. Father and daughter hugged, exchanging glances that reflected their adoration of one another. Hearts raced. Faces smiled. Eyes gleamed.
The child relaxed in her daddy's arms. She placed her chubby little cheek next to her father's and quietly whispered, "Daddy ... I love you, daddy."
The one the child had been seeking, she found.
Read more »
When you have a book published, your heart slips into an anxious state, especially with a book that really matters to you. If your book is a “big book” – a title that the publishers have high hopes for, based on your name and previous sales - you may possibly be involved with publicity events, bookshop visits, parties, celebrations and prizes. All gloriously outgoing, in their way. Enjoy your moment.
However, some responses arrive more quietly: welcome to the written world of Children’s Book Reviews.
There was a time when paid-for articles by known and knowledgeable reviewers appeared in newspapers and magazines. I recall a full-old-page TES piece by Anne Fine excoriating a Melvin Burgess book, which all agreed did wonders for the sales. Those generous and thoughtful page-spaces have largely disappeared. Now reviews have a far smaller word count, some as low as 50 words a title. Smaller specialist magazines and quarterly journals do exist – I’d be glad to hear of any good titles in the comments - but reviews and reviewers seem to be moving on line.
Many of the current book-blogs are excellent - let me know your favourites and/or try out the blogs in the ABBA sidebar - but this open pasture does mean that anyone, of any age or experience can join in. I’ve seen such reviews on Amazon and – rather oddly - within some of the Guardian children’s book section links, and despaired.
This “everyone-a-reviewer”world has brought forth strange creatures: adults who trash a title because their toddler hasn’t enjoyed a book written for significantly older children; fundamental moralists calling foul and filth; people who don’t feel the need to read the whole book first, and even children and teens trying out the power of their own critical voice.
It's tough, Harsh words do sting the author, even when they aren't deserved. Sometimes it’s best not to look at reviews at all. I can’t be alone in having the slightly critical phrases seared across my memory, no matter who said them, whilst the kind, hopeful and encouraging praise is almost all forgotten?
One should feel glad to be noticed, of course. It might not happen. There can just be the Big Silence.
Maybe your book doesn’t fit easily into review categories? Maybe every space is taken up by the same “big” titles reviewed everywhere?
If you wrote a series for seven or eight year olds, you might have had no reviews. Such small books are rarely important enough for reviews,no matter that children might love them. And back before the rise of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, funny books were rarely reviewed either. Some of this is changing, slowly.
Another awkward thing was that once a book – your book!- had had its span of publicity and reviews, that title was rarely mentioned again. The book seemed to be sent to the Quiet Corner, along with you, the author. No more time to make an exhibition of yourself. That’s done.
So this is why, when An Awfully Big Blog Adventure had been running a while, we tried to encourage more Book Reviews by setting up an Awfully Big Review section.
Every four days, a new review appears, written by one of the ABR review team. They all have experience in books and children’s literature, or bookselling, or writing, or working with children or all, and more. Our ABR reviews are about books we’ve chosen, and titles we’d like to share with people - adults or children - as appropriate. While we may have a quibble now and again, we don’t do negative reviews. Better to celebrate the good books!
ABR isn’t exclusive, either. The titles aren’t just by members of the Scattered Authors Society. Our chosen books are usually personal copies, rather than free proof copies arriving in publisher’s jiffy-bags, pre-publication. So you might find titles that have already have been published, may even be in paperback, may even be - sssh!- a little “older.” Yes, already published books getting another friendly moment in the sun - and that’s a good thing.
ABR reviews are wide in their scope. We review titles for all ages, including adult books, although personally I’d love to have more picture books and books for young & mid KS2 readers. People chose their own review style too, so the pieces range from the quietly formal to someone enthusing about sharing a picture book with young children, and the word-length is only limited by what works on the blog-page. Variety can be a good thing.
Ooops. I forgot. ABR does, currently, have only one rule. A title, no matter how grand or good, gets only one chance of a review. Why? Because Awfully Big Reviews wants to leave room for as many books as possible, to share the good news..
So, if you haven’t already done so, please do click on Awfully Big Reviews button – top left hand of the blog page - and see what’s over there right now. Not forgetting huge thanks to all the generous ABR reviewers too! Happy reading!
Penny Dolan
www.pennydolan.com
In the late eighteenth century, the French Royal Academy of Sciences and the American Patent Office were so overwhelmed with proposed perpetual motion machines that they banned further designs. I wonder if writers' blogs are a form of perpetual motion machine, where we each comment on one another's blogs in a constant cycle, but there is never any input from, or leakage to, the outside world? Or like a snake eating its own tail?
We are all busily blogging away, encouraged by publishers who want us to have a platform, and buoyed up by good stats and interesting comments. And it's all great fun and we enjoy each other's writings. But who's really watching? We can see who comments, but we can't see who reads and doesn't comment. One of my recent posts on
Stroppy Author has had 250+ hits and 8 comments. So I don't know who 242+ of the readers are.
I have a horrible fear that many of the people reading writers' blogs are other writers. That's OK for blogs actually intended for other writers, such as mine, and Nicola Morgan's fine
Help! I Need a Publisher. But what about the more bookish or personal blogs? What about this blog? We hope they reach readers, librarians, teachers, publishers, agents, parents, booksellers, and other lovely people who are interested in books, read books and - sometimes - even buy books. But is it true?
If you are a silent reader who never comments, we can't know if we are saying things that you like or not. Or what you would like more of, or less of. So I'm investing my posting slot today to say - please, silent readers, let us know what you like to read on ABBA (and elsewhere). Because we really want to write things you want to read! Which posts do you like best? What do you like to read about? And who ARE you? Thank you!
YT: Are you going to watch MAMMA MIA with us?
Dadrat: I don't think so.
YT: But you are an ABBA fan, right?
DR: No.
YT: No?!
DR: No.
YT: Whyever not?
DR: Ugh, the problem with ABBA is...it's like bubblegum. I don't like sugary pop.
YT: ABBA? Bubblegum?! Have you ever heard ABBA?
DR: Like what you and your sister were singing all morning?
YT: Exactly!! It's the edgiest pop music that ever played on the radio! My theory is that ABBA is able to say things so honest in their lyrics only because they are not native English speakers. "I apologize/if it makes you feel bad/seeing me so tense/no self-confidence"? Can you even imagine an American saying that?
DR: You're telling me that's not bubblegum?
YT: You know what? I just think you're uncomfortable because everyone thinks you look like Bjorn.
[Eight hours later. Mother is singing "I Have a Dream" in the kitchen, sister is singing "Lay All Your Love on Me" in the living room, and I'm singing "Mamma Mia" in between.]
DR: I remembered what the problem with ABBA songs is.
YT: Oh yeah?
DR: It's not that they're bubblegum. It's that after you hear them, you can't get them out of your head for the rest of your life.
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I am afraid I miaou rather loudly at times! You know I am here but I have to agree - I wonder if people who visit my blog even read it or whether they are just searching for something else and happen to come across my witterings instead. There is no way of knowing.
I'm a writer, and for me all your stuff about writing is wonderful.
But I'll be really interested in your replies - I, too, blog and suspect my followers, who are wonderful and loyal and interesting, are also writers. I hope someone will crop up here to tell us how to reach the readers. I'm not convinced they drop by writing blogs.
Excellent point, and one that bothers me too. I think you have to take the view that, with a blog, you reach some people - without one, you reach no one.
I search for people who share my interests on Twitter and Facebook, and try to connect up with them. And my hits and followers are - very slowly! - climbing.
BTW, I'm over at http://susanpricesblog.blogspot.com
I am one of your (mostly) silent readers. I am an English teacher in a secondary school and I read all your posts for personal interest, but you may like to know that I have also:
forwarded particularly interesting posts to school librarians or colleagues
used some of the discussions as a basis for a lesson activity or classroom display
bought books on the basis of reviews/recommendations
followed up links and discovered much food for thought on other blogs (including yours, Susan)
given a list of these blogs to friends in my book group (all parents)
and more!
I hope this serves to reassure you that you're not only in a circular conversation with other writers!
Also, Anne, I think I was taught by you at York University many years ago (possibly 1987?) so it's good to "meet" you again!
Juliet - yes, York! How fantastic! It's wonderful when students reappear years later and are doing something actually related to their degree, I am so pleased you owned up to that connection. Do feel free to email me and update me on what you're doing.
And it is most reassuring to hear that we are not shouting into a void. I am *so* glad you find so much useful stuff on ABBA, and that it feeds into your teaching. That's superb.
And there's plenty more of us glad! Thanks, Juliet! You've given us hope.
I know I often pop into blogs but haven't then got the time to think up or decide on any comments.
Thank you - I think - for raising this topic, Stroppy Author! :-)
I'm one of the silent readers who lurks, I'm afraid. I'm also a writer. I do, however, forward links to blog posts I find interesting to friends who are and are not writers and both seem to find them just as engaging.
Is that a real snake? Poor thing ...
I'm an occasional commenter. Sometimes things interest me and I want to add my tuppence - or else I have nothing more to add to what has already been said. Maybe in such instances I should just add a 'hear, hear'?
I am usually silent these days, since blogs often swallow my comments when I've spent ages writing them! But I do dip in and out of my writer-friends' blogs for "fun" as well as those that comment on the publishing business for "work".
Buying books? Yes, I've bought books recommended by book bloggers.
Blogging myself? It can be hard work and gets neglected when you also have writing deadlines. But between contracts, it can be a creative outlet that exercises the writing muscles and gives a platform for promoting older books and trying out new things.
I think blogs are great, because they are easy and free. It's just the commenting that's difficult...
Have no idea if this one will get swallowed!
I think writer's blogs get a wider readership i.e. at least some non-authors!, than the various writers' forums and indie author promotion sites. I've given up with those since it was definitely only writers there who only wanted to talk about their books and didn't seem to listen to anyone else! It's so hard to get to readers ... but we need to keep trying!
I literally found this blog a week or so ago and have been on here daily since; the things I have found most interesting to read are the entries about struggling to get going during writing because it's nice to know other people are in the same position!! I also liked blogs about notebooking because it's nice to see that other people do the same little things as I do. :)
I'm a reader, a writer and an editor, and I find writers' blogs of interest for all three activities. I love to read about 'writerly' things (because all three are solitary activities, and it gives a sense of community), I like to know how writers go about their work, and I also like the little personal insights. (And I have often bought books on the recommendation of bloggers I have come to trust.) But since I've been blogging I realise how precious comments are. So I've resolved to add my two penn'orth whenever possible - even if it is only 'Hear, hear!'
Thank you, everyone. It is encouraging that not everyone is a writer! And yes - please keep on commenting; it's great to know what you think of our reflections on our rather insular (and yet at the same time infinitely expansive) doings
I have read each and every point and found it very interesting.
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