Darlene's Book Nook

Friday, August 9, 2013

The Fantasy Project: 101 Books in 10 Years #101FantasyProject

Hi, everyone! Time for a 2013 Reading Challenge!!

This challenge is being hosted by Michelle at The Fantasy Project

Here are the details copied from Michelle's blog:

The Fantasy Project: 101 Books in 10 Years

The guidelines for The Fantasy Project

Read 101 fantasy books from the list of 101, or the entire list of 813, in 10 years (access the lists at the top of the blog).

choose 101 fantasy books from the list (due to the large amount of urban/paranormal fantasy titles on the list, I have made this exception--26 titles can be titles that are not on the list, i.e. newer releases that came out after the list was compiled, more books of a high fantasy nature, etc.) To break it down...75 titles from the list and 26 that are not on the list = 101 books total.

you can read other books in a series in which the first book, or other books in the series, appears on the list, to complete the challenge (for example, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, first book in the Graceling Realm series, made the list in 2009. Further books have been released in the series since the list was compiled and those books can be read for this challenge...these DO NOT have to be part of the 26 titles option--see above).

post your list on your blog (or on Goodreads or another social media site, if you do not have a blog)

choose your completion goal date ten years in the future and make note of it with your list of titles (like this: reading goal--101 books goal dates--August 20, 2013 - August 20, 2023)

come back here and post the link to your list in the linky below

write a review (or a short summary) on the book when finished and link it to the title in your list (or link to your review on Goodreads, again, if you don't have a blog)

there are pages at the top of the blog that link to spreadsheets where you can list/link up your reviews (they will be listed by author's last name, i.e. A - F, etc.)

there is a members list page, where I will list your name, blog, goal date, and link to your list

there is a "introduce yourself" page for members

when you have completed the challenge, come add your link to the Completed Challenges page

If you happen to host a read-a-long, or an event or challenge surrounding one of the titles on your list, post about it at this PAGE

I will try to have periodic group check-ins too

grab the button from sidebar

A few more important details

this challenge can be crossed over with any other challenges

your link in the linky below must lead to your list, not just your main blog address. Any links that are blog links only will be deleted

the list must be made in advance. The idea is to work toward reading fantasy you may have been otherwise neglecting and/or the fantasy titles/authors you love. However, the list does not have to be set in stone. You can change out titles as the mood suits you.

every 2 - 3 months we will have what we'll call the Wheel of Fortune (borrowing from The Classics Club classics spin idea) where you make a list of 15 books from your list (i.e. 5 you're dreading, 5 you can't wait for, 5 favorites or rereads--yes, rereads are okay OR 5 urban fantasy, 5 high fantasy, 5 by the same author...the list is pretty much up to you). On a predetermined date, I will randomly draw (random.org) a number from 1 - 15 and the number that's chosen will be the book you read from your list of fifteen.

our Twitter hashtag is #101FantasyProject

If you would like to join me in the challenge, click on the challenge badge at the beginning of this post.

The entire list of 813 fantasy books is actually one of my Perpetual Challenges.

My challenge end date is: August 9, 2023.

Here is my list of 101 Fantasy Books:

Reckoning by Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress Universe, Book #0.5)
Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress Universe, Book #1)
ROWLING, JK – Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows – 255
ROWLING, JK – Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban – 239
ROWLING, JK – Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince – 238
ROWLING, JK – Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire – 234
ROWLING, JK – Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix – 231
LEWIS, CS – Chronicles of Narnia – 142
L’ENGLE, Madeline – Wrinkle in Time – 111
BRIGGS, Patricia – Bone Crossed – 98
BRIGGS, Patricia – Iron Kissed – 96
BRIGGS, Patricia - Silver Borne
BRIGGS, Patricia - River Marked
BRIGGS, Patricia - Frost Burned
BRIGGS, Patricia - Night Broken (to be released in 2014)
HARRIS, Charlaine – Dead Until Dark – 96
HARRIS, Charlaine – Dead to the World – 80
HARRIS, Charlaine – Club Dead – 74
HARRIS, Charlaine – From Dead to Worse – 72
HARRIS, Charlaine – Dead as a Doornail – 72
HARRIS, Charlaine – Living Dead in Dallas – 72
HARRIS, Charlaine – Definitely Dead – 72
HARRIS, Charlaine – All Together Dead – 71
HARRIS, Charlaine - Dead and Gone
HARRIS, Charlaine - Dead in the Family
HARRIS, Charlaine - Dead Reckoning
HARRIS, Charlaine - Deadlocked
HARRIS, Charlaine - Dead Ever After
WARD, J.R. - Lover At Last
MONING, Karen Marie – Darkfever – 62
MONING, Karen Marie – Bloodfever – 62
MONING, Karen Marie – Dreamfever – 58
MONING, Karen Marie – Faefever – 53
MONING, Karen Marie - Shadowfever
MONING, Karen Marie - Iced
MONING, Karen Marie - Burned (to be released in 2014)
MONING, Karen Marie - Flayed (to be released in 2015)
CLARE, Cassandra – City of Bones – 131
CLARE, Cassandra – City of Glass – 122
CLARE, Cassandra – City of Ashes – 117
CLARE, Cassandra - City of Fallen Angels
CLARE, Cassandra - City of Lost Souls
CLARE, Cassandra - City of Heavenly Fire (to be released in 2014)
L’ENGLE, Madeline – Wrinkle in Time – 111
TOLKIEN, JRR – The Hobbit – 161
TOLKIEN, JRR – The Fellowship of the Ring – 188
TOLKIEN, JRR – The Return of the King – 177
TOLKIEN, JRR – The Two Towers – 171
COLLINS, Suzanne – The Hunger Games – 122
COLLINS, Suzanne - Mockingjay
COLLINS, Suzanne - Catching Fire
CARROLL, Lewis – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – 69
CARROLL, Lewis – Alice through the Looking Glass – 52
STOKER, Bram – Dracula – 60
MCKINLEY, Robin – Beauty – 53
SNYDER, Maria – Poison Study – 104
SNYDER, Maria - Assassin Study
SNYDER, Maria – Magic Study – 76
SNYDER, Maria – Fire Study – 79
SNYDER, Maria - Power Study
SNYDER, Maria - Ice Study
DE LA CRUZ, Melissa – Blue Bloods – 88
DE LA CRUZ, Melissa – Masquerade – 78
DE LA CRUZ, Melissa – Revelations – 77
DE LA CRUZ, Melissa – The Van Alen Legacy – 65
DE LA CRUZ, Melissa - Keys to the Repository
DE LA CRUZ, Melissa - Misguided Angel
DE LA CRUZ, Melissa - Bloody Valentine
DE LA CRUZ, Melissa - Lost in Time
DE LA CRUZ, Melissa - Gates of Paradise
FROST, Jeaniene – One Foot in the Grave – 78
FROST, Jeaniene – At Grave’s End – 71
FROST, Jeaniene - Happily Never After
FROST, Jeaniene - Devil to Pay
FROST, Jeaniene - Destined for an Early Grave
FROST, Jeaniene - This Side of the Grave
FROST, Jeaniene - One Grave At a Time
FROST, Jeaniene - Home for the Holidays
FROST, Jeaniene - Up From the Grave
ARMSTRONG, Kelly – Bitten – 87
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Stolen
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Dime Store Magic
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Industrial Magic
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Haunted
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Broken
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - No Humans Involved
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Personal Demon
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Living With the Dead
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Frostbitten
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Waking the Witch
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Spell Bound
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Thirteen
ARMSTRONG, Kelley – The Summoning – 79
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Divided
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - The Awakening
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Disenchanted
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - The Reckoning
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Belonging
ARMSTRONG, Kelly - Facing Facts
LEVINE, Gail Carson – Ella Enchanted – 58
GAIMAN, Neil – Coraline – 45

Angel Killer Blog Tour: Guest Post and Giveaway with PJ Nunn

Hi, everyone!

I am pleased to participate in PJ Nunn's Angel Killer Blog Tour hosted by Pump Up Your Book.

About PJ:

As with most things, PJ Nunn's career started out as something else entirely. She started out in retail then moved to property management. That led to teaching high school, then serving as a counselor and liaison to the local police youth services division. She also spent five years as chairperson of the Coryell County Child Welfare Board and spent years counseling abuse victims and serving law enforcement as a trauma counselor and consultant (something she still does today). When she moved to Dallas, a family illness caused her to leave a job teaching psychology at Dallas County Community College District to become a freelance writer, but found that a few favors she was doing for friends—writing press releases and setting up book signings—was better suited to her talents and her drives.

In 1998, she founded BreakThrough Promotions, now a national public relations firm helping authors, mostly of mystery novels, publicize themselves and their work. The business is thriving and PJ is excited about the release of her first novel, Angel Killer. PJ lives with her husband some of their five children near Dallas, TX.

CONNECT WITH PJ ONLINE:

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Welcome to Darlene's Book Nook, PJ!

PJ has written a guest post, so I will now turn the floor over to her.

People Don't Buy Your Book Because It's Good
By PJ Nunn

Have you ever really thought about that? They might buy it because they’ve heard it’s good. But what does that really mean?

I’ve been a book publicist for more than fifteen years and have literally represented thousands of titles over the years. Some are out of print, some won the biggest awards and most fall somewhere in between. Still, I learned a long time ago that I don’t have to read a book to be able to sell it, contrary to popular belief. Why not? Because people don’t buy books based on what they find inside the book. We think if the author has talent and the book is good, it will sell. But seriously – why do we buy books?

We might buy a book because –

· It’s by an author we know

· We like the cover

· We like the title

· Somebody told us we’d like it

· We liked its prequel

· It’s on sale

· We read a review that was positive

· We like the topic

· We like police drama, or serial killers, or beach romance or whatever

· Another author we like gave it a blurb

The point is – the only way we’d know the book was good would be if we’d already read the book. Few people buy books they’ve already read. So it’s really important for us as authors to understand this and make sure that we are providing our potential readers with as many reasons to buy our book as we can.

How do we do that? Make sure the book description on the cover, on Amazon, Goodreads, our promo material and wherever else is text that really communicates not just facts but atmosphere of the story. Does it tell too much? Does it make you want to read more?

Don’t tell people how good it is, show them. Sometimes an excerpt or short scene is a better salesperson than a description. Use your text wisely.

If you’re making good use of Facebook pages and blog space, keep your voice true. For instance, I have two books out right now and they are from two different series. One is humorous and kind of campy. It’s written in first person and the protagonist has a sharp, sarcastic wit. The other is more serious, a little more hardboiled and the protagonist is a psychologist so there’s more thought taking place. If I’m promoting Private Spies, I’ll probably write in first person and keep the voice light and hopefully funny. If readers respond to that voice, they’ll like the book. But if they like that voice and pick up Angel Killer instead, it’s so different it may not appeal to them at all.

Personally I like both, but different moods are for different times. Do you have some ideas to share about what provokes you to buy a book?

Thanks so much for joining us today, PJ!

One lucky winner will win a digital copy of PJ's mystery, Angel Killer.

Title: Angel Killer
Author: PJ Nunn
Paperback: 286 pp.
Publisher: Dark Oak Mysteries
ISBN: 978-1610090797

The death of a child is every mother’s nightmare. But what if the child has no mother? What if their little bodies are discarded like garbage and no one even seems to care that they’re gone?

Shari Markham, psychologist for the Dallas Police Department, knows what it feels like to be unclaimed and unwanted. She can’t turn away, even if it means demons dancing in her dreams at night. But when her relentless pursuit of information to help apprehend this madman gets a little too close, he turns the tables, warning her that his next scheduled victim will be her own three-year-old granddaughter, Angel!

Buy Link:
AMAZON

Book Excerpt:

Fog swirled around her, transforming everything into vague shapes and blurs. A small sigh escaped her as Shari parked her mocha Taurus next to the Grand Prairie squad car and got out. The sudden loss of heat prompted her to pull the front of her jacket closed against the damp air. Texas was never this cold in November. Sleep had been elusive. She’d just settled in when the jangling of the phone chased away warm, fuzzy dreams and replaced them with harsh, cold reality. Now the distant sound of thunder matched her mood and didn’t bode well for the crime scene. The sky, a creepy morning shadow with no delineation, met the ground while a fine mist settled on her without a single, discernible drop. Shari slammed the door and walked across the grass toward the officer securing the scene.

After more than a year as criminal profiler for the Dallas Police Department, she wondered if the time would ever come when she’d accept these early morning wakeup calls as typical rather than feeling as if she’d been thrown into a tornado. Emotional autopilot would kick in any minute though, separating her from the horrors to come and allowing her to function within the safe realm of clinical objectivity. At least that’s how it worked in theory.

“Morning,” she greeted the uniformed officer as he walked toward her, headed back to his squad car. He didn’t look any more cheerful than she felt. Nobody liked to work crimes against children.

To enter the giveaway, please complete the Rafflecopter entry form below.

This giveaway is open worldwide and will close at 12:00 AM
on August 16, 2013.

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