VIDEO: The Christmas Story

 

Merry Christmas from J.Q.Rose

Are you ready for Christmas? It's ready for you. Even with COVID-19, there is no stopping Christmas. We will celebrate Jesus birth, Mary and Joseph, the angels, the manger, the animals, the shepherds, candles and lights. We can. 
Wishing you the blessings of Hope, Joy, Peace and Love during this season and for the New Year 2021!

Today, I am sharing the video I made, reading the Christmas Story from Luke in the Bible. I hope this timeless story will help you through a difficult time and renew you for the coming year, 2021.

VIDEO: The Christmas Story

Book Reviews: Their Importance and How to Write Them

Book Reviews: Their Importance and
How to Write Them

The Importance of  Book Reviews for Readers and Writers

Book Reviews. Oh the pressure of reading the required book and then writing the review brings back the picture of my sixth-grade teacher hovering over me. And don't even go there about her criticism about the grammar and spelling or even neat handwriting. Visions of all the red ink that covered the page come to mind when Miss Oldaker noted every error. And then, the command to "re-write" the entire review.

Okay, relax. You can breathe now. We are not talking about a sixth-grade book report. Far from it. I'm discussing online book reviews, a kinder, gentler exercise written because you want to share the great book you read with other readers so they can enjoy the experience as much as you did.

Word-of-mouth is the best advertising when one receives information about a product or service from a friend, neighbor, or family member. Online book reviews work in a similar fashion. Do you read product reviews online to help you decide whether to purchase? Click here for a study showing that 85 percent of people trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations. Book reviews can make a difference in influencing readers to buy a book.

Book publishing has changed the way it does business. Authors and small presses are able to publish their books with easy access to readers instead of having to go through only the elite few of big city publishers. The advent of super booksellers online allows readers to share their opinion about the books they read to help readers find a book as well as authors to get noticed.

No longer is a book published, then off the shelves after a few months. Instead, the book is available for a long time on virtual shelves and its popularity can grow through time. Sales can occur throughout its lifetime rather than a flush of sales when first released. 

Readers and their reviews drive this new model and mindset in book publishing.

If you're a writer, be prepared to market your book forever! Just because your book is a year old or two years old or more, celebrate each birthday and in between with fresh new ideas on promoting it.

Tips on Writing a Book Review

Tips on Writing a Book Review
Consider these tips when writing a book review.
* Go to the page where you bought the book and near the book review comments area, you will find a place to click that says "Write a Review."
* Rate the book using the bookseller's ratings e.g. 1-5 stars. 5 Stars means you really really loved the book, 1 star is you didn't like the book. 
* Because you are on the book's sales page, you do not need to explain the whole plot of the book because it is on the sales page.
* Don't worry about a title for the review yet. Write the review first, then pick out a phrase you used in the review as the title.
* You need not write a long review. Three sentences or more are fine as long as the reader understands if you liked the book or not and why e.g. I liked the book because I really identified with the main character or I liked the way the author described the setting of the book.
*Write as if you are talking to a friend on the phone or at a coffee shop. Keep it casual and write how you talk. 
* Compare it to another book you liked and why this book reminded you of the other book.
* If you feel you'd like to read another book by the author, say so.
* Recommend it to readers of the genre such as cozy mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, etc.
* If you received the book as a gift from the author or publisher, amazon requires you to divulge this. But just say you are voluntarily leaving a book review. 
*You'll receive an email from the bookseller allowing you to read through the review and make changes if needed.
* You can leave your book review at goodreads, amazon, kobo, Barnes and Noble, Walmart and booksellers where you have an account.

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The information in the diyMFA newsletter by Gabriella Pereira inspired this blog post. 

Click here to visit the diyMFA site 

Articles on Book Reviews by Sandra Beckwith contributed to this post. 

Click here to visit Sandra's site at Build Book Buzz.

Thank you Gabriella and Sandra!

This article was originally published in February 2019. Because it was a popular one, I thought I'd re-cycle it this week so I can enjoy a lovely summer week!

Do you leave book reviews online? I hope so. When my publisher turned my mysteries into second editions, I lost all the reviews. Sad. If you have read my books, I would appreciate it if you could take the time to add a review to the book sales page. Thank you.

Meet authors and discover new books

at the Summer Readers Circle.

GOOD NEWS: Double the fun next week when two guest authors visit to explain why they wrote their book and to answer questions from readers in the Readers Circle. Stop in to meet my BWL Publishing pals, Reed Stirling and Connie Vines. 

Have a fantastic week full of summer fun!

Remembering 9-1-1

Every year when this date rolls around, 

I am heartbroken for those families and friends 

touched by the tragedy of 9-1-1. 

I am sorry for the loss this nation experienced, 

our loss of innocence. 

We had to face a whole new reality for our lives.

I hope we can use this tragedy to bring good 

into the hearts of our people and the world.

Some are trying to promote kindness on this day. 

Let's start with our community 

and be kind to each other 

even if it's opening a door for someone, 

smiling, or saying thank you

. 

That's a beginning.

Thank you for stopping in today during this time of reflection and renewal.

Sincerely,

Janet

IWSG Blog Hop: Writing Love Scenes by J.Q. Rose

IWSG Blog Hop---the first Wednesday of every Month.

Hello and welcome to the Insecure Writer's Support Group Blog Hop! 

Always on the first Wednesday of the month.

What is the Insecure Writer's Support Group?

Founded by author Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writer’s Support Group offers support for writers and authors alike. It provides an online database, articles and tips, a monthly blog posting, a Facebook and Instagram group, Twitter, and a monthly newsletter. To find out more, click this link:  Insecure Writer’s Support Group

The purpose of the group is 

* to share and encourage. 

* Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. 

* Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. 

*It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! 

You're invited to become a member of this supportive group. Click here to sign-up to join.

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April 3 Question 

If you could use a wish to help you write just ONE scene/chapter of your book, which one would it be? (examples: fight scene / first kiss scene / death scene / chase scene / first chapter / middle chapter / end chapter, etc.)

Writing Love Scenes by J.Q. Rose

This question is so easy for me to answer. I need help with every chapter that involves a love scene. And I don't mean a hot scene tearing off clothes and a lot of panting and spicy narrative. No. I mean those cute little scenes when the couple just happens to touch hands or shoulders or toes. Toes? Those scenes that allow the reader to know there's electricity between the couple and the sizzle begins. 

I mean how many ways can you say spark, lightning bolt, laser, whoosh, yowser without overdoing it? How do you make the feeling seem exciting and shocking without the scene reading like a second grader wrote it?

Lightning bolts
Video courtesy of Pixabay

Yes, when I re-read my romantic love scenes, I always feel like a kid wrote it. Thank goodness my writers group can help me out AFTER they have finished laughing so hard they can't speak.

Do you have a problem writing romantic scenes? Please type yes in the comments below if you can relate to my plight. Thank you.

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Big thank you to our captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and the awesome co-hosts for the April 3 posting of the IWSG--

J.H. Moncrieff, Natalie Aguirre, Patsy Collins, and Chemist Ken! 

Thank you for visiting the Focused on Story blog. Click Here to hop on over to more participants in the IWSG Blog Hop this week. 

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Add your email address.

Don't miss a new post on the Focused on Story blog. Scroll to the top of the page and add your email address to be notified when a new article is posted on this blog.

 ***No Spam Ever*** 

Thank you!!

Author Toolbox: What IS SEO?

#AuthorToolboxBlogHop

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog and to the Author Toolbox Blog Hop #AuthorToolboxBlogHop which meets every third Wednesday of the month to share resources and tips for authors. Thanks to Raimey Gallant for hosting this venture. 

Please join us to learn more about the craft of writing and to meet bloggers who are dedicated to helping each other become the best writers possible. Click here for the list of participants and visit them after picking up a few tips on Search Engine Optimization--SEO-- on this blog. Thank you.

What IS SEO? by J.Q. Rose

What IS SEO?

I bumped into the wall known as SEO when I began contributing articles on gardening to an e-zine several years ago. (FYI- E-zine is now known as an online magazine.) No longer could I just write an article packed with information for gardeners. Instead, I had to include keywords in the post to optimize results for search engines to find the article among the thousands of available articles floating around in cyberspace. The importance of using SEO in my articles was new to me. Is it new to you too?

Using SEO in your blog posts is like using a GPS to direct readers to your site. Popular keywords are used to drive readers to your website when readers put a keyword you use to describe your site or article in the search engine. The link to your post will be seen by readers wanting to learn about the information related to that keyword. Your ranking in the search engine improves every time someone clicks on your keyword hopefully landing you on the front page or at least one of the first pages of Google.com or other search engines. 

Just think about how you would talk to your friend about the article you just finished (or your book, short story or product). Use words you naturally use and ones your readers would use when searching for a topic. 

Let's try "author resources" as the keyword--yes, you can use more than one word. In fact, I have heard contrary discussions about the length of keywords. In my research,most gurus believe in using long-tail keywords to engage folks rather than a single keyword.

Notice how many links related to authors resources pop up. Can you see how SEO will help you drive traffic to your website if you can find the right keywords to use?

How do you find popular keywords that increase Search Engine Optimization?

The secret to finding words that readers look for is simple and free. Popular keyword research tools are Google, Amazon, Youtube, and/or Pinterest. Place a topic you are writing about in your blog post in the search box. The predictive text will give you searches made with that word. 

An example:

Talking about keywords like I am today, I typed "keyword" into the search box on Google. The predicted word or phrases show up because users have selected these words to find articles and videos on the topic.

To make my blog post about keywords turn up on a Google page, I should include some of these words and phrases that came up when typing "keyword" into the search box. These have been used by folks searching for information about that topic.

Perhaps you are writing an article about "good websites". Type the term into the search box and the text will give you an idea of what phrases or words people are using to find information on "good websites".

Look back through this article to see if I snuck any of the suggestions in places where they are unobtrusive. You can't put keywords everywhere so they become obvious and annoying to the reader.

Don't overload your copy with the keywords, but add them where it's natural such as in the title of your post, a few times in the article, and metadata. (Metadata is information about your website article aka labels in Blogger.)

Don't be afraid to try out adding keywords to improve the SEO or Search Engine Optimization for your online works. After 3 or 4 months of using keywords, see if you see an increase in traffic to your site. You may also like to go back to older posts that received a lot of interest and add keywords to get even more traffic.

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I hope I have simplified this complex method of getting readers to your website. If you have questions, please ask in the comments below. If you have information to add on SEO or keywords, please do so in the comment section. I'd appreciate that and so would the readers. 

Check out these articles below for more information and search for educational articles and videos using your favorite search engine.

Click here for How to Use Keywords on Your Site by Nate Shivar.

Click here for What Does SEO Stand For by William Alexander