Morbid Romantic

Book Review & Personal Blog

Today is the day during Book Blogger Appreciation Week that we, as book bloggers, are given the amazing opportunity to interview another book blogger. I am very fortunate to have gotten to interview Caribousmom, who not only has a great blog and wonderful reviews, but has adorable dogs, as well.

What made you decide to open your own blog and devote it to book reviews?

My blog evolved from a personal blog to a book blog over a period of about a year and a half. I started it as a way to share my stories about my life and animals with family and friends…but very quickly I discovered the book bloggers and I decided I really wanted to be part of this community. Everyone was so friendly…and of course, they all talked constantly about books. I thought “Wow, a community where I can feed my obsession and not be thought weird!” I also discovered that I really enjoyed the process of writing a review – it gave me a way to think about what I had read in a meaningful way.

What is the best part about being a Book Blogger?

Not to sound like a broken record, but being part of the larger community. I love the sense of belonging to a group of people who delight in reading and sharing what they read.

What is the worst part about being a Book Blogger (not that there is anything BAD about being a Book Blogger)?

Well, it is mostly a very positive thing in my life. I look forward to sitting down and creating posts, browsing other people’s blogs, participating in blogging events, etc… My only complaint is the occasional drama that rears its ugly head and it is really impossible to please everyone all the time. I hope, for the most part, that my approach to the “issues” is logical and well thought out and not overly emotional. But, like everyone, I am prone to get sucked into stuff from time to time. Luckily, this is a rare occurrence in this community – and calm heads usually prevail!

Beyond merely writing book reviews, what impact do you hope to make as a whole through your book blogging?

I feel that what the book blogging community is doing is really important – promoting literacy and reading in a way which is easily accessed by anyone. I hope that readers of my blog feel like they have a relationship with me, like sitting down with a friend to discuss books, and that my thoughts might motivate them to pick up a book they might otherwise not read; or try a new genre. I also post about things other than books which are important to me (for example last year I chose a local Therapeutic Riding Center to highlight as part of the Read-A-Thon… I wanted peoples’ awareness to be raised about groups like Triple Creek Ranch which helps people with disability). My hope is that by raising awareness of the things that I feel are important will have a larger impact in some way.

When did you discover your love of reading? What made you realize your hobby?

I was exposed as a very young child to reading and books. My parents always read my sisters and me a good-night story…and it was one of my favorite parts of every day. I also loved visiting the library to take out books. My love of books and reading has never wavered…although the types of reading I do has evolved and changed over the years.

What do you say to the recent controversy that most of the reviews book bloggers write are not real reviews because they are not approached from a critical viewpoint? Most book reviewers write why they liked or disliked a book, so they are very personal, and some say this approach is not one of a ‘true‘ review; what is your opinion on the matter?

Print/professional book reviews are very different that what the typical book blogger writes…and I think that is a good thing. Both types of reviews fill a niche. To be honest, even before I became a book reviewer, I rarely read the professional reviews of books because I found them boring and I never felt connected to the person who was reviewing the book. I much preferred a friend’s opinion…after all, they knew me and what I liked. Book bloggers are like that friend to me…most bloggers share a bit of themselves on their blog – their personality shines through. Very quick ly, I have been able to recognize which bloggers will like (or dislike) the same books I like (or dislike). To me, their opinion becomes invaluable to me as a reader. And I think that the market is bearing this out as well – book bloggers are having an impact on the sale of books and are being recognized as a good marketing resource.

I am not sure who the people are who are defining a “true” review. For a long time I thought the negativity directed at book bloggers was due to professional reviewers feeling threatened (lots of newspapers have shut down or scaled down their book sections for example). But I’ve changed my opinion lately. I think it is just preference. Some people prefer a more intellectual, critical review – others want a more personal review. Of course, book bloggers are quite capable of providing BOTH a critical/intellectual review AND a personal one…and many do that.

So the short answer to your question is: there is plenty of room for everyone in the book review business…and the people who connect the most strongly with readers will be the ones who will be most successful. I think the jury may still be out on this one!

In your opinion, what ethical guidelines should a blogger always follow?

First and foremost – honesty. There has been some controversy this year about book reviewers who accept “free” books from publishers and publicists and authors…some readers are questioning whether those20bloggers’ reviews are honest, and they wonder if book bloggers are being “bought” or used by big business to simply advertise and sell books. I believe most book bloggers have integrity…and many, many have begun to post review policies on their blogs which is a good thing. I tell publicists, publishers and authors right up front that I review honestly and fairly. I give my opinion – good, bad or indifferent – regardless of where my book comes from…I believe this is really important. If we want to be taken seriously, we need to maintain some objectivity. I would tell any book blogger who cannot do that, to not accept books for review.

What advice can you give a new or up-in-coming book reviewer?

Have fun! Reach out to other book bloggers – you will find a vast group of people who want to help you be successful. Get involved in the community. Regarding actual reviews…go out and read lots of other blogger reviews and identify your own unique style by seeing what works for you and what doesn’t. There are lots of resources about how to write a review…but ultimately you need to find what works for you.

Other than blogging, what do you love? What are your other hobbies?

I am married and I love spending time with my husband. Also, anyone who visits my blog knows my love of animals…I have a ten year old Golden Retriever named Argus and a new 7 month old German Shepherd puppy named Rave. I also have two cats: Gizmo and Maia. I love having these little fur children in my life and I’m happy to say they are all spoiled rotten.

I am a hiker, a quilter, a crafter (in general), and a gourmet cook who loves to create my own take on a recipe. I love anything to do with the out of doors.

Professionally, I work as a physical therapist…the best part of that job is the work I do with adults with developmental delay. I have also been a volunteer in Search and Rescue for over 11 years now (both as a canine handler and as a “Mantracker”). And I spent five years volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding program until I needed to take a break last fall.

I love trying new things – there is still a lot I want to do that I haven’t done yet!

What is one thing you have always wanted to do, but have yet to do?

I want to travel more…so far I have done a limited amount of that…mostly because I am not yet retired. But, I hope at some point to travel around Europe with my husband…and I have always wanted to go to Africa.

I would like to be part of a volunteer group which goes to a third world country to help those in need of medical care. I feel strongly that the main reason we are here on this earth is to touch other people’s lives…and there is still so much need in the world.

First, I must apologize to author Terry Spear because I was to have this up yesterday and time ran away from me! But it is my pleasure to bring to you her wonderful guest post, which is an honor to have up to welcome her to Morbid-Romantic.net. I have yet to read To Tempt the Wolf, but I have a copy of it won from another blog that I look forward to reading when time allows.

So, without further ado:

The Human Side of Wolves, er, Werewolves!

Thanks for inviting me to share my werewolf world at Morbid Romantic where I wish to dispel the myth that werewolves are the bad guys! Well, some are, but some really are not—think sexy, naked humans, who are very comfortable in their skin, human and wolf alike.

In my latest book, To Tempt the Wolf, Tessa Anderson has a mission: rescue her brother from prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Hunter Greymere has a mission too: well, he was supposed to be rescuing his sister, but a little accident happens and now he’s lying on an Oregon beach right before a winter storm rolls in. The same beach that Tessa goes to find firewood before the storm hits.

What do they have in common? Wolves. He’s one, and she’s obsessed with them, photographing them whenever she gets a chance. But other wolves are obsessed with her right back.

Welcome to my world of wolves—werewolves that is. But when they’re in their wolf form, they’re just like wolves, except they have human sensibilities. And what does this mean? No matter what they’d like to do as wolves…their humanity steps in. On the other hand, their wolf instincts stay with them whether as man or wolf. Not only that, they have their “werewolf” side to consider—no matter what, they can’t be exposed for what they are. So three sides really.

That makes for a lot of man! And woman!

I was reading another author’s blog on how she wrote about horses in her story, but didn’t really know much about them. So I’ll make a confession also. I’ve never once met a werewolf. But I’m sure if I did, I’d find him just like the heroes in my stories. At least I hope I would. I wouldn’t want to run into the nastier werewolf characters in my stories for sure.

“But wait!” you say. “You write that your werewolves are like real wolves. Do you know any personally?”

Okay, no, I admit I’ve watched video tapes of them, both in social settings and…ahem, settings that should not have been caught on tape—a little privacy folks. But it did give me an idea for Seduced by the Wolf that I used to good purpose. I’ve also listened to numerous tapes on howling—forget music as a backdrop for story writing. And I’ve studied numerous photos on their behavior. Plus, I’ve read a lot about them from wolf biologists’ points of view. And yes, I’ve seen them in zoos before. But those aren’t the kind of wolves I’m creating in my stories. Although no, I haven’t sat and played with their pups or gotten to know a real wild wolf.

Urban fantasy is fun to create. I’m not writing about Dances with Wolves here, where the wolves are real, but werewolves who appear to be real wolves.

Plus, I raised tons of dogs, and they still exhibit some of the wolf behavior. When my standard poodles would play with each other, they would snarl, and bite, and growl, just like when we would play tug of war with our Labrador retriever. And when we played chase with our Afghan hound, she was terrifying!!! They’re from Afghanistan and are bred for speed and hunting agility. One nip in the back, and after that, she’d have us pinned to the ground. In every instance, they were playing, just as wolves do. But it’s a way for them to show who’s boss also in the pack. And chasing and taking each other down? It’s a way to keep their hunting skills in good working order.

I love dogs. I love wolves. And I LOVE werewolves. The perfect, sexy beasts are great protective guys to have around year round!

So what do you think? If you had a chance to go on a wilderness trip with a guy who really knew how to take care of a girl, would you consider a werewolf hunk as your guide? Companion? …and More???

Hope you check out just how hunky werewolves can be, and shatter that myth that they’re just scary old monstrous beasts.

Thanks for dropping by, and again, thanks to Valorie for having me!

Terry Spear

“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male.”

To Tempt the Wolf—In Stores September 1

In this third in the series, wildlife photographer Tessa Anderson must prove her brother innocent of murder charges. But when she discovers a gorgeous naked man barely alive on her beach, she’s got a new world of troubles to deal with, not least of which is how he affects her with just a look, a touch, or a whispered word.

Hunter Greymore is a lupus garou, a grey werewolf. Hoping to keep a low profile at Tessa’s cabin on the coast, he’s drawn into her life—and into her bed. His animal instincts war with his human half, but in the end, the only thing he can do about this fascinating, adorable woman is to leave her forever —unless she becomes one of them.

About the Author
A retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, award-winning author Terry Spear has an MBA from Monmouth College. An eclectic writer, she dabbles in the paranormal as well as writing historical and true life stories for both teen and adult audiences. Spear lives in Crawford, Texas. Her 2008 Sourcebooks Casablanca release, Heart of the Wolf was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly. Destiny of the Wolf and To Tempt the Wolf are in stores now, and more are on the way: The Legend of the White Wolf (February 2010) and Seduction of the Wolf (August 2010). For more information please visit Terry at the following places:
http://www.terryspear.com
http://twitter.com/TerrySpear
http://www.facebook.com/terry.spear
http://www.myspace.com/terryspear
http://www.terry-spear.blogspot.com
http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com
http://www.wickedlyromantic.blogspot.com
http://shapeshifterromance.wordpress.com

Giveaway!
closed
Would you like the chance to win a copy of To Tempt the Wolf by Terry Spear? Of course you would, and this is your chance thanks to Sourcebooks. There are a number of ways you can win this book, each good for one entry each. For each entry, leave me a separate comment. Also, make sure that you leave me a way to contact you if you win.

1.) Leave a comment below telling me that you’d like to win.
2.) Blog about this contest and leave a comment with the links.
3.) Add me on twitter (@morbidromantic) and Tweet this contest then comment with a link to the Tweet or your username.
4.) Stumble this giveaway or my main site and comment with your StumbleUpon username.
5.) Rate my blog at Blogged. Click here or find the graphic on the sidebar under ‘ranks.’
6.) Add my RSS reader here and leave me a comment telling me that you subscribe to my feed.
7.) Comment on and rate (rating is found in the header of the post) any of my previous book reviews and leave me a comment telling me that you have.
8.) Add me to your Technorati favorites: .
9.) Add me on LibraryThing, Good Reads, Shelfari, Book Blogs, or BookBlips and leave a comment telling me where you’ve added me and (if you can), your username/name.
10.) Answer this question: what do you think is the most interesting thing about werewolves?

If you do all of the above, you will get ten entries. That’s ten chances to win.

Winners will be selected on 11:59pm EST on September 29th. I will be using Random.org to select the winner. When you win, I will send you an email asking for your physically mailing address, which you have 3 days to respond to before new winners are selected. This contest is open to the US and Canada only.

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Marked (House of Night, Book 1) by P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast (Paperbackswap)
In 16-year-old Zoey Redbird’s world, vampyres not only exist but are also tolerated by humans. Those whom the creatures “mark” as special enter the House of Night school where they will either become vampyres themselves, or, if their body rejects the change, die. To Zoey, being marked is truly a blessing, though she’s scared at first. She has never fit into the human world and has always felt she is destined for something else. Her grandmother, a descendant of the Cherokee, has always supported her emotionally, and it is she who takes the girl to her new school. But even there the teen stands apart from the others. Her mark from the Goddess Nyx is a special one, showing that her powers are very strong for one so young. At the House of Night, Zoey finds true friendship, loyalty, and romance as well as mistrust and deception. She realizes that all is not right in the vampyre world and that the problems she thought she left behind exist there as well.

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, Book 1) by Richelle Mead (Paperbackswap)
After two years on the run, best friends Rose, half-human/half-vampire, and Lissa, a mortal vampire princess, are caught and returned to St. Vladimir’s Academy. Up until then, Rose had kept Lissa safe from her enemies; school, however, brings both girls additional challenges and responsibilities. How they handle peer pressure, nasty gossip, new relationships, and anonymous threats may mean life or death. Likable narrator Rose hides doubts about her friend behind a tough exterior; orphan Lissa, while coping with difficult emotional issues such as depression and survivor’s guilt, uses her emerging gifts for good. Mead’s absorbing, debut YA novel, the first in a new series, blends intricately detailed fantasy with a contemporary setting, teen-relevant issues, and a diverse, if sometimes sterotyped, cast of supporting characters. Occasional steamy sex and a scattering of vulgar language demand mature readers, but teens able to handle the edgy elements will speed through this vamp story and anticipate the next installment.

Legacy by Cayla Kluver (From author)
Duty-bound to wed her father’s choice in successor to the throne, Princess Alera of Hytanica believes that she is being forced into the worst of all possible fates—a marriage to the arrogant and hot-tempered suitor, Steldor. When a mysterious boy from enemy Cokyri appears bearing secrets and an entirely different view of what’s appropriate behavior for a young lady, Alera learns that her private desires threaten to destroy the kingdom. When Narian’s shocking past comes to light, Alera finds herself in a shadowy world of palace intrigue and ancient blood feuds, facing an uncertain future with dwindling options—and must learn to decide between right and wrong all alone. Marked by witty, rapid-fire dialogue and dramatic complexity that belie the writer’s age, Legacy brings a fresh, new sensibility to age-old questions of duty and inheritance and to a young heroine’s quest to find her true voice.

Slave Country: American Expansion and the Origins of the Deep South by Adam Rothman (Purchased from Amazon)
Rarely is an author’s first book so mature in its balance and authority. Rothman sets out to explain “why slavery expanded” under the leadership of members of the revolutionary generation and their successors, and why it expanded especially into the Deep South of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, lands that were part of the Louisiana Purchase. The settlement of the lands southwest of the original coastal Southern states by slave-owning planters set the stage for the Civil War. The speed and form of settlement of those territories as their economy became based on cotton and, to a lesser extent, sugar cultivation were inconceivable without the use of slaves. If Rothman’s broadly researched work doesn’t offer any fresh interpretations of the peculiar institution, he chooses his illustrative stories with great skill and has mastered the existing literature. The realities of slavery appear in all their vividness, as does the distinctiveness of the white cultures of the region, especially Louisiana’s. One comes away from this readable, energetic work by Rothman, an assistant professor of history at Georgetown, appreciating how much the nation’s vaunted past—its military successes, its democratic growth, its economic might—owes to the enslavement of people out of Africa.

Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market by Walter Johnson (Purchased from Amazon)
Instead of focusing on cotton plantations or broad historical patterns, this extraordinary study is a flesh-and-blood daily history of the slave market. NYU history professor Johnson takes readers inside the Dixie slave pens and traders’ coffles (long rows of slaves manacled and chained to one another). His focus is New Orleans, North America’s largest slave market, hub of a trade that decimated African-American slave communities by tearing families asunder–destroying marriages and separating children from parents. Using former slave survivors’ narratives, letters written by slaveholders, docket records of cases of disputed slave sales and Southern medical and agricultural journals, Johnson interweaves the voices of traders, buyers, auctioneers and the slaves themselves. He shows that, for white Southern slaveholders, buying slaves buoyed a fantasy of manly bourgeois self-control, speculative savvy and economic independence. Slaves, meanwhile, assessed the character of particular buyers and sometimes, at enormous risk, manipulated a sale to their own advantage. The evil business of slavery has seldom been exposed with so much humanity and insight as in this eloquent study, scholarly yet wholly accessible, a compelling cross-sectional microcosm of millions of human tragedies.

Beyond the Founders: New Approaches to the Political History of the Early American Republic by Jeffrey L. Pasley (Purchased from Amazon)
In pursuit of a more sophisticated and inclusive American history, the contributors to Beyond the Founders propose new directions for the study of the political history of the republic before 1830. In ways formal and informal, symbolic and tactile, this political world encompassed blacks, women, entrepreneurs, and Native Americans, as well as the Adamses, Jeffersons, and Jacksons, all struggling in their own ways to shape the new nation and express their ideas of American democracy. Taking inspiration from the new cultural and social histories, these political historians show that the early history of the United States was not just the product of a few “founding fathers,” but was also marked by widespread and passionate popular involvement; print media more politically potent than that of later eras; and political conflicts and influences that crossed lines of race, gender, and class.

I will admit, I love watching people mess up or make messes of themselves. Reality TV is very boring– it is overly produced, stages, insincere, and plain silly. But that doesn’t mean the real lives of people are not interesting. Whether someone is doing something dangerous, stupid, amazing, or a combination of the three, you are sure to see it on truTV. As you watch truTV programming, you will laugh, you will gasp, you will shake your head in shame. You will even sit back with a look of pure confusion on your face because you simply cannot understand why some people do the things that they do.

Speaking of people doing stupid things that you can’t imagine anyone with a rational mind doing, one of my favorite shows to watch is The Smoking Gun Presents because it shows things like this:

It is the commentary that really makes it because, let’s face it, we’re all saying similar things ourselves while we watch. Their comments really show you the stupidity behind things that some people think is rational or awesome. And you think to yourself, as you agree with the commentators, that the person in the video who needed the medic really got what they deserved. Hitting hay at such a speed isn’t going to effectively stop you!

TrueTV recommends that you watch with caution. Why? Because when the stories are real, the effect is actual, of course!

We have winners for the contest to win either a a SIGNED hardcover copy of Cleopatra’s Daughter (synopsis) or a SIGNED paperback of The Heretic Queen (synopsis) by Michelle Moran…

Out of 128 entries, winner number one who gets first choice is:
54. Linda Peters

The second winner, who gets the book not chosen by winner one, is:
126. Veronica Garrett

I am going to email Linda and ask her selection and her address. I will also email Veronica and ask for her mailing address. If Linda does not answer, Veronica will become winner number one and get her choice of books and a new number two will be chosen. If you are a winner and you do not get my email and you are a winner, leave me a comment here or send me an email at morbidromantic[@]gmail.com. Please send me your address in 3 days or else I will have to choose a new winner in your place.

I am loving this next giveaway that I have been offered the chance to run thanks to OnlinePosterPrinting.com. Up for grabs is a 24”x 24” Wall Sticker, which are adhesive fabric stickers that you simply peel the back off of and stick to any surface. They are of a high quality and can be used for sentimental photographs or lovely nature scenes. Anything you want to decorate a room or an object with, you can have printed.

I plan to take mine and print out a Caravaggio, or Botticelli, or Waterhouse even, to stick to my wall. I haven’t hung anything up because I despise the thought of nailing holes into the walls. With the Wall Sticker I can put up a copy of one of my favorite paintings, in very high quality, without damaging my walls. It is going to look lovely. And yes, I WILL post a picture.

But what does that mean for all of you?

Two of you are going to win a 24”x 24” Wall Sticker of your own!

To win, you MUST answer this question: how will you use your wall sticker?

If you want additional entries, you can do any or all of the following, just make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry. If you leave me one comment with them all together, you will only be counted as having entered once.

* Blog about this contest and leave a comment with the links.
* Add me on twitter (@morbidromantic) and Tweet this contest then comment with a link to the Tweet or your username.
* Stumble this giveaway or my main site and comment with your StumbleUpon username.

There will be 2 winners. Winners will be selected on 11:59pm EST on September 14. I will be using Random.org to select winners. When you win, I will send your email to the company and they will email you the information about how to get your prize. This contest is open to the US only. Shipping fees DO apply.

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