My 2016 Blogging Goals

I’m not a big fan of the whole New Year’s resolution tradition but I feel like setting measurable, achievable goals here on The Mad Reviewer is actually a productive exercise.  So I’m going to do it yet again this year.

1. Migrate over to WordPress.org.

Yes, this is the year I finally transition from a free blog to a paid blog where I have more control over my content and WordPress won’t arbitrarily take down my site again.  It will mean becoming a lot more tech-savvy but I think I can handle that if I keep up some regular maintenance.  I’ve already purchased a domain name and a hosting package with Bluehost so I’m just about ready to get moving.  But don’t worry!  I’m going to migrate all of my followers over to my new address and I’ll put a link redirect here under the old domain name so you guys have plenty of time to switch over if you so wish.  I’m hoping to fully switch over by my 4th blog anniversary on January 13th.

2. Get a total of 1,500 followers.

Last year my goal of 2,000 followers was a little too ambitious so this year I’m aiming for 1,500 in total after I migrate over to WordPress.org.  I’m currently sitting at 1,300 and I’ll be posting much more regularly so this should not be too terribly difficult.  I just need to get back on the self-promotion bandwagon again.

3.  Write more in-depth analysis articles.

After I write that Jon Snow article I’ve been promising for months, something I want to work on in 2016 is writing more in-depth articles about specific books or series.  I’d love to do a better analysis of the similarities between the entire Hunger Games trilogy and the Roman Empire.  Or try to compare some of the events in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire Series to their various historical inspirations, particularly the Wars of the Roses.  I love history and I absolutely love books so this is the best of both worlds.

You know what?  Instead of five goals this year I’m going to keep it down to a manageable 3 goals.  Of course I’m going to strive to post every day and clear my review backlog but those are things I should be doing anyway.  My official goals are a little something more to strive for and will require going a little above what I consider regular blog maintenance.  And still, I think they’re achievable.

So what are your blogging goals for 2016?  What do you think of these goals?

 

Have you finished The Mad Reviewer Reading & Reviewing Challenge for 2015? Let me know!

The Mad Reviewer Reading Challenge 2015

I’m getting at this a little later than I usually do because of unforeseen family circumstances, but that certainly doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep up with my 2015 reading challenge.  If you have finished the challenge, let me know either here on this post in the comments, via my contact page or even on Twitter.  When I’ve confirmed your entry, I’ll add you to a list of people who completed the challenge.  I am not chasing anyone down this year so it’s all your job to contact me with your links to confirm the challenge.

Because I’m getting at this late this year, everyone has until 11:59 pm CST on January 15, 2016 to submit their links.  The winners of the draw will be announced on that Sunday at 11:59 pm.  There will be one winner and three runners up.  I haven’t decided exactly what the prizes will be this year but I’ve got a pretty good idea and I’ll be announcing it next week.

As a reminder, here are the levels:

1.  Mad Reviewer: 104 books in one year. (2 books a week all year.)

2.  Crazy Reviewer: 52 books in one year. (1 book a week all year.)

3.  Slightly Sane Reviewer: 26 books in one year. (1 book every fortnight all year.)

4.  Sane Reviewer: 12 books in one year.  (1 book every month all year.)

 

Here are the people that have already confirmed their entries (including myself):

  1. Chelsea of To Each Their Own Reviews: Mad Reviewer
  2. Sadie of See Sadie Read: Mad Reviewer
  3. Carrie of The Mad Reviewer: Crazy Reviewer
  4. Elena of Elena Square Eyes: Crazy Reviewer
  5.  Lorn of pakwanstripes: Slightly Sane Reviewer
  6. Diantha of DJ’s Book Corner: Slightly Sane Reviewer
  7. Kristelle of Amiabooklover: Slightly Sane Reviewer
  8. The Daily Opine: Sane Reviewer

Lazy Sundays: Audiobooks

There are many people that love audibooks, some that hate them and many that haven’t ever really tried them.  I fall into the third category.  Although Marc Secchia was kind enough to gift me an audiobook copy of Aranya, I never really had the time to listen to it.  But lately while I’ve been doing housework or even just working out I’ve been giving it a try.  The narrator is articulate and amusing and of course the sheer beauty of Marc Secchia’s writing style lends itself to being read aloud well.  But I still wasn’t sold on audiobooks until I listened to an audiobook of The Carnelian Legacy, which was gifted to me by Cheryl Koevoet a few days ago as a way of thanking me for helping out with the cover reveal.  This one combined with Aranya has me sold on audiobooks: they’re a great way to absorb a story while not having to physically sit down and read.  And some of them are quite elaborate, with sound effects and their own theme music.

I don’t think I’ll ever really buy an audiobook in place of a physical copy or ebook but who knows?  I never thought I’d really read ebooks either.

So what do you guys think of audiobooks?  Do you love ’em, hate ’em or haven’t ever tried ’em?

Cover Reveal: The Carnelian Destiny by Cheryl Koevoet

The Carnelian Destiny by Cheryl Koevoet

On the eve of the royal wedding, a mysterious missive arrives at the castle, threatening to cast a shadow over Darian and Marisa’s joyful celebration. And as they prepare to embark on the honeymoon trip of a lifetime, dark forces of the Apollyon Order are mustering in the east; calling upon an ancient, evil beast with the power to destroy the stronghold of Crocetta. In danger of losing everything, Marisa and Darian must enlist the help of the Crimson Knights from all over the Carnelian world to defend their kingdom. But this time, it might not be enough.

    Goodreads

Cover design by Najla Qamber of Najla Qamber Designs.  You can also find her on Facebook.

About Cheryl Koevoet

I was born in a suburb of Portland, Oregon where I grew up and lived during my elementary and high school years. After that, I traveled a thousand miles to a sunnier south to study graphic design/communications at Biola University in La Mirada, California. After a couple of years, I returned to the Pacific Northwest to continue my studies at Portland State University.

 

While vacationing with my family in 1989, I met a young Dutch officer on board a cruise ship, and we were married three years later. I sailed with my husband around the world to more than 55 countries, seeing the world and enjoying the multi-culture experience. In 1994, we settled in The Netherlands to raise our four children outside the city of peace and justice, The Hague.

 

First published in 2013, The Carnelian Legacy was my debut novel and its sequel, The Carnelian Tyranny was released in 2014. The third book in the series, The Carnelian Destiny, is scheduled for a Spring/Summer 2016 release. My next project, Broken Bloom, is  about a young woman living in The Netherlands in 1634 during the notorious tulipmania phenomenon.

When I’m not writing, I enjoy reading and catching up with family and friends via social media.

Facebook Fan Page      Facebook Author Page     Series Website     Author Website     Twitter    Pinterest

The Carnelian Legacy Audiobook

Get the first book, The Carnelian Legacy on audiobook for a special low introductory price!  Just click on the picture above.

The Carnelian Tyranny by Cheryl Koevoet

The Carnelian Tyranny by Cheryl Koevoet

(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Three months after her trip through the vortex, Marisa MacCallum is having second thoughts about her engagement to Darian Fiore as she struggles to adjust to royal life.

But when palace spies uncover a secret plot to assassinate the royal family and eradicate the Crimson Knights, Marisa and Darian must put their plans for the future on hold to stop Savino da Rocha and his legion of warrior giants from stealing the throne.

After narrowly escaping an attempt on her life, Marisa is left to defend Crocetta while Darian marches off to war. But when Savino strikes at the heart of the kingdom with supernatural powers of darkness, Marisa must wage an even greater battle against the spiritual forces bent on destroying her family and ending the Fiore dynasty forever.

[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.]

Normally, I try to avoid books that deal with heavy religious themes.  They just aren’t for me as most of them come off as overly preachy and generally obnoxious.  With that said, I did love The Carnelian Tyranny, which basically follows the story of the life and death of Jesus Christ in an alternate world.  So what made this book different from so many religion-themed books I’ve read?  Well, for one there’s not all that much preaching.  Yes, there are scenes where the characters pray and debate their faith but it never comes across as Cheryl Koevoet herself saying to her readers “You must accept Christianity”.  No, it was just a book where faith is presented as a normal part of many of the charcters’ lives and that was that.

And what really separates The Carnelian Tyranny from many other books I’ve read with similar themes is that while the religious aspect is part of the plot, it’s not necessarily the main focus at all times.  No, Marisa’s doubts about her engagement and her role as the future ruler of Crocetta are front and centre.  There’s also the whole Savino angle as our devious Count isn’t going to take Marisa’s perceived insult toward him lying down.  So the religious plot and the political plot are intertwined in a way that feels quite natural, particularly in a society generally modeled on Medieval Europe.  And of course there’s also Marisa and Darian’s relationship, which becomes strained because Darian doesn’t understand why Marisa is so reluctant to get married young and Marisa is having a hard time accepting her new high status even though she knows it’s her duty (and her birthright).

Marisa in this second book is a little more confident and just a little more sure of herself.  She’s working hard to learn the language of her people as well as the customs and responsibilities being a ruler of Crocetta involves.  Marisa has Darian to support her but their relationship obviously isn’t perfect.  They argue and fight but you can always tell they love each other deeply.  I can’t go into much detail without spoiling some amazing plot twists, but when they get separated it’s this love that keeps both of them going even when things seem completely hopeless.  Best of all, Cheryl Koevoet doesn’t neglect her secondary characters as she lets us see things not only from Darian and Marisa’s points of view but also those of Marisa’s brother Marcus and a few other notable characters.

With a relatively unpredictable plot and some great character development, The Carnelian Tyranny is a solid second book.  On top of that, there was also some great world-building as readers were introduced to the politics of the entire world of Carnelia because Crocetta is not as isolated as it may appear.  There are outside forces constantly at work and not all of them are friendly toward Marisa as the new ruler.  The only real quibble I have with The Carnelian Tyranny is that I felt everything was wrapped up too neatly in the end.  There weren’t any outside threats other than Savino when the story was over despite the fact many countries/kingdoms would love to attack anyone near them when they’ve proven weak (as history has shown us time and time again).  And one of the outside kingdoms that came to Crocetta’s aid didn’t actually play that big of a role in the war against Savino.  I felt there was more to explore in the way of international politics.

However, if you loved The Carnelian Legacy, you’ll probably enjoy The Carnelian Tyranny as much as I did.  I can’t wait for the third book.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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