Tagged: thank you

Thank You to the Following Authors and Publishers

For my reading challenge prizes I initiated an open call for author donations.  They could be ebook or paperback, one book or multiple books, traditionally published or self-published.  I just needed donations so I could have a prize pack for the year end draw for The Mad Reviewer Reading & Reviewing Challenge of 2013.  I was shocked by the end of the call because I then had 76 prize packs to hand out.  So a lot of thanks are in order.

Here are the awesome authors that have generously provided my readers with prizes.  Special thanks are in order for the ten very awesome people who donated either large prize packs or paperbacks (or both).  All names are linked to the sites where you can check out the books of these great authors and where more than one book was donated I’ve indicated in the bold brackets and listed the books below the author’s name.

(Below all of the names listed is another special little surprise for the authors that donated their books to my challenge.)

Diantha Jones/A. Star (6 ebooks)

  • Book One: Prophecy of the Most Beautiful
  • Book Two: Prophecy of the Setting Sunrise
  • Book Three: Prophecy of Solstice’s End
  • Novella 2.5: Solar, Defeated
  • Novella 3.5: Hero, Cursed  (not yet released but will be added upon release)
  • Invasion by A. Star

Jemima Pett (3 paperbacks)

  • The Princelings of the East
  • The Princelings and the Pirates
  • The Princelings and the Lost City

J. F. Ridgley (2 paperbacks)

  • Vows of Revenge
  • Threatened Loyalties

S.H. Roddey (one paperback)

  • Lost in the Shadows

Riley Graham (one paperback)

  • Accidents & Incidents

E-Lit Books (3 ebooks)

  • A Touch of Darkness by Tina Moss and Yelena Casale
  • The Art of Being Rebekkah by Karoline Barrett
  • The Seduction of Miriam Cross by W. A. Tyson

Zachary Bonelli (2 ebooks)

  • The Winter by A. Ka
  • Voyage Embarkation by Zachary Bonelli

Alana Woods (2 ebooks)

  • Imbroglio
  • Automaton

Paula Hrbacek (2 ebooks)

  • On Higher Ground
  • Stars Shine After Dark

Jami Gray (2 ebooks)

Thank You

After the drama of the long weekend, it’s been difficult to get back to my regular blogging schedule.  Comment moderation and replying is slower than usual, but rest assured that I will get my act together after another day and all comments will have the replies they deserve.

With that said, I want to give a huge thank you to the book blogging and self-publishing communities.  Thank you to everyone who showed me support through a comment, tweet or Facebook post.  In a way, it’s sort of restored my faith in humanity because it shows that the behaviour of the author involved is completely unacceptable to pretty much everyone.  As it should be.

I would also like to thank you guys for not (as far as I know) perpetuating the cycle of hatred that the author started.  Trolling, death threats, etc. were not a part of this incident as far as I know and I’m very grateful for that.  There’s no excuse for anyone to do that, especially when it’s in retaliation for that same behaviour.  I’m not a really dramatic person, so thank you so much for keeping the drama to a minimum.

Even if it means there will be incidents like this in the future, I will make this promise to all of you here and now: I am not giving up on the self-publishing community.  I will continue to fight for your right to be recognized as legitimate authors and after a bit of a break will support you through reviews and interviews as I’ve always done.  I’ve made my decision and I know that after my break I will not be closing submissions to indies because of the actions of one person.  That’s unfair, especially considering how many good experiences I’ve had and all the new friends I’ve made in my year and a half of blogging.

A Big Thank You to the Following Authors

Not only is it you guys, my readers, that make blogging possible, it’s the wonderful authors I interact with.  I must admit that not every author has been the most pleasant person I’ve ever worked with, but they were definitely anomalies.  All the same, there are some amazing authors who have left big impressions on me because of their kindness, which is why I would like to thank the following people:

Andy Szpuk, Andrew Levkoff, Matt Myklusch, Tara West, Krystal Wade, John Heldt, Zeinab Alayan, Michelle Hansen, Steve Poling, Marcus Matherne and Henry Venmore-Rowland.

If I’ve left any people out it’s definitely my own fault and is more of a reflection of my poor memory than of anything else.  But a thanks like that is very generic, which is why I want to thank every one individually:

Andy Szpuk: Thanks so much for asking me to review your book.  It has now finally returned from my father and my uncle and they both loved it, which is a huge achievement since they’re both more critical than I am.

Andrew Levkoff: Thank you for the amazing interview and for being the first author I actually ‘knew’ whose book I reviewed.

Matt Myklusch: I can’t thank you enough for sending along  free signed copies of the last two books in your trilogy.  Thank you for paying the shipping to Canada and for the great interview.

Tara West: Thanks for being so cooperative and taking the time and money to send me a physical copy of your book.  I can’t wait to do a giveaway with you next year!

Krystal Wade: Well, what can I say?  I’m glad you contacted me after seeing my review and agreeing to not only do two interviews with me, but to give me access to bonus content for your upcoming books.  You’re still cruel for torturing me about Wilde’s Meadow, though.

John Heldt: Thank you for contacting me to review your first book and now the second book in your trilogy!  I admit that I really did have my doubts when I saw the time travel premise, but you pulled it off so well.

Zeinab Alayan: Thank you for everything!  The giveaway, the interview, for contacting me to review your book in the first place…I would have missed out on an amazing book if you hadn’t.

Michelle Hansen: You had the courage to contact a reviewer like me about my good review of your book and I really admire you for taking that chance.  Thank you for helping me host my first-ever giveaway and for doing such an amazing interview.

Steve Poling: Where do I start?  Thanks for doing an interview and being so generous when it came to handing out prizes for your giveaway.  I look forward to reading your work in the future.

Marcus Matherne: Thank you for brightening my day with My Status Update Journey!  Not many books can make me smile so much, but yours did and I hope it gets the attention it deserves online.

Henry Venmore-Rowland: Thank you for not judging me for my stupidity when I asked you about Septimius Severus when you had actually written about Aulus Caecina Severus.  Yes, I know, two completely different people.  After I sounded like a complete moron you still agreed to an interview and I’m very grateful for that.  Maybe I’ll find time to read your book soon!

So here’s a big thank you to everyone!  Thank you for making my book reviewing experience awesome and for making all of the hard work worth it.

Another Special Milestone

250You probably didn’t know this, but tomorrow, on Monday, I will be publishing my 250th review.

When you say it like that, it sounds like a lot.  Yet it doesn’t feel like all that much: I read a book, I write a review.  A year ago I wouldn’t have dreamed of starting a book blog, but now I can’t dream of a time when I don’t read a book and share my opinion on it with the world.  Obviously I don’t have any plans to stop The Mad Reviewer, especially not with my one year anniversary coming up on January 13th.  I’m not one for giving up, especially when I’m only halfway to 500 reviews.  An impressive number when you say it like that.

Yet, once again, I have to thank you, my readers!  I’ve said it over and over because it’s true: without you, this blog and my 250th milestone would not be possible.  Thank you to the people who have stuck with me since the beginning and welcome to my new followers.  Hopefully you’ll stick around for my next big milestone.

As for what book I’ll review for my 250th review, here’s a hint: it’s the first book I’ve read by the author, despite following his blog for at least three years.