I had the pleasure of being hosted on a guest chat a few weeks ago on Gather.com by Connie C. Actually, it was my first live chat. (Transcript here) I've done scads of radio shows, live talks, book clubs, and such, but had never done this "online chat" thing. Fortunately, I'd participated in a few where my writing pals were featured, and figured I could do it without too much goofing up on my part! I offered to giveaway a few books to random posters, and let Connie make the decisions about who would win them. I must tell you, I had a blast! We had so many people and so much action that my fingers were flying the whole hour. We had 214 comments, and of course, more viewers lurking in the background. (which is fine - always happy to welcome "listeners.")
When it was over, I sent the two free books to the winners, and just today heard back from both of them. They loved Double Forte' and Mazurka (I gave them a choice on which book they could have). And now - one of the sweet readers posted a lovely review of my first book. So far, over a hundred people have read her review.
Ripples in the pond, people. Ripples in the pond.
Spreading the word is slow work, but all it takes is one lovely reader like Dawn to help with word of mouth recommendations. Those are definitely the best kind! There's nothing like a healthy dose of enthusiasm about your books to give you a huge boost.
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Here's Dawn's review:
Recently, I won a copy of "Double Forté" through a live chat starring, Aaron Paul Lazar. "Double Forté" is the first book of the Gus LeGarde series; “Upstaged”, “Tremolo” and “Mazurka” being the other three. As soon as I received this book through mail, I immediately started reading it. It took me two days to read it, due to unavoidable distractions.
My review of "Double Forté":
“I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lazar's book from its beginning to the end; laughing and crying along the way. All my senses gathered for a picnic of non-stop adventure and mystery; emotions spilled from each anticipated page. Every character came to life! Siegfried was my favourite. I was born in Germany, while my parents served in the Army. I told mother about Siegfried’s role and how he shined in my eyes; she said, “While stationed in Germany, I met and encountered many people like Siegfried." After hearing my review of "Double Forté", mother instantly started reading the book for herself.
I highly recommend "Double Forté" to anyone who has a desperate thirst for adventure and mystery. Upstate New York, Genesee Valley, was gorgeously depicted during the winter by Lazar. You will definitely want to put it first on your list of places to visit.
Aaron Paul Lazar is one of the best authors I’ve had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with; a prolific writer, with the tenacity to keep his audience captivated from beginning to end. Aaron Paul Lazar possesses the talent to write in detail and bring his stories to life in the blink of an eye.
I definitely became a part of the story of “Double Forté”. His intricate use and knowledge of another language is superb. Still in awe I am! I must say, Lazar’s savvy way of blowing the reader’s mind with this jewel of a tale was worth all its weight in gold.
Eagerly, I plan to purchase the rest of Gus LeGarde Mysteries. Each book, I can visualize becoming a movie of its own. Mother and I look forward to, hopefully, viewing each one.
©2010 Dawn Kilby All Rights Reserved
Aaron Paul Lazar's LeGarde Mysteries site;
To purchase the LeGarde Mysteries
or
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What can I say, except, "Thanks, Dawn!"
Here's wishing all of the dad's in our readership a very happy Father's Day!
ReplyDeleteOne person at a time, slow and sure and people will hear about books!
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome - great review! And you're so right. You never know what things might come of events like this, so it never hurts to do them when you can. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura! You've got it!
ReplyDeleteHi, Sonya! Thank you! Have a splendid day!