[Guest Reviewer] June Book Review: Exit 22 By p.m. terrell

June 2009 Book Review
Exit 22 By p.m. terrell
with Guest Reviewer Author & Artist Pamela June Kimmell

As a fan of her work, I can honestly evaluate this book and say without hesitation that P.M. Terrell has gone above and beyond with her latest thriller, Exit 22. She already demonstrated in her previous work the ability to create wonderfully believable characters and situations. Her latest novel simply demonstrates that just when you think she's the best she can be, she gets better.

This is a "can't put it down" type of book. Partly because of the tightly knit, well paced plotline but also because these characters are so real you find yourself pulled immediately into the riptide of suspense as you "live" the action. If you are like me, and enjoy a book that holds your interest, you will stay there until the very last paragraph and only then can you catch your breath.

Don’t you just love that feeling?

Read the full review...

Win a Signed Copy of p.m. Terrell's Exit 22!
One random Twitter follower will win a signed copy of Exit 22! How do you sign up? Just follow us on Twitter by June 15. (We do regular random giveaways from there, too!) Don't miss out!

Don't Miss Out on These June Giveaways!

We have some great giveaways for June. Don't miss out!

Giveaway 1: Win a signed copy of p.m. terrell's Exit 22. See artist and author Pamela June Kimmell's review of the book for our June book review.

Just follow us on Twitter to be eligible for the random drawing.
DEADLINE: June 14th (for drawing on June 15th)

Giveaway 2: Win a copy of My Dad Has Purple Hands! signed by author Wayne Dutschke and illustrator Paul Cassidy! This book is currently only being sold through The Book Blues in the United States!

Sign up for our newsletter for the random drawing.
DEADLINE: June 20th (for drawing on June 21st)

Giveaway 3: Win a signed copy of Tony Aued's Blair Adams: The Package (#1 in the Blair Adams FBI thriller). Don't miss out on Tony's upcoming BTN (Between-the-Newsletter) interview spotlight right here on our blog. Tony will discuss how his daughter's real-life experience influenced the book.

Become a fan of The Book Blues on Facebook for the random drawing.
DEADLINE: June 20th (for drawing on June 21st)

All of our winners will be announced here, on our blog. If we haven't received a response from the random drawing winner within five days, we will draw another winner.

Exclusive Children's Book Giveaway

On June 21st (Father's Day) we will do a random drawing from our newsletter subscribers for a children's book signed by both the author and illustrator.

Why so secretive?

This is a children's book that is not currently available in the United States except through The Book Blues! You won't want to miss out on this collectible!

It's a good one.
We promise!

Sign up for our monthly newsletter now so you don't miss out. We do monthly newsletter subscriber drawings for signed books and great giveaways! But hurry, you only have until June 20th to get in on this hard-to-find signed children's book!

Author Extends Book Naming Contest

We previously posted a book contest to name Elle C. Turner's upcoming book in the Presley Thurman series. She's extended the contest until June 15, so you still have time to get in on it! If she uses your title, you'll win $100 to shop The Book Blues!

Here's the previous information:

How often have you seen a book and thought, "Wow. I could come up with a waaaaaay cooler title!"

(OK, maybe that's just us. Whatever.)

Anyway...

Indie author Elle C. Turner (real name Laina Molaski) is asking for our help in naming her upcoming chick lit novel. Part of the Presley Thurman Series, Elle's debut (and yet untitled) novel will be released in August 2009 and she wants you involved in the book naming contest.

Wait, that's not all!

If you are a Book Blues Bookstore customer who wins the contest, Elle will give you $100 gift certificate to shop The Book Blues Bookstore! The winner will also get his or her title in print, a signed copy of the first release, and your name in the dedication.

Groovy, huh?

Here's some info on the book:

Presley Thurman, lover of shoes and Starbucks, thinks she's starting a fun new career as a writer until it turns into something unexpected. The person she's to write about, a U.S. Senator is murdered! Presley hasn't seen this much excitement since the spring sample sale at Saks...

Head on over to Elle's blog to check out the cover. And then get your thinking caps on because you only have until May 30 June 15. When you're ready to enter your choices, go to Elle's contact page and fill out the required information with your title suggestions in the message field. (Don't forget to let her know The Book Blues Bookstore sent you!) Elle says, "Enter as many times as you wish when inspiration hits or when you're just really, really bored."

The winners will be announced in June and we'll re-post the winning title information here.

So, go on now, get creative (but don't embarrass us)!

Congrats to Our CD Book Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to The Book Blues Twitter follower Vois, winner of our random drawing for the CD book Hex Breaker by Devon Ellington. The giveaway was in conjunction with author Devon Ellington's guest blog post The Balance of Passion on May 22. Devon graciously donated a CD version of Hex Breaker for our giveaway.

Want to get in on our other giveaways? We give away great author signed books, gifts and prizes on a regular basis. Just sign up for our newsletter, become a Book Blues fan on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and you will automatically be entered!


If we don't hear back from giveaway and contest winners within 5 days, another winner will be drawn.

[Guest Blogger] The Balance of Passion with Author Devon Ellington

The Balance of Passion:
Balancing Passion for Words with Practicality
by Devon Ellington

Don't miss a giveaway opportunity at the end of Devon's post!

One of the reasons we write is because we love words, we love language, we love telling stories, and helping people see and experience the world in new ways through our words. But sometimes we can overdo the love of words and that becomes a block to the practicality of publishing.

Whether you choose writing as the way to earn your living or you fit it in on the side, most writers hope for publication. Part of telling the stories is having someone on the other end to receive them. Every writer hits a time when passion must balance with practicality.

What to Write. Write what you love, what interests you, what moves you, what intrigues you, what you want to explore. You don’t have to write what you already know, but you have to care enough about what you write to immerse yourself in it, to explore all the sensory details involved with it. Write whatever you want, but remember that, if you write about a real place or a real profession, even in fiction, you have to gain enough knowledge to hold readers who know it intimately. I’ve put more than one writer on my “never buy again” list because the writer couldn’t be bothered to do something as simple as research the geography of New York City. If you are on Bleecker Street, you don’t turn a corner and wind up in Harlem, unless you’re writing speculative fiction or magical realism. If I can’t trust you for something as simple as basic street sense, how can I possibly trust you for anything else?

Basic Craft. You must bother to learn the basics of grammar, spelling, structure. Once you know them inside out, you can CHOOSE to break the rules. There’s an enormous difference between a gifted writer who chooses to break rules and writes a magnificent piece, and a writer who can’t be bothered to learn the rules and comes across as sloppy and careless.

If it Doesn’t Work, Take it Out. Many experts swear you have to “kill your darlings.” You don’t have to cut something BECAUSE you like it. You cut it when it DOESN’T WORK. Nothing is ever wasted. Every sensation a writer experiences, every smell, taste, experience, touch, sound, emotion, and word written is always useful. It just might not all be useful in the same book. There are very few writers whose every word is authorial gold. And most of them were smart enough to cut out the bits that didn’t work before we ever got to see them. Drop the ego and look at the forest, not just each individual word-tree.

Read, Read, Read. Read as much as you can in as many genres as you can, from authors who steadily publish. Dissect the work, separate from your emotional response to it. See what works and why. Apply the techniques -- not the content -- to your own work.

Choose Your Battles. Once you’re contracted, you might not always agree with everything your editor wants. Don’t respond immediately. Think it over for a few days. Cool down and look at it objectively. Choose where to take a stand, and where to compromise. I chose to lose a cover battle in order to win a content battle. Talk calmly, clearly, honestly, and diplomatically with your editor. If there’s something that’s non-negotiable about your book, put it in the contract. It saves battles farther down the line.

Always Be on Time. If it means staying up for three days straight to get the work done, do it. If it’s a family emergency or a health issue -- contact your editor immediately and work out an alternate schedule. Or buckle down and get it done no matter what.

Your early drafts are your playground. Explore every facet of your story and characters fully, follow every tangent. Then, as you hone if for submission, step away from the emotional attachment and read it as though it was someone else’s work. You never stop loving your book (well, okay, by the time you read final proofs, you can’t stand looking at it anymore -- but you still love it), but you’ve also got to balance your passion for your piece with practicality if you want it to reach a wide audience. The world is hungry for stories -- with the right balance of passion and practicality, they will be hungry for yours.


Devon has graciously donated a CD version of HEX BREAKER! One lucky Book Blues follower on Twitter will win the CD in a random drawing on May 31st. Want to get in on the fun? Just follow us on Twitter. (It's that simple!)
__________

Devon Ellington publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction. Her work appears in publications as varied as NEW MYTHS, BOOKS FOR MONSTERS, ESPRESSO FICTION, THE ROSE AND THORN, FEMME FAN, THE CRAFTY TRAVELER, HAMPTON FAMILY LIFE, THE ARMCHAIR DETECTIVE and ELLE. She writes “The Literary Athlete” for THE SCRUFFY DOG REVIEW. Her Jain Lazarus Adventures are published by FireDrakes Weyr Publishing and the YA horse racing mystery DIXIE DUST RUMORS will be published under the Jenny Storm name by eTreasures in summer 2008. Her plays are produced in New York, London, Edinburgh, and Australia. Visit her blog on the writing life, Ink in My Coffee (http://devonellington.wordpress.com), the site for the Jain Lazarus Adventures (http://hexbreaker.devonellingtonwork.com) and her main website, www.devonellingtonwork.com.

Want to be a guest blogger or reviewer on this site? Email us!

May's Autographed Book Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Sue J. of Michigan. She was the winner of our May indie author spotlight book giveaway - an autographed copy of Ellen Tomaszewski's book My Blindy Girl - A Mother's Journey through Achromatopsia. Sue's name was randomly drawn from our database of newsletter subscribers.

Special thanks to Ellen for donating the autographed copy of her book for our giveaway. You can see an excerpt of our May newsletter interview with Ellen on our indie author spotlight page throughout May.

Don't want to miss other great author interviews found only in our newsletter? Want to be sure that you are entered for our other newsletter subscriber giveaways? Sign up for our monthly newsletter now!

Are you an indie author (or know an indie author) that would like to be featured on our website, in our newsletter or on our blog? Email us with "Indie Author" in the subject line.

May Book Review: World Wide Rave By David Meerman Scott

May 2009 Book Review
World Wide Rave By David Meerman Scott
with Guest Reviewer Stacy Lukasavitz

Whether the systematic “rules” will work for everyone, I don’t know, but it’s certainly worth trying, and this book is certainly worth reading at least for inspiration. It’s a quick read, can fit in your purse (albeit a hardcover), and it’s eye-pleasing and funny. -Stacy

What is a World Wide Rave, you ask?

It’s telling just seven people about your product and setting the world afire with buzz.

It’s the one teenager with cancer that created a movement for kids his age with cancer across the globe.

It’s the writer who got turned down by every publisher she approached, then ended up with a best-seller by self-publishing, tenacity, and believing she had something of value.

It’s when people come to you and are interested in your products, not the other way around. It’s when they talk about you and your ideas in a good way, without you trying to “sell” them anything. It’s contagious enthusiasm about your ideas, and it’s fueled by harnessing the social web to spread them.

Read the full review...

[Guest Blogger] Have You Ever Dreamed of Writing for Children?

Today's guest blogger is Dana Lehman, author of the Mom's Choice Award-winning children's Walnut Grove series. She is working on the third title in the series (currently titled I Can Do It!) to be released in 2010.

We asked Dana to share with us her inspiration on how she became a children's author and how others can follow their dreams, too.

__________

When I was in college I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was dating my boyfriend (future husband). He was going to school to be a mechanical engineer. He said that he always knew he wanted to be an engineer. I was envious because I didn’t know what kind of career I wanted to pursue. I wondered…would I ever find a career that I really loved?

I did know one thing. I loved my boyfriend (now husband) and I wanted to get married to him, have children, and stay home with my children. That part of my dream…I accomplished. I know that I am fortunate that I have been able to be a stay at home mom. I would not trade my time with my kids for anything. I have enjoyed every minute of it…well almost all of it!

About three years ago I wrote a children’s book. Originally, just for my boys. My mom used to tell us stories about a squirrel when we were growing up. Every squirrel story taught us a lesson. When my kids got older she started telling them squirrel stories. When I watched her tell her stories, and watched their faces, it brought back memories of when I was a child.

The lesson my mom always taught us when we were growing up was to treat others as you would like to be treated. One day, after visiting my mom, and listening to one of her squirrel stories, I decided that I was going to write a book. A book for my kids, about a squirrel, who gets teased because he is different, and always treats others as he wants to be treated. With all the violence in schools it was a good lesson to teach children. The earlier they were taught…the better.

My mother-in-law is an artist. I asked her to do the illustrations. She accepted and in my opinion did a beautiful job!

I had no intention of getting my book published. It was originally a gift for my boys for Christmas. I have a lot of friends that are teachers. They were encouraging me to get Adventures at Walnut Grove: A Lesson about Teasing published and go to schools to do author presentations.

It took me a while to finally get the courage to pursue getting my book published. I kept doubting myself. All kinds of thoughts ran through my mind. What if kids don’t like my story? What if parents don’t like my story? These thoughts lasted about a year…

I opened Lehman Publishing in December of 2006. I have a friend that works for a newspaper. She does the lay-out for the newspaper and my books. I hired two editors and a printer. We have now published two books: Adventures at Walnut Grove: A Lesson about Teasing and I DOUBLE Dare You! I am currently working on my third book titled I Can Do It! It is about self-esteem and how you can do anything if you believe in yourself! (It’s always good to write from experience.)

I did not send my manuscript to any publishers because my illustrations were already complete. I read that a publisher only wants your manuscript. They find their own illustrator. That wasn’t an option for me. The illustrations were done and they were just as I had envisioned them.

After the book was done my mother-in-law called and told me that she was donating all of her royalties as illustrator to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She donates money and I donate books.

Now I do school presentations. Remember how I asked if I would ever find a career that I loved? Well, I found it! Other than being a mom it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I believe I am successful! I will be posting thank you letters on my website that I have received from children soon. I am making a difference in children’s lives! I never imagined I could find a career that I loved this much! I just had to take that step…and believe in myself.


-Dana Lehman

May Indie Author Spotlight and Book Giveaway

For our May Mother's Day newsletter issue, we'll be spotlighting indie author and mom Ellen Tomaszewski and her book My Blindy Girl - A Mother's Journey through Achromatopsia. Reviews have said it is "...a remarkable memoir that braids Katy's challenges, Ellen's determination, and God's grace into hope. It is a heart-warming, life-changing book, one you'll not forget."

Don't miss out on this amazing story of a mother's battle for and with her daughter and the story of unconditional love only a parent could know. Read more about the book and the full interview with the author found only in our May newsletter (see an excerpt). There's still time to sign up for the newsletter!

Ellen has donated a signed copy of her book and we'll be giving it away to one of our lucky newsletter subscribers on May 10.

Not yet a subscriber? Sign up for our monthly newsletter now!

Newbie Writer or Freelancer? Get your word out with a guest blog post or book review!

Are you a new or independent author who wants to get your word out? What about freelancers? Are you a freelance writer that would like more exposure? Guest blogs are a great way to become exposed to new audiences. And? Lucky for you we're looking for guest bloggers and guest book reviewers! Here's the skinny:

Guest Bloggers

We are looking for guest bloggers to write about books, writing, publishing or anything to do with the literary world. Posts must be original and cannot appear (previously or in the future) on any other blog or site. We'll link back to your site and/or contact information.

Guest Book Reviewers

We are looking for reviews on books you've read - any genre, any topic, any age (can be a newer release or older). And? You don't have to be a writer or in the book industry to write a review for us. Anyone who has read a book they'd like to share is eligible. Just like for bloggers, we'll also link back to your site and/or contact information.


What do you get for your trouble?
Exposure to new audiences for your blog, book, or writing. Depending on the timing, your review may also appear on our website and in our newsletter.

Interested? Leave a comment here or email us with your blog topic pitch or the book you'd like to review.

Let the games begin.

Kindle Kills Signed Copies?

In Part Deux of my electronic book blogging, I'm here to ask:
What will happen to author signed copies in the electronic book world?

Flash forward to Kindle World:
You are attending an author reading from the new bestselling author J.K. Wilson (you haven't heard of her, but she's going to be big. REALLY BIG...). The room is packed. You look at each other excitedly as the reading concludes. You arrange yourselves in a kindergarten-ingrained straight line to meet the author. You wipe your sweaty hands on your pants as the line approaches the author. You make nervous small talk with the person in front of you. You're next. FINALLY! You get to meet your favorite author. You approach, smiling cautiously, and extend your Kindle only to have her...slap an autographed Post-It note on the screen?


Think about it, people.
Kindle World.
There will be no substitute.

Name a Book, Win $100 Gift Certificate (Is there more fun than that?!?)

How often have you seen a book and thought, "Wow. I could come up with a waaaaaay cooler title!" (OK, maybe that's just us. Whatever.)

Anyway...

Indie author Elle C. Turner (real name Laina Molaski) is asking for our help in naming her upcoming chick lit novel. Part of the Presley Thurman Series, Elle's debut (and yet untitled) novel will be released in August 2009 and she wants you involved in the book naming contest.

Wait, that's not all!

If you are a Book Blues Bookstore customer who wins the contest Elle will give you $100 gift certificate to shop The Book Blues Bookstore! The winner will also get his or her title in print, a signed copy of the first release, and your name in the dedication.

Groovy, huh?

Here's some info on the book:

Presley Thurman, lover of shoes and Starbucks, thinks she's starting a fun new career as a writer until it turns into something unexpected. The person she's to write about, a U.S. Senator is murdered! Presley hasn't seen this much excitement since the spring sample sale at Saks...read more about the book

Head on over to Elle's blog to check out the cover. And then get your thinking caps on because you only have until May 30. When you're ready to enter your choices, go to Elle's contact page and fill out the required information with your title suggestions in the message field. (Don't forget to let her know The Book Blues Bookstore sent you!) Elle says, "Enter as many times as you wish when inspiration hits or when you're just really, really bored."

The winners will be announced June 1, 2009, and we'll re-post the winning title information here.

So, go on now, get creative (but don't embarrass us)!

Oo-Oo That Smell (of Used Books)

Have you ever ordered a book from an independent bookstore or individual online only to find that it reeks of smoke when it arrives? What about those great finds at garage sales or thrift stores that smell musty?

We have your answer.

In our bookstore we have used and new books. This means that we get a great deal of used books in various conditions and states.

Especially smelly ones.

When we first opened our store, we went through several trial and error processes (on our own and on the suggestion of others) to rid our used books of smells. Many of them smelled like smoke. (Are you a bookseller that smokes? You've been forewarned. You can't smell it on the books, but we can!) Some smelled musty (you know, grandma had a gazillion books in her attic and now we want you to have them). Some smelled like body odor.

Seriously.

So we had a dilemma. We pride ourselves on the quality of our used books, so we didn't want to sell a book that smelled like it had spent last night at the local pub or that Uncle Frank didn't know that there were combinations of deodorant AND antiperspirant.

So what to do?


Things that didn't work for us:

1. Letting the book "air out".
This included removing the jacket from hardcovers, opening the books, and letting clean air get to them. Doesn't work. Don't even try.


2. Use baking soda.

The recommendation was to place the book in an enclosed area/dish/pan/bag and pour baking soda around it. It does get rid of the smell. Sound messy? It was. And? There's something to be said for your customers (or your mother-in-law) wondering what that "white substance" is in/on your books. We tried this for several months before coming up with the ONE THING that consistently worked for us:


FABRIC SOFTENER SHEETS FOR YOUR DRYER


We buy the cheapest brand we can find (hey, we're on a budget here) and insert them inside the book, place it in a Ziploc bag with a couple of other sheets and VOILA! Smell is gone. Have extra-super-smelly books? Add a couple of more sheets throughout the book and inside the bag and let it sit a little longer. Change out the sheets, let is sit for another couple of days.


Now you know our secret (shhhh...don't tell anyone). What's your secret for getting those smells out of your books?

New Twist on #amazonfail: Indie Bookstores Take a Hit

Censorship. It's an ugly enough word to make anyone shudder, especially in relation to banning books (at least for us).

If you haven't yet heard of the #amazonfail movement you're either
1) in a chocolate-bunny-induced coma, or
2) don't own a computer.

Either one of those and you probably won't care about this post. However, there are many people that are up in arms about (what seems) Amazon's censorship on some books the company deems questionable.

To give some background, a few days ago authors and readers started to notice that some of their favorite books were no longer showing up on Amazon searches. In brief, the books had been deranked by Amazon (and books with no rankings don't show up on Amazon). The reason? Amazon categorized them to have "adult content" (a definition of which no one seems to be able to extract from Amazon). Some of the books had gay and lesbian content. Some were romance novels. Some were young adult books. The LA Times did a great article on this. Head on over for the full details.

Anyway, the word spread quickly online via Twitter and the #amazonfail movement was created. Now we're hearing a lot of grumblings about people boycotting Amazon.

The unlucky victims in this?
Independent bookstores who use Amazon as their vehicle to sell books - either via an Amazon webstore or individual listings on Amazon.

Why do we care?
We're one of them. Our website is run through Amazon as a Webstore and it's our main venue for selling books.

After initially building a site and then realizing that it was going to take time-consuming conversions to work with our POS software, we had to make a switch to an Amazon site. And here we are, an Amazon seller.

And now we're stuck in the crossfire.

You wouldn't know that our site is an Amazon store until you get to checkout, where you're asked to login to your Amazon account. Now we're being told that people aren't going to buy from Amazon, which ultimately means they aren't going to buy from us.

We understand how upset you are. We disagree with censorship, too. It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree with the content of these books. We aren't asking you to discard your views and disregard what Amazon is doing. What we do ask is that you reconsider your boycott when shopping with independent bookstores, like us, who run their site through Amazon out of budgetary necessity.

There are other ways to fight this (just Google #amazonfail and you'll find pages of ways or visit this blog - Warning: the blog contains explicit language). And just maybe these other ways won't sacrifice the unassuming independent bookstores for a decision over which they had no control.

Are we killing books?

Remember a time without cell phones in every hand? A time when only joggers wore music headphones? Remember when you left work, that's where email stayed? Or, better yet, you didn't have email at work or home?

Remember?

It was called 1987.

In all seriousness, I recently had a discussion on Twitter that has left me disturbed. A fellow Tweeter gave a raving review about her new Kindle and how she probably wouldn't buy another "real" book again. EVER.

Of course, as a book seller, this left me quite disturbed. But as a book lover, it bugged me even more.

I haven't seen a Kindle. I haven't held one in my hands, so I can't really discuss the product itself. I can, however, discuss the theory of electronic books. I mean, as the way of the world now, doesn't it just seem so, I don't know...impersonal? Won't you miss the feel of an actual book in your hands? And the smell? What about the smell of books? (You book lovers know exactly what I'm talking about.) What about turning real tangible pages and the ability to place your bookmark in just the right spot? I don't foresee a cold electronic object fulfilling that need for books for me.

Look, I love technology as much as the next guy. I've been known to yell at my husband for not turning on his IM so that we can message when he is in his upstairs office and I'm working in my downstairs office. However, I just don't see myself ever choosing the ability to read a book off my telephone over holding a real book. At this point, it's just not that appealing. Reading a book is more than just the words for me. There's some connection that you get with a book, an author, when you hold the book. I've never, ever felt that way when holding an electronic device.

But that's just me.

Wonder what ever happened to all those 8-track tapes anyway?!?

April Book Review: Gordon Ramsay The Biography By Neil Simpson

April 2009 Book Review Gordon Ramsay The Biography by Neil Simpson

Reviewed By Jacqueline Wilson, The Book Blues

We Give It: 4 stars (for the interesting factor, NOT the writing.) Interesting look into one of television's most famous chefs. Covers background information that many people may not know (his professional football career, losing several important people in his life in tragic ways, his family and his involvement in charities). The writing leaves a little to be desired, but worth the read just to understand what made Gordon Ramsay who he is today. British author, British spelling. You've been forewarned.

In the fairness of full disclosure, I have to admit: I have a bit of a crush on Gordon Ramsay. I know it doesn't make sense, but crushes rarely do. He's not that great looking. He's rude to women. He shouts and swears like a sailor. It's just one of those Ethan-Hawke-singing-Violent-Femmes-in-Reality-Bites crushes. I can't explain it. It just is. Which is why I was a little conflicted about reading Gordon Ramsay The Biography by Neil Simpson. Exactly what I thought would happen did happen.

But we'll get back to that later.

Read the full review...

Social Network with The Book Blues

Have you become a fan of The Book Blues on Facebook yet? (If not, shame on you.) Head on over to see all the cool happenings and meet up with other book lovers! (All the cool kids are doing it...)

While you're at it, you might as well join us on Twitter.

Now you're in the know.

We Want You!

Are you an indie author with a book you want to get out? Or, do you love books and doing book reviews? Then we are looking for you!

We are looking to spotlight independent authors ("indies") and help them get the word out on our website and in our monthly newsletter!

We are also looking for guest book reviewers for our newsletter and blog.

Check out our indie author page.

Check out our Write 2 Win info for book reviewers.

For both indie authors and book reviewers, we are happy to link back to your own site to help get the word out about indie authors and/or writers! Help out indie authors and writers by forwarding this post or retweeting on your Twitter account.

Online Store Up and Running!

As many of you know, in November 2008, we closed The Book Blues bookstore charming waterfront community store to transition to an online-only format. Finally, The Book Blues Bookstore online store is up and running!

While we've been working hard to get our website finished, our main concern was completing the online store so that you could search and order online. This means that you'll notice some of our pages still say, "Coming Soon!". We're working hard to get these up and running, so check back often!

In the final design of our site, we decided to team with Amazon - a technology with which many of you are already familiar. By using Amazon technology at checkout, your order is safe and secure - our main concern when creating an online store.

How does it work? Simply use your existing Amazon account during checkout to order products from our online bookstore. If you don't have an Amazon account, it's easy to set up. Add the products you want to purchase to your cart and create your account during the checkout process. The information that you create for your account is safe and secure!

By ordering through our online site, you are still supporting The Book Blues bookstore - no matter who runs our "behind the scenes" technology! If you have any questions about our new site or our partnering with Amazon, please email us at info@TheBookBlues.com.

What's all the hoopla about banning children's books?

You may be hearing a lot of information (and misinformation) about your library getting rid of children's books or your local used bookstore or thrift store no longer taking or selling kids books.

So, what's this all about anyway?

Background

In February 2009 H.R. 4040, the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), went into effect. H.R. 4040 establishes consumer product safety standards and other safety requirements for children's products (especially lead-based products). The legislation works to ensure safe levels of lead and phthalates (a substance added to plastics to increase flexibility) in all products manufactured for children under the age of 12.

After February 9, 2009, all manufacturers, providers, sellers, and resellers of children’s products targeted at ages 12 and under are required to test their products for safety and unit label each product as safe. Even if the products are made from all-natural materials or if there is documentation from a manufacturer or seller stating that the items are safe, the products must still have costly unit testing and certification for each item intended for children 12 and under.

What does this have to do with children's books?

The government has deemed that any children's book printed before 1985 may have unsafe lead levels in the ink used to print the book and therefore cannot be sold to children without the proper lead testing. If the seller is caught selling books to children under 12 without the proper testing costly fines are involved.

The lead testing may be costly per unit, so many stores, libraries, and thrift stores are simply getting rid of the books instead of taking the chance on being fined.

You mean some people are throwing out books? Isn't this overkill?

Yes. Many stores, libraries and resellers have already disposed of thousands of children's books.
Yes, we believe this is overkill and a travesty.

Does this mean that we can't find any children's books before 1985 on The Book Blues webstore?

No. You can still find used children's books (1985 and before) listed under our children's collectibles. As defined by the government, The Book Blues can sell these books as collectors items. They are intended for collectors use only and not for children under 12.

Does The Book Blues believe that these books are a threat to children?

It is our personal belief that these books do not pose a threat to children. Lead paint, if it exists at all, has been shown to be negligible in books. This means that your child would have to ingest an unrealistic amount of the book in order to be affected. We have found no documented children's injuries or illnesses due to lead paint poisoning from books.

Not only that, we let our child still "read" and play with books printed before 1985. And sometimes we even find them in her mouth.

*gasp*

You will need to make your own determination if the books you have in your house printed before 1985 are suitable for your child.

You can read more about the CPSIA and children's books on our site.

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