The Anxious Author

      It's almost the end of October and I'm just now announcing who my pick was for September. If you're new here, allow me to explain. I'm using a bracket system to find out which book I read in 2021 is my favorite. Each month I record all the 5 heart books I've read and select my favorite to be that month's book of the month. In September I seven 5 heart reviews and each of the books was so good that it was hard to pick one.  I read 11 books total in September. Most were ebooks.      Choosing a book of the month for September was so hard that I had to wait until now to announce it, however, I'm pleased to say that the lovely Margaret Malory is this month's author!      Mallory is the author of Blood Bound, which wins as September's book of the month. It's a fantasy adventure involving soul bonds and the strength of love.     My Review:       Blood Bound is a fast-paced, action-adventure, fantasy romance full ...

 Reviewing, in and of itself, is an art form. As a reader, reviews can help you decide if you want to read a specific book. As an author, reviews help you procure advertising and become a better writer. I did a piece on how I go about reviewing books a while ago on my Instagram page . It was almost a year ago, I think, so I figured it was time to do another one. Especially since people are starting to notice my reviewer status.      Before I begin, let me say that being a reviewer is not a job for me. I don't get paid for it. It's something I do to help fellow readers and authors. Both of us depend on reviews. Readers use reviews to determine whether they want to read a book or not. Authors can get free advertising from sites like Amazon for having reviews, they also can get Best Seller Rankings when they hit 500 reviews, and reviews help show them how they can improve their writings and what they do well.      It's important to take several elements i...