Tag Archives: Reading

Cover Re-Reveal: Squirrel Mafia By Sharon C. Williams

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Author: Sharon C. Williams

Release Date: March 30, 2015

Publisher: Peaceful Musings Publishing

Genre: Nonfiction, Humor, Animals

Sharing is not an option!

We tend to think of squirrels as cute furry creatures that scamper around playing while looking for nuts. Yet I’ve a different outlook on these rodents from Hades.

As an animal lover, one who’s owned by eight birds, I’ve had the opportunity to observe a group of squirrels around my home here in the suburbs for the past year. The experience I’ve gained gives a whole new meaning to the words ‘little darlings.’

I offer you a unique perspective of the furry friends entangled within our everyday lives. Their antics and shenanigans have earned them the name of the Squirrel Mafia. This book chronicles my ongoing battle with these pesky little critters.

(Purchase links are not yet available.)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24894345-squirrel-mafia

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

Maine

Squirrels are furry and adorable animals that come from Hell. They give us the illusion they’re cuddly, and full of sugar and spice and all that is nice. Well, if you want that kind of story you might want to put this one down.

Growing up in Northern Maine, I honestly don’t recall seeing squirrels around me. My life could have been preoccupied with things that mattered more, like being a kid and spending time with family. Granted, the weather in Maine is harsh during the winter months, which can last a good portion of the year.

Wildlife, though, is plentiful in this region with moose, bear, and deer. Between the different hunting seasons, one would think people would notice squirrels running around. As numerous and hardy as they are, one would logically think that even a region as cold as Maine would be full of them.

Perhaps they didn’t bother me back then. I still would have been under the misconception that they were cute. Perhaps my memory is just lapsing, or I’m just in denial. Yeah, that’s it, denial!

Lesson learned—squirrels can make you forget.

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About The Author:

Sharon is a native of New England, raised in Northern Maine. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and son. She is also owned by a flock of eight birds.

Sharon has a B.S. degree in Chemistry, but is currently disabled, so writing keeps her busy. She tends to lose all track of time. The world could be coming to an end, and she would be oblivious to it. When writing, she envisions the scenes in her head, and tries to imagine the reality of what is written down on paper. Different options, scenes, and problems are noted on the side in case she can use them later.

Sharon tends to write by long hand as the flow works better for her this way. Her bookshelf consists of works written by Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Bentley Little, and James Patterson. The best advice she has ever received about writing was to write about what you know. Her first thought was, “Yeah right,” but it really is that easy. A writer just needs to know a little tidbit to turn it into a short story, and soon enough, there’s a book.

Sharon loves to read, sketch, take pictures, walk, exercise, go to the movies, and listen to music. She is a budding bird watcher, and knits on the side. She is a huge sports fan of baseball, basketball, hockey, and football.

Two of her short stories were published in the anthology, Cassandra’s Roadhouse. Her children’s book, Jasper, Amazon Parrot: A Rainforest Adventure, has been published via Fountain Blue Publishing. Several of her short stories are also featured in the recently released anthology, Dragons In The Attic.

Social Media Links:

Blog: http://www.newenglandmuse.com
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/SCWilliams
Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/NEMuse
Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/SCWGR
Google +: http://tinyurl.com/SCWGP

Smashwords: http://tinyurl.com/n78jonu

Linked In: http://tinyurl.com/SCWLI

Email: NewEngland_Muse@yahoo.com

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My reviews on Amazon

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When I do a review for a book I place it on eight sites. I don’t get paid to do this, I just do it. Getting a recent email from Amazon I discovered I had reviewed 133 books for them. That number blew my mind. I’m not even sure when I first started to do it, but it sure has added up.

But in the email they sent me was an interesting fact. Customers have found your reviews helpful 123 times. Say what? That blew my mind again. When I did the math, if it can be done this way mind you, that gives me a rating of over 92%. I think this is pretty neat.

I don’t place reviews with any ulterior motive. As a reviewer for Booksneeze I am required to place a review on a commercial site. Being so use to doing this I now review books that are asked of me from fellow writers and books I just read for fun.

Reviewing not only helps the author and the readers, it helps me as well. It homes in on my skills as an author when I critique other people’s works and when I am going over mine. That is something that you can’t learn in a class. It is perfected by doing actual reviews and doing them over and over again.

But the fact that 123 customers have found my review helpful makes me smile.

Book Reviewer

indexI’ve been a book reviewer since 2010 when I started with Booksneeze. The way it works is simple. I receive a book for free in exchange for two honest reviews. One of which I place on a blog the other on a commercial site. This relationship has worked well for me over the years. I get a free book and as an avid reader this is just so full of win. From that came authors asking for me to review their books.

I am not sure how the word got out but people keep me busy with their request. However I have slowed down since my own book was released in September of this year. Time has not been my friend since then. But I know now after all these years I can’t just say out loud, “ Does anyone have a book they like me to review,” and not expect it to bite me in the butt. I did that this past July and ended up with nine request which was a lot prior to my book coming out. Lesson learned. I had broken my rule of thumb which was never go over five books at a time on my list. Though that number might need to be adjusted and lowered. There is just too much going on right now.

There are so many authors needing their books to be read and reviewed. I am one of them now, a member of this collective. I need to toss my hat into the ring and have people do this for me as well. That is a daunting task for me. But with all of this I miss reviewing books.

So I made my way to Booksneeze and snagged A.L. Shields new book, “The Church Builder” and am thoroughly enjoying it. While I am an author I started off as a reader, a fanatic one at that since the age of six. May I never lose sight of that. I love it too much.