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#IWSG The Best Negative Reviews

Welcome to April’s Insecure Writers’ Support Group. Hop over the Alex Cavanaugh’s blog to join us!

Recently a reader friend asked, “How do I write an honest, helpful, negative review?”

Let’s discuss negative reviews. I don’t want to censor reader opinions, but merely state how I can learn best from reviews. I definitely know how frustrating and disappointing the reading experience can be. It has also become so clear to me that no author can please every reader.

As an author, I appreciate negative reviews that 1) offer specific constructive criticism, 2) make me laugh, and/or 3) acknowledge how personal preferences affect reactions.

I suggest getting specific about what’s not working for the reader. The tightness of the writing? Grammar? Pacing of the plot? Realism of characterization? Chemistry between the characters? Too many characters? Implausibility of plot?

Here are some reviews that have taught me to write better:

“There was head hopping in the third person omniscient perspective. Sometimes the same paragraph had perspectives from two different characters.”
(Thank you to two authors for sharing this wisdom about my debut novel With Good Behavior.)

“Grant is a wuss.” (This made me LOL)

“Grant cries too much.” (These reviews informed my characterization of beta men–I don’t want to make them too weak.)

“It was too depressing and covered too many issues.” (I’ve tried to lighten up later books with more humor.)

“It just didn’t work for me because…” (I like when reviewers state how their personal preferences affect the reviews, acknowledging that others might enjoy it but it just didn’t fit for them.)



Some negative reviews are not as helpful:

“This is YA, not NA.” (I get frustrated with this critique of Blocked because the age of the characters is indeed New Adult. Though it’s also my fault for choosing a sexy cover then not delivering the horizontal refreshment.)

Reviews that spoiler the reader or attack the author as a person are also not my cup of tea.




How about YOU? Which negative reviews are the most helpful?
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Keep Calm and Hop On Blog Hop #Giveaway #KeepCalmHopOn

Time for the Keep Calm and Hop On Giveaway Hop hosted by The Kids Did It and The Mommy Island.


In addition to a $10 Amazon gift card, I’m giving away two ebooks of my college volleyball romance series BLOCKED. Who loves volleyball? I think it’s an awesome sport.




To enter, complete the Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hop over to these blogs to win more stuff!

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#NA #Sports #Romance DEBT by @RachelDAuthor #SALE only $.99

99c Pre-Order Sale
Over 400 Pages
Standalone Novel
New-Adult Romance / Sports Romance
DEBT
By Rachel Dunning

Expected Release Date:March 2016 

Whatís it about?

The Debt Collector

I pay my debts, and I expect others to.
I was raised in the slums of London, I knew nothing of privilege. My father was murdered when I was seventeen. Morty figured my father’s passing meant I would automatically take on dad’s debts. I refused.
And I paid for that refusal.
So did my sister.
So now I fight. All I know how to do is fight. The best cash is in the states, so that’s where I am now. A big fish called Vito came along offering me a “favor” when I arrived.
Another debt.
I paid for that one too.
I knew Kyla Hensley would be trouble when I met her. But I wanted her. I could see through the falsehood of her wannabe-slutty clothes and her sexy legs. So I chased her.
Besides, trouble is my middle name.

Kyla Hensley

I was brought up in privilege, but I lacked everything else. My father is a business tycoon who buys and sells and doesn’t care who gets rolled over in the process.
I never knew my mother, and all I have of her is a photo with a note scrawled on the back in French saying “I’m sorry.” The only Female Figure I had growing up is my dad’s wife who is a bleach blond with seven boob jobs. We never bonded.
I drink. I party. I meet guys.
But I wasn’t always like that.
I’ve had a string of lovers in the last few years, the worst and most recent of which was Vince Somerset. My best friend Vera was dating a guy called Rory Cansoom who is the opposite of Vince in so many ways, and yet so the same.
She and I hit the road for spring break, getting away from the two college psychos and just trying to have some fun.
But there’s a funny thing about trouble, the more you run from it, the more it finds you.
Which is when I met the Debt Collector.
It was only supposed to be sex. He made that clear. I made that clear.
That’s all it was supposed to be.
I never expected to fall in love. I never expected to fall so deeply, madly, uncomfortably in love with a man who is wrong, so wrong for me.
And yet…so unbelievably right.
Content Warning
Not intended for readers under the age of seventeen.
Genres:
New-Adult Romance
Sports Romance

Links:

About Rachel

Rachel Dunning hit the scene in August 2013 and is the author of the highly praised Naive Mistakes Series, Truthful Lies Trilogy, Johnny Series and the paranormal romance series, Mind Games.
A prolific writer, she sticks to stories where Alpha Males aren’t pricks and where women have guts.
Sheís lived on two different continents, speaks three different languages, and met the love of her life on the internet. In other words, romance is in her blood.

Get Rachel’s Newsletter

Sign up for Rachel’s Newsletter and never miss a release or a special.
You can sign up here:
http://www.rdunning.com/p/non-spammy-news.html

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BLOCKED is on SALE #NA #College #Sports #Romance only $.99

New Adult Volleyball Romance BLOCKED is on sale December 15-20.




(The dates for the Amazon UK sale are Dec 17-23)

“Lucia hopes her scholarship will bring her closer to gorgeous athlete Dane. But there’s something major in the way of their romance — their parents are facing each other in the US presidential race! Will opposites attract in this fun, sexy read?”



Don’t miss the last days of the ACED (Blocked #2) Review Tour

Readers have fallen in love with Aced’s Alejandro:

“Lord forgive me for I have sinned and lusted over the hottie known as ALEJANDRO. Yup, dibs he’s all mine, chicas.”
~Nelly from Romance Bytes



And enter the $20 Gift Card Giveaway

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New Release: ACED (Blocked #2) #NA #Sports #Romance #Giveaway

Title: ACED
Series: Blocked #2

Author: Jennifer Lane
Release Date: December 2, 2015
Genre: New Adult Sports Romance 
Length: 80,000 words
Cover Artist: Coreen Montagna 
Synopsis:

Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in Jennifer Lane’s Blocked series, it could be her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love.

Medical student Alejandro’s hot Latin looks get him plenty of attention, but his deep faith and admiration for his father keep him on a righteous path, with no time for something as frivolous as love. He strives to do the right thing—study diligently, take care of his siblings, represent the family well—so why does he feel so unfulfilled?

Enter Lucia’s friend and teammate Maddie Brooks, who shines at blocking the ball and acing the serve. Too bad this graduating senior isn’t so confident about her life off the court. Her longtime boyfriend has just bailed on her, and med school applications loom large. Oh, and a nerve-wracking tryout for Team USA also approaches.

Maddie meets Alejandro when he visits Lucia at school, and she’s soon drawn to his sharp mind. Alejandro is similarly intrigued by Maddie’s talent and strength. But will personal biases and family politics smother the slow burn of their attraction? Unless Maddie can learn to believe in herself, and Alejandro can become his own man, their kindling romance hardly stands a chance.

Will either of them be bold enough to try something new? Find out in this emotion-rich story that refuses to shy away from life’s hardest questions. Because love is worth the risk.

  Add to Goodreads  

Follow the TOUR
Get ACED!
Reviews for Aced

“Jennifer’s characters always interact with each other in a very comfortable pattern of easy and witty banter. She is exceedingly good at dialogue. Aced is a very brave book. Like Blocked, it is not simply a fluffy, sweet and cozy romance.”
~Teresa from Goodreads

“Lord forgive me for I have sinned and lusted over the hottie known as ALEJANDRO. Yup, dibs he’s all mine, chicas.”
~Nelly from Romance Bytes

“The plot is so well paced, I was reading until the wee hours of the morning.”
~Karie Deegan from My Reading Reality

“Blocked captivated my attention from start to finish and Aced does not disappoint. Hotheaded Alejandro meets his match in stubborn and confident Maddie.”
~Aaliyah from Goodreads

Giveaways

1) Join us for the Facebook party 12-2-15 HERE. Over 25 Authors with prizes!

2) Leave a review on Amazon on 12-2-15 for a chance to win $25 gift card.


3) And enter the Rafflecopter Release Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Get psyched for romance with psychologist/author (psycho author) Jennifer Lane! By day she’s a therapist, and by night she’s a writer. She can’t decide which is more fun.

Jen adores creating sporty heroines and hot heroes in her college sport romances. Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in the Blocked series, it’s her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love. Aced launches in December 2015.

A swimmer and volleyball player in college, Jen writes swimming-based romances as well: Streamline, a military mystery, and the free New Adult novella Swim Recruit.

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love. She is also the author of The Conduct Series, a romantic-suspense trilogy that includes With Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, and On Best Behavior.

Ultimately, whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and visiting her sisters in Chicago and Hilton Head.

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Twelve Days of New Adult #Giveaway

Thanks to Val from Stuck in Books for hosting the Twelve Days of New Adult Giveaway Hop!


I’m a huge fan of New Adult, both as a reader and an author. The timing of this giveaway coincides with the release of my third New Adult book: college sports romance ACED (Blocked #2).


Check out the many giveaways on my blog and Facebook page for the release.

But I have a special giveaway for this hop: one ebook of each of my New Adult sport romances: Blocked, Aced (Blocked #2), and Streamline (NA swimming romance).


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hop over to these New Adult Lovers!

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Gratitude #Giveaway #Giftcard

Thanks to Mary from Book Hounds and Kathy from I Am A Reader for hosting.


I am so grateful to the readers and authors I’ve met since starting this crazy publishing journey in 2010.

To express my gratitude, I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card. Enter on the Rafflecopter. Note: This hop is supposed to have only one entry so please choose ONE only way to enter.

I welcome you to return to the blog on 12-2-15 for the celebration of the release of ACED (Blocked #2), New Adult Sports Romance. I’ll be hosting a giveaway here and joining 25+ authors for the Facebook release party.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Check out these grateful blogs as well:

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Cover Reveal: ACED (Blocked #2) by @JenLaneBooks #NA #Sports #Romance #Giveaway

ACED (Blocked #2) Cover Reveal

Title:  Aced
Series:  Blocked #2
Author:  Jennifer Lane
Genre:  New Adult Sports Romance
Cover Design:  Coreen Montagna (coreenm@gmail.com)
Release Date:  December 2, 2015
Blurb

Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in Jennifer Lane’s Blocked series, it could be her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love.

Medical student Alejandro’s hot Latin looks get him plenty of attention, but his deep faith and admiration for his father keep him on a righteous path, with no time for something as frivolous as love. He strives to do the right thing—study diligently, take care of his siblings, represent the family well—so why does he feel so unfulfilled?

Enter Lucia’s friend and teammate Maddie Brooks, who shines at blocking the ball and acing the serve. Too bad this graduating senior isn’t so confident about her life off the court. Her longtime boyfriend has just bailed on her, and med school applications loom large. Oh, and a nerve-wracking tryout for Team USA also approaches.

Maddie meets Alejandro when he visits Lucia at school, and she’s soon drawn to his sharp mind. Alejandro is similarly intrigued by Maddie’s talent and strength. But will personal biases and family politics smother the slow burn of their attraction? Unless Maddie can learn to believe in herself, and Alejandro can become his own man, their kindling romance hardly stands a chance.

Will either of them be bold enough to try something new? Find out in this emotion-rich story that refuses to shy away from life’s hardest questions. Because love is worth the risk.

Book one BLOCKED on SALE for a limited time!

Excerpt from Aced

I’d only seen Alejandro on TV, but his presence seemed magnified in real life. He was Jaylon’s height but probably weighed thirty pounds less. He moved like a panther, sleek and long in a black suit “dressed down” with no tie. His short black hair shone in the arena lights, and he appeared freshly shaven. Hot damn! He sure looked more suave than any college boy I’d encountered. Was that the typical dress for medical school at Johns Hopkins? Probably not. Something told me Alex did things his own way.

As Alejandro approached, Lucia stood to hug him, shaking her head. “Hey, what’re you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

He smiled. “Could we go somewhere to talk?”

She glanced at me. “I don’t want to leave Maddie. I dragged her here, so it’d be rude to abandon her.”

“So this is the famous Maddie.” When Alejandro reached across to shake my hand, his dark eyes burned into me. “I’ve seen you play, but it’s good to finally meet. I’ve heard great things about you.” His handshake was firm, but his hand was soft and warm, zinging a surprising thrill right through me. I realized that for at least a few moments, I hadn’t thought about Jaylon. Alejandro let go all too quickly.

His expression sobered as he looked back at Lucia. “I want to talk to you about something in private.”

She folded her arms across her chest as they both sat. “I already said no, thank you. I can’t right now.”

He frowned and squared his shoulders. Then he leaned in to Lucia’s ear and spoke to her in Spanish. She bristled next to me.

“How dare you?” she hissed.

I leaned back. What had just changed my sweet Rez into a pissy hellcat?

Sign up for ACED Review Tour HERE.

Author Bio

Get psyched for romance with psychologist/author (psycho author) Jennifer Lane! By day she’s a therapist, and by night she’s a writer. She can’t decide which is more fun.

Jen adores creating sporty heroines and hot heroes in her college sport romances. Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in the Blocked series, it’s her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love. Aced launches in December 2015.

A swimmer and volleyball player in college, Jen writes swimming-based romances as well: Streamline, a military mystery, and the free New Adult novella Swim Recruit.

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love. She is also the author of The Conduct Series, a romantic-suspense trilogy that includes With Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, and On Best Behavior.

Ultimately, whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and visiting her sisters in Chicago and Hilton Head.

Author Links

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Spooktacular #Giveaway Hop #GiftCard #Sports #Romance

Thank you to Kathy from I Am A Reader for hosting! There are over 200 blogs participating.


October is a special month for me since I’m revealing the cover for my next novel ACED (Blocked #2), a college sports romance series.

I’m also a big fan of all things Halloween. My Twitter avatar features my favorite Halloween costume of me as a carrot. Why? Who knows.


To celebrate all things spooktacular, I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card, an ebook of my college volleyball romance BLOCKED, and an ARC of ACED (Blocked #2, due 12-2-15). 

Check out ACED’s cover reveal at our Facebook party on 10-20-15 HERE. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hop on over to all these fantastic blogs. The more you enter, the more you win.

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ACED (Blocked #2) is #Finished #NA #Volleyball #Sports #Romance

The End. What two glorious words! They feel so wonderful to type.

I recently finished my sixth novel: Aced (Blocked #2). Blocked focused on political differences. Aced explores racial differences. I’m uber excited to launch Aced into the world in late 2015.

Here are actors I envision as heroine Maddie and hero Alejandro:


Reader Selene said Alejandro has a lot of work to do to win her over. I love that challenge!

So what’s Aced about?

Volleyball wonder Lucia Ramirez found her love match in Blocked despite the glaring political spotlight aimed on her family. In Aced, the second book in Jennifer Lane’s Blocked series, it could be her brother Alejandro’s turn to get lucky in love.

Medical student Alejandro’s hot Latin looks get him plenty of attention, but his deep faith and admiration for his father keep him on a righteous path, with no time for something as frivolous as love. He strives to do the right thing—study diligently, take care of his siblings, represent the family well—so why does he feel so unfulfilled?

Enter Lucia’s friend and teammate Maddie Brooks, who shines at blocking the ball and acing the serve. Too bad this graduating senior isn’t so confident about her life off the court. Her longtime boyfriend has just bailed on her, and med school applications loom large. Oh, and a nerve-wracking tryout for Team USA also approaches.

Maddie meets Alejandro when he visits Lucia at school, and she’s soon drawn to his sharp mind. Alejandro is similarly intrigued by Maddie’s talent and strength. But will personal biases and family politics smother the slow burn of their attraction? Unless Maddie can learn to believe in herself, and Alejandro can become his own man, their kindling romance hardly stands a chance.

Will either of them be bold enough to try something new? Find out in this emotion-rich story that refuses to shy away from life’s hardest questions. Because love is worth the risk.

Add to Goodreads

Aced
Stay tuned for Cover Reveal Signups. The cover reveal is on 10-21-15 and you won’t want to miss this image of Alejandro.