Yep, I ate there! And LOVED IT! - Thanks, Suzanne Collins!

HUNGER GAMES - WHAT? 

First off, terrific title.  Yes, TERRIFIC!  Why?  Because what the heck does it mean?  It hooks you with just the title (which, if you take my title course -info. at website - you'll understand how important the title really is and how to get a great one).  Those two words nibble at your curiousity and, admit it, you want to know more.  Even if all you end up doing is reading the book blurb - you want more.

Say you read the book blurb for this book (the first in a series), you won't be able to stop there.  Then the first page. 

Okay, but here is where it slowed for me.  Katniss Everdeen tells the story in first person and present tense... Authors are generally (I stress generally) guided toward the past tense usage, but for me, this worked for this book. 

Yep, that's it.  That's all that slowed it down for me.  The speed was 150 knots, slowed to 149 knots, back up to 170 knots.  Obviously it didn't slow much.

The reaping of starving children, the travel - and reality of the eating rich foods after starving - poor kids, all types of reality-biting sequences filled with conflicting emotions that sucked you in and refused to release you.  Making children fight to the death... disgusting, intolerable, yet you hope there is something humane to save them...

I could not put it down.  Everyone says that, right?  But when I say I couldn't put it down, I mean it.  I made my husband feed the kids.  The baby played on the floor by my feet most of the day.  I told the older kids to get their bums outside and play - trampoline, stairs, I didn't care.  I don't even remember eating the two days it took me to read the entire series (Catching Fire and Mockingjay as well). 

This was, without a doubt, entrancing with the love triangle Katniss doesn't want to be a part of, yet can't help tearing up more and more, the differing political views, the corruption of many and the disillusion of more. 

Definitely a tremendous read.  One series my kids will be reading when they hit the teens.  I think it made a terrific display of the human agenda sloping toward greed, power-hunger and cruelty much akin to Lord of the Flies way back when.  But this is a much larger scale and affects all of us. 

Thanks for the book, Ms. Collins.  I couldn't put it down and that, for me, is saying a lot! 

A Terrific Set Up - a Sampling of Publicity Advice

Over on Southern Sizzle you will find a terrific post this morning on marketing your work!

A Bit of Promotion After-The-Sale Without Breaking Your Budget

Good advice!

Rebecca Zanetti - Fated

I would really like to do a review of her book Fated (Book 1 of the Dark Realm series coming out in February), but as I like HER so much, it probably wouldn't be fair. 

Instead, I'd like to introduce you to her. 

Ms. Zanetti's blog is inspiring and touches on topics with an interesting swerve of humor and genuiness.  In person, she is even more fun with a smile that just forces you to smile back.  She's who I would pick as Glenda the Good Witch in Wizard of Oz, but with a darker, more magnetic pull - not to mention her hair is MUCH nicer.

Do, do , DO check out her website.  It has the trailer and excerpt for Fated as well as future appearances.  Trust me, you want to get to know this woman!