D L Richardson interviews Sapphria's Book Reviews

 

It's equally important for authors to get to know the bloggers who review our books. Reviewing on blogs is generally unpaid work, unless the blog has means of advertising to bring in revenue and even then I imagine it's not enough to quit the day job. Bloggers, like most writers, often hold day jobs, have families, and they, like writers, pour their heart and soul into their project way into the night. There are thousands of people who run blogs and write reviews simply because they love books . I salute these industrious bloggers - I have a blog and barely get time to post things.

So, in order for readers to get to know these wonderful people from behind the scenes, I have asked a few bloggers what they hope to achieve from creating and maintaining blogs.

 

Today I feature Amber who runs Sapphyria's Book Reviews.

http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com.au/p/book-reviews.html

https://twitter.com/intent/follow?source=followbutton&variant=1.0&screen_name=saphs_books

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2769226624882223221#editor/target=post;postID=3840959936084651885

 

D L Richardson asks Sapphyria's Book Reviews: What do you hope to accomplish with your blog? Is it to one day become an author yourself, just for fun, maybe get some online attention, or maybe something very different?

 

Amber from Sapphyria's Book Review replies: My blog is an outlet to promote books whether I've read them or not. It's also a place I can review books and , hopefully, give people a really good reason to pick up the book I just finished. I've been an avid reader since I was a child so writing a review blog just seemed right. Due to some personal issues (a selfish (now ex) husband, to be specific), I didn't read a whole lot from 1997 until 2003 but that all changed a few years ago. It just took me until 2011 to decide to start up a review/promotion blog.

As far as the author part, I didn't specifically set up the blog for that...I've always wanted to be a writer but didn't know how to go about it or where to even start with publishing. I have a huge folder of short stories I wrote when I was a teenager (and some even before that) and really need to go dig them out of the attic. I've learned a lot from being a blogger and hope to eventually incorporate that knowledge into the form of a book. I've started 5 books in the past year but have only gotten about as far as the first chapter before I get distracted.

I work full time outside the home, go to college 1/2 to 3/4 time depending on the semester, and am remarried so I juggle a lot. Sometimes the fun stuff just gets put on the back burner. One day I hope to change that but it won't be right away.

Feature:
Review of The Bird With The Broken Wing from November 17, 2011

Saph's Review:

I very rarely have a hard time writing a review, especially for an excellent book, but that is not the case today.  "Why," you ask?  Because this book is so exceptional and heartwarming and mixed-up, that my thoughts were just flying around in my head and none of them were landing in cohesive sentences.  

First, you have Ben and Rachel, who have enlisted in the military and are in a highly combative zone somewhere in the desert.  After cutting from Ben and Rachel, you then flip to Jet, a teen with a not-so-ideal home life.  A situation she's encountered has her suicidal and stopping at nothing to complete her task.  The unidentified situation causes her to drown her sorrows in alcohol and medication.  When she wakes up she finds herself in what she assumes is a detox center with two other people sharing her space; Ben and Rachel.  

As the story unfolds you realize the gravity of the situation and how Rachel fits into the life of Ben and how Jet fits into the life of both Rachel and Ben.  This is a beautiful story that indicates that it may not be just the human population that is dysfunctional.  The ending made me cry because after the story is all said and done, complete happiness was not necessarily attained for the characters in the way that one might expect.  I can't divulge anything else for fear of spoiling it for you.

Just know this:  The plot is solid, the characters are strong in their own ways and interact exactly the way they are supposed to.  Life is precious and we should do all we can to preserve it; it may not be all wine and roses in the afterlife (if there is such a thing).

Rating:

D L Richardson says thank to Amber for taking the time to share an insight into how she started Sapphyria's Book Reviews