Tuesday 29 September 2015

REVIEWER IN THE SPOTLIGHT - JO LAMBERT


I am thrilled to welcome author, book reviewer and Brook Cottage Books tour host..............Jo Lambert! Jo is a fantastic supporter of Brook Cottage Books and always finds the time to show her support to other authors. Thank you Jo for all you do.




REVIEWER IN THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW


What is your blog called?

It’s jolambertwriter.  A sort of ‘all kinds of everything’ blog.  I post general stuff – about my life, music, writing  - whatever inspirational topic comes into my head really.  However, I do have a regular interview feature – Tuesday Talk where people from all parts of the writing world are invited along.  And it’s also where I do my Brook Cottage Books tour host reviews and promos. 

How did you come up with the name?

I did throw a lot of ideas around but in the end settled for something quite basic i.e. my name.  On the home page I have added ‘A Writer’s Journey’ because that’s exactly what it is; a wander through the world commenting on writing, life and anything else that inspires me.

What sort of books do you review?

I have a personal preference for romance, saga and historical novels and regularly post reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. However, when I have my ‘proper’ reviewing hat on I like to push out the boundaries and pick books I would not normally buy.   Brook Cottage Books offer an amazing selection of tour titles which always means I’m spoilt for choice.  This month I’m reviewing on three tours and in October again I’m participating in three tours with two reviews and a promo.   So you can see I’m kept busy!

Do you take part in tours?

Yes, it’s something I really enjoy doing and it works well with my writing.  It’s great to be able to set aside your WIP for a while and escape into someone else’s story.  If I’m unable to join a particular tour to read and review, I’ll sometimes offer to do a promotional slot for the book instead.

Why did you decide to start a blog?

At first it was a way of getting my work out into the public eye. As an indie author you have to be your own publicity machine to let people know you’re there and the kind of books you have on offer.  Well, that’s how it originally started and then I thought maybe it would be a good idea to make the whole thing a little more interesting and create a dedicated interview slot.   This not only gave those who read the blog an opportunity to ‘meet’ some new and interesting people, but also offered those being interviewed a chance to showcase their work.  I’ve had some really brilliant guests so far and it seems to be working well judging from the responses I’ve received. And, of course, the blog has proved useful for my reviews for Brook Cottage Books, which now has its own dedicated slot.

List 3 great books you have read lately

Oh now that’s very difficult with so many good titles around. However there are three recent books which have definitely lingered on in the memory after reading.  I would recommend all of them as potentials for the TBR pile:

a)    Finding Gabriel by Rachel L Demeter.   

b)    The Rest of My Life by Sheryl Browne.    

c)     Secrets of the Pomegranate by Barbara Lamplugh. 

How many books are on your TBR pile? 

I would love to say dozens. With Kindle it’s so easy to download. That means sometimes there’s the temptation to go a little mad with the titles you really want to read. However, taking into consideration my reviewing commitments I do have to be careful. Books I review for Brook Cottage have to be read in a certain timeframe to fit in with tour dates, so they take priority over my personal choices.  Therefore I usually limit myself to six personal reads at a time on my Kindle.

How many books do you read a week?

It depends on what else I have on.  As I mentioned above, book tour copies do have a deadline for reading; then there’s the review to write and set up with all the associated support info for publication on line.  My writing is another thing that eats into my reading time as well as general things I produce for my blog.  So counting in the professional reading as well, I’d say two or three books a week. If I didn’t review or write I think it would be double that as I’m a total bookaholic!

List 3 interesting facts about you.

I guess it depends on the word ‘interesting’, but here goes:

1.     I’m a member of MENSA with an IQ of 151

2.     I once had lunch with writer Lesley Pearse who was absolutely wonderful and so interesting to talk to.

3.     My mother, sister and I share birthdays in the same month within seven days of each other which makes for a pretty expensive week!

Tell us where we can find your blog.

Details are as follows - the Wordpress account is my general blog.  The jolambertbooks site is a website for my books, although I do include the occasional blog post from time to time.


Jo's Links



twitter: @jolambertwriter

Facebook.com/joannalambert

You can buy Jo's latest book - Summer Moved on. Its a highly recommended read and you can read my review HERE


 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A TOUR HOST TOO THEN CONTACT ME FOR MORE DETAILS - brookbooks@hotmail.co.uk





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