New Beginnings...

I’m sitting here at my dining table contemplating the whirlwind last few months... if you had told me earlier this year that I’d be living in a new town in my own home, pfft – I’d have said you were crazy, and yet here I am!

My husband and I were only looking at what possibilities were available to us when we came across a cute place that ticked nearly all of our boxes, and in such a fast moving housing market we had to make a split second decision. Happily, things came together fairly easily, although I definitely gained a few more grey hairs from the paperwork alone! But we're now all unpacked and the kids have settled into school really well so it's happy dances all round!

I have a garden!

We've already started to put our personal stamp on things and I have a list as long as my arm of little jobs that need doing just to brighten the place up a bit, and as the previous owner neglected to keep up with general maintenance I have some big jobs to get to also, but you know what - I'm happy to do it because it's my own home!

The only real downside of buying my first home is that I need to get a job - the days of being a stay-at-home mum while hubby goes to work are long gone sadly, and expenses like a new roof are going to set me back more than I can put aside on a weekly basis! I've already had to put in a new stove as the old one was a fire hazard, and I just purchased a new range-hood - although I've yet to book an electrician to put that in... those elusive funds and all! So it's time to dust off the C.V and start looking at job possibilities.

As some of you know I closed up Book Chatter Promotions late last year and the running of My Book Chatter has slowly fallen by the way side also as my family commitments at the time meant my time was needed elsewhere. The last time I read a book was about three weeks ago and I only left a short review on Amazon. The time just seems to slip away on me and if I'm being completely honest, I'm really struggling to find something that holds my attention - even my trusted favorites (authors) no longer hold their same allure.

Hopefully I might be able to get in some reading time in the future but for right now it's all about the house...

Sunset from my yard

Time Flies When You're Not Looking!

While I sit here writing this I realise it's only the second or third blogpost I've created from absolute scratch and its February already - how on earth did that happen, and where the hell did all my time go?! 

Like most people Christmas and New Year came and went in a flurry of activity, too much food and a seemingly endless stream of visitors, day trips, and laundry - lots and lots of laundry! Which is nothing special or exceptionally hard to deal with, unless you throw in family dynamics, and a couple of mental illnesses to accommodate. Because having a husband who suffers from depression and a daughter with anxiety means often making allowances that you wouldn't normally have to consider when making plans of any kind - even mundane everyday stuff can sometimes pose a problem that requires time and patience to resolve. Which severally cuts into my time to do anything really - let alone read, blog, or have actual human interaction away from the home!

But I'm not complaining, not really. I just need to somehow streamline my time management skills to include a couple hours of me time a day (one can hope anyway!). I have started meditating in the evenings - this is my attempt to try and clear my mind of the useless chatter that doesn't seem to shut off, preventing me from a good nights sleep; and so far it's helping me a little. Although my hubby has noticed an increase in my snoring - but trade offs, right!

And I've fallen in love with adult colouring books, I have a number of differently themed books that I'm slowly making way through.

So books and reading - I haven't done much reading as I stated but I am trying to catch up, I really want to clear the stack of books I have on my bedside table.

To say it's a bit of a mess is an understatement, and don't get me started on the piles of unread books on my bookshelves and on my Kindle!

I'm also slowly dipping my toes back into the promotional side of blogging - I've been contacted by a couple of authors who'd like me to help them with a few projects in the coming months. I really love and miss the close interactions that come with arranging blog tours and other virtual events, but I'll just play it by ear at this stage.

So as far as updates go, that's about it really - now back to some reading (and sigh laundry!)

Halloween, Missing Book Reviews, Cover Reveals, and more...

Ghost pops!

I managed to clean off my desk over the weekend - in between getting kids ready for Halloween, making ghost pops, and handing them out to all the local kids that came by my door! And I came a cross a number of unpublished book reviews in a notebook. They're from around the time my grandmother passed away and have just been overlooked and forgotten about.... so I'm going to revisit the scribbled notes I have and refresh myself as to them and get them up over the next week - hopefully!

some of the kids Halloween decorations

My daughter finishes high school on Wednesday!!
Where the hell has the time gone - it seems just like yesterday I was sat in my car crying on her first day... and if I'm honest it'll be the same again, but for entirely different reasons!

I'm hosting a Cover Reveal for author Maegan Beaumont next week.... the sign up link is here if you're interested in jumping on board, there's still time to join.
 
I need to catch up on my NZ Authors blog series - yes, it's still coming along - I've just had a few kid busy weeks but I hope to get back on track soon.

Have a great week folks!...

NZ Independent Book Festival 2015

If you're around Auckland tomorrow and you love a good book, I highly recommend you head to the NZ Independent Book Festival being held at the North Shore Events Centre.

I stopped by on my way home from a family event today and would have loved to have spent the whole afternoon perusing the many stands, meeting some more of these tremendous authors and publishers etc, but the needs of my tired and grumpy children took precedence and so I only had a quick whip round - and boy I was impressed!

There were so many varied genres being represented - children's books, romance, thrillers, self help, paranormal, science and speculative fiction, general fiction and so much more! I met a number of authors and publishers that I will definitely be looking up and adding to my tbr list very soon - and everyone was so welcoming and lovely.

I did have the chance to catch up with a dear friend and one of my favorite authors T.G. Ayer, who introduced me to her friends and fellow authors J.C. Hart and Leigh K. Hunt - again, two really lovely ladies!
 
So head on over, check out what is on offer and maybe pick up a great book or two (or more) to read!

Author, T.G. Ayer and Book Chatter Cath (me!)

  *FREE ENTRY - North Shore Event Centre, off Argus Place, Hillcrest
Saturday 3rd (12pm - 4pm) + Sunday 4th (10am - 4pm)

Making Changes

After book blogging for almost five years, writing online articles, beta reading, proof reading, taking on a personal assistant roll with an author, forming a promotional company and running author services, and wearing so many hats that I sometimes forget where I've lain them all - it's time to pull back. In fact it's probably time for a well earned vacation, but for now it's time to reel everything back in.

When I first started out with My Book Chatter, it was just about the joy of reading. Of finding a great book and telling the world (or my little slice of it) all about it. Of finding new authors, talking to like minded friends, discussing and sharing thoughts and ideas... but things changed some time ago, and not necessarily for the better.

The way we blog in general has changed, just about everyone is talking about, blogging about, social media-ing up the same book, movie, the next best-thing. It's as though bloggers now have set in stone rules to follow, a kind of conformity which in turn is making us all robotic - it just seems all the same; everyone is reading - blogging - doing the same damn thing!

And while I'll never loose my love of books and reading, I've definitely lost the passion for almost everything else. Some of that can be attributed to outside influences, innumerable new authors and books flooding the market, but mostly I'm just burnt out... and bored. And boredom is pretty much a death knell for a book blogger!

So it's time to make a change... and the time to make those changes is now!

From September I will no longer be jumping on every cover reveal, book blitz and blog tour that comes my way. I will be shutting the doors on Book Chatter Promotions (except for a couple of tours I've committed to later this year). I will no-longer accept any books for review (unless it's from friends who know I'll always read their work) and I'll start removing all tabs on the blog pertaining to those things.

I'm stripping My Book Chatter back down to it's original bones.

A place for me to periodically post book reviews and randoms thoughts about books.

Simple - unfettered by outside influences - my own thoughts in my own words.

I never started out to be the same as everyone else and yet, that's exactly what happened.

Hopefully by doing this, I'll again find my true voice, rekindle that love of reading and reviewing, of sharing my sometimes too close-to-the-bone opinion. And that in of itself is exciting - I've missed that part of me!

Do I expect to loose friends and followers etc... of course.
But that's how you find out who your true friends are, they stick by you when you need them most, when you're at your most vulnerable, your most unattractive.

So there you have it - the demise of a bog standard book blog and (hopefully) the re-awakening of a solitary voice in an over-crowded room.

The A to Z of Blogging ~ B ~

B is for Books...(B is also for bloggers and blogging but I've shared a number of insights into those things in my previous blogger insights posts)
Print or e-format, there are literally millions of books out there in every genre and language imaginable. And if you're anything like me you have a never-ending tbr pile - always adding 10 more new books for every book actually read!

I haven't read as many books as I'd like to this year but my love for books and the stories within their pages is everlasting. From my early childhood of fairytales and fun to my adult erotic curiosities and murder thriller scares, books are never too far from my thoughts.

Previous Posts in this series

The A to Z of Blogging ~ An Introduction
The A to Z of Blogging ~ A ~

The A to Z of Blogging ~ A ~

A is for... authors.
Awesome authors, asshole authors, authors who seem to amass a huge and often cult-like following and authors who skirt the fringes of authordom and stay relatively unknown. 

And lets not forget the writers of our favorite TV shows and movies, they are just as important. If if wasn't for them we wouldn't have the shows we can't live without; the comedies, the dramas, blockbuster shows like The Game of Thrones for instance.

So, no matter what category an author falls into or genre they write in, they all provide one thing... entertainment!

Authors are the creators of worlds yet found - Bianca Briffa

The A to Z of Blogging ~ An Introduction

The Fabulously Festive Christmas Giveaway Blog Hop

Happy Holidays everyone
and welcome to
Book Chatter Promotions first
**Fabulously Festive Christmas Giveaway Blog Hop**

There are an amazing group of blogs participating and plenty of great prizes to be won, so be sure to visit everyone =D
(links at bottom of page)

Giveaway #1
Here's a giveaway for everyone to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway #2
Here's a giveaway just for authors to enter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here's a list all of the amazing blogs hosting a giveaway!!

Monday 15th

Bookish Things & More
Lindsey Gray ~ Author & Reviewer
The Musical Book Nook
julie juicy book blog and review

Bibliophile Mystery
Queen of the Night Reviews

Jen's All About Books
EllieSewSweet

Sydney Logan

The Revolving Bookcase

Room With Books

 In The Pages of a Good Book

Book Lovers Life

Writing Dreams

BookCrushin

Sassy Book Lovers

Mythical Books

Natalie-Nicole Bates

naughty books and bits
Inside My Worlds
Platypire Reviews
I Feel the Need, the Need to Read
My Book Chatter

Tuesday 16th

StarAngels Reviews

Read Our Lips! Book Review Blog
The Indie Bookshelf
Through the Booking Glass

Renea Mason
A Dirty Book Affair

Cajun Book Lover
Krista Ames

LeAnn's Book Reviews
Novels On The Run

 
Wednesday 17th

Paranormal Trance
Kats Book Promotions / Katsindiebookblog
Archaeolibrarian - I dig good books!

Fiction Fangirls

The Chiq Blog
This Mom Loves Alphas

Page by Page Book Obsession

 A One-click Addict's Book Blog

Thursday 18th

Your Favorite Book Corner Blog
Crazy Daisy Book Whore

Book Loving Pixies
A Little Bit of R&R
Beckstar Reviews

we stole your book boyfriend
Oh My Growing TBR

Naughty and nice book blog

Sammy's Book Obsession

 Eskimo Princess Book Reviews

Friday 19th

Book Groupies

Some Like It Hotter
Cruising Susan Book Reviews

Smut Book Junkie Book Reviews
Musings of an Author

 Buried Under Books

Once Upon An Alpha
 My Book Chatter

 ~~~~~

Presented by

Book Blast & Giveaway ~ The Chosen One Trilogy by Mireille Chester

The Chosen One Trilogy
*This series contains adult situations not suitable for younger readers*

Life for Hayden had never been overly exciting and that was the way she liked it, so when she meets the gorgeous Jasper on a trail in the woods it never occurs to her that life as she knows it is about to change. Quiet and mysterious, Jasper draws her attention like nothing she’s felt before. Suddenly, she finds herself a part of a world she never would have guessed existed and learns of a future she isn’t sure she’s ready for. Is or not she believes it, there are many who do and this makes life dangerous. Hayden must find a way to escape being captured, save the man she loves, and decide where she stands in the balance of good and evil.

You can read my review of Crossover here.

I turned my attention to Braw.
“Tomorrow night, we will have a small demonstration of your power. You will help me liberate five beings from their demons. If all goes well, we will wait four nights until the moons align with the star of Juns and when the magic of this world is at its peak, we will channel the power of Laif through the entire world, whereupon we will rid the world of demons.”
My jaw dropped. “You’ll kill them all!”
Braw shook his head. “No dear. We will free them.”
“You don’t get it!” I could feel panic taking a hold of me. “The Namaels, the Majs, they’re not possessed! That’s just who they are! It’s genetic!” I looked up at Brice and was shocked by the blank look on his face. “Brice! You have to explain to him. It will kill you!”
Brice turned slowly to look at me, his eyes wide.

Hayden has made up her mind. If she doesn’t pick sides between the Namaels and the Majs then innocent beings won’t die because of her. Of course, things can never be that simple and when she is taken prisoner by the humans a whole new problem arises. It doesn’t take long before everything she thought she knew no longer makes sense. Could it be possible that the prophecy was wrong?

You can read my review of Journey here.

Rainen looked up in time to see my horse come crashing into the ground just a few feet away from her. Her eyes widened as she gazed into the sky.
“Hayden! Shield!”
I threw my shield out to cover everyone who was closest to me. I felt my energy touch Rainen’s and I glanced at her before looking up to see what had made the screeching sound in the sky. My first thought was about dropping my shield and to welcome the dragon flying over us. My second thought was that this was no dragon. The creature in question had to be to same size as Faren, the fire dragon I was bonded to, who was about thirty feet long. Well, the same length as Faren. Whatever this was it was lacking the bulk of a dragon. It looked more like a snake with wings and ten sets of legs. It was covered from head to tail in oily looking brown feathers.
I felt the push of magic come from up above and I pushed against it with my own. The energy receded as the creature flew past us. I started to pull back my shield and felt Rainen doing the same. The screeching sound came again. Rainen swore under her breath.

As the final battle draws near, Hayden must deal with personal loss, unexpected good news, and the usual attempts on her life. Was the prophecy right and can she do everything that is expected of her? Can she go through with her plan when just one mistake could wipe out everyone she loves?

You can read my review of Destiny here. 

All of Mireille's books can be found here

Kobo

Smashwords

B&N

Amazon

**December Sale**
For the month of December, Crossover will be free and Journey & Destiny will be just .99 cents each!

Mireille Chester is a stay at home mom of three children and wife to an amazingly supportive husband. Her time is spent playing with the kids, reading, writing, and watching movies with her hubby.

Mireille is a fantasy author who loves to spend time in made up worlds filled with magic. She is a firm believer that no hero is perfect and that all villains are burdened with a tiny shred of humanity. While she writes her Adult and YA novels under the name Mireille Chester, she is now writing a middle grade series under the name M.G. Chester.

Amazon | B&N | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

  ~~~~~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Show some support for all the amazing blogs taking part =D

December 1st

Once Upon An Alpha

Buried Under Books
A One-click Addict's Book Blog
Love Bites and Silk
Willow's Author Love Blog

December 2nd

My Book Chatter
LBM Book Blog
Writing Dreams
Mad Love Book Blog
December 3rd

Book Loving Pixies
A Dirty Book Affair
Author Sandra Love

Book Bangers Blog
The Booknatics
Indie Authors Books and More
Room With Books
Ms. Me28
Rising Indies United


December 4th

Book Groupes
Sweets Books
Nerd Girl
Book Groupies


December 5th

Words Turn Me On

Mommy's Late Night Book-up
BookSkater

Sweet N Sassy Book A HolicsFictional Rendezvous Book Blog
Best of Both Worlds: Books & Naughtiness
Hooked On Books
Hopelessly Hooked on Books
Page by Page Book Obsession
Beautifully Broken Book Blog
Bex n Books

~~~

Presented by

~~~~~

Blogger Insights #1

Recently I've been spending quite some time answering questions from newbie bloggers and indie authors about all things bookish and bloggy - which I'm always happy and honored to do! - but I've spoken to some other bloggers about this, and they don't seem to field as many questions as I do; and some of them aren't actually open to doing so either - which is completely fine, I'm not judging, we all have different things going on in our lives.

But it made me think - what is it that people think I have to offer them?

Now I've always had an easy rapport with people; all ages and all walks of life and maybe that comes across. Maybe I seem to be the approachable non-threatening type, and that's cool because I am (most-of-the-time!)... but no matter, I enjoy helping people out. I'm a great believer in sharing knowledge, giving someone a helping hand, a spot of advice here and there...

And because of that, I have decided to start posting little tidbits, inspirational posts, and yes, the occasional rant (lol) to satisfy the many inquiring minds that take the time to email and facebook message me - and so My Book Chatter's Blogger Insights has been born!

So let me know if you have a question - whether book or blogger, writing or author related, or just something random you've always wanted to know and may have been to shy to ask anyone about for fear of being ridiculed or put down - and I am more than happy to keep it 100% anonymous if you'd rather.

If you have a pressing question, or an idea for a Blogger Insight subject, drop me an email: bookschatter(at)gmail(dot)com
or you can message me on facebook at my blogger profile or my blog page...

So thanks so much for stopping by, I hope to see you again soon!

The My Book Chatter 1000 Likes Giveaway!

My facebook page My Book Chatter, just reached the 1000 likes milestone!!

And to celebrate, I'm giving away some amazing signed books and Amazon giftcards!!

fill out the rafflecopter and enter for your chance to win!
open internationally

a Rafflecopter giveaway