Yep, I slept through a lot of last month after my foot surgery. Seems I am very susceptible to pain medication and it zonked me out, big-time! At least while I was recuperating and before I went back to my doctor to have the bandage removed... My doctor, Dr. Arnold Tarpley, Board Certified Foot Surgeon, is a specialist that exuded confidence, intelligence and, yet, sympathy and empathy in coaching me through my first-ever major surgical event (even if it wasn't anything except the removal of a toe...) He made me feel secure in proceeding with the surgery, prayed for me at the side of the surgical operating table as I'd requested, and then I didn't know another thing until it was done! He had earlier removed a hammertoe for my sister, Dee, who had urged me to have mine done. For us, this problem is hereditary...I "Lucked" out and have one on both feet, while hers was just on one... 
I finally had the stitches taken out and Dr. Tarpley put my shoe on my left foot for the first time in weeks! I didn't have a problem at all with the surgery itself, I am sure thanks to my fine Doctor!
What I did experience was a lot of body pain as I adjusted to not being able to put pressure on my left foot...I was using muscles all over that was agitated by these requirements and my arms, back and legs hurt, while I didn't have but a few twinges on my foot! So anyway, a very public High Recommendation for Dr. Arnold Tarpley for anybody around Uniontown, Pennsylvania with any type of problems with your feet. He's socially on line at @drtarp, Twitter, and Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/pub/arnold-tarpley/11/48/a44 as well as a number of medical sites for his professional work... Great Doctor...and his son is studying to work with him, so you can connect to him on Facebook, by adding Jr. to his father's name...LOL
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I'm reading Anissa of Syria right now, and am ready to go with Shake Cats - Remember the delightful photo book on Shake Dogs which I did earlier...Can't wait to start putting that review together!Also coming is The Journeyman, Blabber Mouth, by Maples and DeCouteau; Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew, and a number of children's books as we look toward Christmas giving... I also have another book from Carolyn Arnold, with a Christmas theme, that I wasn't able to fit into my schedule with my recent spotlight, so I'll be doing that closer to the holiday...
The fact is that with everything that is happening in my personal life, I've been unable to keep up with my requests, so I will not be accepting new requests for reviews through the end of the year... As indicated in the past I do have some prior commitments which I consider but that's it for now... and maybe even longer... I will be working on my TBR stack as quickly as possible...
I have been thinking of my own health plus that of my sister and brother-in-law and realize that my time cannot be continued to put out as many articles that I have been doing.
Thanks to those authors who have allowed me to use their work whenever I can, which allows me to keep the blog going... For instance, I have a new poem by Adolfo Caso, a regular contributor, waiting as a draft to be finalized...
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Have you heard of the word Astroturfing? I heard an interesting conversation on public television recently and believe writers and authors...and other reviewers...should be aware of what is happening in the field of publishing as it relates to Astroturfing. Here's the basic definition from Wikipedia:
Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participant(s). It is a practice intended to give the statements or organizations more credibility by withholding information about the source's financial connection. The term astroturfing is a derivation of AstroTurf, a brand of synthetic carpeting designed to look like natural grass, a play on the word "grassroots." The implication behind the use of the term is that there are no "true" or "natural" grassroots, but rather "fake" or "artificial" support, though some astroturfing operatives defend the practice.
One major issue for readers and writers is that individuals are having writers from other countries write books, cheap, and then they are selling them at a profit...I saw a potential one yesterday that I asked about but got no response... If you see one individual marketing various books on various topics, please be alert that they could be selling something written on topics about which the writer has little professional knowledge.
There are many, many e-books being written by "anybody" and then sold.... They also purchase many reviews so there appears to be a major book of interest... Paid for books; paid for reviews...Scammed money in somebody's pockets!
- At my Facebook Reviewers Roundup Group, I have tightened the open admission policy... Anybody who wants to sell verified or unverified reviews is a scammer...Do Not Contact is my recommendation...
- Anybody that is adding members, especially of young girls with nothing on their pages, should be suspect...
- Yesterday I noticed that somebody was posting various books, none of which were written by him. The variety of genre looked fishy...consider them suspect...they could be written by the writers mentioned above and are being sold now, no matter what kind of work was put into the book. E.G., I read one book about Restless Leg Syndrome, that was fairly well written, but it was clear to me that the author had researched the book and even quoted straight from reference books... Just remember that these individuals have provided nothing that you probably cannot find online with a simple search... Be Cautious...
- Reviewers should be referenced just like anybody else who does a job for you. If you are looking for reviewers, check them out! You should be able to find them online if they are reputable...If not, be very leery...
Have patience with Amazon which has been hit with thousands of reviews being created by scammers...BE SURE TO ABIDE BY THEIR RULES... Make sure if you are seeking a review that you either provide a clearly marked ARC which can be used to verify the formal request as an exception... Ensure you make a comment that you are seeking an honest review... And do try to acquire reviews from those who do not know you (or have become involved only related to providing reviews.
I tend to be more friendly with those for whom I review, but I'm trying very hard to make sure that those who are legitimately working to acquire reviews are aware of what steps they must take to abide by rules, as established...
By the way, have to end with sharing a cute gimmick I got on Twitter...
Read it, bought it...
Then sent him the pic at the left!
I'll be reviewing his book sometime soon and I think you'll know why I immediately responded as I did... The Key Thing though was that he creatively approached me and got me interested! Think what your books are about and see how you can attract those who may want to read your books!
My point is that, writers need to become CREATIVE marketers related to their book... Many writers are thinking like readers when they make their decisions related to marketing efforts... You really need to put on a brand new hat and start brainstorming how to get the word out... especially in this time of electronic publishing scams...
Reviews help--but do you know that many writers don't take advantage of their reviews... By that I mean that, once they are written and posted, they make no efforts to share them again and again... Some of mine have started doing this and their reviews get thousands of hits as opposed to hundreds...
Do you realize that streaming information is wasted if you only do it once...Consider just your connections... You may have 2-3 see a posting on the day you post...
But if you continue to post the same information in a routine manner, you will have many who miss it who catch up through multiple shared streaming...
For me, I'm posting most days so many readers catch up on past reviews when they come to visit for, possibly, their first time... And don't forget to have your book up on all sites handling books!
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'nuf for now, except one last caution...Tumbler has had quite a number of pornographic materials being posted. I received notices of being followed by very young girls with very explicit pics! Parents, do be sure you know what sites and what materials are available on those sites! There are many out there now with free access to nude, naked, and explicit shots of teens... Remember the book, Seduced... Your Teenagers are INDEED BEING SEDUCED! See my review if you haven't yet read... YOU MUST BE CONCERNED AND ACTIVE!
GABixlerReviews
Free thinkers don't charge for advice
Learned about Wobblies this month in a Book I read!
Did you know the Word Used This Way?
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