I LOVE BOOKS!

Empty Pages Waiting To Be Filled
Originally uploaded by Drew Wilson Photography

I love love love books! I know that goes without saying,and at this point, that is no secret. Strangely, since really digging into ijustfinished.com about a year ago, my time actually reading has fallen off. I have been so busy I have not made time to read. Long story short, I needed a tiny mental health break. So, I took some “me” time and have dug into my To Be Read pile.
After zipping through Katie MacAlister’s latest Silver Dragon’s novel,
then I got cozy with Fearless Fourteen. Good ole Janet E. knocked it home. Now, I am juggling Dr. Karp’s Happiest Toddler On The Block and How Come No One Knows About Us (yes I know that is work related, but it is also going to be the push over the edge on the site’s success), while being teasedby a new fresh copy of Twilight waiting to be cracked for the first time on my nightstand. I am eager to get sucked into another vivid world, but diligently finishing my non-fiction first.
Last night Harry Potter was on TV, and I was actually wishing I had not yet read the whole series, ’cause I miss the excitement of that story unfolding. I guess it is a good thing that I had to wait the year between each book like everyone else, since I think if I just found it now, and read them all straight through I would probably have to start taking medication for the sadness I would feel when it was over. The sense of loss of the story would have been too much.
That is precisely why I love books. I love being compelled to feel joy and sadness, grieve, and reflect , made to think, and moved to rejoice. How cool that someone else’s thoughts, ideas, dreams or knowledge can evoke those emotions in me, or the entire world. That is really an amazing way to touch people and be touched.
Now, I am getting back to the reason behind the my motivation for ijustfinished.com, and I feel more focused, and excited that when the ijustfinished’s idea seed first took root in my brain. I cannot think of another group of people that I’d rather spend my life working for, talking with, and helping succeed, than readers and authors. Thank you for fueling my passion.

Pink Felt Hat 2

Pink Felt Hat 2
Originally uploaded by JunieFlickr

I have been beating myself up for not blogging as often as I should, but struggling cause most of what I think to blog seems like complaints that I have too much to do and not enough time to do it all. No one likes a whiner! So, I pulled up my chair (well ball actually, yes I sit on a giant pink ball to work, don’t laugh) and decided to take off all my other hats, and there are many, and put on my blogger hat, to get the creative juices flowing. Of course, the idea was a metaphor when I went to Flickr to find a cool hat picture, (something about scanning Flickr for just the perfect image helps me get in the writing mood), and I found this hat. I think it is so stinking cool, now I am going to have to go out and find one.

More to the point…..What is going on here in my crazy world. You may have noticed that the new look has launched on ijustfinished.com and is getting great reviews.
Some of the bugs, and my “ideas” as the rest of the teams likes to call them, are still being hashed out, much to my frustration, but overall it is rocking.

We have tons of new reviewers. They are signing up, entering their profiles, and sending feedback. That is very exciting. Soon they will have a meet the reviewer page, so the community feeling will continue to grow. That is what I am the most excited about!

Publishers are sending up ARCs for review, and beginning working relationships with us, that I hope will one day turn into advertising, once they see how invaluable the site with be for marketing their authors, and new books.

You might have heard me and my Texan drawl along with the rest of the ijustfinished.com team on the first “Coffee with an Author” podcast, up on the site, or on iTunes, or blogtalkradio.com. The show is our weekly podcast where authors chat about what they just finished. You can subscribe to the weekly show via iTunes or Blogtalkradio.com, or listen from our site.

We are also working with a videographer, Debbie, who is polishing our video cast, “The Conversation of Books”, and expect to have the snappy new intro and a weekly installment for the everyday reader, giving candid reviews of what they are reading.

That is the cliff notes version of the goings on here at ijustfinished.com. As you can see, I have many hats, and am a busy girl. Now, I have to put on my errand girl hat (think really stylish news boy hat) to head to the post office, so I can get all these books out to our awesome reviewers!




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