FREE Book Reviews for Self Published Authors

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I have observed that there are a number of very talented writers who have opted to publish their own books instead of going the traditional route of being published through a publishing house. I have also noted that these excellent writers often find it challenging to get their book reviewed for one reason or another.

So, starting July 23, I will be accepting self published books for review. Once a book is accepted for review you will receive and email notification. Once, the book review is written it will be published on the following blogs: Lioness Rebirth, New Day Book Reviews and C.S.E.C. English Made Easy. The review will also be shared on Good reads, Amazon, Face book and twitter.

Additionally, I am open to doing blog tours, author interviews and guest post reviews. For further details please read my review policy.

Review Policy 

I am currently open to receiving Advance Reading Copies and Review Copies of e books  from self published authors. My preferred genres are How to books, D.I.Y. Books, with the occasional Romance novel (Historical, Contemporary). This does not, however, mean that we will not consider books from other genres! I love mysteries, historical fiction, and will consider any book with a great synopsis.

I will not accept any book that is linked to: the occult, erotica, zombies, etc.

I cannot promise to agree to every review request, nor can I guarantee a favourable review of books sent to me. I ,however, promise to be fair and honest in my review.  I will consider all queries and review copies sent my way but I regret that I might not able to respond to all email  queries. If you don’t hear from me in a timely fashion please resend your email.

My review copy preference is for e books, followed by print copies as I am located in Jamaica. As such, digital ARCs/review copies will be given precedence over print copies. My preferred format is PDF.

If you are willing and able to ship to my location I will definitely review your book.

In order to contact me with a review query, please sent an email @ lionbiz25@gmail.com 

Do It Yourself Money Tips- How to Get Paid Blogging

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Although money is paper we all have some need for it. We need it to pay the bills, to buy important items that are needed and the list goes on. In short, money is helpful to function on a day to day basis. However, what do we do when the little money we have is not sufficient? What then?

Some of us would love to live in a mansion with hired help but the reality is our merger salary just cannot support the lifestyle. Do we (A) change and adapt to our situation or (B) create more debt while trying to keep up with the Jones?

 If we examine nature, we realize that the natural environment adjust itself to each season. Animals hibernate, trees lose their leaves and birds migrate to survive winter. They all adapt themselves knowing that a different season must come. That although it is challenging now, tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow will be better if when life changes; we function more effectively in our new environment of change. In adjusting we will develop skills that will ensure our survival like the animals in nature. 

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With all of this in mind, for this summer we at Lioness Rebirth will embark on a new project entitled, Do It Yourself Money Tips. This will be a weekly post that will explain to you how to make money online, how to save money and how to find great deals. All of these will be simply and easy ways in which you can create additional income for yourself, while saving. At the bottom of this post we will give you a brief preview of this weekly post.

Do it Yourself Money Tip # 1-How to Get Paid Blogging

When I first started blogging I did not have any idea that I could get paid to blog. For me blogging was a great hobby that I loved. It was and still is a joy to sit and create for others to enjoy. However, then I discovered that once you have great content and you have honed your skills as a writer you can be paid to do what you love.

Content is KING

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I shared my experience above because I wanted to highlight two things about paid blogging that is important. The first is great content. In blogging content is KING. If you are not a celebrity no one wants to really know the inner details about your life. Don’t get me wrong, it is good to share details about yourself to your core audience to build a rapport but it is better to provide information to your readers that they can use in their daily lives. Great content is what will drive readers to your blog and increase your blog stats. High blog stats is one of the things that will help you to gain paid blogging opportunities. Therefore, think about a niche for yourself and develop great content for the readers in your niche. This way you will be successful.

Honing Your Skills

 The second important thing I want to highlight is honing your skills as a writer. There are a number of excellent bloggers out there who have worked tirelessly to develop their blogs and their skills and in doing so they are reaping the rewards of their hard work (paid opportunities). In honing your skills you can develop an eye for good content by reading other blogs, books, magazines, newspapers, etc. Basically, immerse yourself in the written word; in doing so you can examine various writing styles and develop your own. It is important to note that in writing your posts; you should aim to keep your language simple and to the point. This way your readers will not be confused by highfalutin terms. 

My dictionary is right at my finger tips.

Most importantly, always proofread and edit your blog. If your spelling is poor make your dictionary your friend. If you don’t have a dictionary get one. No one wants to read a post that is loaded with grammatical errors. What I find helps me is that I type my posts in Microsoft Word and then paste them in Blogger. This helps me to edit my posts better. After I have published my posts, I also read my posts to see if I missed any errors while I was editing. Even if you only have one reader always try to produce the best final product.

Paid Opportunities

Once you have done the above you can start looking for paid blogging opportunities. One website that I found that is simple and easy to get paid blogging jobs is Bloggingpro.com. Bloggingpro.com is a website that helps bloggers by providing help tips on how to improve your blog. What I absolutely love about the site is its online job board. Their job board is designed in a way where you the blogger, writer, editor can apply for various blogging jobs from real companies. In doing so you don’t necessarily have to go through a middle man like with a company like SocialSpark.

For additional information on How to Get Paid Blogging you can also read this post: Five Websites You can Use to Monetize Your Blog 

10 Reasons Why Men Should Respect Women

Men's and women's natural tendencies complement one another nicely, creating solid incentives for pairing-up to tackle life's challenges. Of course everyone is different and couples create countless scenarios, but common threads weave their ways through most relationships shared by men and women.

While each gender brings something to the table, men are the biggest benefactors in most pairings; trading sensitivity and understanding for manly traits like stoicism and brute strength.  Whether mothers, wives or daughters; there are plenty of reasons for men to respect women, including the following:

Women See Things in ways Men Can't - Women carry a unique perspective that's hard to put a finger on, at times. Perhaps explained by the fabled "women's intuition", they just have a knack for getting to the heart of the matter, without requiring a logical progression of ideas or actions to arrive there. Not that they don't lean on perception and observation like men do, but women somehow seem as though they'd be fine with or without a great deal of forethought.

Men do Better with Women's Support - The old adage holds true for a reason: Behind every great man, there really is a great woman. More often than not, men reach greater levels of fulfillment in their lives, when partnered with strong and understanding women. Whether career ambitions or child-rearing duties, men with female support embark more confidently toward success - perhaps explaining the phenomenon.

They are Mothers - Men share close bonds with their mothers, in much the same way "daddy's little girls" hold special places with fathers. You don't need to be a "mama's boy" to appreciate women on a maternal level, though. The experiences you've shared with mom are enough to carve out an everlasting bond. And you are ever-indebted for her efforts - not the least of which is bringing you into the world.

Mirror Image of Men - In many ways, men and women occupy opposite ends of the spectrum. Physically, emotionally and motivationally; men and women are like night and day. Men's respect for women acknowledges it, and salutes women for filling in the blanks where men fail to see the light.

Women are Smarter - More than just lyrics to an old folk song, women carry unique understanding that eludes men. While it is hard to quantify smarts, it is safe to say women bring insight to the table, which might otherwise escape male audiences.

Compassionate Beings - Empathy and compassion are much-admired traits held by women; especially by men who sometimes need sensitivity training. Women seem to care about others more than men do, at times, so men respect them for getting in-touch with their feelings.

Born Nurturers - In addition to abstract commitments to others, women actually do something about it.  Tapping maternal instincts and kind dispositions, women start nurturing others at young ages.  Girls help siblings and parents, and then grow up to nurture their own children. Men respect women's ability to take-on nurturing roles without hesitation.

Women are Strong Negotiators - Men are called on to bargain with car dealers and make sure no one gets ripped off by the furnace repair man, but it is actually women who shine brightest during negotiations.  Stopping short of manipulation, good-hearted women influence others to see things as they do, yielding compromise and progress faster than men who draw lines in the sand.

Spiritual Strength - Men admire women for strong spiritual connections they develop over the course of their lives. Women earn additional respect for applying their strength of spirit in meaningful ways; through charity and outreach.

Unselfish Actions - Women prove worthy of respect time and time again, engaging in unselfish acts of kindness, at the drop of a hat. As daughters, mothers and mates; women contribute immeasurable positive influences to the lives of those around them.

Men love and respect women for countless personal reasons, but universal adoration stems from some of women's most endearing traits. Men need not look far for worthy reasons to respect their female counterparts.

Author Bio:

This is a guest post by Sarah Brooks from free people search. She is a Houston based freelance writer and blogger. Questions and comments can be sent to brooks.sarah23 @ gmail.com.

Tips for Using Honey in Cooking

Honey will enrich and add subtle flavour to dishes such as casseroles, sauces and dressings. Honey can be used as a natural substitute for sugar in most recipes but as it is sweeter than sugar, less is needed. Similarly, as almost one-fifth of honey is water, the liquid content of a recipe should be reduced by the same amount.

Honey with meat:-

Honey-cured ham or baked gammon coated with honey and mustard date back from medieval times.

Marinades containing honey and vinegar make meat more tender and succulent.

In a barbecue sauce, golden honey gives a distinct flavour as it caramelises.

Honey gives a delicious crispy coating on roast chicken.

Honey with vegetables:-

Just adding a small amount of honey can do surprising things for everyday vegetables such as honey glazed carrots.

Orange blossom honey is perfect when added to a spicy vegetable stir fry as the sweetness of honey counteracts the spiciness of chillies, peppers, garlic and spices.

Honey in salad dressings:-

Adding honey to salad dressings and sauces can enhance the flavour and give extra body.
Honey in desserts and cakes:-

Honey is great for keeping cakes and biscuits fresh and moist. It's also sweeter than sugar, so much less is needed to achieve the same results.

Today, honey is appreciated as an unadulterated, natural product, less processed than any other sweetening agent, and with fewer calories.







Resource Sites:
http://www.painease.com/honey_in_beauty.htm
http://www.honeyassociation.com/index.asp?pid=11

Who Says You Are a Victim?- Positive Wednesdays

Who says you are a victim? No seriously, who told you that you are a victim? Yes, I am talking to you. I know that often it might seem like your life is totally falling apart but are you really a victim because of this. Oftentimes, the negative things that are happening in our lives are several learning curves. These are often the lessons we need to learn but we are too pigheaded to acknowledge them. So, does this mean you are a victim? No, you are only a victim when you declare that you are.  Yes, I said it. You are the one who is victimizing your own self. You’re the one who is speaking negativity and hopelessness in your own life.

I am dead tired but this post has been in my heart because this is something that I have been doing without even thinking about it. It is day 17 of my 21 day challenge and it has been a serious learning curve. I was in church on Sunday and right after communion and I was praying, out of nowhere, I was stung by a wasp. I kid you not. Immediately, I started saying to myself, why me. I went on, how can this happen? I was about to start pulling out the victim card when it clicked into focus. Why should I cry, worry or be the victim, when I can pray. So, I prayed and I forgot about the fact that I was stung. Do you know that my face was not swollen (this is unusual for me) and by that afternoon the pain was gone.

My experience just highlighted for me that we often claim and speak the wrong things into our lives. I know I have. If you think back, how many times have you spoken sadness and hopelessness into your own life by the nature of your own words? Therefore, it is like I said, you are victimizing your own life. So I will end like how I began, who told you that you are a victim?  Who did? Who really did?

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Ways in which Baking Soda can be used in the Home

As long as I can remember, my mom had a box of baking soda in our home. However, I have never thought about using baking soda until a friend of mine mentioned how it helped to exfoliate her skin. She kept telling me about her morning skin care routine. Yet, my interest was not piqued until I saw her skin looking absolutely radiant. I was in awe. So, the next day I bought my first box of baking soda. 

Here is a list of ways you can use baking soda:

Scrub

You can pour a teaspoon of baking soda unto a damp rag and gently exfoliate your skin. You will find that it leaves your skin nice and smooth. I was amazed at how smooth my skin felt.

Deodorizer

You can pour four teaspoons of baking soda in an open container and place it in your fridge. Over time you will realize that your fridge will remain noticeably free of various odours that accompany various foods.

Brighten colours

You can add a handful of baking soda to your laundry and it will help to brighten the colour of your clothes.

Toilet cleaner

You can also sprinkle baking soda in your toilet and let it sit for one hour before flushing; it will remove the stains and odour from your toilet. You can scrub your toilet if necessary.

How to Pick Up the Pieces after a Tragedy

We are never prepared for a tragedy like the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. Or like the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Or like the attacks on the World Trade Centers. Devastating, horrific events like these are rare, but they do happen. When they do, it is not just those who were directly affected who must learn how to survive and how to live life again. Even the spectators -- even those of us who lived hundreds or thousands away from the events -- can feel the same fear, grief, and despair that these tragedies can cause.

Fortunately, you can pick up the pieces after a tragedy and learn how to move on. Of course, the process will be different depending on how close you were involved in the tragedy -- and if you were directly affected, you will need to do serious work with a counsellor. However, these steps can help you start the healing process:

Don't Dwell on the "Why"

You will want to find answers to explain why a tragedy happened so you can make better sense of it. After the Sandy Hook shooting, people questioned the shooter's motivation, how mental health care treatment have prevented the tragedy, and of course, how different gun laws may have kept weapons out of the shooter's hands. After Hurricane Katrina, people questioned the evacuation procedure and the quality of the city's infrastructure.

Though you may want to question how the tragedy could have happened, answers will rarely be found. You will dwell on asking "why" but will likely never get the satisfaction of an answer. Therefore, you will not be able to move on. Don't focus on why the tragedy happened; focus on what you can do to heal.

Mourn the Loss

Even if you were not directly involved in the tragedy -- even if you were not present or do not know anyone who was present -- you may feel grief. You may feel grief for those who were lost. You may feel grief over a certain loss of "innocence" or hope on your part. You may feel fear, hopelessness, or despair.

Allow yourself to mourn that loss. Experience the grieving process so you can get through those feelings and begin healing.

Get Support

Find others who can understand what you are going through and can offer you support. You may want to find other survivors or others who were affected in a similar way by the events. Or you may simply want to surround yourself with family and friends who can offer you support.

If you have been more directly impacted by the tragedy, your support can be a counselor or group therapy. It is important to get the right kind of support to help you process your feelings and get on the road to healing.

Maintain Your Routine

It is important to continue with your "normal" life as much as possible. Instead of giving in to despair and falling into inaction, you should focus on maintaining your regular routine as much as possible. Get up and go to bed at the same time, eat meals, go to work, see friends, and get some exercise. If you don't try to do these things, you run the risk of allowing yourself to wallow in your grief and become immobilized by despair.

Focus on Positive Action

You may feel angry or helpless after a tragedy because you feel like there is nothing you can do about what has happened. While you cannot change the past, you can focus on positive action to shape the future. You can volunteer with relief groups. You can work with advocacy organizations that are trying to bring about change. You can make a donation to a non-profit organization doing important work on a related issue.

By focusing on these positive actions, you can feel like you are doing something to prevent future tragedies, and that can help you in the healing process.

No one can ever be truly prepared for a tragedy. However, when a tragedy does happen, these steps can help you to pick up the pieces and begin again. Ultimately, you will make it through the healing process and learn how to live again.

Carmen Brettel is a writer and manager for Studentgrants.org. In her spare time, Carmen enjoys gardening and volunteering at animal shelters.