EARLY READER PROGRAM INFO (#ARCs #bookbloggers #reviews)

It's official: I've decided to do something different regarding new releases and book reviews. Usually, eARCs (electronic advanced reader copies) are sent out to readers interested and willing to read and review (R&R) a book before or not long after it comes out; and then a few hardcopies are given to either people out of the US, or readers interested in reviewing later on, once the book has already been released.

But lately... I've been feeling like it's time to get back to actual, physical copies. There's nothing like holding the book in your hands, flipping the pages, staring at the cover, reading the back flap, and being able to pass it along to another reader who might enjoy it.

I'm not saying that I will never henceforth from this moment on ever share eARCs again, but for now, with a few projects in the works and other things possibly happening next year, it's looking like physical ARCs are going to be my main MO.

Because of this, and due to the fact that ARCs cost money to both print and ship, I'm looking for readers who are genuinely interested in reading and reviewing my books to be a part of a Early Review group.

After figuring out the cost of doing this, it's become obvious that there has to be a limited amount of spots available. (Would I love to send everyone a book? Sure. But then, um, writing more books would be hard, because I'd still be trying to pay for those darn ARCs, so how would I get the next ones out?) Therefore, I'm asking that those who DO show interest in this program only do so if they think they will be able to read and review. (Not saying read and lie; please be honest about what you think.) 

My other stipulation to this group is that those accepted need to be aware of and agree upon the stipulation that while posting a review on Goodreads is lovely, it generally does not help an author make sales. Which means I will be requiring that those in the Early Review group post their review on either Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, The Book Depository, or iBooks. (Can be some of those, all of those, whatever, as long as you do at least one.)

If, after reading all of that, you're still down to be an Early Reader (I sure hope so!) please FILL OUT THIS FORM. Those accepted into the program will be contacted in the next few weeks. Thank you in advance for your interest in my work! 

Have a blessed weekend!

#FinallyFriday {1}: Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler's Army

Finally Friday is a meme started by me (Jessica, aka @coffeelvnmom) and J from @life_love_fandoms. This week's I-finally-read-this-waiting-on-Wednesday-book is: Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler's Army. 

(This review was originally posted 2/24/15.) I'm a sucker for WWII survival stories, especially when they're YA. And yet... it's been weeks since I finished Mr. Rauch's memoir, and I'm *still* not sure what to say. You think you know what it must have been like after learning about WWII so many times in school or watching movies or doing reports or reading books about it, but you don't. Not really. Nothing can prepare you for how atrocious things got on both sides of the warfront as the war continued. Nothing can prepare you for the emotional turmoil anyone put through war has to go through. Especially when you read true recounts down to specific details (like killing a few hundred lice every night just before going to bed, for instance--and this was one of the lesser horrific ones). It breaks you. 

Most stories about WWII have to do with survivors *not* on the side of Hitler. What makes Unlikely Warrior: AJSIHA so different is that, amidst the chaos of war and death and prejudice, Georg was not a survivor of a camp, or a Jew in hiding, but a Jewish soldier, forced to fight on Hitler's side doing something he didn't even believe in. 

As you go with young Georg on his journey, reading letters his mother saved, seeing photos of family, and looking at illustrations he drew back in that day, you feel for him. You want to sit with Georg, hug his past self, and tell him everything'll be okay. And what broke me after going on that journey with him was the fact that he's no longer here to reach out to. 

I am so, so grateful for being given a chance to read this book. So glad that, even after so many decades, Mr. Rauch finally chose to tell his story. I'm also incredibly grateful for his wife, Phyllis Rauch, for translating it into English; and to Farrar, Straus, & Giroux for getting Mr. Rauch's book to more readers.

This is a good read, guys, and worth every single minute.

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