Thanks for stopping by! This is the official blog for the Rona Shively Stories Mystery Series. Check in for details on upcoming Rona Shively Stories and other events! Watch Rona's transformation as she tackles life head on, now armed with newly found faith and the knowledge that she is not actually in control of anything. Finally, it is all starting to make sense.

Upcoming Events

***All Rona Shively books are now available on Kindle! See below for details!***Buy your copy of any Rona Shively Story and help someone today. All proceeds go to Higher Ground Ministries to empower women! Get your copy today at Amazon.com!***Help women reach Higher Ground! http://www.highergroundministries.wordpress.com.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

And for review...

The process of doing book reviews isn't as easy as you might think. I belong to two review groups online and they keep me as busy as I want to be. It's all strictly volunteer, so there is no money involved. The big benefit is that I get to read! And, I get to read new books for free! Every so often, I receive notices from the groups telling me that an author has submitted a book for review. I can choose to volunteer to review the book or wait for one that is more to my liking. I then respond to their query and they contact the author to arrange to have the book sent out to me.

Once I receive the book, I spend my spare time (of which there is precious little) reading through and gathering the pertinent points of the book. Generally, I choose self-help or non-fiction books. I have an easier time remaining objective on these. After all, they are either on topic or they aren't. Some are better than others, and for those that don't quite live up to the hype provided on their book jackets, I try to find the most positive aspects of the writing and review those. I usually don't focus on negatives so if the book is so bad that I can't find anything positive to say, then I don't do the review.

After I have completed my reading, I sit down and write the review. Each review group has its own template for submitting reviews. Some require more information than others. Some review sites have rating systems such as the stars or other quirky symbols related to their theme. Most require general information such as the title, author, ISBN, price, and number of pages. For the most part, the actual "review" part is about two to three paragraphs long. Sometimes, this comes easily and other times, it has been a struggle just to get that first paragraph.

I have enjoyed writing reviews and I always appreciate those who have taken the time to read and make sincere comments about my writing. Sabrina Sumsion is a publicist who recently reviewed my book, In the Wash on her blog, Sabrina's Reviews. As a fellow reviewer, I appreciated her matter-of-fact style and unique insights into the books that she chooses to review. Take a look at her reviews. I'm sure you'll find them interesting and you might even get a lead on a great book!

Until next time...

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Soup, anyone?

I'm a big fan of the show, The Soup. For those of you who watch it regularly, you can appreciate this. I get a great deal of satisfaction from watching the host, Joel McHale,take stabs at the various talk shows. Somebody has to do it and this guy is really good at it.

I particularly enjoyed the bit about the Paris Hilton jail release stories airing on the news. One reporter decided she was fed up with covering this ridiculous bit of "news" and he had a clip from her mini-tyrade. MSNBC is also running a clip from the aftermath of Mika Brzezinski's refusal to run the Paris Hilton story as the lead on the morning broadcast the other day. See it here!

I really enjoyed this and I commend Brzezinski for sticking to her guns on this. This ties into my previous post about media vultures and shows that there are still some journalists out there who stand up for doing it right. Though this was my first exposure to her work as I try not to watch alot of news these days, I have to give her credit for taking a stand.

Contest News!

Well, the Got Character contest deadline arrived yesterday and we have some really good entries to choose from. Stay tuned and we'll be posting the contest winner on July 16th! Thanks to all who entered!

A Little Bit of Mystery: Short Mysteries to Confuse and Amuse

Where I've Been...

Listen to my interview on the Jeffery S. Miller show.

Listen to my interview on Calling All Authors.

Listen to my interview on the Let's Just Talk w/Kathryn Raaker.

Listen to my interview on Radio Free Baxter.

Where I'll Be...

After a short break in the summer, I'll be at the following locations:

8/11/09 Allen Park Public Library, Allen Park, MI 6:30 p.m.

Looking for something entertaining for your library or bookstore patrons? Looking for a fun way to spend a couple of hours? Do you love mysteries? Then you need to schedule a Tea & Mystery event for your library or bookstore! The fee is minimal and the presentation is fun and informative! Attendees will be given the chance to win great prizes and share their thoughts about the mystery genre and their favorite mystery writers!

E-mail me today at lonestoryteller@yahoo.com for details on how to set up your Tea & Mystery event!

Books by Rebecca Benston

Reviews for Rebecca Benston

“You'll find yourself looking forward to more stories from the files of Rona Shively.”

Michelle Shealy, Reviewer for MyShelf.com

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“Rebecca Benston has written a detective with plenty of suspense…I hope there will be a sequel…”

Annick, Reviewer for Euro-Reviews

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“The story is good, the plotting great. Rebecca Benston draws you into the story from the first page. Read the book.”

Lucille P. Robinson, An Alternative Read

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“Rebecca Benston’s twists, turns, and descriptions are utterly engaging.”

Tracy, Fallen Angel Reviews

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“In The Wash is like a 1930’s film noir detective story that had a modern, edgy twist and a female lead.”

Janet Davies, Once Upon a Romance Reviews

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“Under Lock and Key is an enjoyable, fun book! Rona Shively is a delightful character. I loved her off-beat, quirky personality and her outstanding sense of humor.”

Connie Harris, MyShelf.com

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“Talented author Rebecca Benston shows the reader just how complicated life can get suddenly and how people you thought you knew, aren't who you thought they were.”

Anne K. Edwards, Mysteryfiction.net