Today's Q&A Author: Kathy Borrus

Did you think we were finished presenting Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart authors? Nope! Here is our interview with author Kathy Borrus. 

How long have you been writing essays?

When I went to summer camp near Tanglewood in western Massachusetts, we were forced to listen to a trio play classical music twice a week. Camped out on blankets under the evening summer sky, the only acceptable activities (other than listening) were reading and writing. That was my beginning--letters home to relatives and friends. Too bad I didn’t know then (from age 9 to 15) how lucky I was!

 When and where was your first essay published?

The Boston Globe picked up a travel essay I wrote about Guatemala and even published my photos (and paid me for them)! I think the editor took pity on me after I flubbed the negotiations for the essay fee.

 How did it feel when you discovered your essay had been chosen for inclusion in this book?

Happy and excited. I’ve written travel essays and wrote the book, The Fearless Shopper (published by Travelers Tales), which contains many travel essays about shopping as a way to explore cultures, but this is a first  unrelated to travel.

 Tell us a bit about the essay published Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. What is it about and why did you write it?

I had been tutoring second graders in reading for a couple of years and I enjoyed working with the kids one at a time to improve their reading. It was also a way to fulfill a need I had to be around children. But then in the third year I tutored a little boy whom I was crazy about. The essay, One-on-One, just poured out of me from that experience. So, on one level it’s about tutoring kids in reading, but the essay is really about motherhood.

 

Had you tried the essay market before?

Yes, but trying to get an editor's attention remains a challenge. Are my submissions languishing on an unsolicited pile somewhere or are they just not worthy of publication?

 

What does it mean to you to be published in this anthology?

After several essay rejections I was wondering if I had anything worth saying. Having an essay in Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart gives me inspiration to keep trying.

  Do you have any words of wisdom to share with someone who says "I don't have anything to write about."?

Just start with something small and accessible. Then, keep writing!

Amy Pengra, author of the essay First Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, shares her thoughts with us about Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart, and essay writing.

How long have you been writing essays?

I’d say college when I studied a variety of writing styles and began keeping a journal, which has been a great tool for mining personal essays (and pointless rants for the blog market). But I didn’t fully understand or embrace the structure of personal essay until about five years ago after taking classes and working with my writing group.

When and where was your first essay published?

In 1994, Fate Magazine published a story I wrote in college about the ghost in our family lake house. Reading the story now makes me a little nauseous, but I was elated at the time. Fate is a small pub that prints “true reports of the strange and unknown.” After my story ran, I took a 12-year break to focus my career on less strange and unknown topics like advertising and marketing.

How did it feel when you discovered your essay had been chosen for inclusion in this book?

Amazing! I couldn’t believe it. A fellow FLX member and friend told me about the contest, but I’d forgotten. Then she reminded me again on the final day submissions were due, so I sent the story on a whim with very low expectations. I feel so fortunate to be the company of such well-established and talented writers. I was also excited that FLX chose my suggested title for the book – that was unexpected and very exciting, too!

Tell us a bit about the essay published Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. What is it about and why did you write it?

The story is about my first love, first time and first heartbreak – all three milestones occurred together creating a neat little story package. I’d thought of writing about the experience many times because the memory was so vivid and it had a significant impact on my life. Plus, I believed the story would be relatable. But I did more thinking (read: watching television) than writing until I was inspired to write the piece for an essay-reading event that I attend (and read for) in LA where I live. Each month’s show has a specific theme, which prompt a variety of ideas. The themes that prompted this story were “Surprise!” and “Choices”.

Had you tried the essay market before?

Outside of this book and my post-college published story, no – but I plan to give it a try since I have several unfinished essays sitting on my computer looking for homes.

What does it mean to you to be published in this anthology? 

Like many writers, I’ve dreamed of being published since I was a kid sitting in front of my parents’ typewriter writing “my first book” (which was essentially a series of made up phone conversations with the boy I had a crush on in third grade.) So having a story of mine in this amazing book is truly a dream come true. To be included with such talented writers is validating and also a little frightening…because this means I could do more writing and doing more is scary! I’ve been writing essays as a hobby the last several years, but have been reluctant to try submitting any of my work without clips under my belt. I have to say that FLX and the fantastically supportive members have really inspired me to try despite my lack of experience – I would never have entered the contest without them. I couldn’t be more thrilled and grateful.

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with someone who says "I don't have anything to write about."?

All writers think that from time to time (or daily as the case may be). But the key is putting pen to paper and letting the words flow – no editing, no rereading – just go with whatever is on your mind even if it starts with your grocery list and turns into a rant about the economy and how kids today don’t appreciate life like you did when you were young. Don’t judge. Releasing your inner critic is tough, but just let those “this is terrible/you are terrible” thoughts (these are samples of mine) go and keep writing. I think the key to finding your voice and what you want to say is being honest and authentic on the page and then patient with the process. All writing requires re-writing. And more rewriting. Getting to the heart of your story can take several drafts, but it’s worth the process to dig out the truth. I love this quote about writing from E.M. Forster: “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” It’s true, so go find out!

Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart 1 of 4 Featured Titles at Media Bistro's Book Club Party!

Great news! Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart is one of four featured titles for MediaBistro's next Book Club party. Contributor Emily Rogan will read her essay "All About the Hair," followed by drinks and mingling at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 17. Exact Midtown Manhattan location TBA.

This information is provided by Emma Johnson.

"This is a big deal for the book - these events bring out a lot (sometimes 100 or more) NYC media types. The biggest deal (IMO) is that Fits, Starts will get a mention in a party email invitation sent to more than 30,000 people, as well as on MB's website with a link to our Amazon page. PLUS, pics of the event will be posted via Flickr on MB's party page.

Authors featured in past MB Book Club parties include Emma McLaughlin (Nanny Diaries), David Farley (An Irreverent Curiosity), David Rushkoff (Life Inc.), and Alix Strauss (Based upon Availability)."

Fabulous news for Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. Yay!

Nice Review of Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart

Reviewers are beginning to notice our book, Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss and Everything in Between.

Today's review is over at The Internet Review of Books.

Thanks IRB!

Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart Featured over at Monster.com's NursingLink

It's always fun when someone recognizes that a book is good and worth promoting. It's even more fun when you're invited to write an article about it and your client will post it on their site for a week.

Check out what NursingLink, a nursing community part of Monster.com, has posted for us: Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart.

Lots of Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart Linking

Our book, Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart is getting notice in blogs and newspapers, and on the radio!

Check out these links:

CJAD Radio: Passions (scroll to Audio Highlights - "Authors Wendy Helfenbaum & Marijke Vroomen-Durning")

She Reads and Reads: Monday Mailbox

West End Times (Montreal): Scene

West Coast Families: New Book: Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart

Examiner.com: Fits, Starts, and Matters of the Heart--collection of relationship stories


Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism:  "Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss & Everything In Between"

Montreal Book Launch and Signing Report: Success!

On Thursday, November 25, Wendy Helfenbaum and Marijke Vroomen-Durning presented the book Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. They were hosted by the lovely owners of Café 92, a local coffee shop in the western part of Montreal.

Wendy Helfenbaum & Marijke Vroomen-Durning

"Many people stopped by to meet us and to buy books and/or have them signed. We even had two writers who teach writing skills stop by with a couple of their students. That was a treat in itself.

We sold 29 books and we're sure the coffee shop owner sold a lot more coffee and hot chocolate than they usually do on a Thursday evening. It was a win-win situation - we had people come to see us and our hostess had people discover their little oasis.

We chose to do a "5 à 7" (cinq à sept), which is a traditional Montreal event. It's a time when people go to a bar or some other place on their way home from work. And that's exactly what many of our visitors did - some stopped in briefly, others stayed to chat and have supper."

Book Give-away

Monica Bhide - one of the authors included in Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart is hosting a give-away. You could win a copy of the book and something very special to Monica's heart. Check out her blog to see what exactly that is and how to enter!

Joene Hendry Writes About Her Feelings of the Book, Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart

Have you ever wondered how a first-time published essayist may feel when she sees the final product and finally has the chance to hold the book in her hands? Joene Hendry penned her thoughts and offered to give us a glimpse of how she felt the day she received her copy of Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss, and Everything in Between

My First Read of  Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss, and Everything in Between

By Joene Hendry 

The cold, rain-drenched November day shed little natural light toward my overstuffed reading chair. Some supplemental florescence would be needed to read what the mail delivered yesterday in a nondescript corrugated package. Though I had carefully opened the package to insure the contents arrived undamaged, until now I  had to squelch my excitement over the words within my copy of Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss, and Everything in Between.

The book is a compilation of essays - one of them mine - written by writers who are also members of the professional writers' group, Freelance Success. As a freelance writer my byline appeared on hundreds of print and online articles, all reporting facts and research. This was different. For the first time my name is listed as an author in a published book. For this publication I put a piece of myself - a huge, intensely personal piece - out there for all to read.

Many years had to pass before I could begin to write the feelings my essay conveys. Many months went by before I had the emotional strength to rewrite, rework, rehash, and tweak the words that eventually matured into Tending the Garden of Grief.

When I first compiled this essay I suspected my series of sentences and paragraphs was worthy of sharing, but I was too close to its contents to be sure. When I submitted the essay to Andrea King Collier during one of her popular essay classes, and she called to say, "this is beautifully written," I knew I had the makings of a publishable work.

Still, my tale - not the kind of feel good essay many publications seek - remained in the essay folder in my computer, undergoing occasional tweaks and revisions. It only came out from its protective archives when the Freelance Success team asked members for personal essay submissions for a self-published book project they planned.

After carefully reading the submission guidelines and tweaking my essay out of its lengthy gestation I hit 'Send' and hoped for the best.

It's a major understatement to say I was thrilled after learning my essay was chosen. Now, after of hundreds of hours of committee work by Freelance Success members who believed that turning a bunch of personal essays into a book was a worthy exercise, I held the book in my hands.

My collective words make up just one/twenty-eighth of the other personal stories in Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss, and Everything in Between. I was anxious to see, feel, and absorb the subjects the other writers tackled.

I read of events that wove the fabric of each author's life - that strengthened the author's sense of self or of others. Some ring true with my memories, others are foreign to my experiences. But all, whether about families, friends, lovers, pets, or life-changing events, touched some part of me.

As I sat curled into my don't-bother-me reading chair, protected from the autumn chill by the afghan my Grandmother made for me years ago, I read how two dear friends share the warmth of their friendship by trading off the crocheted goods they created when they lived near each other. How a woman knitted as her way of dealing with the loss of a loved one.

I shed memorial tears of losing two of my adored pets as I read others' accounts of finding, learning to love, and losing their beloved furry companions. And I marveled at how a wingless butterfly can be the impetus for a child's and a parent's learning.

After reading this compilation, I'm overcome with admiration for my fellow essayists. The breadth and depth of the subject matter is so diverse - sexuality, personal quirks, family shortcomings and traditions, sending children off into the world, loves gained and lost, foods that nourish beyond the belly.

Anyone with a pulse will find something in  Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss, and Everything in Between  that tweaks at or pierces their heart.

           

Tonight, Nov. 19, 10 PM EST - radio interview

If you're in the mood to listen to Montreal radio tonight at 10 pm, EST, Wendy Helfenbaum and Marijke Vroomen-Durning will be on CJAD Montreal, speaking about Fits, Starts and Matters of the Heart.

To listen online, go to http://www.cjad.com and click on the listen now button.

Today, it's Kristen Stewart's Turn for our Q&A

Welcome Kristen!

How long have you been writing essays?

Like many of my coauthors I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember—non-fiction, fiction and essays—and mining my family, friends and life for inspiration along the way.  In fact, my first “book” was the life story of my cat Midnight and his brush with death after being run over by a car.

When and where was your first essay published?

I've written for various commercial magazines and websites but this is my first published essay.

How did it feel when you discovered your essay had been chosen for inclusion in this book?

I was thrilled because it would be my first published essay and honored by the company it would be keeping.  I think many writers doubt themselves and their abilities from time to time—I know I do—and to have my essay be accepted to appear alongside work from such a talented group of writers gave me a great thrill of validation.

Tell us a bit about the essay published Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. What is it about and why did you write it? 

My essay is called "Butterfly, Butterfly Fly Away Home" and is about my son and our experience with a one-winged butterfly.  He received a Butterfly Garden for a gift and we couldn't wait to watch the caterpillars turn into butterflies and fly away—until one of the cocoons was misshapen and resulted in a one-winged flying-impaired butterfly.  The essay celebrates my son's innocence both in his reaction to the butterfly itself and to its ultimate disappearance in the backyard. 

What does it mean to you to be published in this anthology? 

Being published in this anthology feels not only like a great accomplishment writing-wise but a affirmation that others saw the "magic" in the story itself like I did.  It's also been a fascinating—and educational--experience to be on the inside of a self-publishing endeavor.

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with someone who says "I don't have anything to write about."?

Everyone has something to write about—the trick is finding it and then determining the right approach.  For my non-fiction writing I gravitate toward ideas that I feel are applicable to a large group of people but when it comes to essays I try to examine unusual events that happen in my life—and then figure out how to apply this unique experience to a universal theme.  

Kristen Stewart lives in New Jersey.  Learn more about her and her writing at www.kristenestewart.com.

Monday's Q&A, with Beverly Burmeier

Beverly Burmeier is the next author in our Q&A series about Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. Here is what Beverly has to say:

How long have you been writing essays?

Seems like almost all my life.

When and where was your first essay published? (If you haven't been published before, how did it feel when you discovered your essay had been chosen for inclusion in this book?)

I started writing seriously about 10 years ago and had essays published soon after in regional and parenting magazines.  My first essay in a national publication was Christian Science Monitor in 2005. 

What inspired you to write it?

I've had a pen pal for more than 50 years.  We've never met but still stay in contact, especially through Christmas cards.  I wrote about that enduring relationship.

Tell us a bit about the essay published Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. What is it about and why did you write it?

My oldest daughter is adopted, and I wrote about how her journey to find her birth mother affected our relationship.

Had you tried the essay market before?

Yes.  A totally different version published in Woman's World was one of my first sales.

What does it mean to you to be published in this anthology?

I'm very pleased to be in the company of some wonderful essay writers.

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with someone who says "I don't have anything to write about."?

Life is full of story ideas, so take time to put your thoughts and feelings on paper (or at least the computer).  Just let the words flow; you can edit later. 

Q&A With Author Monica Bhide

Do you like Nutella? Well, whether you do or not doesn't matter, but Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart essayist Monica Bhide *loves* Nutella. Guess you'll have to buy the book to find out why, right? ;-)

How long have you been writing essays?  About six years now. 

 

When and where was your first essay published? My first essay was published in the Washington Post Food section almost five years ago ( or a touch longer..). It was about attending a huge Indian wedding. 

How did it feel when you discovered your essay had been chosen for inclusion in this book?  

Very honored. I know several of the writers and really love their work. 

Tell us a bit about the essay published Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. What is it about and why did you write it?  

It is about my love for Nutella and how Nutella has been a constant friend all my life.. through ups and downs and all. 

Had you tried the essay market before?  

Yes, it had been selected for publication in a magazine and I had been paid. Sadly, the magazine shut down. 

What does it mean to you to be published in this anthology? 

I count it as a huge blessing

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with someone who says "I don't have anything to write about."?  

There is so much to write about... mine your life and you will find so many little things to write about. Essays dont have to be, in my opinion, about huge magical moments and miracles. Good essays make us see the miracles in small, everyday things. 

Author Joene Hendry Answers Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart Questions

I've known Joene Hendry for quite a while now. We "met" when I was an editor for a doctor's information website. I knew she wrote beautifully on other topics and now I have more proof. Here is Joene's Q&A for Fits, Starts and Matters of the Heart.

How long have you been writing essays?

I've been writing my feelings and thoughts for years. I never considered them essay fodder until I took an essay class a few years ago taught by Andrea King Collier, who has two essays published in Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart.

When and where was your first essay published?

This is it, in this book. All of my previously published writing, outside of my blog, Joene's Garden, consisted of reporting research for professional and consumer readers.

How did it feel when you discovered your essay had been chosen for inclusion in this book?

I was honored, excited, surprised, and a little apprehensive. I don't know if this is normal but it's how I felt.

Tell us a bit about the essay published Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. What is it about and why did you write it?

My essay accounts how gardening helped, and continues to help, me conquer the grief and deep-seeded loss from the death of my first husband. I wrote it as a means of organizing my feelings. I gained the courage to show it to others after some essay class feedback from Andrea. Because of the subject, it gestated in my head for years before I felt comfortable sharing it with the public.   

Had you tried the essay market before?      

Not really seriously.

What does it mean to you to be published in this anthology?

As so many others have already said, I'm honored. This book contains some amazing essays from talented writers. It is indeed a thrill to have mine included. I feel energized to develop more of my thoughts into works that can be pruned and shaped into solid essays.

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with someone who says "I don't have anything to write about."?

Everyone has life events and experiences to write about. It's cathartic, it clears the head, and takes a heavy load off. It helps those with no intent of sharing their words and no designs on publishing their thoughts. I've spent many hours facing some incredibly deep hurts and what could have been overwhelming hurdles. Writing my thoughts, even rambling thoughts, brings some clarity. Once my thoughts become written words I'm able to edit them with a clearer head.

Author Meredith Resnick Discusses Essay Writing

Author Meredith Resnick, whose essay My Inheritance, appears in Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart, joins us today to discuss her take on writing essays:

Before I began writing professionally (and for a long time while I was, as well), I was a therapist. Therapists are dedicated to confidentiality. So how do I reconcile writing essays that include people I care about so that they will feel comfortable reading them—and I will feel okay if they read them, too?

How do I maintain others’ privacy as I write about finding my own truth and a larger universal truth? Here’s a few thoughts:

Keep the focus on myself. Having this ground rule has given me more freedom to write than I ever could have imagined. I focus on myself, on the lessons I learned—about me. Attached to this is something equally important and sometimes difficult, when writing about something that is emotional or feels raw: remembering the humanity in the other person. 

Grasp the deeper meaning and higher purpose of “The Essay.” After studying the personal essay with masters like Lori Gottlieb, Andrea King Collier and Beth Levine, this is the [somewhat] distilled definition I refer to: It’s a true story that utilizes select personal details from my life, to reveal a lesson I learned that deepened my understanding of myself, that proceeds to reveal a greater, wider universal truth beyond me. So, it’s about me, but it’s also not about me (that’s the universal truth part).

The discomfort test. If a person mentioned in the essay reads the essay, the only reason I would want to feel discomfort would be with what I reveal about myself—not what I mention about them.

Lay-my-head-on-the-pillow test. I’ll admit it, anxiety is an issue for me. If a piece I’m writing is causing me so much anxiety and fear that I can’t sleep, I put it aside and reevaluate in a day, week, month or year. The distance gives me time to feel okay with what I send out into the world via what I put on the page.

Meredith Resnick lives in southern California. Visit her at http://meredithresnick.com.

Montreal Launch and Signing, November 25, 2010.

Montreal authors Wendy Helfenbaum and Marijke Vroomen-Durning will be presenting Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss and Everything in Between on Thursday, November 25th, 2010, from 5 pm to 7 pm,  at Café 92, located at 6703 Sherbrooke St. West, in NDG, corner Montclair.

You can bring your book to be signed or you may purchase one there.

Sarah Zobel - Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart Q&A

Sarah Zobel is today's Q&A author, so grab your beverage of choice and read about how Sarah feels about essays and being published in the FLX anthology, Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart.

How long have you been writing essays?

It feels like I’ve been writing them forever, though I suppose I’ve only really been doing so for maybe the last decade.

When and where was your first essay published?

My first essay was published on Common Ties in May 2007. They were looking for essays related to motherhood and it meant a lot to me that mine—about buying my son a cup for playing baseball—was chosen. I ran into his teacher a few days later—he was in third grade at the time—and she said he’d told her I’d published an essay about him and could she read it to the class? I had to laugh. She changed her mind when I told her what it was about.

How did it feel when you discovered your essay had been chosen for inclusion in this book? 

Well, first I had to make sure that it wasn’t a misprint or that I’d misread, that they hadn’t actually chosen someone else whose name is close to mine. And then I was thrilled, of course. Since I’m home alone most of the day—like the majority of freelance writers—I get to do stuff like jump around and say, “Oh my god!” and no one has to know.

Tell us a bit about the essay published Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. What is it about and why did you write it?

This essay is actually about my reaction to my father-in-law’s death from lung cancer. He was in Maryland and we are in Vermont, so there wasn’t much my husband and kids and I could do. But I decided to knit Jack a blanket—for practical reasons, but also just as a gesture of love. I had barely finished it when he died. I guess writing about dealing with his death was another way of dealing with it.

Had you tried the essay market before?

I have, with limited success, and only sporadic effort. I did sell another essay a while ago to Hallmark, but just as it was being slated for a specific issue, the whole magazine folded. They still paid me, which was nice, but I was disappointed. Essays are tough to sell, and given their personal nature, I don’t send them out all that often—the rejection hits a little harder than with a feature article.

What does it mean to you to be published in this anthology?

A lot. The selection committee members said they sought variety in the subject matter of the essays they chose, not wanting only death and love stories. So I’m extra flattered, since obviously there’s mention of death in my essay. And of course the other writers whose essays are included just universally wow me.

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with someone who says "I don't have anything to write about."?

Don’t overthink it—start writing! Every day that you open your eyes and get out of bed, you’ve got something to write about—and somewhere out there, someone will want to read about it. And if you stay in bed, hey, write an essay about that!

Ruth Pennebaker Drops By Today

It's the beginning of a new week and a busy one it's going to be. But that is ok because busy is Good, right?

Fits, Starts and Matters of the Heart is now available on Amazon.uk, as well as Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. It is also on the Barnes and Noble site. Now, if we could just get it listed on Chapters/Indigo, I'd really be happy.

Anyway, enough about that. Today, Ruth Pennebaker drops by with her bit about her essay and essay writing. Without further ado, here she is:

I've been writing essays for more than 30 years.  The first, which was about interviewing for jobs as a lawyer, was originally published in Juris Doctor magazine in 1977, then reprinted in the Washington Post in 1979.

I was very happy to be included in this collection along with so many fine writers.  The essay, which originally appeared on my blog, http://www.geezersisters.com/, is about the later stages of parenting, when you're learning (over and over again) how to let go.  My husband and I were visiting our daughter, who's in her twenties, in California and we were saying good-bye once again.

I've had essays published in other venues, including The New York Times magazine, Washington Post, Redbook, Parents and McCall's.  But the essay market isn't nearly as large as it used to be, unfortunately.

Like many writers, I find my ideas in very daily events.  When you start to look, ideas are everywhere.

Amazon adds "Look Inside" feature to Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart

One advantage to browsing in a bookstore is the ability to flip through the book to see if the pages call out to you. This is one of the criticisms of online book buying - you can't really do that.

Luckily, Amazon has acknowledged this drawback and has made available on many books the Look Inside feature and they have added it to our book, Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart. So, go have a peak!

The Importance of Reviews

People love reading a good book and when they do, they usually like to tell others about it. They like to share their find with others who they feel would enjoy the book as well. Word of mouth does a lot for book sales, but leaving reviews on online book-seller sites is also important.

If someone wants to buy a book, they may be swayed by the number (or the lack) of reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Chapters/Indigo. The lack of reviews may make them wait and although they may come back later for a book, there's always the chance that they won't.

So, if you like a book, let's say like Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart (no pressure!), you can help the authors by leaving your reviews on any or all of those sites. You don't have to have bought your book from the site to leave a comment.