Guest Post: Natalie-Nicole Bates, author of Change of Address
January 20, 2012
READING, WRITING, AND REVIEWING…OH MY! By NATALIE-NICOLE BATES
Being a voracious reader
since I was a child, reviewing seemed like the natural choice for me.
My first taste of book
reviewing came while I was still in school. I was assigned to read three books
each term and write a few paragraphs about them. While my peers were reading
and raving about Judy Blume, I was reading and reviewing Harold Robbins and Sidney
Sheldon. My teacher came to me and said, You
really should be reading the classics.
To me, Sheldon and Robbins
were the Masters. Their works were classics.
Book reviewing is an art
that requires a special skill set. Book reviewing sites are professionally run,
and most require interested applicants to audition. Book reviewers know how a
book is put together, they understand the elements of plot, setting, scene, and
point of view. They look for flow, for consistency, and most of all, they know
how to remain neutral.
So if a book reviewer
understands the mechanics of how a good book is put together, can they become
writers themselves? Maybe.
About a year ago, I decided
to make the transition into writing. I didn’t want to stop reviewing, but I
stopped reviewing contemporary and paranormal romance (the genres I was
interested in). I did this by my own choice. I now review mostly mystery and
inspirational romance.
I already had my idea for a
contemporary romance, and I signed up for an intensive six month course in the
art of novel writing. This past summer, I sold my first novel, Change of Address, which is now available at Secret Cravings Publishing.
Within a few weeks of my sale, I was offered a contract for my short
paranormal, Antique Charming, which is
now available at Books To Go Now.
I have made successful leaps
from avid reader, to reviewer, to finally, writer. But everyone’s journey is
individual. Not all reviewers have a book in them, not all writers choose to
review. When people ask me, how did you
know you wanted to review? How did you
know you wanted to write? I tell them my truth. For me, it was a burn
inside of me that would not let up until I started reviewing, until I started
writing. Each reader, reviewer, and writer must follow her own path to personal
satisfaction.
THE BOOK : CHANGE OF ADDRESS
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 18, 2012
Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing
Author Website: NatalieNicoleBates.com
Saved from a traumatic past and successful in her
present as a home care nurse, Josselyn Adler’s dream of home ownership in the
idyllic town of Unity are dashed to pieces when Dr Ben Parnell, a cancer
specialist, shows up on her doorstep claiming to be the rightful owner of the
house—and Ben has a will to prove it! To Josselyn, the house represents a
new start in her life. With a stable home, hopefully a much wanted family
wouldn’t be far behind.
After a near career-ending allegation is made, Ben has
returned home to lick his wounds. But now he must prove Josselyn’s claim to be
a fake, that she used her position as a live-in nurse to his sick father to
ingratiate herself into his good graces. But as he gets to know her, he can
tell by her shy, often standoffish behavior, that Josselyn is a woman who has been
deeply hurt in her past. Although he is attracted to the dark haired beauty
that has invaded his life, he is still suspicious of her true motives and her
past involvement with his father.
*Warnings: The story
is sensual, but has NO graphic sex or violence, and only mild coarse language
and adult themes.
Book Trailer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Natalie Nicole-Bates is a book reviewer and author.
Her short paranormal romance, Antique Charming, was
published by Books To Go Now Publishing in October 2011 and her contemporary
romance, Change of Address, is scheduled to be published by Secret
Cravings in January 2012.
Her passions in life include books and hockey along
with Victorian and Edwardian era photography. Natalie contributes her
uncharacteristic love of hockey to being born in Russia.
She currently resides in the UK where she is working
on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century
post-mortem photos.
Visit Natalie online at http://natalienicolebates.blogspot.com/
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