Street Teams by Darlene Franklin

Please join me in welcoming Darlene Franklin to our blog today. Darlene is writing about street teams and how she created and uses hers.

I “met” Jenny Blake online several years ago. Jenny, do you remember when that was? Now I’m privileged to have Jenny on my street team, and I’m honored she asked me to share my experience with street teams. (Jenny here not sure but would have had to been over 10 years I first had you on my blog in 2008 and it was before that I sent an email saying I loved some books)

I created a street team for one basic reason: to create a group of people specifically committed to promoting my books through reviews and social media.

I enlisted members from the ACFW loop and created a Facebook group called “Darlene Franklin’s Friends.” When several people dropped out after a year, I created a second group: “Darlene Franklin’s Street Team.” I give the street team copies of my new books, and in return, I give them specific responsibilities.

I like to think my requirements are reasonable: I ask my team to read and review one longer book every three months (or several novellas), their choice of several titles. I also ask them to share Facebook and Twitter posts two-three times a week.

 If a street team member is unable to continue with those responsibilities, they become part of my friends group instead. When they’re able to, my friends can still request and write reviews. With that option, people don’t have to feel guilty if they can’t meet their commitments—and I don’t worry about people who don’t live up to their commitments.

Many of my team members also support other authors. God bless ‘em! And after a time, they get burned out. Currently my team includes me, my editor, and twenty-two friends.

I’ve turned over the task of posting to my Facebook page to my social media assistant. My Street Team receives every post. (Other such pages include my author page, my friends page, and my publisher’s page.) We post information about current and older titles, memes, blogs where I am a guest and updates on my blog. These are the posts I hope my team will share with others.

We also post pictures I’ve colored, quotes I enjoy, and questions for us to discuss.  I hope this fosters friendship as well as partnership, but participation is totally voluntary.

If I can toot my own horn, I am always open to adding people to my team. If you’re interested, stop by https://www.facebook.com/groups/1119153434814502/.

Bio and links:

Best-selling hybrid author Darlene Franklin's greatest claim to fame is that she writes full-time from a nursing home. This year she expects to reach fifty unique titles in print and she’s also contributed to more than twenty nonfiction titles. Her column, “The View Through my Door,” appears in four monthly magazines. Her most recent titles are Capturing the Rancher's Heart, Romancing the Ranger, and Cinderella's Boot.

Website and blog

Facebook

Amazon author page

Twitter: @darlenefranklin

Book Review: Cowgirl in the Kitchen by Julie Jarnagin

By Jenny Blake

Serenade Books (June 30, 2016)

Just as she's about to make her dream come true, disaster strikes. The only way she can get back in the saddle is to strike a bargain—with a man her family despises.

Jentry Lawson's dream of becoming a world-class barrel racer is about to happen—until she and her horse are injured in a terrible accident. Forced to move back home to Texas to recuperate, her Dallas-based brother makes her an offer she can't refuse. He needs someone he can trust to oversee the renovation and grand opening of his new restaurant. If she'll take that on, he'll finance her return to the arena. It doesn't take Jentry long to discover she bit off more than she can chew. Swallowing her pride, she asks for help from Gavin Easton—a man her brother despises. But he's the one person who can make the restaurant succeed.

People in Glover never thought Gavin Easton would amount to anything. Ever since his own restaurant in town burned down, he's taken odd jobs to provide for his niece, whom he is raising alone. When beautiful and stubborn Jentry offers him the perfect job, his first reaction is to turn her down flat. No way he's going to do anything to help her brother! But there's more at stake than his pride. Can he trust his future to the woman whose brother tried to ruin his reputation—and his life?

Besides, how can he manage a restaurant, when he can't manage his heart?

My Review:

Firstly thanks to the publisher for my review copy for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It is the final book in a series but it can also be read as a stand alone book. I haven't read the others and didn't feel I was lost or confused. 

Jentry is back home after a accident barrel racing and is now trying to get a new restaurant owned by her brother and herself ready to open. She needs a manager and wants to hire Gavin who many in the town including her brother have labelled a trouble maker. Gavin is also raising his adorable niece and trying to make a life for them. I enjoyed how this story played out. We see Jentry's feelings of not being good enough or living up to her brothers expectations and we also see Gavin feeling that he will never measure up to the towns peoples expectations. Seeing why they feel this way and what happens was good to see. What I also enjoyed was the waiting to find out exactly why Jentry's brother didn't trust or like him.

I enjoyed this book and would happily read others in the series and by this author. 

Book Review: The Seafaring Women of the Vera B. by Susan Page Davis and James S Davis

By Jenny Blake

Tea Tin Press; First edition (January 20, 2016)

Blurb from back of book.

1854–With the captain dead in Melbourne, Australia, Alice Packard thinks the worst has happened, until she learns the crew has deserted her husband’s ship in favor of the goldfields. Only one old man, Gypsy Deak, sticks by her, but Gypsy alone can’t raise a crew from the depleted population.

In desperation, Alice turns to the only source of plentiful workers: the women of Melbourne. In a bold move, she and Gypsy empty a brothel, promising the escaped women a new life. Her all-woman (save one) crew put their backs and hearts into the voyage, but Alice finds training her sailors much harder than she expected.

Her faith is tested to the limit. With a cargo to sell, angry brothel and tavern owners in pursuit, pirates to evade, and a mysterious stowaway, will the seafaring women of the Vera B. survive to tell the tale of this daring adventure?

My Review

Firstly thanks to Susan P Davis for my copy of this book for an honest review.

I was given this book to read due to it starting in Australia and for my opinion of the book. I was in intrigued by the premise and when I started the book I just wanted to keep reading. The book is set during the Australian Gold era and many sailors jumping ship to go gold mining. Which leads the Vera B lacking a crew to return to America. A new strike has taken place at St Arnard which I has memories for me as I remember Mum talking about how my brother took his first steps at a park there. 

Looking for crew Alice is finally desperate and takes on women as her crew. Here we have a a variety of women from women escaping life in a brothel and tavern to passengers returning to England after the death of there husband/father.  There is going to be tension between the women which we see play out. 

I enjoyed the book partly because I knew many of the places and also because the Australia references were accurate. This for an Australian impressed me that the authors went to the effort to make sure they had the right terms. 

I did however get confused at times with all the women and who was who. Some are easy to remember but a few I mixed up at times. 

I do need to give a warning there is some violence in the later part of the book due to the issue of pirates. I didn't find it graphic or over done but some people who don't want to read a book with any violence might find this book may find it more than than can handle.

This book is Historical Fiction with a hint of romance. 

Overall this is a really good book and I am eagerly awaiting book 2.