Tasty Virtual Book Tour - Baby Stetson by Nikki Lynn Barrett

Welcome to my stop on Nikki Lynn Barrett's Virtual Book Tour for Baby Stetson.  Please leave a comment or question for Nikki below to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter Nikki's Tour Wide Giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can als0 follow her tour stops here, the more often you comment, the better your odds of winning.  My review will post later this week.

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Guest Post - Being a blogger and a writer 

by Nikki Lynn Barrett

Thank you so much for having me here today! I appreciate this opportunity.

Some of you do or don't know, but on top of being an author I am also a reviewer/blogger. In August 2011, I launched my blog, Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More. I started reviewing books about a year and a half before that, and found it rewarding and enjoyable. I was struggling to write at the time, because my muse was just NOT cooperating, and my son was still very young at the time and I was finding it hard to write when I was home with him.

But I love dishing books, sharing recommendations and promoting authors, so, in the midst of plenty of chaos in my home life, I started the blog. It took me awhile to get my groove, find followers, and have things to say, but I'd say the blog blossomed really well. I started reviewing books that I'd read and posted them on the blog, then did a call out on Facebook and in Yahoo Loops saying that I started a blog and was looking for authors to come on and be interviewed, have a gust post, etc.

My blog now has almost 900 followers and a handful of reviewers, and it's going strong.

I used to be amazed at just how much a review may have meant to an author. I would see the happy comments when a review was posted. I thought it was really neat, just from how I felt about a book that it totally made their day.

Well, in November 2012, I finally got an understanding of what that felt like.

That was when I released my debut book, The Secret Santa Wishing Well. A day later, I got my first review, and it was beautiful, thoughtful and touching. It was so neat to see the reactions from a reader about MY Book! I finally understood! I then knew how an author felt when I 'got' their characters, or the story, and enjoyed their book.

It's a great perspective, being on both sides. I know how much time and effort it takes to put a blog together and keep it running. It's not always an easy balance. I can't read and review every request that comes in, no matter how much I may want to. So as an author, when I try to send out review requests and I don't always get a response, I understand.

Bloggers/reviewers put together a blog to share a common passion- in the book world, it's to share their love of books, help an author out. But there are days where it can be too much. Some times I lose my review writing mojo and end up coming up with bland reviews, and I can't stand that. But I love my blog, love to meet and network with authors and introduce readers to them, so that keeps my fire going.

So I just want to say, thank you. Thank you to those of you that put so much into your blog. Thank you for writing such thoughtful and insightful reviews. Thank you for all that you do. Bloggers are a big part of teamwork. They help to get authors noticed. Readers get a chance to find new authors and add to their ever growing pile of books. It's a great experience, and it's one that I enjoy as both an author and a blogger. Sometimes it's a difficult balance, but I love both roles so much.

Baby Stetson

by Nikki Lynn Barrett

Love and Music in Texas, Book 1  

Publisher:  Nikki Lynn Barrett

Release Date: March 18, 2013

Buy Links:    Kindle        Nook      Kobo

Book Description:



In small Texas towns, strangers come and go...

Left in a Stetson hat, on the steps of the local bed and breakfast, Avery Callimer came into the world on a wing and a prayer. Raised by loving adoptive parents, she's never lacked for love...only the knowledge of her past.

By day she works the Inn, but by night...Avery comes alive as lead singer in a band. Life was good...stable, until new guests blew into town.

Some strangers come with secrets and lies.

Lucas Bennett is one such stranger. Drifting from one mess to another has left him jaded. Doesn't matter the dramas are never his doing. Giving it one last shot to make a fresh start lands him Harmony's Echo, Texas and smack dab in front of the tantalizing Avery.

Despite his best efforts to ignore the burn Avery's ignited within, he's intent to keep his distance. Secrets have followed him. Secrets he doesn't want Avery to know. Each time they're near the other things heat up like a brush fire on a dry Texas prairie. But maybe, after the dust settles and the smoke clears, love can bloom with a fresh start.



Add this book to your Goodreads list!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17341981-baby-stetson


EXCERPT




The bell jingled, signaling someone coming in. Avery turned around to face the desk and put on a happy smile as the middle aged man walked up to the desk. “Hi! How may I help you?” Avery asked, feigning cheerfulness. The man studied her for a second, his jaw slack, eyes full of curiosity. He had tan skin, a faint hint of a mustache and beard, and his sandy brown hair kept short. He stood straight, at a little over six feet tall. His clothes were casual, wearing blue jeans and a plaid long sleeved shirt that he wore tucked in.


“Do you have any rooms available for about a week or so?” he asked in a gruff tone.


“Sure do. Is it just you?” Avery asked, pulling up the registry on the computer screen.


“Yes ma’am.”


“Name? And I’ll need to see a credit card and identification, please. Oh, and here’s something you’ll need to sign.” Avery handed him the forms.


“Rodney Morris.” Two cards were shoved across the desk. Avery blinked, took in a sharp breath. “Excuse me?” Her head whipped up, staring at him. What did he just say?


Oh my God. It’s him.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Nikki Lynn Barrett lives in Arizona with her husband and son. She's an avid reader, a dreamer, and loves everything about books. She runs a book blog, an online used bookstore, and writes various genres of romance. Nikki can also be found outside with her camera when a storm is near, snapping photo after photo. Her dreams of becoming a writer started when she was young, when she started writing books in one subject notebooks by the fifth grade. The Secret Santa Wishing Well is her debut book. You can visit Nikki's site at: www.nikkilynnbarrett.blogspot.com for more information. She is working on her next book. Nikki would love to hear from readers. Email her at 

 nikkilynnbarrett@yahoo.com

Author Links:

www.nikkilynnbarrett.blogspot.com

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6583655.Nikki_Lynn_Barrett

https://www.facebook.com/NikkiLynnBarrettauthor

@Stormgoddess925 on Twitter

Other books by Nikki Lynn Barrett

The Secret Santa Wishing Well

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16159845-the-secret-santa-wishing-well 

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