Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Weekly Round Up – April 18th – 24th 2021- Hits 1967, Podcasts, Online presence, reviews, new books, health and humour

Welcome to the round up of posts on Smorgasbord you may have missed this week.

It would be comforting to see the numbers of new Covid infections coming down as the vaccinations are rolled out, but nearly 900,000 people worldwide were reported in just one day on Friday.. taking the total to over 146 million so far and over 3 million deaths. Personally it will be a long time before I am tempted to travel despite many European countries opening up for tourists this summer, some like Spain with no requirement for masks on crammed beaches. Of course those vaccinated are not immune to catching the virus in whatever variant it is hiding in at the time, and whilst Spain and other countries may not see the fallout from these trips abroad, their home countries will.

We have restrictions still in place for non-essential travel in Ireland but public demand is likely to loosen that necessary mandate for the summer months. We personally are more than happy to remain where we are and I am afraid we do not want any visitors however much we love them, staying with us. Vaccinations are definitely part of the solution but continued safety precautions are also going to be essential for far longer than we anticipated. I hope that others will consider staying at home and enjoying what is on the doorstep and leaving more time before leaping into someone else’s backyard.

On a brighter note.. this week the sun has been shining and I have spent time in the garden catching up on my reading which was long overdue.

Podcasts – Marketing and Pleasure.

I also had the pleasure of being interviewed by Rebecca Budd for her Tea, Toast and Trivia Podcast –

The reason I am including this in the round up is to encourage more authors and bloggers to add podcasts to their marketing options and reach a new audience for their writing.. and to enjoy as it is great fun too.

About Rebecca Budd who has a other wonderful blogs including Clanmother –  Lady Budd – And On The Road Book Club

I was given the title, Clanmother, September 2008, when I was travelling the Scottish Highlands with an audacious collection of young people who came from all over the world to join an expedition to the misty Isle of Skye. I was the oldest woman on the tour so the title was appropriate. What was more surprising was that I liked the label – it was catchy, spirited and encompassed the next stage in my life. It was my turn to grow old. I stood at Glencoe, breathing the chilled air, memorizing, for future recall, the rugged terrain covered with proverbial heather. There was certainty in my thoughts. This was going to be my most profound and daring adventure.

I want to share this journey with other, like-minded individuals – young, old, or in-between. It is an exploration that will take many turns as life advances. Many say that wisdom comes from the aging process. I am not ready to accept that premise as I have learned from children. What I do know, is that connection is the greatest gift of all. Clanmother is about a backward look forward!

We talked about book marketing, obesity and life in general and the time flew by.. A wonderful experience and I am looking forward to sharing the interview with you in coming weeks.

I have also been catching up with previous podcasts over the week on Rebecca Soundcloud with more to enjoy, including from some of your favourites from the Cafe and Bookstore: Liz Gauffreau, Paul Andruss, Teagan Geneviene, Robbie Cheadle, Darlene Foster, Shehanne Moore and D. Wallace Peach.

You can sign up to Soundcloud with your email or by linking to Facebook etc, and it means you can share the interview and comment to your own social media.

Because of the care taking with editing the interview before broadcast (thanks to sound engineer and editor, Rebeccas’s husband Don) the resulting broadcast is top notch.

I love radio as a medium and it was wonderful to get back on the air. I know from passed conversations that many of you are reluctant to take the plunge. But you are in safe hands with Rebecca, and it is not live so you don’t have to worry if you fluff your lines. It is very relaxed and enjoyable. I do recommend that if you are an author who would like your books to reach a wider audience that you get in touch at the link above.

Meet the Authors

Over the last few weeks I have been sharing the bios and books of authors who have joined the Cafe and Bookstore over the last six months. In May I will be revisiting all the other authors in both the Cafe and the Children’s Reading Room and updating their bios for promotional posts going forward, social media links, covers and most recent reviews to share in posts throughout the summer.

I am in and out of Amazon UK and US in particular and Goodreads to check on reviews for the authors in the cafe and to check for new books. There are quite a few new books that I have to search for because they are not on the author page. So in preparation for the new series here is a checklist you might find useful in updating your online platforms.

1. Make sure your up to date bio is on your country of origin and also Amazon US and UK as the main English speaking sites.
2. Check that you claim any new books you have released in the last few weeks or months through Author central so that potential readers are not chasing all over the place to find them.. and they can see your complete portfolio in one place.
3. If you have a Goodread Author page please do the same.
4. If you don’t have a Goodreads Author page then I highly recommend that you do. This is the one place that you can showcase all your reviews from any country and worth offering this link to readers to place their reviews as well as their regional Amazon. This is also the place readers who have borrowed the book, been gifted or have read an advance copy can post their reviews by-passing Amazon’s buy to review policy. (Despite the fact Amazon owns Goodreads!)
5. If you have changed the cover for a book make sure that it is changed on Amazon and Goodreads.
6. Just a reminder that you need to update your bios on Facebook pages, Twitter and other social media platforms when you have a new book. Don’t forget to pin a tweet about your new releases.. and thanks to Hugh Roberts  who recently reminded me that you need to change your pinned tweet every week or so and anyone wishing to share it can only do so once.  If someone retweets a post of mine I will reciprocate by tweeting their pinned tweet… it is a marketing tool that is underrated and sometimes I see pinned tweets going back several years.. if it cannot be retweeted by your most supportive followers then it is being wasted.

Probably time to get on with the posts from the week… otherwise you will be needing a packed lunch and a bottle of wine to get through the rest…. okay perhaps you do anyway.. here you go..

As always my thanks to my friends who contribute to the blog each week William Price King and Debby Gies …. also to you for dropping in and so kindly commenting and sharing.. .

The Breakfast Show with William Price King and Sally Cronin – Chart Hits 1967 – Part Two 

Forming Healthy Relationships – Rewind – What’s Inside the Box? 

Chapter Chapter Fifteen – Summer – The Piglet Races 

The Kindness of Mice

#Fantasy #Adventure #Humour – H.M.S Lanternfish (The Lanternfish Series Book 2) by C.S. Boyack

Past Book Reviews 2020 -#Fantasy – Liars and Thieves (Unraveling the Veil Book 1) by D. Wallace Peach 

Past Book Reviews 2020 – #Thriller – Acts Beyond Redemption (Unintended Consequences Book 1) by Suzanne Burke 

Double Reversed #Nonet – Ageism 

Family Health A-Z – Arthritis (osteo and gout) by Sally Cronin 

Monday 19th April 2021 – #Smoking Arthur Rosch, #Romance Linda Lee Greene, #Reviews James J. Cudney, #Award Grammy’s Grid, #offer J.Q. Rose 

Tuesday 20th April 2021 – #Community Jennie Fitzkee, #Wellbeing Toni Pike, #Guestpost offer Beetley Pete

Wednesday April 21st 2021 – #Treasure Mary Smith, #Finance Sharon Marchisello, #Kindness Jane Sturgeon 

Thursday 22nd April 2021 – #Torrevieja #Salt Joy Lennick, #NewBlog Patty Fletcher, #Bookoffer Bette A. Stevens 

New Book on the Shelves – Tina Lost in a Crowd by Miriam Hurdle 

#Psychic #Thriller – Anasazi Medium (Rachel Blackstone Paranormal Mysteries Book 4) by G G Collins 

#Fantasy Savagery (War of Nytefall Book 6) 

Pre-Order – #Romance #Humour Shh… It’s Our Secret by Lizzie Chantree 

#Suspense #Mystery – The Vanished Boy by Harmony Kent

-#Genetics – My Father and Other Liars by Geoff Le Pard 

#Family – An Uncommon Family by Christa Polkinhorn 

#YA #Fantasy A.J. Alexander, #Scifi Richard Dee, #Paranormal Roberta Eaton Cheadle, #Thriller Gwen M. Plano 

Lens Artists Photo Challenge #119 – My Hideaway by Miriam Hurdle 

A tale of many cities by Joy Lennick 

#Cricket- Don’t Stop the Carnival by Barbara Spencer 

#YAFamily Sian Turner, #Fantasy P.L. Stuart, #Scottish #Historical Ailish Sinclair 

April 20th 2021 – Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Genius and Maths Lesson 

April 22nd 2021 – Hosts Debby Gies and Sally Cronin – Stress Test and Cheap Cow 

Open Mic Night – 23rd April 2021 – Guest Malcolm Allen – Physics and Collies 

 

Thanks very much for dropping in and all your support during the week.. it keeps me motivated.. have a good weekend.. Sally.