Are You A Commenter Or A Lurker?

Commenter or Lurker?

Here’s a confession: I’m terrible at commenting on blogs. TERRIBLE. I share like nobody’s business, I link up like a pro, I shout-out like I’m dancing around the house to a Katy Perry song (another confession: I’m usually chair dancing as I tend to my blog business!) But when it comes to the actual, physically going to your blog and commenting- yep, it just does not happen that much.

Why? Oh why? Oh gee golly, the times I have asked myself this. If I had a nickel for every time I asked- I could retire from my day job and live the bloggiest life ever- giveaways every day and nothing but reading while drinking the finest champagne. After much discussion and thought process- here are some of my reasons:

1. Blogger blogs are harder for me to comment on- especially because many are still using Captcha and geez- I mess up Captcha more times that I get it right. One day me and Captcha are going to wood shed and only 1 of us is coming back- get my drift! Now I know some of you are saying “Oh, but T, Blogger has Open ID and you being a WordPress girl- it’s no problem to comment when a blog has that.” Yes- I know that.. which leads me to point 2..

2. Sometimes I’m too lazy too log into my account to actually do the Open ID or to comment on my buddies WordPress blogs. Seriously, this fact probably should not be revealed- but it’s true.

3. And many times I forget. I tell myself to comment- and then I close the page and I’ve forgotten what blog I was looking at (when you read as many as I do- this happens more than you would think).

4. Lastly, if I share, like, tweet, G+ and any other social media- should I comment? Is there a fine line between being enthusiastic about your friends posts and creeping to a stalker-ish side?

But, seriously, know reasons 1,2 & 3 are my main reasons for not commenting as much as I want.

Why I Like to Lurk

When I just discover a blog- I may lurk for weeks before I even mention to anyone about this blog I like. Why? I like to get a feel for the blog- for the writing, the opinions- the thought process. Sometimes, I’m sad to report, I find a blog post and really like it. REALLY think it’s great. And then… that’s all. The magic is over. Maybe the blogger is not blogging anymore. Maybe they are having personal issues. Lurking gives me time to see the blog, see the other commenters and see if this is place that I’d like to hang out. Do you do this? Or do you dive in and comment?

Why I Should Comment More

EVERYONE likes comments. I love comments (unless they are the creepy sp*m- rhymes with ham- comments). Those I hate almost as equally as Captcha.

I should comment more because commenting is good. It shows friends that I care about their writing. Commenting leads to deeper discussions- than say “Liking” on Facebook or something like that (although you can have a great chat back and forth on Facebook/Twitter/G+.

If you are not a commenter- join me in my quest to be a better commenter!

PS: And If you think I hate Captcha, read The Book Wheel and The Relentless Reader take on it. Captcha has met it’s match with those 2.

Tuesday Mashup

#giveaway

I adore Giveaways! Ya’ll know that! What I adore almost as much as winning giveaways is letting you, my faithful readers of Traveling With T, know about the amazing giveaways that other sites are having. I know that while I scour the websites, looking high, low and everywhere in between- that there are probably still hundreds upon hundreds I miss mentioning. But I’m trying!

Love at First Book is giving away 6 books! 3 winners will pick 2 each- and she has 9 to choose from: He’s Gone, The Last Camellia, The Explanation for Everything, The Girl You Left Behind, American Dervish, Girlchild and Shorecliff.

Books Speak Volumes is giving away 1 book- but letting you choose among her 3 favorites for 2013: Burial Rites, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, Life After Life (the Kate Atkinson version!)

Books Speak Volumes is also giving We Are Water by Wally Lamb!

Book-Alicious Mama is giving away Is This Tomorrow, Killer Image, Code Name Verity, Man in the Blue Moon, The Unknowns and The Husband’s Secret.

The Relentless Reader is giving away The Husband’s Secret as well.

River City Reading is giving away Rivers by Michael Farris Smith.

Just Another New Blog is giving away Harlequin Romance Holiday Pack– a collection of holiday romance books!

Chick List Is Not Dead is giving away The Theory of Opposites by Allison Winn Scotch.

Traveling With T is giving away The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins (last day to enter!)

Traveling With T is also giving away Wyoming Bold by Diana Palmer.

Books in the Burbs is giving away The Preservationist by Justin Kramon- giveaway ends Nov 30th!

Other Bloggy Talk

Love At First Book and The Book Wheel are still talking about Orange is the New Black! Join in the fun!

Love at First Book has her Spread the Love Linky Party happening! Go. Visit. Spread the linky love!

Mom’s Small Victories is talking about Netgalley November Reading Goals!

Giveaway: Wyoming Bold by Diana Palmer

Photo Credit: Harlequin

Thanks to Harlequin Books, another giveaway! One lucky commenter on Traveling With T will win a copy of Wyoming Bold!

Summary from Goodreads:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author DIANA PALMER is back with a thrilling new story featuring the Kirk brothers of Wyoming Former border agent Dalton Kirk thought his life was over-literally-when a gang of smugglers left him for dead. Defying all odds, he survives his ordeal and returns to his Wyoming ranch ready to dedicate his future to a more peaceful home on the range. Until lovely Merissa Baker knocks on his door.

Merissa is well aware of her reputation as the local eccentric-she knows things before they happen-and she’s had a vision that Dalton is in danger. Even though her beliefs clash with Dalton’s cowboy logic, she’s determined to save the handsome rancher she’s secretly loved forever.

Visions? It’s all ridiculous to Dalton…until things start happening that prove Merissa right. And now Dalton is not the only target-so is Merissa. Can Dalton be bold enough to trust the unknown? Is this Wyoming man ready to love?

Want to win? Comment on this post November 12th-November 19th for a chance to win! Winner will be notified November 20th! Please leave your email (you may use the AT and DOT). Giveaway is only open to US/Canada!

Veterans Day…..

Today, people woke up. Some went about the day like it was a normal day. Some probably scowled at the perceived inconvenience of having banks and post office being closed. Some kids were off from school, some were not.

The point is that today- as well as the other days of the year- you woke up to a country that is free. Where you have rights. Where if you want to post on Facebook about the annoyance of the post office being closed- it’s ok. No rogue force is going to grab you out of your house for that (yes- some people may quickly remind you to quit your griping- but you won’t go to jail for it!)

And this is because someone (many someone’s) decided to go and fight for your freedom. Freedoms that you may take for granted. But- they are your freedoms. These men (and now women- but for many years it was just men) put their lives at stake, left their sweethearts, their families behind- and went to places that you have to pull the big world map out to find. They did it because they wanted to. Because they believed in a life that could be better, would be better- a life of freedoms. They believed in the United States and what it stood for.

Today, for many people, we wake up. Eat breakfast. Maybe you grumble because it is Monday. Today- somewhere, others wake up and miss their husbands, wives, dads and moms- some only miss for the short term- some miss forever- because they gave their life.

Today, Allison @ The Book Wheel challenges you to do actually thank a Veteran! Do something! She’s come up with a great list of things- and there are things you can do if you don’t actually know a veteran (or live in an area where there are quite a few.)

And Book-alicious Mama is giving away a copy of MY SPECIAL FORCE by Heather Means- a military wife who lost her husband. The giveaway is open to military families (US or overseas).

For me, today I’ll stop by this local restaurant in town. There is a group of older men- some are in their 80’s and 90’s- and they get together for coffee and shooting the breeze daily. There is a veteran or 2 in the group- and unlimited coffee plus a snack will be purchased for the round table in the back.

Literary Friday ya’ll……

It’s Friday- the weekend is almost here- we can almost touch it!

1. Deep South Magazine and their #literaryfriday: Louisiana Book Festival wrap-up (plus a picture of me, Erin and Rita Leganski!), a video of Erin interviewing Shirley Ann Grau, a #giveaway of Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, and much more!

Next week (when I finally get all my pics uploaded and organized), I’ll be posting about my first time experience at the Louisiana Book Festival- but Deep South Mag’s is EXCELLENT!

2. Blog Talk: Today, Rebecca at Love First Book gives us access to this cute printable blog planners! Maybe you are more of a digital person- and that’s great! But wouldn’t it be nice to have 1 binder where all your bloggy stuff is? Use the printables! Get organized. Your blog will thank you! Want more Blog Talk? Check out my Thursday Mashup– there’s talk of how to increase traffic, blog tips and much more (all thanks to other bloggers who are kicking butt and taking names in the bloggy world!)

3. Giveaway news: Closed the Cover and Book2Buzz teamed up to create a fantastic giveaway- and I, Traveling With T, is part of it! Visit here for the details! Want more giveaway? See my Thursday Mashup for other giveaway news!

4. Last night I was reading a few blogs and looking over some others that I’d been meaning to check out- The Book Musings was one of those I’d meaning to look at. I noticed a blog post in her Top Posts and Pages titled Please Don’t Reblog Our Content- so I clicked on it to read. M talks about how she does not care for the WordPress feature of re-blogging a post for a variety of reasons- but mainly because she works hard on having unique content at her blog. I had never actually even thought about this- but after reading her views, I’m curious as to what other people think. Re-blog or not? Should you ASK the blog before you re-blog?

I have re-blogged a few things in my time- bloggy friends post and the likes. I’ve always considered it a shout-out (since if you click to read, it directs you to the original website post). For Book Lovers Unite, before my co-host had to take a break- re-blogging worked great for us to make sure fans of our blogs were aware that new discussion questions had been posted. However, I’ve also had a negative experience- I wrote a post about Chick Lit and Body Image- and a bloggy friend re-blogged it. Months later a person commented on the post being negative and thinking that the people who re-blogged the post actually wrote it (their blog was about getting Men to read books).

Re-blogging is a feature I don’t mind- but use responsibly. Think about target audiences and if someone asks you to remove the re-blogged content, respect their wishes.

5. Week 1 Discussion Questions about Hush Little Baby by Suzanne Redfearn. Join in the discussion! This book is fast-paced and exciting!

6. What are your #fridayreads? I’m reading Sleigh Belles by Beth Albright. I’m in the mood for a mystery- any suggestions?

Happy Reading!

Week 1 Book Lovers Unite Discussion: Hush Little Baby by Suzanne Redfearn

Photo Credit: Goodreads

It’s here! It’s time! This is Week 1 Discussion of Hush Little Baby by Suzanne Redfearn.

Some guidelines:

Each week (on Friday) new questions will be posted. We’ll only discuss what happens in the book during the pages designated for that week’s reading. Please know you can read ahead or stick with the group or play catch-up (just #nospoilers please!)

You don’t have to answer all the questions! Just answer the ones you want! And feel free to ask questions (if there is not something that I covered!)

Lastly, just have fun! Because if it’s not fun- it’s not worth it. #truthoftheday

To see the reading schedule, visit here.

Week 1 Questions

1. “We look like the perfect family and I’m happy to pretend.” Jillian, page 1. What does this statement tell us as readers? Did it give you a tingle of nervousness about what was to happen in the next 300+ pages?

2. Gordon is a police officer. How does Gordon’s career work against Jillian? Are wives of police officers almost always doomed in this kind of situation (if their husband is abusive?)

3. Jillian is smart. She’s confident in her work environment. Jillian is not confident as a mother, though. How does Gordon use her fears and perceived shortcomings against her?

4. “I can’t handle what I have” is a theme that runs through Hush Little Baby. What does this mean? Do you ever wonder about Jillian’s state of mind as she repeats this?

5. When Gordon speaks of Jillian’s temper to a friend- Jillian is shocked. What was Gordon’s goal?

6. Jillian tells her friend Connor about the abuse. After seeing the bruises, though, Connor has a harder time believing her story (though he still supports her). How does Jillian’s vanity tie her hands when it comes to Gordon?

7. This week I want you to think about what you would do if you were in Jillian’s place. You don’t have to post (if it’s not something you want to share). Our last discussion will have a question about has your opinion changed (in any way) after reading the book?

Thank you for joining in! Be sure and tell your mama, your book loving friends and anyone else!

Thursday Mashup

Giveaways and Blog Talk!

#Giveaways

Traveling With T is giving away RELATIVE DANGER by June Shaw. *Note: It’s an e-book!

Traveling With T is giving away THE PERFECT MATCH by Kristan Higgins.

Jennifer Lyn King is giving away a set of greeting cards (and talking about her 5 years of blogging!)

Crystal in Bookland has 3 Giveaways happening: THE PROPHECY, ENTANGLED, and EFFORTLESS WITH YOU + 10 buck Itunes GC.

Great New Books is giving away 3 of Anita Hughes books!

Home Cooked Books is giving away RUMOR HAS IT (audio CD) by Jill Shalvis.

Always With a Book is giving away BEFORE I MET YOU by Lisa Jewell.

Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book is giving away FREEZER I’LL SHOOT by Victoria Hamiliton.

She Reads is giving away 5 Books- CARTWHEEL by Jennifer DuBois, THE RUNAWAY WIFE by Rowan Coleman, THE WISHING THREAD by Lisa Van Allen, LEAVING HAVEN by Kathleen McCleary and THE WHOLE GOLDEN WORLD by Kristina Riggle.

Blog Talk

Book Bloggers International talk about using GIFS- the how and why (and the cons of using them).

Love at First Book and The Book Wheel have kicked off their November Book Club: ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK! Join in!

Thanks to Love at First Book and her Fabulous Blogs (where she gives love and shout-outs to great blogs)- I saw the blog The Thinking Closet. Then when checking out Rebecca’s relatively new Policies page, I saw that she credited The Thinking Closet. So I checked out The Thinking Closet– and saw Lauren’s latest post is about 10 MORE Tips for Bloggers (and also that she had posted a previous 1o Tips for New Bloggers). Reading these tips, I found myself nodding along, already either thinking or doing some of this stuff (but still plenty of other tips that I want to do!) Thanks Rebecca for helping me find The Thinking Closet!

The Book Wheel writes a great post about traffic (and not the bad kind of traffic where you are stuck in your car for hours!) No, Allison writes about the traffic blogs want- Visitors! 8 Simple Ways To Boost Your Traffic is fab (and good for bloggers from 1 day of experience to many years!)

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

Photo Credit: Goodreads

2 women. 2 stories. 1 painting.

Sophia lives in a small France town with her sister, brother and their children. It’s World War 1 and the community has lost it’s spirit, it’s sense of fun, it’s joy. Most of their husbands are gone to fight in WWI, the Germans have taken over the town, and life has altered dramatically. Still, the women soldier on. They try to keep life as normal as possible- and some make desperate choices- not for themselves; but for the greater good.

Sophia is one of these women. The Germans have decided they need a new place to stay and eat and her hotel is the desired location. Much as Sophia does not want them in the building (similar to how Scarlet felt about Yankees at Tara) she recognizes that cooking for them might provide her family with a few extra morsels- and the hope to get through a dark period. One of the Germans, the new Kommandant, takes a liking to a beautiful painting. A painting that Sophia’s husband did of her- back in a time where life was good, food was plentiful and hard times were not known. Sophia is repelled and yet drawn to this man, this man who can talk art, who can almost remind her of life before the war. For her family, she is nice to the Kommandant- and they, at times, learn to see each other beyond the role of enemies. One day, Sophia learns news about her husband- news that hurts her deeply. She knows that she must try to have her husband brought back home- and sets out to use the 1 thing she has that the Kommandant wants…. the painting. Only, her plan does not go exactly as she hoped- and Sophia, like other women making hard choices, finds her life is about to get infinitely worse.

Nearly a hundred years later, Liv, lives in London. Liv is young and bright- and she has incredible sorrow in her life. Her husband has passed away and the only thing that brings her joy is a painting that he gave her. The painting is of a woman, of a woman from a long ago time. It’s striking and means a great deal to Liv.

The painting also means a great deal to other people- as the painting is the painting that Sophia had. As Liv fights to cling to a memory of her husband, one of the things that he gave her that brings her joy- she has to consider other things. Should the painting be returned to it’s original owners? Is the painting rightfully hers since her husband bought it?

The painting is so much more than a painting. It’s love, trust, putting others needs ahead of your own- the painting is a reminder of good times, of a life before everything changed. The painting has value- but the true value is not tangible.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Jojo Moyes takes a real life event (WWI) and creates a fictional story that is heartbreaking. Utterly heartbreaking. Then because she’s not quite finished breaking the reader’s hearts- she adds a current story with a woman who has lost her husband and may lose the 1 thing that is the last thing he gave her. While Sophia’s story is ten times more compelling than Liv’s- Sophia’s was almost too hard, for me as a reader, to enjoy. This is the fault of Jojo- as she takes situations, gives them a twist, and makes the reader feel like they are right there suffering along with the character.

The Girl You Left Behind is a book for book clubs- the club members can debate the actions of Sophia and Liv, as well as what they think they would do if in same situation. However, be prepared- because while as a reader you might have a strong reaction to what the right thing to do with The Girl You Left Behind is, by the end of the book- you may be questioning everything.

The Girl You Left Behind is the October She Reads selection. The above thoughts and opinions are mine alone. To see what the other reviewers at She Reads thought about The Girl You Left Behind, please visit here.

Interview with June Shaw, author of Relative Danger (EWD 3) + giveaway

Photo Credit: EWD

Today Traveling With T is a stop on the Relative Danger blog tour hosted by Escape With Dollycas! Please visit the other tour stops to read interviews, see guest posts and to comment for a chance to win an e-copy of Relative Danger!

Interview with June Shaw, author of Relative Danger

June, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed at Traveling With T!

Thanks for having me.

Cealie is a woman of a “certain age”. Many cozy mysteries have sleuths that are younger, so how important was it to you, June, that Cealie be older (but still have plenty of spunk)?

Very important. I envisioned her that way. Lots of us who were really young at the time loved Murder She Wrote, even though the main character was much older. Maybe we admire the wisdom of people who’ve lived a bit of life. Probably we all want to hope that when we’re older, too, we will still be able to think well and achieve more than we did during our younger years.

My series, though, has Cealie being a fun person that many readers want as a best friend or as someone in their families. They call this series a fun read.

June, do you have a writing space? A writing routine?

I have an office that’s usually cluttered with books, folders, and papers. My routine is to rise whenever, normally 7:30 or so. I grab coffee, sit at my kitchen counter and pray for those nearest me, and read my “Daily Word.” Then I get to the computer. By late morning, I run out of steam for new ideas.

The characters in Relative Danger- are they based on anyone you know in real life? Or figments of your imagination?

Cealie is a spunky widow who “thinks” she wants to avoid her hunky lover Gil Thurman so she can rediscover herself—but he opens Cajun restaurants wherever she travels, and she is so bad at avoiding tempting dishes and men.

Cealie’s personality is a blend of my squeeze Bob, who’ll say or do anything. You can see examples in the photos on my website, www.juneshaw.com. Also, my sister-in-law Lois will say anything on her mind. I’d like more of that trait they share and gave it to Cealie.

As for Gil, Bob is a warm loving Cajun and a terrific cook who’ll prepare almost any dish I ask for. What more could a gal want?

People I taught with swear that they’re some of the teachers in the high school where Cealie gets in as a sub to straighten things out so her granddaughter can graduate—although she makes matter much worse! (And no, I did not use any real teachers in here. Maybe some students—favorites or otherwise—this is a murder mystery after all : )

If Relative Danger was made into a movie or TV show- do you have a dream cast in mind?

Not sure who’d play those parts today, but in their heyday, Bette Middler would be Cealie and Sean Connery would become Gil.

Have we readers heard the last from Cealie? Or does she still have many adventures (and mysteries to solve)?

Cealie sure doesn’t quit after her trials in Relative Danger. She’s right back in Killer Cousins and in trouble again in Deadly Reunion. I hope you’ll enjoy following her in each of her books, and if you do, please write a review: )

*Giveaway: Win Relative Danger! Untreed Reads is donating an e-book at each stop on the Relative Danger tour! Simply comment by November 8th for a chance to win!

Photo Credit: EWD

June Shaw serves her third term as Louisiana’s representative on the board of Mystery Writers of America’s Southwest Chapter. For Romance Writers of America’s South Louisiana Chapter, she is the Published Author Liaison.

She’s written for numerous periodicals and created highly-praised novels, including this first in her cozy mystery series, which Deadly Ink nominated for Best Mystery of the Year. Connect with June- visit her website or Facebook page.

Giveaway: The Perfect Match (Blue Heron #2) by Kristan Higgins

Photo Credit: Harlequin

Thanks to the nice folks at Harlequin Books, I have another giveaway for November!

Summary from Goodreads:

What if the perfect match is a perfect surprise? Honor Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush. And now—a mere three weeks later—Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust herself off and get back out thereor she would if dating in Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn’t easier said than done.

Charming, handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom must either get a green card or leave the States—and leave Charlie behind.

In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom with a marriage of convenience—and make her ex jealous in the process. But juggling a fiancé, hiding out from her former best friend and managing her job at the family vineyard isn’t easy. And as sparks start to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love.

Want to win? Simply comment on this post from November 5th-12th! Winner will be notified November 13th! Please leave an email address (you may use the AT and DOT). Giveaway is open to US/Canada only (sorry!)