My Senior Project and How You Can Help

Hey everyone,


I've mentioned this on my social media -- primarily Twitter -- but I haven't actually posted it here yet.


As many of you know, I'm on the final stretch for my Bachelor's degree. For my senior project, I'm doing an ethnography on the romance community. Before starting my paper, I'm doing a survey of the community -- what it's like to be part of it, how reading romance novels has affected you, etc.


That's where you all come in! If you're interested, of course.


If you have a few minutes to spare -- I'd guess 20 minutes, depending on the length of your answers -- I'd very much appreciate it if you could fill out the survey.


I'd also appreciate it if you could help to share the survey link so that I can get a wider range of romance readers to respond, not just those within my immediate online "group"/followers.

The form went live yesterday (Sep 14th) and I will keep it open through September 29th. 

I figure 2 weeks is plenty of time to get the survey out to a decent sample of the community while still giving me enough time to study the responses before starting my final paper.


The survey should be pretty self explanatory, but if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Here's the link!

Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

Heading into Fall

Hey everyone!


Just a quick heads up that Monday marks the start of fall term for me. Which means the blog may be a bit more on the empty side for the next few months.


I'll still have posts up, but it depends on what I can schedule ahead of time. I do have a full list of review books sitting on my Kindle, but it will ultimately depend upon my class schedule and load as to whether I'll be reviewing all of them on the blog. As always, I'll try my best, but no promises!


At the very least you can always count on there being a Lusting for Covers post up on Sunday, and a Whatcha Reading? on Saturday -- though my reading may be more textbook and lit than fun romance stuff for a bit. *sigh*


I'll still be around, either through email or blog comments. And you can bet I'll still be on social media, especially Twitter. Probably more than I should, but I just can't stay away from it, even when I'm super busy. In a crazy way, it really does help to keep me sane and connected.


And I will most definitely still be posting man candy -- aka, #SexyTuesday -- every Tuesday on my FB, Twitter, and Tumblr pages. A girl has to have her priorities after all! :) Note: The same pics go up on all three accounts, so follow whichever account works best for you.


Off topic, but speaking of Tumblr, I did start a second Tumblr blog. This new blog is devoted entirely to NSFW pics and gifs. And when I say NSFW, I mean it. You've been warned! But if NSFW goodies are your thing, you can follow TBQ After Dark for all your dirty needs. ;) Right now I'm scheduling four posts every night, with a mix of both M/F and M/M.


If you're not interested in seeing that kind of content on your dashboard, no worries! My original Tumblr page is still up and will be updated regularly with SFW pics and gifs of men and couples, funny/random things I like, bookish posts, and relatable quotes. Like always. :)



This is my last semester for my bachelor's degree, so there's that bit of good news at least. I can't say I'm excited about classes starting, or even getting my degree, but this is not the place for a My Life is Going Nowhere crisis. :P


As always, thank you all for visiting and supporting the blog, through both the busy months and the slow ones. You all rock!



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,

  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

Let's Talk: Guilty Reader

I mentioned this on Twitter recently, so why not turn it into a longer discussion?

Let's Talk: Romance Newbies

I've been thinking lately: what books do you give someone in hopes of turning them into a full-blown romance reader?


Obviously there's no right or wrong answer to this because everyone has different taste in books. A book that you loved and recommend may be just "meh" to a potential reader, while a book that you didn't enjoy as much might be the exact catnip that same reader needed to dive into the romance genre. And that's okay!


But I am curious about what books YOU would give to a non-romance reader to bring them to the smexy side. :) As SmartBitches put it, what books are in your Romance Conversion Kit?


It could be books for the entire genre or for certain subgenres. (Perhaps a book to convert a historical romance reader to a paranormal romance reader, a book to recommend to a first time M/M reader, etc.)


In short, let's talk about all the awesome books we think potential romance readers need in their lives! Because really, you can never have too many recs. :)



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,

  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

Our Recommended Samhain Reads!

As you've no doubt heard by now, Samhain is planning on closing in the very near future. To find out more, read this.

I've read a lot of great books from Samhain over the years. In fact, I can think of quite a few M/M romances in particular that they've published in the last year that have made my keeper shelf.


Below you will find a list of ALL the books that Kame, Pat, or myself, have read and would recommend from Samhain. If we did a review for the book in question, I'll link to it.


There's a mixture of genres below, but I think my M/M reads do take up the greatest majority. However, Samhain publishes a LOT of other genres and books, too, so just because we personally haven't read them doesn't mean they're not out there, or that they're not good. :)

NOTE: For today only (Feb 29th) Samhain is having a 40% off sale on their site!

Our Samhain Top Reads

2016 Reading Plan

As 2015 is coming to an end, I'm already planning ahead to 2016's reading. 

As many of you already know, my TBR pile is out of control. No, really: OUT. OF. CONTROL. Print, Kindle, other ebooks . . . it's crazy! And while I don't buy as many new books (print or ebook) as I used to, I still manage to keep adding to that pile.


So my plan for 2016 is to work on my piles more, specifically my print pile.


I can ignore my out-of-control Kindle for years yet. Because, you know, it doesn't take up half my room.


I'm joking about the "half my room" part.


Mostly.

Back To School

Hey everyone,

A quick update on how the blog will be ran for the next few months:


As many of you know, I'm working on my Bachelors degree. Fall term, of my senior year, officially starts today. 


Obviously, the blog will take a backseat to my classwork, and even my personal life and responsibilities. 


Now, I'll still have posts scheduled to go up, especially as Kame and Pat send in reviews. Don't worry; I won't forget about Sunday's Lusting for Covers! I'll also be posting my Friday FitReaders update, and -- hopefully! -- my Saturday Whatcha Reading? post. Assuming, of course, that I CAN find the time to read something besides my textbooks . . . 


But other than that, the blog may be a bit sparse most weeks. I will no doubt be mostly MIA from my social media accounts as well. 


All that being said, I'll still be around, just not as often as you may have become accustomed to over my summer break. Please don't hesitate to contact me though. Whether you are an author asking about a possible review/guest post, or a fellow reader reaching out via my social media platforms to chat books -- I'll still be checking everything when I can. Just remember: I will probably not answer back right away, it may be hours, or even days, after the fact, depending on my class schedule.


To ensure I don't let myself get easily distracted, I'll be trying to stay offline as much as possible. However, I won't cut myself off completely. In many ways, interacting with many of you on Twitter or Facebook or even here in the blog comments, helps to keep me sane. And when the stress of classes hits hard, I'm going to need that temporary escape even more, even if it's only for a few brief moments at a time. :)


Please be patient with me and know that I'll be updating that blog as much as I can. 

Thank you! 

Enjoy!



Until Next Time,



  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

A Note About My Twitter

Dear Followers:

Here's the deal: my Twitter and my Tumblr accounts are extremely NSFW. And that's how I like it. 

Do You Follow Us?

I figured today I'd make sure you know how to follow us -- there are a lot of options! I'll provide all the links below so that you can pick which following options work best for you. :) 

FREEDOM, Announcements + Giveaway!

I made it -- I survived the semester! *dies*

Now the anxiously-awaiting-my-grades part. Ugh.

To celebrate "We Survived Finals", my friend and I will be spending the entire day watching Gilmore Girls and eating more junk food than should be allowed. :) In other words, the perfect day.

But . . . I realized last night that I have nothing planned until Sunday's Lusting For Covers post. Um, oops. 

So instead, I have a few announcements and a giveaway -- read on!

Harlequin's SO YOU THINK YOU CAN WRITE!

For one week only (Sept.15-19) Harlequin is hosting a free online writing conference. After completing the Harlequin writing boot camp, participants have the chance to submit a first chapter (5000 words max) and 100-word pitch to the series you have targeted starting September 22 - October 1 for a chance to win the Ultimate Author's Publishing Prize.



Prizing: One lucky writer will receive the Ultimate Author’s Publishing Prize from Harlequin. The grand prize winner will be offered a two-book series contract with the first book to be published digitally on or around Valentine’s Day 2015—print edition to follow. The winner will also celebrate success in style with a complimentary champagne dinner for two ($150 USD value).

Click here for itinerary of online conference aka Harlequin boot-camp events!

For complete rules and regulations, visit this link.

What a great opportunity! Do you have what it takes? :) Good luck to everyone who enters!

Enjoy!

Until Next Time

,

  *TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

Back to School!

As many of you know, it's that time of year again. Time to jump for joy as you send your kids off to school, thrilled to have a few precious hours without them underfoot.

I don't have any kids. Instead, in just under a week it will be me going back to school.

I'm going back to get my bachelor's degree. Needless to say, I'll soon be juggling life, school, and blogging. As many of you know firsthand, this can be difficult at times. Life and school will, obviously, come first. If I have some time to spare, I will be updating the blog, but know that for the next few months new posts may be few and far between, at least until I can successfully juggle everything.

Social Blogger Hop: Fun Facts + Giveaway!

The hop's purpose is for readers to get to know bloggers better. Each blog will include a few fun/quirky facts about them and or their blog that they think people will find fun :) 

Come Meet & Greet your favorite bloggers and find a few new ones to love too! Enter the Grand Prize Giveaway then hop around and visit all of the Social Bloggers and learn some fun facts about them! There will be individual giveaways at some of the blog so don't forget to stop by and say hi!

5 Totally Random Things You May Not Know About Me

Six Year Blogoversary: Day 7 + Giveaway!

Starting June 15th, we will be celebrating the blog's 6 year blogoversary with fun posts and giveaways. The party will end June 21st. 

Check back each day for a new post and giveaway. The daily giveaways will each last 24 hours, and all winners will be picked and announced on the 22nd! 

I will also be running a grand prize giveaway (one for US residents and one for INT readers). These giveaways can be found HERE, and it will run until June 21st, with the winner also being announced the following day. Good luck and have fun!

Six Year Blogoversary: Day 6 + Giveaway!

Starting June 15th, we will be celebrating the blog's 6 year blogoversary with fun posts and giveaways. The party will end June 21st. 

Check back each day for a new post and giveaway. The daily giveaways will each last 24 hours, and all winners will be picked and announced on the 22nd! 

I will also be running a grand prize giveaway (one for US residents and one for INT readers). These giveaways can be found HERE, and it will run until June 21st, with the winner also being announced the following day. Good luck and have fun!

Six Year Blogoversary: Day 5 + Giveaway!

Starting June 15th, we will be celebrating the blog's 6 year blogoversary with fun posts and giveaways. The party will end June 21st. 

Check back each day for a new post and giveaway. The daily giveaways will each last 24 hours, and all winners will be picked and announced on the 22nd! 

I will also be running a grand prize giveaway (one for US residents and one for INT readers). These giveaways can be found HERE, and it will run until June 21st, with the winner also being announced the following day. Good luck and have fun!

Six Year Blogoversary: Day 4 + Giveaway!

Starting June 15th, we will be celebrating the blog's 6 year blogoversary with fun posts and giveaways. The party will end June 21st. 

Check back each day for a new post and giveaway. The daily giveaways will each last 24 hours, and all winners will be picked and announced on the 22nd! 

I will also be running a grand prize giveaway (one for US residents and one for INT readers). These giveaways can be found HERE, and it will run until June 21st, with the winner also being announced the following day. Good luck and have fun!

Six Year Blogoversary: Day 3 + Giveaway!

Starting June 15th, we will be celebrating the blog's 6 year blogoversary with fun posts and giveaways. The party will end June 21st. 

Check back each day for a new post and giveaway. The daily giveaways will each last 24 hours, and all winners will be picked and announced on the 22nd! 

I will also be running a grand prize giveaway (one for US residents and one for INT readers). These giveaways can be found HERE, and it will run until June 21st, with the winner also being announced the following day. Good luck and have fun!

Six Year Blogoversary: Day 2 + Giveaway!

Starting June 15th, we will be celebrating the blog's 6 year blogoversary with fun posts and giveaways. The party will end June 21st. 

Check back each day for a new post and giveaway. The daily giveaways will each last 24 hours, and all winners will be picked and announced on the 22nd! 

I will also be running a grand prize giveaway (one for US residents and one for INT readers). These giveaways can be found HERE, and will run until June 21st, with the winner also being announced the following day. Good luck and have fun!

Six Year Blogoversary: Kick Off + Giveaway!

Starting today (June 15th), we will be celebrating the blog's 6 year blogoversary with fun posts and giveaways. The party will end June 21st. 

Check back each day for a new post and giveaway. The daily giveaways will each last 24 hours, and all winners will be picked and announced on the 22nd! 

I will also be running a grand prize giveaway (one for US residents and one for INT readers). These giveaways can be found below, and it will run until June 21st, with the winner also being announced the following day. Good luck and have fun!