IN THE MIRROR book release whirlwind of fun!

It's been such a blast watching IN THE MIRROR arrive in the world - and I'm so excited about the positive reviews the novel has been receiving! I thought I'd give you a little roundup of where you can find me this week, some cool contests you can enter to win a copy and a couple of reviews that made me smile! So here you have it...the week (almost) in review! And please, if you have read IN THE MIRROR, let me know! And if you liked/loved it, please leave a review on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! It really means a lot, and helps other people find the novel!! Blog appearances and contests:

I had the honor of kicking off International Chick Lit Month with a post about a day in the Life of Me! You might find it fun to read! Over on Jane Porter's Blog, Jane is offering a big grand prize just for commenting on the post! Head there now! For a great Mother's Day brunch recipe and a special excerpt of IN THE MIRROR, visit Debra Salonen's blog! I'm so happy to be there!

Chick Lit Goddess gave IN THE MIRROR a glowing 5-star review! Thank you Isabella! While Jennifer Vido named IN THE MIRROR a Top 5 Book Club pick for May!

Visit Jera's Jamboree for a fun interview and a list of more of my blog tour stops in May! Connie at Random Book Muses wrote  a lovely review of IN THE MIRROR, even though it was a personally tough moment in her life with the loss of her father to cancer. Thinking of you, Connie.

Book Mama Blog's Marlene Engel welcomed me with an interview about the tough subject the novel deals with - a young mom with cancer - and wrote a fabulous review! She's hosting a giveaway right now!

Some of my very favorite reviews of IN THE MIRROR can be found at Barnes & Noble, and of course on Goodreads (sort by 5 stars - those are my favorite ;-)

The Midwest Review of Books' review is great! And I'm really excited to reveal the IndieReader review - but it isn't up yet! Stay tuned!

Thank you all for helping to make these past few days fabulous! To those of you who clapped my Thunderclap, thank you!! And if you are in the Southern California area, my first signing for IN THE MIRROR is this Thursday, May 8th, at Laguna Beach Books! 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. I'd love to see you there!

Here, Home, Hope ForeWord Review!

     I have to say, of all the anxiety inducing steps of the publishing process, one of the most stressful is waiting for reviews - whether it's from "anonymous" or a literary review. So it took me awhile to get the courage to read the review of HERE, HOME, HOPE from ForeWord - but when I did I was dancing!      Click on the link for the full review, but here is my favorite part: "Inspirational and engaging, Rouda will touch readers who can relate to the frustration of being sidelined on the field of life, never allowed to play and always needed behind the bleachers, until finally experiencing the joy of participation."

     Yes! Live, don't wait until tomorrow. (Also part of the review!)

Real You: Of snarks, and resilience

     If you're a frequent reader of my blog, or any of my writings in book form or even 14o characters, you'll know of my disdain for snarks. These are the passion poppers, people who put others down to make themselves feel more important. They are abundant. And the more true to yourself you become, the more you put yourself out there, the more you stir them up. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. 

I've had a couple of snark encounters recently, and they're weighing on my brain so I thought I'd write about them. It's what I do. Here they are:

Snark Attack #1: I'm at a party, there are many people there who I don't know; I only know the host. This snark, upon overhearing the host say that I have a big Twitter following, proceeds to state: "I don't allow that at my company. We do real work." Hmmm. That certainly stopped the social chatter. Impolite, certainly. Goes back to that adage if you don't have something nice to say, keep it to yourself. But it's more than that, really. I love my Twitter friends and the varied, rich and global community it provides. For him to dismiss all that with a snark attack was frustrating. But, since I didn't have anything nice to say, well, I didn't answer.

Snark Attack #2: I know, I've got to get ready for this, but seeing my first not-so-great review of my forthcoming novel HERE, HOME, HOPE was tough. The fact that the reviewer felt compelled to post at all and then included the word "-eh" stings. But hey, everybody's entitled to her opinion, right? Even if it's blech, or eh. At least she cared enough to write something, I tell myself hopefully. In facing - and overcoming - this type of a snark attack, it's more about resilience. I'm sure this is why many artists don't read reviews at all. Fifty great reviews don't replace the sting of an "eh", they never could. But believing in yourself and what you have to offer the world will.

     So here's to a snark-free week for you, and me, and the knowledge that when you put yourself out there, become more true to you and give your dreams a shot, you will face the snarks.

Bounce back. Shake it off. Resilience will pull you through.