An End and a Beginning

Something tragic has happened, and yes, perhaps that sounds too dramatic for what I'm about to tell you, but to me, it is a tragedy. My friend, Mallory Rock, has ended the Featured Book of the Week program. Well, more accurately, she has put it on hiatus. Not because she doesn't believe in the program and not because the authors complained--they didn't (as far as I know). No, Mallory was forced to put this wonderful program on hiatus because bloggers--10 to begin with--kept backing out and not posting. How could she explain to authors why only 5 or 6 out of 10 blogs were actually putting up the information and staying involved in the project? This forced her into an awkward situation, and while I'm saddened by her choice, I understand and respect it.

To be honest, I thought about withdrawing near the beginning of the program, because I was overwhelmed with work, family matters--ahem, drama--and some personal things, as well as fighting a rather frightening bout of depression, but when she replied to my question about leaving, she sounded worried and upset. I honestly think I was not the first to come to her about it. So, I thought it over and decided to stick with my commitment. I'm not proud of the fact that I almost backed out, but I am glad I stayed with it, because I like to think I helped a few authors out, and I know they helped me. I found some great books through being involved in Mallory's program, and miss blogging about them.

No, my blog doesn't get a huge amount of traffic, but I do enjoy hearing people's thoughts on what I write about. During the run of the Featured Book of the Week program, I saw an increase in blog traffic, and I was excited. People were interested in hearing about these books! Which is why it saddens me to see it shut down. Personally, I hope that other bloggers will step forward and fill the vacancies, and that the program will return.

To substitute the Featured Book of the Week--at least, until it comes back (yes, I am keeping my hopes up and fingers crossed!)--I will continue my Harper Voyager duty and review the books I read for them. I'll do my very best to update every Thursday--the same day as my updates for the Featured Book of the Week--but I've slowed down a lot in reading, so it may take two or three blog posts before I complete a book. I'll still type up my thoughts as I go, and I might even include an author spotlight. I'll see how much free time I have to do something like that.

I'd like to close by asking a favor. If any of my readers know of a blog/blogger who would like to get involved in the Featured Book of the Week program--and who will stay consistent in their posts--please let me know! Mallory said she'd love to bring the program back, but due to the amount of work she has, she doesn't have time to smooth out all of the kinks (i.e., finding bloggers who will post regularly) as well as actively search for blogs to participate.

Thanks so much, and look for my first post on The Taken by Vicki Pattersson this Thursday!