About & Review Policy

Welcome to The Novel Life ~ where books and life collide.

People tell me that my life is a book; however, I’d never be able to publish it as a memoir for no one would believe me! But then again, when I listen to the life stories of friends and strangers, I think their life could be a book too!

I have been blogging since January, 2010 and I honestly cannot fathom not having my blog. This is a wonderful outlet for sharing my book passion while being able to meet and befriend the many others who have the same passion. When I first started I had no idea the book blogging community was as vast and as loving as I’ve come to know. Sure there’s controversy at times, but isn’t that the same in everything?

So, about me? I am mom to Erica – age 20; Gabrielle – age 19; and Jacob – age 16. I am Yaya to the little monkey below: (In plain English? Grandmother to sweet baby boy). I have the most amazing boyfriend – we’ve been dating 3 years now, and I’ve probably written about all the above at some point or another!

I love to read, talk about books and my biggest fantasy is to live over *my* indie bookstore ~ now how very cool would that be?!? Traveling anywhere and everywhere is another passion of mine ~ finding adventure around every corner and with each new acquaintance brings me alive. I live in the North Georgia Mountains of which I also love to write about ~ it is a small town ~ quaint, unique and full of history.

I welcome you to pull up a chair, sit back and stay awhile. I’d love the company!

Review Policy

Thank you for your interest in working with The Novel Life. Happy Reading!

Books I Review: I tend to lean towards literary fiction, mysteries, historical fiction and thrillers – either mainstream or Christian for all the above. On occasion I do enjoy business and self-help titles. Currently I am having to be selective in the novels I accept for review due to an overload of books and life. I hate to promise you a review and then have to put it off for months at a time due to other commitments. So if I turn down your book, please know it’s probably me…and not you.

Books I Do Not Review: Erotica, most romance, science fiction, fantasy or most self-published authors. The two exceptions I have ever made were for Layton Green and Timothy Ashby. Both authors assured me their work had been well-edited numerous times….and they were both right. If your novel can stand up to those two, then yes, I will consider your pitch.

Review Timeline: I do try to post within the month that the book is released, or within 4-6 weeks of receipt of the novel. If you have a specific date in mind or needed, please let me know and I will do my best to accommodate.

Honest Reviews: I guarantee my reviews are my honest and personal opinion. Most books reviewed on The Novel Life come from authors, publishers and publicists; however, in no way does that influence my opinion or review.

Compensation: I do not receive compensation for reviewing books. At times I will host affiliate ads or links on my site. Any moneys earned from those links go toward giveaways, mailing expenses and hosting fees.

Book Formats: I prefer to read from the written word rather than in an eReader. I can and will on occasion accept a novel in eformat but find it is way too easy to get distracted on the eReader. For my benefit and yours, please send the book.

My Pledge: I do not sell ARCs. I will, on occasion, offer an ARC as a giveaway unless you specifically ask me not to. There are four organizations in my community that I donate books to ~ the local group home for teenage girls; the battered women’s shelter, the senior center and the VFW hospital.

I do publish my reviews on Goodreads and Amazon ~ sometimes I get a little lax in getting it posted, but eventually I get it there