I got an email a couple of days ago that said, “Hi GrandmaCharity, Let me start by thanking you for making yourself available to provide reviews for books of authors, from your busy schedule. I got your contact information from Amazon.com, after reading your review of “We need New Names” by NoViolet Bulawayo. I thought my debut novel might interest you.”
The sender used the name from my other blog, GrandmaCharityChallenge. I recognized her surname Onyeaso, and wondered briefly if she was related to someone I knew in Nigeria, T.T. Onyeaso.
I hesitated for a day or two. Was this just one more way to avoid the difficult editing of my too-long manuscript? I looked at her website. It’s still under development, but it’s very attractive and she has readers of her blog! So of course I will review her book and probably ask her to review mine too. Instead of one more way to procrastinate, it’s one more way to network and build my audience!
I emailed her back to ask her to send the manuscript in e-format. I opened it this morning to find her dedication to her father, T.T. Onyeaso! Now I’ll email her to say I knew her dad. He came to our wedding, worked with my husband for many years, and lived next door to us for a while.
Her book is titled, “The Land of Honey.” I don’t know the date it’s coming out, but I’ll post my review and put a link here for you.