Discussion: Blogger Image!

So I've been thinking...yes, that's what that burning rubber smell was...I've been thinking about IMAGE.  That persona or part of ourselves that we put out for the world to see.

I've come to realize that I have multiple personalities...thankfully, I'm not quite like Sybil...not yet anyway, but I somehow have gotten into the habit of changing my mannerisms to suit my audience, whether it's on Facebook, or Twitter, or our blog, at work, etc.  

The reason I'm bringing this up today is because it's been frustrating me lately.  It's exhausting actually!  I've read posts written by some of my favorite snarktacular chicas {The Bookish Brunette and Supernatural Snark to  name a couple}  and thought, "damn, why can't I write more like that?  I'm snarky too!" *pouts* I really admire those people who are "what you see is what you get".  The people who are the same across the board and make no apologies for it.  Frankly, I could never be one of them and I know it.  However, while I think it's perfectly acceptable to be one way at work, another at home and another with friends...I took it one step further and split myself to suit different forms of social media.  You see how complicated and confusing it's gotten *facepalm*

 Now don't misunderstand me...I am NOT fake...I am everything you've seen/read on these various sites.  I am a grammar nazi, I am sarcastic, I am temperamental & moody, I am perverted, I am sweet, I am funny, I am a perfectionist, and above all, I'm very complicated.

When we first started Book ♥ Soulmates, I wanted to be perceived as a professional.  I developed a very specific review style, wrote my posts a certain way, never cussed and was rarely sarcastic.  Now those of you who know me know that I had to work at hiding those last two because I've had moments where I'm pretty sure I could have made a pirate blush...but sometimes I want to cuss and be all Miss Smartass on the blog but I feel like that goes against the IMAGE that I've developed as a blogger.

So what I want to know is:
What is your perception of me as a blogger? 
Not fishing for compliments *pinky promise*
How would our readers feel if I was more "Twitter-like" on the blog?

Am I the only one who does this?
How far do you guys take it?
 And most importantly, how IMPORTANT is image to you as a reviewer/blogger?

Cover Art: Once Burned by J. Frost

Once Burned (Night Prince #1) by Jeaniene Frost
Expected publication: June 26, 2012 by Harper Collins 

Jeaniene's Blog | Goodreads

Synopsis:

She’s a mortal with dark powers...

After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person’s darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude... until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world’s most infamous vampire...

He’s the Prince of Night...

Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all — but whatever you do, don’t call him Dracula. Vlad’s ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him – a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.

Seriously, how friggin' excited are you guys for this book? It's VLAD and he's getting his own book and because it's Jeaniene Frost, you know it's going to be EPIC! You know where we'll be on June 26th ;)

BTW, if Vlad Dracul (aka Dracula) actually looked like that, he would have NO trouble finding willing "victims, lol

Cover Art: Chasing Magic (Downside Ghosts 5) by S. Kane

Chasing Magic (Downside Ghosts #5) by Stacia Kane
Expected publication: June 26, 2012 by Del Ray 
*Two "Downside Ghosts" books in one year...friggin' SCORE!*

Stacia's Blog | Goodreads

Synopsis:

A DEADLY HIGH

Magic-wielding Churchwitch and secret addict Chess Putnam knows better than anyone just how high a price people are willing to pay for a chemical rush. But when someone with money to burn and a penchant for black magic starts tampering with Downside’s drug supply, Chess realizes that the unlucky customers are paying with their souls—and taking the innocent with them, as the magic-infused speed compels them to kill in the most gruesome ways possible.

As if the streets weren’t scary enough, the looming war between the two men in her life explodes, taking even more casualties and putting Chess squarely in the middle. Downside could become a literal ghost town if Chess doesn’t find a way to stop both the war and the dark wave of death-magic, and the only way to do that is to use both her addiction and her power to enter the spell and chase the magic all the way back to its malevolent source. Too bad that doing so will probably kill Chess—if the war doesn’t first destroy the man who’s become her reason for living.

You Can Quote Me (2)

Praise for. . .
The following quotes are from reviews for the books shown but found in their sequels.

"Some Girls Bite is a superb addition to the urban fantasy genre, and I could not put it down...captivating...GO BUY IT NOW! It's a great urban fantasy that reads a little like Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Series."   ~Literary Escapism

"This debut novel by Chloe Neill is not only action packed, it's hilarious.  I couldn't put it down; I finished it in hours and jumped online right away to see when book two was out...Merit is extremely charming...a great read!" ~Wicked Lil Pixie

"Hands down, this is one of the best urban fantasy/paranormal romance novels that I've ever read. What makes this even more remarkable is that is not only the first in a series, and therefore has to spend more time laying the groundwork, but it's also a debut novel for author Neill.  The plot is nicely paced and well thought out. Neill has obviously put a lot of effort into world building and the pacing of the story over the next few novels. She's created a unique vampire tale in a genre that's flush with look alikes." ~The Undercover Book Lover (Not Really)

"I loved the new breed of shapeshifting vampire that Mrs. Castle introduced, and this is one of the few books that I finished with the thought "Wow, I bet this would make an incredible movie!"  Jaden's book is next and can I just say 'swoon' ?  Recommended for fans of vampires and shapeshifters, political machinations, betrayals and forbidden relationships, all with a touch of magick." ~Romanceaholic.com

"Dark Awakening grabs you from the first page and next thing you know you've been reading for hours immersed in Lily and Ty's world. I adored this story, sorry it ended so soon, and have put the next in the series on my wishlist already. Fans of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and vampire genres should put this on their wishlist." ~Bitten by Paranormal Romance

"5 stars! Castle put a fresh spin to her vampire series that I hadn't seen before...I found myself captivated from the very first page.  I highly recommend this one and found this to be a total and complete book seduction...I am so looking forward to the sequel." ~Seduced By A Book

Congrats ladies! You've officially been printed!

Random Acts of Kindness: February 2012 Sign-up!

{Please click on the RAK button above to be re-directed to our Book Soulmates Store on Amazon. You can find all your favorite titles there and add them to your shopping cart.}  Wow, it's hard to believe but this month makes ONE YEAR since we've introduced and launched our Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) program!  We never expected it to blow up the way it did and we really couldn't be happier or prouder!  You guys have made this feature what it is and we thank you so much for that!  In fact, we might just cook up something extra special to celebrate our first RAK anniversary.
*begins plotting*
{Please remember that R.A.K. is not about receiving FREE books! It's about giving as well as receiving.  It's about passing on the joy of reading and books with others.  If during any given month, you find that you may not be able to give at all, please reconsider signing up for that month.  We've found that there have been quite a few people who have received but not given and that may seem unfair to some.}

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP:
Please read carefully & follow all rules!  Thank you!

• Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the right sidebar).
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog, etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble with Nook as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post.  This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peezy!!

Links you will need:

• Sign up for February 2012 [HERE]
• See who else is participating [HERE]
• If you have any questions regarding RAK, please contact us via the following: rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com

Tips:

1. When talking about RAK on Twitter, please use the hastag (#RAK). It makes it much easier to keep track of the conversations, answer questions and/or tweet back! =)

2. When submitting your wish list, please make sure that it is set to PUBLIC viewing. Some people have run into trouble with wish lists that were set to private. We want to be sure that no one is left out of getting great RAKs.

3. Some of you seem to have gotten frustrated because you can't get your links to appear active. This is a very easy fix :) Just make sure that when you enter your link, do NOT hit the Enter key. Instead, hit the TAB key which will send you to the next field on the form. Additional spaces entered after the link will leave the link inactive. However, if this does happen to you...no worries, we'll fix it for you :)