LLBR and its Reviewers

What is the LLBR?

The LLBR was created in March 2008 as a service to Lulu authors who were seeking out honest and positive reviews of their work.  In March 2009, the LLBR branched out to include authors of CreateSpace, Wordclay, and Outskirts Press.  Today, we proudly consider any self-published or small press book for review no matter who you published with. We also occasionally provide news and opinions  related to the print on demand industry as a whole.

Who are we, you ask?

Shannon Yarbrough, the founder of the LLBR, is the author of three self published books.  The Other Side of What was published with Xlibris in 2003.  Stealing Wishes was published with Lulu in 2008 and was nominated for a Lambda Literary award in 2009.  His latest, Are You Sitting Down?, was published November 2010. Shannon has over fourteen years of experience reviewing books and seven years of experience in the book wholesale and retail industry.

LK Gardner-Griffie is the author of the book, Misfit McCabe, which was a runner up for the Pearson Prize Teen Choice Award. She is currently at work on her next book in the Misfit McCabe series called Nowhere Feels Like Home.  LK’s traveling book site, Where in the World is Misfit McCabe, has delivered her book to readers across the country and in Canada and has given POD marketing a breath of fresh air.

Peter Hassebroek is an author living in Canada.  He is the author of The Dancer’s Spell and Upbound.  He also has a short story collection called Melange and Other I.T. Stories. Peter says, “My works are primarily fiction and cover a variety of subject areas that explore the complications within us. I’m constantly fascinated by how small events often affect us, under certain circumstances, in differing and often dramatic ways. There is a distinct, private world within each of us, a private world I’ll dare to touch with my words.”

Dan Marvin is the author of Briefs for the Reading Room and Thomas Granger.  Embracing readers’ short attention span and the art of micro-fiction, his Briefs book is taking the bathroom readers to a whole new level of humor.  Dan also writes for Bluegrass Dog Magazine and has a background in technical writing.

Sunni Morris is an author living in Utah. She is the author of Haversham Hill which she published with Createspace and The Medallion – Book 1. She also offers proof reading services.  Visit her blog for more info.

Julie Elizabeth Powell is the LLBR’s roving reviewer, seeking out the diamonds in the rough and offering a quick on-the-go review, sometimes in 30 words or less!  She is the author of Knowing Jack, and four other books all available on Lulu.

Amanda Ramo received her BA in English with a focus in creative writing in 2009.  She enjoys writing short stories and one act plays, and hopes to complete her first novel within the next two years.  Her favorite genres to write, to read, and review are historical fiction, fantasy, and romance.  Authors Amanda admires include Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg, Diane DiPrima, Dr. Suess, Shel Silverstein, Louis Carroll, Anne Rice, Annette Curtis Klause, J.K. Rowling, Karleen Koen, William Shakespeare, and many, many more.

Born in Wales, Llansantffraid Glan Conwy and now living in the North West of England in Westhoughton, Daniel Pearson is an aspiring author and a learning book reviewer. He is 14 years of age and unlike many people in this period of their youth he is a heavy reader. He reads a great deal of fiction and occasionally dabbles in non-fiction.  Follow him on Facebook.

Jaime Hypes is a freelance writer with a BA in Sociology and Anthropology, with a focus on Gender Studies.  She enjoys writing through this lens on just about any topic, and rules nothing out.  Currently living in the Kalamazoo, MI area, she keeps busy writing for a variety of sources, but has been most recently focusing on the many opportunities blogosphere has to offer.  The 29 year old lives with her partner, two cats, and many books- all of which keep her equally entertained.  Visit her blog at twistingthelens.wordpress.com.

Lloyd Lofthouse earned a BA in journalism, and then a MFA in writing.  In 1999, Lloyd visited China for the first time to research his first novel, My Splendid Concubine, which eventually resulted in two historical-fiction novels known as The Concubine Saga. Lloyd Blogs at iLook China, Crazy Normal and The Soulful Veteran. In addition, he is currently editing and revising “Better a Dead Hero“, his next novel.

C.V. Hunt lives in Ohio and is the author of Endlessly and Legacy, a new vampire series.  The third installment, Phantom, will be available soon.  Her new novella Danse Macabre is now available.

Susan Anderson was born on the north side of Chicago, Evanston to be precise. After attending Marywood High School for Girls and St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, she received a B.A. in English Literature from Marquette University. She is a mother, grandmother, and widow.  Her book, Death of a Serpent, the first in the Serafina Florio series, will be published soon. She is working on another novel, SERAFINA AND THE BLOSSOMS OF BAGHERIA, a mystery that takes place on the northwest coast of Sicily in the 1860s.

Gail Bradney is a well-known ghostwriter of health and business books, blogs, and articles, and has been a freelance editor, business writer, and journalist for more than 25 years. She lives in upstate New York.

Bob Cherny is an author and photographer living in Florida. His book, Heron Baby Island, is now available through Club Lighthouse Publishing.

Why should you trust us to review your book?

As you can see, we all have experience in writing both professionally and creatively.  We’re a bookshelf ranging from Humor and Young Adult to Supernatural and Contemporary.  We’re also self-published authors who have embraced the industry and want to help other authors out there who are just like us.

Welcome to The LL Book Review!

Disclosure: The LLBR is a non-profit review site devoted to POD (print on demand) books, their authors, and readers. We do not charge a fee for reading or reviewing any of the books featured on this blog.  Our reviewers are strictly volunteers and do not receive any type of compensation or monetary payment for their reviews or commentary. Advanced Readers Copies (ARC) received from authors seeking a review are not considered a gift and should not be viewed as payment for the review.  ARC’s become the sole property of the individual reviewer who received it and may be donated or given away in random drawings hosted on this blog as determined by that reviewer. Any exceptions to this policy will be disclosed to the author prior to the review of their book being posted, or at the time the post goes live on the blog.