This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Barbara Venkataraman is an attorney and mediator specializing in family law and debt collection.
She is the author of "The Fight for Magicallus," a children's fantasy, and two books of humorous essays: "I'm Not Talking about You, Of Course" and "A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities," part of a series entitled Quirky Essays for Quirky People.
Her latest work is a humorous short story entitled "If You'd Just Listened to Me in the First Place..."
Reviewed by Lit Amri for Readers' Favorite
Meet Ella Boudreaux, a self-confessed nag. By no means –- as Ella herself insisted –- is she a negative person. Persistent might be a better word; she is the kind of person you'd ask for directions if you were lost, or provides you with a long chat while waiting in line at the grocery store. If You'd Just Listened To Me In The First Place is written by Barbara Venkataraman.
“Nobody, and I mean nobody, can nag like I can.” Written from a first person point of view, protagonist Ella Boudreaux immediately establishes one important part of her personality or in her own words -- her unique skill set. I hardly raised my eyebrow when she mentioned that telemarketer was her absolute favorite among other jobs before she settled as a bill collector, her true calling. Ella delights in accepting her true self, and is from time to time brutally honest about her failings and idiosyncrasies. These are enough to put a smile on my face and make me chuckle. You will definitely learn some life basics from Ella in terms of relationships, the prospect of jobs, and everything in between.
The pacing is faultless and the prose that Barbara Venkataraman uses is simple and the narrative is rather linear, which suits the whole concept of the story perfectly. With humor fiction, I either get the humor or I don’t. As for If You'd Just Listened To Me In The First Place, I did. A quirky and funny short read.
