M.J. Fredrick's Blog, page 49

Why I Love E-books

It's Read an E-Book week. I've been published now for four years, digital first, and I've been reading e-books for 3, first on my iPhone, then on my Nook (which I'm debating upgrading, though it's not 2 years old). I love love love reading e-books.

I love changing the font so I can read it. Heck, it's so big, the neighbors can likely read it

I love (and also hate) the instant gratification. Something is mentioned on a blog or in a tweet and it sounds good and off I click. Usually I add a sample or put it on my wish list but lots of times I'll buy it.

I love the cheap/free books offered. I shouldn't tell you that I have hundreds (yes, hundreds) on my Nook. And several on my phone that have only been offered through Amazon.

I appreciate the lack of urgency in getting a book. I can put a book on my wish list and it will still be there in a couple of months when I'm ready for it. They don't go out of print!

What do you love about e-books? What are you reading this week?

Did you hear my Alex is in a substance abuse program for painkillers? :::shakes head:::: So sad. And Gerard Butler just got out of one!

 

Pinterested

I wouldn't say I'm addicted to Pinterest, but I'm enjoying it very much. I love seeing what other pinners post, decorating, recipes, entertaining, fashion. I've gotten recipes from it, and ideas for cleaning house (like heating up a cup of vinegar, adding a cup of blue Dawn, shaking and spraying in the shower. Removes soap scum like wow.) I'm inspired to work in my yard and redecorate my house. I've connected to people I might not otherwise know because we have similar taste.

I see Pinterest as visual bookmarks that you share with others. You can organize them on boards, in categories. Mine are recipes, home, books, movies and TV (though that's more of a statement of who I am), humor, ideas, quotes, inspiration, hero material. I also have a board for Bluestone, and my books. I'll make one for my pregnant heroine story over Spring Break.

I really love it. Have you tried Pinterest? Come see me!

Goals for the Last Week Before Spring Break

 

I finished the novella Friday morning and am working on revisions. I want to finish that and get my house in good shape so I can enjoy my spring break. I went to Lowe's and was overwhelmed with all the flowers there already. I may go back this week.

1) Finish revisions

2) Finish SARA entry

3) update my website

4) get my house cleaned as well as I can and the yard fixed up.

5) exercise. I did great this week, but used my stationery bike and watched Downton Abbey while I was riding.

Oh, yeah, and teach music I only taught one day last week because of testing.

And the winner of Bonnie Vanak's Book is….

Lynda Bailey! Sorry for the late post! I forgot, then remembered. Email me at mfechter @ gmail. com and let me know where to send the book!

Reaching Through the Veil

Remember how excited I was to start my new book? It has been the HARDEST BOOK EVER to write. And it's only a novella. I'm having a difficult time coming to the happy ending. It feels like there's a veil between me and the ending.

I thought about starting another of the stories I have plotted, so that maybe it will jar the ending loose, but none of those feel immediate enough. Maybe they would if I started writing them, but right now I feel distanced from my writing. I remember feeling similar last year this time. Then I had the excuse of worrying about my kids doing well on the test, so this year…I just don't know.

I haven't been waking up early and I've been watching way too much TV. Maybe I need to rearrange my schedule, my location, something.

After all, I have this for inspiration.

So Excited to Bring You….Bonnie Vanak!

A few years back, I went to a conference–not sure if it was SARA or RWA–and heard Chris Keesler talk about how excited he was to find this new author who wrote about Egypt. Today, I bring that author to you. Bonnie Vanak has written for Dorchester, and now writes for Nocturne and herself (this is off the top of my head, because I know I have one of her wolf stories on my Nook!)

Please comment for a chance to win one of her books!

What was the inspiration for this book? Taken by the Alpha Wolf is a prequel to my Nocturne Draicon series. I was between contracts and decided to write a short story about Etienne, the eldest brother, and how he met his mate, Cindy. He's an Alpha werewolf who is also an ex-Navy SEAL. My goal was to make the story affordable to readers, so I sold it for 99 cents on Amazon and Smashwords.

It's sad, but while I was finishing this story, my father-in-law went into Hospice. Taken by the Alpha Wolf became a fantasy to escape into while dealing with the grief of watching him slip away. In the story, I have this larger-than-life character, a big, bad brave werewolf  who fights the demon bad guys and wins. Etienne will never know old age or sickness or any of the myriad of things that happen to us as humans. It's something I cherish about writing romance, because as a writer, you control the characters and the outcome, while sometimes in real life, you have so little control.

2. What's next for you? Right now I'm contracted for three more Nocturnes from Harlequin. The first, The Covert Wolf, is slated for release this August. The hero is Matt from Taken by the Alpha Wolf. Matt is Etienne's brother-in-law and Cindy's brother. He's a Navy SEAL who teams with a Fae to find a missing Orb of Light before it falls into the hands of the pyrokinetic demons who killed his best friend and fellow SEAL. Matt's big, sexy and stoic and part of a covert group of SEALS with paranormal powers. He meets his match in Sienna, an outcast Fae who's determined rejoin her colony by finding the sacred Orb and returning it. As part of my research, I spent time interviewing a photographer friend who'd spent time in Iraq and came under fire by insurgents.

3. When you're procrastinating, what do you do? Everything. Even housework. Of course, when I look around the house, I realize I need to procrastinate more, lol!

4. How many books in your TBR pile? Too many. And now I have a Nook, so that has doubled my books! I love my Nook and downloading books, but I'm also into paperbacks and trade size. Dh and I enjoy going to the bookstore. Reading is a pleasure and my reward after I finish writing a story. Right now my reward is Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

5. What's your biggest guilty pleasure? Curling up on the sofa with a glass of red wine and watching horror movies when I know I should be writing!

6. Name 3 of your favorite things. My Dh and our rescue Shih Tzu dogs, traveling to new destinations to find inspiration for writing, and time with friends and family.

7. Where can readers find you? My website is http://www.bonnievanak.com and I have a facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bonnie-Vanak/156658807736 I recently had my website redesigned to make it more reader friendly. You can access my books more easily and sort through them. One of my goals is putting my entire Dorchester backlist up on Kindle. I received the rights back to all seven of these Egyptian romances, and I have one more book left to format and self-publish on Kindle.

WHEE!!!! I'm so excited to hear that!

Okay, y'all, comment!

A TV Rant

I have a TV rant. The bonus to being sick and not being able to (or wanting to) do anything, is that you get to clean off your TIVO.

So I was able to watch Glee when it was on on Tuesday.

I hated it. HATED it. I felt manipulated after it, and the music wasn't even good. In the first place, they tried to do too much in one episode. First, you have the bullied gay teen Dave attempting to take his own life. I saw it coming in the Valentine's Day episode, when Kurt turned him down, but watching Dave dress and plan his own death was horrifying. I know Glee likes to tackle those issues, but all I could think about was Dave's parents finding him. Also, I think they wrapped it up too quickly.

And I'm wondering what the heck is going on with this rushed marriage between Finn and Rachel. They still have months of school and their parents should just bloody well say no, you dummies.

Then there was the texting and driving message, where finally-got-it-together Quinn does something stupid, in a sequence that took too long and had my stomach in knots. Quinn, Kurt and Blain are the only ones I like on the show anymore, anyway. So what? Is this going to cause her to lose her position at Yale? Keep her on the show another year?

And THEN there was the music. Okay, every year it irks me that they never know their playlist until a week before competition. And then they picked THOSE songs? And the Warblers thought they could win with THOSE songs, and THAT singer? He has none of Blain's charm. Pah. Then the other group was all happy about coming in last?

Grrr. Glee is REALLY going to have to win me back in April.

Then….Justified. I would be just as happy if it was the Raylan/Boyd show. I was a fan of Raylan and Winona, and I know Tim O was, too. See, in the books, Winona's still married to Gary, at least in the older books. I haven't read Raylan yet. But Elmore Leonard didn't write a relationship for them. (For that matter, he didn't write one for Boyd or Arlo, either, both of whom are dead in the books.) But whoever's writing Winona's storyline—I have a bone to pick.

She's a flake. She leaves Raylan for Gary because she wants stability. But when Raylan comes back, she's drawn to his strength and cheats on Gary with him. I have issues with infidelity, but she did cheat on Raylan with Gary, so….

Then she leaves Gary for Raylan, fully knowing he hasn't changed. Then she flips out and steals that money, putting his behavior at risk. THEN she leaves him after saying she's come to the realization he'll never change for her. Yes, he did talk to her about going to Glencoe and being an instructor again, but every time he talks to her about what she wants to do after she sells the house, she says she doesn't know. I guess she wants him to take charge, but sometimes you just gotta do it yourself. Running off like that was childish. How can she accuse him of not changing when she won't, either?

And there's the timeline thing. She's not 2 months pregnant. He got shot the day they found out. So he recovered and all this other stuff in less than a month? And was tussling in a moving trailer?

I love the show, don't get me wrong. But all the strong female characters are on the wrong side of the law, with the exception of Rachel, who is on so rare as to be forgotten!

OTOH, Big Bang Theory is getting better and better. Holy cow, almost killed me this week, making me laugh so hard!

Goals for the End of February

Last week kicked my butt. I had a virus that had me in bed for 2 days. I was that sick at the beginning of last summer, but as a rule, no. I went to the doctor first thing Monday morning, got good cough syrup but that was it. On Sunday I couldn't even watch TV. I took my laptop to bed, thinking I'd watch something. Nope. Couldn't even read. Monday I watched some Hawaii 5-0 on DVD, but mostly drowsed. Tuesday I watched a lot of Hawaii 5-0 and did a lot of Pinterest, then went back to work Wednesday. Thursday was hell, so I left early, and Friday night I slept almost 10 hours.

So I didn't finish my Rita book and I didn't finish my novella and the house is a disaster (because God forbid any y-chromosomes do laundry or dishes or anything). So this week will be a lot of catch-up.

Really REALLY finish the novella.
Blog for Samhain
Another week of testing (only 3 more after this)
Try some new recipes for veggie son
Keep up the house!

The winner of Christy Hayes's book is…

Sharon Cullen! Sharon, contact me at mfechter @ gmail. com and I'll hook you up!

 

Off to work. Still feel bleck.

The Winners of Trish Milburn's Book Are:

Lucy, Kimberly and Mary! Contact me at mfechter @ gmail . com and let me know where to send your book (and what format, print or Kindle–STILL not on Nook!)