Erica Ridley's Blog, page 32

Cover Reveal: Wands, Wishes & Genie Kisses

I am so excited to finally unveil the cover of my upcoming book Wands, Wishes & Genie Kisses, the follow-up to Love, Lust & Pixie Dust.

Behold!

Costa Rica

Breaking news: I’m heading to Costa Rica for a year-long writing sabbatical! If you’d like to see pictures and hear about my adventures, friend me on Facebook:

Born To Bite

It’s my birthday! This year’s gift (from me, to me, lol) is the release of a three-author vampire romance anthology, Born To Bite, along with fellow historical romance authors Diana Cosby and Hannah Howell.

Lady Jane’s Salon

Today, Diana Cosby and I go to Lady Jane’s Salon in New York City to read from our newest release, the vampire romance anthology Born To Bite.

The last time I presented at Lady Jane’s was in August 2010, and it’s so great to be invited back. I’m excited to attend for obvious reasons, but also because this year I’m bringing a special guest–my mom! She hasn’t been to NYC since she was a teenager, and I can’t wait to show her how much has changed. I think she’s going to love it!

Scrivener

[image error]Next Month, I get to indulge my inner nerd Scrivener fangirl and give a workshop on the software to my local writing chapter, Tampa Area Romance Authors.

I love using Scrivener–it helps me keep everything organized, from the draft to the research. Keeping my .scriv files in my Dropbox folder also means that I can not only access them from any computer, which is sweet in its own right, but also have my workflow area remain the same from my laptop to my desktop.

UK & Baltic Cruise

This month, my youngest brother and I (sadly) conclude our vacation extravaganza with a 2-week road trip of the United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales, England) followed by a one-week Baltic cruise to Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Poland, and Latvia.

Ireland

Today my youngest brother and I begin our two-week road trip of Ireland!

Data Galore

Ever since I giggled over my first Cosmo poll with my girlfriends, (back when banana clips were still a Thing and it was totally normal to wear inflexible plastic jelly shoes,) I have been a sucker for statistics. Even the blatantly non-scientific kind sparkle like Twilightian vampires. So imagine my fangirl squee of bliss to discover not one, not two, but three legitimate and news-worthy recent surveys dealing with book reading, book buying, and the publishing industry!

The Shelf-Awareness writeup on WI7: Book Buyer Behavior was very informative. One statement in particular gave me pause:

"Half of all readers do not want to use any kind of e-reader and there is no sign of a "killer" device–like the iPod in music–that would break through this resistance."

I imagine this is because an electronic display inherently changes the experience of reading. Whether my headphones are plugged into an mp3 player, a cd player, or (ahem) a Sony Walkman tape deck, the biggest difference in listening to a song is the quality of the recording. But when I fire up my Nook, the computer-glow of the screen and the weight of the casing is a far cry from dog-eared pages or the scent of a brand new book, not to mention no longer having the ability to stare at the cover with the flick of a wrist. (Also–why don't ebooks seem to include the back cover copy?? How am I supposed to know which one I want to read next if I can't read the backs of 30 or 40 likely candidates? Is it just me?)

Also not to be missed: Harlequin's 2012 Romance Report Findings and, if you're a member of Romance Writers of America, the Romance Literature Readership Statistics!

Books and e-Books

Barnes and Noble is offering the Nook Color for just $69 with a subscription to the New York Times. If I didn't already have the Nook Color, I might have taken them up on that deal!

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One thing I definitely don't have is this killer round bookcase/window. Or the teardrop hammock alongside it. I am deprived!!

And just so you're not deprived, check out the crazy deal Amazon is offering on the upcoming Born to Bite anthology–41% off the cover price. It's a steal!! [image error]

Happy Valentines Day

Flavorwire has 10 of the Greatest Kisses in Literature. Naturally, Scarlett and Rhett make the front page — although, now I can't see stills of Gone With the Wind without remembering Vivien Leigh sayaing Clark Gable had terrible breath. Kinda ruins the magic a little bit. [image error]

This is cute: Valentine's Day jewelry for the literary lover.

"Peikin has been making earrings, tie clips and other custom-made pieces since 1992 when his wife, a former editor for the New York Post, received an ancient Underhill typewriter from an editor who was cleaning out his office."

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And lastly, Oxford Dictionary has Six obsolete endearments for old-fashioned romantics. My favorite: flitter-mouse. It just gets less and less sexy. [image error]