Jane Litte's Blog, page 1014

Thursday Midday Links: Netflix Bleeds Customers

Happy Thanksgiving folks!

After Netflix jacked up its prices and tried to diminish services, it bled customers like a patient with an aortic vein severed. Netflix profits have completely disappeared. According to Business Insider:

Yes, that's the latest news that Netflix tucked into the prospectus for the stock portion of its stock and convertible bond offerings:

We expect that consolidated quarterly revenue will be relatively flat until we can achieve positive net subscriber additions. As a ...

Agony/Ecstasy Anthology: Christine d'Abo and "Bruised Ego"

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Christine d'Abo's "Bruised Ego" reminded me a little of Fight Club.  Just a little in that a man was finding emotional release in violence.   In this case Lee was embarrassed by his own sexual proclivities but so aroused that he couldn't turn away.  He gets the name of Diana, someone who could purportedly help him.   I hadn't read d'Abo before this submission but I've read her since.  I haven't encountered another femdom story from her but I wish she would explore that area again.

This was...

REVIEW: Lawman by Laurie Grant

Olivia Didn't Believe in Second Chances

She and Cal Devlin had been in love a lifetime ago, before she'd lost everything and been branded a "scarlet woman." And though she longed for nothing more than to be back in Cal's arms, their passion could only mean his ruin…!

Caleb had learned that some Texans never forgave their native sons who fought for the Union, but as the new lawman in town, he was determined to prove himself worthy of respect, and win back the heart of the woman he'd left...

REVIEW: Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale by Christine Warren

Dear Ms. Warren:

Robin used the word affability to describe Jill Shalvis' writing and for me,  I would apply the same descriptor to your books.  They are generally affable with likeable characters and likeable settings, however, they've often felt truncated to me and this one more so than previous ones that I have read.

I understand that many of these stories have been reworked from their original novella forms but perhaps this one was never meant to be elongated because I sat down for a full l...

Agony/Ecstasy Anthology: Meljean Brook and her short "Rescue Me"

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I'm not sure how I conned Meljean Brook into writing a short erotic novella for this collection.  It's not a steampunk with mechanical machines or iron devices but a contemporary written with a weird twist.  In many ways, it is classic Brook wherein she reimagines BDSM in a totally different lens.  Of course, I think she needs to write a fuller length story about these two.  What happens when they get out of the cabin?

Silk tugged at the corners of her mouth while his fingers worked the knot...

DA Weekly Deals: 29+ Books Under $2.99 (and Black Friday updates)

There are not a ton of new deals under $2.99 but there are quite a few new books to the list that are at $4.99.  Both Avon and Pocket are experimenting with pricing with several at 4.99, 5.99, and so on. I listed only the $4.99 books.  Before we get to the lists, though, we have a couple of announcements:

First, www.AWritersWork.com having a 99-Cent Black Friday Sale — Every book on the site will cost 99 cents* from midnight to midnight (EST) on Friday, Nov. 25.   Along with backlist titles...

REVIEW: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Dear Ms. Harrington,

I've been wanting to read more YA; the genre seems to have changed so much since I was a, well, young adult. There are so many fresh and exciting YA books being written these days, and that's exciting to me, especially when I've just finished my umpteenth uninspired English historical. Even though some of my favorite YA novels of the past several years have been set in alternate realities (The Hunger Games and sequels, the Megan Whalen Turner series, Dia Reeves' A Slice...

REVIEW: The Other Guy's Bride by Connie Brockway

Dear Ms. Brockway,

When I found out the news that this story is about Harry and Dizzy's daughter, I was initially excited. Until I sat and thought for a minute and realized that it's been so long since I read "As You Desire" that I have absolutely no recollection of it and its two principals at all. With that in mind, when I sat down to read "The Other Guy's Bride," I did it as if it's a stand alone book about a bunch of people I've never encountered before which turned out to work just fine.

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REVIEW: Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis

Dear Ms. Shalvis:

When I first started the Lucky Harbor series, I wasn't sure I would like it. I have a visceral aversion to books with cute titles set in cutely named small towns, with covers colored in pastels and adorned with cute dogs or food. But my strong appreciation for your Sierra Nevada-set series pushed me past my initial resistance, and once I started the trilogy of Phoebe Traeger's estranged daughters, I was just a little bit hooked. There is a basic affability to your books I...

Agony/Ecstasy Anthology: Introducing Dionne Galace and her short "Tattoo"

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I was actively seeking multicultural stories but unfortunately did not receive many submissions of those.  I was tickled to receive a submission from Dionne Galace, a long time member of the blogging community and author of some of the funniest reviews in the blogging space.  "Tattoo" is not a funny story; however, but a tender one about a young woman seeking to find something of worth within herself.  An Asian tattoo artist helps her begin that journey.

Taking a deep breath, she approached...