Halloween for Writers and Readers

Let’s face it, Halloween has gone way beyond horror and scary, though there’s still a lot of that. I mean look around.  How many Star Wars characters do you see? Princesses? Disney characters, not to mention people using their own imaginations to come up with get-ups like the forest floor and egg beater (I leave the last to your imagination).

Seriously. So, I thought for this post I’d thought I’d spread the net wide.

How so?  Well, how about a site with Halloween prompts for the Writers out there? 

or 

 

 (click on the pics for the links)

In West Hollywood CA?  Check out the annual Halloween Carnaval. 

Maybe you just want to kick back and read a bit.  Grab a good book and hunker down with a bowl of popcorn or candy corn at your side. If that’s the case check out a couple of authors that might be right up your alley.

Mary Pax, aka, M Pax in the Sci Fi book universe, has a great steampunk series out, The Rifters. The first one is permanently free on Amazon. She’s an excellent writer and the series sucks you in.  There’s a book two, The Initiate and a book three to release soon.  Watch here for info on that. I'll have an interview and a heads up.  And go ghost town hunting with her.

 

 

Another great writer to consider for this scary/fun season is Robbie Cox and his book Reaping The Harvest. Gargoyles, fun and lots of action. 

There also Michael Eging’s Annwyn’s Blood for a sort of a horror fantasy. 

Or maybe you’re going to spend some time with kids and want to read with them or maybe give them a few pages to color  - then check out reading with kids’ offerings.

 That’s it for this round. Have a fun and safe Halloween.

Writers and Readers Websites Wednesday - Kindle Reader!

A friend told me today she didn't know you could download an app that allows you to read Kindle books on a PC.  Well, there is, for those of you who didn't know. 

So, yes there is and here it is. http://amzn.to/1Mc6Z32 and of course if you poke around a bit you 'll also find apps for all sorts of mobile devices. 

Enjoy! 

Planet of the Eggs - new comic series - Launches!

It's true - I've partnered with Charlene Brash-Sorensen and together we've launched the new comic series Planet Of The Eggs - first issue, Cracked Open. 

The eggs arrive as darkness descends on the Planet of The Eggs.

Lost in the mists of time the magic of Eggland reemerges with the arrival of the Anointed Six. Under the guardian wing of Eight Hooter, an owl of great wisdom, the newly laid eggs embark on perilous adventures.

A prophesy kept by the Mystic Council heralds their arrival and predicts their rolls in rescuing Eggland from dark forces.

But our eggs are young and untested and unsure. Will they pass the test in the first skirmish with the evil snake BloodBlink or will they fail?

The Golden Feather has been stolen and the eggs of Eggland are cracking. 

What dangers and treachery lurk? Will the Eggs run out of time before they come into their own magic and solve the intertwined mysteries?

Follow the adventures, engage with the heroic eggs and follow the trail deeper and deeper into betrayal and the unknown.

But the adventures have just begun! The second adventure is in the works, titled Grimoire: Book of Spells and Lost Knowledge. 

Discover you love the characters? There are T-shirts available at Skreened with more on the drawing board!  Be the first to get the book and the T celebrating your favorite character. 

Check out all the designs! at www.Skreened.com/PlanetOfTheEggs

Stormrider - Book Giveaway from Author

 

 STORMRIDER!

Yes, it's true, I'm giving away a Kindle copy of my SciFi/Fantasy book, Stormrider. Ending Feb. 14 at midnight.

For your chance to win a free copy head over to my Stormrider facebook page, click on the 'giveaway' tab and enter. 

Good Luck! 

Writers And Self Publishers - The Ultimate Resource Guide

Usually on Wednesday I offer up a link to a site I've found on the web that I enjoy or think is really worthwhile. 

Today, instead, I'm going to talk a little about The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide

I was given a copy to review. It's gotten 89 reviews on Amazon at this writing and the vast majority are in the four and five star category. In my opinion it's a great resource. Of course it can be expanded upon (what can't?) Of course it's a compendium of lists (what do you expect?) The book is giving the self publisher resources. And it's organized into three categories; Prepare, Publish and Promote. 

There's not much fluff and not much commentary, which for me was actually good. It got right to the meat of things. And, I noted a couple of complaints that the links within the book weren't correct.  I had no such problem and indeed have found it most handy to jump from one section to another very easily. 

It's a book I'll keep handy when I'm thinking about who I need to contact for editing or illustrating, for Ebook conversion, book reviews and marketing - and yes, dare I say it, a whole lot more. 

My only sticking point was the subsidy publishers listed under publish. It didn't quite seem like something needed in a resource guide for self publishers - but then again, that could just be me.

The Future of Reading - for Writers and Readers

With all the changes we’ve seen recently we may well ask what will the reading of the future be like?

Who knows? I sure don’t. But, I’m an experimenter. I got one of those first clunky EReaders a few years back before Amazon and Barnes & Noble and Apple’s iPads  and wide spread PDFs.  Now I have a Kindle HDX 8.9.  Who knew?

Books are great, don’t get me wrong. I still love paper books and I don’t care if there are claims of a ‘war on paper books’.  Personally I think they’ll be around forever in one form or another even if they become ‘collectibles’.

I mean I suspect a lot of writers are publishing their books not only to Ebook format but to print on demand as well. Let’s face it, you can’t put your Ebooks on the shelf. And, for many writers it’s an inspiration to see those books on the shelf. I know I enjoy glancing across my study and seeing the line of books I’ve written and had published traditionally or self, marching across the book shelf in orderly fashion.

There are lots of readers who feel the same way and not just the ‘old fogies’ from years gone by who won’t let go of the ‘old way’.  There are simply many people who enjoy holding that book in their hands and turning the pages, maybe with feet up in front of a fire or just curled up in a chair our out on the beach.

On the other hand think about how much of the reading you do you now do online or on a tablet or even on your phone. Business, articles, magazines and yes, more and more fiction.  E-reading has joined the mainstream.

Heck, think of the convenience of Ebooks. If you travel you can pack up literally dozens of books for your pleasure or business in one small reader you can tuck in your carry-on.  On top of that Ebooks are generally less expensive than paper books (though with some super popular authors you could debate that). Don’t forget the ‘instant gratification’ of the download. You don’t have to order the book and wait for it, it simply appears on your reader after purchase.

There’s also the fact that Ebooks now have all sorts of bells and whistles. You can adjust the size of text. The reader is lit softly so you can read easily in low light. Many, like the Kindle, can also download a music library so you can listen to your favorite music (probably with headphones) while you read your favorite author.

Come on, really, how can the even most die-hard paper book proponent deny the convenience and say no to e-readers?

Not only all that, but I can see the potential where all of this could lead to people reading more and that would be a great thing. How do I get that? Well, think about it. If you run around with your tablet or smart phone your reading material is always in your pocket or purse, plus access to much more. Bored? Read a bit. At a doctor’s appointment and he’s running late – read. Bored on a subway or bus? Read. And there are lots of promotional low cost and free books and articles, even magazines to supplement your favorites you would willingly pay premium for to keep your reading queue full up.

And if you’re a writer, what a boon. You can carry your phone or tablet, read at will and even surf the web for research or fun. You can make notes to yourself on the run and email them to yourself about future projects or writing ideas. Then you can go back to your reading.

So yep, there’s a revolution going on, but I see no reason why the ‘what has been’ won’t blend with ‘what is to come’, sort of like an oil slick swirling on top of water.

And yes, there are things to be better worked out such as with my Kindle – they really need to provide a better way of organizing the books we buy. Right now it’s sort of in on big virtual heap and you have to scroll through to find a particular book. You can do minimal organizing, but it really needs to be in such a way as to allow the consumer to separate fiction from non-fiction, biography from business – and even sub categories like type of fiction; western, romance, SciFi, whatever. My books are organized by category on my shelf. I want the ability to do the same with Ebooks.  C’mon Geeks let’s get this sorted out.

So, tell me how you feel about the book revolution – how you’re utilizing it, or not. Do you take a reader traveling or are you still toting paper books? Or do you use your phone, tablet, whatever just for games and communication? And check out the links below if you’re interested in where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Here’s What The Future of Reading LooksLike 

Reading In The Age of Amazon 

From Papyrus to Pixels