Saturday Has Been Cancelled

This weekend is the Malice Domestic mystery convention, which I'm not officially attending. I'll be busy hobbling running around, finding really awesome people, including the one mentioned in this post.

While I have your attention, coming next month ...

The print version! :)

A Book Lover's Dilemma

This is kind of what my house looks like. Except it's inside a completely different house. And those two people look like me and my husband. Except we wouldn't be smiling. Or we would be smiling only because someone was taking a picture of our books piled outside of our house, which isn't really our house. And we'd have to borrow a Jeep. That is a Jeep, right? Whatever.

So ... my point is that after having a really eventful day just driving my car and doing some shopping, I decided I needed to part ways with some of my beloved books, at my husband's continual nagging incessant urging.

This meant I had to decide which books really meant something to me. I kept thinking that I loved them all, because I love all books, damn it. That's why this blog is called The Book Grrl, and not The Reading Device Grrl or whatever. Not that it matters. Stories are stories, regardless of technology, right? This is a story right here. A really boring story, maybe. Too bad. Ha ha!

So then I figured, okay, I simply can't keep ALL these books. I'm not a library. I fell back on my own advice. Share your toys.

That's when I decided, here's what to do: If you love a book, donate it so others can enjoy it; if you cherish a book, keep it so you'll always remember why it was awesome.

That still left me with the decision of which books I loved and which I cherished. Some decisions came easier than others. The ones close to the line were toughest.

But I survived! And I'm ditching donating a whole sh*tload lot of books. That's a whole lot of reading to share with others. And I did it, despite my gimpiness. In my hand and my curled-in foot. :D


If I'd had a hat on, I would have thrown it in the fucking air. :)




While I was piling all the books around and figuring out which to donate, I happened to find an old Lawrence Block paperback called IN THE MIDST OF DEATH. It's a Matthew Scudder book, and I love Matthew Scudder like nobody's business.

It occurred to me that Matthew Scudder is driven by guilt. And guilt has figured largely in my writing. Weird.

Then, I opened the book and flipped through the first few pages. On the second page, there's a woman named Portia Carr. The protagonist in the young adult novel I'm writing is named Portia. Weird.

So ... I walked around the house, clutching the book like grim death. Or maybe it was just my dystonia. Whatever. #iamfoolish

PS: I really love those striped socks, but on me they would just look fucking ridiculous.

PPS: Curious George is awesome! :)

PPPS: If you have to bow out, do so gracefully.

PPPPS: World Book Night celebrated reading by giving out print books. Amazon wasn't invited.

Quoting the article:

The costs of the paperback World Book Night special editions are being underwritten by publishers, printers and paper companies. All 30 authors have waived their royalties.

Most of the publishing industry, including the two largest bookstore chains, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, is involved in some way. The one conspicuous exception: Amazon, the giant e-retailer that's at odds with publishers and traditional bookstores over Amazon's discounted e-book prices.

Amazon, which sells both print and e-books, wasn't asked to participate. Lennertz says only that "the philosophy behind World Book Night has been about physical books in physical places, handed out person to person. How can Amazon participate meaningfully without a physical presence? It uses other retailers' stores as its own showrooms. That's just messed up. Plus Amazon doesn't really give a damn about books, anyway. They're a retailer that sells all sorts of stuff and books happen to be among the things they sell."

But Amazon spokeswoman Sarah Gelman says, "We look forward to talking to the organizers of World Book Night about future opportunities, after we've run everyone else out of business and we're the only publisher and retailer in the world."

Oren Teicher, head of the American Booksellers Association, which represents independent bookstores, says that in Britain last year, World Book Night "triggered an avalanche of publicity for books," which then led to a boost in sales of the same titles that were given away.

Or, as Lennertz puts it, "We believe that reading begets reading."

I believe that's the whole concept behind libraries and promotional giveaways.

9 Most Controversial Pulitzer Prize Winners Ever

Timing is interesting, isn't it? I just happened to get this article in my email. I thought I might share it, as bloggers tend to do.

I'll quote the leading paragraph for you:

The Pulitzer Prize is the Academy Award for writers. Winning it means the admiration of peers and readers, recognition and validation of the subject matter, and a nice cash prize for the author. Like any contest that could define a career, there is the potential for heated debates and passionate disputes. For these nine Pulitzer winners, victory came with a big asterisk.

Well, I couldn't help noticing that #6 is no one. I guess we can add 2012 to the list, huh? Or the year to no one. Whatever.

Frankly, here's my feeling about the whole thing. #iamfoolish

As an ebook author who supports indie bookstores, I was out shopping today and I was happy to see that the dead Borders was replaced by a BAM, i.e., Books a Million. I wish it were an indie bookstore, but it wasn't. So, I chose to feel good about having any bookstore at all. Hey, it's something, right? :)

PS: Ann, please consider taking my advice. You really shouldn't take yourself too seriously. I've chosen to be happy, and I think I'm much better off as a result. #iamfoolish

I also happened to get this from a fortune cookie: "Strong and bitter words indicate a weak cause." True story!

Heroines of Indie Bookselling

Lisa Corson

At a time when things are looking tougher than ever for indie bookstores, because of one particular big, horrible mammoth online retailer/publisher, I was really thrilled to see this article. In Time, no less. Awesome! :D

Ever since Google bailed out on indie bookstores, I've been feeling like they've been the butt of a really bad cosmic joke. #iamfoolish

Well, let's take a look at who these awesome ladies are. They run an online bookselling business called ... wait for it ...!

Emily Books. It’s a two-woman operation run by Emily Gould — former Gawker writer and author of And the Heart Says Whatever — and Ruth Curry.
 
“I worked with these large publishers for most of my career, and there is a lot of fear over how much power Amazon and Apple have over the marketplace,” says Curry. “But nobody is asking, ‘What can we do?’ or ‘How can we fix this?’”

Ooh ooh!! Me!! I'm asking! See? I posted this today on one of my other blogs.

I've also offered to be a spokesperson for Smashwords.

But enough about me. These two women are so awesome I think they're the real heroines in indie bookselling.

So ... here's the Emily Books website.  And here's the really cool Emily Books blog! #furiouslyhappy

And there's the logo. Awesome, isn't it?

So ... do you guys carry mysteries? :) I just had to ask.

PS: I'm still really puzzled by this, in light of this. Curiouser and curiouser.

PPS: Take heart. One fed-up publisher is doing better without Amazon. :)

PPPS: I nearly forgot to mention this post. Duh!

Get 'Riptide' For Free From Smashwords in Any Format

Since Smashwords offers ebooks in all formats and is no threat at all, when you come down to it, to indie bookstores compared to some big, horrible mammoth online retailer/publisher who will remain unnamed, I feel it's fine to promote my Smashwords ebook giveaway right on this here blog.

Having said that, here's the deal.

As a Smashwords author who has offered to be their spokesperson, simply because they’re so awesome, I’m offering my latest novel RIPTIDE from Smashwords (just click the link to go to the order page) for absolutely FREE.

You can get the book for nothing at all in any format at all, including .mobi for Kindle, .epub for Nook, Apple, etc., PDF, etc.

All you have to do is use this coupon code ZX76D when you check out.

And all you have to do to transfer the file to your device is follow these really easy instructions. Super easy, right? Even I can do it. The gimpy techno-idiot. Honest!

However, this promo runs until Sat., April 21. So act fast, because I’m only giving away so many ebooks, okay?

And all I had to do to post this info is copy and paste the relevant stuff from this blog, but click that link and check out the other stuff, too, okay? Because it's really awesome. Honest! :)

Disney Wall Murals for Kids Bedrooms

Journey to Disneyland during the holidays so much fun and create unforgettable memories. Each time to Disney with the kids to make them not want to go home.

Disney wall murals are very unique and interesting to see, this wall mural makes them remember the sweet memories when sightseeing. With wall murals of life seemed to go to Disney every day.

wall mural is unique and suited to your child decorate the walls. Disney wall murals in figure added with a picture or a butterfly in the surroundings really make life more beautiful in the lead.

Disney Princess Wall Murals

Disney Mickey Wall Murals

Disney Wall Murals Colouring

Girl Disney Wall Murals

Hopefully this article and the picture can inspire you

Arrowy, Bedroom Design Decor

20 Reasons Why Books Are Awesome for Your Brain

Those of us who love books know instinctively that they are awesome. However, here's an article that explains specifically why books are awesome for your brain.

To quote the article:

Romantic types like to portray books as flights of fancy offering up imaginative escapes from everyday drudgeries of work, school, and the like. But literature, no matter the medium, holds some pretty amazing, scientifically analyzed perks right here on terra firma. Passionate readers generally enjoy more finely-tuned brains than those who prefer more passive (though not lesser) activities, so anyone hoping to improve their minds both psychologically and cognitively might want to think about taking up the habit of regular reading.

This is why the girl in the photo is so happy. Because her brain is becoming so awesome from reading that book.

So ... if a person with a brain disorder reads enough books, could they be cured? #dystonia

That's an interesting thought.

I'm not quite sure what to make of this.

Suspense and Thrills Abound in 'A Vine in the Blood'

REVIEW: A VINE IN THE BLOOD (Soho Crime 2011)
AUTHOR: Leighton Gage

Mere weeks before the big showdown for the World Cup FIFA futbol (aka soccer, as we gringos call it ;)) championship, Brazil's most awesome player Tico "The Artist" Santos is put through a traumatic ordeal when his dear mother, Juraci Santos is kidnapped. Not only do the kidnappers take Juraci, but they murder her maids in cold blood and her sweet little doggie, and they try unsuccessfully to make it look like a break-in gone bad.

Now ... Brazilian pride and sportsmanship are on the line, and Brazil will be playing its arch rival Argentina in the World Cup. Thus, given the political ramifications of same, when Chief Inspector Mario Silva and his associate Arnaldo Nunez are called in to investigate the crime, they're under a lot of pressure to nail the perp. And they have many suspects upon which to focus their suspicions.

Leighton Gage's ability to introduce a wide variety of suspects into the story and weave different plotlines around one premise is truly a testament to his storytelling skills. His descriptions of Brazil also set the novel apart from others in the thriller/suspense genre, by giving the story the distinct flavor of that country's culture.

Gage also writes very strong and capable female characters, who aren't stereotypes. Highly refreshing to this reader's eyes. :)

Which is not to say that Silva and his crew lack a sense of humor. Anything but. Nunez is hilarious. So is "Baby Face" Goncalvez (don't ask -- just read the book :)). Silva has a dry wit and the amazing ability to keep his head when everything seems to turning to sh*t the chips are down.

So, when the case gets wrapped up and the big awesome exciting ending happens, can Silva handle it? That's the question.

But we already know the answer. Or do we?

Leighton Gage has written another highly suspenseful winner. A VINE IN THE BLOOD will keep readers guessing until the very end. Justice is served, one way or the other.

Keep Your Eye on this Blog (Updated Twice)

In light of things I've written here and here, plus the ultimate conclusion I've reached about it all, I'm game to try virtually anything. No pun intended. Ha ha ha ...

So, keep an eye on this blog and my others for possible interesting developments in the future.

And, just so you know, I am currently working on publishing and selling my work through the Google bookstore, as fast as my gimpy fingers will allow.

Am I a mad genius or what?

UPDATE: I just found out my print editions are already on IndieBound. Isn't that awesome? :D

UPDATE 2: Quitters!