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Dead Tree Version
Okay, so the other day I find a dead tree version of a book I want to read on the shelf at the library. That book would cost me $9.99 on Amazon. Sure, a fair price, but why risk it? I take the free book. Now I feel pressured to start reading because I am a slow reader, not enough time in one day, savoring the words, looking up definitions, et al. Whatever. Turns out, I get into the book. I start turning pages like I've been doing it all my life - yes, I have been doing it all my life, but I made the switch to tapping the eReader!
I am more than half way through the book, actually closer to 75%, and I want to go to the gym, and I want to continue reading the book. What to do? Why not try both, I wonder? I have done that before. So I take the dead tree version of the book and head out to the gym. I get on the treadmill. I find in order to read the book, regardless of version, I have to walk a bit slower than my norm. I choose to walk without elevation and I have to hold on to the book or the pages flap around. Really? What's that about!
What I found is that it was great for my workout because I walked 55 minutes before realizing what I had done. Normally my inner child is complaining after ten minutes and predicting death if I try for twenty, knowing full well I aim for thirty (30)! Normally I watch TV, switching between channels to avoid commercial overload, but I have never been so adequately distracted as to walk so long without noticing!!
Did a dead tree version help this? Maybe, only because the book was big enough to cover up the readout on the treadmill displaying the time! Ha. Or maybe because I love to read and I was at a very interesting part of the book and didn't want to stop. So I think it is crucial to have a good book with you, regardless of version, and maybe the fact that it was a library book added to the incentive to keep reading also.
Otherwise, I really missed many of the features that I love about my orders - yes, plural, I have three.
Happy Reading!
99 cent books
Is there a best price point for eBooks? Are 99 cent books all bad and lack editing?
The eBook revolution is in full swing and, as history as always shown, everyone has an opinion. I know people who insist they want to hold a book. They would prefer to save up the money to buy a dead-tree version of a book rather than download the eBook onto a reading device for a fraction of the cost, but those folks are scarce and becoming scarcer.
When I bought my first Kindle, my preferred brand of eReader, part of the attraction was the idea of buying a newly published A-list author's book for $9.99 the same day the same book hit brick and mortar stores for $25+. Since then, I have found a lot of classics available for FREE, get that, zero price, and an entirely new way to find new authors. A-list authors, or their publishers, are sometimes charging upwards of $12 a book now, and many more authors who might not ever have found publication are publishing for $2.99 or less.
Recently the 99 cent price point has been under siege with accusations that the books are thrown together with no editing and bad writing.
I have not read every book out in the eBookVerse selling for .99, but I do have an excellent example of a series that I first took a chance on because, yeah, the book was only .99. I downloaded Morning Cup of Murder by Vanessa Gray Bartal. I would give the book 4 stars. I liked it. I liked it enough to download the second book in the series, again for only .99. I just finished Building Blocks of Murder, and if there was any criticism I had in book one, it was that Lacy Steele was the only attractive, available woman in town and every available man was after her. She fixed that at the end of book 2. Yes, I've downloaded book 3 for .99. What is great about this is I found an author and a series that is more than affordable and just my "cup of tea."
Vanessa lists an editor on her books and editing shows. I might have found one maybe two typos, which is remarkable. I can't read a book by any A-list author without finding a typo or two.
Do I think the books are worth more than 99 cents? I do!
Personally, I hesitate long and hard before purchasing a book over the $9.99 threshold and probably would not take a chance on a brand new author at that price point, but $2.99 is fair for a full-length novel, and anything less than that is enticing.
The Lacy Steele series are not overly long, not as long as most "full-length" books, running less than 200 printed pages. That is fine by me, too. The stories have plenty of detail, but not as much filler as some longer books, and I consider them a satisfying read.
From what I can gather from Amazon, the Lacy Steele books are selling well in the genre class.
Is this series an exception to the rule? I think not.
I think the future of ePublishing and eBooks is bright for both authors and readers, and perhaps editors, too.
Wintery Days
It's cold where I am today, by my standards and that of most Floridians. That means I have had a nice slow Saturday morning at home with only a brief sprint to the grocery store for flour. I made bread this morning and was short flour. The wind is blowing; the temperature expected to stay well below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Didn't the groundhog miss his shadow this year, predicting an early spring? I predict this is the last gasp of cold weather for Florida, and we didn't even see a hard freeze. Still enough cold to keep me indoors.
What this really means is I could while away time waiting on bread dough to rise. For me, that would mean reading a book. Naturally. Don't tell anyone, but I am fond of getting my Jack Reacher fix through the library. Not that $9.99 is too much for a book, but I'm way behind the eight ball here on the whole Jack Reacher series. With my job scheduled to end in a few weeks, I will have more to time read, and less bucks to buy books with, so I put myself on the inevitable waiting list for Jack Reacher novels. I try to go somewhat in order, though that train has left the station.
This morning, then, I had the great pleasure of continuing with the thirteenth in the JR series, Gone Tomorrow. As I have already posted, my mother is a huge JR fan and got me started on the series. I became a huge fan after reading Deep Down, an Amazon short by Lee Child featuring JR. I figured I could gamble 99 cents to see if I would like his writing.
I do. I think Lee Child is a great writer. I like his style immensely. Not only do I like Reacher, not only do I like the elaborate, finely timed plots, but I like the prose. I like the detail Lee Child includes in all his Reacher books. I don't fact check, but as an aspiring author, I realize people will do that or, if they know something of the subject, will be the first to call out errors that they see. Child writes with such authority, no way can he be wrong about anything.
Okay, so I'm engrossed in Gone Tomorrow. It must be one of the best of the JR series. I was hooked on page one. I have this great excuse to read for HOURS this morning, watching dough rise.
A while back I read an article. I am terrible at trivia, but I managed to learn something from this article. The Ukraine is incorrect, as in The France would be in error, or The Russia is wrong. One might say the Ukrainian... or the Ukrainian restaurant, but to refer to the country as the Ukraine is considered a solecism, perhaps a well worn meme, innocently but incorrectly repeated and perpetrated.
I corrected my mother when she used it in a sentence! Oh yes, I did. She is well ahead of me reading the JR series, so she may have read the Ukraine in this book - at least twice. This is one of those small bits that I will catch. My family is of Hungarian descent, not Ukrainian, so it is not particularly personal. Given the detail and authenticity crammed into every JR novel, it is worth mentioning that I found a mistake!
So then I had to ask myself, should I tell Lee Child himself? Perhaps as a way of introducing myself and asking for authorly advice? Maybe that would not work. Or just blog about it?
Turns out, the choice is mute as I cannot find any contact info for Lee Child except for requests for a signed picture. I read eBooks. I don't think I want an autographed pic of Lee Child - though if I got to meet him, I suppose that would be okay.
That leaves me with venting here. I wish I could write as well as Lee Child and make a fraction of the money. I have not seen the JR movie yet. I might someday. I hear it is good. Even my Mom says so. The movie, as is true most of the time, cannot be as good as the book.
Maybe other fans, too many fans, have wanted to share some trivial insight, correction, or criticism with Mr. Child. He is probably over it. Then again, his editor, and I'm sure he has a spectacular one, should know to use Ukraine.
Am I taking this peccadillo too far?
Reading and Reviewing
I have wanted to read a Nicholas Sparks novel for a while now, mostly because he is so popular. What is his secret? So browsing through Amazon, a favorite sport of mine, I find Safe Haven at the top spot for several days. Clueless me. I did NOT know it was a movie already. Note to self: idea for bestselling book. Write Book. Get Hollywood to make a movie out of it. Voila. Bestseller.
Not knowing it was already a movie, I figured this must be a good book so I get it. Warning, this review will have spoiler info. I don't use spoiler info on Amazon when I give a review because I often read reviews to help me figure out if I want to read the book, and if I know too much about what happens, it will spoil it for me. In my review here, however, I wish to expound on what I thought of the book, and maybe get some comments from others.
I liked the book. Nicholas Sparks has a nice writing style. By that, I mean his sentences flow easily. He sets a nice picture. There is enough description to set the stage, but not too much. The story starts out. I am expecting a "mysterious young woman" with secrets, but I'm not too far into the book when Katie confides in a neighbor. Katie has run away from an abusive husband. Katie is a likeable character, and she behaves like someone in her situation would behave. She keeps to herself, on the lookout for her husband, a detective, who has tracked her down before when she has left him. At this point I think the book is undeniably predictable. Katie will find true love. She does. Her husband will have to find her. He does.
So I'm thinking there will come a big show down and the only question is who gets hurt. The neighbor, living next door to Katie, might be an unintended victim if she steps in at the wrong moment.
The book did hold surprises for me. Not sure if this is true for all NS books, but this one did. I was right about the husband tracking her down. What I liked about how NS told the story was how he allowed us a peek inside the mind of the abusive spouse. In this way, as we watch Kevin sink deeper into his vodka and delusions, he becomes a real threat, but we also learn that he may have had a heart and been effected by his profession. Investigating murders and deaths of innocents has taken a big toll, perhaps prompting the beginning of the drinking. He never wanted to share this pain with is wife or anyone else. One aspect that did trouble me, however, was Kevin's abuse of the bible, finding justification for his violence and judgement. We are not given any information on where or when Kevin came to know the bible. Why does he cling to its verses? How did he mangle Jesus' message of love and mercy?
Katie has accepted her new life and relationship with Alex and his two children. Watching the children at their home one night while Alex is driving a friend to the airport, she dreams a warning about Kevin. Her neighbor, Jo, is waking her up and alerting her to danger. She awakes to find the house set on fire by a deranged Kevin. Katie is heroic, saving both children and escaping the house. Once on the ground she now must face the very real threat of Kevin.
NS is talented in portraying Katie as a woman who finds the courage to physically fight Kevin. I felt Katie was able to do this because she was protecting the two children. Did other readers feel that way, too? The final confrontation comes a short time later when Kevin knocks Alex out. Now it is again Katie facing Kevin. This time, we get the confrontation I knew would happen. Katie demanding answers of Kevin. "Why did you beat me?" Katie needed to ask these things, though at this point, Kevin is so psychotic no rational answers will be forthcoming. Katie has Kevin's service revolver. When Kevin attacks her, Katie is forced to shoot and end her persecution once and for all.
Okay, simple story, well told. Nothing too special here, I think. I'm a bit amazed how popular his stories are. I'm also surprised I have so much book left to read. I'm expecting a few page windup with the police telling Katie how brave she is, and Alex proclaiming Katie is now free to marry him. But no, there's more.
Katie returns to her cottage but is bewildered because the home next to hers, where neighbor Jo lives, is totally uninhabited and uninhabitable. Katie thinks she must be suffering from some mental disorder. What will people say if she explains how she talked to her neighbor, shared coffee, drank wine with her? Then she explains it away by understanding she simply used a childhood defense mechanism. She made up a pretend friend because she needed one.
Not so fast. Now that Alex and Katie are planning to make a new life together he reads the letter his late wife left him, with instructions to give an unopened letter to the woman he falls in love with. He takes the envelope and leaves it with Katie. When Katie reads the hopes and wishes of Alex's dying wife, she learns that all of the woman's friends called her "Jo."
I did not see that one coming, and I kinda liked it.
Is that how most people feel about the book? I thought the ghost angle was well played. Jo seemed like a real, flesh and blood person. Given that Jo turns out to be spirit or supernatural phenomenon implies there is an afterlife and one that can interact with our mortal realm. How does this effect people who believe in biblical authority?
I would enjoy reading others comments on this book or these themes. Happy Reading.
Censorship
Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.
Henry Louis Gates
Censorship gives me nightmares and I have been having some recently! Weird. Now, don't take this blog politically, though you might want to. I don't mean it that way, though I am tempted. But I come by my loathing for censorship innocently and organically. My earliest teachers vigorously taught that censorship was evil. Book burning is always wrong. Given my family's background in eastern Europe, I thought I understood that the oppressive regimes of fascism and communism were probably the roots of their fervent interest against censorship in any forms. Book burning and plagiarism were anathema to a Christlike life.
Henry Louis Gates
Censorship gives me nightmares and I have been having some recently! Weird. Now, don't take this blog politically, though you might want to. I don't mean it that way, though I am tempted. But I come by my loathing for censorship innocently and organically. My earliest teachers vigorously taught that censorship was evil. Book burning is always wrong. Given my family's background in eastern Europe, I thought I understood that the oppressive regimes of fascism and communism were probably the roots of their fervent interest against censorship in any forms. Book burning and plagiarism were anathema to a Christlike life.
I have always accepted that, even when I dislike the speech or "art" protected by that very lack of censorship.
While public moneys have been used to fund works degrading to my particular church, the works were created and called art. They are displayed in museums. I don't have to go see them, certainly. While I have wondered sadly why an artist would conceive of such a piece, I move on. I don't advocate for censorship. I wonder if the artist simply thinks, "What can I paint, sculpt or write that will incense a particular group, and flame controversy." That's not the inspiration I long for, but I get that perhaps it works for some people. And maybe there is a deeper resentment or brokenness the artist is actually expressing.
But something new is on our horizon, and it deeply disturbs me on several levels. Perhaps a poorly made youtube video did cause violent riots, which I think are very different than a protest. Perhaps powers-at-be used the video to kindle a mob with a bigger agenda in mind. I don't know. I can only wonder, though, at the various voices suggesting, ever so sweetly and coherently, that we, the United States, need to curtail this free speech we are all so on about all the time. While it is fine when it allows for crass comedians to attack the families of public figures, for Christian symbols like a crucifix to be submerged in urine and called art, or songs to proclaim violence against women without consequence, these voices suggest we need to curtail such expression when they criticize Islam or the Prophet Mohammed.
No such censorship has been applied - yet - but when it is, what subject, which artist, how many venues will be next?
Censorship - and the very real specter of it - is what nightmares are made of.
Dichotomies
I am a fan of both the Holy Bible (various editions and translations) and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Recently I was informed that one could not be a fan of both, that the beliefs of Jesus and Ayn Rand opposed one another.
Ayn was born in Russia, and while she grew to detest the collective ideology of communism, she never found spiritual faith in God. She was no fan of Jesus, then, or the bible. I list both the Bible and Atlas Shrugged on my list of top influential books as well as my favorites. I don't see the issue in being a fan of both. I don't have to agree with everything that Ayn Rand ever said or believed, or did not believe, to enjoy a book she wrote. I did not read the Fountainhead or a lot her other writing. Maybe one day I will.
I found the characters in A.S. illuminating. I'm not one of those folks who can quote chapter and verse, so I won't try and do that here. I do remember thinking that the world Ayn created in her long tome would never, could never, exist in America, land of the FREE (as in free thinkers, free enterprise, free speech) and home of the brave (brave men, brave women, hard working individuals). But more and more I see a strong resemblance in a society whose citizenry is too timid and afraid to follow their own dreams, working hard and risking failure. Rather, more and more people have their hands out looking to a benevolent government to take care of them, demanding the government DO for them, rather than guarding against the powers of totalitarianism.
I'm not genius or great philosopher, but Jesus would like Ayn Rand. Perhaps in the after life they have met and become friends.
As much as I do know of Ayn's philosophy of objectivism, I do not believe she would say people, as individuals, should not be generous, simply that they have a choice of what to do with the gifts they have, be it money, time, talent. Jesus, as is often said by atheists, agnostics, and Druids, preached generosity. He did indeed instruct people, on a very personal level, to be generous to the poor, pointing out widows and orphans in particular. Never did he instruct the government to be generous as I see Jesus as an anti-government guy, tolerating government as a necessary evil.
I have been exposed to the bible and Jesus' lessons since I was born into a Christian home. Reading A.S. occupied a few days of my youth when I had more time for such pursuits. I used to read economic theory in those days as well!
I am a fan of both the Holy Bible and Atlas Shrugged. I don't see a deep divide here. I do see people who hear what they want to hear and see what they want to see.
Peace Out.
Reading List
Thanks Mom! I am now a big Jack Reacher fan. My Mom has talked about Lee Child and Jack Reacher for years. Finally, I took a chance on a short story about Jack, Deep Down. I enjoyed it! So much so that I immediately bought my own e-copy of Killing Floor, the first Jack Reacher novel, priced at the modest $9.99 price point I admire.
I could hardly put my Kindle down reading Killing Floor. Once that was finished, I even took a chance on Don't Know Jack by Diane Capri. Lee Child recommends Diane, and the book was in the Amazon Prime lending library. The story was a page turner, though personally I am not sure I took to the FBI agents as I was supposed to. Both the agents seemed to me to be narrow minded and quick to jump to conclusions - wrong conclusions. Kim Otto is an ambitious agent and number one on the assignment in Don't Know Jack. The story line was fast paced and all the more interesting for featuring several characters from Killing Floor.
Then I took a break and finished a short story by Kurt Vonnegut, Basic Training. I am not well versed in Vonnegut's style, so I'm not sure what to say except that I am happy the story had a "good" ending. While the ending was not unexpected, several scenarios crossed my mind where the outcome would have been far less cheery.
My new personal pass-time is picking actors capable of playing Jack Reacher. My mother loves to describe Jack Reacher, and now, having read about him myself, I have a few suggestions: #1 choice: Robbie Coltrain! #2 choice: Dennis Hasbert, and #3 choice: John Goodman, maybe #4: Jason Statham.
Read one of the novels, and let me know your choice for JR!
fyi: Thanks to those readers who choose to read my novellas, a few each week! I love it! I am working on a full-length novel, and it is a daunting task!
Vector Onward
I have not been writing much. You can tell, I have not even had a blog post in a while. What's up with that? I have been reading a lot, and that's a good thing. I have several projects, a novella and a full-length novel, in the wings. I have started work on the novel, but, here's the thing, it is a lot of work! It is very easy to not do that work, too! Oh sure, it is easy to avoid typing the first word of the next sentence. It is oh so easy to second guess yourself, wondering if the story arc is the right one, if the characters are developing, but mostly, will the reader be engrossed?
So, taking time with the story and not rushing is a good thing, avoiding writing is not.
Developing a novel is a lot like our lives in as much as we start with a vision and then we start out, one step at a time. So many paths to get to the same place. Does the vision change? Does the path become blurred?
There are moments when I think I will give up on this dream of writing! I read a lot of books. Some are "classic," others "pop fiction." Some are free. Some cost 0.99. Some cost more (9.99 or less). Several are from the top 100 list of Amazon. I can read and think how what I love about the story and what I would have changed. Perhaps I'll be a critic instead (as in everyone's a critic).
But then, I chance to pull a report from KDP and find that someone has bought a copy of one of my books! I wonder, "Did this person pick A Sense for Deception because they read The Great Appalachian Cafe Heist? or did they enjoy Gypsies' Passion and decide to give one of the others a try?" And that is all it takes to rekindle my vision to write!
the Exception that proves the Rule
I just finished The Hitman's Guide to Housekeeping by Hallgrimur Helgason. I have to talk about this book! So WARNING - SPOILER ALERT!
I download the book and begin reading and I think, "Why did I get this novel? I can't read this!" But there is a line, one line, that is a bit funny, so I think I will read on and give it a chance, after all, I have the entire book now in my Kindle. After the first few pages, I can't put this book down. Now this is odd, because if you were to ask people who know me if I would like this type of book, if it has a type, they would say, "NO." This book is not for everyone. It is tough to read it. The F*Bomb abounds, and I have blogged before on how I am not so fond of books using the F*Bomb. I feel vocabulary was invented to give us words so we can avoid vulgarities - unless they are truly necessary - and in this book, they are necessary, they fit like a hand in a familiar glove.
The story centers around Toxic, a very unlikeable character. He is a hit man for the Croatian mob in NYC, but due to unfortunate circumstances somewhat beyond Toxic's control, he is now in exile, on the lam, taking a powder. He has a girlfriend. He also has a rating system for women which consists of stating, "If she was the only woman in my unit back in Croatia, I would begin dreaming about her on day (fill in the #)". (I KNOW, Right?! WTF) He is cold, calculated, and selfish.
He kills a priest in the bathroom at JFK airport in order to take his passport and ticket - which is how he ends up in Iceland where I worried about every person he came into contact with because according to this book, Icelanders are naive, have no guns, and don't know who they are dealing with. But as the book continues, the narrative reveals the horrors that Toxic experienced during the war in Croatia, his homeland. He has never dealt with the losses, the inhumanity, the guilt that he endured. No wonder he is so damaged. He needs a therapist!
So Toxic, this damaged human, cold hitman, born again Christian grows into a complicated man. But I cannot even promise you a happy ending for this book - that you have to wait for yourself. I would like to know what you think of it if you make it to the end. This is a funny, quirky, thought provoking book with strong language and anti-war and redemption themes.
Welcome to the eRevolution
Is it just me? Or is it great fun finding new authors and enjoying great reads for no or very little cost? When I bought my Kindle, I thought $9.99 for newly published A-list authors was a deal. Now A-list authors, many of them or their publishers, are asking a lot more than $9.99. Well, that's fair, that's fine. A lot of readers have their favorites and count it a bargain to shop from their living room and get the book for less than the hardcover.
What I have found, both as a writer and a reader, is an awesome sense of freedom to explore and find authors who the traditional gatekeepers would never take a gander at. These books would be stacked up in piles at some editors's desk, too busy and important to give them a look.
Now, authors don't have to wait to be selected and approved of by anyone other than the reading public, and that's where it really counts. I know editors work really hard and help a lot of works become polished and better. But I can't remember the last time I read an article online or a book without minor or even major typos, mostly missing words, those small articles and possessives that can really clarify a sentence. But alas, those days of perfect texts are gone, so fast is our digital age.
So while I admit I have not read a book by a budding writer that did not include a few typos, I have not picked up a book in the library or online from an A-lister that did not have one or two typos.
When you pick up a book by a well known author, usually you know what to expect. Taking a chance on a free book is riskier, but then, the "greater the risk the greater the reward." I can look past a typo or two.
Not all indie books will be great. Personally, I have not been disappointed in the books I have decided to read.
For example, I picked up Devil's Fire during a free period. Wow, what a good book. I doubt I would have found The Hangman's Daughter at the bookstore. I'm not sure if it would be there or not, but I'm sure I would not have stumbled upon it. You Again, a novella, was a delight when conventional publishing demands full-length novels of 80,000 words or so. Who passed that law? I have read both offerings from Chris Culver and enjoyed them both. Lis Wiehl is a favorite of mine because of the gracious person she is. I made a new friend when I met Chris Kridler and welcome her to the eBook revolution with her exciting first novel, Funnel Vision. I could go on and mention Nancy Clark and I Jean Pastula, my Scribbler cohorts, or Bill Allen, so many talented people I get to associate with and call fellow author. It is a great time!
At first, I wondered if shopping online would hinder the browsing for a good book experience, in love with the coffee and books concept as I am. But now, with homemade coffee (AM) or red wine (PM), surfing the aisles of Amazon is great fun. What's selling these days? What's on the top of the Kindle paid list? The romance list?
Is it just me? Do other people find this brave new world of ePublishing exciting and fun? Do readers find the power of writing reviews invigorating?
The revolution will march on and changes, hopefully positive ones, must emerge. For now, I feel I'm in a virtual wild, wild west of publishing.
