Journey of the Heart

Help me discover the mysteries of eReaders

Posted on December 6, 2011 | 8 comments

I have been reading eBooks for over a decade now and I will never give them up. As a publisher, I have had to try and learn everything there is to know about every aspect of the electronic book industry and I am failing horribly. Okay, not so much failing, as finding it impossible to keep up.

Every day someone comes to me and asks me to explain eBooks and eBook readers to them. I am fine with the eBook part, but my experience with the eReaders is very limited. I would like to ask you all to tell us about your experiences with your eBook reader.

1. What eBook reader(s) do you own or have you owned?

2. What factors played the key roles in your purchase decision?

3. What is your favorite eBook reader?

4. Please tell us 3 things you love about your favorite eBook reader.

5. Please tell us 3 things you hate about your least favorite eBook reader.

Your answers are greatly appreciated. There are so many people out there who want to know what “real” people think.

Want a FREE copy of my latest romance, Lost and Found? First ten people who comment on this post and *send me an email with their address will get a FREE download.

*Make sure you send me an email, it is those emails that get you counted after you comment.

Click cover for more info.

8 Comments

Posted in Blatherings, eBooks, Just for Fun

Why Would You Do That?

Posted on November 21, 2011 | 5 comments

And here we go again. I have been doing a LOT of reading this past couple weeks and I have run across a few things that are really bothering me. Huh, imagine, me complaining about something. Whooda thunk it? What am I bitchin’ about this time, you ask?

Well, it’s a POV (point of view) issue. I keep reading things that just don’t work for me. If we are clearly in the protagonist’s head, we should not read things like:

“If you are going to kill me, then do it now.” Her steely eyes flared with white-hot anger as she stared at the murderer before her. “I am not afraid to die.

Really? She is looking at a murderer, not herself in the mirror. Do you think like this when you are in a situation?

Or maybe:

Gale stared longingly at Bob. She tossed her wavy auburn tresses back over her slender shoulder, radiant with desire.

Okay, that one is almost verbatim but changed the names to protect the goofy.

Seriously writers, think about what is happening in your scene and if you are clearly in a characters POV, then PLEASE, for the love of Pete and Mike, don’t put in your goofy adverb-riddled descriptions just to impress the reader, or worse yet, pad your word count. It is lazy and distracting. Would Gale really think this about herself as she looked at Bob?

And while I’m at it. Don’t do things like:

Jesse smiled at her new husband. “Drake, you can’t imagine how happy you have made today.” Her heart pounded so hard in her chest she thought she might explode with desire for him. “I never dreamed I would be so lucky as to marry a man like you.” Drake realized at that moment how lucky he was. “Drake, please kiss me.”

Okay, it is one paragraph, pick a POV and go with it. I used to be a POV purist. One POV per scene, no exceptions, then I started reading Nora Roberts. You can either be a POV purist or you can enjoy her stuff.

At the very least, don’t change POV multiple times in one paragraph. It is just downright confusing and it really pisses me off when I read it. Especially if I am liking a story and then this starts happening.

So, for the sake of your readers and your career, pay attention and keep it all clean and in perspective.

You may adjourn to the rest of your life now.

5 Comments

Posted in Blatherings, Just for Fun, Writing

Tagged Nora Roberts, Point of View, readers

Love Me if You Must by Nicole Young (A Patricia Amble Mystery #1)

Posted on November 20, 2011 | 2 comments

Click Cover for FREE eBook at Kindle

This book showed me once again that the saying you get what you pay for isn’t always accurate. I would not have been at all disappointed if I had paid for this book. I love that I can find books on Kindle for free to discover new authors and I am definitely adding Young to my list.

While the book is not your typical mystery, it offers up a pretty good cast of characters who make great suspects. The story in itself is not typical, but I found it fresh and I loved the new career choice. Quite tired of reading about coffee, tea, cats, and quilting. Home renovation and house flipping being so popular, I hope others will find the treasure here.

Tish is trying to start over, again, and this time she has chosen a Victorian house to renovate and flip. Trouble is, from the moment she arrives, the town seems too eager to sweep her into their drama and mayhem. From a serious case of mistaken identity to a romantic triangle to challenge the ages, Tish is up to her tool belt in trouble. Then there is the whole body in her basement thing…or is it too? It all depends on who’s counting.

I did find a few parts of the book questionable in the logic, but come on people, it’s fiction! And some of the things that bothered other readers had the opposite effect on me because I could really relate. Life isn’t always perfect, and sometimes people do crazy things…it keeps things interesting. The heroine had some seriously wishy-washy moments, but who the hell hasn’t?

The plot is solid, the characters are clever, and overall the mystery is a good one. And for the record, I was not disappointed in anything the jacket copy offered. Nicole Young is now on my pay to read list. You should give it a try: your opinion might be closer to mine than to the naysayers.

Several Amazon reviewers complained about the horrible mistakes in the writing, but honestly, I am sitting here trying to recall them, but I guess I was so entertained by the story that I missed them, and I’m an editor.