Tag Archives: ebooks

Why Would You Do That? (Guest Blog: Marian Allen)

Posted on February 28, 2011 | 5 comments

Click Cover to Buy eBook Now!

I like a good piece of literary fiction as much as the next person, and better than a lot of next persons, depending on who the next person is. But come on.

Any fiction–literary or genre–needs to do certain things:

Have characters who do things for reasons that make sense to them. The reasons don’t have to make sense to the reader, but they have to–believably–make sense to the characters.
Have a plot arc with a beginning, a middle and an end. The plot arc may be all chopped up and shuffled around, the ending may be arbitrary because real life doesn’t have neat endings, but the story must have shape, or else it isn’t a story.
Contain no elements that don’t serve the story. I don’t care how much you know about anything; if what you know doesn’t enrich your tale, save it for a cocktail party. If I’m too undereducated to get your allusions, that’s my hard luck, but don’t make me look something up for nothing. Just don’t.
Not have too many words. That doesn’t mean “write short”. That means use as many words as you need, but don’t use more. Not a vast deal more, anyway. Beautiful language in a story is like butter on a potato. I’m partial to it, but I want more potato than butter. Way more.

When I finish your fiction, I don’t mind saying, “I’m not sure I got that.” I don’t mind saying, “I guess I’ll need to chew that over and read it again to get the most out of it.” I do mind saying, “There’s hours of my life I’ll never see again.”

Marian Allen writes science fiction, fantasy, mystery, humor, horror, mainstream, and anything else she can wrestle into fixed form.

Allen has had stories in on-line and print publications, on coffee cans and the wall of an Indian restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky. On Tuesdays, she posts on the group blog Fatal Foodies. Her novel, EEL’S REVERENCE, a science fiction/fantasy, is available through Echelon Press in various electronic formats.

Allen is a member of the Green River Writers and the Southern Indiana Writers Group, and is a regular contributor to SIW’s annual anthology.

5 Comments

Posted in Guest Bloggers, Just for Fun

Tagged author, books, ebooks, Marian Allen, readers, reading, writers, Writing

eBooks Know No Age

Posted on February 22, 2011 | 1 comment

Just a few minutes ago I received an e-mail from one of my authors. She expressed her concern at the closing of her local Borders. Unless you live under a rock, you already know about Borders financial woes.

This author’s concern was for the seniors living in her area who will no longer have a place to gather for their book club. Money doesn’t seem to be the issue in this particular community as she mentions they have a bit of disposable income. They have been meeting at the Borders, talking books, and sipping warm beverages. Now there is concern as to where they can go. Does their book club have to end?

No, I say! This is the time to learn and educate more readers about eBooks. Kindles and Nooks are very senior friendly.

Advantages:

Font sizing options. This makes it easier for readers to decide what size letters they are reading.
Prices are coming down on devices and eBooks. Some of the devices are still over $200, but there are much more reasonable options in most models. In fact I saw the new Kobo Wireless eReader at Wal-mart for $99.00.
Devices are lightweight and easy to hold and manage.
Many of the same books are in eBook allowing them to continue to buy them, they will just have to find some special little. You can find eBooks at so many places it is nearly impossible to list them all.
Freedom from clutter. Many seniors living in assisted living or who have downsized have limited storage space. eBooks allow them to still purchase books from their favorite authors without stuffing one more paperback under the dining room table.
Flexibility. There are all manner of stories out there to read in various lengths. You can find everything from short stories to epic sagas. eBooks put them at your fingertips, literally, within minutes.

I could go on about the value of eBooks, but I hope that if you have already discovered the joys and wonders of eBooks, you will go out and tell your friends, your family, and your neighbors, no matter their age. Doesn’t everyone deserve the chance to experience eBooks?

1 Comment

Posted in Blatherings, Just for Fun

Tagged books, bookstores, ebooks, Echelon Press, kindle, Kobo, Nook, readers, reading, sales, senior citizens, wal-mart

Detour 2 Death (Guest: J.R. Turner)

Posted on February 9, 2011 | 11 comments

Hey everyone! I’m thrilled to be visiting Karen’s blog today. My new book in the Extreme Hauntings series, Detour 2 Death will be out on February 15th and I’m really excited about this release.

Kaylee returns in this book to save her best friend and blossoming love interest, Davey. He suffers from Transverse Myelitis, a condition that has kept him in a wheelchair for over a year. He’s taken a turn for the worse and fallen into a coma.

What I love most about this book is how I get to explore paranormal settings. While I’ve enjoyed working with Kaylee’s emerging abilities—reading minds, telekinesis, and the power to heal—creating entire worlds is very different. There are two paranormal places in this book: Davey’s coma-induced Feverland and the dark side of the hospital, called Shadowland. Because these are magical places, I got to build them from the ground up.

On a more personal note, I’ve dealt with a lot of tragedy during 2010—much of it surrounding my father’s cancer and his death in February last year. As I wrote Detour 2 Death, I created an elderly man to advise Kaylee in the hospital. He is based on my father and working with his character was a way for me to keep him alive. This book will always have a special place in my heart because of this.

Please feel free to leave a comment! When you do, you’ll be entered to win a free book thong in your choice of color. To read more about the Extreme Haunting series, visit my website at http://www.jennifer-turner.com

Thank you so much for having me here today, Karen!

Warmly,
Jenny:)

Award-winning author J.R. Turner lives in Central Wisconsin with her husband and three children. She began writing in high school, and after a decade working as a commercial artist, started her first novel in 1999. Aside from crafts, camping and cooking, she loves holidays. A favorite is Halloween, a combination of spooky supernatural fun and chocolate. Visit her at http://www.jennifer-turner.com to learn more!

There are worse things than death, but not at Marsden Memorial hospital.

Kaylee Hensler knows her best friend Davey is on the brink of death. She knows this because she’s a psychic. When she flees the girl’s reformatory to get to him, she has no idea the special sort of hell waiting for her.

Reapers are collectors and they come in many forms. In Feverland, the world created by Davey’s sickness, the red reaper goes by the name of Molok, an ancient evil with deep roots. In Shadowland, the dark side of the hospital, a black reaper promises torture and torment to lost souls. The white reaper is the most fearsome, giving Kaylee three days before he collects both her and Davey’s souls.

Kaylee has one secret weapon, one she doesn’t fully understand. Her abilities will be tested, her loyalty betrayed, and her love misplaced. No one escapes Death.