Thanks to Miss Lynn's Books For a Great Review!

Writer's live what often feels like a solitary life, alone with our thoughts and characters. Naturally we're tickled when our stories and characters find a little sugar in the real world. So I need to thank Miss Lynn's Books & More for her very kind review-what a joy to hear how delighted she was with the adventures of Del, Gwen and Claire in The Shell Keeper. And of course I truly appreciate it's proliferation on many sites including Amazon and Goodreads! Follow the highlighted words to check it out for yourself!

Thanks to PPRW and Tebow!!!

A special thanks to Lana, Annie and all the folks at Pikes Peak Romance Writers for inviting me to participate in yesterday's panel on e-publishing!

It was fun to hear about the experiences other authors have had and to share my own. Amazing factoid: the most experienced panelist among us was DeAnna Knippling-with 6 months. That is proof enough that this is a new frontier for all of us. Milt Mays brought a different perspective, having worked with the more hands on folks at Telemachus-I'd never heard of them before!

We may all be Rookies, but I think we've got pluck and heart on our sides!

Speaking of Rookies with heart...fyi for you Colorado readers...no, I did not ignore Tebow's debut as our starting quarterback! I listened all the way down I-25 from Denver to Colorado Springs. What were all those folks doing on the road and not in front of their TV's? Clearly the Bronco Nation needs some fresh inspiration. I hope Tebow is it!

(photo thanks to http://www.nflgridirongab.com)

Signing Books...My New Frontier!

So I'm finding that occasionally someone will show up with a copy of my book that they'd like me to sign. And this sensation is...exciting and intimidating all in one! Oh, the history of book signing. When I look back at some of the exquisite signatures of my favorite authors, or the carefully plotted sentiments they expressed alongside their names, I feel the weight of a tradition pressing down upon me. And I feel an obligation to do it right! Or at least, in a way that's right for me.

Don't get me wrong, I have no illusions of greatness here. I simply feel that, when someone has gone to such great trouble and expense as to purchase my book and actually read it-AND they still want me to sign it, well, I want to do it right! I've been reading up on what others do, and thinking about myself.

I suppose it's not right to say, 'Thanks for buying my book!' though I'm sure for many authors that's the first thing they think-at least in the early years! But I also feel compelled to do more than simply sign my name behind a trite 'Yours Truly'.

I'm not a big signature collector myself, but then, I saw this one online (pictured here) and have to admit that Anne Morrow Lindbergh's signature (the author of Gift From the Sea) would be a treasure for me.

So, to each his own! If you ask for it, I'll do my best...just be patient with me, I'm learning!

Now Available on Nook, Kobo and More from Pit Bull Publishing!

Thank you to those who have patiently waited for The Shell Keeper's release in epub formats that are compatible for NOOK, Kobo, Sony, Palm and more! We do-it-yourselfers may take a little longer and climb a steeper learning curve-but we're persistent...in a very friendly, yet perhaps a Pit Bull kind of a way? Think of a Pit Bull with a little pink ribbon between her ears. But I digress! The point here is you can now get The Shell Keeper in all kinds of formats, easily downloaded! Check it out:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/93917

ps...thanks to photopost blog for that very cute picture...though I'll probably stick with my golden retrievers....

Twizzlers-Opium of the Masses?

Kipling was known to smoke opium for inspiration but these days I think most writers would agree that there are wiser-and safer choices out there!

My own personal favorite would be Twizzlers. Technically they are a non-addicting substance, which is a plus over Mr. Kipling's choice. But, like chocolate, I'd have a hard time going cold turkey. Plus, they're fat free-hey, you can't beat that! True...there's some sugar content that adds a few calories, but honestly, how many of these puppies would I have to eat before my normal, semi-workout routine wouldn't take care of the aftermath?

And of course they use up a lot of nervous energy that would otherwise make me want to do wacky things like clean toilets or do laundry, rather than stare at my uncompromising computer screen which takes all my inspiration and creativity while only giving me spam and errors in return. Oh, and hopefully a good book now and then!

Yes, I can sign your Kindle!

It's become a bit of a joke with friends who ask if I can sign their copy of my book on their Kindle...but guess what, I just found out I can...sort of!

A new site called Kindlegraph enables readers to request signatures of authors who have submitted their books. Now, it's not quite my actual signature. I have the option of using a pre-created signature, or doing it myself with my mouse...which kinda looks like a 4th grader signed it. So I opted for the pre-created one. But the comments are my own, written by me and transcribed into a lovely script along with my signature.

To request a Kindlegraph, from me or any of the other participating authors, just go to their site, search for the book you want signed, and click on the Request Kindlegraph tab. The author is notified and once they create the autograph it's sent to your Kindle-Pretty Slick! Here's the link:

http://kindlegraph.com/books

ePublishing Panel on Oct. 23!

Here's something for all the writers out there. If you are in the Colorado Springs area on Oct. 23 check out this Pikes Peak Romance Writer's workshop on the The Many Roads to Publishing in 2011!

I'll be speaking, along with a couple of other local authors who have tackled this literary adventure: Deanna Knippling and Milt Mays. I expect I'll learn as much from them as they may from me. This is such a deep and extensive new frontier, we are all learning as well go.

Here's a link to their site for all the details: http://www.pikespeakrwa.org/

Hope to see you there!