This is great! I love being given unusual alternatives to “normal” commonly used words.
Chris, The Story Reading Ape finds the best things!
Month: June 2015
Lending & Borrowing mean different things at Amazon
Chris McMullen was introduced to me by Chris, the Story Reading Ape. I found this blog post here very interesting and informative. I’m sure I’m not the only one who got confused and this here is explaining a lot.
Image from ShutterStock.
LENDING ≠ BORROWING
Amazon has two completely unrelated Kindle programs which use similar words.
- borrowing: readers can borrow Kindle e-books through Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited.
- lending: the Kindle Book Lending program allows customers to lend one book to someone else for up to 14 days.
These two programs have absolutely nothing to do with one another.
To make matters potentially more confusing, Amazon uses the word lending in KOLL: Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. In this abbreviation, ‘lending’ does actually refer to Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime. But in Kindle Book Lending, the word ‘lending’ means something entirely different.
Both options—borrowing as it relates to Kindle Unlimited and lending as it relates to Kindle Book Lending—appear in different places when you publish an e-book with KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).
- The top of the first page of the publishing process has the option to enroll in KDP Select…
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Is Kindle Unlimited Hurting New Indies?
I think this is an interesting and informative post, published by “Lit World Interviews”. I therefore decided to re-blog it.
I was planning on posting the new TOC how to using Calibre this week, but I’m afraid that I haven’t been able to get to my computer to get the screenshots together this week – so next week it will be – promise. Getting back here today though, it seems that the whole writing world is up in arms about Amazon’s announcement that authors will earn by the page read, rather than by the percentage of a book read when a book is borrowed with Kindle Unlimited. Having vivid memories of starting out as a newbie to self-publishing of how easy it was to get totally confused and thrown off course by announcements from some established authors, I’m really glad that this didn’t happen back then.
It’s a fact that any Indie author out there right now with one, or maybe two books published, is not going to be laughing…
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Summernight’s Spoonerism
The grass is green and so are trees
most flowers are fully in bloom
the air is sweet, a buzz of bees
is far away the air to loom.
***
A little breeze cools down my skin
which sunbeams warmed by heated touch.
I love the light, lift up my chin
close my eyes and enjoy it much.
***
Cold it’s been too long in year
never thought it change anymore.
But finally with summer here
My hopes are high my soul to soar.
***
When night’s to come it still is warm
I love to sit outside and read.
Even more in summer storm
watching the rain feels like a need.
***
The only thing that bothers me
is summer sweat soaking my stance.
The smell, the feel I want to flee
Before the grand mosquito dance.
***
(Copyright, Aurora Jean Alexander, June 2015)
You Might Be a Writer If…
Kristen Lamb knows it well: you are a writer when…
… and today I found out: I definitely AM a writer.
Kristen writes in such a humorous and amazing way that you don’t feel bad but proud to be a writer, even though your… oh, no! Read it for yourself! It will be fun!
A lot of “stuff” has been going on in my life lately. Hard stuff. Heavy stuff. The kind of stuff that just makes me want to write massacre scenes….except I am so brain dead I had to google how to spell “massacre.”
Masicker? Missucker?
WHAT AM I DOING???? *breaks down sobbing*
I am supposed to be an adult an expert okay, maybe functionally literate. Fine, I give up! I have nothing left to saaaaayyyyyy. I am all out of woooords *builds pillow fort*.
I figured it’s time for a bit of levity. Heck, I need a good laugh. How about you guys?
We writers are different *eye twitches* for sure, but the world would be SO boring without us. Am I the only person who watches Discovery ID and critiques the killers?
You are putting the body THERE? Do you just WANT to go to prison? Why did you STAB…
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“Fathers Day, Wisdom from dad” by Carl D’Agostino
I think this post HAS to be seen and read by fathers. Do you recognize yourself? Carl D’Agostino knows what he’s talking about. 😀 Enjoy!
Author Spotlight – Jim P. Spencer
Welcome!
Hi! Glad to be here and sharing who I am, not what I am with you.
Please introduce yourself. 
My real name is James Philip Spencer – I write under the name Jim P Spencer. I live in Western Massachusetts. I am seventy years young and married. I’ve been married to the same woman for almost fifty years. (This is an amazing statistic). I have two children and one granddaughter. I’m retired military (Air Force, Msgt). I’ve worked for numerous corporations- among them the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp and American Express. I have a few degrees (no ivy league names though). I am an avid angler and photographer. I travel whenever I can. There is a rumor going around that I am the real Santa and when I travel, I am checking my naughty and nice list. That is a misconception. The real Santa lives a bit farther north and I am just a simple minion.
1. When did you start writing?
I had a triple by-pass in 2001 and started writing while recovering. It was so much better than daytime television. I wasn’t very good at video games either. I wrote a short story, which a friend submitted to a contest. I won the contest – even got some money. I had fun writing. Story showing came easy to me.
2. What motivates you to write?
To fulfill my dreams. The desire to have fun. I love the writing. I love meeting my fans. Writing keeps me out of trouble – mostly anyways.
3. What genre do you write in and what made you chose this particular genre?
I actually write in two. I write mysteries for the money and the joy of fabricating a plot complex enough fascinate but not overwhelm the reader. In addition, I write fantasy because it provides me with an opportunity to discuss social and emotional issues that face most people in a non-threatening way. My fantasy is also a memoir in disguise.
4. What is your goal in writing? Do you have dreams where your writing should take you?
I have dreams where my writing is going to take me every day. Those dreams provide the impetus to do the hard editing and marketing. In reality, nobody can predict where a dream can take you. I can say without exception that my writing journey is well on its way. It has sent me to places I only dreamed of visiting. It has introduced me to some marvelous people, such as you. My goal is to live another day as well, if not better than I lived today.
5. What motivates you to write?
I thought I had already answered this one. Maybe I can answer the question differently. I guess in the end–I motivate me. I might even say success and my own achievements. I see this answer begs an explanation. I define success as making my little chunk of the universe a little bit better, a little bit nicer and those little bits could go on for chapters. Achievement? I like to define that as bringing out the best in others by giving my best in everything I do.
6. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if yes, how do you deal with it?
Never had to deal with what some would call writer’s block. Now, I might be tied up for a time on how I want to show an action or to the exact word but never to a dead stop. When I bog down, I just tell the story then come back a fix my problem words. I have lots and many stories to tell.
7. What advice would you like to give new, hopeful authors?
Just do it! Don’t listen to any negatives. Have faith in yourself. Put who you are out there! Don’t let your life be one where all you do is check the boxes others define.
8. Please, tell us about your work.
I have to laugh because I believe my work it simply living. It starts when my feet hit the floor and ends when my head strikes the pillow. It is everything in between. It might be volunteering at the local senor center. It might be trying to capture a moment in my life with a great photograph. It may be just teaching my granddaughter how to tie a fly, catch a trout, and release it. Now, it you want to know about my writing, I’ll tell you. I write a succession of books that I have called “The Seven Knights Series.” It is about seven individual with very different experiences and backgrounds. There are four women and three men. Their mission in life is to make the dark alleys in the world a little better. In book one, they all meet and solve a murder. In book two, these same individuals solve a family mystery. I have seven of these books in various stages of completion. My fantasy with the working title of “Swords and Tomes” is about a Vietnam Vet searching for answers to questions about life. He is whisked away to another dimension where magic has evolved and technology has not. He battles his own demons and those of the dimension until he surmounts one final obstacle that will have repercussions and consequences on both dimensions.
Thank you for being my guest. It was such a pleasure to have you here!!
You are truly welcome. I hope my interview inspires others to write–or at least try to find some creative way to live life better. I encourage anyone to e-mail me with comments on my books, my work, or just to say hi. My e-mail is jimpspencer2@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from them and I promise I will answer them at the first suitable time.
Author Spotlight – Sharon K. Connell
Welcome!
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Sharon K. Connell, author of A Very Present Help, Paths of Righteousness, There Abideth Hope, and soon to be published His Perfect Love.
- When did you start writing?
The first time I sat down to begin writing a story was about seven years ago, sometime in 2008.
- What motivates you to write?
The first thing that motivated me to write was my friend, Alan J. O’Reilly, author of Sound of Battle and Desired Haven. We had known each other for years and every time I would recount something I had gone through, he would tell me, “You need to write that in a book.” When I went through Hurricane Ivan, while living in Pensacola, Florida, I told him about the experience. Again, he told me that I should be writing and use those experiences in a story. This time, I took him up on the idea. However, I did not write about the Hurricane. I started to, but for some reason a romantic setting and situation came to mind instead. I began writing down my thoughts and suddenly, I had a story.
Today, the motivation comes about the same way. An idea pops into my mind and I start forming ideas about it. Usually, strange as it may seem, the hook comes to mind first (for anyone reading this and not being familiar with that word in writing, it is the first part of the story that you write to grab the reader, to make him or her want to read on and find out what happens next). That did not happen on my first published book (which is actually the second story I wrote) but it has happened with each of the others.
- What genre do you write in and what made you chose this particular genre?
My genre is actually a combination of three, Christian Romance Drama. I am a Christian Romance writer but my stories include a lot of Drama and this last one (yet to be published) has some Mystery mixed in. I chose the Christian Romance because I am a Christian who loves to read a good love story… a good, clean love story. I also like drama, a good laugh (my stories always have some fun parts to them) and mystery.
- What is your goal in writing? Do you have dreams where your writing should take you?
Currently, my goal is to get my fourth novel finished, then to get it published, and then tackle the re-editing of my first three novels, to publish a 2nd edition on each. (The first three novels were written before I knew a lot about writing and editing—not that I know a whole lot about it now. The stories are good but the writing itself needs some cleaning up.) My long-term goal is to write as long as God gives me the talent and energy to do so, and to be the best writer I can be for His Honor and Glory. My long-term dreams are for my books to be on a best-seller list, and I intend to work hard for that.
- Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if yes, how do you deal with it?
So far, I have been fortunate enough not to have this problem. Once I start a story, it simply flows out of me. Sometimes I might get stuck with “how am I going to justify that happening,” but even then, I do not get stuck long. I have heard other writers talk about this, and most agree that walking away from it is the best thing to do for a while. When they get back to it, usually they have some fresh ideas. I think that this is what I would do. It worked well when I was employed in the clerical/medical field. It should work for writing as well.
- What advice would you like to give new, hopeful authors?
I think the best advice for me to give to a “new, hopeful author” would be to “Do it!” I have heard this more than once, having been given that advice by Alan so long ago. Even if you do not think you can, but you have had the desire to or thought about writing something, go ahead and give it a try. You will find out quick enough if it is what you should be doing, I believe. Do not let others discourage you. When I first started, Alan was my only encouragement. Once I had written several chapters to a story and had a couple of people at my church read what I wrote, I got further encouragement. Now I get encouragement from all kinds of places. DO IT!
- Please, tell us about your work.
As I mentioned in my introduction, I have written three novels.
A Very Present Help is filled with romance and danger, suspense, and betrayal. A young teacher’s childhood sweetheart, a Marine serving in Afghanistan, breaks off their long engagement because he has fallen in love with a female Marine whom he was instrumental in rescuing from insurgents. The teacher’s faith is tested almost to the limit when a man whom she has just recently met begins stalking her. Added to these problems, the teacher cannot get her mind off another Marine she only met once shortly after becoming engaged, someone she thinks she will never see again. Events weave a tapestry with the lives of all these people.
Paths of Righteousness is the first story I wrote but was put on the back burner until I published A Very Present Help. This story is about a beautiful young woman working as an Office Manager in a Family Practice Clinic and a strikingly handsome but somewhat arrogant doctor who comes to work there. The antagonist in this story is a former co-worker of the heroine from another office who has vowed revenge on her because she rejected his advances. Lots of misunderstandings and assumptions cause problems galore. It may even remind you a bit of the feelings you get reading Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen…”will they or won’t they ever get together???” Oh yes, there is also another man in the heroine’s life who adds more complication and causes a lot of confusion to our girl until she has a crisis.
There Abideth Hope is about a former Navy nurse who decides to stay in Pensacola, Florida, when her enlistment ends, getting a job at the local hospital. While in college, before initially enlisting, she had been an eyewitness to the murder of one of her professors. The murderer winds up in Pensacola and the problems start when he recognizes her. An attempted murder at the hospital where she is employed takes place on her floor. A storm is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico while the nurse and the man she is falling in love with get involved trying to help some teen victims of the man who got away with murder in her past. Human trafficking, rave parties, drugs, and total disregard for life itself cause havoc in their lives. Their faith is tested to the breaking point.
My newest story, His Perfect Love is about one of the characters who has shown up as a “bad girl” in previous stories. She is tired of her past life. But does she really want to change? God begins working in her life by throwing obstacles in her path. One of the men from her past, a very nasty type, has sent someone to get rid of her because of the information she may have about his illegal business affairs. Whom does she trust? She is not sure she can trust any of her three current love interests, her new fiancé, the wealthy businessman she is secretly dating, or the electronics engineer who comes to her office to work on their system and flirts unashamedly with her. One of them is an FBI agent, one is a killer and one is just a normal sweet guy, but who is who? She decides to run. Will she succeed in changing and will she ever have a normal life?
This last book is still in the editing phase, hopefully to be published later this year.
Thank you for being my guest. It was such a pleasure to have you here!!
Thank you for the opportunity of presenting my work and myself.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************
My links:
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/rosecastleplace
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonkconnell
Facebook Page: sharonk.connell@facebook.com
Author’s book page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/averypresenthelpbook1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharonKConnell
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/sharonkconnell
Group Forum on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/writersandauthorsforum/
And for my book videos:
A Very Present Help by SharonKConnell http://youtu.be/aRGooJjxaHU
Paths of Righteousness by SharonKConnell http://youtu.be/w2JkmYqhFyE
There Abideth Hope by SharonKConnell http://youtu.be/16G7IZaZB9Y
A tribute to my Dad
June 11 is the day of my Dad’s passing, 4 days before his birthday with the biggest garden party he had ever organized together with Mom.
My Dad died in a work accident. And no, I won’t describe how it happened nor what happened. After all that time the memory is still painful.
But remembering my Dad, his incomparable humor, his thrilling laughter, his wisdom and that we sometimes did not even need to talk but only look at each other knowing very well what the other one was thinking… that’s a memory I consider a gift.
My father was the best Dad I could have. And I am blessed to be his daughter.
And that is why I decided today to post this little blog post – and celebrate his life and what he gave me: a wonderful childhood, protection, wisdom, advice and some of his humor. Thank you Dad. I love you.
*******
Quiet Moments
When I was young I used to love
to sit upon your knee.
I’d gaze into your loving eyes
as your arms enfolded me.
Your gentle kiss would stir
the golden tendrils of my hair,
as whispered sentiments of love
we quietly would share.
We’d read a book together,
the same time after time.
I knew all of the words by heart,
you didn’t seem to mind.
When darkness fell you tucked me in
and gently kissed my cheek.
You’d wish upon a shooting star
the Lord my soul to keep.
The years have passed so quickly,
death parted you from me.
I hope you know how much it meant
when I sat upon your knee.
Gazing to the heavens,
as I quietly reminisce,
I’d give a million of those stars
to feel your gentle kiss.
I’d give all my tomorrows
to hear you read to me,
and remember those quiet moments
when I sat upon your knee.
Copyright – Louisas Lodge,(found at: http://affinityfunerals.com.au/poems-for-the-loss-of-a-father/)
*******
Modernizing Brother Grimm’s Fairy Tales
Today I’ve been cleaning and found an old book with Grimm’s fairy tales, a memory of my childhood. I opened it and read a bit, trying to remember each fairy tale.
Later while continuing to clean up I was trying to figure out whether these fairy tales still would work with today’s children. And I concluded with a clear “no”.
Why not?
Well, because of today’s children and their attitude, technical progress, beauty makeovers etc.
Let me explain:
Hansel and Gretel find themselves in the middle of a forest with no cell phones and GPS and are stumbling around. Do you actually believe they’d get trapped in a gingerbread house? I personally would expect they’d rather be tempted by a drive-in with burgers and fries.
Or Red Riding Hood? Helloooo!! Mom asks: “Please, daughter, go and bring your sick grandma that cake and wine.” The girl would answer: “No way, Mom. I’ve got a Facebook Party this afternoon.”
The poor wolf is very likely to wait forever…
Nowadays Teenagers don’t move their butt anymore to visit their grandmother (unless to get money for their latest iTunes-order… but that’s another story…)
How about Rapunzel? The prince climbing up to her would fall down and break his neck. Why? She’s got extensions…
The Sleeping Beauty? She’s sleeping for years! I doubt a prince would take the effort and fight through everything protecting her just for a kiss? I don’t think so. Not after he’s got dating sites to get his dream girl. I guess it’s more likely the IRS is kissing her awake to ask why she stopped paying taxes!
I really like the idea of modernizing Grimm’s fairy tales somehow. Any ideas? Let me hear them, please.
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