I just want to take a moment and say thanks to all the veterans out there and everyone currently serving in the military. Your hard work and sacrifices are the reason we have the freedoms today that we do. Thank you for that and so much more.
Well, I have finally decided to break down and get an e-reader. Hello, twenty-first century. Jennifer is finally here. LOL.
I know, I know, I’m a little late to the party since e-readers have exploded in popularity in the last few years. But hey, better late than never, right? Plus, I think it’s kind of ironic that I’ve done some e-publishing with the Bigtime series, and I don’t actually have an e-reader myself. So I have decided to treat myself to an e-reader for Christmas.
Why? Well, for a couple of reasons. Mainly because it seems like there are more and more e-books and e-stories that I want to read, especially when it comes to prequels, 99-cent stories, and things like that authors are doing to tie-in with their books. I have e-book reading apps on my computer, but I never actually sit and read on the computer because it’s just not as comfortable as curling up on the couch with a book. And hopefully, this will also help eliminate some of the books and clutter from my house.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m probably always going to like paper books better, especially when it comes to actually going to a bookstore/library and browsing through all the titles. Nothing’s ever going to replace that for me. But the convenience and portability of an e-reader has a lot of appeal to me.
Right now, I’m leaning toward getting a Kindle Fire, just because I want something that will let me read e-books and surf the web. That’s really all I plan on using it for. No apps, no games, nothing like that simply because I never seem to have time for stuff like that. Plus, with the $199 price I don’t feel like that’s too much for me to invest in case I don’t like it. Although I am going to look at the reviews for the Fire over the next few weeks before making a final decision.
I’m also considering the NOOK Tablet, but at $249, it is a little more than the Fire. I also wonder if I order the Fire whether or not I will get it in time for Christmas, since it looks like they are filling orders on a first-come, first-serve basis, but that’s not a big deal to me.
What about you guys? If you have an e-reader, what kind do you have? What do you like/not like about it? If you don’t have an e-reader, are you planning to get one?
Finished Avenger’s Angel by Heather Killough-Walden. This is the first book in her Lost Angels paranormal romance series.
Uriel was once the archangel of vengeance before he and his brothers left heaven in search of their archesses, or angel soulmates. Now, centuries later, Uriel is masquerading as a Hollywood movie star when he meets Ellie Granger at a book signing. As soon as he sees her, Uriel knows that Ellie is his soulmate. All her life, Ellie has had strange abilities — and has been hunted by dangerous men. She’s attracted to Uriel, but she doesn’t know what to make of everything that he tells her about his world. Soon, Ellie is caught in the middle of a dangerous game between Uriel, his brothers, and the enemy that’s been stalking her all of her life …
This book had all the elements I’ve come to expect in a paranormal romance — a group of brothers searching for their true loves, magic, action, romance. But somehow, the elements just didn’t gel for me in this one.
Ellie is a likable character who knows how dangerous it is to use her powers and draw attention to herself, given the mysterious men who are chasing her, but she still tries to do good with her abilities anyway. However, I didn’t care all that much about Uriel. Several times, he and his brothers talk about binding Ellie’s powers, at least until she accepts the fact that she’s an archess. That didn’t make his character very likable or sympathetic.
To me, the most interesting character in the book was Samuel, another angel who’s been looking for the archesses for years, right along with Uriel and his brothers. Samuel is something of a villain, and he definitely steals the book from everyone else.
Also, I found the world building in this one a little hard to follow. As the book goes along, the author mixes in some vampire elements, along with revealing exactly who and what the bad guys are who are chasing after Ellie. Plus, there just didn’t seem to be all that much romance in the book. Ellie and Uriel are attracted to each other, but they don’t seem to spend all that much time together and falling in love.
Overall, this book didn’t quite work for me, but if you like paranormal or angel-themed romances, you might give it a shot.
My grade: D
Would I read this author again: Yes. I’m interested in reading about the other characters, especially Samuel.
Memorable quote: “She was his archess. And she was … scowling at him?”
Some of you may have seen this already, but I have released a new Bigtime e-story. It’s called A Karma Girl Christmas.
Why did I decide to do this e-story? Basically, for fans of the Bigtime series. I’ve gotten so many nice comments about the books/series over the years, and several people have asked me if I planned to write more books/stories in the series. So I decided to write A Karma Girl Christmas so fans of the Bigtime books could read at least one more story in the world. Plus, I just thought it would be fun to write a holiday story.
A Karma Girl Christmas is a 14,000-word story. It’s told from the first-person point of view of Carmen Cole, aka Karma Girl, the heroine of the first book in the series, Karma Girl. Here’s a little more about the story:
It’s Christmas time in Bigtime, New York, but society reporter Carmen Cole isn’t in the mood to celebrate since her husband, Sam, has to go on a business trip and might not make it home for the holiday. But Carmen has plenty to keep her busy, since she moonlights as Karma Girl, a member of the Fearless Five superhero team.
On Christmas Eve, Carmen, as Karma Girl, is assigned to guard toys, clothes, food, and more that are intended for needy children and their families. But an ubervillain also has his eye on the toys and plans to steal and then sell them to the highest bidder. Carmen will have to use all her empathic powers just to stay alive, not to mention make sure Christmas is a happy one for all the kids who are counting on her. It’s all in a night’s work for a superhero …
Note: This is a 14,000-word story that takes place after the events of Jinx, the third book in the Bigtime paranormal romance series. It can also be read as a stand-alone holiday story.
A Karma Girl Christmas is available as a 99-cent download on the following sites:
You can read an excerpt of the story here.
A big thanks go to Wheezley, my friend, Nick, and all the folks in my critique group for taking the time to read the story and offering their advice and suggestions, as well as my copyeditor/proofreader for her work on the story. The cover was designed by Kimberly Killion of HOT DAMN Designs, and Michael Zapp of ZappTek once again did the e-formatting.
I had a lot of fun writing the story, and it was nice to revisit the characters from the Bigtime books. If the e-story does well, I may try to write some more Bigtime e-stories, maybe one from Fiona Fine’s point of view. We’ll see how it goes.
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the return trip to Bigtime with A Karma Girl Christmas. Happy reading!
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