Milestones

Ladies, I am buying a new house tomorrow.  It is so exciting!  The house is super awesome, and super in need of fixing, and the one thing that I would change...it's about an hour south of where we are now.

But it's not in Montana, and we must all remember that.  ;)

It is a 2-story, tudor-esque home at the end of a cul-de-sac, 4 bed 3 bath, on 1/3 an acre, and it has a kick butt back yard.  It has a laundry chute from the master bedroom down to the dedicated laundry room, and a 5-piece master bath.  It also needs a new roof, it failed a pressure test (which means there's a leak in one of the pipes, somewhere, inside the house).  The sprinkler system needs to be redone.  There's poor drainage around the house.

There's minor damage to the foundation, some of the window seals are broken, the furnace, AC, and water heaters may need replacing, and the patios should probably be re-poured.

The carpet is royal purple in a way that reminds me of a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater.  These people had a thing for purple, because it's all over the rooms upstairs.

 The backyard has a sidewalk that loops around the lawn, with garden areas around the edges.

 The fireplace needs to be serviced.

 The Master Bath.

The play set in the backyard (it's safe--HUD put up the orange fence to keep people from climbing on it while they owned the property).

In short, it's a lot of work, but the house is pretty neat.

...Today, I officially hit the 100 book mark.

Y'all come visit me now!  It's kid friendly and everything!
Alula

Asking a Favor

Ladies,

I need to ask a favor.  I know some of you have already done some of this, and for that, I am VERY grateful.

If you have read my books, or any one of them, please review them.  I seriously need the reviews...in the digital storefronts, on reader sites, and in personal recommendations.

If you have read the books and disliked them, I need that feedback too.  I understand that this can be an introverted group (and some of us just have shy reading habits) but if you could do as much as you are comfortable with, it would be awesome.

Thanks,
Alula

Too personal?

You've been warned.  Don't read the last paragraph if you don't want to get too personal.

I am cruising right along through writing my next book.  While none of you are required to shamelessly promote via social networks, friends, or family, I will buy you coffee on demand if you do.  ;)

I am trying to figure out how personal is too personal to post on my author blog, and in fact, I have been having trouble figuring out what to say there in general.  Ideas are welcome.

I am similarly looking for ideas on things to put in my office cubicle.  I think I need stuff that is professional, but personal.  But not too personal.  Ideas are welcome.

(Personal Stuff Below)

I've been having feminine issues of an unpleasant nature lately, and it's not a UTI, and it's not a yeast infection, and it's not a pregnancy, and it's not an STD (these things I am sure of).  I've made an appointment with the doctor, however, the office called me back because they "had some questions about the appointment I made online" (I'm with Kaiser).  So I call them back immediately when I get home and hear the message, and get someone who is clearly reading from a script (I can hear her whispering stuff under her breath to herself like "If the patient has a card number, then go to the..."), so I am guessing she was new.  It is 4:55 when I called.  She immediately tells me that if she transfers me, she's not sure if I will get anyone in OB/GYN because they close at five.  I say "That's fine, go ahead and transfer me--I can't call them during regular business hours because I have no privacy at work.  Please note in my file to have them email instead of call for that reason."  She goes on, saying she's not sure, puts me on hold to do something, comes back three minutes later, still isn't sure..."Just go ahead and transfer me."  "Oh, well, because it's so late..."  (pause, typing noises, me watching the clock tick down to 5) "...I'm just not sure if anyone will be there.  I will message them about the email, though.  Would you like to have their number so you can call them tomorrow from work?"

"No.  Just transfer me, PLEASE!"


Good god y'all.  I have a great deal of respect for people who deal with people on the phone--I work with people who do it for a living, and it can be hellacious.  But seriously, what part of transfer me before everyone leaves isn't clear?  Seriously?

Alula

The 50 book mark

My marriage sucks right now.  That's all I have to say on the subject.

I'm hoping to reach 50 book mark this month.  I don't know why--I think I might have read somewhere that most books will never sell more than 50 copies.  But anywho, it's been a personal goal.  The entire series is already over 50 books in sales, but the first book alone is at 41.  After this milestone, I'm hoping to look forward to the 100 book milestone, and then the 50 books in one week milestone...but we'll see what happens.

My new job is holding  together.  It's a little stressful due to the time of year, and I am more than a little stressed right now, but I'm sticking with it.

Drama, anyone?

Just teasing, Fuzzy!

And yes, it is the case that I have so much going on that I am hardly able to find time to update.  :P

I apologize.  I will try to do better.  Be advised, you may be able to find me on one of my *other* blogs, ahem, email me if you don't have the web address.

I am proud to announce that this week, ebook total sales passed the 50 book mark, with sales in January on track to be higher than November and December combined.  If this sales trend continues (unlikely, but possible) I may be able to consider it a career by the end of the year.  A review was given after the release of the third book stating that people "need" to read the series, because it is that good.

I'm working on my next series now, and hoping to "keep up the hype" by releasing it by the end of June.

In other news, the new job (the one that actually pays the bills) is working out well.  I take the bus because buying a $75/month bus pass--and that's the discount rate provided by my employer--is cheaper than paying $10/day for parking.  Learning the buses has been an experience.  I walk about two miles a day now getting between buses and work and home, and it's doing shapely things to my legs.

Mr. B and I are still shopping houses, though right now we have an offer in on one.  We'll see how it goes.

Alula

Caffeine by a Thousand Quarters

Girlfriends, I will now continue my streak of posting about the only exciting thing in my daily life since I have not yet been allowed to start my new job.  Actually, I also wanted to give some credit to Mr. Borealis, who forgot our anniversary this year, but then made up for it by taking me to The Melting Pot for dinner, where he had roses delivered to our table.  :)  That man makes me smile.

This month (so far, knock on wood), I have had record sales of my books.  That's not a lot--about 4 books in the last 5 days across all the venues it's sold in--but it's a continuing trend of rising sales across the last several months.  I haven't been paid for any sales yet because most of the places I am selling the book have a minimum earnings threshold for issuing a paycheck.  However, looking at all totals together, I've earned over $10, which is kind of an accomplishment when I'm only earning about $0.30-$0.40 per book.  It's not a ton, but it's enough for fancy coffee once a month.  It's enough to look forward to checking my sales figures.  It's enough to justify writing more books.  

Check this out...

This morning, I noticed a review was posted for our friend A.L. Tyler's book.

http://missbeckyraymond.wordpress.com/

Generally, I agree with this review.  I have found it to be a decently good read (though as an editor, I may be biased).  :)

Alula

Feeling the Crunch

We found a house in a really nice neighborhood, closer to Mr. B's job, that we are thinking about buying.  It's huge and in a nice family neighborhood; we're having a structural engineer out to see it on Monday to check out some things we were worried about in the basement.

I left my job at the evidence room yesterday (after posting two weeks notice).  My new job is supposed to start soon, but I've been having some trouble getting my background check processed.  I am currently unsure when the new job will start, and I must be a grownup now, because the lost paycheck is now bothering me.

I published my books (yay!)  and told some people, many of whom actually know me (yay!) and I've sold a few copies.  I'm currently trying to advertise the heck out of it, so if you want to spam my blog across wherever you happen to be going (you know, facebook, twitter, Google+, etc.), please do.

I guess I'm stressed because of the new job, and the impending move before me.  It would really be nice if I didn't have to work while taking care of the move, but there's a snowball's chance in hell that my book takes off that dramatically before the end of the year.  If we move, we have to pack, and then unpack, and then find renters for our condo, and on and on and on... And I know this will fall on me, because my husband has a job and thereby can't contribute to the process (I have a job, and do the majority of the daily chores, but somehow this reasoning never works for me).

Ripping off the band-aid

On this day, I published my fiction via two major online digital venues.  I suspect that a print on demand paper copy will also follow.

Even having edited the damn thing at least 10 times in the last 7 years, I still didn't feel it was at 100%, but I am willing to accept that my perfectionist tendencies make me perpetually try to improve things that don't need it.

It is now out there.  Wish me luck, email for details.

Alula

The new room

My house now has a guest room (yay?).  It was supposed to be my crafting studio, but it was converted to a guest room in anticipation of Mr. B's relatives staying with us over the weekend of his sister's wedding; after all the work, the relatives never showed.  This is where I would typically go on a rant about how this is the story of my life with his family, where they steal my personal blah and then I put in a lot of work to do blah for them and then once it's theirs they don't need it because of blah....but I am trying to let it go.

I will be reclaiming the room as a creative space, but just so the rest of you know, I now have a guest room with a queen sized bed.  I gave over my old twin set to my brother's daughter, and I hope she gets some good use out of it--it was a good set for me.

My husband got a job offer contingent on background check, and we might be moving south (only about an hour from where we are now, close to where the RenFest is).  My job job hasn't been quite as expected; it's alright, but more stressful on certain days than anticipated.  I am driven to get published as quickly as possible.

I restocked our fish tank last weekend, and we now have small schools of bloodfin and black skirt tetras, and some orange and green swordtails.  I am looking to add a cory or two, and perhaps some snails.

 I've lost about 15 pounds since the start of June, and still have 30+ to go.

Alula

Seeking book reviewers

All,

I have happened into a situation where I am seeking people to review a book (for a friend).  Basically, you get free books in exchange for reading and then posting your thoughts online.  Would anyone here be interested?  Or, do you know any serious blogger types who would be interested?  Or, do you read or know of any good book blogs that could be contacted in the spirit of this effort?

Thanks,
Alula

My body, Acting out

It is now (officially) a month since I first started feeling ill.  In retrospect, I'm wondering at the fact that it happened right after I graduated, and had a sudden resurgence in the last week of my job.  I blew out an eardrum, then had a wicked cough and sore throat, and this week, nausea, aches, and fatigue.

I'm beginning to work on a new theory here (it's not pregnancy--yes, I'm sure), because I'm starting to think these symptoms are in part psychosomatic.  I think my body is physically rebelling against my not being in school and over worked; I went two years being swamped with relatively good health.  Even being overweight, I had great scores on my cholesterol and blood pressure, and that's something coming from a family history that's horrifically bad on both fronts.  Now I'm sleeping, watching television, catching up on reading, and have time to write and publish--so why do I feel so crappy?

Every time I sit down to write I feel like I need to be doing something; mostly, I think I need to be finding a job.  I think I put in 10 new job applications today.  I finally have my husband's full support to focus on getting published, and after years of dreaming of doing just this, I suddenly have some subconsciousness need to avoid.  Last night I stayed up until after midnight researching jobs and property in Montana (would I *really* do it, now that my education isn't in the way?  I have no idea).

Munchkin, thank you for agreeing to hold the whip on the publishing cause.  I need it.  Until I adjust to this strange new way of life, I need someone providing structure for me.

Alula

Kindle Library Lending

Amazon just posted this notice today.

Fuzzy, it looks like you'll be able to start checking out ebooks on your Kindle later this year!  WOOHOO!  They don't list the specific libraries they have "partnered" with anywhere, but I'm suspecting that this is actually a partnership with Overdrive (which already has partnered with the libraries).  If that is the case, then you'll have to come down here and grab library cards to our local libraries with this service to get in on the action.  Hopefully you'll have the same level of access on the Kindle that is available on the Nook; how sweet would it be in your remote location to still be able to browse and check out books to read for free from the library?  I bet you could put audiobooks from the libraries on your new MP3 player, too.

A suggestion for the Barnes & Noble Nook

Recently I have found myself having a specific desire for my Nook that is going unfilled.  I couldn't find a specific venue on the Barnes & Noble site where I could submit this suggestion, so I am throwing it into the universe in hopes that my wish comes true.

Here's my situation: I find myself in locations where I do not have a wifi connection wishing that I could check in on all of the blogs that I subscribe to.  I tend to read the news online, but my blogs are starting to serve as a personalized magazine or newspaper subscription--I sit down to them to get the latest news and gossip, and I would like this experience to be on-the-go with me without an internet or 3g signal required (like a real magazine).

Here is what I want from Barnes & Noble:  I would like a way to tie RSS feeds to my Barnes & Noble Nook account.  Ideally, this service will collect all of the posts from blogs I have subscribed to and turn them into discrete chunks that are sent to my device like a subscription (kind of like like listserv messages getting collected into a "digest" before they reach my inbox).  I figure the size of each "magazine" could be picked by the user (i.e., daily, weekly, monthly).  The digest will be updated and added to my device along with regular syncing and checking for new material, and that way, I have an easy access to my stuff on my Nook.  I realize this probably creates some problems with formating and possibly with storage capacity (i.e., if whatever you subscribe to has a lot of images in the text), but why not set up the "send to Nook digest" with settings to just exclude images (or use the provided alt text) or understand that the images might be a little wanky in the feed if you choose to include them (in some feed readers they already are)?

Barnes & Noble, please consider providing this service through your device.  It would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Alula

Just when I thought I was done...

The graduate school has fired off a new form for me to fill out before I can graduate.  I need to petition the school to have two classes I took as an advanced undergraduate student towards my MA.  Yes, being punished for overachieving.  I call 'em like I see 'em; and this smells like bull to me.  (sigh--doing the paperwork because I understand the need to formally document things 'for the record', but still smells like a delay tactic to get another semester of tuition out of me.)

I am still unable to finish my incomplete from last spring; the professor hasn't posted the assignments I need to do yet.  I am down to 4 weeks to finish this thing, so ready to be done with it, and the professor won't post the work I need to do.

I am once again on the publishing bandwagon; I need to get this done.  Recently I agonized over whether or not I should push to try and get in to my desired PhD program since the deadline has passed.  Mr. Borealis has been put in a situation because he thought, with 2 master's degrees, that I would have a job by now.  He dislikes the idea of my unemployment more than he dislikes the idea of my staying in school to keep a job.  But, I don't think I can get back into the program until fall of next year.

So now, I think I have resigned myself to focusing on writing and getting published until that time rolls around. Once again, seeking editors.

Alula

A quick book review: A Discovery of Witches

Picture links to B&N nook page!

I tried to come up with a super quick two work book review, but the only one that would come to me is READ IT. So instead I'm going to use a lot of exclamation points and incomplete sentences. Here goes:

*engage caps lock* *establish Kermit flail* BIG LIBRARY!!!! VAMPIRE SCIENTIST! WITCHES! SCHOLARLY RESEARCH! MAGIC, ROMANCE, MYSTERY, AND TIME TRAVEL!!! Bring a French-English dictionary, it might help. Another recommended reading companion is a giant cup of tea.
I might add something more sensible later, but this is an awesome book, and I am eagerly anticipating the sequel.

NOOKstudy--I wish I had had this when I was in school...

During the last month Barnes & Noble made available a new, free, downloadable service called NOOKstudy.  I stumbled upon it earlier this week while downloading some free ebooks for my Nook.  The name is slightly deceptive (in my opinion) because NOOKstudy is not a feature for the Nook device (at least not yet).  It's a download for PC or Mac that provides access to your Barnes & Noble ebook library on the computer, and more specifically, it provides access to certain etextbook services.  In the FAQ section, B&N claims that this is because the computer is the most universally owned student electronic, making the PC/Mac the natural vehicle for the first incarnation of the NOOKstudy service.  I can imagine that DRM, etextbook formating for a smaller screen, and syncing might be issues if this service were to extend to ereader devices in the future, but I bet that B&N is already looking into it.

NOOKstudy differentiates itself from the regular downloadable Nook applications with several polished services, and most notably, textbook DRM.  Through NOOKstudy, you can purchase etextbooks that can be downloaded to 2 computers associated with your account, or rent the textbooks for cheaper than the purchase price for the semester that you are taking the class.  This probably works the same way that checking out an ebook from the library works--you get a digital download with an expiration date, and after that date, you can no longer access the book.  A further difference between the NOOKstudy application and the regular Nook app is the ability to highlight text, insert digital notes, import your own documents (think class syllabus, notes taken during class in a Word .doc, or downloadable handouts created by the professor), and group documents using tags or by course.  The system is fully search enabled, and offers features like being dictionary or online lookup services from within the application.

I really wish I would have had this during all my years in college.  I have literal stacks of textbooks and notebooks in my basement that I have to search by memory to find what I'm looking for, and it would be so much easier to have it all inside my PC, where I could search my class notes like I search my email!  As a student of library science, this level of control to digitally organize and search pleases me.

Also, the ability to rent certain textbooks digitally would have been nice, because some textbooks really weren't worth the purchase price to use for one semester.  I have to wonder if some universities will fight this transition to digital tooth and nail because it's likely to put university bookstores out of business.  For example, you don't get a resale value on a digital rental.  I had professors in college who authored their own textbooks and then released new editions every few years so students would be required to buy the book new every semester (heavily devaluing the used resale value), thereby keeping their royalty checks up.  If students can now rent that textbook for $50 instead of buying it for $200, some of these money hungry, empty-student-wallet-squeezing, arrogant professors might decide to not release the book in digital form to support their profits.  As a student, if I saw this happening, I would elect to take the class from someone else--when I'm already paying 10-20K a year in tuition, I shouldn't have to buy an over-priced textbook filled with information I can find online that I will probably crack twice over the course of the semester (midterms and finals).

I do have one question/concern for Barnes & Noble regarding this service, and this has to do with renting vs. buying.  If I rent a textbook, and take notes throughout, would I lose access to my notes once the rental expires?  Also, what if I rent a book, and then like it so much that I decide to buy it--will the program automate the process of moving all of my notes and highlights from the rental file to the purchased one, or do I have to do that myself?

One thing I might suggest to B&N to include in this service is academic file sharing, similar to the LendMe service they have on the Nook devices, where you can digitally loan a file to a friend for a limited amount of time.  There's another free research aid that I have used a lot at work called Mendeley, which works kind of like iTunes for your PDFs.  You can upload your PDFs and tag them, do full text search across your library, create research groups to share what you are reading and learning, and even upload them to the cloud to have online access to your PDFs anywhere.  It's spiffy, and the base level membership is free (you pay more for more online storage, but I have never needed more than the basic level).  It would be very neat if B&N would incorporate this type of group sharing and collaboration into their NOOKstudy, thereby making it a social learning tool--this type of service might be able to overtake online learning systems like Blackboard.

Looking forward to future improvements on this product, B&N.  Keep up the good work!
Alula

DecalGirl: Before the Storm on Nook

Here are the promised pictures of my new DecalGirl decals on my Nook.  The larger decals were not as easy to apply as the smaller ones I put on my phone, but still applied without a lot of drama.  The design I picked was Before the Storm for the Nook; I picked this design because I keep my Nook in the Brontë Cover in Storm offered by Barnes and Noble, and I wanted something that would match the black cover.

I should also note that as I have read my Nook in garish light before and been slightly bother by the glare coming off of the shiny white plastic, I elected to pay the extra $5 to get the Matte/Satin finish on this cover.  I have the regular shiny finish on the skin I used on my phone, and I have to say, I think I picked right in each case.  The shiny finish skin on the phone is reminiscent of shiny plastic (like the shiny white plastic on the Nook) and the matte/satin finish is very much like a matte finish plastic (like the matte finish used around the page turn buttons on the Nook).

I was initially worried about a functional aspect of this skin, because of the Nook home button.  For anyone who doesn't have a Nook, this is a "soft" button on the Nook that does not click because it is touch activated.  The skin now covers this button, but the home button still works through the skin.  Some other reviews I read online complained a little that the cutout window for the touch screen was a little small; I will concur with this opinion--the touchscreen is still fully accessible, but the skin could have been a little more generous in this area.

 Nook before--notice the grey on black touch "n" button just above the touch screen.  This button will be covered by the DecalGirl skin, but will still be fully functional after the skin is applied.  Also, while the skin does have the arrow page turn icons included in the design, the pips that tactilely indicate the page turn keys can also be felt through the skin.  I do have screen protectors for both the touch screen and the display screen, and these need to be put on before applying the skin.  Note that while applying the skin, I did have some trouble repositioning the skin because it stuck to the touch screen protector and would peel it up when trying to move the skin around for placement--be ready to iron out any bubbles that might get under there in this process, and do it at a time of day when you are the least likely to experience high frustration.  I recommend Zen music and chai tea.

 Front of Nook with the applied skin and the matching background.  The background seems to not have formated as well as the one for the LG Vortex--on the Nook, there is a white information bar at the top with title, time, etc., and the image seems to get shrunk a little to allow for this bar.  If you look closely in the picture, you can see how the Nook has added black margins along the sides of the image to account for the image resizing for the bar at the top.  This has caused a minor misalignment with the edges of the skin, but not enough to bother me, as I'm only using this as the Nook home screen (I have a series of images from my own creation and downloaded from online that I like to use as screen savers).

 The back of the Nook with the skin.  Note that the skin is elastic enough to be pressed in and cling to the "n" brand icon on the back of the device, which is a nicely stylized touch.  As with the skin I applied to my phone, the skin can easily be pressed and worked around the rounded edges of the device to prevent and get rid of sticker edge bunching.

The Nook, with skin, inside my Nook cover.  The browny-orange-black stencils go much better with the tan inside of the cover than the white of the device, and the black goes well with the outside black of the cover.  Also, the skin serves as a surface protector for my Nook, while the Brontë cover is firm and sturdy enough to offer decent device protection from light drops and bumps.

Alula

A Big Decision

I have just decided that I am going to self-publish my books.  For the record, yes, I am 98% sure.  I have never written a query letter to an agent or publisher.  However, I have a feeling that self-publishing will be the main channel of publishing in the future.  So, here goes nothing...

I need to get around to making final edits on the Waldgrave series.  I am also trying to put together cover art (If anyone has ideas or suggestions for this, feel free--please don't get offended if I decide to go a different direction, though).  I am kind of hoping to create my own cover art.  

Here is my list of priorities:

1) Finish the homework assignments for the incomplete I had to take in NLP spring semester

2) Take the NLP final exam, thereby finishing the incomplete

3) Study for (and hopefully pass) my comps for my MA

4) Self Publish the Waldgrave Series

Oh, I forgot to mention--my interview for the library position I want is on Monday (and I REALLY want it--I don't know what I'll do if I don't get it...).

Alula

Free NookBooks from Kaplan!

Anyone who has a nook, and who has not become a fan on Facebook, you should do it--that's where I keep finding out about these great offers.  Nook on Facebook.

Kaplan Publishing is running a special offer through Barnes & Noble to give away 130 of their titles for free until January 17.  Read the original post from Barnes & Noble here.

I just looked through the books--there are a lot of test preps, some professionals guides, true stories, etc.  DoHP, you might like some of the pharmacy stuff, and Q and Munchkin might appreciate some of the pregnancy and new baby stuff.  Fuzzy--lots of business type books in there, too.  Personally, I like all the writing guides.

Alula