A Killer Retreat for a Killer Price!

Hi all!  Today's article is going to be short, sweet and full of excitement!  

My publisher has temporarily discounted all e-book formats of A Killer Retreat to $1.99! (Normally $10.99).  Midnight Ink rarely discounts their e-books (this is the first time they've done it for my series) so if you've been meaning to start or continue my Downward Dog Mysteries series, now is the best time ever!

Specific links for the $1.99 price are below. Sale ends April 23, so don't wait!

• Amazon http://tinyurl.com/gmkqj3j
• B&N Nook http://tinyurl.com/jf5oewg
• Apple iBooks http://tinyurl.com/zlry2ea
• Google http://tinyurl.com/hmhy4jd
• Kobo http://tinyurl.com/jkfjeeo

Happy reading, and please share with your dog, yoga, or mystery-loving friends!

 

PS--all three books in my Downward Dog mystery series are now available!  Learn more at http://tracyweberauthor.com.  Thanks for reading!

Happy Day!

Today is my wedding anniversary.  I've been married to my wonderful husband Fred for a lot of years.  As part of our celebration I'm not going to have much writing time today.  In fact, even though I'm now a full-time writer, some days I wind up having even less time than I used to for my writing.  Not that it stops me from getting things done! 

Today we're going to a lunch for the Union Oil Company Alumni Association to schmooze with some of my fellow former Unocal coworkers and to listen to one of them discuss a real estate related matter for Chevron, which bought the remaining assets of Unocal a while ago.  I became a published fiction writer while working as an in-house real estate attorney for the company, and I remain quite nostalgic about it.  In fact, there's a good possibility that this weekend we'll also be visiting the oil museum in Santa Paula, California, that was founded by Unocal.  I helped, way back when, first to lease part of the premises to the city and then, later, to help sell the property. 

Both things will be time consuming.  And I also hope to meet with a writing friend visiting from out of town after our lunch today.   

Then there's the time I've been spending on nailing down some routine medical matters as well as dealing with erroneous charges for some dental work since I recently changed insurance providers.  And yes, that really is time consuming. 

Plus, last weekend I attended a meeting of the Los Angeles Romance Authors and the Sisters in Crime Los Angeles Chapter on Sunday--enjoying organizations representing both of my two genres on the same day!  I've also been talking to some friends about potentially doing some mutual critiquing since my wonderful, long-time critique group hasn't been meeting as often as it used to. 

So... looks like I'd better stop writing this blog and get to work!   

I've finished the first draft but am editing the first book in my second upcoming cozy mystery series for Midnight Ink.  I'm making progress... though not as quickly as I'd like, particularly because I've got a lot of other books to write, too--both those mysteries plus some romances for Harlequin--a wonderful position to be in. 

And one of these days I'd like to start getting my next backlist book available as an ebook.  If you read my blog last week, I was delighted to report, and still am, that THE GLASS SLIPPER, my early fairy tale romance, is now available on Kindle at Amazon! 

So... see you here next week, I hope.   

And meantime how about you? What's occupying your time these days?

My First Backlist Book Is Available!

I've been thinking about it for a while: getting my backlist books, the first novels I published, available online as ebooks.  But now I'm not just thinking about it.   

THE GLASS SLIPPER, the fairy tale romance I wrote years ago that was published by Dorchester Publishing Co., is now available on Kindle at Amazon! 

Dorchester has unfortunately gone out of business, but I got my rights back while they were still around to all the books of mine that they published.  I didn't modify THE GLASS SLIPPER to be current, but other than the use of a few landline telephones and other small references that aren't in keeping with today's technology I think it works out well.

 

 

What's it about?  Well, it is a Cinderella story.  Paige Conner, an insecure U.S. historian, is hired to research and write the history of Dargentia, a small European country that's finally regained its independence thanks to its hereditary prince, smart and sexy Prince Niko.  Niko needs to find the country's missing jewels and marry someone fast, according to legends.  He figures he's got to marry a wealthy princess, not a commoner, despite those legends.  And certainly not a commoner like shy but gorgeous Paige Conner. 

And Paige?  She knows why she's here.  Her imaginary--not!--fairy godmother Millicent has brought her here to find her Prince Charming.  Niko seems all that and more.  But Paige doesn't believe in fairy tales...

Though it's been a while, I remember having lots of fun writing that book.  And now I've gotten to reread it several times to get it prepared to become an ebook.  I've always loved fairy tales, especially Cinderella stories, and now my creation is available to read once more! 

How about you--do you like fairy tales?  Are you reading ebooks these days?

Catching Up to the Times

I have one of the original kindles. It really isn’t that old, but it seems almost prehistoric with its awkward way to turn pages and navigate menus. I actually packed it all up in it’s original box, thinking someday it would be a museum piece.

I got a nook over a year ago. I tend to forget where I put it and the battery always seems to have run down when I want to use it. The pages are easier to turn than on the kindle and it is a lot less awkward to hold, but reading on still isn’t comfortable.

But the times they are changing and more and more people are reading e- versions. So, I noticed there were apps for nook and kindle on my smart phone.

Suddenly it occurred to me that if I had an e-reader app on my phone, I would probably use it far more than the old kindle or the newer nook. I always have my phone with me, so I’d always have reading material.

The rest of my family tends to be fidgeting with their smart phones all of the time. The first thing they do is put their smart phones on the table if we go out to eat. Since there was no conversation going on the other day because they were both immersed in their emails, I decided to join the trend and took out mine. Why not do something useful, I thought. I looked through the apps and when I saw the one for nook, I clicked on it. In no time I’d downloaded it and signed in to my account and as if by magic all the books I’d purchased as nooks appeared on the screen ready to read. I tried reading on it and it was even better than the real nook I had at home.

With my confidence buoyed by my success, I thought about the kindle app. I have more books on my kindle account and due to the awkwardness of my kindle, have stopped using it, but thought it would be great to have those books available on my phone. So, I tried to repeat just what I’d done with the nook app. It seemed to download fine and prompted me to sign into my account. Only it would never let me do it. I ended up going in circles, getting nowhere.

Now what? I looked at my kindle account on my home computer and it showed no phone device connected to it. I considered calling someone at kindle, but I wasn’t even sure what to say. It seems like it has more to do with my phone than kindle and the last time I tried calling somebody about my kindle, I got some a very unpleasant and unhelpful woman in India who was impatient and kept yelling at me. Is that supposed to be customer service?

Who is responsible for the apps on my phone? By now I’d figured there was some defect in it. I considered uninstalling it and trying again, but there was no uninstall button on the downloaded app. At times like that it just seems to much easier just to open a paper book. No battery to die or app to not work.

What I’d like to know is how all these impatient kids who are supposed to be so tied to their electronics deal with the frustration when their devices and apps don’t work right.

A Death in the Family

My computer died last week and until I get my new one set up, I am using my laptop. I still don't know all that I lost on the dead computer. I guess I won't know until I need some file and realize it went down with the ship.

I had backed everything up about a year ago and I always back up my writing daily, so whatever I lost probably isn't that bad.

I have decided that this is the perfect time to clear out my writing room. It has gotten more and more congested with each new book. Let's just say there is a path through boxes of papers to my computer desk. I thought I would have the new computer set up by now, but cleaning out the room is more time consuming than I thought. What can I say, I keep reading over things and admiring treasures I'm finding buried in all the stuff. I found some money, too.

The computer that died was old by computer standards. So old, I can't remember when I got it. Not like the old days with typewriters. But then everything electronic is obsolete as you walk out of the store. I think of that every time I look at my clunky Kindle.

I admit that playing with an IPad in an Apple store was fun, but buy one? No way. I learned my lesson with the Kindle. Wait awhile. At least until they stop coming out with a new generation of it every few months.

I hope when I finally get my computer set up it has a long and useful life. I don't have to have the newest shiny toy in the electronic department. So, even when it's obsolete by other people's standards,I won't replace it until I have to. Though I'm definitely going take Terri's advice and get drop box. I'm also going to get some kind of automatic backup.

How do you feel about being sold devices that are outdated in a short time?

VARIOUS

I went to Excelsior on Sunday to see the movie, “Secretariat.” Excelsior is the home town of my amateur sleuth, Betsy Devonshire, but it’s also a real town, about eighteen minutes from my home in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. I like to go out there every so often to remind myself of the little details about the town that I could use in the books. It’s nice not having to make up the setting for my sleuth.

“Secretariat” is a great movie. Some of the reviewers thought it too corny, too sentimental, and, since it was about the famous racehorse who was the most recent winner of the Triple Crown (the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont), the climatic race scene wasn’t very dramatic. I beg to differ. The movie-makers did a great job of showing the four races depicted, capturing the excitement and beauty of thousand-pound animals running with all their hearts; and watching Secretariat just blow the competition away in the third of the Triple Crown races was great! I had forgotten what a blow-out it was: not only smashing the track record, he won by something like thirty-eight lengths, all by itself a record. Plus it was a pleasure to watch a heroine succeed beyond all expectations without turning to violence or sex. A sweet, feel-good movie. We all need to see one of those every once in awhile.

I now own a Kindle. I’m still learning how to use it, but I find it wonderful for travel. It fits in my purse and I can bring practically any number of books along on my trips. Right now I’m buying Agatha Christie novels, because it gives me an extra fillip of pleasure to read something so old on something so new. Do you own one? Do you like it? Do you think it rings the death knell for small, independent bookstores?

I have managed to meet both of my writing heroes: Donald E. Westlake and Terry Pratchett. Both proved gracious and witty, a super combination. I did once meet an author who was rude and obnoxious. I have not bought another of his books since. And no, I won’t mention his name. I have, however, pledged that I will try always to be patient and kind to any fan – or prospective fan - I encounter. I would also, some day, like to write just one something even half as good as their work.

My fall allergies are still running strong. Ordinarily by now, this far into November in Minneapolis, we’ve had a couple of killing frosts, if not an inch or two of snow, and the ragweed is gone till next year. I love lingering autumns, but my nose doesn’t.