To Eread, or not to Eread

An interesting article on the state of reading  Will it be ebook or print?  Or will it be both?  Click out the link and find out what the talk is about.



http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/business/media/the-plot-twist-e-book-sales-slip-and-print-is-far-from-dead.html?referrer&_r=1

Making compromises

You know all of the tee shirts to wherever?  You know the ones I'm talking about. So and So went to...and all they brought me was this tee shirt.  Well, not for us. When our son went on his recent trip to Philly I gave him an insulated bag with a request to bring back Philly cheese steaks.  YUM!

Okay, so let's have  a conversation.  Under the astrological chart I'm listed as a Virgo. One of those characteristics is that I'm not big on sharing most parts of my personal life. To me personal means just that.

Today, I'm going to change that a wee bit because undoubtedly others are experiencing the same thing. So, what is it I want to talk about?  Aging and pain.

When I was much younger I noticed that all older people seemed to do was talk about their aches and pains.  Well people, I've entered that arena.

But I'm going to take this conversation in a different direction. For instance, tough you can't see me, I have both elbows tucked firmly against the sides of my body. Why, you ask? Because I have pain in my left elbow and wrist radiating upward and I have pain n the right as well, for which I received a cortisone injection.

After being evaluated on Thursday by a number of stretching, twisting, and bending the affected body parts to see just how much they hurt and what movements produced pain, it made me laugh when it was all over.  It's kinda like you tell someone, my head hurts, and they produce a hammer and hit you over the head and then asks, "Does that hurt?"

Don't worry, it's not the actually pain I want to talk about but how we as humans make compensations in our lives to make things better. For instance if a part of your body hurts on the right side, you shift most of your movements to the left to compensate.

If you're cooking and find you don't have a needed ingredient and you don't feel like going to the store, you decide to toss in something else to compensate.

As a romance author I could even move this into the realm of writing. When the publishing industry went through changes, and I personally decided to make changes to steer my own career, I had to compensate for not being given an advance, having the publisher do the promoting of my book, pay the editor and graphic designers, and getting the books into the bookstores and in front of readers. I had to wear many hats. Some didn't fit. Promoting myself was the main one that didn't fit.  I'm a Virgo.  I'm a private person. I don't enjoy just opening myself up to cyber space.

Which brings me to this blog. If not for Cici Edward and our agreement to blog, more than likely I wouldn't be doing it. And if you noticed, as long as this blog is I haven't given you much more than I'm a private person.

How will I compensate you?  I'll show you some beautiful pictures my son took on his recent trip to Philly with a side tour to NY.

One last thing about compensating. I've always kept this blog open for comments, just in case anyone had a genuine question or comment.  I do enjoy talking to people, via comments on this blog, or emails.  My last bog post brought about over 1500 spam comments.  I'm much too old to wade through spam. So I compensated for that by doing two things. This blog now require anti spam, by putting in some kind of word.

The thing of it is, if you really have a comment to make I'd love to read it.  If you'd like to email me you can.  I'll answer. davisdyanne@aol.com

Now, enjoy my son's pictures.

Don't forget to check out my friend Cici to see what she's talking about.  A shout out to Cici for telling me how to get rid of the unwanted span. Thank you.

Now.....here's Cici.  ciedward.com

http://www.amazon.com/BET-LUNCHTIME-QUICKIES-Dyanne-Davis-ebook/dp/B0157995XQ/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441920464&sr=8-1&keywords=dyanne+davis+the+bet




Release day.  It's always a thrill.  Yeah.


BTW, I've gotten more than a thousand comments recently, most of them spam.  There were a few that appeared to be legit. So because of that I have a solution for those of you who would really like to reach me.

I have no problems conversing with readers/writers. anyone. LOL.  If you have a REAL question for me, just email me.  davisdyanne@aol.com


Dyanne

A little something to spice up the holiday

The Bet, the first story in the lunchtime quickies stories will be available Thursday, September 10th

HAPPY LABOR DAY.

The Little Matter of Aging

Since I didn't take a camera with me on this trip, at least the one above contain family, though in a different state.  The other one is one Billy took on a trip to Hyannis Port.




 My family flew to Alabama this past weekend to see my father and his wife. It became clear that they could use help.

What do you do when parents still believe they can do it all and refuse to listen to your telling them that info.

What happens when you have a life in a different state which requires you getting on a plane to fly to them?

What happens when the SENIOR adult children have almost as many issues as the parents?

How do you go about finding an agency where you don't have to worry that the even older parents will not be abused, robbed or taken advantage of?

Oh yes, and let's not forget, how in the world are you going to get the parents to take the help they need even though you've offered to pay for it?


Now, though all of the above are real questions, this blog would end on a downer if I were not a writer and see a story in everything.  First off let me change the tone of this blog. Because while I do want to put the words out there for food for thoughts, since every person will one day ask the same question for which I don't have answers now. When I put this into fiction perhaps I can find answers for all of us.

We did get to visit relatives in my own generation and the generation behind me. That was fun.  And it was fun taking a stroll down memory lane by returning to landmarks we'd left about 53 years ago.  We do the same thing on every visit: Go to the street where my grandmother used to live, go to the street where we used to live. Go by the church and the school.

We catch up on gossip with the relatives in our own age bracket. We marvel how the state of Ala has not resorted to cutting down all the trees in order to build. And we take a deep breath and declare we can breathe much better.  We marvel at our history, our memories and on the process of aging. We discuss the relatives who have gone, We keep the talk of aches and pain from our conversations. We try to remember all the old friends we're told that ask about us.  Too much time has passed to remember them all. Its been too long since the last visit.  But in a way it will always remain a part of us. It used to be home.  And we used to be young.

Then we return to our home state and say in unison: THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME.  


Be sure to check out Cici's blog at   ciciedward.com       

Getting personal

Good morning, all.  Perhaps you're wondering why I'm posting this cover when this story is old...well...sort of old, and considering that the book I'm promoting is my recently published novel,

I'll tell you.Since Cici Edwards and I decided that we needed to push ourselves to  promote our work we've been working on posting a blog twice a month. During the off times we're trying to find things of interest to talk about.  If you think because we're writers that would be easy think again.

Writers are for the most part private people. We don't like divulging a lot of personal information about ourselves, so we have to find other things that we hope readers will be interested in. There's also a practical reason for that. Despite how much time and effort a writer, ALL writers put into their craft, there will always be things said about the work that can destroy if the writer hasn't developed a super thick Teflon skin. Knowing that why in the world would we expose our real lives?  We'd be crazy to. Right?

And on that note, my planned post for today was going to be just that, exposing a part of myself, my reasons for writing. But as oftentimes happens something came in and saved me from that.  I was looking for an image to use as an opening.  The blank pages opening always look a little bare to me.  Anyway, like most things in my life that I have no control over, I have even less control over where my computer will open on the numerous picture files that I have stored.

When I scrolled to Vulcan's cover, I knew I now had my somewhat changed topic.  This post will still speak about me, but only the fantasy part. Which when you think about it could indeed be the real me.

You're going to have to scroll by up and take a good look at the cover.  Go ahead, I'll give you time.

Okay, did you get a good look?  Did you get the title?  THE GOOD SIDE OF EVIL. How about the flames, and the flaming sword.  And could you see that the flaming V looks sort of like a demon?  No. Hmm. Maybe that's just me.

That whole cover tells you something about me if you think about it long enough.  I'll give you one clue: I believe in redemption.Vulcan is a demon and by definition therefore he's EVIL. Right? Wrong.I enjoyed writing about Vulcan more than any character I've ever written. I believed if anyone could write a demon and redeem him, I could. Afterall, I have a bit of a demon in me.

IS THAT ENOUGH PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT ME?

Don't forget to check out my friend Cici Edward's blog.  http://ciciedward.com

Secrets of the Orient......Now Available. YEAH!!

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Orient-Dyanne-Davis/dp/0692467017/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1436465025&sr=8-10&keywords=Dyanne+Davis



Finally, the 30 days of Secrets being on Amazon Scout is about to come to a close. Today is the last day for votes.It seems this book has taken an extremely long time to see the light of day. Writing a book is always the first part. After that comes revision, revision, revision, followed by editing and more revision followed by even more. Then comes the formatting of the book, waiting for the book to be approved, waiting for the hard copy to come to you.

Now comes the fun part.  You take a red pen and go through the entire book word by word, marking up anything you've missed on all the other revisions and editing.  You make the changes you've found on your mss and resubmit.  It's perfect. Or is it.  There is one word you're wondering if you caught, chose instead of choose. You look in the book to see if it's in red. Nope it's not you didn't catch that one letter, which of course make the word choice not what you wanted.

What do you do next? Leave the mss alone as it's in the process of  being reviewed by Amazon. Afterall it's only one letter you missed. You go on that way for an hour. Maybe no one would notice the one word. But you know it and your name is on this. You want it the best to your ability. Knowing there is one wrong choice and you allowed it to be printed that way is not your best. So... you get up go to your mss. make the correction, resubmit the mss wait for notice that it's being accepted.

Think I'm done?  Think again.  Now I proof the book online again and just for good measure, I download a copy and proof again.

So will all pride, I now proudly tell you that, Secrets of the Orient is now available for your reading pleasure.

As always, thanks for your support.


Dyanne

Happy 5th to everyone.

It would appear that I'm emerging from my self imposed cocoon of being a hermit.  Yesterday, Bill, Billy and I actually treked to the south side of Chicago for my sister's 4th of July bar-b-que. Good food in abundance, (yes that's listed first. LOL)  family and excitement.

My niece Tanya's middle child, Martese Jr. got stuck in the bathroom. All the men were working diligently on the door, I wanted to call the fire department. I have to tell you that this four year old behaved in a very brave manner, helping in his rescue by sliding the key to the bathroom to his daddy who was on the other side and has loosened the molding.  After he was safe and sound everyone laughed that during all of the excitement, he'd forgotten to do what he'd gone into the bathroom for.

Arriving home, Billy wanted to go back out and watch the fireworks.  We had a couple of hours to wait, so I got in more time on my proofing the hard cover for, SECRETS OF THE ORIENT.
 

Shameless plug, I know.  But I'm sure you'll forgive me.

 

 Bolingbrook put on a wonderful display of fireworks and we were all glad we ventured out. In spite of crazy drivers we had a good time. And my hat's off to the Bolingbrook Police Officers who didn't make us move from the turning lane where we parked to watch. It was extra nice considering after we parked there several cars parked behind us.  Now, I'm going to go over to Cici Edward's blog to see what she's up to.  Check her out.

And last but not least, a shout out to our armed forces.

Life always has surprises.

This past weekend was a time of sadness and a time of joy.  On Friday we buried our uncle who had been suffering with emphysema for several years.

But, on Saturday to my surprise and to the surprise of everyone in this picture I actually went on a road trip to Louisville Ky. for the surprise retirement party of Dr. Withers.  That's Danny in the blue shirt.  After 43 years in the education field and having spent the last 22 years as principal at the same high school he once attended.

As I contemplated the long drive and thought about swollen ankles and leg pains I was tempted to cancel, but  I knew my sister in the silver dress(Jackie) and my niece in the black and white dress (Tanya) were taking bets on whether I would actually go.

And then there was the matter of my first cousin (Denise) in the pink dress that didn't invite me because she didn't think I would come. So I had to invite myself and crash the party. LOL.  There was just oo much riding on my going. So pain or not I was determined.

And who is that in the yellow you're asking.  That's Danielle, my second cousin, daughter of Denise and Danny and party planner.  She did a fantastic job.

Saving the best for last, Martese in the white shirt , nephew-in-law, married to Tanya.  I give him kudos for being such a good driver, being funny, making me laugh, and just keeping a ton of conversation flowing.

Now I will admit that Bill and I do appear to be glued at the hip and I will admit that I like to be with him when I go someplace.  It's much harder sleeping without him in the bed.  But considering that Bill didn't want to make the drive and even though he didn't say it, I knew he didn't think I'd go without him either, I had to go.  I never want anyone thinking they always know exactly what I'm going to do.  Not even my sweet husband of 45 years.

So even though I was tired and didn't get to see my uncle James, a goal I wanted to accomplish while in Ky. I'm so glad I went.  I had so much fun, the food was delicious, I danced, and I surprised my cousin.

And considering that my weekend started with a sad event it makes you more mindful of living while you're alive.

One last thing that I suppose as an author I should keep beating you over the head with, ( I HATE DOING THAT) Anyway, my new book, Secrets of the Orient is still on Amazon Scout and in need of votes. Here's the link to vote if you're interested.http://kindlescout.amazon.com      

Don't forget to check out my friend Cici Edward's blog.http://ciciedward.com

Have you ever thought what a long time 30 days is?  Well, if not I have to tell you it's a VERY long time.  As you already know, Cici and I made an agreement to blog twice a month.  We've done that.  Now you know if I needed a partner in order to blog twice a month that apparently I couldn't think of anything to tell you.

Do I want to keep posting, buy my book?  Or vote for me?  NO I DO NOT.


So what am I going to do about it? ROFL.  I'm going to force myself out of my comfort zone and ANNOY THE HECK OUT OF YOU.  But considering I have barely any traffic to this blog and will only be annoying just a few of you, I've decided to do it.


It would be kinda nice if after the Kindle Amazon Scout challenge is over, that I will find a few interesting things to blog about on a weekly basis.


kindlescout.amazon.com

If you'd like to help we keep Secrets of the Orient on the Hot list, you can go to the above link and read an excerpt.  If you'd like to see the book published, a nomination and a share to get the word out and garner more votes will definitely be appreciated.  Cyber champagne and chocolates will be on the menu if  we're celebrating at the end of this.

Don't worry, by the time this is over we'll be on the same page.  I'll be sick of me also.

Giveaway for Secrets of the Orient.

 I'm hosting a giveaway on Amazon for Secrets of the Orient, which is entered in the Kindle Scout contest.  It's a book by Rachel Gibson. I have no idea why it's not showing the picture.  Anyway, check out the link and good luck. No purchase is necessary.  It's a numbered contest and you just have to be the right number.  Amazon takes care of that and all the rest.

https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/6c091b49f06a6e17

Secrets of the Orient- my new novel

 Good morning,

Some news: I've entered my new novel into Amazon's Kindle Scout.  It's a reader participation publishing deal.  The link will take you to an excerpt. If you vote for Secrets of the Orient, I'd like to thank you in advance.

https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1MLD8Y01W1QBD

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately on aging.  That's not so amazing considering I'm doing just that. But aren't we all? Every single day you live, you're aging.

But I wanted to tell you my latest aging story. I think the older we get we generally become afraid of losing certain things that make us who we are. Memory ranks number one. You can't help but wonder when you can't remember something if it's a symptom of a larger issue.

About a month or so ago we received a letter from NiCor Gas concerning our home solution protection.  I had no knowledge of  signing up for this program and was bound and determined to demand my money back. But first I had to find out how long they'd been taking my money. It took a month to remember to actually call. LOL.

I make the call, state we didn't sign up for this and how long have you been taking my money?  The answer: since 2001. I won't repeat the entire conversation to you because it would be boring. But my take away is this:  If I am losing my memory it's happening very slowly. 

Since we can't worry about what's going to happen later in life, we may as well live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment we're given. Snap some pictures, take a day trip, laugh a lot with the people you love. Do something you've held off on doing. 

I applaud my son for having that kind of spirit. 

Perhaps I'll take a daring walk without worrying about stray dogs.

What the heck, I'm taking my pepper spray and a stick.

Don't forget to check out my friend, Cici Edward. We're sticking to our blogging plan, and believe me, that's a challenge.  I'll congratulate the two of us on our success.

http://ciciedward.com/writerslife/

Have you noticed how much things have changed in the last decade or so?  Of course you have. The thing that struck me this past week was the weight of a book.  Yep, you heard correctly.  I'd just finished reading two very well written and interested books, back to back.  The only thing was that book books were depressing.  I needed something light to read.

I have hundreds fo books on my Kindle and on my Kindle Fire, but I needed an all around book, you know, one I could take into the bathroom. one that I could put in that little side pocket in the car, because I like to have a book in the car to read in case I'm waiting for Bill to run into the hardware or something. I don't like doing that with my Kindles.

So, I started looking through my bookcases for something that wasn't too happy and definitely not depressing. Romance was out. And don't even think because I'm a romance writer that's all I like to read. Anyway, romance was out because it was just too happy after the other books. I had to ease back into happy.

So I picked up a book, Spirit Of The Heart, by Barbara Cary, a very nice person, great author and a former member of Windy City RWA, my chapter.  The book was signed for me in 2001.  Just hold on, I know you're wondering why I'm giving you all this background information. There's two reasons: 1. Cici Edwards and I are still united to blog twice a month, and I'm trying to stretch this out. 2. The year 2001 is significant.

The book felt like a brick. Seriously, it is sooooooooooo heavy.  I started my search for books with the same amount of pages to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.  I wasn't.  Then I gave Bill and Billy both books and had them compare. Yes, they felt the difference.

Apparently in 2000 (copyright date of the book) the printers used heaver paper in the manufacturing of books. Check it out for yourself. It appears I had little to do since I wasted a considerable amount of time on this.



Don't forget to check out Cici Edwards blog.http://ciciedward.com/writerslife/

So, this is the first Sunday of the month and already I've taken to cheating.  Cici and I are plodding our way through the things that we're told we're supposed to do, like blogging. In person I can be a chatter, even when I'm writing I can go on and on.  But I do believe it's that element of doing something I'm supposed to do that forces me into the position of finding it difficult. 

Excuse or not, I'm giving you a short, short excerpt of my newest work, Secrets Of The Orient.                                     

             Secrets of the Orient

Exhaustion weighed on Dai Han’s shoulders until he felt as bent and ancient as his grandfather. He was the first son, the one to whom the mantle of the numerous family businesses would be passed. There was but one slight problem. No one had ever inquired if that was what he wished to do with his life. Perhaps he should have told them instead of thinking his life choices would have made his intentions clear.

It had not mattered that he’d spent seven years with a group of warriors so elite that he dared not mention what they did, not even to his family. The most he could tell them was he belonged to The Brotherhood. That they understood.

One day he woke he woke and without warning the feeling of wanting more settled around his heart. He wanted more, a woman to love, children, and his family that he had left. He was lonely. To his surprise, living without his family had proven to be much harder than he’d imagined

But to leave The Brotherhood was unheard of.  Dai Han tried every method he’d been taught to remove the unwanted feelings that were ravaging his mind, leaving him at a loss for finding the peace and solace he’d so much enjoyed for seven years.

After a time he couldn’t rid himself of the ache in his heart. It grew until it permeated his soul. To the disbelief of The Brotherhood he’d left. Nevertheless, he’d done the things necessary to leave in good standing. He would always be welcomed back. His brothers would be there for him should he have need of them. And if called upon he would return.

 Living a more peopled life wasn’t as easy as he’d imagined. He still craved excitement and his body demanded a physical job, so he’d applied to the police department, went to the academy and worked his way up in record time to being a detective. Still one thing eluded him. He’d not found a woman to love, none had spoken to that secret place inside himself.

His adored grandfather, mother and siblings had been happy to have him home. As for his father, who knew how he felt about his return. The most he’d done since Dai Han had left the Brotherhood was nod.

Dai Han would admit the weekly dinners with his family served to feed a deeper need in his soul. It was not something he’d been able to do until he’d left The Brotherhood to work in the police department. Though his family’s constant questioning about where he’d been and what he’d done for seven years was an issue he’d wished they’d drop. It was something he couldn’t and would never talk to them about, even if it were allowed. He barely mentioned the two years he’d served as lead detective for the police department.

Somehow it was understood by the ones he served that if his family called, it was Dai Han’s obligation to leave, no questions asked. It was because of that understanding that his career with the police department ended without even an exit interview or a simple, “Do you want to leave?” If anyone had thought to ask, his answer would have been a resounding no. He had enjoyed the things he’d chosen to do with his life. But it seemed none of them were as important as being an obedient son. Family loyalty had been bred into him from the time of his birth. Though he’d questioned his father about the power in his reach he’d not received an answer, only a smile and a half shrug. Then came his father’s question. “If others can see your importance in this family, why can’t you?”