Lynn Raye Harris

So the Kindle 2.0 is a reality now. And I want one. Why, I ask myself? I love real books. The size, feel, smell, etc. But, as I look at my groaning shelves, the neverending supply train of books that pours into my house on a regular basis — I’m wondering if the Kindle isn’t the way to go for me. I could still buy my keepers in paperback. But, oh, to have that Whispernet technology! (Can you say a spending nightmare waiting to happen?) To have instant access to a huge library of books that I can read the instant I want to read them. Oh, it is to dream.

It’s taken me a long time to get on the e-reader bandwagon. Because, quite frankly, the books once offered in e-format weren’t what I wanted to read. Now that the major publishers have jumped on the bandwagon, I’m so there.

But, I am also aware that I’m a gadget junkie. Do I want this thing because it’s sexy and looks awesome? Will it be yet another gadget I could have done without? (Yes, I speak to you T-Mobile Dash and you Alphasmart Neo — love Neo, but don’t use as often as I thought I would since I no longer have a need to write on the beach.) I just don’t know.

And, since I just got the iPhone (love it!), I’m out of gadget buying points for a while. I have to wait until at least my birthday, and maybe even Christmas (sigh). Though, I must admit, my hubby pretty much lets me have whatever my heart desires — so if I were to say I really, really, really wanted it, he would tell me to get it. Oh the temptation to abuse my power!

But, I will be good. For as long as possible. What do you think of e-readers? Do you covet the Kindle like I do? Have one already? Love it or hate it? Can’t ever imagine reading anything besides a paper and ink book?

PS: Had an interview yesterday in the Decatur Daily and will post a link just as soon as one is available. Unfortunately, the Daily won’t let you view their articles online unless you are a subscriber. So I must wait for it to appear elsewhere….

The hubby and I couldn’t wait two more weeks (the date our current mobile phone contract ends). We decided to go ahead and get our iPhones. This means we have new phone numbers, but we discussed it back and forth and agreed that it wasn’t much of a hassle to let everyone know the new numbers. Plus our old numbers were from a town we don’t live in — and some of the wrong calls were getting irritating (bill collectors, principals discussing naughty children, etc). Neither of us uses our cell phones exclusively, or talk a lot, so the handful of people we had to inform wasn’t really a big deal.

And, oh wow, I can’t believe I had to wait this long to get my iPhone. To say I love it would be a massive understatement. The App Store (on iTunes) is incredible. I’m such a geek I’ve downloaded my very own copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Want to know what the 13th amendment says? I can whip that baby out in no time and tell you. Both these apps are free. In fact, all the apps I’ve downloaded are free with the exception of one. I bought (for about $5) an expense application that will allow me to track expenses at the time they occur and take a picture of the receipt to store with it. This should help me organize the actual receipts and expenses at home. (Believe me, I need this kind of thing because I’m not too organized. I stuff the receipts in a box.)

But one of the coolest things I downloaded was an app called Stanza. It’s an e-reader. Now, I’m not going to be reading books on my iPhone a lot — but when stuck in lines, or waiting rooms, or airports, it could come in handy. And Harlequin is currently giving away 16 e-books. They’ve also formatted them for Stanza. I clicked on the handy bookstore link in Stanza and it took me to a list of choices. I went to Harlequin and within moments had books on my phone. Too cool.

You can also download anything on Project Gutenberg. If you want to pay, you could read Twilight or countless other books on your phone. (I’m thinking I’m not going to pay for books that way. I’ll save that for the other toy I covet: the Kindle, about which there should be a major announcement today by Jeff Bezos and crew).

The other app I love is Pandora. Streaming radio on my phone? Oh heck yes. I have NYT headlines, a movie app that lets me know what’s currently showing in my area, the times, theaters, and trailers if I want to watch them. I have the Weather Channel; Facebook; Twitter. And yes, even the I Can Haz Cheezburger site, which is how I saw the cute reading kitty.

There are so many things I still need to learn, I’m sure, but I love this phone and all these cool things that go with it. I am such a geek. And it’s all my husband’s fault! I’d probably be clueless about techno gadgets if he hadn’t started wrapping me in his evil web years ago. Now, I’m almost as bad as he is.

Would you read books on your phone if you could? Do you like gadgets? Want a Kindle? (And I still do love real books, btw. Just think it would be neat to have a way to store a lot more books than my shelves will hold.)

This post should be required reading for any and everyone setting out to write a novel for the first time. It WILL get better. But first, the long and winding road. Embrace it, live it, emerge a new writer.

My author page is up at Mills & Boon. You can also click on biography and interview links once there.

As for my reprieve — it lasted a day. New proposal to finish for (hopefully) the next book…

And because you can NEVER have enough Hugh:

Happy Friday!!

But who knows for how long? Book 2 is sitting in my editor’s inbox. So I get to breathe for a few days — until I get back the revisions. *sigh* After my last book, I’m trying to prepare myself.

So what does a neurotic writer do with herself in the days between shipping off the book and waiting to hear back? She might catch up on household tasks. Might consider going grocery shopping and adding variety to the diet — chicken, chicken, and chicken gets a little tiring night after night.

She might read. She might start working on the next book because she hopes they will want another one. She might go shoe shopping. She might watch a movie or catch up on the hours and hours of DVR programs she has.

Truthfully, I feel like someone who has been going 100 miles an hour and suddenly comes to a full stop. I still feel the motion and still feel like I need to be moving. So, who knows what I’ll do? I sure don’t.

Except for lucky lunch. That’s a must. What do you do when you finish a project?

You still have time to guess the desks! And no one popped up with names for an Italian hero, so I’m still thinking about that. How about some eye candy for inspiration? He could be a prince, don’t you think? Works for me. DEFINITELY works for me….

Feeling inspired? Or just a bit warm?

Can you guess which desk belongs to which author? Come on over to eHarlequin and give it a try: http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/cafe-social/whos-desk-belongs

My desk is on there, along with the desks of Kate Walker, Holly Jacobs, Carly Phillips and Maria V. Snyder — just to name a few.

There are prizes!

Also, I finally typed The End! Except it’s not done yet, of course. But I’m always happy when I write the story to the finish. Makes it easier to go back and see what I need to revise to keep the story arcing. So, today, I’ll be doing a reread and hoping I didn’t take a detour somewhere along the way.

But you know, for just a little bit there, I felt like Joan Wilder. I love that scene at the beginning of Romancing the Stone when she’s crying and typing and then she can’t find tissue. Love the celebration with the cat. I tried to find that clip on You Tube — but they don’t have it. I think some techno geeky person needs to upload it! That is the best romance writer movie ever.

Oh, provided my editor lets me get away with it, there’ll be another Italian hero in the next book I write. And while I have a heroine already, I don’t have him. I know who he is, but I don’t have a name. Suggestions?