This weekend movie selection was Salt, starring Angelina Jolie and the lovely Liev Schreiber.
Jolie's character, Evelyn Salt works for the CIA. As she and her partner, Ted (Liev), are walking out the door at the end of a shift, an old Russian man shows up at the office, claiming to know about a Russian spy working at the CIA. Of course he points the finger at Evelyn Salt.
She takes her leave before her CIA buddies can lock her up. They hunt her throughout the movie.
The movie is almost all action from start to finish. Jolie does her ass kicking thing as well as she always does. Some of the action sequences were rather unrealistic. They probably would have been easier to swallow had the movie not taken itself so darned seriously.
There was one part that was kind of weird. Salt disguises herself as a man. The disguise is decent but really, how masculine could one possible make Angelina Jolie look?
The movie wasn't exactly life-altering, but it was alright. It gets a B.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog! There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
entering the weekend
Happy Friday! Today is a wonderous day.
The release of What the Dead Fear was frickin' awesome. On Smashwords alone, 83 people downloaded it in the first 24 hours. A bunch of people read it on scribd too, about 20, I think. That's huge for little, old me.
It is now available for 99 cents in the Kindle store after a bit of a delay. Here is a link for your clicking pleasure.
http://www.amazon.com/What-the-Dead-Fear-ebook/dp/B004P8JJOQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298687738&sr=1-3
There is a second listing for $2.99. I am currently trying to figure out how and why that happened and of course, trying to get them to remove it.
It should also be available on obooko.com soon. I'll post a link if/when I get that going. That's a new site for me, so we'll see how that goes.
Thank you to everyone who already downloaded the ebook. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
What's next? Hmmmm...I hope to crank out at least two more novels this year. I had a kick-ass idea for a third project that may sneak its way in too. That might be another novella though.
This weekend will involve some AnnaBeth editing and notes for future projects.
Perhaps Monday I will have a new photo of me for the blog. It may be time to retire cartoon me.
That is all. Have lovely times.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
The release of What the Dead Fear was frickin' awesome. On Smashwords alone, 83 people downloaded it in the first 24 hours. A bunch of people read it on scribd too, about 20, I think. That's huge for little, old me.
It is now available for 99 cents in the Kindle store after a bit of a delay. Here is a link for your clicking pleasure.
http://www.amazon.com/What-the-Dead-Fear-ebook/dp/B004P8JJOQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298687738&sr=1-3
There is a second listing for $2.99. I am currently trying to figure out how and why that happened and of course, trying to get them to remove it.
It should also be available on obooko.com soon. I'll post a link if/when I get that going. That's a new site for me, so we'll see how that goes.
Thank you to everyone who already downloaded the ebook. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
What's next? Hmmmm...I hope to crank out at least two more novels this year. I had a kick-ass idea for a third project that may sneak its way in too. That might be another novella though.
This weekend will involve some AnnaBeth editing and notes for future projects.
Perhaps Monday I will have a new photo of me for the blog. It may be time to retire cartoon me.
That is all. Have lovely times.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
releasing on a wednesday? who does that?
me.
Today is release day! Woo!
What the Dead Fear, my brand spanking new novella, is now available for free download.
Here is the trailer on the youtube.
Here links for downloading. The listing on Amazon Kindle should be up and running tomorrow.
On Scribd
On Smashwords
I'll post additional links on the Fiction Freebies page here on the blog when they become available.
Today is release day! Woo!
What the Dead Fear, my brand spanking new novella, is now available for free download.
Here is the trailer on the youtube.
Here links for downloading. The listing on Amazon Kindle should be up and running tomorrow.
On Scribd
On Smashwords
I'll post additional links on the Fiction Freebies page here on the blog when they become available.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
movie: Let Me In
This weekend’s movie selection was Let Me In. It’s a touching story of boy meets girl; girl happens to be a vampire.
Thankfully, Abby (played by Chloe Moretz, also Hit-Girl from Kick-Ass) is not a Twilight vampire. She’s a good, old-fashioned rip-your-throat-out vampire, just the way they’re supposed to be.
She befriends a boy named Owen.
Owen has no idea what she is, at first. He’s shy and gets bullied at school. The scenes in which Owen is bullied are pretty awful as far as what’s being done to him. He has problems at home too. His parents are divorcing and arguing on the phone. I wanted to reach through the screen and give him a hug.
Abby’s situation elicits almost as much sympathy. She is just as lonely as Owen. I won’t get too far into that because I don’t want to insert any spoilers.
Let Me In has some very graphic scenes. The most violence is, of course, inflicted by Abby the vampire. It’s strange to see someone so young and innocent looking work through these gruesome, bloody scenes. Her role as Hit-Girl involved a lot of violence as well, but she used weapons in Kick-Ass. In Let Me In, she just uses herself.
The plot was a little slow in places but the movie was definitely watchable.
It gets an A-.
Tomorrow, free novella release day. WOO! Check back for links and such.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Thankfully, Abby (played by Chloe Moretz, also Hit-Girl from Kick-Ass) is not a Twilight vampire. She’s a good, old-fashioned rip-your-throat-out vampire, just the way they’re supposed to be.
She befriends a boy named Owen.
Owen has no idea what she is, at first. He’s shy and gets bullied at school. The scenes in which Owen is bullied are pretty awful as far as what’s being done to him. He has problems at home too. His parents are divorcing and arguing on the phone. I wanted to reach through the screen and give him a hug.
Abby’s situation elicits almost as much sympathy. She is just as lonely as Owen. I won’t get too far into that because I don’t want to insert any spoilers.
Let Me In has some very graphic scenes. The most violence is, of course, inflicted by Abby the vampire. It’s strange to see someone so young and innocent looking work through these gruesome, bloody scenes. Her role as Hit-Girl involved a lot of violence as well, but she used weapons in Kick-Ass. In Let Me In, she just uses herself.
The plot was a little slow in places but the movie was definitely watchable.
It gets an A-.
Tomorrow, free novella release day. WOO! Check back for links and such.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Monday, February 21, 2011
not a release day
Today is not the day I hoped it would be. Today was supposed to be release day for the novella, but I’ve decided to hold onto it for a couple more days. I’m still tweaking the words. Wednesday should be the day and I’ll drop links to the book and the trailer, just like one big multimedia splat.
So, Wednesday.
Today we’ll compare similar plots, because I haz them.
There is a somewhat significant similarity between the plot of Babylon Dragon (my first novel) and What the Dead Fear.
Both protagonists are dead and trying to save someone who is still alive for at least most of the story. Also both stories have some pretty darn strange settings. Adrea (Babylon Dragon) is in Purgatory and Juniper (What the Dead Fear) is in Limbo.
That's where the similarities end though.
I guess the point is to say that I know these stories have certain aspects in common, but they are also unique. This dead person trying save a living person isn't a shtick. What the Dead Fear is probably the last story in which the protagonist is dead that I'll write for quite a while, probably until (if) I write the Babylon Dragon sequel.
That is all.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
So, Wednesday.
Today we’ll compare similar plots, because I haz them.
There is a somewhat significant similarity between the plot of Babylon Dragon (my first novel) and What the Dead Fear.
Both protagonists are dead and trying to save someone who is still alive for at least most of the story. Also both stories have some pretty darn strange settings. Adrea (Babylon Dragon) is in Purgatory and Juniper (What the Dead Fear) is in Limbo.
That's where the similarities end though.
I guess the point is to say that I know these stories have certain aspects in common, but they are also unique. This dead person trying save a living person isn't a shtick. What the Dead Fear is probably the last story in which the protagonist is dead that I'll write for quite a while, probably until (if) I write the Babylon Dragon sequel.
That is all.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Saturday, February 19, 2011
my totally awesome picture of the moon!
I took this tonight and loved it so much that I wanted to slap it up on the blog. You can see craters! Craters I tell you!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
so little to say and yet, still here
I'm starting to think the blog is like an addiction for me. I didn't have anything to share, really, and yet I'm still hanging out in my cyberhome.
I am working on a bunch of stuff, mostly word stuff, mostly obsessing about the novella release that's coming up. I probably will have read it no less than 4 times by the end of this week. I think Brain is stuck in psycho edit mode.
Anyway husband showed me this video the other day. I thought it was really cool so I'm showing it to you too.
It's a redo of Jay-Z's 99 problems but in a style similar to that of the Big Black Horse and a Cherry Tree song. The band is called 'Hugo'. I have no idea what else they sing.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
I am working on a bunch of stuff, mostly word stuff, mostly obsessing about the novella release that's coming up. I probably will have read it no less than 4 times by the end of this week. I think Brain is stuck in psycho edit mode.
Anyway husband showed me this video the other day. I thought it was really cool so I'm showing it to you too.
It's a redo of Jay-Z's 99 problems but in a style similar to that of the Big Black Horse and a Cherry Tree song. The band is called 'Hugo'. I have no idea what else they sing.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Juniper Townsend character sketch
Juniper is the main character in my upcoming novella, What the Dead Fear. I thought I would write a bit about her today.
At the time of her death, she's a 22 year old college student and the only child to her single mother, Francine.
Juniper is different from the female leads in my novels. Where Adrea (Babylon Dragon) and AnnaBeth (MacDowell Sisters and Annabeth) (also, both 'A' names? What does that mean?) were unsure of themselves and constantly questioning whether their actions were right, Juniper doesn't. She has few or no reserves about jumping into the fire for her friend. From almost the beginning of the story, she is on task.
However, she does carry a lot of regret with her into Limbo. The feelings she has gnaw away at her, especially in situations in which she perceives herself as helpless, which isn't very often. Her remorse can only be healed through action.
Juniper is loyal and brash and relentless. She takes whatever path she believes will bring her closer to her goal, even if she doesn't always have a complete plan.
What the Dead Fear, release date 2/21/11. Check back for updates and links.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
At the time of her death, she's a 22 year old college student and the only child to her single mother, Francine.
Juniper is different from the female leads in my novels. Where Adrea (Babylon Dragon) and AnnaBeth (MacDowell Sisters and Annabeth) (also, both 'A' names? What does that mean?) were unsure of themselves and constantly questioning whether their actions were right, Juniper doesn't. She has few or no reserves about jumping into the fire for her friend. From almost the beginning of the story, she is on task.
However, she does carry a lot of regret with her into Limbo. The feelings she has gnaw away at her, especially in situations in which she perceives herself as helpless, which isn't very often. Her remorse can only be healed through action.
Juniper is loyal and brash and relentless. She takes whatever path she believes will bring her closer to her goal, even if she doesn't always have a complete plan.
What the Dead Fear, release date 2/21/11. Check back for updates and links.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Monday, February 14, 2011
movie and book working
Happy Valentines Day, weblings! I hope everyone was suffiently loved.
Monday is movie day (usually), so first, we movie.
I was really excited to see The Last Exorcism. I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed.
First, this documentary, bouncy camera filming has got to stop. I didn't know this movie was going to be like that. Watching movies with this kind of filming is like riding around on a drunk guy's shoulder and the drunk guy is on a boat. It is SO nauseating.
Second, the documentary stye film is lazy. I get it. They want the movie to look gritty and more realistic. All it does (aside from cause me to vomit) is encourage the writer or director or actors or whoever to insert mundane, barely relevant crap into the storyline. Do not love.
End rant.
The story is about a reverend in Louisiana who performs exorcisms and a documentary film crew follows him on his last one.
The plot was slow, but there were some good scary parts. The acting was okay. I give it a C-.
On to What the Dead Fear trailer talk.
I said on Friday, I thought it would be cool to have the trailer ready to go today. I also said that probably wouldn't happen.
Alas, the trailer is not ready.
Well, what the hell is taking so gosh darn long, you ask?
I shall tell you, my darlings. The book trailer has been round after round of work on it for a bit, deal with minor insecure feelings, learn something else, return to the trailer briefly to add another component. Lather, rinse, repeat.
It was the same with the drawings. I had originally planned to use just a couple. I ended up with six in all, counting the cover art at the very end of the trailer. And with at least two of those drawings, I went through a cycle similar to the one described in the previous paragraph.
The status of the trailer right now is thus - images and text are together and looking dandy. All I have left to do is apply some music and get the screen transitions going.
Here is one of the first images from the trailer. This is Juniper's face in profile. As you can probably tell, she is looking a little ghostly.
I should have the whole shebang ready to go by next weekend's release. Nothing like pushing it out to the last second right?
Like Clockwork and a Tangled Mind is now available in the Amazon Kindle store.
http://www.amazon.com/Like-Clockwork-Tangled-Mind-ebook/dp/B004NIFWIU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1297733044&sr=8-1
I apologize that it can't be free there like it is in other places, but their system won't let me do that.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Monday is movie day (usually), so first, we movie.
I was really excited to see The Last Exorcism. I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed.
First, this documentary, bouncy camera filming has got to stop. I didn't know this movie was going to be like that. Watching movies with this kind of filming is like riding around on a drunk guy's shoulder and the drunk guy is on a boat. It is SO nauseating.
Second, the documentary stye film is lazy. I get it. They want the movie to look gritty and more realistic. All it does (aside from cause me to vomit) is encourage the writer or director or actors or whoever to insert mundane, barely relevant crap into the storyline. Do not love.
End rant.
The story is about a reverend in Louisiana who performs exorcisms and a documentary film crew follows him on his last one.
The plot was slow, but there were some good scary parts. The acting was okay. I give it a C-.
On to What the Dead Fear trailer talk.
I said on Friday, I thought it would be cool to have the trailer ready to go today. I also said that probably wouldn't happen.
Alas, the trailer is not ready.
Well, what the hell is taking so gosh darn long, you ask?
I shall tell you, my darlings. The book trailer has been round after round of work on it for a bit, deal with minor insecure feelings, learn something else, return to the trailer briefly to add another component. Lather, rinse, repeat.
It was the same with the drawings. I had originally planned to use just a couple. I ended up with six in all, counting the cover art at the very end of the trailer. And with at least two of those drawings, I went through a cycle similar to the one described in the previous paragraph.
The status of the trailer right now is thus - images and text are together and looking dandy. All I have left to do is apply some music and get the screen transitions going.
Here is one of the first images from the trailer. This is Juniper's face in profile. As you can probably tell, she is looking a little ghostly.
I should have the whole shebang ready to go by next weekend's release. Nothing like pushing it out to the last second right?
Like Clockwork and a Tangled Mind is now available in the Amazon Kindle store.
http://www.amazon.com/Like-Clockwork-Tangled-Mind-ebook/dp/B004NIFWIU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1297733044&sr=8-1
I apologize that it can't be free there like it is in other places, but their system won't let me do that.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Friday, February 11, 2011
Woo Friday!
I never finish as much as I think I can finish on Friday. It's like after I get off work, the entire week catches up with me and I crash.
However, I was able to accomplish things earlier this week.
Things accomplished -
Worked on annabeth book 2 on my beloved ipaq (pda). Still not hardcore working on it due to finishing other projects but progress was made! I'm thinking - rough draft possibly completed by the end of May or maybe a little sooner.
Also, finished my second to last edit on the novella. My secondary reader gets it next week and then I'll do one last read and be ready to fly. I plan to do the hands-off edit by reading it on the kindle and making notes in a notebook. That should keep me from the temptation to monkey around with it too much.
Some book trailer work, which should continue tonight. I'm sad to say there will be no animation because I don't have that kind of time. However, there will be illustrations and music and words. Yay!
I would love love love to have this finished and ready to present on Monday. That's pretty darned ambitious though. We'll see.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get my drink on and do some work...which may or may not be a bad combination.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
However, I was able to accomplish things earlier this week.
Things accomplished -
Worked on annabeth book 2 on my beloved ipaq (pda). Still not hardcore working on it due to finishing other projects but progress was made! I'm thinking - rough draft possibly completed by the end of May or maybe a little sooner.
Also, finished my second to last edit on the novella. My secondary reader gets it next week and then I'll do one last read and be ready to fly. I plan to do the hands-off edit by reading it on the kindle and making notes in a notebook. That should keep me from the temptation to monkey around with it too much.
Some book trailer work, which should continue tonight. I'm sad to say there will be no animation because I don't have that kind of time. However, there will be illustrations and music and words. Yay!
I would love love love to have this finished and ready to present on Monday. That's pretty darned ambitious though. We'll see.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get my drink on and do some work...which may or may not be a bad combination.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
a release date and some story bits
Barring any unforeseen obstacles, such as a computer crash, I should be ready to release the novella on 2/21 It will probably be available as soon as the 20th on Smashwords and the Amazon Kindle store.
Presenting, some cover art.
The head is a jackal. They’re prominent in the story.
What else is in the story? Hmmm…let’s see.
We have Juniper Townsend who dies all too young. She ends up in Limbo.
Limbo is, of course, the borderland between the living world and the super, shiny place to which deserving souls cross over. During the day, Limbo souls wander a foggy wasteland.
During night hours, they appear in the living world. Only other dead people can see them. They are permitted to observe only. Causing trouble of the poltergeist variety is prohibited, as is influencing the destinies of the living.
The do not interfere law is enforced by a creature called a guardian. He looks like a man and travels with a pack of supernatural jackals. His name is Gareth.
That’s all for now, kids. I have some editing tasks to complete.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Presenting, some cover art.
The head is a jackal. They’re prominent in the story.
What else is in the story? Hmmm…let’s see.
We have Juniper Townsend who dies all too young. She ends up in Limbo.
Limbo is, of course, the borderland between the living world and the super, shiny place to which deserving souls cross over. During the day, Limbo souls wander a foggy wasteland.
During night hours, they appear in the living world. Only other dead people can see them. They are permitted to observe only. Causing trouble of the poltergeist variety is prohibited, as is influencing the destinies of the living.
The do not interfere law is enforced by a creature called a guardian. He looks like a man and travels with a pack of supernatural jackals. His name is Gareth.
That’s all for now, kids. I have some editing tasks to complete.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
the Nook
My spoiled husband got a Nook for his birthday, which meant yours truly got to play with it.
The first thing I noticed is the weight. That thing is heavy! It's probably a good 2-3 times as the Kindle, easily.
The touchscreen is glorious color and has very clear resolution. Ebooks are easy to read and backlit. The library shelf displays the covers of your ebooks, which adds a nice visual reference.
The magazine function is pretty cool. You can pan around and zoom in on whatever you want to read. I did think that some of the magazine subscription prices were a little steep.
The browser is awesome as long as the website you're trying to view doesn't use Flash or Silverlight. The screen is a tad on the small side for browsing but like the magazines, you can zoom in if you want to.
Youtube did not work. I also tried a video on another website, the Nook wouldn't play those either.
I think the Nook could serve as a suitable stand-in for the iPad for someone who just wants to use it to read and hop onto the internet occasionally.
The apps are practically nonexistant. The Nook came with chess and crossword and maybe a couple other games. It did come with a Pandora internet radio app, which is pretty cool. The speaker volume doesn't get very high, but there is a headphone jack.
If there are downloadable apps out there, I wasn't able to locate them.
The usb cable that came with the Nook was crap. We couldn't get it to plug all the way into the Nook. At first, I thought there was something wrong with the port on the Nook itself, but that wasn't the case. Luckily the connection was a common one, so we just used one of our other usb cords with it.
All in all, the Nook is a lot of fun. As far as functionality, it lies between Kindle (pretty much ebook only) and iPad (almost a computer). However, I think it's overkill if you just want to read books. The many features could be a distraction.
I love the shiny technology, but I think I'll hang onto my Kindle for hardcore reading.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
The first thing I noticed is the weight. That thing is heavy! It's probably a good 2-3 times as the Kindle, easily.
The touchscreen is glorious color and has very clear resolution. Ebooks are easy to read and backlit. The library shelf displays the covers of your ebooks, which adds a nice visual reference.
The magazine function is pretty cool. You can pan around and zoom in on whatever you want to read. I did think that some of the magazine subscription prices were a little steep.
The browser is awesome as long as the website you're trying to view doesn't use Flash or Silverlight. The screen is a tad on the small side for browsing but like the magazines, you can zoom in if you want to.
Youtube did not work. I also tried a video on another website, the Nook wouldn't play those either.
I think the Nook could serve as a suitable stand-in for the iPad for someone who just wants to use it to read and hop onto the internet occasionally.
The apps are practically nonexistant. The Nook came with chess and crossword and maybe a couple other games. It did come with a Pandora internet radio app, which is pretty cool. The speaker volume doesn't get very high, but there is a headphone jack.
If there are downloadable apps out there, I wasn't able to locate them.
The usb cable that came with the Nook was crap. We couldn't get it to plug all the way into the Nook. At first, I thought there was something wrong with the port on the Nook itself, but that wasn't the case. Luckily the connection was a common one, so we just used one of our other usb cords with it.
All in all, the Nook is a lot of fun. As far as functionality, it lies between Kindle (pretty much ebook only) and iPad (almost a computer). However, I think it's overkill if you just want to read books. The many features could be a distraction.
I love the shiny technology, but I think I'll hang onto my Kindle for hardcore reading.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Monday, February 7, 2011
argh and Machete
My husband accidentally donated our paper recycling with the goodwill stuff. I think there may have been old manuscript editing pages in there. Dude, seriously? Argh to the nth. I really hope no one attempts to read my rough draft writing or my chicken scratch changes with arrows and brackets and numbers. They will not be impressed.
Movie: Machete
Machete is a delightful story about an ex-federale who moves to the US illegally after his wife is murdered. He is hired to assassinate a senator who is very anti-immigration. A lot of action and double-crossing ensues.
The cast consists of many well-known actors - Robert DeNiro, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal, Cheech Marin and probably others I missed.
Machete himself is played by Danny Trejo, who has been in like a million movies. He works the action pretty well and makes a great grizzled and somewhat grouchy older man. There was at least one creepy part involving him and Jessica Alba. He’s like 60+. She is 30 or so. Ew.
This movie has Quentin Tarantino written all over it - the filming, the over-the-top level of gore in some parts. I didn't find him in the film credits on the IMDB but he had some level of involvment. His picture from one of the events was on the movie page!
This was a decent flick. I liked most of it, despite the heavy immigration political agenda. B+
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Movie: Machete
Machete is a delightful story about an ex-federale who moves to the US illegally after his wife is murdered. He is hired to assassinate a senator who is very anti-immigration. A lot of action and double-crossing ensues.
The cast consists of many well-known actors - Robert DeNiro, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal, Cheech Marin and probably others I missed.
Machete himself is played by Danny Trejo, who has been in like a million movies. He works the action pretty well and makes a great grizzled and somewhat grouchy older man. There was at least one creepy part involving him and Jessica Alba. He’s like 60+. She is 30 or so. Ew.
This movie has Quentin Tarantino written all over it - the filming, the over-the-top level of gore in some parts. I didn't find him in the film credits on the IMDB but he had some level of involvment. His picture from one of the events was on the movie page!
This was a decent flick. I liked most of it, despite the heavy immigration political agenda. B+
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Friday, February 4, 2011
unfreaky friday, and where's the fun in that?
I am working on another read-thru for the novella. For the most part, I'm doing a good job of restraining myself from making major changes, lest my editor's hard work be wasted.
But there was one page.
When a character is disconnected from the scene and people around them, a description of a setting reads like a list. That bugs the shit out of me.
The character doesn't necessarily need to be physically engaged or interacting with the scenery, but they should feel some way about it, otherwise the details aren't important enough to mention.
For example.
The sun shone. The birds sang. Tree tops swayed in a breeze.
Grammatically correct, as far as I know. A reader can picture those details in their mind, no worries. But other than the mental imagery, what did that list offer the reader is terms of plot or character development? Not much.
I had a scene that read a bit like that, not quite to the extreme used in the example, but it did have a list-like quality. The character's interpretation of her surroundings should tie seemingly separate details together. That didn't happen in that particular point of the story, not to the extent that it read as smoothly as it could have.
So I slashed and burned it to the ground. And now I will probably have to look for a second editor. I'm not sure mine will have the time or the patience to go through the novella again.
Tonight's project is one of my faves! Transferring paper changes to the computer file. Now, now, don't be jealous of my glamorous writing activity. Someday you may have your own freakishly dull task to accomplish.
Have a lovely weekend. Don’t cause too much trouble. Zoe has her eye on you and it’s not the lazy one, so you’d better watch out.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
But there was one page.
When a character is disconnected from the scene and people around them, a description of a setting reads like a list. That bugs the shit out of me.
The character doesn't necessarily need to be physically engaged or interacting with the scenery, but they should feel some way about it, otherwise the details aren't important enough to mention.
For example.
The sun shone. The birds sang. Tree tops swayed in a breeze.
Grammatically correct, as far as I know. A reader can picture those details in their mind, no worries. But other than the mental imagery, what did that list offer the reader is terms of plot or character development? Not much.
I had a scene that read a bit like that, not quite to the extreme used in the example, but it did have a list-like quality. The character's interpretation of her surroundings should tie seemingly separate details together. That didn't happen in that particular point of the story, not to the extent that it read as smoothly as it could have.
So I slashed and burned it to the ground. And now I will probably have to look for a second editor. I'm not sure mine will have the time or the patience to go through the novella again.
Tonight's project is one of my faves! Transferring paper changes to the computer file. Now, now, don't be jealous of my glamorous writing activity. Someday you may have your own freakishly dull task to accomplish.
Have a lovely weekend. Don’t cause too much trouble. Zoe has her eye on you and it’s not the lazy one, so you’d better watch out.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Thursday, February 3, 2011
decidedly unsophisticated fragrance shopping
I recently went shopping for perfume. I love the one I currently wear but the scent is entirely too light. I don't think anyone can smell it but me, and I only smell it for the first two minutes of spraying it.
So last weekend, I went to the mall.
I made various observations, which I will now share with you.
Observation 1. At least 30% of the perfumes smelled like apples, exactly the same apples. Apparently that's big right now.
DKNY Be Delicious smells like Coach Poppy smells like one of the Lancome perfumes smells like the bottle of Irresistable Apple perfume from Bath and Body Works that I already own. I imagine there is some factory filling all these different bottles with the SAME formula.
Observation 2. One must never, under any circumstances, spray the Prada! Once applied directly to skin, it caused me to reek like a geriatric French whore for hours. People in the mall flinched away. Soap and water failed to rescue me. I could smell nothing else.
Observation 3. My son will blurt out embarrassing things loudly when in fancy department stores. He likes the ladies a little more than your average seven year old boy. I should have known when I saw the arrangement of like 30 tester bottles on the counter that he would zero in on the bottle in the shape of a woman’s torso (jean-paul gaultier).
In the middle of the shiny, fancy department store, he exclaimed, "I want to smell the boobies!"
Facepalm. Of course, you do.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
So last weekend, I went to the mall.
I made various observations, which I will now share with you.
Observation 1. At least 30% of the perfumes smelled like apples, exactly the same apples. Apparently that's big right now.
DKNY Be Delicious smells like Coach Poppy smells like one of the Lancome perfumes smells like the bottle of Irresistable Apple perfume from Bath and Body Works that I already own. I imagine there is some factory filling all these different bottles with the SAME formula.
Observation 2. One must never, under any circumstances, spray the Prada! Once applied directly to skin, it caused me to reek like a geriatric French whore for hours. People in the mall flinched away. Soap and water failed to rescue me. I could smell nothing else.
Observation 3. My son will blurt out embarrassing things loudly when in fancy department stores. He likes the ladies a little more than your average seven year old boy. I should have known when I saw the arrangement of like 30 tester bottles on the counter that he would zero in on the bottle in the shape of a woman’s torso (jean-paul gaultier).
In the middle of the shiny, fancy department store, he exclaimed, "I want to smell the boobies!"
Facepalm. Of course, you do.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
random updates
Ice storm! The wind against the house sounds like a screaming chimpanzee. We are so very lucky to have electricity right now! I hope the electricity trend continues. According to the news, there are tens of thousands of people in Indiana without power.
Here is a picture I took of the sheet of ice on my storm door on the back of the house. It was frozen shut this morning. The cracks are in the ice, not my door, thankfully.
Here is a picture I took of the sheet of ice on my storm door on the back of the house. It was frozen shut this morning. The cracks are in the ice, not my door, thankfully.
I can’t see through the winder!!!
I wanted to go outside and snap some pics, but freezing rain fell pretty much the entire day. I didn’t want to risk damaging my camera.
Unrelated to the weather, I found something awesome a couple of days ago. I had one of these when I was a kid. It’s a talking robot named Alfie. They rereleased him with an updated look.
Mine looked like this.
I had completely forgotten about Alfie until I saw his updated version at the store. I had that little, white robot for a long time. He lasted for years!
In a final bit of awesomeness today, I am sharing a link to a website I cruise at times. It’s a book cover archive. I go there for inspiration and more often just to look at pretty pictures. I love the variety. There is so much you can do with a book cover.
http://bookcoverarchive.com/
That’s all I have for today.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find a download of three short stories (free ebook) and links to my novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
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