The free html e-book of Part One of my debut novel is officially ON THE WEBSITE! I apologize to anyone who visited my website within the last two days and noticed that my event dates were so very incorrect. I think they are now correct. Anywayz, read it, love it, order a full copy on or after May 28th.
www.LeaRyan.com
Monday, May 17, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
art stuff
Ok, I put up some artsy type things on Zazzle. The gallery isn't up quite all of the way yet. I thought I would post some illustrations on the old blog as I slap them up in the store. A couple of prints on card stock and canvas are on sale as of this morning. I might post another one here for your viewing enjoyment this weekend. This one (below) is called Wine Therapy.
http://www.zazzle.com/LeaRyan7791
http://www.zazzle.com/LeaRyan7791
___________________
Other places to find me: www.LeaRyan.com or on Twitter: @LeaRyan1
Friday, May 14, 2010
Why the Kindle app for Blackberry rules and why it sucks.
I downloaded the blackberry kindle app from amazon a couple of weeks ago. It is very cool, and free, which makes it even better.
My only other experience with ebooks is my ipaq, an HP pda. The ebooks I read on that were usually freebies from the project gutenberg website. The ipaq served that purpose pretty well, but getting the files on it was a bit of a pain. The screen is a nice size for ebook reading but there was a lot of scrolling involved.
Kindle for blackberry is an easier process. I can connect to amazon and download what I want in a minute or so. The instant delivery thing is quite nice. And I can page down with the space bar button instead of having to scroll.
Now for the suck part. If you download books and you have to exchange your phone like I did (bluetooth was defective), you lose your whole library.
When I received my exchange phone, I went through the whole blackberry desktop backup procedure. It transferred almost everything to the new phone and cleared off the old blackberry.
I was in the middle of reading an ebook when I requested an exchange for the phone. So I checked the kindle app to see if the book transferred. It appeared so. Joy! Only, not. When I tried to open the book, it wouldn't let me. I downloaded another book, and it let me open that one.
I thought maybe if I deleted the kindle app and reinstalled, it would work. Nope. Then it didn't let me open either book. My theory is that the kindle software thinks I'm trying to open pirated files, which I assure you, I'm not.
These two books were offered for free when I first downloaded them. They are no longer free. If I want to read the rest of Bite Me, I will have to pay for it.
My biggest concern, though, is what if I had paid for a bunch of books? I would have lost them. I didn't consult amazon customer support, so I can't really tell you if there was some resolution they would have offered. For me, the problem just isn't that deep. It's not like I paid for the books in the first place.
Free is free though, so I guess I can't whine too much.
My only other experience with ebooks is my ipaq, an HP pda. The ebooks I read on that were usually freebies from the project gutenberg website. The ipaq served that purpose pretty well, but getting the files on it was a bit of a pain. The screen is a nice size for ebook reading but there was a lot of scrolling involved.
Kindle for blackberry is an easier process. I can connect to amazon and download what I want in a minute or so. The instant delivery thing is quite nice. And I can page down with the space bar button instead of having to scroll.
Now for the suck part. If you download books and you have to exchange your phone like I did (bluetooth was defective), you lose your whole library.
When I received my exchange phone, I went through the whole blackberry desktop backup procedure. It transferred almost everything to the new phone and cleared off the old blackberry.
I was in the middle of reading an ebook when I requested an exchange for the phone. So I checked the kindle app to see if the book transferred. It appeared so. Joy! Only, not. When I tried to open the book, it wouldn't let me. I downloaded another book, and it let me open that one.
I thought maybe if I deleted the kindle app and reinstalled, it would work. Nope. Then it didn't let me open either book. My theory is that the kindle software thinks I'm trying to open pirated files, which I assure you, I'm not.
These two books were offered for free when I first downloaded them. They are no longer free. If I want to read the rest of Bite Me, I will have to pay for it.
My biggest concern, though, is what if I had paid for a bunch of books? I would have lost them. I didn't consult amazon customer support, so I can't really tell you if there was some resolution they would have offered. For me, the problem just isn't that deep. It's not like I paid for the books in the first place.
Free is free though, so I guess I can't whine too much.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
longish blog entry
Let’s see.
I dyed my hair too dark accidentally…again. Apparently in Revlon Colorsilk world, medium brown is actually super dark espresso brown. This fact only leads me to the conclusion that their version of dark brown is actually black and their black is probably somewhere between the color of the deepest reaches of the universe and negative space.
I tried to kill my pretty new (to me) mustang by gently rolling over a giant median. I was turning into Wendys to get my badunkadunk on and hopped two wheels on the driver’s side up onto curb and into some mud. Never fear. Baby is fine, with the exception of a couple of dings on the Pirellis. I apologized to my car several times and have promised never to do such a thing again. It is my understanding that the car has accepted my apology.
I wrote nothing this weekend, which is completely out of the ordinary for me. Instead, worked on converting my pencil sketches to digital format. I will post one or two on the blog this week.
Long weekend movie rundown.
Where the Wild Things Are – We actually bought this for the kids on DVD before we watched it. Big mistake. The movie is all style and no substance. The plot is almost an afterthought, it seems. Much of the movie is just random action and odd conversation. The kids liked it though, so I guess that’s what really matters.
The Lovely Bones – So awesome. I really loved this movie. It’s about a young girl who is murdered. From a limbo state of existence, she watches her family deal with her death, her father investigate, and she watches her murderer. The parts of the movie that showed her in limbo really reminded me of What Dreams May Come. The special effects are amazing. The acting and the story were very good.
The Offspring – This was a horror movie. Wild cave person cannibals attack civilized folk. It was over the top gory and sort of felt like the director was trying to emulate Rob Zombie. The filming was too dark. The dialog was quite cheesy in places. However, the absolute worst part of the movie was this sound effect they kept using. It began in the theme music and carried on throughout. I’m not even really sure how to describe the sound. It was a high-pitched, nails on a chalkboard, but more like a synthesizer noise. It made me want to throw the remote at my television.
Sherlock Holmes – Yes! I finally got to see this movie. Was I the last? I am thinking probably yes. Sherlock Holmes was totally awesome. There was a ton of action, a lot of parts that cracked me up, stuff blowing up, and Robert Downey Jr. looking sexy as hell. Loved it!!!
That’s all I have for now. But really, isn’t it enough?
_______________________
Other places to find me:
www.LeaRyan.com
Twitter: @LeaRyan1
I dyed my hair too dark accidentally…again. Apparently in Revlon Colorsilk world, medium brown is actually super dark espresso brown. This fact only leads me to the conclusion that their version of dark brown is actually black and their black is probably somewhere between the color of the deepest reaches of the universe and negative space.
I tried to kill my pretty new (to me) mustang by gently rolling over a giant median. I was turning into Wendys to get my badunkadunk on and hopped two wheels on the driver’s side up onto curb and into some mud. Never fear. Baby is fine, with the exception of a couple of dings on the Pirellis. I apologized to my car several times and have promised never to do such a thing again. It is my understanding that the car has accepted my apology.
I wrote nothing this weekend, which is completely out of the ordinary for me. Instead, worked on converting my pencil sketches to digital format. I will post one or two on the blog this week.
Long weekend movie rundown.
Where the Wild Things Are – We actually bought this for the kids on DVD before we watched it. Big mistake. The movie is all style and no substance. The plot is almost an afterthought, it seems. Much of the movie is just random action and odd conversation. The kids liked it though, so I guess that’s what really matters.
The Lovely Bones – So awesome. I really loved this movie. It’s about a young girl who is murdered. From a limbo state of existence, she watches her family deal with her death, her father investigate, and she watches her murderer. The parts of the movie that showed her in limbo really reminded me of What Dreams May Come. The special effects are amazing. The acting and the story were very good.
The Offspring – This was a horror movie. Wild cave person cannibals attack civilized folk. It was over the top gory and sort of felt like the director was trying to emulate Rob Zombie. The filming was too dark. The dialog was quite cheesy in places. However, the absolute worst part of the movie was this sound effect they kept using. It began in the theme music and carried on throughout. I’m not even really sure how to describe the sound. It was a high-pitched, nails on a chalkboard, but more like a synthesizer noise. It made me want to throw the remote at my television.
Sherlock Holmes – Yes! I finally got to see this movie. Was I the last? I am thinking probably yes. Sherlock Holmes was totally awesome. There was a ton of action, a lot of parts that cracked me up, stuff blowing up, and Robert Downey Jr. looking sexy as hell. Loved it!!!
That’s all I have for now. But really, isn’t it enough?
_______________________
Other places to find me:
www.LeaRyan.com
Twitter: @LeaRyan1
longish blog entry
Let’s see.
I dyed my hair too dark accidentally…again. Apparently in Revlon Colorsilk world, medium brown is actually super dark espresso brown. This fact only leads me to the conclusion that their version of dark brown is actually black and their black is probably somewhere between the color of the deepest reaches of the universe and negative space.
I tried to kill my pretty new (to me) mustang by gently rolling over a giant median. I was turning into Wendys to get my badunkadunk on and hopped two wheels on the driver’s side up onto curb and into some mud. Never fear. Baby is fine, with the exception of a couple of dings on the Pirellis. I apologized to my car several times and have promised never to do such a thing again. It is my understanding that the car has accepted my apology.
I wrote nothing this weekend, which is completely out of the ordinary for me. Instead, worked on converting my pencil sketches to digital format. I will post one or two on the blog this week.
Long weekend movie rundown.
Where the Wild Things Are – We actually bought this for the kids on DVD before we watched it. Big mistake. The movie is all style and no substance. The plot is almost an afterthought, it seems. Much of the movie is just random action and odd conversation. The kids liked it though, so I guess that’s what really matters.
The Lovely Bones – So awesome. I really loved this movie. It’s about a young girl who is murdered. From a limbo state of existence, she watches her family deal with her death, her father investigate, and she watches her murderer. The parts of the movie that showed her in limbo really reminded me of What Dreams May Come. The special effects are amazing. The acting and the story were very good.
The Offspring – This was a horror movie. Wild cave person cannibals attack civilized folk. It was over the top gory and sort of felt like the director was trying to emulate Rob Zombie. The filming was too dark. The dialog was quite cheesy in places. However, the absolute worst part of the movie was this sound effect they kept using. It began in the theme music and carried on throughout. I’m not even really sure how to describe the sound. It was a high-pitched, nails on a chalkboard, but more like a synthesizer noise. It made me want to throw the remote at my television.
Sherlock Holmes – Yes! I finally got to see this movie. Was I the last? I am thinking probably yes. Sherlock Holmes was totally awesome. There was a ton of action, a lot of parts that cracked me up, stuff blowing up, and Robert Downey Jr. looking sexy as hell. Loved it!!!
That’s all I have for now. But really, isn’t it enough?
I dyed my hair too dark accidentally…again. Apparently in Revlon Colorsilk world, medium brown is actually super dark espresso brown. This fact only leads me to the conclusion that their version of dark brown is actually black and their black is probably somewhere between the color of the deepest reaches of the universe and negative space.
I tried to kill my pretty new (to me) mustang by gently rolling over a giant median. I was turning into Wendys to get my badunkadunk on and hopped two wheels on the driver’s side up onto curb and into some mud. Never fear. Baby is fine, with the exception of a couple of dings on the Pirellis. I apologized to my car several times and have promised never to do such a thing again. It is my understanding that the car has accepted my apology.
I wrote nothing this weekend, which is completely out of the ordinary for me. Instead, worked on converting my pencil sketches to digital format. I will post one or two on the blog this week.
Long weekend movie rundown.
Where the Wild Things Are – We actually bought this for the kids on DVD before we watched it. Big mistake. The movie is all style and no substance. The plot is almost an afterthought, it seems. Much of the movie is just random action and odd conversation. The kids liked it though, so I guess that’s what really matters.
The Lovely Bones – So awesome. I really loved this movie. It’s about a young girl who is murdered. From a limbo state of existence, she watches her family deal with her death, her father investigate, and she watches her murderer. The parts of the movie that showed her in limbo really reminded me of What Dreams May Come. The special effects are amazing. The acting and the story were very good.
The Offspring – This was a horror movie. Wild cave person cannibals attack civilized folk. It was over the top gory and sort of felt like the director was trying to emulate Rob Zombie. The filming was too dark. The dialog was quite cheesy in places. However, the absolute worst part of the movie was this sound effect they kept using. It began in the theme music and carried on throughout. I’m not even really sure how to describe the sound. It was a high-pitched, nails on a chalkboard, but more like a synthesizer noise. It made me want to throw the remote at my television.
Sherlock Holmes – Yes! I finally got to see this movie. Was I the last? I am thinking probably yes. Sherlock Holmes was totally awesome. There was a ton of action, a lot of parts that cracked me up, stuff blowing up, and Robert Downey Jr. looking sexy as hell. Loved it!!!
That’s all I have for now. But really, isn’t it enough?
Thursday, May 6, 2010
100th post!!!
Aw, special day.
I know. I haven't been around much lately. I've been busy putting some final touches on the book. If all goes as planned, the book will be released on 5/28. It will first be available through lulu and will later be on amazon.
Shortly after the book is released, some totally awesome extra content for the novel will go live on the website. WOO! yes: book history, character descriptions, a bit about the cover art, part one as a free pdf download, many fun things.
Also, there will be e-books, probably on Kindle and SmashWords. I haven't formatted anything for those yet. That's on the todo list.
I have a long weekend planned. But there will be no writing, interestingly enough. I was thinking of working on some illustrations.
That's all for now. Probably more this weekend.
I know. I haven't been around much lately. I've been busy putting some final touches on the book. If all goes as planned, the book will be released on 5/28. It will first be available through lulu and will later be on amazon.
Shortly after the book is released, some totally awesome extra content for the novel will go live on the website. WOO! yes: book history, character descriptions, a bit about the cover art, part one as a free pdf download, many fun things.
Also, there will be e-books, probably on Kindle and SmashWords. I haven't formatted anything for those yet. That's on the todo list.
I have a long weekend planned. But there will be no writing, interestingly enough. I was thinking of working on some illustrations.
That's all for now. Probably more this weekend.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I am not Ozzy
I really love the book I Am Ozzy. Seriously, reading it almost cut in on my manuscript editing time. I could barely put the thing down.
There are some pretty wild stories in there, as you can probably imagine. I won't divulge too much in case someone reading this plans to read the book in the near future.
But I will say a few things:
Ozzy was not always a fan of animals. Some of what he described in the book was difficult to read. One of his first jobs was killing animals in a slaughterhouse, so maybe that skewed his perspective a little.
He has a lot of regrets, not just about the animals, and he lays them all out on the table. He views his past with the eyes of someone much older and wiser. This book, I think, shows who he really is. He has a much more normal mindset than one might think.
Sharon Osborne is a fricking genius when it comes to business, and Ozzy would not be where he is today without her. Black Sabbath was in the picture before she was, but I’m pretty sure Ozzy would have already faded into obscurity or oblivion without her skills.
That being said, I decided the book could have been improved by adding a British slang glossary. For your reference, I have compiled a brief list of some translations.
Chin - to punch someone in the face
Bog - bathroom
Arse - ass
Bollocks - testicles, but also nonsense
Nick - to steal, also jail
Slash – urination as in, taking a slash
Dodgy - suspicious or unstable
Legging it – running away
Neck - drink or chug?
Knackered - drunk
Sozzled - drunk
Pissed - drunk
Legless - so drunk you can't walk
the end
___________________
Other places to find me:
www.LeaRyan.com
Twitter: @LeaRyan1
There are some pretty wild stories in there, as you can probably imagine. I won't divulge too much in case someone reading this plans to read the book in the near future.
But I will say a few things:
Ozzy was not always a fan of animals. Some of what he described in the book was difficult to read. One of his first jobs was killing animals in a slaughterhouse, so maybe that skewed his perspective a little.
He has a lot of regrets, not just about the animals, and he lays them all out on the table. He views his past with the eyes of someone much older and wiser. This book, I think, shows who he really is. He has a much more normal mindset than one might think.
Sharon Osborne is a fricking genius when it comes to business, and Ozzy would not be where he is today without her. Black Sabbath was in the picture before she was, but I’m pretty sure Ozzy would have already faded into obscurity or oblivion without her skills.
That being said, I decided the book could have been improved by adding a British slang glossary. For your reference, I have compiled a brief list of some translations.
Chin - to punch someone in the face
Bog - bathroom
Arse - ass
Bollocks - testicles, but also nonsense
Nick - to steal, also jail
Slash – urination as in, taking a slash
Dodgy - suspicious or unstable
Legging it – running away
Neck - drink or chug?
Knackered - drunk
Sozzled - drunk
Pissed - drunk
Legless - so drunk you can't walk
the end
___________________
Other places to find me:
www.LeaRyan.com
Twitter: @LeaRyan1
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