Ebook or Paper? You Decide!

Every now and again, the ‘battle’ between ebooks and paper books rears its head again, in the columns of media outlets with slow news days on their hands.  I think, as I have always thought, that it’s kind of silly, so I wrote a silly thing in response.  If silly is your jam, I think you’ll enjoy it.  🙂

Ladieeees and Gentledudes!  It’s here!  What you’ve all been waiting for!

The stoush of the century, the showdown to beat all showdowns, the take-no-prisoners death match of all time!

In the red corner, we have the champion, the old faithful, the never-beaten, bastion of taste and quality, the protector of all that is good in storytelling, the… PRINT BOOK!

And in the blue corner, the upstart challenger, the take-on-all-comers, cheap and cheerful bringer of the apocalypse the… E-BOOK!

It’s going to be an epic battle, one for the ages, so settle in and…

“Excuse me…”

The man with the microphone halted abruptly, startled into silence by a tug on his sleeve.  He wouldn’t normally have been put off his stride by a trifle, but this was no normal tug.  The hand on his sleeve was made of words.  Or, more accurately, one word.  The word ‘hand’, swelled in some places and twisted in others to make a workable finger and opposable thumb.  It was supported by the word ‘arm’, elongated to cover the distance between him and the screen of the e-reader in the blue corner.

He rubbed his eyes, but the hand didn’t go away.  Then he heard the voice again.

“I think you might be misrepresenting our relationship.”

There could be no mistake.  The voice was coming from the e-reader.

Things I Learned in 2013: The one about reading

You may be wondering what a woman of my age (viz, no longer in the first flush of youth) can have to learn about reading.  The answer is, apparently, plenty.

You see, last year, I discovered, about half-way through the year, that I wasn’t reading much. Books, that is.  I was reading things on the internet – and no, not just status updates and captions on cat pictures.  In the course of a couple of quasi-scientific studies I conducted on myself during the year, I found that most of the time I spent on the internet was reading proper article-type things – serious newsy ones and amusing ones and a lot to do with the craft and business of writing.

The internet has, in effect, become my newspaper, my professional journal and my very own comedy channel.

And that’s all well and good (although, as I said in the previous post, the time spent on that needs to be controlled).

But I wasn’t reading many novels.

This, I hardly need to say, is not good.  I am a novelist.  For a novelist not to read stories is like an artist eschewing galleries, or a musician deciding to wear earplugs 24/7.  It’s as necessary for a writer to read as it is for some who likes living to breathe.  And it has never been a problem before.

But I wasn’t doing it.

Blog Hoppin’ with Lily Malone, golf and giveaways…

One of the joys of being a writer is meeting other writers – partly because it introduces me to new books and partly because many of them are just lovely.

Today I would like to introduce you to one of the lovely ones, who also happens to write great, fun romances.  Her name is Lily Malone, she has a new book out, called Fairway to Heaven and to celebrate, she is having a blog hop, with piles of giveaways.  There’s more about the giveaways (and the book) at the bottom of this post, but for now, here’s a picture of the main prize, just to keep you going:

See, you like her already, don’t you?  (To be clear, the prizes are on the right.  That’s Lily on the left.  Just in case…)

But before we get to the giveaways, I have to live up to my part of the blog hop.  I have to write a post about golf.

You see, as the title would suggest, the book has a fair bit (see what I did there?) of golf in it.  So there’s a bit of a golfy theme to this here hop.

The problem is that, while I can just about tell one end of a golf club from the other, that’s about as close an acquaintance as I have with the game.  I am very willing to believe that it makes a wonderful backdrop for romance (surely those bunkers must be good for SOMETHING other than testing the swearing ability of hapless golfers?) but beyond that, sadly, I have nothing.

However, never one to back down from a challenge, I decided that, in the grand tradition of high-school history students, I would tell you about something tangentially related to the subject at hand and hope you will be so blinded by my prose that you won’t notice. Especially since my tangentially related subject is alcohol.

It’s school holidays…

And post submission, which means I am up to my neck in holiday shenanigans and trying to sort out the almighty backlog of home things that built up while I was finishing said submission.

Which translates to: one, three-day Karate seminar (I trained! A bit, anyway. I didn’t die!), one birthday sleepover party (with obligatory breakfast pancakes) one visiting nephew, a lot of thinking about/researching new stories, a lot of wrestling with a dodgy email system and a bit of washing of sheets and rearranging of rooms.  The tax and the filing have yet to be tackled (can’t imagine why).

Which all results in terrible blog neglect.  And any minute now, I have to take said nephew out to see the sights of Melbourne (the bits that haven’t been washed or blown away, that is – it was a bit wild overnight!).  So I thought I’d share a post from the vault.  It was one of a series about what makes a man sexy.  In this case, it was about clothes.  Specifically coats here, but other clothes can do it too.

In my recent release, Playing by the Rules, my heroine, Kate comes over all unnecessary when she claps eyes on the hero, Josh, wearing a dinner suit.  It was the first scene I ever wrote that made my beta readers fan themselves with a manuscript.  And it’s just a bloke in a suit.  Fellas, take note!

So without further ado, I introduce you (or remind you, if you were around the first time) to the wonders of the coat.  Enjoy!

Character is in the eye of the beholder…

Hello, my lovelies!

I must apologise for the radio silence. I have been editing the BOOK THAT REFUSES TO KNOW WHEN IT’S BEATEN and my anal brain will not let me play on the blog until it is done.

But I have beaten my brain into submission for a moment, to share some thoughts about the book that I have coming out tomorrow (my time – 16th of September, all going to plan…)

It’s called Playing by the Rules and I think I have mentioned it before. 😉  Once or twice.  Not going to bore you with the details (you can follow the links if you want more info), because there’s something particular I wanted to talk about.

See, with this book, I have spread the word that it is available on Netgalley, for reviewers, with the result that I have some reviews on Goodreads already.

And I’m FASCINATED.

First, because not everyone gave it five stars.  What’s that about? 😉

Not really, folks.  Seriously, though, I am fascinated by how differently different people see characters.  Of course, not everyone is going to like every book.  And I can easily accept that some elements of the story don’t suit some readers.  But I’m intrigued by the reaction to characters, particularly, in this book, the heroine, Kate.

Now, Jo, the heroine of my first book, Rules are for Breaking, I can understand people not liking.  She’s prickly and difficult and set in her ways (although also very likeable, at least according to me).  But I thought Kate was a bit of a love.  In fact, the first time I wrote her, she was so nice she was boring.  Part of the editing process I went through with this book was toughening her up a bit.  And some people agree with me, that she’s nice – but others think not.  It seems she is a little like Mort, the cute lemur from the movie Madagascar.  For some people, he (and Kate) are like this:

A little sad, a touch vulnerable, but mostly adorable.

But for others, Mort (and poor Kate) come off like this:

A little annoying.

So I have a challenge for you, should you choose to accept it.

Playing by the Rules will be available very soon from all the usual outlets, for a very reasonable price (on the Australian Amazon pre-order page, it’s only $3.67).

If you would like to, buy the book, read it, and let me know what you thought of Kate and Josh and their story.  I would love to hear what you think!

(If you’d like to also leave a review on Amazon or iTunes or wherever you bought it, or on Goodreads, if you’re on there, that would be lovely too.  But I realise finding the time to read at all is a big ask for many of us, so please don’t think it’s expected.)

Thank you for considering the challenge and I hope all is well with you and your sometimes-adorable, sometimes-annoying friends (real or imaginary)!

~

PS – note on outlets.  It’s hard for me to check international sites.  It SHOULD be available from the 16th of September in your timezone.  If it isn’t, can you please let me know and I’ll get on to the publisher to sort that out.  Thank you!

My Baby’s up on Goodreads (and Netgalley)!

Apologies for yet another ‘look at my shiny book’ post.  It’s just that I didn’t know about all these groovy things like Goodreads last time, so this time, I’m revelling in all the little milestones.

Anyway, just wanted to say that Playing by the Rules is up on Goodreads.  This doesn’t mean an awful lot yet (except to me, because I love to go and look at the prettiness of a cover with my name on it), but I wanted to mention it to any readers who also happen to be book reviewers, because it means it’s also up on Netgalley.

(If you aren’t a reviewer of contemporary romance, look away for a moment, as I’m about to be completely shameless.)

If you like contemporary romance at the sweet end of the spectrum and you are on Netgalley, I would love it if you would consider Playing by the Rules for a review.  And if you have a review blog or site and would like to interview me or ask me any questions about it (or my writing process or whatever), I’d be happy to answer them!  If you would like more info or a sample first, please feel free to contact me (form below)

Thank you and hope you have a good weekend!

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Ta-da! Book (and other) news

I have a new cover!  Which is because I have a new book coming out.

Ta-da!

This one is another contemporary romance, a companion book of sorts to my first one.  Those of you who read it might remember Kate, the heroine Jo’s pregnant sister-in-law?  Well Playing by the Rules is the story of how she came to be Jo’s sister-in-law.

Here’s my quick, hasty-tasty blurb for Playing by the Rules…

Playing by the Rules is the story of Kate, a woman who had her life all planned out – until her intended dumped her. Now, her best friend is pushing her to have a fling and, with the gorgeous Josh on offer, she’s very tempted.

But she’s never been very good at casual. Before long, she fears she’s falling for him: a man who can’t commit to anything past lunch and who’s flitting off for another adventure at the end of the week. She doesn’t know the rules of this game but it seems its name is heartache…

Tempted?  I hope so!  And if you are, you don’t have too long to wait.  Playing by the Rules is out next month from Destiny Romance.  The buy links should all be live on September the 15th – trust me, I’ll let you know!  (UPDATE: There’s a ‘coming soon’ link up now, with a rather cute blurb on the Destiny site.  I’m coming soon!)

And now, for the reason why the blurb above is a quick, hasty-tasty one: I’m not in Kansas any more, Toto!  In fact, I am typing this from Perth – or, more correctly, for those who know Western Australia, Fremantle –  where I have come to attend the annual Romance Writers of Australia conference.  The conference doesn’t start till Thursday night, but I have family here, so I’ve come a bit early to catch up.

I probably won’t be posting much to the blog over the weekend, but I will be tweeting, from https://twitter.com/Imelda_Evans, so feel free to follow the shenanigans there.  And watch this space next week when I get back.  I’m planning a bit of celebratory carry-on for the new book, which will probably include prizes…

It’s always hard to know what readers will like, but this book is close to my heart.  I am very fond of the characters and the story and I really hope you will like it as much as I do.

But for now, off to the conference, to learn to be a better writer and to see my writer buddies.  I hope you have as great a weekend as I hope to!

Not quite sure what happened there… but there were books involved

Ahem.

It appears I have accidentally gone AWOL on my own blog.  I wish I had excellent reasons, but the real truth is that a combination of sick child, editing, school holidays, more editing and then sick me has just eaten the best part of a month and a half and the blog seems to have fallen off the list.

To anyone who has missed me, I’m sorry!  I promise I’ll make it up to you in the next few months, as in that time I put up about 25 draft posts or ideas for posts that never quite made it, so now that I’m feeling better, I have plenty of material to be going on with.

In the meantime, though, I thought I’d share a bit of bookish news, both mine and friends’.

The first is that my next novel with Destiny Romance, called Playing by the Rules is off with the editors and should be out in September (all going to plan)!  For anyone who read Rules are for Breaking, it’s Kate and Josh’s story.  For those who haven’t, I’m going to be offering a chance to win a copy of that one soon, so watch this space (and yes, I’m leaving it at that, because I like to tease).  I don’t have a cover yet, but when I do, you’ll be the first to know!

In other news, while I was ill, I did some reading and the next two books were just what I needed to make me feel better.  They were both easy to read, with characters I liked and could relate to and I enjoyed them very much.

The first is Letter from a Rake, by my Destiny imprint-mate Sasha Cottman.  This is a charming Regency romp, with a heroine with an unusual background and a hero who is rendered quite charmingly clueless by her charms.

The second was the latest from my prolific friend Kylie Scott, who usually writes smexy books set in zombie-filled or otherwise dodgy futures, but this time has put out a sweet as well as sexy New Adult book about a 20-something who went to Vegas for a good time and woke up with a husband.  And a tattoo.  And paparazzi.  And a world of trouble.  It was gorgeous and if you don’t end it at least a little bit in love with the tattooed, guitar-playing, rock-god hero, I will be very surprised.

In both cases, the main characters were supported by some very likeable sidekicks who I suspect strongly will get their own books in future.

So if you are looking for some light relief from a chest infection, or just life in general, I would recommend both of them.

Finally, I’m happy to be among the first to show off a new work by a new name in Romancelandia.

Monica Donnelly is an Australian author who writes contemporary romance. (And she’s a friend I made through the wonderful Romance Writers of Australia, if you hadn’t already guessed.)

Her Henley’s Bluff romance series charts the romantic entanglements of the Doherty family and their friends in the sea-side town of Henley’s Bluff.  The first three books in the series will be released between July and December 2013, so if you like the first one (pictured here, and isn’t is a nice cover?) you won’t have long to wait for the next couple!

A Fresh Start is the first one and will be available very soon.  Here’s the blurb:

Susannah Morrison is searching for a new life with her young daughter, Maisy, when a car accident, hospitalisation and a chance encounter with Declan Doherty puts her plans on hold.

Declan is only in the annoyingly tiny seaside village of Henley’s Bluff for a quick visit to support his father.  Agreeing to help Susannah by pretending they’re old friends and giving her and Maisy somewhere to stay was a huge mistake.  He has no intention of letting his attraction to Susannah derail his plans to return to life as a magazine editor in London.  It took him years to escape the town and his family and no convenient affair is going to change that now.

Except desire has a will of its own.  And soon Declan and Susannah are wondering if Henley’s Bluff is the new start they both need.

The next two will be A Wave of Love, in September and A Chance to Love, in December 2013.

If you’re interested in following the series, you can find Monica at  www.monicadonnellyromanceauthor.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MonicaDonnellyauthor

So, again, my apologies for the extended and unannounced absence, but at least with this post, I’ve fulfilled the Women and Wordplay parts of my title.  I’ll work on the wine for next time!

Cheers, Imelda

Feeling the Gratitude today

So, yesterday, Melbourne, my town, turned on one of those glorious autumn days that make you want to frolic and gambol and otherwise bask in the sunshine and revel in being alive.  And then I turned on the radio and this was on, which seemed appropriate:

Although in my case it was more go outside and loll in the hammock, rather than in bed, but you get the idea.

But I was good.  I did do some work, I just did it at a coffee shop with outside tables, where I could bask in the real sunshine (and frolic in my imaginary world).  And I enjoyed it.  And it has put me in a good mood today, which is lovely.  So I want to share some things I’m grateful for.  First, at the moment, I am most pleased with this:

It’s a book.  It has my name on it.  It has a gorgeous cover.  All of these things have existed since October last year.  But now it is available in three dimensions, with actual paper between covers, for people to buy*.  This makes me glad.  And a little squoogly.**

(*In Australian Post shops if you are in Australia.  My apologies if you aren’t!  One day I will have many books and they will be available in all formats everywhere, but it is not this day. Sadly.)

(**Squoogly is a word we have invented in our house for that combination of bashful and delighted that you get when someone compliments you fulsomely – or when you see your first book available for sale.)

I am also grateful to friends who bought the book (see first photo) and took pictures of it in the wild (see both photos).  They make me squoogly too! (See**, above.)

I am also pleased that we have a tiny, miraculously tiny frog in our frog tank.  Last year, our little frogs successfully bred in captivity, surprising and delighting us.  They produced one normal-sized frog and one we called Frodo because he was little and gorgeous.  But this year, although we got spawn and even tadpoles, we didn’t get any new frogs.  At least, so I thought, until I saw the tiny, tiny one the other day.  He’s the size of a quarter of a thumbnail.  He’s so small it was hard to believe he wasn’t just a trick of the light.  But he’s real and he’s still there and he feels like a tiny miracle.  I’m finding tiny tiny insects to feed him and hoping we can keep him alive and growing.

And then there’s this:

I enjoyed the Hobbit movie but best of all, I think was the dwarves singing.  I sincerely hope there will be more in the next two.

And there are many more things to be happy about, but I’ve rabbited for long enough.  What are you happy about today?

Bad friend, with good books…

As those of you who keep up with my shenanigans will know, I have, of late, been locked deep in the writing cave* finishing a manuscript (a new romance which there will be more on soon, I hope).  Consequently, my blogging has been somewhat neglected.  This, in itself, is not that big a deal (well, it is, it’s slack, but I’m sure your wheels haven’t fallen off as a result).  But what is a big deal is that, due to the locked-cave sitch, I FORGOT I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE GUESTS ON THE BLOG THIS MONTH!

There’s no excuse.  I have a little diary for the purpose of keeping up with the blog calendar and it is right next to my left elbow as I type this.

But in spite of its existence and extreme cuteness, I did it. I forgot.  I think I mostly forgot is was April.  Which, given it is my birthday month, is something of a worry

Now, I have left it too late this month to actually interview these authors, so I’ll have to do that another time (and I will, because they are all completely awesome).  But in the meantime, the least I can do is introduce you to their books, because they are also extremely cool and you might just be in the market for some reading diversion.  So, without further ado, may I introduce you to: