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Kindle App: 8 Pros and 3 Cons

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You may have noticed a lot of book reviews lately, with more to come.

This is because:

  1. I love to read
  2. Thinking about a book and trying to figure out what I liked, didn’t like, and what I thought could have been done better helps sharpen my skills for my own stories
  3. It’s a great distraction from actually getting any writing done

I downloaded the Kindle App as there were several books that had been recommended to me that I couldn’t get in paperback. After having used it for over a month, here are the top reasons I like and dislike the app.

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Pros

  1. It’s a lot easier to read from than I thought it would be. The app is well done and all the books are very easy to read.
  2. No more god-awful covers giving away my less-than-highbrow reading choices. You may have noticed, I read a lot of romance novels.
  3. I can read regardless of the ambient lighting. Sitting with DD1 while she goes to sleep? No problem. Hanging out while DH is playing video games with the lights dimmed? Did that the other night.
  4. Book storage. I have shelves of books in the basement. I keep a couple of authors handy who I find write certain things very well and will reread chapters to help my own writing. The Kindle App condenses my collection to the size of my iPad.
  5. Book Disposal. I not longer have to figure out what to do with an awful paperback book. Donate it? Give it to an enemy? With the Kindle App, I just move it to the Yuck pile.
  6. Selection. There are a lot more books available for the Kindle than in paperback.
  7. Speed. I find a book I want to read, and I have it in less than 30 seconds.
  8. Super easy to read on the elliptical machine or treadmill.

 

Cons

  1. Places it can’t go. I like to read at the beach, and before children, I would relax with a book in a bubble bath. Can’t do that safely with an iPad.
  2. Selection. I have read some god-awful books lately. Every one of them was on the Kindle App. At least when I buy my books from Barnes & Noble, there has been some vetting process.
  3. You have to make sure you plug your iPad in more often if you’re using it more often

Book Review: Mad about the Marquess

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Title: Mad About the Marquess

Author: Elizabeth Essex

Rating: 3.5/5

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This book came to me highly rated. Absolute rave reviews. Perhaps if I hadn’t been expecting so much . . .

The heroine is basically a 1790s Robin Hood. Stealing from the rich to give to the poor. She starts out as a small time thief, pilfering snuff boxes and the like from parties, then graduates to highway robbery. Yeah, not attempted highway robbery, but full blown hanging offense highway robbery.

The dialogue is good, with sass and wit interwoven. I like sassy characters, spunky characters, and I was in love with the book up to the highway robberies. At that point, I felt like the author had gone too far with the heroine for her and the hero (who is supposed to be ferreting out this petty thief, then shoots the highwayman) to ever get together. Especially as the romance between them had really just started to progress when suddenly its revealed she’s his petty thief, and shortly thereafter, he discovers she’s the highwayman.

For a man who hates deception, is supposed to be “the law”, I just can’t believe that he’d marry her to save her. Especially as he doesn’t know that she is playing robin hood – her motives are not revealed to him until the end. And somehow marrying her saves his name, too, because of the scandal from his youth. Still not entirely sure how marrying her saves her from the law . . . Maybe I misunderstood that part. The whole “scandal” around him from his youth felt contrived, too. His “friend” raped a girl and then blackmails the hero for trying to help the girl he raped?!?  How does that translate to a scandal wrapped around the hero’s neck? If you’re going to give the hero a sordid past he’s overcome, give him a sordid past. I rather like the wholesome, do-gooder type, but redeemed heroes can be sexy, too.

I really like the hero, too …  up until he throws away all of his morals and being an upstanding politician of exacting scruples for a woman he is just starting to have feelings for.

I was devouring this book, unable to tear myself away, through the whole first half. After the highwayman bit, I actually put it down for a week before coming back to it and making myself finish. The ending is fine, but that’s just it. Fine. Okay. Pretty Good. The beginning was spectacular. I wish the author would have spent more time developing the romance and chemistry and saved the highwayman bit until much later. Late enough that I would believe the hero loved her so much he was willing to look past a hanging offense crime.

 

Pros

  • Heroine is mostly likable. She’s strong, intelligent and sassy. She does good things, for somewhat, but not entirely, good reasons. Makes her human.
  • There is growing chemistry between the hero and the heroine in the first half of the book.
  • I genuinely liked the hero. He is honest and passionate about his work in parliament, including abolition. Would have liked him even more without the “scandal” I didn’t really think was a scandal.
  • There is only one steamy scene, but its very well done.
  • The first part of the plot with the petty theft was fun.
  • The dialogue is excellent.
  • I also like that the heroine’s mother and sister are portrayed as intelligent.

 

Cons

  • I never understood why she stole the buttons from the hero when the rest of the story has her as a thief of opportunity – stealing left behind snuff boxes and the like. Not cutting buttons off of clothes currently being worn . . . Plot device, clearly, but not one that makes sense.
  • The hero and heroine needed more history and more chemistry before he saves her from being a petty thief and a Highwayman.
  • Building this chemistry would have added to the romance, which I felt was needed. A few stolen kisses in the garden to marriage? Really? The romance felt like an afterthought to a rather outrageous plot.
  • Never understood why someone as well connected, landed, titled, etc. as the hero is searching for a petty thief.
  • The plot is almost too over the top. At least for me. In the real robin hood, you root for him because you hate the Sheriff of Nottingham so much. Makes it easier to accept armed robbery. Again, this could just be me. I had no real issue with the petty theft, even of expensive items, but the full on armed robbery . . .
  • For a mother who is on to her over so many other little things, I can’t believe she never noticed her daughter’s thefts over the course of 3 years.
  • I have never met a reverend as observant about who put offerings into their poor box, or as tenacious . . .really, sending street urchins to follow her and spy on her? Because they totally can do this across town while she rides in a coach and they run after her.
  • I can’t believe her father is as aloof and uncaring as he appears. Maybe appropriate for the times, but it felt jarring.

 

All in, it’s a good read. I would’ve probably liked it better if I hadn’t gone into it with such high expectations.

Perfect Isn't Everything

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I have pushed myself hard to get back to editing my manuscript. I would love to say I am making tons of progress and it is coming along smashingly.

Okay, I could tell you that, but I’d be lying.

I came to the conclusion that “perfect” or even “really good” isn’t everything. Sometimes, words on the page, reasonably not sucking, is good enough.

I came to this conclusion when I got unexpected feedback on the first five chapters I’d sent out some time ago. It got me thinking and renewed my interest in the characters. It made me see them through someone else’s eyes and realize that the story, for all of its early draft flaws, was still reasonably not sucking.

So, I worked on a bit more polishing and sent out a few more chapters. More feedback came back . . . And I worked some more.

Apparently, what I need is feedback. The whole writing in a sealed off safe room has its benefits, but it also has its drawbacks.

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I feel like my writing is “cruising” along an old switchback dirt road. Not always sure if I’m coming or going. Never fast. And always worried about that rut on the side of the road that will stop my writing altogether. Getting a bit of feedback helps keep me focused on the road rather than the potholes. Okay, metaphor exhausted.

So, yes, I have taken up editing again. I have worked through a lot of really awful writing on my part (really, did I write that?!?) And some pretty horrendous storytelling. (I let a character do what?!?) But it was a first draft, and I think the first rewrite is the hardest. Especially if you’ve had a break from your manuscript.

I remember my own advice about remembering to keep writing something new to keep the creative fires burning. So, I also attempted a flash fiction challenge last weekend, but only got to about 200 words of the 1,000 word challenge. Perhaps I will try again.

New ideas are also percolating for a new novel, and I solved some big underlying issues to make a character I developed for a SciFi setting work in a fantasy world. I loved her and wanted to give her a story of her own. Amazing how characters drive you to find solutions.

If you listen.

 

 

3 Ways NOT to Write a Query Letter

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I am struggling to write a query letter. To write those gripping few lines that makes an agent say “hey, why don’t you send me the first three chapters?”. I am an accountant because I learned very early on I couldn’t give away food to a starving man. There was never going to be a future for me in sales or any aspect of the business world that required selling.

And that is exactly what a query letter is. That foot in the door, that sales pitch that I’ve avoided most of my life.

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About as much progress as I’m making

Here are three things I don’t recommend doing while writing your query letter.

  1. Reading book blurbs and buying books rather than writing your query – I have spent hours on Amazon reading book blurbs in various genres, but really focusing on romance.I had thought this would help sharpen my sales skills, but I’m not sure if it has done anything to help me write my query. It has, however, added a few books to my backlog.
  2. Researching how to write a query on the internet – Oooooh, shiny flashy things! Contradicting advice. Gotta get a Father’s Day present, and that’s something I can actually achieve . . .
  3. Staring blankly at the same 10-15 sentences – I have spent all of my writing time this week staring at those same few sentences. Adding, deleting, and rewriting them sometimes. Only to dislike the changes and start back over. It’s so bad, I barely see the words on the page anymore. Query is still not worth sending out.

Frankly, I am to the point of seeking help from a professional. Or at least DH again.

Book Review: The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries

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Title: The Study of Seduction

Author: Sabrina Jeffries

Rating: 3/5

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**Trigger Warning**  This book deals a lot with rape and, to a lesser extent, stalking. The stalking I gathered from the book blurb, but I did not have any inkling based on the blurb about the brutal rape that would be rehashed repeatedly when I bought this book. I am giving fair warning as I am going to discuss it in this review as it was an integral part of the book.

This is a historical romance novel that centers around a French diplomat wanting to wed the heroine, Clarissa, and his willingness to go to any length to do so.

Edwin, an earl who’s been friends with Clarissa’s family since childhood, does not believe in love and is looking for a “comfortable” bride. He is attracted to Clarissa but knows she will be anything but comfortable. As the diplomat gets more aggressive, Edwin marries Clarissa to protect her.

Clarissa is hiding a dark secret. The back of the book alludes to this. What it doesn’t tell you is that she was brutally raped at her society debut by a man trying to force her to marry him so he could get her fortune. Her brother duels the rapist, kills him, then her brother flees to the Continent to avoid the repercussions as he won’t say why they dueled. After the rape, Clarissa has avoided all relations with men. Even with the patient and gentle Edwin after they’re married, she can’t bring herself to have marital relations with him.

The author does eventually get the heroine over this and there is a happily ever after ending. As I have never endured such a vicious attack, I have no idea if Clarissa’s responses are “normal”. What I can say is that it made the book almost unreadable to me.

 

Pros

  1. I adored Edwin. He was a quirky, fun male lead. The author did a great job showing his personality. I never had to be told he was smart or generous. I saw that in the books he read, his ability to build automatons, and his interest in a boy’s charity school. I loved how he could be blunt to the point of rude. Logical (his take on picnics) and forthright. He was protective without being overbearing. A solid alpha lead without being a jerk. I really liked him, as you can tell.
  2. Steamy scenes were well done when they weren’t being overshadowed by the heroine’s fear. If I had known there was a rape in the book, I’d never have bought it.
  3. Romance pace was quite good. The pair start out as friends and their relationships grows believably over the course of the story. By the end, they both know and admit that they are in love with the other. I appreciate this far more than the “love at first site” or “soul mates” tropes.
  4. Genuine love and respect grew between between the characters. It was, not sweet, not exactly, but kind and loving. A romance instead of lust.

 

Cons

  1. Clarissa felt flat even while Edwin really took on a life of his own, . Everything about her personality had to be told to me as I never saw her as strong, bold, effervescent or any other descriptors that were used about her. I didn’t like her, but at least I didn’t dislike her. After reading some really awful heroines lately, maybe I should move this to the pros column . . .
  2. The rape. I bought this book to be a fun read. Watching a woman’s life be broken by a brutal attack and watching her struggle to piece it back together, even with the help of a kind, patient and caring hero, is not fun.
  3. The steamy scenes could have been spectacular, but I found myself racing through them as Clarissa’s fear made them impossible to enjoy.
  4. Heroine’s mother – I normally care marginally about background characters, but this woman was too stupid to breathe. So dumb she wasn’t believable.

 

All in, I liked the author enough that I will give another of her books a try. I wanted to enjoy this book, but I just couldn’t. It could easily have been a 4 or 5 star book if there was either no rape or if the fact that a rape was going to feature prominently in the story was clearly disclosed in the book blurb so a reader knows what they’re getting.

Writing Community

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I have heard a lot of other writers talk up their writing community. Still not sure how to find one.

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Maybe it’s because I’m a closet writer. I not only don’t broadcast my writing, I actually go out of my way to keep it a secret from most people that know me. I met my husband in a writing class over a decade ago, but that was all that class had to offer. No one else in the class ever gave useful critiques (neither did DH, not really, but he always made me laugh in class, so I gave him my number anyway), and most of their work was . . . Well, I’m sure mine was the same, but none of us were really helping anyone else get better. Not even the professor.

After the class ended, I didn’t look for another. Partially because the first was not very helpful, but also because I started an MBA program not long after while still working my day job. Meaning, I gave up writing altogether. After I completed the program, I started writing again, but we also started talking about a family.

Fast forward to today. And add kids to the mix.

I don’t have a lot of me time, especially with two little ones. The time I do have is precious. I want to make it count, both in giving and receiving critiques.

I tried Critters.org as they have a Romance section and Mariah over at 600 Seconds recommended it on her blog. She’s a Sci Fi writer, and she has offered me a lot of excellent guidance on my writing journey (one of the reasons I know a good writing community is so helpful!).

Critters looks fabulous if you’re also a Sci Fi writer.

Romance was another story. There was one manuscript for me to critique in the entire Romance genre the first week. One. I read it and critiqued it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the level I was expecting, either. The second week I received another one to critique, and it was . . . I don’t have words for it. I couldn’t even follow what was happening, and it wasn’t a romance story. More like a YA rip-off of Hunger Games. Not completely sure, though, as I didn’t read Hunger Games.

In the last two months, I haven’t received another to critique.

I haven’t bothered to submit my own. Maybe I should. Maybe there are a horde of Romance writers out there just waiting for something to give a quality critique. Based on the first two submissions I critiqued being listed there for multiple weeks due to low response rates, I think not.

Perhaps I need to look elsewhere. Not sure where.

I thought about joining RWA, but I’m not sure it’ll be worth the fees to join. Or the time commitment to go to the meetings.

I started to poke around on the internet, but “oooh, shiny flashy things” distracted me. And I never found much for romance writers, much less fantasy romance.

Probably need to come out of my comfort zone a bit more, put myself out there more. Just not sure how.