Moving Day

Moving Day is here! From now on, you'll find me at this address:

http://www.alyssasbookblog.com

Please update your links and feeds, and come see the updated look!

Coming Soon

This blog will soon be moving. I recently moved my author site to WordPress, and now I love it. I'm especially fond of the ability to schedule posts in the future. So I'm moving this blog over in a week or so. The look will be similar to this one, with a few added flourishes. I'll post a link once it's ready to go.

That means I've been going in and adding labels to the posts I hadn't gotten to. I don't know if that means these posts will show up again on blog readers. If they do, you'll know why.

I've also decided I need a challenge to get me scrapbooking again. So my goal will be simple--a two-page layout every two weeks. That should be doable, and maybe it will help me get my craft room straightened up a bit as well. I'll post the scrapbook pages here, so this will be my scrapbooking and reading blog.

I've been plodding my way through true-crime book Murdered Innocents, by Corey Mitchell. I think it could have been shortened considerably. Sometimes condensing is a good thing. I'll decide whether to finish it. Maybe I'll just skim to the end.

Eeek!

I had to switch over to the new version of Blogger today. My blog didn't give me any choice. I'm hoping nothing broke in the switchover . . .

Audiobooks

I've got a column about audiobooks at Romancing the Blog today. I came up with the topic because I've been shifting my audiobooks from the flimsy paper boxes they come in to vinyl containers from AudioEditions.com. Kind of expensive when you add the cost of the audiobook and the binder, but based on how often I listen to my audiobooks, I think it will be worth it. At the very least, I'm hoping it will help me keep better track of my cassettes.

Yes, it's true, I have more than a dozen books on cassette. The reason--my car has a tape deck, not a CD player. I've still switched to CDs, but I don't want to buy CDs for the ones I already have. Most of my audios are of the In Death series, although I have several others as well. I use them a lot from the library as well.

Anyway, I hope you'll stop by and read the column.

My contest is still running. Visit this blog entry to read the details.

Blog It

I am participating in a blogging experiment hosted at dearauthor.com. To enter the contest, put up this blurb, image, and trackback and you are entered to win the following prize package.

• $200 Amazon gift certificate


• Signed copy of Slave to Sensation


• New Zealand goodies chosen by Singh


• ARC of Christine Feehan's October 31 release: Conspiracy Game

You can read about the experiment here and you can download the code that you need to participate here.

SLAVE TO SENSATION
Nalini Singh
Berkley / September 2006



Welcome to a future where emotion is a crime and powers of the mind clash brutally against those of the heart.

Sascha Duncan is one of the Psy, a psychic race that has cut off its emotions in an effort to prevent murderous insanity. Those who feel are punished by having their brains wiped clean, their personalities and memories destroyed.

Lucas Hunter is a Changeling, a shapeshifter who craves sensation, lives for touch. When their separate worlds collide in the serial murders of Changeling women, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities…or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.

Excerpt

Getting Organized

The title of this blog entry doesn't refer to my house, which might be a lost cause. Nor does it refer to the state of my yard. Instead, it refers to my attempt to organize my links and blog feeds.

I use Kinja. It's the easiest way for me to keep track of who has updated her blog lately. It saves me tons of time that I used to spend checking all my favorite blogs. Now, there's Kinja.

Unfortunately, I have several blogs on my link list that I never got around to adding to Kinja. And just as sadly, if the blog isn't listed in my Kinja, I forget to check for new posts. Weeks may go by, and I'll think, "I haven't seen anything from so-and-so lately." I check out the site and discover that so-and-so has been writing almost every day. I just hadn't known it.

Then there are the sites Kinja won't add. There's no compatibility problem with Blogger or WordPress, for instance. But other programs give Kinja more trouble. I've added Jordan and Meljean to my list, but their posts don't come through.

Then there are the people I lose track of. They move to WordPress and I forget to change the link somewhere. Oy. Which reminds me, where did Keishon go? I can't find her at all now.

Slowly, but surely, I'll get everything in one place.

Joining the Crowd

The romance blogging world's abuzz with talk of e-books. Topics have ranged from requests for more reviews of e-books, discussion about different e-publishers, and other thoughts.

I'm in a unique position. A year ago, I didn't think I'd write fiction except as an occasional pastime. I wrote it once or twice a year, tops. Given that, I reviewed anything and everything that interested me, whether it was in print or an e-book.

Obviously, things have changed. I have a release date for my first e-book: June 9. A second is under contract, and a third is well underway.

I can no longer say I'm only a reader.

For some people, that fact will completely change their opinion of my reviews. I understand that, as I've eyed some author endorsements with skepticism. However, there's usually an obvious difference between a post promoting someone's book and a post recommending it. The former often consists of a blurb about the book along with a review or two, while the latter will offer an explanation about why they enjoyed the book.

That's not the only conflict I'm facing. I've decided not to review books here by my publisher. (I may recommend the ones I like at my author blog, but I'll do that only if I genuinely like the book.)

And what about other e-publishers? Should I stop reviewing their books? Or start reviewing them in a different way? As a reader, I want to review them the same way I review anything else, but I'm not sure if that's wise.

Thoughts? I'd love to hear from readers and writers on this.

Living in a Cave

I'm not sure where I've been in the past few months, but reader blogs have been cropping up all over. The surprising thing to me is that many of them have been up for months and I'm only now discovering them. Some of them have even linked to me. Obviously I am a habitual blog-hopper, and it takes me a while to venture out further.

I've added a few links to my sidebar, and I'm sure I'll add more. If you've linked to me and you're not listed on mine, let me know so I can add you. I'll try to do better about keeping up with reader blogs. I'm pleased to see more of them!

Catching Up

I'm roaming around the blogosphere trying to catch up on everybody's news. The first thing I see is that there's a huge exodus from Blogspot to WordPress. What's up with that? No matter, I'll find you no matter where you go. LOL! I will update my links in the next few days, but if I miss yours, please let me know.

In addition to blog moving, Maili's got a new job. Wendy's hoping she enjoys her next batch of review books better than the one she just finished. Sylvia's wrestling with incorrect (to put it mildly) galleys.

Then there's Angie, nicknamed evil editor, who is evil not so much because of her editing (which is actually quite helpful), but because of this comment she left in my previous blog entry.

I'll tell you a not-so-secret. Once you enter the publishing industry, reading slumps happen because it's hard to switch your brain from "work" to "pleasure". And most people end up working more than reading for pleasure.

My response? She's right. Damn it.



As for what others are doing? From what I can tell, you're all reading. It must be nice. LOL!

As for me, I've got another story wanting to be written, so I'm writing it. And I'm working on an author newsletter, which will go out to subscribers May 1. You can sign up in the box at left. Subscribers will have access to exclusive excerpts, subscriber-only contests, and lots of other good stuff.

If I'm lucky, I'll get time to read this weekend. I'm starting Alison Kent's Deep Breath.

Whirlwind

If there is one word that describes this month, it's whirlwind. A month ago I was still waiting to hear about a writing contest I entered. Since then, I revised the story, submitted it somewhere else, had it accepted, signed a contract, filled out a bunch of paperwork, and had a cover created. It honestly doesn't seem like all this could be possible since March 1, but that's what's happened.

These days I'm feeling slightly schizophrenic. I'm trying to do everything I've been doing in months past, and it just isn't working. Something's got to give. I'm already reading considerably less than I used to, although I still read a few books a week. I'm going to give my commitments some serious thought so I can decide what to drop. I won't drop this blog (I've got a few blog entries saved as drafts; I just need to finish them), and I won't stop writing. I'm also committed to continuing my writing blog and writing for the Cobblestone Press blog. Everything else I need to think about.

So, here's today's thought question: when you have a lot to do and not enough hours to do it in, how do you decide what to let go of? And what techniques do you use to manage your time?

Quick Blog

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. I've been working on my Romancing the Blog column, reviews for The Romance Reader, and my fiction. I've also been reading, though, so when I have a minute in the next few days, I'll post a blog entry or two.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My blog images are back! Well, mostly. I ended up having to transfer them again using FTP, and there are some I haven't transferred yet. But at least my blog has stopped looking like a big blank screen with red Xs where the images should be. I'll get the rest transferred this weekend, I hope.

I'm closing in on my 50,000-word NaNoWriMo goal; I'm at 45,596 words and counting. I will probably get a fair amount of writing in tomorrow as well. I'm having a hard time imagining life post-NaNo, simply because I've gotten into a routine. However, my housecleaning will probably improve immensely.

This month's TBR challenge has been to read review books and to finish books I started in the past. I'm not doing so well with either goal. I'm in a reading slump, it seems. I've picked up half a dozen books in the past week, read a few chapters, then set them down again. I think it's me. I just haven't been sure what I'm in the mood for. I am about halfway through Susan Donovan's Knock Me Off My Feet, and I'm optimistic that I will finish this one, even though it isn't a review or a previously started book. Oh well, at this point, I will be grateful to finish something.

Tomorrow I will be enjoying Thanksgiving holiday with my family. If you're celebrating it, hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Statistics

I thought it would be fun to post a few statistics about my first year of blogging.

Total posts: 381
Number of book signings I blogged about: 4
Number of book reviews: 158 [Can this be right? I thought it would be more.]
Number of scrapbook pages posted: 93 [This number is more than I thought it would be.]
Number of top-five lists: 9

Celebrating One Year

It amazes me to realize that I have been blogging for one year. I started my blog on September 14, 2004. Click here to read my first blog entry. To celebrate, I'm having a contest. I will give away an autographed copy of Marjorie M. Liu's Tiger Eye. Simply comment to this blog entry, and you'll be entered in a drawing for the book. I will draw and announce a winner on Monday, September 19.

I have a lot of fun with my blog. I enjoy writing book reviews, posting scrapbook pages, and reading your comments. Thank you for visiting! I look forward to continuing for another year and more.

Blog for Relief

Today is Blog for Relief Day. I encourage you to contribute funds to a charitable organization dedicated to helping those affected by hurricane Katrina. Angie P has an excellent list of links to organizations.

Many of us know people (in person or online) who have been affected by this. In the romance-blogging world, Larissa Ione has lost her home. Auctions are being started to raise money on her behalf, and you can also contribute directly. Visit Alison Kent's blog for more information.

My thoughts and prayers are with those who are suffering because of this tragedy.

Blog Book

This site allows you to download text from a blog to create a book:

http://www.blogbinders.com/default.asp

The idea is fascinating and brilliant. I have occasionally thought about printing off pages of my blog just for fun, so this book idea appeals to me.

Drawback: Images are deleted from the file.

I'll let you know if I decide to try it.

Miscellaneous

A few bits of miscellaneous news:

• I never heard from the person who originally won my last contest, and she didn't leave an e-mail address. I have therefore picked a new winner: Robyn! Robyn will receive an autographed copy of Eloisa James's Much Ado about You. Congratulations, Robyn!
• Ellen Fisher explained how to activate a blogger feature where people must enter a series of numbers to make a comment. I have followed the steps and hope that this will foil the spam I've been getting recently. Thanks, Ellen!
• I'm cutting it close on my Romancing the Blog column . . . OK, I just checked the schedule and I'm not in as much trouble as I thought. My next column is scheduled for Thursday, so I have a little time to play with the idea I've started working with. We'll see how it goes.

More book posts will follow.

I've Been Discovered

And not in a good way, I'm afraid. I'm starting to get spam comments, and while I'm trying to see them as a compliment, it's not working. I'm just annoyed. If it persists, I may limit comments to those with Blogger profiles. I don't want to do that, but I also don't want to be deleting stupid spam comments every day. If I remember correctly, you can have a Blogger profile without having a blog.

If you have other suggestions, please let me know.

Kinja Quirks

I've got a contest going. Click here to enter.

Now that I've used Kinja for a while to keep track of my favorite blogs, I've noticed a few quirks.

• It has problems with some blogs. It doesn't seem to like Graymatter blogs, so there are a few author's blogs I have to visit instead of just going through Kinja. It doesn't recognize Laurie's blog at all; I get an error message when I try to add it. And a few blogs are listed as favorites but the entries don't come through for some reason. Case in point, Rosario, Rosario, wherefore art thou, Rosario? None of this is a problem with the individual blog. I think it's just Kinja. I get around this by making mental notes to visit certain blogs the old-fashioned way: clicking on them.


• Kinja has two modes for showing posts: expanded and collapsed. I use collapsed; otherwise it lumps blog entries by the same author together, which would take a while to go through. But I also end up missing a few blog entries--when someone posts more than once in a day, for instance.


• In addition, I've now noticed that people don't update their blogs as often as I'd like. Get to it, people! LOL!

I guess the last one isn't a Kinja quirk.

Jay, You're in Big Trouble

Jay is in big trouble.

First, she posted about some online bookstores she likes. So I wandered over to Book Closeouts and bought three books. Do I need more books? After my trip to Reno, I don't think I'll run out of books for two years. Ack!

Then, she posted that Loose ID is having a sale. So now I'm reading excerpts and seeing if there is anything I'd like.

Finally, I headed back to Jay's blog to tell her how vexed I was that she was helping spend my money. And what happens? Her blog thinks I'm a spammer!

Sorry Spammer! Your comment could not be submitted due to questionable content.

Her blog wouldn't even let me rebuke her for enabling my shopping spree. Sob! LOL!



P.S. I don't really hate you, Jay, but please don't post more links for a while.