Tech-y Stuff You Might Already Know (But I Didn't)

Hee-hee. (From www.zazzle.com)

In the past few weeks, I've learned some technology related things that are kind of neat. I'll share them with you, and maybe you'll find they're neat, too!

1. FutureMe - This website rules. All you do is type in your email address, a message to your future self, and the date you'd like the message delivered. This is so handy for reminders of things I need to do later but will never remember. Yes, there are such things as pens and calendars, so yes I could write myself a message on the calendar. But guess what? I never look at the calendar. I do check email about 5,000 times a day though, so it all works out!

2. Triberr - I'm still feeling my way around this website, but it's basically a way to connect with people who have the same interests. You join groups, or tribes, and the people in your group can see your latest blog posts. If they like your post, they'll approve them or share them via Facebook or Twitter.

3. Paper.li - This blows my mind a little bit. It publishes Twitter, Facebook, Google + or any web content into an easy-to-read online newspaper that updates automatically. It's useful if you don't want to browse through an entire day's worth of tweets or whatever - it's all right there in your own newspaper! You can also share it with others through Twitter, etc.

4. TweetDeck - I don't use this yet, but I learned about it, so I thought I'd share. It seems like this is a tool for people who follow thousands of people on Twitter or who have thousands of followers. It's a tool to help you manage your tweets better. So there you go.

5. WordPress - I might get shot by Blogger for saying this, but I'm really considering transferring my blog over to WordPress. I like the idea of WordPress delivering your blog posts to people's email. From a book marketing pov, that's the best way to lure people to buy book two. If they've stopped by your blog once and cared enough to sign up to receive your blog, you'd want to make it easy for them to know when book two comes out, right? Plus, WordPress blogs always look so clean. If you're considering switching over, check out Mama Blogga's how-to post.

I think that's it. Anyone else have anything cool you'd like to share? Thoughts or opinions about any of the above?

It's Summer!

Hurray! School is out, which is good because my brain is toast. I brought home handfuls of books to read over the summer after promising the mean old librarian (me) that I would bring them back unscathed. The plan is to sleep for two days, then get started on them. Oh, and there's editing to be done and that sequel to The Grave Winner that needs to be written and the trip to Denver and the trip to Washington, D.C.... It's going to be a crazy busy summer, but I can't wait!

What are your plans for the summer?

I SIGNED A BOOK CONTRACT!!

Okay. Let me collect myself so I can tell you how it went down. *takes deep breaths* Much better. So last Sunday, I woke up to an emailed offer from a publisher for my YA dark fantasy The Grave Winner. I must have read the email about fifty times, then turned around and said to my BF, "I think I just got an offer from a publisher."

Me Sunday morning, only my hair was sticking out all over since I just woke up.

Fast forward through the next few days as I nudged the agents and other publishers who still had my book to Tuesday. Crescent Moon Press emailed me to request the book again because it must have been eaten by cyber worms. Less than twenty-four hours later, I received an email with exclamation points and another offer!

Fast forward to Saturday, when another publisher sent me an offer. Three offers! In less than a week! Now, for those of you who have already read The Grave Winner, three is kind of a magic number in the story. Interesting, eh?

Needless to say, I had a lot of thinking to do. I contacted some of these publishers' authors to ask them questions. I emailed the publishers directly to ask even more questions. I let it all percolate for a bit, then I made my decision based on my gut feeling. Crescent Moon Press all the way, baby!!!

I was truly impressed with their enthusiasm, the speed in which they answered my questions, and their continued production of quality books. Oh, and their book covers! Go to their website and look at them. They are goooooooorgeous.

I signed the contract Sunday night and put it in the mail yesterday. It feels damn good.

Pet the Kitty

I'm too stupid busy to come up with anything that resembles a rational and sense-making post today. So I will leave you lovely blog followers with a video my BF took of Jesse. Enjoy!

T Minus Three Weeks

Uh-oh! I didn't do a blog post last week! That's the first time in a while I've missed rambling about stuff and things. I blame my crappy internet connection and my serious lack of motivation.

Speaking of a serious lack of motivation, let's talk May. This is the time of year when school children sit with hands folded on their desks, absorbing everything their smiling teacher wishes for them to learn. Right? Wait, what? You mean it's not? It's that time of year when school children are climbing the walls and the teachers stalk around with deep scowls etched into their faces?! Oh, yeah... it's THAT time of year! What was I thinking?

So yep, that's happening, except I don't have a deep scowl on my face. I smell summer, and it's making me drool. I can not WAIT to write the days away. I've been all itchy and giggly. HA! I'm just like the kids!

Perhaps I will turn into this in a few days when library books are due back, and some people who don't think the rules apply to them will turn their books in the very last day of school:

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But I'll get over it, yo. A summer full of writing will soon be here!

How about you? What are your plans for the summer?

P.S. For some strange reason, I've been saying 'yo' a lot in my head lately. I blame it on Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad. Or maybe it's because of a lack of sugar and my brain is malfunctioning. Curse you, diet!

Help! My Pocket's On Fire!

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No, not really. But it sure feels like it with this happy birthday Amazon gift card in there! This is truly the best gift out of all the gifts ever. I ask for Amazon gift cards for every single holiday, and lucky me, I usually get one!

So I have a ton of stuff in my online shopping cart, including books and a humongous shark hat. Don't judge. There are a bunch more books I could order that are on my To Be Read list, but what if I'm missing something? What if there's a book out there I haven't heard of, or maybe I've heard of it, but I forgot about it, or maybe I've heard of it, but it's not too high on my list because it might be meh, but it's really great, and I must read it right this second?!?!

Whoa. That would be awful. So I ask you, dear blog readers, what books should I put in my Amazon shopping cart? What am I missing out on? What will make me staple my eyes open to read way past my bedtime?

It could be anything: children's, YA, adult, fiction, nonfiction, how to make shark hats, what to do if there's a shark infestation in your toilet, etc. Yes, I've already read The Hunger Games. What else ya' got?

Villains (Evil Cackle Goes Here)

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Villains are so much fun. Remember Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs? Or how about the scary guy from No Country For Old Men? I get chills every time I watch those movies.

My favorite kind of villain are the ones who are a murky shade of gray. They're bad, but there's a valid reason why they're bad or they're not all bad. Dr. Lecter had a soft spot for Clarice, which made him likable. He also had a zany sense of humor. Oh, that Dr. Lecter. Always chewing off people's faces with a cold grin on his face. He's a riot!

I have to admit it - when he escaped, I was a little happy for him. I felt scared for anyone who pissed him off, but happy he was finally free.

Anyway, villains. I don't care for the ones who are bad just to be bad. A few James Bond movie villains come to mind who are labeled the bad guy, but for no apparent reason other than a kitty in their lap. Huh? I don't get it.

Villainous cat wants you to start running.

So writers, are you spending some quality time with your villain? Do they have a clear goal? Are they memorable?

And everyone else, who is your favorite villain of all time?