With the $89.99 price on an eBookWise and $259 on KindleII and Nook, I'm used to ever-declining prices for appliances. After all, electronics keep getting cheaper, right? Karen and I decided to walk out and look for some of the stuff we're going to need for our new house. We're going to need a LOT of stuff. Like a refrigerator, a washing machine and drier, a dishwasher, a garbage disposal, a new bathroom sink, a new kitchen sink, a heater (okay, hopefully the current owner is putitng in the heater before we close but how motivated will he be? Not sure). It's amazing what a range of prices you can get on something like a, well, a range. Try from $349 to $5499 or so. Can you imagine paying that much for a stove? I mean, you could go out to Jack in the Box a thousand times for that. I'm pushing for the low-end. Karen is not so sure.

It's looking as if we're going to have a house. We go to inspect on Sunday, but we've gotten a number of reports from previous inspections and it appears as if the basics have been taken care of (new foundation, new heater, termite repair). We'll have some electrical issues to deal with, and the garage appears to have some issues, but nothing sounds show-stopping. Karen has stopped looking at real estate. It's as if a mental switch went off in her head and she's suddenly moved beyond. Good thing I didn't persuade her to get her real estate license.

Tonight, Karen and I went out to a neighborhood coffee place (the Royal Cup on 10th and Redondo) to catch up on our NaNoWriMo writing. It was a sort of write-in but there were only the two of us (there was another guy with a computer but he didn't look up so I assumed he was either deep in plot or not NaNo). I got a few pages written. Karen did even better.

I'm behind on reviews (again). I'm working on submissions. I submitted Weird Tales of the Skullmask to Fictionwise and bought another proof copy of Weird Tales (grrr...once again, I submitted a proof with ragged rather than right-justified margins adding delay and cost to the cycle. I hate this). Next week, I'll submit to all of the other distributors we use. Fictionwise, for some reason introduces a significant delay between submission and posting. The other distributors are near-real-time, so I don't post there until the $1.00 month is over.

I'm reading Finger Licking Fifteen by Janet Evanovich.

I'm going to make VEIL OF THE GODDESS by Rob Preece the www.BooksForABuck.com book of the day. When US soldiers find the True Cross buried beneath a bombed Iraqi mosque the countdown to the end times starts ticking. Sgt. Ivy Newland and Capt. Zack Herarra hope to head it off, but a powerful and secret organization will stop at nothing to bring about what they see as the promises of the second coming. Exciting secret-history thriller. Only $3.99. Learn more, read the excerpt or buy the book here: http://www.booksforabuck.com/mystery/mys_06/veil_goddess.html (HTML, Adobe PDF, eReader, Mobipocket/Kindle, Microsoft Reader, Sony Reader, and ePub formats). Here's the cover (cover design by Kat Baldwin):

rob

Karen and I went on our first house-hunting trip when we were out here in Southern California for Thanksgiving last fall. After that time, Karen made three separate house-hunting trips while we were still in Texas, and then, after we moved out here in late August, she's been pretty much in full-time house-hunting mode (she sold a book late last week, but she really hasn't had much time for writing because the house-hunting has consumed her). I've lost count of how many offers we've made...maybe 20. A couple of times, we got beat out by a thousand dollars or less. Once, the people who beat us out flipped the house and put it back on the market for 100K more than they'd paid for it...I sure hope they don't get it and lose their shirt. All the while, we've been living in a small one-bedroom apartment and paying $400 a month to keep our stuff in storage (they're in PODs we loaded when we moved out of TX).

So, when we made an offer on Monday, I didn't really get my hopes up. In fact, I told our agent, Maria, that I wanted to pull the offer if it looked like they were using it to negotiate with anyone else. Instead, miracle of miracles, they countered, accepting our price and just wanting to add disclosure. We've accepted their counter (subject to an inspection finding anything horrible), so it looks like we may actually get a house. With a lot of luck, we'll close around the 20th of this month.

I'm not holding my breath and I suspect we over-paid, but the house is cute...with a historic marker. It's on 7th street and one of the few remaining Victorians. There's a carriage house, a lot of dirt in the yard (a pretty big yard), and it's pretty far east which, in Long Beach, doesn't mean farther from the ocean. I'll post pictures later, assuming that the deal doesn't explode as so many others have.

I've written my review for DRAGONS OF THE HOURGLASS MAGE by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and will post it shortly here: www.booksforabuck.com/sfpages/sf_09/dragons-of-the-hourglass-mage.html. I also finished edits on FORWARD, SHAMBLE! by Joshua Calkins-Treworgy and forwarded it back to him for his corrections. I suspect we'll be able to publish in approximately one week. I've got to nag Karen for a cover.

I'm also making progress in NaNoWriMo. On day 3, I'm a bit over 5K words which puts me right on schedule. Considering that this is about as much again as I've written since moving to California months ago, it's a pretty big deal.

No bridge today. I played yesterday. Not very good. Only 47%. We were tied for 2nd in the 'C' group (the lowest number of master points) so we ended up with a bit over two fifths of a master point. Again, not too good although I've played plenty of times and gotten no points at all.

I'm going to make HUNGER by Rob Preece the www.BooksForABuck.com book of the day. Ewan hungers for that special magic that Tia Burns uniquely exudes, but she cannot remain true to herself and yeild to his allure. Still, when quasi-government hunters attempt to trap both of them, they must work together...no matter how painful it is for both of them. Very sexy. Only $3.99 (available in HTML, Adobe PDF, eReader, Mobipocket, Microsoft Reader and ePub formats). Here's the link: http://www.booksforabuck.com/rompages/rom_2008/hunger.html.

It's got a great cover but Bravenet is not cooperating.

Oh, here's a great offer: you can buy an eBookWise for only $89.95. If you've been thinking about buying an eBook reader device but you can't make yourself belly up the $259 for a Kindle or BN Nook, you might give eBookWise a chance. I've had mine for a couple of years now and use it religiously and this is a nice price reduction/sale. Check it out at www.ebookwise.com.

Rob

It's November, which means it's National Write a Novel Month (NaNoWriMo). As I've done for the past two years, I signed up (If you're also participating, go ahead and friend me. I'm RobPreece there). If you're interested in more information, check it out here: www.nanowrimo.org. Warning, this site can be pretty slow early in November when everyone is still full of energy and hope. As the month goes on, things slow down. Karen (who also signed up) is hoping to find some write-ins here in Long Beach (CA) but we haven't found any yet. We went to a really fun one last year in Dallas (actually I think it was in Arlington). Except we felt really old because we were the only ones there over thirty.

The goal for NaNoWriMo is 50K words, which is about four times what I've written in the past six months. So, I got started this morning. Normally I don't write on Sunday, but normally isn't NaNo. The rules change and I got about eight pages done. My goal is ten, so I fell short, but it's still better than I've been doing. I'm hopeful. Because Karen sold a book to Harlequin SuperRomance (horray), she'll be writing hard.

We're making another offer on another house. I'm frustrated because we still don't have a house and because I think maybe the realtors are using our bids to scam more money out of our competitors. I don't have a solution, though. Anyway, Karen found a cute old victorian that needs a whole lot of work and that has tiny bedrooms and bathroom, but that we think has potential. Someone bought it this spring and is offering it for 100K more than he paid for it. Boy have we blown the market opportunity.

I'm going to make GLASS HOURS by Cathy Richard Dodson the www.BooksForABuck.com book of the day. A young woman is thrown from the past into our present...where she finds a man who reminds her of her lost love. She's got to find a way to discover herself...before it's too late. Haunting and strong, only $3.99. Learn more, read the excerpt or buy the book here: http://www.booksforabuck.com/rompages/rom_2008/glass_hours.html. (Available in HTML, Adobe PDF, eReader, Mobipocket, Microsoft Reader and ePub formats). Here's the cover (cover design by Jim Dodson:

Rob

On Fridays, I go over to the Long Beach Senior Center for bridge. It's a really nice group...not too serious, not too good, but nice. (For example, one guy revoked today, denied he'd done so, and took an extra three tricks by saving his stopper. We decided not to argue because even with that, he had a low board). That's sort of my point for the day. We play duplicate, but we normally have only two and a half tables, which means that high on a board is one. Since both defense and bidding are suspect (one notrump by my partner, two spades by my right-hand opponent and he had only four spades. Weird), even bidding and playing perfectly can result in a low board. My regular partner was out of town and I played with Dorris, a nice woman who's been introducing me to Long Beach bridge. We came in second. Could have been better. Could have been worse. Either way it was weird.

We've got an offer out on a house and we were supposed to hear yesterday, but then we heard the realtor was taking the two best offers to the owner and we were going to hear today. We didn't. I have no idea what this means...I suspect it means nothing but who knows. The funny thing was, they were supposedly in a hurry to get their money.You'd think if they were in a hurry, they'd be ready to make a decision. People are strange.

I made some progress on my new-new near future book today. I'm up to page 69. I seem to be writing about 5 pages a day rather than 10, whihc is my goal. I'm planning on writing 50K words during NaNoWriMo, so I'll definitely have to up the pace. The good news is, the story is set and moving along. I've got a protagonist, a sort-of-antagonist, and a fairly complex world. I'm setting it in Dallas. I wonder if this is my last book to be set in Dallas.

I've rebalanced BooksForABuck.com's schedule. We'll publish FORWARD, SHAMBLE! by Joshua Calkins-Treworgy in November (it's the second in the Bob the Zombie series), and HARD LESSONS by Vanessa Knipe in December. (it's the second in the TALES FROM THE THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL OF SAINT VAN HELSING series). I sort of smirk every time I see that. St. Van Helsing is very funny, I think. Knipe plays it straight, though. The Church of England against the forces of darkness. I'm looking forward to publishing both of these.

We had some exciting news. Karen has sold a book to Harlequin SuperRomance. She hasn't sold a book for a while and so this is exciting. Also, SuperRomance is a new line for her (she's written for Silhouette Intimate Moments, Silhouette Desire, Silhouette Romance, Harlequin Intrigue and Harlequin American before). SuperRomance is a bit longer, so she'll have a few more pages to get in the plot twists and character development she likes. From a financial perspective, selling a category romance doesn't exactly equate to winning the lottery but it's better than zero money coming in, so it's progress.

I'm going to make SPRING RAIN ON THE WIND by Kristina O'Donnelly the www.BooksForABuck.com book of the day. An English warlock has chased a beautiful woman across the generations. Now, she's forced to face him...whether she's ready or not. A moving and exciting romance. Only $3.99. Learn more, read the excerpt or buy the book here: http://www.booksforabuck.com/rompages/rom_2007/spring_rain.html. (Available in HTML, Adobe PDF, eReader, Mobipocket and Microsoft Reader formats (ask if you need Sony or ePub). Here's the cover:

rob

Because I'm over 50 (and maybe because my father died of stomach cancer), my doctor recommended I have something called a colonesemy (or something like that). Anyway, I spent yesterday drinking horrible salt stuff and then this morning before I really wanted to be out of bed, I went to the hospital where I got to sit and wait in air conditioned chill. I don't remember anything about the procedure itself--they drugged me up--but it only took a few minutes and I'm happy to say, my colon is fine. (weirdly, they gave me pictures--eeew). The rest of the day was pretty much shot, though. My brain wasn't quite in gear although it was spinning away.

I posted a couple of reviews yesterday. For DRAGONBORN by Jade Lee which is sexy and exciting but had some logic problems, I thought. Here's my review: www.booksforabuck.com/rompages/rom_2009/dragonborn.html. Also, THE STEEL REMAINS by Richard K. Morgan which I enjoyed although it left a lot of questions (can anyone say sequel). Here's my review: http://www.booksforabuck.com/sfpages/sf_09/steel_remains.html.

Speaking of sequels, it seems like every fantasy or SF book these days gets a sequel. Readers get invested in characters and events and want more. When I wrote MERCHANT PRINCE OF ARCADIA I ws definitely thinking sequel although I haven't gotten around to it yet. I got a note from Ken Ingle saying he's started plotting out a sequel to FIRST CONTACT (www.booksforabuck.com/sfpages/sf_09/first_contact.html). Cool. Also, my last blog entry has a comment from Paul Nelson saying he's working on another legal thriller...even more cool. I guess I like sequels, too.

Tomorrow I get back to my regular routine--writing, editing, and Tai Chi.

I'm going to make A TEXAS BOUNTY by Cathy Richard Dodson the www.BooksForABuck.com book of the day. When his 'uncle' offers a million dollar reward for the return of a lost wallaby, Noah realizes he's got to go back to the home he left after high school. He has no idea, though, that the girl he left behind is now all grown up. Lou Ann isn't about to let herself get hurt again...and she definitely doesn't want Noah to learn her secret. Still, she can't seem to keep herself away. Sexy and fun. Only $3.99. (available in HTML, Adobe PDF, eReader, Mobipocket and Microsoft Reader formats (ask me if you need Sony or ePub)). Here's the link: http://www.booksforabuck.com/rompages/rom_2007/texas_bounty.html.

Here's the cover (cover design by Jim Dodson):

rob

My entry, THE BILLIONAIRE'S PURCHASED PRINCESS came in second in the Lone Star writing contest. Obviously I was hoping for the win but second is still a pretty good showing. I've got Princess at Harlequin now and am hoping for a response fairly soon.

Another day, another crisis. I've planned on publishing the second volume in Vanessa Knipe's Theological College of Saint Van Helsing as my November book and realized I hadn't gotten a contract to her. So, I fired off an e-mail to let her know that the contract is on its way. I hope we'll be able to work this out but Vanessa lives in England so there is a lag.

I'm struggling along with my writing. I signed up for NaNoWriMo which, I hope, will motivate me. I got five pages written today. A decent day is ten. Still, 5 pages a day gets a book written eventually.

My partner and I had a decent showing in bridge today coming in third (out of ten) in our direction. Good for half a point. I'm used to playing charity games in Dallas but only a few of the Long Beach games are charity. Charity games pay off three times as much as regular. My partner and I agreed to play one round in a sectional and I arranged to play with another partner this weekend. Bridge can expand to fill every vacuum.

I'm going to make KORIANNA by Kristina O'Donnelly the www.BooksForABuck.com book of the day. In the convulsions of the dying Roman Republic, King Mithridates plans to carve out an empire of his own in what is now Turkey. In the convusion of war, Korianna, a young woman with a mysterious past, must find the truth about herself and about the men in her life. Historically fascinating, magical and romantic. Only $3.99. (Available in HTML, Adobe PDF, eReader, Mobipocket and Microsoft Reader formats) (Ask if you need Sony or ePub). Here's the link: http://www.booksforabuck.com/rompages/rom_2006/korinna.html. It's got a beautiful cover but Bravenet's image picker is acting up so check it out at BFAB.

Rob

I'm still struggling with my new-new near future story. I got about three pages written today, on top of the one I wrote yesterday. I really thought I was on track but I seem to find distractions to keep me from getting any writing done. So, I signed up for NaNoWriMo. That stands for National Novel Writing Month. The idea is, you write a novel in November. Last year I wrote THE BILLIONAIRE'S PURCHASED PRINCESS which went on to win the Golden Acorn award and is in the finals for the Texas Gold award (results are coming tomorrow, I think. Go princess). The year before, I wrote NanoCorporate which is the book the NNNF is a prequel to, sort of. I think I spent six months rewriting NanoCorporate after I'd finished NaNo, but at least I got a draft out. That's what I need to do for NNNF. I think. Of course, signing up for something doesn't mean it happens. Don't get me started on my last health club signup.

On Fridays, we have bridge at the senior center. My partner, Francis, is always happy to bid, but her bids don't always have the meaning I anticipate they will (after an auction of 1S-2C-2H-4S, she bid 4N. Most people would play that as ace-asking (Blackwood or RKC). Francis meant she didn't really like spades that much after all and was suggesting NT as an alternative. Naturally, I told her about my aces and we went down. She played it well, though...I have to give her that. At any rate, we came in third out of five pairs. That's our best showing to date (and my excuse for not getting more writing done today).

After bridge, Maria, our real estate agent, picked us up and took us to a couple of places. One is a multi-unit. We're not sure we really want to be landlords, but could use some extran income. The other is small and needs work, but is more in our budget. Both are possibilities.

I'm behind on submissions and spent some time working on catching up (another great excuse not to get more writing done).

I'm going to make REVERSE ANGLE by Cathy Richard Dodson the www.BooksForABuck.com book of the day. A frustrated writer sees one last chance for Hollywood glory. She'll film a documentary of their cross-country drive...with mom's coffin in the back. As she goes, she works through a set of issues that go far beyond career frustration. Darkly funny and moving, only $3.99. Learn more, read the excerpt or buy the book here: http://www.booksforabuck.com/rompages/rom_2006/reverse_angle.html. (Available in HTML, Adobe PDF, eReader, Mobipocket and Microsoft Reader formats (ask if you need ePub or Sony). Here's the cover (cover design by Jim Dodson):

rob

After a fairly intense bridge long weekend in Texas (6 sessions in 4 days), I'm now back home in California. I gave my protagonist in my current WIP a sex change (from Michael to Michelle) which is going to allow me to less grossly have her use sex to sneak into a rival House, and have been doing cleanup on what's been written so far, also cleaning up some non-sex-related items. I'm near where I left off, which means tomorrow I should get started on new words. I got exactly zero writing done while in Texas.

I did get some reading done while there, however...and more done while flying. I actually read five books but decided not to review one of them. In general, if I don't have at least some good things to say, I don't bother with a review. The one I didn't review was Doubled in Spades. I was excited because it was a bridge mystery but there wasn't enough bridge...or enough mystery. So, here's what I did review: THE SHARING KNIFE: HORIZON by Lois McMaster Bujold. Pretty good fantasy even if occasionally slow moving. http://www.booksforabuck.com/sfpages/sf_09/sharing_knife_horizon.html. THE MAP OF MOMENTS by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon. A compelling story of New Orleans after Katrina, with magic. Here: http://www.booksforabuck.com/sfpages/sf_09/map_of_moments.html. STALKING THE VAMPIRE by Mike Resnick. Some very funny moments although it sometimes tried too hard. Here: http://www.booksforabuck.com/sfpages/sf_09/stalking_vampire.html. DEATH TAKES A HAND by Susan Moody. A bridge mystery, sort of. Not horrible. Here: http://www.booksforabuck.com/mystery/mys_09/death_takes_a_hand.html. Next up, DRAGONBORN by Jade Lee.

I posted THE AREA 51 OPTION by Michael A. Kechula on our various distribution outlets so it should be showing up soon.

Did you see that Barnes and Noble has released a new eBook Reader--the Nook? Like the Kindle,it allows purchases without having to access a computer. There's a sharing option that comes as part of the service. I'm not sure I'm big on readers sharing although Barnes and Noble is using this to differentiate its service and puts limits on how lending works (limited time, you can't access your book while it's lent out). Still, I can imagine a NetFlix-like program where nobody buys books any more, they just rent them for a couple of weeks though lending. What do you think?

I'm going to make EYE OF THE STORM by Amy Eastlake the www.BooksForABuck.com book of the day. When her friend is run down in a supposed accident, Aila Jallay knows the police are covering things up... and that Detective Jerry Miller is involved. But when Miller realizes he's being used, he throws in with Aila and the two of them find themselves framed and on the run. Exciting, sexy and adventurous. Only $3.99. An RWA Golden Heart Finalist for best romantic suspense. (Available in HTML, Adobe PDF, eReader, Mobipocket/Kindle, Microsoft Reader, Sony Reader and ePub formats). Here's the link: http://www.booksforabuck.com/rompages/rom_2006/eye_storm.html. Here's the cover (cover design by Jane Graves):

rob

As soon as I get home tomorrow, I'll update pricing on THE AREA 51 OPTION by Michael A. Kechula, raising the price from $1.00 to $3.99 (still super-cheap). This is a substantial collection...71 stories of zombies, aliens, corrupt politicians and dreams gone wrong. Check it out (or buy it) here: http://www.booksforabuck.com/sfpages/sf_09/area_51.html.

Therese and I finished our bridge marathon this evening. Today was a 2-session event. We finished the afternoon session tied for first in our direction and tied for second overall but we had a rougher evening and ended up in 4th (or so). This was good enough to qualify us for the next round but I'm not sure we'll do it. I'd have to fly back to Texas in January (not the nicest time of year) and the event where the next round is held is a sectional tournament (where we can't get the gold we need other than a fraction in the North American Pairs qualifier). Still, we got a point and a quarter, today with a sprinkling of gold. For the week, we collected about 7 and a half points. Not too shabby considering it was mostly club games rather than big tournaments which give a higher point yield. We're planning on playing in the National Tournament in San Diego at the beginning of December. With a fair amount of luck, we'll get some gold there.  

I'm excited about getting back to California and getting back to my writing. I'll also have several reviews to post when I get home.

Rob

I'm still in Texas and still playing bridge. The big event, the North American Pairs Unit Qualifier, is tomorrow. It's a two-session event starting tomorrow.

Therese and I have been playing every day in hopes of smoothing out any rough spots. On Thursday, we finished fairly well (first in B in our direction) but we sort of fell apart on Thursday night in the team event. On Friday, we were below average (although we were first in C in our direction against a fairly tough field). Today, we played a mixed group. Two pairs were quite experienced (one with a player with over 2K points and her partner with over 1K points and the other with two life masters) and several of the others were less experienced than Therese and me. We ended up winning the whole event, which was very satisfying. We've won a bit over 6 master points so far (of which a glorious .02 are Gold). Tomorrow, though, is the big day.

Bill cooked steaks for dinner. I don't eat a lot of beef, but these were really excellent. I'm sitting now in their 'media room' with a huge cat sitting on the chair next to me, all four paws up in the air.

Hope everything is going well for my readers.

Rob