Twitterpated

Well, I've succumbed to Twitter-mania finally. I've discovered that I just don't have enough interesting to say for a blog so it's micro-blogging for me now. 140 character is just about my speed. I hope you'll join me over at Twitter along with all of the other interesting peeps like Smart Bitches and just about every author I can think of. Cheers!

Here's my Twitter page: www.twitter/shannzu (Thanks Jessica for the reminder)

Kindle Covers

Feeling crafty? Got a Kindle? Sew your own Kindle cover by following Junie Moon's tutorial. It's lovely, practical, and way better than the dorky covers that Amazon sells.

Don't sew? Check out these great handmade Kindle covers from Etsy.






Red Kindle Kozy - $20









Padded Kindle Case - $39.99







The Original Kindle Bag - $25.00

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Loose Teeth Vintage Inspired Sundress with Petticoat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

OMG, I love vintage style and this gifted seamstress has the most fantastic dress to give away. I seriously want to marry this woman just for the awesome clothes! Even, better she sells her stuff on my favorite site of all time, Etsy. Heather, I think I love you...

People at Amazon Have Lost Their Minds

My favorite bloggers at Smart Bitches have created a new definition for Amazon Rank based on Amazon's ridiculous decision to apply some whacked out "adult" definition from all kinds of LGBT books in addition to romance novels. The hypocrisy is just too much for me. You can join the Smart Bitches and help Google bomb Amazon. Click on the link above for more info.

Amazon Rank
amazon rank
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): amazon ranked

1. To censor and exclude on the basis of adult content in literature (except for Playboy, Penthouse, dogfighting and graphic novels depicting incest orgies).
2. To make changes based on inconsistent applications of standards, logic and common sense.

Etymology: from 12 April 2009 removal of sales rank figures from books on Amazon.com containing sexual, erotic, romantic, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or queer content, rendering them impossible to find through basic search functions at the top of Amazon.com’s website. Titles stripped of their sales rankings include “Bastard Out of Carolina,” “Lady Chatterly’s Lover,” several romance novels, GLBTQ fiction novels, YA books, and narratives about gay people.

Example of usage: “I tried to do a report on Lady Chatterly’s Lover for English Lit, but my teacher amazon ranked me and I got an F on grounds that it was obscene.”

Alternate usage: “My girlfriend wanted to preserve her virginity, and I was happy to respect that, then she amazon ranked and decided anal sex was okay.”

Sewing Books: A Rant

An interesting new sewing book came out this past week called Weekend Sewing. It instantly piqued my interest and I browsed a copy at Barnes and Noble. I decided to check out some reviews prior to buying it and I can't seem to find more than one person who has reviewed it and actually tried to sew something from the book. Seriously people, how can you possible "review" a sewing book without having sewn anything in it???

I've read several reviews by bloggers who thought it was a great book and talked about wanting to try some of the projects. Huh?? The most important part of a sewing book is the projects! #1 - Are they interesting? Do you want to actually try it? #2 - Were the instructions clear? Were you able to actually construct the item? If you don't do that, then that's a seriously half-assed review. Who cares if the pictures are cute or the writing is clever if the projects suck or the directions are confusing? If anyone out there has actually tried to sew something from Weekend Sewing I would love to hear about it. In the meantime I'll wait and see if some real reviews come out and it's worth buying.

Ten Things Your Romance Novel Heroine Should Never Do

Lynn Viehl, author of several successful series and a true maverick in the world of publishing, has written another funny and sarcastic post about the hypocrisy of the one of the biggest romance writer groups. I love her wry sense of humor. She's always true to herself and doesn't fall for the publishing industry b.s. that they try to cram down authors throats.

Click here to go to her blog and read: Ten Things Your Romance Novel Heroine Should Never Do (If You Want to Win a RITA)

A Gentle Rain by Deborah Smith

I am so thankful that I got this book through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program as I'm pretty sure that I would never have picked it up otherwise. And boy, I really would have missed out on something special.

The characters in A Gentle Rain are so interesting and very well crafted. Kara Whittenbrook is an heiress to a fortune built by her environmentalist parents. She discovers after her parents are killed that she was really adopted. This realization sends her on a mission to find her birth parents who she learns are mentally retarded. They are living and working on the northern Florida ranch of Ben Thocco. Ben is an equally fascinating character. He is part Seminole, takes care of his younger brother who has Downs Syndrome, and is a former luchadore and telenovela start. He and Kara meet in the most amazing way and it's pretty much love at first sight (even though they both fight it). Ben brings Kara back to his ranch where she meets her parents along with the other differently-abled ranch hands. Kara struggles with the decision to reveal her identity to her birth parents while she stays at the ranch where she earns the love and admiration of this eclectic family. The plot is engaging and a variety of "villains" keeps the story moving along. The third major character in the novel is Florida. The author paints a nuanced and seductive picture of a little known part of Florida that is wild and beautiful, populated with the exotic and the mundane. This is the old kitschy Florida predating Disney World.

I really enjoy books where the author completely immerses the reader in a culture and a place and is so well done that you feel as if you've been there. Deborah Smith accomplishes all of that and more in A Gentle Rain. I highly recommend this book.