September 8, 2011 · 7:39 AM

Kindle Goes to School

Amazon Kindle eBook Reader

This probably won’t be a surprise to many, but I love my kindle. I still read “real” books, but I love the convenience and selection I get on my ereader. It’s so great that I even loaded my high-school-age daughter’s summer reading books on it – the classics, like Dante’s Inferno, were free!

What I didn’t take into account was that when school started, she’d need to take her summer reading books to school.

Now, I trust my daughter. I warned her not to drop her backpack with the kindle in it, and keep it under wraps – I didn’t want prying eyes and sticky fingers to get any ideas. “YES MOM!” was her answer. But my main concern was her teacher. What if he took it? (Okay, I’m a little paranoid, but as I said, I LOVE my kindle!)

You see, the high school has strict rules about many things. No drugs. No weapons. No suggestive clothing. AND…no electronics. I knew the intention of the rule was to keep kids from playing video games or listening to their iPods during class, but would the school be discriminating enough to know the difference between an MP3 player and an electronic book? Luckily, the answer was yes.

In fact, the instructor’s response was “I was wondering when these would start showing up.” Another student also had her kindle in class, and everything was fine.

Now I’m left with a different dilemma. I know a kindle (or nook) is in both my kids’ futures. They’re avid readers, and would definitely use them. I’d also like to think their rooms might be a little cleaner without the piles of books everywhere (yeah, right). It’s just a matter of time.

My question to you today is, how do you manage a child’s ereader? Do they have their own amazon/B&N account, or do you connect them to yours? I wish amazon had a way to lock individual books or collections with a password – then I wouldn’t have to worry about my kids picking up my kindle and reading one of the hot romance novels I have on it.

If you have a nook, I’d like to hear from you, too. The library lending feature is something I think would be great for kids.

And, just so you know, Christmas is only 108 days away.

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September 1, 2011 · 7:08 AM

Time is Running Out

Can you believe it’s September already? School’s started, the trees are starting to turn, and the days are getting shorter. Fall is right around the corner.

And that means that time is running out on the Summer Lovin’ Anthologies. Benefiting Save the Ta-tas (and who doesn’t love Ta-tas?), the Anthologies will only be available until September 30th, so whether you like sweet (Summer Breeze) or spicy (Heat Wave), get yours before time runs out. Available in print and electronically.

My contribution, Concessions, can be found in the Heat Wave edition. It is dedicated to my cousin, Susanna, and her fight against breast cancer. Here’s her story (originally posted on Lisa Sanchez, Romance Author; reposted with permission):

Help Stop a Killer

No, this isn’t America’s Most Wanted – this culprit isn’t a mysterious stranger. This killer is much worse, and goes by the name Cancer. And it has to be stopped.

This summer, I’ve joined Lisa in contributing to Omnific Publishing’s Summer Lovin’ Anthologies. The publisher and all the authors are donating the proceeds from these books to Save the Ta-tas, a charity raising money to fight cancer, but you can find out more about that below. What I’d like to do today is dedicate my contribution, a short story called Concessions, to my cousin, Susanna, a Cancer survivor.

She Saw It Coming

Cancer is no stranger, attacking both women and men I know and love in its many forms, but Susanna knew early on Cancer was tracking her. It’d already targeted her family. Cancer, specifically Breast Cancer, came after her aunt, who fought the disease and won. Cancer didn’t stop there, silently stalking Susanna’s mom. In 2004, Susanna’s mom lost her fight, and Cancer stole from us a woman with a heart of gold, whose life work was helping children as a school psychologist.

Knowing she was next on Cancer’s list, Susanna got regular checkups. She and her husband share a full and healthy life, but Cancer found her in her early thirties, a year after she gave birth to a beautiful baby. It was in the prime of life, as Susanna breastfed her baby, that the disease reared its head again.

A Happy Ending, With Your Help

Susanna battled Cancer, sacrificing her hair, her energy, and her body, but she won. Today, she’s cancer free, and following in her mother’s footsteps as a school psychologist. But she needs our help.

You see, Susanna has a daughter. She’s three.

We need to stop Cancer now, before it takes another mother or attacks another daughter or aunt or sister. Whether you decide to purchase one or both of the Anthologies, or would rather give directly to a specific organization, please take a minute and open your wallet. With your help, we can put Cancer away for good.

Thank you to Susanna and her husband for allowing me to tell a little of their story, and to Omnific Publishing for sponsoring this fundraiser. Be sure to check out the Concessions fan page HERE.

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August 29, 2011 · 2:32 PM

The Hunger Games are Coming

Cover of "The Hunger Games"

Cover of The Hunger Games

Did you see it? The flames? The arrow? The trees?

Are you thinking “What the heck is she talking about?” 🙂

I’m talking about The Hunger Games teaser that debuted last night at the end of the MTV VMAs. Based on the book by the same name, it features a female lead named Katniss. But before I say any more, how about a peek at the teaser?

CLICK HERE FOR THE TRAILER

Like Twilight, The Hunger Games is another Young Adult book series trying to cross over to film. Instead of discussing the book or even the movie, per se, I’m curious about your reaction to this teaser. If you’ve read the books, did it make you excited for the movie? What struck you about the clip?

If you haven’t read the book, did it pique your interest? It’s pretty hard to tell what the book or the movie is about, so let me help you out. From goodreads.com:

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Personally, I was hoping for a little more than trees on fire. I’m guessing fans of the book would probably have liked to have seen the “love interests” – Peeta and/or Gale. (I use “love interests” very liberally. The Hunger Games is not really a love story, in my opinion. But that’s a discussion for another day 🙂 ) Me? I might’ve shown Kat volunteering to take her sister’s place in the deadly games and then a shot of the dangerous foes she has to face. Something just a little more telling about the actual plot.

More will come, I’m sure. This wasn’t an actual movie trailer, only a teaser. A few seconds meant to whet the movie appetite.

Did it work?

Happy Monday,

Robin

ps. if you’d like to read my review of The Hunger Games, click HERE

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August 22, 2011 · 8:00 PM

3D – Yes or No?

Paper glasses for viewing Anaglyphs.

Image via Wikipedia

The debate over 3D movies has been raging for a while, and I’ll admit, I’m not really a fan. For me, the “wow factor” of 3D isn’t worth the extra money most of the time (for a family of 4, it’s like buying an extra movie ticket). Given the choice, we watch in old-fashioned 2D.

On the other hand, I’ll also admit I LOVED seeing the 3D IMAX movie from the space shuttle at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (do not miss it if you’re in the area), but I’m not in a hurry to go out and watch the Lion King in 3D. Or buy a 3D TV. My son has a pocket video game that has 3D you can turn on and off, and while it’s pretty cool, he plays mostly in 2D. Somehow, watching the news in 3D isn’t really a draw for me, either.

So, am I behind the times? Am I missing out on “the next big thing” or is 3D TV like Sony BETA? Better, cooler, neater, but not what the market wants?

What do you think? Is there any movie or show you’d love to see in 3D?

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August 19, 2011 · 6:09 AM

Photo Friday: wordle.net

Have you heard of wordle.net? It creates a visual of any piece of text you put in. The size of the words depend on their frequency. Surprise, surprise, Jason is number one!

Wordle of Whirlwind

While this is a very cool app and makes a neat picture, it also is a tool. My eye goes straight to the word just. It’s WAY too big…and so I’ll be working on getting rid of my just habit in book 2. One habit I have been working on is my that obsession. I’m very glad to see that isn’t here! (…at least I haven’t found it yet.)

Have you wordle’d anything? What did you think? Helpful, fun, or meh?

I also wordle’d Concessions, my short story in the Summer Lovin’ Anthology:Heat Wave. You can see the result on the Concessions Fan Page on Facebook.

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