Friday, September 21, 2012

New Netbook

I just got a new net-book for writing on, an Acer Aspire One. It's pretty good and I'm writing this post on it right now however not word processor that came with it. That was the starter version of Word 2010 which has these annoying advertisements in the right side of the window. Considering that the screen is only 10.1 inches it really seems to take up a lot of screen real estate.

So I could have a word processor without the advertisements I installed LibreOffice almost immediately. It's in fact the one that I'm writing this post in. I also of course installed Sigil and Calibre so that I can properly format e-books when I need to. For those of you not aware, all three of these programs are freeware.

About the only negative so far is the fact that the built memory card reader doesn't seem to work. Luckily we have a couple of spares memory card readers so that hasn't been a major issue. I really wanted to save documents on one of the eight gig cards though so it was just a little disappointing is all.

One cool feature is the fact this little netbook has HDMI output. I actually had it connected to the TV for a little bit to test it out. Unfortunately the TV screen isn't as clear as the netbook's is so its not as useful a feature as could be expected. It was kind of nice though to have two pages up on the screen at the same time.

For ebooks I was kind of surprised to see the Nook reader app already installed. I have books on Barnes & Noble also, I just don't get many there. Mostly Smashwords or Amazon these days and at one time it was only on Amazon.

I think I could pretty easily recommend one of these netbooks. Was able to work on one of my stories tonight in fact. The keyboard is very comfortable to the touch. Everything seems to be where you expect it to be so you're not having to look down to see what key you're getting ready to hit. There's not even any cursor lag time.

Battery life seems to be pretty good also which is of course an important consideration in a laptop or a netbook. It looks to have a 9 to 9 ½ hour life span before its dead. That's really impressive for me. I should be able to sit in the backyard for a couple of hours happily writing when the desire hits me.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Ghosts of your past (Pat Canella- cold cases)

Here's something you should check out.

Back from an enforced leave after a shoot out left her former partner Adrian Chart dead, Pat Canella is haunted by shadowy figures lurking in the hallways of her dingy bedsit. With danger lurking she akes action, only to find that her actions lead her to the biggest gang in nearby Witchborough.

http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-your-Canella--cases-ebook/dp/B0080LR4M8/

Etheusela

This is the next story I should have coming out, its YA paranormal/fantasy.



Tom Seaton was sitting on his porch just relaxing as it was reaching evening. His grey hair glistened in the lighting. The shadows were starting to lengthen with the sun so low on the horizon. Shapes were becoming indistinct all around as he was sitting on the well-used deck chair. It felt good to take what seemed to be a much needed break after what turned out to be a very long day. Earlier in the day the kids had come back and had brought his Grandchildren with them.

He loved them dearly but liked rather shorter visits then how long they spent at the house earlier in the day. They had so much more energy than he did. More than once he wished that he was once again only four, five or six years old. Sometimes, being the age he was just didn’t feel had any advantages. Every time he looked in the mirror and looked at the grey hair it just made him feel old. That especially held true when the day had been spent wrestling with the young kids when they came over.

While sitting there he was beginning to nod off and some of the shadows seemed to be coming to life. It was as if they were moving and writhing on the expanse of the rather dead and desiccated brown grass that now consisted of the lawn. All of watering restrictions had taken their toll on yards throughout the town. What had once been a wonderful expanse of green no longer was and Tom doubted it would be again.

At first they weren’t making any sounds which seemed a little disturbing to him but he let that thought pass rather quickly. He figured that it was just his imagination running away from him. As they got closer he began to realize that it wasn’t something like that. This was something that was happening for real. He was now becoming very sentient and awake.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

A little horror

My mind began to wander today and this little bit started coming to me. It might make the beginning of a horror story.


"What?"

A face wearing a mask appeared in the side of the mirror looking at me. Then it disappeared. Setting down my razor I looked from side to side to try to spot it again. As I moved around I got some of my shaving cream on my shirt to my annoyance. Stopping my search I wiped the offending white cream off my lapel.

Deciding I could probably finish trimming my whiskers I looked down long enough to pick up the razor again. As I looked up the masked face was there once more peering over my shoulder. Turning my head slightly I could find nothing to my right but my visitor was still in the mirror. This time however it didn't disappear but stayed.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Sweet Dreams.


Here's something that should give you a few nightmares for this Halloween.

Water Forest Press Books announces the immediate release of
Sweet Dreams in the Mind of a Serial Killer
the second book in the Dream series by January Valentine
Available in Paperback and Kindle. Amazon Prime Members can
download Sweet Dreams Free from the KDP Lending Library.
Will also be available on B & N Nook and others in November.

·         Paperback: 376 pages
·         Publisher: Water Forest Press (August 22, 2012)
·         Language: English
·         ISBN-10: 0984957359
·         ISBN-13: 978-0984957354
·         Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
·         Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Horror, Romance

A serial killer is on the loose, moving up the East Coast, leaving bodies & notes . . . Planting roses in his victims. Leonardo Gibraldi, Baltimore’s sexy Assistant DA, is tracking the fiend who’s responsible for the grisly murder of his ex-girlfriend. Leo’s out for revenge — so is the killer. Between hunting the madman, and fighting off beautiful women, Leo’s got his hands full. There's one break in the case:
An eye witness who says, “It doesn’t look human.”

Sweet Dreams sets the mood for Halloween!  For previews and video trailer, visit the author's site: http://www.januaryvalentine.com  andAmazon.com    http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Dreams-Serial-Killer-ebook/dp/B0096IQ5K6/ref=sr