The iWorld

Jun 19, 2012 by

The iWorld

So I just posted about how I’m not getting a Kindle, despite my overall love for Amazon and all it’s lovely features. This leads me to confessing that I do already own an e-reader-like device. I own an iPad. Now, this is very recent. Until April, I used a Sony E-Reader, and I loved it. I still have it, and as far as basic portability and carrying around dozens of books all at once and reading them anywhere I am, it’s awesome. It really is. But the world, she is a-changin’. And I don’t just need to carry books. For years I’ve carried a briefcase full of contracts in various forms, client examples, my one-pager, business cards, note-taking materials, thumb-drives and a netbook, and an Android phone. I’m on T-mobile, and I’m grandfathered into...

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E-Book Conversions, vol 1

Jun 11, 2012 by

E-Book Conversions, vol 1

I’ve been working on converting a manuscript into an e-book for a client. Mind you, not really my area of expertise, but I am learning an awful lot about the process. Mostly, that I am not very good at it. OK, in my defense, though, I am actually fully trained in Photoshop and while I can’t bill myself as an expert, I’m definitely in the advanced group. That said, I’ve never touched InDesign before in my life. And that’s a bit of a problem here. I’ve worked with Illustrator, and hell, way back in the day, I worked with PageMaker. (Oy, my age is showing.) But I’ve never worked with InDesign before. Not once. This is making for an interesting project. Obviously, the internet is my best friend in this situation, and I’m learning as I go,...

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Stress

May 30, 2012 by

Stress

Stress is an ever-present issue in today’s world. Stress, and the soapy smell of kitty litter–at least if you’re a writer. Most people consider themselves stressed in general, and that’s not the best state of being we could have, as an overall rule. We should be relaxed, happy, or even just “alright”. But we’re not, we’re stressed. No author has ever come to me and said “I want to write this book, but time’s no issue. Let’s take it nice and slow, a year or two, I like to do things leisurely.” No, authors, like everyone else, want their product as soon as possible. Thus today’s real topic: chocolate. Or more specifically, M&Ms. Chocolate is a writer’s best friend. Some may claim cats are, but they’re probably lying or trying to meet some unseen idyllic...

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