thought for the day…
What are you reading? Is it good? Is it keeping you up at night?
Speaking of fiction, woke up to a nice little shout out from children’s book author, Eve Culley today. Thanks, Eve!
Top of the morning to you…
shameless self promotion
It’s Saturday, perhaps you feel like a fun little read that will melt away the troubles and stress of the week? Get on the Scotti train and have a few laughs.
Coffee & Crime: US CAN UK AU INDIA
Murder Ready to Eat: US CAN UK AU INDIA
Death of the Family Recipe: US CAN UK AU INDIA
Have a great weekend.
Annie
Dive into summer with fun beachy reads
Wednesday is a Good Day for a Freebie
Happy Wednesday to you and I hope your day is going great. We’ve got lots of blue sky and sunshine out here in California and my tomato plants are loving it.
Just wanted to write a quick post to announce that the Scotti Fitzgerald books are all now available in print. I know, it took a while but I finally made it happen. You’ve no idea how complex setting up a print book can be. At least, I had no idea. Lots of trial and error because you know…math… 
Anyway…to celebrate Scotti’s premiere in print I am giving the eBook versions of all THREE books in the series away for FREE today and today and Thursday (May 9th & May 10th).
On Friday all the books will go to 99 cents each and remain at that price through the weekend.
Then Monday, we’re back to business as usual.
If you haven’t read the books, now is your chance to grab the whole series for free. Or if you’ve only read Coffee & Crime, you can pick up the next two books for free.
If you do and you like them – I’d be Thrilled if you’d write a review on Amazon or Good Reads. But no pressure. I know you’re busy.
To pick up your free copy of Coffee & Crime click here
To pick up your free copy of Murder Ready 2 Eat click here
To pick up your free copy of Death of the Family Recipe click here
If you live outside the U.S. you can go to my BOOK PAGE and find the appropriate link for your area.
Otay announcement over, you may now return to your day – hope it’s a great one!
Cheers,
Annie
PS: If you don’t own a Kindle but would still like eBook copies of the books, just CONTACT ME and I will send you the ePub versions personally.
Quick Book Tag
I saw this over at Loraine Ambers’ lovely blog and it looked like fun…
Quick Book Tag
E-Book or Physical Book?
I like both. It depends on what I’m reading and my mood. I have been reading a lot more on my Kindle lately but I may dig into that stack on my night stand soon.
Paperback or Hardback?
Hardbacks – I love the larger size and print and they smell more like books, if that makes sense?
Online or In-Store Book Shopping?
In-Store. I’m not much of a Barnes and Noble shopper but I love indie bookshops and used bookstores. My local library has one and I can spend hours in there, browsing. And it’s tiny!
Trilogies or Series?
Either one works if the story is enticing. Although, if I fall in love with the characters I will be sad if more books don’t follow.
Heroes or Villains?
Both – any fully formed character is a pleasure to love or hate. Though in either case, I really prefer a flawed hero or villian to the perfect ones who can jump from tall buildings in a single leap, fight off battalions of bad guys with one hand tied behind their back, and make the perfect martini. Good guy or bad guy, give me someone I can relate to and you’ll have me forever as a reader.
A book you want everyone to read?
Anything by Diane Dickson – her writing is a feast for the eyes.
Recommend an underrated book?
Scarpetta’s Winter Table, by Patricia Cornwell. It’s somewhat obscure and very short (relative to her other novels). But it gives you interesting insights into the characters of the Scarpetta series. If you’re a Scarpetta fan, see if you can find a copy and read it.
The last book you bought?
Twist of Truth by Diane Dickson. I’m addicted to her books.
Weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark?
Like most readers I usually use whatever is within reach but the weirdest thing was probably a sock.
Used Books: Yes or No?
Of course, otherwise what would used bookstores sell? Nothing like a brand new, hot off the press new book but there is something about a used book that appeals to me – the passing on from one reader to the next – it’s almost as though you can feel the love/excitement/fear/interest that each reader experienced while reading the book and it makes it seem alive. (Is that too weird a revelation? Even for a writer?)
Top three favorite genres?
Mysteries, Thrillers, and Suspense. Yes, I know Amazon considers them one genre but they are not. I also enjoy retro sci-fi (Asimov, Heinlein) and psychological horror (think Twilight Zone not the Chain Saw Massacre), and occasionally a good literary novel but anything with mystery or suspense intrigues me.
Borrow or Buy?
Both. When the budget is tight, I turn to BookBub or the library.
Characters or Plot?
Hands down, characters. I don’t think a book can be good if the characters don’t draw you in and make you care about them.
Long or Short Books?
As long as it’s good, length is not a consideration. Although books topping out at 500 pages is probably my max. I’ve read recently that readers are moving toward shorter books these days. Personally, I’m always sad when a good book ends.
Long or Short Chapters?
Short chapters. It makes me feel more connected to the action in the story.
Name the first three books you can think of
Bone Baby, Lightning, Frankenstein
Books that make you laugh or cry?
Either. But more to the point, books that make me feel, I need an emotional connection to books I read or I’ll end up not finishing them.
Our World or Fictional Worlds?
Fictional worlds always seem like more fun – lots of adventure and less risk.
Audio books: Yes or No?
Audio books are okay. I listened to a lot of them when I was commuting on a day job. Although, I don’t think you get the same satisfaction from them. Especially since you’re usually multi-tasking while listening. I think you also miss nuance in a story you listen to rather than read. The exception I suppose would be if you were listening one hundred percent and doing nothing else. Still, if the narrator doesn’t match the voice in your head it could ruin the experience for you.
Do you ever judge a book by its cover?
If the cover is really awful or really amazing, yes, probably. Generally though, covers don’t influence me as much as it seems they do others.
A Movie or TV-Show You Preferred to its Book?
Perhaps the Handmaid’s Tale. But not really. Generally, I find the book to be better than the film version. They are doing a decent job of the Bosch series from Michael Connelly’s books but I had to get used to the actor they selected for the lead because he was nothing at all like I’d imagined Bosch.
Series or Stand-alones?
Either. Though I LOVE to find a new series to get my hooks into. You always get so excited when a new book in the series comes out, like you get to visit with an old friend. Wow, this question makes me miss Sue Grafton.
How about you? What would you answer to these questions? Feel free to tell us in the comments or consider yourself tagged and do your own version of the post.
Cheers,
Annie
What are you reading?
I’m reading ABOVE SUSPICION by Joe Starky. True crime story about how an FBI Agent lost his way in the biggest way possible.
Also this month I’ve read…
Bone Baby by Diane M. Dixon
Ghost Writers in the Sky by Anne R Allen
And I’m happy to say I can recommend all of them.
So…what are you reading? Anything super good, fun, interesting, or different? Leave the link in the comments so we can check it out.
Phew just one more day til the weekend! Have a good one.
Annie
What I’m Reading This Weekend
So, I’m reading this book by Dan Blank called “Be the Gateway.” Sounds a little scifi/fantasy, right? Actually it’s about reaching out to real readers and sharing your work. I don’t really want to say marketing because that word has such a stigma attached to it.
I have to say it is not the usual stuff you see on this topic. It’s pretty unique. And a helluva lot of work from the looks of it. I think I’m up for the challenge though.
I never thought that gaming rankings, offering endless freebies or other standard tricks of the trade were the way to go. I don’t really want to trick readers. I just want to give them a story that will do something for them, right?
Anyway – do check it out. Be The Gateway is available on Amazon in print and Kindle.
Have a great holiday and don’t eat too many hotdogs, those things will kill you. 😉
Annie
Reading Again
Every year, I reread Atlas Shrugged and Stranger in a Strange Land. I don’t know why but it seems I can never read those two books enough.
What about you? What books do you read again and again? What about those books call to you?
Anita Rodgers Mystery Writer 