WSJ has a really good article on the upcoming Kindle and Amazon’s ereader strategy.  To be fair, I have a Kindle, I love it, nearly as much as my children, sometimes more.  People (publishers and a good chunk of authors) are not happy with the Amazon cut-throat pricing strategy (reminescent of Wal-Mart in its earlier years), but looking objectively, I think the world has gone very dog-eat-dog (or book-eat-book) and I don’t fault them for it (and I do LOVE $9.99 hardbacks that I would never read before).

This is my favorite quote from the article:

“For the vast majority of books, adding video and animation is not going
to be helpful. It is distracting rather than enhancing. You are not
going to improve Hemingway by adding video snippets,” he said.

At the RWA, there was a lot of mainstreaming of digital books, digital rights, e-readers.  The first time that I’ve ever noticed the the Publishing Powers That Be have openly embraced the idea with not only excitement, but legitimacy as well.

A $139 Kindle sold at Target is a game-changer.  I will most likely buy one for both of my kids.  My daughter is a selective Luddite (with two computers, an ipod, and an iHome).  She eschews the idea of reading a ‘book’ (picture hoity voice) on a device.  Of course, she can heft a 50 pound Harry Potter volume with ease.  I, now in my dwindling arm muscle years, have aches to accompany JK Rowling.  My son (who is no Luddite and LOVES tech), loves to read on the Kindle and loves the idea of instant book gratification.  I have friends who are voracious readers, who will now probably take the dip.  In my expert opinion, Amazon is going to sell a hella-lot.

There are a lot of what I deem ‘not-hardcore’ readers who poo-poo the Kindle.  It doesn’t have color.  It doesn’t play TV shows.  What if I want to browse the web?  If this is you, do not buy the Kindle, because you are not a hardcore reader.  You do not read cereal boxes at breakfast.  Your bathroom is not accessorized with a magazine rack.  Your bedside table is not invisible beneath the pile of books.  If these symptoms apply to you, then you, too may have readeritis, a serious, but non-debilitating disease that causes a slight twitch when you are jonesing for a book.  The tingle of excitement when you hear about a story that appeals.

I think the Kindle is here to stay in some form or fashion.  I think Amazon is going to rule the ebook market, and I do believe we are in for some wild roller-coaster e-swings.

You heard it here — not exactly first — but probably two-hundred-and-twenty-two-second.

Or, how the big-box retailers stopped worrying that reading wasn’t cool and learned to love the e-reader.

It isn’t a huge surprise that less than a week after Apple released the AWESOME, SPECTACULAR, HOLYMOLYTHISTHINGWILLCHANGETHEWORLD ipad, Target and Best Buy have drunk the e-Kool-Aid. Not that I’m implying that there is something *hinky* about e-reader luv. Not that I haven’t been known to lovingly caress my Kindlicious (it’s a pet name). But it is fascinating to note the timing. Seems that Best Buy is getting the Barnes & Noble Nook, and Target (who is sometimes known to strangely and mysteriously know my purchasing decisions even before myself) is selling the Kindle.

Woot! (and no, neither device can be found on woot — yet).

I’m posting at the Blazeauthors blog today. Taking an informal survey on the whys of reading romance and has the why changed and why the why has changed….

Check out the full Barbara Vey link on Lady Jane.

New York mag has a fascinating article on focus v. distraction and how it’s affecting the brain.  There’s a lot of really cool insights in the article, which is sort of a hodge-podge of anecdotes (Malcolm Gladwellian style).  A few tidbits:

Only in the last ten years—thanks to neuroscientists and their functional MRIs—have we been able to watch the attending human brain in action, with its coordinated storms of neural firing, rapid blood surges, and oxygen flows. This has yielded all kinds of fascinating insights—for instance, that when forced to multitask, the overloaded brain shifts its processing from the hippocampus (responsible for memory) to the striatum (responsible for rote tasks), making it hard to learn a task or even recall what you’ve been doing once you’re done.

And this little bit:

The only time multitasking does work efficiently, Meyer says, is when multiple simple tasks operate on entirely separate channels—for example, folding laundry (a visual-manual task) while listening to a stock report (a verbal task). But real-world scenarios that fit those specifications are very rare.

I knew that!!!  Laundry days at the O’Reilly household are planned around TV watching nights.  The scenario plays out where Laundress O’Reilly dumps all clothes on the couch, in which laundry-drone O’Reilly members must actually fold in order to — get this, it’s the really strategic one — find a place to sit on the couch in order to watch TV.

Anyway, I wanted to share.  Wired had an article on the future of reading in this month’s issue (I’m not sure there’s a link to this, the website seems to link to last month’s issue, not the current) , and they also had an interview with Guillermo del Toro on moviemaking, and the common link on both with the desire to make the creation/experience of movies and books more of a collective experience.  This makes a lot of sense to me because when a person *owns* something, the emotional response is higher than if they have no ownership investment in the process.  I remember a writer friend talking about Diana Gabaldon posting pieces of what would become Outlander on the web and get comments and criticism.  I sometimes wonder how much that little piece of the process affected the outcome of Outlander.

I’m not sure how a collective book could be written or reviewed.  As a writer, I know what paths work best for a story, which paths I’m most invested in, and I’m not sure if Readers Group chose Plot Pathway B as the route to proceed along, that I would care as much about *my story*.

Anyway, I’m mulling it over, and if anybody has any ideas about how the collective could work, I’d love to discuss.  I think it will be some sort of the future, but I’m not sure how to get there…

The authors of the Harlequin Blaze line have put together a blog, and for the big celebration, today’s entry is senior editor, sportswoman extraordinaire, and grand poobahess in chief, Brenda Chin.

Also, a Blaze trivia contest, and first prize is the Jan, Feb, and March 2009 Blazes delivered to your door.

No foolin’

So, uh, the problem with not being Miss Johnnie on the Spot is that uh, sometimes things happen and you have to, uh, you know, do other stuff…  So, that, dear readers is a fumbling apology wherein I missed zesty, insightful commentary on Round 3, Region 1, Part 2, whichis wherein Nora went dow-ohhhn!!!  I checked the Times today, but it did not make the news, and I thought to myself, have the cutbacks got so bad?

Anyway, uh, in Round 3, Region 1, Part 1 action, Iron Kisssed knocked out Grimspace, so Briggs advances to fight again another day.  In the magic Burns vs. The sharing Knife, Magic Burns won, in what should be considered an upset of Bujold proportions….  

And then, there was Part 2. Paranormal, SF, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction against Contemporary Romance. The ten-thousand pound gorilla that is Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas was up against Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione.  The numbers show this as tight race.  BED winning with 338 votes against PU with 313 votes.  

The second round was a true surprise to me.  Although I didn’t think Tribute would go all the way, like the United States Marine, you just don’t bet against Nora Roberts.  However, Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs pulled it off.  The vote was close, less than 20 between them, but in the end, it was Briggs that walked away.  

Next year, Nora will be back, with the gleam of death in her eyes, and she’ll be bringing the ultimate secret weapon with her.  A straight contemporary romance trilogy centered around a wedding service.  Be afraid, fellow authors, be afraid.  Nora is bringing the goods.

The next vote is not posted, but it’s scheduled for today, and it’s going to be another nail-biter.  Your Scandalous Ways, by sentimental favorite Loretta Chase against Delicious by young new-comer Sherry Thomas.  Never underestimate Thomas.  Delicious is smart, wily, and knows how to move.  Tune in folks.  Should be… uh, delicious.

The other match in the Region is Spymaster’s Lady against Price of Desire.  I had originally thought there’s only one book in this field that can ravage the Spymaster’s Lady and that’s Blue-Eyed-Devil with it’s silver-tongue and charming Southern drawl.  However, with Briggs out there, two books still in the pack, I’m going to have to rethink that think.

There’s the smell of napalm in the morning air.  Ladies and gents, I think we gut us a rip-roaring, romance battle royale.  Welcome to the jungle.

Annnnnnd we’re back!  After a short hiatus where the books had a chance to withdraw to their respective corners, the DABWAHA is back on, and they’re coming out strong and winded,  with blood in the eye.  This morning’s vote is NWRE, novel with romantic elements, battling it out against NWRE to see who’s left standing when the romance is gone.

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre vs. Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs.  This is going to be a slog.  Patricia Briggs is the heavy favorite with two books still standing among the field of sixteen.  On the other hand, Grimspace, is the spunky young newcomer, ready to pull an upset, because the future of the world is at stake.  Grimspace is used to the challenges, having taking out The Hunger Games (new movie deal!) in the prior round, and showing no mercy to Kushiels Mercy in Round 1.  Iron Kissed has had it easy up to now, putting the hurt on YA title, My Most Excellent Year in Round 1, and yanking a scream of agony from Silent in the Sanctuary.  She’s tough, she’s a NYT darling, and right now, she’s winning by a narrow 17 votes.

The Sharing Knife: Passage by Lois McMaster Bujold vs. Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews. This battle is going to be a little tougher to call. McMasterBujold is an established name (actually two) with a tough (McMaster) continental (Bujold, tres france) pedigree and a writing history nearly as long as Nora (longer?).  This is no Miles Vorkosigan Adventure, so it’s not going to a a civil campaign, not if Andrews has anything to say about it.  Magic Burns doesn’t have the pedigree, nor the backlist of Bujold, but it’s an urban fantasy with Kate Daniels, who’s taking names and kicking ass, and has a crew of werebeasties behind her.  Right now, Magic Burns is pulling ahead, but can the magic hold up???

Polls close at 4pm today (I think that’s what I’m hearing), so lay down your bets and let the trash talking begin.

Actually, not really.  I’m not exactly sure when the DABWAHA tournment for Best Romance of 2008 heats up again, I’m suspecting they’re following the beginning of the Sweet 16 NCAA tourney, but I’m make a completely uneducated guess.  However, I had a lot of fun with it, and hope to continue the liveblogging.  There is a Second Chance Tourney, another opportunity to predict the brackets for those of us losers who didn’t get it right the fist time.

As I find out more, I’ll post.

After a long commercial interruption (I call it sleep), I’m back in the commentary chair to update everyone on the DABWAHA voting….

I knew you’re DYING to hear about the Round 3 results.  Broken Wing (historical) out-scandalled Public Scandal, Private Mistress (series).  Duke of Shadows (historical) shook up Shaken and Stirred.  Yes, I know you’re upset.  I was too; however, much like Don quixote and Ben Bernanke, I will return to fight another day (but next year because actually, you only get one shot at winning).  Moving on to GLBT and Erotic romance where the action really heats up, Forbidden Fruit burned up Mexican Heat, and Rough, Raw, and Ready, out-rawed Show & Tell.

Round 4 ran over night, and the results were skimpy compared to the daylight rounds.  Yes, Australia, I’m looking at you.  In SF vs. Contemporary, Cry Wolf sunk its teeth into a Virgin River Christmas, and the results were not pretty.  There was a tight, tight contest between King of Sword and Sky and Unlawful Contact, but in the end, monarchy rules, and King triumphed.  In a much-anticipated match between two of the contest heavy-weights, Blue Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas took on the Dark Pleasure by Showalter.  Kleypas took the round, but not as strongly as this commentator would have expected.  Is this a chink in the Kleypas armor, or will she come on fast and hard at the end (insert Lisa Kleypas hero pun here)?

Lastly, in the GLBT vs. Erotic Seed, Undercover matched against Captain’s Surrender, and the Captain Surrendered once again.

We’re now in the midst of Round 5, and it’s been a slow morning.  Seduced by Magic is outscoring Collision Course by only 9 votes.  Looks to be a squeaker.  Whoa!  Look at that.  Seduced by Magic has pulled even.  ladies and gents, we have ourselves a horse race!  In the next match, Perennial historical favorite Loretta Chase is waltzing over A Christmas Wedding (series).  In SF vs. Contemporary, we have Nora Roberts with Tribute against Hidden by Eve Kenin.  Nora is the heavy favorite here, but with SFF, you never know when the magic will appear.   The last matchup is Young Adult vs. Novel with Romantic Elements or (NWRE).  Lois McMaster Bujold seems to be easily handling the young Carrie Jones.

We’ll have to see how this all shakes out.  Keep your browsers set and your bookies on the ready.  These games have only just started.