How do YOU read?

A heated debate has long been raging between traditional publishing and e-publishing.  It seems the “Big 6,” as the NYC traditional publishers are called, continue to fight against the stream.  With the dawn of e-readers and ways for writers to publish their own work, it has given hungry readers many more choices.   I have my own indecision on where I’ll land.  I still have that idealistic vision of submitting to publishers.  I think that’s how I’ll begin, when I’m ready.

My question to you is this….how many of you have kindle, nook, etc?  Any electronic device by which you read?  How many of you still prefer the feel of a book in your hands?   Or, do I also have fellow audiobook users out there?  That’s my preferred method these days.  I belong to a club that works the same as Netflix, where I essentially rent a book, listen, then return it for another.

Escape the World for Five Minutes.....

This is awesome to behold!  It gave me chills as more and more members joined in.  I hope you enjoy this nice distraction from the 'real world' for five minutes  :)

MARCIA CLARK INTERVIEW THIS WEEK....

I've got another author interview lined up in the next week.  Marcia Clark, a former prosecutor who gained fame as the head prosecutor in the OJ Simpson murder case, added the title of author to her resume several years ago.  She writes a series of successful books based on the character, Rachel Knight, who happens to be a Deputy District Attorney.  I've had the pleasure of getting hooked.

She has graciously agreed to be interviewed here...so stay tuned!

AMAZING WEBINAR WORKSHOP!

Hey, all of my writer friends!  PLEASE consider attending this webinar!  I attended a month ago, and it was absolutely amazing!  The two teachers were awesome and MEAN it when they say they are there for you.  Tam McCallan has become a true mentor to me and helped me tremendously with my own Work in Progress (WIP).  She's an easy going person whose philosophy is to pay things forward, and she really DOES.  She has read my manuscript and given me insights I never thought of, without asking for a single thing in return!  Believe me, if you attend one of her seminars, you'll have a friend for life and thank me!

"This Isn't Show & Tell" .......

I literally have two huge stacks of writing books on my coffee table.  I've been reading like crazy - in addition to my regular reading - I've been sprinkling that with books on my craft.  It's my latest obsession.  My husband will have to build me a new bookcase soon just to shelve them all.  Each one has nuggets of great information, and I drink them all in.  

They tell me how to write a great scene, how to write sparkling dialogue, how to create memorable characters, and so on.  One of the common themes is to SHOW not TELL. 

I'm a fan of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series.  Today, I started the latest one,  "Victims."  These are all written in the first-person POV, who happens to be Alex Delaware.  This book began with nothing BUT  "showing" and yet still managed to hold my interest.  I never noticed these types of things before getting serious about my writing.  I just knew I loved his books.  Since teaching myself to be more aware of how other authors write, I view books, and even movies, differently.

Alex is called to the scene of a murder.  He explains to the reader what the body looks like, what was done to it, what the apartment looks like, etc.  He also tells us what the landlord looks like, so we can picture him in our minds.  None of this is done with dialogue, as are other passages in the book when it comes to describing places and other characters.

I'm curious to hear others' opinions on what's wrong with doing this.  Obviously nothing, since he's an established author - at least, that's my guess.  However, us newbies are told NOT to do it.  I know there are exceptions to rules, but can anyone else give some experiences you've had?  Perhaps you've already got some books under your belt, and you've already dealt with publishing, so I'd love to hear from you.