Read an eBook Week!

It's Read an eBook Week!!!

What does that mean, you may ask? Well, in addition to other online wild and craziness, it means that all this week at the Samhain Cafe participants will be winning beaucoup prizes - including two Samhain books a day, author giveaways, and one grandprize eBookwise! Pictured right there. Hot stuff, eh?

You like free stuff? Go! Grab with both hands! Get yourself some chances to win some free stuff! (And while you're at it, get some for me, eh?)

What am I doing for Read an eBook Week? The Tickle My Fantasy posse will be taking the Samhain Cafe by storm on Friday (the 13th! ooooh) morning (7:30am Pacific) to chat about superstitions. And yes, free stuff will be had, if basking in our collective glow is not enough to induce you.

Since we're honoring eBooks: What was the first eBook you ever read?

And, if you're feeling curmudgeonly (second use of that word in two days! yeah, baby!), then tell me what your least favorite "Week" or "Day" is? (Anyone who says "Talk Like a Pirate Day" is a least fav is automatically booted off the blog. Seriously. Or rather, it should be, anyone anti-pirate will be forced to walk the plank, matey. Yar.)

Chatting Now!

Some lovely Samhain authors (including yours truly) are chatting it up at ireadromance.com today. Drop on by and post for a chance to win a free Samhain ebook of your choice!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/i_read_romance/?yguid=359718456

Pandering for Votes

I would never make it as a politician; I feel all self-conscious and weird whenever I have to ask someone to vote for me for any reason. So today, I am not asking for your vote. I'm just doing a little PSA to let you know that there are a couple opportunities for you to vote for The Ghost Shrink, the Accidental Gigolo & the Poltergeist Accountant out there, and I leave it entirely up to you whether you choose to pursue those opportunities.

Opportunity #1: The Ghost Shrink is up for Book of the Week at Long and Short Reviews! All this weekend you can vote for your fav book (based on the LASR reviews) and the winner will be featured next week! Vote here (if you want).

Opportunity #2: The Ghost Shrink is up for Best Cover for January & February at Book Cover Lovers! I think the voting runs until the 15th on this one. Vote here (if you feel like it).

And speaking of voting, what do you think of all these reality shows where "America Decides" like American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance? Are they gimmicky popularity contests that have nothing to do with talent? Or is the decision of the masses the truest measure of success? I have to say that I, personally, am bugged by the trend in our culture in which popularity is more valued than quality. Where do you stand?

Watchmen ***Lots of Spoilers***

I love movies and I love superheroes, so there are few things more absolutely guaranteed to get my butt into the seats on opening day than a superhero movie. I wanted to love Watchmen. I wanted it to be perfect.

I am sad to report that it was not perfect. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't make the A+++ grade I had hoped it would achieve. I know that my expectations were too high. If I'd expected crap, I probably would be hailing it as brilliant right now. Unfortunately, I did not expect crap and I am left with distinctly mixed feelings about this movie. Oddly enough, my four main complaints are also four of the things that I liked the most.

1) Music. The use of Nat King Cole's Unforgettable and Jimmy Hendrix's Watchtower were both inspired, in my opinion. But the romantic moment when a dolled up Silk Spectre sees the dorkily dolled up Nite Owl in a slow-mo romantic montage... accompanied by 99 Red Balloons?!? What kind of crack were they smoking when they made that musical choice? I know it's the 80s, but please. Just please.

2) Little Moments. There were little moments of brilliance (I looooved the Smiley face with the drop of blood flipping down any time it did any flipping) and there were moments of gratuitous ridiculousness (SEX! SEX! SEX!) and moments of almost insulting heavy-handedness (really? we needed that flashback? cuz the movie is so fricking long we can't remember that scene from the beginning? Arg. I have a thing about flashbacks. They should convey new information to the viewer, otherwise, they should go die on the cutting room floor with the unnecessary, clinically unromantic, gratuitous SEX! SEX! SEX! scenes).

3) Casting. Again, a mixed bag. Rorschach was amazing. Beyond amazing. He rocked my world. Good lord that man was perfect. Heaven. I will build monuments to him. The Comedian also kicked some ass. Perfectly cast. I hated the wimpy annoying Nite Owl, but I think I was supposed to find the quitter pathetic, so that kinda worked for me. And Billy Cruddup was Billy Cruddup. 'Nuf said. There were really only two casting choices that had me doing a double take. 1) Malin Akerman as Silk Spectre (the younger) and 2) Matthew Goode as Ozymandias. Okay, so here are my issues. The second incarnation of Silk Spectre is supposed to be young isn' t she? A nubile young thing. She is referred to as "jailbait" (though admittedly that is during a flashback). Malin Akerman is thirty and looks like she could easily play older. Seriously? Jailbait? And the romance between her and Nite Owl just did not play. Can we say complete lack of chemistry, boys and girls? Then there was Ozymandias. I'm sorry, but the man last seen Chasing Liberty is not my idea of a highly cerebral, faster-than-a-speeding-bullet supervillain. His babyface and weird accent made him seem almost effeminate (was he supposed to be gay?) which might have worked if he were even remotely imposing. That boy is not a captain of industry and he sure as hell isn't "the smartest man in the world" which he is called. Repeatedly. I didn't buy it. Which meant he wasn't credible as a threat. Which totally diffused the tension of the big finish. Bummer bummer bummer.

4) Mythology/Worldbuilding. One of my favorite things about paranormal movies & books is being taken into the world. Learning the mythology of that reality. This world was supposed to be a fairly tight parallel to ours (drifting off most drastically when we won Vietnam with the help of Dr. Manhattan & re-elected Nixon five times). So how do these superheroes become superheroes? Genesis is important in any hero flick, but this is glossed over pretty quickly in Watchmen. And, from what I can tell, only Dr. Manhattan suffered an accident that turned him super. All of the others just put on masks. No radio-active spiders. No aliens from Krypton. No Bruce Wayne gadgets. No mutant DNA. Nada. So here is my question: how exactly are they so much stronger and faster than the plebeian bad guys they kick the crap out of? When Nite Owl & Silk Spectre are surrounded by a gang of thugs with weapons, outnumbered at least ten to one, how do they come away without a scratch? Is it superior training? What makes them so special? I'm not questioning that they are special; I just want to know how.

That's it. I really did like this movie. I swear. But I wanted so badly to love it, which I just couldn't do.

Ignorance is *!@#)$*!

I've said in the past that I hate the waiting that is so much a part of the publishing biz. I'd like to retract that statement. I don't actually hate waiting. I don't have a problem with waiting at all. What I have a problem with is not knowing. Ignorance sucks. As soon as I know what to expect, I can anticipate the good and plan for the bad. I'm a big planner. One might even say I am a compulsive planner. Unfortunately, you can't make plans if you don't know what's coming at you. The not knowing drives me nuts.

I got a rejection today from an agent I queried last April. Just your standard, "Thanks for submitting... careful consideration... no thanks." I can't say I'm traumatized by the rejection. After eleven months, I'm just grateful I got a response at all. Now I know. (Yay!) I get to tick that one off my list of dangling submissions, polish up my proposal, and send another soldier out into the fray. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!

I don't know who said Ignorance is bliss, but I beg to differ. Knowledge is bliss. Ignorance is annoying as hell.

But I suppose I can see the other side of the argument. If you don't know that you've been rejected yet, you can still entertain the fantasy that the agent loves you beyond all reason, they will sell your manuscript for a bazillion dollars in the largest publishing deal in the history of the world and you will be given an express pass to wealth and fame. Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous will do a feature on your private yacht and George Clooney will get down on his knees and beg to meet you - and wouldn't he be just perfect to play your hero in the blockbuster smash film-adaptation of your book?

It's a pretty thought, but I think I'd still rather know. What about you? Ignorance is bliss? Or ignorance is agony?

5 Books!

Long and Short Reviews reveiwed my book and they liked it! They really liked it! 5 Books! Woohoo!

I continued to be utterly blown away by the reception The Ghost Shrink is getting. Everyone has been so positive so far, and I am thrilled to pieces, but I have to admit I'm kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm fairly certain there has never been a book in the history of man that was universally liked, so I'm holding my breath and waiting for the reviewer's equivalent of a body slam. I have a feeling it's coming.

Not that I'm pessimistic, or that I want people not to like my book. It's more a case of wanting to make sure my big fat head doesn't get overinflated. Writing is a tricky game. A balancing act between confidence & uncertainty. We need to love our words beyond all reason, but I think one of the worst things that can happen to a writer is to start believing your own hype. If you think you're a rockstar, then you stop striving and the striving is what makes great books.

I'm overanalyzing this, aren't I? It's just a review, Vivi! And a positive one at that! Enjoy it!

And I do. Thank you, Long & Short Reviews!

So here's the question: Do you ever buy a book based on a good review? Is there a particular reviewer you tend to agree with/take recommendations from?

And the Winner is...

Congratulations to the winner of the Gigolo Contest:

Kytaira!!!

And the runner-up, receiving a free copy of The Ghost Shrink, the Accidental Gigolo & the Poltergeist Accountant is:

Amy S.!!!

Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to both of our lucky winners! Kytaira & Amy S., please email me at vivi@viviandrews.com to arrange delivery of your prizes!

Last Chance to enter the Gigolo Contest!

Zounds! Is it March already? You know what that means, folks. Today is your last chance to comment here on the blog to be entered to win the Gigolo Contest! The winner will be announced here shortly after midnight tonight (Pacific time). And just because I feel like it, I'm going to draw a second name. This runner-up will receive a copy of The Ghost Shrink, the Accidental Gigolo & the Poltergeist Accountant in the electronic format of your choice.

It's been a crazy month, boys and girls. All of the Tickle My Fantasy books released, getting some great reviews and making it onto the MBaM Top 10 (The Ghost Shrink is still hanging in at #9 after nine days on the list!). I've been wallowing in the new release high and enjoying running my first ever contest here at the blog.

Now that the contest is drawing to a close, I find myself thinking, "Where do we go from here?" What direction is my blog going to take post-gigolo-madness? That's where you come in.

The Final, Last, Ultimate, Ain't-No-More Gigolo Question: What do you look for in a blog? A set schedule? More free-form? Guest bloggers? Interviews of other authors? Info on new releases? Quotes? Craft tips? A window into the life of the writer? What do you like to see on a blog?
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**Newsflash! Carolina Wolf by Sela Carsen is up for Book of the Week at Long & Short Reviews! She's in third place right now in votes. Let's make this Tickle My Fantasy author number 1!