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New Kindle Opinions?
What do you think about the new Kindles?
I went over to Amazon and checked them out this morning. The Kindle Fire has an amazing number of capabilities. Now you can watch movies, play music, download apps, and all this with a color touch-screen.
But I’m not running out to buy one. Why? It takes away one of the greatest benefits I get from my simple Kindle, the chance to dive into another world uninterrupted by the information overload of this one. I love my Kindle because it’s a book. Well, it’s more like a portable library, but you understand what I’m saying. My Kindle just gives me stories, and that’s all I want from it.
This works for me, but what about you? What do you think about the new Kindles?
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On Writing and Marketing
I read a great and informative post on the Steve Laube Agency’s blog yesterday. Steve boiled down the numbers, explaining the expenses publishers dole out to put books on the shelves. What an eye opener. On the average, publishers are only making about $420 on the first printing of 10,000 books. Wow!
As writers, what should our response to this information be? Well, for me it’s all about marketing and producing a quality product. If a publishing house is going to take that kind of risk on me, a new writer, I’m going to do my part to make sure they make a profit.
How can writers move toward the goal of better writing and marketing?
1. Write each day. Practice, practice, practice. There’s nothing magical about hard work.
2. Read well written fiction. Learn from those who have done it.
3. Read books on writing craft.
4. Research marketing. Check out the blog post I read today.
5. Be involved with an active group of writers, including a great critique group.
6. Join a writer’s community like ACFW.
7. Give back to others. It can’t always be about our platform and our skills. What can you give someone else?
8. Apply what you’ve learned.
9. Be patient. Learning to be a great writer takes time and so does building a solid marketing platform. Keep working toward your goal.
What are you doing to advance your marketing and writing skills?
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We’re Out of Bread!
We’re out of bread!
Maybe that seems like a simple issue. Go to the store and get more. But what you don’t know is that I went to the store three times last week. Yesterday my in-laws came for a visit and brought tons of yummy treats. Still…We’re out of bread.
My goal is to always be prepared and have extra of anything possible to store. In our garage, we have a second refrigerator and two freezers. I fill these with backups whenever that item goes on sale. With two teenaged boys and two growing girls, we need a lot of food.
But still, this morning, my husband looks at me and says, “Hey, we’re out of bread.”
Don’t misunderstand me. I love being a wife and mother. Taking care of my family is a privilege. It’s the grocery store I’m not fond of. Now that our local university is back in session, Fred Meyer is packed like a clown car at a circus. I actually had to drive around looking for a parking place. All this for the honor of pushing a cart with no tread on one wheel and an intermittent, high-pitched squeal. And when I get to the end of the journey, yep, that’s when I get to hand over all my money.
The other option is one of those huge, mega-warehouse establishments. It feels less crowded, at least until you get to the check out, but the fruit is only fruit in looks. One bite of that shiny apple and you know you’re tasting some kind of man-made replica. There’s no flavor. I don’t know how they do it, but this store has actually sucked the flavor out of their fruit.
All right. Deep breath. Here we go.
It’s time to accept my fate. We’re out of bread.
Today, I’ll be going to the grocery store.
What will you be doing?
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Noodling on Noodles
Today is national noodle day. Let’s celebrate with a bowl of spaghetti and a few facts.
- Macaroni was introduced into the United States by Thomas Jefferson.
- One billion pounds of pasta requires 2,021,452,000 gallons of water – enough to fill nearly 75,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.
- The first noodles came from China.
- Americas bought 1.3 million pounds of pasta last year. That is enough to circle the equator almost nine times with 16 oz. spaghetti packages.
- There are more than 600 pasta shapes.
- The first American pasta factory used a horse in the basement to power the machinery. It was 1848 after all.
Grandma’s Noodles II
Ingredients:1 egg, beaten1/2 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons milk1 cup sifted all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking powder (optional)Directions:1. Combine egg, salt, milk. Add flour. (For thicker noodles add baking powder to flour before mixing.) Separate into two balls. 2. Roll out dough, and let stand for 20 minutes. 3. Cut into strips and spread to dry–dust with a little flour. Let dry for approximately 2 hours. 4. Drop into hot soup–cook for about 10 minutes. This recipe is taken from www.allrecipes.com
Happy Noodle Day!
<p><a href=”http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2736″>Image: piyato / FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>
