TEN Reasons to LUV a Kindle

YEP, as you can see, I received a Kindle for Christmas. And YES, I've fallen in LUV with it, to my great surprise and to the surprise of my many reading friends who consider me a "purist" (not sure why).

I'm sharing here the ten reasons I LUV my Kindle, but next month I'll be giving the ten reasons I DON'T LUV it. Just so you know. . .

ONE REASON I'm so keen on my K is that I can now buy books instantly. If my husband thought I kept Amazon in business last year, you can just guess what he's going to say this year. (Maybe, but maybe not. See Reason Two.)

Let me give you a speedy purchase example from a few minutes ago. On Tuesday (2-8-11) the Wall Street Journal ran a marvelous opinion piece, "The Roots of Ronald Reagan's Ambition" by John Fund. Know what those roots were? A Christian novel by a Christian author, Harold Bell Wright's That Printer of Udell's, first published in 1902!

Since I'm sharing about Kindles, I just checked to see if That Printer of Udell's is formatted for the K. Sure enough, it is! And right before my eyes, the K price went from $6.23 to $0.00. So of course, ten seconds later, it was on my K. As soon as I've finished this blog, I'll start reading it. I'm eager to read the novel that changed and directed the course of President Reagan's fascinating life. I'm guessing the novel has LOTS of other new readers this weekend besides me. (Maybe you?)

The SECOND REASON I'm so keen on my Kindle is something I just mentioned in the previous paragraph. The low price of books! And most of my K books so far have cost $0.00, including the new Holman Christian Standard Bible just released last Fall. Can't beat that! (Note: Zero dollar prices sometimes last only a day or two.)

THIRD REASON: The instructions for using the K are so easy to follow and implement. A huge plus for someone like me who didn't grow up in this wonderful techie world we now enjoy.

FOUR: It's so light and comfortable to hold. I do a LOT of reading in bed, and the K sure beats books for reading in bed with ease.

FIVE: Plus the K is so easy to read. I always wondered about that, and now I know from personal experience. It's easier than books to see at night. And in a second or two, I can change the font size and line spacing to increase reading ease and speed.

SIX: I've read that some readers say the K slows their reading. Not me. I can read faster because I can turn the pages faster and easier than I can book pages. Yep, I do LUV my Kindle.

SEVEN: It's something new and fun to chat about with friends at book clubs, on blogs, on Facebook, and even with family! My son-in-law also received one for Christmas. We were quite the center of attention as we compared our K's and what we were reading. No one else in our family group had one. They probably will soon. . .

EIGHT: It's just the traveling "thing" for readers like me. I always have trouble keeping my suitcase weight under 50 pounds because of books. The last trip I went on, my suitcase was underweight. Thanks to my Kindle, I had a bunch of new books with me on the plane to enjoy, as well as a devotional and several Bibles. I remember last September being impressed at the ACFW Conference in Indy by an attendee who was comparing a Bible passage in several translations on her K. Now I can do that too. WOW!

NINE: In addition to books, in a flash I can get just about any newspaper and magazine I want on my K. I haven't done so yet, but I plan to, especially the Wall Street Journal that I read every day.

TEN: My K also gives me something to dislike. And I'm human enough to enjoy a complaining session now and then. So check back next month on the second Friday of March for the reasons I DON'T LUV my Kindle. (Although I'm not sure I can come up with ten. . . :-)

Millie Samuelson

http://www.milliesbooks.org/

The Best Backup System for Writers

The students in my computer class think it’s cute when I tell them “Jesus saves, and so should you”. I don’t mean to be sacrilegious or denigrate the Savior, but I feel responsible to pound into their thick young skulls the importance of saving and backing up their files. But I’m not totally successful, because every semester at least one student loses a project—which they failed to back up. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

In truth, it is possible retrieve lost and deleted files as long as the user doesn’t add new data to the hard drive. But beyond the recycle bin, retrieving files is usually above the skill level of most of us. Yet, with a little foresight and discipline it shouldn’t be a problem to lose data.

Like most writers, I back up my WIP via a flash drive (memory stick). Actually, I use three flash drives, which I keep in three different locations; one in my briefcase, one at my writing chair, and one in my desk at work. I rarely need the backups, but when the magic fairies in my laptop get contrary, it’s a relief to know I’m safe. Maintaining current backups won’t solve all computer problems since computers by nature quit working on occasion—usually at the most inconvenient times.

Such was my case two weeks ago when I visited an Internet site about exercise for men over fifty. Within sixty seconds my virus protector flashed a warning and by the time I exited the site, a virus shut down my operating system. I restarted my laptop, but before the virus protector could find and quarantine the invader the system locked up again and shut down.

Fortunately, I had a current backup, but my computer was useless since it kept shutting down. My only solution was to erase my hard drive and do a new install, which would take several hours and require reactivating all software.

As you may know, software activation can be troublesome if you haven’t deactivated it first. The only alternative to call the software company and hope you can eventually talk to a real person who’s kind enough to help you. All of this takes a lot of time and if you’ve been there you know it gets frustrating.

The solution? Acronis True Image software ($49.00) http://www.acronis.com/ When I purchased my new computer fifteen months ago, I splurged the extra expense of Acronis True Image, along with a second matching hard drive, and a hard-drive tray that replaces my DVD drive when needed. In short, these three items allowed me to make a clone (mirror image) of my working hard drive.

When the virus hit, it took less than five minutes to remove my virus infested hard drive and insert the cloned hard drive. No need to reinstall operating systems or applications, no problems with the computer registry, no need to reactivate software.

The computer fairies were never aware I had switched the hard drive at shutdown. Everything worked fine. All I had to do was to install my most recent WIP update from a flash drive and I was one-hundred percent like I was before the virus hit. Of course, I haven’t always been this prepared, but through the years I have learned from failures.

To restate the process; I purchased and installed Acronis software on my hard drive while it was working correctly, next I removed my DVD drive and inserted a special hard-drive tray, which I purchased from the computer manufacture (sometimes you can find them on Ebay). This tray holds a second hard drive, which is typically used for additional storage. I purchased a hard drive exactly like the main hard drive in my laptop, but according to Acronis instructions, the backup drive can be any memory size, speed, or brand.

Once installed, the software offers the option to clone your main hard drive onto this added hard drive. It takes a about four mouse clicks and two hours for the operation to complete. Once it’s finished, I stored the copied hard drive in a safe place until it’s needed.

When I do need it, I simply remove one screw from the bottom of my laptop, pull out the main hard drive and replace it with the clone. I put the screw back in place and restart the computer. That’s all there is to it.

Later, after I verify everything is working correctly, I remove the DVD player, put the corrupt hard drive in the special tray and once again use Acronis to clone a new mirror image of my working hard drive onto the previously corrupt drive—so I’ll be prepared if this happens again. (Oops, did I say if it happens? I mean when it happens again.) It’s simple, it’s easy, and it actually works.

Be warned that it’s possible for a virus to jump from one hard drive to another, so in my case I actually reformatted my virus infested hard drive before I removed it from the computer just to be safe.

Of course, there are other ways to backup, and I’ve used them all. I’ve tried Norton Ghost and other software that promises cloning ability, but Acronis is the only software that has been successful for me. Downtime is minimal, and the total cost for the software, extra hard drive, and adapter to replace my DVD tray was under two-hundred dollars—expensive, but worth it. I should mention Acronis has numerous other features, also.

I have friends and students who’ve experienced these same problems and they usually spend one-hundred dollars to get a tech to fix their computer while their computer is in the shop for two days or longer. I feel like the time saving and security is worth the extra expense. In addition, I can use this system for years.

Maybe there’s a better virus protector, but I’ve tried most of them and no virus protector is perfect. But as I said, viruses aren’t the only computer problems a writer faces. Computers sometimes die without warning. I’ve had hard drives suddenly lock up and never work again. I’ve had computers suddenly show the blue screen of death without warning, and require a complete new install. Once I opened the passenger door of my vehicle and the computer slid out and dropped onto the concrete. The End.

How to Eat a Book Review--One Word at a Time

With endless amounts of books being published, which one should I read?

The title is a rip-off of a poem I vaguely remember from grade school by Eve Merriam called How to Eat a Poem. It starts off like this:

"Don't be polite. Bite in. Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that may run down your chin. ..."

So, Eve alluded that reading poems was like eating watermelon. Kind of messy. Delicious. Not for fancy diners. No forks and knives needed, just dive in.

Since I don't like watermelon much, this may be the reason why I'm not too keen on poetry, either. And while I'm not too keen on reading poetry, (except for Shel Silverstein's or the Psalms of the Bible,) I do love to eat..er...read a good book. I'm absolutely crazy for books. Devour them, if you want to continue this eating analogy. I want my last meal with a book (preferrably War and Peace, or some such volume many years long.) We can talk about the last meal in another post (or on my blog.)

Most people, when they pick a book to read, pick it because they like to read a certain genre, and maybe someone has told them,"Hey, I loved that book! Ya gotta read it!" That's how they would say it here in Indiana. Just like that. And we read a lot more since they made the state championship basketball tournament a class tournament--boring--and switched to daylight savings time, thus confusing our cows, and we can't get to sleep either because of all that light still shining on our eyeballs at 10 p.m.

But also, when I read a book, it may not even be because I want to read it. Well, I want to read books, just not necessarily all the books I have to, or need to, read. Because I do reviews (less now that I gave up a column in one magazine,) sometimes I read a book in order to write a review of the book to help other people decide whether they would like to read a book. So, essentially, I rip the book apart, and then lace back together enough of the book so that others can make a decision to either buy or borrow a book. Key. So someone can make a decision. If you write a review, keep in mind the reader. So, you hate police procedurals. If someone loves police procedurals, will he love this book? Does it follow the genre codes?

I think that this is the best way to figure out if you want to buy/borrow a book to read--by reading a published review, other than asking a librarian for a recommendation. Your friend, who voraciously reads every book in the library and has all the bestsellers reserved from here to the end of the world, may be crazed, and actually likes Steinbeck. (I worked in a library for 3 years, so I have observed a lot of types of readers. If you tell me you actually like Steinbeck, and revel in his darkside revelations of the human condition, I'm gonna be looking for a side door of escape, just in case...)

That friend may know intimately what he likes to read until dawn,and then bleary-eyed and word-stricken-blind drives to work on the same roads you may be on. That's an "ACK!" you heard from me,but he doesn't know you in your dark recesses of your brain where you actually think about things unless your friend is a) a librarian b) an editor who knows his books he's buying and selling c)God. He just tells you what he perceives as his enjoyment (or edification--whatever.)

A librarian is a good source, but while she/he might like to, can't possibly read or know about all the books being published and in his/her library (I say his/her because my male cousin was a state librarian, writing a book about hangings in Indiana, and my good friend, Judy Gann is a librarian and has written a book called, The God of All Comfort: Devotions Of Hope For Those Who Chronically Suffer . Great book, by the way. I gave it 5 stars and two thumbs up and I'm not crazed--much.

And there are tons of places online to read reviews, but what are the key things to look for in a review to know if it is a book right for you?


What kinds of information do you look for in a book review? First of all, a good book review won't reveal plot points or give away "spoilers." You know how it is when someone is talking to you during a movie and says, "Ok, here's where Indiana Jones just shoots the guy who just did the scary, fancy sword stuff!" You want to smack that guy. It's like blowing the punch line. Don't tell me. I want to experience it myself. Otherwise, why read it?

While it is fine for a reviewer to tell you he hated it/loved it, you also don't want to hear too much of "I hated that book and here's why." Back to the movie illustration, how many times did you read a bad review of a movie, and you went anyway and loved it? Or vice versa? It is a matter of what you like--bottom line. A good reviewer helps you to judge for yourself with just a few clues to help you to choose.

The reviewer should be hitting these kinds of points: characterization, a little bit of plot, message ( and the tone,) style, setting, genre--and finally, enjoyment. You should be able to categorize the book and make a judgment on whether you would enjoy the book or not.


My librarian/writer friend, Judy Gann said, "Librarians don't have all the answers. We just know (usually!) where to find them. ...libraries have online sources for finding fiction books--Novelist, Genreflecting, What Do I Read Next?. These are great for the question: 'I loved this book! Do you have another one like it?'"

These sources mentioned are expensive databases, says Judy.

She says, "At my library we can access them(the sources mentioned above) online (with our library card) through the library's Web site. If not available on your library's Web site, ask your librarian if they can access them for you."

(Back to me and what I say )One of the places I like to find reviews on Christian books is Faithful Reader. You can search through the books, reviews, news and find just what you want to read. By the way, if I am reviewing a book, I NEVER look at someone else's review of the same book before I write. What I say about a book is completely my own nonsense...er...thoughts. Another great place to find books you might like is ACFW Fiction Finder. If you actually want to read and discuss books, do join ACFW Book Club. Great place to mingle with those who read and are constantly giving away books, too.

Another place to look is at www.Amazon.com. Look at the reviews there, but beware--like your crazed friend who loves e.e.cummings' poetry and that Steinbeck character (ok, I read Steinbeck and while I suffered, he did write well, I grant him that much...sigh,) remember that not all of these reviews are reliable. They will, however, give you some insight into whether it is a book you might like. Read these reviews with caution. Some of those have an agenda other than letting you know whether or not you should buy the book.

Looking is for free these days and sometimes you can download the first chapter. I've downloaded now countless free ebooks on my Kindle. Do note the reviewer's comments with caution, but do note the emotion because a reviewer on Amazon will not usually post unless there were some strong feelings one way or another. Also, note the reviewers who post their real name. If they do this, they're putting their own reputation on the line. You can check the reviewer's profile by clicking on their name.

Now, get out there and find a good book. Don't forget to tell me what you are reading right now and your current favorite book, too.
As Stephen King says:
"If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that."—

I'm currently reading Serendipity by Cathy Marie Hake (for review for Church Libraries magazine.)I love any historical romances!

Crystal Laine Miller
who has published over 900 book reviews in magazines and ezines

Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned Writing a Novel

I’ve marked something off my bucket list: “Submit a complete novel to an agent for their consideration.”

Woo Hoo!

No matter the outcome, the journey I’ve taken to get to this place has been amazing. In fact, everything I ever needed to know, I learned writing a novel.

1. I learned to take criticism. My crit partners are amazing and I’m in awe that God brought them into my life.  My writing improved a gazillion percent (really!) from their guidance. How good is God that He would send me such talented writers as my critters? And how good is God when he sends people into our lives that make us better people? 
2. I learned to be consistent. Novels don’t get written by wishing them into existence. Yes, I’m a busy Mom of twins with autism, another son with mental illness and a pastor’s wife. But unless I make my writing time happen, novels can't be born. With determined effort, I now own a spot in the house and a scheduled time each day where I do nothing but write. Applying this to other areas of my life, I get more done.
3. I learned to make a plan. Not only for my days, but also for my novel. I didn’t know what kind of novelist I was at first when I began years ago. A seat-of-the-pants writer or a planner? I’ve discovered I’m both.  I learned to map out a story. Even if the story ended up going a different direction, the plan gave me at least a guideline to follow when I’d get stuck. I never experienced writer’s block because of the general plan. I believe God makes plans for us and our novels.  When we think of it this way, it’s easier to depend on Him. I want to be in the center of that plan.
4. I learned to be flexible. I must be willing to slash and dash, slice and dice what isn’t working in my novel. At first the edits hurt. Now, I find them fun. How can I make this sentence stronger? That emotion clearer? It’s like a captivating treasure hunt. Life’s like that, too. So things aren’t going my way today – what is God showing me? Where’s that nugget of truth I need to find?
5. I learned to let things go. I learned to cut the things that didn’t work in my story and let them go. Letting them go liberated my story. In life, letting go of the things that “so easily entangle us” is true freedom.
6. I learned to never, never quit. If God gives you a job to do, He will equip you to do it. By the time I’d readied my novel for submission I was sick of it and full of doubt regarding whether or not the work was good enough, I wanted to give up and walk away. But God gave me the grace to face the pages each day and make them come alive. It’s that way with Him in my day to day life, too. I’m often overwhelmed at the prospect of facing my responsibilities, and yet, He always gives me the grace to get through to the other side. I truly believe that people who succeed aren’t necessarily the most talented ones, but the ones who don’t quit. Talent is nothing without perseverance.
7. I learned to enjoy the journey. Writing novels is a blast. I’m determined to enjoy each moment. Sometimes when I’m driving in my car I think, “Wow, I have an awesome life. I get to write. I get to do what I was born to do! Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, God!”   
8. I learned to remain teachable. I love to teach but what I love more is to learn. There’s always more to learn. I believe that novels aren’t static. I think there’s a way to make them better even after they’re published. I’m actually hoping my novel is accepted simply because of all the things I want to learn to get to the next level of being a better writer. I think being teachable in life is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.
9. I learned to think outside the box. Donald Maas taught me this truth in his wonderful books on writing. There are tons of great books out there that will teach you how to create awesome stories. Reading good fiction books also teaches me. Sometimes I outline a good book so I can see the rhythm of it. The “what ifs” of creating a story never end. Nothing’s too crazy. Life is the same. I’m convinced there are always creative solutions out there if only we’ll jump out of our little box and go looking for them.
10. I learned it takes a village to write a novel. I can’t list all the amazing people I’ve learned from through the years. They’re innumerable. Some of them include Dr. Dennis Hensley, Randy Ingermanson, Colleen Coble, Cara Putman, and many, many more. ACFW is a huge blessing to me. My family’s willingness to do without a Mom for several hours a day and their support is something I never take for granted. Likewise, no one can do this thing called life alone. We all need help. Learning to accept that help is a huge lesson in humility.
11. I learned to take risks. Going to conference scared me. Meeting with a publisher and an agent was even scarier. Submitting my manuscript for criticism to a published author frightened me more. If I’d stayed hidden at home in my safe little corner, terrified and pitiful, my novel would still be sitting inside my computer, useless. Sometimes when I take risks there’s a voice that says, “Who do you think you are?”  One obstacle after another tries to block my progress, but I manage with God’s grace to smash through the barriers and carry on. Often in my life, that voice (we know where such snarkiness comes from don’t we?) reminds me of my past, of my mistakes and mocks me still – “Who do you think you are?” I’ll tell you who I think I am. I’m a writer on a mission from God. I’m a saved, redeemed, blood-bought, whiter-than-snow, bold woman of the Most High God. Watch out devil, here I come.
12. I learned to pray, pray, pray. I learned I became a better writer when I spent time praying and asking for God’s help. Not only in my quiet time, but during the process. “What do you want me to write here, Lord? I need a good idea. Lord, what now? Oh God, please anoint me to write this, give me Your Words.” Christian writers are blessed for the Author Himself whispers in their ear. Christians are blessed to have the Shepherd guiding them day to day. All we need do is ask.

There are countless other things I’ve learned on this journey of becoming being a writer. What about you? What have you learned? Where do you write? When? I’m curious and want to know!

Are You Ready for Criticism?

              Imagine the following scenario. At long last your best novel manuscript to date has overcome all the hurdles: the writing, the revising, query letters, proposals, more polishing, acquisition committees, contract negotiations, and finally reaches the Big Day—your novel’s release! With boundless joy you announce the wonderful news to friends, family, neighbors, even the guy at the 7-Eleven on the corner.

And then, like multiple bullets to your heart, unknown strangers begin taking online (or in print) potshots at your book. “The characters aren’t fully developed.” “Some of the scenes fall flat.” “Insufficient tension.” “Too religious.” “More Christian propaganda disguised as a suspense novel.”

You might think, “Well, sure, those things happen to other people’s books. But I’m carefully writing and polishing mine.” Guess again. In fact, let’s pause and count all the books in the history of the world that pleased and excited absolutely every reader. Are you ready for this? The answer is—zero. From God’s inspired Word and trickling down to every other book in the history of the planet, virtually every published book has faced critics who found fault.

Admittedly, when you’ve poured months or years into a writing project, when you imbued it with your own emotions, when you sparked fictional characters to life and lived with them in your imagination, it can hurt to have someone type a review that basically says, “What a worthless effort. Better luck next time. And leave out the religious stuff.” Such reactions are like waiting nine months for your child to be born and then having total strangers walk up and say, “Your kid has big ears and a stupid-looking grin.”

Literary criticism is inevitable. It is going to happen. It’s simply impossible to please every reader. Here is a real-life example. My friend Jim Rubart’s best-seller Rooms has reaped many glowing reviews on Amazon. “Fantastic novel,” says one reader. “More than a 5,” shouts another. And then comes, “Ultimately, though, it was disappointing. The writing itself is not very strong: too many short, choppy sentences (if they can be called such), too many fragments, awkward phrasing in droves, etc.” Here’s another example: In his novel Defiance, Don Brown (another friend, by the way) continues his Navy Justice series about JAG officer Zack Brewer. One reviewer exclaims, “Brown is defiant to write a book I don't like yet!” and awards it five stars. Another labeled the same novel “Evangelical subterfuge” and pegged it with one meager star.

So what can a writer do to avoid getting negative criticism? Nothing. Except stop writing. In fact, regardless of how well a story by a Christian writer is crafted, it will garner criticism simply due to its Christian worldview, even if it’s not “preachy.” This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Jesus Christ was criticized and crucified by those who didn’t like His message. If He were to come today instead of 2,000 years ago, I suspect elements in our “tolerant” society would treat Him and His sermons in about the same way.

So, dear writer, don’t be shocked or offended when antagonists jab literary spears into your book. Simply do your best for God and follow the inspirations that He gives you!

Closing thought: Do you have a personal strategy for coping with criticism? Or perhaps you find encouragement in a Bible character who did right—and still felt the sting of critics?
Rick Barry