Reading Update and Got a New iPhone

So… I finally broke down and bought a new iPhone SE (3rd generation). So far I’m okay with it. It’s not all that different from my old SE (except it doesn’t reboot all the time and the battery seems to work a whole lot better!). I have to get use to the feel of it until my case comes in, which I hope makes it easier to pick up and hold. It just feels way too fragile now.

I also had to order some adapters so I can use my head phones (I like the ones I have when walking) and the aux jack in the car. I could probably hook up the phone via blue tooth in the RAV4 (it’s a 2017)—can’t on my Xterra (a 2010)—but I don’t want to confuse the RAV4 on which iPhone to link with. Better to just use the jack. I know how to use that!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 26

Dates read: May 12-17, 2023
Title: Forever
Year of publication: 2023
Author: J. R. Ward
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Lair of the Wolven #2
# of Pages: 433
Paper or plastic: Mass market paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book: For Lydia Susi, there is no sweet sorrow in saying goodbye to the man she loves. As a wolven hiding among humans, she became used to being alone—until destiny gave her the kind of love she didn’t dare hope for. But then came a devastating diagnosis that ended all her dreams. Grief is the only thing she sees in her future now.
    As an operative for a clandestine arm of the U.S. government, Daniel Joseph always expected to die an early death. He just assumed it would be out in the field…not in a hospital bed in an underground lab. With his time running out, he refuses a potentially lifesaving treatment to focus on making sure that Lydia finds her wolven clan.
    Following an attack on the lab’s compound, Daniel fears his former boss is coming after him and Lydia. Marshaling his strength, he must call on all his training to protect the female he loves…even if it means her moving on, without him.
My thoughts: Kind of wish I’d read book 1 again, because I was a little lost. My fault. Stuff doesn’t seem to stick in the brain like it used to. I hope book 3 comes out soon so I’m not lost reading that one. I like this series, and the way it ties into the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, but this book kind of ended on a cliff hanger. And I’m beginning to think that maybe the first one did too.

My brain is starting to get interested in writing again. I’m realizing several MORE things I need to fix in Ghostly Protector. Now I just have to open the document and get to it. Easier said than done, though. ***sigh***

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and Stuff

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. I even got to go walking this morning (first time since we returned from our cruise; first time at home this year, even). I think today was the first day I didn’t have something to do or someplace to go, too. It was kind of nice.

Today I also admitted defeat and ordered a new phone. My iPhone SE 1st generation was rebooting at least twice a day. So frustrating. And the battery (which I replaced a couple of years ago) would run down super fast! I just couldn’t rely on it any longer. At least I got my money’s worth. I’ve owned that thing since 2016.

I’ll be getting the iPhone SE 3rd generation, with lots of memory! Now I should be able to put all my music on that one and not worry about how many pictures I have on it, either. I expect to get it in the next couple of days.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 25

Dates read: May 6-11, 2023
Title: Lassiter
Year of publication: 2023
Author: J. R. Ward
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #21
# of Pages: 464
Paper or plastic: Hardcover
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book: Lassiter, the fallen angel, is too good at the savior business. In his new role overseeing the fates of all vampires, he’s influenced outcomes he shouldn’t have—so the Creator is calling him home. But the angel has a reason to stay in Caldwell. He’s bonded with a mysterious female who seemed to appear from out of nowhere…and has powers that defy all reason.
    Rahvyn is well aware that she doesn’t belong in the present. And she never intended to stay, for her true place is in the past. Lassiter proves to be undeniable, however, and she lets herself fall for the angel—until a secret he’s been keeping is revealed and she fears that for him, it’s not about love, but duty.
    As the Omega’s son reestablishes the Lessening Society, and the Brotherhood must resume the deadly war, an unfathomable tragedy occurs. In the aftermath, Rahvyn has to decide whether to stay and help—or save herself from an immortal heartbreak she knows will crush her very soul…
My thoughts: So nice to get back into a world I love. And I’ve been waiting for Lassiter’s story for quite a while. I was not disappointed.

While I was ordering my new phone, our provider (AT&T) looked over our bill. And they found ways to lower our costs, too. Of course, part of that discount is to get paperless billing. That is really hard for me to give up. I realized today that our cable company hasn’t sent us a paper bill since March 2020! We auto pay and right now I have no idea what we’ve been auto paying for. If they’ve been sending us a bill, it has to be going to Hubby (where they’re probably lost in his e-mails). This is what I’m afraid will happen with the phone bill. I really HATE paperless billing.

Oh, and did you know AAA no longer has Tour Books? I went there last Saturday to get one on California only to find out it’s all on line instead. Ugh.

I really hate the digital age. Mainly because I know how fragile it is.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Reading Update and My Phone

Still at sea. Will arrive in Cabo San Lucas tomorrow morning. And then it’s four more sea days until we end up in Seattle. I’m going to savor every minute!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 20

Dates read: April 22-24, 2023
Title: A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder
Year of publication: 2018
Author: Dianne Freeman
Genre: Historical cozy mystery
Series: Countess of Harleigh Mystery #1)
# of Pages: 227
Paper or plastic: Nook book
How obtained: Got free from being a B&N member
Blurb from Goodreads: In this exciting historical mystery debut set in Victorian England, a wealthy young widow encounters the pleasures—and scandalous pitfalls—of a London social season . . .
    Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, enjoys more freedom as a widow than she did as a wife. After an obligatory year spent mourning her philandering husband, Reggie, she puts aside her drab black gowns, leaving the countryside and her money-grubbing in-laws behind. With her young daughter in tow, Frances rents a home in Belgravia and prepares to welcome her sister, Lily, arriving from New York—for her first London season.
    No sooner has Frances begun her new life than the ghosts of her old one make an unwelcome appearance. The Metropolitan police receive an anonymous letter implicating Frances in her husband’s death. Frances assures Inspector Delaney of her innocence, but she’s also keen to keep him from learning the scandalous circumstances of Reggie’s demise. As fate would have it, her dashing new neighbor, George Hazelton, is one of only two other people aware of the full story.
    While busy with social engagements on Lily’s behalf, and worrying if Reggie really was murdered, Frances learns of mysterious burglaries plaguing London’s elite. The investigation brings death to her doorstep, and Frances rallies her wits, a circle of gossips, and the ever-chivalrous Mr. Hazelton to uncover the truth. A killer is in their midst, perhaps even among her sister’s suitors. And Frances must unmask the villain before Lily’s season—and their lives—come to a most unseemly end . . .
My thoughts: I was given a choice of five books awhile back from B&N to pick for free. I’m never one to balk on free, and of the five, this looked the most fun. And it was a fun book to read. But I’m still not fond of first person (which is why I don’t read a lot of mysteries) and historicals throw me (I have no idea what fashion was like in 1899 London), so I probably won’t bother reading more in this series. If you’re fond of cozy mysteries, though, give this one a try.

I’m beginning to think my phone is reaching its end life (I have the iPhone SE). I got it in 2016, so I guess it was time. Then again, it could be the internet on this cruise is messing with it. If it continues to act up once I get home, I may have to face the inevitable: time to buy a new phone. And I really HATE having to buy a new phone. It’s such a racket, isn’t it?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and I got a new Phone

First off… I realized I never told you what I thought about “Arrival” (the movie I went to see on Black Friday). I left the theatre a little bewildered and wondered if Hubby and Daughter enjoyed the flick. I found it funny that they both loved it. Okay, whew. But me? I liked it, but didn’t quite get it. At least, not until I discussed it with Hubby and Daughter. It is a thought-provoking flick, that’s for sure. And very quiet. Really. QUIET. Hubby liked how “real” it seemed—like that’s what we could expect upon first contact.

Here’s what I read the past week:

November 25: “The Chemist” by Stephenie Meyer, a thriller at 518 pages. Blurb from book: She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning. Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon. When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires makes her situation even more dangerous. Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talent in ways she never dreamed of. I don’t know how Stephenie Meyer does it, but she managed to get me obsessed with another book. I did not want to put this one down. I’ve read some snarky reviews that compare the main character to Jason Bourne, but I didn’t see it. I thought it was well written. Enough so, the characters stayed in my head long after I had finished.

November 29: “Switching Hour” by Robyn Peterman, Magic & Mayhem Book One, a paranormal comedy novella at 116 pages. Blurb from book: Released from the magic pokey and paroled with limited power is enough to make any witch grumpy. However, if you throw in a recently resurrected cat, a lime-green Kia and a sexy egotistical werewolf, it’s enough to make a gal fly off the edge. Not to mention a mission…with no freaking directions. So here I sit in Asscrack, West Virginia trying to figure out how to complete my mysterious mission before All Hallow’s Eve when I’ll get turned into a mortal. The animals in the area are convinced I’m the Shifter Whisperer (whatever the hell that is) and the hotter than asphalt-in-August werewolf thinks I’m his mate. Now apparently I’m slated to save a bunch of hairy freaks of nature? If they think I’m the right witch for the job, they’ve swallowed some bad brew. I enjoyed Robyn’s first book so much (which was a contemporary), I’ve been trying her paranormal stuff. The first book in the vampire series ended on a cliffhanger and I gave that up. At least this one doesn’t do that, although the story is clearly the beginning of a series. Thing is, I’m not so sure I want to read any more. It’s possible I just don’t get her humor (I apparently don’t get a lot of people’s humor), but it might have helped if I liked the main character more.

Monday was a busy day for me. I was at the fitness center for a little over four hours doing my best to be seen with my books (a couple of ladies showed interest, so not too shabby). Then I headed to the mall to get new iPhones for me and Daughter. I’m glad I made an appointment for 3:30. I could have waited for hours and I was meeting friends for dinner at six.

Both of our iPhone 5s were unreliable, what with the battery draining too quickly or not charging sufficiently. Now we’re owners of the iPhone SE (hers in slate grey because—BLACK, mine in rose gold because—PINK) and our old covers even fit (no new expense there). It’s been a pain getting the phone set up, though. I have to upload all my apps again, then log into them (and hope to remember the passwords!). And then OCD me has to have them in the same order as before.

This is why I hate changing phones. TOO MUCH WORK!

Oh wait. Daughter said she knows how to copy old phone data to new phone. We’ll see. Regardless, I hope to own this phone a good long time, since it’s not a hand-me-down.

So… How’s your reading coming along? Do you read more during this time of the year? I think I do. It’s not like you can go outside and play in the dark. Well, you can, but it’s COLD out there! Plus, it’s DARK! J

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Video and Pictures from my Cruise

Apparently nothing can be easy. I plugged in my iPhone to my computer and couldn't see it anywhere (no D drive, no nothing). I even made sure to open the phone (because I have made THAT mistake before). So I unplugged the device and plugged it back in (you know, like rebooting the system--isn't that was all the computer techs say to do?). That's when I saw the little notification pop up saying to click here to see what to do with the device. I must have missed it the first time and when that notification disappears, forget about finding it again! So frustrating.

Ahhh, but then I get frustrated easily with electronics. They don't always like me so much.

Anyway, here's the video I promised of the tide coming in (Nassau, Bahamas). Afterward, I realized I didn't have to go to all the trouble of putting it on YouTube. I probably could have just uploaded it from my computer. I'll try to remember that the next time I film something. Of course, by then it'll probably change again. Ain't that always the case?

Here are some pictures I took. If you click on the photo, it should enlarge.

This sign cracked me up!

 This was our ship (taken at Freeport, Bahamas)

Took a panoramic view of Paradise Island (Nassau, Bahamas) from our ship. That is Atlantis off to the right.

Normal view, with Atlantis off to the right.

While on Paradise Island, we stopped for some ice cream. This isn't the FIRST time we've visited this particular store, either. Found it two years ago. Glad it was still there!

Football Update:

• High School: We made it to the game in plenty of time and promptly froze our faces off (temps dropped into the 30s and it was windy!). But it was worth it. Wayne easily won (55-10). We play in the Region 3 finals next week, back in London, OH. Whoo hoo!
• College: OSU Buckeyes were awesome again. And my USC Trojans even helped by beating the #4 team (yay!!). With Clemson (#2) and that team up north (#3) also losing, OSU moved up to #2! Yay!!!
• NFL: Rams won! But the Steelers lost. Gah! I just want to kick them. Stupid errors (penalties). Stupid plays. They could have won that game, but they were STUPID!

So… Do you like the beach? If so, do you have a favorite? When I lived 5 miles from the beach (growing up in Southern California), I didn’t visit so much. Now that I’m miles and miles away, I wish I were closer. Guess it just makes me appreciate it more when I do get to visit.

Happy Monday!

Stacy

Happy Halloween! And My Calendar Works!

As I was looking at my iPhone yesterday morning, I noticed the notification for the Bengals game said it started at 9:30 am.

9:30 am? Not 8:30 am?

I stared at this for several moments to make sure it was actually coming from my calendar instead of from ESPN (because the game started at 9:30). I opened my calendar app and sure enough, the game times for all my sports teams were CORRECT!

I don’t know how it happened, but YAY! My calendar now works. All is good with the world.

For now. J

 

Apparently my Halloween spirit comprises of music videos. This one is fun. Hope you enjoy it, because… BEETLEJUICE!

 

Weekend sports update:

• High School Football: As I already reported on Friday, Wayne won on Thursday. They ended up being #1 in their Region (I believe this is a FIRST) and will play the #8 team (Lancaster, OH) on Friday at home. Yay!
• College Football: USC Trojans also played on Thursday and won! And OSU Buckeyes squeaked by one on Saturday (whew!).
• NHL: Penguins beat the Flyers on Saturday in what seemed to be a rather exciting 3rd period (3 goals in 55 seconds by the Pens!). Sure wish I could watch the games, but I refuse to pay for the NHL package for just one team (and moving to Pittsburgh isn’t all that feasible, either—although I’ve thought about it!).
• NFL: Rams and Steelers were both on a bye week. Figures. Couldn’t they have had different bye weeks? And the Bengals game ended on a tie. I just had to laugh at that game (I’m not a “true” fan, but I will root for them most of the time).

 

In case you were interested… All Romance Ebooks is having a Halloween 50% rebate sale that ends today. Lots of books to choose from (including MINE!).

 

I’m getting an eye exam today. The doctor will dilate my eyes, which means I can pretty much forget about writing, or reading. But at least I’ll get new glasses out of this (my right eye has been twitching, which usually tells me I need a new prescription). I hate my current pair, and have since I got them two years ago. I was just too cheap to get them replaced until now.

So… Do you wear glasses? How often do you replace the frames? And if you don’t wear glasses (or contacts)… lucky you!

Happy Spooky Monday! Oh, and did you notice? My 13th post for the month!!!

Stacy

99-cent Sale

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to purchase/read Ghostly Liaison, how does 99 cents sound? That’s right. The ebook is on sale. I don’t know how long the sale will last, so don’t wait too long. You can find the buy links on the Ghostly Liaison page (tab, up top) or click on the cover over on the side bar.

I voted early. Wow. That was super easy and super nice. No lines! Just wish I didn’t have to go downtown to do it, but at least they validated the parking. But I’m done. My votes are in. Now, if I can only stop the commercials. Ugh.

More baffling discoveries regarding my iPhone calendar. I’ve taken the phone to AT&T, but they don’t know what’s wrong (apparently all my settings are correct). I was at the Apple Store yesterday, but couldn’t wait the hour to see someone (who knew they’d be so busy??). When I got home I decided to do an experiment. I created a test appointment on my laptop calendar (Yahoo).

It went over to my iPhone correctly.

What?????

I made an appointment on my iPhone. It went over to the laptop correctly.

Okay, apparently just my sports games are all screwed up. So… I deleted them all on the laptop calendar. Then I deleted the Yahoo calendar on my iPhone. Next I added all my sports games on the laptop calendar. Then I turned the Yahoo calendar back on.

All the sports game times show up an hour earlier on my iPhone, but my test appointments are correct!!

Ugh!

Guess I’ll be making that trip to the Apple store after all. It’s just doesn’t make sense.

YAWN!! I’ve been staying up way too late watching the Dodgers play in the NLCS. I’ve never EVER been a Cubs fan—blame WGN—so if they happen to win, I’ll be an Indians fan during the World Series. I really hope the Dodgers win, though. I grew up loving that team. I didn’t become a fan of the Reds until 1976 (loved Johnny Bench), long before I ever met my future husband or even thought we’d move to Ohio. Funny how that worked out, huh?

Hey, but at least the Penguins won last night. Yay!

So… Whatcha doing this weekend? I’m meeting some writer friends on Saturday. Should be fun.

Happy Friday!

Stacy

Happy Columbus Day and I’ve Got Some Gripes

It’s Columbus Day! Are you off work today? Hubby has to work, so it’s a normal weekday for me.

Heck, I don’t remember the last time we actually got Columbus Day off. Probably when we worked for the military.

A long time ago.

But I remember when it used to be a school holiday. I don’t think it’s that anymore, either (at least not here). Think we have too many holidays? Or not enough?

I have a gripe today. A gripe with my iPhone. Or more precisely, my Yahoo calendar on my iPhone.

For some strange reason it still thinks I’m in Central time (I’m not. I’m in Eastern). All my “appointments” (which are actually game times) are listed an hour earlier than they’re supposed to be. I’ve tried re-booting my phone. I’ve tried deleting the calendar, rebooting the phone, then adding the calendar back. I’ve tried forcing the time zone on and off. Nothing is working.

The Yahoo calendar on my laptop is correct, though. It shows I’m in the Eastern zone. So why is my iPhone not syncing up correctly? It has the correct time zone!!!

It’s so baffling and frustrating.

The only good thing is I get an hour’s notice when a game is about to start.

I have the new IOS 10, but I believe this problem existed before I upgraded. In fact, I believe it started when we drove back from Denver. For some reason my phone got stuck. I had issues syncing my Fitbit (it kept showing Central time) and the first reboot fixed that (thank goodness).

I’ve tried searching the internet for help, but everything is from years ago. Nothing recent. Can I be the only one having this problem?

That would be my kind of luck.

I also have another gripe. This one with Yahoo (I’m beginning to notice a theme here) and IE11. For some reason myYahoo thinks I’m on an older version of IE. myYahoo works fine on Edge and Chrome (except I don’t like either), so I don’t know what’s going on. Very frustrating. My screen is all screwed up (can’t get my theme to work correctly). Grrr…

I’d use Edge all the time (especially now that the picture doesn’t shake—yes, it did that before), but I can’t figure out how to show what websites I’ve visited recently. There’s no little down arrow over to the right of the URL (or anywhere I can see). I use that down arrow all the time on IE. Why Edge got rid of it, I’ll never know. 

Unless I’m just blind and it’s there. If that’s the case, can you enlighten me?

Football Update:

• High School: Wayne won!
• College: Ohio State won! USC Trojans won!
• NFL: Steelers won! Rams… didn’t win. Okay, guess I can’t win them all. L

Good news! 3 days till PENGUINS HOCKEY! Yay! It’s getting to be a busy sports season (by the way, I’m rooting for the Dodgers in the World Series hunt).

So… Do computer programs/apps/what-have-you make you crazy? I probably wouldn’t have such issues with them if they didn’t update so darn often! Ugh.

Happy Monday!

Stacy

More Dragon Con Pictures and iPhone Issues

Not much more to show, picture-wise. On Monday I got pics of Brett Dalton (Grant Ward on "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.") and William Shatner.

Both panels were great (and I was in the 2nd row for Brett's panel!). Besides being very pretty, Brett is quite funny (who knew?). I realized the other day that he could be my character Rob from Ghostly Liaison. That smile… so swoon worthy! My pictures just don’t do him justice (or maybe I'll just blame the camera!).

 

 

William Shatner was asked about “Better Late Than Never.” Have you seen that show yet? I haven’t, but I am curious now. He stars in that series with Terry Bradshaw, George Foreman, and Henry Winkler. Said he made a bucket list during filming:

#1. Catch a pass from Terry Bradshaw.

#2. Box in the ring with George Foreman.

#3. Get Henry Winkler to make him laugh.

He managed to scratch off all three items! It took several tries and lots of dropped balls, but he managed to catch a pass. He said while in the boxing ring, he took several jabs at George without any kind of reaction. George bopped him one in the chest and he went flying on his ass! Yes, this made him happy! And Henry told him a joke, which made him laugh and he shared it with us (which I'm not re-telling exactly here, but as close as I can remember):

There was this old woman, with wrinkly, sagging skin. She asked God if she had time to get a face lift. God told her she had plenty of time and to go for it. So she spent months in the hospital getting her face lifted. When it was all done, she looked years younger. Happy with the results, she left the hospital and promptly got hit by a bus. When she met up with God later, she complained. “You said I had time. Why did I die?”

He exclaimed, “Oh my God! I didn’t recognize you!”

So, did that make you laugh, too?

While at Dragon Con, the battery status on my iPhone became stuck at 100%. I had updated the software just prior to going to Atlanta. My daughter said she’d been having problems with the status saying she had 50% battery and then it died. I had that happen to me at 40%. It was when I charged it after that that it stayed at 100%.

I don’t know about you, but to me it’s like driving with a stuck gas gauge, except you don’t have the odometer to estimate how much juice you have left.

So every chance I got I kept the phone plugged in, because there were plenty of times where I wouldn’t have access to electricity (although I carried a battery charger with me). I could just imagine losing my phone while I was trying to tell Hubby or Daughter where they might find me in line (because I was in LOTS of lines).

Turned out, it must have been the magic of Dragon Con. By the time we left Atlanta on Tuesday, my status started decreasing. It works again! How accurate it is, I have no idea. But at least it hasn’t turned off at 41%. Yet.

So… What do you think about the iPhone 7 having no speaker jack? I’m thinking I won’t ever be getting another iPhone if that’s the way it’ll be. I’m not fond of blue tooth. It never works the way it should.

Have a great Friday!!

Stacy

I’m Not Lazy on Monday Morning, I’m Lazy on Sunday Night

Can’t rightly say LAZY, well, okay, I CAN because I AM, but if I don’t write Monday’s blog early on Sunday, it seems like it just doesn’t get written. And I didn’t write the post early Sunday because, well…

Seems I drank a LITTLE too much on Saturday night. That or I ate the wrong food. Whatever, it hit me around 2 am Sunday morning and wiped me out until noon.

Actually, I went to bed around 9:30 Saturday night because I couldn’t stay awake. I was really drunk and from only two drinks at dinner (I will never mix tequila and Grand Marnier again, if I EVER drink again—it was THAT bad). But when I went to bed, I was only feeling tired, not sick.

Anyway, all that really screwed up my Sunday. I didn’t want to write. I didn’t want to read. I didn’t want to do too much other than sleep. Then when the evening came (and I was able to eat an actual meal), the husband and I watched the first 7 episodes of Season 1 of NCIS. Kind of hard to write a post during that, too.

Anyway, now it’s Monday morning and I’m writing my post late, which I really didn’t have anything to write about until all that other crap happened. Haha! J

On Saturday, I did get upgraded to the iPhone 4. With the new plan with AT&T, we’re actually getting the service cheaper. It wouldn’t have cost me any different if I had used my basic phone or the smart phone, which is what I’d been balking at for the past year anyway—I didn’t want to pay extra for a data plan I didn’t really need. I don’t feel guilty owning a smart phone now and a cheaper phone bill is nice.

I am getting used to using my new phone. I added the Nike running app last night and used it for my walk this morning. Nice to know how far I’m actually walking (today: 3.88 miles in 1:10). Still haven’t posted anything to Facebook with it, or written an e-mail, but I have texted. Have to say, though… It is handy. I like checking my e-mails on it and seeing whether or not I NEED to get on my computer.

So… How was your weekend?

Stacy

 

I’m CAVING: One Smart Phone Coming Up

If I can't put my cover on my phone,
what good is the phone?

Yes, yes, yes. The day is finally arriving. This old woman is finally caving in and upgrading her 2004 (2006? Who knows!) Cingular One (yes, Cingular!) flip phone to an iPhone 4.

My husband brought one home last week for me to play with. I’ve added the Facebook app and my e-mail accounts and have been using free wi-fi to play around with it. I’m still not keen on it, but Dragon*Con is coming up (sssssooooonnnnn!!!!) and I kind of want to use their app. And maybe post pictures on Facebook as I take them.

Plus, I realized that I already take forever to send a text, so sending one on the iPhone will be just as slow, only in a different way (I really hate it when I can’t feel the keyboard). And the only person who ever really calls me is my husband, so it’s not like I’m talking on the thing all the time.

Of course, my wanting to upgrade has kind of back-fired on my husband. He’s been telling me for-ev-er (I swear, it feels that way) that I should get one. Thing is, he’s been using MY iTunes account (I have an iPod) for his own iPhone. Ooops.

So we have to resolve that first. I say he has to get his own account and figure out how to transfer everything over. We’re hoping he’ll be able to do that, because he doesn’t think my account will accommodate two iPhones. Hell, I don’t know why not. It already accommodates all my iPods (I have a classic and a shuffle), along with his iPhone. What’s another device?

Looks like we’ll be visiting AT&T tomorrow. And if they can’t help us, we’ll walk over to the Apple store around the corner. Someone’s gotta know. Their website certainly doesn’t tell us anything (or if the information is there, it’s hidden very well).

And for some super-duper good news… I got my first 5-star review HERE. And a fan! Sure made my week.

So… What are you up to this weekend? Hope it’s a goodie!

Stacy

 

Getting Busy with Promotion (or at least TRYING)

I’m getting ready for my next convention, which is Dragon*Con. No, I’m not going to be on any panels (I did request to be a guest and was graciously turned down), but they do have an area where people place their promotional stuff.

I was going to put some postcards of My Sunny Vampire on this table, but now I have two books (yay!), which meant making a decision. Should I create a postcard for Bite Me, I’m Yours OR should I create a postcard that has both books on it? After careful deliberation (and some much welcome feedback), I went with a postcard featuring both books. I contacted Maria Zannini (of Book Cover Diva) for some help and she came up with something my brain never would have dreamed about! What do you think of this postcard?



This is the front!



This is the back!

I think it will be eye-catching and hopefully will generate some interest in my books. Not that a lot of Dragon*Con fans are romance readers, but hey, some are! Like me!

Do any of you have problems finding stuff to read? Well, there are a couple of FREE ways you can find books to your liking. One is The Fussy Librarian. Just sign up for their daily newsletter, let them know the types of books you’re interested in, and each day you’ll receive a different list of books to your liking. I signed up because I planned on advertising and wanted to see what I would be getting for my six bucks. They only list books that have gotten good reviews, so if you request to advertise and your book doesn’t pass the test, you get your money back. Mine passed the test, and I was included in the July 6 newsletter, but alas, no sales. I’ll give it another try with my next book (or if My Sunny Vampire goes on sale). I have noticed some books that look interesting, but I really MUST stop buying! At least until I’ve dwindled down my stack of books to read.

Another other free way to find books is through the Novel Engagement app. Novel Engagement is a book discovery app, focused exclusively on romance novels, that helps readers discover new romance novels and connect with authors. You can download the following apps:

Apple Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/novel-engagement/id858586481?mt=8

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.RWA.gcm.push

Eventually, their website http://www.novelengagement.com will also feature this app (or whatever). I’m looking forward to that coming up so I can see what it looks like since I do not have a smart phone…yet.

But that may happen sooner than later. You see… My husband brought home an iPhone 4 so I can get used to using one. I only have myself to blame for this. I mentioned that I just MIGHT have to break down and get one, especially since they come in handy at conventions (using their apps to keep track of the panels) and I’d be able to communicate online easier (i.e. e-mail and Facebook) while away from my computer.

Hubby told me to get our daughter to help me load apps on the phone (which is only set up for wi-fi at the time, I will not upgrade my phone just yet). I called him a chicken, because he knows how much I just LOVE change! Hahaha! Yeah, that’s sarcasm there. He didn’t disagree.

So… How do you find books to read? Do you peruse bookstores (online or physical) or rely on word of mouth only?

 

Have a great Monday (if it's possible!)

Stacy