Have you ever read a book that affected you so much that you think about it for days after finishing it? Have you ever mourned ending a book or the death of a character in a book you are reading or have just finished reading? I have to say until this past weekend that has never happened to me. I love reading and have read my fair share of books, but none have touched/affected me as much as the one I just finished.

What is the book you ask? It’s My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I even had a discussion about it with a clerk at my local bookstore this past weekend. We both felt the same way once we’d finished reading it.

I don’t want to give anything away so I won’t, but I will say the characters seemed real and had real problems – not the glossy kinds but ones that every day men and women faced. I think that’s why readers and getting hooked on her books. I am planning on going to see the movie this weekend. I’m not sure what to expect but I will be bringing tons of Kleenex with me.

Smart Bitches Trashy Books along with Sony and Harlequin are offering 30 lucky readers from Canada and US the chance to test out some refurbished Sony ereaders. You’ll have the device for 60 days to try out and report back to them about it. Also Harlequin is offering a $25 gift certificate to all testers. In the end you can’t keep the device you will need to send it back, but for those who have never used one and are curious to try one out this might be perfect for you.

For all the details click here 

It’s funny I read a few older books lately. One of them was an anthology of Barbara Delinsky’s romance titles from 1982-1983. Now it’s not that long ago but boy have we ever changed in a lot of way. I don’t just mean in the way we dress but in what we write about.

I noticed that Ms Delinsky’s never was descriptive in her sex scenes. Maybe authors didn’t have the freedom and/or encouragement they have nowadays to describe everything. Her writing still left me feeling that the Hero and Heroine having sex was more than just getting it on.

Something else I noticed was the omission of pregnancy precautions and condoms. It’s not like they didn’t exist back then. AIDS also existed back then, but it was also something that no one talked about. Now it’s imperative to have a condom in a sex scene if the couple isn’t trying to have child. Its funny but it hit me as being careless, not having a condom mentioned in the books with potential of consequences.

Does this mean I’ll stop reading books that aren’t from this century? Heck no. Those were some of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

You got to love an author who speaks her mind and doesn’t care what people have to say or think about it. That’s Nora Roberts. Well at least that’s what I get from interviews I’ve read about her.

Did you know that 27 copies of her books are sold every minute? That’s incredible. She sells more than any other author. Do I want to be her when I grow up as a writer? Part of me would love to say yes, but the larger and more realist part of me says no. I don’t have the personality to take on such high pressure. Plus I’d rather be me.

If you want to learn more about the author read the recent article from the New Yorker. Here is a link. It’s a great article.

Some authors have all the luck and some really don’t where covers are concerned. If you think a cover doesn’t matter, you are dead wrong. You can have the biggst and best marketing for a book but if you have a bad cover BN, Chapters-Indigo and Borders will refuse to carry your book.

I have to say as a reader covers make a huge impact on me. If a cover grabs my attention I’ll pick it up and read the back blurb, no matter who the author is. About 50% of my book purchases of new authors to me are because I picked up their books in a bookstore because their cover caught my eye.

Here are two examples of great Historical Romance covers

I have to say I love the cover for IF HE’S SINFUL. They have given the reader some good eye candy. It is sure to grab the attention of readers. Ms Grasso’s cover for MARRYING THE MARQUIS is just as great. I love the fall colors, it gives it more of a tender feeling. I’m looking forward to both winter releases.

As for my cover, I’ve heard from booksellers and readers that they love it. However they don’t like the back of it. The print is too dark to be read easily. My publisher said they might be changing that with my next print run.

So has a cover influence you into purchasing a book you had no intention of purchasing in the first place?

I never realized how much I depended on my internet connection at home until it was gone. Isn’t that how it always is, you miss what you don’t have.

In the past few weeks I’ve been having trouble connecting online consistently and staying online for a long time. Last night was the worst. I had to call my service provider only to find out that my phone (which is used for my high speed internet) is either strained again. I have had to get someone to come and see about my phone line 3 times now since I bought my home. I’m hoping this visit will be the last one. Then I can get back to surfing the net at my leisure.

I am Bloody Word bound this weekend. The Mystery/Crime writers of Canada are hosting a conference this weekend in my home town. They will have more technical and specialist workshops. So we’ll be talking with CSI, Drs and Cops. It’s going to be so much fun.

The other conferences I usually attend have more workshops about the craft of writing with some expert workshops. So I’m looking forward to the change.

Hey coffee lovers don’t forget today is Camp Day at Tim Horton’s. So instead of getting your caffeine fix at Starbucks go to Tim Horton’s and help send an under privileged child to camp.

How can one cup of coffee help really? Well last year Camp day raised $9 million ($8.8 Millions US). That helped 14,000 kids go to camp. How about that kind of impact from buying 1 cup of coffee? I’d say that’s pretty darn good.

For more information about Camp Day or to find a location near you Click Here