ANNOUNCEMENT

The last of my trilogy was published as an eBook about 6 months ago. My publisher recently contacted me with the news that my books are now available in paperback. They can be ordered through Amazon.

Friends of Scrapbook, Etc. is a trilogy that centers around craft shop called Scrapbook, Etc. The shop is in a small town outside of Memphis, TN.

For the next few posts I am going to leave blurbs about each book.

The first book,  A New Season:

School teacher, Wendy Sims', peaceful life with her son is interrupted by a troublesome dream and feeling of foreboding. She senses major changes are coming. To add to her anxiety, motorcycle officer, Jerrod Hill, appears at every turn. The last thing she wants in her life is another man who lives—or dies—taking risks. 

Her worst fears come true when Wendy's son disappears on the way to summer camp. Now she might have to trust Jerrod to help find her missing boy. How can they manage when the only clue comes from an eccentric child who claims he's seen a U.F.O.?

Follow the link (cut and paste) to the Amazon site to see the trilogy:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=toni+lamparter+mabry&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Atoni+lamparter+mabry

ARE FICTIONAL WORKS BASED ON REAL EXPERIENCES?

When I was in college, one of my favorite TV shows was the daytime soap, Another World. I wanted to be a writer so the fictional story surrounding Cory Publishing Company was always appealing. Felicia was the romance writer whose "real-life" adventures rivaled those in her novels.

People do occasionally ask me if my stories are based on real experiences. My answer is "yes" and "no." Most of my magazine articles have been biographical, usually based on travels or my experiences as a teacher. My books are part escapism, part therapy.

Take the trilogy I am working on now.  Wendy in A New Season is a school teacher. She does have a son and does rescue an abandoned dog.  All that is real. Even the experience where Wendy is pulled over by a traffic cop is based on reality. The rest is mostly fabrication, an interesting story.

You see that mixture with most authors. Louisa May Alcott's, Little Women, was fiction based on her own experiences growing up with her sisters. Even the father that left his family to fight in the war was much like the father who frequently abandoned his family to take care of other matters. The women, at a young age, learned to fend for themselves.

Why do authors mix fiction with their own experiences? We are taught to write about things we know. It gives the story a sense of authenticity. In some sense, writer let others know a little about themselves that they might not otherwise share. The writer becomes vulnerable. In that respect, writing can be a frightening thing.

KINDLE COLLECTION

In my last blog, I posted about my new computer, its size, and its usefulness.  Since my next 3 books will come out in ebook form, I needed a method for reading them.  For this reason I went to the Kindle For Computer link and downloaded Kindle onto my portable computer.

My Kindle application came with 4 books.  I immediately erased 3 of them.  I will probably never read the 4th, but it is such a classic, I kept it all the same.  As I searched a variety of sites, I found that I had a bookstore at my fingertips.  From my home I could now download almost any classic or public domain book for a matter of pennies and in most cases free of charge.  After reading, I could even delete it if I wanted.  Why would I ever go to a library again?

The newest best seller could now be purchased for 1/2 the price of a hardcover or paperback book and begin reading it in a matter of seconds.  Each page is crisp.  You can control the color of the paper (bright or dim) and even control the size of the print--great for someone with eyestrain.

The big jackpot for a cheapskate like me--many of the newer books are free, too.  If an author is trying to create a buzz about a new book, especially the 2nd or 3rd in a series, the first book is, at least for awhile, offered free of charge.  There are several services that will email you about Amazon and Kindle discounts.  Yesterday, I downloaded a book by Jerry Jenkins and Linda Goodnight,both well-known authors who have free book offers. 

I have heard of people who have collected hundreds of books on their Kindle in a very short time.  So far, I am being picky.  In a week's time I have only collected about 10, but I have been deleting the ones I don't like as well as keeping the ones I do.

I do miss turning the pages of a real book, but at least these don't get frayed.  I used to like the smell of the pulpy books, but lately I have become more sensitive to book mustiness.  I am sure I will always love the feel of a hardback in my hands, but ebooks have their place, too.

Here is where you can find the Kindle download:  www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/pc/download/

Mother's Day Escape

I spent some time at a bookstore this Mother's Day. I needed some time to escape my troubles and just relax--kick back in a fluffy armchair with a cup of java--and escape for awhile into a world that books offer.

That's the great thing about books. They are a very inexpensive way to escape.

I never know how to get rid of my books after reading them. After all, I read a lot of books. This is a store for recycled books that are in good shape. This bookstore will buy many of your old books and give you cash or store credit. Great, a responsible way to get rid of my old books! After all, they aren't doing anyone any good sitting on a bookshelf.

Everyone needs a respite and many of us are on a very tight budget. An escape to a bookstore for an hour to peruse their newest arrivals is just the beginning. Each spring I look forward to sitting on my deck in my favorite lawn chair, with a novel in hand. I have a tall glass of iced tea and my favorite tunes playing in the background. I traveled all over the world in that lawn chair last summer. Those hours were some of the best parts of the summer.

By the way I found a Michael Crichton hardback for summer reading.

Happy reading!