I hereby solemnly swear on the candy cauldron...

Last year I ended up ranting the day after Halloween, about adults who came around trick-or-treating. True they were with little kids, but carrying their own "loot bag" or bucket.


We live in one of those neighborhoods where everybody in town takes their kids to trick-or-treat. And that's fine. I like being a part of the festivities.


However. Tonight I'm going to be a mean old witch to those full-grown loot-seekers. Kids will be the only recipients here.


I swear it.


Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Say what you want about Facebook...

Plenty of people have plenty of complaints about Facebook: security/privacy issues, changes in formats, individuals who use it as a means to be rude/show off/be a friend ho/promote stuff.


Whatever.


You know what? I'm fine with Facebook. It's free, so who am I to complain when the admins change the format? I choose who my friends are--and have gotten vigilant about making sure they are people I 1)Like 2)Believe honestly like me back 3)Know aren't solely concerned with selling me stuff. (which makes me Not All That Worried About Privacy)


And you know what else? I've connected with a whole BUNCH of old friends. And that rocks. Really. Every time I make one of those connections, I'm all filled with happeh. I'm reasonably sure I wouldn't be in contact with most of them, if Facebook wasn't around. Go Social Network!


That is all. Have a fantabulous Friday. I plan to.


Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Freeloading

(no, this isn't another "old lady" rant, LOL)


One of my authors, Stephanie Haefner, spent a ton of time setting up a reader survey and then herding readers to complete it. Her results are in, and I found them interesting.


Interesting enough to link today's post to it and call it a blog. :)


Happy reading!


Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

The edge of reason

Sometimes when other people do things that really get me worked up, I wonder if it's a product of old age...


But then I think again and realize, no--the other people are just ridiculous and my workedupness is completely justified. :)


Take, for example, public-pajama-wearing.


What the blue hell?


No. Really... what the hell? Is it really too much trouble to grab some denim and slip it on? Do these people--particularly adults, although I'm never impressed with teenagers in pj's either--not realize how sloppy and lazy they look? Good God.


Standards, people. Have them. Maintain them.


And here's somebody's funny take on the subject.


Piper Denna
Romance is sexy! (fleece pajama pants at Kroger, notsomuch)

Clearing the Decks

I've made a decision.


This November I'm participating in NaNoWriMo. (for all you layfolk, that's National Novel Writing Month)


I probably won't be joining any of their groups, or going to any "write-ins". But I'm sure gonna try to bust out a novel.


And in order to focus on writing, I need to get All Caught Up (anybody know where I can buy those? LOL) on my editing projects. My ToDo list is long and detailed, but I'm thinking it might work!


Happy Friday!


Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Summer sales figures

Renee Rocco posted summer sales info for several books/genres on the Lyrical blog. Since I'm stone cold, flat-out busted for blog material of my own...


http://lyricalpress.blogspot.com/2011/10/sales-update-10162011.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FHBWUv+%28Lyrical+Press+Blog%29


Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Sharp. Very Sharp.

Husbandhead got a new atomic alarm clock this past week--one with lots of neat bells and whistles, such as displaying inside temperature, an outside remote thermometer, and it shows the moon phases, etc.  The outdoor sensor doesn't sense so well--or anyway, it doesn't do a good job of getting the info inside all the time, so it's going back where it came from (probably taped back up and stuck on the store shelf, LOL). But in helping get the thing set up, I read some pretty poor instructions.


Keep in mind, this is an upper end alarm clock, made by Sharp:


(as shown in the adove diagram)Note: no doves in diagram that I can see.
You should place the outdoor sensor within approx.Must've been too tough to spell out approximately 90 feet of the clock. Obsticles dunno what these are, but I bet they are sticky such as; semicolon? really? are they about to invade where they don't belong the way apostrophes have? walls, concrete and large metal objects can reduce the reinge. Well, hell. There's our problem. We've got walls around the outside of our damn house! No wonder our reinge sucks! Still doesn't explain why some days it's fine...But hey. Maybe if we put the alarm clock outside, near the sensor... Reception can also be determined by the materials in a building. Try some different areas to see where your sensor is best suited to send a clear signal to the clock. Wait approximately Wait. There was space aplenty to spell it out this time? Editor's note: They had more than 3/4 of a blank line at end of this paragraph, so it wasn't a space-saving move to abbreviate above. Maybe it's a "green" measure, to save ink? 15 minutes before permanetly Hm. Makes me wonder if our translator perhaps spelled this using phonics? Whatever the case, I think their proofreader should be sent on permanet leave. mounting to ensure that there is proper reception.


Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Things That Work

If you're going to walk or run for fitness, shoes aren't just important--they are Priority One. The wrong shoes can cause pain and seriously dampen motivation.


Now, the right shoes on the other hand... Well, let's just say the ones I got last weekend make me feel like flying around the neighborhood, and when I get home, nothing feels worn out or sore. I didn't see this commercial until I went looking for blog info, but it's pretty cute:





I'll probably think about those lil "buddies" every time I wear them out now. LOL


My son did have a pair, and so does my hubby. Hubby raved every night during our walk. So here's an image, and a direct link to the Reebok product info:













These shoes really are "like wow". Or, in the words of Napoleon Dynamite, "Freaking awesome! Gosh." Lightweight, comfy, and no shin splint pain! (and yes, I'm usually one of those perpetually injured, whiny speedwalkers) My last pair of shoes were a budget buy, and I'll honestly NEVER do that again.


Hubby wants to stock up and buy several pairs... I'm thinking he may be onto something.


Happy feet to ya!


Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Whatcha (not) Reading Wednesday

I'm having a really hard time with the book I'm attempting to read. It's got a great premise, and the author is quite popular. Its publisher is huge. The problem? I'm not sure--other than it appears to be poorly edited (lots of passive prose and repetitive phrases), the author headhops from one character's point of view to another from one paragraph to the next (not in itself a deal breaker, because Nora changes POV quite often and I'm always into her stories), and then there's the backstory. God, the backstory. I do like to have a wellrounded character I can really get to know. Thing is, I'd rather get to know them one at a time, and a little at a time as the story progresses. In this book, the author seems bent on introducing us to the characters' entire extended families--and I think I know why. This book is a Free Read. I'm wondering if it wasn't written solely to suck readers into these other characters and their stories. Not a bad marketing plan, really. But it needs to be done well.


Because honestly, I've got a lot of other things to do with my time (doesn't everyone?). And it's a whole lot easier to justify deleting a free ebook and moving on to something better, than it is with one I've paid for.


Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Inspiration

This is one of my favorite videos of all time. I used to have it on my computer as a Powerpoint show...and I used to get up and watch it first thing, every morning. It still gives me goosebumps, and that warm-yet-shivery feeling of awe.


Perfect music, with amazing pictures, to inspire.


A Place Called Earth





Enjoy!


Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Today I posted acquisitions on the LPI blog, and talked a bit about how even some of the most staunchly determined Big-6-or-Bust authors are now coming around to the possibilities of self-pubbing or going with a smaller press. One of the best comments I've seen on this topic was along the lines of, "The whole point of writing is so other people can read what you wrote. Self-publishing or epublishing accomplishes that, whereas waiting for your big break does not." Another point came up--even if an author sold her newest manuscript, all those others currently residing in Rubbermaid homes under the bed/on her hard drive, would still stay right there. So she might as well go for it and at least get those earlier books out there.


I love the way this is going!


Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Another project releases--Stalking Shade

Another of the books I edited--this one my first foray into urban fantasy and vampires, oh my!--releases today from Lyrical Press. LK Below is a very diverse author--from fairy tales to urban fantasy to romance (and a little bird told me she also writes YA), she can do it all, and well.


Stalking Shade, by LK Below

When the leader of Lori's secret organization goes missing, her life starts to fall apart.

Lori is a member of the Order, a secret organization with an invincible leader, or so she believes--until he disappears. Their mission is all about protecting him, the Spenta Michos, and the Order degenerates into chaos once he's gone.

Lori is determined to find him, with or without the support of the other members. But a madman shadows her every move, and she can barely keep herself out of the growing pile of victims. To make matters worse, she has to deal with a persistent faux-vampire who seems to think she's meant for him. 

How can she save the leader of her religion when she can barely protect herself?

Piper Denna

Romance is sexy!