Christine Duncan's Posts - CrimeSpace2024-03-28T20:38:21ZChristine Duncanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/ChristineDuncanhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/60989319?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://crimespace.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=1250aceol0urg&xn_auth=noE-books--Explainedtag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-06-05:537324:BlogPost:1442822008-06-05T20:04:36.000ZChristine Duncanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/ChristineDuncan
So what the heck is an e-book? Oh come on! You’ve got some—I’d almost guarantee it. It’s a book in electronic format (Html, mobipocket, Palm or Adobe to name a few). It could be fiction or non-fiction—pretty much anything you can read in paper books. Still don’t think you’ve got one? I’d be surprised. Many computer and software companies are putting their manuals in e-format. My last mp3 player did that too.<br />
But e-books are more than that. You don’t have to read them on your computer. You can…
So what the heck is an e-book? Oh come on! You’ve got some—I’d almost guarantee it. It’s a book in electronic format (Html, mobipocket, Palm or Adobe to name a few). It could be fiction or non-fiction—pretty much anything you can read in paper books. Still don’t think you’ve got one? I’d be surprised. Many computer and software companies are putting their manuals in e-format. My last mp3 player did that too.<br />
But e-books are more than that. You don’t have to read them on your computer. You can read them on your palm organizer, an I-phone, or a dedicated e-book reader like the Sony e-book reader, the Amazon Kindle or the Fictionwise eBookwise (This one is much cheaper than the other two (<a href="http://www.fictionwise.com/servlet/mw?&cache=eBookwisecom&t=cache">Fictionwise</a>). There are more devices coming out all of the time. Or you can read it on your laptop, if you want.<br />
Now as to WHY you might want to read e-books—here’s one reason. Let’s say you like to read in bed at night, but your spouse complains about the light. E-book devices are often backlit so that you don’t need a bedside lamp. You get to read and your spouse gets to sleep. Not a bad deal.<br />
And the stuff you get to read? Anything from bestsellers to the newest most innovative authors. You choose. Sites like Amazon, Fictionwise, Mobipocket and Palm have more books than you can read in a lifetime with new books coming out every day. Just like paper books—in fact many of them are e-versions of the paper books you’ve been dying to read..<br />
And get this—e-books are usually cheaper than paper books—sometimes much cheaper..<br />
Another reason why you might want to read e-books? Well, they’re wonderful when you’re traveling. All you have to do is take your phone or your reader with you. It can be loaded with a bunch of books—books that you would normally have to have your muscleman significant.other carry. Books that normally would get you a surcharge on the airplane. All the books you want in one small package—a package you probably would carry with you anyway. .<br />
Oh but your eyes get tired reading off a computer. Except with a dedicated e-reader device, you can change the contrast, and bump up the size of the font, (Yeah, that’s right -no reading glasses, if you don’t feel like messing with them—or you left them home next to your favorite chair.)<br />
Sounds great, you say. But you get most of your books from the library. That’s wonderful. Many libraries have subscriptions to Netlibrary which means you can borrow e-books for free.<br />
Think about it. E-books are great for the environment—for your pocketbook, for your marriage even. Try one! Shoot try mine! <a href="http://www.readerseden.com/product.php?productid=743">Safe House</a>The Story Behind the Booktag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-05-31:537324:BlogPost:1419902008-05-31T21:00:00.000ZChristine Duncanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/ChristineDuncan
Everyone who writes, does so for a reason. Some of us have a story to tell. Some of us want to change the world. My books Safe Beginnings and Safe House are set in a battered women's shelter because I'm in the second group. I want to change the world.<br />
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I'm not out to depress people. Nor do I think readers need education on the subject of domestic violence. Most of us know plenty because most of us can name at least one person we know in that situation. But I want to keep the problem in plain…
Everyone who writes, does so for a reason. Some of us have a story to tell. Some of us want to change the world. My books Safe Beginnings and Safe House are set in a battered women's shelter because I'm in the second group. I want to change the world.<br />
<br />
I'm not out to depress people. Nor do I think readers need education on the subject of domestic violence. Most of us know plenty because most of us can name at least one person we know in that situation. But I want to keep the problem in plain sight, not sweep it into that corner we reserve for depressing things we can't get away from. I don't want to rub the reader's nose in it either.<br />
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So I started to think abut genres. Romance was obviously out. Sci Fi or Fantasy didn't right either. So I started thinking mystery. Mysteries are one of the best genres to write in, because you are, by nature of the genre, guaranteed closure.The bad guy will be known in the end and usually he'll be caught and punished. I decided to make it a traditional mystery because I didn't want to put people off. Traditional mysteries have no graphic violence or language in them, their point is to bring the reader into a community. In this case, the community would be the shelter.<br />
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The plot of the first book was right out of the newspapers.. A fire occurred in a battered women's shelter here in Colorado. And I couldn't stop thinking about it. It had to be hard for these women to leave their homes and everything they knew. How much harder would it be if they thought the shelter that was supposed to protect them wasn't safe?<br />
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Can authors change the world? Probably not. But readers can. Bit by bit.Review of Bowled Over by Kasey Michaelstag:crimespace.ning.com,2008-05-22:537324:BlogPost:1419832008-05-22T20:43:19.000ZChristine Duncanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/ChristineDuncan
Bowled Over<br />
By Kasey Michaels<br />
Published Nov 2007<br />
Kensington Books<br />
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Maggie Kelly is a sucessful historical mystery writer whose studdly hero,Alexandre Blake, the Viscount Saint Just, has come to life to help her solve murders. In this sixth (and perhaps last?) book of the series, Maggie and Alex are in Ocean City, NJ for Christmas with Maggie’s disfunctional family. When her father, Evan Kelly, is arrested by the police for the murder of a member of his bowling team, Maggie and Alex immediately…
Bowled Over<br />
By Kasey Michaels<br />
Published Nov 2007<br />
Kensington Books<br />
<br />
<br />
Maggie Kelly is a sucessful historical mystery writer whose studdly hero,Alexandre Blake, the Viscount Saint Just, has come to life to help her solve murders. In this sixth (and perhaps last?) book of the series, Maggie and Alex are in Ocean City, NJ for Christmas with Maggie’s disfunctional family. When her father, Evan Kelly, is arrested by the police for the murder of a member of his bowling team, Maggie and Alex immediately are on the case. Untangling the clues as to who the real murderer is take Maggie and Alex romping through family secrets and casinos. Interspersed between the chapters are short tips to aspiring writers on writing a mystery that not so inconsequently, provide a clue or two towards solving the book’s murder.<br />
If someone had tried to explain Maggie and Alex to me before I read the book, I would have found it difficult to believe that I could suspend disbelief for even the basic premise that the hero of a book could come to life. However Kasey Michaels brings it off with wit and finesse. Maggie and her family seem very real and Alex is a well drawn caricature of the romantic hero while providing a bit of romance to the novel. Michaels made me more than a little nostalgic for Ocean City, a town I love but unfortunately have not been to in years. The book was light, funny and a first-class mystery puzzle. Not for those of you who like Noire. But I recommend this book.