Review: 44 by Jools Sinclair

I have a confession to make. I am not a Young Adult fiction reader. After my youngest daughter got past the lower age threshold for young adult fiction, I didn't pick up a YA book again.

Until I started reading ebooks.

Ebooks Changed Things

A couple of years ago when I got my Kindle, I was hooked by some free books that turned out to be young adult fiction. I enjoyed them immensely. I was surprised by how sophisticated and hip they were, yet still intelligent and enjoyable for an older audience that doesn't use the word "like" every 15 seconds.

After I finished my analysis of the ebook market, I started shopping for books strictly by the Product Description. To my surprise, I found a lot of the books with intriguing premises were YA. I loved Bella Street's books. She's got the entire series now as a boxed set: Apocalypse Babes: The Complete Series for only $4.99 for the entire 6-book series. Now that's a bargain!

The last YA book I read was 44 by Jools Sinclair, and it was so compelling that I immediately bought the second book in her series. I haven't had time to start it yet. Since I'm in-between wedding errands today, I thought I'd give you a quick review of 44.

About the Book

This book has an amazing 172 reviews with 136 of them 4 and 5-star reviews. I'm sure the author doesn't need my two-cents, but I'm giving it anyway. *g*

When the book opens, the reader may think that this is just another teen angst story albeit the heroine has more than the usual real reasons for being emotional. You see, seventeen-year-old Abby Craig fell through the ice a year before the story begins, and she drowned.

With her sister, and guardian, weeping over her body in the ER, she somehow returned to life. But she's not the same Abby. She's lost bits and pieces of herself.

Even though, as I read, I was thinking "this is just another teen book," I couldn't quit reading. The author draws you in with a quietness made suspect by the dawning suspicion that something just isn't right. When Abby begins having visions, you know your suspicions aren't groundless.

That's all I'll tell you. In fact, if you want this book, don't even read the Product Description or the other reviews. Don't let anything take the edge off the story and spoil the surprise at the end.

Actually, that's one of my pet peeves with the way movies, TV shows, and books are marketed now. Everything is revealed either in the trailers or the online comments and reviews. I like to be surprised. I have to admit that 44 surprised me.

Well done, Jools Sinclair. Well done.

Takeaway Truth

Branch out and read other genres. You may find some incredible books.

Learn About MUSO

Have you heard about MUSO, the company that acts as your agent to send Takedown Notices to websites that illegally upload files of your books?

That's right. Retain MUSO to help you combat book pirates, Copyright infringers, etc. All those people who steal your intellectual property rights and make it even harder for you to make a living by writing.

An Author's Lot

If you're an author, chances are you know more than you ever wanted to know about book piracy and copyright infringement. In fact, if you have proven to be a popular ebook or print author, you've probably already been victimized by having illegal free downloads of your books made available or illegally reproduced or illegally obtained copies of print books made available for sale on websites.

Cold Hard Truth

What you might not know is what MUSO can do for you. After using their services for several months, I'm happy to say they offer an effective way of dealing with those who steal the food from your children's mouths. No, they won't get every illegally uploaded book file out there, but neither can you. The problem is huge and growing.

Am I being overly dramatic in characterizing copyright infringement that way? No. I'm not. Copyright infringement is eating away at your income. Get enough pirated editions of your work out there and it will become more difficult to sell your book. Even legitimate book buyers may sometimes download free copies of your book because they don't know that the free download is illegal.

When someone lessens your ability to make a living by writing--and that's what copyright infringement does--then your income drops. If your income decreases enough, you'll eventually have to find a different way to make a living.

DMCA

"The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures (commonly known as digital rights management or DRM) that control access to copyrighted works."
(See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Millennium_Copyright_Act)

Toothless Dog

The problem with the DMCA is that it is a toothless watchdog. It provides a procedure for a rights holder to notify someone who is infringing on copyright. What is bad is that these websites that infringe put the burden of proof on you, the rights holder, not the person who wants to upload your pirated book file to every file sharing website in the known universe. They don't require uploaders to prove they are the rights owner, but just try getting them to remove the illegal upload.

They require you to send forms, proof of rights ownership, and jump through innumerable hoops before they will withdraw the illegally uploaded file. Plus some of these websites will even send you intimidating emails that threaten legal action against you!

Until the government starts levying high dollar fines and prison terms on those who knowingly violate the copyright laws of this country, nothing will change. I bet Internet Service Providers would subject their clients to a closer scrutiny if these Providers were sanctioned for letting these illegal websites operate under their umbrella.

My Experience

From the second month of publishing ebooks, I started finding websites with illegal uploads of my ebooks. That was demoralizing and overwhelming. Depressed doesn't begin to describe my mood last summer when in one day I found 10 servers that had dozens of my book files on each server.

How could I even find the time to send Takedown Notices when each notice required a half a dozen steps in order to be accepted for review? When I realized that one site, in one day, had enough illegal downloads to have paid all my monthly expenses including my mortgage if the downloads had actually been sales rather than thefts, I knew I had to do something.

My Solution

I'd heard about MUSO, a company that acts as your agent in sending Takedown Notices to websites that illegally upload your book files, so I researched them. Then I signed up. They may not catch every illegally uploaded file, but at least I know that they are acting on my behalf every day. I know that I am doing the best I can to stem the tide of illegal uploads.

I heartily endorse MUSO. Check them out here to see their standard U.S. Pricing page.

By the way, MUSO is outside the U.S., so there will be a Conversion Fee added by your credit card company to your monthly billing. My credit card charges 45 cents.

Learning Experience

MUSO automatically finds the illegal uploads when you correctly fill out your campaign information. I have Google Alerts on my books set up so I get an email when a file is found too. With MUSO, if you find something they didn't catch, you can send the link via your Dashboard / Add Files.)

I'm the type of person who asks questions when I don't understand something so of course I emailed MUSO about this. James Mason with MUSO has helped educate me. So I'll pass this on to you because you need to know these things.

About a file I had found that MUSO didn't list on my Dashboard, James explained:

"The link you enter in the 'File URL' field on the Add Files tool needs to be the page where the file can be directly downloaded."

You find this out by clicking to download and see if it opens the Download window.

James went on to explain: "So if the page you're entering doesn't let you directly download your product, but links to another site for the download, then this page is what we call the 'Source URL'. This distinction is important because we send the DMCA takedown notice to the site that is hosting your content, and not to sites that simply link to this content."

Aha! The file in question was hosted at Furk dot net which apparently is a common Source. Furk is called a cyberlocker.

Cyberlockers and Torrent Downloads

MUSO does takedowns at cyberlockers and, just recently, added takedowns of Torrent Downloads to their arsenal.

James explained cyberlocker. "A cyberlocker site can be defined as any site which allows you to download the content for free, without having to register or pay for an account. Almost all cyberlockers allow a free 'slower' download, and then you can optionally register and pay for the 'premium' faster download speeds.

If you follow the download links on the website, it asks you to register, and then asks you to pay before you can download the content. In most cases these sites are spoofs and don't even have the content they offer, and because cyberlockers offer free downloads they are far more popular."

I guess it's cold comfort that customers of this website who are paying for downloads probably end up with nothing. Serves them right. However, the website is still making money if only by duping these customers.

Readers, if you want to read good books, the popular books everyone is talking about, be willing to purchase them from legitimate booksellers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance Ebooks, Smashwords, XinXii, and any of the other "real" booksellers on the Internet.

Takeaway Truth

Until there are sanctions against those who violate the DMCA, and those who host the websites of those violators, little will change. Do the best you can to protect your intellectual property either by sending Takedown Notices yourself or retaining someone to act as your agent.

Note: If Joan Reeves aka SlingWords helps you get ahead, please consider buying one of my books (Written Wisdom is perfect for writers--readers too!), subscribing (only $.99 per month) to the Kindle Edition of SlingWords, or making a donation of any amount by clicking the button below. Thank you for your moral support and any monetary support you see fit to contribute.

Bestselling Author Patricia Kay Teaches

USA Today Bestselling Author Patricia Kay teaches as well as writes. Learn from a master about how to make a scene in her a new class that starts March 25.

Making A Scene

This is a Two Week Master Class, an intensive class concentrating on writing compelling, dramatic, exciting scenes.

Pat said, "We will study various types of scenes and the components necessary to make sure each scene is completely effective. You will learn a new way to look at your scenes and how to give each scene the test to see if it's doing the job you want it to do."

During the 14-day class, there will be 12 lessons presented with homework assigned for each. Questions and discussion will be encouraged. You'll have the chance to post different types of scenes to be read and critiqued.

Prerequisite for the class: each student must currently have at least 100 pages of a work in progress.

Dates: Sunday, March 25th, through Saturday, April 7th

Cost: $40 per student

Payment

To sign up and pay through PayPal, visit Pat's website and click the PayPal link which gives instructions for how to make payment.

Pat also has a special offer for her students from the January class, Challenge to Write, so be sure and click the link to obtain a discounted rate.

If you have any questions, email Pat: classes at patriciakay dot com.

Takeaway Truth

If you need to improve your narrative skills, now is the chance to learn from bestselling author Patricia Kay.

Should You Use Pseudonym by Shana Galen

I'm happy to welcome Shana Galen to SlingWords. Shana is the author of numerous fast-paced adventurous Regency historical romances, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne's Bride.

Her books have been sold worldwide and featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. Shana, once an English teacher in Houston's inner city, is now a full time writer. She's also a wife, a mother, and, in her own words, "an expert multi-tasker."

Shana's latest release is The Rogue Pirate's Bride. Gorgeous cover, isn't it?

You can find Shana on Facebook and also at Jaunty Quills. Now, please welcome my friend Shana Galen.

Why Use a Pseudonym?
By Shana Galen

One of the first decisions a new author must make when she sells is whether or not to write under a pen name. When I sold, I was more or less told I would have to write my historical romances under a pseudonym. I was also told I could write under my real name for my chick lits. So I've been on both sides of the fence.

Let's start with the assumption that when you sell, you will have a choice. Why do so many authors choose to write using a pen name? Ask three authors and you'll get three different responses. The most typical response has to do with privacy concerns.

Privacy

Your day job might be a factor in whether or not you use a pen name. Since I was teaching in a middle school at the time of my sale, I didn't mind using a pseudonym and neither did my employers. School administrators do prefer that romance writers use pseudonyms. They don't want to deal with parental complaints over material that might be considered "objectionable."

Since I've never used my married name on a book, none of my students or their parents were aware that the seventh grade English teacher had published books. It was lovely not to deal with unhappy parents-if any really would have cared-but since I did teach writing, it was frustrating to have to be so careful not to blatantly use my own experiences as a writer in the classroom.

Sometimes family concerns are an issue. Perhaps you have a husband or wife in a career where advancement might be hampered by the boss's judgmental opinions. If you have children, as I do, you might also consider maintaining their privacy through the use of a pen name. We all know there are crazy people out there, and we are responsible for protecting our families.

Keeping business and private life separate is another factor to consider. It's much easier to do if you have a separate email for your author correspondence and a separate author page on Facebook. I know authors who mixed the two and then had to go back and make changes because they didn't want fans to know all of their personal information.

Cross-Promotion

Like me, authors choose to write different types of books under different names. This can be a tricky decision because it makes cross-promotion difficult. But some authors feel like the books are different enough that different names are required to brand the book and let the reader know what she is buying.

This differentiation is particularly important if you write both young adult and adult novels. Kids may choose to read your work under all of your pen names, but parents will appreciate the clarity of knowing the content of one book is geared for kids, while the content of another is not.

Of course, many authors only write one type of book. If privacy is not a concern, your name itself might be.

What's in a Name?

My real name, Shane Bolks, is not a very romantic-sounding name, so I was not surprised when my editor asked me to change it on my historical romances. From a marketing standpoint, a "Shane Bolks" can hardly compete on a historical romance shelf littered with names like Johanna Lindsey and Julia Quinn. Some names just sound more romantic.

I didn't have a name in mind when I was told to adopt a pseudonym. I told my editor I wanted to be shelved between Gabaldon and Garwood. She came back with Shana (a variation of Shane) and Galen, which fits nicely between two of my favorite authors.

It is strange to see a name other than your own on your book, and there's a certain thrill when you see your real name on that bookstore shelf. I must admit that seeing Shane Bolks on the cover of my now defunct chick lits did make me feel a little bit exposed. Now that I'm married, Shane Bolks has also become a pen name, and I find I like it that way. I prefer a division between business and personal. In the end, this is a decision that always comes back to personal preference.

Are you considering using a pseudonym? Why or why not? What factors influence your decision? I'll be checking in all day and would love to read your comments. One person who comments will be randomly chosen to win a signed copy of my latest release, The Rogue Pirate's Bride.

Takeaway Truth

The generosity of authors in sharing their knowledge always amazes me. I hope you will thank Shana by putting her on your "to be read" list.

P. S. Be sure and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of The Rogue Pirate's Bride.

History of Cinderella

Recently, as a guest blogger on LaBelle Books, I wrote about the Cinderella Myth which continues to be one of the most popular folktales in the world.

Cinderella Tales has different versions of the story. You may be surprised to find the Cinderella story not only in European countries but also in India, Vietnam, and Africa.

Not Just Kids

Lest you think that only girls are interested in Cinderella, I want to mention the Cinderella Project at the University of Southern Mississippi. This is only one of many such projects.

If you want to learn more, there's a collection of Cinderella stories that might interest you. An online search will give you more hits than you have time to pursue them. I particularly like the Cinderella book cover gallery at SurLaLune Fair Tales.

A Millennium Later

Nearly 1200 years later, and Cinderella is still having her story told. Don't let the title of my romantic comedy, Nobody's Cinderella (Book 1 of San Antone Two-Step), fool you. It's still a Cinderella story with heroine Darcy Benton wishing on a star instead of to her fairy godmother for the prince she wants. In this case, the prince is Chase Whitaker, owner of an oil exploration/production company.

The Shoes Have It

I knew, as I prepared the book to publish, that I wanted some pretty, sexy shoes as the cover art. After all, what is Cinderella without a pair of knock 'em dead shoes?

Most stories don't show Cinderella and her prince living happily ever after. Of course, I plan to show that they do in Cinderella Blue, Book 2 of San Antone Two-Step, which stars Darcy's brother Bruce.

Takeaway Truth

Personally, I like to see love validated in sequels.

Scanning Secrets

Today's tip will help you if you must scan documents that contain images and text. In a recent issue of Kim Komando's Download of the Day email newsletter that I just got around to reading, she wrote about a free app that makes text editable.

Free OCR is an optical character recognition app that identifies text in an image and lets you pull it out and make it editable.

You upload a scanned image or a photo of the document to the site in any of these formats: JPG, GIF, TIFF or BMP. The software is for Windows XP, Vista, Win 7; and OS X.

Takeaway Truth

1. Kim Komando offers great tips. 2. Free is good!

Earth Laughing

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: "Earth laughs in flowers."

Spring has come to Texas. If the quantity of wildflowers is any indication, the earth should be responding with great big belly laughs because the countryside is abloom with bluebonnets, primroses, and field after field of yellow bitterweed.

Other wildflowers will be popping up in the next few weeks. In the yards in my neighborhood, azaleas are blooming and loquat are ripening on the trees.

The display is breathtaking. Most states have their own variety of wildflowers and landscape flowers so you can partake of nature's bounty regardless of where you live.

Takeaway Truth

Get out of the house and shake those winter doldrums with a drive in the country.

St. Patrick's Day & Irish Authors

Yes, I claim Scotch-Irish as part of my heritage. Today, on St. Patrick's Day, we celebrate all things Irish, but you won't catch me drinking green beer.

I've always thought it was rather ironic that St. Patrick was the patron saint of Ireland because he was not Irish. He was Welsh and a mere 16 years old when he was captured by Irish raiders.

Taken to Ireland as a slave, he lived there for 6 years before he escaped and returned home. After he entered the Church, he returned, as an ordained bishop, to Ireland.

Although little is known about his work in the northern and western parts of Ireland, two authenticated letters from him survive. From those two letters come the only universally accepted facts about his life. Most scholars accept the latest reconstruction of old Irish annals that state Patrick died in 461 AD on March 17 which is why this day is celebrated in his honor.

I find the various incarnations of his name that show the progression of pronunciation and spelling very interesting. The Latin, Patricius. Primitive Irish, Qatrikias. Old Irish, Cothraige. Middle Irish, Pátraic. Irish, Pádraig. Old Welsh, Patric. Middle Welsh, Padric. Welsh, Padrig. Old English, Patric. By the 7th century, Patrick had become a revered patron saint of Ireland.

Irish Backstory

How fitting to talk about Irish authors today. For such a small country, Ireland has had a rather large influence on world literature. If you are into contemporary fiction, you can find a list of 10 Contemporary Irish Authors who are deemed important to read.

You can go back to the classics and look at a list of 40 Famous Irish Authors like Bram Stoker who created Dracula, the poet William Butler Yeats, and even Frank McCourt who wrote Angela's Ashes.

Truly, in western Europe, the Irish have one of the oldest vernacular literatures, after Greek and Latin. The arrival of Christianity in the fifth century is considered to have brought literacy to Ireland even though they had a simple writing system known as ogham that they used for inscriptions. There's a great Wiki on Irish literature if you'd like to read more.

Takeaway Truth

Celebrate St. Paddy's Day by reading a book by an Irish author. I plan to.

Readers Ask Questions About Ebooks

Since I've received this question a couple of times and have answered it each time, I thought I might address this issue on the blog too. There may be other readers wondering about the same thing.

Differences In Ebooks

Some readers wonder why ebooks aren't formatted exactly like print books. For instance, in print books, scene changes are indicated by a blank space between paragraphs, like 2 double spaces. Sometimes you see 3 asterisks between paragraphs.

In print books, it's very easy to indicate a scene change, but it's not so easy in digital books. In print, you can just double space twice when you're typing the manuscript. The copy editor picks it up. In digital books, although you can use HTML code to force a blank line, doing this to create the equivalent of 4 blank lines is not a cut and dried issue because of the varying protocols from the many ebook sellers.

No Extra Blank Lines

1. Some digital publishers will reject a file that has more than 1 double space between paragraphs.

2. Some files that are uploaded for Kindle or Nook or Smashwords are read on devices other than dedicated e-readers, i.e., computers, laptops, smartphones, Palm Pilots, iPads, iPods, etc. so extra lines between paragraphs, while looking fine on a Kindle or Nook, may end up being a multitude of extra lines when read on some other device. There are simply too many variables in how a digital book can be read.

3. When formatting for Kindle, every space break--best indicated by blank line, centered asterisks, blank line--must be formatted individually. In fact, every thing that is not a paragraph--special emphasis of italics or bold or centering--must be formatted individually. For this reason, a lot of writers will simply ignore space breaks as we call them.

Print Publishing

Whether blank lines or a blank line-centered asterisks-blank line are used in a print book is entirely a style issue established by each publishing house. The "double line blank space" or the centered asterisks preceded and followed by a double line blank space are both used and are both correct to indicate a change in scene, time, or viewpoint character.

Digital Publishing

As stated above, each digital publisher has specific format protocols to follow. Remember with paragraphs and pages that flow rather than end at specific points, having a lot of empty space is not a good thing.

Viewpoint Changes Changed

Another reader wondered why viewpoint changes aren't indicated by a new chapter or at least a scene break.

In recent years, in popular fiction, viewpoint is handled more casually than in the past. I, and most popular fiction authors, do not use asterisks or blank lines to indicate a viewpoint change because if the change is clearly indicated by narrative signals, readers know whose "head they are in."

This relaxed attitude about viewpoint changes started several years ago, primarily in romance, where in intimate scenes, viewpoint flows back and forth between the main characters. To interrupt that flow, especially in a love scene, with asterisks, blank spaces, or whatever "hard signal" you use, breaks the reader out of the story.

Personally, I use space breaks and special text formatting, i.e., bold, italics, etc. when necessary even if it takes longer to format a manuscript.

Takeaway Truth

Readers notice things. I'm pleased when they ask questions because in articulating the answers, I learn.

National "Everything You Think Is Wrong" Day

Finally, a holiday for all of those who feel as if we're screw-ups. Yep. Some days it seems as if everything I think, say, and do is wrong. Now I know March 15 is the National Day for wrong-thinking so I'm going to save all my flubs for that day.

Don't believe me? I wouldn't lie to you, baby. Check it out for yourself at National Whatever Day. Bookmark the site. Lots of thought fodder there.

I wonder if they established March 15 as this national day because of the whole Caesar, Brutus, Ides of March thing? And who is this amorphous they who make these determinations anyway? I'd better not hazard a guess since I'd probably be wrong.

I'm going to sit on the porch and drink wine and not think.

Takeaway Truth

Beware the Ides of March--and don't bother thinking today.