From All Things D -Apple launched its Newsstand feature this past fall, giving newspapers and magazines their own dedicated shelf space, in hopes of boosting sales. According to Apple, it has, and it’s also boosted the sales of magazines. Popular Science reported a large increase in subscriptions when the Newsstand feature launched. As always, there are lovers and haters on both sides. Either way, more media are moving towards paperless. How do you feel about reading a magazine on a tablet?
Want to find a bookstore in North America? Publisher’s Weekly has an interactive MAP that also shows where Borders used to reside, as Books-A-Million is now moving into some of those sites. Since bookstores are slowly dying, I do have to wonder if that’s a smart move on BAM’s part. I’m not a fan of BAM (most disorganized bookstore I’ve ever seen) but will you shop at a former Borders turned BAM?
And the downward spiral continues... According to Publisher’s Weekly, Ebook sales rose 81% in October while sales of physical books were down except for Religious titles, which saw an increase of 12.4%. Mass markets took the biggest hit - sales were down 37.6%. Are you buying more Ebooks and less paperbacks?
"Say Not What If" is a nearly 10,000 word story written as a long rhyming poem. I have never seen a story written in this format. It has characters and dialogue just like a regular story, and is extremely easy to read and understand, regardless of whether you have a GED or a PHD. You can read it in about an hour, so it doesn't require a lot of time.
“Say Not What If” is about a man on death row, and has as its theme the concept that time is our most valuable commodity. As someone once said, “waste anything but time, because we really are promised no tomorrows.” This theme is explored through the life of a man who sacrifices his marriage and everything else for his career. He realizes much too late the terrible consequences of this decision, and then desperately tries to regain those lost years by making a much worse choice. The resolution of this latter choice involves an additional examination of the concepts of accountability and responsibility, redemption, and the morality of the death penalty.
Paperback, 52 pages
Published July 11th 2011 by CreateSpace
ISBN 1463627319
About the Author
Author Andrew Friendman is an attorney, although he has no experience with the death penalty. He has written an essay as a follow-up to Say Not What If, intended to "provide some background information on the current state of this critically important issue."
My Thoughts
Say not "what if" or wonder why About all the things you did not try. Say not "what if" or be heard to sigh With a trembling voice and a tear in your eye "Why did I let time go by?"
Say Not What If is a poetic novel from the perspective of a man on death row looking back over his life.
This issue is very personal to me, since I have a friend on death row. My best friend for a time in my late teens (we even talked about getting a place together after I graduated high school), we fell apart after he married at about 19 years of age. Things went downhill for him over the next decade, and the next that I heard of him, he was being sought after for a triple homicide that occurred during a robbery. After going on the run, he was finally apprehended on the other side of the country, along with his accomplice.
During the investigation, evidence was found to connect him to the crime scene, but no definitive proof was ever discovered that could point at him as the killer (or the sole killer). There were two people perpetrating the crime, both pointing their finger at the other as the killer, and no proof of which one did it, or whether both were involved.
So one is offered a deal to turn on the other, in exchange for life in prison and no death penalty. The other (my friend) is found guilty and condemned to death. But did he do it? Or was it his accomplice? And if his accomplice and he were both involved, shouldn't they both get the same sentence?
So now I am counting the days, waiting for word that his time is up. I read years ago that the average stay of a death row inmate in Florida is 15 years. My friend has been on death row now for...13 years, I think? Something like that. I got to see him last summer, after testifying on his behalf at an appeals hearing. The judge was kind enough to allow us to meet and talk for about 15 minutes after court had adjourned, amazing the counsel, as it was very unusual for a judge to grant such a concession.
So this story kind of hit home for me, and I really understand on a personal level the inconsistencies in sentencing, the preferential treatment given to some and not others, the risks of executing an innocent person, at least "innocent" in regards to what they are being sentenced death for-- killing another human being-- if not innocent of other crimes.
This was an interesting way to relay an idea-- as an almost 10,000 word poem. Well-written and engaging the mind, it gets you thinking and asking yourself questions on the subject of the death penalty, however not as much as I would hope. The villain is very "villainous", not eliciting too much sympathy. There is no question that he committed his crime, and it was a truly heinous crime involving a small child. Many who read his story will feel he got exactly what he deserved.
Some of the biggest debates of the death penalty are those over the "unfairness" of it all-- the fact that poor black men are more likely to be sentenced to death than affluent white. The most frightening debate is over whether it should be allowed if there is any chance of an innocent being executed. This story won't really incite too many of those types of conversations.
At only 52 pages long, it is a pretty quick read. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in the death penalty debate. In fact, I am giving away my copy of Say Not What If to another reader to experience and review.
Rules (you knew there had to be some):
You must be 18 years or older
Open to US and Canada residents only
To enter, just comment below. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment, or have it visible in your profile.
Be a book reviewer that will review this book on your own blog and/or on sites like GoodReads, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Deadline is January 14, 2012
Please note that this book is being shipped by me, and will be shipped without insurance or tracking. Therefore I am at the mercy of the post office. So far no book that I've shipped has been lost by them, but I can make no guarantees!
Thanks to the author Andrew Friedman for giving me the opportunity to read his story.
My Rating: 8 out of 10
Disclosure:
I received a copy of this book to review from the author, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel.
2011 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen. The only challenge I completed, having read my 32 of 32. I expect to read another book or two before the end of the year, so I should exceed my goal.
For 2012, I am planning far fewer challenges, since I have proven repeatedly to do terrible at them! Thanks for the challenges!
Big publishers are starting to push the price of their ebooks up again. Since ereaders such as the Kindle require an investment to begin with, this could hurt sale. Who will get hurt more - publishers, Amazon, or both?
It’s in response to an earlier article concerning the dissatisfaction of Kindle Fire owners. It does end with a note that Amazon does have the advantage, even though the Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet is better and the Apple Ipad years ahead of either device.
NOTE: A reminder that you are free to email me about any giveaways that you are having, if you want me to blog them, and I'll be happy to try to post them even if I am not entering them. Just include a link to the giveaway, what you are giving away, how many copies are being given away, and the deadline in order to assure being included. Email me at nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com.
Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes:
Books: A True Story is giving away your choice out of six books that you can identify. Deadline is December 24. International!
For the love of books is giving away your choice out of four YA books. Deadline is December 31. International!
Books Like Stars is having a massive "Debut Author" giveaway! US only.
*Courtesy Note: Please keep in mind the many, many hours of work that goes into me compiling this list each week. Please be courteous and thoughtful, and do not steal my text. Either recreate your own list, or link to this list and direct your readers here for giveaway information. Thank you so much for your consideration.
Hosted by DL at Cruising Altitude On December 16th all of those taking part will re-post their favorite blog offering, or one that never received the exposure it should have.
This post originally appeared May of this year, but as I continue to get hits and comments, I thought repeating it would be good.
Writing from the point of view of the opposite sex can be challenging. Viewing the world from another perspective requires that we abandon our natural instincts. Since the books in my series, The Circle of Friends, featured a male lead, I had to understand the differences.
I read dozens of relationship books, seeking to comprehend the distinct qualities of the male gender. The books that provided me with the most insight were Men Are From Mars, Women From Venus and the Connecting With Your Husband/Wife series. Men and women really do view the world through different eyes!
- Men are not detail-oriented, at least not in the area of observation. They are focused on the big picture. When a man walks into a room, it’s doubtful he will notice the pattern on the couch or the smell of flowers by the window.
- Men tend to process information internally. While a woman will discuss her situation with friends, a man will privately think through his problems. Men tend to internalize rather than verbalize when seeking an answer. If he does discuss the situation, he wants answers not support.
- Because men normally do not discuss their problems, they use fewer words than women – by half! They tend to verbalize facts and opinions rather than feelings, too.
- Men focus better than women, who rely more on ‘diffused awareness.’ Once a man selects a course of action, little can distract him. While women multi-task with ease, men tend to focus on one thing at a time.
- Due to the amount of testosterone a man’s brain receives before he is born, he cannot think both logically and emotionally at the same time. Thus, when a man offers a logical explanation, a woman’s emotional reasoning simply doesn’t compute. And when a man grows angry, rationalizing with him is difficult as logic has gone out the window at that point.
- Men are not as emotionally expressive as their female counterparts. They are simply not wired in that manner.
- Last but not least, women seek to connect emotionally while men seek to connect… physically. The stirrings of love in a man come from physical attraction and contact first, emotional attachment second.
While all of that may appear to be stereotyping, it does provide a fundamental base for the male POV. Environment, background, and basic personality type also factor into the equation.
Armed with this knowledge, I found writing from a male perspective much easier. It was refreshing to discard my women intuitions and interpretations and just deal with the basics. I’d say it was almost liberating!
Are you comfortable writing from the opposite sex's POV?
Last week Amazon’s KDP Select program was announced to authors and small publishers:
"Here's how KDP Select works:
When you make any of your titles exclusive to the Kindle Store for at least 90 days, those with US rights will automatically be included in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library and can earn a share of a monthly fund. The monthly fund for December 2011 is $500,000 and will total at least $6 million in 2012. If you haven't checked it out already, the Kindle Owners' Lending Library is a collection of books that eligible US Amazon Prime members can borrow for free once a month with no due dates.
You'll also now have access to a new set of promotional tools, starting with the option to promote your KDP Select-enrolled titles for FREE for up to 5 days every 90 days."
Sounds like a good deal, right?
Ah, but there’s always a downside and authors need to be aware they are giving up their rights to distribute their books elsewhere.
"Also important to consider, if you're thinking of participating: you must be willing to distribute your work exclusively on the Kindle. Here is the relevant language:
1 Exclusivity. When you include a Digital Book in KDP Select, you give us the exclusive right to sell and distribute your Digital Book in digital format while your book is in KDP Select. During this period of exclusivity, you cannot sell or distribute, or give anyone else the right to sell or distribute, your Digital Book (or content that is reasonably likely to compete commercially with your Digital Book, diminish its value, or be confused with it), in digital format in any territory where you have rights.
This is a grant of rights and a non-competition clause all in one, and authors need to think carefully before agreeing to it."
Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords, had this to say on the Smashwords blog:
When authors enroll a title in the program, they're contractually obligated to remove their books from all other distribution channels.
Wow. Most indie authors appreciate their independence. This rule is quite restrictive.
Impact on authors:
* Forces the author to remove the book from sale from the Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, Smashwords and others, thereby causing the author to lose out on sales from competing retailers.
* By unpublishing a title from any retailer, the author destroys any accrued sales rank, making their book less visible and less discoverable when and if they reactivate distribution to competing retailers.
* Makes the author more dependent upon Amazon for sales. Do you want to become a tenant farmer, 100% dependent upon a single retailer?
Yes, Amazon is the largest online retailer and the Kindle the #1 selling ereader. But B&N’s Nook is tied for second. Apple’s devices are also right behind Amazon’s Kindle. And the Apple IPad accounts for 88% of all tablet sales. 88%!!! Add in the Kobo and all of the other ereaders, and that’s a large slice of the pie you are losing.
Amazon wants to do it all - publish and distribute - and in the end, control. And when one company has total control, it’s not good for consumers, retailers, or the economy.
By 1956 Violeta Barrett had been working for a Wall Street investment firm more than a decade. Recently separated from her husband and feeling overworked, Violeta decided to vacation in Mexico. After her plane landed in Mexico City, a stranger with a deep, accented voice introduced himself as her tour guide. Violeta and Jorge had no idea they were about to begin a four-year romance that would endure the test of time and distance.
In her compelling memoir, Violeta shares a nostalgic and emotional journey where principles, love, and obligations collide and force unexpected decisions. Energized by the Mexican culture and Jorge's charm, Violeta is soon caught up in the joy of being loved. But before long she must return to her obligations, leaving Jorge behind. Through the more than seventy love letters she would receive from Jorge for the next few years, the two share a forbidden passion-until the forces of morality prevail.
Nearly fifty years ago, Violeta and Jorge fell in love, changing their lives forever. Their heartfelt story proves that true love is not affected by time. It is ageless. It is eternal.
Violeta Barrett, a Brooklyn transplant, moved from Canada to Ft. Myers, Florida, where she resides today, following her second husband's death. She has been published in the anthology Beyond Coping, and her poetry and writings have been printed in her local newspapers. Her passions are classical music, travel, photography, and, of course, love.
Most women dream about finding love. Many do, but for many others, it remains a dream. I was one of the lucky ones, I thought. But love doesn't always come in a nice, neat package; it can truly be both agony and ecstasy.
Location/Environment:
While the author lived in New York during much of the story, her love affair with Jorge took place in Mexico City and the surrounding area.
At around thirty years of age in 1956, Violeta had already been working for more than ten years at a Wall Street investment firm. During that time, she had also married, but separated from her husband after two years in an unconsummated marriage.
So it was at this point in her life that she decided she'd earned a vacation, and headed down to Mexico. As she steps off of the plane, she is greeted by a handsome Mexican tour guide by the name of Jorge. Over the next couple of weeks, Violeta and her tour companions are taxied around Mexico by Jorge, always charming and informative, if at times a little deceitful with his knowledge, making up what he doesn't know.
...Always eager to learn something new, I hung on to every word. Unlike the others, I didn't ask many questions until I became aware that some of his answers were suspiciously familiar. Out of earshot of the two women, I whispered to him, "Didn't you just use that term to refer to something else?"
He looked at me squarely and grinned. For a second I was puzzled but then I got it. I couldn't help grinning back.
"Why you trickster, you!" I stifled a laugh. "How do you know I won't snitch?"
"You won't do that, will you?" he replied. His eyes sparkled. "Tourists ask many detailed questions. They really don't care what the answer is, as long as you answer." (page 14)
I loved a scene relayed in the book of a time they were approaching a town, and as had become common, children surrounded the car, poor and beggarly, clamoring for money. Initially Violeta and her companions would give the children pesos, until Jorge pleaded with them to stop.
"Please don't make beggars of my people," he said.
Astonished, I asked, "What would you have us do, Jorge? Ignore them? They're children!"
Without faltering, he opened the car window and spoke to several of the boys in Spanish. They ran ahead of the car, clearing the way. Others shouted to their friends, who backed off. I soon realized he had put them to work, finding us a parking spot. One enterprising boy diligently polished the side view mirrors with the tail of his shirt, smiling broadly at us.
Jorge patted him lightly on the head. "Bueno," he said, then called out to the other boys, "Muy bien, muchachos." I learned a lesson that day I never forgot. (page 7)
I loved how, instead of giving out charity, he instilled worth in the children by having them work for what they received. It was payment for a job well done rather than charity.
As the days pass, and the group tours Mexico, Jorge and Violeta's feelings for one another grow. By the time that Violeta heads back to New York, both she and Jorge believe themselves to be in love.
The first 40-plus pages tell the story of their affair, while the other 150 or so pages are of Jorge's letter to Vy over the years, after she returns to New York.
This is one of those stories that is very personal, so it is hard to be critical at all. I am also inclined to feel sensitive towards the author and this story, given that she happens to be a local here in town. You tend to be protective of your own!
There isn't really much to be critical of as far as writing style and the like. The only really critical thing I have to say in that respect is that the timeline wasn't laid out very well, so I had a hard time envisioning how everything happened. I had to sort out her age, am still unclear on how long she was in Mexico, although I think it to be around 2 weeks, and feel that other things were left unclear as well. Like how she found out about Jorge's wife and when he had married. None of Jorge's letters ever mention his marriage, unless it was in one of the few letters not included in the book. Or perhaps he told her in one of their few phone calls over the years? I don't know. So I feel that bits of the story are missing, so I don't have a complete picture.
The love story was sweet, but unfortunately I'm a bit jaded and cautious where love is concerned, so I have to be skeptical of a love born from a brief encounter. I like to think it was genuine and sincere and full, but Jorge's letters smack a little of co-dependency to me. I felt suffocated by the clinginess of them much of the time. But given the way that their love has hung with Violeta all of these years, I have to trust that it was as deep and meaningful to them as a decades-long love affair.
My final word: Sweet and lingering. If romance is your cup of tea, give this real-life one a try.
I received a copy of this book to review from the author, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel.
NOTE: A reminder that you are free to email me about any giveaways that you are having, if you want me to blog them, and I'll be happy to try to post them even if I am not entering them. Just include a link to the giveaway, what you are giving away, how many copies are being given away, and the deadline in order to assure being included. Email me at nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com.
Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes:
Stuck in Books is giving away $12 to Amazon or Book Depository. Deadline is December 13. International!
Cuzinlogic is giving away a $10 for Barnes and Noble or Book Depository. Deadline is December 13. International!
Review Broads is giving away 5 copies of The Drop. Deadline is December 15. US only.
Books Like Stars is having a massive "Debut Author" giveaway! US only.
*Courtesy Note: Please keep in mind the many, many hours of work that goes into me compiling this list each week. Please be courteous and thoughtful, and do not steal my text. Either recreate your own list, or link to this list and direct your readers here for giveaway information. Thank you so much for your consideration.
I'm a little slow with picking my winner, as it has been a bit crazy this week, but I've finally got my winner for an invisible floating bookshelf, in honor of the Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop. And the winner chosen by random.org is...
Entry #15 Mariah Overlock
Congratulations, Mariah! I will be emailing you to get your mailing address. There will be more giveaways coming up after the holidays, which I hope all of you enjoy with your family and friends. Stay tuned!
![funny pictures-Look lady, I'm just saving *someone* from an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" predicament.](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sXAYJhiPba5Qx2kBRaZucW7VN105sOvOG9Vut08e_Yr7oi_1qGrjdUNpC3rnLefrJmkeN1nJX5_qrrA7o1HRtwO0EIOX1DfuGzfjP0UuAQvc04gDpqaQfaRv6RJ3hiMCKXt_U0smqT9Ipie2TJVXzQWdv9svEvX-DGn1nNPQP0Zw=s0-d "funny pictures Look lady, I'm just saving *someone* from an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" predicament.")
