I’m one of those who prefers a physical book with paper I can touch and smell.  I’ve never read a book on my computer (unless you count my own) and the single book I placed on my iphone in case I was somewhere and didn’t have a book, has never been opened. (Because, really, when am I EVER without a book?)

But when I went to Florida a few weeks ago, I found myself wishing I had a Kindle.  I wanted to read 3 books on vacation, but to make sure I had 3 books to read, I needed to bring 5 or 6, just in case one, or more, didn’t work out.  Several I really wanted to read I didn’t want to bring because they were trade or hardcover and where was I going to fit THOSE in my bag?  A reading device would have solved this problem handily.

As my out of print backlist reverted to me book by book, steadily growing to a list of nearly 20 books that would continue to be unavailable to readers unless I did something about it, I decided to do something about it.

So last week I became a seller of ebooks with the launch of A Writers Work (www.awriterswork.com)  a new e-book publisher owned and operated by multi-published authors. Right now three of my backlist titles (Mother of the Year, Dreams of an Eagle, When You Wish) are available there, with many more to follow as soon as I can get them ready.

How many of you have read an ebook?  Was it an original book or a reprint of a previously published book by a beloved author?  Do you read ebooks on a specific device (Sony reader, Kindle) or your computer or phone?  Do you like reading ebooks?  If you have tried one, will you continue to read ebooks?

I’m giving away an ARC (advanced reading copy) of my June release SHAKESPEARE UNDEAD.  Winner will be chosen at random from the posters on today’s blog.

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At my house right now we are in the process of “the big decision” ie-where youngest son will choose to go to college.  I’m not exactly sure what to tell him.  If he ever asked.

When oldest son chose a school, it was based on basketball recruitment, combined with the schools that had the programs he was interested in, a coach who wasn’t psycho and the fact that he wanted to remain in Wisconsin.

When I went to college, I knew I wanted to go to the University of Iowa because of their writing program.  Not that I stayed long enough to get into it, but it did give me a basis for choosing.  (The homesickness that blindsided me sent me back to Wisconsin after a single year.)

But all this confusion has gotten me thinking about how people make big decisions, and realizing that I’ve never really agonized over one. (I’m lucky.  I know it.)

When we bought a house, we bought the house that IVs, dad’s best friend (got that?) sold us at a steal-deal.  No big decision there.

No big decision when IV asked me to marry him either.  I had no choice.  First time I saw him, I knew.

I’ve never had two publishing houses duking it out over me.  (I’d like to.)  So I never had to weigh pros and cons career-wise.

I always thought that if I had to make a major decision I would list the pros and cons on my yellow pad, total them up and voila!  (Does this actually work?  Anyone?)

I could ask for advice from my trusted friends and family.  Then total that up too.

But really . . . how DO you make a huge decision that’s going to alter your life?  I need some advice.  For the kid.  If he ever asks.

I’ll be giving away an ARC of my May release CHAOS BITES today.  I’ll draw a name at random from the posters on today’s blog.

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At this time of year I am always both happy to see a new year coming and kind of sad to see the old one go.

Things I will not be sorry to leave behind in 2009-

Oldest son’s knee surgery.  It freaked me out!

Youngest son’s senioritis.  Do NOT get me started.

Pain in the butt book I am writing right now.  Every once in a while, there’s one of THOSE books.  After 45+ books, I know it’ll all work out . . . but while I’m writing the thing–OY!

Great things that happened to me in 2009-

My sons are still happy, healthy and on the road to success.  Although every time the phone rings and I don’t know the owner of the caller ID I think, “What in hell did they do now?”

Oldest son’s knee surgery was a success and he is back playing college basketball this week.

Youngest son applied to 5 colleges and was accepted to every single one.  What a guy!

IV’s business is still doing well.  Not great, not better, but not bad.  And lately that’s good.

I still have a contract with a publisher I love, and I am working with an editor I adore, writing books I like to read.  I’m blessed.

I am a Goddess!  Hear me roar!  Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you to the original goddesses for inviting me to join them and for all the fun I’ve had being a part of this site in the past year.

Tell me–what great things happened in your 2009 and what things will you be glad to leave behind when the calendar turns to 2010?

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Do you hear the guy from Fiddler on the Roof singing?  Can you see him dancing?

I had my birthday last week and started to think about family traditions in relation to birthdays.  Some families make a huge deal out of every birthday.  (Mine!)  Some only make a huge deal out of certain birthdays.  And some families treat birthdays like they’re just another day.  (IV’s)

When we were first married I tried to make a huge deal out of IV’s birthday.  He said, “It’s just another day to me.”  I said, “That’s fine.  Just so you realize that MINE isn’t.”  :)

My birthday “tradition” is that I eat out for every meal and shop all day.  Since my birthday is so close to Christmas I do all my shopping on that day.  I like coming home with a ton of packages, even if they aren’t (all) for me.

As we had kids, I made a huge deal out of their birthdays.  I couldn’t help myself.  It became the “Birthday Week Extravaganza” with them.  Although that’s calmed down somewhat now that they’re grown.

Still, IV took oldest son to Vegas for his 21st birthday last month.  I think that’s a nice new tradition.

Does your family treat every birthday as a huge deal?  Certain milestone birthdays?  Or are birthdays just another day?  What are some of your birthday traditions?

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The question I’m asked most often in regard to writing is “How do you get your ideas?” That’s a tough one because they come from everywhere, anywhere and sometimes nowhere.

For instance–I was once stopped at a stoplight, saw the car in front of me had an Alaskan license plate and started to think about Alaska and what I knew about it. By the time I drove into my garage, I had the beginnings of a story for a dance hall owner and a Mountie in Gold Rush Dawson City, which became LOVING A LEGEND.

Then there was the time I walked through the living room with the wash basket, caught a glimpse of what IV was watching on the TV–some movie where the heroine saves a man from hanging so he could work on her farm–and voila! that became SECOND CHANCE.

Sometimes I get an idea from reading. For instance one of my favorite series is the Stephanie Plum series, another was the Anita Blake series. I wanted to begin an urban fantasy series of my own and thought–hey why not combine the two? So I started brainstorming.
Heroine–smart ass with a paranormal twist. How about psychic?
Two heroes–hot and just as hot, vampire and shape shifter. Check.
Setting–kind of like Trenton, but in the Midwest. How about my hometown Milwaukee. Good idea!
And so on. Combine, stir and we have The Phoenix Chronicles.

Most recently I was in a meeting at RWA with my editor from St. Martin’s when she suddenly blurted, “Shakespeare Undead.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
She proceeded to explain that they’d been trying to think of a book that they could publish which would be their PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES and suddenly she’d had the flash, SHAKESPEARE UNDEAD.

I figured an opportunity doesn’t drop from the sky like that every day. (It certainly never has for me.) Two days later I sent her a 4 page synopsis of my idea for SHAKESPEARE UNDEAD. One day later I had an offer.

SHAKESPEARE UNDEAD will come out in trade paperback in June of next year.

I really like that story!

When do ideas come to you? While driving? Sleeping? Dreaming? Day dreaming? Reading? Movies?

(And I’m not just asking the writers–we all have great brainstorms. How to fix that pesky dripping faucet. A great come back line we really wished we’d thought of when we actually needed it. How to make our in laws less annoying. How to get that guy to ask us out. How to get that kid to stop . . . whatever it is he/she needs to stop.)

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Next week in the US, everyone will meet together to eat huge amounts of food and watch football.  This is called Thanksgiving.

Many will go around their table and ask their friends and/or relatives what they are thankful for.  What follows is usually the mention of big ticket items like jobs, family, health–all great things to be thankful for.

But today, I want us to be thankful for the little things.  For instance, my list of the little things in life that I am thankful for are:

1. Peanut M & Ms (or M&Ms with peanut butter, either way)

2. The sound of a loon drifting off the water

3. Flannel pajama bottoms

4. When little boy sweat smells like sunshine (haven’t smelled this in a while, but I remember it well)

5. Really good coffee (like Jamaican Blue Mountain)

6. A fan in the middle of a hot flash

Tell me, Goddesses, what little things are you thankful for?

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Whether it be from books, TV shows, movies or real life, I love a good one liner–one line that either sums up the entire experience of what has been read or seen or one line that you keep repeating afterward because it’s just so darn good.

To celebrate the release of APOCALYPSE HAPPENS, Book #3 in my urban fantasy series The Phoenix Chronicles, in bookstores TODAY I decided to have a little one liner quiz/contest.

Tell me what movie, show or book the following are from.  Send your answers to me at LHANDEL120 @ aol.com (no spaces) with “AH contest” in the subject line.  I’ll draw a winner at random tomorrow to receive an autographed copy of APOCALYPSE HAPPENS.

1. Never tell me the odds.

2. Take me to bed or lose me forever.

3. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?

4. We were on a break.

5. Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman has to hold on to.

And just to stay with the theme, here’s my favorite one liner from Apocalypse Happens.

“It’s all fun and games until the apocalypse shows up.”  Liz Phoenix

If you like snappy one liners, Liz is your girl.  Run out and get your copy of APOCALYPSE HAPPENS ASAP!

Do you enjoy clever one liners?  What are some of your favorites?

(I’ll post the quiz answers tonight.)

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