With so many changes happening in the publishing industry, writers and publishers alike are nervous. What will happen if eBooks continue with the art department for the beautiful covers and selected fonts inside of the book? What will happen to editing? How will a reader know if something has been edited or thrown out there by someone who claims to be "published" and has just thrown their book on the Internet? It's all a lot of the unknown and we all wait with bated breath.

I'm sure things will sort themselves out soon enough. I own a Kindle, but I still prefer a real book. I like the "pretty" of a book. Its cover and its design interior, so I'm not wanting to see this industry completely go electronic. Although I will say, it's easier to read the Kindle in the bathtub, but then again, I haven't dropped it yet.

My biggest concern is for the publishing houses and my editors. I don't think a non-writer can understand the beauty of a good editor. She knows your voice and she can fill in things for you. She can remind you where you haven't tied up loose threads and she will make the book 100 times better than it could have been. This is my biggest concern. For them and for the quality of the books. You don't want to see my books without editing.

As a reader, what concerns you about the brave new world of books?

Kara and I have been on a Downton Abbey kick all week. We watched all the first season episodes and have one final episode to watch tonight to be caught up. Being so enthralled in these characters' lives was in sharp contrast to another movie we watched Sunday afternoon. We watched The House of Sand and Fog. There was not one likable character in the whole movie. I wouldn't have watched it for more than fifteen minutes but my daughter left it on so I watched it with her. I complained all the way through the movie about how weak and stupid Kathy, the main character, was.

Labels: Downton Abbey, House of Sand and Fog, likable characters

Some seasons are declared the warmest on record, others the coldest. I'm not sure if they keep track of these things, but I think this winter should be declared the weirdest on record.

It started around here (Indiana) with a big snowfall way before Thanksgiving then led right into the holidays which featured mild springlike weather. Santa got disoriented when he visited Christmas Eve and thought he was in Georgia.

We were stunned after Christmas to drive into Vermont for skiing and research and find--no snow. We prayed, however, maybe too much, because the next day 10" fell. :)

New York was springlike on New Years Eve and so was Indiana when we returned home. We finally got a decent ground covering last week. I should mention, by mid January, most Hoosiers are usually sick to death of snow. Not this year. Especially the kids, who haven't had a single snow day.

Then last night, the ground covered with snow, I was awakened by two unexpected sounds. One, some of the loudest thunder I've ever heard. Two, Daisy, giving a sharp bark somewhere in the vicinity of my ear. She's not fond of storms.

All this during a winter that was supposed to include more snow storms, high snowfalls, and extreme temperatures. But winter isn't over yet, and if there's anything I've learned about Indiana weather, anything can change at a moment's notice.

I'll tell you right now, I hate competing, especially if the competition is against a friend I wouldn't want to hurt. And that's not to say I'd win any competition. Some, of course, are a no-brainer. I could eat my weight in maraschino cherries, and Mel can't stand them, so I'd win that contest without even a showdown.

Labels: Competition, men or women?, photos by Eugene Arthur Patterson, Who's better

TODAY IS COLLEEN'S BIRTHDAY!!

Labels: birthday, cake, candles, Colleen Coble

Confession: I LOVE a good Gothic romance. HEATHCLIFF!!! The latest Jane Eyre was really good, too. Now, there's a new movie coming out and I saw a trailer for it last night. It's called, "The Woman in Black" and my son was in the room when the commercial came on and said, "Oh Mom, that looks like your kind of movie."

It's English. It's creepy. It IS my kind of movie. Jane Peart once did a fabulous Gothic series in the CBA . She was the author of "The Montclair Brides" series and one of my very favorites when I started reading Christian fiction. She's gone to be with Lord now, but I always remembered how she transitioned and it worked.

I really liked "Her Fearful Symmetry" by the author of "The Time Traveler's Wife" for the same reasons. It was set in an English cemetery, and just had that element of the outer-worldly combined with day-to-day living. I have always loved the Gothic novel, but then I remember so did Jane Austen, and that resulted in "Mansfield Park" (which is not a great book.) And I think if Jane couldn't do it, what makes me think I can?


Do you have a genre that you really enjoy, but doesn't seem to fit your character? Do you know of any great Gothic novels I may have missed?

Labels: genres, Gothic novels, Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

I have a new book shipping to stores this week! Don't you love the cover? :)

Labels: Blue Moon Promise