Today we have LaVerne Clark on talking about how she came to read e-books. She is giving away a copy of her book Affinity just leave her a comment telling her what joys you’ve discovered reading digital books.
I’d always been one of those people who thought I’d never own an e-reader. I loved real books too much. The smell of the pages; the satisfaction of being the first to crack the spine; reading in the bath. Ahh… the small luxuries of life. How could a digital book possibly compete?
How naive I was! No – you can’t replicate the smell of a newly printed book (someone really should bottle the stuff) and you definitely don’t want to hear any kind of cracking going on when opening a new book on your reader. But – since buying my Kindle, a whole new and exciting world has opened to me.
Living on the other side of the world is no longer a barrier to getting a favourite author’s latest. For someone as impatient as me, this is amazing! When a new book comes out, I can get it instantly – and cheaply. I don’t have to worry about the postage and the long wait is a thing of the past. I’ve even worked out the Kindle fits beautifully in a zip-lock bag – perfect for bath-time.
Now – I just need to wait for someone to invent that delicious book smell to waft around the room while I’m reading and my life will be complete! I hope you enjoy my contributions to the digital world – and don’t forget to invest in some of those zip-lock bags!
In the wrong hands, Jenna Thomas’s legacy could be a curse—in her mind it already is.
As a child, a routine x-ray awakened an abnormality in Jenna’s DNA giving her the ability to “call” creatures and take on their attributes. Labeled a freak since then, Jenna’s learned to keep everyone at a distance. But all that changes the day she saves a young boy from drowning, and the story goes viral.
Nick Hawke, an off-duty policeman, witnesses part of the drama. Captivated by Jenna’s exotic beauty, he decides to investigate, not sure what to believe. Jenna puts his cynicism to the test—even as the attraction between them grows.
As word of her extraordinary rescue spreads, a dangerous man who will stop at nothing to control Jenna’s abilities draws near. With her feelings for Nick putting him in danger too, can Jenna risk everything to protect them both?
“Back off everyone, give us room,” boomed Nick with authority. Everyone took a step back. An attractive woman holding a microphone stepped into the created space. Her phony smile flashed teeth like a shark. Circling, she came in for the kill, her cameraman capturing the moment.
“Are you the lady who jumped in to save the boy? What made you do something so heroic? Witnesses say you were under for over ten minutes. How is this possible?”
The questions fired at her like a volley of bullets. Jenna flinched as each one hit its mark. She couldn’t answer honestly without sounding like a freak. So she said nothing, burying her head into Nick’s chest. His arms tightened around her. The subtle turning of his body shielded her from all those eyes.
He pitched his voice to address the crowd. “It’s been a traumatic event for everyone involved, and as you can imagine, it’s not over for us yet. We’ve no comment to make at this stage, so please, give us some time to come to terms with what’s happened. Thank you.”
“Could you at least give me a little snippet, Sergeant Hawke?” pouted the reporter, pushing her chest out and fluttering her lashes.
Jenna’s spine went rigid. A sick feeling of dread settled in the pit of her belly.
Police. Nick is a policeman. Dear God, I’m in trouble.
Her head pounded and her hands shook. His arm tightened when she tried to pull away, holding her firmly in place. Any other person she could have fobbed off. Now she understood his aura of authority, his all-seeing gaze and concern at the thought of a child left alone in her car. He would be relentless uncovering the truth.
Thanks for having me guys! 🙂
It hasn’t been mentioned, but just wanted to let your readers know I’m offering an Advanced copy of my June 27th release, ‘Affinity’ to a lucky commenter! What are the joys you’ve discovered with reading digital books over paper? Good luck!
I was just like you, LaVerne, having been an avid reader and book lover since I learned to read in the first grade. I never thought I’d enjoy reading on an e-reader, but now I love my Nook. I’ve read many books on it and have a lot of TBR books loaded onto it and keep acquiring more. I love that I can see a book that interests me and download it immediately and love that when I go camping, I can take the Nook, instead of several print books, along.
Oh, YES Susan! No more excess weight or room issues in suitcases! I’d forgotten about that! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
The joys of e-books fall into two main categories for me: selection and pricing. The selection is incredible now because it is now so easy to find books in niche categories and there are so many e-book retailers to choose from. Pricing (excluding some of the big publishers) means getting books at US prices (hard copies sell for significantly more in Canada than the USA far beyond any exchange rates issues) and all sorts of promos in addition to a huge array of freebies.
Hi Carol,
I had no idea hard copies were so much more expensive in Canada than the USA! I wonder why that is? Being a New Zealander, I’ve had to justify to myself the extra spend on postage whenever a new book came out that I really wanted. Now, I no longer have that to worry about – meaning my kindle is chock-full of goodies. I LOVE the freebies too! Its like a treasure hunt and I’ve learned of some wonderful new-to-me authors because of them.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. There’s something I absolutely love about my kindle: it’s that I don’t have to hold it in my hands when I want to read. I mean, if I want to hold a warm tea cup in both hands in winter when it’s cold, I can still read without losing the page of my book! It sounds silly but I think it’s great!
Otherwise, I agree with every advantage you pointed out: cheaper price, rapidity…
“Affinity” sounds original, I liked the extract. Thank you.
Hehehe, Aurore – you’re spot on! Its winter here at the moment, and you’ve just described exactly how I read 🙂 If I’m not holding a cup of tea or coffee, I’m under a blanket with just the one hand needed to turn the pages. A HUGE advantage isn’t it?
Thanks for the comment on Affinity. I loved writing this book and can’t wait to get it out there 🙂
I am also impatient and waiting, sometimes weeks down here in little old NZ, to get a book via snail mail was extremely painful lol. I love paper backs, but I’m in love with my Kindle. Nothing beats that feeling of instant gratification when you see the downloading icon flash at the top of the screen lol. I’m a total e-reader convert! But yeah, still can’t beat that new book smell 😉
Great excerpt LaVerne! I’m looking forward to reading Affinity!
Hi Sherilee, fellow Kiwi! 🙂
I’m glad I’m not the only impatient one! I’m sure its something to do with living so far away from the rest of the world. Kindle sales are doing very well in our little country so I’ve heard – not at all surprising is it?
I hope you enjoy Affinity, Sherilee and thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
Hi LaVerne
I love my Nook and Kindle! popping by to say hello! 🙂
Sara
HarlequinJunkie
Hi Sara!
Lovely to see your here 🙂 A Nook AND a Kindle! Wow – jealous much?! Yes I am! 😉
LaVerne – you might have almost convinced me to buy an e-reader! Like you I love real books. I have not yet tried an e-reader though everyone’s comments are giving me second thoughts. The other advantage I can see is the amount of space it would save – living in a small house with limited space my partner and I have a large bookcase each, both of which are overflowing with books, which have also spread across the top of the dresser and sadly into boxes in storage. At least with an e-reader there would be no storage problems!! 🙂
You won’t be disappointed Heather 🙂 Your book problem sounds like ours! And now, all those beautiful books that are in boxes in our shed are starting to get damaged by the damp air. At least our favourites are in the bookshelves in the house. Those 300-odd books currently on my Kindle fit easily in my handbag 😉
A snaplock bag! I’d never thought of that – now I can read in the bath with impunity. Thanks, LaVerne.
Toni
Hehehe – clever aye Toni? And cheap! Hope you enjoy your bath-time even more now Toni 🙂
Hi Laverne! Great post 😀
I adore my kindle, but admit I haven’t read half the books I’ve bought for it yet!
I’ve always been a big reader, my family too, but I’ve never felt the attachment to the physical books that so many people have: they take up a lot of space at home and are bulky to take on holidays…What do you do with that $20 book you bought at the airport and finished on the plane??
Also, it’s nice that the pages don’t fall out of the kindle, lol!
Finally as a writer, I love that I can read my own work, or my friends work on the kindle too and how they compare to a completed book.
I actually previewed a copy of ‘Affinity’ on my kindle, and can tell you all it’s awesome!
Good Luck with the release in what is it, only ten days? woohoo!!!!!
So very true Kelly about that book bought at the airport! Those are the ones currently stored in boxes in my shed!
Awww…thanks for the plug for Affinity. I’m glad you enjoyed it and I’m excitedly counting down the days! A nice round number now 😀
WOOHOO!!!
Darl, you should put a photo on your icon 🙂
I’m happy to plug your work, you’re a great writer and mentor.xxx
I, like Heather, don’t own a Kindle yet… but I agree that you are very convincing in promoting them! There really are so many benefits, saving space, cheaper books, easy to travel with an endless number of books, instant access, free hands, and one thing I personally really love – it’s more environmentally friendly! No chopping of endless trees, all the processing that makes the wood into paper, the printing of that paper, and all the transport miles within each process. It’s a great invention 😀
Hi Kira!
I absolutely agree with all of your points in why digital is such a smart choice. Its incredibly how much goes into distributing a print book isn’t it? No wonder they cost more – and not just financially.
The other great thing about Kindles and the like – they’re getting cheaper every day. Yay!!
Thanks so much for stopping by 😀
I’m off to try the snaplock bag. I’ve risked a bath while gingerly holding my kindle, but didn’t think further about waterproofing. I like my kindle because I can sit on my exercise bike and read it . A print book is a complete pest when I have to turn a page and it’s heavier to hold. Going to get a contraption to sit the kindle on one day- except I’ll probably need new specs as well since the distance will be wrong!
Hi Nancy!
Oh my goodness! You were brave to risk your kindle like that – but whats a girl to do? Definitely try the snaplock bag. It works like a charm.
AND a friend of mine has just alerted me to a new product – a book-scented perfume!! Someone must have heard my plea!Sigh… my life really is complete now 🙂