December 4th, 2009 — Gifts
Don't know what to get the book lover in your life this year? Try this guide on for size:
- Book Journals. Think of it as a A Book Lover's Diary
or as Goodreads.com for her purse.
- Bed Lamps. You know one of the best things about hotels? Their double wall lamps
. These babies shed just enough light to illuminate her side of the bed (or yours) without disturbing the other person in the room. Want to read until 4AM to finish that epic novel – no problem!
- Book Lights. The LightWedge Original Book Light
looks seriously cool. It will illuminate the page she’s reading and nothing else. I want to get me one of these!
- Romantic Times Magazine Subscription. Romantic Times Book Reviews
is a magazine dedicated to serving romance readers and dishes up 200+ reviews an issue.
- Reading Club Paraphernalia. If she’s in a reading club you definitely want to get her a Reading Group Journal
. Buying her the books from the club would also be a terrific gift!
- Book Magnifiers. Books don’t always come in large print so it’s nice to have a Handheld Magnifier
to zoom in on the text.
- Bookends. Those Harlequins and category novels don’t hold themselves up you know. A cute set of bookends would go a long way to organizing that TBR pile. Kikkerland Leaning Ladies Bookends
might be nice or these executive frame bookends
which you can personalize.
- Book Stands and Holders. They come in many shapes, sizes and functions. Are you looking for a Paperback Caddy
, Book Clip,
or an All in One Bookholder, Bookstand and Bookmark
?
- Blankets. Reading is fabulous when snuggling with a Blanket
. A new fuzzy and warm blanket to read under would not be unappreciated.
- Audio Books. Another great gift idea is an audio romance book. There are several titles available from big name authors. Check out: 8 Sandpiper Way
by Debbie Macomber, Birthright
by Nora Roberts, Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon, or Lover Avenged
by J.D. Ward.
- Ebook Reading Devices. Does she love to read ebooks? Choose from Amazon's Kindle
, Sony's e-Reader
, or B&N’s Nook.
- Hot Beverages. A steaming cup of Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Hot Cocoa
or Bigelow Cinnamon Stick Tea
is sure to make anyone merry.
- Boxed Book Sets. There are a ton of box sets out there, do you know what she’s looking for or what she likes? Try a Nora Roberts box gift set: Sign of Seven Trilogy Box Set
, or In The Garden Box Set
, or Key Trilogy Box Set
.
- Bathtub Caddies. If she loves to read in the bathtub you need to get her a Bathtub Caddy
with a book holder in it! She'll love it!
- Laptop Table. If you're waiting on an electronic reading device an Adjustable Laptop Table with Cooler
is the next best thing. It will make reading ebooks easier and cooler!
Edit: Bonus Gift Ideas!
- Bookstore Gift Cards. Give books through gift cards and ease your book lover's budget guilt. Even if they use an Amazon Gift Cards
for something other than books, you're getting them exactly what they want.
- Bookmarks. Something like Book Darts
, which are plentiful, cheap, and pretty would suffice. I'm also a huge fan of Magnetic Page Markers
. Love them a lot because the heavy weight of the magnet opens the book to the page easily and without fuss. Great stocking stuffers!
Photo Credits: We Heart It
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November 28th, 2009 — Between the Sheets, Erotica
Welcome to the second article under Between the Sheets. Here we get to focus on going beyond the printed page to learn more about the industry, the parts usually forgotten by the time the product hits the shelves. Today’s special guest is Olivia Roland, narrator of Land of Falling Stars
. Please join me in welcoming her!
Q. -- How did you get started in book narration?
A.-- I started as a stage actor and learned of an opportunity recording books for the blind from a fellow actor.
Q.-- What's the audition process like for audio books?
A.-- You're asked to read segments from different genres (fiction, non-fiction) and submit a recording and will often do an audition to show your reading skills.
Q.-- Were you required to do anything special for the audition because it was an erotica novel?
A.-- No. We submitted material from a novel with a similar feel.
Q.-- What's your favorite part about narrating?
A.-- I love being able to use all the ranges of my voice, and to be able to put my training with languages and dialects and acting to great use.
Q.-- Did you feel strange narrating erotica at first?
A.-- I've recorded romance novels and historical romances for over a decade and they have many explicit sex scenes, so I was accustomed to some of the material when I began to read for Ravenous Romance.
Q.-- What other voice acting have you done?
A.-- I've recorded hundreds of commercials for radio and television, industrials and training videos. I have also recorded several PBS specials and have been nominated for two Heartland Emmy Nominations for Best Narration.
Q.-- And finally, why should people listen to audio books?
A.-- Audio books are magical to me because you get the advantage of hearing them read by an actor, but at the same time you create all the images and imagine all the people in your mind's eye all on your own.
You get the best of two worlds: an actor's voice and interpretation and your own power of creativity and imagination as you hear a writer's words. It's the best kind of escape, anywhere you choose to have it!
Thank you Olivia! It's been so good to talk with you. I couldn't agree more with why people should listen to audio books. They are definitely magical.
Photo Credits: bondiben
Originally posted 2009-03-25 05:33:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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September 20th, 2009 — About, Between the Sheets, Guest Blogger
by Susan Sigler, guest blogger
I’d like to take a moment to applaud the following publishers. Not only do they publish the greatest books ever, but they offer wonderful discounts, sponsor contests, most keep up blogs, and many have Yahoo groups. It goes without saying, authors work extremely hard to bring us beautiful stories with their imaginative plots, but credit should be given to those behind the scenes to publish the author’s vision. So without further ado, here are ten publishing sites I visit regularly. I hope many of you will visit, and it’s my wish you will win their contests or find new authors that peak your interest.
Publisher #1 St. Martin’s Press
http://us.macmillan.com/SMP.aspx
2 of their authors- Sherrilyn Kenyon and Cherry Adair.
Publisher #2 Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
http://samhainpublishing.com/index.php
Samhain has monthly ebook and print contests.
Publisher #3 Sourcebooks, Inc.
http://www.sourcebooks.com/
Sourcebooks has special offers and great discounts, beautiful Jane Austen E-cards to send to friends and family. They also have authors Amelia Grey, Carolyn Brown, and others.
Publisher #4 Ravenous Romance has a free short story, discounted books and audio books. Two of their many authors- Isabel Roman and Cecilia Tan.
http://www.ravenousromance.com/
Publisher #5 Harlequin has publishers like Mills & Boon, Harlequin, Silhouette, MIRA, and Steeple Hill. Harlequin offers Free Book Fridays and gave us 16 free books to celebrate Harlequin’s 60th anniversary, aren’t they divine?
http://www.eharlequin.com/
Publisher #6 Loose-Id is an erotic romance e-publisher With authors like Cheryl Dragon, Marie Harte, Ann Lory and Moira Rogers, is it any wonder we love them.
http://www.loose-id.com/
Publisher #7 Kensington Publishing Corp. they have contests. Listen to these authors: Delta Dupree, Heather Graham, Devyn Quinn, Lynsay Sands, and Sasha White.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/
Publisher #8 Ellora’s Cave has free short story reads and authors like Jaci Burton, Tracy Cooper-Posey, and Marie Treanor.
http://www.ellorascave.com/
Publisher #9 The Wild Rose Press has free reads and the author J.L. Wilson.
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/
Publisher #10 Hachette Book Group (HBG) has approximately 9 publishing groups with links to contests you can enter. One of the authors they publish for is Jennifer Haymore, remember A Hint of Wicked? If you enjoyed it, thank HBG.
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/
This is not a comprehensive list it’s a summary, there are many other publishers I’m not familiar with and therefore didn’t mention. Please note, due to limited space and time constraints, I did not name the many hundreds upon hundreds of authors they publish. I simply made reference to my favorites, and the ones I believe you’d recognize upon reading.
If you can enlighten me with other publishers, by all means tell me. I’d love to hear about them.
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March 18th, 2009 — Between the Sheets, Erotica
Between the Sheets is a play on words, not only referring to sex and the bedsheets but also to the pages of a book. This section of the blog is dedicated to going beyond the printed page to learn more about the industry, the parts usually forgotten by the time the product hits the shelves. Today's special guest is Rebecca Rogers, the narrator of The Maestro's Butterfly
, to talk about audio books... and more specifically erotica audio books.
How did you get started in book narration?
My family and I own a Renaissance Festival in Washington State. One of our vendors asked me if I had ever thought about recording audio books. I told her that it was a dream of mine. She happened to be one of the cover artists for a local audio book company and was able to get me an audition!
What was the first book you narrated?
My first book was Bound To Die
by Brian Lutterman.
What’s your favorite part about narrating?
I love performing and storytelling. Making a story come alive is like magic!
In your opinion, what is the hardest aspect of the whole narration process?
The most challenging aspect for me is doing the author justice. Not having direct contact with most authors, I have to use my best judgment when developing a character’s voice.
Did you feel strange narrating erotica?
No, I didn’t feel strange at all! It was new territory for me, admittedly, but I had a lot of fun with it. I also wanted to sound genuine. It was a challenge that quite often had me laughing!
What do you do to prep for a new narration?
Research is vital. Most importantly I need to KNOW the characters. I try to nail it the first take to minimize corrections. In order to do this I need to know my pronunciations, know when a character has an accent and be familiar with the setting.
Tell us about the narrating process after prep!
Most recently my process has been relatively solitary. I come to the studio with my water and apple slices having prepared several chapters for recording. I act as my own engineer, punching and rolling when I make a mistake. When my session is done I load my files onto a hard drive for my engineer. Once the engineer has listened and we’ve made any corrections we call it a wrap!
I really enjoyed your rendition of Maestro’s Butterfly, how did you decide on the character voices?
Thank you! Maestro’s Butterfly was especially fun for me. Vampires have intrigued me for many years. I pulled some inspiration from Anne Rice’s vampire Lestat who was also French and had a vicious side. I also enjoyed playing with lead characters who were so diametrically opposed to each other; strong/male/foreign/exotic vs. lost/feminine/naive/southern. Such fun!
Besides Maestro’s Butterfly what other books have you done, either for Ravenous Romance or other publishers?
For Ravenous Romance I have read The Brotherhood: To Slay or to Lay by Elizabeth Miette, Haunted Seduction
by Morgan James and Destiny's Jewel
by Rachel Kenley. With Blackstone Audio I have read Nancy Drew Girl Detective: Framed
by Carolyn Keene, Nancy Drew Girl Detective: Dressed to Steal
by Carolyn Keene, The Shiloh Renewal
by Joan Leslie Woodruff, Foul Play
by Tori Carrington, and many others.
And finally, why should people listen to audio books?
Audio books offer another level on which authors can reach their readers. Audio books are an exciting way to “hear” your favorite characters come to life. They bring you closer to the work.
Thank you so much Rebecca! It's been a pleasure to listen and to talk with you!
Photo Credits: Frederic della Faille
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