Afterthought

I know I am technologically challenged and I accept this but am frustrated by it.  Most of the time I stumble upon new things accidentally.  I was way behind on the pinterest craze and had to have lessons from my sister-in-law.  By no means am I addicted but I enjoy it well enough.  I love most of my little gadgets but they are probably not being used to their full capacity.  I have my iPhone, my 2 Kindles and a desktop computer.  I know, everyone has a laptop but I'd never move off the couch if I had a laptop; besides between the Kindle Fire and my iPhone, I don't have to actually get on the computer unless I want some true speed and need the exercise.

Yes, there's a point to all this.  When I do accidentally come across new things, I like to share (and if you already know about the neat things I find, just humor me please ; ' )

I'm on twitter and I learn a bunch of stuff from other people's posts.  Just recently, Shiloh Walker made a comment in a tweet about a website called Kindlegraph.  Not knowing what that was, (I'm extremely nosey, er, curious), I googled it and found a very cool website.  I've always thought it was a shame with the advent of the e-readers that I was missing out on some of my favorite authors' autographs.  Well, now I or you don't have to.  Kindlegraph is a website where you can contact a favorite author and if they so desire, they can send you an autograph back as a document.  The autograph is on a cover flat and can even be personalized.  I thought this was fantastic.  I was ready to send off a slew of requests especially to my favorite indie authors.

Um, well, even though the website boasts partnering with over 1200 authors, only a few of "my" authors had signed up for the service.  From what I can gather from the website, the authors can sign up for free but in some instances the recipient of the autograph might have to pay a small fee for the document download.  Not sure how that will work.  I think I'm going to try it out and get back to you on it. 

The whole point of this ramble, er, post was to see if we as readers could get more authors on board so we can benefit in the autograph department.  So that's my discovery for the day.  Interested, let your favorite authors know.  Here's the link:  http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors

View and Download 1403 x 898 Military American Wallpapers and Backgrounds

View and Download 1403 x 898 Military American Wallpapers and Backgrounds

Afterthought

I just realized, I have a follower, my hubby and my very first subscriber!!  Welcome Arabella!!

An Exciting Day!!

So much happened today but it was really awesome.  It just happens to concern mostly book stuff.  I had three blogs appear on Pure Textuality today.  The first was my personal thoughts previously posted here, A Reader's Dream.  The second, my interview with the fantastic Ms Connie Suttle, author of one of my favorite series, Blood Destiny Series. The third, the review of Connie's forthcoming release, Bumble.  Can't wait to read it again in Kindle format.  The ARC about destroyed my eyes but that's my fault as I was not working the Kindle right.
I was so worried about everything coming together for Connie's interview and new release and yet it went without a hitch.  I just didn't want to let Connie down.  Jena at Pure Textuality is a wonder.
Now the pressure is off for a while and I can read and review all I want, of course, in between having a life.  LOL, YAY!!

Reversed my postings

I had previously written down some stuff on my career in the Air Force but when I copied and pasted, I reversed the order of the posts.  I've now corrected them.
Sorry

Air Force Career #1

At the time I went into the Air Force, there were still many career fields not open to women.  I truly wanted to be a load master but was not allowed.  They didn't have any women flight crew at the time and those planes flew over hostile areas so that was out.  I was however allowed into my second choice which was jet engine mechanic.  I went in with a guaranteed job which was just beginning in 1976. 


Basic training was a hoot.  Just a mind game.  Again, at the time they were just beginning to integrate the men with the women.  Our "utility uniforms" were completely different from the men.  We were NOT allowed to shoot the M-16or have gas mask training and our obstacle course left out "the manly things". 


From there I went to Chanute AFB in Illinois for my engine training.  That's were things got a bit interesting.  We had about 400 airmen in various stages of training and there were only about 25 women.  It wasn't intensive training just really knowledge about general mechanics and tools.  At the time I did not realize it but I found out before I graduated that of the 25 women approximately 15 were gay.  This included my roommate.  She was extremely smart (an honor grad at both Basic Training and at Engine training.  She was one of my best friends as we went through basic together.)  Having never been around "gay" people, I had no idea what all the fuss was about.  The quickest way to get discharged if you didn't like what you were doing was to say you were gay.  lol
The women were treated differently in Engine Training.  We were the butt of many subtle jokes and the instructors were a bit condescending.  Of all the instructors, there was one female and she was a civilian.  She actually went in the other direction and favored the females in her classes.  One of the prerequisites on the career field was that females has to able to lift at least 50 pounds.  The first thing they did to us was test us on the weight limit.  The males didn't have to prove they could lift their weight limit.

I had no real problems at training except for the single instructors hitting on me.  I did date one on the sly.  We weren't supposed to but hey, whatever.  He could have lost his instructor status but nothing would have happened to me because I was the poor dumb female airman who didn't know any better.  He was never one of my instructors so that didn't play into anything.  I found out after I graduated that he kept a score card on how many trainees he could date and bed.  We lost several women from my class.  Not due to anything but they were found out.  We had 7 girls in my class and 4 admitted to being gay.  My roommate did not admit anything and as far as I know served her enlistment.

A Reader's Dream

What's your biggest dream as an avid reader?  Maybe to meet your favorite author in person?  Have an autographed copy of one of their books?

I recently got to live one of my dreams as a reader.    In August 2011, I was looking for something to read as usual.  I don't know about the rest of you but I don't just pick a book at random and read it.  I have to figure out what kind of book I'm in the mood for and go from there.  This one book kept popping up on my recommended list on Amazon, Blood Wager by Connie Suttle.  The cover caught my attention more than once but I don't buy my books based on the cover.  I read the synopsis and was a bit intrigued.  I really thought it was gonna be one of those fluff vampire books and a quick read.  I downloaded to my Kindle but for some reason didn't read it right away.  Fast forward to the middle of September and I finally started reading, and reading and reading.  I was totally hooked on the Blood Destiny Series. 

I do most of my reading at night after the hubby hits the sack.  Since I'm a book junkie, I limit myself to reading after 7 pm.  If I didn't, I'd read most of the day and nothing else would get done.  There will be the occasional book that I even though I want to, I can't finish due the eyelids closing of their own volition.  I'll usually polish it off the next morning after breakfast.  When I finally started reading Blood Wager, Ms Suttle had already released the next two books in the series, Blood Passage and Blood Sense.  I would think about the books most of the day.  Kinda like a song you can't get out of your head.  I was ready to send my husband to bed with his dinner so I could read. 

This series is not a quick read for me.  There are so many different things going on and so much information that I didn't want to miss ANYTHING.  Plus, I wanted to make them last.  When I got to the end of Blood Sense, I realized I was gonna have to wait two whole weeks for the next book.  Oh, the horror!  Readers get antsy waiting a year and I was craving the next installment, Blood Domination.  I did something I haven't done very much up until that point, I left a message on Ms Suttle's blog.  She was more than gracious and through some means or another, we began to send an email here or there.  Me, cheering for her success and she, thanking us for reading her books.  I felt like I had a bit of a connection and hoped she didn't think I was stalker.  No, not really.  Anyway, through whatever reader fairies there are, I ended up with a "Thanks" in the dedication of her last book, Blood Queen.  Just a few words that meant the world to me.

I actually thought things couldn't get any better in my reading life but I was wrong.  I began blogging for Pure Textuality.  I could talk about books anytime I wanted.  Jena wanted to know if there were any authors that the reviewers wanted to interview and I immediately thought of Connie.  I contacted Connie to see if she was interested and found out I was going to do her first (and mine) interview.  Excitement could not be contained!!  Jena helped me with some of the questions and we were off and running.  Jena, then threw me a curve ball.  Connie has a new series release coming up on the 1st of February and Jena wanted to see if I could get an ARC and do the review for release with the interview.  I should have been ecstatic, but I wasn't.  Connie's next book release, Bumble, is the beginning of a young adult series.  If you read my bio, I don't do young adult books.  Tried, couldn't get into them.  Connie sent the ARC and I was afraid to even start reading.  I shouldn't have worried.  When Connie writes, she must write with folks like me in mind.  By the end of the first chapter, I was in love with Ashe.  Gotta stop there on the book.  Review coming the 1st of February.

If you're wondering, I liked the book on it's own merit, not because I'm a devoted fan.  I was concerned about that coming through in my review but, no worries, the book stands on it's own.  Now I wonder if I shouldn't go back and try some other young adult books.  We shall see. 

My Reader's Dream came true in more ways than one.