April Showers...?

I am beginning to wonder about meteorologists. We got rain yesterday morning and a little again this morning. Yay! But on last night’s Atlanta newscast, their “radar estimated” rainfall for us yesterday was a little over an inch. We got 22/100”. Not quite the same, is it? I know mountains have microclimates and storms do tend to go around us, but nevertheless… I’m still in water conservation mode and, if those same meteorologists are to be believed, will be for the foreseeable future.

Indie Authors Get Shafted - Again

A while back, I made the decision to go “wide” with my books, enabling those who don’t like the ‘Zon to have access to them. First, libraries don’t get anything through the behemoth; second, even my Canadian sister reads e-books on something other than a Kindle.

The easiest and fastest way to do this is through a distributor. Most indie authors use Draft2Digital. They take a small chunk (as does the retailer) but time-wise, it’s worth it.

A few months ago, D2D announced they wouldn’t remit royalties until the total amount exceeded $20. Sigh, but okay, fine.

Then, last week they announced effective 14 May not only will there be a $20 new account activation fee, but every account that doesn’t earn $100 in royalties per year will be assessed a $12 annual fee.

I don’t even sell one book a month through a site other than the ‘Zon. That’s $1.49 on a $2.99 book. Multiply it out and D2D will take all my royalties for one year (and at current sales rates, probably send me an invoice for the balance). That’s not acceptable.

I’m still musing on whether to go strictly on the ‘Zon, or to go through the hassle of setting up accounts and uploading eight books to multiple retail (and library) sites. If you have any thoughts on the matter, let me know.

Small Person Woes

For those of you who don’t know me personally, I am a small person. Short and skinny (not quite as skinny as in my youth but comparatively). Clothes shopping can be a hassle but for years, I’ve known I’m a “small” on the bottom and a “medium” on the top.

I have a high school class thing coming up this summer and I wanted a couple of new shirts for the occasion. Found a couple I liked, ordered them (“medium”), and when they arrived, found they were styled for someone considerably more buxom than I. Did you know a large number of tops do not come in small? It took me another hour to find two shirts I liked in “small.” At least these fit.

What I’ve Been Reading

Involuntarily Immortal by Emily Barlow. Of course, because I’d read Sunchaser, the Zon recommended this one to me. I like Emily (she’s a friend of my daughter’s), liked the first book, so why not? Sable is a couple of thousand years old, cursed to live until everyone and everything she’s ever known is dead. She holes herself up in the middle of nowhere for eighty years and is just about to die when a man and his young daughter come to find her at the suggestion of the deceased mother’s ghost. Ailith, the daughter, is a gatekeeper, one who maintains the balance between the worlds of the living and the dead. Some bad guys want to kill Ailith to open the gate to the land of the dead and the three of them need to figure out how, who, when, and where. It’s a travelogue of ancient sites, with just enough suspense to keep you entertained.

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, narrated by Patricia Santomasso. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one…it’s supposed to be YA but so many reviews said it was more than that, so I took a chance. Mona, a 14-year old girl, is a magical baker…her bread is some of the best in the city and, if you ask nicely, she can make the gingerbread men dance. Then there’s the sourdough starter, Bob, who has truly taken on a life of his own. She lives in a city-state ruled by a Duchess and a council of lords and ministers. One of the city’s ministers decides all the magickers in the city (lower-level magicians like Mona who aren’t very powerful) need to be gone…they can either leave or the Spring Green Man kills them. Mona and her friend, a young street urchin, climb three stories up the garderobe to the Duchess’ chamber to ask why she’s allowing all this to happen. They get embroiled in politics and a bit of war, and Mona’s baking (plus another magicker who can only raise dead horses) saves the city while the army is still days away. It’s cute…and nail-biting at times. Who knew sourdough and gingerbread could be so mean??

Contracts and Cats (Book 1) and Keepers and Kindred (Book 2), MEOW: Magical Emporium of Wares by Toni Binns. Naturally, Book 3 isn’t out until July. Sigh. This is a cute cozy fantasy. It has a magical coffee shop/bookstore, a talking cat (who isn’t really a cat), a book dragon, and all sorts of other magical beings. It starts out with Sable, who is looking for her first full-time job after graduating college (she worked part-time as a barista during school), answering an ad for a shopkeeper for a bookstore. She walks into her interview and starts to drool – the store has a top-of-the-line espresso machine. The man who interviews her decides she’s perfect for the job, which not only includes a salary, but room and board, and it’ll pay off her student loans. She signs the contract, not realizing she cannot leave the store for an entire year. He leaves when she starts the next day. Then she hears the cat talk. The store itself rearranges things depending on who they’re expecting that day. It takes a while, but Sable figures out the store travels between worlds – going to where it’s needed that day. There is a mystery to solve but most of the story is centered on personal relationships. I’m giving this series (so far) a rare five stars.

While my back is better (yesterday was the first day I was able to pull on socks without wincing), I still need to get to a better chair. Until next month!