E-Book Shopping Bonanza

My TBB ("to be bought") list of books is lengthy, so this morning I went online to do damage to the ol' credit card. On a friend's recommendation, I grabbed Ernest Cline's READY PLAYER ONE. My friend--a big reader--says it's one of the most original books she's read in some time, so I'm anxious to dive in. (If you've read it, what did you think?)

After picking up Cline's book, I went to buy Anna Godbersen's BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS. To my happy surprise, Amazon currently has Godbersen's book FREE for the Kindle, with bonus material. Not sure how long the special will last, but I urge you to give it a try if you like historical-set YA. (And if you don't have a Kindle, no worries...you can download the reader app for your smartphone or computer from the Amazon website.)

While you're shopping, don't forget to swing over to Smashwords or bn.com to grab your free copy of REALITY CHECK, a 37-page bonus story featuring Jules Jackson, a popular character in the Valerie Winslow/Royally Crushed series. It was written especially for those fans of the series who've asked for more about Jules. REALITY CHECK can be read on any e-reader, smartphone, or computer screen, and it's also downloadable as a PDF at Smashwords.

In the meantime, let me know your thoughts on e-books here. Do you read e-books or prefer paper, and why? If you read e-books, do you read on an e-reader, a smartphone, or on another device?

Royal Wedding, Royally Crushed, and a FREE Read

This morning's broadcast of Good Morning America had not one, but two full-length segments on the upcoming royal wedding (who's designing Kate Middleton's dress? who will be the high bidder when they auction off the lingerie she modeled at a charity event back in 2002...and caught Prince William's eye?)  I can only imagine the coverage of the upcoming wedding in the UK, given that it's all the rage right now here in the US.  Just in the past week, I was e-mailed a link showing the official commemorative coin for the wedding (I think it's hideous...as will be discussed in the next blog!), and saw that an official British royal wedding website was launched to provide royal-watchers with up-to-the minute news, photos, and videos in the run-up to the event on Friday, April 29.

If you need a dose of royal romance and don't want to wait for the London wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, mark your calendars for March 22.  Simon Pulse is releasing Royally Crushed, a 3-in-1 edition of my Valerie Winslow series (the entire trilogy is Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over.)

To celebrate the upcoming release of Royally Crushed, I've written a bonus short story called Reality Check about Val's combat-boot wearing, Frosty- and Ho Ho-addicted friend Jules Jackson.

Many of you have written to me since reading the very first Valerie book, Royally Jacked, asking if there would ever be a story for Jules.  Now there is!  It's written completely in e-mail format and tells the story of what happens when Jules finds herself falling for a guy.

Reality Check is now available as a free read, right here, on the Smashwords website, and can be downloaded in a number of formats that will work on your computer, Kindle, Nook, Sony reader, or even as a PDF file so that you can print and read at your convenience.  I hope you enjoy it!

In the meantime, feel free to post your thoughts on the royal wedding to comments.  Will you watch?