Cyber Monday

Well, we got past the turkey and the pumpkin pie. Those who shopped on Black Friday seemed to fare well. I didn't hear any reports of mayhem, which is the first time that Saturday's news casts didn't lead with a report of injuries at a mall.

Shopping online has more appeal to me, other than what I buy locally at our small businesses in town, but I am a little concerned about credit card safety. A report on 60 Minutes last night was not encouraging. The story was about how vulnerable credit cards have become to hackers who get into the systems of major stores like Target, Home Depot and others and steal credit card information. Cybercrime has become quite lucrative for criminals and scary for consumers.

The good news is that the major credit card companies will start suppyling customers with credit cards that have computer chip technology, and they believe that will make counterfeiting cards almost impossible. For online shopping safety, Apple and Google are creating their own payment systems to protect account information and there is always PayPal.

For consumers it is important to protect bank accounts with strong passwords that are not easily hacked. The security changes that credit card companies and retailers are making will take several years to complete, so we have to be security conscious on our end.

If you are going to be shopping online today, you might want to go over to Amazon and pick up a free book while you are there. This is the last day that my police procedural mystery, Doubletake, is free for Kindle and Kindle APPS. Here's what one reviewer had to say, "Wow - so much packed into this story. And then such a surprise ending! Seriously well paced. I am pleased to recommend this to my mystery reading friends. The main character was up to the task and the dialogue snappy. More please."

As part of a CyberMonday special Untreed Reads is offering hundreds of titles at 40% off. That includes my romance novel, Play it Again, Sam that was published by Uncial Press. Here is what one reader said, "Without being melodramatic as so often happens, Miller tells the story that so many women have lived... going through an unexpected divorce and rebuilding thereafter. It's realistic and believable as Sam works her way through the many conflicts she experiences... altogether, a most enjoyable read"

And now your joke for the day. This one is from JokerZ.com I couldn't resist steal...er, borrowing it when I saw it. Fair warning, some might find the punch line a little raunchy.

In the men's bathroom, an accountant, a lawyer, and a cowboy were standing side by side using the urinal. The accountant finished, zipped up, and started washing and literally scrubbing his hands, clear up to his elbows. He used 20 paper towels before he finished. He turned to the other two men and commented, "I graduated from the University of Michigan, and they taught us to be clean."

The lawyer finished, zipped up, and quickly wet the tips of his fingers, grabbed one paper towel and commented, "I graduated from the University of California, and they taught us to be environmentally conscious."

The cowboy zipped up, and as he was walking out the door, he said, "I graduated from Texas Tech University, and they taught us not to piss on our hands."

Hope you have a good week. 

Friday's Odds and Ends

 


       Happy Valentine's Day

Do you have special plans for the day - evening? I'm glad I have play rehearsal tonight so I won't  be alone.

Today is the last day for the sale at Untreed Reads where all romance titles are discounted 30% off. All categories of romance from sweet to sexy are offered, including my romance novel, Play It Again, Sam.  One of my favorites from Laura Parker, Rose of the Mists, is also part of this sale.

Have you been watching the Olympics? What are your favorite events in the winter games? Figure skating is always high on my list, as well as the ice-dancing. I always get a bit nostalgic, remembering when I used to do a bit of figure skating, and my brother and I would dance on roller skates at the neighborhood rink.  Those were good times.

Coverage of the events has included the complaints about conditions at event venues not being optimum, especially during the slopestyle snowboarding competition. Apparetnly accomodations for the athletes have not been optimum either. The following notice was given to the Olympics volunteers and staffers in Sochi: "Due to an extreme shortage of pillows for athetes who unexpectedly arrived to Olympic Village in the mountains, there will be a transfer of pillows from all apartments to the storehouse on 2 February 2014."

Huh? They weren't expecting the athletes?  If it's not too late, I have a few pillows to share.

Photo Courtesy of Alaska Sleep Clinic

The other day I heard a comment aimed toward politicians, "Remember, you are running for something not against someone, so you don't have to get ugly."

Someone ought to make a banner out of that and send it to every campaign headquarters to be prominently displayed. Campaigning has gotten increasingly ugly year after year, and right now I am getting so tired of hearing politicians in TX talk about "how they will fight Obama." I know plenty of people don't like him, specially here in TX, but could we please stop portraying him as the enemy? At the very least you could respect the office, and contrary to what some folks might think, he is not "waging a war on Texas." So politicians need to stop saying, "I will win the war against Obama."

Please stop.

I will vote for the first candidate for any Texas office who does not include the president's name in his or her campaign ad.

Now to end on a lighter note.  "Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they’re looking for ideas." ~Paula Poundstone

Monday Morning Musings - Too Much Money?

A few times I've mentioned on my blog my dismay over the widening gap between the very, very rich and the rest of us. Some folks have wondered, by way of a comment, whether I was suffering from a bad case of sour grapes. They have pointed out that this is the way the free enterprise system works, and people should be able to make as much money as they are capable of. That is true on so many levels, and I have never begrudged the financial success of most people.

What I have railed against are the people who have bajillions of dollars and still want more. Shouldn't there be a point where enough is enough?

Photo courtesy of  SignSpecialist.com

I was pleased to read a column in The Dallas Morning News yesterday written by Sam Polk, a former hedge fund trader. In the article he chronicled his own addition to greed and what it took for him to reach the point of enough. He was honest about how he, and others like him, made money in 2008, when so many of us were watching our retirement fund wither away to practically nothing. He thought that it was perfectly okay for that to happen, until he heard a callous remark by his boss about the financial crisis. "All I'm concerned about is how this affects our company."

Then he noticed "the vitriol that traders directed at the government for limiting bonuses after the crash."

Polk then wrote, "I'd always looked enviously at the people who earned more than I did; now, for the first time, I was embarrassed for them and for me. What had seemed normal now seemed deeply distorted."

Polk referred to his, and others, desperate need for more and more money, as a greed addiction. A former drug addict, he was well-acquainted with the signs and symptoms of addiction, and that need for more money to him was just like his previous need for more drugs. That addiction cost him his long-time girlfriend who told him "I don't like who you've become."

So I'm going on the record again. There is something distasteful and disturbing about this mad scramble for more and more money, no matter the cost to others. According to Polk's essay, in 2012 the McDonald's CEO, Don Thompson, was paid $14 million in compensation - $8.5 million of that being a  bonus, while at the same time the company published a brochure for its workforce on how to survive on their low wages.

That is only one example of how this disparity affects people and business, and it is sad to think that could be multiplied thousands of times.

What can be done about it? I don't know. Not government interference, that's for sure. Is there a way to teach financial integrity in business programs at colleges and universities?

Polk has taken one small step toward doing something by helping disadvantaged people throughout the world. He founded Groceryships, a program that provides money for families to buy fruits, vegetables, grains, beans and seeds for six months. The program then provides education and support to empower people to increase health by incorporating more of these healthful foods into their diets. Polk also ended his essay with this plea to others who may be addicted to wealth. "If you identify with what I’ve written but are reluctant to leave, then take a small step in the right direction. Let’s create a fund where everyone agrees to put, say, 25 percent of their annual bonuses into it, and we’ll use that to help some of the people who actually need the money that we’ve been so rabidly chasing. Together, maybe we can make a real contribution to the world."

Maybe they can.

Now a reminder about the special sale at Untreed Reads through Valentine's Day. All romance titles are on sale for 30% off. This includes all categories of romance from sweet to sexy, this includes my romance novel, Play It Again, Sam.

And finally, a reminder that spring will come again.

Photos courtesy of Mother Nature and my Nikon Camera

Special Wednesday's Guest

Happy Hump Day everyone. This morning I was going to post another column from Slim Randles, but then Sam started bugging me. Sam, Samantha Rutgers, from Play it Again, Sam, had a few things on her mind, and she wouldn't go away and leave me alone. I'm not making this up folk. Well, I guess I am partially responsible because I did make her up when I wrote the book, but I'm sure all the writers reading this are nodding and saying, "I know what you mean."

Characters become very real to us, and even when the book is finished and has been published, sometimes they come back to talk to us again. On one hand, that can be disruptive when we are working on a new story, but on the other hand, it is kind of neat to have a visit with them again. So, here is Sam with the questions she had for me today. Grab a cup of coffee and a slice of this hot apple pie and join us....

Sam: Now it's my turn?

Me: Yes. What do you want to know?

Sam: Well, first I want to thank you for giving me a happy ending.

Me: You're welcome. Most stories should have a happy ending. Otherwise the reader will be disappointed, especially in a romance novel. So what is your question?

Sam: I wondered why you named me Sam. And why the whole Casablanca thing?

Me: Didn't you like it?

Sam: Hey, I thought I was asking the questions.

Me: Okay, okay. Boy, you sure have gotten pushy now that you are all self-actualized and all.

Sam: Self what?

Me: Sure of yourself. Strong. Confident. Remember how you were in the beginning of the story?

Sam: Oh, right. So anyway, my question?

Me: Okay. When I wrote the story I wanted to say something about a person who starts her life over again, and the phrase "play it again" kept running through my mind. That reminded me of Casablanca, one of the best love stories ever, so I decided to make it a favorite of yours.

Sam: What if I didn't like it?

Me: But you did, right?

Sam: Yeah.

Me: And I didn't make you like it just because I wanted you to, right?

Sam: That's true. At first I wasn't sure, but when I saw the movie I fell in love with it. And then that whole thing you did with Frank when he-

Me: Stop! Don't tell. You don't want to give anything away. Then people might not read your story and see how you became all self-actualized.

Sam: I kind of like that. Self-Actualized. Thanks.

Me: You're welcome. That was all part of your character arc.

Sam: I don't care why you did it. I'm just glad that my life turned out so well after John. He sure did kick the foundation out from under me.

Me: So you built a new one. There's an old adage "That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger." Or something like that. But you know what I mean. You made choices throughout the story that made you stronger, until you became who you are now.

Sam: I did, didn't I.

Me: Yes you did. This was your story. Not mine. So... now could you go away for a while. I do have some other characters I need to be talking to right now.

Sam: Okay, okay. I think I'll go someplace warm and play on a beach. It is freakin' cold here.

Me: Can I go with you?

Sam: Nope. You said you had to work. Chop, chop, girl.

If you enjoyed meeting Sam and would like to know her "happy ever after" ending, Play It Again, Sam is on sale at Untreed Reads for 30% off the cover price from now through Valentine's Day. It is just one of the many romance novels on sale during this special event.

Friday's Odds and Ends - Pretty Presents and More

One of my publishers, Untreed Reads,  just let me know that all the books at the online bookstore, Kobo, will be 50% off through December 31st, so readers can load books into their new electronic reading devices at a huge savings. The code can be used over and over through the end of this month. How cool is that. I may have to go check out some books for myself. Some of my favorite authors have some books there, so this is a great time to pick up some new ones.

If you are interested, here is the code to use - 50DEC - and here is the link to the Kobo site. I am pleased to have several of my titles available at Kobo: One Small Victory and Play it Again, Sam,  and the short stories: Making it Home, SAHM, I Am, The Visitor, and The Last Dollar. With the discount the short stories are under a dollar, and the two novels are well below $5.

Christmas was bittersweet this year, considering the big empty spot in our family, but we did manage to do some of the normal Miller traditions: Christmas Eve lasagna and White Elephant gift exchange, then dinner on Christmas Day followed by a movie.

In addition to the fun gift exchange, we do exchange other gifts, and my main gift from my kids was this beautiful stained glass artwork. I actually got it back in October, as my youngest daughter, Dany, saw it at an art fair where I was offering my books. She went around visiting all the other artists there - yes, writers are artists - and she saw this piece. She contacted her siblings to see if they wanted to chip in, and the vote was unanimous. 

This was taken with the picture leaning against the window where it will eventually hang.

This picture was taken with the glass leaning against the drawers in my desk. I thought the changes to the colors was interesting.

I also got another lovely piece of glass art from my oldest grandchildren. Owls and horses adorn many of my walls and shelves. Not literally, of course, but you know what I mean. (smile) I've heard that owls are a sign of good luck in many Asian cultures. I think horses are just a source of joy. 

This is a serving tray that I may just leave on my table for a while so I can enjoy it.

Finally, let's end on a fun note with a joke from Pearls Before Swine: 

Pig is sitting behind a desk and he says, "Hey, Rat. What you doing here?"

Rat replies, "Goat said you got an office job. I told him I had to see it for myself."

Pig says, "It's true. I go to meetings, read reports, write memos."

Rat says, "What? You don't know how to do any of that stuff."

Pig says, "No but I can learn."

Rat says. "Learn? These corporate types will eat you alive. What are you going to do the first time some boss comes in here to chew your head off about some stupid memo?"

"I've got a Time-to-Duck hole."

Rat says, "You're gonna duck?"

The Guard Duck pops up out of a hole on the desk, aiming a missile and says, "We're gonna tell him to write his own blankety-blank memo."

Pig says, "Everyone needs a Time-to-Duck hole," and from inside the hole the Guard Duck says, "Can someone bring me a doughnut?"

Have You Ever Forgotten to Blog?

It's Monday morning and I was so busy trying to get QR Codes for all my books and finalize a flyer to take to an upcoming book festival, I almost forgot to do a blog. Have you ever done that? Get so wrapped up in a task you forget something important. Not that blogging is all that important in the overall scheme of world events, but if you say you are going to blog on certain days, it really does mean you probably should.

On the topic of my distraction this morning, did you know you can get QR Codes from Tiny URL? Do you know what at QR Code is?

According to Wikipedia: QR Code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside the industry due to its fast readability and large storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. The code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of four standardized kinds ("modes") of data (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, Kanji), or through supported extensions, virtually any kind of data.

For those of us not that conversant in computerese, a QR Code is a square with funny black symbols on a white background. Scanning devices can "read" these codes and take a person to a product site. Here is a QR Code that I made for one of my books, Play it Again, Sam:

I think the cover is much more attractive.

I have heard from other authors that it is a good idea to have a flyer or bookmarks or some kind of handout that has the QR Codes for you books. That way when you are at an event you can encourage people to take a flyer. Then if they are interested in buying one of the books later, they have a quick connection to a sale page by scanning the Code with a Smart phone.

There are also apps that you can get that allow you to process sales on your own Smart phone. That would necessitate one has a Smart phone. I do not. I do not even have a stupid phone. So I will be reduced to having to actually take real money from folks who want to buy my books at the upcoming festival.

The East Texas Bookfest will be September 8th in Tyler, TX from 10 to 4. I will be there with many other Texas authors, and it will be a fun day.

And now since the morning here is almost gone, I will have to forgo my enthralling blog about Minute Rice and move on.

Hope everyone has a wonderful, productive, and fun week.

Join me on the Radio

If you'd like...

Romance is in the air - Thursday night, May 3rd on The Author's Corner where I am going to be on Trianglevarietyradio.com from 8-11 PM eastern time With a number of other authors and our terrific hostess Elaine Raco Chase. We will be talking about love and romance and what we especially love about our books and characters. Call in and join the fun! You can listen to the show:  www.trianglevarietyradio.com click on blog talk radio silver bar and that brings you into the outer studio and a red lite says ON THE AIR  Listeners can call in with comments and questions at   (949) 272-9578

I am going to be on from 8 to 8:30 to answer reader questions about my romance, Play it Again, Sam, and my romantic suspense, One Small Victory. Stop by if you get a chance and would like to know how these stories came to be, as well as a fun time I had doing an event at a nursing home.

Here are links to the websites of the other authors who will be on the show with me:

Mary Campisi   who like me writes of second chances at love 

Jean Joachim   Who writes sweet and spicey romance novels 

Coralie Jenson   Who writes historical romances 

Shayna Gier   Who writes humorous romance 

Candy Little  Who writes Christian romance 

I can't wait to hear about their books, too. The story behind the story is often most interesting.

Fun Scavenger Hunt

Tomorrow on Books We Love Reader's loop at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BWL_Readers

we'll be hosting a grand opening Scavenger Hunt. It promises to be fun. Twenty authors have put up prizes, many of them autographed print copies of their books, including me. A copy of Play It Again Sam is one of the prizes.

The answers to the questions you'll be given are clearly displayed in excerpts, teasers and descriptions on the designated websites on the travel map. Come and play.

This was organized by Ginger Simpson, who is terrific about promoting fellow authors as well as her own work.

The "road map" will be posted on the loop tomorrow morning and you'll have until Sunday at noon to email your answers to Ginger. Her e-mail is listed on the group.

The winners will be announced Sunday evening there. Hope to see you.

A fun Contest

A writer friend came up with this great idea for a new contest. It's called "Blog Train Excursion" and it's a scavenger hunt for words. Contestants will visit a series of blogs to find words to complete a famous quote and the winner will receive a virtual prize basket containing sixteen e-books, one of which is Play It Again, Sam. The contest starts Monday, Sept 8th at: http://mizging.blogspot.com

Have fun.