Do You Have A Favorite Bookstore?

I just joined a new meme that will happen every Thursday. I was very choosy and picked one that talks about books and reading to keep within my niche.

Today's topic is "Favorite Bookstores".

This topic makes me very sad. You see, I lost my favorite bookstore, our local Borders, last May. It was a victim of the recession. I used to go several days a week and spend several hours at a time. I hunkered down with my laptop, MP3 player and a big soda to write. Lots of times my daughters went with me. It was home away from home. We had a lot of good times there.

Now, alas, the building is being torn down.The site is pathetic. All that remains are a lot of concrete chunks and a sign announcing the coming of another Walgreens. There's already a Walgreens or a CVS on every other block in my city. How many drugstores do we need?

I've tried other bookstores but they're not the same. Not other Borders. Not Barnes and Nobles. Not only are they a lot further away, they don't have the same feel or the same community. Our local Barnes and Nobles covered up their electrical outlets and took out most of the seating so its impossible to work there.

Sometimes I go to the local library. But it closes at 8 pm. I don't get home from the day job until 6 pm or after. That's not much time to work so its not worth the bother of packing up my laptop and trekking over.

I was impressed with Nova University's library when I was there last week for the Nanowrimo kickoff party. It was beautiful and has great hours (i.e. until 11:30 pm on Sundays). Unfortunately, it looks as if public parking is for a fee plus it's more than an hour round trip from my house. I can't afford to go often.

Alas, I'm like a woman without a country - a writer without a bookstore home. Hopefully something new will open close with good hours and electrical outlets. Until then, I am adrift, working from home, getting overly distracted by the internet.

Do you have a favorite bookstore? What is it? Tell us about it.



Recent posts you might like to read:

Nanowrimo Thoughts 

To Nano Or Not To Nano - That Is The Question

Why You Should Consider Library Booksignings

Make Sure Pretentious Words Don't Turn Off Your Readers

Are You Writing Me Into Your Book?

Dont Give Up Too Early

Must Write Must Write Must Write!!!


You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Overwhelmed - again!

It would be nice if I actually wrote an article before I posted the blog. If you checked this out early you'll know what I mean. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I posted the final paragraph about "You'll also want to see what other authors are doing" and nothing else. I've been feeling overwhelmed again. I'm sure there are a lot of factors. I hadn't had my Lexapro in 2 or 3 weeks. I'm under the gun of 2 big edts and having another whole story to write due. I've been down with asthma and bronchitis. The kids, in particular DD2, want me to run them places right and left. The Softball Team's Booster Club is on our back about helping out more and most of it's during my work hours when I can't take off from the day job. I feel bad for not volunteering more with the softball team but I'm way behind in my writing job as it is. I finally finished one big edit yesterday (first round anyway) which is a relief. However, that still leaves another big edit and a story to finish writing. And have I exercised? Even once this week? Even once in the past month? Have I even used the bathing suit I bought two or three months ago? All big NOs. I want to but then I feel guilty that I'm ignoring the writing. Yeah, I have a problem about feeling guilty too much. A few years back I decided to get healthy and I exercised and dieted all the time and ignored the writing/promoting. Then I hardly put out any books. My career took a nosedive. But I got thin and my cholesterol came down. But I can't seem to manage to hold the day job and do enough exercise and writing all at the same time. Not with kids still at home anyway. Not when half my time off the day job is at softball games or taxiing kids to their activities. Yikes! I don't mean to whine. I'm just annoyed with myself for not working this out better. For perhaps taking breaks to watch American Idol instead of breaks to walk. AI is pretty much my one guilty pleasure. That and too much KFC. Hubby just pointed out it's time to pick up the daughter from her friend's house where she stayed overnight so we can take her to guess where -- yep, softball practice again. Today it's batting practice. Tomorrow night is a game. I'm going to be good and WALK during her practice. And afterwards I'm going to camp out at Borders again to write. I wish the library was open late because I'd go there instead. The library has privacy cubicles with power hookups in every one and there's no tempting food to make me spend money and calories. You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Fox Elipsus

I know I promised last night not to bore you with too much of my American Idol addiction, but I love music. So obviously, I’m not completely deaf. Tonight, I discovered a wonderful new musician, a young man from England named Fox Elipsus. He was giving a concert at Borders in the café when I walked in intending to get a lot of work done on my story for TEB. (ha! I really got a lot of work done tonight.) I don’t know that I got nearly as much writing done as I’d intended to, but how often do I get a concert? Actually, I’ve pretty much stopped going to concerts in stadiums as they’ve been making me physically ill since my ear surgery in 1980. I don’t know why since I hear worse. But this concert was perfect. I think because it wasn’t so loud it blasted me away. I sat right in front of Fox as he played his electric piano and sang. To be honest, it was the only table open next to a plug or I probably wouldn’t have had the nerve to sit right up front. He dedicated a love song to me, “Unrequited”. No, he’s not infatuated with me. I’m just sitting up front and clapping after every song and also, I’m sure, since I bought both his CDs. Actually, when my younger daughter and her friends just walked in a moment ago, his eyes lit up. I’m sure they’re much more his age and prettier than me. He’s the age of my second oldest son. He’s online at www.elipsus.net and on My Space so I’ll make him one of my friends tonight. He said something that really surprised me. He told us that often he sells only one CD per concert (he’s on an international tour at places like Borders and restaurants). Tonight (so far) he’s sold four CDs and another guy is looking at one now and I think he’s going to buy one, too. He said his record (lately) is 15 CDs sold in one performance. He said sometimes he sells none (but usually at least one). When I used to do book signings, I was horrified to sell zero or only one book. I felt like a failure. And so I didn’t set up many book signings and haven’t any in quite awhile. Fox said he came from a concert in Sarasota earlier today and he’s got two concerts scheduled in the Miami area tomorrow. I really admire his perseverance and courage. He’s no doubt serious about his music and making the big time. He’s obviously going to make it. I’ve got to get a thicker skin and put myself out like him. Even as I’m writing this, my inner voice is going “BUT you have a day job and only get weekends and 3 weeks a year off. BUT you have kids still at home – you can’t quit the day job and go on an international tour or even set up four book signings in a weekend – not and be a good mom. At least not for many weekends. BUT no one at your church knows you write erotic male-male and male-male-female romances and if you do book signings around your home town, you’ll get ex-communicated.” He’s doing something I’ve not seen any of my fellow book signers do – he’s even offering to let people without money today take his CDs for free on the honor system. He’s telling them they can send him the money later or even if they can’t, he’ll still give them his CD. If you’re in South East Florida and read this in time and want to see Fox in concert, here’s his schedule this weekend. Saturday 1 pm Boca Raton Borders Saturday 7 pm Dolphin Mall Borders Sunday noon in Jensen Beach Sunday 6 pm Aventura Mall in the North Miami Beach Borders Now he’s just dedicated a song to my daughter and her two friends but he said this one is NOT for me because he’s already dedicated one to me. He’s cool. He also mentioned he’s got about 2000 + fans on My Space. That beats my 200 plus. I figured a guy who’s given concerts internationally would have more than 2000 friends on My Space. I don’t say this to put him down. Again, I’m revising my personal opinion that my efforts are too small – well they are – what I mean is that I shouldn’t let myself be discouraged by small numbers to start, or that the numbers aren’t as small as I perhaps thought. Okay, I’m rambling, but I’m learning tonight (even if I barely got any writing done). Lately it seems that music is teaching me about writing, and not only the promo end of things. So (here’s the word my editor told me I used more than 200 times in the last book she edited for me – I didn’t realize I used the word that many times, not even close)…I’m going to have to come out of my promo shell and get out there and keep going no matter what. Back to Fox’s concert – he’s got a hilarious song about his cat Anderson Brown, and he does awesome meows. The rest of the songs are serious and he’s got an awesome voice. So, check out Fox on his My Space and Face Book pages. Here they are: www.myspace.com/foxelipsus www.facebook.com/pages/Fox-Elipsus/10102302541 And now, Fox is my newest friend on My Space. :) ALSO, don’t forget to come and support me today on my first day as a deadly vixen at: http://www.thedeadlyvixens.com/ You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Can you really go home???

I'm happy to be in Cincinnati with Dad and my loved ones here, and yet I'm sad. Sad that my time here is almost at an end. And sad at some of the changes and differences between here and where I live now. I went to Borders at 9:15 pm the other night (in Cincinnati) and it was closed! I just had to have a certain book. MY borders in Florida is open every night until 11 pm except for Sunday. And then Barnes & Nobles is open every night until 11 pm. This is definitely the dark ages. Yet, Skyline Chili in Cincinnati stays open till the wee hours. Skyline Chili in Cincinnati closes at 9 pm and 8 pm on Sundays. How awful! (Florida's, I mean. For shame!) Walmart in Cincinnati is never crowded. At least not the one on Colerain Avenue near Struble Road. It's practically dead. At least the 3 or 4 times I've visited. In Florida, I wait in line for an hour to check out. Towns like Finneytown and parts of Fairfield and Norwood where I visited this trip didn't look too good. They're going downhill. I'm not too thrilled with Colerain Avenue, either. And yet, I'd love to be here to be near family and friends. That's what really makes or breaks a place. Our loved ones. I haven't had nearly enough time with them, and yet, I've been away from my loved ones in Florida a long time. When I walked into Walmart this afternoon, and the greeter greeted me, "Welcome to Walmart. Have a good day." it reminded me of "Idiocracy" where the greeter tells Luke Wilson, "Welcome to Costco. I love you." At work we used to have to say something similar on the switchboard. I think the operator still does. I had a very vivid dream a couple nights ago, fueled by my visit here, and I'm almost done with an erotic short story I'm going to submit to Harlequin Spice Briefs. Wish me luck. I'm really going to do it. I have so much writing and submitting to do when I get home. I know I'll be chafing at the day job, wanting to get to my night job. I'm already chomping at the bit. So much to do, so little time. I've also been trying to get more into my My Space. Will you be my friend if you're there? http://www.myspace.com/ashleyladdromancewriter

My Space

Who here is good at working their My Space? That's if you have a My Space page. I do. But I hardly ever attend to it. I don't mean to be lazy - I don't think I am. There's only so many hours in the day and the day job and family and writing and this blog, take up a lot. I also try to squeeze in exercise - walking or the gym. It shouldn't be that hard, right? So why am I lacking when it comes to it? When I was at the conference this weekend, we were told to work our My Space page, that it's a powerful tool, that some authors, Holly Jacobs, whom I first knew as Holly Fuhrmann on a loop before she ever published as Holly Jacobs, used just recently. Supposedly, Holly thinks it's her use of My Space with this last book that made her most recent release sell out in 3 to 4 days and go to second print. Wow! I've got to get on board. It was also mentioned, by the lady at Author Island, I think, that there's a way to post just one blog and have it automatically distribute to our My Space, blogger, etc. blogs in one fell swoop so we reach 15 or more different audiences and not waste time. After all, we're not called "writers" because we play on line. Our job is to actually "write". (Not that I don't love to play online - it's addictive - and why I tend to take myself away from the Internet and go to Borders or Barnes & Nobles to write where I'd have to pay (a lot) extra to go online). Of course now, (sigh) I have to pay a mint for the gas to get to Borders. So, I'll check out Author Island and cos productions and Lucy Monroe's website, etc. where it was suggested we check for help with all this good promotion stuff, as soon as I can. I think Dad gets a bit irritated when I'm online or even the computer, too much, here at his house. Plus his connection is deadly slow and clunky. On top of that, I'm heading out to my aunt and uncle's house in a few minutes and I doubt Uncle Bill will let me on his computer at all. Yes, I'll be in computer and internet withdrawal for a day or two. The person who accused me of being "internet needy" is sadly right. Oh well, I accept it. I'm an author and I don't know any author who doesn't use the internet a lot. It's been our salvation as writing can be a lonely profession otherwise. Soooo, if any of my bloggy friends out there knows how to use My Space, all and any help will be greatly appreciated. Let me know. :)

To Blog or Not To Blog

My goal is to blog every day, even though I thoroughly dropped that goal last week.

But my mind's drawing a blank.

The daughter's trying to pull me out the door to go to Borders. She obviously wants to read more mangas. Maybe she didn't finish reading the manga she was reading Saturday. I know I should write, but am tired. I feel like staying home and watching American Idol. But if I stay home to watch it, I'll love it while it's on, but then be bored after. Then again, hubby probably won't let me watch it on the TV in our bedroom if I don't get home till late. I just want my cake and to eat it too. But then again, what good is having cake if you don't eat it? I never understood that expression. It's so silly.

Life as a manager isn't bad. However, I'm way more exhausted than I was. I think it's more mentally than physically exhausting but the end effect is the same. I don't get a second to breathe or take breaks the way I used to. I'm constantly being interrupted. It's hard to get a project done without a million interruptions. (It's even hard to get to the ladies room).

I finally feel like I'm using my MBA. I enjoy the meetings and teaching my co-workers. For years it felt like I spent all that work, money, and time for nothing. It wasn't easy going to school full time while I worked full time and raised young children.

Not everybody at work realizes I'm a manager yet. In fact, some people still think my predecessor is manager. My boss forwarded an email to me that should have been sent to me. Instead it was sent to the former manager, himself, and the other department. Our former manager hasn't been manager in over a year. I've been manager for about three months now. I know it's not a big deal, but...

Oops! Hubby just found Smokey and the Bandit on TV - he's the ultimate remote control surfer. Except he absolutely loves this movie. You know what this means, right? I'll have to kill him if I want the TV to watch American Idol.

Don't get me wrong, I like Smokey and the Bandit, too. But I like American Idol more. Like? Did I say like? Obsessed is more like it. Besides, I think I can recite Burt Reynold's lines in my sleep.

Yikes! Hubby IS reciting Buford T. Justice's lines. I said I could, not that I would. He's such a nerd - the hubby.

Good news!

My newest release at Total-e-Bound, "Brit Party" is #3 on the Top Ten bestseller list. Woo hoo!

Next up: World domination!!!!

Here's another step to my World Domination quest: I just received this email from my publisher (TEB at www.total-e-bound.com).

"To celebrate our one year anniversary, in July we will be releasing the Lust Bites short stories as three volumes in eBook and print. Our anniversary release date will be 7th July.

The volumes will be as follows:"

Lust Bites Volume 1

Amuse Me
Lexie Davis
Faithful Beginnings
Lacey Thorn
Lust Detector
Ann Cory
Hot and Humid
Shermaine Williams
Misery Loves Company
Ellen Ashe
Confessions of a Nympho
Ashley Ladd (last but not least!)

Remember this one? If not, here's your chance. :)

This time, I'm eastbound and down...