Manic Monday: iPad iBooks, Waiting on the Mailman, and Shiver Book Review…

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We Finally Meet iPhone’s Mama…

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Well, I guess I should say that no, I did not run out and buy one. I’m an author, and quite frankly, an iPad won’t do much good for me other than reading books (typing without real keys = not going to happen). At the rate I read books, though, the screen will hurt my eyes.

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I think it should have been named iTab…

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Anyways. So my books are making their way into the iBookstore, if they’re not on there already. I got a notification telling me Feather: Book One made it, and so far that makes me very happy. So all you iPad-dlers out there, look for me 😀

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Also look for me, coming soon to: Sony e-reader, Barnes and Noble Nook, and just about any other form, including in the Indonesian market, in your language! That’s right, we’re going global.

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Waiting on the Mailman…

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I’m awaiting my Author Review Copy of Knight Angels. Very Exciting!

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He never comes at the same time, and there’s no way of knowing if it will come today, or tomorrow. It’s killing me, and it’s so fun to finally get to see what it’s going to look like in person!

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*biting nails*

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Shiver Book Review…

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Ah, I love holidays.

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I read the whole book cover to cover yesterday, and I don’t think I could have done it any other way. I am a sucker for romantic stories of star-crossed lovers. I figured that was rather obvious because of my writing…

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I regret that I waited this long to read this book, and no, that does not mean I finished Beautiful Creatures. I’m still knawing my way through that one, not that it’s bad, it just wasn’t my taste. It’s like wine – personal taste.

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what made it better was the fact it was cold and windy yesterday, so I really got a sense of the story. Of course today it snowed again, like it did friday… Gotta love April.

Feather: Book One, Second Edition Coming Soon…

I am proud to announce the second release of Feather: Book One. As many of you know, the first release was a test release to see how the book would do with the public. Because of the number of copies sold, I am now looking to release a second, fully edited, version…

It will still be a few weeks, but I think the expansion on the original story will help to clarify many of the scenes, and also make the book more “readable.”

All kindle and MobiPocket versions will be updated at this time, and the original version will no longer be available in in that form, but will now only be in the Second Edition…

Original paperbacks are still available, but the limited release was tethered to a low run of books, and will likely go fast…

Look for the new release of Feather: Book One in the coming month, as well as the first release of Book Two: Guardian, also fully edited…

🙂

A.E.

I Appreciate Constructive Criticism, but I don’t Tolerate Mean Comments

The Fact of Emotion Fueled Anonomous Book Reviews…

The Internet makes it so easy, so accessible to criticize without ever truly facing the reality, or the thinker behind the project. I’m sure that if an author stood before you today, most would never say some of the things they do, but rather give their opinions in a way that is constructive to the writer…

I do not tolerate comments where a reader simply trash talks a book, what do you gain from that? What does ANYONE gain from that? One of the best critical reviews I’ve ever had was from a woman that suggested the things she disliked, pointed out the things she did, but then also offered her opinion on things she personally would suggest I work on. B-E-A-utiful!

Not everyone can birth themselves from a priveledged brain full of grammatical training and perfection, much as those with perfect grammar may never be able to write an interesting book full of rich imagination.

Would you criticise the way a person looks? Grammar is the same, sometimes no matter how hard we try, we are not cut out to be walking dictionaries, but rather visionaries, though both are rich within their own talents…

We are all human, and as a personal experiment, I am writing my book in the hopes of learning the art of becoming a better writer… I want to actually learn from my mistakes, not have them taunted upon…

Did DaVinci just quit when people criticized his backwards writing habits? No, so either will I. But truly, do me a favor, If your going to give me a negative review, at least give me something to build from. We’re all human, and we’re all entitled to our own freedom of speech and expression, this goes both ways, but this also does not mean you can be openly cruel and flat out rude, we’re all better than that…

I’m a real person, with real emotion, a real heart, and a real desire to express my soul and talents, no matter what that is. I believe in encouraging everyone I meet, no matter what their level of expertise may be because you never know what that person can become if nurtured in a way that is encouraging, not mean…

Don’t be a bully, but do be a helping hand, the person anyone would be proud to credit and admire as their protege` and friend. Our world will not succeed if we’re all in a war against eachother…

A.E.

 

From Writing Books, to Making Books…

 

 

            

 

 

 

 Writing Books to Making Books…

 

In college I used to hand sew my own books. I miss the assembly, but I think since then I’ve found something with the same satisfaction, and joy. Recently, I’ve been designing book covers for other writers and I love it. I’ve done a business book for an entrepreneur/CEO in California called Iron Ambition, an Art book for a very intriguing project where artists interview artists, based off the blog Thinking About Art by J.T… My own books, both Moonlight Manor and Feather Book Series, and then some sample covers for wall-street guru’s and real-estate tycoons…

By literally quitting my job, I have found a whole new avenue. After writing my first book, I knew that making and designing signs for the University in a tiny office with no windows, was not for me. Deciding to cut down on my hours at the University was a heavy decision, especially when I was on the cusp of getting a mortgage for our the house I had been remodeling for over two years. I lost the dream health coverage, and the security that the job brought, but what I’ve found is that in the two months since, I have built a career outside of that place, with little effort and all the talent I could give. 

I was wasting my talent at the University, literally flushing each great idea down the toilet, with no hope of advancement. When I first started there, I worked my tale off, but like most state jobs, you realize there is no point in being an over achiever beyond earning a lame slip of paper that says you are employee of the quarter (I was nominated twice and won once) After I won, I was a little bummed. Where did that get me? NOWHERE…

I feel that the freelance I am doing now is gratifying, self-fulfilling, and certainly more entertaining. I have my small office in the basement, it’s warm, cozy, my cat’s visit on a regular basis, and I can exercise, do laundry, bake bread, clean, and run errands while I send artwork to be approved and changed by my clients.

Freelance isn’t for everyone, I believe you really have to have the mind for it, and the talent. I work weekends, because I love to work, and the schedule is all mine. Being busy makes me feel alive, gets my blood pumping, and my mind out of the negative…

Needless to say, I love it, and I’m glad I made the leap, and took the chance.

And my mortgage got approved 😉

Abra

 

If you need or like any of the designs in this blog post, or are looking for layout of your own book, or design for business reasons, or other, feel free to contact me…

abra@featherbookseries.com

or find me on elance: HERE and review my portfolio

Coming Fall/Winter 2009…. The Moonlight Manor

Image Copywrite Abra Ebner

 

Copyright Abra Ebner

 

 

The Moonlight Manor

It’s not just your home anymore…

A house forgotten by time, but not forgotten for the creatures inside it. As we step into the world of our imagination, we will find a house of magic, and mystery, and a group of friends bound by the fate of their curse, and eternally tied to the place in which they live.

Come follow Jack, a young boy suddenly thrown into the midst of their world, where each thing has it’s place, and each creature their purpose. A house tricked into eternity, and locked in a curse so deep, it shakes it’s very bones.

Abra Ebner’s second journey into the worlds of her mind, and the mysteries she finds have plagued her all her life. What do you imagine when you take in the world around you? Come see what Abra sees as she works to illustrate it for you, creating a thick web of beauty, and characters that will leave you wondering for years to come…

I’m Excited About How The Book Release Is Going, and I Love All The Reader Comments!

I am pleasantly suprised to find that after the release of Feather: Book One, I have recieved a lot of positive feedback. Despite Feathers small editorial hiccups in the past, it’s good to hear that my readers really enjoy the overall story, and are anxious to read Guardian: Book Two.

The unique release of my Authors Version, on paperback now, has been fun. Each book is signed, and contains a small note from the “Desk of the Author” and it really is. I think it’s good form to take the time to thank all those that support me, and my growth throughout this series into a credible writer of fairy-tales, adventure, and romance.

I just hope, as the original fairy tale once did for me, that readers will walk away from this series, and continue to think of it for years to come. I hope that by reading Feather, readers will think differently whenever they are falling in love, or feel that life is without its joys or challenges. After all, what we do not accomplish in this life, we will in the next.

Thank You All!

Abra E.

 

Get your limited Authors Version today at www.featherbookseries.com

I Finally Have an Office… and I’ve run off the Hippy ghosts…

 

remodeled kitchen

I finally have an office as of today, the extensive remodel on our bad 70’s home, turned contemporary, is finally becoming fruitful. The 3500 square foot, tear-out-all-the-wood-paneling-and-shag project has revealed many surprises, asbestos, mold, rot, leaky roof, etc etc. 

 

My office until today, had been the dining room table, which is never very exciting, or good, hardly the place to escape the television and write…

Along with an office I have a bedroom, no longer haunted by the swingers of it’s horrible past, and a closet large enough to fit all my husbands clothes… yes, my husbands.

I am still hoping for another snow storm to hit and tear off the deck, but considering there was already fifteen feet piled on it from the snow drifting off the roof, it now seems unlikely that I will score a new porch via insurance…bummer.

 

the kitchen before we tore down the wall and canned the avocado...

 

 

The record player, that once housed the ever delightful Neil Sedaka vinyl, is long since trashed, as well as the avocado bathroom, and mint green kitchen.

6 bedrooms are now 5, and the entire lower floor is a separate apartment all together. 

The Bomb shelter (yes BOMB shelter) under the garage is still just storage, but someday it will serve as the wine cellar, but thats still a long ways away, so the bottles continue to collect dust.

There is still a hole in the floor that looks down on the lower level and basement, but the cats rather enjoy collecting nails and dropping them down there, so I can’t yet bring myself to patch it.

All in all I’d say. Never do this, you’re crazy.

Why We Say, “The Book Was Better”… Preparation For The Movie Release of InkHeart… Jan. 23rd

Due to the looming release of Inkheart, (in theatres tomorrow) I have decided to revisit and old post, in an attempt to prepare myself for the possibility, that the book really is better than the movie. However, I have been wronged in the past, i.e. Harry Potter, and so far the trailers for InkHeart seem extremely intriguing…

I think overall, movie makers did a good job on this one, it pays to have a good producer, something the creators of Twilight could certainly learn from…

Here it is…

Books will never be films, and films will never be books. In my film course in college, we did a whole section on this fact. Its simple, don’t ever expect, that after reading lord of the rings, that the movie will go page by page, scene by scene. This is the magic of books!

With a book, description is powerful, but also mind food. A description triggers our imagination to create the visual worlds based of the facts we are given. Books draw you into the word where YOU are the main character, you get the chance to live another life, and be somewhere new.

Not to say a movie does not accomplish this, movies can certainly take you places, but they leave you wishing it was you who was there, you as the ring-bearer, or seventeen year old wizard, or evil accountant…

“The forest was misty…”

that can mean a million things, a movie simply erases this… creativity is dead.

do you know that, “He leaned into my neck, his breath tickling my skin as he whispered my name…” is way more powerful than just merely seeing it…

Think about it…

But I‘m not knocking movies either, some BOOKS are better as a MOVIE… Harry Potter for example, movies were amazing and I found myself enjoying them more.

But I can’t hate anythings that’s entertaining 🙂

 

So, lets all go see the movie with an open heart, so to speak, and I’ll let you know the outcome. I’m judging this one especially hard, because it’s quite a novel, from the mind of an exceedingly imaginative writer…

Abra Ebner

Also On MobiPocket, Diesel Books, Kindle, and Barnes and Noble

A Great Website for Freelance Designers, Illustrators, Web, and Photography. If your looking for Work, or looking for Freelancers, this is totally your site!

I came across this site recently, and I’ve joined the thread. Basically, you write up proposals for various client needs, right from home! For Freelance designers, it’s a dream come true. I know there are other sites out there but elance seems the most credible so far, and I love it. There are a lot of fun jobs, and you only have to apply for what suits you. The best part is that you can try it out for free! You get three proposals, but I do suggest making sure your profile is in top shape, before entering. People are probably a lot less likely to accept someone new, me for example…

Also, for all you out there looking for help with design, you can also place a request, and get logos, book covers, photography, website design, all sorts of things!!

check it out…

Another Frosty Day in Dreamland…

I actually got out of the house today, granted it was my backyard, but the point is, I got out. Four squirrels were fighting over an apple in my apple trees, and getting up close, allowed me to see how beautiful the frost actually was. You just plum can’t see that from the window, so it was worth the trip. Believe it or not it’s actually sunny today as well, I suppose it’s just not quite warm enough.

I was pleased that my post on starting a book helped a lot of people out, I got some good comments. I’m currently reading a book by Author Brian Rathbone, The Dawning of Power, and it’s taking my mind into a different world, and it’s interesting how that world changes my views on things in real life. His world of Godsland is unique, but then also just like ours, making the events of his novel tangable, and fun. 

I actually encourage female readers out there to give the book a read. At first, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but then as I got into it, it turned out to be very personnable to the female reader. There’s no lack of horses, or otherwise, and so far, it’s very exciting…

Well, thats about all for today, just remember, Feather arrives in paperback in only 13 days! Reserve yours now…