Epubs make me nuts!

So just when I thought I had it all figured out when it comes to which online retailer wants what when it comes to submitting my books I found out there's even more to learn.

Hubs used to put my ePubs together using Quark Express. It was a bit of an ugly task, building each chapter in pieces so we could insert a little picture or bit of artwork here and there, but we always got it to work.

That's until I tried to build a boxed set. It seems a boxed set has far too many words for Quark and my computer to remain stable. We needed another option so decided to give Pages on my Mac a try. The epub export worked great.

Well, sorry of. I found uploading a valid ePub to Goodreads using Safari doesn't work. Goodreads automated checker finds the file invalid. If you upload the same ePub using a windows computer it works just fine. Okay, I can work with that.

Then came the upgrade to Mavericks. Now my pages ePubs don't work on Kobo but with iTunes they're fine. After a few days of repeatedly up loading, Kobo said there was an unmatched <apple> tag in the ePub. Nothing I could do about that so went back to the old version of Pages.

This weekend I published all my books on Google Play and found the old pages ePub can't be 'cleansed'.

Sigh, so I copy my old pages version (since that works on Kobo) into new Pages, rebuild my TOC and publish to Google Play. (live there now, hint, hint, if you haven't picked up one of my books yet)

So here's the rundown.

iTunes - likes ePubs from Pages on either Snow Leopard or Mavericks
Kobo - ePubs from the old pages on Snow Leopard
Google Play - ePubs from the new Pages
Goodreads - just don't upload it from your Mac.

That's my experience.

Full cover for SkyFall!

Wonton vs Wanton, My Kindle Can Read

I've known for a while that my Kindle can read to me and only tried it out the weekend when I was laid up with the flu. I decided to listen to one of my own books, Deadly Expectations.  In the first chapter, Anna goes out for Chinese food with her father and they have wonton soup.

Unfortunately my kindle isn't familiar with the cuisine and pronounced it as defined at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wanton

It started out with "he pushed his flat bottom spoon around the fat wantons and singled out a piece of pork" but then my kindle went on to say "my mouth held a whole wanton."

Yeah, I wrote wonton and the kindle said wanton. I thought how amusing it could be if the mistake were the other way around such as describing a "wonton woman" or a "wonton disregard for the other pedestrians."

Later, my kindle described "The rain soaked front of his grey t-shirt clings so the muscles running down his ABS are easily seen."

Um, I meant abs, not antilock brakes.

All the running to my husband with the headphones hollering "you've got to hear this" aside, text to speech has its drawbacks which I'll take as editing opportunities.

1. A a listener isn't always sure if a sentence is dialogue or narration when they can't see the quotation marks or there is no clear indication of who is speaking.
2. Commas are true pauses so unnecessary ones are annoying. A comma in a sentence is treated like a period by the kindle.
3. An opportunity for giggling during steamy scenes. Not much I can do about that I'm afraid. A robotic voice isn't conducive to a romantic mood.

I plan to listen to all my books on the kindle if not for my own amusement then to improve future kindle audio versions. It's an interesting experience hearing another read your work and an eye-opening example of how different people can experience a story in completely different ways.

Skyfall

“I will bear Cloud through the portal,” Fury says as Soar ties the last knot on his armour. 

“Flay will carry you.”

“Who?” Soar turns as the female nods.

She’s carrying me?

“Where are we going?”

“Skyfall, Master Soar,” Fury stands proudly. 

Cloud is small in his arms. 

“You shall be a guest of the Dragonkin.”

“I hope our guest is delicious,” Flay comments as she looks Soar over. 

 Is she flirting or does she plan on eating him?

Maybe both.

Coming soon

It's not a power tool...

A few weeks ago I made a big change and got my hair cut. Not a trim or a little bit off the sides but a real cut. I left the salon with a fourteen inch ponytail for donation to make wigs for people going through cancer treatment.

And as a side note, if you think you can't do the same because your hair has been permed or coloured, check around online. Some organizations are happy to accept those donations too! All you need to do is mail them.

The next day I realized it wasn't just a big change. It was also a huge adjustment.

I found myself in Wal-Mart because I needed something to do my hair with, dangling preposition and all.

The last time I used a blow dryer you had two choices: mousse and gel. I couldn't even find them and didn't have a clue what to do with anything else on the shelves. My daughter was no big help. After my rant about the chocolate scented mousse you could get when I was in highschool and where the heck was it, I sent the laughing 'tween to the toy department. I found what I needed at a fraction of the price of any of the other styling products. Victory for the fashion dinosaur.

Come Monday, the panicked texts to my husband began. He was still at work and I was trying to get ready.

Me> Where is hair dryer?
Him> Shed
Me> ??
Him> (silence)

Me> Not in shed

pause

Him> Garage?
Me> It's not a power tool

So I found it in the garage. Apparently it's been used to dry everything from epoxy to hockey gloves in the past six years. It has a power cord, therefore it must be a power tool. I had no idea the thing was so versatile!

So consider the benefits
- hair donation for charity
- no more neck pain
- gone from twenty-four pumps of shampoo to three
- don't have to wake up Hubs up to get off my hair so I can roll over at night
- found another use (the original one) for the dryer power tool

The main one I'd like to pass along is the donation. We've all been touched by cancer in some way. Whether you donate blood or hair or time or money, please take a moment to give.

huge, Huge, HUGE News!

WingSpan is now available at https://www.facebook.com/MulberryBushBooks
if you are in Parksville or Qualicum stop in and say hi and pick up a copy and please like their page!

Wingspan and the Deadly Trilogy aka The Chronicles of Anna are now available at Chapters in Nanaimo! They have a Starbucks and *little secret* it's the setting I had in mind at the end of Chapter One of Wingspan. Don't tell!

The gryphons have flown! So what's next?

Well, for starters taxes. Plenty of grumbling and head scratching but after a day of digging through a mountain of paper its done!

Next up I have several projects...

Deadly Obsessions, the fourth in the Anna trilogy. The story follows a grown up Camille who like her mother is a magnet for trouble.

SkyFall, the second in the Taken on the Wing series which follows Cloud and Soar on a secret mission. The city eyries have been playing dirty to take control of the Grand Council and weaken the traditional eyries like that of Talon and Shadow. (oh no!) I've found the photo I want of my Cloud and Soar and will be revealing the cover in the coming month or two.

Rovian Descent is a Science Fiction romance. No super powers, but lots of suspense and action. Mars plus organized crime.

Last is Chalice Dragon Valley a mid-grade fantasy with a young tough hero whose devotion to his family will melt your heart.

And finally I'm planning a Rafflecopter giveaway like the one I just entered for Stay with Me by AC Marchman. I'm planning copies of my books, gryphon mugs and if I get really wild a Kindle or Kobo mini.

Happy May Day!