Stephanie Vanderslice

Author, Professor, Blogger, and Huffington Post writer

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Barnes and Noble E-Reader

September 7, 2009 by Stephanie Vanderslice Filed Under: Uncategorized

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, school’s started, I’ve been finishing a book proposal and well, I’ve just felt really lazy.

But on to the real subject:  Have you been lusting after the Amazon Kindle or the Sony Reader?  I’m curious about them myself but lust is too strong a word.  I’m a real book in the hand type of person.  And from what I’ve seen of the Kindle, the screen looks an awful lot like the stuff I stare at day in and day out on a computer screen.  In other words, it looks too much like work. 

So I pretty much wrote off the Kindle, etc.  Convenient, sure, but not convenient enough to justify the hefty price tag and not enough like a real book.

Someone at Barnes and Noble must have been reading my mind.  Along came the Barnes and Noble E-reader, which you can download free to any I-Phone, Blackberry, Laptop, or PC. 

That’s right, gratis. It even comes with a few free books, like Sense and Sensibility and Dracula, in case you want to try it out without paying anything.

Hmm, I thought.  That would make my netbook an awful lot like an E-reader.

Which leads me to my experiment.  Our book club is reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo for October.  Instead of heading to our local hastings to pick up a copy (we have a local independent bookstore which I used to support faithfully but that is a nasty story I’d rather not tell online–let’s just say it involves beyond-the-pale customer abuse) I downloaded the E-reader (very easy btw) to my netbook and then downloaded the Stieg Larsson book for 9.99.

So, now when I’m on the plane to Berkeley Thursday for the Writing Project National Program Leaders meeting (hoping to have a chance to blog about that) or have a few spare minutes in an airport, I can whip out the old netbook and give this e-reader stuff a try. 

I’m committed now; I paid 9.99.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Bye y’all,
SV

The Birth-days and Book-days of August

August 9, 2008 by Stephanie Vanderslice Filed Under: Uncategorized

books-5-1-1

Dog days, too, but there is much to celebrate in our family in August, as that is when my mother and both my sons were born (my uncle and sister-in-law too, I might add).  Not  surprising when you consider that August has the highest number of births of all the months of the year.  Really, it’s true.  You can look it up.

Wednesday, we feted my mother with a lunch out at Boscos at the River Market in Little Rock. But let me back up a bit to show you how this wordamour family celebrates a birthday. First, we stopped at the Main Branch of the Little Rock library where we trolled the shelves for the newest fiction, non fiction and manga releases and walked out carrying books up to our chins. We LOVE this library.

So, we had to put the books in the car first and then head over to Boscos, where lunch was delicious but, to my tween’s chagrin, the macaroni and cheese was the real stuff and not Kraft. Oh well, that was $6.95 down the drain. But I digress.

Next, was the Cox Creative Center across the street, a huge gently-used bookstore and cool gift depository we wandered for another forty five minutes–emerging with another smaller pile of tomes. Sadly enough, when we asked if they knew of any other used bookstores in the area, so we could continue our tour, we were told that there were no other used bookstores left in Little Rock. They suggested some in Conway.  But since we’re from Conway, and can go to those bookstores any old time, we decided to head for . . .

West Little Rock to finish up at Barnes and Noble. On the way there, both kids discussed what kinds of books they wanted to buy when they got there. “You know, ” I remarked dutifully, “just because we’re going to a bookstore doesn’t automatically mean you’re getting one.” “I know, I know,” they said, just as dutifully, humoring me all the while because they understand that in our family, unlike any other retail outlet, if we stop at a book store, it pretty much does mean you’re getting one. I just had to say the other stuff to keep up my image as a not too indulgent mama.

We all walked out happy, me with the newest Artful Blogging (which profiled two of my faves, Inspire Company and SouleMama) and Jill Butler’s Wandering Paris, the kids with their manga, and my mom with some education books (not very fun I know, but she’s getting ready to take over the helm of a k-8 private school in NLR so she’s gearing up).

Today is my tween’s birthday–and he is still a tween but not for much longer. He is pretty much as tall as me now. Sigh. It seems like only yesterday he was chomping on his winnie-the-pooh paci like a cigar. This growing up stuff is hard on parents. Anyway, the plan today is lunch at his restaurant of choice, school supply shopping, bowling, and a family dinner at his restaurant of choice. And gifts of course, more books, books books– The Time Traveler’s Journal, The DaVinci Kit and a subscription to shonen jump.
A day spent with family and books equals a day well spent!

Bye y’all,
SV
PS I just discovered my book, (with Kelly Ritter) on EBAY of all places. No kidding, the bidding is open until August 12. Check it out here. But god forbid, if you want to buy it, go to Barnes and Noble.com , it’s almost 4 dollars less. Sorry Ebay–but if it’s sold by a reseller, our sales don’t go up at all and we need every single sale we can get. Not that we get any money at all from it, we don’t; it was our first book and Heinemann was calling the shots. But if we want to publish any more, we need decent sales.
But Ebay . . . as an Ebayer myself, I find that weirdly exciting.

When good things happen to good people. . . A Very Special Giveaway

June 10, 2008 by Stephanie Vanderslice Filed Under: Uncategorized

100_0130 - Copy 

At last, I can tell the happy news. Not only did my husband just get tenure, but he just received word that his comic novel, his first [published] novel, Burnt Norway, has been accepted for publication by Florida Academic Press.

I could not be more thrilled. Not only is Burnt Norway a hilarious romp that now, people are finally going to get to enjoy, but this has been a long time coming to one of the hardest working writers I know! And the best!

Well, it’s possible I might be biased on that last part (but soon you’ll have a chance to judge for yourself!) But not on the hard working part. As anyone who’s ever driven by our house at 4:30 am and seen the light on can attest!!!

Since it’s a small press, I have appointed myself his publicity director!   In my first act in this capacity, I am announcing another giveaway.  I will be conducting a drawing for 3 $25 Barnes and Noble gift cards from anyone who announces the news on their blog or website and lets me know about it between June 10 and July 30th.  I’ll put a few sentences that can be cut and pasted below to make it easier.  In addition, I’ll be offering lots more publicity prizes and opportunities in the future.
Bye y’all
SV

 

Fiction writer John Vanderslice (not to be confused with the Indie songster of the same name)  announces the publication of his first novel, Burnt Norway, with Florida Academic Press. Vanderslice has published numerous short stories in journals such as Crazyhorse and the South Carolina Review and been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, but this is his first published book.  A comic, metafictional romance (or, novel within a novel), Burnt Norway will be published sometime in the fall as an inaugural book in their New Voices series and will be available online and through various other sources.  Look for more updates soon.

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STEPHANIE VANDERSLICE

Author, Professor, Blogger, and Huffington Post writer. Stephanie Vanderslice aims to write what she likes to read: fiction and nonfiction that spins a web to lure the reader in. Read More…

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