A hard-to-find Loretta Chase is on Amazon for $2.99 digitally. I don’t know who “NYLA” is as a publisher, but with the square cover art and the artistic style of the image, I’m wondering if Chase self-published this book. Anyone know?
First out of the gate in News From My Tweetstream From BEA was Kobo’s announcement of a new ereader with a touch screen, selling for $129 and available next month (“in time for Father’s Day”) at many retailers including Indigo, Best Buy, WalMart and Borders.
I’ve been waiting to see what the new Kobo will look like, because I’m curious about how it will work, especially since I am wondering if a different reader will lure me away from Kindle III (“Motto: easy to load books, crap-ass organization.”) Kobo has user-created collections, and some dexterity in loading files that might appeal to me, and I adore how much of their data they like to share and talk about at conferences. I’m going to try to go fondle one at BEA this week.
From the Department of Backhanded Compliments, comes this article about summer reading wherein writer Allison Dempsey has the following recommendation for Alyssa Day’s upcoming novel:
If you have no shame in your literary taste and want to combine as many ridiculous genres as possible: “Vampires in Atlantis” by Alyssa Day.
Historical romance, smutty sex scenes, bloodsucking creatures and a disappearing city: What more could you ask for in terms of a self-indulgent read? Might want to go the Kindle route with this one, though, to avoid being judged in public. (Available June 7.)
WOW. I’m actually stumped on how to come up with a more insulting recommendation. Any ideas on how you could insult a book more while recommending it?
I’m actually thinking of having “Queen of Smutty Sex” tattoed on my ass . . . or maybe Empress. I loved that the title of the piece was “Guilty Pleasures” too!! Yay, me! ROFL.
Hope the Loretta Chase book isn’t the result of the amazon kindle swindle.
As for the non-review review…wow! I mean, I suppose you could look at it as a very tongue-in-cheek sort of compliment, like, “if you don’t give a hot damn about what other people think and you just want to have a good time, here’s the book for you!” sort of thing, just gone wrong. But, yeah…ouch!
I like that, Sharon. “For a good time, read Alyssa Day.” I can get scores of shameless romance readers to write that on bathroom walls! hee!
Well, I’m going to go buy it—both a digital & book copy. Does someone have a problem with that?
From her site:
“Why can’t I get your latest book for my Kindle?
… Meanwhile, my agent and publishers are working on the problem—you can send them aspirin, if you want—and I simply beg you to be patient. …
When will your out-of-print books be available as EBooks?
2011, very likely. We’ve begun the process of converting the older books to digital format. “
My guess is this is legit and through her publisher. I have bought it and it seems okay on the inside, though that still doesn’t prove anything.
I will gladly be flaunting my copy of Alyssa’s book in public! Her books freaking rock. I am counting down the days until I can go buy my copy.
Not only have I bought everyone of Alyssa’s books I have pre-ordered Vampires in Atlantis. I also work in a bookstore and proudly display her books are my staff recs!
The author of that article sounds like a closet romancer. You know, the ones that don’t ever want to admit they read it and publicly laugh at those of us who don’t care if we’re walking around with a cover full of man titty.
Honestly, I love doing that just for people’s reactions. The quickest way to get people to leave me alone when I’m on house manager duty is to tell them I’m reading/writing romance. They give me the “oh, that’s nice” treatment and quickly wander off to some other part of the building.
Never mind that there’s usually some element of romance in the plays they’re putting on. /rolls eyes
Whoever wrote that review sounds like a cold shrew. I love all those genres in one! 😉 Not to mention, woman who read romance novels are proven to have better sex lives. ‘nuf said. 🙂
To make the review worse:
You seem like the kind of person who might enjoy this kind of thing.
Or…
It’s a beach-read (something you won’t mind dropping in the ocean if a rogue wave comes?)
Oh dear, the first name that came to mind for NYLA is, unfortunately, New York Literary Agency, a notorious scam agency run by Robert Fletcher and a team of hand-picked sock-puppets.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=729
I hope it’s not the same. I’d heard that Fletcher was branching out into publishing, but with a different company name, so as not to make it obvious that he was selling his clients to himself.
How about this little gem:
“If you’re not so desperate as to resort to reading a trashy vampire romance novel…”
Nice.
Wow, that recommendation is bitchy and NOT in a good way.
I actually clicked with that review. I’ve never read Alyssa Day but, apart from the last sentence, that would probably be something I’d write to recommend JD Ward. I mean, her books are ridiculous but they’re BLOODY FUN ;-)! [Or they were.]
The only way that review is insulting is if Alyssa Day was attempting to write a serious anstsy issue-filled romance with philosophical musings on the meaning of life, love and mortality. Which I’m seriously hoping she wasn’t as smutty sex, bloodsuckers and vanishing cities sound like a whole lot more fun…
CAPTIVES OF THE NIGHT is one of my favourite books so I’m hoping that she’s self-published it. Dying to get an ebook version of it.
Not sure how I felt about the idea of Atlantis-inhabiting vampires before this moment, but now I’m not only going to buy the book, but I’m going to read it and wave it around in public, goddammit. In airports, on trains, on benches in public parks… Because I AM “so desperate.” Ugh.
Tell44: Tell 44 people you’re reading this book. No, really.
I think literary taste would be the amongst the worst places to feel “shame.” However, professional judgment would be amongst the best.
Perhaps Ms. Dempsey should think about that—
Well, I’ll eventually read the book, I guess because I’ll be that desperate. But I have to get through the rest of the others first! This is my kind of story. I wonder what that says about me?
Kudos to Alyssa on her awesome response to something that was completely inappropriate! I only wish I had that presence of mind and sense of humor. I have no problem proudly reading Vampires in Atlantis in public. I actually feel bad for Allison Dempsey. What must her life be like in that stuffy, narrow closet?
I’ve never read Alyssa Day but now I’m planning to! 🙂
Also, I’m very much tempted by the Loretta Chase book. I love Lord of Scoundrels so much that the thought of a book featuring a character that was in LoS is enough to make me want to get it! And in e-format!
Re the Kobo Reader—I have a wireless Kobo eReader which is languishing from neglect partly because 1) I couldn’t find a way to organize collections and 2) I’ve had difficulty with some books (even purchased from the Kobo store) that have teeny-tiny font, even when I set it to largest, plus wide, wide margins for some books. Arrgh! I’m frustrated by the lack of consistency in font size, margins and line spacing from book to book. This is why my Kobo ranks a solid and far #3 behind Kindle and Sony. (Anyone know a good site that gives practical help for Kobo? Neither the manual nor contacting customer service has helped me at all.). Sarah, I’ll definitely look forward to hearing your thoughts about the new version if you’re able to play with one at BEA.
Oh, Captives of the Night. I love that book the most. I’ve enjoyed quite a few romances, but I really clicked with the characters in that one, and it’s a favourite re-read on lazy days. No idea about self publishing, but I once found a PDF of the book on Pirate Bay, so I had assumed it was already digital. I guess not.
On which note, I have a kindle and it suits me just fine, but I can’t have PDFs on it at all. The font is so tiny and impossible, and if I try to make it bigger then I have the aggravating task of scrolling side to side to read a full line because of the stupidly huge margins. It’s aggravating.
I sent Loretta Chase an email to query whether the book is being sold legitimately. I want to buy it, but I really don’t want to support anyone stealing from authors.
I saw today that Amazon now sells 105 ebooks for every 100 traditional books. This doesn’t include the free ebooks.
It is hypocritical that a site that DRM’s its books won’t act quickly to block third-party sellers/thieves.
I’d love to download that Chase book because i haven’t read it, but I really really don’t want to buy a pirated book. Hmmm.
Kudos to Alyssa Day for handling that “recommendation” with such humor and grace. In that situation, I suspect my Southern friends would make some very pointed comments about Ms. Dempsey, followed by “bless her heart.” Never fails to crack me up.
I love you all. Thanks for the lovely comments, too. I am not insulted at all – I consider it a win to have someone who clearly is either not a romance reader or ambivalent about it recommend me as a Guilty Pleasure. Like chocolate and shoe shopping . . . 🙂
Peggy, MobileRead has a Kobo forum. They’re a great site if you want to type an issue into the search box and wade through some posts. There are some super-smart people there and I don’t think there’s a digital problem somebody hasn’t asked about there. http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=223
I’ve had my finger on the pre-order for the Kobo Touch twice today, but I can’t find out if I can turn off the “Reading Life” function. I can’t on the Kobo app on my Droid X and I don’t want trophies and reading timers and social media all up in my book. I just want to read.
But the lilac…so pretty.
Re Alyssa Day, military spouses have a unique talent of being able to multi-task. No doubt her stories are thrilling as they reflect what she has accomplished by moving every 2, 3, and 4 years, sometimes without the flyboy to help.
Historical Romance? Must represent the surly staff at the base hospital who cannot possibly find an appointment in this century for the families’ physical exams required before orders can be cut (which are necessary to make any moving appointment).
Smutty sex scenes? Must have overheard through the thin walls at base billeting after vacating house (or before moving into new house).
Bloodsucking creatures? Must be the privatized housing company for levying fees for “every day wear and tear” to poorly constructed structure.
Disappearing city? Probably reprsent her favorite DVD collection that the movers were eyeing during packing.
I will camp out at the book store to buy this book on June 7!
Alyssa, I consider this an unqualified recommendation and will go browse your back list ASAP. But the preview is rather obnoxious, this especially:
If you’re not so desperate as to resort to reading a trashy vampire romance novel: “Happy Birthday” by Danielle Steel.
Steel is known for her myriad romances with great potential to be adapted into Lifetime Original Movies. Fact: She has sold more books than any other living author. You should probably help her maintain this extremely honorable title by delving into her latest, a tale of class, wealth and romance among the New York City elite.
1. Quality-wise, Alyssa Day
2. Danielle Steele does not write romance novels.
Oh well.
“Captives of the Night” is definitely NOT a self-published work – it’s the second book in the series that starts with “The Lion’s Daughter” and is followed by “Lord of Scoundrels” and “The Last Hellion,” but chronologically “Captives of the Night” follows “The Last Hellion.”
It’s the story of Leila Beaumont, wife of the disgusting, evil Francis Beaumont, and the Comte D’Esmond (who Beaumont lusts after).
You may be more familiar with it in it’s paperback format.
I’ll proudly flaunt my copy of Alyssa’s book on my vacation. But tha review was just amazing. You almost have to embrace it and beat the sanctimonious little twit at her own game.
@Elr:
I’m pretty sure Sarah was referring to the fact that some authors have recently begun self-publishing their previously published books in digital format, once the rights have reverted back to them from the publisher.
My concern was that this was one of those pirated books that have also been showing up with increasing frequency on Amazon.
I’m still waiting to see if anyone has more info on that.
Never heard of Alyssa Day before, but am going to check out those books of hers now. Especially if they are what JR Wards books used to be. I want to be entertained.
If the Chase book is pirated, it shows how naive I am. Didn’t occur to me that someone would do that, especially since she says on her website that she’s re-publishing all of her older books in e-format. If it’s pirated, I’m, I’ll be requesting a refund from Amazon and ask them to try verifying the legal owner of their ebooks.
Well, considering the sheer volume of romance sales, I sincerely doubt any public judging of my reading material would fall to the negative. Honestly, I get more – “I”ve never read her before, is she good?” than eye rolls. And really, who wants to read “The Road” at the beach?
Why can’t we all just get along? When will these literary snobs finally realize that they are the minority, not the majority? I can’t stand that snarky shit! And just because I read trashy romance novels doesn’t mean I’m some “tasteless” idiot who’s afraid of being “judged” for her book choices. Truthfully, most of that literary crap puts me to sleep. Give me a good ‘ol bodice ripper any day of the week and I’ll stay up past good sense to read it.
Here’s to Ms. Day and her smutty, historical, bloodsucking romance. Keep ‘em coming, sista, and know that the bitchery supports you 100%. In fact I think we should all have t-shirts made that proudly declare “I read trashy romance and if you don’t like it, you can suck it!” Ha!
Well, I think the Bitchery should definitely award Alyssa Day a title. “Queen of Smutty Sex” is good but maybe “Duchess of Good Sport”. She’s certainly taking this review well.
Oh, & for the tattoo? Empress, definitely Empress.
spamword: learned74 – I’ve learned more than 74 valuable things reading smutty historical vampires living in a mythical location novels.
I once had a guest in my home tell me “for someone who seems pretty intelligent, you’ve sure had a lot of blue collar jobs” and that remains the most insults per shortest sentence I’ve ever been handed. I think I’d have to track that girl down to find out if it’s possible to condense the review and throw in a few more taunts, my own gift for being obnoxious having been (amazingly) surpassed. That review took my breath away with its rudeness, and then again with anticipation.
I can’t wait to read Vampires in Atlantis! Love the series, and just have to laugh at that ridiculous reviews. Go Alyssa! Not just the Queen of Smutty Sex—also the the Queen of Wonderful Stories 🙂
Do you think Allison Dempsey knows she’s being judged in public RIGHT NOW? I judge her to pitifully ashamed of having fun or believing that reading romance is a kind of ‘bad fun’. NO! Bad fun is dwarf tossing. Bad fun is shoving puppies down stairs. Genre fiction is NOT BAD FUN. Dempsey can shove it while I read my zombie detective, or magician detective, or vampire detective, or cowboy detective books. OR MY SMUTTY SMUTTY ROMANTIC SMUT! Smutacular Smutapalooza Summer of Smut.
About Allison Dempsey’s review: she COULD say a person could read this book if she doesn’t have anything better to do. OR…people could question a reader’s intelligence if they see her read this book.
I love reading various paranormal fiction, but I haven’t read any Alyssa Day books yet. I’ll have to check out the first book in her series.
Hey – I emailed Loretta Chase and she confirmed that the CAPTIVES OF THE NIGHT ebook on Kindle is legit.
Now, I just need to find out if I can get an epub version…
And I want to be the Queen of Smutty Sex.