Sunday, December 5, 2010

We finally did it!


Yesterday I gave my wife her birthday present early. It's a brandie new fancy dancy Kindle, including a nice leather cover that comes with a light. (don't forget, so far Kindles aren't back-lit)

I gave it to her early, ahem, because I had to fly out of town on business at the crack of dawn on a snowy Sunday. On her birthday. Yeah, I have some serious making up to do, but she's a good sport about it.

I'm sitting in the airport now, watching the flakes collect and hoping my flight won't be cancelled.

Anyway, between my wife and I we have my iPhone and my MacBook Pro. I talked to a few pubs about what's "kosher," regarding the use of eBook files. I want to do it right, and since they're so reasonable, if I have to buy two copies between us, I will.

Of course I know you can't send them on to your friends and relatives or pals at work, that's just wrong. But most pubs said if it's a husband and wife team with only one laptop and iPhone between them, that we could share our purchases.

Any thoughts on that? Does that sound okay to you?

You know, being a writer, I am super sensitive to protecting our rights, and our meager profits. And although many of my books have been available as eBooks for a while, I've never actually been a customer.

I downloaded the free Kindle application to my laptop last summer, and then purchased Keith Pyeatt's newest book, DARK KNOWLEDGE. I guess because I had so many print books threatening to topple off my nightstand, I kind of forgot it was there. But yesterday as my wife was playing with her Kindle and downloaded her first eBook (CROSSFIRE by Patterson), I decided to download the free app to my iPhone.  Once it was done (just took a few seconds), I found the book we'd just bought on the Kindle and Keith's book in the queue.

Neat, huh?

I also bought a few of Tami Hoag's books (my latest passion) and now they're all waiting for me on my phone and laptop.

Here's the cool thing, and I'm sure all of you who've been doing this for a while already know this. We can't always open our laptops on the plane, right? But if you put your iPhone in "airplane" mode, it doesn't do any nasty wireless stuff to interfere with the navigation system of the plane. So you can read from its little screen without worry.

At first I thought reading from an iPhone would be crazy - too little and weird. But last night I started Keith's book on it and whammo! I was hooked. It was really easy and not hard at all to read. Plus you can make the fonts bigger if you need to, which is good if you forget your glasses!

Very cool, even for this Johnny-come-lately. Heh.

So, I guess old dogs can learn new tricks. I'm trying to keep up with those puppies out there!

Have a safe and warm week, and I'll see you all when I get home later in the week!

Aaron Paul Lazar

www.legardemysteries.com
www.mooremysteries.com

 

LeGarde Mysteries

Double Forte'

Double Forte' is a chilling mystery set in the verdant landscape of Upstate New York's Genesee Valley. Packed with memorable characters, hair-raising chase scenes, and touching family moments, it's a solid page-turner.

Desolate over his wife's suicide four years earlier, small-town college professor Gus LeGarde faces bewildering emotions when he falls for Camille, the vivacious, dark-eyed daughter of his secretary. Yet troubling events in her past cause her to rebuff Gus's affections. Romance glimmers, however, as both become embroiled in an adventure when Gus discovers a mute child shackled to a bedpost in a secluded cabin.

The mystery turns deadly when the child's kidnapper escapes on a snowmobile that tumbles into the deep Letchworth Gorge. The villain's fate is questioned when Gus's little grandson disappears and threats arrive against Camille. And where is the business partner of Gus's philandering son-in-law? Does a murderer lurk in the dark, wintry woods?

BUY

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Upstaged

In Upstaged, the second book in the LeGarde Mystery Series, Gus LeGarde is in for another wild ride as he faces a disturbed stage mother, a deviant predator, and a twisted saboteur who lurks backstage, terrorizing the drama club with deadly, psychotic games.

Who's playing bizarre pranks on Gus's fiancée, Camille? Gus suspects handsome Brazilian student, Armand, whose behavior is laced with sexual improprieties. His suspicion shifts as a jealous stage-mother goes berserk when her daughter isn't cast in the lead role. As the attacks escalate, even the school superintendent is questioned when it's learned that his shadowy past is sealed in an official file.

The action turns lethal as opening night approaches. A sniper fires shots. Camille's home is ransacked and her beloved dog is missing. The star performer takes a bone-shattering fall when the stage railing mysteriously falls apart. Was the set rigged? Will Gus prevent the villain from upstaging the show?
BUY

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Tremolo: cry of the loon


Summer, 1964: Beatlemania hits the States, and the world mourns the loss of JFK. For eleven-year-old Gus LeGarde, the powerful events that rocked the nation serve as a backdrop for the most challenging summer of his life.


After Gus and his best friends capsize their boat at his grandparents’ lakeside camp, they witness a drunk chasing a girl through the foggy Maine woods. She’s scared. She’s hurt. And she disappears.

The camp is thrown into turmoil as the frantic search for Sharon begins. Reports of stolen relics arise, including a church bell cast by Paul Revere. When Gus and his friends stumble on a scepter that may be part of the spoils, they become targets for the evil lurking around the lake. Will they find Sharon before the villain does? And how can Gus–armed only with a big heart, a motorboat, and a nosy beagle–survive the menacing attacks on his life?

BUY


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Mazurka

When Siegfried receives a puzzling invitation to visit an ailing relative in Germany on the eve of Gus and Camille’s wedding, their honeymoon plans change. Siegfried – Gus’s socially challenged brother-in-law – can’t travel alone, so they gather the gentle giant under their wings and fly to Paris.

After luscious hours in the city of lights, a twist of fate propels them into a deadly web of neo-Nazis. A bloody brawl on the Champs Élysées thrusts Siegfried and Gus into the news, where a flawed report casts Siegfried as the Nazi leader’s murderer, sealing his death warrant.

While Siegfried recovers in a Parisian hospital, Nazi terrorists stalk Gus and Camille. Hunted and left for dead in the underground Parisian Catacombs among millions of Frenchmen’s bones, they barely escape. Siegfried is moved to safety at his aunt’s in Denkendorf, where he learns a shocking family secret about Chopin’s steamy past.

The calm is soon shattered, when the threesome is plunged into a cat-and-mouse game where the stakes are lethal and the future of Europe hangs in the balance.

BUY

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Firesong (coming in 2011)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moore Mysteries (AKA Green Marble Mysteries)

Healey's Cave - Book One in the Green Marble Mystery series

Sam Moore's little brother vanished fifty years ago. No body. No answers. What Sam has is a boatload of guilt, since he failed to accompany Billy on his final, fateful bike ride.

While digging in his garden, Sam discovers a green marble with a startling secret—it whisks him back to his childhood, connecting him to Billy. Thrust back and forth through time, Sam struggles to unlock the secret of his brother’s fate.

When the FBI investigates remains found nearby, Sam learns of a serial killer with a grisly fifty-year record. Sam’s certain it’s Billy’s killer. But what’s worse, his grandson fits the profile of the murdered boys. Will the killer return to Sam’s town to claim his final kill? Can Sam untangle the truth in time to save him?

BUY

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4 comments:

Aaron Paul Lazar said...

Hi, folks! If anyone needs to contact me during the next four days, just email. I should have access at the hotels I'm going to. And this time it's not as exotic as Thailand or Germany. Just Richmond Virginia and Lexington Kentucky!

Nancy said...

Well Aaron, as I watch the snow swirl in a bitter cold wind, I'm thinking that you picked a good day to get out of Dodge!

I was never really interested in e-readers or e-books until I was gifted a Kindle and I felt obligated to give it a try. One year later, I'm wondering why I was so reluctant; it's great!

The ability to have an entire library at your disposal, whenever and wherever you go, is truly remarkable. My teenage daughter became a fan, and this summer, bought herself a Kindle that she takes to school every day to read during free periods.

Personally, I'm glad that current e-ink technology does not allow the use of backlighting (the ink is opaque); I think that is one of Kindle's biggest advantages over some of the other e-readers and tablet computers on the market. I
can read for hours on a Kindle without suffering any eye fatigue because there is no backlight, and having the ability to read outdoors in bright sunlight moves it ahead of any cell phone, laptop, or tablet computer, IMO. It really is like a paper book in that respect; if one needs light, they have the same options as when reading a paper book.

I do think it's okay for you and your wife to share e-books. Amazon allows up to six people on the same account to share e-books, and there have been rumors that they might introduce an e-book sharing feature similar to Barnes & Noble's Nook, where you can share one book (only once)for up to 14 days with other Kindlers not on your account.

I hope your wife enjoys her Kindle as much as I imagine you enjoyed giving it to her. Something tells me she'll manage to keep busy while you're away on business. :)

Marilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredith said...

Even with the wi-fi turned off, they won't let you read your Kindle on a plane until they give the okay. I've been reprimanded a couple of times when I tried, even showing them I had the wif-fi off.

Yes, you can share books with your wife and vice versa.

Marilyn

Aaron Paul Lazar said...

Hi, Nancy! Thanks so much for your thoughts. I hadn't even considered the reading outside (glare) issue - that's a good one! Backlit isn't all that important, then! I'm down in Virginia now - the trees still have some nice foliage on them and haven't dropped many leaves yet. No snow, and it's around 40. Not bad! Stay warm up in Rochacha!

Hi, Marilyn,

Boy are you right! I had to power down my iPhone for the first few and last few minutes of the flights. With a regular book it would have been seamless. Oh well! At least I was able to pack a tiny bag this time and not have to stuff it chock full of books like I usually do! LOL.

Great news about the sharing, now we don't have to feel guilty!

Have a nice Sunday night, everyone.