Category: Site Announcements

More Technical Difficulties

Well folks, I guess I’m just not having much luck with technology lately.  Unfortunately, just as my internet problem was solved, my computer went down and is at this very moment being fixed.  I’m on my laptop for the time being but (again) unfortunately it doesn’t have any of my important files and is excruciatingly slow, even with a good internet connection.

What this means is that yes, I will have a review for you today but no, it’s not going to be at my usual time.  It will probably be posted around dinnertime.

We are Experiencing Technical Difficulties (aka the Internet was Down)

As you probably noticed, I didn’t post my promised review yesterday.  It wasn’t me being lazy or forgetful, but rather the fact that I had a new router for my wireless.  This new router was supposed to give off a stronger signal so I could have faster internet but instead went on the fritz and refused to be fixed for the better part of 48 hours.  So now I’m back to my old router and am very, very frustrated.

So sorry about the random hiatus and I promise the reviews will be coming later today.

A Note on Post Timing

As you guys have probably noticed, today I published my review way later than usual.  This is in part because Real Life is getting in the way lately.  I still have a lingering cough from a nasty cold that’s lasted about a month and work is getting more stressful than ever.  To add to that, my personal life is kind of a mess right now.

Basically, I’m sorry for the late posts but I will be continuing with my daily posting schedule.  When those posts will appear is slightly suspect, though.  Unfortunately this uncertainty may last for a couple of months but I’m going to do my best to stay consistent as much as possible.

Check Out my Interview in the Pittsburgh Examiner

I hadn’t published a post at my usual time today because I was waiting for my interview to go live.  Well, it’s live now!  Here’s an excerpt:

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4. If you could go back in time and be any figure from history, who would it be?

If we’re talking about near history, I’d definitely be Shirley Verrett, an opera singer who sung both mezzo-soprano and soprano parts. I love opera with all my heart but have absolutely no talent, so it would be nice to possess such extraordinary talent combined with such a strong stage presence and acting skills.

If we’re talking about less recent history it would have to be a toss-up between Hatshepsut and Cleopatra VII. Hatshepsut ruled in a time of great peace and prosperity in Egypt. Living as her would be worth it solely on the basis of learning about her famous expedition to Punt. At the same time, being Cleopatra VII would be fascinating because even though she lived a rather tragic life, she had immense power and the love of two of the most important men of the time. She was worshiped as a goddess but she was also able to conduct a military campaign and play the game of politics well.

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To read the rest of my interview follow the link here.

Would you be interested in donating?

No, I’m not asking for donations just yet.  I’m proposing an idea.

You know, there are a lot of book blogs out there where the owners run giveaways on a much more regular basis than I do.  It’s not so much blogger envy that makes me want to run more giveaways as it is the fact I want to reward my followers every now and again.  Unfortunately I don’t exactly have the finances to run multiple giveaways throughout the year on my own dime.  Shipping out the books to the grand prize winner for my 2013 reviewing challenge ate up half of my giveaway budget (which was quite low to begin with).

What I want to know is this: if it only went toward giveaways for followers rather than for my own personal gain, would you be interested in making a small PayPal donation?  Even if just a couple people gave $5 it would help tremendously and of course all donors would be recognized and thanked properly.  I’m thinking of doing a permanent donors link list on my sidebar at the very least, but maybe I’ll even have a page dedicated to the people who help fund my giveaways.  At this point I’m just gauging interest.  If there’s a lot of interest I’ll absolutely implement such a system and if not it’s no big deal because I’m just testing the waters.

Some of the prizes offered as a result of such donations could include any of the following:

  • Amazon gift cards/PayPal money
  • Print books
  • Multiple ebooks
  • Special book-related swag like book charms, bookmarks, etc.

Would you be interested in donating money toward giveaways on this blog if the option were available?  Why or why not?

Please, I’m very open to any input and suggestions you guys have for me.  If you think that this is a terrible idea, by all means tell me why.  The same goes if you think this is a good idea.  I’m just looking for some feedback at this point.