Before the end of the year, I wanted to complete a "to do" list item that has been nagging at me too long. The task: Release my children's book (Two Boys, Two Planets) for the Kindle. As a non-color, text-oriented reading tool, the Kindle was originally not well suited to children's picture books like mine. With the recent release of the Kindle Fire, however, and the ongoing availability of color-enabled Kindle apps for various platforms (PC, Mac, iPod Touch, etc.), I now believe it is less likely to be a waste of time to convert the print edition to a Kindle edition. I also found it encouraging to read of the success of other children's book authors publishing for the Kindle platform.

As some quick background, I participated in NaNoWriMo this year, as I have in past years, but for the first time I did not win. After getting over my disappointment, I decided to document some of the lessons I learned. If I participate next year I will hopefully remember to look back at these lessons and apply them to improve my chances of winning. By sharing them here perhaps other participants can benefit as well.

Note: This offer is now over.

Would you like to win a free children's book for the beginning reader on your holiday shopping list? Or if you're a teacher, would you like to win it for your elementary school classroom?

Just in time for the holidays, you could win a free copy of Two Boys, Two Planets for the early reader(s) in your life. This book sells for $12.99 plus shipping on Amazon, but you can win a free copy instead.

This past weekend, the Sweet Journey completed a jump through hyperspace. Or something like that. Let me rewind a bit and explain....

Several years ago, when I released Journey to Yandol, and other stories as a little paperback book through CafePress, I never expected it to go very far. The "base price" for the book was so high that even with only a tiny markup the final cost was high enough that I didn't expect anybody to buy it. With the exception of one copy purchased by a friend, I believe that prediction of zero sales came true. About a year ago, however, after releasing Lesson One: Revolution! for the Kindle, I realized there was no reason to not also release the Journey to Yandol collection for the Kindle as well. It took me several months after that to get around to making it available for the Nook.

As mentioned before, I will be participating in NaNoWriMo again this year. You might also know that my novel Lesson One: Revolution! was originally written for NaNoWriMo in 2009. I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate the NaNoWriMo experience by putting that novel on sale during NaNoWriMo. Therefore, during November of this year, you will be able to buy the Kindle or Nook version for just 99 cents.

Outlines. Index cards. Character bios and back stories. There are many ways you can prepare to write a novel, and many easily-obtained tools for both the preparation and the writing. For example, my first books in the early 1980s were written with ballpoint pens and spiral notebooks (and, admittedly, very little planning), but nobody will be surprised at this point that computers are now the physical tool of choice for many writers. Of course a computer by itself won't do much good without software, and you have many choices, some of which are free. If you're looking for software, perhaps to get ready for NaNoWriMo next month, I recommend taking a close look at one free software package called Celtx.

I decided to give #SampleSunday another try. Today I am posting an excerpt from "Journey to Yandol" which is the main short story in the collection Journey to Yandol, and other stories. If you like this sample, I hope you will also read the samples that are made available through online retailers, and, naturally, order your copy if you like the samples you read!

A sample from "Journey to Yandol"

A sharp pinging on the bridge brought Alex out of her reverie. An unknown party was sending a message to the Sweet Journey; did she wish to receive? Alex punched the receive button to copy the message to the buffer. Once buffered, she saw that it was a private message for her passenger. She shrugged and pressed the intercom call button to get his attention.

November is approaching fast, and in the writing community that means NaNoWriMo is also approaching fast. What is NaNoWriMo? In a nutshell, it is a one-month challenge to write a complete novel. It is a great opportunity for writers who have day jobs other than writing to focus on a novel project. The definition of a novel, for the purposes of NaNoWriMo, is 50,000 words.

Earlier this week I attended an open house event for parents at a local school. Due to some performance concerns on standardized tests last year, the school announced a renewed emphasis on reading. It never seemed to me that reading was not being emphasized enough there, considering (for example) that every summer students are assigned, by grade level, a certain book to read over summer break. When school resumes in the fall, they are also required to write an essay about the book. I tend to be somewhat skeptical about standardized tests, but I also can't argue with maintaining or increasing an emphasis on reading. From what I understand, that new approach will emphasize reading in non-English classes including math, PE, and more. This might help, but I'm not convinced that it will have a significant impact.

Encouraging students to read is a valid goal, because effective reading is a gateway knowledge that opens many more educational doors. If you can't read, and read effectively, you will face many struggles in school and beyond. While much of human history allowed people to get by in life fairly easily without reading, this is no longer true.

This is an exciting week in the tablet market. For the past few months, rumors of a new Kindle device have tantalized readers as well as those of us writers who provide e-books for the Kindle. Many have speculated about what the features of the new device will be. As the official announcement drew nearer, more reliable specifics began appearing online. Even the apparent new name for the device, Kindle Fire, has been leaked. Now, it appears we are within 36 hours of the official announcement. This must be an exciting time for Amazon as well.