Betsy Horvath

Author: Betsy Horvath

  • Both Sides Of Blogging

     

    I’ve been blogging three times a week for about six months now. I’ve only missed one post (the Thursday before I went to RWA), but then I made up for it the next week. So, of course, now that I’m an expert and all I thought I would post a list of some of the good things and some of the bad things I’ve discovered about blogging.

    Good Things

    1. You can write about anything you want to write about.
    2. Writing a blog keeps the writing juices flowing.
    3. It gives you practice in being disciplined and meeting a deadline.
    4. Your posts go out to the whole internet and can touch people you don’t even know.
    5. You can be honest and open.

    Bad Things

    1. You can write about anything, but you have to think of things to write about. Interesting things. Charming things. Things that will have people wanting to come back to your writing again and again. Even if you don’t feel interesting or charming.
    2. It may keep the writing juices flowing, but it also siphons off valuable writing time. Imagination you could be using for your fiction gets put to the blog because you have a shorter deadline.
    3. Meeting a deadline sucks if all you have are tumbleweeds blowing across the empty desert of your mind.
    4. Your posts go out to the whole internet and they never go away. So if you’re stupid it can haunt you for the rest of your life and even beyond the grave. No pressure there.
    5. If you’re too honest and open, the next thing you know people are peeking in the venetian blinds at you and you can’t walk down the hall at work without…oh, wait. That’s just me.

    And the verdict?

    Despite the pitfalls, I have to say that I like blogging. I really do. I like chattering on to no one in particular. I like posting pictures of my cats. I like it when people comment, thereby validating me as a writer and a human being. So I’m going to keep on keeping on.

    And, you know, I’ve looked at blogs from both sides now, from up and down, and still somehow, it’s blogs illusions I recall… Wait! Do I really know blogs at all?

    Hmmmm.

  • Sacred Space

    “This is an absolute necessity for anybody today. You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can  simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be, This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.”

    Joseph Campbell
    The Power of Myth

    I’ve been thinking a lot about space, and the lack of it in my own life.  The quote from Mr. Campbell above has been playing around and around in my mind, because he was talking about creating a sacred space – a space for yourself in your own life. A space sanctified because it gives you the place to be who you are meant to be.

    For me, the need for space tends to be mental rather than physical.  I’m single and I live alone, so I’ve been able to set my house up to meet my needs.  But intrusions still knock constantly at the door of my mind.  I need a time, a mental place, where I don’t know my family or my friends, where I don’t worry about Facebook or Twitter or what I’m going to write on my blog.  A place where I’m not constantly checking email or surfing the internet or thinking about book promotion. A place where my day job isn’t important and my worries and doubts can be pushed aside.

    I’m going to try to create my mental space in the morning, before work.  Early in the morning is the only time I can guarantee I won’t be bothered except in an emergency.  Plus, I love mornings. It’s so quiet then, and I feel like everything is beginning.  I feel hopeful in the mornings.

    Unfortunately, I haven’t been successful creating my mental space yet.  After I get to work and until I go to bed, things tend to be rather stressful.  I don’t get to bed nearly early enough, and I don’t get enough sleep.  Then I don’t wake up early enough for anything other than hurrying to begin the day and start the cycle all over again. The hamster on the wheel.

    If I’m going to meet my overall creative goals, this has to stop.  I must create a space for myself in my own life.  It’s the only way I’ll ever be a better writer – and a better human being.

    So, I think this hamster’s going to try to make a break for it.  Wish me luck!

  • eBook FAQs (Part 2)

    And here, as promised, is the second part of  my eBook FAQs.  No, no. Try to control your excitement. I know it’s hard…

    Let us now speak of reading and purchasing eBooks.

    Do I need an eReader to read an eBook?

    No. You do not need to read an eBook on an eReader.  You can also read eBooks on your computer, smart phone, iTouch, or tablet (like an iPad).

    Here are some links:

    To read an EPUB formatted book on your smartphone, you need Overdrive Media console.  To read an EPUB formatted book on your computer, you need Adobe digital editions  (requires Adobe Flash player).  This link will take you to a page where you can download either, or both, programs:

    Link to Kindle apps

    Link to Nook apps 

    Link to iBooks  (runs through iTunes, can be downloaded for free

    What’s the difference between eReaders?

    If you decide to purchase a dedicated eReader, you’ll be faced with many different choices.  The biggest difference between the various eReaders is that some use “e-ink” technology, and some use a backlit LCD screen, like a computer.

    E-Ink technology was developed to mimic the printed page, and I find it easier on the eyes. The e-ink readers (like the Kindle and the regular Nook) have a little “flash” every time you “turn” a page, but you don’t notice it after a minute.  You need light to read using these readers, just as you need light to read a paper book.  There isn’t glare on the screen.  They are black and white.

    The eReaders with the backlit LCD screen don’t use e-ink, so their display is full color.  You don’t have as much of a flash when you “turn” the page.  You don’t need light to read.  There’s more of a glare, and I find them harder on the eyes.  These eReaders are more like computers, smart phones, and tablets like the iPad.

    Which eReader should I buy?

    It all depends on what you’re going to use it for.  If you are reading a lot, you’ll probably want an eReader with the e-ink technology (like the Kindle or the regular Nook).  But, if you’re reading a lot of magazines or children’s books, you might want to invest in a color Nook or a tablet like an iPad so you can have full color pictures.  And, of course, what you get also depends on how much you want to spend.

    Can all eBooks be read on all eReaders?

    Well, yes and no.  Each eReader recognizes specific formats.  There is what is considered a “standard” format for eBooks, called EPUB, and many eReaders, including the Nook, will recognize it.  However Amazon, being Amazon, uses a special format for the Kindle.

    Okay, so where do I buy eBooks?

    eBooks can be purchased at a variety of places on the internet.  This includes, of course, the Kindle store, the Nook store, and the iBooks store.  But you can also purchase eBooks directly from publishers, from Google Books, and from other third party vendors.

    Do I need to purchase an eBook from the people who sold me my eReader?

    No, but the eBooks you buy will need to be in the correct format for your eReader.  If you purchase from a publisher or third party vendor, their site might give you a choice of formats, or you might be given just the EPUB option (like at Carina Press).  If they do not offer a format your device recognizes, you’ll have to convert the book into the correct format using a conversion program like Calibre.  Just be careful to make sure the site allows you to download the book to your computer if you’re going to need to convert it.

    How does the eBook get on my eReader?

    There are a couple of ways this can happen.  If you purchase from the Kindle or Nook store, the books will be sent to you automatically using an email address assigned when you registered your device.  If you purchase elsewhere, the site might email the book to you as well.  If that happens, you’ll need to have set up your device to recognize the email address they’re using when they send the book to you. You might also have the option of saving the book directly to your computer and transferring it that way.

     

    Well, that’s basically it for now.  I hope you find the information useful!  And not too boring.  And mostly correct.  LOL 😀

  • eBook FAQs (Part 1)

    Ever since my book was accepted for publication by Carina Press, a digital first imprint, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about eBooks.  Since the questions seem to pop up regularly and from a variety of people, I thought I’d set up a FAQ page. And THEN I thought, “Hey, why not multitask and get a couple of blog posts out of it?” Win!

    So tonight I’m going to talk a generally about what eBooks are.  In my next post, I’ll talk about how to purchase and read an eBook. Hopefully I won’t bore the pants off you.

    I’d like to make a disclaimer before I start.  I am in no way an eBook expert.  But I’ve had kind of a crash course in them over the past year or two, so I thought I’d share what I’ve learned.

    One thing I still HAVEN’T learned is whether it should be “e-book” or “ebook” or “eBook”.  So I just pick one and run with it.

    So, here we go –

    What is an eBook?

    An eBook is a Book with an “e” in front of it.

    Thank you!  I’ll be here all week.

    No, seriously.  An eBook is a book formatted to be read on a digital reading device.  That device can be a dedicated eReader, but it can also be a computer, tablet, or smartphone. More on that next time.

    Is an eBook an actual book?

    Absolutely!  The only difference between an eBook and a paper book is the medium in which they are presented.  The same amount of work (or lack of work) goes into an eBook as goes into a paper book.

    Are eBooks shorter in length than regular books?

    First of all – let me repeat, eBooks ARE regular books!  You just don’t have to worry about staining them when you spill coffee.  Second – eBooks come in a variety of lengths.  Because the production and marketing costs are different (no paper), publishers are able to sell eBooks that are of short story, novella, or novel length.

    Okay, so how can I tell what I’m actually buying?

     Most eBooks note the word count rather than number of pages.  That’s because you can format font size differently on each device to meet your own reading needs.  Unfortunately, this can be a little confusing.

    Wikipedia says that a novel is greater than 40,000 words, but that covers a lot of territory.  A regular old-fashioned single copy book by anyone other than Stephen King or J. K. Rowling is probably between 80-100,000 words.  The category romances – the Harlequin romances you see in the grocery store – are usually 50-70,000 words.

    A novella, according to Wikipedia, is 17,500-40,000 words. Think about those compilation books with stories by three different authors.  If the whole book is 80-100,000 words, then each of those stories is around 30,000.  And, of course, a novelette or a short story would be, um, shorter.

    My book, HOLD ME, is 104,000 words.  In case you want to know. 🙂

    Are all eBooks self-published?

    No.  Although that has been a common misconception, it seems to me there are three different sources for eBooks:

    1.  Traditional.  These are the books originally released in paper copies.  The eBook is a secondary channel for sales, much the same as audiobooks.  The primary channel for sales comes from the paper copies.

    2.  Direct to Digital.  These books are acquired by publishers, but instead of printing paper copies, the books go directly to digital and are released primarily or exclusively as eBooks.  This is where Carina Press fits in.  It is the digital imprint of Harlequin.  Several other traditional publishers are starting their own digital imprints, so this market is growing.

    3.  Self Published.  This is pretty self-explanatory. The author is the publisher.

     

    So, there’s just some general information about eBooks to whet your appetite.  On Thursday I’ll talk a little more about the different ways to read an eBook, and where they can be purchased.

    Not that I’m being self-serving or anything.  LOL 😉

  • Shadrach’s Tale

    Once upon a time, Betsy purchased three little boy zebra finches.  She named them Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. She wasn’t trying to be sacreligious, by the way. She just liked the names.

    Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego seemed happy enough. But since they were the latest in a long line of birds of various kinds for Betsy, she knew that what made a boy zebra finch the happiest of all was a girl zebra finch.  So she purchased three little girl zebra finches and named them appropriately.  Then she started moving birds into different cages, pairing them up.

    Because Betsy also has four cats, all of whom view zebra finches as a tasty luncheon snack (dramatically demonstrated on one unfortunately occasion), she took the birds into the bathroom to move them and closed the door.

    Meshach and Abednego were moved into their new cages with no problems.  Soon they were snuggling in their newly arranged marriages.  Then it was time to move Shadrach.

    Shadrach got loose and was soon flying around the bathroom like a big moth. Since he had lived in a cage his whole life, and he was very small, his muscles were not that strong.  But panic lent him speed and agility.

    I should pause here to say that the shower in the Palatial Horvath Estate’s magnificent bathroom is one of those pre-formed fiberglass deals. So the corners of the shower stall are squared off, leaving an open space between the corner of the wall and the edge of the shower stall.

    I think you can see where this is going.

    Shadrach, panicking, flew higher than he had ever flown before. He smacked his little head into the wall and…

    …fell between the corner of the shower stall and the corner of the wall.

    All the way down into inky darkness.

    Heart in her throat, Betsy listened for any signs of life and heard none.  No fluttering.  No chirping.  Nothing.

    “Well,” she thought. “He’s dead.  That sucks.”

    And, although it made her very sad, she went about her business.

    The next morning dawned. Still no sounds of Shadrach.  Betsy took a shower, still feeling sad.  Then later in the day, Betsy’s sister came to visit.  She went to use the bathroom. When she came out, her face was a mask of horror.

    “I hear chirping,” she said.  “Coming from under the tub.”

    For a moment Betsy and her sister stared at each other.

    “It’s Shadrach. We can’t just leave him there,” Betsy said.  Her sister agreed.  But what to do?

    Well, they did what you would have done.  They pulled apart the fiberglass shower enclosure all the way down to the tub.  They put the cage with Shadrach’s little arranged bride in it in the bathroom and went away to rest.  When they came back, Shadrach was clinging to the side of the cage.  Chirping.

    Then, after Shadrach was safe in his cage, they put the whole shower back together. And it is still water-tight. After using Great Stuff and a whole lot of caulk.

    Shadrach was known forever afterwards as “Shadrach, the little f-word”  And the f-word he was known by was not “finch”.

    Years passed and eventually Shadrach and Meshach were the only two finches left.  They were 12 years old, which is a goodly age for a finch.

    Shadrach died the morning Betsy was leaving for the RWA conference.  She misses him.

    But he was still a little f-word.

     

  • Life and Primroses

    The yard at the Palatial Horvath Estate has a rather steep hill in front of the house.  In the past, before the hiring of Lawn Boy, this has made it a trifle difficult and unpleasant to mow the lawn.  Several years ago, I decided to dig up as much of the hill as I could and plant flowers on it.  I didn’t really care what the flowers were, as long as they were hardy, enjoyed full sun, were drought tolerant, and were invasive.  See, I didn’t want to be out there tending this new garden any more than I wanted to mow the lawn.  I wanted to just plant it and let it go.

    At some point I discovered the Evening Primrose.  This plant met all of my requirements, blooms with showy pink flowers in the spring and early summer, and is so invasive that experts recommend planting it in a container, since it spreads via the roots.  In other words – it was perfect.  I bought about eight plants and stuck them in the ground.

    Four years later, and the evening primroses are running amuck.

    The plant has such a delicate little name that you’d never think it is the WWF wrestling champion of the garden.  “Primrose awwwww.”  Then you find out that they drag other plants to the mat and smother them unless you keep a space cleared to give non-primroses some room.

    That’s okay out on my hill.  That’s exactly what I wanted.  Run amuck, evening primrose, run amuck!  But it’s not so great when similar things happen elsewhere in my life.

    Over the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking about my other personal primroses.  These are the responsibilities, desires, promises, and people trying to move into my mental and physical space.  When I was at the conference in New York, there was some distance.  Just the fact that I was in a different environment pushed them back a little.  I had room to breathe.

    Now I’m home, and I can sense the primroses creeping back in.  These primroses are not necessarily bad things.  Often they are good things, beautiful things, just as the evening primrose plant is beautiful in the spring when it blooms all pink and lovely.  But if I’m not careful, my personal primroses have the potential to smother me.  Or at least smother the “me” that I would like to be.

    I guess what I’m trying to say is that the primroses in life can be beautiful and necessary and even desired.  But you have to keep a clear space too.  Otherwise the primroses might pull you down and take over the whole garden.

    And may your own garden bloom happy and healthy today!