Category Archives: technology

Top 10 List

Photo by Visualphotos.com

Photo by Visualphotos.com

So, I’ve been working from home for the past two weeks, and I really like it! I’ve discovered a few things about myself and my habits that are developing, some good and some bad. Of course I wish it paid more – LOL! However, I like being able to do my own thing, and in that light…. I created my own Top 10 List – of…

Why I like working from home:

#10. No traffic jams on the commute.

#9. Totally avoided the Polar Vortex

#8. I can crank my music as loud as I want

#7. I can check and post on FaceBook and Twitter any time I want

#6. THE coolest boss in the world!

#5. There’s plenty of coffee!

#4. Obviously…. I get to set my own schedule, which means staying up late and sleeping until 10 am

#3. Longest lunches in the world!

#2. Sex breaks

And finally, the number 1 thing I like about working from home… One word:

SLIPPERS!

5 Comments

Filed under authors, creative, e-book, editing, education, fun, learning, review, success, technology, Uncategorized, working, writing

Are you relevant?

Apparently, I’m not. What?! How can that be, you ask! Well, I have no idea. How does someone just starting out become relevant? Further, don’t you lose your relevance if you are trying to be relevant? That’s like an oxymoron or something, right?!

I think that I’d much rather write what interests me, than to try to be something I’m not. If I cross the line over to relevant somewhere along the way, good on me! If not, I’m not sure I’m going to be overly concerned. Afterall, I think there are a lot of people out there like me that want to be entertained or read something they are interested in, maybe check out a new perspective, and I don’t think they are concerned about whether it’s relevant.

If you’re looking for relevant, maybe check out some political sites. I’m going more for, uh, you know…  fun!

1 Comment

Filed under agent, authors, characters, creative, fun, inspiration, political, review, technology, tweet, Uncategorized, writing

Integration?

Part of this new writing experiment I’ve been conducting this past year, is marketing myself and mywriting. So, I have this blog, a website, a Twitter Account, and a Facebook account. I’ve tried to give them all the same look/feel for consistency and branding. My problem is they don’t all look/feel the same and they don’t really represent my brand. I have the right ideas, but my execution is less than average.

In addition to all of that, I’m going to be shopping my new novel around to agents very soon, and I’d like to have a website and web presence that represents the novel. So, I need changes. Who knew there was so much to all this?

I just want to write stories…

Well, those days are over. Even if I get a decent book deal, I’m not kidding myself into thinking that I’m going to have much, if any, help in promoting it. So, I better start figuring out how I want to do this.

Suggestions? 

Here is what I know:

  1. It has to be dark, because I’m writing horror.
  2. It has to be original, or I won’t be taken seriously
  3. It has to look professional, see #2 above
  4. It has to represent my writing, see #1 and #2 above
  5. All my sites should look and feel the same (i.e. integration), again #2 above

I also know that it is important to build a following for my writing. As writers, we have to have people read our stories, or what’s the point. The internet can be an excellent tool for this. Now more than ever we have to opportunity to really reach out to the entire world like never before. So, I want to make sure I reach out in a manner that is consistent with my 5 rules above.

Here’s a site that seems to have really good ideas about linking your sites and promoting your work:  http://marketingforwriters.com/ The article mentions listing your blog/newsletter at online directories, but it didn’t provide any links to said directories. But, the ideas in the article make sense.

This one: http://www.marketingforwriters.org/ seems to have some great tools and articles.  There are marketing techniques, articles on using promotional items, and how to articles including a great one by Elizabeth Kirwin on How to Pitch a Story.

I’m happy there are so many great resources, but now I have tons more information to sort through – I have to integrate my resources before I can integrate my online presence!

1 Comment

Filed under authors, characters, creative, e-book, fiction, horror, review, short story, technology, tweet, Uncategorized, writing

I have sales!! Woot!

Woot! It really isn’t much, but the fact that I have sales is really exciting! It means that there are a few people out there that actually purchased my writing for the first time ever AND it is more than just my family! 

In this new journey to become a real author, I published a book of seven short stories called, Stories to Fight Demons By. These are twisted/surreal stories about different kinds of demons; perfect for Halloween! You can purchase this on Amazon or B&N.  I’ll include the links here:

http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Fight-Demons-ebook/dp/B004RH3T46/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319329943&sr=8-1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stories-to-fight-demons-by-sherri-jordan-asble/1030426408?ean=2940012183842&itm=1&usri=sherri%2bjordan-asble

I hope those that purchased the book liked it. I don’t have any reviews on Amazon or B&N yet, but I’m hoping I’ll get one. So, if you purchased the book and are reading this… hint, hint!

I also have a teaser for my first novel posted on my website and a plug for it in the back of  Stories. Website:

http://sjordanasble.com/Page_2.html

So, this is truly another awesome step forward in my writing journey. I hope that others will celebrate with me – go ahead, raise your hand in the air and give me a “Woot!”

4 Comments

Filed under authors, characters, creative, e-book, fiction, Halloween, horror, inspiration, sci-fi, short story, survey, technology, tweet, Uncategorized, writing

Legacy of Kings by C.S. Friedman

I’m finally reading the final book in this awesome trilogy! Yeah!

Friedman’s trilogy begins with Feast of Souls. The second book is Wings of Wrath.  Then, the final book is Legacy of Kings.  I had thought I was going to leave all my book reviews on my website, but this one is worth blogging about…

The Magister Trilogy by C. S. Friedman http://csfriedman.com/  is one of the best fantasy/speculative fiction novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Her characters are strong, yet flawed. They make mistakes, they learn, and they go on. They feel human.

Her plot is intricate with over-riding themes, and interesting unforeseen twists. I like my fiction unpredictable.  When you think the story is going in one direction, it jumps in another.  She keeps the pages turning!

So, what is the Magister Trilogy about?  Imagine a world where witchcraft exists, but there is a high price to wield it. The witches in this world pay for their craft with a little piece of their life force every time they cast a spell.  Then enters the Magisters. They steal the life force from others  for their magic, making them all-powerful… well, almost.  It turns out there are monsters invading the land, souleaters, and they will destroy humanity if left unchecked.  The heroes, the lyr, have to fight the beasts.  Woven throughout these overarching story lines are sinister plots and back stabbing traitors.  Who can be trusted? 

One thing I admire in Friedman’s writing is how she develops her character, Kamala.  She slowly unfolds depth throughout the three books. This is a young woman who learns to survive in a man’s world, and not always too successfully. She learns how to be human and how to care for others, even when they might not necessarily deserve it, as the reader learns about her.

The first two books were excellent, and now that I’m reading the long waited for third and final installment, I have to say I’m even more interested than I was when I first started reading the first book.  I think I need to go back and read the other two again!

Check this one out! A great read… 5 of 5 stars!

4 Comments

Filed under authors, characters, creative, e-book, fiction, horror, inspiration, sci-fi, short story, survey, technology, tweet, Uncategorized, writing

good reading = good writing

I’ve noticed that I tend to write better when I’ve been reading really great books! So, as part of my writing  journey, I thought I should mention and share some of what I’ve been reading. I’ve posted a few book reviews on my website that you may want to check out…

http://sjordanasble.com/Books__Reviews___Links.html

I’m also going to share the latest awesome book I’ve read, Blood Song by Cat Adams. This was a fast read. I read the book in a day and a half and I cannot wait for the sequel.  The book is about a tough body-guard who is half turned into a vampire (yes only 1/2 way!) It is partially a mystery to find out who did

 this to her and why, part kick ass vampire book, and there is a nice little surprise twist at the end leaving the reading drooling for the sequel.  The author’s style of writing is easy flowing, easy to read, and gets your attention quick and keeps it.  I highly recommend it and rate it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. I have to take off 1/2 a point because she had so many characters in the book that I lost track a couple of times.  I had to say, “Who? Who was that?” a couple of times.  Otherwise, excellent read!

So, these are the awesome books that I’ve been reading lately. You can enjoy them to and hopefully, see their influence positively reflecting in my writing.

2 Comments

Filed under authors, characters, creative, e-book, fiction, horror, inspiration, short story, survey, technology, tweet, Uncategorized, writing

What are they talking about?

OMG My BFF Jill, I read the best WIPline yesterday… had me ROTFLMAO…

I love Twitter – but sometimes I don’t know what they’re talking about.  I had to figure out what the heck a hash tag is… #wth. And how to retweet. And how to mention someone… @someone.

It has been challenging, but also fun. It is very fast paced. There is some new thing to read like every 2 seconds! The more followers you get, and the more people you follow, the faster it is.  I also found out that the more people you follow, the more people will follow you back! Ha! #funfollowing

If you leave it on while trying to work on other things (like #blogging or actually doing some serious, #amwriting or #amediting) it can be very distracting… Oh gotta go check out 3 new tweets…

#justsayin

4 Comments

Filed under authors, characters, creative, e-book, fiction, horror, inspiration, sci-fi, short story, survey, technology, tweet, Uncategorized, writing

Want to know about vampires?

I’m working on my new novel, Desolate Incubus.  It is about some bad ass vampires that find themselves on a strange path. They have to figure out what is going on while trying to decide if they are the good guys, the bad guys, or something else completely.

When working on a novel, sometimes I write a lot of “back story” stuff that doesn’t really make it into the story (or at least not in the form I originally write it in).  It is part of the process of creating the characters and universe (or world) in which we put the characters in.  I must have a clear picture of it in my mind before I can tell the story.  So, the following is a bit about how vampires are “made” within the realm of Desolate Incubus. The premise is definitely a part of the story, but this paragraph is not one you will see in directly in the story, at least not in this form. So, this is really a sneak peek, behind the scenes if you will… enjoy.

+++

It is really simple, yet complex and difficult. You have to drain the potential vampire of as much blood as you can without killing them, and then replace it with vampire blood.  The vampire blood slowly takes over all internal systems and changes the human into vampire. But, it is a difficult process because if you take too much of the blood, they die. You have to be careful not to kill them, and in the heat of a bloodlust, vampires tend to lose control. Vampires are not “dead” or the waking dead or walking dead like all the stories and myths indicate, they are very much alive, just different from humans. If you kill the human while trying to change them, they are just dead. You can’t bring them back from the dead. You don’t get a second chance. After draining the human, you need to give them enough vampire blood to actually take over their system. It is as much art as science. A lot of vampires that try this end up dying because they let the new vampire feed until they themselves are too weak to stop the feeding. The new vampire hits the blood lust stage as the vampire blood takes over, and then the new vampire ends up killing the maker.  Yes, a vampire will die if it is completely drained; little known fact.

Leave a comment

Filed under authors, characters, creative, e-book, fiction, horror, inspiration, sci-fi, short story, technology, Uncategorized, writing

Another sneak peek?!

Here’s another clip from “Stories to Fight Demons by” now available on B&N and Amazon.  This is from the second story “Rubicon” that I named my blog from! Enjoy!

“Sangchai’s motorcycle flew down the remains of an old paved Highway. The Astrograph meter in his System Interface/Protective Eyewear, that he called SIPE, displayed a red arrow pointing south. He slowed the bike to a stop and looked directly at the speck of red light in the bottom right side of his SIPE. Again, it demanded that he head south. The desert stretched as far as he could see, even with his SIPE on 2,000 magnify. Sagebrush, dry grass, different cactus strains, and the queer looking Joshua trees scantily covered the rubble and sand. Everything a dull green, brown and gray blended into the horizon of soft pink sky.

Sangchai did not want to drive across the harsh terrain. The Astrograph’s signal intensified and urged him to move. The tracker implanted in the palm of his right hand itched. He refused to acknowledge it and revved the throttle instead.”

He spotted a tiny path as he jerked his bike around. It slithered through the brush like a tiny garden snake and wound across the desert, slowly circling around cactus and Joshua trees as it crept wider in some places and almost non-existent in others. “I guess that’s where I’m going.” Only a tiny green lizard heard him and dashed out of his way as he picked up his feet and started toward the trail. He leaned forward on his bike as he gassed it, swerving past the bigger bushes that lined the decrepit highway. The Astrograph needle continued to flash steadily, assuring him that he found the correct path. It continued to guide him across the desert floor toward a small mountain chain barely peeking over the horizon.

The road twisted and turned and eventually began to climb toward the side of the mountain. He weaved his bike in and out along the path, avoiding as many rocks as possible. He lost his back tire to skids in the loose sand occasionally, but generally he made decent time, as he gained altitude within the mountain range.

He resented the flashing Astrograph telling him where to go. Smashing the damned SIPE would bring him great pleasure. Even as he thought about it, the tracker in his hand began to itch. Sangchai cursed under his breath and brought his thoughts back on track. His ability to concentrate kept him on task and had kept him alive for too long to give up or give in. He took a deep breath and focused to heighten his senses.”

If you want more… Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=sherri+jordan-asble&x=14&y=15

OR B&N link if you nook:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Stories-to-Fight-Demons-By/Sherri-Jordan-Asble/e/2940012183842/?itm=1&USRI=stories+to+fight+demons+by

also.. I learned today (yes, I’m slow on technology) that Nook has a free download to put Nook on your smart phones!!  (Thanks Sheila!!)

If you buy my e-book and like it, feel free to post comments and ratings on either site!! Thank you again for your support!

Leave a comment

Filed under authors, characters, e-book, fiction, horror, inspiration, sci-fi, short story, survey, technology, tweet, Uncategorized, writing

Going Tweety…

Thanks all for the encouragement to tweet!   I started my first twitter account! Now I have to spend time looking for people to follow!  I also have to figure out how to put my profile in, upload a photo, and post in my blog and website how to “follow me.” I think that’s how it is done!   

I’m sharing one of the recent pictures my husband took.  This is the Florida version of a tweet!!

1 Comment

Filed under fiction, inspiration, technology, tweet, Uncategorized, writing