Monday, October 12, 2009

A Kindle and a Viking

I have a new favorite thing. As far as things go, anyway.

It's an e-reader, the Kindle 2. It's small, sleek, easy to navigate, and I.love.it. More than I thought I would. In fact, I've had trouble picking through my stack of hard copy books (but I will not give them up, no I will not) since this came to live with me. It's awesome technology, and it's just plain fun.

Oh right, and this Viking I mentioned? He's hot. *ahem*

He's the work of Kristen Painter, who I met last spring. She's smart, sassy, confident, and she knows how to weave a yarn. Erm, yarn a tale. *sigh* She's a very good writer!

Hers was the first book I bought for my Kindle, because how cool is it that I could download it easy peasy, and throw a little support her way? (Uber cool, if you must know.) Anyway, All Fired Up was released September 1st by Samhain Publishing. Here's the book's summary:


Alrik Gunn knows from bitter experience that change isn't always for the better. From the woman who annihilated his Viking clan to the goddess who tricked him into centuries of slavery, betrayal has dogged his existence. The Goddess of Love is going to let him avenge his family, but for a price. As a Phoenix-a merchant of change-he must grant a human woman three chances to change her life.

When former Irish dancer Calleigh McCarthy tosses a carved-bird statue that belonged to her ex into a roaring bonfire, she unwittingly summons an honest-to-god Phoenix. A sexy, irresistible Viking who offers her an unbelievable bonus-three get-out-of-her-crappy-life-free cards. She'll take it, even if it means guarding her cautious heart against the dark pain behind Alrik's eyes.

Alrik has vowed never to let love sway him again, but Calleigh's innocence and kindness throw him off balance. Yet even as his need for revenge fades and his love for her grows, he is bound to let her make her choices without interfering.

One wrongly chosen word, and any chance for happiness-for either of them-will go up in flames.

What a fun story this was! Kristen's writing is flawless, filled with humor and heat. All Fired Up has stellar character development, perfect pacing and, well, a lovely hunk of man. Chivalrous, Viking man. I mean, whew!

I recommend it, the book.

And the Kindle.

But especially the Viking.

44 comments:

Jessica Nelson said...

LOL Janna! Firstly, I read Kristen's excerpt and I was totally impressed. I have no trouble believing the Viking is a hottie.
And I'm so jealous you have a Kindle!!!

Sherrinda Ketchersid said...

I'm jealous too! Did you buy it or was it a gift? I just can't justify a purchase yet...but hmmm, Christmas is around the corner! lol

Kristen Painter said...

Thank you so much! I have a Sony ereader and I love it equally. It's just awesome to be able to travel with 10 or 20 books and not have to worry about how heavy they are or how much room they take up!

Wendy Paine Miller said...

Just...don't...know...if...I...can...do...it. The Kindle b/c I love holding a book in my hands and the Viking b/c my husband might see the cover and throw it in the trash asap. :D
~ Wendy

Lori said...

It looks very cool. I have a Sony that I share with my husband. Very useful on vacation when you don't want to carry heavy books with you.Oh, I see Kristen said the same thing before me. well, nothing more to add I guess. I hope you enjoy yours.

Donna M. Kohlstrom said...

I've been anxious to hear from someone who has Kindle. Sounds like it would be so much easier to tote it than a hardcover book wherever you go. How many books can you download at one time?

Thanks for the excerpt from Kristen's book. The cover is enough to make me want to buy it!

Janna Leadbetter said...

Jessica - I think you'd like her book! I did, very much.

Sherrinda - My husband surprised me with it, but he got a really great deal. :)

Kristen - Absolutely! I can't wait to try a trip with mine.

Wendy - That's exactly how I felt. And now I think I want both. :)

Lori - Why am I surprised Sony has a hand in the market?

Donna - I saw somewhere that it can hold up to 200 books at a time. And they're delivered instantly. SO handy. And cool!

Tamika: said...

Mom mentioned the Kindle to me recently, and I hadn't heard of it. Thanks for including a picture of what it looks like.

I will have to get a closer look!

Great excerpt, sounds like an original story with lots of twists!

Woman in a Window said...

OH NO! But can you put your nose to the Kindle and breathe deep? Can you like finger and pull page? Can you throw it down and see a plume of dust?

Say it isn't so, Janna! say.it.isn't.so.

Argh!

But the Viking sounds hot.

xo
erin

Diane said...

I must have a thing for Vikings, because that book sounds great! :O)

Capri K @ No Whining Allowed said...

LOL!! I like a good Viking story myself!

Anonymous said...

Heard someone had a new shiny and wanted to peek in. Looks great and the review, excellent!

Melanie Hooyenga said...

*fans self*

I'm so glad you love your new toy!

The book sounds lovely too. ;)

Janna Leadbetter said...

Tamika - To give you an even better idea, it's about the same size as a trade paperback, except that it's 1/4" thick. So neat to hold onto!

I know, Erin, I know! I can't do any of those things with it. And I do love all those things you mentioned about paper books.

Diane - I never did before, but I certainly do now. ;)

Capri K - Check it out if you can!

Kimmi - It's so good to see you! Hope you're well. :)

Melanie - Indeed!

Jody Hedlund said...

Oh wow! You've got one!! So you've pumped up the pros but are there any cons? Please tell me at least one! :)

Susan R. Mills said...

I'm asking for a Kindle for Christmas. You think I should add a Viking to my wish list????

Stephanie Faris said...

I've thought about getting a Kindle...but can library books be accessed on it? Our library has a limited selection of e-downloadable books but they only work with certain readers.

Deb Shucka said...

What a great sounding book! Whew! I have another friend with a Kindle and she loves it - even took it with her to a book festival yesterday. The problem is that she no longer has great books to share - until the rest of us get a Kindle, too.

Tana said...

Congrats on the Kindle! I love mine. Is Kristen's book available for an e-reader? I'd love to read it. I do love me some viking hotties. ;)

Spy Scribbler said...

I don't know if you read much older fiction, but FeedBooks has loads of free books for the Kindle.

My reading went up big time with the Kindle; it's always there! I don't have to run upstairs to find my book, LOL...

Nadine said...

I still haven't taken the Kindle jump, but one day.

Glad to know you like it! And yay for hottie Vikings!

Janna Leadbetter said...

Jody - The only inconvenience I've come across is that if I want to flip back to reference a prior detail, I can't.

Susan - DEFINITELY. ;)

Stephanie - I've not heard that they can, but it's an interesting thought. I'm curious now, too. Sounds like maybe you'd have to use a library-provided e-reader?

Deb - That's a downfall, for sure. :(

T. Anne - Yep, you can get it from Amazon.com.

Natasha - I'll check it out, that sounds awesome!

Janna Leadbetter said...

Nadine - As much as I didn't want to admit it, I think it will become a norm. At the very least, among writers.

Analisa said...

Enjoy. Maybe one day I will walk over to the Kindle side of life. Now I just love the smell when you open a book. Using a favorite bookmark and curling up on the couch. I was also the last of my friend to get a cell phone so don't go by me. LOL

Cindy R. Wilson said...

That Kindle is just so pretty but I.......just don't know. I love my books! That's was a pretty awesome book summary.

Anonymous said...

Oooohhhhhh...a kindle. Nice!

Enjoy the Viking, uh, I mean, book.
-FringeGIrl

JLC said...

LoL! This was a cute post! Congrats on your new Kindle!

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Janna -

The next two things on my Wish List are an AlphaSmart Neo and a digital camera. (Yeah, I know I'm still in the dark ages without a digital camera.)

The Kindle will remain a bit further down the list. I can't imagine it giving me the same experience as a turn-the-page, feel-the-texture-of-the-paper, book. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Angie Ledbetter said...

I think true love has been kindled. :)

WendyCinNYC said...

Oh! New toy! Exciting.

Jill Kemerer said...

The cover--my goodness, the cover! He's a tempting, ahem, it's a tempting book!

Deb said...

I have got to get me one of those! I'm talking about the Kindle of course :) and that book sounds like a good read!

4 Life said...

The Kindle totally rocks! I do not have one - but am hopeful as my birthday approaches! I have two friends with them who love them.

Great excerpt by the way....oooo, a viking can always warm the blood.

Janna Leadbetter said...

Analisa - The feel of a book is hard to give up.

Cindy - And the summary didn't do the book justice!

FringeGirl - Righto!

JLC - Thanks!

Susan - I have an AlphaSmart! (It's not a Neo.) I recommend it - especially for traveling, and writing without the call of the internet.

Angie - Har har. :P

Wendy - I know!

Jill - *snerk*

Strange Fiction - Oh, but of course. ;)

Texas Playwright Chick - Thanks for stopping by!

Linda Hoye said...

I hope you love your Kindle as much as I love mine, Janna!

Anonymous said...

I don't know. After what happened a couple of months back when Amazon yanked several books from users own Kindles, I'm weary of buying one. I'm not a technophobe but I like to keep what I buy.

Janna Leadbetter said...

Linda, so far I am!

Rafael - I'm intrigued! Hadn't heard anything about that. May have to see if I can find an article about it.

Janna Leadbetter said...

PS. Here's a link to the article about the Kindle books Amazon pulled.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/07/amazon-sold-pirated-books-raided-some-kindles.ars

Kathy said...

The Kindle looks pretty cool.

Terri Tiffany said...

How cool that you got that and are using one of them and that you bought her book! Go Kristin!

Janna Leadbetter said...

It is, Kathy. Oh, it is. *grin*

Terri! Are you still on vacation? I've missed you.

Glynis Peters said...

Not sure if I could give up books in favour of kindle or like. Turning the pages at the corner, seeing it getting worn and torn, curling up with a paperback is just something I love.I'm not sure a piece of machinery will do it for me. Who's to say I won't have one by next year though. ;0

Anonymous said...

I wrote a post about it awhile back:

Until the Kindle Runs Out: Amazon Erases Orwell from Kindle

http://ralfast.wordpress.com/2009/07/18/until-the-kindle-runs-out-amazon-erases-orwell-from-kindle/

Janna Leadbetter said...

Glynis - I understand, I do!

Rafael - Aha! Thanks. :)