We're moving!

And by "we" I mean this blog.  Blogger has been AWESOME and I will keep this site up, but new updates can be found on:

http://elisabethfitzgeraldwrites.wordpress.com/

Hope to see you there!

The Indie eBook Revolution or, How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love My Kindle

For my last birthday, I received a Kindle. I was pleased, yet I had trepidations about it (I blogged about said worries. Click here if you want to read that piece).

Well, I've now had the Kindle for almost a year. While I haven't given up my love of the printed word (c'mon. I'm a library student. There's no way I'm going to ditch books), I do definitely see the value in it. Especially when coupled with Twitter.

"What?" you're saying. "Seriously, how does the Kindle connect with Twitter?" I'm happy to tell you. I'm on Twitter (follow me!) and I love to follow other writers. It's fun to find people using hash tags (my favorites are the #FridayReads and #AmWriting ones). It's also very fun to find new reading material.

More and more authors are going the "indie" route and deciding to self publish their work. The issue, of course, is how to market that work? Twitter is the perfect way. And eReaders are the perfect medium.

Many people have credited the eReader with the rebirth of the short story and I think there's a lot of truth in that. It's difficult to find an audience for the short story. Even if people like them, they don't know where to look. Anthologies are great, but they can be big and pricey and may only contain one or two stories that you care about reading. Not so with the Kindle. You can pick and choose your stories. And they're usually priced under $5. I can $5 like ANYTHING. I've discovered a lot of great new authors this way.

I'll never stop loving books. But the Kindle will definitely have a permanent place in my home.

Forgiving and Forgetting

We all know that it's better to forgive than forget. However, that is easier said than done. Just look at Ross and Rachel on Friends. How many times did "We were on a break!" come up?

Forgiveness is important, though. So important that I wrote a whole article about it. Check it out!

Forgiven Not Forgotten

[Insert Black Bar Here]

I'm not graphic design savvy enough to actually make a black bar my subject heading, but you get the idea. Like many people, I'm against SOPA. The first writing that I actually shared with other people? Yeah, it was fanfiction. Fanfiction for a horror/sci fi show called "Poltergeist the Legacy." I adored that show and I credit it for helping me overcome my shyness regarding writing and sharing my work. I made zero money from my stories and no harm was done. I was just, you know, creating.

Piracy is a bad thing. Stealing is not good. However, neither is a mandate that could censor the internet. I've had to deal with the MPAA quite a bit in my entertainment career. They're not my favorite organization. I've seen the "standards" on which movies are rated. It usually depends on how much money the studio has or how powerful the people attached are. I worked for a small studio and we constantly struggled with MPAA regulations. However, the bigger studios didn't seem to have the troubles that we did. More money? Probably. Did the whole experience leave a bad taste in my mouth? Definitely.

We need to protect the freedom that is afforded to us by the first amendment. I encourage you to sign this petition and stop internet censorship.

Sign Here!

Also, check out this hilarious video of Hitler ranting about SOPA. This is what's at stake!

THAT Guy (and Why I'm Him...or Her, Rather)

I love my dog. Like, crazy, ridiculous love. I used to worry that I wouldn't be able to give a child all of the love that he or should would deserve, but my maternal instincts kicked in to high gear when we got Mushu. Now? I'm looking forward to starting a family.

That's a few years off, though, so right now my fiance and I are devoting our time to our pug. And, well, we're THOSE people. The scary dog people. The ones that talk about their dogs like they're babies. The ones that take cutesy dog pictures and post them on the internet and attend doggie events. And, uh, write blog entries about how much they love their dog. Yeah. I take it even farther and actually follow some other pugs on Twitter. Although, I don't tweet for my dog. So, that's progress right? (And, if you want to follow me on Twitter, click HERE!)

What is the point in revealing my insanity, you may be wondering? Well, I recently wrote an article for the Pug Rescue of San Diego County (they rescued our darling Mushu!). Since I am a writer and this is a writing blog, I thought I'd share. I know other dog crazy people will understand. And if you're not a dog crazy person...well, thanks for your patience.

Certain parts of the holiday season are particularly difficult. Dealing with any family drama, ridiculous amounts of eating and drinking, sleeping everywhere but your own bed, all of that jazz. However, the most difficult part of my holiday season was leaving my sweet Mushu in Los Angeles while I was away in Chicago. Oh, he had a wonderful time at his “doggie resort.” He played and romped and was completely exhausted when he came back home. The separation was definitely harder on us than it was on him.

So, it’s no wonder that we showered Mushu with lots of hugs, kisses and presents upon our reunion. He was given several Christmas gifts by his grandparents and took a particular shine to a stuffed cow that makes mooing sounds when you squeeze it. At first, we were concerned that the noise would scare him but the cow (now named “Oliver”) has become his baby. He grooms it and cuddles with it and gnaws at it lovingly. It’s both hilarious and touching to watch him jump all over with Oliver.

Another treat that Mushu particularly loves is deer antlers. We were able to obtain some from a family friend that hunts and did lots to research to find out how to properly prepare them. The ones that we have are approximately six inches long and Mushu thinks they’re pretty much the best thing since sliced bread. He completely ignores his Nyla-bones in favor of the antlers. He will chew on them for hours. The smooth finish on the antlers is now covered with pug teeth marks. The best thing? The antlers are so hard that he hasn’t been able to break them yet. Oh, he’s tried. But so far they’ve outlasted his best efforts.

It’s rather funny that we spend so much money investing in the best food and treats for our furry babies and the things that bring them the most joy are the simple things in life. It reminds me of playing with my Barbie dolls as a child and thinking that there was nothing better than my shoebox car. Hey, it worked! They fit perfectly and my imagination did the rest. Perhaps Mushu feels the same way about Oliver and his antlers. He does not need the fanciest toys or things that light up or move on their own. He’s more than content with what he has. I think that one of my resolutions for 2012 is to take a lesson from my darling pug. Sometimes the only things you really need in the world are a soft toy to lay on and something fun to eat. It’s the little things

Your Collegiate Vocabulary Lesson

I've been out of college for a few years. I'm not going to say how many. However, I am glad that no one has ever referred to me as a "slam piece." What's a "Slam Piece," you ask? Well, I have your answer...

The Bro Culture: AKA Things I Learned From My Younger Brother

New Year, New Goals, New Resolutions

Happy 2012, dear readers! It may be our last year on earth, if the Mayans are correct, so let's live it up!

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? I do, but I have to admit that I've had a hard time keeping them in the past. So, now, I do a little cheat when making my resolutions. I make resolutions that I actually think I'm going to be able to keep. Does that count? I don't know, but I always feel good when I can actually accomplish something. So, I set reasonable goals. ;-)

This year I've set three resolutions:

*To become more familiar with sci fi (reading and watching)
* To do yoga twice a week

* To learn a new word every day

So far the sci fi and the vocabulary have been smooth sailing. I purchased some sci fi at Half Price Books and I've been watching The X Files. No problems there. New words? Also not an issue. There's an app for that. I can see the yoga tripping me up, but I need to do it. New Year's Resolutions are supposed to be about self improvement, right? They aren't supposed to be totally easy.

2012. Let's do this. Namaste.