The Weekly Update: 9/11/16

 
 

First of all, if any of you knew/knows anyone who passed or was injured or even survived through 9/11, my thoughts are with you today.

And now, because I never know how to segue out of something like that without sounding insensitive but also without dwelling on sadness for too long, I’m just going to go to the next topic which is that it’s official: computers hate me. You all know how my one-year-old Toshiba laptop broke and I sent in it three times and they never actually fixed it so now it’s just a paperweight? Well, my grandma just got a new computer, so I got her old desktop. I looked up the specs, and it seemed good. But then I actually set it up, turned it on, did a factory reset and all that jazz… and I swear it’s even slower and glitchier than the old, half-broken laptop I’ve been using that’s full of programs and photos and everything. It keeps doing this weird glitchy thing whenever it slows (which is like half the time) in which the cursor starts dragging and being choppy and the keyboard doesn’t register correctly and starts doubling letters or adding them after I’ve already typed the next one. And Photoshop doesn’t seem to work any better, which was the main reason I needed it. *sigh*

Oh, and the old laptop, I swear it knew when I brought the desktop in. I turned it on to transfer some stuff onto an external drive, and it was making the worst, loudest noises it’s ever made. It’s like it felt threatened and threw a temper tantrum. But when I turned it on again later after having deemed the desktop no good, the laptop was back to normal. I swear I must have an electronics or computer curse. That’s the only explanation.


Blog/Bookish Updates:

So there’s this one publisher whose books I really like, and I do get eARCs from them so that’s fantastic and all, but I am so fed up with how they never ever ever ever ever tell you when a book is going to be the first in a series. Number one, it screws up the graphics I make because I include the series name and book # in them (maybe that’s not important to anyone else, but I’m a perfectionist and like everything to be consistent on my blog, so it’s important to me). Number two, I’m pretty much not taking standalones anymore unless they really sound AMAZING or there’s some special reason I want to read them. So then I have to go Google each book I’m interested in, look at the author’s GR and blog, and try to hunt down info to see if it’s mentioned anywhere that the book is going to be part of a series. And you know what? That takes way too much time and effort. So I think I’m just going to pass on taking any books from them until I see that Book 2 is being offered (since obviously by then I can see it’s a series). If you want me to spread word about your books, then you need to help me help you by telling me if it’s part of a series or not.

On a less rant-y note, I posed this question on Twitter yesterday:

I oftentimes come across books I want but can’t afford, but I never end up contacting the author because I worry it’ll seem pushy and they’ll feel obligated or uncomfortable. I only got a couple responses to my question, but both authors said that they wouldn’t mind and don’t think it’s rude, so maybe I worry for nothing? I’d still love to know what more authors and reviewers think.

(Also, I totally just learned how to embed a tweet! Lol.)

Oh, one more thing, I’ll be having my first guest post this week! I’m branching out and trying new things πŸ™‚

Books I Received for Review:

Art of Death by Ana Bosch | reading, books
Between Dreams by Cynthia Austin | reading, books
Zoraida Grey and the Family Stones by Sorchia DuBois | reading, books
 

I’m annoyed because I actually requested three books on Netgalley early in the week but still haven’t heard back for any of them -_- (I requested 4 total, but one was Friday afternoon and there’s a 99% chance I’m not getting that one anyway, so it doesn’t even count.) But I also have some “Read Now” books I want to get, and now I have to wait because my ratio is going to go down as soon as I do. Anyway… I’m not sure if Art of Death is part of a series that got abandoned after Book 2 or if there are only two books? But I can’t help myself, I’m dying to read it too much to care. Reviews for Between Dreams mentioned some things I like, some things I dislike, so I’m willing to take a chance on it. Sometimes those types of books end up being the best. And I know nothing about Zoraida Grey other than the blurb, didn’t even have a preview/excerpt to see if I liked the writing style, so I guess that one will be a total surprise lol.

Books I Finished:

Unbound by Chani Lynn Feener | reading, books
House of Ravens by Keary Taylor | reading, books
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll | reading, books
 

I thought Unbound was the end of the series, but it wasn’t. So that was good and bad since yay there’s more but also I thought it would be wrapped up so it threw me off. House of Ravens was a good book, but a little anticlimactic for the end of the series. And the only reason I read Alice in Wonderland was because I like to read the originals before reading retellings, and I have a retelling that’s an ARC way past its release date. I’m just really glad Alice in Wonderland was so short. You can see my mini review here.

Song of the Week:

“Emergency” by Nothing But Thieves – I don’t know, I just like how it sounds.

 

In Case You Missed It:

– I shared how I keep track of review copies with a spreadsheet (and offered my template for download).
– I reviewed Untaken by J.E. Anckorn, A YA alien post-apoc w/ amazingly complex characters.
– I asked whether you’ve ever enjoyed a textbook and shared some that I’ve enjoyed.
– I reviewed Wriggle & Sparkle by Megan Derr, an ADORABLE, joy-inducing M/M book about a genderfluid kraken and a unicorn w/ ridiculously lovable characters.

The Sunday Post Link-Up:

Once again, I’m linking up to The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer πŸ™‚

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

Did you find any good books or music last week?
Do you know of any way to break an electronics curse?
If you're an author, would you mind reviewers contacting you to ask about review copies if you weren't explicitly offering?
If you're an reviewer, have you ever contacted an author who wasn't offering?

 
 
[shared_counts]
 
 
 

Your Thoughts

 

56 thoughts on “The Weekly Update: 9/11/16

I'd love if you'd share your thoughts, too!

 

Leave a Reply to Samantha Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 
  1. kimbacaffeinate

    Is it all possible that your internet connection sucks? Sometimes that can make technology glitchy. I so get the awkwardness after discussing 9.11. I am a virtual assistant and was setting up social media for my authors..and was all..there is no way I can post promos, naked guys or memes after posting to Never Forget, Always Remember..so I didn’t.

    Hope you have a glitch free week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      No, it wasn’t even just when I was using the internet, and the connection is never a problem on my laptop or other devices. It’s just the computer. But yeah, I seriously never know how to segue out of serious things. Probably a good call not posting pictures of naked guys after posting that lol. Thanks!

  2. Greg

    See your grandma knew when to upgrade and get rid of the old one huh? πŸ˜› kidding… seriously though that would be aggravating. And the laptop- it’s alive! And it was jealous until it saw the new one was no threat lol. Reminds me of that book Nightstruck- make sure it doesn’t manifest any teeth…

    I feel like it’s kinda crazy that publishers aren’t more up front about if it’s a series? So yeah that would irritate. Are they waiting to see if the first one sells lol? As for your Twitter question, I don’t think it’s rude. Authors know there’s a zillion book blogs out there now and most probably would love the publicity, any kind of push- it would be interesting to see what kind of response you get.

    Nice song by NBT- I like it. Haven’t heard of them before.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Ha. Ha. πŸ˜› Lol it really did seem like it had pretty good specs though, and I tried checking for drivers and things but everything is up to date, so I don’t even know why it’s so glitchy. Seriously though! I swear the laptop knew and got jealous! If you don’t hear from me one Sunday… you’ll know what happened lol. It will mean I was eaten by my laptop.

      I’m so done with this not being upfront about series crap. I don’t know if they’re purposely trying to make them seem like standalones in order to hook people more, or if they just don’t know if the series will end up continuing, or if they don’t even think about it… but it makes no sense. They might actually be able to sell more if they were upfront about that because then people interested in series would be interested. And anyway, if they might be dropping the series, I don’t want to start it and get invested anyway.

      I mean, it’s probably not that different from an author asking a reviewer to take a copy, but I just figure some authors might not want to give too many free copies because they think the reviewers will just buy them instead if they can’t get them for review? Or maybe they feel they’ve already got enough reviews that they’d rather just wait for the paid purchases for that reason? But I guess it’s not like I’d be threatening their life, they could always just not respond or say no if they didn’t want to give a copy.

      I just stumbled upon NBT a few days ago, they’ve got some nice, chill music.

  3. Deborah

    Oh Kristen, so sorry to hear about your ongoing technological issues.

    And I think tweeting / contacting authors about review copies is perfectly fine. Some may not have PR agents and might be looking for ways to get their books reviewed. I’ve had good experiences with authors on social media etc and sometimes have to remind myself they’re just like us!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks, the computer stuff has really just been a neverending fiasco.

      I suppose I’m just over-worrying about this. It’s not that I’m intimidated, I’ve had mostly good experiences with authors, it’s just that I figure some might not want to give review copies, and then I’d be making them feel obligated or just uncomfortable. But it’s probably about the equivalent of authors asking us for reviews.

  4. Maureen's Books (@MaureenHinten)

    Yes you definitely have an electronics/ computer curse!! No other explanation possible!! Maybe you can ask someone to go through your house with some kind of un-curse-smoky thingy. πŸ˜‰ LOL!!
    To answer your tweet.. I don’t think it’s rude at all to ask for a review copy from an author. I hope they will see it as a compliment, what it definitely is right?!
    Have a great week and happy reading! πŸ˜‰

    1. Kristen Burns

      I really do D-: I think burning… sage, is it? Is really for getting rid of spirits. So unless my computers are being haunted… probably won’t work lol. But I really do need to find some way to break this curse!

      It’s definitely a compliment to want to read someone’s book! But I just worry they might just want people to *buy* the books and feel that giving free copies would hurt their sales or something. I just want to make people feel uncomfortable.

      You have a great week too!

  5. Lauren

    Wow, actually not heard of any of the books you have received for review or recently read. I’m looking at some of them now! Have a good week.

  6. Kei @ The Lovely Pages Reviews

    I’m probably the only blogger out there that has no clue how to use Photoshop – it’s just not user friendly and I can make some incredible stuff with picmoney and canva so I don’t really need but it’d be nice to know how to use it, I even did the whole tutorial thing, still no clue!

    As for the ARCs, I always say go for it, you might not get that specific out but chances are the author will remember you and email you later for another one

    1. Kristen Burns

      You’re definitely not the only blogger who doesn’t know how to use PS lol. I only started learning this year because I wanted to actually try and get moderately good at using it for editing and designing, and I watched like 200 tutorial videos before I even started since it’s really not user friendly. If you’re just making blog graphics, free sites and programs are definitely the way to go.

      That’s true, the worst they can do is say no, but I’ll still feel bad if I’ve made them uncomfortable? Lol but that’s a good point, they might not give that one but could remember you for others πŸ™‚

  7. Becky @ A Fool's Ingenuity

    I think you may be cursed with technology. Your laptop does sound suspicious, though, it definitely knew about the desktop. It was just trying to worry you to make you pay more attention to it when it noticed a new computer in the house. They can be delicate like that. I don’t know how you’re so unlucky with computers, though. I mean, I can normally get three years out of a laptop before it gives up the ghost.

    And that question about whether contacting authors is okay for review copies is perfectly reasonable. What’s the worst that will happen? They’ll either ignore you or say no. I am a firm believer in don’t ask don’t get because too often I stay quiet and miss out on things other braver folks are willing to ask for. Sometimes it can across a bit cheeky but as long as you’re sensible I think most people wouldn’t think that.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I swear, I fully believe at this point that I have an electronics curse. And IT DID KNOW. I THINK MY LAPTOP IS SENTIENT. Lol. I had high hopes for this desktop though because it’s a Gateway, and the only laptop I ever had that worked for numerous years was a Gateway. But nope. I’m still angry at Toshiba for their crappy laptop and service.

      I mean, yeah, the worst is that they’ll say no or not respond, but it’s more that I just hate making people feel obligated or uncomfortable, and I so I worry that is what will happen if they don’t want to give me a copy lol. Like, in most things in my life, seriously my policy is that if you try, you might not get the thing you want, but if you don’t try, you definitely won’t get it. But it’s different when I’m worried about making someone feel obligated :-/

  8. Caitlin Evans

    You didn’t sound insensitive or anything about mentioning 9/11 by the way! I lost a relative in the attacks actually and I wasn’t offended at all, it’s nice to see someone say something about it rather than skirting around it.

    As for contacting authors about books if they’re not offering, I don’t think it would be pushy as long as you phrase it correctly! If you show how passionate you are about reading it then I don’t see why they’d think you were being rude. I haven’t ever requested from an author because I don’t feel like my blog is big enough yet haha but I don’t see how requesting one politely could be rude. If they get angry or something, I think that’s more on them than you!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I’m very sorry to hear you lost someone :-/ I’m glad it didn’t come off as insensitive. I felt it was better to acknowledge it than to ignore it just for the sake of making the post easier to write.

      Oh yeah, I definitely think the way you ask is important or it could come off as pushy, but it’s more that I just hate making anyone feel obligated or uncomfortable and don’t want any of the authors to feel that way.

      1. Caitlin @ Words and Other Beasts

        Thank you! I was only little when it happened though and I live in England, not America, so it didn’t hit me quite as hard as it did the rest of my family, but it’s still a sad time.

        Yeah I suppose you don’t want to make them feel like they have to give you a review copy, but maybe if you acknowledge that then they’ll feel like it’s easier to say yes or no, they won’t feel as uncomfortable about refusing you because they know you understand. It’s all pretty confusing social etiquette haha!

        1. Kristen Burns

          I have an email sitting in my drafts folder right now lol, and I did what you said, I mentioned that I understand either way and don’t want them to feel obligated, but I’m still all nervous about sending it??? Seriously there needs to be a guide on this or something, some sort of accepted etiquette standard!

            1. Kristen Burns

              I did! Lol I sent it in the evening, some time after I last commented to you. So if I don’t get the book, then I don’t get the book, but at least I tried! It’s so much easier on Netgalley where, even if you’re like 99% sure you won’t get the book, you at least don’t feel weird or guilty or whatever about requesting.

  9. roro

    You must have a superpower to break computers or your cursed! Lol. 2) yay for the embedded tweet. .

    I’ requested a book once from an author. This was in 2012. I requested ARTICLE 5 and received an E-arc 3 months before launch. I have to get back to the series. I had someone buy me the sequel but i haven’t’t read it it yet. I was in my dystopian phase

    Have a great week and happy reading

    1. Kristen Burns

      I don’t know if I’d call that a superpower, it’s not very handy lol. Maybe if someone ever needs to stop a hacker or something they can just fly me in and be here like, “Here, Kristen, we’re giving you this computer as a gift,” and then the computer will just instantly break lol.

      So you requested the book and the author didn’t mind? I mean, I’m sure it differs from author to author, but that’s great that it went well for you with that author! That book sounds familiar, I think it might be on my TBR, I like dystopian.

      You have a great week too πŸ™‚

  10. Samantha

    You need to start praying to Saint Isidore of Seville, the patron saint of technology! At this point, I think only divine intervention can save you from your tech woes!

  11. Got My Book

    I contact SELF published authors and ask for reviews copies occasionally. I am assuming that’s what you are talking about. None of them have ever seemed offended, and many say yes. (Traditionally published authors should never be asked, of course)

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah, if there were a publisher, I’d try asking them. But many of the books I want are self-published. But some self-published are more successful, and those are the ones I feel like might not want to give copies. The ones who only have like 15 reviews, I’d feel a lot less worried about asking them because yeah, they usually are happy for the publicity.

  12. Mareli Thalwitzer

    Okay, I can hear that your computer problem is really not making you happy. There there, hush hush – have a pomegranate. All the rest of your questions, uhmmmm – I’m the very last one who can help you. I still struggle to figure Netgalley out and I’m ever so grateful if I actually get a book.

    I wanted to send a mail to one of my favorite SA authors this week because I know her new novel needs to be published some or other time. BUT she lives in a very remote part of the country and doesn’t have email. SO you have to work through her publisher. Damn.

    I don’t read a lot of series’ But you know that already. So there I can’t help you either!

    BUT I can wish you a great week and lots of awesome books to read…

    1. Kristen Burns

      Lmao but I don’t have any pomegranates! They’re not in season yet! Although they will be very soon. As for Netgalley, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it πŸ™‚

      Oh wow, no email? But yeah, if an author has a publisher, I will try to go through them unless the author is explicitly offering copies herself.

      You have a great week too!

  13. Lola

    You really have the worst luck with computers, that’s just frustrating :(.

    I always check goodreads when I see a book I might want to request anywhere, just to make sure it’s number one in a series. i hate reading series out of order and sites like netgalley don’t list the number or sometimes they do, so I can’t rely on that. It sure can be a pain sometimes to figure out if a book is part of a series or not and which book it is. I love how with cozy mysteries they always list on the cover “First in a new series” then I know to request those if they sound good as I am sure it’s the first book. Although I usually still double check.

    I’ll go and retweet your tweet as it would be interesting to hear more authors their opinions. The few times I requested a book directly I never heard back from authors, so i don’t dare do that anymore. There was this author on who’s ARC list I was (at least I thought I was) and then I noticed book 4 was out while I never got book 3 and 4, so i e-mailed her to ask about it. I was afraid I might have missed something, but I never heard back. So then I just feels like I did something wrong or overstepped some boundary. I never know what’s the etiquette on things like that, so I usually just play it safe and don’t ask. I have quite some books that i can’t afford, but would love to read, but I don’t dare contact the author directly. So i definitely understand.

    I requested one book on netgalley this week and got approved later this week, I love it when publishers approve or decline fast as then at least you know what happens and whether you get the book or not. I dislike when I have to wait too long, but I can understand as they probably are busy too.

    I never read Alice in Wonderland, although I did watch the movie from Disney and Alice in Wonderland was one of the worlds in the game Kingdom hearts. I usually don’t bother reading the original before reading a retelling unless I want to. I don’t read a lot of retellings in general. Although i do always wonder if it’s better to know the original tale a retelling is based on or not. I once saw an interesting discussion post about that. Have a great week!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I always check GR too, but this publisher never indicates *anywhere* that the book is part of a series, not until the second book is being released.

      Everyone else seems to think it’s fine to contact authors, and the two who responded to me said they think it’s fine, but I still worry. I feel like some authors might not give free copies because they want people to actually buy the books or maybe my blog isn’t big enough or something. But in my case it’s often I either get the book for free, or I don’t read it at all. And it’s not because I’m snubbing the author or think I automatically deserve free books, it’s that I just can’t afford it, especially if it’s a whole series. Of course I respect the author’s right to market how they see fit, it just makes me sad that there are some series out there I think I would LOVE but will never get to read since they’re not at my libraries either. But anyway, I don’t think you did anything wrong in your situations, but I would feel the same way and worry that overstepped my bounds or something too if it happened to me, so idk, I’m torn about giving it a try.

      I probably shouldn’t complain if it takes a week to get a response on Netgalley since I’m still getting free books lol, but I just get so impatient the second I click that request button!

      I like reading the originals so that I can see exactly how they used them and played with them to make something new and unique πŸ™‚ You have a great week too! And btw, if there are any typos or weird words in my response, it’s because I’m typing on my phone lol.

  14. Laura

    Wow, it sounds like you have been having some bad luck with computers! πŸ™
    Mine seems to like me most of the time, but I know most of my past laptops have thrown a fair few temper tantrums! I must have just finally found my computer soulmate (and I’m pretty sure I’ve just doomed it, and it will decide not to work now I’ve said that!).
    I wouldn’t say that’s rude to just ask an author. They have the choice to say no if they don’t want to!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I’ve been dealing with these computer issues since like April! So yes, very bad luck lol. No computer seems to like me πŸ™ I don’t know what I did to offend them.

      Yeah, on the one hand, that is how I feel. It’s not like I would be threatening authors to give me a book or else lol, so they would easily have the option to say no or just not respond. But still, I don’t want them to feel obligated.

  15. Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    You poor thing. You must have truly insulted a computer in a past life. (In your defense, the computers in your past life would have been pretty lame and monstrous.) πŸ™‚

    It’s frustrating when you think that you’re reading the last book in a series, but then you realize it’s not. Expectations can totally shape the book-reading experience!

    1. Kristen Burns

      I don’t know what I did! Though I think it might be a family curse since my dad seems to have bad computer luck too. Yeah, that sounds good, I’ll just blame him lol.

      Yes, it’s, like, disorienting to think it’s the end and then suddenly everything is not wrapped up and there’s another thing to still be solved! But I suppose now that a week has passed I have moved past the disorientation and am happy for there to be more.

  16. Literary Feline

    I feel for you with all your computer problems, Kristen. πŸ™ I wish I had an answer for you.

    If I ever asked an author for a review book, it was a very long time ago, and I don’t recall. I generally just responded to pitches made to me that sounded too good to pass up. Nowadays, I get most of my review books through Edelweiss and NetGalley. I wouldn’t think it’s rude to reach out to an author to ask for a review copy.

    I hope you have a great week, Kristen!

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks, it’s just so frustrating because I *need* a good computer, but they’re too expensive to be replacing every year.

      I do get most review copies from Netgalley, Edelweiss, a couple publishers, and emails that authors send to me, but there are other books out there that I come across and think I would LOVE, but I can’t find them being offered anywhere. So it’s some of those I’m considering asking about.

      Thanks, you have a great week too!

  17. Tiffany @ I Was Angelized_1st

    I also hate not knowing if a book is part of a series, but for different reasons. I read so many series, that I keep trying to avoid them, and wind up discovering a new one. Doh! For a while I was avoiding them like the plague, but then I just gave up. Now almost everything I read is part of a series. LOL!

    1. Kristen Burns

      But see, that’s exactly why they should say when a book is going to be part of a series! Some people like them, some people don’t, and they should be marketing to the right audience. People who want series are skipping over them, and people who want standalones are just frustrated when they find out it’s actually a series.

  18. Christy LoveOfBooks

    Omg, you and electronics! Crazy! It isn’t funny, but it’s so ridiculous that it kind of is. Ha – and you already know my irritation with not knowing if a book will be part of a series or not. Have a great week! Hope you can get the computer to work.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Sure, laugh at my problems! πŸ˜› Jk, I get it, it is reaching the point of so ridiculous that it’s almost funny. And haha, I told you I seem to complain about that every week. I had already forgotten about our conversation on GR until you just mentioned that! Thanks πŸ™‚

  19. Bookworm Brandee

    I’m sorry you’re having such issues with computers, Kristen. That sucks! And it sucks even more since I *know* you’re rather addicted to the internet and using your computer. *wink* Hopefully things will iron out and you won’t have any more issues. I’m with you on it being only fair that a publisher relate whether or not a book is part of a series. I admit to being ticked when I read a book thinking it’s standalone only to find out it’s not. I don’t mind reading series, obviously, but I want to KNOW ahead of time. I hope you enjoy your reads this week! Oh, and thanks for introducing me to a new band. I’d never heard of Nothing But Thieves. πŸ˜€

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks, it does suck. And lol, yes, I think we’re all probably rather addicted πŸ˜› It’s not even the internet that’s a problem though (so at least that’s one good thing), just the computers being glitchy. And yeah, I think most people would like to know ahead of time whether a book will be a standalone or part of a series. Some people are specifically looking for one or the other, and also, our expectations shape the way we read a book, so it can be disorienting expecting a standalone only to get a first-in-series instead. Thanks! And I hadn’t heard of Nothing But Thieves until I stumbled on them last week either, so we both discovered a new band πŸ˜›

  20. Jessica

    I know about computer issues. I decided to clean out my keyboard because I noticed there was alot of dirt in between the keys. Now my shift key is being difficult. I finished listening to City of Glass on Friday and I loved it. Now I’m trying to finish 23 minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese.

    1. Kristen Burns

      That sucks about the shift key. You could always get a separate wireless keyboard and use that, at least when you’re at home if it’s a laptop you’re using? I haven’t read City of Glass, but I’m glad you loved it! It’s always a good week when we find great books πŸ˜‰

  21. Rowena

    Damn girl, you really do have some serious computer probs! I hope those get straightened out.

    It bothers me so much when I request a book and then later on, find out that it’s book 9 in the series. I know that I don’t really care about reading books in order but I’d like to know these things anyway.

    As for requesting eARCs/ARCS from authors who aren’t offering, I have asked before. I wasn’t expecting to get a copy but I felt like it didn’t hurt to ask.

    1. Kristen Burns

      I do have some serious computer problems! And this crap has been going on since like April -_-

      I’ve never had a problem with a book being later in a series since I always check GR, it’s just the ones that are first in a series, but the rest isn’t out yet, so there’s no indication.

      A part of me completely agrees, that it doesn’t hurt to ask since the worst that can happen is they say no or don’t respond, but I still worry about making the author uncomfortable or something :-/

  22. Victoria Grace Howell

    Goodness! You have crazy laptop problems. O_O Fortunately I have a friend who helps me whenever my laptop is being screwy which it was last week which really irritated because I worked all week and then the one free day I had my laptop crapped out on me. XD What’s the running system on the desktop and the laptop? I hope they get better!

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

    1. Kristen Burns

      Ugh I have SO MANY computer problems! Mine was sent to the Toshiba repair place three separate times though and even they couldn’t fix it, so apparently it was, like, SUPER broken lol. I think the laptop I’m currently using is Windows 7, and I think the desktop is Windows 8? But I did a factory reset, so I don’t know why it’s all glitchy -_- Thank you!

  23. AngelErin

    You’re not allowed near any other computers anymore Kristen. LOL! I kid, but seriously that sucks. Ugh. Sorry about all of your computer issues. On another note, about your question for authors I have no idea either! I feel the same way. Hell I’m even paranoid about contacting publishers for books let alone the AUTHORS. I would feel weird. And what about if you are friendly with one? Can you message and say hey I loved your other book (s) and now I want to read your new book is it possible to receive a free copy? I mean, I just don’t know. I don’t want to irritate people. Lol. So great question, but I don’t know either lol.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Right, I’m surprised all the computers at Best Buy don’t immediately break any time I walk into that store lol.

      See, I’m paranoid about contacting publishers for an entirely different reason. I don’t feel like I’m making them obligated, I feel more like they’re gonna see my email and be like, “Pshh, this minuscule blogger thinks we’re going to give HER a book?! What an idiot!” Lol. I’m not really friendly with any authors though other than the few who also blog and we visit each others’ blogs. But yeah, if you’ve already read their other books… Idk the protocol for that.

  24. S. J. Pajonas

    As an author, if someone wants to request a review copy from me, then they just need to send me an email with their reviewing details/credentials and what/why they want to review, and I usually just give it to them.

    Sounds like your computer troubles have caused quite some problems! πŸ™ I hope they get fixed up soon.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Thanks, it’s good to get some author’s opinions on this since it’s not like any of us get manuals about how to be a reviewer lol.

      Ugh, I don’t think there is a way to fix my computer troubles until I get a new one, but thanks πŸ™‚