Coming Soon!

By Kristin Bivens

I wish I could remember how I came up with my book idea. I remember thinking about Sylvia Plath. That’s partially how it came to me. I probably have the “FLASH BOOM BANG I HAVE A BOOK IDEA” written in one of my journals somewhere. I’m not going back to look for it.

I remember that the notebook I started writing it in was red. It was one of those cheapo, back to school deals. On the cover I simply wrote, “The Book.” I started writing it all by hand, but quickly disliked a majority of what I had written. I turned to the computer.

I wrote it all very sporadically. I would get hit with inspiration and write and write and write. Then, consequently, it would sit for months.

When I started dating my boyfriend, Justin, he inspired me to really stick to finishing it. The book had been sitting idle for some time because for the life of me, I could not figure out how to end it.

I racked my brain, talked it over with friends and finally, I had it. I had the most perfect ending I could’ve ever thought up.          

Once again, I was back and writing until I could reach the last word.

After all of that, I printed off copies for a few select people to read. I needed feedback. But I didn’t get much. I decided to change the entire story from first person to third person. 

Smart idea, Kristin. That’ll be super easy. Oh, but it was not so. It was time consuming. When I finally finished the transition, I printed out the book in real book-like form on Blurb. I finally had a title, I had a cover picture. It was like I had published a real life book. Except it was only to get more feedback. I still didn’t get very much. So, I’ve been re-editing the book for over two years now. I’ve gotten just over halfway.

Sometimes it can be so hard to force yourself to write. There’s tv that needs to be watched or houses that need to be cleaned. It is so easy to lose your focus. There’s no discipline with me. I don’t make myself do it if I don’t feel like doing it. That’s a writer’s biggest problem, isn’t it?

But, Die Like You Mean It will be coming soon to Shiny Happy People Publishing. Whether I like it or not! And this year for your Christmas present,  Shiny Happy People brings you a preview of the book! 

Waverley Hathaway always wanted to be a writer, from the time her father said if she worked hard enough, she could be whatever she wanted to be. So when her first published book hit the shelves, she thought all of her dreams had finally come true. However, a year later, everything she worked hard to accomplish is crumbling before her. Her dreams are at a stand still when her publishing company notifies her they will not publish her second book, unless she can some how sell 6,000 copies of her first book, within the next couple months. Desperate to save her dreams, Waverley scrambles for a plan to make people talk... which leads to the death of Waverley.  

Or at least, thats what she wants people to think. 

Putting her plan into motion requires help from a childhood friend, Jack Martin, whose apartment she camps out in for weeks, while people search and wonder "What happened to Waverley Hathaway?" 

However, being dead isn't easy. First there is her loving mom, sister, and best friend and the guilt she has to deal with for putting them through misery while she is missing. Then there is the fact that maybe her and Jack aren't friends; maybe they are something more? Of course it's hard to know when Jack is currently dating someone else, who just happens to be an ex-head cheerleader and overall catch. 

When a wrench gets thrown into Waverley's plan, she thinks it's all over, but she soon finds out it all worked out better than she could have dreamed. 

But, despite her success, Waverley starts to think maybe dreams aren’t everything. Sometimes it is the people that are next to you when your dreams come true that really mean the most. 

Stay tuned for more snippets and talk of Shiny Happy People’s first book (and mine, too!), Die Like You Mean It.”

Merry Christmas to all and to all of you a good night!

Series 1, Post 4: The Most Bang for Your Buck When Choosing an eReader

By Sara E Thompto

I set out to write an article on which eReaders were most worth a purchasers money. So, doing what I do, I went researching about topics like reading ability, how long the battery charge lasts, etc… to find out which eReader would be the most bang for your buck.

Well, during my research I stumbled across this gem: 2014 Best eBook Reader Reviews and Comparisons.

After viewing the chart and all of the information included on their page, I immediately stopped writing. Sometimes you have to know your strengths… and there really is no outdoing the creators of this piece.

The creators, Top Ten Reviews, have a slogan “We do the research so you don’t have to,” and their slogan is complete truth. Their chart (which includes reviews and links) covers everything to help you make your eReader purchasing decision.

So, check it out: 2014 Best eBook Reader Reviews and Comparisons

And, in case you want to skip straight to the result, Top Ten Review's winner is…

Screen Capture from the Top Ten Review website.

Packing a Punch with a One Syllable Word: Cussing and When to Use it

By Sara E Thompto

My first encounter with a taboo word happened when I was four. I can remember it clearly. I was mad at my mom for some reason or another and I wanted to come up with an insult. I remember saying something like “You’re nothing but a mean horny person.” Of course, I had no idea what that word meant. I thought I had simply just added a “y” onto horn, and that it meant the same thing with or without the y. In my four-year-old mind, calling someone a horn was a good insult. And, it must have been a good insult, because my mom was completely outraged and threatened if I ever said that word again, I would have my mouth washed out with soap. Good insult? Mission accomplished, if it could illicit that sort of backlash.

Fast forward 21 years later, I have long since learned what the word horny means, and I understand why my mom looked so horrified when that word came out of her four-year-old’s mouth. But, since that incident, my mom and I have had multiple squabbles about a wide range of taboo words. Of course, none seem to spark an argument more so than when she hears me say one of the four most popular curse words in America today: Shit, Fuck, Damn and Bitch.

What is it about these words that bring out strong reactions in people? Are they “bad” words?

Well… I think that really depends on the situation.

A well known study, lead by Richard Stephens of Keele University in England in 2009, studied the effects swearing had on ones pain tolerance. In his first study he found that those who swore while dipping their hands into icy water were able to withstand the pain longer than those who didn’t. However, a follow up study in 2011 showed that those who swore excessively (more than 60 times a day) had the same pain tolerance as those who didn’t swear at all. It was those who swore only during the times of pain that were able to withstand it longer. For those who swore excessively, there was no difference between when they swore or didn’t swear because their brain had become immune to hearing curse words.

In 2011 a second study was done at the University of Arizona, which confirmed Stephens’ report that swearing eases pain. However, this study went one step further and looked at the social impact swearing would cause. They had women who were suffering from illnesses such as Breast Cancer or Rheumatoid Arthritis wear microphones and see how people reacted when they cursed. The findings were that those who swore received less help and support than those who didn’t swear.

This study was specific to women, and even more specific to women with some sort of illness. With any social experiment, it could be completely different results for a man. But, for this blog’s purpose, we’ll just go with the information we have and conclude, although swearing may help ease the pain, you may want to be careful who you choose to swear around and what swear words you choose to say. Plus, always remember, there is no practical added benefit to swearing excessively.

I would say I fall into line with these studies quite perfectly.

If I have a bad day at work, stringing together some choice swear words while talking about my day to my wife (who I swear would fit right in with a group of sailors), usually makes me feel exponentially better. However, I am not someone who casually drops an f-bomb because I can. I also know never to curse in front of my mom, and I try to be polite in public because you never know who might be offended.  

But curse words interest me. The feeling of the word in your mouth as you say it. The power they have to lift your spirits when your day is lackluster. The general taboo nature of a one syllable word, that really packs a punch.

I think this is what inspired me to make a novelty set of curse word postcards. A set that will soon be available from Shiny Happy People Publishing. This set of four postcards come in bright, happy colors meant to help lift your spirits. And they wouldn’t be complete without a definition of the word on the back side - because how else will you know which choice word to use the next time you stub your toe?

Afterall - you don’t want to be excessive.

Cuss Word Postcards, available soon through Shiny Happy People Publishing.

Series 1, Post 3: Changing With the Times

By Kristin Bivens

It is the age of digital. I’m not writing this post on a piece of paper with a pen or a pencil. I’m multi-tasking, switching between different windows on the computer. I will transport this via the internets to my friend in California. There will be no physical sign of it except for the very screen you are reading it on.

 

I don’t know how the rest of you feel about the digital age. I’m not against it. I’m a fan of my MacBook Pro and taking pictures with my iphone. I like the immediate satisfaction of having what I want when I want it. 

But, when it comes to my books, I am struggling to let the physical go.

A few years back, when Borders was still a bookstore and not just a fleeting memory of my past life, I decided to go ahead and buy a Kobo. I wasn’t sure about the e-reader, even as I was swiping my card to pay for it. But, it was the new thing and I was curious.

 

I have to admit that it was a solid investment. I went back and forth between digital books and real books. I usually bought the cheaper books on digital format and saved the quality ones for going to the store, holding them, and bringing them home to sit on my bookshelf. I will tell you, I didn’t use it enough before my screen cracked and my digital downloads and handy reading machine was gone forever. I think I fell asleep on it. I’m not sure. But, it definitely didn’t work anymore.

 

This was a sign. Maybe I was not meant to read books in this foreign way. Maybe it was a blessing, because now I didn’t have to struggle with the digital/physical in-between-ness that I was in. I could start filling my bookshelf up with books again. But, six months later, I bought a Nook. A regular, e-ink read Nook. The digital was bad enough, but those new fancy schmancy computer screen like reading devices definitely didn’t do it for me. I barely used the thing. So, I sold it.

 

Then, what did I do? I turned to the dark side. I bought a Google Nexus. The dreaded computer screen, that’s where I’d be reading my books from now on. It isn’t so bad. I still read some physical books. But I use my Nexus more than I ever did the Kobo or the Nook. This could be because I’ve finally run out of space on my ever expanding bookshelf.

 

Either way, I’m slowly morphing. E-publishing allows writers to get their work to the public a lot cheaper than they would using paper and binding. Books can be found slightly cheaper. It takes up less room. The more we expand, the more compact things are. You can stop carrying around two books and weighing down your shoulder bag. If you finish a book, there’s more right at the tip of your fingers. But sometimes you forget to charge your “book” and the battery runs out, leaving you high and dry. 

A book would never do that.