Skyler White

Hello all, Thrall here, escaping from the dungeons with a few notes that might be of interest to our author and book blogger friends.

Below are two examples of the new Kindle for the Web feature Amazon.com just rolled out. Basically, you can read the first full chapter from any supported book in a web browser with no plug-ins required. Better still, you can embed this widget in a webpage or blog entry, like I’ve done below, in just a few clicks. This allows people to sample a nicely formatted excerpt of a book (with things like font size adjustment and full-screen mode to enhance the reading experience), share it via email/Facebook/Twitter, embed it in their own site and, of course, navigate to Amazon to purchase the whole eBook.

Here’s the excerpt for In Dreams Begin and and Falling, Fly. Below that, I’ve included steps to add Kindle for the Web content to your own site, since this could be a cool way for authors and book bloggers to share rich, interactive samples:

Here’s how to add this content to your site:

1) Navigate to Amazon.com and find the product page for the print copy of the book you wish to share. (Note it must be the print copy; this doesn’t work for eBooks.) Here’s the page for and Falling, Fly.
2) In the right column, in the green ‘Kindle Edition’ box, you’ll find a new button that says ‘Read first chapter FREE’. (Amazon says this button only appears for ’select books’, so it may or may not be there for the title you wish to promote.) Click this button.
3) The Kindle for the Web reader will appear. When you’re done checking out the cool features, click the ‘Embed’ button in the upper right.
4) The ‘Embed’ pop-up window will appear. Click ‘Customize’.
5) Here, you can change the widget width and height (it defaults to 1220px wide; I changed it to 620 to fit the column width of this blog and left the height alone). You can also enter your Associate Tag if you participate in the Amazon affiliates program.
6) As you edit these things, the embed code will automatically update (you don’t have to click ‘done’ or anything).
7) When you’ve made the modifications you wish, copy the code from the field labeled ‘Copy and paste the text below’. Paste the text into your website. (See notes specific to WordPress.org below.)
Test and publish. That’s it!

(In WordPress.org, this code won’t work if you paste it in using the ‘Visual’ tab in the blog entry editor. You have to paste it in using the HTML tab. I’ve found that if I paste in the code and then switch back-and-forth between the Visual and HTML tabs, the code will get screwed up again. Thus, write your post, format it using the Visual tab, switch to the HTML tab, and paste in the embed code.)

I’ve checked out the result in Chrome and Opera on a PC, and a friend tells me it works fine on Safari on Mac, too. The only hiccup I’ve run into is in Safari on an iPad, where the Kindle pages appear out-of-order. I’ve sent this feedback to Amazon and maybe they’ll correct it.

Enjoy and feel free to ask questions in the ‘Comments’ section.

Bitter hugs-

Thrall

Post-book-signing revelry with friends Christine and Ethan, Gabrielle, Skye, Thrall and Cap’n Morgan his’self. Photos by Gabrielle and an unnamed assistant.

Skyler and Scott (Thrall) White at the 'Blood of the Bean II' Texas horror author reading event, October 2010.

Photo by Rhodi Hawk.

Skye in the ancient beehive tomb of Agamemnon, Mycenae, 11 August 2010.

So, they CALL it the ‘Tomb of Agamemnon’, but it isn’t, actually. (Nor is the Mask of Agamemnon actually Agamemnon’s.) It’s technically called the ‘Treasury of Atreus’, though it’s not a treasury either (though it was thought to be during Victorian archaeological expeditions).

It’s a ‘tholos’ or ‘beehive tomb’ from the 13th century BCE, the best-preserved such tomb in the world, and is an amazing space to be in. Thirteen rows of monolithic stones rise about 45′ to a conical center, like the inside of a beehive. The whole of the ancient city of Mycenae, where Agamemnon did in fact hang his helmet, is a one-of-a-kind place to visit.

Wikipedia article on the Treasury of Atreus

Another article about beehive tombs

M’lady has been notably absent — both from the web and from her chambers. She leaves early, stays out til the small hours, and when she is home, I hear her locked away, rattling the keys of her typing apparatus. As I press my ear to the door, I hear mutterings I can only interpret as significant progress being made on her two new projects — a new book for the wee ones, and another for grown-ups.

Late at night, she calls me forth to cower in the corner whilst she watches Deadwood. Among the special features on the DVD was an incredible interview with creator David Milch, focused on his recipe for crafting gritty, historically influenced fiction. I’d love to share the link to this, but HBO in their infinite wisdom has locked down all Deadwood videos. You’ll need to pick it up on Netflix, etc.; but if you’re interested in the topic, you’ll be glad you did.

In the meantime, we find the last of the and Falling, Fly reviews continuing to trickle in, whilst we begin muddlings on the publicity plan for In Dreams Begin (November – here’s a nice preview/discussion from author friend Tracy Wolff).

Also, Skye is enjoyed her new friends and the lovely city of Minneapolis at the 4th Street Fantasy Con a week or so ago and is ramping up for appearances at RWA Nationals (7/28-8/1, Orlando, FL), Armadillocon (8/27-29, Austin, TX), Dragon*Con (9/3-6, Atlanta, GA), FenCon (9/17-19, Addison (Dallas), TX), and the Sirens women’s fantasy literature con (10/7-10, Vail, CO). Of these, I am only allowed to participate in Armadillocon (as her humble driver) and Dragon*Con (as her luggage-porter).

She approacheth — I must slink to the shadows.

Bitter hugs -

Thrall

M’lady certainly does not know this, but I’ve perfected a system and apparatus for jiggling open the large pet carrier she keeps me in when we travel. I thusly intend to break out of our hotel room in Atlanta later this summer to enjoy, as much as poor Thrall can be expected, the exciting new additions to the Dragon*Con roster, such as Sean Astin (Samwise from LotR).

What else? Well, Bite Club is closing out their month-long profile on Skye with a Q&A today:

“Q: What is easier to write- the hero, the heroine, or the villain?

“A: They’re like people, really, each difficult and easy in their own ways. I have a lot of fun writing villains, but I have to be careful not to get carried away. It’s way too easy to fall into the hand-wringing cackle. Heroes are wonderful to write, because hey, what better way to spend an afternoon than thinking about everything yummy in men, but it can be very difficult for me to put myself into a man’s head sometimes, and I have to be disciplined about not just staying on the outside enjoying the packaging.

Opposite problem writing women. I really enjoy my noodle time. I like to ponder stuff, ask myself questions, examine things from different perspectives, and the heroine’s head is the most comfortable place for me to do that. She’s usually the easiest to write, but I have to be careful not to over-indulge because it’s easy.”

And there’s a new and Falling, Fly book review over at Swamp Dweller that’s worth a quick perusal:

“Wow. Words elude me when I try to describe this novel. It’s quite possible the most beautifully-written, captivating, un-put-down-able novel I’ve read in years … intense and vibrant … the strong, lyrical prose transports you to the world of fallen angels and immortal souls … you just can’t have anything else going on while you’re reading it. You literally can’t put the story down.
I pimp this book to anyone I know who can handle it. This is an awesome, gripping dark fairy tale. It’s gritty and raw, with a certain vicious poetry that digs deep into the reader’s hearts and minds. This book has landed on my keeper shelf, and that’s where it will stay!”

Excellent.

Bitter hugs,

Thrall

Here I reside in my dank cellar, a pile of potatoes serving as my day-bed, sadly contemplating the single, thin ray of light anemically wisping through the window bars. Having booked m’lady’s travel all over the country (4th Street Fantasy Convention in Minneapolis in June; RWA Nationals in Orlando in July; Dragon*Con in Atlanta and Armadillocon in Austin in August; FenCon in Dallas in September; and Sirens in October, where Skye recently learned she’ll be leading a discussion on Faery DNA), there’s no more use for me this day.

Where have her past travels taken her? Fantasy Literature just posted an interview wherein Skye recounts a very scary late-night stroll through the Parisian suburb of Avon, leading to a gem of discovery the next day. Enjoy the whole story over at Fantasy Literature, and comment to enter their contest for two signed copies of and Falling, Fly.

A stale potato for my pillow. How did it come to this?

Bitter hugs,

Thrall

Catalog page for In Dreams Begin from the new Berkley Books catalog (which bookstores and libraries use to order their stock). (The actual release date for In Dreams Begin was moved up a month to November 2 after this catalog went to press.)

Beautiful gallery of, well, Russians dressed as zombies. Too good not to share. You should do the same …

http://ottenki-serogo.livejournal.com/176804.html

Poor Thrall mopes and suffers, weary from the weekend’s labours. How he’d like to slumber on his pallet, but his lady rouses him early and bids him announce that and Falling, Fly is the featured book of the month at Bite Club:

Don’t miss their giveaway contest from 5/12 to 5/16, the author spotlight on 5/21, the 5/28 Q&A and the 6/1 to 6/2 chat sessions.

In other news, In Dreams Begin is out of line edits and m’Lady is most pleased with the progress toward the November release. She also bid me share with you the trailer for the movie she drug poor Thrall into the sunlight to see this weekend. Behold, The Secret of Kells:

Even through his addled brain, Thrall appreciated the amazing visuals inspired by The Book of Kells, along with the lush music, Irish accents and brushes with 9th century historical and legendary figures. You really should make time to see this with your family (older elementary and up) at your local arthouse theater before it’s gone. To truly complete the experience, pair it with Nancy Farmer’s amazing The Sea of Trolls book trilogy.

Bitter Hugs,

Thrall