This is IT, kids, Part 2

Hope everyone had a nice weekend (including my Spanking Court pals at the Tampa Tanners party).

OK, so you already know my book is available in paperback here and here. Now it is also available in a Kindle version, also on Amazon, here. I joined Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and followed their instructions for converting my book file to an e-book file.

Personally? I don't care for the Kindle version; the paperback has more personality, I think. For one thing, it has the cover. Also, when you're formatting for an e-book, you can't have headers or footers, or bullet points. And of course, there aren't page numbers, so the Table of Contents is useless.

I had three black-and-white ClipArt pictures imbedded inside the book: 1) a long-stemmed rose on the title page; 2) on the Part I page, a partially opened rosebud, and 3) on the Part II page, a rose in full bloom. However, when it went to Kindle, those three pictures became black squares. I didn't know how to fix that, so I deleted them.

I know there is some way to generate a Table of Contents in an e-book, where instead of page numbers, you have hyperlinks. So when you want to go to a particular chapter, you click on it in the TOC and it takes you there. Neat trick, but I was damned if I could figure out how to do that and every time I tried, I messed it up. Instead, I deleted the TOC altogether.

So it's not as good as the printed book, IMO. But a lot of people aren't old school like me; they love their gadgets. I had to make a gadget-friendly version.

I brought the first perfect copy to John this weekend. Tomorrow, I should be getting the other four copies I'd ordered and I can give/send them off. One will go to the young man who proofread the book before it went to final -- he did say he'd leave it to me whether or not I wish to credit him, but I figure if he hadn't wished to remain anonymous, he would have commented on the blog at some point. So I will keep his name to myself. But speaking of him, he also wrote my very first review on Amazon, which I'd like to share here.

Late Bloomer is an intriguing answer to the question "Who is Erica Scott?" Written by Ms Scott herself, the book takes us on a fascinating and intense journey through the author's life, starting in early childhood and concluding sometime near the present. The book is divided into two distinct parts. In the first we learn about Erica's early years where we're introduced to her world, her family and the conflicts (internal and external) which define the backdrop of her life. In the second half of the book we see Erica bloom and turn her mere existence into a life of taking chances and fulfillment.

Throughout Late Bloomer Ms Scott maintains a well-paced and witty narrative. She has a knack for presenting to us the Big Picture and then zooming in to explore specific moments in time, fleshing out the details. Then we're pulled back again to look at how the Big Picture all fits together. It's a well organized pattern and it keeps the story flowing.

Often times the first half of Late Bloomer covers serious, dark subject matter. Ms Scott tells us that she did not lead a happy and balanced youth and she doesn't pull any punches. To her credit she doesn't let the story get bogged down either. The reader isn't asked to feel sadness or to pity the writer, facts are simply presented and then we move on, all the while treated to Ms Scott's singular wit.

The story takes a sudden turn in the second half and we're treated to a brighter version of Erica, one in which she is full of adventure, humour and, yes, more wit. Fans of Ms Scott's other works will know she's a fan of spanking, of being spanked, and we get to experience her introduction into that pastime, into that world. Her descriptions are engrossing, amusing and detailed. She doesn't hold back, sharing with us both the good times and unpleasant, the funny stories and the shocking. We get to follow Ms Scott into her film career, to the spanking parties; we meet her co-workers and her friends. She shares it all.

Late Bloomer is the ultimate introduction to Erica Scott, she lays her whole life out on the pages in a beautiful, articulate display. We see many sides of Erica's life, the sad times and the fun, the lonely moments and the euphoric - all of it wrapped up in a humble, honest and humorous style. Late Bloomer is a story of hope, of being dealt a bad hand and staying in the game anyway. It's a touching tale of discovering late really is better than never. It's about an amazing woman who struggled, held on and ultimately shaped her life into an exciting adventure. I recommend reading Late Bloomer and, through it, getting to meet the wonder that is Erica Scott.

Thank you. ♥  I am honored, and hope others like it as much as you did.

So... Kitty of Kitty's Exotic Paddles has generously offered to make some room at her Shadow Lane vendor table if I'd like to sell some books there. I have to decide fairly quickly, since I have to make sure to order them in time. What do you guys think -- should I? I have never sold anything at a party before. Someone suggested I get 50 copies... there is no way I'd sell 50 copies. I was thinking more along the lines of 10 or 12. If I do it at all.

John took me out to a lovely seafood dinner last night to celebrate, and we have the SL party in two weeks, right around our 15th anniversary. Fun times. :-)

Still pinching myself...