Danger: Women Writing

Hi everyone — Dangerous Woman Lisa Renee Jones here. Some of you know that I am a big fan of audio books so each week I am going to chat about an audio book experience. I hope this translates into some fun book discovery as well because even if you don’t like audio books — you might like the books I decide to talk about.  For this week, I thought I’d just explain why I love audio books and how to make them affordable.

Why I love audio books:

I love audio books because I can load them on my cell phone and take them anywhere I go — for me — that anywhere is usually the gym.  A good audio book gets me through the torture of lots of cardi0 — which is something I’ve accepted as a part of my life –forever. Many a time, the book I was listening to, got me through the obsession with HOW MANY MINUTES ARE LEFT AND WHY WHY WHY is my heart rate not higher because I am in absolute H*LL. A long wait at a doctors office, in a store line, or even at a stoplight, can be endured with your favorite author. I also sometimes put my headset on and listened to my book before bed with the lights out. However, word of warning, I’ve had that KEEP me awake rather than put me to sleep a few too many times.

I also love a good narrator that becomes the characters in my mind. On the bad side– a bad narrator can really take away from a book. I have numerous books I bought that I haven’t finished because the reader turned me off. I’ll talk about the narrators often when I review here. DH has a favorite narrator. I have one as well. We both know if they are reading, we will love the books.

For example — one of my books is read by a narrator that apparently couldn’t do a Hispanic accent and kept changing it. Buyers got so mad and they associated that with my writing. So frustrating. I had some bad reviews on other sites by people who listened to the audio but posted on the print sites. Fortunately, I had another of my books read with a fabulous reader who made me look good:) The reader is as important as the writing with audio for sure. I’ll have another audio book out in August and I am nervously waiting to find out who the reader is. Authors don’t pick and we don’t know who our reader is until our readers do.

How to make audio books affordable:

1 new release can cost $29.00.

Audible. com has a program that is 7.95 a month for 3 months and then 14.95 after that.  I do the two books a month for $22.95 and so does DH. There are lots of sale books — good books — for $9.95 — or around that point, so if I need  a 3rd I get one of those. I always save the expensive ones for my credit!  The new Patricia Briggs books was $29 and I got it as my credit.

DH never pays for a bad narrator. He calls audible and they credit him. He doesn’t hesitate and they don’t either. I haven’t done this because I keep telling myself I will get through the bad ones. I haven’t. I think I need to follow DH’s example!

So — next week I’ll talk about my favorite reader and review the series she read that I love so very much. I’ll also be include DH’s reviews here from time tot time. He reads all over the board and listens to audio and has some great book reviews I can share.

Looking forward to sharing.

Love to hear your thoughts on audio if you want to share!

Lisa:)

www.lisareneejones.com

Otherwise known as Caridad’s Dark Side Demon Monday!

We’re launching a whole new series of blogs here at the Danger Women Writing for our Dangerous Readers.  Check back each day for a new theme and Dangerous Woman writer sharing insights on all kinds of topics.

For my turn at the plate, I’ll be offering up thoughts and insights on demon lore and some of the more interesting things happening with the creatures that go bump in the night.

Many readers wonder how paranormal writers manage to come up with their ideas. Sometimes you develop totally new creatures and later on during another Dark Side Demon Monday I’ll talk about how I went about creating the mystical beings that will stream to the Jersey Shore in Books 3 and 4 of the SINS series (which will be renamed the SIN HUNTERS series).

Sometimes you look at existing mythologies and tweak them to fit the needs of your story. That’s what I did in DEVOTION CALLS when I introduced a slightly different kind of vampire — a chupacabra.

Chupacabra (or chupacabras) means “goat sucker” in Spanish, but the creature has become quite well known throughout the United States and the rest of the Americas.

The first attacks attributed to chupacabras began in the early 1990s in Puerto Rico so the legend is actually not all that old. Additional sightings of the animal began to appear in other parts of South America as well as the American Southwest.

Farmers reported attacks on various livestock, but the animals were not eaten or taken to another location for dinner. The reports indicated that the animals were killed by being drained of blood through two small incisions, much like a vampire.

One theory as to the origin of the chupacabra is that it’s an alien pet that escaped. Another is that it’s either an alien genetics experiment that got loose or a human genetics experiment. Finally, others believe that the chupacabra is merely a coyote that has a skin disease, accounting for the lack of hair and strange coloration on those animals which have been found and called chupacabras.

Witnesses describe the chupacabra as being anywhere from 4 to 6 feet tall when upright, with green/gray scales. The beast has quills along its head and neck, possibly a long tail and clawed fingers. In addition, it has large glassy eyes that can be reddish in color. Way different than the supposed creatures being found in various areas of Texas!

Regardless of whether or not chupacabras really exist, the creatures have managed to embed themselves in our folklore and have even been written about in songs!

For more information on the chupacabra, you can click on one of the links below.

Encounters with Chupacabras
Texas Mystery: Defective Coyote or Chupacabra?
Watch the Monsterquest Television Program on the Chupabacra!