Looking for a Free Book to Review?

If anyone is interested in receiving a free copy of my memoir Snapshots of Fictionalized Facts, please email me at msangiekress@gmail.com. 

The first 10 people to e-mail me will receive a free copy on Smashwords.com.  You can then download the copy to your computer or any e-reader that you have. 

In exchange for the book, I would appreciate it if you would write a review and post it on Smashwords.com, Amazon.com, or on your own blog.

I see that several people have purchased my book, but no one is reviewing it.  I would like feedback...  So far there is only one review out there...Thanks!

Kindle and a big thank you!

So I have just purchased a Kindle, and I have to say that I love it!  I absolutely love it!  My husband wanted to buy me a Kindle for Christmas, but I stupidly said that I didn't think I would like it. Part of this has to do with the fact that I just love the feeling of holding real books.  Then there's the reality of not having a house big enough to hold all of my books...not to mention the fact that ebooks are so much more affordable.  I never thought of this from a reader's standpoint until I started writing.  Take my own book for example, I have to sell the paperbook (on Amazon.com) for $4.99 in order to break even with printing costs, but I can offer the book for $2.99 (on Smashwords.com) and actually make a profit.  As a book lover it makes me sad to see bookstores go out of business.  I still love books.  There's just something about them that an ereader can't replace.  As an inspiring author, ebooks are exciting because it gives people like me the chance to write, which is something that was never an option.

I also want to give a big thanks to my readers.  I started this blog as a way for me to sort of chronicle my journey while getting things off my chest.  After all, my husband can only listen to so much. :)  I looked at my stats page today and was shocked to see that my blog has been viewed by over 100 people in Russia alone!  Who knew!  So thank you fellow readers, writers, and everyone else out there!

Book Review for Dream Catcher by Stephanie Smith

I'm not sure where all this novella is available.  I do know that it can be purchased on Smashwords.com for $2.99.  Here is the link if you want to purchase Stephanie's book, Dream Catcher:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/121663

This was a good, short read. I think it took me about a half hour to finish, so if you are looking for something that you can not only read in one sitting but also will keep your attention, then this is a great choice. Based on how the book started, I can honestly say that it was not at all what I expected. I also did not realize that this was part of a series until the very ending. What I found interesting about this was that most series end with a cliff hanger where you feel like you have to read the next book right away. You're sort of left in suspense...This one didn't really do that. I felt like the book could stand alone on its own, so I will be interested to see where the next book goes.  For example, will the second book pick up where this one left off or will it be about another character in the book or what??

I would recommend this book to others. For me this would be a four star book.  I didn't absolutely love it to the point of wanting to reread it.  And, it isn't the first book that pops into my head when I think about amazing books.  However, I think it deserves more than three stars because the book itself wasn't bad.  For me, the subject matter wasn't something that necessarily draws me in, but I know that a lot of people are into this genre.

frusterated and stuck

So I'm rather frusterated.  I was able to hammer out two chapters last night that I am pretty happy with, but prior to that, I had not written in probably three days.  I just haven't had the time.  This is really frusterating to me because I was on a roll.  I was writing every day and just getting chapter and chapter down into print.  These last couple of days I have been crabby because I want to write and I don't have time.  Meanwhile all of these ideas are going through my brain that I am now losing.  I also have a lot of ideas about other books that I think would be fun.  Part of me wants to start them and get it down into writing, and part of me is afraid that I will end up with three books and I will finish none.

Everybody Likes A Good Deal

For a short time only, I will be offering a 50% off coupon for my memoir Snapshots of Fictionalized Facts.  This deal only applies to the ebook versions found on Smashwords.  This deal expires on January 30th, so hurry and get your copy today.

Coupon Code (enter at checkout): EA65M

What's In a Title You Might Ask??

After lots of formatting and reformatting, I have finally uploaded my final version of Snapshots of Fictionalized Facts to Smashwords. It is available for purchase for the low price of $1.99.  I have also made 30% of it available for a free preview.

I have had several people ask me how I came up with the title.  I picked snapshots because each chapter literally is a snapshot of an event. The book does not flow from beginning to end, but instead moves fluidly back and forth between time.  Everything that appears in my memoir is a factual event.  All of the people where there; everything is told from my point of view.  That's where fictionalized comes in.  The best way to describe it is to say that because everything is told from my point of view, it is true as far as I am concerned.  However, I also believe that truth is somewhat subjective.  What is my version of truth may not be someone else's version of truth...That is how my memoir came to be!

Queso con salsa, chips, and football

There's something about the cold that makes me want to eat comfort food.  For whatever reason, I find nacho cheese and chips to be delicious, comforting, cold weather, football game viewing food.  I am shocked at how many calories some of these cheeses have! 

Maybe it's because I've been writing more and excersising less or maybe it's just extreme paranoia of gaining weight, but I have become obssessed with the calories in this food.  I wish I could say I'm going to splurge and eat this on Sunday during the game and then I won't again for the rest of the season, but that just isn't me.  I love it!

So, I have been sampling different cheese dips.  None are more than 45 calories per serving.  What can I say...I like it enough to eat it, but not enough where I'm going to have to do any major working out in order to break even.  So, those 100 calorie per serving cheeses don't even make it into the cart.  (Spikes Santa Fe and Chi Chi's also don't...think they're around 50)  Here's what I've found:

Newman's (40 cal I think) I thought would be tasty and natural.  Wrong!  To me it tasted like it could be possibly spoiled.  I don't know it just had a very acidic flavor. Ended up throwing it out.

Frontero Spicy Queso con Salsa (35 cal) Amazingly low calories and amazingly disgusting.  This wins the award for grossest queso con salsas out there. Took one bit and tossed it.

Targets brand of Queso con Salsa (35 cal) is really pretty good.  I liked this and loved that I could eat it without feeling too guilty.

Tostitos is also not bad.  It (to me) is comparable to Target's brand.

My number one pick, however, has to be the Walmart brand of White Salsa con Queso.  Most of the cheeses have to be microwaved to make them runny enough to actually dip a chip.  This one does not.  It is great warm or cold.  Also, I think because it actually has a salsa as a base instead of a cheese, the calorie count is pretty low too.  I can't remember now if it is 35 or 40, but it is really good.  That is one that I wish was a brand name so that I could buy it anywhere like the others instead of having to make my dreaded trip into Walmart.

So, there you have it!  I have sampled and way and those are my picks...now if only football was so easy. :)