March Free / Reduced Book Promos

Thank goodness it's finally March! February was a hell of a month for me. I was sick on and off for three weeks, and that slowed down productivity substantially. Thankfully, I'm feeling better now and back to work.

Check out this month's free reads! You have over 190 books to choose from. :)

https://books.bookfunnel.com/urbanfantasyfreebies-mar/p9if1330gk

https://books.bookfunnel.com/lovebitepnrsfrread/ncsceg2pem

Release Day: Destroying Sorrow (Penny series, book 3)

Today's the day for Destroying Sorrow to meet the world! This is the third and final book in Penny's story.

At the time of this posting, the price is still showing $0.99 on some of the sites, but it will increase soon, so if you didn't get a preorder, hurry over and grab it for less than $1 while you can.

Blurb:

Penny’s world has been turned upside down by the arrival of little Abby Newman. The little girl is more powerful than any witch her age could ever imagine. Even Penny isn’t nearly as powerful, though appears to be the perfect conduit for Abby’s powers so they don’t burn the child from the inside out every time she uses them.

Now that the entire world knows about the existence of immortals and witches, Penny has to find a way to protect her family from not only the backlash from humankind but also stay one step ahead of the growing fog the maniacal doctors have released on the world. The fog has the potential to create new immortals, or destroy anyone in its path without the genetic markers to sustain the change.

Devastation across the globe is being broadcast live to anyone who can receive it, and that’s when Penny sees someone far more dangerous than the doctors. Her goddess!

Something is wrong with the goddess. She’s changed... evil even.

With death and destruction around every corner, how can they come out of this alive? Is it even possible? With Abby in hand, and her men standing behind her, Penny must bring humans and immortals back from the brink of extinction. Can she succeed, or will they will lose it all to the wrath of the goddess and the doctors’ scientific experiment?

ORDER NOW

Dec Promos: FREE and REDUCED books up for grabs!

Happy December! I can't believe we're coming up on the end of the year. So much has happened in 2022, and so much more is coming in 2023. But I digress. This post isn't a recap of the year. Oh, no, definitely not. Not yet anyway. Today, I want to share the promos I'm involved in during December. Check out the 60+ FREE and/or REDUCED ebooks up for grabs this month.

Free Romantic Fantasy Books: Dec 1 - 31

Reading Home for the Holidays - Free/Reduced: Nov 25 - Dec 25

Happy Holidays!!

Free short story for the summer!

Happy June, everyone. If you're on my newsletter list you know it's been a crazy time around the Silvers Household. We've had birthdays and major purchases, as well as veggie and fruit gardening, and book writing. All of that on top of a very hot Spring. With Summer just around the corner, I anticipate an even hotter and busier season to come. 

In the meantime, I wanted to share the new short story I have going these days. Joint Cooperation is a short story in the Liz Baker world, but this one is all about Chad and Monty. The story takes place during Liz's captivity in book 8, so it should be read after that one to get the full effect.

I'll be sharing one chapter each week over the next several weeks. I started out last week with the first two chapters, and chapter three is up this week. If you haven't checked it out yet, click on over and see what the guys are up to. Feel free to bookmark the page and come back any time to read at your leisure.

Spring has sprung!

Spring has sprung here in north Georgia. The pollen is working my husband over big time, and covering anything outside with the evil yellow dust. My silver car definitely doesn't look silver at the moment, and there's really no sense in washing it until things calm down.

With the arrival of spring, so comes the arrival of our wedding anniversary. April 9th marked 27 years. Eek! How is that possible? I wrote a little something on Facebook (see below), and presented the hubs with this cute penny from 1994 that I ordered from an Etsy shop. It was a nice day.

Twenty-seven years ago, on a windy, Spring day, two 17yos pledged their lives to one another. Most would say that's far too young to agree to eternity, and I would certainly agree with you NOW, but it appears to have worked out. Some days it feels like a lifetime has passed, and others it feels like just yesterday we were so young and free (i.e. stupid).  

I won't say it's been an easy ride. Oh, definitely not. Like all couples, there were moments where I considered smothering him with a pillow. Especially during all those middle of the night cluster feedings when I had an infant attached to me, and their dad was snoring away like nothing. Now here we are, all these years later, three wonderful children and a grandson we both adore. We had two short years alone in the beginning before our oldest was born, and now we have two short years left before the youngest is out of the house. It blows my mind!  

Even with all that, the good definitely outweighs the frustrating, and I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else. I look forward to spending the rest of our lives together, and I hope it will be a very long time before you die. (I always say he'll go before me.) Happy 27th anniversary, baby! I love you forever and always!

This past weekend, I spent some time planting 9 strawberry plants in our little makeshift cinder block bed. They were already covered with flowers, runners, and small berries when I bought them, so I'm hoping they'll grow abundantly. I've picked a few berries over the last few days and still waiting on a couple to fully ripen. Sun-warmed, freshly picked strawberries are simple pleasures in life.

Now flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, birds are chirping every morning. This is the time of year I love!

And then next month my grandson turns 1! Eek! I can't believe how fast that happened. He's growing so fast, babbling all the time, loves for me to read to him, pulling up, and doing his best to get into anything that isn't tied down or just out of reach. It has been a lot of fun watching him grow and learn. 

Today, I'm waiting on an inspector from our homeowner's insurance to arrive and inspect the roof. With all the storms, wind, and hail we've had the last few months, we've developed a leak in my laundry room. So now we see if the insurance will pay for a fix, or if we'll have to handle it ourselves. With 25 years of coverage, and zero claims, I really hope they'll do something beneficial.

In the meantime, I'm working on book 9 in the Liz Baker series, as well as a short story about Chad & Monty from when Liz was missing. The short story will come out first (free of charge), and book 9 is currently scheduled for the fall.

I hope you're all safe, healthy, and having a wonderful week. Be sure to pop by my Facebook page for more updates and randomness from me. :)

Review Request (I might be begging!)

Good morning, lovely readers! I hope the week is treating you kindly, and that everyone close to you is staying safe and healthy. 

This week I have a request from all of you that have read my books, and I hate to ask it, but reviews are the bread and butter of an author's life. We need them to sell more books, rank higher on book selling sites like Amazon, and even to gain a little "Hmm" from higher ups in the publishing world who may be interested in doing more with our books.

It's a necessity in the book world, and even I'm bad about not rushing over to leave reviews right after finishing a book, but I'm determined to do better. It was actually one of my goals for 2020. :) 

I know I have a lot of readers just from the comments, emails, PMs, texts, phone calls, and every day life, so please consider taking a few minutes of your time and leaving a quick review on any/all of the books you've read. It means the world to me when someone does.

While you're over on the Amazon Author page, take a second and hit that "+Follow" button to make sure you get up-to-date info from Amazon. :)

Click to go to Amazon

Thanks, everyone! Know that I appreciate every one of you. <3

Catching Up & Writing

I swear I never thought getting a part time job would take up so much of my time. Yes, yes, I knew I'd be actually leaving my house on a regular basis, driving 20 minutes to the next town, and working for a few hours before making the trek back home, but for some reason 24 hours of job time didn't seem like a lot in the scheme of things.

That is, if I actually got 24 hours. Eek! The first week was 28 hours. The second week was 31 hours. This week is scheduled for 34 hours. However, I am the only person in this position... for now. Next week a full timer comes on and I'm supposed to finally get on a regular 24 hour schedule. Monday through Thursday from 8:30am to 2:30pm, and every other Saturday (9:30am-3pm) will make me a happy woman.

I'll bring home enough $$$ to make the job worth my while and still be able to pick my youngest daughter up from school every day. Not to mention the few hours every afternoon/evening of writing I'll be able to get in before dealing with dinner and preparing for the next day. Oh, and of course every Friday off to run my errands, pay bills, and buy groceries. And every other week I get a 3-day weekend. Woot, Woot!

Now if I can just get there. I'm off today, but the next two days will be long 9 1/2 hour days. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is for the greater good. I'm doing this for a reason. I do enjoy the job and the people I'm with all day. It will give me a greater sense of people by being out in the middle of all of them. (It's too peopley out there!) And, I've already seen some interesting folk who will be making appearances in future stories.

Overall, it's a good thing, but I'm really looking forward to a more rigid everyday schedule so I can get back to my writing. My goal of 3 books and a short story in 2017 NEEDS a more rigid schedule. The 500 words a week I've gotten over the last 3 weeks is soooooo not gonna get me there.

Okay, I'm off to get more writing done today (since it's my only day off 'til the weekend). I hope all of you are having a great week!

Oh, and Happy 41st Birthday to the love of my life, Tim! I love you, baby!

Keeping My Muse Happy

Keeping my muse happy w/fireworks.

You may have heard writers talking about not being able to write when their muse is unhappy. Or that their muse has run off and abandoned them. Sometimes I feel like my muse ran off with the devil and they're both sitting somewhere mocking me as I fumble for just the right word, typing and deleting numerous time over the time frame of an hour. I've even done it here on the blog before giving up and deciding to try it again tomorrow.

A writer must keep her muse happy. How do I do that, you ask? Well, my muse is particularly enthralled with loud, raunchy music that has a deep booming beat. Anything with a lot of bass and preferably curse words. Oh, and a Diet Mountain Dew to go with it. She also likes hot tea and chocolate, but usually only one cup of tea a day. Sometimes my muse demands I take a break from writing entirely and recharge with a comedy or a good book. But usually, it's the raunchy music that works on a day to day basis.

Today, for example, we started out together with a mug of hot peach tea and listening to Ludacris, and ended our writing time with a Diet Mountain Dew, piece of Lindt Lindor chocolate, listening to 50 Cent. In the middle there was Meghan Trainer, 21 Pilots, Nicki Minaj, Stabbing Westward, and Pink. Plus many more. I work for no less than 3 hour stretches so I have to have a large music library.

Sometimes I think it would be fun to match my music choices with the character I'm writing, but then I realize that's just too much work. LOL! Sooooo, I just listen to all of it all the time.

If you have a question about what inspires my muse feel free to ask below or email me at authorchristiesilvers@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer it. :)

Survey Time

I've noticed a lot of authors I follow like to put excerpts, and even entire chapters of their new books in their newsletters. What are your opinions of this practice? Do you like to read chapter one in the newsletter, or just wait until the book comes out?

Create your own user feedback survey

New & Updated Website

Have you had a chance to stop by the new and improved ChristieSilvers.com? It took a lot of work, a new web host, new newsletter host, and several hours of headaches to get it looking just the way I wanted. It's now cleaner and more streamlined than the previous website. I like the colors, transitions, and how uniform everything turned out.

If you haven't checked it out, stop by.

Also, just a head's up for my longtime newsletter subscribers...

If you were previously subscribed you do NOT have to subscribe again. I imported my subscriber list from the old host to the new host. Only new subscribers need to sign up at the new website. My loyal readers are already good to go. Thank you!

For you newbies out there, if you like freebies it's probably a good time to subscribe to my newsletter. Subscribers receive news first, before the blog, and even before Facebook. *GASP!* Newsletter subscribers are also entered to win Amazon gift cards every time a newsletter is sent out. You never know when your name will be picked!

So stop by ChristieSilvers.com and scroll down to where it says, "Subscribe." You'll be glad you did.

Showing Your Favorite Author(s) Some Love

It's that time of year again... Time to shop 'til you drop! LOL. Well, you know what I mean. There will be lots of gift-giving over the next few weeks and some of the big gifts will be new tablets, iPads, Kindles, Nooks, and many more electronics that can be used to read books. Soon those eReaders will need to be filled with many, many new reads, so why not show your favorite authors some love this holiday season?

It's really easy to give your favorite author a little holiday joy. A simple review is a big one. Reviews help us gain new readers. They help us sell more books, pull in potential fans, and even give us a better standing in the book selling marketplaces. There are even deals and discounts newsletters that require a certain amount of reviews before we can list our books with them.

So please, during this holiday season, take a moment to leave a few words on a book you enjoyed. It can be as simple or as detailed as you like. Even a short, "I liked it," is enough to make a beloved author happy.

Happy Holidays!

Crossover Stories

Jean Scheijen
FreeImages.com

Do you like crossovers? Television does it quite often, and now movies do it (think Marvel). Taking characters from one favorite show and throwing them into the world, live, and problems of another favorite show is something I truly enjoy.

I like to see these independent characters, who always deal with their own stuff, interacting with characters from another location who are now asked to deal with the first characters' stuff, too. So what about books? I've seen it happen a few times between a single author's multiple book series, as well as two or more authors bring their characters into a joint venture. I like it, especially when I've read the previous books that are mentioned. It's like an ah-ha moment when you recognize a character you already know in a place you didn't expect to see them.

With all that being said, I'm considering a crossover with characters from my Liz Baker series in my new Penny Montague series. As I'm writing this first book I feel a natural progression toward making mentions of the vampires and werewolves currently residing in the north Georgia mountains (i.e. Liz and Monty).  Penny resides in the Atlanta area, but you'll find her on a mission that leads her farther north. Soooo.... maybe?

What do you think about crossovers in books?

Earth Day & Free Books

Happy Earth Day, everyone! What better way to celebrate than by snagging your own copies of tree-free e-books?  Now's your chance to get lost in Liz Baker's crazy world. Time for Death (book 1) will be available for free all week, but the other three are only free today. So don't wait, grab your copies today!  :)

Time for Death (Liz Baker, book 1) 
Coupon Code:JR34D
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/125903

Kill Me Next Week (Liz Baker, book 2) 
Coupon Code: QJ75L
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/80544

Killer Intentions (Liz Baker, book 3) 
Coupon Code: US52T
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/115726

Haunted by Death (Liz Baker, book 4) 
Coupon Code: CP99Q
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/262654

Fun Times at Book 'Em

Left to Right: P.M. Terrell, Christie Silvers,
Pamela J. Kimmell, Judy Walter

It's been over a week since I attended the Book 'Em NC 2013 conference and book fair, so I suppose it's time to finally write a blog entry about it. LOL. Can you tell I'm slacking on my blog lately? Oops!

Anyway, the trip from Georgia to North Carolina was fairly uneventful (thankfully). Especially considering how nasty the drive up was last year. Those darn rain storms can cause all sorts of havoc. Luckily, we left a little later this year and managed to arrive at the hotel on time for check-in instead of early like last year. No waiting around for our room to be cleaned this time. :)

 

We arrived in Lumberton, NC with a few hours to rest before having to head out to the Author Meet-n-Greet at The Village Station. I talked it up with a few new people and many that I knew from last year. I especially enjoyed talking to P.M. Terrell, Pamela J. Kimmell, and Bonnie Watson. All these ladies are wonderful people and authors. Not to mention Trish (P.M.) was our hostess and event coordinator (how she does it all, I'll never know!).

The next morning we were up early and went straight to Robeson Community College where Book 'Em is held. This year I shared a table at the event with Karen McCullough. We hadn't met last year, but after almost 7 hours together that day we certainly got to know each other. :) I had fun talking to her about our books, publishing, candies, and giveaway goodies.

Anyone who has seen me at an event like this knows that I'm a major candy pusher. This year was no different. Last year it was cinnamon disks; this year it was Dove milk chocolates. Talk about a great way to get people to your table! I begged, pleaded, guilted, and pretty much threw chocolate at everyone who walked by. And Karen has peppermint, so we were commenting on how well chocolate and peppermint goes together. LOL! It was a fun time. I ended up giving away almost three bags of chocolates, and still had one bag that I HAD to bring back home. Not that I'm complaining about my chocolate stash, or anything. ;)

The best part of the day happened about an hour before the event was over........

I SOLD OUT!!

Well, technically, I sold out of all my copies of Time for Death (Liz Baker, book 1). But hey, that's still a thrilling moment for me. I got listed in the Book 'Em newsletter as one of the four authors who sold out this year. And next year... I'll be seated on the Bestsellers Hall!  Woohoo!!

Here are a few more pictures from Book 'Em NC 2013. I look forward to this even in 2014!

 

Left: Karen McCullough & Christie Silvers
Right: Tim & Christie Silvers
 

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them.  I hope you'll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy.  On this stop on the blog hop, you'll find a bit of information on me and one of my books and links to four other authors you can explore!

My gratitude to fellow author P.M. Terrell for inviting me to participate in this event.  You can click the following link to learn more about her work.  Website:   http://www.pmterrell.com/

In this blog hop, I and my fellow authors, in their respective blogs, have answered ten questions about our book or work-in--progress (giving you a sneak peek).  We've also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write--the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

1: What is the title of your book?   Haunted by Death (Liz Baker, book 4)

2: Where did the idea come from for the book? Well, it's a series, so book 4 had to come about at some time or another. ;)

3. What genre does your book come under? Urban Fantasy (with a touch of naughtiness)!

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?  Hmm... that's a tough one. Gosh, I don't know...  I'll have to think on that one.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Liz is screwed over once again by her paranormal heritage.  ;)

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? I'm an indie author all the way, baby!

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? First draft was nine months. However, during those months I was also dealing with major family issues such as my FIL's illness and subsequent passing, holidays, and birthdays. All of which slowed me down tremendously.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  The other three Liz Baker books. LOL!  :D

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? I don't know about inspiration. I just really felt the need to tell the next chapter in Liz's life. Maybe that means Liz was my inspiration. :D

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? This time Liz isn't just dealing with vampires and werewolves, but also with a haunted landmark, power-filled flashbacks, a new addition to her army, and the betrayal of an ex-lover.

11: Why are you so much better-looking in person than in your photo? LMAO! I'm not sure that's true, but it is an interesting question. Maybe it's my sparkling personality? Yeah, let's go with that one!

***NOTE: While I was planning to do this blog hop about the 5th Liz Baker book, I simply don't have about answers about it to fill out the questions. There's no working title yet, and I don't know where the characters will take me. Maybe I can talk about it at the next blog hop. :) ***

Who’s next on the NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP?

So glad you asked!

Below you will find authors who will be joining me by blog, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on Works in Progress and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!

RaeAnne Hadley's blog: http://raeannehadleyromance.wordpress.com/ 

Langley Watts Cornwell's blog: http://langley-writes.blogspot.com/ 

Angel Sharum's blog: http://www.angelsharum.com/apps/blog/

Just two weeks away.

Two weeks from Friday I'll be heading out of town and toward Lumberton, North Carolina to attend the Book 'Em NC conference / book fair. I'm very excited--albeit ravaged by an army of butterflies--as this is my first out-of-state event.

Since it's quite a drive from my north Georgia home to Lumberton, NC, we'll be heading out Friday morning, even though the event isn't until Saturday. I'll make into town just in time to catch a short rest break in the hotel room before sprucing up and going to the Author Meet-and-Greet Friday evening. I can't wait to meet all the lovey people I've been chatting with online. Especially the lovely Trish and cheerful Katie. :)

Up above, I took a quick snapshot of the books and some of the goodies I'll be taking with me. Let me just tell you that it's a good thing the hubby is going with me because those books are HEAVY. He'll be doing all the heavy-lifting. :D

The red vase will be full of candies for anyone that stops by my table. I'll have bookmarks for all the Liz Baker books, business cards (with 2012 calendars on back), and whatever else I think to bring along. All in all, I'm expecting to have a lot of fun meeting new people and enjoying being at the conference.

Now if I could figure out how to listen to some of the lectures that interest me without leaving my table unattended. Alas, if only I'd learned to clone myself.

If you will be in the Lumberton, NC area on February 25th, please stop by the Robeson College for a day of books and the authors who wrote them. Attendance is free to the public!

For more information visit: http://www.bookemnc.org .

New Time for Death, Second Edition

Good morning, everyone. I hope the week is treating you kindly. I'm currently working on the Liz Baker short story, Death Reflected, and waiting on my Federal tax refund to show up. We'll be working on home improvements over the next few weeks with that money. As well as knocking some away into savings.

Speaking of improvements, I'm releasing a second edition of Time for Death (Liz Baker, book 1) just in time for the Book 'Em NC Conference & Book Fair. Something eye-catching and up to date with books 2 and 3.

This new cover looks even more gorgeous in print than it does on the computer screen. Once again, due to the incredible talents of my cover designer Kelly Shorten. Thank you, Kelly!

The first edition of Time for Death is on the road to retirement and over the next several weeks will be replaced in book databases by this new edition. I know the Kindle, Nook, and Smashwords editions are already up-dated, but it will take a bit longer for the print copies to change over.

And as always, if you want a signed copy for yourself, or for gift giving, they are always available straight from me via ChristieSilvers.com.

Now I'm off to do the whole wife/mother thing with laundry, dishes, housecleaning, before jumping into today's writing. Have a good one!

Cyber Monday: 30% off

Black Friday is over, which means it's time for Cyber Monday. Woohoo! More shopping!

Over the weekend I offered Liz Baker e-books for only $0.99 each. Today I'm giving you 30% off any of my paperback and hardcover books.

If you're looking to grab a few books for Christmas, there's no better time than now. This offer is only for today, ending at 11:59 PST tonight. Here's how you do it:

1. Use this link to see all of the books available.

2. Add your chosen books to the shopping cart. Make sure you're adding physical books & not e-books.

3. Use this code during checkout: CYBERMONDAY305

Lulu's bookstore accepts PayPal and all major credit cards. Happy shopping!

An update on my world.

As you may have noticed, the time between my blog postings has stretched. I'm currently in a rush to finish up Killer Intentions (Liz Baker, book 3) in order to get it into editing and production as soon as possible. The book is scheduled for a December release, but will probably be toward the end of December.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet to work that the kids being back in school has afforded me. Not only that, but Tim has been working the day shift every other week here lately. That makes for very nice writing days.

I do all of my housework from the time I drop the kids at school until 9 A.M. After that I write from 9 to 1 P.M. and then a quick lunch before leaving to run errands and pick the kids up from school. I'm home between 3:30 & 4 P.M., when it's time to help with homework for three children, cook dinner, get everyone into showers/baths and then start bedtimes at 7:30 P.M. At which time, Tim makes it home from work (or is just leaving if he's on night shift) and it's time for me to stop for the day to relax. I watch about 2 hours of television--depending on the night--and then bedtime for me so I can do it all over again the next day.

Whew! Makes me tired just typing all that out. And that's just the week days. On the weekends I'm doing home projects (working on the little girls' bedroom right now), tending to my animals, and enjoying the time with my family.

So basically, what I'm trying to say is, you may not see too much of me online for the next few weeks. I'll be around, and will always answer e-mails/messages, but please be patient as I attempt to get Liz where she wants to be and still deal with family obligations. As soon as the story is in the hands of my editor I'll be back around. Until then, e-mail me if you need me. :)

Reading a book series in order

I love reading books that are in a series. I like being able to get a more detailed knowledge about the characters and their world with each additional book. And of course I like writing series books.

My question is: Do you expect a book in the middle of the series to explain, in detail, things that happened in all th book that came before it? Or are you good with passing mentions of previous events as it pertains to the book you're currently reading?

The reason I ask is that I noticed some bad reviews on the book I'm currently reading only because it didn't explain past events in the series and "expected" the reader to already know their details.

Personally, I find this ridiculous. I'm on book 3 in this series and I know all about the previous events because...now this is a doozy...I READ THE TWO BEFORE IT! OMG! Yes, you're suppose to read books in order when they're in a series. I thought everyone knew this little tidbit of information. So why in the world would someone give a book a bad review because it didn't tell you what you should already know before you started reading the book? Sheesh!

Now, if anyone out there thinks this way, and want to try their hand at reading my series books, just don't do it out of order. I don't write that way. I will mention past things/people/events as it pertains to the current story and will NOT explain it in full detail. Liz will say something like, "Marcus, my ex vampire lover who I just so happen to have stacked and burned his body in a mountain cabin." She will NOT go into greater detail talking about how Marcus murdered so & so, or how he said this and that, or how the cabin smelled/looked before she burned it down. Why? Because none of that pertains to the current story. If you want to know all that then you should have read book 1 before reading book 3.

To me, it just makes sense.

I don't get the bad reviews about this nonsense. Seriously, have some people gotten this lazy in their reading habits? *Shakes head in amazement*