Last Week

This is the last week for all the special deals I have going on. Afghan combos 20% off; ebooks available on smashwords for 1/2 off or free; and chances for the red, white, blue afghan drawing now only $1/chance (actually a permanent reduction in price).

An update on the afghans and what is available: Aspen is completed; Watercolor is 2/3 completed (need to purchase 2 more skeins tomorrow when I'm in town); Melonberry is completed; Primary is completed; and Bonbon print is completed. I started the Woodsy last night and all that is left is the Marrakesh to start and complete. May also get yarn to do another Monet - that will give me 8 afghans. Would really love to start selling them. The Kindle or Nook sleeves and the tablet sleeves are available in Primary, Monet, Bonbon print, Aspen, Woodsy, Watercolor, Melonberry, Marrakesh, Old Glory and Mistletoe. I do need to find some buttons for some of them and get the velcro strips sewn onto the tablet sleeves but for the most part they are completed.

See you all in the postings - E :)

This and That

It's my weekly summary of everything going on and all I can say is that not much has been happening here. There was only one in person sale of Finally Home to the local library as I had given them a copy back in January but somehow it never got to the main branch so the local librarian bought a replacement copy so that it can get catalogued. I also informed her that all my books were available through Baker & Taylor in case they wanted to order more copies of any of the books.

There were no ebook sales at all.

Tuesday was my birthday and I kind of played around all day but did manage to somehow put in 4 hours of work and gained quite a few lines in those 4 hours (I'm paid on production so the more lines I type the more I make). I also had started a 50-day giveaway blitz but only had 3 participants on the first day and none the second or third at all, so I decided to randomly give away things and go back to my regular blogging schedule as I was struggling to come up with 50 days of postings to preschedule.

We had a great speaker, Maggie Toussiant, at our local Sisters in Crime meeting Thursday who talked about pacing, which I posted about here. On the same day, Heidi Thompson from the Writers on the Move group talked about pacing here.

If you would like to be entered to win a copy of Finally Home, stop by my posting from yesterday and leave a comment. If you decide on the ebook copy, I will send you a free kindlegraph, so you are still getting a signed file. Only persons living in the United States are eligible for the print copy (sorry everyone but shipping is rather pricy for outside of the US).

I gave Ms. Faye her nook cover and she suggested I sell them as sets as well - an afghan, a kindle or noo case or a tablet cover (your choice) and a bookworm. So I'll probably drop the afghan price and then do a bundled price for the three matching items. All afghans and covers/sleeves can be found on my website under the gifts tab.

This week coming up will be random repostings from the Writers on the Move blog and the start of a possible series on using pictures to inspire my story Imogene. See you all in the postings - E :)

Let Us Not Forget the Tablet Holders

So, while I was completed the second Monet kindle cover, I got to thinking (dangerous territory) about tablet owners. The kindle cases may not be big enough for some tablets, so I picked up one of the other colors and decided to expand the kindle case by 2 clusters/V stitches (kindle cases are 6 and tablet cases are 8) and make it 2 rows longer and instead of a flap closure, I would just sew some velcro to the top row for a closure. I didn't add a carrying strap as I felt most people wouldn't want their tablets just dangling from their wrists. So the tablet covers will give you a little protection when puting your tablet in a pocketbook or satchel.

I can get one kindle case and one tablet case and one or two bookworms out of a skein of yarn or I can get two kindle cases and four bookworms out of a skein. So for now, other than the Monet (both Faye and Susanne picked the same kindle case), I will have one kindle case and one tablet case of each of the colors I have to offer - Primary, Aspen (completed), Woodsy (completed), melonberry, marrakesh, Old Glory, bonbon print (kindle case only right now) I have to replinish the Monet and bonbon print.

Next week the All About Fabrics plant is opened and since I have to be up there anyway, I'm hoping to be able to buy yarn in bulk (six skeins in a pack) for a fairly decent price. I'm also looking for some material to make my Ma America costume as well as buttons for the kindle cases. Fingers crossed they have everything I need, and hopefully a different brand of the red, white, and blue varigated yarn in the 6-skein packages. I'll post pictures of all the completed kindle cases and the tablet cases soon. See you all in the postings - E :)

CONGRATULATIONS

First, I want to congratulate Mariah Tighe from Columbia, SC for having her name drawn for the baby kindle from the SC Author Connection at last weekend's event. I hope the kindle has arrived safe and sound.

Next, I only had two comments on my Kindle/Nook covers pricing question, so I decided that both would be winners. So, Susanne and Faye, thank you very much for weighing in on the pricing issue, but I'm still no closer to nailing down a price - lol. I hope to have buttons next week and to get your kindle covers to you by the end of the week.

Congrats to all the recent winners. Stay tuned for more giveaways on this blog coming up. Watch the postings daily and leave a comment or answer the daily question and you may be that day's winner. There will be 50 chances to win something throughout the summer months starting on June 5 and running through August 2 (no postings on Sundays or Holidays, although I think I may do a special one for the 4th of July since I'm all about the states). Kindle covers, bookworms, ebooks, print books and many other items will be given away this summer. See you all in the postings.

This and That

Other than the in-person sales last Sunday at the SC Book Festival, I've had nothing else.

I've had two comments on my new product posting. Remember to leave a comment about how much you think I should price the kindle/nook covers. I'll reveal all the comments on Wednesday when I announce the winner of the kindle/nook cover.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day so there will be a brief posting for that. I will have a special announcement on the 31st for a giveaway extravaganza - stay tuned - E :)

New Product

While at the SC Book Festival this past weekend, an idea for something new came about due to having my sample pieces for the colors for my afghans. Someone asked what they were, "kindle covers?" and I wasn't really thinking Saturday or Sunday due to other things on my mind. While working Monday after trying to recoup from the weekend, I started thinking about the kindle cover comment. I looked up some patterns for crocheted kindle cases or covers and wasn't really liking any that I found. Since I've been using this alternating V-shell stitch for my afghans, and really liking that pattern due to its simplicity and quickness, I decided to make my own pattern using what I was currently working with. The result is a rather quick kindle or nook cover. Using the same colors as what I was going to make my afghans up, I made several. I've not sewn the Aspen one together so don't have a picture of it. I'm totally out of Monet yarn but as soon as I get some of that color, I'll make up a couple and go from there. The only thing missing from the completed ones is the button.

Colors available right now are the Marrakesh, Melonberry, Woodsy, Aspen, and one of the Bonbon Print (that was the last part of a skein that my daughter had on hand and it worked out to be enough to make one case), Primary and Old Glory (red/white/blue varigated).

My problem is not knowing how much to sell them for. So dear readers, how much would you pay for these carrying cases for your Kindle 3 or Nook (don't know which generation it is but it is basically the same size as the Kindle 3)? Leave a comment with how much you would pay and I'll do a random drawing next Wednesday from all the commenters to win a case in your choice of colors. The majority will determine the price at which I will sell these. I'm leaning somewhere between $7.50 and $10.00, and if you would pay more, great but really I'll go by the majority of comments for same price. I won't publish the comments until Wednesday afternoon so as not to sway anyone's opinion.

Price comments will be taken today, Thursday, May 24, through Tuesday, May 29, 11:59 PM. Don't forget to leave your comment on this posting and be entered to win a carrying case for your kindle or nook.

Here are the colors completed without the buttons.

Marrakesh - this was my first one and I've adjusted the flap a bit since making this one. I started doing a shorter flap and liked it better so ripped out 3 rows on this one but didn't take more pictures of it - the shorter flap works great, now to just find the buttons to add

Marrakesh with the flap opened and my kindle showing so you can see how it sits inside.

Each case has a decent length of chain stitches to make a carrying strap. If you don't want to use the strap, it tucks right inside the case without a problem.

Bonbon print (this is the only one of this color since I am out of yarn, so until I can replace yarn, once this one sells, there won't be any more of this color for a while)

Bonbon print

Woodsy

Woodsy #2


I have the melonberry completed and the Aspen completed but haven't taken pictures of the Aspen one yet; I've not yet done the primary or Old Glory ones, but you can see all the sample colors on my website under the gifts tab. They are all the same as the bookworms and afghans. For now, I'll complete the afghans started (primary and melonberry) and then will work on adding more afghans later towards the fall events.

Remember to leave a comment and tell me what you would pay for these crocheted kindle or nook cases. Comments are moderated and will not show up until Wednesday when the poll ends and the majority price wins out. Leave your comment and be entered in the drawing to win one of these kindle cases. See you all in the postings - E :)

UPDATE (05/28/2012): I was at Walmart the other night or morning (it was after 3 something in the morning) and they had a couple of skeins of the Monet color, so I picked up one skein to make the kindle covers. I have now completed all the colors available right now to include primary, Old Glory, Monet, Woodsy, Marrakesh, Melonberry, bonbon print, and Aspen. I'm still looking for some buttons to go on them. There is a fabric place that is opened once a month for three days and it happens to be opened the weekend that I will be going to that town. I hope to find some fabric for my "Ma America" costume and buttons and yarn to continue making the afghans and the kindle covers. More when I see what the offerings are. E :)