Book Embargo

Hey there, as per Scott’s website, you should go download the pdf NOW.

Also, here is the link to do it!! http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/infected/downloads/infected_novel.pdf

From his website,

Crown Publishing is letting me give away the PDF of INFECTED from March 27 through March 31, leading up to the hardcover in-store release on April 1. So download it! Feel free to email the link to anyone you know.

Please do not email the PDF, email the LINK. This is so I can prove to Crown the value in giving away content, and if your friends click on the link, that counts on their server stats - emailing the PDF doesn’t count on the stats.
THANKS & ENJOY!

Don’t worry about downloading something entitled, “INFECTED.” It is not a virus, and only begin to worry if you start having talking triangles on your genitalia….

Then worry A LOT.

As most of you have gathered by my recent flurry on Infected, I’m a bit excited about it.

But beyond my advance that I got, there was the audio, and for a short time, there will be a PDF available for download. But what is interesting is that Itunes is not very happy with getting all of Scott’s word, and there have been troubles for others too. (Mine might be because the computer goes to sleep and shuts off Itunes…)

A really interesting blog post at BoingBoing.net. I enjoyed the post and *most* of the comments. But it does raise interesting questions for publishing. Scott has basically proven that if you let people download it, they WILL read it (and therefore get excited enough to buy it hopefully), but by limiting the download time, and especially before the book is even OUT, how can they keep track of the numbers of people who are actually getting to the book.

I don’t know, but it will be interesting to watch! In the meantime, go find your pdf of Infected if you want it, buy it anyway on April 1st, and listen to his other stuff too

Remember, Scott Sigler.com for all your Junkie Cravings.

So, with my newfound discovery of Scott Sigler (remember, to be scared witless and a few other things-less, read INFECTED, coming out at your local indpendent bookshop on April 1st, and its no joke), I have gotten drawn back into the world of podcasting. I only visited for a little while because of 2 interests. I went to Scotland and got drawn into a few radio personalities there, and when I got home, I could continue to listen to them! Also, Veronica Mars, one of my FAVORITE girls ever, had a set of podcasts and videocasts that I was listening to for a time. She has been cancelled now… but thats a different sort of rant!

If you are unsure of what a podcast is, have no fear, we all were like you! It is basically a blog post that someone reads to you, with fewer pictures. Some individuals use it for news shows, radio talk shows, or like Scott Sigler and a few others, reading a novel in chapters, like old time radio programs. A good website to learn about them is The Wiki page. Sidenote, most people use either Itunes to play and keep track of the sections they have listened to, or RSS Feeds so that they automatically get the next “issue” of the podcast of their choice.

Anyways, I wanted to review a few podcasts that I knew were good, and a few that are recommendations.

First, of course, my man Scott. I am 4 chapters into Earthcore right now, and yeah, still scared. Scott Sigler has changed the world of podcasting by reading aloud his novels. These are not published books that he then reads. Nope, he writes the book and then podcasts them for our pleasure… well maybe not “pleasure” because his writing is very very scary, but for us to listen to anyways. I found all of his stuff though Itunes by just searching his name and then clicking my favorite button, “get all.” Scott provides two levels of information at his website, ScottSigler.com. You can listen to his OWN books, and he recommends other podcasts that he has listened to with a Sig rating system.

Next, one of my other favorite authors, Shana Norris. Don’t forget to read her book that is available in stores, Something to Blog About. Her most recent blog post at her website there is on…. *wait for it*…. PODCASTING!!!! Indeed, it is Shana that gave me the idea for this post, her and the wonder of Mr. Sigler. So Shana lists a variety of podcasts there, and I am planning on signing up for a few myself! Here are the two that I will be signing up for shortly,

Notes In Spanish invites you to “Learn Real Spanish with Notes in Spanish!
Our Spanish audio and worksheets bring you real conversations in Spanish about real-life topics. We go beyond the textbooks to the Spanish you’ll never find in a classroom! Listen here, or on your iPod or mp3 player as podcasts.”

Betty in the Sky with Diamonds invites you to share the plane traveling stories of Flight Attendant Betty. This just sounds too too funny.

Another podcast that I found through Scott is Buffy Between the Lines. This just seems like pure brain candy. The most recent edition of this podcast involves a vampire getting sidetracked by Infected as he works to find a particular candle. A self-description from their website,

Buffy Between the Lines is a fan-based, audio drama podcast that tells stories between the seasons of Buffy. Fans from all parts of the world including South America, Australia, Sweden, the UK, Canada and the US come together to create each episode via technologies such as Skype, Google Groups, blogging and podcasting. Started in Oct of 2006 by Tabitha Grace Smith and Kim Butler, Buffy Between the Lines has become an instant fan phenomenon.

That is all for now, if you have other great podcasts that you view worthy to share, drop a comment!

Here is some information about another book blogger. Book-worm.biz also does book reviews.

What I like about this blog is the “about” page actually. While most of my books that I read and blog about are from publishing houses, and while I do work at an independent bookshop, I don’t get a monetary kickback for reviewing books positively on this website. As of this time, I don’t make any money on my website, because as you will see, there are no ads here. (This may change at a later date however.)

They specify on their about page,

Ethics
The reviews have neither been paid for nor solicited by any company or publishing house and it is our intention to maintain this independence into the future.

I enjoy that they mention that they are running it to promote books of worth, instead of running it to make scads of money from a publishing house.

They are like me; they read a book and say, HEY! You should read this too!

Arthur C. Clarke has died.

Arthur C. Clarke, the U.K. science- fiction writer and futurist visionary best known for the novel adapted for the film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” has died. He was 90.

Wow….. just wow…

More information on Clarke, his life and his works on his Wiki page.

Here is a video message from Clarke. And, embedded here:

Sir Arthur Clarke, I tip my hat to you. You have lived an amazing life and done so much, and your works will live on and on.

More on INFECTED by Scott Sigler.

Head on over to his Wiki page for more info on him. The Wiki page has a good listing of his technological attributes. He is BIG into the podcasts and such, with his earliest book Earthcore actually being a podcast novel. Fans of Earthcore called it EarthCrack… hence the junkies name, by the way (this tidbit I learned through his website). The external links section all has some good references for other Junkies.

Also check out his Random House page, because they are the ones publishing his books and getting him into the print mainstream.

Sometimes I feel that I am the only one without a MySpace page… that said, go friend Scott’s MySpace page.

And the grand tidbit of the post, go listen to the first two chapters at digg.com because it calls him the “love child of King and Crichton.” That is a great description. Another collection of reviews at Sleepys-view.

One more, for kicks.
Squidoo.com has a post entitled, “My Ipod Ate My Iphone Just to Get to the New Scott Sigler Podcast Novel.” This is a great site because their leprechaun post has my sexy leprechaun boyfriend (pictures 2 and 3).

I hope you enjoy this collection of links of the fabulous Scott Sigler. I have started listening to the Infected podcasts and yeah, knowing where the books are going.. I’m scared already.

I am a junkie, an original junkie (at least original before the deadline, see the website). Infected has me hooked, but I will be honest. I went down screaming.

First, lets start with the STARRED Publisher’s Weekly review.

Infected Scott Sigler. Crown, $24.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-307-40610-1

In Sigler’s riveting horror thriller, alien seeds from outer space infect a number of unlucky humans, who develop some unusual symptoms—itchy, blue triangular growths on their skin—that eventually result in the carriers becoming screaming, homicidal maniacs. CIA agent Dew Phillips must find out why these formerly docile citizens are running amok, aided by Margaret Montoya, a Centers for Disease Control epidemiologist, who reported the first of the strange cases. One of the infected, former football player Perry Dawsey, doesn’t take any crap from anybody, not even the aliens residing in his body. Sigler (Ancestor) leads the reader from one startling detail to the next—the creatures learn to speak (“feed us we hungry”); they grow little black eyes—until even hardened genre fans will find themselves whimpering at each new revelation. This terrifying page-turner could be the author’s breakout book, fueled by an extensive online podcast campaign. 5-city author tour. (Apr.)

Now. let us review how wonderful Infected is. It is gross in horrifying ways, and you really shouldn’t read it in public… or if you have an issue with itchy skin…. or an issue with parasites… or chicken scissors.

Forget it, even if you HAVE an issue with those things, read this book.
Here is a video from Scott’s site,

His website has a lot of fun stuff in it, and Infected was a THRILL ride.

And the best part? You can go to Myxer.com and get a RING TONE for your phone that says “We Hungry. Feed Us.” in a scarier voice than you can imagine, (and that voice will only get worse after you read the book.)

April 1st, 2008, only this is no joke. Buy the book (preferably at your local independent bookshop) and get ready to be scared out of your MIND.