Have eBook Will Travel

For those that may have missed it, I broke my thumb back in December. It was a silly accident with long term negative consequences including many trips to the VA Medical Center. There was a benefit to this though.

Amazon Kindle Keyboard 3G

Let me back up a minute to explain. June 2012, several generous people got together and sent me a Kindle for my birthday. I love it very much. It contains over 400 books, mainly independent authors. I learned about the books and some great bargains through some form of social media. 

As you can see, Kindles are lightweight, and great when you have a cast on your hand. It has dual page controls which means you can flip from either your left or right thumb. Considering my right thumb was incapacitated for a while that was a wonderful thing. 

An eBook means you don't have to lug around several books in case you finish your current one. This is very helpful, especially on the long train rides to and from the VA. It meant when I finished one body of work, I could quickly switch to another. Let me tell you something, that's very convenient when you have to wait over an hour for an x-ray or to see the doctor. There were times when I had nothing protecting my thumb and thus it was difficult for me to lift heavy things.

The books oftentimes helped to transport me to other places watching other people in more desperate situations than my own. When reality came back into focus, I counted my blessings instead of tears. 

The downside was, I didn't always have time to do my book reviews before starting another book. Yesterday, I finally caught up with all my reviews on Goodreads. That was when I noticed that Smashwords was having their annual Read An eBook Week.  I took a moment and put Call Sign: Wrecking Crew (Storm Warning) in the mix. Later on, I got some great bargains for myself and my Godson. 

So fellow readers, if you have an e Reader that could use a few more books, please take a moment to check out Smashwords and see if you can help change the world around you. 

For my fellow authors, if your book is on Smashwords, and you haven't already done so, go to the Read an eBook section and follow the instructions for authors on the left hand side. A few clicks and a decision later, your book can be available to transport people to your world. 

Have a great one!

Lynn Hallbrooks

co-author of Call Sign: Wrecking Crew (Storm Warning)

co-owner of Call Sign Wrecking Crew, LLC

A Big Thank You

Thank You via Adobe Illustrator

I wanted to take a few moments to show my appreciation to the many people who have crossed my path this past couple of years.

First and foremost, a Big Thank You to the loyal followers of this blog and other Social Media outlets. Without your support, I probably would have folded up my proverbial tent a long time ago. 

I believe I've said this before but I will say it again, Independent Authors are a special group of people. They know the value of working together for a common goal - entertaining and/or enlightening their readers. It takes teamwork to accomplish this goal.  Many of them make an effort to help their fellow authors out in whatever way they can. Some have given me/us a gentle nudge in the right direction. You know who you are... Thank You so much.  

Others have shared David and I with their followers this past year or so. I've been wanting to post a list of them on here and now seemed like the best time to show my appreciation. Thank you so much: 

Tim Greaton

Angelica Harris along with Siggy Buckley

Van Heerling

Tracy James Jones

Richard Stephenson

Belinda Witzenhausen

Karen Wodke

Violet Yates

If for some reason you've missed these interviews or guest blogs, then please feel free to visit (click on) them, provided you get a rare few moments. ;)  I've also posted these links on the guest page of our website.

That reminds me, I'm very grateful for the lessons I learned at the Art Institute of Dallas. They've helped me have a foundation necessary for some of the marketing things I do. 

I'm especially grateful to my friends that I live with. They provide me with a roof over my head; plenty of chaos; life lessons; and love on a daily basis. They have adopted me into their lives for better or worse. 

As most of my loyal followers know, David was the one that encouraged me to write. We are quickly coming up on two years being published. So even though, I came into this kicking and screaming at times, I'm glad Call Sign: Wrecking Crew (Storm Warning) was published.  We've had some publishing adventures but we've also made a lot of great friends too.  

Thanks David, my adopted family, and all of my friends for all you do.  

Hope everyone has a Grateful one!

Lynn Hallbrooks

co-author to David McKoy

co-owners of Call Sign Wrecking Crew, LLC

To Write A Wrong Was No Easy Day

Hardcover version of No Easy Day...

When you first open up the book, No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark Owen, and read the Author's Note, you learn the reasons why Mr. Owen wrote the book in the first place. It is interesting to note that a book read in Junior High School influenced Mr. Owen to want to join the Navy SEALs. Does this mean that books have power? 

Books, in and of themselves, do not have any powers. The power is in the words that are written. Do they inspire the imagination of the reader. Do they reach out and grab you, urging you to make a change in your life or way of thinking? If the words do, then the author has been successful. 

Current eBook version of #CSWCSW

In my case, Mr. Owen's words helped me to understand the inner mindset of a modern-day Navy SEAL. As long time followers may know, I'm prior Air Force. To my knowledge, I do not know any Special Forces people. David has been around them and learned from them, so I defer those details to him. As a writer though, it does help to know what a character would or would not do in a situation. Having read No Easy Day..., I feel a little more at ease with the Special Forces mindset. Granted the Wrecking Crew are a bit more old school but I'm sure they could learn a thing or two from the younger crowd. 

If the reader pays attention, Mr. Owen taught many lessons. He taught me that missions require planning and attention to detail complete with contingencies. I also learned that even with all the factors stacked in your favor, a fair amount of luck (or blessings) help out. As SEALs go from mission to training onto the next deployment, they learn from their prior misfortunes.  I guess the same can be said for authors and writers. We plan, we factor stuff in, we get lucky with a word here or there then we go on to the next book taking away some lesson we learned the hard way. Then again, usually authors aren't under enemy fire when having to make decisions.  Navy SEALs are a special breed. Members of DEVGRU are the cream of the crop.  

Mr. Owen explains about DEVGRU, its history and how he made it into this elite group. He also shares the events leading up to and after the title mission to the best of his abilities.  Personally I applaud him for taking the risk to set the record straight. Writing and sharing your inner thoughts and feelings is no easy thing. But then again, I feel sure easy is a foreign word to Mr. Owen and his fellow SEALs when you consider the "only easy day was yesterday".  I'm sure their yesterdays are a hundred times worse than my toughest day ever. 

"Bestsellers" to Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer. I hope you raise lots of funds for your worthy causes. To everyone else, if autobiographies and/or books on military are your thing, I highly recommend this book. 

Lynn Hallbrooks

co-author to David McKoy

co-owners of Call Sign Wrecking Crew, LLC