This week Amazon launched Kindle Unlimited, and it’s all anyone who uses a Kindle or ereader can talk about. For $9.99 a month, you can read over 600,000 thousand titles and thousands of audiobooks. I know I would sign-up. I live in a small town where book selection is limited even at the library. I like the sheer variety Kindle can offer and while the choices aren’t going to be the most popular or newest titles, I’m excited to try new authors and genres. Not everyone is as thrilled with Kindle Unlimited as I am. Some people call it a glorified library card. Others see it as a game changer for the publishing industry. What impact will this massive online library do for the future of book sales? Will people be willing to buy a single title at a cost which is sometimes more expensive than an entire month’s fee? When you’re a teen and have a limited (or non-existent) income is $9.99 a month even an option? I can’t answer those questions, but in talking to friends about how Kindle Unlimited could change the future of ereading, I did realize two things about myself. One: I love to read,…

My apologies to the Beatles. But those boys were right. Over the years, you acquire a variety of them. I have friends from my childhood, from university, and friends my husband and I made as a couple. When my kids were small, my immediate group of friends tended to be other mothers. My two closest friends are still my sisters. (Not that I don’t love my brother. But there are some things he simply Does Not Want to Hear About.) These groups aren’t mutually exclusive. There’s a fair bit of overlap. In fact, one of my sisters is also a writer. And of course, my husband ranks up there as one of my very best friends. We’ve known each other since we were sixteen and eighteen. He and I, however, have vastly different interests. When it comes to my writing, which makes up a significant part of my life these days, his eyes tend to glaze over. Don’t get me wrong. He’s supportive. But it’s the same reason he doesn’t care to watch World Cup soccer with me. He claims my enthusiasm “isn’t sincere.” So when you find friends who not only share your interests, but also your sense of…

We’re kicking off our Susan Elizabeth Phillips Read-Along this week with BREATHING ROOM, and Loretta Chase is here to discuss why she loves this particular SEP title. Welcome, Loretta! 1. The pristine beauty and simplicity of the first line, and the anticipation it awakens: Isabel Favor prized neatness. I could not possibly say another word about this. It’s perfect. 2. Enter the hero: Lorenzo Gage was viciously handsome. You know, killer gorgeous. Which is what he is, in the movies. Sometimes a serial killer, sometimes not, but but always bad, bad, bad. “And sadism has made me famous.” 3. Also, he’s Italian. Be still my heart. 4. Fifi. 5. The Four Cornerstones and the various Rules, like “the Healthy Relationship Rules of Fair Combat, not one of which advocated yelling ‘shut up.’” 6. Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue. The gift of the screwball comedy snappy comeback muse: Sparks of happiness rushed through her. “Watching me eat this is turning you on.” He looked irritated. “I’ve been a little sex-deprived lately, so it doesn’t take much.” “Sure. It’s been, what? Five days?” 7. Tuscany. You can see it and smell it and hear it. And taste it. Especially the gelato. 8. The subplot–no,…