ALVA Lowers eBook Editing, Design, and Publication Rates

ALVA eBook editing, design, publication, and distribution prices just took a serious plunge. If you are thinking about publishing, check them out at http://alvapressinc.com/

Even ALVA the Indie text me from D.C. where she is participating in the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the March on Washington in 1963 at which Martin Luther King gave his memorable “I Have a Dream” speech.

After reviewing the new lower ALVA prices her comment, “Yes!!! Power to the people.”

As for me, all I want is her back here and ready to help with the editing and design onslaught when the writers get a hold of the new ALVA editing, design, and publication rates!
Check ’em out at http://alvapressinc.com

Roberta in Po-Town, Ready

ALVA Green Tomatoes Novelists Runoff

Eager for the November 20, 2012, judges’ decision as to which YA/A novel submitted will enjoy the winning novelist’s privilege of free publication of his or her novel as an ALVA eBook. Deadline for submissions October 15, 2012. http://alvapressinc.com/alva_greentomatoes.html

ALVA eBook Viewing Basics

For the basics on viewing eBooks on a variety of devices, Alyssa Schaad’s article is a great all purpose one for any eBook reader. http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=857ff712e9427d22ec86cbf01&id=e8616c39e0&e=4c50267243

ALVA Green Tomatoes Novelist Runoff

For a heads up on a great contest for novelists almost ready to publish do check out http://www.alvapressinc.com/alva_greentomatoes.html The winner has his or her novel published as an eBook and distributed worldwide at no cost–FREE.

Why Do I Love Thee?

How silly can it be. I just love Alva the Indie–so definitely over the edge. Can’t figure out if she talks to me or I talk to her and I’m just talking to myself–all of which gives one a certain sense of freedom. I mean, think of it: On a dime, in mid-sentence I change my point of view, reconsider, revamp, and comment on myself or is it me? Or is it Alva Press? Or is it Alva the Indie? Or Roberta M. Roy, that well-known publisher and 2011 Living Now Awards Medalist in Inspirational fiction and author of Jolt: a rural noir?

Today I have chosen to be Alva Press, Inc., and here’s the reason. We need a heart-to-heart. Why? Well, you see, things here are at a standstill.

After Alva’s links were broken, readership went down and while it is gradually rebuilding it is nowhere where it used to be. Also Roy is overextended now that the school year has begun–and with a nearly all new caseload. Takes too much energy to write and keep up with her blogs and also do all the things that Alva needs done–like tell everyone that Jolt: a rural noir is now available as an eBook at http://alvapressinc.com.

Yup, truth to be told, at this time Alva Press, Inc., is a pretty much one woman operation and while readers are beginning to comment positively about Jolt: a rural noir in places like GoodReads, not much else is really happening.

Just wanted to give you a heads up on the current state of affairs and to ask you if there is anything you can think of to help–like buy or recommend Jolt: a rural noir, Alva Press, Inc. and I would really appreciate it.

Gotta go now. Roy’s calling.

Alva the Indie

Earthquakes and Computer Crashes

Yesterday Alva had a terrible day. Her computer crashed. Worse yet it was Alva’s digital designer’s last day of contract. Yes, the end of this week Karen takes off for Pratt Institute to complete a Masters Degree in Art and Digital Design. Alva and I are sure going to miss her! Thank goodness she has promised to come back whenever she can.

So the plan yesterday had been to spiffy up the website a bit and get out Alva’s first email campaign announcing the availability of Jolt: a rural noir in ePub and Mobi eBook forms. Didn’t happen. And we are still picking up the pieces from the effects of the computer crash. It’s been restored and is working well, but some of the files we wanted to maintain are gone. So that’s this morning’s project. Restoring them.

As for the earthquake, Alva felt the rumblings here in Poughkeepsie. People in the buildings nearby had emptied into the street looking for the explosion. Seeing there had been none, we then happy-guessed it must have been an earthquake, and were we right!

See the map in the paper yesterday of the area affected? Why it was the whole East Coast! Luckily, however, nothing major. You see our worry is that Indian Point Power Plant sits on a fault line and now today I see that in North Anna, 40 Miles North of Richmond, VA, has been put on alert until it is completely confirmed that the plant has not been damaged by the tremors. Also today on WSJ.com there is a map of Tuesday’s earthquake. I looked and I counted twelve that reported ‘unusual event.’ Check it out yourself at http://online.wsj.com/article. You can find the map under the interactive tab associated with today’s article. Then next, contact Alva at alvapressinc.com for your copy of Jolt: a rural noir.

No kidding. Do order your copy of Jolt at alvapressinc.com. Great book. Great characters. And chuck full of facts related to ionizing radiation and emergency response in the event of dirty bombs or a nuclear plant meltdown. The fifteen members of the Vergennes, VT, all purchased and read it, after which they Skyped an interview with me, its author. Great discussion. Love’em all!

But then friends there told me that after the Fukushima meltdown, they returned to read it for a review of pertinent survival facts. You see they worry about the Vermont Yankee Plant going down and just as Roberta found, being informed helped them quiet unnecessary fears while helping them to also form plans as to what to do ‘just in case.’

So if you know anyone who lives near any of those twelve plants with ‘unusual events’, have them contact Alva Press, Inc. and get a copy of Jolt: a rural noir, now available in Trade Paper Back, Hard Cover, and ePub and Mobi eBook forms. And the best part of it is, you can enjoy the story and its colorful cast of characters as you learn.

Roberta M. Roy in Po-Town, On a mission

Broken Links

Alva’s blue. Her links a broken. A couple of weeks ago she decided she needed a more sophisticated image evolved by professional web designers but to start the process she was asked to think of a new name to be used as her site address. Well, that was easy. She’d use the name of her subsidiary, eAlvaInk, and when the site was done, she’s switch back to Alva Press, Inc.

So the new Alva Press/eAlvaInk web site was built and Alva’s mentor (and owner) Roberta, liked it. The site had a light and area quality about it. The Alva Logo and the eAlvaInk Trademark both were displayed beautifully. The pages were coordinated in theme and the text was well set and read easily. So Roberta was ecstatic. Alva looked great!

And then Roberta went out on the net and lo and behold all the old links to two and a half years of three blog entries a week were broken. But that was not the worst of it. They were also housed at a separate site and because pointers had been used to tie them to the new eAlvaInk (really Alva) site, they not only were broken, there would be no simple way to repair them.

So here I am on tender-hooks as Web.Com and Register.Com discuss a trade and swap process that will bring all the sites, subsites, and links to one site under the name alvapressinc.com Except that Web.com is closed on weekends so we will not be able to figure it out until Monday so right now I’m just worried that my readers will think I have abandoned them or that they will abandon me. After all, what’s the sense of trying when every decent link you knew, whether for the alvapressinc/robertamroy, or the alvapressinc/writerpublishersweblog, or the alvapressinc/robertamroyonnuclearsurvival, is broken. (Which is why I started to blog here anyway.)

But this too shall pass, and come Tuesday at latest, expect to see all the old alvapressinc.com links working. But as for the new site, it is up for grabs as it is possible that despite its lovely appearance I may be forced to abandon it for my old register.com do-it-yourself site which–although I’d prefer its appearance to be a bit more sophisticated–at least works!

Roberta in Po-Town, Displaced