So today I bought a Kindle...

So today I bought a Kindle. 

I have been resisting this for a long time. I love reading and trying different authors (although I'll admit I'm a bit of a loyal reader so once I find a writer I like I stalk them until I have read everything they've ever published - okay, maybe not that extreme), but with physical bookstores on the steep decline I've always struggled with the concept of Ebooks and the digital publishing age.

But, I'm here to admit, I've been converted. Will I still buy traditional hard copies of books?  Absolutely! There's nothing quite like the smell of a book; the paper, the dust... okay, maybe that's just me.  Most book stores in Adelaide have now closed which I find very sad.  I loved walking into a book store and knowing there were so many stories in there I hadn't yet read - so much knowledge and entertainment. 

However, when it comes to writing and reading, I think the digital age is well and truly upon us.  The Kindle is small, light and very portable.  I recently spent some time in the magnificent Whitsundays (a tropical paradise for those who don't know) and I took a good old favourite Janet Evanovich book with me.  Janet's Stephanie Plum books are by far some of my favourites; they're an easy read, entertaining, funny and if you can get past the gore, light hearted.  The problem with taking the book with me was I couldn't take too many and finished the book well before my flight home; meaning I was bookless. 

Sure, I could have taken more than one book, but the Kindle holds around 1,400 and I've heard airlines and security aren't that keen on you lugging that many books through the airport or trying to store them in the overheads.

So would the Kindle have come in handy?  Absolutely!  It might not have the same level of nostalgia that sitting down with a good book has, but the practicality is undeniable.

All right, I'll be honest, I bought a Kindle because my first book Out Of Her League has now been published on there and I wanted to know how it looked.  I am excited that my book is now available for sale and even though ultimately I would prefer it was in physical form, I understand that it's able to reach far more people for far less cost as an Ebook.

Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and understand that technology has changed things.  I have absolutely no intention of replacing my overloaded bookshelves with a small digital device (if and when the world gets overtaken by zombies it's important we still have knowledge and I don't spend my whole time roaming the streets looking for somewhere to plug in my USB to read Walking Dead to know how to defeat them).  Disclaimer, I have never actually seen Walking Dead, I'm currently still way too obsessed with Supernatural, but it is on my list.  I do know it involves zombies and I'm reasonably sure they aren't roaming the streets looking for somewhere to plug in their iPods.  Although I could be wrong.

I previously wrote about working up the nerve to try different things and 'put yourself out there' and I've decided it's really not that scary.  This morning I went for my first run outside in ages (usually done on the treadmill on the odd occasion I actually do it); I was wearing track pants, a baggy top, my hair was wet and I didn't have any makeup on, but that is okay.  I wouldn't go out to the shops dressed like that and I was wearing my oversized sunglasses, but I think it's okay to try something different every so often and not worry about what others think. 

Now I've painted that charming picture of myself (sweaty and daggy), I'm going to limp off to the kitchen, make myself a cup of peppermint tea and shamelessly read my own book on Kindle.

Oh and if you get the opportunity, head to the Whitsundays - the most beautiful place I have ever been to.

P.P.S (that should really read 'P.S' but peepee makes me giggle), if you're interested, the link to my book is here (for Australia) or here (for the US).