Photodump post! I’ll put the photos behind the cut, but I’m not sure it’ll do much good as far as keeping it out of your readers.

I received a FABULOUS package today from Lauren filled not only with some of the most incredible-scented tea ever, but also with some hand-knitted socks. Hand-knitted socks which, by some bizarre twist of fate, perfectly matched my outfit today, go figure.

Below the sock pics, Athena’s new bling. <3

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I Won!

The folks over at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books somehow managed to get their hot little hands on 30 Sony eReaders to loan out. Thanks to a timely email from Dechion, I felt compelled to go ahead and enter for a chance to be one of the lucky book-lovers who gets to test drive one of these hot little numbers for a month.

And I won! Out of a pool of over 200 applicants, which sets my head to spinning if I think about it too much!

(You’ll note that today’s icon is the Sony 700 series eReader. I’m nothing if not optimistic! It could be either the 700 or the 505 that I get to test.)

What Does This Mean?

I’ll get to “borrow” the eReader for a month. I also get a $25 gift certificate from Harlequin (yes, the romance folks. Those of you snickering in the back now have detention for a week.) to buy eBooks to test on it.

For this privilege, I owe three reviews - whether they be limerick, podcast, blog entry, or mural is up to me. Two reviews of the eReader itself, and one review of whichever Harlequin romance I get using the gift certificate. I imagine I’ll probably twist Bre’s arm and make one of them a podcast. Because hey, what’s the point of having  a writing and reading podcast if I don’t use it for my own devious purposes?

*AIRPUNCH*

I’m excited, to put it mildly. While I believe that eReaders and eBooks will never fully replace deadtree books, I do believe that they are the wave of the future (some believe they are the wave of the present, but I agree with JA Konrath that we aren’t quite there yet). The opportunity to test drive these models for a whole month without buying is incredible. And I say this with a mouthful of cat hair from the last time I sat down with a paperback book and my beloved feline decided that ON MY FACE was the most comfortable nap spot in the apartment.

And since I’m a sucker for a good cuddle, I didn’t want to move him, which made turning the pages an interesting feat.

Will the Sony eReader suit my lifestyle and the way I read?

I do not know.

However, I fully intend to find out. And I also intend to give all of you the inside scoop on what I learn.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find a secluded corner to do yet another victory dance in. (If you’d ever seen my victory dance, you’d be grateful that it’s in a secluded corner. I was spotted once, and the only way I could save face was to pretend that I was trying to squash a bunch of ants. Vigorously. With my whole body. To music.)

For those of you who just can’t get enough prompt love from the Saucy Wenches (or who want a prompt that’s just a little bit more structured), something you may be interested in just came across my feed reader this morning. Daphne from KT Literary, an author agent blog, has a selection of three writing prompts to tickle your creative writing spark. Not only could you get more blog traffic out of the deal, but one lucky writer will get a free book from the KT Literary agency!

I haven’t yet decided if I’ll join in the fun (My June saucy prompt didn’t even get done until yesterday!) but I’m pondering, contemplating, and plotting. Not all at the same time, though, as that could get messy.