James Piper, Author

Friday, July 6, 2012 ... Great ranking on Amazon UK. Thank you wonderful readers ... A big thanks to my readers for their support. Posted 2012/07/06 at 04h50ET in Project Nevis .

Friday, June 15, 2012 ... why I don't bother with turning on DRM for my e-books ... W hen I was in high school, a bunch of years ago, one listened to music from a radio or a turntable. You know those machines with a needle on the end of an arm that went round and round. Yeah, there were tape cassettes and some still had 8-tracks but mostly it was vinyl. Pirating was about B movies at the Saturday matinee. There was bootlegging, something about secret recordings of concerts, but I was never part of any in-crowd so I only heard a few words from a distance. Fast forward a few years and the digital world turned the music business upside down. Pirating took on new meaning and things haven’t been the same since. The book business was slow to see the effects because people weren’t willing to read books on their computers nor were they willing to spend a small fortune for a portable device. Enter Amazon and its Kindle. They sold it at a loss to create a market. It’d say it’s ...

Monday, June 11, 2012 ... have you been accused of misspelling a word you know is correct ... S usanne O’Leary wrote an interesting article on her experience with the variations of the English language in different countries. You know the obvious ones like colour with or without a “u” but less obvious ones like travelled versus traveled. Growing up in Sweden she learnt English in school—the UK variation. In publishing her books, she read reviews where she was criticized for improper spelling. False accusations as it turns out. While I write tire and cozy, it’s not incorrect to write tyre or cosy. Same language. Both accepted. Just different. You can read her write-up here along with the numerous comments posted by readers. I found it interesting, but that’s me. As a Canadian I deal with this issue everyday. I feel her pain when she’s criticized for something based on ignorance. No fun. I was told by a boss that “data are” isn’t correct. It should be “data is.” Read...

Friday, June 1, 2012 ... if you want to grab a reader, you hit the ground running, right? ... H ere is a summary of the first sentences of the novels written by David Baldacci . Do they meet the requirements of agents, editors and, most importantly, readers? You be the judge. 1. Absolute Power (1996) "He gripped the steering wheel loosely as the car, its lights out, drifted slowly to a stop. A few last scraps of gravel kicked out of the tire treads and then silence enveloped him. He took a moment to adjust to the surroundings and then pulled out a pair of worn but still effective night-vision binoculars. The house slowly came into focus. He shifted easily, confidently in his seat. A duffel bag lay on the front seat beside him. The car's interior was faded but clean." 2. Total Control (1996) "The apartment was small, unattractive and possessed of an unsettling musty odor that suggested long neglect. However, the few furnishi...

Wednesday, December 21, 2011 ... love the music but can't get into the message ... A mazing Grace is a powerful song, known to many, but not everyone agrees with its message. It’s impossible for atheists to accept the notion that belief in a god, any god, will result in salvation of any description. It’s nonsense. It’s wishful thinking. It’s simply not true. How can belief in something that does not exist offer any benefit? In some instances I suppose, it can, but that means stepping away from a rational world and into a delusional one. Given that, it doesn’t matter what god you believe in to provide that comfort, any god will do. As long as it offers the same reward, the same reassurance, your job is to pick one and people do. But not everyone. For those who want to remain in the rational world, that choice means: Atheism. So what songs celebrate that choice? I can’t think of any. None with the splendour of the music of Amazing Grace. None that aren’t pop songs about ...

Monday, December 19, 2011 Tilly, Personal Chef (A Romantic Comedy) Posted 2011/12/19 at 12h04ET in Tilly Personal Chef (A Romantic Comedy) .

Monday, December 05, 2011 ... here's a recipe for something I use everyweek ... I Tilly Auriel is a chef. She’s worked in various restaurants in the San Francisco area, catered weddings and divorces, and recently was hired as a personal chef for James and Kendra Edwards who were recently married in a lavish ceremony at Grace Cathedral. You can read about her comedic, romantic adventures in: Tilly, Personal Chef, a soon-to-be-released book. In the meantime, she is guest blogging on cooking. Today’s entry is about her Mexican spice mix. If you like to make tacos or fajitas (chicken, beef), you can buy packets of spice mixes from the grocery store. They’ll give you that authentic flavour you find in restaurants, but they are expensive. A cheaper alternative is to buy the individual spices and make the mix yourself. This recipe gives you enough mix to last a few months and it’s easier to make this batch once then do it every time you cook. Here are the key ingredients:...