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First time here? Read Lauren's welcome message and find out how to use the site.

Dear Reader,

I'm excited to announce a new chapter in my career: After twelve years and ten books, I've left my New York publisher to join the digital revolution as an indie author.

The first thing I'm doing is completely revising my published books, making them better reads and in some cases re-adding material my NY publisher wanted removed to lower the page count. I've been republishing them as I finish them, and the first few are out now in e-book form, priced much lower than traditional publishers' books. Trade paperback versions are coming very soon (by that I mean possibly as soon as next week!).

Once I've finished with all the rewrites, I'll be publishing new work that I hope my readers will enjoy. :-)

You'll find my newest book pictured to the right. To see which other books are currently available, please visit my books page.

If you're already one of my treasured readers, thanks so much for sticking with me. If you've just discovered my books, thanks for giving them a try!

Happy reading!

Did you know you don't need to buy an e-reader to enjoy e-books?

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and iBooks all have FREE apps (software) that you can download to any smartphone or computer. Once you've installed an app (which takes all of two minutes), you can buy e-books on the Kindle, Nook, Kobo, or iBook sites. In our new electronic world, there's no longer any need to drive to a bookstore or order a book and wait for it to come in the mail--choose an e-book online, and 30 seconds later you can be reading it!

FREE apps are available for PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android, and Windows 7 phones. Go to your device's App Store to download. Or…

Get your FREE Amazon Kindle app here.
Get your FREE Barnes & Noble Nook app here.
Get your FREE Chapters/Indigo Kobo app here.
Get your FREE Apple iBooks app here.

Love your paper books? Afraid you won't like reading e-books?

I felt the same way. As a writer, I've been hearing "The e-revolution is coming!" for a long, long time. For all those years, I swore up and down I'd never abandon my paper books to read novels on a screen. I loved holding books, I loved turning the pages, loved even the smell of paper books. No way, no how was I going to give that up.

Then the e-revolution did arrive--and there was no mistaking it. So early last year, wondering what all the fuss was about, I downloaded the free Kindle app on my phone. Heck, it was free, right? And I knew there were free public domain books (old out-of-copyright books, like Pride & Prejudice) that I could download from Amazon to try out. For a grand investment of zero dollars and a few minutes of my time, I could give this digital revolution a go. Then I'd be able to tell people I didn't like it based on actual experience instead of just my preconceptions.

I was sure I would hate the reading experience. Positive, in fact. But guess what? Two chapters into my first e-book, I was hooked.

Here's why:

• Believe it or not (you have to try it to see), e-book pages look and read just like "real" printed books.
• I always have my phone with me everywhere…which means I always have the book I'm reading with me. I don't have to remember it for doctor's appointments. If I'm stuck in the slow line behind the lady with a checkbook, two cartloads of groceries, and 103 coupons, I can enjoy reading a book instead of fuming. I don't have to weigh down my purse with these books, either.
• Both Amazon and B&N allow you to download the first few chapters for free. Of EVERY book. No more wasting money buying a book that looks good, but turns out to be boring. You can read a chunk of every book to make sure you really enjoy it before buying.
• I can take 10 books with me on vacation. Or 20 or 100. The books don't weigh anything, and they don't take up room in my suitcase--because they're all in the phone I'm carrying anyway.
• My phone is backlit. I can read in bed at night without needing a light, without disturbing my husband with the light, and without needing to turn the light off when I get sleepy.
• The font size is adjustable--every book can be a large-print book. Or a tiny-print book, if you want more words on your pages. You can also adjust the page coloring to your preference. Black on white? White on black? My personal preference is sepia-toned (brown on tan), because I find it easiest on my eyes.
• YES, a smartphone screen is plenty big enough to read on. Again, you need to try it to see. (And it's free to try, so why not?)
• Do your arms ever get tired while holding a book in bed? My phone is much lighter to hold than a book. Especially a hardback book. (Some Kindle and Nook e-readers are extremely light, too.)
• You don't need bookmarks. The app keeps track of where you are in a book--when you reopen it, you're in exactly the same place. If you use more than one device to read books--say, your smartphone, a Kindle, and an iPad--their apps automatically sync, so whichever device you pick up always opens to your current reading spot, even if you switch devices.
• Ever want to re-read a certain paragraph or scene but you can't find it in a book? E-books are searchable! If you can remember a few words, you can find what you're looking for. Easily. You can also permanently bookmark your favorite pages, highlight portions, and make notes, all of which the apps make very easy to find later.
• You can't destroy an e-book by rereading it too many times. You can't damage the spine by opening it too far. You can't ruin the pages with spilled tea, and the glue never disintegrates. Every time you open the book, it's in perfect condition.
• There's more. Lots more. I can't remember it all at the moment, but I am a total convert. I have not bought ONE paper book in the nearly two years since I downloaded the free Kindle app. In fact, I ended up buying an e-book version of the book I was in the middle of reading at the time, because I didn't want to pick up that paper book again!