Madam Broshkina graciously posted my new novel Mars Girl in the BBeb/LRF forum (which initially drew me to this site) but I thought I'd provide a link to my site here for those who missed it there. I've included some review excerpts and comments concerning Mars Girl below. It's only available as a free download right now. Mars Girl is my first novel and my goal is to introduce the book to as many people as possible, and get feedback from readers. The book is published under a Creative Commons license. Mars Girl is available in a few formats at my site:

www.marsgirl.us

If you don't find a format that works for you, let me know. And if there's anyone who would like to assist in creating new formats, or point me in the right direction, that would be wonderful. There seems to be a great deal of expertise here.

Would people rather go to my site to get the book, or is it better to post files here?

Jeff

Comments/Reviews:

Mars Girl is fast-paced, insightful, inventive and very, very funny. Its vision of where the mutual dependence of politicians and media producers will end is both hilarious and a little frightening. Put Karl Rove and Groucho Marx in a smoke-filled room, spin well on 24-hour news cycle, and you get Mars Girl. This should be required reading for anyone who watches cable news, votes or is thinking of running for President in 2012.
-Marc J. Sheehan

Mars Girl is reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut's early satire ... [It's] a bizarre, satirical romp that offers a glimpse into the media and politics of a future that is probably nearer than most would like to admit.
-Bill Castanier, City Pulse, Lansing, Michigan

Mars Girl should make us all pay more attention to the threat of media manipulation of our world. Garrity's subtle wit and the fast-paced action make this a most enjoyable read.
-Harry McGee

Kind of like Carl Hiaasen, Vonnegut, and even Dr. Strangelove. It's an incredibly fast paced page turner. I read it in about 7 hours and couldn't get enough. I laughed, I cried, I chewed off all my nails. LOL. I'd like to send copies to all our media stars, producers and publishers of the 24 hour news cycle to shame them.
-Terry Mentgen

Sometimes I wasn't sure where Garrity was coming from during the odd-but-intriguing moments, but the world he creates is believable and the style grows on you. Mars Girl's twists and turns kept me interested and I'm still trying to figure out the ending; if any book I've read recently is ripe for a follow-up, it's this one. I'm curious to see what the author will come up with next.
-Rob Peerman

Thank you
I will definitely try out the book.

And if there's anyone who would like to assist in creating new formats, or point me in the right direction, that would be wonderful. I was going to suggest feedbooks.com, but it is there already, see Feedbooks: Mars Girl (http://feedbooks.com/userbook/1068).

You're welcome, Kacir. It's great to find a group of interested readers.

Yes, Mars Girl is available at feedbooks but I had some formatting struggles so I only posted a portion of the book. I need to try again ...

Feedbooks provides the option of posting your own books, but my impression is that most CC science fiction (say) is made available by the feedbooks team, rather than the author, see Creative Commons Science-Fiction (http://feedbooks.com/list/22).

Interesting ... I just posted a comment on the CC Science Fiction page at feedbooks. Maybe they'll add Mars Girl to the list.

Which brings up a question I've wrestled with: is Mars Girl science fiction? Labels don't matter much to me, but I'd rather not be misleading, and agents and publishers almost always ask authors where book stores would shelve the book so despite the constraints of a label, they can be useful. A librarian who read Mars Girl said that if she was going to categorize it (and who better to do that than a librarian?) she would call it "social science fiction." Of course that's not a common category on web sites, at book stores or in libraries so if the librarian is correct, I'm not sure if that takes it out of the science fiction realm and puts it in general fiction or in some other category.

The only negative comment so far at manybooks is from someone who believes that readers would be better off choosing a Jules Verne novel, which for some people is likely to be true (as much as I hate to admit it). Also, I think my valiant effort at amateur book cover design might lead people to believe it's straight science fiction since it features a Flash Gordon-style spaceship. On the other hand, a fair amount of the action takes place on Mars. Maybe that's enough to make it science fiction?!?

I just read my previous post and it sounds like a homework assignment ... sorry if I got carried away.

LRF would be quite nice. Also, it would be a lot easier to convert if the HTML had a proper ToC. You'd have to make about 146 links for a proper ToC. I wonder what Book Designer would do with it... I'll have a quick go and see,.

We are happy either way you elect to publish your book either at your own site or allowing us to post it here. We can offer support for a number of formats supported by portable reading devices including the old ereader format (once known as PalmDoc) that is now used by some for the iPhone.

Is the book SciFi? Yes. Is Verne better? Verne is of a different time and some of the translations have been poor, very poor. For a hundred years ago he was great.

So welcome to MobileRead (a bit late there, wasn't I) and if there is anything we can do to help, just ask.

the cover probably doesn't reflect the book very well, but i find that's true of a lot of ebook covers. thanks for the book - i'll spend some time with it after work :)

I'm glad I found mobileread, it's a very welcoming place. Thanks for the offers of help, I really appreciate it.

Today's online version of the NY Times has a link to this forum. Wow, you people have power!

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/mars_planet/index.html

Now if they'd do a review ...

JSWolf, there's a LRF file posted by Madam Broshkina here:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28418

I don't have a Sony reader so I don't know if it has a TOC. But you're right, the book's structure (lots of short chapters) means a TOC is a pain. Something I should have thought about a few years ago when I started writing ...

... she would call it "social science fiction." Of course that's not a common category on web sites, at book stores or in libraries so if the librarian is correct, I'm not sure if that takes it out of the science fiction realm and puts it in general fiction or in some other category.
Just find out where one of the SF masterpieces writen by Robert A. Heinlein Straanger in a strange land is categorized. If there is on book that could be called the Great grandfather of all "social science fiction" it is this book.

JSWolf, there's a LRF file posted by Madam Broshkina here:

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28418

I don't have a Sony reader so I don't know if it has a TOC. But you're right, the book's structure (lots of short chapters) means a TOC is a pain. Something I should have thought about a few years ago when I started writing ...

I made a TOC for the following sections in the book:

Prologue
Day I
Day II
Epilogue

You're welcome, Kacir. It's great to find a group of interested readers.

Yes, Mars Girl is available at feedbooks but I had some formatting struggles so I only posted a portion of the book. I need to try again ...

Feel free to PM or e-mail me anytime you'd like. We've improved the publishing feature already and will continue to redesign part of the UI for this feature in the upcoming weeks.

The good thing about Feedbooks aside from the fact that it support ePub/Mobipocket is that we're also a good way to distribute content: directly to the iPhone through Stanza, or to the Kindle using our dedicated guide.
It's also a real ecosystem where users can get recommendations, create list etc... rather than an isolated piece of information.

Heinlein is always considered science fiction as far as I know. I've got an hour drive to watch my daughter play volleyball this evening and the library is on the way ... I'll see where they categorize Stranger in a Strange Land and maybe find a librarian who has some hair-splitting genre knowledge.

I think Madam Broshkina's TOC makes a lot of sense. I don't see a need to list each short chapter title. Not that there's anything wrong with that, though.

Hadrien, I'll take you up on your offer of help with feedbooks soon. Thanks. I wanted to get back to that, just haven't had a chance.

I suppose ebook cover designs are often misleading because they're usually done by inexperienced people like me. After a few evenings learning the graphics program from openoffice.org and spending a week messing around with ideas, I was just happy to have it done. The experience gave me an appreciation for book designers.

Was off for a while, and when I checked the forum, wow! A new offering! Still in the middle of Strange Attractors, but the title "Mars Girl" quickly got my attention. Welcome aboard, Mr. JG.
Now, some input on the ebook? :)
Sometimes we take for granted putting a piece of paper between pages of paper books to mark the page we're in. In ebook, we have bookmarks and stuff. Then again, sometimes those 'go to last page read' bookmark might get erased or whatnot. Hence, proper TOC in ebook.
Personally, I have my own preferred ebook format that i chose everytime i buy ebooks from fw, powells or ebooks.com. The format provides (and when the publisher make it properly) TOC and it's very helpful. Try reading a 1,600 something pages in a windows-mobile phone/pocketpc. Without proper TOC, one might spend quite some time to look for her/his last read page.
After I downloaded and start skimming through the pages of the .lit version, one thing comes to mind: let's do this properly.... Cover page, TOC, copyright page (yes, i believe this should be an important part of the book), perhaps reference to other works, _about_the_author, then the package would look much nicer.
I'd be happy to help :)

I made a TOC for the following sections in the book:

Prologue
Day I
Day II
Epilogue
I'd like to ask what size font did you choose for small? Also, would it be possible to make it with a ToC for each numbered section please?

For those who converted the HTML code of Mars Girl, I have found something that may mean a lot of renumbering unless you've already caught it....

Day I
44. Friends
44. An idea
45. Show’s over
46. Let’s take a chance
Day II
39. Done
39. On with the show
40. Knock it off
42. She said
42. On the road with Jim and Cazin
43. She must be starving
44. Our kind of guy
44. Slow day

Thanks. There's also

Day II
31. Tell everyone
31. Turn around
33. Cold steel

and there's a problem up around 107 and 143 too.

Good catch. I'll upload a new version to the Mobipocket forum.

Paul

For those who converted the HTML code of Mars Girl, I have found something that may mean a lot of renumbering unless you've already caught it....

Day I
44. Friends
44. An idea
45. Show’s over
46. Let’s take a chance
Day II
39. Done
39. On with the show
40. Knock it off
42. She said
42. On the road with Jim and Cazin
43. She must be starving
44. Our kind of guy
44. Slow day

Thanks. There's also

Day II
31. Tell everyone
31. Turn around
33. Cold steel

and there's a problem up around 107 and 143 too.

Good catch. I'll upload a new version to the Mobipocket forum.

Paul
Missed those. Thanks.

Thanks for tolerating the multitude of chapters ...

I just realized I should have used the recommended naming format when I started this thread. Is there any way to redo it?

I'm not sure there is a recommended naming format in "Deals, Freebies, and Resources", only in the eBook upload forums.

Paul

Thanks for tolerating the multitude of chapters ...

I just realized I should have used the recommended naming format when I started this thread. Is there any way to redo it?

Actually, the title of the thread seems fine to me.

My effort to change the title didn't seem to work anyway. I guess it doesn't matter.

I read Mars Girl over 4 nights and yawned through each day afterwards. I couldn't stop reading, as I had to know what would happen next... when I found myself cooking dinner with iLiad in hand, reading this book, I knew I was addicted!

I really enjoyed reading it and during each session I particularly looked forward to the chapters that were focused on Mirellen (Mars Girl). I laughed out loud at some of the images the author creates and I found some of the characters' quotes and behaviour astonishing - very entertaining. If you don't laugh when you read Cecilia's views on religion, then Ray's interpretation of which God is applicable at the time, I'd be surprised!

I also found some parts of Mars Girl confronting - the power of the press and the voyeuristic manner in which they reported the news, forcing their opinions on the public, the politics (the president and the FBI leader - their interaction at the White House - I read this section with amazement, then re-read it). Unbelievable behaviour for a president, I hope, but so very entertaining. Poor little Mars Girl was caught up in a very difficult situation, through no fault of her own, and the public showed an ugly side in supporting the inappropriate merchandise. Thought-provoking.

Thanks for sharing Mars Girl with us, jgarrity. If you had a tips or Paypal link on your website, I'd send you a donation. Please write a sequel - I'll buy it.

Thanks also to pdurrant for the very nicely formatted mobi version.

Thanks for informing us (me), I just downloaded it and give it a spin.

Suggestions before even reading the book :)

*) Please give your files a proper filename. You may be the only ebook-author on your computer, but we have a whole bunch of book on our drives, so a standardized naming system is often used to organze. I personally like
Garrity, Jeff - 2008 - Mars Girl.mobi
since I like to go by the Author's last name, and the publishing date allows for ideal sorting when dealing with more book titles. Some people will download all your books at once, then they're able to read them chronologically.

*) The Website: it's ... improvable. People like pretty packaging, it's fundamental in selling yourself and your work. Right now it looks like a programmer's archive of coding bits that he basically puts online so that he can access it from anywhere. You're a writer, you want to interest people in the story ... add more love!
If you're an absolute newbie in this department, try setting up a blog and picking a neat template. This will also let you publish those webisodes (neat idea!) more easily and more prettily ;)
Blogger, WordPress etc, they are really flexible and can be made to look very artsy, individualistic and non-bloggy, if that's your fear.
(Hint: static front page, the actual blog = news or webisodes behind another menu item).

*) Book cover: also improvable since it looks like it's been made in MS Paint. Which might be the look you're going for. If not, why not start a competition where people send in their layouts and you pick a winner and they get a free copy of the book ... uhm, okay, maybe they would just do it for the fame then. But you know what I mean. Generate interest, involve people, and get a cool cover to boot.

That's it from me :)
Now I shall actually open the cover and peek inside.

mores, I downloaded the Mobileread mobi version named "Garrity, Jeff: Mars Girl. v2, 13 Sep 2008". I think that filename is perfect.

I thought the Mars Girl website was limited and "improvable" too, but perhaps it was designed for IE users. I use Firefox.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did and I hope you'll post what you think of it.

mores, I downloaded the Mobileread mobi version named "Garrity, Jeff: Mars Girl. v2, 13 Sep 2008". I think that filename is perfect. Yes it is ... too bad the marsgirl.us website has a link to http://www.marsgirl.us/Mars_Girl_mobi.zip, which then unzips to Mars Girl.mobi
And I just read through more of this thread and realized Jeff already adressed the cover.

I hope I like it too, because all the amazing comments and articles make me highly enthousiastic :) Will post my two cents' worth once I finish.

Thanks to cbell for her thoughtful comments. I appreciate it.

I strongly encourage anyone who wants to design a cover for Mars Girl to have at it and send it to me. I'll post them on my web site for people to view and vote on. Is it possible to post them here too? pdurrant already sent me a cover and I'll post that soon.

The only thing I like about the cover I made is the transparent space ship, but then I'm easily amused. As has been noted elsewhere, my cover doesn't have a lot to do with the book anyway. I think it would be best to have a cover design that reduces well. That seems to happen fairly often on the web and doesn't always have a happy result. I made the cover using the free graphics program from openoffice.org. It was a struggle. What the hell is a vector anyway?

Other than showcasing my limited abilities as a web designer and limited patience for design in general, what's wrong with the marsgirl.us site? I use Firefox and it seems to work. The template idea might be the way to go if I've gone too far astray. I downloaded a free web design program (Nvu) to make it. Maybe that was a mistake.

mores, I'll look into the problem you mentioned with the mobi file on my site. If you have any hints about where I went wrong, that might help. I'm pretty trainable.

I really appreciate all the input. Mobilread has been very helpful to me in a lot of ways. There's a long way to go before anyone even begins to hurt my feelings, so feel free to critique whatever you'd like and make whatever suggestions you feel are appropriate about Mars Girl, the site or the cover. Thanks!

I was going to suggest feedbooks.com, but it is there already, see Feedbooks: Mars Girl (http://feedbooks.com/userbook/1068).

Why isn't this in my Kindle Feedbook d/l guide? You mean I have to connect my Kindle to my Mac to read this?

BOb

The link has changed, it is now here (http://feedbooks.com/userbook/1206).

I agree that it does not seem to be in the feedbooks Kindle guide. Perhaps the problem is that it is an "upload" rather than a "book".

The link has changed, it is now here (http://feedbooks.com/userbook/1206).

I agree that it does not seem to be in the feedbooks Kindle guide. Perhaps the problem is that it is an "upload" rather than a "book".

Ok... no problem... I got it on my Kindle the ole Sony way. :rofl:

BOb

Other than showcasing my limited abilities as a web designer and limited patience for design in general, what's wrong with the marsgirl.us site? I use Firefox and it seems to work. The template idea might be the way to go if I've gone too far astray. I downloaded a free web design program (Nvu) to make it. Maybe that was a mistake.
Nvu wasn't a mistake. It's the next generation of what had been the bundled HTML editor in Netscape Communicator, rewritten for the Mozilla Suite. You might wish to get Kompozer, which is a fork of Nvu with some bug fixes, but Nvu is quite capable. Using the high priced spread like Dreamweaver doesn't magically make a site good. All flows from the design, and the tools are simply aids to realizing it.
______
Dennis

Glad to hear Nvu is capable software. I just have to learn to make better use of it.

I need to edit the version on feedbooks. A book with 146 chapters requires a little extra work. Hadrien has been very helpful. I just need to find an hour and the gumption to give it another shot. Maybe the problems with the directory were caused when I deleted the original file and added a new one. I think I did that a couple times.

Would anyone have an issue if I posted another LRF edition since the one posted here has not been corrected?

I've attached the first submission (thanks, pdurrant!) to the Mars Girl Cover Design Contest. I also posted it on my web site (www.marsgirl.us) and will continue to post covers until the deadline, Jan. 15, 2009.

I've done some searching for web site design templates. Wordpress seems the best so far. Any other suggestions?

I love WordPress since I can use it to fit almost any need. It's much more than just a blogging software, if you bend it to your liking.
If your server supports it, I'd gladly help you get set up by installing WordPress for you. (Check if you got PHP and MySQL)

I love WordPress since I can use it to fit almost any need. It's much more than just a blogging software, if you bend it to your liking.
If your server supports it, I'd gladly help you get set up by installing WordPress for you. (Check if you got PHP and MySQL)

I personally use Drupal. Just started using it, but there are tons of modules available for it like Wiki, Forum, etc. I have the font page set up to be a blog. I actually just finally got it set up and going and posted my first entry this past weekend.

BOb

I talked with the guy who hosts my site on his server and he said it would be a lot easier to create a Facebook page and encourage people to leave comments there, thus saving myself the trouble of installing blogging software. I could capture comments from the Facebook site and put them on my site. Sort of a "why reinvent the wheel" approach.

What's preferred, "ebook" or "e-book"? I see both here.

I talked with the guy who hosts my site on his server and he said it would be a lot easier to create a Facebook page and encourage people to leave comments there, thus saving myself the trouble of installing blogging software. I could capture comments from the Facebook site and put them on my site. Sort of a "why reinvent the wheel" approach.

What's preferred, "ebook" or "e-book"? I see both here.

Well, I don't think that a Facebook page is really suited to replace a blog. It can make sense to have both, but I would create a blog first.

Your guy doesn't want to install blogging software?

It's hardly difficult to install wordpress. Sounds like he's being lazy.

I talked with the guy who hosts my site on his server and he said it would be a lot easier to create a Facebook page and encourage people to leave comments there, thus saving myself the trouble of installing blogging software.

Probably better to just get a free account at Wordpress.com. However, if you already have a web server and have ssh access installing wordpress shouldn't be to hard. I think you can even install it on cpanel type servers.

BOb

I talked with the guy who hosts my site on his server and he said it would be a lot easier to create a Facebook page and encourage people to leave comments there, thus saving myself the trouble of installing blogging software. I could capture comments from the Facebook site and put them on my site. Sort of a "why reinvent the wheel" approach. That's more of a "Lemmelone" approach, your guy doesn't want to be bothered with it. All you need from him is access to a MySQL Database and you can pretty much install wordpress yourself. download, configure a config.php file and upload.

By the way, I am nearly halfway through your book and so far I must say that it is excellent!

Thanks everybody for the input. I appreciate it.

I think the guy who hosts my site (a friend of mine) knows that I'd rather write than be a webmaster and he's probably trying to save me from myself by steering me down a path that won't require much effort, skill or technological derring-do. He was one of the first to read Mars Girl and has been very helpful, so, in his defense, I don't think he's trying to get out of doing any work. I'll keep considering the options and I do appreciate the ideas and comments. Maybe someday my site will rise above amateur status and reach the dizzying heights of semi-pro.

Mores, I was happy to see you're enjoying Mars Girl and I hope you feel compelled to toss in a comment when you're done.

I'll go with the suggestion of getting either a Wordpress or Blogger account. You can point them to your own domain / sub domain pretty easily for a nominal cost and It'll save you the hassel of managing your own install.

Doing facebook would be nice, but its not as open and easily accissabel as a blog, so would definately suggest you go with the blog first

There's a lot of people who don't use Facebook.

Okay, I just finished Mars Girl!
The first thing that comes to mind is: you better be working on the sequel!
:)
It is an extremely fast-paced action thriller taking place in the near future, without being too much of a science fiction story. I'm not a big SF fan.
I love the way you write, I love the short chapters and frequent changes of focus, which make it very fast and hectic but not confusing.
The story is interesting, very gripping, and after a while, one has to think about the role our media plays in the world of today.

I really hope you keep on writing, and since I often grow attached to characters in books, I would definately approve of a sequel ;)

Thanks very much for your comments, mores. I'm glad you enjoyed Mars Girl. And yes I'm working on a sequel. Since even I don't know for sure what happened at the end (if anyone knows, be sure to tell me), I think writing is the only way to figure it out.

There's a new Mars Girl "webisode" (a section I cut from the novel) at my site: www.marsgirl.us

This one features a character I eliminated completely from the book (character assassination?) partying amidst the Times Square throng as everyone watches the giant screen stretched across Broadway and awaits the first Mars Girl interview live from the Red Planet.

mores, I'm really pleased you enjoyed Mars Girl, as I feel you read it on my recommendation.

I read it through really quickly the first time (as I couldn't put it down!) and now I'm reading it again, but more slowly. I'm understanding the characters better and enjoying it just as much second time around. I hope I can make a bit more sense out of the surprising ending, so I can explain it to jgarrity :)

pilotbob, you said you were reading Mars Girl. I'd be interested to know if you're enjoying it, too...

What's preferred, "ebook" or "e-book"? I see both here.
eBook is actually preferred over ebook or e-book. Even Sony uses eBook as in eBook Library.

Jeff asked me to put up my thoughts on the book, so here goes.

I really didn't like any of the characters in the book. Everyone seemed evil and bad... I'm not sure if this was intended... I assume it was. Actually, I did like Mars Girl... although as has been said the book is not about mars girl.

Anyway... I did like the story. It seemed to jump around a bit to fast in the begging and introduced alot of characters that I really had to think to keep track of. But, that could be my impression because I read most books in pretty short bursts rather than sitting down to read for a few hours.

I also was confused between some of the tech... Like what is the difference between a head and an assistant? And if a head is what I think it is, why do you need an assistant?

But, all in all... a good read and if you are looking for a book that talks about greed and people that will stop at nothing for cash. Also, a brief look at inflation.

BOb

Mars Girl locked up my Kindle. I had to do a hard reset. First time anything like that has happened to my Kindle--kinda scared me. :(

I had done "Go to Cover", which displayed okay, then pushed next page, which was okay too, but then next page again froze it up. No buttons would work. Not even the power button.

Help! Anybody have any suggestions concerning rlparker's post? I'd hate to scare people away from reading Mars Girl. Unfortunately I don't own a Kindle so I'm not able to offer any suggestions. Perhaps a new file needs to be generated? I'll help in any way I can.

And thanks to pilotbob for the Mars Girl comments. I know a lot of people like at least one or two "good" characters. I guess it doesn't bother me if there aren't (e.g. Clockwork Orange, Dr. Strangelove, Pulp Fiction, No Country for Old Men, Glengarry Glen Ross). But I understand your point. Barker sorta tries to be good but needs to be talked into it by Cecilia, who seems like a decent person to me. Perhaps Jaspers redeems himself at the end (although cbell can't stand the guy).

Concerning the "head" and "assistant" question. I left the assistant somewhat undefined to allow the reader to imagine a future gadget that allows the user to communicate, watch live TV and do other things. I suppose my image is something like an iPhone with some added features. The "head" is simply one's brain. Some people (very few because of the expense) are "wired" and able to communicate with others without using any equipment other than the gadget (also undefined) inserted into their brains. They hear a hum and answer or don't answer, and simply talk normally to be heard by the caller. I imagine that it would be very intrusive.

Thanks again for the comments. It's always interesting to hear people's thoughts about the book.

I had done "Go to Cover", which displayed okay, then pushed next page, which was okay too, but then next page again froze it up. No buttons would work. Not even the power button.

I assume a reset of the device resolved this. My question is does it happen every time? I've also heard about Kindle locking up at times when the power is very low level.

BOb

Help! Anybody have any suggestions concerning rlparker's post? I'd hate to scare people away from reading Mars Girl. Unfortunately I don't own a Kindle so I'm not able to offer any suggestions. Perhaps a new file needs to be generated? I'll help in any way I can.


As I replied to rlparker... this is only a problem if it is reproducible. I didn't try that on my Kindle so I can't give feedback on that right now.

BOb

Perhaps Jaspers redeems himself at the end (although cbell can't stand the guy).


That's true, I hate Jaspers. But... if I understood the ending of the book better, then perhaps I might not dislike him so much. The end justifies the means - maybe? I'll let you know when I've finished my second read (50 pages to go).

I'd thought a head could be used along with an assistant, as the hard-wired head connects would only link to certain defined numbers/people. So, in Ceci's case, hers doesn't get used much now but it used to.

I want an assistant for myself anyway

To me, Jaspers missed his chance to be a hero. With millions of dollars rolling through the door and a good chance at billions, plus threats from the White House, he didn't have the guts to do what he knew was right early on. We've all been there, I think (except the millions and billions part). But he could've been nicer to his wife.

cbell has thought through the assistant/head difference more than I had. (I wrote it, but that doesn't mean understand it. I'm not sure where all this stuff comes from.) I see cbell's point, although I think being wired is sort of like having a cell phone in your head, which to me would be incredibly intrusive. I don't think many people (in Mars Girl world) are wired, and usually it's a career necessity paid for by someone else.

I think of the word "assistant" like the word "toaster." It refers to a device manufactured by many companies. And yes, I'm waiting for my assistant, too. I think I'll buy a reader first.

Thank you for making Mars Girl available - I really enjoyed it and thought it was a great read :book2:

It has a scary (but quite believable) view of the potential future role of the media, with lots of humour too.

As someone who can't get to grips with a mobile phone (I don't even like landline phones that much), I certainly wouldn't want my head wired :D

It has a scary (but quite believable) view of the potential future role of the media, with lots of humour too.


Although I did like the idea that the US Government took the Web 2.0 idea of Advertisement revenue rather than taxing.

BOb

Thanks to winspiration for the Mars Girl comments. I'm glad you liked it.

And I wouldn't want my head wired either.

Read it, liked it :)

So everybody out there who hasn't read it already and likes a fast paced scary (but oh so humorous) look into our near future......

Read it, it's free :D :D and it's really worth a read :2thumbsup

It's on my TBR list. I'm gonna have to quit my job (and disconnect my home DSL) soon in order to get caught up on my reading!

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I just read this book and I have to say it is fantastic. The writing style reminds me somewhat of Scalzi - quick and humorous - with a good near future story.

I've checked the link given earlier in the thread (marsgirl.us) and it is no longer functioning. I googled Jeff Garrity, there's a web site out there (jeffgarrity.com, .us) that has a "coming soon" page that hasn't been updated since 2009. Can't find anything else on Mr. Garrity - although if I could, I would read it.

Mr. Garrity, if you are still out there, I loved the book and would like to see more from you. Maybe you should list the Kindle version in the Amazon store and I'd gladly rate it 5 stars.

By the way, I found the book originally on manybooks.net. The Kindle version (.azw) there is not formatted properly, the entire text is part of the TOC (underlined with a link to the beginning). I opted instead for the .mobi version, which is Kindle compatible and its formatting is fine. If you need help with the kindle formatting, let me know I'll be happy to help.

Thanks for the message barkndog and your good words and offer of assistance. Sorry about the site being down. I'll look into that. I have yet to put the book on Amazon but have been planning to for a while. I'm glad you liked the book. I'm at work on a second book but I'm not sure when it will be done.