New Cover, Old Computer

I'm afraid the old computer really is close to dead. It's really weird what's happening. It starts (slowly) and I can open applications, but the Finder (it's a Mac) doesn't launch. There's no Finder bar across the top, and there's no little light on under that icon in the Dashboard. I've been able to save files within applications onto a thumb drive by opening each file and doing "save as," but I can't open Finder windows and just drag things across. I can get the Apple menu icon for stuff like restart, Force Quit and Shut Down from within an application, but if no application is up, I can't. I ran the hardware test diagnostic disk, and it says all the hardware is okay, but then I ran the disk repair utility from the install disk, and it quit out of the assessment and then quit out of the disk repair. I tried reinstalling the OS, but it quit out of that. I might be able to just reformat the hard drive and salvage the machine somewhat, but I'm not sure it's worth it at this point because there's a lot of stuff I'd have to reinstall to return it to its usual functions, and then I'm not sure how much I'd really trust it. I wrote on it because I liked that version of Word and because it wasn't connected to the Internet. That generally meant I had a computer downstairs and one upstairs and didn't have to haul one around if I wanted to write elsewhere. And I could plug it into the stereo and use it as a jukebox when I was cooking or working in the living room. It was handy for dealing with copyedits because I could have the copyeditor's version on one computer and my version on the other.

But I can replace the jukebox function by getting a tablet (which I've been saying I wanted to do for a while) or by replacing my phone. I have a four-year-old Sony/Ericsson Android phone that I kind of loathe. I think I'm too much of a Mac person to really be able to deal with Android, so if I get an iPhone, I could sync that with the iTunes on my computer and then use the phone as a music player that plugs into my stereo (it even has a dock, though I think I'd need an adaptor because it's for older iPhones/Pods) or to my car. With a tablet, I could have similar jukebox capability in syncing iTunes from my computer, and then I'd also finally have true e-reader capability. This is when I have to remind myself that I have money now. I can indulge a little bit.

Meanwhile, there's been book stuff going on. When I went to Amazon to check on the new book being there and ready for pre-order, I discovered this. I'd been holding off on revealing the cover because I didn't know how final/official it was, but if it's ready for pre-order, I guess it's official. I am so madly in love with this cover.

Ooh, and A Fairy Tale is already on an Amazon bestseller list, at #61 for Women's Fiction--Fantasy. In case you haven't followed the link, here's the cover, with art by the brilliant Kirbi Fagan.

Expect to hear a lot more about this book in the coming month.