This week has been busy. I’ve really stepped up my marketing efforts for my freelance writing business. In order to keep a steady stream of clients coming in, it takes constant marketing. This might seem obvious. But a lot of freelancers fall into the trap of only marketing when they have no clients. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Freelancing aside, I’ve also been busy with various other writing projects. Some are long-term others will come to fruition a lot sooner.

That’s it for today. I’m keeping the intro to this week’s Friday Link Love short and sweet. Enjoy these links and, as always, have a happy and safe weekend.

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The big news this week is Apple’s unveiling of their new iPad tablet. The Apple tablet has long been rumored and speculation about its features, looks and technical specs have been flying around the web for at least a year or two. Now that the iPad has arrived, people are taking a step back to see if it will live up to all that early hype.

I’m not going to be ordering an iPad anytime soon. Between my 1st gen iPhone and Sony Pocket Edition, I’m good to go in the gadget department. Also, I don’t quite have the funds right now. Maybe in a few years when the price has come down.

The other news rocking the literary world this week is the death of a great American writer, J.D. Salinger, known best for his novel Catcher in the Rye. It’s still January and we’ve already seen the death of Salinger and mystery writer Robert B. Parker. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come in 2010.

The good news today is that it’s Friday! As always, have a safe and happy weekend.

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This has been a sad week for 2 reasons: The humanitarian crisis in Haiti continues to get worse as the death toll keeps rising, and the death of famed mystery writer Robert B. Parker.

In other news, I’m finally starting to get my voice back after coming down with a horrible cold. The worst part about this cold, however, has been the insomnia that has accompanied it. Not very fun at all. I guess it’s that time of year. But I can still be thankful that my overall health is still very good (knock on wood).

Without further delay, here is this week’s installment of Friday Link Love. Hopefully this will provide you with some good reading this weekend, especially if you’re having cold and miserable weather in your neck of the woods. As always, have a happy and safe weekend.

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With the massive earthquake in Haiti it has been a sad week. The devastation and loss of life are on an unimaginable scale. Events like this really put my life in perspective. It’s hard to complain about anything right now in my own life knowing that millions of Haitians have lost everything, including loved ones. And to add insult to injury, their basic needs like water, food and shelter are not even being met.

That said, I hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend. Remember, whatever your problems are right now, they probably can’t compare to the problems the people in Haiti are going through right now. I’m not trying to minimize anyone’s problems, as I’m sure some people are going through really difficult times. Keep your head up and keep plugging away.

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I’m already sick of winter. The Chicago area got pounded with another snowstorm today and I had the pleasure of driving in it a 6am. Not fun. I only like snowstorms if I can stay inside where it’s warm and dry and watch it through the window while reading a good book.

On the ebook front, I was actually kind of frustrated this week. I downloaded 1001 Arabian Nights to load onto my Sony Reader Pocket Edition, but Calibre wouldn’t take it. I kept getting a meta-data error. I even tried downloading the book from different sources. No luck. And I even have the latest edition of Calibre installed.

The important thing, though, is that the weekend is here and most of us can take a much-deserved break. As always, have a safe and happy weekend.

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Welcome to the first 2010 installment of Friday Link Love. I can’t believe it is another new year and another new decade. The last 10 years have really flown by. I’m looking forward to bringing Brad’s Reader into the new decade at full steam. I have a lot of plans for this blog in the coming 12 months, so you’ll have to keep coming back to see what’s new.

This week’s link love is shorter than usual due to such a hectic week. Everything will settle down and you can get your fill of links in the weeks ahead. My posts have been sparse because of the holidays and that will also change. Nevertheless, these are all great links I know you’ll love.

Have a happy and very safe weekend.

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One week from today is Christmas and then we can start putting this holiday season behind us. Why does that make me so happy? I’m not a big fan of the constant holiday music, cheesy commercials and unruly/impatient crowds at every store I go in.

However, I am looking forward to 2010. I always see the new year as a new beginning and a way to put all my mistakes from the previous year behind me.

That’s all I have this week. I woke up this morning to find it snowing – winter is officially here. Hopefully some of you live in areas with warmer weather. If you do I truly envy you. As always, have a happy and safe weekend.

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In Chicago it’s snowy, cold and downright miserable. Staying inside my warm house and writing/reading is cozy, but I hate driving when the weather is like this. I’m comfortable driving in snowy weather because I learned to drive in Idaho, where they plowed the roads and threw a little sand down – that’s it. None of this salt stuff they use here in Illinois.

Other than that I’ve been busy with multiple writing projects and trying to make progress on a stack of books I want to read. I could really use a few more hours in each day. Despite being busy, I’m loving every minute of it.

Here is this week’s installment of Friday Link Love. I got quite a few links this week, so if you’re snowed in and can’t leave the house, then you have plenty of good reading. As always have a happy, safe and warm weekend.

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Congratulations to Nicole from B.C. Canada on winning the Brad’s Reader 3rd Anniversary Giveaway. She picked the book We Never Talk About My Brother by Peter S. Beagle. Nicole’s Amazon gift card has been signed, sealed, stamped and delivered. Thank you all for your comments and telling us your best read of 2009.

It has been a very busy week and it looks like the remaining 3 weeks of December will be a lot busier. I can’t wait for 2010. But until then, there’s a lot of work to do.

Have a happy and safe weekend.

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I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  I spent some time with family, ate a lot and I’m enjoying some time off from work. These long weekends are great for catching up on some much needed sleep.

Today is Black Friday – when consumers all over the US go on a crazy shopping spree and retailers offer deep discounts on everything from clothing to electronics. Even if you’re not one who celebrates the holidays, it’s hard to ignore the steep discounts. For your convenience, I added a link to Amazon’s Black Friday deals page (an affiliate link, of course).

No matter what your plans are, have a safe and happy weekend!

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