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The Up and Down of It

11/28/2014

This has truly been a week of ups and downs. For starters, we found out that Rick was misdiagnosed last week. It's not an upper respiratory infection he has; it's the flu. And let me tell you, the one surefire way to get everybody to leave you alone is to have the flu. All of a sudden, nothing is that important anymore. I saw that when I got the flu in late December/early January, and we've seen it again this week. A bummer, yes. I did take Chloe and see my family for a few hours yesterday, and they sent home some food for Rick (they said he could come over, but he was too sick to leave the house. They aren't germaphobes because they rarely catch things from other people, and I have yet to figure out what magic they have that I didn't inherit on that issue!). But otherwise, not much. Honestly, I'm not surprised that Rick got the flu. Ever since his father died in August, it's been full speed ahead for him. I know people said that the condolences pass quickly when people rush back to their lives, but within two days of the memorial service, Rick was pretty much treated like absolutely nothing happened. No grace period. It's a shame that the statute of limitations on behaving like a decent human being is so short. I believe it was longer when Ollie (our parakeet) died than it was for Rick's father. As Rick said, it's times like these that show what people really are.

But that's not all. I'm sure that all of you saw the Star Wars: The Force Awakens International Trailer earlier this week. It was discretely slipped out somewhere in the media coverage of Ferguson, Missouri, burning. I'm not sure how looting and burning a town down is supposed to bring about the change they want, but at least that trailer is good. And when I saw the heartbreaking news that crime/mystery writer P.D. James died yesterday, I also ran across the Star Wars: The Force Awakens UK Trailer. It's different from the International one, so you'll want to watch both. Both are good. Despite the volleyball match of comments on YouTube, these trailers actually make me feel somewhat optimistic that Episode Seven will work out after all. I trust J.J. Abrams (I keep telling myself). After all, he did great things for the Star Trek franchise (I keep telling myself). I just know this is going to be awesome. I heard that fans crashed iTunes trying to get the previews this morning, so there you have it. We gave them a different kind of Black Friday, didn't we?

You gotta hand it to nerds. We won't loot you. We won't burn your business down. We won't march or protest because baby, it's cold outside, and we aren't going out there. But we WILL crash your servers for awesome previews. Seriously, iTunes. You haven't figured out that Star Wars fans are fanatics yet? And you know this!

Speaking of Black Friday, you can forget that with me. Amazon is this girl's best friend. Seriously, that's the Sears catalog of the 21st century. They have great deals. They deliver right to your door. You can do it on your computer, and then crash iTunes downloading Star Wars previews. You can do all of this without leaving your house. Good times, folks.

Good times and bad, really, I feel like a yo-yo this week! I bet it was a week like this that drove C.S. Lewis to write about the Law of Undulation in The Screwtape Letters. Most of the time the ebb and flow take longer, but sometimes the tides of life get all out of whack, and do it all at once! *Sigh* I just want things to be better. I know it comes, because things always change. You just don't always know when it's time to trade the shovels of the valleys for the binoculars of the mountaintop. Life's funny like that.

That's all today. I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving and that your holiday season 2014 is off to a great start. Take care, have a Happy Black Friday, a wonderful weekend, and Go Gamecocks - beat Clemson!

Bye!

Being Thankful - And Awesome

11/25/2014

Ah, Thanksgiving! A day of feasting and joy to give thanks for what we’ve got, and then the next day we bash one another’s brains in for super-duper deals on Christmas gifts.

Only in America, folks. And if you get the right 6 pack of Cracker Jack boxes, you can get a green card AND a driver’s license too, at least in South Carolina. (I got suggestions for other things to add to this list, but I’ll do us all a favor and leave off the things I don’t know anything about.) That’s how it’s looking these days, anyway.

Joking aside, I believe that the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and the season that follows is an important reminder to us that we should be thankful for what we’ve got every day, and we shouldn’t need a holiday to remind us of that. We should be thankful whether it’s a sandwich on the desk tomorrow afternoon or a turkey on the table Thursday. We have so much abundance, but unfortunately it seems that we’re more programmed to gripe about what’s missing than grateful for what is. I know it’s been said over and over, but we go about it completely backwards. Why should the Lord give us more if we aren’t happy and thankful with what we’ve got? If our current blessings are giving us grief, then why compound it?

I’ve heard a lot of people complaining lately. A lot of people are unhappy, frustrated, and outdone with their problems. OK, it’s true that no life is perfect. We all have problems of one sort or another. As the saying goes, you can have it all, but you can’t have it all at one time. You can have this today, but that may not come until tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year –and by that time, who knows what or where the this from today will be? It may well have passed on with another season of life. I know from first hand experience that things can change in the blink of an eye, causing things you never imagined to shift irrevocably and permanently. The blessings you take for granted (or even complain about) today can be gone forever tomorrow, so you better enjoy what you’ve got, while you’ve got it. That’s a lesson I hope you never have shoved down your throat as I did a few years back. Of course, it seems to be one that creeps up on us all at one time or another. So I’ll do you a favor and tell you today: be thankful every day, because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

There’s another side to the coin, though. Being thankful can bring more blessings to you. You reap what you sow, after all, so if you’re happy and thankful, then more good things will come to you. Think about that: you can compound your blessings, and all you have to do is the best with what you’ve got! That’s so easy, it’s mind boggling. Everything I’ve read whether religious or secular points to gratitude as the number one key to improving your life. It’s a snowball effect either way. Be thankful, and you can compound your joy. Gripe, and compound your misery. The choice is yours each and every day, and you can reset from grumpy to grateful anytime. I know I have to. Like everybody else, society programmed me to troubleshoot problems instead of enjoying joy, so I often find myself having to “check myself” to get on a right track again. As you saw last week, there are times it can be a struggle, like when you’re sick and stressed out. But you can be in it to win it, and I encourage you to join me on the journey to creating more positive life energy.

So this holiday season, don’t be a Grinch because that’s self sabotage of the worst sort. You don’t have to be an obnoxious elf either, but you can have a simple gratitude that brings you the peace and joy of a balanced life. Now isn’t that better than being twisted in knots of worry and anxiety; scaring Santa away from a 100 mile radius of your house with a violent temper; driving like a beast on the Nascar circuit; giving yourself a miserable holiday and Jake from State Farm a holly-jolly Christmas with a heck of a bonus off your back? (Or worse yet, the funeral director some end of the year cha-ching from your family?)Come on, folks; it doesn’t have to be this way. I know changing your thinking is the hardest thing in the world to do, but its well worth it. Don’t you want joy? Don’t you want peace? Then don’t shelf thankfulness for a holiday. Do it every day. Life, peace, joy, and harmony is much better than the poison that society tries to force feed you with constant complaints, unrealistic expectations, and a refusal to accept and deal with the reality that the Lord has given you.

Accept what is. Do the best with what you’ve got. Mind your manners and be your best self at all times and in all circumstances. And most of all, know what is and isn’t your business, and tend to your own. You can’t control other people and there are a great many circumstances the Lord brings that are also beyond your control, so do what you can and leave it alone. That’s not being cold or uncaring; it’s being realistic and protecting yourself from the devil stealing your joy. You serve others by being at your best. So give them your most awesome self, not your most asinine self.

And that’s what Thanksgiving every day is all about, Charlie Brown!

I hope you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. Have fun, be careful, and remember that Thanksgiving never really ends in a life of peace and joy.

Happy Holidays!

Publishing Advice

11/23/2014

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People often ask me for advice on getting published. I can't say there's a "magic bullet" or any kind of formula you can follow to get a coveted contract. I do, however, have a few tips that I don't mind passing along to you, and it seems timely to do it now, as November and National Novel Writing Month are drawing to a close. And so, without further ado, here are some tidbits and tricks I can offer you on getting your work from your desktop to ereaders:

1. Do your research. I can talk to you all day about my experiences and what I've learned through publishing, but there's no substitute for educating yourself. It's absolutely necessary, in fact, because there are "sharks" out there looking to take advantage of your dreams just like there are anywhere else, and your own ignorance is the bait they can use to reel you in. Research the various publishing methods available, and think about your goals and what's right for you. I suggest some books at the end of this entry that might help you in getting started.

2. Skip the traditional route. The heavens are made of brass and you have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting a publishing contract from one of the "big six" publishers - or even getting an agent to represent you. I'm not saying that's impossible. I never say never. What I'm saying is that this is the path of most resistance, and when it really comes down to it, it's not much different from publishing by other means anyway. You'll still have to do most of your own publicity, because you'll have their attention for a few weeks maybe, and then they'll be off to the next project. But most likely, you'll amass an impressive collection of rejection letters that offer you no advice on how to improve your writing because they don't WANT you to improve. After all, why would they encourage competition with their tried and true favorites? Plus, ebooks are on the rise, and the traditional publishing industry really is a dying trend, whether anybody realizes it or not. Out with the old, folks. They've killed themselves with their high-fluent demeanor and exclusive attitiudes, and this is not a death you want a front row seat too, especially with your precious writing in the mix.

3. If you want a publisher, query an e-publisher. They usually have the same requirements as traditional publishers, and you submit to them the same way (by checking their guidelines online to see what they want you to submit). Plus, they usually aren't as hard to get in with as traditional publishers, because ebook publishers are more willing to take a chance on new names and types of writing. The Writer's Market Guide usually has a list of these publishers, or (better yet) you can do a websearch for "Epublishers" or "Ebook Publishers." I published Splinter and Anywhere But Here through Whiskey Creek Press (who merged with Start Publishing), and I published Blurry through Wings ePress.

4. Consider self publishing through Kindle Direct and/or Smashwords. The plus side of this is that it's free, and you publish at no risk to yourself. The downside is that you do all of the work: you have to find people to proofread the manuscript, produce cover art, and you have to format it for publication (and I won't lie - this is a gigantic pain in the rear until you get used to doing it). I've self published a lot of my work through these two sites, and overall I've been very happy with them. You can control the pricing and you can go back in and make updates to your manuscript and cover later if you wish. I'd suggest publishing through both of them, because Kindle Direct only publishes to Amazon, and Smashwords publishes through pretty much all of the other ebook outlets if your book is accepted in the premium catalog. If you really want a paperback copy of your book available, you can go through CreateSpace with Amazon to make it available, but I do believe there's a cost associated with it. I'm not sure how much it is, because frankly I haven't sold a paperback book in at least 2 years, so I don't mess with it, because I've heard from other writers that formatting for CreateSpace is an even bigger pain than ebook formatting.

5. Stay away from vanity publishers. These are the ones that want you to pay them to do all of the work. They're some of the aforementioned "sharks" and you should stay away from anybody that wants you to pay them to publish your work (except CreateSpace, which is reputable). And they usually want a lot of money from you to do it - like, thousands of dollars - and they do nothing for promotion. Speaking of which:

6. Start building an online platform now. If you haven't done it already, build a website and start a blog.Join social media to build an "audience" with friends and followers by helping them get to know you. I have a book suggestion below that helps you get started on this effort.

7. Join websites that help writers. If you write short stories or even want to post excerpts from larger writing projects, then Readwave.com is a good place to post your work to get feedback. Writing.com is also a great place to post your work to get reader feedback. Another good site is Goodreads.com, because it's a great site for readers and writers, so you can connect with readers and other authors. One site I caution you to beware of is Authonomy.com. You can post a full manuscript there, but it's set up as a competition where the top 10 books of the month get the first 10,000 words read by editors at HarperCollins. That sounds good, but it is a system, and people know how to play it, because it's built on getting a lot of followers and a lot of people to read your work (or at least leave good reviews for you). It's not entirely honest, and the "deal" of getting read by a HarperCollins editor isn't as glamerous as it seems, because I don't know of anybody that's scored a contract with them that way yet (I could be wrong, of course, but you get the picture).

8. If you decide to self publish, be sure to hire an editor and a cover artist to do that work for you. If you DIY it, the readers will know. You can find editors and graphic artists online (Goodreads is a good place to find them). Smashwords will also provide you with "Mark's List," which is a list of people that will format ebooks and do cover art for you at reasonable prices. I haven't found a "master list" of editors yet, but if I do, I'll let you know.

9. Check your expectations. I still have my day job for a reason, folks. We all dream of being the Stephen King and J.K. Rowling, but the fact is that this is extremely rare. Most writers have primary jobs to keep the bills paid, because writing doesn't make a tremendous amount of money. Heck, J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis were college professors that wrote and worked full time, and eventually retired from their day jobs. Again, I never say never. Anything can happen. All I say is that if you are writing and publishing your work, then you need to do it for the right reason, and the right reason is because you love to write and want to share your stories with readers. Because writing rarely brings in "fat stacks" and fortune in this business really favors the persistent and the ones who really and truly love the art of creating and sharing stories.

10. Here are some reference books that I've found extremely helpful in my own road to publication. These all link to the ebook versions:

Smashwords Style Guide (this book is free)
Building Your Book for Kindle (this book is free)
The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published
The Author's Guide to Building an Online Platform (this is only available as a paperback book)
2015 Writer's Market

I hope these tips are helpful if you're considering publishing. As I mentioned before, I highly encourage you do research publishing and publishing options to decide what's right for you.

That's all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

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Awkward

11/21/2014

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Is it just me, or does the week before Thanksgiving seem awkward? You can feel the holidays approaching – it seems to be in the very air surrounding you – but they aren’t quite here yet. Maybe you’re like me, and got an early start on Christmas shopping so you have a room of wrapped presents, but it’s still too early to put the decorations up. So there they sit, and wait, until the right time arrives.

But you don’t have to be crazy-organized like me to feel it. Even if you haven’t started on the shopping yet, you can feel it coming. The days are shorter and cooler (or just downright cold this year!). The trees are becoming bare. The ads say hey, get ready because it’s coming. It’s on television, on the radio, on the Internet, and in your inbox. In fact, we do have one radio station already playing Christmas tunes all the time, but I haven’t had the heart to tune in for too long yet. It’s still just a bit too soon. It’s not time for turkey in the oven or trimming the tree, not just yet. But it sure isn’t summer anymore either, and it’s obvious that Halloween is weeks past! And so, we hang in limbo and wait. It almost feels like the calm before the storm, even if it’s a storm of celebration.

It will come. It always does, and it won’t be much longer. So take stock and get ready, because next week, Holiday Season 2014 opens – whether you’re ready or not!

I'll tell you one thing that isn't awkward: I have the concept for Book 2 of The Earthside Trilogy worked out! It came to me last night just before I fell asleep. Let me tell you; a virus is trouble whether it's biological or technological. And yes, the cyborgs are coming. Why? Because I want them to, that's why. And they're awesome. I don't have a title for Book 2 yet, but I have a feeling it will be coming soon.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great weekend.

Bye!

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Patience - or Lack Thereof

11/20/2014

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One sure cure for patience is being sick. I've been struggling with a virus this week that's left me feeling like a chew toy. I pushed through for a few days, but last night I couldn't do it anymore. I'd had it with being sick. I'd had it with everybody's shenanagins. I'd had it with people and things and everything in life that aggravated me, which was plenty. Attitudes. Slackers. Bad drivers (that's pretty high on the list). People pulling stunts. Or worse, people just being themselves. When you haven't been able to eat and you've had a headache for 3 days, all of life pisses you off. And you can only stand and hold it in for so long before it all comes out.

So yes, I've crashed. I actually slept most of today, and it seems to have helped. Staying home was probably good for me too, given the fact that the dragon was awake, alert, and ready to breathe fire on anybody or anything for any reason. I can stand up to a lot of things, but a virus seems to be my last straw. Especially when I've had it for five days. At least I had sense enough to stick to my personal policy of staying off social media when I'm not in the best of moods. And the news. That usually doesn't help frayed nerves, either. So that's why I haven't been online much lately. I've been sick and tired. And then I got sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Well, at least it seems to be passing. I certainly hope so. It's just a shame that we can clean up a virus on our computers faster than a virus in our body. That's just messed up. Oh well.

That's all today. I hope you have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a great weekend.

Bye!

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The Up and Down of It

Being Thankful - And Awesome

Publishing Advice

Awkward

Patience - or Lack Thereof

Escape Reality

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