this book recommendation is not your average Christmas read. On Christmas Eve of 1928, a herd of false killer whales are found beached on the South African shore. And on that day, two young children meet Kima, an old woman who tells them a story. It is not a long book, its 140 pages are filled with captivating plot lines that make for a wonderful reading journey; reading this book means time well spent.
If you enjoy folk and mystery tales, heart-warming characters, as well as stories providing food for thought – this is definitely a book for you.
The plot:
Christmas Eve 1928 gave birth to a yearly phenomenon in South Africa. A herd of false killer whales were found beached upon the shore. It has also given birth to the story of two young children who meet an old woman named Kima. Kima somehow…
One of the most common mistakes I see when browsing friends’ blogs, is that they upload their images and photos unoptimized–i.e. full-sized. This matters for a number of reasons, top among which are the following:
Large images mean you may run out of storage space. Your blog host may then ask you to upgrade to a more expensive hosting plan.
Large images take longer to display.
Large images can eat up a reader’s monthly bandwidth when they’re visiting on a mobile phone.
Optimizing Your Images
Chris Graham, aka everyone’s favorite simian, recently posted a series of posts on the subject on his excellent blog, Chris the story-reading ape. These include detailed instructions on how to resize your photos and images on both the old WP-admin environment and the new one. Depending on your blog’s theme, you may want to resize them to as little as…
So, I’m not really sure what to write here. Feel like I should say something though since the book is delayed and I’ll be a rarity on Sunday and Monday. Tomorrow will be spent preparing for the health thing on Monday. Not going into the ugly details on any of this and I’m hoping this brings in some answers to a chronic issue I’ve had for the last couple of years. Be nice if it ends up being something curable. Guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
I got a little work done on Ichabod Brooks outlines and this should have been the last week that I have to drive my wife to and from work. It’ll depend on how quickly she regains mobility of her arm since there’s stiffness and atrophy. She’ll be trying to drive around the block today, so we’ll see what happens there too. Feels like all I can do these days is wait and see because I have no control over anything. The urge to further with this line of thinking is strong, but it’s backfired a few times. People walk away, those who lurk come after me with questions outside of the blog, and I get the long line of supportive statements that, I hate to admit, don’t have much of an effect on me.
Hell, I’ll take a step into this realm since it’s been a year of depression for me. Have you ever reached a point where you feel like you’re living for other people? No matter what you do, at least 90% of your activities and actions are because someone needs or asks you to do it? Your own goals and projects get pushed to the side while you lend a hand or take on an added responsibility to take pressure off others. Yet, there is never a point where you catch a break. The stress and pressure remains along with promises that you can relax, but somebody else steps up to the plate the instant the last one moves back to give you a breather. You become nothing more than a gradually eroding workhorse that can’t pull even a glimmer of joy from his/her own activities.
Maybe this is why Ichabod Brooks stuff is taking so long to outline. Moments of inspiration and drive are fleeting since I’ve been doing so much. If I’m not tending to my wife, I’m wrangling an enraged 8-year-old and draining myself. I noticed a while back that I don’t even food shop for myself since most of the items on the list are either for the entire house or other people. Throughout it all, I’m repeatedly asked how my writing is going and if I’ll continue in 2018. It’s now done in a way that I know the questioners are hoping for me to resign myself to failure. All those posts about support and I’ve been standing here on a shaky pedestal that can be knocked over with a sneeze. Doesn’t help that I have no idea what I can or should do next. I’ve looked for an agent, publishers, cover artists for the future projects, and even people that might be able to transform my books into comics or cartoons. No luck and that might be because I feel rather broken.
Honestly, this came to a head Friday when I was running errands and realized that I had only one week before my son’s break. I might still be releasing Warlord of the Forgotten Age and being a rarity online since I don’t think January releases are any good. That’s if I can get to it since long breaks result in me being pestered to have a full day event planned every day. I’m simply not allowed to let him play in the house while I get work done unless I accept the irritating guilt trips. This has been my life all year and I’m finding myself repeatedly asking if I exist solely for other people. Writing about fate and destiny has caused me to consider my own cosmic role, which never ends with a decent answer. The floor has been ripped out from under me so often that part of me doesn’t want to get up any more.
As weird as it sounds, I think another factor is that I’ve been reading manga and watching anime a lot. Specifically, the grand adventures like One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, Fairy Tail, and I just started in on original Dragon Ball. These are either iconic or getting there and beloved in multiple countries. They’re also very similar in tone and focus to what I’m doing, so I’m almost hurting myself by diving into series that have achieved what I want. Being unable to draw or animate means I can’t go this route, but that doesn’t really make me change my mind here.
Guess I went into this more than I wanted, but I have nothing else to say. I did nothing for myself this week. Presents for others, driving for others, and errands for others. Doesn’t even look like I’ll be given any real time for recovery after Monday since people keep saying it’s a standard procedure that everyone gets. Seems to ignore the fact that this is being done because there’s a problem, which means it will either find an issue or lead to other tests.
So, what will I do next week?
Medical procedure takes precedence.
Work more on ‘The Longbow of Ichabod Brooks’ outlines.
Continue search for new cover artist. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Get back into biking unless I’m driving again.
Car needs an oil change.
Return to being my son’s chauffeur for martial arts.
Keep reading Dragon Ball.
Figure out days during break to do the Lego sets my son will be getting. 2 of them are over 1,000 pieces. I’d hope for a few days of snow, but those result in me having to be outside instead of inside.
It isn’t easy coming to the end, which is something I’ve certainly been saying since I finished writing Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age. So, let’s go over some tips for those that are coming up on the same milestone. Warning: There is no promise of tips working because every journey is different. If there are any failures, we will assign you the proper scapegoat for free.
Actually have an ending. I know it sounds strange, but there series out there with nothing. The whole thing simply ends with no real conclusion as if the author simply feel asleep on a comfy pillow. You might think it’s done, but everyone else is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even if it isn’t a final battle, at least show the hero realizing they left a wild boar in the crock pot and should probably see if it’s done.
Brace yourself for the flood of emotions by keeping tissues nearby and possibly a comfy pillow. Too manly to cry? Then get a keg and celebrate your accomplishment, which will result in you getting beer on the computer. Now, you have to write that final book all over again because you forgot to back it up. Oh, you want to cry now? Well, get your own tissues and comfy pillow, buddy.
Don’t go over the ending over a hundred times because you swear something is wrong with it. A few times or even double digits makes some sense since things are never right on the first shot. Once you reach triple digits, you need to stop. Want to know what’s wrong with the ending? It’s an ending and you’re having trouble letting go, which is natural. Have a pint of ice cream and a comfy pillow.
Try to have some idea of how things will end before you get there. Many series get derailed or fall into filler books because the author isn’t sure what the endgame is supposed to be. You don’t even need one. There could be multiple possibilities that get narrowed down to a single choice as the series proceeds. This might feel more like a plotter than a pantser tip, but flying without a map can only get you so far. At some point, you need to sit down on your comfy pillow and think of a conclusion even if it’s an hour before you write it. Don’t forget for it to make sense too.
Curl up with your comfy pillow and research how other authors finished off their books. If you’re a fantasy author, watch LOTR and get an idea of multiple ending types in one sitting.
Create a poll on your blog and see what people think of your various finale ideas. It will be a few hours later that you realize you just spoiled the entire book if you use anything on that list. After screaming into your comfy pillow, you check the poll to see everyone has picked the option that was you accidentally writing down your Taco Bell order as you yelled it to your wife. For the next week, you examine all of your books to figure out why people would prefer the whole thing ends with a Supreme Burrito, Cinnamon Twists, and two crunchy chicken tacos.
Take up an entire wall of your room with character names, events, locations, and items that have played a part in the series. Connect everything with string where each color means something different. Spend weeks searching for patterns and foreshadowing that require attention. There shall be no loose ends and plot holes in your glorious finale. Continue going over your notes and forgetting to sleep since authors are notorious for getting great ideas just before passing out. One day, the perfect ending will click and you’ll be ready to write it. All you need to do now is convince the men in white coats to let you out of the room with comfy pillows on the walls.
Christmas day dawned, grey and overcast. Willy peeped out of the window and chirruped with delight, the window pane was covered with frosty, fern-like patterns. Mom came into our bedroom and smiled at Willy’s enthusiasm. “Jack Frost has been visiting”, Mom said.
“Jack Frost?” Willy focused on Mom. “Who is Jack Frost”? “Ah”, said Mom. “Jack Frost is the little elven man who carves the pretty patterns into the frost on the window panes. He visits during the night with his chisel and other carving tools and creates all the pictures of fern fronds, flowers and crystals.
Willy was enchanted. Jack Frost sounded very interesting. “What does Jack Frost look like?”
“Jack Frost is very scary looking. He is very, very thin with long arms and legs and very long fingers. His long fingers help him to sculpt the frost pictures on the…
So, I’ve been talking about Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age going live this weekend. That was the plan, but two things have come up that are going to cause an unfortunate delay.
Jason is doing something special with the cover to have things end with a bang. I don’t know the details because it’s a surprise, but it’s turning out to be more complicated than previous covers. All I’ve been told is that he’s doing the cover the ‘Traditional Way’, which I think means by hand instead of computer. So, we’re making sure not to rush here, which is smart.
My medical thing next Monday means I’ll be unable to really focus on the release and promos. I’d basically hit publish on Friday, rush through everything on Saturday while doing other things, and then disappear for Sunday and Monday. That isn’t how it should be. I really think I should be focused on the book and it would be a sad way to end this series to simply throw it out and leave it at that.
So, I apologize to everyone who expected the book and all the volunteers who have been waiting for the guest post. I’ve been trying my hardest to get things done, but it feels like obstacles beyond my control keep turning up. Seriously, how could I have predicted that I’d have to go in for a medical procedure that should really come with a stiff drink and teddy bear afterwards? Thanks to everyone who understands.
Hey there, all you Christmas Elves and Gingerbread Men. You’ve reached Lisa Burton Radio, the only show on the dial that brings you the characters from the books you love to read. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl.
Snuggle down in your easy chair, drop an extra cinnamon stick in your cocoa and help me welcome this week’s special guest. “Welcome to the show, Chloe Upshaw.”
“Hi, Lisa. Thanks for having me on today.”
“Now, Chloe, my bio indicates that you are in the middle of a huge job search. One that could see you moving during the Christmas season. How did that all come about?”
“Well, Lisa, I know you’ve got a pretty sweet deal here with Craig. I’m sorry to report I’ve not been as lucky. I’ve curated for two different museums now, both small, although I left my mark. But a girl can only stare at…
Since I am always looking for ways to bring books to my readers, I jumped at the chance to participate in a book spotlight for Moon Hunt. Thanks to the good people over at Forge Books we are not only spotlighting the novel but giving away one copy of the book to a winner in the US or Canada. More about that a little later. First, let us take a closer look at Moon Hunt and its authors.
Whispering Dawn has come to Cahokia as the bride of the living god Morning Star. She brings with her dark secrets. Political intrigue. And deadly magic.
When Morning Star drinks her poisoned nectar, the Night Moth carries his souls off to…
Christmas Eve 1928 gave birth to a yearly phenomenon in South Africa. A herd of false killer whales were found beached upon the shore. It has also given birth to the story of two young children who meet an old woman named Kima. Kima somehow…
