Yeah, I’m probably getting annoying at this point. Still, the final pieces are here and I’m pushing to get a few more people to lend a hand.
Leave a comment if you’re willing to host a ‘Book is Live’ and/or a ‘Guest Post’ for
Legends of Windemere: Tribe of the Snow Tiger
You can even volunteer after the initial post because it’s never too late to promote a book’s release. Well, I guess it’s too late if the book isn’t sold any more because that would just be mean. Thankfully, the books aren’t going anywhere. Thanks in advanced.
I am delighted to say my shortlisted poem, ‘Loneliness’ is one of eleven finalists for the Theatre Cloud’s Loneliness Project. I am so pleased that I was selected from over six hundred entries, proud and humbled.
The judging takes place this week and I am campaigning for votes again. There are two prizes voted for by the judges, but there is a third prize for the poem with the most votes, shares and you tube views. If you haven’t voted for my poem yet, please, please – I urge you to take a look and; vote for it by clicking the heart icon. The link to the poem is here: http://theatrecloud.com/get-involved/creative-projects/shortlist-the-loneliness-project/loneliness/2081
I would greatly appreciate anyone sharing the link on their blogs and social media.
Thank you all. And thank you all for your continued support and kindness. Baldypoems has had some wonderful success this year and it is a…
I’ll get the big thing out of the way since that got most of the attention last weekend. Went to the cardiologist and had an EKG, which never goes well. I have a blip that will always be picked up, but doesn’t appear to be a big deal. Still, this resulted in a stress test and I have to do another once insurance makes up its mind on what to do. So that’s the end of that until it starts up again.
I began writing ‘Raven’s Game’ for October and didn’t get as far as I would have liked. I enjoy writing most of the scenes, especially when Dawn Addison is involved or I get to do creepy stuff. I think I slowed up when I began a short run that had more set up and less action. Realized that doing constant eerie tension would weaken the effect. This story is becoming more violent and graphic than the previous one because Dawn and Corvus are basically unleashed. I’m hoping to finish it by next weekend.
After that project is done . . . I have no idea. Honestly, a big chunk of 2016 has been breaks. Somewhere in the next week or two, I’ll be releasing Tribe of the Snow Tiger and I hope to see it rise up the category ranks. It’s going to be hard to focus on other things since this year has been so rough that I’m not sure what’s going to happen with a new release. I figure I can’t go by Crossing Bedlamsince that was a new series and aimed at a different audience than usual. Feels like so much is up in the air and out of my control these days. Makes me wonder if that heart blip is stress induced, which wouldn’t surprise me.
I probably should step back into the Windemere series once I finish this project. One of the concerns I have is that I’m faltering there. The Spirit Well came out the way I wanted, but Ritual of the Lost Lamb has me worried. A lot of group splitting and I think I missed a few beats. So part of me thinks I should edit that one before I move on with the series. Put some demons at ease and avoid repeating mistakes. Then again, the next book focuses on something else and kind of goes back to a more comfortable format before the finale. The issue with ‘Ritual’ was that it happens right after the champions are thrown into chaos, so all of the characters are off their center. It was really rough to write them like that because old emotions came up, fights happened, and there was an all-around sense of dread in most of them. Makes me wonder if my own depression got into the mix. The reason for vagueness is that I can’t explain this without revealing the end of The Spirit Well.
Plan for the week?
Continue writing Raven’s Game.
Biking.
Cooking for dinner.
Keeping up with the special day events for the kid.
Prepare Tribe of the Snow Tiger for publishing.
Make another volunteer request post.
Contact new cover artist.
Actually, I’m not sure how #6 would go. The traffic to the blog has been rather minimal for the last couple of weeks. I have the list of people who volunteered for the last release and said they would help with the next. Makes me wonder how effective a blog tour is in the first place. Just feels like so much of what I’m doing isn’t working, which is getting frustrating. Doesn’t help that I’m occasionally reminded that this is the year I’m supposed to make or break. Annoying that it’s this year and everything that could go wrong beyond my control is going wrong.
To end on a good note, I have another teaser cover. Same image with more details:
In honor of my four-year blogging anniversary, both Imminent Danger And How to Fly Straight into It and its sequel, Chasing Nonconformity, are free to download today and tomorrow! Here’s the fun little promo banner I whipped up …
If you have a spare second, please consider sharing the banner (and links) on the social media site of your choice. And, of course, download the books if you haven’t read them! I can’t promise they’ll change your world, but I can promise they’ll give you a few solid hours of entertainment — and what’s life without a little fun?
Note: For any authors wondering about those URLs, they’re from BookShow.me, which is a website that generates a universal link that will direct you to the Amazon site of your choice (so you don’t have to provide links for…
Now, I’ve tried to do writing on a plane. At least back when I was able to afford tickets and had a reason to go. There are plenty of ways to make this a fun event even if you’re crammed into a small seat with a stranger nearly on your lap. Noise, attitude, tension, and all the fun of air travel. That’s just getting through security too. Anyway, here are 7 ways to get work done when on a plane:
Most importantly, listen to George Carlin. Get in the plane. Safety aside, you can’t get a flight attendant to come out to the wing and those wings are not notebook friendly. I don’t think there are outlets there either. Oh, and you might take a migrating bird to the nose.
Do not trust the odd indent in the tray table. It looks like a cup holder and probably can contain the small cups they give you. The whole thing is a two-sided trap designed to ruin notebooks and laptops. One jolt of turbulence and you get a spill. If not from the cup then the half full can of liquid that won’t fit in the cup and has nowhere to go because you only have one half-baked cup holder.
Take advantage of the pocket on the back of the chair in front of you. Perfect for putting notes, the stapler that security stopped you about, extra pencils that security wouldn’t let you sharpen, and other necessary supplies. The best part about this is that when you’re reminded to look for everything you may have brought on board, you know they’re talking to you. Let’s be honest though. Something is getting left behind and resulting in you trying to sneak back onto the plane.
Having trouble with a scene? Well you have a captive listener right next to you. Bring candy along to make friends or promise them a cameo in the story. Worst case scenario, you might have to show interest in their lives. Be careful with that one since it could talk longer than you expected.
They have tiny bottles of alcohol. Factor that into your budget if that’s your thing. If not then there are some other goodies that you can indulge in. Just because you’re sitting in coach doesn’t mean you can’t pretend to be an author in first class.
If turbulence is too much to write comfortably then it’s the perfect time to people watch. Crying babies, stressed parents, bellowing jackasses, drugged first time fliers, that couple doing what everyone knows they’re doing, the snoring guy that has blocked you from getting to the bathroom, and so many interesting people. Uh, stop staring at the couple, buddy. Don’t be creepy.
Daydreaming can count as progress if you aim it correctly. Let’s be honest. Sometimes a plane is too bumpy, cramped, and smelly to focus. Blast your music and you get complaints from those who were interrupting your work. Just stare ahead, refuse to blink, and laugh at random intervals. I’m sure nothing will seem suspicious.
Today’s featured author is Charles Yallowitz. Charles is a very active blogger and, like me, a native New Yorker who found himself in Florida. Unlike me, however, Charles moved back to New York. He is going to be on the hot seat today to answer my set of 20 questions which will help us learn more about him and his work. Please enjoy today’s edition of 20 Questions.
Q1) When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always liked telling stories, but being a career author came about in 10th grade. I had read ‘The Books of Lost Swords by Fred Saberhagen’ and it made me want to create a fantasy world to share. The rest rolled from there as I used my free time to write down various characters, monsters, and smaller stories to use for English courses.
Ever want to color but can’t decide what to color? This book is for anyone who wants to color something random and beautiful. With many designs ranging in complexity, there is something here for every coloring mood. The designs were hand selected by an artist, with the colorist in mind. Take some time, relax and enjoy making these black and white images into true works of art by adding your own unique touch.
Today’s featured author is Charles Yallowitz. Charles is a very active blogger and, like me, a native New Yorker who found himself in Florida. Unlike me, however, Charles moved back to New York. He is going to be on the hot seat today to answer my set of 20 questions which will help us learn more about him and his work. Please enjoy today’s edition of 20 Questions.
