Sudden death, illness skews your normal life.

The sudden death of my brother caused my life to change. I thought I could blog to get through it but when my two younger sisters stopped by my place on their way to Oklahoma to attend my brothers services, one became very ill, blood sugar of 598 and running a 104 degree temperature, she ended up in the hospital near me. She had an infection in her leg that was what led to her being incoherent and being rushed to the hospital. Today is day eight for her being there. She is expected to be released later today or in the morning to go back home to North Carolina. Her husband came to get her and be with her until she is released from the hospital. During these eight days she was in the hospital, my other sister and her husband stayed with us.  All this commotion has stopped me from blogging like normal. So for all those that have missed me blogging and waiting on their book review, I will get to them later this week when my house empties out and things can return to normal.

Talk back, I'm listening as always. Have a great day!   

Bad weekend all around.

It started out with me deciding to rewrite "Saddle Spur". That wasn't that bad but then on my shuffleboard games, we were almost blanked in both games. My brother was found dead, I got the call right after I got home from shuffleboard. Then my Super Bowl team played terrible. I'm concerned about what else might go wrong. I can't wait on the weekend to get over. The only good thing going for me is my book "Lightning in the Tunnel- In the Beginning" is still being downloaded on Amazon Prime and being read.  take a look for yourself what everyone else is enjoying. It won't cost you a cent to read it for yourself. The reason I am posting this is to get my mind off the death of my brother. This makes three of my bothers and sisters that are gone. Sorry about the post but I am in a down mood and wanted to post something that will lift me up.

Talk back, I'm listening as always.

Focus on writing

The past few days, I have been focused on writing with a break in my volunteer work. I was almost finished writing the draft of my first western "Saddle Spur" when my mind told me that it needed to be scrapped and rewritten. So that is what I am doing. Rewriting the story to engage the reader better instead of telling the story, I am showing it. For all you newbie writers out there, one thing is clear or at least you must make it clear. Not just tell your story, show it in an way that makes the reader not want to put it down until the last page is read. I pulled up "Saddle Spur" the other day and started reading, Ho-hum it didn't engage me, hence the rewrite. Writing is a endless process that strives to improve from one book to another. For those writing their first book, it is not enough to get it done, you must go back and rewrite and rewrite until it is the best it can be then engage an editor. Every set of eyes that can look at your book before it is published, is great. Each reader will see the little things that you may get wrong before the book is published. Just remember there is millions of books out there crying for the readers attention. I know it is hard to stand out above the crowd but with a lot of hard work, it can happen.

Talk back, I'm listening and have a great week.  

So you tried everything, still most have never heard of you.

I've spent five years on social media and still only a handful of readers have heard about me. I know the pain other's feel when they have been there longer than I have.  When I started out writing, I never even thought of getting published. Writing was something I enjoyed, having an very active imagination. I jumped around from various stories I was writing intil my wife said I should get published. I had no clue on how to do that. Anyway, I spent a lot of money getting a vanity press putting together my first book for publishing. I paid for editing, extra for a cover exactly like I wanted, among other things they said I needed. Finally the book arrived and I was walking on cloud nine. I sold a lot of copies to friends and family thinking this was great. When I got around to actually read the final version it stank! Formatting was terrible, paragraphs were some times three pages long, typos abound and conversations all ran together where the reader, and I, couldn't tell who was talking and when the speaker changed. At least it never hit the market in a big way, they priced it so high, even I couldn't afford it. 

I almost gave up on publishing any more of my work until a friend suggested I find a publisher that does not charge to get you published. I submitted another of my books to them, they rejected it but then I changed the title and did a little proof reading, they accepted it and my next four books. I thought this was a traditional publisher as they claimed and I was finally on my way. For the next year, I paid whenever they asked for promotion expenses. Finally, one spring, I went to one of their book conferences and learned what promotions they did. They were mainly in the publishing business to sell books to the writer. After that conference and with suggestions from others, I went on social media. The first group I joined proved to be a godsend. LinkedIn, there on the threads I learned all about publishing, my so called publisher, and what an author had to do to get the word out, so readers can learn who they are. I already had a web page but was doing nothing with it. So following their advice, I created a blog or two. Learning no one, including me, likes to get spammed "Buy my book" I learned other things as well, and reviewing books became my main goal of each blog. I felt this was the best way to support all the struggling authors out there. Over time, someone might notice my works.

So what I am saying to all those out there still hidden under the wire, getting noticed takes a lot of time and effort but don't stop writing. You might have a best seller sitting on your keyboard or typewriter. Never give up hope or your dream to create something for others.

Talk back, what is your story, I'm listening.      

Just a little note- I have self published all the rest of my books using Amazon and Createspace if you are interested.

Everyone tells you to get on GoodReads if you are a writer!

To the left is the icon for GoodReads. I read that getting on GoodReads would be good for my books, so I did. When I became a GoodReads author, I thought, Just great! So I started uploading my books and after I did it asked me to rate them. Hell yes, I gave them all a five star rating! But guess what ? GoodReads frowns on an author reviewing their own work and down right gets upset at authors doing so. How was I to know? They asked and I thought this is a great thing. Only later did I learn it was a no-no but that was too late. Now, I wonder if I should go back and delete any I did make before learning the truth. They should put in bold letters, at least in fine print that authors should not review their own work when first joining.  Right now, I am in a pissed mood and don't want to spend time going back. What would you do? 

I've been working on completing my first western book, so I don't have time to bother. I guess I need guidance on what to do. Anyway talk back, I'm listening when I am not writing. Have a great week. 

Why I re-wrote and republished my first book.

After spending almost twenty years writing Lightning in the Tunnel- In the Beginning I had it published. Writing fifteen books afterwards, I found that just telling the story did not capture the reader. Learning what does, I went back and read the original book. The formatting was terrible (I paid to have it edited) along with the fact the writing was without feeling along with being believable because I didn't incorporate any of the senses, character development was poor at the best. Since I rewrote it, many people have downloaded and read the entire book on Amazon Prime. Several have sent me an email asking for the next episode in the series. "Dangerous Rescue" which is being edited at the moment. I included my email at the end of In the Beginning so they could. As a writer, I have learned that it takes more than just telling the story to get the readers engaged. When I first took In the Beginning off the market, I had planned to just let it go into oblivion, to be lost and forgotten by the world. Social Media over time reading other authors and the troubles they faced along with hints at what it takes to write a good book. I pulled it off my shelf and read halfway through it and immediately could see the reason it never was even noticed or read. To compound things even more, the next books in the series was published by a group that were not what the claimed to be. I am in the process of removing them from the world by buying back my rights and may or may not rewrite them. This all depends on what people think of the rewrite of the first two books in the series. Right now with so many downloads of Lightning in the Tunnel- In the Beginning" I just might. "Dangerous Rescue" will be out in February, I hope and I will take pre-release orders. For those that have not picked up their copy of "Lightning in the Tunnel- In the Beginning" yet, it is free on Amazon Prime at http://amazon.com/dp/B017PL35Y4 I tested the link to be sure you are connected. Enjoy!

Talk back, I'm Listening. As always!      

2016 goals and my hangover

It only took five days and one hell of a hangover today for me to finally decide on what my goals were for 2016. Last night, my wife after watching her share of TV while I was out playing shuffleboard, decided to come into the computer room when I got home and wanted to talk. I was drinking coffee and just finished the second pot of the day when we were ready to go to bed. After she started her nightly ritual in preparation for bed, she came out and announced she wasn't ready for sleep. So I joined her in having a drink. We talked and had a few more (a lot more) until we noticed it was four in the morning. by that time we both had a few too many. I crawled out of bed three minutes before noon and could barely function. Oh, what a hangover! It is now three-thirty in the afternoon and I think my brain is coming alive after being in hibernation from the after affects of alcohol. Now to get back to what was decided; I will finish the books I have been writing. "IronHearts", yes I added a "s" on it. A story about a young man that loses both parents just before his eighteenth birthday that has to grow up quickly and learns who his parents really were. "Doomsday Rock" a somewhat  humorous story about a young man that grew up in a convent after a war that destroys the USA and he enters the outside world for the first time. "Unlucky Penny" a story about a female detective that suffers a mental breakdown and shoots an unarmed black female and doesn't know it. "Jody's Dilemma" an off shoot of popular Lightning in the Tunnel series during the final (?) book of the series called "Lightning Rages", a story of a young woman shot down in a space battle stranded on a planet with two others humans and an assortment of Aliens.  "Cat's Cry" another human taken prisoner taken by the same aliens that shot down Jody in the same battle. Cat is one of the wives of Brad in the Lightning in the Tunnel series, after she has been rejuvenated into a young woman. In her struggle to survive and escape, she befriends another alien species that has been conquered by the same aliens that damaged her space fighter and took her prisoner. Finishing all these in 2015 will be a challenge. Most are down to their last chapters so it should occur. The book I didn't mention is almost finished as well, my first and only western called "Saddle Spur" It will most likely hit the book stands before any of the rest are published. So, all in all 2016 will be my most productive year for publishing especially since I really didn't publish much last year.  Oh by the way, "Dangerous Rescue" is complete and waiting on a cover as it is being edited so it out in February. 

Talk back, I'm listening as always. Have a great year everyone.