EDITED TO ADD: Go by Trixie's Home right now and see the incredibly neat post she has up! Absolutely awesome!
Murder by Dewey Decimal still hasn't shown up at the wholesalers or even Books In Print. I emailed Lulu's customer service who replied that it takes time, but my book was on track. No ETA, of course, but I guess I'm reassured. Sort of.
Anyway, not much else is going on. I'm on Slim Fast for a couple of weeks to jump start my weight loss, and it's making me tired and grumpy. Or at least that's what I'm claiming is doing it. Work is as it is. I'm still working on cleaning my house and reducing clutter. I'm proud of my garage. There's still a lot to do there, but it's looking much better.
Did you enter the Giveaway yet? Read yesterday's post and enter for a chance to win over $100 in fantasy, science fiction, and science books.
It's late so I'm going to close now. I hope things are going well for you. Have a great day tomorrow. Or else.
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in paperback HERE! (My first love!)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in hardcover HERE! (My first love all dressed up!)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal merchandise HERE! (T-shirts, caps, clocks, buttons and lots more!)
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Giveaway!
I'm giving away a bunch of books! Do you want to win them? No, really, do you want to win them? It's easy. First, here are the books:
Ringworld's Children, Larry Niven
The Abhorsen Trilogy, Garth Nix
Crystal Rain, Tobia S. Buckell
This Year You Write Your Novel, Walter Mosley
The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman
Star Trek: I'm Working On That, William Shatner with Chip Walter
On Her Majesty's Occult Service, Charles Stross (two books and a short story)
What's Science Ever Done For us?, Paul Halpern
The Loch, Steve Alten
That's over $100 in books! To be eligible to win them, leave a comment with your name and the title of the sequel to Murder by Dewey Decimal. One lucky person will win all the books. The drawing will end Sunday, November 11, 2007, at noon. One entry per person!
Have a great week!
Ringworld's Children, Larry Niven
The Abhorsen Trilogy, Garth Nix
Crystal Rain, Tobia S. Buckell
This Year You Write Your Novel, Walter Mosley
The Amber Spyglass, Philip Pullman
Star Trek: I'm Working On That, William Shatner with Chip Walter
On Her Majesty's Occult Service, Charles Stross (two books and a short story)
What's Science Ever Done For us?, Paul Halpern
The Loch, Steve Alten
That's over $100 in books! To be eligible to win them, leave a comment with your name and the title of the sequel to Murder by Dewey Decimal. One lucky person will win all the books. The drawing will end Sunday, November 11, 2007, at noon. One entry per person!
Have a great week!
Friday, October 26, 2007
2nd Twilight Puzzle
Several of you enjoyed the first puzzle created for Twilight so I thought I'd share a couple more.
This next Halloween-themed puzzle requires that you have Murder by Dewey Decimal. Have fun!
1,1,6,3
5,1,1,2
7,2,5,1
10,4,12,1
17,3,7,7
20,5,2,6
7,2,5,1
This next Halloween-themed puzzle requires that you have Murder by Dewey Decimal. Have fun!
1,1,6,3
5,1,1,2
7,2,5,1
10,4,12,1
17,3,7,7
20,5,2,6
7,2,5,1
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Twilight puzzle
This is one of the puzzles I created for Twilight. Can you solve it? (Hint: It's basically Su Doku with a small twist.)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tribal lays*
So basically I need to blog. Well, not need to in the sense of needing to eat or needing shelter from harsh weather or needing to find Angelina's home address, but I feel obligated to since I assume some of you are out there still reading this poor little blog, and I hate to think about you clicking my blog over and over and over, but no new content. Then you cry and think life isn't worth living and start drinking and end up on the streets with only the voices in your head for company, and I don't need that on my conscience, so buck up, little readers, here's a post.
But not an interesting post because I still haven't done anything interesting to relate to you. I am working on Twilight, the Defenders Adventure, which will launch this weekend. The title comes from the name of the huge, deadly, mysterious starship that the players will explore: The Twilight Grace. But working on it isn't that interesting to relate. Writing isn't that interesting to talk about, actually. It's great to do, but not so much fun to discuss.
I particularly get irritated at writers who:
• discuss how their "Muse" has abandoned them (Of course, it left you; it's just as annoyed with you as we are)
• talk about how they are just so sensitive to life that they can't write because the world overwhelms them (Yeah, cry me a river)
• snipe about writers who write prolifically (Jealousy is an ugly thing)
• complain about how writer's block is RUINING their lives (Maybe you need a few real problems)
• writers who don't recognize that writing is different for each of us and what might work for one person won't necessarily work for another (It's called individuality, and you should realize that just because someone doesn't write like you do, it doesn't mean they're doing it wrong).
Yeah, I've been visiting one of my online writers' groups. How did you guess? There's a moderator in one group that drives me crazy. She is dogmatic, mean-spirited, and vengeful. I don't attempt to argue with her because she throws her moderator status around like it was given by Saint Peter himself. She always has an opinion on everybody's writings -- even in genres that she proudly hold in contempt -- but as near as I can tell, she has never finished a book, a story or even a poem. Now, there's nothing wrong with having an opinion, but what she lacks is the knowledge ther her opinion is no more valid than anyone else's. We're supposed to help and advise in the group, not discourage and control.
A couple members of the group have asked me to write to the site owner about her, but I'm not going to do it. There are plenty of groups out there so we can all find what we're looking for. And this moderator has friends in the group, so I'm assuming they agree with her. As I get older, I find myself less willing to throw myself into the fire for differences of opinion.
But she tempts me. How she tempts me.
Footnote:
* From Rudyard Kipling's "In the Neolithic Age"
... a rival, of Solutre, told the tribe my style was outre--
'Neath a tomahawk, of diorite, he fell
And I left my views on Art, barbed and tanged, below the heart
Of a mammothistic etcher at Grenelle.
Then I stripped them, scalp from skull, and my hunting-dogs fed full,
And their teeth I threaded neatly on a thong;
And I wiped my mouth and said, "It is well that they are dead,
For I know my work is right and theirs was wrong."
But my Totem saw the shame; from his ridgepole-shrine he came,
And he told me in a vision of the night: --
"There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays,
"And every single one of them is right!"
But not an interesting post because I still haven't done anything interesting to relate to you. I am working on Twilight, the Defenders Adventure, which will launch this weekend. The title comes from the name of the huge, deadly, mysterious starship that the players will explore: The Twilight Grace. But working on it isn't that interesting to relate. Writing isn't that interesting to talk about, actually. It's great to do, but not so much fun to discuss.
I particularly get irritated at writers who:
• discuss how their "Muse" has abandoned them (Of course, it left you; it's just as annoyed with you as we are)
• talk about how they are just so sensitive to life that they can't write because the world overwhelms them (Yeah, cry me a river)
• snipe about writers who write prolifically (Jealousy is an ugly thing)
• complain about how writer's block is RUINING their lives (Maybe you need a few real problems)
• writers who don't recognize that writing is different for each of us and what might work for one person won't necessarily work for another (It's called individuality, and you should realize that just because someone doesn't write like you do, it doesn't mean they're doing it wrong).
Yeah, I've been visiting one of my online writers' groups. How did you guess? There's a moderator in one group that drives me crazy. She is dogmatic, mean-spirited, and vengeful. I don't attempt to argue with her because she throws her moderator status around like it was given by Saint Peter himself. She always has an opinion on everybody's writings -- even in genres that she proudly hold in contempt -- but as near as I can tell, she has never finished a book, a story or even a poem. Now, there's nothing wrong with having an opinion, but what she lacks is the knowledge ther her opinion is no more valid than anyone else's. We're supposed to help and advise in the group, not discourage and control.
A couple members of the group have asked me to write to the site owner about her, but I'm not going to do it. There are plenty of groups out there so we can all find what we're looking for. And this moderator has friends in the group, so I'm assuming they agree with her. As I get older, I find myself less willing to throw myself into the fire for differences of opinion.
But she tempts me. How she tempts me.
Footnote:
* From Rudyard Kipling's "In the Neolithic Age"
... a rival, of Solutre, told the tribe my style was outre--
'Neath a tomahawk, of diorite, he fell
And I left my views on Art, barbed and tanged, below the heart
Of a mammothistic etcher at Grenelle.
Then I stripped them, scalp from skull, and my hunting-dogs fed full,
And their teeth I threaded neatly on a thong;
And I wiped my mouth and said, "It is well that they are dead,
For I know my work is right and theirs was wrong."
But my Totem saw the shame; from his ridgepole-shrine he came,
And he told me in a vision of the night: --
"There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays,
"And every single one of them is right!"
Sunday, October 21, 2007
My current boring life (with footnotes!)
I simply don't have time to have adventures anymore. Either I'm at work or I'm at a book signing for Murder by Dewey Decimal or blogging about Murder by Dewey Decimal or mailing press releases for Murder by Dewey Decimal or making web widgets for Murder by Dewey Decimal or making trailers for Murder by Dewey Decimal or begging people to buy Murder by Dewey Decimal or mentioning the title over and over until you buy the book out of simple self-defense or doing other publicity for Murder by Dewey Decimal. It has taken over my life, and frankly, I want to start seeing other books.
This is not to say that I don't still love Murder by Dewey Decimal because I do, but its sequel Murder by the Acre is beckoning and it's new and unknown and quite lovely and I'd like to get to know it better. Does this make me fickle?
I'm not abandoning Murder by Dewey Decimal. Its national release will be soon – when it will be available for ordering on Amazon.com, other online retailers, and local bookstores, just in time for you to order it for Christmas gifts, hint, hint, hint – and then a whole new round of publicity (postcards, press releases, etc.) will kick off. I will be busy with Murder by Dewey Decimal for the foreseeable future.
I'm not complaining, mind you. MBDD has been fun, but MBTA needs my attention, too. And then there's Floozy and Other Stories, my collection of humor pieces. And let's not forget Dragons Gather and Darkness, Oklahoma, books that need to be finished so that they can rejected by stupid, short-sighted publishers who probably can't even read above a first-grade level, not that I'm bitter about previous rejections and I'd like to say that I had absolutely nothing to do with those odd accidents that wiped out the entire editorial staff at Random House. Anyway, I want to be with all of those books and MBDD, too. Let's face it: Apparently I am an author with definite Mormon tendencies.*
(The * denotes a footnote, by the way, in case you didn't know and even if you did. So go to the end of the article and read the footnote and come right back here. We'll wait for you.)
Okay, now that you're back, let's continue. My point is — and I do have one — that I don't have time to have those horrible misadventures that make truly funny posts. It's been months since the police even checked with me about anything. Two of my neighbors have actually purchased cats again, which is sort of sad since I intend to resume my chemistry experiments soon. Everything has settled into a boring routine.
It's like I told Father Jacob as we chased those fake nuns who stole his golden goat, him on his unicycle and me on my electric skateboard. "Nothing exciting ever happens to me these days," I told him, tossing him the sausage roll that contained the secret message from the De Brotherhood ala Penguin. He agreed right before the ninjas attacked.
What? You want to hear about the Mystery of the Golden Goat? I wish I had known. I have to go now. Maybe some other time if I don't forget.
Footnotes:
*The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) did away with polygamy in 1890. Just a helpful historical note and an apology to any Mormons (my roomie) who might be reading this. Which reminds me of an uncle of mine who once asked in a tone of disbelief, "Who could stand more than one wife?"**
**My uncle was kidding! Just a helpful note and an apology to any of my wonderful aunts who may be reading this.***
***For cash, I will tell which uncle it was. Also for cash, I will keep my mouth shut. Let the bidding begin!
Copyright 2007 Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. Yes, this means you shouldn't download it or copy it unless I give you written permission.
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in paperback HERE! (My first love!)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in hardcover HERE! (My first love all dressed up!)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal merchandise HERE! (T-shirts, caps, buttons and lots more!)
This is not to say that I don't still love Murder by Dewey Decimal because I do, but its sequel Murder by the Acre is beckoning and it's new and unknown and quite lovely and I'd like to get to know it better. Does this make me fickle?
I'm not abandoning Murder by Dewey Decimal. Its national release will be soon – when it will be available for ordering on Amazon.com, other online retailers, and local bookstores, just in time for you to order it for Christmas gifts, hint, hint, hint – and then a whole new round of publicity (postcards, press releases, etc.) will kick off. I will be busy with Murder by Dewey Decimal for the foreseeable future.
I'm not complaining, mind you. MBDD has been fun, but MBTA needs my attention, too. And then there's Floozy and Other Stories, my collection of humor pieces. And let's not forget Dragons Gather and Darkness, Oklahoma, books that need to be finished so that they can rejected by stupid, short-sighted publishers who probably can't even read above a first-grade level, not that I'm bitter about previous rejections and I'd like to say that I had absolutely nothing to do with those odd accidents that wiped out the entire editorial staff at Random House. Anyway, I want to be with all of those books and MBDD, too. Let's face it: Apparently I am an author with definite Mormon tendencies.*
(The * denotes a footnote, by the way, in case you didn't know and even if you did. So go to the end of the article and read the footnote and come right back here. We'll wait for you.)
Okay, now that you're back, let's continue. My point is — and I do have one — that I don't have time to have those horrible misadventures that make truly funny posts. It's been months since the police even checked with me about anything. Two of my neighbors have actually purchased cats again, which is sort of sad since I intend to resume my chemistry experiments soon. Everything has settled into a boring routine.
It's like I told Father Jacob as we chased those fake nuns who stole his golden goat, him on his unicycle and me on my electric skateboard. "Nothing exciting ever happens to me these days," I told him, tossing him the sausage roll that contained the secret message from the De Brotherhood ala Penguin. He agreed right before the ninjas attacked.
What? You want to hear about the Mystery of the Golden Goat? I wish I had known. I have to go now. Maybe some other time if I don't forget.
Footnotes:
*The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) did away with polygamy in 1890. Just a helpful historical note and an apology to any Mormons (my roomie) who might be reading this. Which reminds me of an uncle of mine who once asked in a tone of disbelief, "Who could stand more than one wife?"**
**My uncle was kidding! Just a helpful note and an apology to any of my wonderful aunts who may be reading this.***
***For cash, I will tell which uncle it was. Also for cash, I will keep my mouth shut. Let the bidding begin!
Copyright 2007 Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved. Yes, this means you shouldn't download it or copy it unless I give you written permission.
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in paperback HERE! (My first love!)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in hardcover HERE! (My first love all dressed up!)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal merchandise HERE! (T-shirts, caps, buttons and lots more!)
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Charting
Sorry I've been gone. I've been in the middle of moderately severe IBD flare, and that has kept me from doing anything, even missing most of a day of work. (Something I rarely do.) So I got practically nothing done on my list for Tuesday night. So goes it.
The Great Slimdown continues to be active. Trixie is posting her success and is being an inspiration to us all. She's taken some hard knocks and experienced major life changes over the past few months, but she's kept on working and trying and is on her way back up -- except for her weight which is on its way down!
And that's about all I have to say tonight. I'm still sick, still tired, blah, blah, blah. The usual. Hope things are going well for you. I just learned that little Mikey may have strep throat. Please remember him in your prayers. Night!
The Great Slimdown continues to be active. Trixie is posting her success and is being an inspiration to us all. She's taken some hard knocks and experienced major life changes over the past few months, but she's kept on working and trying and is on her way back up -- except for her weight which is on its way down!
And that's about all I have to say tonight. I'm still sick, still tired, blah, blah, blah. The usual. Hope things are going well for you. I just learned that little Mikey may have strep throat. Please remember him in your prayers. Night!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Harried
A busy day at work. Made the day harried, but it went faster, too. And now I have things to do at home tonight. What am I doing? you ask. Yes, you did. I heard you over the other voices in my head. You said quite plainly for me to unleash my robot monkey army and KILL EVERYONE!!!! BWAAHHHHAHHHHAHHHAA ... Ahem, where were we? Oh, yes, what I'm going to do tonight:
1. Dry and fold a load of laundry. You know, nudists do have certain advantages that we don't.
2. Write thank you notes to those who purchased books recently at my signings and at my office. I'm a little behind on this, but I think it's a good thing to do.
3. Spend some quality time with Murder by the Acre. I've got to get the timeline of the first murder worked out. Right now, I have -- I think -- the murderer being in two places at once. I'm not totally sure so I need to sort that out.
4. Continue to work on mastering my new video authoring program Adobe Elements Premiere, which I shall use to create really cool trailers (commercials) for my books. And maybe other events if people want me to. Microsoft Movie Maker is a simple program to use, but it lacks the power to create professional trailers. AEP has lots of power, but that dang learning curve is steep. I got it really cheap because -- as it turns out -- version 4 has just been released. That's okay. Let me learn and use version 3 exhaustively, and then I'll think about upgrading.
5. File. File. File. I get so sick of paperwork. There's got to be a way to cut down on the number of trees we kill.
6. Wash the day's dishes. (I'm attempting to stay caught up on this because I hate washing dishes. Tis better to not let them sit and do them daily. Until I can afford a maid.)
7. Work on the October family newsletter. I'd like to publish it this week. So it would be on time. For once.
8. Balance checkbook and see if I have any money to pay bills with.
9. Pay bills if I have any money. Although I do get paid Thursday. Wahoo! Of course, all the money is already marked for bills. Wahoo.
10. Organize my Christmas cards and Christmas list. Money is going to be tight for me this year -- as always -- so I need to shop smart. I don't intend to use any credit card this year for Christmas.
That's my evening, folks. What's going on your world? Oh, before I forget, go here and read Seeker's (AKA Crystal) clever reply on my "Boring may be good" post on the Great Slimdown. Made me laugh. Have a good evening, y'all.
1. Dry and fold a load of laundry. You know, nudists do have certain advantages that we don't.
2. Write thank you notes to those who purchased books recently at my signings and at my office. I'm a little behind on this, but I think it's a good thing to do.
3. Spend some quality time with Murder by the Acre. I've got to get the timeline of the first murder worked out. Right now, I have -- I think -- the murderer being in two places at once. I'm not totally sure so I need to sort that out.
4. Continue to work on mastering my new video authoring program Adobe Elements Premiere, which I shall use to create really cool trailers (commercials) for my books. And maybe other events if people want me to. Microsoft Movie Maker is a simple program to use, but it lacks the power to create professional trailers. AEP has lots of power, but that dang learning curve is steep. I got it really cheap because -- as it turns out -- version 4 has just been released. That's okay. Let me learn and use version 3 exhaustively, and then I'll think about upgrading.
5. File. File. File. I get so sick of paperwork. There's got to be a way to cut down on the number of trees we kill.
6. Wash the day's dishes. (I'm attempting to stay caught up on this because I hate washing dishes. Tis better to not let them sit and do them daily. Until I can afford a maid.)
7. Work on the October family newsletter. I'd like to publish it this week. So it would be on time. For once.
8. Balance checkbook and see if I have any money to pay bills with.
9. Pay bills if I have any money. Although I do get paid Thursday. Wahoo! Of course, all the money is already marked for bills. Wahoo.
10. Organize my Christmas cards and Christmas list. Money is going to be tight for me this year -- as always -- so I need to shop smart. I don't intend to use any credit card this year for Christmas.
That's my evening, folks. What's going on your world? Oh, before I forget, go here and read Seeker's (AKA Crystal) clever reply on my "Boring may be good" post on the Great Slimdown. Made me laugh. Have a good evening, y'all.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Autumn Days report
Well, the book signing was not an overwhelming success, or even a whelming success. But the whole festival was poorly attended. No one knows why. Maybe because of football games or other events. Who knows? I still managed to sell five softcovers and one hardcover. This means that, of the 101 books I purchased to sell, the softcovers have finally moved into the profit area. I still have 11 to sell before the hardcovers turn a profit. But it's slowly getting there. (The ones purchased directly from Lulu by customers are already profitable, although I haven't received a royalty check yet. I'm supposed to receive my first check in November.)
While I didn't make a lot of sales, I did have a wonderful time visiting with my friends TL, Melissa, Kyra, and Marsha. TL, Melissa, and Kyra spent all day with me, and Marsha spent a couple of hours and had lunch with us. They kept my Saturday from being depressing. They are awesome people, and I greatly appreciate them!
Otherwise, not much to tell you. I was exhausted after the festival, came home, napped, did a few things, then met TL and Kyra for dinner at Applebees. Good food and good conversation. Then we went over to TL's house and watched a little TV. Finally I came home and collapsed in bed.
Today I didn't do much of anything other than church and a few chores. And now a few photos from yesterday.
Me at my table at Autumn Days, October 13, 2007, Autumn Days, Ada, Oklahoma.
TL and Melissa at my table.
One of my customers, me and Kyra.
The lady who had the table next to mine and her adorable grandson.
And now I'm going to call it a night and attempt to do something productive before I have to return to my job tomorrow. I hope things are going well for you. Be sure to check out the Great Slimdown where you'll find weight loss tips and essays, polls and more. (Right now I'm wondering if maybe it's good for weight loss to eat boring food. What do you think?) Good night.
While I didn't make a lot of sales, I did have a wonderful time visiting with my friends TL, Melissa, Kyra, and Marsha. TL, Melissa, and Kyra spent all day with me, and Marsha spent a couple of hours and had lunch with us. They kept my Saturday from being depressing. They are awesome people, and I greatly appreciate them!
Otherwise, not much to tell you. I was exhausted after the festival, came home, napped, did a few things, then met TL and Kyra for dinner at Applebees. Good food and good conversation. Then we went over to TL's house and watched a little TV. Finally I came home and collapsed in bed.
Today I didn't do much of anything other than church and a few chores. And now a few photos from yesterday.
Me at my table at Autumn Days, October 13, 2007, Autumn Days, Ada, Oklahoma.
TL and Melissa at my table.
One of my customers, me and Kyra.
The lady who had the table next to mine and her adorable grandson.
And now I'm going to call it a night and attempt to do something productive before I have to return to my job tomorrow. I hope things are going well for you. Be sure to check out the Great Slimdown where you'll find weight loss tips and essays, polls and more. (Right now I'm wondering if maybe it's good for weight loss to eat boring food. What do you think?) Good night.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Book Signing #4
Tomorrow, Saturday, October 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. I will be participating in Autumn Days in downtown Ada, Oklahoma. I will have a table where I will (I hope) once again be selling hardcovers and softcovers of Murder by Dewey Decimal, giving out MBDD and MBTA bookmarks, passing out order information cards, and taking registrations for giveaway of $100 in books and MBDD merchandise sponsored by 51313 Harbor Street.
My friends TL, Mel, Marsha, and Kyra are supposed to join me there. I anticipate good company and good conversation and lots of laughs. I hope to sell a few books, of course, but it's just as important to keep the name of the book out there and to build interest in its sequel, Murder by the Acre. I plan on taking plenty of photos and maybe a video clip or two to use in another movie about the signing. (I really should have got my friend Kent up here from Dallas to run the cameras. He's often talked about making a movie. This would have been good practice.)
What? Giveaway? Did I not mention the Giveaway? I thought I had. Well, to enter this giveaway for over $100 in books and MBDD merchandise, you must send me an email that has your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address on it. The subject line has to be: "I Love Murder by Dewey Decimal" Giveaway. One entry per person, although there can be multiple entries from the same household. The drawing will be in March 2008. There, now you know. Please enter. I'd love for the winner to be one of my regular readers here.
But there is also going to be a Giveaway that will be exclusively online. It's a puzzle/quiz/map Giveaway. You'll find clues and answers in the first chapter of Murder by Dewey Decimal as well in the Murder by the Acre excerpts. More about that next week.
What else? I'll be in Alva, Oklahoma, Saturday, December 1, for another book signing. I'll be part of the attractions at the grand opening of the great indoors home furnishings, an upscale furniture and home decor store on Alva's town square. More about that as I know more.
I don't currently have a book signing set up for November, but I'll work on that. Maybe I'll be coming to your (Oklahoma) town soon.
The flash drive hasn't shown up. I think I lost it at the library or at the supermarket and someone picked it up and kept it. I hope they enjoy it before they're savagely attacked by rabid badgers.
I'm off work this afternoon and intend to clean house, write, and nap. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? I hope your day goes well, and if you're in the Ada area tomorrow, stop by and see me at my table. I'd love the company. G'day all.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
My NaNoWriMo novel
With the loss of my flash drive, it seems unlikely I'll have time to participate in National Novel Writing Month in November. Not if I want to publish Murder by the Acre in January as planned.
I regret this. NaNoWriMo is a special time and lots of (stressful) fun. I particularly wanted to participate in this one because I think I have a good plot. The book was going to be called Twilight Grace.
Later this month, I will be running a role-playing game in which the players will end up on a huge, deserted star ship, the Twilight Grace. Except it's not deserted. Think Rendezvous with Rama with a good dose of Aliens and Ghost Story. As I planned the game, I became fascinated by the Twilight Grace and its crew. I will write their story eventually. What follows is one of the logs found by the Space Authority team that finds the Twilight Grace.
Personal log of Ensign Lars Darwick
3005-08-32-2
The captain has ordered Hold 5 sealed. He says that it has to be studied by the scientists on Earth. Drake says the captain's trying to keep it all for himself. I told him that the Authority wouldn't allow that. But it is odd. I don't mind it being sealed. That thing gives me the creeps. I swear those symbols move sometimes. But no one seems to notice. I've been in space too long. I'm imagining things.
3005-08-33-7
Drake is acting strange. He's meeting with other members of the crew. Evens, Simpton, Jasick. They go quiet when I walk up. I can feel their eyes on me. Something's going on. The whole ship needs to disembark. What I wouldn't give to kiss the ground again!
3005-08-33-9
Drake didn't turn up for duty. Neither did several others. The captain has ordered a security team to look for the missing people. Everyone is jumpy. Last night I keep hearing people talking outside my cabin, but there was no one there. Out of the corner of my eye, I keep seeing ... things.
3005-08-35-1
More people are gone. The captain ordered Commander Sven to broadcast a security alert. No one from Earth answered. Why don't we land? Why are we staying on this ship? I haven't slept in days.
3005-08-35-9
When I got off duty, my cabin door was marked with blood. All of the command deck has been violated like this. The doctor says the blood is human. The captain sealed off all decks below E. We have been issued sidearms.
3005-08-36-2
The captain has ordered the Grace to Earth. We are not going to wait for permission. Whatever is there has to be better than what is here. There is a murmur in the ship. I can hear it. I can almost make out the words. But I don't understand what the voices are saying. I don't understand.
3005-08-37-3
Last night my dead uncle was waiting in my cabin for me. He told me that he loved me and he was sorry. When I screamed, he wasn't there. I'm losing my mind.
3005-08-37-5
The ship is unable to move. Someone something in engineering has shut down the engines. We are adrift near Mars, but we cannot make orbit. Earth, Mars, Venus, Jupiter stations are all silent. We are alone.
3005-08-38-2
We found Jorqsen's hands today, arranged like a centerpiece on the captain's table in the dining. The captain has ordered us to go in pairs. It's not enough. We're going to die.
3005-08-39-4
They have broke the seals and took deck E. We saw them. Former mates, Lynda, Drake, they're all changed. Creatures. Alien. Not human. They captured Ademan and Kilin. They ate them alive. Slowly. The screaming went on for hours. The doctor slit his wrists and bled to death before anyone found him.
3005-08-40-1
They took D. We killed and killed and killed. They come back. They come back.
3005-08-40-3
C. They're on C.
3005-08-40-2
We are abandoning ship! Mom, Dad, Lisa, I love you!
3005-08-40-2
The pods won't launch. I can hear the voices. What they're saying. What they're saying. It comes. It comes for us all.
3005-08-40-3
God help us. God help
LOG ENDS.
I regret this. NaNoWriMo is a special time and lots of (stressful) fun. I particularly wanted to participate in this one because I think I have a good plot. The book was going to be called Twilight Grace.
Later this month, I will be running a role-playing game in which the players will end up on a huge, deserted star ship, the Twilight Grace. Except it's not deserted. Think Rendezvous with Rama with a good dose of Aliens and Ghost Story. As I planned the game, I became fascinated by the Twilight Grace and its crew. I will write their story eventually. What follows is one of the logs found by the Space Authority team that finds the Twilight Grace.
Personal log of Ensign Lars Darwick
3005-08-32-2
The captain has ordered Hold 5 sealed. He says that it has to be studied by the scientists on Earth. Drake says the captain's trying to keep it all for himself. I told him that the Authority wouldn't allow that. But it is odd. I don't mind it being sealed. That thing gives me the creeps. I swear those symbols move sometimes. But no one seems to notice. I've been in space too long. I'm imagining things.
3005-08-33-7
Drake is acting strange. He's meeting with other members of the crew. Evens, Simpton, Jasick. They go quiet when I walk up. I can feel their eyes on me. Something's going on. The whole ship needs to disembark. What I wouldn't give to kiss the ground again!
3005-08-33-9
Drake didn't turn up for duty. Neither did several others. The captain has ordered a security team to look for the missing people. Everyone is jumpy. Last night I keep hearing people talking outside my cabin, but there was no one there. Out of the corner of my eye, I keep seeing ... things.
3005-08-35-1
More people are gone. The captain ordered Commander Sven to broadcast a security alert. No one from Earth answered. Why don't we land? Why are we staying on this ship? I haven't slept in days.
3005-08-35-9
When I got off duty, my cabin door was marked with blood. All of the command deck has been violated like this. The doctor says the blood is human. The captain sealed off all decks below E. We have been issued sidearms.
3005-08-36-2
The captain has ordered the Grace to Earth. We are not going to wait for permission. Whatever is there has to be better than what is here. There is a murmur in the ship. I can hear it. I can almost make out the words. But I don't understand what the voices are saying. I don't understand.
3005-08-37-3
Last night my dead uncle was waiting in my cabin for me. He told me that he loved me and he was sorry. When I screamed, he wasn't there. I'm losing my mind.
3005-08-37-5
The ship is unable to move. Someone something in engineering has shut down the engines. We are adrift near Mars, but we cannot make orbit. Earth, Mars, Venus, Jupiter stations are all silent. We are alone.
3005-08-38-2
We found Jorqsen's hands today, arranged like a centerpiece on the captain's table in the dining. The captain has ordered us to go in pairs. It's not enough. We're going to die.
3005-08-39-4
They have broke the seals and took deck E. We saw them. Former mates, Lynda, Drake, they're all changed. Creatures. Alien. Not human. They captured Ademan and Kilin. They ate them alive. Slowly. The screaming went on for hours. The doctor slit his wrists and bled to death before anyone found him.
3005-08-40-1
They took D. We killed and killed and killed. They come back. They come back.
3005-08-40-3
C. They're on C.
3005-08-40-2
We are abandoning ship! Mom, Dad, Lisa, I love you!
3005-08-40-2
The pods won't launch. I can hear the voices. What they're saying. What they're saying. It comes. It comes for us all.
3005-08-40-3
God help us. God help
LOG ENDS.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Sick
I'm so sick and upset that I can barely think. I did something so stupid that I may have permanently lost my right to consider myself as bright. Wait 'til you hear what I did.I lost a flash drive. A flash drive that contained three weeks of writing on Murder by the Acre. A flash drive that I hadn't backed up once -- NOT EVEN ONCE -- during those three weeks.
I feel like throwing up. I and my roomie tore my house, office and car apart looking for it. I called every place I've been at since I discovered it lost, hoping that it had been turned into their lost-and-found. No luck.
And I know better. I KNOW BETTER. YOU ALWAYS BACK UP DATA DAILY. BACK UP DATA DAILY! But I apparently don't have the brains that God gave gravel. So I have to lose three weeks of work. THREE WEEKS OF WORK BECAUSE I'M NOT SMART ENOUGH TO BACK UP DAILY.
I'm not talking to me for a while.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
My 1st three book signings
Here are photos from my first three book signings in a little movie.
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in paperback HERE! (Lisa and Bernard's first mystery!)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in hardcover HERE! (The hardcover is beautiful!)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal merchandise HERE! (Actually pretty cool.)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in paperback HERE! (Lisa and Bernard's first mystery!)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in hardcover HERE! (The hardcover is beautiful!)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal merchandise HERE! (Actually pretty cool.)
Friday, October 05, 2007
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Somewhat of an explanation
I realize that my post yesterday was unnecessarily mysterious. I apologize. I was reeling from the fallout and couldn't think clearly. I still can't explain fully for privacy reasons, but I can give you some background.
Basically what happened was that a lie was revealed. It was a lie that a family and a business had been based on for several years. I knew about the lie, but it wasn't my lie, my family or my business.
When I was younger, I would have proudly revealed the lie and explained how I knew the lie was a lie, so overly-impressed with my intelligence that I wouldn't have counted the cost to those involved. But I'm older now and more inclined to mind my own business. I have enough sins of my own without seeking out those of others.
And I guess, because I knew that the lie existed and kept silent, I became part of the conspiracy. Not overtly, but I certainly did a small but real part in concealing the fact from those who should have known because they might have made different life choices.
To be honest -– which is horribly ironic expression in this context -– I don't think I ever really considered exposing the lie. And from the outside, an outside that was more outside than I realized, it seemed that maybe the lie had become the truth after all these years.
But the big lie had spawned a lot of other lies, lies that I was unaware of, being as I was on the outside of this. Late the other night all those lies collapsed in one bloody, terrible mess. I ran triage, attempting to staunch what wounds I could, but eventually there was nothing I could do except listen to ravaged voices on the phone.
Apparently there will be a divorce, property will be divided, a business will close, people will be out of work, children will be shuttled between two houses, and all those good years are said to be tainted and broken beyond redemption.
Everyone is hurt, everyone is bitter, everyone wants to place blame. I'll shoulder my part. It's the least I can do in their Meggido.
It’s easy to say that the truth should have been told from the beginning, but if it had, none of those good years would have happened. The truth would have never allowed those good years to happen with those people. And despite what is being said now, those years were good. They were exceptionally good.
I remember one Sunday evening, a picnic in our town park, people laughing, children running around excitedly, my friends tenderly holding each other’s hands as we all watched fireworks fill the night sky with glory.
Basically what happened was that a lie was revealed. It was a lie that a family and a business had been based on for several years. I knew about the lie, but it wasn't my lie, my family or my business.
When I was younger, I would have proudly revealed the lie and explained how I knew the lie was a lie, so overly-impressed with my intelligence that I wouldn't have counted the cost to those involved. But I'm older now and more inclined to mind my own business. I have enough sins of my own without seeking out those of others.
And I guess, because I knew that the lie existed and kept silent, I became part of the conspiracy. Not overtly, but I certainly did a small but real part in concealing the fact from those who should have known because they might have made different life choices.
To be honest -– which is horribly ironic expression in this context -– I don't think I ever really considered exposing the lie. And from the outside, an outside that was more outside than I realized, it seemed that maybe the lie had become the truth after all these years.
But the big lie had spawned a lot of other lies, lies that I was unaware of, being as I was on the outside of this. Late the other night all those lies collapsed in one bloody, terrible mess. I ran triage, attempting to staunch what wounds I could, but eventually there was nothing I could do except listen to ravaged voices on the phone.
Apparently there will be a divorce, property will be divided, a business will close, people will be out of work, children will be shuttled between two houses, and all those good years are said to be tainted and broken beyond redemption.
Everyone is hurt, everyone is bitter, everyone wants to place blame. I'll shoulder my part. It's the least I can do in their Meggido.
It’s easy to say that the truth should have been told from the beginning, but if it had, none of those good years would have happened. The truth would have never allowed those good years to happen with those people. And despite what is being said now, those years were good. They were exceptionally good.
I remember one Sunday evening, a picnic in our town park, people laughing, children running around excitedly, my friends tenderly holding each other’s hands as we all watched fireworks fill the night sky with glory.
Janus
Something horrible happened last night. I can't tell you about it. Not that I've been sworn to secrecy, but because I don't know how to explain the events that led up to it or how to adequately share what happened. And maybe I don't want to go over it again. I've already spent half the night reviewing the events and berating myself for not seeing what was going to happen sooner and not having the right words and actions to stop what happened. But there's no real lesson to be learned, no moral to the story. Sometimes you just have to survive something, just make it through in hopes that there is something better eventually.
A few months back, a friend asked how I could bear to bare so much of my life to the general public. A clever question (bear to bare) but he didn't realize how much was left out of this blog. Things happen, and I can't share them either because the other people involved wouldn't want me to or because I am unable to share them for reasons of my own. This is an edited version of my life. Maybe the life I'd like to have.
Of course, we all do this. Different faces for different people. Sometimes the change is major, sometimes minor. Some people deny they do this. They like to claim that they are same for everyone. I've discovered they are always liars. Maybe that's what we humans are. A race of liars.
I once heard an upright minister preach about how what drove Adam and Eve from the Garden wasn't disobedience, per se, but rather that they lied about their disobedience to God. The angel and flaming sword were to punish their lying tongues, and that's what would happen to us if we lied, according to him, a flaming sword in our souls. (Later on, that same minister would lose his pulpit and his family for cheating on his wife with the church secretary. I wonder how that flaming sword felt.)
I don't have any conclusions to draw here. Maybe something about life and the need for illusions or the benefits of a nice, comfortable lie. Maybe about how we can lie our way to a truth, maybe not an absolute truth, but a truth nonetheless. I don't know. Maybe you should just lie yourself to a conclusion. It's not hard. You can do it. Just close your eyes and open your mouth and lie. That's the way to do it ...
A few months back, a friend asked how I could bear to bare so much of my life to the general public. A clever question (bear to bare) but he didn't realize how much was left out of this blog. Things happen, and I can't share them either because the other people involved wouldn't want me to or because I am unable to share them for reasons of my own. This is an edited version of my life. Maybe the life I'd like to have.
Of course, we all do this. Different faces for different people. Sometimes the change is major, sometimes minor. Some people deny they do this. They like to claim that they are same for everyone. I've discovered they are always liars. Maybe that's what we humans are. A race of liars.
I once heard an upright minister preach about how what drove Adam and Eve from the Garden wasn't disobedience, per se, but rather that they lied about their disobedience to God. The angel and flaming sword were to punish their lying tongues, and that's what would happen to us if we lied, according to him, a flaming sword in our souls. (Later on, that same minister would lose his pulpit and his family for cheating on his wife with the church secretary. I wonder how that flaming sword felt.)
I don't have any conclusions to draw here. Maybe something about life and the need for illusions or the benefits of a nice, comfortable lie. Maybe about how we can lie our way to a truth, maybe not an absolute truth, but a truth nonetheless. I don't know. Maybe you should just lie yourself to a conclusion. It's not hard. You can do it. Just close your eyes and open your mouth and lie. That's the way to do it ...
Monday, October 01, 2007
This & that, but mostly MBDD, of course
The commercial is finally working. See yesterday's post to see the very, very, very rough video for Murder by Dewey Decimal. I don't understand why it didn't work. I just kept trying to upload it tonight, and finally it took. I'm using Microsoft Movie Maker to put it together. It's a fairly simply -- and limited -- program that comes with XP. I may think about upgrading later if I think the video commercials are worth pursuing.
I sold three soft covers at my office today. I only have to sell three more books, and then I start making a profit. Now I have to try even harder to sell the remainer because the profit is the money to help me achieve my dreams. I can't just break even. (I'm referring to the books I purchased for my book signings. The online books required none of my money so I made my profit on them already, although I haven't received a royalty check yet. Sometime in November, apparently.)
So how are the sales going? Well, I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon. But maybe six or seven books down the line, I could see it happening if I were completely out of debt and were willing to live a more restricted lifestyle. Like giving up food and shelter.
Enough about that. I purchased another month's supply of my diabetes medication and test strips today. Ouch. And ouch again. They're sure are proud of that stuff as evidenced by the price tag. Perhaps that bank robbing idea isn't so bad.
This week I'm working on the October family newsletter and the bookplates for MBDD. If you haven't requested a bookplate, now is the time to email me and let me know you want one. After this deluxe batch is gone, there won't be any more. Autographed stickers will be available, but the deluxe plates are a one-time thing for the first hundred folks who request them for their books.
The Great Slim Down is receiving some activity these days. Be sure to visit it, and if you'd like to join us in our quest to get healthy and fit, just let me know and I'll send you an invitation so that you can post also.
And now I'm going to bed. Y'all have a good night and a good tomorrow. Talk to you then. Night!
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in paperback HERE! (Read what all the talk is about)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in hardcover HERE! (A simply lovely book)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal merchandise HERE! (T-shirts, caps, tote bags, buttons and much more)
I sold three soft covers at my office today. I only have to sell three more books, and then I start making a profit. Now I have to try even harder to sell the remainer because the profit is the money to help me achieve my dreams. I can't just break even. (I'm referring to the books I purchased for my book signings. The online books required none of my money so I made my profit on them already, although I haven't received a royalty check yet. Sometime in November, apparently.)
So how are the sales going? Well, I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon. But maybe six or seven books down the line, I could see it happening if I were completely out of debt and were willing to live a more restricted lifestyle. Like giving up food and shelter.
Enough about that. I purchased another month's supply of my diabetes medication and test strips today. Ouch. And ouch again. They're sure are proud of that stuff as evidenced by the price tag. Perhaps that bank robbing idea isn't so bad.
This week I'm working on the October family newsletter and the bookplates for MBDD. If you haven't requested a bookplate, now is the time to email me and let me know you want one. After this deluxe batch is gone, there won't be any more. Autographed stickers will be available, but the deluxe plates are a one-time thing for the first hundred folks who request them for their books.
The Great Slim Down is receiving some activity these days. Be sure to visit it, and if you'd like to join us in our quest to get healthy and fit, just let me know and I'll send you an invitation so that you can post also.
And now I'm going to bed. Y'all have a good night and a good tomorrow. Talk to you then. Night!
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in paperback HERE! (Read what all the talk is about)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal in hardcover HERE! (A simply lovely book)
Order Murder by Dewey Decimal merchandise HERE! (T-shirts, caps, tote bags, buttons and much more)
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