Wow! (And I don't mean the game)

       Wow! Kirsten over at Now Or Never awarded me the Arte y pico award, for “those who are creative or have a penchant for art.” Very cool and the first award my blog has ever won. Thank you, Kirsten! You're awesome!
      Kirsten also received the award, and she certainly deserves it. Her interesting and frequently funny stories of libraries, yoga and life, and her awesome photography make Now Or Never a nice stop in my day.

      Now here are the bloggers I'm awarding:

      Michelle, Soul Patches. Her photography is simply totally amazing. I'm looking forward to the day when she can pursue it fulltime. She truly has the eyes of an artist.
      Adam Huckeby, Miscellaneous thoughts and other interesting particulars... Adam writes well and has also produced some interesting designs for his blog. He says he's finished with the design changes, but I hope that's not true as I've always enjoyed seeing what he comes up with next.
      Holly Lisle, Pocket Full of Words. If you read my blog much, you had to know this one was coming. Holly is one of the most creative writers out there. Her novels, writing courses, newsletters, blog, and website are testaments to her skill as well as her willingness to help other writers achieve their dreams. She will probably never know I gave this award to her, but by golly Miss Molly, she deserves it and more.
      Trixie, Trixie's Home. Trixie doesn't blog as much as I'd like -- hint, hint -- but when she does, she has produced some amazing posts. She has the ability to capture the essense of her subject. Her tributes to various family members (particularly those about her brother) and friends will bring tears to the eyes of the most jaded reader.
       Anny, NarcissusWorks. Stunning photography, painting and poetry on a blog truly devoted to creativity. A couple of times a month, I visit her blog and enjoy all the new poets she features. Well worth your time.
      
      And here are the official award acceptance rules:

      1. Pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.
      2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog.
      3. Each award winner (upon acceptance) should show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
      4. Show the link of Arte y pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
      5. Show these rules.

      Thanks again to Kristen for the award. Y'all have a great day!

A poem not in EndlesS

High Maintenance

If I could somehow offer you
my heart on the proverbial silver tray
garnished with gold truffles
topped with a sprinkle of diamonds,
would it finally be enough?

Or perhaps I steal for you
the sweet hymn of heaven,
which only the archangels
have gloriously sung,
would you be satisfied?

Maybe even wrestle time itself
and plunder from its secret vault
the elixir of eternal youth
so age never touches your lush body,
could you be content then?

But the more important question may be
if I could do these wondrous things
if such miracles I could bring forth
as easy as buttering your bread,
why oh why would I waste them on you?

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

My powers increase ... sort of

      You do remember that I've been playing World of Warcraft to escape life, right? Yes, instead of being a productive member of society, I've been wandering around an online game world and getting killed. Getting killed a lot. In fact, I might possibly be the worse WoW player in the history of the game. Let me tell you how bad I am.
      I'm a low rank character, which means I face off against low rack monsters. They kill me, I resurrect, they kill me again, I resurrect, they kill me again, and so on until I give up in frustration. I blamed my rapid death rate on my inexperience and incredible bad luck with anything involving chance. But no, I'm beginning to understand I actually project a powerful aura of ineptitude. Besides getting me killed frequently, this aura can actually kill other players who attempt to help me.
      Case in point: Last night, Roen's character RiceKrispy adventured with me for a while. RK is rank 65. She has tons of spells and thousands of life points. She is a one-person army, capable of killing scads of monsters at one time and frequently does so. She could beat up Xena, Hercules, and Superman without working up much of sweat. So understand this: she died three times while adventuring with me. The first time, I was shocked and puzzled. Had to be fluke. Likewise the second time. These things happen. But the third time, I realized something sinister was going on. Was it possible that she was dying just because she was near me?
      On reflection, this makes perfect sense. If you watch GhostHunters -- and we know you do, Crystal -- you know that living beings have an aura. Sometimes this aura lingers after we die, which gives rise to ghosts, ghouls, IRS employees, and other scary beings. Apparently my online character has an aura of defeat that directly affects other online characters. Even rank 65 characters are unable to resist it. (You might think this is fanciful, but look carefully at the presidential candidates fielded by the Democrats this year, and then ask yourself if they aren't evidence of an aura of defeat.)
      In fact, it's possible that, before I showed up, the World of Warcraft was a calm, peaceful place where people advanced in rank by learning how to fish or how to bake delicious pastries. What little killing took place was only to provide meat for the cooking pots and leather for clothes. Orcs, humans, trolls, and elves lived together in peace and harmony, occasionally getting together for barn raisings and square dances. But I show up, and immediately everything falls apart so fast that you'd think Congress was involved, but no, it's just little old me.
      Now, all I have to do is learn how to focus it so that it affects whom I wish. With my Power of Utter Defeat, Despair, and Lethal Entropy (AKA PUDDLE), I could conquer the online world! Only one thing stops me from pursuing this nefarious goal: What would I do with the online world after I conquered it? There doesn't seem to be much point to it all.

A spider ate my brain

      Been in a funk. Had the wind kicked out of me, both personally and writerly, and so I considered ending the blog and walking away from writing in general. Fortunately, a friend of mine gave me World of Warcraft, and I've been busy killing things ever since. And being killed by things, too. Particularly spiders.
      I am not a particularly good player. In fact, I am a spectacularly bad player. I've been killed by: young nightsabers, thistle boars, webspinner spiders, sprites, fell off the island -- twice, rabid thistle boars, sabers, giant spiders, harpies, owls, car salesmen, IRS agents, giant crabs, water lizards, a splendid variety of the undead, and so on and so on. In fact, the creatures of WoW consider me a delicacy. Nightstalkers and spiders will go out of their way to have a bite of delicious me. I am finger -- uh, claw, digit or tentacle lickin' good.
      I've spent a lot of my time as a spirit soaring around looking for my body. (WoWers understand this. If you're not one, just take it on faith.) In fact, after having died five times in a row, I soared around the island just looking at things because it was more fun than playing. (My friend Roen rescued me. She plays a terribly powerful character who is the equivalent of a nuke. But alas, she has a group of terribly powerful characters that she normally plays with -- they're on some quest involving a ring and some little folk -- and thus isn't often available to pull my tasty bacon out of the ever-hungry fire.)
      That's one of the not-much-talked-about-but-true advantages to not writing for a living. Unlike Holly Lisle, I can take a break and still have food on my table. Holly has to work hard -- and seriously, I know of no writer who works as hard, as creatively, and as productively as she does -- and she can't let up. She has a family to support. If she has a funk, she has to write her way through it.
      Always keep moving, I guess. That's the only way to deal with something. Go through it and out the other side. Got to remember -- however hard it is -- that every tunnel ends, that every cave (even those infested with vile sprites) can be mapped, and someday, eventually, if you keep moving, you'll make it back into the sunshine. Where a giant webwood spider will promptly eat you. Sigh.
      But after you get your spirit back into your body and turn that spider into goo -- not me; I resurrected and got out of there -- then you can keep moving forward. So that's what I'm doing. Moving forward again. Oh, I'm going to kill a few more creatures on WoW and vice versa, but it's time to pay bills, do laundry, clean house, write, and be me again.
      And if you're a member of WoW, stop by and say hi. My character is a night elf warrior known as Reevemer. He'll be the one with a spider eating his brain.

Q&A on EndlesS

What is EndlesS?
A softcover collection of 50 or so of my poems. Here's what Gloria Williams of Wry Words said about it: "… an unexpected little book of treasures … EndlesS is full of riches that even a person not fond of poetry will enjoy and a poetry lover will be thrilled by it. I highly recommend it."

Where can I buy it?
EndlesS is available exclusively on Lulu.com. Here's the link. It's $9.99 (plus shipping & handling).

Will it be available on Amazon.com?
No. I investigated placing it with the other online retailers, but with their markup, the book would be prohibitively priced. I don't think people should have to sell a kidney to buy one of my books -- although, of course, if they want to, that's okay.

Will it be available in hardcover?
Yes. In June, I'm going to publish a library edition. Unfortunately the cost of hardcovers makes it less attractive than I would hope. (It's going to cost around $20 just to produce it.) I'm going to publish that version so that I can donate hardcovers to the libraries that support me.

Will you have book signings for EndlesS?
No, not by itself. It will be available at the book signings for Murder by the Acre, which will be published later this summer.

Can I preview the book?
Yes. If you go to the purchase page, there is a small preview of the book. It includes the poems: "Creationsong," "Sky," and "Torrent" (on the back cover).

You've left out several poems you've featured on 51313 Harbor Street. Will they be collected in a book?
Maybe. I'd like to do two other poetry collections, Undying, a collection of fantasy and science fiction poems, and Quicksilver, a collection of spiritual poems. But both will depend on the response to EndlesS. Publishing a book is a labor-intensive, and while I certainly don't expect anywhere near the sales of Murder by Dewey Decimal, it would be nice if people bought a few copies to enjoy or give as gifts or use as coasters. I don't care as long as they buy them, but I do think that reading EndlesS is the best use for it.

I read a proof copy of EndlesS, but the published version lists poems that weren't in the proof. What gives?
Depending on which proof you read, anywhere from two to 10 poems were switched out for other poems. I tried to provide a variety of moods and subjects in EndlesS. Some poems made the cut, and others will have to wait for the appropriate collection.

May I review EndlesS?
Certainly. I welcome your input, whether it be good or bad. And if you say bad things about it, I promise to not hate you forever … only while you live, which regrettably will not be long.

You cover a vast range of subjects and situations in EndlesS. Are these all from your life?
Well, yes and no. Many of the poems in EndlesS are what I call "poetic fiction," which means I attempt to adopt the persona of someone experiencing what I'm writing about. The emotion is real even if the situation is not. However, many of the situations are from my life. After all, I'm in my forties now. I've lived a bit of life and picked a few scars, emotional and otherwise.

What's your favorite poem in EndlesS?
I'm glad you asked that. All my poems are my "children," and it's hard to pick a favorite, but I do have one. In the comments, you pick what you think my favorite poem is. If more than one person picks correctly, I will draw one winner from the correct entries. The winner will receive: a Murder by the Acre t-shirt (available in small to extra-large), a signed hardcover of Murder by Dewey Decimal, a Murder by the Acre kitchen magnet, and a set of EndlesS note cards (10 cards and envelopes). This contest will end June 30th. If no one has picked the correct poem by that time, I will draw from one winner from all the entries. By the way, the poem "EndlesS" is not my favorite, although it is one of my favorites.

That's all the time we have. Anything else you'd like to add?
Just that EndlesS is on sale now at Lulu.com for $9.99 (plus shipping and handling). You can find it here.

EndlesS on sale today!

      Yes, that's right. EndlesS is on sale now! Everything came together over the weekend, and this afternoon the link to purchase EndlesS went live.
      I'm excited about this first collection of poetry, so much so that I've planned two others, Undying, which will be poems of fantasy and science fiction; and Quicksilver, which will be spiritual poems. One of those will be out in 2009.
      But it's May 2008 right now, and you can be one of the first to own Endless. I am offering signature labels that I will be signing to everyone who purchases a copy online. Just email me your name and address after you've received your copy, and I'll send a signature label right out.
      And the first five people who purchase EndlesS will receive a Murder by the Acre kitchen magnet! As soon as you've purchased the book and received your "thank you note" from Lulu, email me with your name and address. I'll send you a MBTA kitchen magnet, but remember, it's only the first five people so don't delay. (My email address is issacskye at gmail dot com.)
      I'm excited that EndlesS is available now. I hope you enjoy it. Here's the link to it again.

Review of EndlesS

(My good friend Gloria Williams wrote the following review of EndlesS, my first collection of poetry. My thanks to her for allowing me to post it here. It is also posted on her blog Wry Words.)

By Gloria Williams

I received an advance copy of EndlesS, a collection of poems by Stephen B. Bagley. While I’m a fan of Stephen’s writings – particularly his humor and his mysteries – I’m not a fan of poetry. Still, I had enjoyed the poems on his blog so when he asked if I wanted to read an advance copy and review it, I decided to take the chance.

What an unexpected little book of treasures! The poems cover emotions from joy to sorrow to passion to bitterness to grief to rebirth. I particularly liked “Creationsong” and “Quicksilver,” two decidedly religious poems that surprised me with their joy and power, respectively. “Last Poem For Jenny” has to be one of the most touching poems I’ve ever read, and “Endless,” the title poem, is simply stunning, particularly its last line. “Passion” is certainly passionate as the writer reveals a love in his life and has to be one of the sexiest poems ever.

Not that the poems shy away from the dark events of life. “Non-Communion” is a strong, unflinching look at divorce, and “Hush” gives us the multiple stories of people that society would like to ignore. I wouldn’t have liked to have been the subject of “Dismissal” or the recipient of “You & Me.”

EndlesS also takes a look at the end of the world (“No One Expected It to Happen”), the lure of a mermaid (“Undertow”), paganism (appropriately titled “Pagan”), the marriage problems of a Native American couple (“Wounded Needs”), and many other subjects.

The poems are clear and understandable even on first reading, but as I re-read the poems to write this review, I was impressed and intrigued by the hidden meanings that occurred to me. All in all, EndlesS is full of riches that even a person not fond of poetry will enjoy and a poetry lover will be thrilled by it. I highly recommend it.

(EndlesS will go on sale June 1st exclusively at Lulu.com)

EndlesS goes on sale June 1st

       EndlesS, my first collection of poetry, goes on sale June 1st at Lulu.com. From the back cover:

Enjoy over 50 sensual and moving poems from the prize-winning Oklahoma poet Stephen B. Bagley, including "Passion," "Non-Communion," "Creationsong," and many other reader favorites.

      Also from the back cover, one of the poems from the book:

Torrent

Your love on me lies
sunbright glistening
on the waters of
my cascading soul
as it tumbles through
the lichen-covered
rocks of pain and hope.

And sometimes you ask
why I love only
you as if rivers
could somehow choose the
paths of their journeys
to the sun-touched sea.

Copyright 2008 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

      I hope you enjoy the collection, which will be available exclusively at Lulu.com.

Things to chat about

      Crystal's on her way back from Florida now. I don't know why. Florida sounds wonderful. I think she should stay there and buy a huge house where we could all go and live. Doesn't that sound nice?
      Last night, I'd like to say that I worked on MBTA, but I didn't. I took the night off. Sue me. I did have a nice meal with TL and Kyra at a local Italian restaurant. TL moves to Texas this weekend. His lovely and talented wife Mel couldn't join us because she was sick. I suspect she's ill because she's leaving me -- my town, I mean. I'll miss both of them and wish them well.
      Kent is in Atlanta today. He was in Cleveland a couple of days back. About once a year, his job takes him to various cities. These are business trips so he doesn't get to sight see. Most he's stuck in the hotel or conference room. Not much fun.
      I've been trying to develop a friends list on my MySpace page. Slow going. I find MySpace confusing. It seems to take a lot of work to change layouts and produce good copy. I'll keep working on it. The potential audience is huge, but reaching them is the problem. You can visit my page by clicking here.
      Kristen received her Murder by the Acre t-shirt. She says she will produce a photo of her wearing it some time soon. I'm looking forward to seeing what she will do. I looked at her photos on her Flickr account and discovered she's an excellent photographer. She and Michelle have real talent with a camera. Wish I was so gifted.
      Trixie gave us two posts Tuesday. A long one and a short one, but both were interesting. I mention this because A) we've all been a bit slack in posting and B) I've always admired her ability to keep moving forward despite what life throws at her. If I'm the original bounce-n-go boy, she's the original get-back-up-n-go girl.
      I'm placing the following here because I found it interesting and helpful. These "laws" won't be in MBTA, but they'll make an appearance in MBTM, I bet. Thanks to Kristen for featuring them on her other blog.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

S. R. Ranganathan, known as the "the father of library science in India," and respected by librarians all over the world, proposed five laws of library science. Most librarians worldwide accept them as the foundations of their philosophy.

These laws are:

Books are for use.
Every reader his [or her] book.
Every book its reader.
Save the time of the User.
The library is a growing organism.

       And now I have to get ready for work. Talk to y'all later.

Loons & other things

      I've been thinking recently about my failures with relationships with women, and I think it boils down to this: Women are universally insane. Bonkers. Loony tunes. Nuts. Several bricks shy of a load. A bunch of bananas from the crazy tree. Mad as hatters. Batty as bats. Steeples without bells. Bells without clappers. Clappers without hands. Hands without fingers. Fingers without prints. Prints without ink. Ink without cartridges. Cartridges without guns. Guns without triggers. Trigger without Roy. Roy without Dale. Dale without a valley. Valleys without a river. Rivers without water. Water without wet. Wet without a suit. Suits without a tie. Ties without a knot. Knots without a rope. You get the point, right?
      Now here's the craziest, looniest, maddest, most insane thing of all: I like 'em. I want 'em. I gotta have 'em. It's obvious that I'm perfect for them because I'm as bonkers -- or even more bonkers -- than they are. So what I'm really looking for, what I need, is a woman to be crazy along with me. We could wear our clown suits as we skip happily through life, throwing pies, spraying seltzer water, tripping people with our huge shoes. We could have lots of kids and get one of those tiny cars and travel around the country spreading happy insanity as we go. There are worse lives, you know.

*

      I've been working on the back cover copy for Murder by the Acre. What do you think of the following?

The librarian and the reporter are back! This time Bernard and Lisa stumble on a body in an underground house. As they and Police Chief Donaldson investigate, they're drawn into a confusing mystery of lies and alibis that involve the upper crust of Ryton, Oklahoma. Questions abound: Why doesn't the wife of the dead man seem to care that he's dead? Why doesn't his mistress? How was he killed and why? What does the Aventura Corporation have to do with the murder? Soon the mystery spirals out-of-control as the murderer strikes again and again. As the three dig deeper, they upset powerful people. The chief might lose his job, but Bernard and Lisa may lose their lives in Murder by the Acre.

*

       Crystal and her son are enjoying the beaches of Florida this week. She's been calling and torturing -- uh -- giving me updates on their vacation. They're visiting family and generally having a great vacation. Someday I'll have a vacation again. Someday.

*

       I will be traveling this Friday up to see my second oldest niece graduate from high school. I'm very proud of her. My whole family will be up there to see this milestone in her life. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone.

*

      I've been attempting to use my recumbent bike again. My legs hate me. They're quite bitter about it. I keep telling them that it's good for us. They are not convinced. My arms make fun of them. My arms don't know that we're about to start using hand weights. Poor, silly arms.

*

       I have a MySpace page now. It's www.myspace.com/harborstreet. Drop by and give it a look. I intend to keep blogging here, though. I'm going to use it for publicity for MBTA. We'll see how it goes.

*

      And now it's time to get ready for work. Have a great day!

Vision

      I got asked if I was serious about only writing for cash as I said in a couple of posts back. That column was humor, so it was exaggerated for effect. Obviously, I have other reasons to write. (I write poetry, for instance, which has to be lowest paying writing out there other than fanfic.) But yes, cash is nice. Someday I hope to get a chance to really sell out, to throw aside all my artistic aspirations for tons of lovely cash.
      As I've said before, I've always had a pen in my hand as soon as I could make words. I remember spending a lot of my teenage years attempting to get some fairly dreadful short stories published by Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. I actually got a couple of handwritten rejection notes from George Scithers, ASFM's editor at the time. He was famous for encouraging young writers, and I appreciated his kind words even though he never published any of the thirty or so stories I sent him.
      I still have all of those odd stories in my files. Almost all of them are science fiction; I hadn't discovered my love of fantasy yet. I wouldn't read Tolkien until my first year in college; that was life-changing event. Of course, I had read Andre Norton's fantasies for years, but she had never had approached the sweep of Tolkien. This is not to disparage Norton. She wrote some fantastically entertaining books and was the master of space opera, long before anyone thought to give it that term. But it was Tolkien who would send me into fantasy, and Tolkien who would also stop me from writing fiction for years.
      The Lord of Rings trilogy simply overwhelmed me. I was stunned by his vision and the scope of his world. The books were loaded with fictional riches. And I realized that I could never match his skill or talent. I wasn't around other writers so I had no one to tell me that I wasn't supposed to match his skill, that writing isn't a competition, that my vision might not be as clear as his but that didn't mean I couldn't pursue it. Instead, I wrote non-fiction.
      I was a journalism major and had worked for various newspapers and magazines since I was 15. These included: Big Basin Herald, Muldrow Times-Record, The Bulldog (high school paper), Lion's Pride (community college newspaper), The Daily O'Collegian (Oklahoma State University's newspaper), The Weatherford Daily News, Your Country Music Magazine, OKmagazine, Nautilus Magazine, Wildlife Magazine, Pontotoc Country Chronicles, etc. I spent a lot of words on those articles. I even attempted to seize the golden ring of journalism: National Geographic Magazine. (They sent me a very nice rejection slip.)
      During all that non-fiction, I had continued to write poetry and to play with the idea of series of mystery novels. Eventually that idea would lead to Murder by Dewey Decimal. I've already told its story before so we won't repeat that here. The Measurements of Murder Mystery™ series is set in a small town because that's what I know best. I had also learned that the huge sweeping novel should have characters at its heart, and I know the people in Ryton. They're all part of me -- Bernard's love of books and his desire to not be a spectator on life, Lisa's love of words and her fears that her talent isn't enough to lead to success, the chief's love of justice and his desire to protect the people he loves -- I understand them and can clearly see where their motivations will lead them.
      Not that I gave up the hope of writing a fantasy. Dragons Gather is loaded with magic and even a dragon, but once again, its characters are people I know, aspects of me and my fears, hopes, and desires. Darkness, Oklahoma is a small town, just like Ryton or what Ryton would be if witches, beasts, and monsters roamed its streets along with the folks I know and grew up with.
      In other words, I'm not JRR Tolkien, Holly Lisle, Stephen R. Donaldson, Andre Norton, Jim Butcher, Glen Cook, Wilbur Smith, Stephen King, or any of other many authors whose work I admire and collect. (By the way, have you purchased Holly Lisle's The Ruby Key yet? Go buy it now. You absolutely won't be sorry.) Of course, I'd like to have the success of those authors, but I can't be them. I can only pursue my visions, such as they might be.
      Visions need to be fed, though. And when people buy my books and share my visions, it encourages me to keep writing and attempting to share the worlds I can see. So when someone buys one of my books, I feel like they've joined me. It validates my vision, and that's a good feeling, one that cash doesn't ever give me.

4th Harbor Street Podcast

       Click the below link to listen to the fourth Harbor Street podcast. (I finally got WildVoice to work again.)

Harbor Street Podcast 4

      I hope you enjoy the show.

Why I write

       “I’m sure that seeing your book in print is enough,” the sweet, elderly lady said. “If you don’t sell another single copy in your entire life, you will have a book to cherish.”
       We were at my first book signing, and I looked up at her, having just signed her book, and then I leaped the table and wrapped my hands around her throat and choked her until she turned purple. No, that’s not what I did. I simply smiled at her and took her money. Later I pushed her down some stairs. She broke a hip and was there three days fighting off rats and insurance salesmen before they found her.
       No, I didn’t do that, either. For one thing, I’m not that kind of person, and for another, she was a jogger and outran me.
       But she was wrong. I wrote my book to sell it. Yes, it’s incredibly cool to have a book in print, one of the best experiences of my life, but if no one bought it, I wouldn’t keep writing. I’m not bright, but even I realize when it’s time to stop hitting your head against a brick wall. If only Hillary understood that.
       Fortunately, Murder by Dewey Decimal has sold. To friends, family, and — importantly — people who don’t even know me and thus aren’t afraid that I’ll ruthlessly hunt them down. Which is funny, really, because I’d be more inclined to hunt strangers because I know where my friends and family are every single minute of the day.
       And now in June I’ll have two books out that you’ll be forced — uh — will be able to buy. We’ll have EndlesS, a collection of my favorite poetry, and Murder by the Acre, the sequel to Murder by Dewey Decimal in which Bernard, Lisa, and the chief once again show us why Ryton is one of the most dangerous small towns in Oklahoma. And yes, EndlesS has that capital ‘S’ at the end of it. Don’t ask. It’s a deep poetic reason that I can’t really explain, but might be the result of childhood brain trauma.
       Ryton is, of course, the fictional town that the Measurements of Murder Mystery™ series is set in. And it is a dangerous place, particularly if you know Lisa and Bernard who seem to have the knack of finding dead bodies. At least, they say they “find” them. Frankly, I’d be suspicious of them. They’re a lot like Jessica Fletcher of ‘Murder She Wrote’ fame. Everywhere she goes, people die. I wouldn’t invite that psycho broad anywhere near my house.
       EndlesS isn’t that dangerous, although to see people’s faces when I tell them that it’s poetry, you’d think it was a box of snakes. I end up saying things like, ‘It won’t hurt you,’ and ‘Don’t be afraid.’ Several people have timidly told me that they will buy EndlesS to support me, but they probably won’t read it. They always apologize, not realizing that I’m happy as long as I get their cash so they’re safe.
       Anyway, two books in one month. I won’t do that again. Until next year, of course, when I’ll put out Murder by the Mile and Floozy. Just think of all that good money — uh — reading. Sigh.

Energy crisis

      Stressful days at work the past few days. Taking a lot out of me. I come home and grimly attempt to get some words. Writing takes energy; as much as I love it, I don’t have enough for it, too.
      Fulltime writers have problems. I can see that easily. No steady paychecks, constant worry about the next book, fretting over sales numbers, isolation from other people -- I can see all those drawbacks. Nothing is easy. I know that. But still … to stop having each book feel like a marathon. To be able to devote energy easily instead of stealing it from tomorrow. I now have a sleep debt that stretches into the next century.
      No complaints. After all, no one is making me do this. There is no gun to my head. I could stop. I could walk away. I have a job. I have a life, neglected as it may be lately. But I don’t. I don’t stop. It makes me crazy, this refusal to give up, this need to keep trying, this drive that brooks no refusal, that doesn’t care how sick I am or how tired or lonely or sad. Driven.
      So here I am. Thought I’d blog while I attempt to work out a scene. I have a character who is not behaving as he should. This is the last chapter. We don’t need any more false clues. It’s time for the end game. The payoff.
      Anyway, that’s what I’m doing. Murder by the Acre is coming along. I don’t think it will be finished this weekend, but maybe. Crystal has finished proofing everything except this last chapter. I’m still aiming for a publication date of June 30. And I’m waiting for another proof of EndlesS. It will be on sale June 1. I mailed the first proof copy to Trixie Tuesday. She should be receiving it soon.
      So I’ll close and go wrestle with the words. Hope things are going well in your world. Talk to you later.

Latest news

      No podcast this last weekend if you didn't notice. WildVoice, the free podcast program I was using, stopped working. I uninstalled it and reinstalled it several times, but no go. I'm looking for another solution and hope to podcast again this weekend.
      However, I did have the drawing for the proof copy of EndlesS, the collection of some of my poems. And the winner is (imagine DRUMROLL here) Trixie! (Imagine CROWD APPLAUSE here) That's right, Trixie, you won the proof copy of EndlesS! Just email me your mailing address, and I'll get it sent right out to you!
      The writing is going slowly on Murder by the Acre. This is the nitty-gritty time where I work to make to everything fit and settle all the questions raised by the book -- or at least enough to them to satisfy most of the readers. (After all, it is a series. I need to leave a couple of things unsettled so that I can build on them next time.) Between writing spells, I'm entering in the many corrections that Crystal found for me. She'd done a great job, and only lacks the last chapter, the one I'm working on now. Sometime next week, the book will go to the second proofreader, the lovely and lively Frenzied Feline.
      Speaking of next week, my second oldest niece J-May will graduate from high school next weekend. I'll be traveling up there to witness her walking across the stage. She has won a lot of scholarships with her high grades and vocal talent, and is excited about attending college. My sibs and their families will be at the graduation, too. I'm looking forward to it.
      I'm still fighting a spring cold. Or maybe it's allergies. Hard to tell since the meds are the same either way, for the most part.
      I slept badly last night. Or maybe just not enough. I seem to have a sleep deficit most days. I once actually fell asleep at my desk. Slow, boring day, and I closed my eyes and was out. Woke up a few minutes later disoriented. Very weird. It all has to do with giving up caffeine for the most part.
      I'll close now and get ready for work. I hope you have a great day and week. Talk to you later.

Inevitable

      A certain amount of inevitability travels with you when you're writing the end of a book. The story comes to a destination, and all the side trips are over. I find myself writing slowly and more carefully, trying to make sure that all the questions are answered, that the story is going to end as it should with only the planned plot surprises.
      Murder by the Acre is at over 64,000 now. I think it will come in around 75,000 or so. It can't go any longer than that or the price would increase substantially. So the story has to end at 75,000 words, even if that means I have to back up and cut scenes out of earlier chapters. I'm going to try to avoid that. Did I mention that May 18 is the deadline? On that date -- or sooner depending on what the story needs -- MBTA will be finished.
      Crystal has the corrections about finished on Chapters 1-6. She should be sending them to me Thursday. I'll enter them into the manuscript, and then send the whole thing back to her, including the infamous Chapter 7. Chapter 8 will complete the book. These are longer chapters than in the first book. Don't know why, other than that's what seemed to work.
      Not much else to tell you. The second proof copy of EndlesS is on its way. I'm really curious to see how the new cover looks when published. EndlesS will be available from Lulu.com in both softcover and hardcover. The softcover may be available on the on-line retailers, but I'm going to have to see how much that costs. Both versions will available at my book signings.
      Murder by the Acre will available in softcover at Lulu.com at first, but I intend to submit it also to the online retailers, once again depending on what it costs. By that, I mean what the online retailers will charge for it. I want the book there, but if it's at some ridiculous price like $30 or so, I don't think many people will buy it. $30 is lot of money for a book from a relative unknown, and when you consider it will be a softcover version, well, I think that would be the end of that. So this may mean that MBTA will only available on Lulu and at my book signings. I thought I might do some mail order myself, but I can't supply books any cheaper than Lulu does so folks might as well order it from them. I might offer some signed copies by mail. I'll have to wait to see.
      What other news do I have? Well, I might be getting myself a Wii. No, I've not got the video game bug. I'm not a video game fan, but apparently the Wii has some games that have exercise components to them. No, I don't know what they are yet. I'll know more this weekend when I and my roomie go to look at one. Should be interesting.
      Yeah, I'm still trying to lose weight. Not trying very hard, but trying nonetheless. When the book is over, I'm going to devote some time to it. That's the rub right now. I can't spare an hour or two every day to exercise. Not if I intend to have MBTA out by the end of June. And that’s what I intend.
      Do you like authors' photos on books? I can't say it matters much to me either way, but I've been told by a few people that I should put my photo on the back of the book. (Small photo, of course.) I've thought about it and don't feel inclined to do so, but what do you think? Good idea or bad? (And yes, I'd be wearing clothes, Crystal.) Either way, it won't be on this book, but maybe Murder by the Mile. That's next year's problem.
      In bad news, my good friends TL and his lovely wife Mel are going to be moving to Texas. I'm going to miss them terribly. My little town will never grow into its dreams until it is able to provide good paying jobs to bright, entergetic young people like TL and Mel.
      And now I'm going to get ready for work. Have a great day.

Home stretch

      Kirsten won the Murder by the Acre t-shirt! I've already ordered it, and it's on the way to her. (In fact, it shipped today. If you didn't know, Cafepress makes it very easy to send out gift purchases.) Kirsten writes the Now or Never blog. Stop by and say hi.
      I'm on the home stretch on Murder by the Acre. We're only a few thousand away from 68,500, but it doesn't look like the book is going to come in that total. I think it's going to be between 70,000 and 75,000. I'm not sure exactly, but sometime between now and May 18, this "final" rewrite will be done. I'll be glad to be done with it, but I will also be a bit sad. It's like leaving a friend.
      Besides writing and housework, I worked on the May family newsletter. I hope to finish it tonight or mostly finish it. I've been printing excerpts from the first chapter in the newsletter. I'll be finished with the first chapter in the June newsletter, which is good timing since the book will come out the last week of June or the first week of July.
       I'm waiting for the next proof copy of EndlesS. It has the new cover on it and has several formatting changes. I think there will be one more proof as I want to make a couple of more changes in it, but it should go on sale in June, barring unforeseen circumstances. By the way, you can enter a drawing to win the first proof copy of EndlesS by listening to the 3rd 51313 Harbor Street Podcast and following the simple instructions. We'll be announcing the winner this weekend at during the 4th 51313 Harbor Street Podcast this weekend.
      Well, I have to get to MBTA. Hope you're having a great day. Night!

3rd Harbor Street Podcast!

       Click the below link to listen to the third Harbor Street podcast.

Harbor Street Podcast 3

      In this show, we
            1. announce the winner of the first Murder by the Acre t-shirt giveaway,
            2. announce a new contest where you can win a proof copy of EndlesS,
            3. enjoy a poetry reading from Frenzied Feline,
            4. and talk about how Murder by the Acre is going.
      I hope you enjoy the show.

     Did you see the cover for EndlesS in yesterday's post? I'm very pleased about how it turned out. That's my photo on the cover, by the way.
      I hope things are going well for you. I'm very busy with Murder by the Acre and with putting EndlesS to bed. That's about all I have time to do. Sometime in July, I'll get my life back for a couple of weeks before I plunge into Darkness, Oklahoma and plotting Murder by the Mile for National Novel Writing Month in November.
      Anyway, that's all I have to talk about today. Talk to you later. (And privately to J. Clayton of Greystroke. Yes, you're a real swinger, but that doesn't mean J. Porter is. Don't go ape on her. Just take it slow.)

EndlesS cover

      EndlesS should be on sale in June, too. It's a collection of some of my favorite poems.



      Tomorrow we have a full podcast. We'll be announcing the winner of the first MBTA contest (Have you went to the 2nd podcast post and entered yet?); special guest Jolene AKA Frenzied Feline will be reading one of the poems from EndlesS; we'll be announcing a new contest, this one for the EndlesS; and we'll be talking about Murder by the Acre, of course, and a few other things. Be sure to drop by and give it a listen.
      If you like Star Wars®, you can stop by here and get a free audio book download or electronic book download of Betrayal, the first book in the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series. The offer ends May 13, so hurry on over if you're interested.
      And that's about all I have to tell you tonight. I hope things are going well for you. Have a great night and a wonderful tomorrow. Night!

Strange to think

      It's strange to think that sometime next week, Murder by the Acre will be finished. After all these months. Of course, I will still have the proofing to do and corrections to enter and the cover design to finish, etc., but still, the major writing and re-writing will be finished on it. Sometime in June or early July, we will have a book.
      Actually we will have two books. Endless, my collection of poetry, will be out in June or July, too. In fact, Lulu is producing a proof copy of Endless for me right now. I should get it this week or next week. I already know -- or think I know -- that I'm going to change the cover, but we'll see what it looks like when it arrives.
      What's after MBTA and Endless? Well, of course, I will be doing joint book signings for both and lots of publicity work and mailings. As for writing, I intend to return to Darkness, Oklahoma and get it ready to go out to an agent or publisher. I'm also going to work on getting Floozy ready to publish with Lulu. (Floozy is my collection of humor.) Then in October, I will spend it plotting Murder by the Mile and getting ready for National Novel Writing Month in November. I'll be writing MBTM for NaNoWriMo. Yes, I am crazy. And then we'll publish Floozy and MBTM in 2009. That's the plan, man.
      Did you listen to the blogcast and enter the contest yet? You still have two days (today and tomorrow because I intend to do the 3rd podcast Saturday) to do so. And no, you don't have to submit a photo of yourself wearing the shirt if you really don't want to. And if I don't have have the size you need, you can always give to your children, spouse, or friend. I just want the shirt worn so that it will advertise MBTA. Is that so much to ask? No, it isn't. (TL, you could win it for Mel. And Crystal, you could win it for M or his girlfriend or yourself. And ER, you could win it for ... uh ... Hmm. I don't know if Dr. ER would wear it or not. But you could wear it yourself. Or modify it into a flag to hang beside your Confederate flag.)
      Speaking of the podcast, I'm hoping that we will have a "surprise guest" this week. I'll let you know if I can work that out. EDITED TO ADD: Yes, we can work it out! Frenzied Feline will be reading one of my poems this week on the podcast. Awesome!
      

News of life

      Thanks to Frenzied Feline for mentioning that Word had document compare. I didn't even know that it did and had never used it before, but it saved me hours in correcting my mistakes. Thanks, FF.
      Did you listen to the second Harbor Street podcast yet and enter the first Murder by the Acre contest yet? You could win an MBTA t-shirt. Listen and enter! Here's the link: Harbor Street Podcast 2
      Summer is close. I can't wait until this chilly April weather is over. Also, my allergies would sure appreciate getting past this first bloom of spring.
      The writing is going slowly on Murder by the Acre. From 1,500 words a day, I've dropped back to 1,000 words a day. I'm putting the pieces together and making sure the clues fit and the story reaches a logical -- but surprising -- conclusion. Crystal has already proof-read the first three chapters and is now working on the next three chapters. She's doing a great job. So things are getting done, but not as fast as I had hoped. I'm still planning on meeting the June 30 publication date, but some of that will depend on Lulu, too, which has changed some of its procedures. If we don't make June, we will make July, but I'm hoping for June.
      Do you like the group Coldplay? For just this week, you can download a new song from them for free? Here's the clink: Coldplay. I'm not a huge Coldplay fan, but I have liked several of their songs and liked this one, too.
      We had a wonderful time with Mikey this past weekend. He's such a joy. He's also growing up. He could barely fit into the seat of his electric Jeep. When he grows a couple of more inches taller, he won't be able to.
      I have to get ready for work now. Have a great day!

2nd Harbor Street Podcast

       Click the below link to listen to the second Harbor Street podcast.

Harbor Street Podcast 2

      In this show, I talk about
            1. Murder by the Acre
            2. Endless
            3. Poetry in general
            4. Read a poem from Endless
            5. Announce the first MBTA contest in which you could win a t-shirt
            6. Shamelessly plug my MBTA Cafepress store and my books.
      Talk to you later. (And privately to C. Kent in Metropolis, yes, I think you should tell Lois. She deserves to know. And keep B. Wayne away from her. He's batty about her.)

Good and bad

      Howdy! Sorry I've been away from the blog. The past few days, I've had some interesting things happen, both good and bad, and I've been occupied.
      Good things first: Mikey came to visit this weekend. We had a wonderful time. We watched Justice League and played football, baseball, and golf. Mikey drove his electric Jeep around as well as his push scooter and his bicycle. (He's still in training wheels, but he's getting there.) We ate pizza, cereal, and grilled cheese sandwiches. We played computer games and video games. It was a wonderful visit. I'll post some photos of him playing football soon.
      Those were the good things, and they basically overshadow the bad things. Which were:
      1) My IBD continued to give me trouble. That got old really quick. I'm wondering if my ACTOS is somehow involved in that. I just seem to get sickest soon after I take it. I'll have to ask my doctor.
      2) I worked on Endless, my collection of poetry, and got it sent to Lulu. That's actually good news. It still needs a different cover, and I know I have some formatting errors that I'm going to fix as soon as I get the proof copy, which should be here in a week or so. The bad news is that Lulu has raised their cost in producing both soft cover and hard cover books. It's going to be priced higher than I had hoped on Lulu. And if you add the retail markup for Barnes & Noble and Amazon, it basically doubles. I'm very disappointed in this. I'm probably not going to buy a distribution package. It will be available only through Lulu.com and at my book signings. At least, that's what I think at present.
      3) I made two huge blunders on Murder by the Acre, and instead of getting new words, I was correcting my mistakes. My first mistake was opening an old version of my book and then typing new words on it. That wasn't too hard to fix as I simply cut and pasted the new words into the correct version. The second mistake was in entering in the corrections that Crystal gave me -- nearly 50 in all -- in the old version. I also found some mistakes of my own that I corrected before I realized that it was the old version, but I didn't realize it until I came upon a clue in Chapter Three that I had eliminated completely. Sigh. I have to spend tonight reentering the corrections and comparing the old version to the correct version to find all the corrections I did myself. Whee.
      4) Speaking of Murder by the Acre, the same price per book problem is deviling it. It looks like B&N and Amazon will price it at or over $20. Not good. Even worse: I make even less money per book than I did on the first one. For Murder by the Mile, I'm going to have to look around and see if I can find another publishing company that has better prices. (Has anyone out there used BookSurge? I'm curious how they are.)
      5) I didn't get the second podcast up yet. I was uploading it onto my own personal webspace when I discovered that I didn't have room to do so. I'm going to have to find a hosting service (free, I hope) to host it. Sigh.
      Anyway, I have plenty to do over the next few days. I'd sure like a day off in which to accomplish a few things, but that isn't going to happen any time soon. Time to get ready for work. I hope things are going well for you. Have a great day.

A few things of interest

      I woke up ill this morning. It feels like -- God help me -- the beginnings of an IBD flare. I took my meds, and I'm hoping that they will keep the flare from becoming full-blown. I have too much to do to be sick today! Of course, IBD doesn't care one way or another what my schedule is. Fortunately I'm off this afternoon so I'll be at home, which is where I need to be to do the things I'd like to get done and also where I can take care of myself best.
      Anyway, not much to tell you. I've been writing on Murder by the Acre, of course. The writing is going well, but I think I'm going to go over 68,500 for this book. I hope not too much over, but it looks like it's heading that way.
      Crystal has started proofreading for me. She has an incredible eye for that. I appreciate her taking the time to do it. After she has finished, it will be sent to my other proofreaders -- you know who you are -- for their input. The more eyes that see it before it's published, the better the published book will be.
      I've also been working on my collection of poems. It will come out in August. It's tentatively titled Endless, but that's the fourth title I've put on it so we'll see if that sticks. In collecting my poems, I've become uncomfortably aware that most of them follow a common theme: sex and/or love, but mostly sex. Death, divorce, and religion are minor themes. Sometimes I combine all four. I'm beginning to think I might just possibly be the littlest bit ... twisted. Ahem. There are some "nice" poems in there, too, so I might be redeemable with a lot of therapy. And the love of a good woman. A good, rich woman. A good, rich, lusty woman. Or maybe I'm doomed.
      I must get ready for work now. Have a great day. Oh, did you listen to my podcast? We'll have another one Saturday in which I'll read a poem and announce the first MBTA contest! Talk to you later.

Review: The Ruby Key

      Last night I finished The Ruby Key, the new book by Holly Lisle. What a great book, perfect for any young person -- or adult -- looking for a good fantasy. Genna's world is a place that I hope Holly Lisle will return to time after time.
      Here's the basic plot: The world is divided into day and night, day ruled by humans, night by the nightlings. Genna and her brother Dan discover that their "uncle" has made a horrendous deal with the lord of the nightlings: He has traded the lives of the people of their village for immortality. Genna and Dan make their own deal with the evil nightling lord and start off on an impossible quest to locate a child and return him to the nightlings. Along with them travel an annoying cat -- which is both more than and less than a cat -- and a young, bright nightling.
      But naturally things aren't what they seem. Genna soon learns that the world is different than she had always been told and that her quest has far-reaching consequences. There are monsters and moonroads (you'll have to read the book to discover what those are) and villains and heroes. You will be both surprised and pleased at how it all turns out.
      I mentioned in comments yesterday that The Ruby Key reminded me of the best of Andre Norton, and it truly does. Genna has resources and bravery that she doesn't even know she does, and this book is the beginning of her journey. I'm looking forward to the next book.
      By the way, the book itself is gorgeous with a wonderful cover and neat flourishes throughout, a handsome addition to any library. Add it to your library today.
      You can purchase The Ruby Key at:
Barnes & Noble
BooksAMillion
Amazon.com

Blame Holly Lisle

      I'm exhausted today, and it's all Holly Lisle's fault. The woman is ruthless and doesn't care what havoc she wreaks on her readers' lives.
      Let me explain. Over the past few weeks, I've been building a pile of books that I'm going to read as soon as Murder by the Acre is finished. It's my reward for all these weeks of writing. In that pile was The Ruby Key, Holly Lisle's new children's fantasy novel. I confess right here and now that I mostly bought it to support Holly rather than any desire to read a children's fantasy novel.
      Last night, at 11:00, I got ready for bed and then thought I'd read -- just a little -- to put me to sleep. I picked up The Ruby Key. I thought that I would just read a chapter or two, and then I could put it down. At 1:30 a.m. I looked up and realized that I had to put it down and go to sleep if I wanted to function today at all. But I laid awake another thirty minutes thinking about Genna and Dan's quest. And that cat who accompanies them.
      I tell you now that it's a very good book. I'll do a review when I'm finished -- which will probably be tonight, Lord help me. How could Holly do this to me? Why would she write such an enthralling fantasy if she had any concern for our schedules? I can hear her laughing as her reader slaves bring her grapes and chocolate meltaways. She's holding a Staff of Power! I can see her! Or I could be having sleep deprived hallucinations.
      Either way, I recommend you go and buy The Ruby Key immediately. Why should I be the only one not getting his rest?

The first Harbor Street podcast!

       Click the below link to listen to the first Harbor Street podcast. I hope you enjoy it.

Harbor Street Podcast 1

       Erudite Redneck asked about larger sizes on the Murder by the Acre t-shirts. Here are some of the sizes available.

MBTA Light T-shirt: Small to 3X
MBTA Value T-shirt: Small to 4X
MBTA White T-shirt: Small to 4X
MBTA Organic T-shirt: Small to 2X
MBTA Yellow T-shirt: Small to 2X
MBTA Golf Shirt: Small to 2X

       The writing hasn't gone well this weekend. I haven't got the words I wanted so I've got to get back to it. Take care. Have a great week. I'm outta here.

MBTA store opens!

      The Murder by the Acre store is now officially open! You'll find a wide assortment of t-shirts, mugs, boxes, calendars, tote bags, note cards, etc., and I'll be adding more items each week, including plus sized clothing for women. The t-shirts, by the way, come in lots of sizes (some up to 4x) and colors. You'll find more merchandise than the Murder by Dewey Decimal store, which will be updated over the next few weeks when I get the time. (My thanks to Adam who suggested opening another store for MBTA rather than closing the MBDD store.)
      Here are photos are photos of some of the items available.

The organic cotton t-shirt

A 10 pack of magnets

The MBTA Jr. Ringer t-shirt in gold/yellow. Also available in mint/avocado

The MBTA tote bag

The MBTA Value T-shirt, only $10.99 (plus shipping & handling)

The MBTA (root) beer stein

The MBTA Jr. women's spaghetti tank, also available in white and lemon

The MBTA cap

Hard

      Writing a book is hard. Don't let anyone ever tell you different. Oh, plenty of books will help you with plot, character, and structure. You can find writing courses and teachers galore. You can find support from writing groups and fellow writers. The web has hundreds of sites devoted to helping you write.
      And the ideas aren't hard. If you want to be a writer, you probably already have scenes and characters rambling around in your head. They're screaming to be placed on paper. You have plots and plot twists, themes and sub-themes, and major and minor characters jumping at the chance to star in your novel.
      The hard part is sitting down and actually writing. Actually putting in the time night after night, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, and so on until they find you slumped over your keyboard.
      I tell you right now that I think I might have been a happier person, a wealthier person, a more contented person if I had never wanted this dream to be real. If I had left it like so many, many, many other people do -- "I'm going to write a book someday " -- and never had the audacity to think, to believe, to know that I could write a book.
      I'm talking about this now because last night I had a hard time getting the words. I was tired, worn out from work and worrying about bills, feeling overwhelmed by my health problems and by trying to figure out how to pay for my medications. I did not want to sit down at my computer and write after having spent the day in front of my work computer attempting to help customers who ranged from rude to angry. (What I wouldn't give to hear a 'thank you' just once from some of them.)
      I think that if I hadn't told so many people about my schedule for the book -- that Murder by the Acre will be published in June, and June isn't far away -- I would have watched TV or read or done anything other than wrestle with the book. But that's what I did.
      I planted my sorry butt in the chair and typed and jumped back into the world of Ryton. I wrestled with Bernard and Lisa's complicated relationship, threw a few more clues toward the chief and Sims, and spent time making sure that everyone was hitting their marks and saying the right lines to keep the story moving, heading everyone toward that deadly confrontation with the dangerous psycho(s) who intends to kill anyone and everyone who might reveal his/her/their identity.
      I finished my words, watched Leno, Last of the Summer Wine, and crawled gratefully into bed. Today I will do it all again.
      And that's the life of a writer. My life. And for all this complaining, I don't think I'd trade with the richest man in the world.
      Although … perhaps it would be better if he didn't offer.
      

Length

      If you've been paying attention, you know that Murder by the Acre is over 53,000 words now, which makes it 77 percent done. That is if 68,500 turns to be the final length. I chose 68,500 as the target word goal because that was the length of Murder by Dewey Decimal, and I thought that length worked well for MBDD. I also already have the format for that wordage.

We interrupt this post to say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CRYSTAL! Repeat, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CRYSTAL! This was the Emergency Birthday Broadcasting System. We now return you to your regularly scheduled post.

      So I thought it would be good if MBTA's length also was about the same as MBDD. However, I am prepared to go longer if the story requires it. At this point, I'm not sure how it will go. The subplots and subthemes and main plot and theme all seem to be converging a bit slower than I expected. I'm prepared to go as high as 75,000 words, but if it tries to go over, then I'll have to rethink some things. I think 75,000 is about the limit for a cozy to keep a reader's interest. At least, it's my limit.
       But it may come in at 68,500. I've noticed that whatever length I've primed myself for, that's usually what I end up writing. So we'll just stay fluid and see what the story needs.

We interrupt this post to say: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CRYSTAL! Repeat, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CRYSTAL! This was the Emergency Birthday Broadcasting System. We now return you to your regularly scheduled post.

      In other news, there isn't any. I've been spending almost all my time writing. That's it. And when I'm done writing, I like to get up and get away from my computer for a while.
      By the way, Murder by the Acre merchandise is now available at Cafepress. You'll find t-shirts, caps, tote bags, magnets, boxes, etc. More is coming as I have time.
      And now I need to close and get to work. Have a great day!

Saturday photos

      My roomie went down to Mikey's Little League game Saturday. He had a great visit and bought back some photos that I thought I'd share.

Here's a photo of Jor, Mikey's little brother.


Here's a photo of Jor and Mikey, wonderful little boys.


Here's a photo of Mikey at his Little League Game. He's quite a hitter.


      Mikey's team, by the way, won. He got two runs. He's already a fierce competitor. What a kid!

Thank you!

      Thank you, Kelley and Frenzied Feline, for signing the "Stop the BookSurge Monopoly" petition on iPetition. I appreciate you standing up for the POD publishers. I don't know if Amazon will pay any attention to us, but at least we let them know that it's not acceptable to try to force out the little guy. If you haven't signed up, please do so. Thank you.

Cool things

      I receive a Google Alert when my name or Murder by Dewey Decimal is mentioned on a site on the web, a sort of online clipping service. Today I received this link via email.
      The cool thing is I don't know how this library learned of my book, but there it is. My book in another library. More opportunities for the Measurements of Murder™ series to build an audience. This brings the total to four libraries that I know have MBDD. Does your library? Ask them to get it if they don't have it. It won't cost you a cent, but gives MBDD more chances to find an audience. I would greatly appreciate it.
       Yesterday I told you about how Amazon is attempting to strangle the self-publishing world. This is a petition that opposes Amazon's actions. If you'd sign it, that would be great. I don't know if it will help, but it couldn't hurt. I'm Signature 986. (By the way, after you sign the petition, it pops up a window asking for a donation. You can sign and not donate to the iPetition folks, although I'm sure they would appreciate it.)
      The words are still coming on Murder by the Acre. If you've been keeping track of the wordage, I'm over 70 percent on this 'final' rewrite. Getting the words is sometimes grinding, but I can feel my writing muscles growing. Very cool.
      And now I'm going to call it a night. I hope things are going well for you. Let me know how you're doing. Night!

Upsetting news

Media & Marketing: Amazon Tightens Grip on Printing
By Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg
The Wall Street Journal
March 28, 2008

Amazon.com Inc., flexing its muscles as a major book retailer, notified publishers who print books on demand that they will have to use its on-demand printing facilities if they want their books directly sold on Amazon's Web site.

The move signals that Amazon is intent on using its position as the premier online bookseller to strengthen its presence in other phases of bookselling and manufacturing. Amazon is one of the biggest booksellers in the U.S., with a market share publishing experts estimate to be about 15%. Amazon doesn't comment on sales.

Read the rest of the story here.

      What does this mean? Well, it means that Murder by the Acre might not be available on Amazon.com. Lulu, my publisher, has yet to announce their approach to this. It may be that Lulu will absorb the cost of this (unlikely) or may charge its authors who want their books on Amazon (more likely) or may not have its books on Amazon at all, except through third party vendors (most likely).
      About a third of my sales of Murder by Dewey Decimal have come from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. In fact, MBDD is still selling slowly but steadily on both. I don't have an exact breakdown on sales because they're not available, but I think Amazon is accounting for 2/3 of my online sales.
      I investigated BookSurge, Amazon's print-on-demand company, and was dismayed by what they charge. Lulu, as you know, charges nothing to print books. They make all their money off your sales. However, Amazon's lowest price to print a book is over $400, and that's for a book and features not as nice as Lulu's.
      I'm hoping that Lulu will work something out, but if not, it will still be on Barnes & Noble and other online retailers. And you will still be able to order it from your local bookstore.
      So far, Murder by Dewey Decimal is still available from Amazon.com and still eligible for free shipping. I'll let you know if that changes. If you wanted to order MBDD from Amazon, I'd order soon since it might not be there much longer, at least not with the free shipping option.

The truth is out there ... or maybe over there

       Do you ever think that the fact that aliens haven't contacted Earth is the result of their superior intelligence? I considered that the other night when I was watching UFO Hunters on the History Channel.
       If you’ve never seen UFO Hunters, the program always follows a simple format. The UFO investigators interview various people who say something like this: “Yeah, me and Mabeline was walking down a country road hunting for our prize pig Baby Doll Elvis when suddenly a bright light appeared and swept us away and it was big-headed aliens who did horrible things to us and then destroyed the earth then remade it exactly as it was except Mabeline don’t look like Daisy Duke no more and I lost all my tooths and my IQ is lower than a possum’s bottom.”
       Then the investigators show the evidence that supports Billy Bob Joe’s story, such as marks on the side of the road that look like cow hooves but are really the footprints of the aliens, and photos that show what looks like a tin pie pan but is really a hyper-galactic craft capable of reaching speeds faster than a Democrat can spend money.
       That’s the first 45 minutes of the program. The next 15 minutes is filled with doctors and scientists who not only refute every aspect of Billy Bob Joe’s story, but say that he should be fitted with a new white coat with those newfangled sleeves that fasten in the back and/or shot before he and Mabeline reproduce.
       The show always ends with the announcer saying something like this: “There are the facts: Overwhelming evidence against Billy Bob Joe and Mabeline Hoffsteader’s story on one hand and unsubstantiated stories from self-admitted Republicans on the other hand. What really happened that fateful night? We may never know.”
       Sometimes they show videos on UFO Hunters. The videos are shaky and unclear. In fact, they look like they were filmed by someone experiencing a grand mal seizure. The videos show a smudge that moves across the sky. It could be a bird, a plane, a hot air balloon, the Flying Nun, or an alien spacecraft. It’s impossible to tell, even though they show the video to you several times, first at normal speed, then at slow speed, then super slow, super super slow, freeze-frame, one-by-one, glacial, etc. Eventually it approaches the length of the entire The Lord of the Rings and is just as fantastic, but not as entertaining.
       Of course, there’s nothing wrong with believing in UFO’s. People believe in all sorts of strange and unreal things, such as Congressional balanced budgets, Obama’s candidacy, Rush Limbaugh, etc. If people want to believe that advanced civilizations travel unimaginably vast distances to snatch them up and probe their nether regions, then fine. The only scary part is that some of these people are probably registered voters.

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

Sunday stats

      Here are few statistics on Murder by the Acre so far:

Pages: 117 (The book isn't formatted for the book size yet. This is regular 8.5 x 11 pages.)
Words: 45,056 (We're on pace to finish this 'final' rewrite the first week of May.)
Characters (without spaces): 204,390 characters
Characters (with spaces): 249,083
Paragraphs: 1,713
Lines: 3,622
Passive sentences: 1%
Flesch Readability Score: 84.0
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 3.8
Tech's Insanity Level: 78% and rising

      Hope your weekend went well. Talk to you tomorrow! Night!

Busy & productive Saturday

      A busy and productive day. Housework, family newsletter, and writing on Murder by the Acre took up my day. It was a shame to not be outside more today, though. It was a bit chilly, but the sun shone and the sky had those white fluffy clouds that I think are so pretty. I walked around a bit outside and could feel spring everywhere.
      Speaking MBTA, I've been working on the promotional items for the book: t-shirts, caps, tote bags, clocks, buttons, etc. I haven't put them on my Cafe Press store yet, but I will as the book release draws closer. They will replace the Murder by Dewey Decimal items. I could have have more items if I paid for my store, but the free store only allows one type of item per store.
      My taxes are done. In fact, I already got my refund from the federal: $1. Think I can stimulate the economy much with a dollar? A friend suggested I buy a lottery ticket with it, but I don't like playing stupidity taxes, even if it's a small amount. From the state, I'll get back $40. I just don't have enough deductions. Oh well, I don't notice refunds changing anyone's lives.
      Well, it's late so I'm going to close now. You'll have a good Sunday tomorrow, okay? Okay. Night!

What I've been doin'

      Sorry I haven't been posting. I've been writing a lot on Murder by the Acre and just don't have the desire to sit at my computer for longer than I have to. At the present rate of word input, the "final" polish rewrite for MBTA should be finished by mid-May, then to the proofreaders, then another "final" edit and polish, then to Lulu to be published, then a proof copy from Lulu, then another "final" edit if any errors are found (God forbid), then back to Lulu, then another proof, then if that proof is okay, back to Lulu for publication of both the softcover and the hardcover, then two weeks later, it will go on sale on Lulu.com. Two or three months after that, it will go on sale on the online retailers. And of course, in that time frame, I will be promoting MBTA mercilessly with giveaways, book signings, and so on.Whew. Makes me both tired and excited. I think that's how I live my life.
      Last night, TL, Melissa, Kyra, Eric, and I went to Applebees to eat. I'd like to say that I was a good diabetic when I was there, but I wasn't. I was a bad boy. A sated, happy boy, but bad nonetheless. I had a nine ounce steak topped with mushrooms, a baked potato with butter, a garden salad with ranch dressing, a cherry limeade, a chocolate dessert shooter, fried shrimp (from the lovely Melissa's plate) ... Should I go on? Let's not. I feel ashamed. But full. Sated even. But so ashamed. And happy. Content, even. But ashamed, I tell you, ashamed. Somewhat.
      Anyway, it was sort of a dinner celebrating that I had passed the 60% mark on MBTA. I say sort of because my dinner companions seemed less thrilled about it than I had hoped. Oh, they congratulated me and I appreciate their support immensely, but I suspect only another writer knows how hard it is to sit down and write where there are so many other things in the world that you might pursue. But that's life, you know. We have everything but enough time.
      Tonight I went to a local Mexican restaurant with Eric and his son Todd. I tried to be good and avoid the cheese and sour cream and succeeded in that, but did have beef fajitas instead of chicken. Oh, well, one step at a time.
      The weather here stayed cloudy, chilly, and foggy most of the day. We got some rain a few minutes ago, but no severe weather this time. We've had enough high winds and hail, thank you very much. Tomorrow is supposed to be dry, but windy and still chilly. Keep coming, Mr. Summer. You'll get here eventually.
      I've also been doing a bit of research for MBTA. I've had to learn about Catholic funerals and library circulation computer programs. Both turned out to be different that I had imagined/wrote. So I corrected the mistakes -- I hope -- and MBTA gained from it. I appreciate Kyra, Nancy, and Roxanne for helping with the Catholic knowledge and Charlotte for her help with library programs.
      It's time for bed. I didn't get the words I wanted this evening, but I'm off work tomorrow afternoon so I should have a chance to get caught up and even get ahead of schedule. I'd like to get ahead so that I have a word cushion should something unexpected happen. Anyway, I'm going to call it a night. Take care and have a great weekend.
      Night!