Shipped!

Lulu.com shipped the two proof copies of Floozy and Other Stories to me today! I should get them Friday or Monday, maybe Tuesday next week. Very excited. If nothing major is wrong, Floozy will go on sale at Lulu.com on July 1. More info as I know more!

Today was very stressful at work. I left work with my shoulders so tense they hurt. Came home, ate dinner, and then washed dishes, vacuumed the house, and generally cleaned until I worked up a sweat. Make me feel better to do something productive. And the exercise itself likely helped, too.

Anyway, time to watch Leno's monologue and then go to bed. Hope you had a great day and a wonderful tomorrow. Night!

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Final cover of Floozy ... I think

And this is the final cover of Floozy and Other Stories, always depending, of course, on how it looks on the proof copy. Sometimes your screen will show a different look than the actual physical book. However, usually it's close enough that I only have to tweak colors or move things over a bit. We'll know later this week or next week. I'm really ready to hold it in my hands.



Lots of rain here yesterday, but nowhere close to what Oklahoma City and Edmond have experienced. As far as I know, we didn't experience any flooding.

Otherwise, not much else to tell you. I feel sort of empty now that Floozy is at the publisher. You give so much of yourself to a project that you have an void when it's gone. I have more to do on it, but not until I have the proof copy. Perhaps it's time to gear up for Murder by the Mile. Or at least pull out the outline and what I've written so far and get familiar again with what's going on.

Time to get ready for work. Have a great day, y'all!

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Floozy is on its way!

FLOOZY AND OTHER STORIES WAS TRANSMITTED TO THE PUBLISHER SUNDAY AFTERNOON! WOOHOO! SOMETIME LATE THIS WEEK OR EARLY NEXT WEEK, WE WILL HAVE A BOUNCING BABY BOOK!

Okay, I'll stop yelling. But I'm excited about it.

Here's the dedication and acknowledgements page from Floozy. All these people helped me with Floozy, and I appreciate them muchly.



And here's the front cover.



And here's the back cover, except for a few minor changes.


Tomorrow I'll post the completed cover: front, back and spine. Anyway, I need to get ready for work. Hope you have a great day!

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Last chapter

Okay, that's it. I just placed and edited the last chapter in Floozy and Other Stories. Only two things left to do: the back cover and the acknowledgments page. It feels weird to be this close to submitting to the publisher. I've been working on Floozy for so long now that I won't know what to do with myself when it's finally out of my hands.

Tomorrow afternoon I will finish the back cover and the acknowledgments page. Then Saturday, I will submit and order my first proof copy. Five to 10 business days after that, I will hold a copy of Floozy and Other Stories in my hands. Wow.

Well, it's late, and I'm tired of sitting at this computer. I hope things are going okay for you. Have a good night and a great tomorrow. Night!

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Right now

Right now, purchase Murder by the Acre at Lulu.com & get 10% off. Use coupon code SUMMERREAD305 to get your discount! This coupon is only good until June 30th.

Here's the link:

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Hope life is treating you well. Talk to you tomorrow!

Quicksilver

Let us pray.

Power Who moves the universe
Who makes the mountains speak
and the skies sing
and the waves give praise

To Thee we offer thanks
for these quicksilver moments
brief and precious
that compose our lives.

We sparkle but briefly
against the bounded night
motes of lights bright
before we fade into shadow

But in these fleeting moments,
we live and die
weep and laugh
and gloriously love

So we give thanks to Thee
and ask upon us
Thy endless blessings
and unbounded mercy.

We ask this in Thy Myriad Name
remembering always
to give unto You
all the praise.

From Endless by Stephen B. Bagley. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Excerpt from Dragons Gather

I still write on Dragons Gather sometimes. Eventually I will have it finished. Here's an excerpt from it. Our hero has discovered that a woman to whom he is attracted is indirectly responsible for the deaths of an entire village.
      
From Dragons Gather

Ireached the camp, my pulse pounding in my head. Feathen was mending a harness and waved to me. I ignored him. Kassler watched from his wagon. Maladora was not in the women's wagon, but Shellia was.
      Shellia looked at me and gasped. "What’s happened?"
      "Where is she?" I snapped.
      "I … she … Stefean, you need--"
      "WHERE IS SHE?" I yelled, stepping toward Shellia.
      She stumbled back. "She went for a walk. Toward the river. You must listen to me!"
      But I was already heading into the forest. The path to the river was easy to follow even in my state. I saw a glimpse of her gown through the brush. I strode to her, my anger overcoming fear. She was sipping a cup of mulled wine as she walked under the oak trees. She smiled at me at first and then frowned as she registered the state I was in.
      "What’s wrong?" she asked.
      “I was in a tavern, my lady,” I said, breathing like I was in a race. “You hear such interesting things in a tavern. Rumors, stories, truths, you hear everything.” I placed a hand on a tree to steady myself.
      “Stefean, what’s wrong?” she said, taking a step toward me.
      “Duntann,” I choked out. “They killed everyone.”
      “What?” she whispered.
      “They. Killed. Everyone!" I ground out.
      “Oh, gods, no,” she whispered.
      “They died because a wizardling was killed there,” I said. “I killed him. I killed him because you used your witchery on me!”
      She was silent.
      “Yes, I know,” I rasped. “I know you are a mind witch. I know what you did in Duntann. I’ve known all along.”
      “Stefean.” But she did not continue.
      “What will you do now, my lady witch?” I asked harshly. “Will you take my memory? If so, then hurry because I do not want to remember this!”
      “It’s ... it’s not your fault,” she said.
      “Then it must be yours!” I hurled my accusation at her.
      “No, no, it’s not our fault,” she said. “The Dreadmen--”
      “They crucified the villagers,” I said. “They hung them upside down on trees and left them to die. Then they burned the fields and forests. Galekarn decided to make an example of them. They murdered everyone to the last man, woman, and child.” I pointed at her. “You killed them.”
      “The Dreadmen killed them,” she said unsteadily. “I am not responsible for their actions.”
      "A pretty argument, my lady," I mocked. “Should we have a soothsayer hold a séance and let you communicate that to the shades of the dead? I wonder how they would feel about it.”
      She threw her cup at me and missed. “What do you want of me?” she yelled. “To feel guilt? I do. To be a slave again? I will never do that!” She brought up a fist. “They held me. They crushed me. It isn’t my fault I was a slave!”
      “You made me kill!” I shouted.
      “It was already in you!” she shouted back. “It was in all of them. All that hate and fear. I could feel it. So much hate and fear. I only released it.”
      "Is that your justification? My gods, those people would have never acted on those feelings. I would have never acted on them. You used your power on me. On those poor, dead villagers. On Shellia--"
      “No, not her,” Maladora cut in. “Shellia helped me willingly. You don’t know her. You don’t know what is in her heart. You don’t know what she believes--"
      “And you do?!” I yelled. “And knowing her heart”--I spat the word--“gives you the right to risk her life? Do you know what the Dreadmen will do to her if they catch us? Do you?”
      Her voice was small. “Yes, I do.” She looked at the ground. “I do.”
      I stopped, horribly aware of how much I didn’t know of her life, of what she had endured as a slave to the wizard. In the quiet, I felt ashamed. My anger faded away. I watched her lovely, still hands. Her hair glinted in the sunlight.
      “If there had been any other way …” she said softly. “I had waited so long for a chance. I took it. I didn’t think … I didn’t want anyone to be hurt. I was afraid of returning to the capital. This was my only chance. The other mind adepts were becoming suspicious of me. I was afraid I would lose the little freedom I had.” Tears ran down her face. “But I did not want others to be hurt. I was only trying to escape. That’s all. I didn’t think they would all be killed. I would have died myself before I would have let that happen, but I didn’t know.” She collapsed to her knees. She wept silently as I stood there.
      “I’m sorry.” I said finally. “You couldn’t have known.”
      I stepped toward her. I couldn’t catch my breath.
      Her emerald eyes met mine.
      I grabbed her arms and raised her up. My world narrowed to her face. The world faded into silence.
      Her eyes were wide and fearful and full of longing. “If you kiss me, how will you know if it is what you want or what I want?” she whispered.
      “My lady,” I said deliberately, “I don’t care.”
      I kissed her cold lips. She was shaking. She pulled away and lowered her head.
      “I will stop if you want me to stop,” I said softly. “Only you must tell me to stop.”
      She lifted her tear-stained face up to me. “Kiss me,” she whispered.
      I kissed her gently and then with more urgency, matched by her own. We fell against each other, hungry, savage. Her mind reached out to mine. I nearly pulled away, but her touch was gentle, an invitation. I gave myself over to it. We were lost together, sharing each other’s pleasure and pain, loss and hope.
      When it was over, we huddled together on the ground on the imperfect bed of our clothes. She held my hand over her breast. I nuzzled in her hair. I was content, but I wanted more of her. I would never have my fill of her. A doubt surfaced. Was she using her witchery on me? Was this passion real? I considered the thought, turning it around to examine its sides, and then I put it down and never took it back up.

Copyright 2010 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

To the sea

      It's a summer day here even though the calendar says we're a couple of weeks away. At this change from spring to summer, I find myself thinking about time.
Relentless.
      The odds are good that I have lived more of my life than I have left in front of me. I feel pressured by that. I still have so many things I want to accomplish. Books to write, places to see, people to meet.
Heartless.
      We lose people along the way. Loved ones fall to accidents or disease, and while we believe in life beyond, we miss them here. Eventually our past sorrows travel with us, a dark companion to remind us that everything ends.
Unstoppable.
      People live longer these days. We take vitamins and supplements, exercise and eat healthy. We try to stay active and live longer. In the back of our minds, we think that maybe scientists will offer a better drug next month or next year and we'll be as we once were -- young.
Conquering.
      Everything falls. Even the pyramids lose a bit of their substance each year. Wind and sun and rain will eventually reduce all that we've built. Every mountain peak will become a prairie given enough time. Our greatest fame will be forgotten or the subject of dusty books. Even infamy fades. Hitler's name was spoken in a hush sixty years ago. Now he's a joke on sitcoms. Time makes footnotes of everything.
Precious.
      So while the sun is shining, meet me for lunch. Let's laugh and enjoy this fleeting moment. And when the night falls as it will no matter what, hold my hand tightly and gaze out over the horizon to the endless sea.

What Truth I Know

What Truth I Know

You say I'm wise
which makes me laugh
because of all the things
I've learned, the one thing
I know best remains
how little I really know.

What wisdom I hold
has only been won
by making mistakes
time and time yet again
sometimes new, sometimes old
but errors by any counting.

I've loved and lost
and somehow loved after
only to lose once again
learning as I did that love
doesn't care who you love
only that you love.

And death has been too close
taking precious people
some quick, some slow,
teaching me no one knows
when they will pass and the world
won't stop while we mourn.

Perhaps this is wisdom
or I could be too dumb
to know any better but
I get up each morning
because I want to see
what happens next.

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Books read in 2010 so far

I've left a few books out, but I'll add them as I run across them in my house. These are the books I've read so far this year. By the way, have you read my books in 2010? Links to purchase them are at the end of the list, and remember Lulu.com is offering FREE Summer Shipping on all orders of $19.95 or more.

62. *** Shootout in Dodge City by Judd Cameron
61. *** The Escher Twist by Jane Langton
60. *** Live Free or Die by John Ringo
59. *** Eco House Book by Terence Conran
58. *** Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you by Mardy Grothe

57. ***** Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung
Thich Nhat Hanh is a Zen Buddhist monk, and with the assistance of Dr. Lilian Cheung, has produced an excellent book on how to eat healthy and live well. I found this book illuminating and wise and have started to see results in my own life as I've applied its principles. Highly recommended.

56. *** Into the Darkness by Harry Turtledove

55. **** Sync: How Order Emerges From Chaos In the Universe, Nature, and Daily Life by Steven H. Strogatz
Fascinating book about how order can arise at every level of the cosmos and how this synchrony effects our world. Easy to read and full of examples. One of the best science books I've read lately. Recommended.

54. *** Do-it-yourself Digital Home Office by S.E. Slack

53. **** How to Simplify Your Life: Seven Practical Steps to Letting Go of Your Burdens and Living a Happier Life by Werner Tiki Kustenmacher and Lothar Seiwert
Excellent book on how to simplify your life with wise, practical advice. The authors cover everything from your home to your job to your relationships. This book isn't about having less, but about enjoying what you have more. Recommended.

52. *** Solar Power Your Home for Dummies by Rik DeGunther
51. *** Daughter of the Empire by Raymond Feist
50. *** Choice Theory by William Glasser

49. **** Leap of Faith by Gordon Cooper with Bruce Henderson
Mercury 7 astronaut Gordon Cooper tells of his career in space and then of his belief that the U.S. government has covered up information about UFOs. Besides the surprising info about UFOs, the book details Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space projects and offers lots of surprising details about the inside workings of NASA. Recommended for UFO skeptics and believers alike.

48. *** Teach Yourself Copywriting
47. *** The Art of the Book Proposal by Eric Maisel
46. *** 2010 Guide to Literary Agents
45. *** The Puzzle of Piri Reis by Kent Conwell
44. *** The Diabetes Dtour Diet
43. *** Time Spike by Eric Flint
42. *** Catalyst by Anne McCaffrey

41. **** Assegai by Wilbur Smith
Enthralling and exciting adventure in Africa in the early 1900s. Brutal at times, it remains a deeply romantic story in which the brave hero and beautiful heroine fall as deeply in love with Africa as they do with each other. Recommended.

40. *** And Now A Few Words From Me by Bob Garfield

39. **** Photocraft by Caroline Herter, Laurie Frankel & Laura Lovett
A beautiful book perfect for your crafting table. Many projects on ways to use your photos in interesting and unexpected ways. Recommended.

38. *** Harshini by Jennifer Fallon
37. *** Treason Keep by Jennifer Fallon
36. *** Medalon by Jennifer Fallon

35. **** Null-A Continuum by John C. Wright
This is a mind blowing, confusing, but ultimately entertaining book. It is a sequel to three books by the late Golden Age writer A.E. Van Vogt. I warn you: it has more plot twists and hidden identities than any other book you've ever read. The action bounces all over the universe, back and forth in time, and anywhere else you can think of. Frankly, it's overwhelming and took me two readings before I could fully grasp the plot. While I doubt I'd read any other sequels that might follow this one, it was worth the effort.

34. *** Arms-Commander by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

33. *** Knockout by Suzanne Sommers

32. *** Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews

31. *** The Golden Shrine by Harry Turtledove

30. ** Level 26: Dark Origins by Anthony E. Zuiker with Duane Swierczynski

29. **** Breath and Bone by Carol Berg
The stunning and exciting conclusion of the duology that started with Flesh and Spirit. Valen has discovered the truth about his life, but it's a truth that makes him a target for kings, warriors, dead men, witches, and worse evils. I hated to see the book end. Recommended.

28. **** Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg
A interesting, quirky fantasy, the first of a duology. Valen doesn't fit in anywhere and runs away from the restrictive Pureblood Registry straight into a war that will determine the fate of the entire world. Recommended.

27. **** Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell
One of the best books I've ever read on how to better your writing. Lively, packed with great examples, well-organized. I'm going to buy this book for my library. Recommended.

26. *** UFO by Charles E. Sellier with Joe Meier
25. ** The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
24. *** Elyon by Ted Dekker & Kaci Hill
23. *** Lunatic by Ted Dekker & Kaci Hill
22. *** Tragic Magic by Laura Childers
21. *** Chaos by Ted Dekker
20. *** Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler
19. *** Renegade by Ted Dekker

18. **** The City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
The true story of the disappearance of legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett in the 1920s and of the many other explorers who lost their fortunes, lives and/or sanity searching for Fawcett and the Lost City of Z. Recommended.

17. **** Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Do you like steampunk? Do you like alternate histories? If so, Leviathan is the book for you. It has zeppelins, clankers (like Star War walkers), giant living airships, cannons, politics, a prince on the run, and much, much more. The only reason this handsome teen book didn't get five stars was because it's the beginning of a series, and the story leaves you hanging. Recommended.

16. *** Infidel by Ted Dekker
15. *** Less Than Dead by Tim Downs
14. *** Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley
13. ** Amberville by Tim Davys

12. **** Whirlwind by Robert Liparulo
Another entry in the Dreamhouse Kings series. The King family moved into a huge creepy house and discovered that it held terrible secrets. The pace is staggering as they rush from one danger to another. This teen book has some truly creepy moments in it. Recommended.

11. *** A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans

10. **** Altar of Eden by James Rollins
James Rollins's Altar of Eden is a good book, but it dismayed me with its vulgar language in places, and frankly, it's not one of his best. Characters are slight, and the plot has a few holes. Still, Rollins is one of the best thriller writers out there, and I don't think I wasted my money; I just know Rollins has better books in him. Recommended.

9. *** Cowl by Neal Asher

8. **** Crush it! By Gary Vaynerchuk
Crush It! is a great book for anyone who is trying to turn their passion into a life-long career. It's worth your money if you've ever thought about telling your boss where to go and leaving to follow your dream.

7. *** Design it Yourself Newsletters by Chuck Green

6. ***** First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
First Lord's Fury is my first five starred book and is the conclusion of an epic fantasy series. (Butcher also writes the Dresden Files series, the basis for the short-lived show on SyFy channel.) I hope he returns to these characters again in a new series. I think there's still plenty of stories left to be told in that fantastic world. Highly recommended.

5. *** Marvel Visionaires Chris Claremont
4. *** Orcs: Army of Shadows by Stan Nicholls
3. *** Robot Titans of Gotham by Novell Page

2. **** The Chocolate Cupid Killings by JoAnna Carl
The Chocolate Cupid Killings is the latest in a mystery series. I've not read any of the others, but I'm going to look for them. It's an excellent cozy. Carl, by the way, also lives in Oklahoma. I love Oklahoma authors!

1. *** The Light of Burning Shadows by Chris Evans

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Statement

You know what? I refuse to be bitter.

Yes, I'm not being treated well, but I also allowed myself to be in this place. I have to shoulder my part of the responsibility.

It's easy to have perfect hindsight. Yes, it seems I should have done other things, but I made the best decisions I could at the time.

I'm not going to dine on regrets nor will I let anyone feed them to me.

I will look forward and I will keep moving.

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Dr. Seuss

Floozy is going to have an illustration from ... Theodor Geisel! AKA Dr. Seuss! Is that cool or what?

I'm getting some of my illustrations from Dover's book 864 Humorous Cuts from the Twenties and Thirties, and it happens to have six royalty free illustrations from Geisel. Only one fits "Floozy," but it fits an art...icle so well it could have been drawn for it. Woohoo!

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Lulu offers FREE Summer Shipping*

Right now you can purchase my books from Lulu.com and receive FREE Summer Shipping on book orders of $19.95 and over!

As an author, it's better for me when people purchase directly from Lulu.com. I receive more royalties from Lulu.com because the online retailers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) take so much in commission. Of course, I welcome the sales wherever I get them, but if you're looking to add Murder by Dewey Decimal or Murder by the Acre to your library, now is a good time to order from Lulu.

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The ending we don't know

      This is the story whose ending we don't know, but this is how it begins.
      It's nearly midnight in a suburb of a city. Rows of nearly identical houses line the streets. Streetlights pour out circles of light. Far off a siren sounds.
      The front door of one of those houses opens, and a man with a broken heart walks out. He leaves his door open, his TV showing the late night news. An envelope on the coffee table is addressed to his estranged wife. The note is blank except for his name and a simple "Sorry."
      He walks to the end of his driveway and pauses. He stands there a long time. A dog barks and finally gets bored with this nocturnal visitor. Mrs. Higgins opens the curtain of her bedroom window from across the street and sees him. She starts to wake her husband, but recognizes her neighbor and decides he must be going on a walk. She goes to bed.
      The man steps onto the empty street and walks down the middle of it.
      A few times, cars pass him and slow down, but he doesn't seem lost. He doesn't seem confused. His steps are steady. He's walking with purpose. So the cars continue on, but the drivers will remember him later.
      He reaches the woods on the edge of town. He stops briefly. If someone were watching him, they would see the momentary hesitation, the brief flash of regret. But he moves forward, leaving regret behind. He doesn't look back even though what he's leaving pulls at him. The farther he walks, the less hold it has.
      He walks through the woods, following a path that his feet seem to know well. He passes by a young couple making love. The boy is startled and actually runs away. When the boy returns, the girl is clothed now and it is so not going to happen. It will be three days before they admit they saw the man.
      He passes through the woods, only leaving a few signs that he was ever there. The wind in the trees sounds like a river.
      He reaches the mountain. He begins to climb. It's not a hard climb, but it makes him breathe hard, makes the sweat glisten on his forehead in the moonlight. Twice he slips, but only falls a couple of feet before he catches himself.
      Finally on a gentle slope, he walks to the top of a cliff. He stops and turns back toward what he left. He sees the town in which he lived and loved and lost. He sees his life. He sees what he loved and what loved him and what remains. He sees what is broken and can't be fixed. He doesn't turn into a pillar of salt. He lets everything go.
      He turns the other direction and takes a few steps. He's at the edge of a cliff. Below there is a river. Beyond the river is a dark wilderness, the beginning of a national park. He removes all of his clothing and leaves it in a pile. He stands there in the rising wind and the uncaring moonlight.
      And then he spreads his arms, runs three steps, and leaps into the void.

      This is the ending we don't know. His body hasn't been found. It's been six years.
      Some believe he fell into the river and it carried his lifeless form to the ocean. Some say that he didn't jump at all, but actually met a secret lover (there had been rumors of such) and went off to start a new life. Still others say the wild animals scattered his body -- as if bears or wolves still stalk their tiny forest. At Crazy Eddie's Comic shop, the boys talk of aliens and strange lights.
      There is a story, though, which some of us choose to quietly believe: That when he jumped, the winds caught him, bore him up, and carried him away into the endless starry sky.

(For A.H.)

Copyright 2010 by Stephen B. Bagley. All rights reserved.

Train

Spent most of the day being sick. IBD is flaring. Too much stress in my life. A large life change is coming very soon, and although I'm planning as much as I can and doing as much as I can, there's only so much I can do. The rest will unfold as it will. And it's coming no matter what I do or say.

It's like that dream you have where a train is rushing toward you. You run, but you're moving so slow ...

That dream never ends well.

Alien

I have felt like this song many, many times in my life.

Corrections!

That's what I did tonight: type in corrections for Floozy. I did watch a bit of Glee. It's only the second time I've watched it,but the stories didn't make much sense. Guess I'm not a fan. Music's good, though. And I sort of watched Ancient Aliens.

Otherwise, nothing but corrections, corrections, corrections. And my friend Gail Claunts just sent me some more! Woohoo! No, really. She found some mistakes that other people missed. I always appreciate that.

Anyway, that's my night. Hope yours was good. See you back here tomorrow.

Rotten night

Rotten night. I hope yours was better. For no good reason, my IBD flared. Ugh. Not much fun.

I've been entering corrections into Floozy. I got sidetracked with trying to produce the back cover when I should have been focusing on getting the first round of corrections done. I still have time to produce a cover. So I've put the back cover aside until I get the book to the second round of proofers.

Anyway, it's been a long night. I'm going to bed. I hope things are going well for you. Talk to you tomorrow.

Look to the skies!

Rocketship Floozy

This must be how Floozy got on the moon.

Floozy is everywhere!

An "Adam Huckeby" cover

My so-talented-I'm-jealous-of-him friend Adam Huckeby produced his idea of a back cover for Floozy.



What do you think?

Your input requested!

First, a big shout out and thank you to Nancy Cheper who is the first proofreader to return her copy of Floozy with a bunch of errors found.It always pleases me when the proofers catch an error so that I correct it. It also always depresses me that I made the errors in the first place. Anyway, thanks, Nancy! You're awesome!

And now I'm requesting my readers' input on the back cover for Floozy. I intended to post this image last night, but Oklahoma weather interfered. We had thunder, lightning, flickering power, high winds, hail, and tornadoes all around. Fortunately, my little town was mostly untouched. Anyway, here it is.


What do you think? Does it catch your eye? Does it make you want to read the book? Note: The back cover is shorter than the front because I have to leave room for the bar code. I have a lot riding on Floozy so any and all input is requested. Unless it's overwhelmingly negative, of course, and then my flying robot monkeys will have to visit you.

I hope your day goes well. Talk to you later!

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The story speaks for itself!

Generate your own newspaper story here!

Have a great night and grand tomorrow! Night!

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A slight change to win

My friend Adam Huckeby of This Fluid Life fame suggested a small change in the cover, which I thought was a good idea and made. Can you spot it? The first one to do so and posts a comment pointing out the change on this post will win a folding book tote, a Murder by the Acre bookmark, and a Murder by the Acre coaster! By the way, go and visit This Fluid Life. He's been posting the wisdom from his daughters. Several tidbits made me laugh out loud.



The situation at work got resolved. I don't think anyone was particularly happy, but hopefully it's over, and we can all move on.

Oh, a big thank you and shout out to Dr. Kevin Cunningham who gave me an eye exam today despite his schedule being packed. Kevin's an excellent doctor and a good friend. Give him a try if you're in this area. Tell them I sent ya!

Remember how I was looking for fonts? If you need fonts, I recommend www.dafont.com. They have a lot of cool fonts as well as a few that would shock your mother. Well, I guess it would depend on how shockable your mother was. Let's just say the sexy fonts were a surprise and leave it at that.

And now I'm going to call it a night. I hope things are going well for you. Corrections from my proofreaders are slowly trickling in. So far my roomie leads in the number found. It's because he's the best, he says. :)

Have a great night and a wonderful tomorrow! I'm rootin' for ya!

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Final cover for Floozy (I think)

This is the final cover unless I come up with a better one! Now to work on the back cover. Sigh.



Be thinking of me tomorrow morning. I have to face a particularly unpleasant situation at work. I'm dreading it. I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers. And now I'm going to call it a night! Night!

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Another almost final cover for Floozy

I like this one much better. What do you think?




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Almost final cover for Floozy

What do you think of it?

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Only if you run

It's rare that I find a song that speaks directly to me. This one does.



Only if you run

I´ve had my frustrations about the pains of daily life
I´ve tasted degradation and found the lace and candle light
But we have the weights we have the measures of our days and nights
I´ve had my frustrations but now I´ve found my place

And you will make it
But only if you run

These lonely dedications I´ve found they bring me peace and light
When three-fold applications of doubt surround my fate you might say
We have the weights we have to wage an assault on what it is
´Cause harmless medications abound and you´re not sick

You will make it
But only if you run

Surprise
Surprise
Surprise
Surprise

You will make it
But only if you run


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Observer

I had lunch with a friend of mine today. In the course of our conversation, he thanked me for being his friend and keeping his secrets. "I'm so blessed to have you," he said. "I can tell you anything and feel safe."

Immediately I told him that I was keeping a video journal and had been recording our talks for years. As soon as he's rich, I've got it made. We both had a big laugh, and then I turned off the hidden camera ...

Later in the day, I thought about what he said. It's true that over the years he has shared a lot with me. Not that he's hiding anything particularly terrible. His are the normal concerns and lapses of someone who has a busy life with wife, children, work, church, parents, etc. I'm glad I can be there when he's troubled and needs an ear and a prayer.

However, as I thought about it, I realized I didn't have anyone like me for me. Someone to listen without judging. Without trying to fix anything. Just an ear and support. I'm sure this absence is my fault and not of the people around me. I have several friends who would listen if I asked. I don't ask.

Oh, I talk to my friends. I'm not a total privacy freak. I do share some of my life, but I hold back. Don't know why. Always been that way. There's always been a part of me -- another me -- that sits back and judges my reactions and the reactions of others. It's rare when I'm totally engaged in anything enough for me to not be aware of this neutral, rather cynical, inherently cautious observer.

I wonder where this observer came from. He's been with me for as long as I can remember. Even as a little child, I was conscious of that other presence, that other me. I wonder why.

I remember a poem that goes like this:

Love your friends
and love them well
but to your friends
no secrets tell

for if your friends
become your foes
then your secrets
all will know

I'd hate to think I've been that paranoid all my life. That afraid. But maybe so.

Or ... maybe he's a alien who is watching our world through my eyes before his race invade our pitiful planet. Maybe other people have Observers, too. Maybe we are all carriers for inhuman monsters ...

Or maybe I need to stop watching the SyFy Channel so much.

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Font madness

Too many fonts! I've been looking for fonts for Floozy and am drowning in the ocean of typefaces available.

I had to step back and take stock.

First, the font had to be free or licensed by Creative Commons so that I could use it without paying royalties. (Nothing against the idea of paying royalties since creators should be compensated for their creativity. This is why I pay for my MP3s. But CURRENT budget constraints do not allow me the luxury of paying for the rights to a font.) This reduced the number of fonts considerably.

Second, the font needed above all to be readable at a reasonable distance. Floozy is not a common word these days, so I don't want anyone to be puzzled by both the word and how to read it. That removed a fair number of fonts, too.

Finally, I wanted the font to be playful and have a sense of fun around it. Yeah, I know, maybe a lot to ask from a font, but that's what I wanted.

After spending about 20 hours over the past few days looking at fonts until my eyes burned, I finally chose one. You'll see it soon. Thanks for all the suggestions and help! I appreciate it.

And now I'm going to call it a night. Hope you have great tomorrow.

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Cover fonts for Floozy?

Do you like any of these cover fonts for Floozy? I'm not overly fond of any of them, but need other opinions! Let me know what you think.



I added another first proofreader yesterday. My roomie has stepped in to help. One proofer can't open the file so I'm going to have to figure out something there. Maybe mail it to her by USPS, but the postage cost is a deterrent. It's a hefty pile of paper when printed out. Another first proofer is about to leave to help her mother who suffered an accident so she doesn't have a lot of time. And my final first proofer hasn't picked up her print copy yet, but will tomorrow. So the proofing has hit a few snags, but I'll get it worked out.

Otherwise, not been doing much except trying to sketch out a few ideas for the cover and working on fixing the formatting for the table of contents. It's all Floozy all the time. You know, I don't think I ever actually finish a book. I just get sick and tired of it and then publish the dang thing!

Hope you're having a good day. Talk to you later.

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Floozy away!

Floozy has been sent to the first proofreaders! Woohoo! We are on course to birth a book in late June or early July! I'm so excited! And completely exhausted.

I still have a couple of formatting errors to fix, particularly on the table of contents, but it's all doable. But not tonight. Now I'm going to eat a couple of pieces of toast, curl up with a book, and read someone else's words for a while.

Have a great Monday. Yes, I'm sure it's possible. Let me know how you do it. Night!

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Progress

Here I am. It's Saturday night. Still editing Floozy. I am so tired of editing Floozy. But I'm close. Tomorrow, two or three more hours will finish this first edit. Then I can print another copy for me and make a PDF for my proofers and email it to them. How's that for progress?

Anyway, I hope you had a good day. Talk to you tomorrow. Night!

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Night off!

Yes, after saying I wasn't going to take the night off, guess what? I took the night off. I didn't even open Floozy tonight. I had a terrible day at work and experienced bad events in my personal life. I didn't have it in me to set at the computer.

So I took the night off. Washed dishes. Watched TV. Cleaned living room. Folded clothes. Filed. Paid bills. I was productive, but no editing. Didn't even turn on the computer until now.

Oh, I also killed ants. Ants have invaded my house in a major way. I killed a couple of hundred in my kitchen. So I went outside with a spray can and killed several thousands. We have out ant traps, but they don't seem to be attracting ants. Hard critters to kill.

And now I'm going to watch Last of the Summer Wine and go to bed. Hope the day was good for you. Are you still out there? What's going on in your world? Did you stop by the two new blogs I added to the Blogs of Interest section on the sidebar? Oklahoma77 and Shining the Light. Check them out. And good night.

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Take the night off? I don't think so.

So a good friend told me to take the night off from Floozy. It's well known -- 'cause I've been grousing about it -- that this first edit is frustrating me. She thought a break from the editing and formatting might ease my tension. But people who know me well know me better than that. I won't be less tense until I have the first edit off to my first proofers. So no nights off.

The good news is we draw ever closer to the end of the first edit. Once that is done, 50 percent of the work of producing the book is done. There will be plenty of problems and hurtles left, but we will be able to finally see the end. I'm looking forward to that.

And after I send it to the first proofers, I will take a night off ... before I begin work on the cover and publicity!

Hope you have a great day tomorrow. Hope things are going well for you. Wish you would comment and let me know you are there and how you are doing. It's lonely out here. Talk to you tomorrow.

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Chuck, Sarah & Floozy

Chuck is still good. I had wondered how they would handle Chuck and Sarah finally getting together. So far, so good. I do wish they would not have Sarah in lingerie so much. No, really. I realize they are scrambling for ratings, but it's beginning to seem like a Victoria Secret's ad.

I have to work on Floozy now. The dang thing won't finish itself. Sigh. Wish someone would work on that, though. Be quite helpful.

Have a great night.

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Worn

I'm worn out. Still working on the first edit of Floozy. It doesn't magically get done when I'm not working on it. Yeah, that bites. The formatting is still wrong, but I have fixed a lot of the problems. Still have to fix the last 3/4 of it, but I finally got a handle on what was wrong. To fix it, however, is page-by-page correction. Takes some time.

And I still have about 150 pages of corrections to type in. I need a secretary. And a maid. And a big house. And a pool. And a pony. Except I don't like ponies, and a big house would take a lot of money to keep up, and the maid and secretary would want to be paid and have benefits. But I still want an in-ground pool. A heated in-ground pool.

My friend Frenzied Feline (I'd give you the link to her blog, but she's taken it private so you can't visit unless she knows you already) sent me a folding cooler though the mail so that I can keep cold Diet Dr Pepper down at work. Very cool! I mean, the cooler is awesome! And cold, too! And so is she. Awesome, I mean. Not cold.

I've been reading and reflecting on Chis Guillebeau's 279 Days to Overnight Success. Why don't you read it so we can discuss it? Here's the link: 279 Days to Overnight Success. I think it's worth your time.

And now I'm heading to the bed. Hope you had a good day. Talk to you tomorrow. I hope.

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May Day 2010

I mailed the winners of our last three drawings on Stephen B. Bagley's Books fan page on Facebook their books this morning. They should arrive next week. Remember if you don't have Facebook, you can enter the drawings by commenting here when I announce a drawing. Watch for it.

I also entered Murder by the Acre in the 18th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards. Winners will be announced in October. I entered it in the genre fiction category. Wish me luck!

Otherwise, I spent the day doing housework, cleaning my desk, and working on Floozy. I hoped to get it to the proofreaders Monday, but it's not going to happen. I'm aiming for Monday, May 10th, now. I'm confident on reaching that deadline.

Anyway, it's time for bed. Have a great night and a peace-filled Sunday. Night.

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