Let's All Have a Merry Christmas!

I'm a week late, but here is my latest Sanford News column. It's about the YMCA and how I enjoyed it so much as a kid, but now it's not so fun. Read, enjoy, marvel at my descriptions of archaic workout equipment.

Rock Star is almost ready to be released. I should receive my proof copy within the next few days. If there are no errors, I'll have it for sale within a couple of weeks. I'm excited about it. I really need to get to work on a new novel, though. That's one of my New Year's resolutions.

Another resolution is to do a lot of freelance writing work. This is the year my writing career really began, at least as far as freelance work. Here's one of my articles from the ModernMom (yes, ModernMom) site.  Demand Media Studios is closed for the next 2 weeks, so that gives me time to find other places to pick up some work. Hopefully, the money will start rolling in. Any minute now...any minute...

I really need to finish my Christmas shopping this weekend and, of course, wrap the gifts. I always like Christmas, it is my favorite time of the year. Of course, then there is the frozen wasteland of January and February ahead of us, but let's not think about that just yet. Let's all have a Merry Christmas!

My novel, The Auctioneer, can be downloaded for free all weekend long at Amazon.com. Oh, please, no thanks are necessary. After all, Christmas is the season for giving, right?

We used colored Christmas lights on our tree this year for the first time. It's nice - brings me back to childhood - but I do prefer the white lights. I think we'll go back to white  next year. It was kind of nice this year, the kids did most of the work when putting up the tree.

This morning, I took Sam to the library to get the Superman II DVD and they were offering Christmas ornament decorating. We took part, it was fun. Going to the Christmast parade, putting up the tree, making ornaments - I guess I'm getting pretty crazy in my old age.

Demand Studios, Rock Star, Holly Daze

My new novel, "Rock Star", will be available as an ebook and in print in January 2014. Pretty exciting stuff. The cover is finished, although I may have to change it a little, compress it because of the size of the book.

I absolutely love this picture, it fits perfectly with the story. It was taken by a high school student, which makes it even better. I told her that she would be listed on Amazon.com and in my book for the cover photo, and she was very excited. She hopes this will make her famous. So do I.

In other writing news, I've been writing a lot for Demand Studios. It's going very well, but they are closing for three weeks at the end of December-early January. It is definitely going to hurt to lose that income for three weeks, but I'll have to manage.  Here is my first article to appear on eHow - How to Fix Pipes That Have Rust & Low Pressure. I did not write the clunky title.

I got my first fan letter for my newspaper column today. A woman read my most recent column, about facebook, and sent me a religious magazine. Not exactly the sexy pictures I was hoping fans would someday send me, but it's a start.

We are off to the Holly Daze parade tonight. After the parade, Santa lights the Christmas tree in the park. Our Christmas tradition is to put up our tree after we get home, so this should be a very fun night.

Everyday Fiction, Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving (eve)! A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is on tonight, which I really like. I like the Charlie Brown specials. Having it on the night before Thanksgiving seems reasonable. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was on last night, and that does not seem reasonable. Please, network television programmers, don't show Christmas specials before the Thanksgiving specials are done. It's kind of like starting dessert before finishing the main course.

I was recently going through my email and found a payment from September for a short story that was accepted for publication several months ago. I wasn't even aware that it had been published yet, but it was, back in July. It was published in Everyday Fiction. Here's the link to my story, Always Together. At under 500 words, it's the shortest story I've ever had published. It's also one of my favorites and it is partially based on something that really happened to me in Spain.

I'm doing my final edit on Rock Star. Then I just need to format it and it should be ready to go. I'm hoping to have the cover photo taken this weekend. And I'm going to set up an author page on facebook where I can write about and share links to my novels, short stories, articles, and columns. So there is alot happening right now. Well, on the verge of happening.

Sanford News, Children of Mother Earth

It's another nice day in southern Maine. The temperature is supposed to get close to 60 degrees today, and I plan to spend most of my day writing in my basement. Oh well, I've already gone out to do errands this morning so I guess that's all the fresh air I need.

Seth started driver's ed this week and drove for the first time today. Nobody was injured or arrested, so that's good.

I'm going to begin working on a cover for "Rock Star". I have a few ideas. I've considered asking someone to do the artwork for it, but we'll see how my ideas come out. I sold a couple copies of "Children of Mother Earth" in the UK the other day. It's always exciting when that happens. Maybe I'll break big in the UK, like The Beatles and Hendrix, before I become big in America. Well, it's nice to dream.

I'm thinking of starting my own publishing company so I can publish my books through it. I have no idea of the costs or benefits. Just a thought.

Here is my latest Sanford News article. It's about my many, many facebook friends.

I wrote a short story this week. It's titled "Deer Tagging Station" and you can guess what it's about. I like it and it felt good to write a short story, it's been a while. So now I'll get back to work on my new novel, which will be coming out sometime in 2014 (I hope).

Bionic Glasses, Snow

Snow today. Just a few flakes, and just a short time, but it was enough. That stinks. But really, did I think it wouldn't happen? Oh well, only 7 more months before it starts warming up again!

I'm thinking I'd like to publish "Rock Star" on Amazon soon, but I need a good cover. Guitars, amps, stuff a rock star would use. I think I want it in black and white, too. Not sure why, but in my mind it looks better that way.

My Bionic Glasses article was published last week in the Sanford News. Yes, I wore bionic glasses as a child. Yes, I thought I was Steve Austin / Lee Majors. True, Steve Austin did not wear glasses - in fact, he had super vision in one eye - but that didn't stop my imagination. I wish I still had my bionic glasses. I found a pair on ebay for $50, but unless it was the actual pair I wore it just wouldn't be worth it.

I started writing a new novel, about a guy who spends a week in a hunting cabin. The working title is "Hunting Cabin". I know, it's like I have a gift for story titles.

Rock Star, Demand Media Studios

I've been very lazy with this blog but I'm going to try and keep up with it again. I've been writing articles for Demand Media Studios. Plumbing articles. Yes, you read that correctly. They are quite boring and technical but the pay is not bad and as a master plumber, it is something I know about. As they say, write what you know. Here is a link to one of my articles, how to replace a wall-hung toilet.

I haven't done much creative writing lately, but I did finish writing "Rock Star" a couple of months ago. I'm very happy with it, definitely the best novel I've written. I'm going to send it to a few agents, but I may just self-publish it on Amazon. I'd like to get it out there soon because I think it is that good. And the sooner I get it out there, the sooner I'll start writing another novel.

It's a beautiful fall day - sunny, breezy, bright leaves falling from the trees and blowing around the yard. Time to head outside, I think.

Yahoo Contributor Network, Sanford News

Well, where to start? My latest Sanford News column is now available online and in print. If you click the link, you'll get the online version, but you already knew that. The column is about one of my hobbies (and sources of income), vinyl records.

Way back in my last post I mentioned that I am now writing for Yahoo Contributor Network. Here is a link to my Yahoo Contributor Page. I've written 22 articles so far, with about 6 waiting to be approved. The problem is, it takes about 2 weeks for an article to be approved. As you can see, I write about whatever pops into my head - some music articles, some sports, some ebay, and even a few articles to spread my plumbing knowledge. It's just sitting in my brain, doing nothing, so I may as well share it with others, right? I'm trying to write at least one article per day. It doesn't pay much but I'm hoping that as I write more the pay will increase.

I've written 80,000 words of Rock Star. I know my goal was to be finished by the end of July, but now I'm shooting for the end of August. I seem to remember hoping for the end of June but we'll ignore that. The end is in sight! I know how the story is going to end, I'm just not sure how I'm going to get there.

I finished reading Jimmy Connors's book, "The Outsider". It was good, I enjoyed it, although I didn't really learn anything new about him. I read John McEnroe's book several years ago and I remember liking that one better. He's supposed to have another one out this fall, I believe. I started Stephen King's "Joyland" a few days ago. So far I'm really enjoying it. I really think his writing has gotten better as he's aged. There aren't many people that can said about. He's less a horror writer now and more a storyteller. But I did see that his next book is a sequel to "The Shining". I won't read that.

Well, I'm going to write a bit more of "Rock Star" now. I've been listening to the Eagles "Hotel California" album almost every night while I write, but I may listen to Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds today. Nice, laid-back music to drift away in.

Maine Weather, Movie Sequels

My new Sanford News column is now available, hot off the press.

Fourth of July weekend, it was sunny and in the 90's for four days. This past week was rainy and in the 60's. Today, we start another week of high temps with  high humidity. I know we can't change the weather and complaining does no good, but as Gob says on Arrested Development, Come On!

Our garden is the worst it's been in six years because of all the rain we've had. Well, at least someone is enjoying himself.

Sam's birthday was last week and I took him and his friend to see Despicable Me 2. It was really good, better than the first. That's two kids movie sequels (Monsters University) that I found to be better than the original movies. We're going to see Smurfs 2 in a few weeks, so we'll see if that makes it three for three.

I read Bonfire of The Vanities a few weeks ago. It was fantastic, one of the better books I've read in the past year. Then I read Some Can Whistle, by Larry McMurtry. Not so good. Now I'm reading The Outsider, the Jimmy Conners autobiography. I've been looking forward to this book for a long time. So far, it's very good.

I've been writing articles for Yahoo Contributor Network, 350 words or so per article. I'm hoping to make a little bit of money for it. So far, that's exactly what I've made -  a little bit of money. And I've been plugging away at Rock Star. I'm up to about 68,000 words now and I think the end is in sight. The goal is to have it finished by the end of July, and I may actually make it.

Goodreads, Under the Dome

Yes, I've been slacking off. So first, here is the link to  my most recent Sanford News column from almost two weeks ago.

I've been doing a lot of writing on Rock Star, so that's exciting. The goal was to have the first draft finished by the end of June. It is almost the end of June, so I am revising that goal to the end of July. I knew it started with a J.

I'm trying to start an author page on Goodreads. I have no idea if that will help with sales, but I'll give it a shot. I'd completely forgotten about that site, I'm a member but I really don't use it enough to know what I'm doing. Maybe that will change.

I just finished reading "Echo Park", by Michael Connelly. It's the first book I've read by him and I liked it. I have to say, though, that it seemed like a hundred other crime thriller books out there. But it was good, well written with a little twist at the end. I wanted nothing I really had to think about while I read, so it was perfect. I started reading "The Bonfire of the Vanities" today.

Tonight is the first episode of "Under the Dome", based on Stephen King's book. I rarely watch television - Psych and Justified are the only shows I watch, unless you count old episodes of Batman - but I'm going to give this one a shot because I really enjoyed the book. I hope I don't forget and miss it, but I'm sure it will be available to watch online if I do. The beauty of the internet.

It is really hot out there, about 95. After all the cold weather we've had, I'll take it. And the thunderstorms yesterday, wow. Of course, it helps that we have central air.

The Auctioneer on Kindle, Arrested Development

My new novel, "The Auctioneer", is now available in print and on Kindle, or any other reading device you may want to use. My wife just read "A Tale of Two Cities" on her iphone. It seemed rather small to me, but anything that you're comfortable with, I guess.

So it's nice to have that published. I'm pleased with it. The "Rock Star" book I'm writing now is going okay. I'm up to about 48,000 words. My goal is to have the first draft finished by the end of June, so I really need to get moving. It's about a rock star (no kidding) who quit his band and disappeared, only to be discovered by a reporter thirty years later living a simple life in Maine. The band gets back together and decides to do another tour. That's all I've got so far.

I finished reading "Duma Key". It was really good, stretched the imagination a bit much at the end but overall a very good book. Not as good as "Under The Dome", but that was one of Stephen King's all-time best. I have to say, I actually find his more recent books to be better than his older ones. Maybe not better. Different. Not as scary or original, maybe, but he seems to be a better storyteller now. Since I'm not a big fan of the scary, I enjoy his newer books.

Last night I finished watching the new season of "Arrested Development". There were some good parts but overall it was very disappointing. The episodes dragged on way too long, for one thing. The original series was great because it was an ensemble and when you lose that, you lose a great deal of the greatness. Kind of how none of The Beatles were never as good solo as they were with the band. A lot of people are saying that the new Arrested Development is like the second trilogy of Star Wars movies that George Lucas made about 10 or 15 years ago. In my opinion, the show is not that bad - how could it be - but it certainly could have been better.

Sanford News, Duma Key

My  new Sanford News column can be read at http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130523/GJCOMMUNITY03/130529662/-1/SANNEWS   Most of it is about the 80's, when I was a teenager, so if you remember that long-ago decade you may like it. And if you don't remember the 80's, well, you still may like it.

The sun is shining and the temperature is almost 70! It's about time. We haven't had any warm weather yet and after the winter we had, seventy degrees feels good. Seventy-five will feel better. Thursday could be over 80. I'll try not to complain about it. Everyone else will - "Boy, I can't wait till wintah" - but you'd be hard pressed to hear me say it's too hot and I can't wait for winter.

I'm reading Stephen King's "Duma Key". It's actually really good, much better than I expected. I'm about halfway through. The main character, Edgar Freemantle, is an artist using his paintings to kill criminals and heal friends with bullets in their heads. Sounds strange, yes, but this is all perfectly normal in the world of Stephen King. I don't like a lot of his story lines, especially when they drift way over into sci-fi, but I love the way he writes. And so far, "Duma Key" is a good story, among my favorite Stephen King books. It's a long book, around 600 pages, but so far it's going quickly.

I've got 3 more episodes left before I am finished with season 3 of Arrested Development. I may watch them tonight. Then I move on to the new episodes on Netflix. I can't wait, I hope they are as good as the older ones.

Captain America Is Keeping Us Safe

First, I'd like to say there's nothing that makes a person feel safe like having a superhero in the house. Captain America has been here this week, and occasionally Spiderman stops by as well. I never see them together or with Samuel, but he says that is just a coincidence. As you can see below, Captain America looks very brave and serious, as a superhero should.

I started writing "Rock Star" again. It's always difficult for me to finish writing anything, especially anything long like a novel. Over the period of time it takes to write it, I get so many ideas for other stories that I want to just take a break to work on them. The problem is, I never get anything finished that way. The only way I can finish a writing project is to focus on that and block out all the other wonderful ideas floating around in my head until I'm finished. And so, I will write nothing else (except newspaper columns) until I am finished with "Rock Star".

My sales this month are very slow, the slowest since I first published "Lettahs From Maine". Let's go, people! Summer's coming, time to download some great books onto your kindles. I did sell a copy of Children of Mother Earth in the UK the other night. I sell a copy or two there almost every month, which is very exciting to me. I keep hoping it'll take off there, but so far it hasn't.

Let's see, what else? I've been watching a lot of Arrested Development, which is probably why my story is coming along so slowly. But it's just so funny. When I'm finished with the old seasons and the new one, I'm sure my writing will pick right up. That's pretty sad.

It's a beautiful day, I'm going to do some writing and then spread compost in the garden. Yes, I do have an exciting life.

Spring & The Sanford News

Spring is finally here. The weather is beautiful, and I have so much yard and garden work to do. So why am I here writing this? Because I pulled my back out yesterday rolling up a garden hose. Yes, you read that correctly, my back is weaker than a garden hose. Very sad.

My new Sanford News column can be read at http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130425/GJCOMMUNITY03/130429566/-1/SANNEWS  . It's about the beach and how nice it is to live near the Maine coast. So read and enjoy.

Otherwise, I've been doing very little writing. I still can't decide whether to continue with Rock Star or not. I have a few ideas for short stories, so maybe I'll write a couple while I decide.

This is a short posting but I have to get back outside and enjoy the sunshine.

The Sanford News, Defending Jacob, Roger Ebert

I have a new monthly column in my local newspaper, The Sanford News. The column is called "Musings of a Middle-Aged Man", and can conveniently be read here  http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130403/GJCOMMUNITY03/130329179/-1/SANNEWS .   I'm going to try and set up an easier link on my blog so my rabid fans can more easily access the column. But in the meantime, check out the link above and marvel at my writing prowess, or just laugh at how old I am. Either way, read and enjoy.

I've now written 36,000 words of Rock Star. My writing has been a bit slower this past week, before that I was cruising right along. I'm hoping to get up to 40,000 words by the end of this weekend, which really should be pretty easy.

I'm currently reading "Angela's Ashes". Very depressing, but also very witty. I read it when it first came out, which was over 15 years ago. Holy crap, 15 years. Previously, I read "Defending Jacob" by William Landay. It was recommened to me by my sister, who is in a book club. I assume that means a bunch of women meet every couple of weeks to drink wine and eat cheese and pretend that they are there to discuss the book they were supposed to read. But anyway, the "Defending Jacob" book was okay, kind of slow paced. The courtroom chapters were very drawn out, like reading an actually court transcript. I've read 2 John Grisham novels recently and the pace of those will give you whiplash. I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I liked the Grisham novels, but there was a nice twist at the end. I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

Speaking of reviews and ratings, I read that Roger Ebert passed away today. His movie reviews were the best out there. You really don't see icons in the movie review business, but Ebert certainly was one. Thumbs up.

The Pope, John Grisham, and Whatnot

Well, we have a new Pope. The crowd at the Vatican yesterday was very excited about it, as were the priests and nuns interviewed for the local news today. I have to say, I'm rather indifferent about the whole thing. I consider myself Catholic - I was an altar boy - but not a good one, sort of a non-practicing Catholic, especially with the continuing saga of the Priestly Pedophiles. A lot of the older Catholics seem to be able to overlook that, and it's wonderful to be able to forgive, but I have problems with it. God and prayer are still a part of my life, but I hesitate to get involved again in organized religion. Well, maybe this Pope will change my mind about all that. Doubtful, but maybe.  All day, I've been thinking of Rodney Dangerfield saying, "Hey, who made you Pope of this dump?"

I finished reading John Grisham's "A Time To Kill". Very good book, one of his best. His early ones are much better than the ones he puts out now. The book finished with too many loose ends, but overall I enjoyed it a lot. I'm reading a Garrison Keillor book right now that isn't so great, and then I think I'll read "The Firm", which is about a renegade Zumba instructor in Kennebunkport, I believe.

Sam's new favorite word is "whatnot". He saw it on tv and thought it was so funny that old people say whatnot. He asked me what it meant and I stuttered and stammered and then said I really don't know, I guess it means something like whatever. I hate when he asks a question and I don't have the answer. It actually happens quite often. But if I want to make Sam laugh, I just say whatnot in a sentence. For instance, when he asks what we are having for supper, I'll say, "Ham and potatoes and carrots and whatnot." Guaranteed laughs. He also sometimes calls me Great Dad, because he saw on tv that great is another name for old. I think he learns more from tv than he does from me.

"Rock Star" is up to 25,000 words. I like what I've written so far, but I'm thinking of changing the title. To what, I have no idea. So for now, we will continue to refer to it as "Rock Star".

House Of Cards, Arrested Development, The Brooklyner

My latest short story was published online today at http://brooklyner.org/2013/late-winter/ . It's a good one, about an old guy in the late winter of his life. It may also be the shortest story I've had published, I think it is around 800 or 900 words.

A couple of days ago, I finished Stephen King's "From A Buick 8". It was average, definitely not his best. I left a review of it on Amazon.com, my first review. 3 Stars. I wish more people would review my books. Well, only if they have something positive to say and leave 5 stars, of course.  I'm now reading John Grisham's "A Time To Kill". I haven't read it in 7 or 8 years and I remember really enjoying it. I've read 2 chapters and I remember now how fast-paced the book is, really well done. I enjoyed "The Firm" a lot also and will try to read that within the next few months.

I'm up to about 16,000 words in "Rock Star". I'm beginning to find more ideas to explore while writing it, which is always a good sign. Once the characters really become clear, the story becomes very easy to write. Well, not very easy, but it creates a flow. "Be like water", as Bruce Lee said. Don't think he was talking about writing, but it works.

I began watching "House Of Cards" on Netflix. I like it, I wouldn't say I love it but it has my interest. I watched episode 3 last night and every episode has been better than the one previous. Problem is, there are only 13 episodes total and if I grow to really enjoy it, then what?

Really looking forward to the new season of "Arrested Development" in May on Netflix. The funniest show ever, in my opinion. I'm going to watch all 3 seasons again before watching the new one, I think. I'm just not sure how I'm going to find time.

Stephen King, Twilight, The Band on Vinyl

This morning, I wrote for about an hour. The working title of the new novel is "Rock Star" and it's about...well, a rock star. A former rock star. I've got about 12,000 words written so far. Where it will go from here is anyone's guess. This afternoon I sent query letters for "The Auctioneer" to a few literary agents. I absolutely hate doing that, but somebody has to.

I'm reading Stephen King's "From A Buick Eight". Definitely not his best work, I thought it would be like "Christine", which would not have been great because he'd be repeating himself, but instead the car seems to be not really a car. So either way, I wouldn't be happy. And I'm less than halfway through so I really don't know what's going to happen.

I've been thinking about the "Twilight" books. I may have to read them again for inspiration, because the first time I read them I said to myself, "I can do better than this crap." The story lines are actually not bad, I like the werewolves and vampires fighting.  Nothing like a good werewolf vs. vampire brawl, I always say. The romance is junior high and immature, which I guess makes sense when your books are directed at young teenage girls. But after reading the series about three years ago, I decided to start submitting my short stories to literary magazines. I got my first acceptance letter within three months, and two more in the month after that. So thank you, Stephenie Meyer, for inspiring me with your poor writing and blockbuster sales.

I'm listening to "The Best of The Band" on vinyl. I like when songs sound different on vinyl than they do on cd or mp3. It's because the digital songs are so compressed, they don't have the highs and lows of vinyl. Or maybe they are actually different versions of the songs and I have no idea what I'm talking about. Either way, I like it.

The Brooklyner, Valentine's Day

I found out last night that the magazine The Brooklyner has accepted my short story, "Late Winter", for publication. It came as quite a surprise because I originally wrote the story in October of 2011 and I submitted it to The Brooklyner in March of 2012, so that is quite a long response time. It's kind of cool seeing stories that I wrote so long ago being accepted for publication now.

I'm ready for summer. I can't stand the snow, can't stand the cold.  For the first time we had to have our driveway plowed this weekend because the snow was just so high, drifts up to five feet in front of our garage.  It's not as fun drinking beer on a cold winter night as it is on a hot summer  night, I know that. So I guess that's what it comes down to for me, what is the best time of year to drink beer.

I'm reading Rod Stewart's autobiography, "Rod", and it is one of the best autobiographies I've read. Much better than I expected. I've read a few lousy books in the past few months so it's nice to read one that I look forward to. I've been wanting to watch the movie "Better Off Dead" all week but instead I've been reading. Oh, and watching Frasier. Kind of going through a Frasier addiction, we are almost finished with Season 6 on Netflix.

I've been writing quite a bit in the past week if you don't include last night and tonight. Last night I read and then watched "Justified", the only current show that I watch. I'm not a big fan of the graphic violence, but the storylines are great. As for tonight, well, the night is still somewhat young so there is still time to get in a few hundred words. We'll see.

Valentines Day tomorrow. Michelle and I are the only couple I know who do not celebrate it. We do absolutely  nothing. No flowers, no cards, nothing. We feel that it is ridiculous for people to spend money on each other so companies can get rich. If you don't show your love for each other every day, why is one day a year going to change things? We'd rather celebrate our anniversary and things like that.  I have, however, written her a couple of dirty valentine's day poems in the past. It's just the romantic in me, I guess.

Karate, Better Off Dead

Samuel started Karate last week, American Kenpo. It's taught at Curtis Lake Church and it is not the most disciplined, organized class, but it is good for a beginner and Sam really likes it. Plus, it's only $10 a month which is a great price. As long as he uses his powers for good instead of evil, I'm all for it.

I've been working all week on a query letter for The Auctioneer. Why does it take longer to write a one page letter than an entire novel? And really, it's the one or two paragraphs describing the manuscript that make it so difficult. I almost have it the way I want it and I will begin sending a few out to agents next week. I'm sure they can't wait.

I saw "Silence Of The Lambs" last night at Smitty's Cinema. I love Wayback Wednesdays. However, I don't think I would go see that particular movie again. There are enough horrible, twisted people in the world, I don't need to see it onscreen.  It was a very good movie but I'd rather watch a good comedy. Unfortunately, they don't really make good comedies anymore. I guess that's what Wayback Wednesday is for. Speeking of comedy, I went to the library today and took out the movie "Better Off Dead". That is a movie I used to love, it was my favorite comedy for years. I'm wondering if I will still like it or just think it is ridiculous. I'm sure I'll enjoy it, if only in a nostalgic way. But I think I'll probably crack up like I always did. I pretty certain I haven't matured too much to enjoy it.

Writer's Market, Super Bowl, Rod Stewart

I have 2 or 3 short stories I'd like to submit for publication but I'm not sure where to send them. This thing with duotrope.com costing money really stinks. It was so easy to look up different online and print magazines on there. I suppose I could use the poets & writers website. They offer a pretty good list, not nearly as long as duotrope's and not as simple to use, but I guess it's better than nothing. Unless I want to spend $5, which I really don't. That's like sending in stories to magazines that charge reading fees. I can't imagine paying someone to read my stories.  Are they really so bad that I have to pay someone to read them?

I bought the new Writer's Market book from amazon.com, it came in the mail today. It's not really new, I bought the 2012 version because it was only $3 for a new copy. I haven't looked at it yet, I've had a couple of the older copies a few years back and I remember that there really isn't much in there as far as fiction markets. Better than nothing, though, and they do have a good list of book publishers. It's better than paying $5 to that damn duotrope.com!!

Okay, that felt good. So, the Super Bowl. Apparently Jesus loves Ray Lewis and the Ravens a little more than he loves the 49ers. That's too bad. Not that I like the 49ers, but I really don't like Ray Lewis. If he goes to work for ESPN, I wonder if he will wear that ridiculous-looking black paint  all over his face while commentating. That will make quite a mess if he bursts into tears like he is prone to doing. Ah, well, we can only hope.

I am currently reading "Pontoon" by Garrison Keillor. Man, that guy is funny. My next book after that is "Rod", about Rod Stewart. I wonder if his real name is Rod (guess I'll find out when I read the book) and if his parents realized the phallic symbolism involved. I mean, if he'd been a plumber named Rod, you'd think of a snake going down a shitty drain pipe to unclog it. Not the sexiest thing in the world. But a rock star named Rod, well, line up, girls!

I was going to continue on with the rock star novel I started last spring (and I still could) but I've begun writing another novel. I have 1 1/2 paragraphs written. I'm nothing if not prolific.

Writing, writing, writing. And cold

So I read The Auctioneer the other night, and you know what? It's pretty damn good. I think I'll keep it just the way it is. I'm going to write a query letter for agents this weekend. That letter will be more difficult to write than the novel. It's difficult to summarize a novel in one or two paragraphs while advertising yourself at the same time. But I will do it, or at least attempt to.

I do need to change one thing about the story, and this is a big one. Not about the story, actually, but how it is written. Ever since I took a typing class during my junior year of high school, I've double spaced after periods. That must be how we were taught. Unfortunately, it doesn't look good at all in a manuscript and if I decide to self-publish the book it will mess up the formatting. So I need to go to the beginning of every sentence in the story and backspace once, so that there is only one space after each period instead of two. Yes, that's correct, every sentence. Do you know how many sentences there are in a 90,000-word novel? I don't, but I can verify that there are a lot. I started this afternoon and I've already corrected up to page 36. Yay.

Cold. Very cold. According to my truck thermometer, it was 2 degrees around noon today. Cold.

After I finish with my little sentence-backspace-period project, I'm going to start on another novel. I began writing one at the same time I started The Auctioneer and I have about 30 pages so far. That was in Febuary of 2012 and I haven't read it over since, but I remember that it was about a former rock star who moves to Maine to escape fame. Nobody knows he was once a rock star, not even his girlfriend, until he's discovered 30 years by a reporter. I'm not sure where the story goes from there. You'd think I would, since I'm the one who has to write it, but nope. No clue. More exciting that way, I think.

A Lucid Moment, Theodore Rex, Stereophonics, New England Patriots

My most recently published short story, "A Lucid Moment", is now available for viewing online at http://www.fictionandverse.com/a-lucid-moment/ . It's a good story, one of the better ones I've written. I wrote it over a year ago but it is just being published now, which is usually how it goes.

I'm reading Theodore Rex, about Theodore Roosevelt. I've been reading it for over 2 weeks and I'm just past halfway through. Looks like it will take me the entire month of January to read one book. It seems like a textbook at times, and it is certainly not for everyone, but I'm enjoying it.

I've been listening to a lot of Stereophonics lately, hoping it will inspire me to write. It has, I just finished writing my first short story in a long time. I'll send it out to a few places this week. Unfortunately, Duotrope.com, the site where I find the magazines to send my stories to, is no longer free. I'm really ticked off about that. It is only $5 a month but I'm refusing to pay. Until I can't find the magazines I'm looking for, of course. Then I'll probably pay.

Speaking of Stereophonics, they have a new album coming out in April, I think, but I'm sure I won't be able to get it here in the U.S.  I had to wait over a year to buy their last cd. I could have bought it when it first came out, but it was an import and would have cost me over $30. I'm always amazed at the difference between popular music here and in the UK. The difference is that ours is crap.

Tonight I'm either going to start another short story or begin my rewrite of The Auctioneer. But first I'm going to watch the Patriots game with some friends. I really hope they lose. The greatest thing in football is a Steelers win, and the next best thing is a Patriots loss. Since we are in Maine and everyone is a Patriots fan, this should be an interesting afternoon.

Lettahs To Celebrities available on Amazon.com

The new phone book's  here! The new phone book's here! Just channeling Steve Martin. The real news is that "Lettahs To Celebrities (anothah Lettahs From Maine book) is now available as an ebook and in print on Amazon.com. I'm excited about it, I hope people enjoy it.

Now to write a couple of short stories. I spent two hours writing one paragraph this morning. It's going to take some time to get back into it, I'm afraid. But I have a couple of good ideas for stories, so once I get back into the groove they should turn out well.

This morning Sam asked me how to spell punch, which I didn't think much of until he taped a "Punch Me" sign on my back as I walked past. My son the comedian.

Lettahs, Kringles, Jack Reacher

Last night I finished writing 'Lettahs To Celebrities'. I have to go over it one more time to check for spelling errors, which means I have to make sure I didn't spell anything right. I like the book, but I'm not sure it's as good as the other two Lettahs From Maine books. It's a little different, I think. So today and tomorrow I will work on a cover and getting the story ready, and hopefully it will be for sale on Amazon within a week.

I actually didn't listen to much music while I wrote it. I listened to Led Zeppelin a few times, and I think that's about it. I think I've been listening to Kids Bop in my truck more than anything. I don't listen to it by myself, though, so I'm not a total geek.

After the new Lettahs book is published, I'm going to write a couple of short stories, then go back to work on The Auctioneer. I really want to see how that one turns out.

Hopefully going to see Jack Reacher tomorrow night. I read the first book, didn't care for the writing style all that much, but I read the movie is pretty good. So we'll see.

Sam thinks that Pringles potato chips are called Kringles. We heard something on the radio about Kris Kringle before Christmas and Sam said, "Say, speaking of Kringle, can we get some Kringles at the grocery store?" It was difficult not to laugh at that one.