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.

ebooks, print books, Richard Russo

 Great progress on "Lettahs To Celebrities", but now I'm sort of stuck. I can't think of anyone to write to for 1999. The three previous lettahs were to Jerry Seinfeld,  Mike Myers, and Bill Clinton. I especially like the one to Clinton. Sometimes I crack myself up, I hope I crack others up as well.

Unless things change in the next week and a half, this will be the first month that I sell more copies of print books than ebooks. I like that, because I make more on the print books than the ebooks. I published Lettahs From Maine as an ebook at the end of December 2011, so it is almost a year since I began self-publishing. I think I first put my books in print in July.

I'm currently reading Richard Russo's memoir, "Elsewhere". It's okay but I didn't expect the entire book to be about his mother. Kind of strange.

Hello Again To My Legions Of Fans

As I was saying...  That was a long break. I haven't written in three months. I can't really explain why. Laziness? Probably. I've been slowly pecking away at my Lettahs To Celebrities book and it's picked up nicely over the past week or so. I'd like to have it published in January. It's going to cover the years 1967-2013, one or two letters a year. The first one is Ringo Starr. The most recent are Larry Bird, Bill Cosby, and Don Johnson. I'm around 1987 or 1988, so I'm about halfway done. It's been slow going, but my writing has picked up recently so I think I'll be able to finish within a month or so.

The Auctioneer has been put on hold, I'm planning to rewrite the entire second half of the book. That is my project for winter and spring of 2013.

I had another short story accepted for publication a couple of weeks ago, that makes a total of eleven in the past two and a half years but the first one of 2012. My goal was ten short stories published this year, but then I didn't write any because I've been busy writing other things. The story that was just accepted is called "A Lucid Moment" and was actually written last year, in 2011. It's a good story, one of the better ones I've written. I hope to write a few more short stories in the near future, I'd like to have a few more published next year.

The rest of my evening will be spent watching "Warrior" with Seth. I watched it last week and told Seth it was really good, so now he wants to watch it with me. And so I am off, but I will return soon.

Lettahs From Maine, Kennebooks, Back To School

Well, it's been a long time, a month.  My two Lettahs From Maine books and Children of Mother Earth are out in print and available on Amazon and at Kennebooks, a bookstore in Kennebunkport.   The ebooks continue to sell well, especially Lettahs From Maine.  People seem to like reading the Lettahs From Maine print books in the bathroom.  I'm not sure what that says about the books, but as long as they are being read I'm happy. My next novel, "Bobby's House", should be available for the Kindle and in print within the next two weeks.  And I've begun work on another Lettahs From Maine book.  It's either going to be called "Lettahs To Celebrities" or "Lettahs To Famous People".  Of course, that can change.  I also finished my first draft of "The Auctioneer", and on the advise of a good friend I've decided to attempt rewriting the entire second half of the story.  I'll start on that sometime soon.


So yes, I've been busy. Plus, Samuel broke his arm and his shoulder, along with losing his first tooth, so August has been a busy month. Now the kids are back in school and I can concentrate a little more on writing. Hopefully that means updating this blog more often, as well.  Below are the back to school pictures - first grade and high school freshman.  They are getting older, which consequently means that I'm getting older, too.  Funny how that happens.