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.