Yes, it has been a long time since I've posted on here. I'd like to apologize sincerely to my many, many fans.
Seriously, I've been busy. I'm now doing freelance writing work for FurnaceCompare.com. I write and edit series and brand profiles and reviews for furnaces, central air conditioners, heat pumps, water heaters, etc., along with writing and editing articles. Here's an article about buying a central air conditioner that I wrote last week. Not the most exciting topic to some people, but I'm enjoying it. It'll do until my novels start climbing the bestseller lists. So if you want to help me out, go to Amazon.com and buy my books!
I've had a few Sanford News columns recently, as well. My latest column, from last week's Sanford News, is about all the jobs I've had and the one's I'm glad I didn't have. And a few weeks ago I wrote a column about the NFL that I think is one of my best.
As far as my fiction writing, I have been struggling with a novel for almost a year and I finally shelved it. Maybe I'll come back to it, maybe not. But now I'm writing a novel, set in 1976, about a summer camp director whose band is on the verge of being signed to a record contract. It's going well, I'm hoping to have the first draft finished by the end of the year but that may be pushing it.
Stephen King is having a book signing event in Portland next month and I'm hoping to go. Maybe I'll give him a signed copy of one of my books. Maybe not. But someday.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Monday, August 4, 2014
How to Paint Paneling
I'm not sure if I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd received a couple of copies of Falling Star magazine with my story, "Date Night at the Drive-in" inside. Here is a picture of the magazine. I wish the story was available online because I really like and want more people to read it.
It's been a busy summer, which is great. My son Sam and I have been going to baseball games every week, sometimes two or three times a week. Add that to his Tai Kwon Do, Kung Fu, and swimming lessons, and we don't have many free nights. Right now my wife and I are painting our living room. It is paneling, so we are just painting over it. Every room in our house is paneled and I've painted three of them so far. It looks great when finished, but it's a lot of work. For your reading pleasure, here is an article I wrote about painting paneling. I published it on Yahoo Contributor Network, but I think they've shut that down so this is now the only place to see it. It's a Gary Sprague interior painting exclusive. You never know what you are going to learn here.
Don't Use Paint Mixed With Primer
You will need to put down a coat of primer before you paint the paneling. Paint mixed with primer is a great time saver on some surfaces, but it doesn't work on paneling. Sorry, but you'll have to put down a coat of primer first. Use the same color paint and primer, if possible.
Use a Paintbrush to Cover the Seams
Before applying the paint with a roller, paint the seams with a paintbrush. Yes, that's right, every single seam. A roller, even an extra-thick roller, will not go deep enough to fully paint the paneling seams. It's a much longer process, yes, but it really does a much better job. Unfortunately, this will need to be done for both the primer and the paint.
Use a Good Quality Paint
Painting paneling usually requires more than one coat. With a good-quality paint, you can get away with two coats. With a poorer quality paint, it will take a least three, especially if the paneling is dark. Trust me, I made this mistake once. The extra cost of the better paint is worth not having to do an extra coat or two.
It's been a busy summer, which is great. My son Sam and I have been going to baseball games every week, sometimes two or three times a week. Add that to his Tai Kwon Do, Kung Fu, and swimming lessons, and we don't have many free nights. Right now my wife and I are painting our living room. It is paneling, so we are just painting over it. Every room in our house is paneled and I've painted three of them so far. It looks great when finished, but it's a lot of work. For your reading pleasure, here is an article I wrote about painting paneling. I published it on Yahoo Contributor Network, but I think they've shut that down so this is now the only place to see it. It's a Gary Sprague interior painting exclusive. You never know what you are going to learn here.
Tips on How to Paint Paneling
If the dark paneled walls of your living room remind you of bell bottoms, ashtrays and The Brady Bunch, it may be time to make a change. Unless you like that sort of thing, of course. But for the sake of this discussion, let's assume that you want to move into the twenty-first century.
How can you get rid of the paneling? Well, taking down paneling and installing some other type of wall board, such as sheetrock, can be time-consuming. It can also be expensive, especially if a professional contractor needs to be hired. A good alternative is to simply paint over the paneling. But how can I do that, you ask? It's pretty easy, especially if you pay attention to a few details.
Tape It
As with any interior painting job, you will want to get some painters tape and cover up trim, electrical outlets, and anything else you don't want covered in paint
How can you get rid of the paneling? Well, taking down paneling and installing some other type of wall board, such as sheetrock, can be time-consuming. It can also be expensive, especially if a professional contractor needs to be hired. A good alternative is to simply paint over the paneling. But how can I do that, you ask? It's pretty easy, especially if you pay attention to a few details.
Tape It
As with any interior painting job, you will want to get some painters tape and cover up trim, electrical outlets, and anything else you don't want covered in paint
Don't Use Paint Mixed With Primer
You will need to put down a coat of primer before you paint the paneling. Paint mixed with primer is a great time saver on some surfaces, but it doesn't work on paneling. Sorry, but you'll have to put down a coat of primer first. Use the same color paint and primer, if possible.
Use a Paintbrush to Cover the Seams
Before applying the paint with a roller, paint the seams with a paintbrush. Yes, that's right, every single seam. A roller, even an extra-thick roller, will not go deep enough to fully paint the paneling seams. It's a much longer process, yes, but it really does a much better job. Unfortunately, this will need to be done for both the primer and the paint.
Use a Good Quality Paint
Painting paneling usually requires more than one coat. With a good-quality paint, you can get away with two coats. With a poorer quality paint, it will take a least three, especially if the paneling is dark. Trust me, I made this mistake once. The extra cost of the better paint is worth not having to do an extra coat or two.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Vegetable Garden Column
Another beautiful day in Maine. Today is my son Sam's 8th birthday, so he's very excited about that. I can't believe it's been 8 years. He's getting so big, and I'm getting so old.
Here's the link to my latest Sanford News column. It's all about my vegetable garden, which is one of my favorite parts of summer. I went out this morning and I now have zucchini, summer squash, and tomatoes started. Very exciting. No peas yet, which is strange because they usually come first, but I think we'll have some soon.
My writing isn't going as well as I would like. It's strange how as a writer, you go through these periods where you can't write fast enough because the ideas are coming so fast, and at other times you hope that what you are putting down isn't as bad as you think it is.
Because my novel isn't coming along as well as I'd hoped, I decided to write a short story to break things up. Short stories are easy for me, usually much easier than novels. But now I'm finding it difficult to even write this short story. I have a great idea, too. My friend is a mail man and tells me all kinds of funny stories from his route. I'm just going about it from the wrong direction, I think. I'm writing it kind of serious, and it needs to be more of a humorous story. I'll figure it out.
Well, I'll cut this short so I can do some writing and then enjoy the rest of the day.
Here's the link to my latest Sanford News column. It's all about my vegetable garden, which is one of my favorite parts of summer. I went out this morning and I now have zucchini, summer squash, and tomatoes started. Very exciting. No peas yet, which is strange because they usually come first, but I think we'll have some soon.
My writing isn't going as well as I would like. It's strange how as a writer, you go through these periods where you can't write fast enough because the ideas are coming so fast, and at other times you hope that what you are putting down isn't as bad as you think it is.
Because my novel isn't coming along as well as I'd hoped, I decided to write a short story to break things up. Short stories are easy for me, usually much easier than novels. But now I'm finding it difficult to even write this short story. I have a great idea, too. My friend is a mail man and tells me all kinds of funny stories from his route. I'm just going about it from the wrong direction, I think. I'm writing it kind of serious, and it needs to be more of a humorous story. I'll figure it out.
Well, I'll cut this short so I can do some writing and then enjoy the rest of the day.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Lettahs Fom Maine Marketing Strategy, Chinese Food With Side Order of Tums
I had Chinese food late last night. Around 12:30, I discovered that I can add Chinese food to the growing list of foods I can't eat after 7. Here is the new, updated list:
I've come up with a new marketing strategy for my Lettahs From Maine books. Actually, it's the only strategy I've come up with, and it's not much of a strategy. I've made flyers and I'm going to place them on the windows of cars in the beach parking lots. Genius, right?
There it is. A little rough and a little blurry, but you get the idea. I just hope other writers and marketing experts don't go stealing my great strategy.
I've now written 20,000 words of my latest novel. The working title is Lottery Winners. Gives you an idea of what the story's about, at least. It's a rainy day, in the 60's, so I think it's a good day to work on the novel.
- Pizza
- Nachos
- Peppers and onions (which I don't like anyway, unless they are caramelized)
- Anything with cheese (see PIZZA and NACHOS)
- Chinese food
I've come up with a new marketing strategy for my Lettahs From Maine books. Actually, it's the only strategy I've come up with, and it's not much of a strategy. I've made flyers and I'm going to place them on the windows of cars in the beach parking lots. Genius, right?
There it is. A little rough and a little blurry, but you get the idea. I just hope other writers and marketing experts don't go stealing my great strategy.
I've now written 20,000 words of my latest novel. The working title is Lottery Winners. Gives you an idea of what the story's about, at least. It's a rainy day, in the 60's, so I think it's a good day to work on the novel.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Redbeacon, Scripted, Ted Williams
It's been a long time, I know. I've been busy writing for Redbeacon and editing for Scripted. I'd like to be busier. I've also been editing texts for a European dating site, Relatieplanet. I haven't gotten paid yet, so I'm not sure if the work I've done is for nothing. If I do get paid, great. If not, I'll be pretty disappointed.
I've been doing some work on my latest novel. It's coming together nicely, although I only have about 15,000 words written. I've been working on this for 6 months and have completely redone it twice, but now it's finally going in the direction I'm looking for. My goal is to finish the first draft by the end of August.
I'm currently reading a book about Ted Williams called The Kid. It's about 800 pages long and I'm halfway through. I'm really enjoying it and think any fan of Williams, the Red Sox, or the history of Major League Baseball will like it. It's taking me forever to read, which is the only bad thing about it because I have other books I want to get to.
Yesterday, I put on my sunglasses and my son Sam said, "Now all you need to look cool is a motorcycle, two guns, and a full head of hair." I'm not sure where he gets his image of what cool looks like. I used to have the motorcycle and the full head of hair, but those days are long gone.m
Here's my latest column from the Sanford News, "Parents Need to Follow the (bleeping) Parking Rules". It's about the way people drive and park in the school parking lot when I drop off and pick up my son. I think it's one of my better columns. In my opinion, any column about swearing should be fun.
I've been doing some work on my latest novel. It's coming together nicely, although I only have about 15,000 words written. I've been working on this for 6 months and have completely redone it twice, but now it's finally going in the direction I'm looking for. My goal is to finish the first draft by the end of August.
I'm currently reading a book about Ted Williams called The Kid. It's about 800 pages long and I'm halfway through. I'm really enjoying it and think any fan of Williams, the Red Sox, or the history of Major League Baseball will like it. It's taking me forever to read, which is the only bad thing about it because I have other books I want to get to.
Yesterday, I put on my sunglasses and my son Sam said, "Now all you need to look cool is a motorcycle, two guns, and a full head of hair." I'm not sure where he gets his image of what cool looks like. I used to have the motorcycle and the full head of hair, but those days are long gone.m
Here's my latest column from the Sanford News, "Parents Need to Follow the (bleeping) Parking Rules". It's about the way people drive and park in the school parking lot when I drop off and pick up my son. I think it's one of my better columns. In my opinion, any column about swearing should be fun.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Free Download of The Auctioneer, Facebook Page, Deadwood
First of all, I'd like to announce that my novel The Auctioneer will be available as a free Kindle download at Amazon.com today (Monday) through Wednesday. You can just click on the picture of the book to the right on this page to take you there. If you haven't read it yet, this is a great chance to get it for free. If you like it, please leave a nice review on Amazon. If you don't, please just keep it to yourself. But I think you'll like it.
I got a nice message on my Facebook author page - https://www.facebook.com/garyspraguewriter - from a woman who read Bobby's House and wanted to let me know how much she enjoyed the book. That's always nice to hear. I really think more people like Bobby's House than any of my other books. I personally like Rock Star, but Bobby's House definitely has more action.
Yesterday was Easter. We had the usual egg hunt in the living room, but it was kind of easy for Sam and I think that next year we'll hide them throughout the house. Maybe even outdoors, weather permitting. I spent the afternoon spraying bleach on my shed to remove the little mildew spots and spraying them off. It worked well, and the hose peeled off quite a bit of paint so I won't have to scrape as much. I'm hoping to paint it by next weekend. After that, my next project is to clean the mildew spots from the house and paint it. The mildew shows because the house is white, so I need to remove it before painting. Because I'm very sore - particularly my shoulders - just from the little work I did yesterday, I may need to enlist a couple of teenagers who want to work for very little money to help me.
It's nice out again today. Because it is school vacation, I may take Sam to the beach this afternoon. I really should be writing, but that can wait. I have an article to write for Redbeacon and then I really have nothing that absolutely needs to be done.
I started watching Deadwood last week. I watched the entire series 5 or 6 years ago and thought it was just about the best dramatic series ever. After watching a few episodes this week, I have to say I was right. The character of Al Swearengen, played by Ian McShane, is one of the best ever on television. It's very rare to see an actor who captures a role so completely that he doesn't seem to be acting. I seem to remember that the series took a big dip during Season 2 but recovered for Season 3, the final season. I'm almost done Season 1, so I'll find out soon enough.
I got a nice message on my Facebook author page - https://www.facebook.com/garyspraguewriter - from a woman who read Bobby's House and wanted to let me know how much she enjoyed the book. That's always nice to hear. I really think more people like Bobby's House than any of my other books. I personally like Rock Star, but Bobby's House definitely has more action.
Yesterday was Easter. We had the usual egg hunt in the living room, but it was kind of easy for Sam and I think that next year we'll hide them throughout the house. Maybe even outdoors, weather permitting. I spent the afternoon spraying bleach on my shed to remove the little mildew spots and spraying them off. It worked well, and the hose peeled off quite a bit of paint so I won't have to scrape as much. I'm hoping to paint it by next weekend. After that, my next project is to clean the mildew spots from the house and paint it. The mildew shows because the house is white, so I need to remove it before painting. Because I'm very sore - particularly my shoulders - just from the little work I did yesterday, I may need to enlist a couple of teenagers who want to work for very little money to help me.
It's nice out again today. Because it is school vacation, I may take Sam to the beach this afternoon. I really should be writing, but that can wait. I have an article to write for Redbeacon and then I really have nothing that absolutely needs to be done.
I started watching Deadwood last week. I watched the entire series 5 or 6 years ago and thought it was just about the best dramatic series ever. After watching a few episodes this week, I have to say I was right. The character of Al Swearengen, played by Ian McShane, is one of the best ever on television. It's very rare to see an actor who captures a role so completely that he doesn't seem to be acting. I seem to remember that the series took a big dip during Season 2 but recovered for Season 3, the final season. I'm almost done Season 1, so I'll find out soon enough.
Friday, April 11, 2014
My Interview with Our City Radio Portland Maine
This is the warmest day of the year and it is being very well received, at least in this house. Sunny and in the 60's. I went for a great walk and even did some raking. I'm going to grill burgers later, too. Winter is LONG, but days like today give you a glimpse of how nice it can be in Maine. It gives us all something to look forward to, at least.
The bad part about such a nice day is that I'm going to spend the next couple of hours in my basement office, working on my novel and writing articles for Redbeacon. Oh well, I've already enjoyed the sunshine.
I recently did an interview with Our City Radio Portland Maine. You can read it here. It's a truly fascinating look at me and my writing. Okay, maybe not fascinating. But it's a good way to learn a little bit about me and my writing process.
I'm reading Empire Falls, by Richard Russo. I read this book years ago and really enjoyed it, so I decided to revisit it. My wife walked by me as I was reading this morning and asked, "What are you smiling about?" I answered, "This book. He's such a good writer." You know you are reading a good book when you smile while reading it.
The bad part about such a nice day is that I'm going to spend the next couple of hours in my basement office, working on my novel and writing articles for Redbeacon. Oh well, I've already enjoyed the sunshine.
I recently did an interview with Our City Radio Portland Maine. You can read it here. It's a truly fascinating look at me and my writing. Okay, maybe not fascinating. But it's a good way to learn a little bit about me and my writing process.
I'm reading Empire Falls, by Richard Russo. I read this book years ago and really enjoyed it, so I decided to revisit it. My wife walked by me as I was reading this morning and asked, "What are you smiling about?" I answered, "This book. He's such a good writer." You know you are reading a good book when you smile while reading it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)