Tools for Authors and Writers

Jackson Pollock using paint as a tool.

Here is my gift of tools for writers who want to publish ebooks, or print on demand.

 Please feel free to rate or add input to sites you feel are helpful.

ebooks, paperbacks, editing software, books, tools for writers

INFORMATION ON EXISTING TOOLS FOR WRITERS

Advanced Authors or Do it Yourself Indie Publishing

Author uploads files (Mobi, Epub, HTML, PDB, PDF, RTF, LRF, plaintext, worddoc etc. ) directly to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Apple, Diesel and a multitude of foreign sites that can also translate to other languages. This allows author the most “commission split.” Author provides camera ready format to each different site (all have a variety of size and pixel requirements) Author is savvy enough to either hire an editor or contract with artist to complete cover art. Author determines price points and manages own “platform.” Authors talk about their platform as their whole brand that includes blog-site, website, social marketing, attending conferences, public speaking, blog tours, and face to face marketing. This Advanced author is usually a midlist author who has more than four novels and has been published traditionally. Author might have copyrights reverted back from books published prior to 2008 and they are now uploading and selling old “backlist” books as e-release. Ebooks can boost visibility and sales direct to author.
***


Moderate Skill levels for Authors needed to use:

Split your profits direct with a publishing site while they provide conversion software

Publishers who will convert your word doc file completed for free into all ebook formats:

Smashwords owned by Mark Coker

Takes a percentage of sales with no upfront costs. Uses their converter called “meatgrinder” from a word doc file that has no text boxes, no tab spaces into all formats. Not simple to get a clean enough file to fit Smashword’s format. Book is live published worldwide in a week. Smashwords’ own website is not reader friendly nor optimized to attract readers to purchase direct.

LuLu another site that offers independent publishing and an Author “store”

Bookbaby $99 or $199 plus monthly $19 conversions, editing, cost for corrections a little steep


No skill needed, the publisher charges for the uploading and takes a cut of sales:
Ones that charge fees or are considered vanity publishers: TATE, Dorrance Chronicle,,Iuniverse Outskirtspress, Author House, IPRC, Independent Publisher, Hayhouse, Authorsolutions, Author solutions is $2000- 3000 super pricey Sillowaypress Upublish, Spannet, Berhahn, Continuum, justbookingJustbooks, instantpublisher, bookmarket, Baen, and a couple hundred more...

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Blogging sites that are free and easy: Blogger owned by Google and Wordpress privately owned

Wordpress is more user friendly owned by Matt Mullenwag ( also owns buddypress and Akismet)

The reason why authors will choose these as opposed to their own website the posting is fast and Google will rank a blogspot (Blogger site) better than a new website. Author controls content and can sell Adwords, make links, create page rank and link directly to Amazon, B&N, Sony, Diesel and Apple. Author makes a little side money from the blogs.

 Createspace (owned by Amazon) is a pay site that is cheap. Authors can print on demand a book paperback only and ebooks by coordinating with Amazon (Kindle Direct) for little or no cost. Create Space offers a smorgasbord of services needed: cover art, full editing, blogs, chat rooms, advice, some goofy scams.

Penguin’s Bookcountry allows authors to find agents, Harper Collins has Authonomy Authonomy. Etc.. Traditional publishing houses (Big Six) already have their own e-publishing, promotion sites and market only their own contracted author media.

Author promotion sites: Redroom, Red Room charges a small annual fee and is a well-respected author website

Also: Absolutewrite, Authorsden, and Salon are a few others to review and compare.

Online editing as we all know is not infallible. Word’s understanding and auto correct can give a write a false sense of spelling.

Editing online software:

Grammarly annual fees

Prowritingaid FREE

Whitesmoke software pricey

User Comments Brand Reviews

Drink Me Five Stars

Reviews my neighbor leaves behind

User generated comments in product review in social commerce.


Amazon just quietly erased a million some product reviews written by persons paid to write a positive post. The cottage industry of bloggers offering book reviews for $ 25- $100 a pop are temporarily thwarted. Amazon deleted anyone who wrote these listings and gave five stars to novels they likely never read without warning. This is only the first phase in Amazon’s attempt to clean up a flawed premise that sales will generate the best to the top. A theory I equal to keep stirring the pot and the bones will pop up.

Amazon does not have an editing staff that checks how you review the latest ginzo knife. They have relied on consumers to honestly rate products and sellers. Amazon has a small staff that deletes obvious or reported spam posts and unrelated drabble. The reviews list in chronological order. A few enhancements to the system have been rolled out, but none so clearly (and silently as Amazon does not announce nor want to reveal future changes) will make the playing field level. No longer will posters ask for throngs to tag their product for a dollar. Amazon added “questions” and “rate the reviewer” type features that they hoped would make the system less “scammy.”

Durable goods, wholesale product manufacturers all started to realize that if they open a Facebook Page, or some industry website then ask people to like them no-one will come.  However, if they offer prizes, incentives and money they can get an individual Facebook page that generates interest in their brand. Facebook has added so many bells and whistles using a Facebook page seems to also have lost its lightening as a method to connect with consumers.

A woman I know made a fortune selling Google page rank, she is one of many black hat SEO experts who touted herself as a marketing wizard. Google can now identify the thirty some methods used to game page rank and they are silently erasing websites that use the cheats from searches without any notice or recourse to “webowners”, or brands. She’s now selling IRS illegal tax credits knowing that her past associations are all crumbling. This same person rather maliciously posted reviews with intention to harm on Amazon as a regular course of entertainment. Seems all her reviews have now disappeared.

If reviews are merely a fringe portion of buyers (Reviews on Travelocity, Amazon, CNET, Epinions, Consumer Reports… gazillion other sites are less than .08% of purchasers) why do buyers even bother to read them? We are human, we care what others think.

How will all the information gathered, collected, graphed and monitored about us as individual consumers typing words on the internet be used in the future for brands?

What I want to know is how is this going to change how books are reviewed and rated in the future? What do you think?

COVER ART IDEAS for THE LUCKY BOY

this second one is my favorite now

this one looks like 1972 the story time frame but...

Please vote on the best cover ideas for me PLEASE

Owl Morning Wish

Baby Owl Who Fell From Nest Rescued
Caroline Gerardo

 Black fog night,

Snug morning.

Our screech owl returns every end of September.

Walk barefoot pick up the teepee toilet paper,

he laughs with me,

about the muddy rye grass
between my toes.

Dinner at Mayur,

was that last night
or just yesterday?

I didn’t speak this time about locations

and smells that remind me of you.

Things bring me center into a happy past are ephemeral.

They return like the Scops Otus habit of sitting on my gazebo.

I wish I could put him in a cage and stroke his wings gently.

The tiny ring box you gave me with metal feet.

I’de open the lid when I need courage and hear the call.

Do owls eat turmeric at sunrise?

Dandelion Wishes

Sunrise

Note: Owl in photograph is baby found lost from his mother who was killed. With a broken wing and weak spirit my daughter brought him to a specialized vet who was able to repair the wing and rehydrate him. He needed special care every three hours. My daughter got up and fed him as a dutiful mommy. He was released months later and returns every Fall. He is not domesticated, he hunts and really does sit on the gazebo looking for mice and bunnies.

please check here for owl calls: http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/bubo-bulo-5.mp3/

#guardianbookswap Go Global Books

The Guardian Guardian Books and the Observer have a promotion to increase literacy and have fun sharing books. The idea is modeled after Book Crossing and some other promotions. The concept is for readers to leave a book with their printed label informing the finder what- where when and why The next five weekends let's join together.


Add your photo and they will Geotag the location of the book.

Here is the link to download the label:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/interactive/2011/sep/15/guardian-and-observer-book-swap-sticker

The label goes inside your softly used book



I am thinking that my author friends in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand... will join in the fun.



Guardian Books, The Guardian and The Observer have a marketing promotion to support the newspapers/ literacy. The promotion runs every Saturday for the next five weeks. Readers can join in and “play the game” by finding books and tweeting about it. Readers can leave their favorite book and tweet about it. Authors can leave their books or swap with others to gain visibility.

What is the benefit for authors?

Visibility marketing promotion community maybe press



How to join in:

1. Decide what book you are going to leave, if it is only an ebook you need to leave something that indicates how to download the book as in lending the book I am going to leave ten books, two each weekend. I am including a signed Charles Bukowski, a signed Chuck Palahniuk, and others I will announce/ tweet. The value of each of those two books above? $ 100- $ 200 both are first edition, both have a note to myself.

2. Download the label and print to place inside the front cover of your book

3. Tweet the hastag: #guardianookswap Author Name or a twitter handle the Title and the location of the book. You may also link a photograph

4. Example: #guardianbookswap Caroline Gerardo or @cgbarbeau, Toxic Assets, at Bank Of America Lobby Laguna Beach 9/24

5. I suggest you also tweet something about the public location (+gathering an outside reference that may join in the community)

6. Geomap Readers will treasure hunt your book hunt
don't forget to tweet the name of the author and book title





Make certain you add your own personal author information – website, twitter handle and a bookmark if you have one inside. Support fellow authors whose books you own and have enjoyed.


Add the hashtag #guardianbookswap your favorite author ( can be yourself ) the location of the book and a picture on twitter. Easy to join I will be tweeting about this, come play @cgbarbeau
If you want YOUR book included put a bitly link ( or any 301 direct link) to your book in my comments and we will start a "chain letter" your job will be to tweet the link above you with #guardianbooks and the location. If your book is only available as ebook then we will leave a  USB memory stick with a note and the label?

Rupert Murdoch when you read this please also comment so we may include you!

C. G.

Buy My Book

Steve Nedelton asks me this morning how have I sold so many books... here is my public answer.

 from: Caroline Gerardo

to: Steven Nedelton

subject: re: Friends

I never pay for ads, submissions, or permission.

Be yourself but be fearless - expect failure but be ready to get up and be better. I'm working on my craft as my number one goal. I write seven days a week - work full time and am sole provider for my family... all that aside I am going to give you some input here and please put your turtle shell on and ears open (I have a desert tortoise who is the dearest).

Focus on three silos at max- you need to budget your time for the number one (writing and family) above.

Pick three different internet tools and one live face to face one.

Buddy up with authors not necessarily same genre ( but you will find kindred make the most sense if they are smart and understand we are not competing with each other).

You need to blog- you need to pour your writing practice warmups in the blog or do reviews of what you adore. Wordpress is fancier I use Blogger just because I'm a loyal Google brander.  Don't bother with writing things that bore you or are negative - people don't want that in short posts. Naysay will drag your heart down.

You MUST change your photo on amazon -it is GREEN and you need a haircut and a relaxed look. The glasses are good you have a cute face but the picture is awful and readers (like everything in the world) judge a book - and the author by its cover. Be you. Its fine to be quirky, authors never dress fashionable.

Think branding - your writing, your presence, your posts, are your whole soul opened for ridicule. Be fearless, I repeat. Link up your silos but don't link all four - link two and two because readers will get bored with "buy my brand." I started using twitter 42 days ago, and just love the flash fiction aspect of writing without self editing, this may not be for you.

Go fill out Listorious with all the definitions and details. You can add- tags. What are your brand's five tags? USE them. Mine are: literary, poetry, fiction, contemporary, books. Yours I'm going to poke here are probably: thriller, spy, nerd, smart, books.

 I don't like Facebook but many authors just love it and sell books there, try it maybe you will be better there than I. I'm on Linkedin and dabble in some writers and filmmakers groups (I've produced before but not where I'm headed today). Linkedin has sold books for me to business people- most authors will tell you linkedin doesn't work for them. Goodreads doesn't sell books but is an easy place to display covers, find those buddies, and read other work to push yourself to grow. Amazon is where your links all need to point to. Amazon sells the largest percentage of paper and ebooks. Amazon slam dunk beats them all. Go look at the big boys Amazon pages Follet Baldessari Crais - they aren't even getting close to what indie authors have figured out: a slick book trailer does not sell your book- content does. The content is you - so be fearless, bleed content, the world is starved for new. God they are so tired of T.V. if you are true to your "brand" you will succeed.

Other methods: indie bookstores go to readings, go to your local library and leave fliers - try different things, figure out what works for you.

I haven't done blog tours- some swear by this and physical tours J A Konrath is a master at the dog and pony show from the back of his car and he blogs about it. He and Locke know how to package and market on a budget with great success.

Authors Den, Agent Query, Bookcountry, a million others find the ones that you like.

Russell Blake said to me yesterday, this is a long haul not a foot race 

Read. Be happy. Pay it forward. Be kind. Let the trolls and negatives roll off like a duck.

Start now.







buy steve's books here:

while you are at it buy Russell's
 better yet buy all my books....

Thriller Lake

Photograph Central Park Scary Wisteria Framing the Lake 2011

copyright Caroline Gerardo

Eleven days until my deadline, the novel is shaping up.
How many violent scenes, beats and situations can I leave in the story?
Will my reader get tired on the thriller roller coaster?

I looked online statistics and my novella Greed has past 10000 sales. 10011 exactly as of yesterday.
I have not been checking and was shocked to find it in the top 100. This brings with it some negative things that I mentioned to a couple other writers. I found my books on torrent sites, and lending sites when I never agreed to lending. I also found a couple negative reviews by persons posting under alias names.These things are completed for the purpose of only money. This should not surprise me, this is a business.

My answer is complex:
I want to warn anyone who signs up for a torrent site or a free book lending site. There is nothing in life for free, the owners of these websites are making money off my work but ALSO your personal information. When you enter your email, your address, your credit card all this is farmed and worth a great deal of money. Information on what you buy is sold to third parties. The persons touching your privacy may be organized crime.

Most authors never make a living from their hard work. It takes a year for me to write a book at the minimum. If anyone needs to read my work for free, please contact me and I will find a way.

Meanwhile back to work writing.

Haresh Daswani The Evolution of Insanity

I just ordered Haresh Daswani's the Evolution of Insanity
The Amazon mail it to me method.
I can't wait to read it in paperback, as my eyesight is tired from so much online typing and writing.

ROW80 Writing Second Draft Stay The Course

sweet peas in my yard

Productive Week

It is Mother’s Day and family has been the focus of my life path. In the past months, I have squeezed the limits of my time into allowing myself five hours every day (more on weekends) just for writing the novel. This causes some conflict with my extending family who live nearby. They like to pop in and visit. They telephone more often knowing I am pulling into a solitary cacoon. I maintain the love and support for my two children. I have never missed one of son’s baseball and football games this season. I make healthy meals and am hiking or running with them both several days a week. In order to work full time and write full time – things have to give me the solitude I need to finish.

This week I made a new story board. It is white board that is four feet by three feet. I mapped all the chapters. I added some images that motivate the characters. This helped me see clearly the journey that Seth must make through the narrative. It also made me decide to change the ending.

The story is somewhat chronological, with a few shifts in time. I used that in my last novel and struggled with using date in italics and point of view changes. Last time on the second draft, I changed the whole novel from first person to second with a few shifts. It was tedious editing and boring labor as focusing on a sweet gum leaf while Lamaze breathing out a baby. This time point of view is no problem. I am excited diving into the second draft and enjoying things Seth my lead character loves, slingshots, bergamot, insects, tinkering with inventions, and then all his evil bad stuff: bum fights, drugs, violence.

I wrote about 19211 words for the week. I word count is going to decrease now as I fight over synonyms and cut extraneous junk. If you are reading this, I need help on the title. I am now calling it Lucky. This is a novel title already of a totally different story. What do you think?

On my other lists of duties:

We hiked in Laguna canyon three days. The sage, the pearly everlasting and poppies have painted the hillsides.

Tomato plants are still alive, as are the dogs and Soup the turtle who is busy mowing the rose petals as I write.

I had fun meeting friends on twitter. The best is reading what they are doing.

The bank job has picked up a pace . I thank Heaven for the income.

The children’s grades are good. I have neglected my Mom, siblings and nephews. I told my nephews that Auntie Caroline cannot make them dinner twice a week until the second draft is completed. They frowned and the younger one volunteered to edit for me. I am cutting a big patch of my sweet peas to put in bowls for the other Moms in my life. Happy Mother’s Day to all.

#ROW80 Happy Dance Long Winded

I am driven. I never sleep. I wrote 16911 good words this week. I have my first draft done. Allow me to relish in printing a copy. There is the sound of crumpling as I put it in a nice brown paper wrapped box, and slam it on my dining room table. Feel the earthquake from California just now, it is a whopping fat sound.
Now for what I hate, giving some copies out, reading it in paper with a red pen, and laboring over each word. It is not like blogging where I type rip roaring fast and let it fly. BUT, However, and with cheer I say: I have an editor this time. I am a little afraid of him. He is British. He is handsome in a distracting way. God please, I think he is straight.
I also worked on a poem: Preponderance of Crows.
I had two flash fiction pieces in magazines this month of May.
 Go look at Granny Magic on Sleet Magazine and Love Sonnet Gone Wrong - an  answer to Negativesucks Magazine's word prompts.
Links:
http://negativesuck.moonfruit.com/#/wordprompt-6/4551014523

http://www.sleetmagazine.com/selected/Gerardo_v3n1.html

My other goals and duties:
Two interview requests.
I tweet 15 minutes a day. I enjoy reading the blogs and links. Is there a method to read while sleeping? @cgbarbeau  myself the Blondie who is similar to Chatty Cathy (I bobbed the doll's hair, and other unpleasantness)
A trip next week up to Los Angeles for a radio interview.
I went to USC Saturday. I had a grand time at the book fair.
Saw the guys from my old writing group. @Porter_Anderson wrote a GREAT post about women dominating groups, classes and touchy feely sharing stuff.
The sharing does not work with men who are trained in a different sand box. I was in a 90% male writers group. They were sharp on time and disciplined about sharing online but drank in our hour together. I saw one buddy who met us for dinner at Little Next Door ( side commercial, adore their food organic and divine ) to lure me back. 
I promise to return soon as this novel is a nice pdf and word doc for the editor hunk.
Putting my children first as my treasures.
My job at the bank has suddenly gotten busy.
I could not get my first chapter uploaded into bookcountry.
I spent thirty minutes re-trying.
 I have cover photographs - that are ready, just need
to think about image - font -

In the story, Seth uses and builds slingshots.

The image is stuck in my brain for the cover.
Do I need a handsome young male cover to sell the story? Is it obscene to think of using my son? ( The character is a psycho). My Mother thinks it is funny.
What do you think? Make him blurry?
Say something.

Pets and garden still alive.

Buy Norb Vonnegut's New Book

I just ordered Norb Vonnegut's The Gods of Greenwich. Published by Minotaur. It is described as a financial thriller.
This is Norb's second novel.

Norb "found" me on twitter.
I am having fun with my fifteen minutes a day on twitter, met some great authors. I pray no one takes offense to my Lucy like sense of humor. I was limiting tweets to six words, but letting that loose when I become chatty.

Buy Norb's books they have received great reviews.
Financial Thriller, I like his coin of the genre. 

M. L. Gardner's Jonathan's Cross

M. L. Gardner's book Jonathan's Cross, released January 2011. Jonathan and his wife Ava must overcome the Crash of 1929 and build a new life. I ordered it on Amazon today, in paperback the old fashioned way to read!
Living in the Third Great Depression today makes me know this will be a good ride.

Some Girls Like it Hot, some like something else

It is controversial,  mostly for women I know. I bought it with a twinge of guilt, but read it as fast as a thriller. The Prince part is, well - a little dull to me; however her motivations were the nut inside the shell I wanted to understand. I am left a little without an answer.  Perhaps she does not know? It was not the presents. There certainly is an allure of glamour. The repression and community that exist were missed.  
An interview in person, yes some time in my lifetime is ahead.

Valentine Gorilla ?

"We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and -- in spite of True Romance magazines -- we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely -- at least, not all the time -- but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don't see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness."


— Hunter S. Thompson (The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman 1955-67)

Valentine’s Day is screaming at me. Donny Hall I wonder what you look like twenty some years later after undergraduate college? The local florist The Flower Girl has a tent set up in the parking lot to be ready for the big Monday. I feel like they are peddling drugs this year. I am not bitter, just missing… I send Valentines cards and packages. It’s the gorilla in the corner singing a Sade song.
I wish it was Tuesday. I hiked four hours yesterday in the canyon. Wildflowers are starting. I will upload my happy picks after I get another 3000 words down on the book. Wishing all a happy your own day.

amazon linkP.S. Toxic Assets shows on Amazon as paperback and some ebookstores, more to follow after Valentines Day…

Camus

GHOST IMAGE © by CAROLINE GERARDO

Ghost Image

photograph © by Caroline Gerardo

© STRANGER CAMUS


Themes: absurdity blank empty lack feeling light dark black sleep death friendship sad religion existential absurdist


What Meursault does not do?


He is not sure if she died today or yesterday


Puts Mother in an old people’s home rather than traditionally taking care of her because he claims he cannot afford to care for her.


Borrows arm band and black tie


Sleeps on the way sleepy during and after


Goes to her funeral without much planning


Doesn’t care about crying woman or coughing he dozes


Wears inappropriate clothing


Sleeps in the vigil- supposed to be awake grieving


Does not kiss Mother Goodbye


Does not greet any of the mourners


Does not act kindly to her “boyfriend “Perez who is grieving and unable to keep up


Blood red earth spilling over Maman’s casket






Happy to go home


Goes swimming


Sexual desire for Marie in water – makes “love”


Bored after sex goes to see a comedy movie


Watches the street removed stranger to the world events below


Detachment- “nothing had changed”


Washing hands compulsion about towels


Salamano beats mangy dog


Raymond talks but M. does not care


Raymond bully to revenge Arab girlfriend- hurt her


Pals


Beats girlfriend wants to trap her as a prostitute for no reason


Has M write fake letter


Marie asks, “If I loved her. I told her it didn’t mean anything.” P35


Raymond beats Arab girl


M is hungry= so apathetic


Raymond wants to go to a brothel to relieve his tension after beating exgirlfriend


M gets drunk


Raymond asks him to write a letter to hurt her M says no but does it anyways


Then they are “pals”


Makes love with Marie but doesn’t love her just likes the sex


Raymond beats the Arab girlfriend and M does not want to call the police


Salamano’s dog runs away “bastard dog”


M hears Salamano crying through the door- thinks of Maman


Boss offers M a promotion job in Parsi – “all the same to me” “people never change their lives” p41


Boss says “I had no ambition”...” I learned very quickly none of it really mattered.”p41


Marie “asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could is she wanted to.” P41


He has “no way I could know about that.” P 42 she asks does he love her


Dinner Celeste’s alone old woman sits with him at random- eats fast- writes bill- writes radio programs she will listen to for the week- “robot-like” life


Salamano – “get another dog” p44


Salman got dog after his wife died who S. was not happy with to fill the loneliness he got the dog that he beats “no cure for old age” p45- M acts bored yawning always tired


Handshake- scale- no connection p46


“Funeral face” p 47 she wears white


M lies to police as witness


Arabs following Raymond


Happy p 50


Heat sun ocean- passive “I wasn’t thinkib about anything, because I was half asleep from the sun beating down on my bare head.” P55


Arabs confront the Masson punches one and knocks him face down in the water- Raymond’s has a knife- cuts Raymond- the Arabs run- arm and mouth. Masson takes Raymond to DR. Raymond goes back to the hot beach to find the Arabs. “There was nothing but sun and silence,” p 55


“Take him on man to man and give me your gun” p57- drunk and hot


“To stay or to go, it amounted to the same thing.” P57 M does not want to climb the stairs


Arab lying down laughs


Heat – shoots the guy- then 4 more






Doesn’t care about an attorney


Magistrate asks him to plead to God for forgiveness he is passive Antichrist


Dark cell


Sees Marie as beautiful and fails to tell her


Killing time p 78- withdrawals to silly details


Newspaper about Czech man who surprises his mother and sister who beat him to death


Meaningless


Court uncaring they analyze his lack of caring as cold-blooded intentional murderer- premeditated murder


“Emptiness of a man’s heart…becomes an abyss threatening to swallow up society.” P101


During the trial for his life he daydreams about the ice-cream vendor


Refuses chaplain refuses God


“I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world” p122






Is he stoic or stone hearted?


In the end, he is conscious of the world from which he is apart



Book Release

https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1076646

Toxic Assets release in ten days

Party Announcement coming

Reading: The Moonstone

Wilkie Collins novel was recommended to me by a friend who read my Greed story. I had not read The Moonstone, and my story has a jewel that carries a history perhaps of negative luck. The writing has me in 1887 right now with a cup of tea. I give it a 99 so far- on the wine spectator scale....

Writing on the Kitchen Table

I have been writing on a morning schedule now for nine years. I don't set the alarm, most days the light of sunrise reflects off the water. I hear the mourning dove calling her mate to get to work. She's not speaking to me, but the familiar sound makes me joyful.

I make coffee at 5:45 and the smell fills the downstairs. It's not the caffiene I crave, it's the smell of Peets' Major Dickenson's blend.

I am linking this blog to my more work related commerical blog with the intention that is this only about writing. I can compile the links to online short stories, poetry and exerpts of my novels.

I've gone the self publishing route and not certain this is the correct pathway as promoting one's own art form seem far far more difficult than working a job at a bank. I made some money ghost writing and I am not going to continue that avenue. I believe my work has a voice for my time. Avalon wanted me to rewrite "Bank" into a G rated story which is not my intention. I don't live that conventional of a life. Not that I am dazzlingly exciting but my
background, travels and experience aren't Disney stories.  So here I start first day. I hope to post my own writing, perhaps some submission guidelines and details on my own struggles for learning HTML and formatting for a variety of requirements, I look forward to input.