Unwanted Gift

I sent you this photograph, a painting and a poem for your birthday.

With no response I offer it to other hearts to find encouragement.

A present for you, though

you are gone from my life:

Window towards the future.

A birthday offers promise

beyond the trees.

Leaves clink in the wind,

mist is upon your jacket,

smell rainfall of the past.

Sing health, happiness and prosperity.

Believe in your plan and take each day

a joyful syrup of achievement.

Poem/ flash fiction in response to Story Dam
http://storydam.com/2012/01/22/the-gift-return/

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.
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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

Brain Food For Writers?

Your New Year’s Resolution is to finish that novel and lose ten pounds? Want to write 4000 great words a day? You know those ads that say they will tell you the secret to a flat tummy? It is the same with brain foods.
These ten foods will increase your brain power and sustain you across those late night cravings.
The base foods in your diet should be raw fruit and vegetables. Add these foods in variety and have your brain never suffer from writer’s block again.
1. Nonfat Greek yogurt 14 grams of protein, calcium rich and easy to digest
2. Tuna with more than 3 g of leucine, a can of tuna contains a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids
3. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids in salmon to lower your cholesterol and increase brain function.
4. Quinoa is an ancient grain with 8 g of protein per cup, including a complete set of branched chain amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. A cup contains 39 g of complex carbohydrates that will keep you from craving junk.
5. Coffee is one of my favorite foods. (FOODS? You say?) Humans can work-out harder/ longer if they have caffeine before exercise. Writing can be tough work. Combine caffeine, carbohydrate and a brisk walk with your notepad and you will be generating your brain into creative drive.
6. Eggs/ (egg whites mostly) This lean snack at 50 calories has intense 6 g of protein and 330 mg of leucine per egg. Yokes are O. K. once in a while with the nutrient choline, which supports acetycholine, the most abundant neurotransmitter in your body
7. Blueberries are antioxidant, reduce belly fat and anthocyanin, the selenium, the vitamins A, B-complex, C and E, the zinc, sodium, potassium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese prevent and heal neurotic disorders by preventing degeneration and death of neurons ( brain-cells). They also rebuild the central nervous system
8. Flax seed (not my favorite) big nutrient punch, but eat sparingly
9. Avocados, known as pear butter, but the fats in this delicious guacamole reduce bad cholesterol and increase blood flow to the brain.
10. Old fashioned oatmeal and whole grain bread are excellent brain foods improving circulation.
Need easy recipes to fit these into your writing schedule? Coming soon just for fun!

Censorship is a Dirty Word

Smut

http://www.sopastrike.com/

I worked for INDEX ON CENSORSHIP compiling an anthology of censored poets

My novels and poetry have been pirated 67 different websites that I discovered.

KILL THE SOPA BILL

SOPA is not the solution

Wash Your Ramen

Outside the House of Noodles (Photograph Title)

“Why don’t you wash your Ramen?” Mei asks.

“Package doesn’t say to-” Helen pushes sandy bangs from her indigo eyes. Orange cellophane crackles her right leg glides slimmer than the left, “vermin factories motivate cleaning?”

“Grandmother claims noodles are wax covered.”

Steam rises smelling of auburn kelp.

“Hospital gowns carry pathogens,” Helen says.

“Did your homework?” Occupational Therapist is on the pocket of Mei’s uniform.

“Yes, Newport Coast past his old house rather than driving long way around.”

“How’d feel?”

“Dull ache, 366 days since the floozy.”

“Release from lies?”

“Yes, not confined inside, I’m kayaking again to spot fulmars.”

***

Abandoned (photograph title)

My response to Justin's video is not a literal translation. See my video below and links to Justin's acoustic version.

This is a work of fiction.

fulmars refers to Fulmar Gulls :http://www.tsuru-bird.net/gulls2/ 

Top Ramen does not suggest washing.

Crazy Ramen recipes : http://www.campussqueeze.com/post/Crazy-Ramen-Recipes.aspx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62i9Sodwp5o
Bon Iver
FLUME
written by Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon

For Caroline Smailes fiction anthology: 100 words flash fiction responding to a utube video of a favorite song
for One in Four Charity
http://www.oneinfour.org.uk/

all rights to my words, photographs and video are reserved copyright © Caroline Gerardo 2012


 

Abandoned       (photograph title)