Leonard D. Hilley II's Blog, page 6

Happy New Year! (2020)

When it comes to vision, 20/20 is considered perfect eyesight. So, for this year, 2020, I want it to be a Year of Focus toward my writing and life as a novelist.

For those of you with Kindles, or if you’ve enrolled in Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program, all of my novels are now in Kindle Unlimited. A lot of my ebooks have temporary sales prices, too, which I noticed yesterday. If you’re a voracious reader, perhaps you could celebrate with a few of the titles.

I have several chapters of my memoirs posted on Patreon. Click the link at the bottom of the page, if you’re interested in reading them.

Writing those early memories of my life weren’t all easy to dredge up. Some things we wish to forget in life, but for some odd reason, my mind refuses to completely bury memories. Even my mother marveled years ago when I brought up incidents that had occurred before I was three years old. She didn’t understand how I had kept such clear memories, and I’d say, for some of those, she probably worried about things I’d witnessed and wondered if I’d tell my father about her … indiscretions. But he’d assumed such and even accused her right before they split up. She didn’t outright deny his accusation, either, which was enough to clarify his suspicions.

Early events in my childhood shaped me. These made me ask questions and seek answers, which is why I believe I’m a novelist. I try to look at situations from every angle, and sometimes, longer than I should. But, I feel that by doing so, I might stumble upon the answer. Maybe, I will find the proper understanding.

So, with 2020’s arrival, it’s time I get back to what I enjoy … writing.

Blessings to each of you, my friends. Until next time ….

Farewell, 2019 …

2019 is a year that I would have to rank as the fastest passing year of my life. My mother often said that the older we got, the faster the days slipped past. I agree, but 2019 seemed far faster than normal.

Even though the year sprinted without pause, I had some great family memories to reflect upon with my children and grandchildren. Early in the year, I finished the fourth novel in the Aetheaon Chronicles and released it to the world. I have started several other novels in different series, but after entering the retail world, my creative juices seemed sapped. I’m hoping, starting tomorrow, to get back on track.

I miss writing. I’m miserable when I cannot turn on that faucet of creativity. It seems that characters in my mind are bumping into one another, due to my stall, and their impatience keeps pounding for me to release them. I need to let them talk, interact, converse, and problem solve. The overload of not letting them free is nearing an explosive escape attempt by them.

My creative well has not gone dry. I’ve been too weary to pull up the bucket. It’s a lousy excuse, I suppose, so I shall fight my weariness and aim to write each day. I intend to become more focused in 2020. In some ways, I have no choice. Books don’t write themselves.

I hope that everyone has had some great times in 2019, and it is my wish that each of you have a wonderful 2020! Happy New Year!

Celebrate My B-day With Me! Sub & Get Free eBook Download

Celebrate my birthday with me! If you’ve not read the first novel in the Forrest Wollinsky Vampire Hunter Series, simply subscribe to my newsletter and download a FREE copy that entails the circumstances and the beginning of Forrest Wollinsky’s quest to rid the world of vampires.

Synopsis:

“Killing Vampires Since 1888.”

I was born in Bucharest in 1880 in the heart of the vampire population. At eight years old, I was considered a freak of nature since I was already the size of an adult male. Other children my age, and some of my teachers, shunned me. Being rejected by one’s peers cuts deeply. Then I met my first werewolf and discovered a master vampire was plotting to kill me because of what I am. From that moment, my destiny stole my future aspirations all men grow up wanting. This is how my destiny begins.

Cheers!

 

 

Imagination: What Do YOU See?

Since we’ve started building fantasy dungeon terrain, my mind views scrap materials or paper items that are normally tossed out in the garbage in a new light. Strangely, I covet Styrofoam to make dungeon tiles. As the old saying goes, “One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure.” But in this case, perhaps ‘becomes’ is better than ‘is’.

For instance, this cardboard paper used to keep a shoe’s shape while being shipped.

I looked at this and saw where it could be used for mining terrain for dwarves. I have two other terrain pieces in the works with this scrap cardboard paper.

When it comes to fantasy, I find the use of my imagination visualizes what is hidden to others. The same is true when I’m writing fiction. I listen for the voices of desperation that have a story to tell or are troubled by the current dilemma that constrains them in their world. I quickly follow, quick to jot down what is said and what unfolds. Some stories are wonderful events while others are nightmares taking us by storm. Either way, when the prompt strikes, I react. Stories materialize.

More soon ….

Need an Editor? Hire Me!

Time is valuable. We’ve all heard that ‘Time is Money’. Time is a fleeting commodity and limited. The same holds true in my life. With my current job, writing, crafting, etc., my time is limited. I don’t have ‘free’ time.

My editing rates: [*Note: Rates are subjective to the quality of work submitted. For example, if every line/page is riddled with errors and needs excessive overall, the rates will be higher or the work rejected.] 50% required upfront via Paypal.

1. Copy Editing

Copy editing costs an average of $4 per page. 

Basic copyediting: $25 to $40 per hour

Pace: 5 to 10 pages an hour

Heavy copyediting: $35 to $50 per hour

Pace: 2 to 5 pages an hour

Substantive editing (also called line editing): $40 to $65 per hour

Pace: 1 to 6 pages per hour

Developmental editing: $50 to $80 per hour Pace: 2 to 5 pages per hour

2. Proofreading is $3 per page.

3. Copy editing costs an average of $4 per page.

4. Content Editing costs $50-$85 per hour. 

5. Line Editing costs between $.03 and $.07 per word. 

Fiction Book Chapters Editing/Critique (up to 20 pages): $30.00

Full Novel under 400 pages: $300.00 [Sample of writing must be evaluated prior to set price]

 

 

How Do Others View You?

What do people see when they look at you?

It’s a question most of us ponder from time to time. Though we shouldn’t worry about what others think, or their opinions of us, whether openly stated or kept tight-lipped in secret, we do.

What do they see?

A lot of people’s existence in the public eye is often a pseudo-image they wish to portray. Often, people want others to only see ‘their good side’. However, the good side might not be what’s truly on the inside. This juggling act is difficult for these people to maintain. Eventually their facade cracks and shatters, only to reveal the true person on the inside.

If you’re a person with solid self-confidence, without the added narcissistic attitude, others might view you as a successful person. Others might quietly despise you for being able to remain confident during turmoil. Some even hope to witness your failure and fall. And some of these individuals are family and so-called friends. Be aware and beware. Embracing one of these individuals will leave you with a knife in the back after you walk away.

If you lack self-confidence, take the necessary steps to construct a better you with an optimistic view for what you want to achieve in life.

Building self-confidence isn’t easy. One must learn to mentally brave stepping outside their comfort zones in order to achieve success. In most of life’s situations, we face rejection far more often than we gain acceptance. Developing rhinoceros skin over time aids one in continuing the pursuit of succeeding in their chosen market. That takes gumption. The fear of rejection and having been rejected the first time is what stops many from trying again. But, if you don’t try, you have succeeded in one thing: failure.

Overcoming the odds isn’t easy. Some view life as a competition, but the only true competition is with yourself. The race of life is filled with obstacles. The path each of us takes is our own. No one else runs in your stead. Others might be an obstacle, trying to hinder your success, but don’t allow them to sideline you. Keep moving forward. Take detours from these people whenever necessary. If these people are doing you more harm than good, such a detour IS necessary.

I’ve been fooled by people a lot in my life, believing their facades as genuine reflections of what they are inside. It hurts to be deceived and quite possibly this is why I have such a small circle of friends. My trust isn’t easily given because I’ve been burned by fake people. It’s hard to identify them immediately at times, but the clues are there if we’re not blinded by their charisma. Given time, the cracks allow a brief glimpse of what these people truly are.

I’ve had coworkers in the past who ‘befriended’ me but without my knowledge these individuals were spreading lies about me to other workers, my students, and all the while pretended to be my friend while trying to poison my mind toward other coworkers. With devious smiles and delight, I’ve encountered these toxic people. I’ve also severed ties from them as well.

The image I convey to others is what comes from my heart. I never deceive others, but because I tend to not follow the flock, I’m often misunderstood. These misunderstandings cause others to spread rumors, and some of the rumors others have said about me are both amusing and shocking.

I try to live my life treating others as I’d like to be treated. I don’t rush into friendships because I don’t want to risk having my trust bruised by others.

As an instructor, my size and seldom-smiling face has intimidated some students on the first day of class because they view me as a daunting angry person. I cannot help my Grumpy Cat facial expression. One student had me for two courses during the same quarter. She looked at me with fear in her eyes when she sat in the first class. Before the class began, she whispered frantically to her friend beside her. I looked toward her and she fell silent. When I returned to getting the role together, she whispered again. Each time I looked at her, she stopped whispering immediately. I asked if something was wrong and she shook her head.

When she came to my second class that day, she nervously smiled at me when she went to her seat and said, “I’m so glad you’re a much nicer person than I thought you were going to be.”

I had to laugh.

This proves one thing: We cannot base our judgments about others based solely upon their exterior facial expressions.

What do others see when they look at you?

Volcano Terrain

I promised a co-worker that I’d post some pics of the volcano terrain I’ve been working on. I will upload a step-by-step “How-to” process with photos on Patreon on Monday. This is the first time I’ve attempted a project like this, but I’m quite pleased with the results. There are three small volcanoes in the pic, but the camera angle makes it look like only two. The lava board these are setting on was made by Christal and we will also show a step-by-step process for this in the near future as well.

The materials for these aren’t hard to come by. Most of the materials are things you have around the house. But, if you’re in the crafting mood, this is a good project. With the painting and dry time, expect a two or three day period overall.

 Here is a pic without the lava board.

 

A special “Thank you!” to Christina W. for becoming a $2/month patron! Your support is greatly appreciated!

A Field of Mushrooms

We have been making fantasy dungeon terrain for over a year now. Our grandson has fun exploring through the caverns with his little warriors. He uses his imagination quite well and develops little stories of his own while playing. His creativity is astounding. So, here are some mushrooms I made over a week ago. He’s only seen the pictures since he lives in Kentucky, so I’m building new terrains to surprise him when they visit at Christmas break. It helps the time pass and we miss hearing him play.

One of the main reasons I began making terrain was to have a physical way of setting up dungeons for future books in the Aetheaon Series. Work has kept me away from writing for a while now, and I truly miss delving into new places for my characters. My mind is weary but working on the terrain has a soothing quality. I will share more about my writing goals and my ambitions soon. Regardless of what all occurs or what seems like setbacks, I’m a writer. It’s so engrained inside me and my mind, I know of no other occupation I’d rather have. The goal has never been to be overly wealthy as a writer, though I wouldn’t complain should that ever materialize. I would love to be able to earn enough through my writing to be financially ready to return to writing full-time. More on this in future posts.

Thanks to those of you who continue to believe in me and my writing. I’d like to give a special, “Thank you!” to KC Riley for her support on Patreon over the past year. Words cannot properly express my appreciation. Thanks so much!

I have step-by-step guidelines at my Patreon. The link is: How to Make Fantasy Mini Mushrooms

Toss a dollar in the tip jar and check it out. It is much appreciated. Also available are the first three chapters of my autobiography (still in process of writing), but a sneak peek of my early years and what helped shape my mind.

Until next time …

Turtles, Turtles, Turtles

I’ve made a few posts about the turtles in our yard over the past two summers. While mowing, I’ve had to be extra careful to watch for them because I don’t want to run over one with the mower.

Three adult turtles patrol our yard on a regular basis, but this year I happened upon a surprise while mowing. During the last time I mowed, I came upon these three little fellows–one shy of the Ninja type of turtles.I found each of them in different sections of our backyard. It’s a miracle they weren’t hit by the mower blades, as I didn’t expect any baby turtles. Soon after I took this picture, we released them in the woods far away from our house so that it was less likely they’d cross the path of my lawnmower in the future.

It was a wonderful surprise, but oddly, I’ve not seen the larger turtles since early spring. But since the mid to late summer months have been overly dry, I imagine they’re in the weedier areas near the woods.

It’s hard to believe the diversity of wildlife we have in and around our property and still live in the city. I have seen two toads on our porch this summer, which is a welcome surprise as well. Yesterday, I saw a variegated fritillary butterfly on our butterfly bush. I didn’t think their range went this far north. I plan to get some Passiflora vines planted next year.

Until next time ….

Fear

Fear is perhaps the greatest enemy people have. Fear prevents us from taking risks or chances in life. Fear places huge limitations on achieving success. The fear of stepping outside of comfort zones paralyzes a lot of people and keeps them boxed into a place where they cannot branch out and change.

Change frightens people, too. Some never move away from their hometowns because they have the comfort and reliance on family and friends. Even if offered the job of a lifetime, these folks seldom take the opportunity. They don’t venture out. They fail to see the benefits of visiting new places and making new friends. Without accepting a career that could better their lives socially and financially, they stay in the rut–their daily endless grind–and they might not ever admit aloud that they’re miserable. Some do admit this, and yet, they accept it.

Why do they stay? Perhaps they’ve been sheltered for the majority of their lives and not given enough independence to make their own decisions. Their parents did everything for them. It’s possible every schedule they’ve had was made by someone else. Their checklists were pre-made and fabricated by parents, teachers, and/or counselors. They never deviated or altered the list. Instead, they followed each written step. Without such lists, an uncertainty grows and it becomes impossible to cope. When everything is given as a spoon-fed program, the ability to build their own decision-making schedules lessens dramatically. Problem-solving is a necessary task for everyone to learn, and without these skills, one can become mentally disadvantaged and unable to cope in new situations.

The fear of the unknown causes worry and anxiety, which builds unnecessary stress. Stress tears down the body’s defenses, making people prone to sickness. Imagine if early world explorers had remained fearful of sailing over the horizon? The world was believed to be flat, and if a ship sailed too far into the horizon, it would fall off the edge of the world. These were strong fears, which led to superstitions and legends. People believed these things until those courageous enough to test the theories proved the opposite. To overcome fear, one must take the risks and challenge the norms. Otherwise, how would anyone ever succeed?

For many years, I lived my life as an introvert. I didn’t want to be seen. I had chosen a job at a textile mill where I worked at a machine without having to interact with others. This crippled me for years. After I finished my college degree, rather than pursue a job with my degree, I settled back into the job I had before. I worked at a machine and was squandering my education, because I was fearful to take the chance to apply for better jobs. I made good money, but I was miserable with the job. It offered me no emotional growth and no fulfillment.

After I finished my Masters degree, I applied for my first college teaching position and received a call to be interviewed almost immediately. Part of the hiring process required me to give a five minute lecture before the staff at the college. I was terrified. I prepared a PowerPoint and set up a mock presentation in my living room. I practiced going through the slides. I pretended to make eye contact with others in the room, and I kept doing this until I was confident in my material. I think our cats and little dog thought I’d gone insane, but they were curiously attentive. I made certain I was prepared for my presentation and nothing was done on the fly.

The college hired me within a few weeks of graduation. I was surprised, but more nervous than I’d ever been in my life. I was given the responsibility of teaching college students who were relying on my lectures to learn and apply better English skills. My first quarter I also had to teach two public speaking courses, and what the students didn’t understand was that I was more nervous than most of them. But, like most any skill, the more you practice, the better you become. For the first two weeks, I was a wreck internally, until my confidence began to grow. Students placed their trust in me and regarded me as their instructor and I couldn’t let them down.

The second quarter of teaching was much better than the first. I found myself looking forward to giving lectures. I had overcome my fears through practice and challenging myself to be even better. What had filled me with anxiety had become fun and filled me with anticipation.

For almost three years I taught Public Speaking. Speaking before an audience is in the top three greatest fears that people suffer. The first class meeting was when they expressed their greatest apprehension. They feared freezing up, passing out, or making fools of themselves. I assured them that not one student had ever passed out in front of the class. And if they were worried about how the other students were viewing them and judging their performance, I told them that the other students’ thoughts were more on what they were going to say when they got up to give their speeches and they were not likely to be overly critical. Based upon how previous students had done in my speech classes, I told them that halfway through the course, the students would start arguing over who got to present first.

One student later said, “I thought you were lying when you told us we’d fight to give our presentations first, but you weren’t.” They actually argued to go first because they wanted to see the reactions of their peers, and he had been one of them.

One thing I learned, too. The students who were the most fearful of getting up in front of the classes were actually the best presenters. I’m not sure why this was the norm, but the most timid people lost their insecurities when they gave their speeches. One lady stood and gave her five minute speech like she’d been teaching classes for years. We were all amazed. After her presentation, I complimented her for her calmness.

“Calm?” she said. “I was scared to death. I was shaking.”

Maybe on the inside. But her outwardness was calm and cool. Almost flawless.

The hardest part of giving a speech seems to be making the walk to get behind the podium. Once there, and once the words begin to flow, fear gets quashed.

Fear of failure and fear of rejection are something we all face from time to time. What if I’m not good enough? What if they don’t like my work? These are common questions that rush through our minds. Self-doubt is based on the fear that we don’t have the qualities others have or that our work won’t measure up with everyone else’s. If you’ve ever watched ‘Back to the Future’, you should recall that Marty McFly was afraid that his music and singing wasn’t good enough, so he feared sending his demo tape to record companies. When he goes back in time, he discovers his father wrote science fiction, which wasn’t something he or his siblings even knew. He asked his father about why he wouldn’t allow others to read it, and his father replied, “What if it’s not good enough?” “What if nobody likes it?” That fear is something that holds us back. Not willing to take the risk of how others might view our writing or other skills prevents us from stepping outside our comfort zones. Without taking the risk, no one knows if you’re the next bestselling author or a great talented singer or artist. They don’t know you exist.

My mother was two college courses from earning her A.A. college degree. Only two courses. She had kept a 4.0 throughout all her college quarters, and the two courses she lacked were college algebra classes. She dreaded them, not because she couldn’t necessarily pass them, but because she would not receive a 4.0. I offered to help her study, since I had taken algebra and trigonometry, but she refused. She’d not get the 4.0. She didn’t believe she could. And yet, she allowed her fear to prevent her from ever achieving her college degree. So, sadly, she failed by not even trying. By not taking the chance or risk and not believing enough in herself to learn something new, she robbed herself of her college degree.

Sometimes, people fear success. For most, success is within one’s grasp but instead of grabbing it, a person will subconsciously do something to derail the opportunity. Why? It’s difficult to picture success in one’s mind or the person doesn’t believe he/she deserves it. When one is raised in poverty and has grown to accept that as the norm for life, suddenly having wealth makes the person uncomfortable. The mind has already accepted being poor. Gaining wealth and status pulls the person out of the comfort zone and into a different bracket.

Have you ever wondered why poor people who’ve won huge lotteries will squander the wealth within a few years and become poor again? They don’t know how to budget might be one answer, but their subconscious is the true reason. They’ve never truly pictured life as a wealthy person, and having lots of money doesn’t feel right. They don’t know how to deal with wealth. So they give it away. They spend it unwisely. They gamble it all away until there’s nothing left and unknowingly, they do so to satisfy the subconscious. One must change the subconscious view beforehand and prepare for greater things. Prepare for wealth. Aspire to move into a higher level of success and treat the current state as a place to move away from.

So many fears surround us. Perhaps the greatest fear is the fear of loss.

My wife has had two surgeries since we’ve been married. With each of these, she’s had to be put asleep. There’s that last moment when she’s on the wheeled bed and they’re taking her away for the operation. They stop long enough for me to kiss her and tell her I love her beforehand. After the kiss and they wheel her away, I sit in the waiting room in cold isolation with the greatest fear of what if something goes wrong? What if that was the last kiss we shared? The fear of loneliness and losing the love of my life overshadows me until they tell me the surgery went fine and I could see her soon. But until that reassurance, my heart is torn, heavy, and my mind is filled with grief and worry. I cannot picture life without her. I don’t want to picture life without her. And that is my greatest fear.

Regardless of what fears overshadow us, we mustn’t allow these to paralyze us and prevent us from living better lives. I met a man years ago when I worked as a cashier for six weeks in Valley Head, Alabama. His name was Jerry Riddle. He was a jovial man and came in at the right time in my life. I was in a dark place at the time, filled with worry and despair. He read that on my face and started talking to me.

A complete stranger gave me advice that has stuck with me for over twenty-five years. He said, “If you were to sit and worry about your problem for seven days, would that problem change?”

“No,” I replied.

He smiled. “Then why worry about it? Have faith and believe God will make your life better. All worrying does is eat you up inside. So, don’t worry. Have faith.”

His advice got me through a lot of bad times.

And also, have faith in yourself for success, as others cannot achieve success for you. Quash the fears. If you have talents, don’t be afraid to present them. Pursue your goals and be prepared to take courses to perfect your talents if necessary. Don’t let fear stand in your way.

Until next time …