Lazarian Wordsmith's Blog, page 17
March 23, 2015
The best advice I ever got - and I'm ignoring it!
I was told a long time ago that people don't appreciate anything they get FOR FREE!
However I also knew clever people who, at times, got furniture and antiques at the "Free Counter": someone else was throwing the items away.
So for today only as I already said before, at the week-end, I'm FREE.
The book is said to be a good read, a thriller, and hard to put down (I put glue on the cover of that copy).
The ending is a surprise, they say. It was to me when I was writing it, as I think the characters ganged up on me and led me to it.
But it does fit well with the story.
I know you are thinking: get on with it and tell us what it is about!
No!
Check it out for yourself!
I'm including a link to Amazon.UK as I think their Carrier Pigeons fly fastest!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Wicker-Wood-Lazarian-Wordsmith/dp/1500691364
However I also knew clever people who, at times, got furniture and antiques at the "Free Counter": someone else was throwing the items away.
So for today only as I already said before, at the week-end, I'm FREE.
The book is said to be a good read, a thriller, and hard to put down (I put glue on the cover of that copy).
The ending is a surprise, they say. It was to me when I was writing it, as I think the characters ganged up on me and led me to it.
But it does fit well with the story.
I know you are thinking: get on with it and tell us what it is about!
No!
Check it out for yourself!
I'm including a link to Amazon.UK as I think their Carrier Pigeons fly fastest!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Wicker-Wood-Lazarian-Wordsmith/dp/1500691364
March 19, 2015
Now I'm Free - Again (A free Kindle eBook).
I decided that, I'd be hard nosed, this time, and not do a Free Kindle day for “In The Wicker Wood Where Secrets Are Buried”
But it's the Irish Spring - frost and fog in the mornings, scorching heat later in the day - and it's neatly the Spring Equinox, and I'm in a good mood. Well: as good as my Grumpy – Victor Meldrew Mood ever gets.
So here goes on March 23rd – for one day only – a Free Kindle Ebook.
http://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B00U1SPJ3O/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_eos_detail
But it's the Irish Spring - frost and fog in the mornings, scorching heat later in the day - and it's neatly the Spring Equinox, and I'm in a good mood. Well: as good as my Grumpy – Victor Meldrew Mood ever gets.
So here goes on March 23rd – for one day only – a Free Kindle Ebook.
http://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B00U1SPJ3O/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_eos_detail
February 18, 2015
In The Wicker Wood - My New Book Available Now
At last I got In The Wicker Wood edited and into print, but like Milligan and Puckoon, it nearly drove me daft.
Anyway it's for sale now and my Beta Readers say they like it and that it is a page turner – but what else do you do with a book except turn the pages. Maybe they mean it's a book you will read not fling at the wall in frustration!
I do that a lot especially when the lovely girls Michelle, Naoimi and Lucy in chapter two are Anabelle, Cindy and Debbie by chapter nearly last – Titchmarsh should stick to telling us about flowers.
Or when the solicitor sees the client arriving at the door on the CCTV and also sees his secretary letting her in. Then a few pages later he is at his desk and rises to meet the client as she knocks on his door. Then the client's POV says he was sitting at the desk when the secretary opened the door and announced her.
The writer should have stuck with being a TV Producer. But that's not the worse – the baddie secretes the kidnapped girl in the attic and then when a rescue attempt sets a blaze in the living room – HE CALLED THE FIRE BRIGADE AND THE POLICE!!Hey Buddy what's this young one doing tied up in your attic – is this Fifty Shades of Choking Smoke?
Anyway back to my book that you won't throw at the wall or out the window – that reminds me Simeon rang me from the Window's Help Centre and asked me to open my windows – I'm frozen now and he has hung up!
Anyway judge for yourself:
The time is Ireland in a fragile peace deal, after the Northern Ireland Ceasefire.
George Edward Bowen believes he is dying from terminal cancer. He has sin on his soul and although not a Catholic he wants Priestly Absolution for the girls he kidnapped and killed. He abducts Father Jim Gaffney.
Bishop Sylvester Mahon, who is also hiding secrets, contacts his old IRA acquaintance Shane O'Neill and asks him to find and rescue Gaffney. When Sonny Mc Entaggart finally finds out who his father is – he is on the run from the authorities. He is using the alias, Shane O'Neill.
Detective Seamus Fanahan, ably assisted by the superior detection skills of Sheba – a seeing eye dog – identifies and apprehends the kidnapper.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Wicker-Wood-Lazarian-Wordsmith/dp/1500691364/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
Have a goo inside the POD or buy the Kindle Edition, here or perhaps there – even Japan from the Google Search.
Wow! Not bad going for a Bogger!
Anyway it's for sale now and my Beta Readers say they like it and that it is a page turner – but what else do you do with a book except turn the pages. Maybe they mean it's a book you will read not fling at the wall in frustration!
I do that a lot especially when the lovely girls Michelle, Naoimi and Lucy in chapter two are Anabelle, Cindy and Debbie by chapter nearly last – Titchmarsh should stick to telling us about flowers.
Or when the solicitor sees the client arriving at the door on the CCTV and also sees his secretary letting her in. Then a few pages later he is at his desk and rises to meet the client as she knocks on his door. Then the client's POV says he was sitting at the desk when the secretary opened the door and announced her.
The writer should have stuck with being a TV Producer. But that's not the worse – the baddie secretes the kidnapped girl in the attic and then when a rescue attempt sets a blaze in the living room – HE CALLED THE FIRE BRIGADE AND THE POLICE!!Hey Buddy what's this young one doing tied up in your attic – is this Fifty Shades of Choking Smoke?
Anyway back to my book that you won't throw at the wall or out the window – that reminds me Simeon rang me from the Window's Help Centre and asked me to open my windows – I'm frozen now and he has hung up!
Anyway judge for yourself:
The time is Ireland in a fragile peace deal, after the Northern Ireland Ceasefire.
George Edward Bowen believes he is dying from terminal cancer. He has sin on his soul and although not a Catholic he wants Priestly Absolution for the girls he kidnapped and killed. He abducts Father Jim Gaffney.
Bishop Sylvester Mahon, who is also hiding secrets, contacts his old IRA acquaintance Shane O'Neill and asks him to find and rescue Gaffney. When Sonny Mc Entaggart finally finds out who his father is – he is on the run from the authorities. He is using the alias, Shane O'Neill.
Detective Seamus Fanahan, ably assisted by the superior detection skills of Sheba – a seeing eye dog – identifies and apprehends the kidnapper.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Wicker-Wood-Lazarian-Wordsmith/dp/1500691364/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
Have a goo inside the POD or buy the Kindle Edition, here or perhaps there – even Japan from the Google Search.
Wow! Not bad going for a Bogger!
January 12, 2015
Here lies ...
Finally, at last.
Sister, I found youAfter a long long time.I know where you are resting.In Granddad's and Nana's grave,Unnamed : only a postscript.“And their Grandchild”.
Sister, I found youAfter a long long time.I know where you are resting.In Granddad's and Nana's grave,Unnamed : only a postscript.“And their Grandchild”.
August 29, 2014
Kindle Countdown Deal
#Micropoetry
In old age life proceeds from one slice of breakfast toast to the next.*A Moonlit Moonless sky,tailed Comet. Traveler returns: no one here to admire the beauty.*Encounters with people's discarded spit,occurs: when you grasp the edge of a Café table and stick a finger in gum.*My inherited self, born of Father's strong seed and Mother's sour milk, is torn in their daily fight for my malleable soul.*I remember the birth canal, as gasping in panic, I struggle when a tight fitting long necked jumper glues itself to my face: preventing my head from emerging.
Just an example of the magnificent small and restricted poetry that a Twitter format puts on poets.
These are from my book of poetry, stories and other efforts that are on offer this week on Amazon Kindle at a 76% discount.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Knowledge-Seekers-Land-Cudhabeen-ebook/dp/B00JYKH6DG
In old age life proceeds from one slice of breakfast toast to the next.*A Moonlit Moonless sky,tailed Comet. Traveler returns: no one here to admire the beauty.*Encounters with people's discarded spit,occurs: when you grasp the edge of a Café table and stick a finger in gum.*My inherited self, born of Father's strong seed and Mother's sour milk, is torn in their daily fight for my malleable soul.*I remember the birth canal, as gasping in panic, I struggle when a tight fitting long necked jumper glues itself to my face: preventing my head from emerging.
Just an example of the magnificent small and restricted poetry that a Twitter format puts on poets.
These are from my book of poetry, stories and other efforts that are on offer this week on Amazon Kindle at a 76% discount.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Knowledge-Seekers-Land-Cudhabeen-ebook/dp/B00JYKH6DG
August 15, 2014
As a self published writer I still retain all my publishing rights!
Hachette v's Amazon
Hi all, this is tickling my fancy in a peculiar way.
In Ireland self publishers seldom get a chance to publicise their books on or in the media. It appears traditional publishers have an unseen veto, on who can get on air or into papers, to ramp up interest in their books.
There are some exceptions to this when a retired "Personality" of radio or TV writes a book - on "How I Tied My Shoelaces Each Morning." They will be indulged by an editor or producer they worked with.
Of course when that happens - I immediately Tweet the program and ask if I can come in and talk about my book as well.
I'm still waiting to be invited.
So Publishing Houses ganging up on us -that's us, as in we authors, and Amazon our outlet for sales - in not new to me - just amusing.
More so in fact when I hear Stephen King has signed up to the campaign on the Publisher side.
Mr. King tried very hard from 1982 – 2000 to sell his book, The Plant, directly on the Net. He was griping about his publisher and the money they were taking from him. He wanted all the royalties for himself.
His idea was to offer the first few chapters as free download, then he tried to sell the remaining chapters at $1 each. The project was a failure. And after six instalments it folded and the book is yet to be completed.
The last instalment was published on December 18, 2000. The book is yet to be completed. The original instalments are now available for free on Stephen King's official website.
So King has tried Self Publishing and is now against authors trying to directly produce and sell work.
When Paperbacks were first produced Hardback Publishers were also up in arms. But when they got into the market by producing their own Paperbacks they "Cried Off" the protest, instead of crying about the process.
Watch this space when traditional publishers get "Bought Off" by Amazon this "Storm In A Teacup” will blow away. I wonder though when it does - will the traditionally published writers get an increase in their 8, 10 or 12% royalties? Maybe also an increase in their signing on advance. An advance that is paid back from the royalties.
But it's not the money I get by self publishing my work that attracts me: it's the publication rights, the film rights, the hardback rights, the magazine rights etc., that I retain for myself.
That's the clincher and maybe this traditional publisher against Amazon may not be just about money: it's also about publication rights.
The traditionally published writers who are jumping on the band wagon didn't retain their publication rights: they have taken the 30 pieces of silver and perhaps now regret that they did.
Hi all, this is tickling my fancy in a peculiar way.
In Ireland self publishers seldom get a chance to publicise their books on or in the media. It appears traditional publishers have an unseen veto, on who can get on air or into papers, to ramp up interest in their books.
There are some exceptions to this when a retired "Personality" of radio or TV writes a book - on "How I Tied My Shoelaces Each Morning." They will be indulged by an editor or producer they worked with.
Of course when that happens - I immediately Tweet the program and ask if I can come in and talk about my book as well.
I'm still waiting to be invited.
So Publishing Houses ganging up on us -that's us, as in we authors, and Amazon our outlet for sales - in not new to me - just amusing.
More so in fact when I hear Stephen King has signed up to the campaign on the Publisher side.
Mr. King tried very hard from 1982 – 2000 to sell his book, The Plant, directly on the Net. He was griping about his publisher and the money they were taking from him. He wanted all the royalties for himself.
His idea was to offer the first few chapters as free download, then he tried to sell the remaining chapters at $1 each. The project was a failure. And after six instalments it folded and the book is yet to be completed.
The last instalment was published on December 18, 2000. The book is yet to be completed. The original instalments are now available for free on Stephen King's official website.
So King has tried Self Publishing and is now against authors trying to directly produce and sell work.
When Paperbacks were first produced Hardback Publishers were also up in arms. But when they got into the market by producing their own Paperbacks they "Cried Off" the protest, instead of crying about the process.
Watch this space when traditional publishers get "Bought Off" by Amazon this "Storm In A Teacup” will blow away. I wonder though when it does - will the traditionally published writers get an increase in their 8, 10 or 12% royalties? Maybe also an increase in their signing on advance. An advance that is paid back from the royalties.
But it's not the money I get by self publishing my work that attracts me: it's the publication rights, the film rights, the hardback rights, the magazine rights etc., that I retain for myself.
That's the clincher and maybe this traditional publisher against Amazon may not be just about money: it's also about publication rights.
The traditionally published writers who are jumping on the band wagon didn't retain their publication rights: they have taken the 30 pieces of silver and perhaps now regret that they did.
June 30, 2014
I'm free today – other days I'm reasonable.
I'm sure the above will get lost in translation – but here goes an explanation.
When I came “Up To Dublin” from “The Bogs” I was a raw inexperienced young lad – but I had ambitions.
One of these centred around the more experienced girl, who was secretary to the Big Boss.
During training and set up of my employee record, and getting a listing of my duties, and being introduced, she was my handler.
Apparently my performance at the oral interview was even at that early stage of my short career in The Civil Service gaining me some notoriety.
Down home I was appearing in an amateur production of Walter Macken's Home Is The Hero, playing the part of Manchester Monaghan, and came to the interview in character – explaining “I don't normally look as scruffy as this but I'm playing a Teddy-boy in a play.”
That rainy day in Dublin, three men sat in a hot stuffy room asking questions of young nervous candidates, until late in the afternoon, when I arrived on the scene.
We laughed, and joked about my appearance and the play and the part, and I gave a short performance and somewhere along the way these men decided – we like this youngster – and we will employ him.
So weeks later there I am dreaming of a date with Mary, full of the joys of spring, hoping I had a reputation as a ladies man: so I asked her out.
“Mary, what night are you free? The reply put me firmly back in my box. “I'm not free any night! But most nights I'm reasonable.”
So for Monday and Tuesday – the kindle edition of my book is Free and Reasonable.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Knowledge-Seekers-Land-Cudhabeen-ebook/dp/B00JYKH6DG
When I came “Up To Dublin” from “The Bogs” I was a raw inexperienced young lad – but I had ambitions.
One of these centred around the more experienced girl, who was secretary to the Big Boss.
During training and set up of my employee record, and getting a listing of my duties, and being introduced, she was my handler.
Apparently my performance at the oral interview was even at that early stage of my short career in The Civil Service gaining me some notoriety.
Down home I was appearing in an amateur production of Walter Macken's Home Is The Hero, playing the part of Manchester Monaghan, and came to the interview in character – explaining “I don't normally look as scruffy as this but I'm playing a Teddy-boy in a play.”
That rainy day in Dublin, three men sat in a hot stuffy room asking questions of young nervous candidates, until late in the afternoon, when I arrived on the scene.
We laughed, and joked about my appearance and the play and the part, and I gave a short performance and somewhere along the way these men decided – we like this youngster – and we will employ him.
So weeks later there I am dreaming of a date with Mary, full of the joys of spring, hoping I had a reputation as a ladies man: so I asked her out.
“Mary, what night are you free? The reply put me firmly back in my box. “I'm not free any night! But most nights I'm reasonable.”
So for Monday and Tuesday – the kindle edition of my book is Free and Reasonable.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Knowledge-Seekers-Land-Cudhabeen-ebook/dp/B00JYKH6DG
June 18, 2014
Do I really need to be #(number sign) Lazarian?
In the dim – getting dimmer every day – and distant past when I joined the Airline I was introduced to a “Computer” .
IBM told us “This Computer sent the men to the Moon!” Its introduced to Ireland as an IBM platform for European marketing, was to run the International Programmed Airline Reservation System – IPARS. In other words it would enable computerised bookings for passenger details for flights.
By the way - when used as a chat up line - the answer to “What do you do?” being “I work on the computer that sent the men to the moon” was a killer.
We worked on small 12 inch screens with a green glow – we wondered if it was radioactive – and an attached keyboard.
This is where the symbols come in. To enter a name you prefixed it with The Name Item -: a dash.
Explaining it this way is going to get tedious and uninteresting – when all I want to talk about is the @ and # keys -so I will just simulate a booking!
-Lazarian/Wordsmith/Mr <Return Key> which we called the enter key.Then a slashed zero was used to enter the flight details, a 9 preceded the phone number and a 6 the identity of who made the booking – 6PAX.
But when you wanted to change any of these details as the booking proceeded and you made a “Small Mistake” or as we began calling it a “Deliberate Error” like messing up the phone number we used the CHNG to rectify the error 91234567@2345678. Not an AT key then a CHNG key.
And the # key in communications to denote a number only.
Happy days – when a phone sat on a desk and you left it behind you at COB – Close Of Business – and a Mobile hung over babies' cot.
Oh! Look...#IBM #EarlyComputers #GettingTooOldforThis and my Spell Checker suggested #GoodForNothing.....
IBM told us “This Computer sent the men to the Moon!” Its introduced to Ireland as an IBM platform for European marketing, was to run the International Programmed Airline Reservation System – IPARS. In other words it would enable computerised bookings for passenger details for flights.
By the way - when used as a chat up line - the answer to “What do you do?” being “I work on the computer that sent the men to the moon” was a killer.
We worked on small 12 inch screens with a green glow – we wondered if it was radioactive – and an attached keyboard.
This is where the symbols come in. To enter a name you prefixed it with The Name Item -: a dash.
Explaining it this way is going to get tedious and uninteresting – when all I want to talk about is the @ and # keys -so I will just simulate a booking!
-Lazarian/Wordsmith/Mr <Return Key> which we called the enter key.Then a slashed zero was used to enter the flight details, a 9 preceded the phone number and a 6 the identity of who made the booking – 6PAX.
But when you wanted to change any of these details as the booking proceeded and you made a “Small Mistake” or as we began calling it a “Deliberate Error” like messing up the phone number we used the CHNG to rectify the error 91234567@2345678. Not an AT key then a CHNG key.
And the # key in communications to denote a number only.
Happy days – when a phone sat on a desk and you left it behind you at COB – Close Of Business – and a Mobile hung over babies' cot.
Oh! Look...#IBM #EarlyComputers #GettingTooOldforThis and my Spell Checker suggested #GoodForNothing.....
June 16, 2014
Bloomsday 2014
In honour of Blooms Day, I'm going to have my cereal and tea and go for a long walk.
I'll sing a few songs along the way, then after I will meet my Pals and have a few pints, and sing a few more songs.
Perhaps as an extra party piece I will play the comb.
Then I will slowly meander back home and collapse into bed.
Well - that's about all Joyce did - on 16 June 1904!
And we have to continually read and hear about it since.
When I was fourteen I started to read Ulysses, perhaps I will have it finished in a few weeks time!
I'll sing a few songs along the way, then after I will meet my Pals and have a few pints, and sing a few more songs.
Perhaps as an extra party piece I will play the comb.
Then I will slowly meander back home and collapse into bed.
Well - that's about all Joyce did - on 16 June 1904!
And we have to continually read and hear about it since.
When I was fourteen I started to read Ulysses, perhaps I will have it finished in a few weeks time!
