Richard Dee's Blog, page 80

The Saturday Rewind. Potato peelings, friend or foe?

I had an epiphany several years ago. I was out for a meal with my daughters and one of them ordered loaded potato skins as a starter.

When they arrived, I realised that they were not what I expected. I thought I would see hollowed-out jacket potatoes, that had been filled with cheese, potato and bacon, which had then been grilled. Instead, I saw thick potato peelings, covered with cheese and bacon, not unlike nachos.

The realisation hit me, I peel a lot of potatoes and up to that time, I had put the peelings in the compost bin. How about if, instead, I used them as an ingredient?

The result was the subject of a post on my old blog, a couple of years ago. Click on the links below the picture to see what can be done with a potato peeling.

Lamb hot-pot with potato peeling topping.

For my first post about potato peel, with the basic technique, click here.

If you’d like a recipe for an easy steak and cheese nacho snack using potato peel click here.

I’ll be back on Monday, with a post about writers block, see you then.

The post The Saturday Rewind. Potato peelings, friend or foe? appeared first on Welcome to my Worlds..

Communication Breakdown.

Which gives me an excuse to embed this,

Back to the subject.

What can you do when your characters refuse to play?

What do I mean by that? Let me try to explain. I wanted to write a certain story this month. In the end, I found that I couldn’t. Even though I felt motivated and had a starting place, the story just wouldn’t play in my head. You might call it writer’s block; I don’t see it that way. I’m not blocked, I can still write, just not the story that I want to. My head is filled with other stories, ideas for blog posts and content for my website and social media feeds. The cast of my chosen project are doing something else; in effect, they’re ignoring me. It’s impossible for me to write what I can’t see.

I need to tell you a bit more about my writing method.  This is where it all gets a bit problematical. I’ve often found that when I tell non-writing people how I get the ideas for my novels; in effect, how I work, very often they will smile at me nervously and gaze around for an exit, or for someone they know to ‘rescue’ them from the mad writer. I suppose it’s possible that they think I’m being less than honest for some reason or amusing myself at their expense. Perhaps they consider my obvious affliction might be catching.

I don’t know how they think that I’m supposed to get my inspiration,
but I do know that my method is not seen as strange among other writers. Basically,
I see the story in my head, it plays out like a film. It used to happen only
when I was asleep, and unlike other dreams, was easy to remember when I awoke.
The act of writing it down encouraged more to appear and soon, I was seeing the
story when I was awake.

The characters basically get on with their lives, have adventures, whatever. I just watch and write it all down. The great thing about this is that it requires little input from me, there’s no need to exert myself in weeks of plotting. All that’s required is the ability to type. I just sit at my computer and watch the action, recording it as it unfolds. If it’s all going a bit fast for my fingers, I can slow it down; don’t ask me how, I just “think” it. I can also rewind and repeat, to make sure that I get everything important. Sometimes, quite spontaneously, I will be shown a scene again, from a different angle, to emphasise the point.

What I can’t do, is get any clue about where the story will go. I never know what will happen next. Whether this is a deliberate thing (I’ll come to another possible reason later) or just the way my imagination works, who knows? It means that I never have any advance information about the ending, who will end up as the hero (or villain) or even who will still be standing when I type The End. Or when the end will happen.

It means that when you read one of my books, you will find
out everything at exactly the same time that I did.

I have to admit that sounds weird, it felt weird when it started happening to me. Which might go some way towards explaining the reaction of my non-writing questioner.

I digress, the side effect of this is that sometimes, when I try to write to a deadline, the story isn’t there. As I said in the title, they aren’t coming put to play.

Which is what I mean when I say that my cast of characters have decided to go somewhere else and have nothing to do with me.

Like in real life, people drift in and out of your space, some you see regularly, some every now and again, some go missing for a while and then turn up. That’s how it is in my head. Fortunately (or not), I don’t just have one set of friends living in my head. I’m usually seeing several stories at once (like watching several regular programmes on T.V.), so if one set have gone missing, there’s another to tell me what they’ve been up to instead. Occasionally, two or more may fight for my attention, wanting to be the first to update me with the latest events in their lives.

As you can see, it can get pretty messy in my head, it plays havoc with trying to write what people are expecting you to produce. They are expecting a sequel, or prequel or whatever, what you told them you would write, what they get may be something else completely. It all depends on who’s about and what they want to tell me.

All this begs the question, where does it come from?

If it’s in my head, why can’t I see it all at once?

If it’s being downloaded (for want of a better phrase), who is hosting the content; why send it to me?

Where do the characters go when they’re not bothering me?

The most radical possibility, and one that frightens me, is
that it’s all real. It’s not a story, it’s reality, everything I see is actually
happening in real time as I see it, in some sort of alternative universe that I
can tap into.

It would explain a lot, the fact that I can see it again and
again (as a sort of memory), the fact that I can’t see what happens next, because
it hasn’t happened yet.

Because I keep up with developments in science and technology, I know about the latest scientific theories; the ones that deal with parallel universes and multiple timelines, how everything is connected and how all possible outcomes might well exist in their own reality. That suggests that I might be onto something. All writers might have the gift of being able to see other dimensions.

Does it make us gifted, or will people just think that we’re crazy?

I got a bit side-tracked there, the whole point of this was
to tell you that I tried to complete a writing challenge this month, my cast
had other ideas.

Instead, I wrote something completely different.

But that’s another story.

I’ll be back on Thursday, with a new guest on the Indie Showcase. See you then.

The post Communication Breakdown. appeared first on Welcome to my Worlds..

The Indie Showcase presents, Miriam Hurdle.

Thank you, Richard for featuring me on your website today.

I
grew up in Hong Kong where I spent my childhood, college and early career
years. My dad made a great impact on me for my love of reading. He read every
single day until he had a stroke at eighty-four years old. When I was at the
fourth-grade, I read my dad’s newspaper. We traded sections to read. I read the
horrible news describing the details of crime scenes, read adult fantasy, comic
strips and the Sunday children’s section. In elementary school, my favorite
literature was Aesop’s Fables. I read each story with the anticipation of learning
the moral of the story. This literature has influenced my attitude toward life,
my thinking and writing.

I wrote a diary as a teenager. The lessons in Aesop’s Fables weaved into the diary and I wrote what I thought of the events more so than what happened. As far as writing skills, I remember in the upper grades of elementary school, we learned how to write a story with an opening, middle, climax and ending.

After
college, I worked as a Director of Children’s Department in a literature
company. My job was writing children’s magazine. I worked closely with the
illustrators in the Art Department. In fact, I recruited my artist. When I
taught Chinese as a Second Language at the Baptist University of Hong Kong, he
worked there also and sometimes wrote me notes at the end of the day, signed it
and drew a little cartoon next to his signature. I liked his art so when I
changed job, I remembered him. The comic strips I read in my early years helped
me to communicate with the artists how I wanted to illustrate the stories in
the magazine. The experience I had on this job also helped me to layout and
illustrate my first poetry book forty years later.

I
came to the U.S. for the graduate studies. I got three master’s degrees, then started
working as a counselor for two years, and a teacher for fifteen years.  Then I went back to school to get my Doctor in
Education and was promoted to a school district administrative position. I took
retirement in 2010, earlier than anticipated because of recovering from a stage
IV cancer.

A
friend introduced me to blogging, and I created my blog in 2011. I wrote twelve
posts from 2011 to 2014. My blogging didn’t take off until July 2016. At that
time, I was to write about my cancer and recovery experiences. It has become
further and wider than expected. I have been writing short memoir, poetry,
short stories, flash fiction, family stories, travel journey and post
photography.

When
I gained energy during the recuperation, I joined several writing and publishing
groups. The Publishing group has retired professionals help each other publish.
Being around the writers and volunteer helpers was an encouragement for me to
publish the first Book, Songs of
Heartstrings–Poems of Gratitude and Beatitude published in October 2018.

Prior
to publishing the first book, I spent a year to explore the traditional and
self-publishing. The initial contact of traditional publishing discouraged me
with the price they charge and their control of the book. I then purchased a self-publishing
instruction package for $395 to learn the basics from writing, formatting,
publishing to marketing. By the time I prepared to publish the poetry
collection as my first book, I could do formatting, insert photos, design the
book cover and upload to Kindle Direct Publishing.

I took part in an Anthology publication. My article about the cancer was included in the UNDERSTANDING: An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events, compiled by Stevie Turner, which was published in early April 2019.

Songs of Heartstrings, Blurb

Human being has the will power to travel through an exhausting journey, win a tough battle, and heal a deep wound. Strength from hope keeps us going until the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight and striving until the storm is over.

Songs of Heartstrings plays the melancholy tune of the suffering and transcending to the melody of serenity and peace. It is a road travelled with optimism, hope and appreciation amid heartache circumstances and an unpredictable cancer. It also celebrates true love and fulfilling relationships.

Hurdle in her poetry collection includes nine themes: Songs of Nature, Songs of Dissonance, Songs of Physical Healing, Songs of Marriage, Songs of Parenthood, Songs of Tribute, Songs of Reflections, Songs of Challenge, and Songs of Inspiration. Each of these themes covers various aspects of her life experience. Many poems are illustrated with her photos and watercolour paintings.

The poems in this collection are inspiring to the mind, heart and spirit. The readers will echo with these experiences.

The Sun Welcomes Me

Journey
through high and low

amid
worrisome melanoma cancer.

The
sense of mortality heightened, with 

no
assumption of

the
survival chances.

My
prayer was to ask

the mercy
of the Maker 

granting
me one more moment to live.

Every
new morning was a precious gift.

Cloudy
or sunny the sky might be,

trotting
on the street rain or shine

even
when having no energy

to
pick up my feet.

Hoping
to keep up

the
physical strength

to
sustain through six months of

harsh
chemotherapy.

What
a profound gratefulness as

treatment
fading at the end

when
the sun pierced through

the
clouds to

welcome me.

Rowing
a Boat

I love to go
rowing a boat.

Weather is not
the matter.

The day may be
sunny or cloudy,

windy
or even stormy.

Having you in the
same boat,

I
can go anywhere, everywhere.

We had a rough
day at sea,

almost
dangerous to manage.

Our hearts were
in touch,

hands
were in sync,

same
spirit, same strength.

Your encouraging
words to me, mine to you,

all
the way through.

We strived until
the storm passed.

A day I will
forever remember.

The storm brought
us closer.

I love to go
rowing a boat

when you are with me.

Bio

Miriam Hurdle is a multi-genre writer.
She writes poetry, flash fiction, short stories and memoir.

Music has rooted in her life. Being a soloist as a teenager led her to taking voice lessons and to have ongoing singing engagements. She continues to sing soprano in choral groups. Lyrics have a major influence in the natural flow of her melodic writing. She writes memoir in the form of poetry.

She took photos when the films were black and white. Photography is still her enjoyable hobby. Drawing and painting were fun activities as a child. She resumed drawing and watercolour painting several years ago. In her poetry collection, she includes photos and paintings to illustrate the poems.

She earned a Doctor of Education from the University of La Verne in California. After two years of rehabilitation counselling, fifteen years of public-school teaching and ten years in school district administration, she retired and enjoys life with her husband in southern California. She makes frequent visits to her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter in Oregon.

Amazon Links

Amazon Universal Link: http://smarturl.it/SongsofHeartstrings 

Amazon UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07K1S47W9  

Amazon.com Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K1S47W9 

Contact the Author

Website: https://theshowersofblessings.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Miriam-Hurdle/e/B07K2MCSVW

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhurdle112

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miriam.hurdle.1

Thanks, Miriam, for a very inspiring post. I hope you all enjoyed it.

While you’re here, why not have a look around the site? There are FREE things and a whole lot more, just follow the links at the top of the page.

You might also like to join my team. I’ll send you a bi-monthly newsletter, filled with news, updates and extra content, as well as more about me and my worlds. You’ll also get a free short story and offers on my novels. Subscribe by clicking HERE

If you want to be
featured in a future Showcase, where you can write about whatever
(within reason) you want, then please let me know. Use the comment box below
and I’ll get back to you.

You can catch up on
previous Showcase posts by clicking HERE

Don’t miss the Saturday Rewind, next Thursdays Showcase post, and my musings every Monday.

Have a great week,

Richard.

The post The Indie Showcase presents, Miriam Hurdle. appeared first on Welcome to my Worlds..

Blog tour, Justice Gone.

I’m on tour, in association with Rachel’s Random Resources, with a review of a great book by N. Lombardi Jr.

Blurb

A beaten homeless vet. Three cops gunned down. A multi-state manhunt. The trial of the decade.

A new kind of legal thriller

When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the
police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after,
three cops are gunned down.

 A multi-state manhunt
is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr Tessa Thorpe, a veteran’s
counselor, is caught up in the chase.

Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time
buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa’s patients, is holed up in a mountain
cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law
enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield’s dramatic capture.

Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge?

My Review

This is
a very topical story, how we take care of returning soldiers; veterans, the men
we send out to do our dirty work, is a vital part of how we are as a society.

And this
book doesn’t shirk from showing how that can sometimes be, in all its uncomfortable
detail.

Initially,
it’s a straightforward tale, a homeless man is beaten by police and dies. The
authorities try to cover it all up, then more violence ensues. Assumptions are
made, the usual suspects are rounded up and a trial follows.

So far
so predictable. Where this book scores is in the way the story is told, not from
the point of view of the accused but as seen by a counsellor for the very
people at the heart of things, the soldiers damaged in the service of their
country. Dr Tessa Thorpe and her colleagues have a unique insight and are not
always welcomed in the course of the investigation into the brutality of the
police. And their thoughts on the psychology of those with PTSD are awkward to
fit into the desired outcome, which is the conviction of someone for the crime
that followed. Stereotypes are used, as they are in real life and the way the
case develops is so lifelike that it makes us question just how close this is
to fiction.

The cast are well assembled and all interesting, with pasts that enhance the story. I found real empathy with them, the writing drew me into the meat of the issues, so that I could see through the eyes of those involved. You can feel the sense of injustice, the anger at the system that sends people to do a governments dirty work; but doesn’t care when they come home broken.

The
story itself and the way it plays out is plausible and well-paced, it follows
in logical steps. The courtroom scenes are electric; right to the end, we have
the possibility of the verdict going either way. The ending is satisfying, but
with the way open for more from Dr Thorpe.

Which
wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Four Stars from me.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Book Depository

Waterstones

Kobo

Author Bio

N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. Nick can speak five languages: Swahili, Thai, Lao, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodian).

In 1997, while visiting Lao People’s Democratic Republic, he
witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years,
among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what
he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.

Nick maintains a website with content that spans most
aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc.
http://plainofjars.net

His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in
the wild frontier of northern Kenya.

His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal
beating of a homeless man by police.

Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Social Media Links

Goodreads

Website

~~~~

I can thoroughly recommend this book, it was so well put together that I have to admit that I read it far too quickly! I had to go back and read it again to fully savour the story.

I’ll be back with another great author on Thursday, in a new Indie Showcase. See you then.

The post Blog tour, Justice Gone. appeared first on Welcome to my Worlds..

The Saturday Rewind, a little bit of cookery.

Here’s a blog post from January 2018, in which I show you a bit more about me. Just click the picture to find out what else I do (when I’m not writing). As you can see, it involves Onion Rings and a few other things.

Home-made Beer-battered Onion Rings, using Sourdough.

The post The Saturday Rewind, a little bit of cookery. appeared first on Welcome to my Worlds..

The Indie Showcase presents, Paul Nelson

There are some incredible indie authors out there, writing a wide variety of genres for many reasons. This weeks guest has a wonderful, uplifting story to tell.

Over to you, Paul.

In 2013, I became a widower with a teenage, autistic son. After caring for my wife for sixteen years, I decided I had a book inside me that needed to see daylight. I tried writing a self-help book about being a double caregiver. It was terrible. I tried writing a novel from my point-of-view. It was worse. Then, I thought, “How would my non-verbal autistic son express his feelings in a book?” 

So, I began writing “Through Fisher’s Eyes.” This is a short novel about much of our life, as told by my son. I decided to add some fantasy to the story, and soon, I completed that book and wrote two more. Thus, Fisher’s Autism Trilogy” was born. I continued writing daily, using both original story ideas and my journals from being a caregiver.

In 2015, I completed “Saving Worms After the Rain.” This is a mystery novel with some Pennsylvania History. It includes gangsters, the Klan and a young autistic, psychic crime investigator. The second section of the book is mostly autobiographical and is a watered-down telling of my wife’s illness.

This year, (2018) I completed “Burning Bridges Along the Susquehanna.” It is a story about a teen girl and her young, autistic brother. They time-travel back to the old logging days of central Pennsylvania.

This is an excerpt.

Lily, the main character, is learning to shape shift from her mentor, Iron Joe. Joe is a Native American with many magical powers.

 
“This life as a time traveler is getting complicated. I think I’m going
to need help,” Lily said. “Joe, will you teach me to shape shift?’

    
“Alright, but it’s very difficult. You must be patient.”

    
“I will. I promise.”

Joe reached into his satchel and pulled out
some dried plants.

    
“What are those?” Lily grimaced.

    
“This is smartweed. It’s powerful medicine, very good for you. For those
who have the gift of shape shifting, it helps you focus. When you become more
skilled at shifting, you won’t need it anymore”

    
“How do you know I have the gift?”

    
“Hold out your hand.”

Lily held out her hand, palm up.

    
“Do you see that you have four lines running across the palm of your
hand?”

    
“Yes, I see.”

    
“Most people only have three. You’ve been blessed with an extra line, as
has Logan. You have an extra life in your body. You have the gift of shape
shifting. Now, chew these weeds.”

Lily put the smartweed in her mouth and
chewed. She began to feel light-headed, happy and warm. Joe closed his eyes. He
began to chant in Munsee, then gave Lily instructions.

    
“Wait, Joe,” she said, slightly embarrassed. “I have to, uh, ask you a
kind of weird question. What about my clothes? I want to be a shape shifter,
but uh, I don’t want to come back, you know.”

   
“Naked?”

     
“Well, yeah. When I come back to human form, do I get my clothes back?”

    
“That depends on your mind,” Joe said. “You will come back in the way
you see yourself.”

    
“So, what do you mean?” Lily inquired.

    
“Don’t picture yourself naked.”

Joe put more of the smart weed in Lily’s
mouth. She chewed, still looking slightly uneasy.

    
Closing his eyes, Joe instructed Lily.

    
“Now, Lily. You must master the power of your mind. Your mind controls
your ability to shift. You must imagine a creature in the wild. Close your
eyes, feel your heart beating and imagine your heart is inside that
animal.  I want you to imagine a hawk.
Feel your heart beat inside the hawk. You are flying, high, fast and proud.
Soar, Lily. Become a hawk.”

Joe opened his eyes. He smiled, giggled,
then erupted in a deep belly laugh. There, before him, was a big white duck,
quacking loudly, stomping angrily.

    
“Oh, Lily. We have so much work to do.”

My goal

is to write entertaining books that include characters with all levels of disabilities. It requires a lot of creativity, especially with non-verbal characters, but it can be done. I got the idea from Confucius. He used the theater in ancient China to teach people kindness and civility. I hope my books will inform and educate readers about disabilities, and encourage people to open their minds a bit. I think creativity and curiosity are sadly lacking in much of American society. My son, Michael, is still my main source of inspiration, and my partner. We plan to keep writing fantasy fiction that will open minds.

Links:

Our Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B06Y124CCS

Our Website: http://paulcnelson-books.strikingly.com/

Our twitter page: @bingley567

Thanks, Paul, for a very inspiring post. I hope you all enjoyed it.

While you’re here,
why not have a look around the site? There are FREE things and a whole lot
more, just follow the links at the top of the page.

If you want to be
featured in a future Showcase, where you can write about whatever
(within reason) you want, then please let me know. Use the comment box below
and I’ll get back to you.

You can catch up on
previous Showcase posts by clicking HERE

Don’t miss the Saturday Rewind and next Thursdays Showcase post, on Monday I’ll be on tour with a review.

Have a great week,

Richard.

The post The Indie Showcase presents, Paul Nelson appeared first on Welcome to my Worlds..

Did you miss me?

Perhaps more pertinently, did you notice that I was away?

It was just a short break, but I don’t mean to say that I actually went anywhere. I was stuck right here, you just couldn’t see me.

My website crashed on the 4th April, whilst I was updating a WordPress plugin, goodness knows why or how, it’s something I’ve done a million times before, once you click the update button you have no control over what the machines do as they chat away and pass information.

Anyhow, for whatever reason, I turned my head and when I
looked back the screen was blank. I refreshed the page and got the dreaded,
“not found on this server” message.

To cut a long story very short, it was Tuesday 9th
April before service was restored, I tried to use my hosts backups to get the
site running myself but there was a problem with copying the files. The
software said it wouldn’t do it! So I had to get their technical guys to do it
for me. They told me that there were problems with permissions and some other
technical stuff that I understood one word in three of, so when the man was
explaining it all to me I just said um every now and then.

It’s all OK now though, although I must admit to a feeling of dread when I found that I still had to update the plugin on the newly restored version. What if it all happened again?

The fact that you’re reading this means that it didn’t, all my problems must have been caused by a random event, maybe a power spike or possibly a milliseconds loss of connection during the update. That was enough to bring the whole thing crashing down. There’s an appearance of strength, of a robust system; but it’s all remarkably fragile underneath the shiny surface.

This all got me thinking

We rely so much on the technology, on the instant, interconnectedness of it all. At the end of the day, something as insignificant as a crackle on the line or a poor connection can scupper a service that we now take for granted will be continuous. And that made me realise how things have changed, almost without us noticing it.

How did technology, which was supposed to be our slave, somehow turn into our master? Why is our ability to do anything now at the whim of a collection of ones and zeroes?

Back in the day, I was a navigator on merchant ships. I had my own sextant; armed with it, a chronometer, Nautical Almanac and a set of mathematical tables, I could find my way around the world. I needed no outside help, no power supply or internet connection. I was self-sufficient.

In those days (the 1970’s) once you lost sight of land, you were largely out of touch with the real world and left to get on with it. As long as the owners heard from you via radio on Mondays and Thursdays as you crossed the ocean; everyone was happy. There were few chances of phone-calls home, letters a month or more old might be waiting for you in port if you were lucky, yet nobody minded. If something went wrong, you mended it (if you could), replaced it (if you had a spare) or did without until you could get another.

I left full time sea-going in 1988, returning to pilotage in
1994. In six years, the technology had changed completely. Now, satellites gave
you your position to within 10 meters worldwide, you could dial home anytime
you wanted, ships were no longer out of touch. Of course, there was the other,
unwanted side to this change.

Whereas before you were in charge and left to get on with it, now I was hearing from Captains that the office staff (most of whom were NOT Captains), were forever on their backs, asking what they were doing, questioning every decision and generally being a pain.  Not necessarily because they knew better, but merely because they could. This was sold to the ships as a good thing, totally ignoring the fact that the whole idea of your training and experience was to prepare you to make your own decisions. Captains of many years experience were leaving because they were always being second-guessed and overruled, in the end, the office got what they wanted, which was a cadre of yes-men who never thought independently and did what they were told (but were still useful to blame when it all went wrong).

It was sad to see what had happened to the autonomy that I had once enjoyed, whilst all the time, it was being heralded as progress.

I suppose the moral of the story is that technology can either be your friend or your enemy. Like the sextant, you have to know how to use it, and always remember who is in charge.

You might be wondering

Just what this has to do with writing Science Fiction?

Well, as much as the events in my novels take place in the future, we will still be there. As a species that is. What I mean is that, when we move out into the Galaxy, we will take all our vices and emotions, our good and our bad points, with us on our journey.

We will be even more reliant on technology than we are now. All the things I have seen and heard, all the conspiracies and corporate shenanigans; the websites not working because of an error in the code or a break in transmission, that will continue.

People and machines will still behave as they do now. I can weave my tales and they will sound as true as they ever did; because human nature and our relationship with technology won’t have changed that much.

Not only that, given past performance, there will still be that sense of disbelief when a button is pushed and nothing much happens.

I’ll leave you with that thought, see you again with another Showcase post on Thursday.

The post Did you miss me? appeared first on Welcome to my Worlds..

The Indie Showcase presents, David H. Millar.

In high school, I was an A-student in history. Hence, my teacher was sorely disappointed when I took the road to science and later to management and consulting. Fifty years later, and with the fourth book in the Celtic historical fiction series—Conall, about to be published, I can visualize him with a wry smile and an “I told you so” on his lips. Maybe he was right but do teens ever listen to good advice?

“Conall
Mac Gabhann just watched his life implode. Before him lie the butchered bodies
of his father, mother, and sisters. Yesterday, the young man was an apprentice
blacksmith. Today, if he wants vengeance, he’ll need to become a warrior.”

Conall I: The Place of Blood

Set around 400, B.C., the Conall series is
a yarn of revenge set in ancient times. It revolves around the Celts, and
primarily Irish and Scottish Gaels. It is a story of hard men and women who
lived in harsh times. It is a sweeping epic that travels from ancient Ireland,
through Scotland and Southern England to France and finally to the Battle of
Allia, Rome where the Celts and Gauls first sacked Rome. Archaeologically
accurate, heroes and villains from myth, legend, and history converge in this
saga set in the vast ancient forests, treacherous bogs, snow-capped mountains,
and mysterious lochs of the lands of the Celts some four hundred years before
the birth of Christ. The novels focus on Conall Mac Gabhann, the blacksmith’s
apprentice turned warrior-king. Bloody battles, honor, treachery, tragedy,
love, and high passions flow through the books. The stories highlight the
paradox of the Celts, who while being fierce warriors were also known for
amazing art and design.

Like many authors, I tend to be too close
to my novels and the characters. So rather than repeat back cover blurbs or
book descriptions, I have listed two 5* reviews that summarize better than I
could.

“From the first chapter in the
book I was gripped. It tells the story of a simple blacksmith’s son whose
parents and sisters were brutally murdered. Conall starts off on a journey of
vengeance with a band of young followers, most not much older than children.
The story leads the reader through his growth as a man, a warrior and the
leader of his army. The narrative used is authentic, the battle scenes
satisfyingly vivid, and the antics of the sidhe will both terrify and delight
you. If you like Game of Thrones – you will love Conall.”

“A very well researched novel that brings you back to 415 BC in ancient Ireland and follows an orphaned young man on an epic page turning quest for revenge. Just think of an ancient Batman that Batman would run from. The descriptions of armor, weaponry and battle tactics were so thorough that I could almost hear the battle cries and I loved the bit of folklore blended in.”

As with all self-published authors—and a good few traditionally published writers—my challenge can be summed up in one word—marketing. How best to promote both author and novels? Above choosing a media channel, however, is “what is the best use of time?” How much to spend on writing and how much on marketing? To date, I have tinkered with Facebook and Twitter, and commissioned a great video trailer (https://youtu.be/c4ZwNBBQMrs) but with negligible impact on sales. I participated in my first author event in 2018 and it was highly successful from several perspectives—new sales, raising awareness, and getting to know my market better. This channel goes to the top of my marketing priorities.

“The driving beat of bodhráns
echoes off mountain slopes. In dense forests, the mournful wail of war-horns
reverberates. Red and gold banners of king and tribe flap in gusting winds.
Conall III: The Sisters is an epic tale of vengeance and tragedy, of courage
and the frailty of body and spirit.”

My primary marketing focus remains product
quality and presentation. I believe in engaging experts for specific tasks.
This can be costly but improves the end-product. Ida Jansson of Amygdala Design
(http://www.amygdaladesign.net/) is
responsible for the amazing cover art for the novels and has also taken over
the interior formatting. Both (cover and interior) are critical for the success
of any novel. I have seen too many books where poor artwork has made me choose
an alternate. Poor interior formatting, eBook and print, can also be a real
turn-off. My map illustrations are drawn by well-known fellow Belfast-born
international artist Michael McEvoy (https://bit.ly/2HZtxHF).
Michael is “old school” and draws his illustrations by hand, which goes to add
to the ancient feel of the novel. For Conall IV, I engaged specialist
historical fiction editor, Andrew Noakes (https://andrewnoakes.co.uk/),
and it was well worth the money. I only wish I had engaged Andrew earlier for
the earlier novels.

What am I up to now? Conall IV: A Brace of
Eagles will be released in eBook format in April and in print in May 2019. Conall
V: Retribution, the final book in this series, is underway with a manuscript
completion targeted for Autumn 2019.

“Butter-gold and cruelly hooked, the beak ripped a ragged gash across the newborn’s throat.”

Where to after Conall? I suspect all
authors have a file of plots and partially started first chapters. I am no
exception. My major decision is whether to write several spin-outs from the
Conall series. I have deliberately left some threads that could be followed,
and the new books would have the benefit of character familiarity. However, the
likelihood is that I will do something different—at least in the short-term. At
the top of the list, is a novel set in the Middle-Ages and based around my
favorite caste—Dunluce Castle— on the northeastern coast of Ireland.

Reviews

Along with many independently published
authors, I face the challenge of encouraging readers to write a review and give
a star rating, even if that is only “I liked this book”. I will mail a signed
copy, at no cost, to those in the USA (elsewhere is too expensive!) of Conall
IV, or indeed any of the Conall series, to anyone who will write a review.
Email me at davidm@aweepublishingco.com.

“Against
the travails of the weather, they stood
firm. Spines were held as straight as the barbs from the blackthorn tree.
Silver-grey pelts hung from square shoulders and flapped in the gusting winds.
Obsidian-black, unblinking eyes stared southwards. On the ramparts that
protected the camp, the grim guard stood silent.”

Conall IV: A Brace of Eagles

Author Bio.

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, David H. Millar is the founder, owner, and author-in-residence of Houston-based ‘A Wee Publishing Company’—a business that promotes Celtic literature, authors and art. Millar moved from Ireland to Nova Scotia, Canada, in the late 1990s. After ten years shoveling snow, he decided to relocate to warmer climates and has now settled in Houston, Texas. Quite a contrast! An avid reader, armchair sportsman, and longsuffering Liverpool Football Club fan, Millar lives with his family and Bailey, a Manx cat of questionable disposition known to his friends as ‘the small angry one!’

Links

Series video
trailer        https://youtu.be/c4ZwNBBQMrs

Amazon Author Page   https://www.amazon.com/author/davidhmillar

Facebook                     https://www.facebook.com/aweepublishingco/

Twitter                        @DavidHMillar

Goodreads Author
Page           https://www.goodreads.com/DavidHMillar

Corporate website        http://aweepublishingco.com/index.html       

Thanks, David, for a great post. I hope you all enjoyed it.

While you’re here,
why not have a look around the site? There are FREE things and a whole lot
more, just follow the links at the top of the page.

If you want to be
featured in a future Showcase, where you can write about whatever
(within reason) you want, then please let me know. Use the comment box below
and I’ll get back to you.

You can catch up on
previous Showcase posts by clicking HERE

Don’t miss the Saturday Rewind, next Thursdays Showcase post, and my musings every Monday.

Have a great week,

Richard.

The post The Indie Showcase presents, David H. Millar. appeared first on Welcome to my Worlds..

The Saturday Rewind, Sharkham Point in pictures.

In this post, from my old blog in 2016, there are a few pictures of the local countryside. The cliffs here are just ten minutes walk from my house. Click the picture to have a look.

I’ll be back on Monday, with a post about where I’ve been over the last few days (It’s not where you might think). See you then.

The post The Saturday Rewind, Sharkham Point in pictures. appeared first on Welcome to my Worlds..

The Indie Showcase Presents, Michael Trelissic

I met this weeks guest at a talk I was giving in Exmouth. One of the new breed of self-published authors; I’m delighted to feature him on the Showcase. Over to you Michael.

Reading through the features previously posted by authors I realise that I have a lot of work to do to catch up even by just a little.

So far on my
writing journey I have published three books using the Smashwords platform. My
writer profile for this site reads,

” Michael Trelissic ( my pen Name) was born in 1946; a year after the war in Europe had ended. 
Brought up in the industrial north of England by my widowed mother and beloved grandmother my childhood was a happy one. Our playgrounds were the chemical dumps and contaminated fields but my imagination transformed them into the much fabled green and pleasant lands of England.
I wrote from an early age and although my work was not of the classical literature kind I was told that it was always interesting and thought provoking, often with hidden meanings.”

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/152307

My first short book was called Tales of the Titanic which contained the stories of six people with very different backgrounds who made the same fateful journey. This was a good place to start my literary journey as I learned a great deal about how to publish an e-book.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/527372

Smashwords requirements for formatting were strict but did me in good stead for publishing my novel “Heron” This was the opportunity I had always wanted, a chance to write a novel which would prove that I had it in me to complete a major work. I had the advantage of belonging to a Writers’ Group that comprised of five talented writers who encouraged and guided me through the process. Chief among them was my great friend and mentor Roger Johnson who I miss greatly since his passing.

More generally, I think it is an immense privilege for someone outside my family and circle of friends to read my work. After all, there is so much choice out there. Time is so limited and therefore precious and for someone to spend some of their time reading my work I find it very humbling. Although in a previous life I made my living working for a commercial corporation writing instructions for the workers to follow, I had never written fiction outside school, if you don’t count a few short stories as a thirteen-year-old.

Attending primary school in the fifties ( yes I am that young ) I would buy the Dandy on a Tuesday, the Beano on a Thursday and the Topper on a Friday. I would buy the comics with my bus money and then have to run home. The distance was a couple of miles but with short legs it felt like more. However, it turned out to be good training as I became the school’s 220 yards champion, 200 metres in today’s measurements. There were few concerns then for child safety as paedophiles hadn’t yet been invented and the road traffic was light.

During that most happy of times I learned to love science fiction by listening to the wireless. There was one programme in particular called Journey into Space, classic 1950s  science–fiction, set in the far-flung future of the late 20th century.  Broadcast in 1953 when I was seven. I would devour it until I was caught listening by my gran; who thought these new type programmes were bad for me. But where there is strong will there is a way and one of my school friends would relate the stories to me almost word for word. Looking at some of the stuff that is broadcast these days it was pretty tame. Anyway, my novel Heron, written nearly sixty years later is the tangible fruit of my interest in science fiction.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/612738

My third book Fairy Tales for the Cynic, like Tales of the Titanic was another short book. I really enjoyed giving my sense of humour free reign as I rewrote some of my favourite nursery rhymes. If you are easily offended or strictly politically correct I advise you not to read it. It is available only in the Adult Section as it is definitely not suitable for children.

It was at an Authors evening
that I met Richard who had read Heron and enjoyed it. I cannot tell you how
much this boosted my confidence at a time when I needed it, thank you Richard. There
is no need to tell you too much about my books as you can download the first
thirty percent for free on the Smashwords site. I hope you enjoy.

Currently I am working on putting together a book of my poems. I have included one of these below. I wrote it for Valentine’s Day and any romantics out there are welcome to copy with my compliments and perhaps use it next year.

The Constant Valentine

In time and
space we found each other, attracted through the crowds.

No grand announcement, no lavish wedding, no endless discussion and stressful preparations, just you and me through time and space.

Constant
with a little adjustment here and there, now and again.

Words like
trust and disappointment never used because never needed.

No constant declarations, just growing  appreciation every precious day with love
unspoken and real.

But on that special day called Valentine, love is uttered and
appreciation shown,

 a dinner out, a card,
some flowers, but for me best of all,

 waking next day to find you there, my constant Valentine.

Thanks, Michael, for a great post. I hope you all enjoyed it.

While you’re here,
why not have a look around the site? There are FREE things and a whole lot
more, just follow the links at the top of the page.

If you want to be
featured in a future Showcase, where you can write about whatever
(within reason) you want, then please let me know. Use the comment box below
and I’ll get back to you.

You can catch up on
previous Showcase posts by clicking HERE

Don’t miss the Saturday Rewind, next Thursdays Showcase post, and my musings every Monday.

Have a great week,

Richard.

The post The Indie Showcase Presents, Michael Trelissic appeared first on Welcome to my Worlds..