Jude Stringfellow's Blog, page 22

The New Book - - Outlined.

 OK, I have the new book outlined and I've sent it off to Charlie Garrett to see what he thinks about it.  Normally, I wouldn't really do that, I've never done that in the past, but he's a central part of this book, so yeah...I want his opinion.  I think he'll like it.  I like it.

    The new book has a title, but I'm not telling anyone (except Charlie and my kids, and my best friend) what the title is. I think it will make a statement and I want it to be a good statement when I release the book. Today is the day I start it officially. I'm going to rest now that I've done the outline. I'll pick up the writing this week, and maybe get a few chapters in before next week.

    My daughter and I are planning to move around the end of July, so hopefully the book will be finished by that time. It will give me a goal anyway. I can write five or six chapters a weekend and do the rest in the middle of the week. It should be good. I wrote out the book today in outline form and believe it or not, it did take a couple of turns I wasn't expecting it to take, but given my penchant to include both murder and romance, I see where it happened the way it did.

    Like the storyline of "Bay Sorrel Ranch", there is a murder, it does take place, but it's not central to the entire book. In fact, in "BSR" the murder is more talked about than it will be in this book. The focus of this book will be the unseen, the unhung, the unnoticed, and the unwanted. There will be talk about why people do it, why they want to remain anonymous, and how they will go to great lengths to make that happen in some cases, whereas in other cases, they truly want to be noticed but can't make it happen. 

    I could call the book "Paradox" but that's not the title.  It takes place mostly in Sarasota, Florida, so I'll need to do a bit of research of the area. The other two main characters are from just outside of Dallas, and from DeQueen, Arkansas, where my daddy was born and raised. The heroine, Leigh Avery Madsen, is from DeQueen and she finds herself moving to New York City for work  -- Mathew James McConner, one of the two leading men in the book, is about six or seven years older than Leigh, he's about 38 or so, probably. He's from Decatur, Texas, and was working in Dallas before going to Chicago to become a top-tier chef.

    They both end up in Sarasota, years apart, and they know or have known Pastor Charlie Garrett, who by the way, is my real-life preacher! I can't tell you how excited I am that he's allowing me to use his real name, likeness, and personality for the book -- he's gifted and wonderful, and I love him and his precious family. His wife Hideko will be in the book as well, and their eight Chihuahuas....you have to include the dogs!

    So, this is it. This is the start. I'm turning the pages soon, and making it happen. This is a drama, a book that will include romance, murder, deep discussion, appreciation, awareness for self, and there may even be a recipe or two since Mathew is a chef. It only makes sense. I'll even throw in a few tips for trading on the FOREX since I like to do that, and Leigh is a trader herself. She scalps! Woot!  This will be fun. 

Photo Credit: iStock.com

    

New House Excitement - - Can't Help it!

 OK, I'm trying really hard to not get too excited and to not think I have the house yet  -- I have filled out the application, I've turned it in to my landlord - - and I've paid the deposit. The fact that my landlord knows me, and has known me for over 15 years helps. I've lived in this complex five times in my life; she's been the landlord of the complex probably since 2006 - - so we've known each other that long.  I was here in 2006 as well as now. I moved out in 2008 and came back in 2014 and again in 2016. 

    I'm just going over the possibilities of the whole thing and getting really happy thinking about cleaning the house, decorating it, buying furniture, curtains, and things to put my small appliances in. I'm thinking too much, and I know it. But, the alternative is to not be happy and no one wants to do that. If she says no I'll be uber surprised, but it will be what it is  -- she knows if she tells me no I'll leave and probably never speak to her again. There's that.

    If I made a list of all the things I love about it I would have to include things like, there are no stairs. We live upstairs now, and I won't have to do that if I live there. I'll have a carport to put my car under when there's bad weather. Currently, I move my car to the parking garage behind my apartment unit. It's never been a problem, but I won't have to do that. More big things are that there is a washer and dryer in the house! I have walked my laundry downstairs, and around the corner (and paid for it to be washed) for nine years! I won't have to do that if I live there.

    There are no neighbors!! I love my next-door neighbors, you can't get better neighbors, and to be honest, we're probably the loud neighbors if I'm being honest - - but one of our neighbors either forgets or intentionally leaves the front door to the building open and unlocked. Another one smokes and it drifts up to our place...no neighbors is really a blessing. That, and there are 10 windows in the house!! I counted. I love the light. The house was darker before, but recently they opened up the space and added new windows, drywall, flooring, quartz counters, great sinks, and faucets; they even put in new kitchen appliances. (a French door fridge with ice and water in the door, too.)

    Another HUGE thing (and difference) is the fact that the house is totally floored with hardwood (no carpet) there is tile in the bathrooms. We can get a Roomba.  I'm looking forward to it actually.  The back door opens to the backyard and I can just open it, and put the dogs out!! That is so big - - you may not think so, but we literally have to walk down the stairs 8-10 times EVERY DAY to walk the dogs. This is going to be a game changer and I simply can't wait - - and I pray it goes through. Like I said, if it doesn't, I'll leave. I think it will go through.

    I will mount a flag holder and fly the American flag outside. I will feed the birds from a couple of bird feeders, and I'll decorate the house every season - - beginning with Autumn!! I am too (very very) excited about that, and Michael's and Hobby Lobby will see a lot of me soon. It will be so obnoxious. You'll see it - - you'll love it. It will win awards.  I'm not going to do the inflatables, no, that's my son's thing  -- I will do the standard cute to the max thing -- it will be glorious. I will sit on the side porch, drink tea with my friend, and watch people.

    I'm already picking out bathroom mats! I'm buying towels in my mind, and I've decided to put the bookshelves in different corners and not have them flanking the TV as they have been for 9 years - - new house, new stuff, new adventures for sure. I'll definitely get better renter's insurance. The house is detached, so I don't have to worry about neighbors and their candles or cigarettes, but I will want to fully cover my contents and give me that peace of mind from having it.

    I won't say wish me luck - - that's for the Irish! I am born again, I say, pray! Thank you.

Photo Credit: Me. 

Probably Gonna Do it !! (Gonna Move to a House!)

 A house has come up for lease and Laura and I have already put our deposit down for it, and we've filled out the application. Since it belongs to the apartment complex we currently live in, and have lived in for almost 9 years, it should be a shoo-in that we get it. I won't hold my breath, but I think I could actually hold my breath. I think we'll get it. I'm hoping so, and I'm praying so.

This morning, when I heard about the house being available, I practically met my landlord at the office before she could set her coffee down! I had already texted her and told her I was going to give her the deposit today and fill out the papers. She agreed to let me see it - - it's being moved out of, and the lady who is moving out is just such a wonderful lady!!  So kind.

    Laura and I walked the house today and were just really surprised at how new and bright it looks. The outside is older stone and mortar, but the trim is really pretty. The windows are all nice. It has two separate porches, one on the side, and one on the front. There is no garage, but a built-in carport, not one that sticks out like an awning. The backyard has a locked gate on both sides. Because it is next door to the apartment complex, many tenants used to walk through the backyard, but thankfully that's been shut off from public use.

    There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living, and dining room, a good hall, and deep closets. there, in the carport area, there is a storage room that is 16x16 and Laura will keep her office in it. We'll get a fireproof door for it, It's heated and cooled, so she'll be fine. The washer, dryer, and extra refrigerator are in that room. We'll store the water in that room, but that's where Laura will office, play, dance, sing, workout, and basically live.

    My side of the house has two bedrooms that are about 12x12 and both bathrooms. Laura can claim the one with the bathtub, and I'll take the one with the shower. The hallway has another closet for linens and towels, and the entire house has hardwood flooring...so nice.  The ceilings are 9' or even 10' in some spaces. TRULY love the space. TRULY hope it goes through and goes well. I paid the deposit, and hopefully around July 20th or so we can start the move. I'm off the 19th, so maybe that weekend.

    Let's just say, this is a God thing. It really is, and I really hope we get it. The rent is cheaper than if Laura and I lived separately, and we get more rooms, more closets, a washer, a dryer, a garbage disposal, a driveway, a carport, and a backyard.  We're over the top happy about it. There are a few really cool things that I'll go ahead and talk about it - - I really do think it will happen, so I'll say it is!

    The living room is smaller, but we don't use ours now. I have a chair I sit in to write, but I don't watch TV. I'll end up buying a nice chair and a nice couch, and we'll set up the TV in that room just in case we do decide to watch it - - but the really cool thing is the dining room! It is a big, fat, open, airy, dining room that my dining table and 4 chairs will look wonderful in; and I will keep it so seasonally decorated!! YES, I will!!  The front and side porches will be seasonally decorated as well. 

    We'll move in the first of August, or the last of July, but come Autumn...that house will be poppin' with color and really cute -- cuteness! Laura can keep her room as messy as she wants to, but I'll let her use my office closet if she needs one to store her stuff in. We have an attic too, so it could be that she just pops her leftover things into buckets and stuffs it up that way - - I'll just have to remind her from time to time where it is.

    Ginger and Rose will LOVE the backyard. It's going to be so wonderful - - and get this, because it is part of the complex, the maintenance is FREE!! The bills are about the same as they are in my apartment now, as they are now. The electricity runs about $150, the gas about $75, and the water about $60.  I only pay electricity where I am now, but Laura and I would be paying $1350 a month if we had two separate places, and mine would only be a one bed - - this is too too too much better.  I'm very excited and hope we can do it. 

    The lady that lives there was saying that the light from outside the window may be too bright at night, but that's OK, we have that now too - - and we have neighbors, stairs, bad carpet, old cabinets, and people who can't remember to keep the doors locked (main door to the building). We won't have that there. It's a detached house! It has a backyard to throw the dogs into, and with the extra refrigerator that I'm storing in Laura's cave, we'll have plenty of cold drinks (water) for the summer!!

    The paint on the walls are great colors - I won't change them. The blinds will be changed later, but not now. They are new, just plastic...I want the wooden blinds. I will buy a few rugs to put under the furniture so the dogs and cats don't slip, but let me just say - - it will be so very wonderful to have a carport for the car during storms and a really good interior closet for tornadoes! It is really an amazing house...the address is not that exciting, and no, I won't give it out, but it's not as cool as the house  -- we'll just say that. 

    I'll find out Monday or Tuesday if she is going to allow us to move there, but she accepted my deposit, so if she puts it through I'm pretty sure it's ours!  I'm not posting photos of the outside, but I'll post the inside soon.

Photo Credit:  Craiyon.com (not actually the house I'm moving to....LOL) 

Sam's Club and Costco

 So, it looks like I will be making a decision this week. I'll either join Sam's Club or I'll join Costco. I'll likely choose Sam's because it's so much closer than Costco, but I think Costco is bigger and would have more things for me to buy. The thing is, however, I don't think I really need to buy most of my things in bulk  -- so it's probably just as well that I'm going to probably choose Sam's.  It's $50 a year for basic club and $100 for the premium membership - - I don't know the difference yet. I will check that out this week as well.

    I think another reason I'll go to Sam's Club is to get my steps in. I can walk it and get my 10,000 steps in pretty easily actually - - and since it's closer I won't have to fight traffic to do it. I like that. I want to get my walking in without having to go to the gym to use their treadmills. I may end up buying a walking pad, to be honest. I can still use Sam's (see, I've made my mind up, haven't I?) as a safety net - - Jeannie will want to go too, and that's cool. I can get all my meat there because I don't mind buying that in bulk and separating it doesn't bother me. $4.48 for a pound of ground is good.

    I will probably buy my vacuum cleaner there. I saw a REALLY good Shark brand unit for $179 that is $279 at Best Buy just 1 mile down the road! Most of the things they have are for bulk use - but there are things that are sold separately. Today, I bought cat litter (52 pounds for $13), honey made in Oklahoma ($16 for a big bottle, worth every penny) and a fat  jar of medium salsa that Laura really loves. I think I'll end up buying my rice, toilet paper, paper towels, dog food, cat food, frozen veggies, meats, and any electronics I think I may have to have  -- but I'm not joining for the savings. I'm joining for the walking ability!!

    Sam's is closer to my heart because it is named after Sam Walton; he's a good man. I'm not a fan of his kids or his grandkids, but he was a good man. He did a great thing for the average man and woman of the South. Of course, Walmarts are all over now, but he started them in Arkansas. I mean, a lot of folks don't know he was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, but he was. I remember being in the 2nd grade, so I was 7, which would have been 1968-69 and that's when I went to my first Walmart store. It was in Amber, Oklahoma. Walmart started out in small towns.

    The first time I saw a restaurant (McDonald's) inside a Walmart, I thought I had seen it all! That, to me, was the epitome of doing things right! I won't shop at a Walmart now unless I go to a small town to do it. I can't stand the way the big city has ruined the brand and how rude and crazy the people inside the stores are in the larger cities. I've yet to see someone being crazy or inappropriate in a small town Walmart. I think they may have them, but I have never seen them, not once. I typically shop at stores where I won't see a lot of nonsense.

    So, I'll pay $50 a year and get my card so I can go walking the aisles and get my steps in, and I'll come out with a few things I'm sure. I may have to buy a big freezer to keep all the meat and ice cream sandwiches in, but if I have to make that sacrifice I can't think of a better reason to do it. There is one thing I saw today that I liked. It was a rolling storage cabinet - - one with French doors. I would use that as a pantry.  I don't know if it would actually fit in my house, but if I had a bigger house I would buy it and use it for that  -- made me think when I saw it!!

Photo Credit: Me.  ( I really have no use for an 86" TV )

    

    

Making Plans - - Big Plans.

 Today, just because I could, I drove to El Reno, OK, which is about 22-24 miles from where I live. I wanted to see if time had changed it, if it was different and if it was, I wanted to know how it was different. I didn't see much change, and I wasn't sure if I was happy about that fact, or not. I suppose in some ways you can say that El Reno, a small city west of Oklahoma City, is the same today as it was literally 50, 60, even 70 years ago. I will say this, it had more churches than I thought it would have, or that I remembered it had. Lots of churches!

    Then, about an hour after I drove there, I took my bestie Jeannie with me out to Okarche and Kingfisher, OK, which is on the same North/South highway as El Reno. Okarche is about the same distance, about 22 miles from Oklahoma City, and Kingfisher is up the road another 10 miles. LOVE LOVE LOVE Kingfisher, Oklahoma! It has literally everything I need, but it doesn't have the two things I want  -- my kids (which include my grands) and it doesn't have my besties.

    So, what to do? I want to move out and I want my own place, but it looks like I'm going to have to make plans to stay relatively close to where I am now so that I can be closer to the grands, closer to the kids, and of course, closer to the besties. Robin and Jeannie have been in my life since I was a kid - - they do mean a great deal to me. I'll end up buying a place in or around where I live now, or maybe down into Norman, OK but it's going to take some time.

    I'll need to save about 10-15% of the house cost so I can get a better house in a better neighborhood, and I'll need to be at my job for about a year so I get better breaks from lenders too. Looks like I'll end up renting for about a year, saving each month, waiting for the interest rates to fall (which they will after November) and I'll end up getting a place that suits me better than one that is farther away - - even though I truly love Kingfisher. I guess Jeannie and I can take a few trips out that way each year - - maybe that will suffice.

    The best thing for me probably, if I'm honest, is a condo. I  know the funding is tougher, but if I'm putting up 10% I should be OK. I don't like lawn work, so the  HOA makes sense to me.  A two-bed two-bath place with 1000 sq ft will be in the $115,000 range with $250 a month for HOA. (The HOA covers the water, sewage, trash, and lawn maintenance as well as the exterior insurance.) I'll be fine. I have never been one to do anything outside the lines so I will fit into an HOA just fine.

    For now, at least the next few months, I'll end up getting an apartment near where I live now and "suffer through" the one-bed one-bath thing for a while - - though to be honest, I'm a cave dog and have no problems with smaller places. Even if I had $$$$ I couldn't see myself buying a big place. I may buy a place with a big barn! I could do that and stuff it full of horses. I could...but I probably won't. I believe those days are over too. I'm just going to be content, which if you think about it, makes more peaceful sense than anything else.

    I'm too blessed to be stressed. This much I know.

Photo Credit: www.flikr.com 

"Murder Book" is an eBook!! (June 22 Publishing Date)

 June 22, 2024 is NOT just my best friend's birthday, but it is also the day that my book "Murder Book" comes out in eBook format on Amazon! It will be sold for $3.99 and of that I am paid $1.60 (which is a LOT lower than I expected!) I was told we were paid 70% but we're not. It's 40% and where that sucks, it's not the money that I'm excited about, it's getting the book out there for people to read!

    When "Mesa" comes out (also June 22, 2024) it will be in PRINT form until about August and then it too, will be in eBook format. I'm doing one book every two weeks and I'm doing them in order for the most part. I want all of the books to have the same chance(s) as the others do.  I don't necessarily like one of my books over another one - - but I am partial (just a little) to "Murder Book".  

    There was a time when I thought I would learn to do the conversion myself, save money, and be the author who did all things by herself - - then I realized how much work it would be and decided that paying .60 per page for them to do it made a lot more sense. I do realize that it means I have to sell about 115 books to break even, but that's OK too. Again, it's not about the money -- it's the good experience. It's worth it. "Murder Book" has 308 pages and it costs $184.80 to get done. It was painless really - - but now I don't have to worry....hopefully.

    I've never seen a book go from print to eBook (my books) but I'm hoping that what I read about the conversion is true. I think all I have to do is pay for it, hit the little button that asks for a free ISBN - - and then hit the other button that says "convert Print to eBook" and BAM!  Done! At least, that is my hope. If I paid $184.80 and I still have to do something, I'm not going to be happy.

    I wanted the books to be $1.99 for the first 90 days and then changed to $3.99 but decided again, that I would have to keep going back and forth, and it would be a headache - - people can pay $3.99. It's cheap. It's a good cheap price for a 308-page book that is fun and it has several sequels. I do it - - I buy three or four books from unknown authors for $2.99-4.99 and think nothing of it. I even paid $8.99 once - - wow! I must have seen something in the reviews that I liked.

    That's another thing; having the book out on Amazon for $3.99 on eBook guarantees me more reviews. I can't say everyone will be kind, but I'm not writing to please anyone either - - I write to write. I have stories in my head that need to be expressed, so I write them. I do hope others like them, and I pray they are read over and over again - - that would make me happy. I want to hear what people think, but if they only want to say mean or rude things -- then yeah, no, I don't want to hear it. I'm not saying they have to lie - - I just want to know if the book was enjoyable.

    So, when you think about it - - write down the date for June 22, 2024, and go to Amazon to see if both "Mesa" and "Murder Book" are available. I'd rather pay $3.99 for an eBook than to pay $18.00 for a printed book. That's just me. I have to fix "Mesa" before it comes out. I'm reading it for its last go around now...it's available, but let me just say - it SUCKS right now because Ingram Spark published it incorrectly, and I have to go in and make MAJOR corrections with the formatting. I have to get them to stop the press on it until it's ready to go.

FUN TIMES!

Photo Credit: PublishDrive.com

"MESA" Correcting It.

 This probably won't be that long of a blog - I have to get into the book and start reading it so I can make all the necessary corrections. I read it as a book because reading it online is too hard for me to do after the 3rd time. I need to hold it, see it, turn the pages, and take the ballpoint pen to the pages when I do find errors. I know I'll find quite a few - - hopefully less than I think I will find - - I am really hoping for less.

    The main thing is, when I first saw it - - right out of the cardboard sleeve they sent it in, I noticed that the dang book is off-center on the front cover - - that will have to be corrected. The entire cover will have to be resized of course, which isn't a big deal, but I hate that I have to. They didn't use the one I sent up apparently, they cropped it somehow and I have to fix it - - they claim I sent it that way - - I hate them so much.

    The back cover has HUGE lettering which will need to be adjusted. It looked fine when I saw it online, but when you see it in person - - not so much. The photo of me is too dark too - - sucks. That's the cover - - the book's interior has a major problem with the space going into the gutter - - the center of the book. There is virtually NO space and I set it up for it to be at least .4 (which means nothing to you, but it's good) and they either didn't take my criteria or the formatting got screwed up when they uploaded. I don't know, but I have to find out before I resubmit. I don't want them to do it and have it be too wide.

    Writing and publishing books is a lot of fun - - but it's also a lot of work. I'll read the book over the week and send it up on Sunday to be redone. It should be ready to buy by June 22. You can "buy" it now, but it won't be printed until June 22 and by then it should be corrected. Fun times for me this week! Good thing I like the book - - and the author. She is so nice to me.

Photos Credit: Peanuts.com

NEW BOOK -- IN THE WORKS (Just Beginning)

 I suppose I could say that this book is now being written in that I have thought about it for over two years, but I've not put it to ink and/or keystrokes until today. Today, I'm working on the outline, or more specifically the things that will go into the outline. I'm doing what I call posting points. I have a notebook, I put a bunch of bullet points on it, and I start posting events; things that take place in the book -- not necessarily in order.

    The way I do this is simple; I literally sit down and write out points, just statements of what I think will take place. Then, as I go back over the points, I start putting them into chronological order to see where it all starts, where it will end, and what the general and/or overall story will be. Of course, the story won't start until the introductions are finished.

    The book will be about 86,000 words. It will be about 320 pages like all the other books. It will be about 30 chapters, and it will have about the same style. I will introduce the main characters, show them in a situation, evolve that situation, and maybe add a few new situations, and it will finally climax and be resolved later in the book.

    The first five or six chapters will be the introduction of the main character Leigh Avery Madsen. She's the lead character, and she's from DeQueen, Arkansas.  She went to college and got a degree in Finance Management. Over time she became a financial planner, but she wanted more.  She uncovers a lot of SEC violations with the new firm she's been hired into, and that leads to her having to make a decision to blow the whistle. Believe it or not, that's not the storyline for the book.

    The next few chapters will talk about the people she meets, the men she has been interested with as opposed to the man she becomes interested in; and the differences between being seen and unseen, being helped and being ignored. There are vast differences in our loves, lives, and leisure. We have so many times when we want to be seen, and so many times when we don't wish to be. This book discusses those.

    The book is a journey for more than just Leigh; she enters the lives of a few unseen and helps them to become seen. She enters the lives of the seen and helps them to become unseen. She enters the lives of the unseen who wish to remain unseen, but she needs to and chooses to expose them - to make them seen. In doing so she is seen and needs to become invisible before she's killed for her efforts to do the right thing.

    The book is a drama book. It is not a thriller, it is not a murder mystery, it is not a hot romance book - - but I will throw in a hot romantic scene -- because I like writing them. There will also be a love story, but not in the traditional way that Hallmark or others portray love; more along the line of what the Bible calls love in this book the main characters are in fact Christians, and the struggle for them is just as real as those who do not profess to follow Christ.

    It's not a Bible-Thumper, but it will mention the love, devotion, and redemptiveness of being a Believer. It will talk about faith, lack of faith, what it means to live by it, and what it means to prove it. There are true feelings and true events in the book. What I'm REALLY excited about is my preacher Charlie Garrett of Sarasota, Florida has given me permission to use his real name, likeness, and mannerisms in the book! Woot!! That makes this book - - super cool. His wife Hideko will be in the book as well, and I'll have Leigh work with Charlie at the projects in Sarasota where many unseen and forgotten live.

    The book is about appreciation. It is about awareness. It is about understanding why some are acceptable and some are made outcasts by those who have the power to do so. It is about inequality; as much as it is about finding ways to combat those who think they have the right to create such inequality. The strong survive; so be strong.

    This book will start in genuine in about a week or maybe sooner, but today I'm writing names, places, dates, things that happen, and conversations that will take place. I'm thinking of backstories for the characters who don't have major roles; there will be quite a few. The main characters will be Leigh Madsen the female lead, and her main interest Mathew James McConner (My name would have been Matthew James if I was a boy, that's why I chose this name and I took out one of the "T"s for good measure.) Charlie is another main character as well. His work is key to the understanding of what it means to be a servant.

    The notebook is full, so full, of details and what I want to add. Most of it must be what Leigh relates to her friends, family, Charlie, or Mathew. She may have a therapist too; I think adding one will help others on the bubble about needing one. Everyone needs someone to talk to - - I have you! I just tell you everything and feel so much better afterward. I also have my dog, my kids, and my best friend - - I won't discount the fact that I also have Jesus. He is first to hear of my every need or complaint; and hopefully my praise.

    The book has started. I won't tell you the title until it is published. There's a reason for it.

Photo Credit:  Charlie Garrett of The Superior Word in Sarasota, FL.  My preacher. You can find him on Rumble.com and YouTube  (The Superior Word) 

eBooks!! They're Coming Soon. (Very Soon)

 I have this really cool job, and I love it. It doesn't pay a lot, I'm not going to get rich, but what it does is allow me to work and have a steady good enough income that allows me to think, be on top of my writing game, and not stress about quotas and all that. It's not fast-paced; it's even-keeled. It's not high-pressure. If I want to, I get up out of my chair (it's in my home office) and I go get coffee, walk the dog, and even run to the store if I want to. I just use that time for break time - - it all works out. I do my job, and I get paid.

    Why am  I telling you this? Well, there's a bonus program with the job. If people I'm calling decide to pay their debts from the claims I'm telling them about, then I get X amount for every paid claim. It varies from client to client. It's not a lot, but if I get over X amount, I get a bonus as well as a commission. I'm a claims adjuster, but we also recover for our clients. That's cool - - I like that. I'm trying not to make too much money so I can still collect my SSA (I'm old) and the thing is, it will adjust next year on what I make this year, so if I have to lose a little next year that's OK, I'll save it this year -- and put it into my books! That's the plan.

    So, in a week when I'm paid again, I'll pay for 2 books to be converted into ePub files and uploaded into my Ingram Spark account. I've decided to pay Ingram Spark to do it, so I know it's done correctly, and I can blame them if it isn't. If I do it, God only knows what can happen to the formatting. It's about $250 per book, some less and some more, but about $250 per book. It's a one-time fee and then I start reaping the benefits of the book sales. I'll charge $2.99 a book and make $2.10 per book. That may not sound like much, but right now for a printed book at $18.00, I only make $1.60!  You do the math.

    That's my plan!! The first books to be ePubbed are "Murder Book" and "Of Kilted Pleasure".  They'll be first, then I'll have "Pinball" and "Edinburgh" done together too. Then it will be "1211" and "Bay Sorrell Ranch".  Since I just wrote "Mesa" I will do it after those books are done, then as I write I'll do the print and the ebook at the same time. The print is free - but the ebook is $250 or so; which is OK, I'm not going to become upset about it. I know I can force myself to learn it, but then again, as I mentioned, if I do mess up and have format errors, that's on me. I'd rather just pay to have them do it.

    Ingram Spark gives ISBN numbers to anyone who publishes with them, and they usually run $30-100 so that's a saving.  This is going to be good. I was going to promote the books, and I will, but it's better to promote them after they are all online as eBooks. Can't wait. I'll be happier when I start seeing sales go up - and any sales money that comes in from the eBooks will go into promotions of said books. Soon, and hopefully very soon, I can be a full time author and travel back and forth to Scotland like I want to - - writing, reading, walking, hiking, playing, listening, dreaming, and praying. I can't think of a better life, here on Earth anyway.

    eBooks make up 21-25% of the book sales now, so that's cool. I know that most people still love printed books, but at $2.99 instead of $18.00 it could be that a lot of people choose eBooks in the future for themselves. I only read eBooks now. I mean, I read my own printed books, but I only order a copy to go through it to see if there are any mistakes, and I correct them and send them back up for correction - - with them doing the eBook instead of me, that's their job!! They won't correct any of my errors, so I'll have to wait until I get the print book corrected before I pay them to transfer it to eBook format.  I can do that.

    This is too cool. Now, I have to figure out how to do the audiobook thing! 

Photo Credit.  www.flippingbook.com 

MESA (It's UP There!)

 It only took me several hours today to get "Mesa" ready for production. I had to go through it ONE MORE TIME as I usually do, and I will go through it again once I've approved it for print. I'll order one copy, go through it as I read it (in my hands as opposed to on the screen) and I'll take a pen to it - marking all the mistakes. Then, I go back to the PDF make the changes, and upload it again. If I do this within 60 days of the original upload I'm not charged.

    Ingram Spark is a good place to publish, but they don't help you whatsoever when you need help. You have to email every time and hope you get someone interested in doing their job. I get that they're busy, I do. I know I'm not the only problem they have, but to say "The file can't be loaded" because of font embed issues is insane!! I take extra care to download them, flatten them, embed them, and print them as Adobe PDF files - - it's so aggravating when they don't take the file because I keep thinking it's something I did or didn't do. Then, on the 11th try - bam! They take it. 

    In a few days, they'll write to me and ask if I approve it. I'll approve it so I can get them to print one copy and send it to me. If there are issues I'll let them know, and re-up it, and reapprove it. It's a hassle, but it's free and it's the best way I can do the whole process. I can't find the mistakes on my own when I just skim over or even go through the file manually. My eyes won't see all of my mistakes until I've been away from the manuscript for at least two weeks. That's why I go ahead and print it but I don't put it up for sale.

    "Mesa" is coming out on June 22, which is my best friend's birthday. I dedicated the book to my daughter Laura, but I know I won't have the thing 100% done for two weeks, why not make it three and celebrate its print at the same time I celebrate my buddy!!  Woo Hoo! It's a plan. It's a good plan too. I like this plan.

    I sent the cover-up and the interior today, and it came back with the embed issue. Naturally, like a dummy, I thought the problem was me and I tore into the cover thinking I hadn't flattened it when I downloaded it. I did it a 2nd and 3rd time, then when it still wouldn't upload, I called Adobe and they helped. They couldn't get Ingram to accept their downloads either - - and then it hit me; it wasn't the cover! It was the interior file. I must have uploaded one that wasn't saved as an Adobe PDF...just a regular PDF.

    OMG!! I hate the number of hoops you have to jump through, but OK, I do understand their need for it to be precise. I downloaded and saved it as an ADOBE PDF this time, and they took it - - yes, yes, yes. I am very happy. It will cost me $5.70 to order one copy. I can't do that of course, until they set it up and have it approved by me - - that will be Thursday or Friday and then it will take another two weeks to get me that copy. I can read it in 2 days, but I do have to wait for a weekend.

    That's going to be June 14-16 and then I can upload the new file with any and all corrections, and the thing will be instantly corrected and on sale June 22, 2024.  It will cost about $19.00 for the printed version, and I'll have the eBooks out soon too. That's the next project -- I will take the next two weeks off and start reading on how to do that exactly - - and I need to find out how to do the whole audiobook thing. I think I'm going to do that as well.

    "Mesa" is done! That makes me so happy.  I'm hoping to write the next book in about 3 or 4 weeks, so I can get it out by August. That's the plan, and then the next by October, and "Cask" will be out by Christmas. Looks like I'm only writing five books in 2024, but that's nothing to sneeze at, right? Five books:  One blog book, two dramas, and two Posh thrillers. It's a good plan -- again, I like the plan.  Now, if I can only get them sold!! That would be awesome. I have a plan for that too - - prayer. (that and promotion)