Jude Stringfellow's Blog, page 39

Edinburgh (The Book) Revamped. ALREADY!!

     So, I wrote these really cool sex scenes for the book, and as I read them back to myself today I realized that I didn't really want my book to be that smutty. Sorry. I didn't want to use words that were associated with raw or lustful sex, because I wanted the characters to show that they had feelings and emotional attachments, and then there was this whole over-the-top dom/sub thing that was getting out of hand really, so I nipped it in the bud. Yes, you can do that when you're the author. 

    I remember years ago I bought the novel "A Star is Born" and I read it, but when I did my eyes were just sweating from some of the things they said! I really had no idea that the publishers were even allowed to print that sort of thing. I literally took a black Sharpie and censored my own purchased copy. I didn't want it in the house with those words. Well, I sort of felt the same way after I wrote the steamy scene in "Of Kilted Pleasure" too. I left one rather erotic scene in it; but I did take out at least one before sending it to the printer. I'm a prude I guess; that, or I'm just not into smut.

    The girls and I will write out erotica stories and little tales for a good Pyrate Nite, but we don't read them out loud if a man is present. It's a rule. I decided that for the purposes of my book, the Pyrate Nite the ladies plan will be more about the planning, and the things they like to do rather than the things they like to say. I don't drink, so when I add wine or beer (or anything stronger) to the characters in my books I really have to think about it; I don't get drunk, so I don't want them to. I know that sounds incredibly restrictive as an author doesn't it?

    I may have someone get tipsy and show that they are feeling good, but I think it's important to mention the loss of control as well; or the fact that consuming alcohol can make a person do or say stupid things; things they may regret when the affects of the drinks wear off. Part of me wishes I wasn't this way, but the other part says it's a good way to be, so I just go with it. I know right from wrong. I don't have to question whether or not it's a good thing to write or have my characters participate in. I decided to tone it down. 

    I'm at 56%, having only changed things today, and making a few tweaks here and there. I'll pick it up tomorrow and get more done. I have to start on the new adventures of Nikki Doukas tomorrow. She'll be a rather prominent character and when she and her new beau do drink; they will not be irresponsible. All of the characters have a drink now and then; no one is opposed to being social, It's just that I won't have a falling-down drunk character in one of my books unless I show him or her being in need of help; and then they get that help. Someone else can write otherwise I suppose. I'm going to write what I'm going to write. 

    That's all for today. I wanted to say that I didn't do much in the way of writing, but I did do a bit in the way of formatting and reorganizing. I had a bear of a time with these random square symbols that just decided to show up in my document. I had to Google how to remove them, and after 3 videos I finally found the solution. Dang!! Seriously...dang!! I had somehow added a weird border that had to be removed. If that ever happens to you, you'll know the frustration. 

Geez!

Photo Credit: Unknown

Edinburgh (The Book) HALF WAY THERE!!

         Technically, if I aim to write 86,000 words for the romance novel, I am over 50% completed. I have just under 48,000 words written so that's closer to 55% finished. Woot!! I could say that I'm making a dent in it, but I feel as if the halfway mark is real and I'm on the way out of the novel at this point. I have so much more to write too. I have the Pyrate Night, I have to write about Nikki's departure from her roost near Austin to come live in Elyn's neck of the woods. In doing that I'll introduce Emilo, Nikki's lover, and I'll need to throw in at least one good recipe. I'm thinking biscuits and gravy, and it will be something Elyn makes for her bedfellow Arran. He'll like that; he's into new things...he's into food. 

    Thus far, Elyn has been in Edinburgh for about a month or so. Christmas is coming, and that's when she and Arran find out some of the vast differences between family in America and family in Britain. She's able to set herself free and experience life as she sees fit, but he's tied with a bit of compulsory tradition which he can't shake or let go of long enough to really enjoy the holidays.  He wishes he could; perhaps Elyn will be his lighthouse. This could lead to more metaphors and innuendo, so I'm not going to say too much, but there may be more than the stockings being hung by the chimney, and it may be more than visions of something sweet dancing. Do you believe in Santa Claus? It may make a difference. 

    Tomorrow marks the full week of writing this particular book. I began writing on Tuesday 8/22 after doing the cover on 8/21. At this rate, I should be finished by next Sunday. If I am, I will use Labor Day to read through the manuscript to make changes and find mistakes. I'll then set it up to be sent off. That's when Ingram sends it back to me for review and approval. I will have another shot at changing it and making corrections. I'll try to do all the things necessary before I format it. I hate making corrections that could change the interior layout. It can be a real hassle. 

    We'll see how it goes - - today was all about romance..well, sex, but there was romance in there too. If you think writing about two people being intimate is easy, you should just sit yourself down and try doing it. It is not that cut and dry. There are means, ways, methods, personalities, sounds, sights...there are too many things to include, that's for sure. I took to reading some excerpts from books online just so I could get a feel of where to start and how to finish the event(s) without understating the purpose of the scene, and without over-communicating. The characters deserve a bit of privacy in most cases.

    That's about it. I'll not write another sex scene for another 4 chapters. That will or should be about Tuesday. We'll see how it all works out. This book will have 5 or 6 good steamy scenes in it; some real, some imaginary. It's a good book and one that while you can't take it to work with you, could be gifted to someone you think about cooking with or someone you think could use a little tinsel hanging  -- too much? OK...bye!!

Photo Credit: Ellis Tuesday

Edinburgh (The Book) HALF WAY THERE!! SEX SEX SEX.

         Technically, if I aim to write 86,000 words for the romance novel, I am over 50% completed. I have just under 48,000 words written so that's closer to 55% finished. Woot!! I could say that I'm making a dent in it, but I feel as if the halfway mark is real and I'm on the way out of the novel at this point. I have so much more to write too. I have the Pyrate Night, I have to write about Nikki's departure from her roost near Austin to come live in Elyn's neck of the woods. In doing that I'll introduce Emilo, Nikki's lover, and I'll need to throw in at least one good recipe. I'm thinking biscuits and gravy, and it will be something Elyn makes for her bedfellow Arran. He'll like that; he's into new things...he's into food. 

    Thus far, Elyn has been in Edinburgh for about a month or so. Christmas is coming, and that's when she and Arran find out some of the vast differences between family in America and family in Britain. She's able to set herself free and experience life as she sees fit, but he's tied with a bit of compulsory tradition which he can't shake or let go of long enough to really enjoy the holidays.  He wishes he could; perhaps Elyn will be his lighthouse. This could lead to more metaphors and innuendo, so I'm not going to say too much, but there may be more than the stockings being hung by the chimney, and it may be more than visions of something sweet dancing. Do you believe in Santa Claus? It may make a difference. 

    Tomorrow marks the full week of writing this particular book. I began writing on Tuesday 8/22 after doing the cover on 8/21. At this rate, I should be finished by next Sunday. If I am, I will use Labor Day to read through the manuscript to make changes and find mistakes. I'll then set it up to be sent off. That's when Ingram sends it back to me for review and approval. I will have another shot at changing it and making corrections. I'll try to do all the things necessary before I format it. I hate making corrections that could change the interior layout. It can be a real hassle. 

    We'll see how it goes - - today was all about sex. Sex, and more sex. If you think writing about two people being intimate is easy, you should just sit yourself down and try doing it. It is not that cut and dry. There are means, ways, methods, personalities, sounds, sights...there are too many things to include, that's for sure. I took to reading 50 incredible sex scenes written for novels, just so I could get a feel of where to start and how to finish the event(s) without understating the purpose of the scene, and without over-communicating. The characters deserve a bit of privacy in most cases.

    That's about it. I'll not write another sex scene for another 4 chapters. That will or should be about Tuesday. We'll see how it all works out. This book will have 5 or 6 good steamy scenes in it; some real, some imaginary. It's a good book and one that while you can't take it to work with you, could be gifted to someone you think about cooking with or someone you think could use a little tinsel hanging  -- too much? OK...bye!!

Photo Credit: Ellis Tuesday

Edinburgh (The Book) Literally Blowing Through it.

    This is the most fun a girl can have, let me just say that.  I'm past the 1/3 point of the book, and I think I started on Monday. I'll need to go look.  Yes, I made the cover for the book first on the 21st, which is a little odd, but that's OK. I'm a little odd too.  I made the cover first, and now I'm on the 13th chapter; 4 days later.  I started writing the book on August 22, which is a great day to do anything. The 22nd of any month is my favorite day.  I was born November 22, my best friend was born June 22, my son was born March 22, and my daddy was born April 22. My nephew was born on August 22, and that's the day I met Jeannie (my best friend).  Robin and Maurice Gibb were born December 22, so I gave Faith (my dog) the same birthday since she was born near that day.  I like the 22nd.  It's a great day.

    So, here I am, in my office, sitting at the desk typing. I have decided that two chapters a day is a good amount, but tomorrow being Saturday, and then again on Sunday, I could see myself cranking out 3 or even 4 chapters each day. I assume there will be about 30 chapters. I assume there will be about 86,000 words. There will need to be about that many words because I've already made the dang cover and I don't want to have to do that again. Depending on the thickness, and the page count, you have to adjust the spine width. It's good the way it is. I need to go see if I made it a 5x8 or a 6x9. It's a romance book, so I should have done the 6x9. Goodness, now I'm second-guessing myself. 

    After checking, I found that I did make it a 5x8 book, so that's going to be changed. I want the romance novels to be 6x9 and the murder books to be 5x8. I know, it's the craziest thing, but I like that. My Blog Books are also 6x9; it seems to be a favored size these days. Speaking of the Blog Books, I had to redo the cover on the 2nd book because I made a boo-boo and created it with a PRO or paid cover photo. Oops!! I changed it, and it's available now on Amazon. That only took 2 weeks to get the cover correct. Geez Louise, it wasn't easy. When I got it in the mail I didn't like the thickness of it, so I changed the size of the font and the spacing. It went from 262 pages to 317. OK, enough about that, this blog is about the new book.

    One of the best things about writing a romance novel is writing the sex scenes. No, really, it's hilarious fun. You get to be so free and say what you want to say. You can create character flaws, you can be a real jerk about it. You can be humble, and easy-going, or you can rip the wallpaper off the wall in a heated moment. It's all up to you, you're the author!! To get me going on what it is I want to say I typically read other works from authors I think go way overboard with the wording so I can do exactly what they did, but pull out before I completely make a mess of things. OMG...did I just say that? Geez...again, yeah, no. Sorry!! LOL

    I sort of do a food-porn thing at one point; making innuendo and using double-speak to make a few points; it's fun. I re-read it and laughed myself silly over what just came out of my keyboard. I can be so blunt sometimes. Other times I can be so sweet and forgiving; even affectionate. I love writing. It really really is the best job out there. I hope I can sell enough books to make it a full-time gig - - oh wait, maybe I should put a lot more sex in the book...yeah, that's the ticket. I'm good. I'll just write and be myself and see what happens.  It's good now. I don't want it to be someone someone reads to use as an example of someone going too far. 

    There will be at least two more sex scenes in the book. One will be real, and one will be a reflection of what happened in the character's life before she moved to Scotland. Oh, and there will be excerpts from writings that are steamy because the ladies have a Pyrate Night in the book; that requires erotic reading, drinking, fun games, and no men allowed...thems the rules!! Just the gals, swinging from a pole, smoking cigars, and trying to outdo each other using their favorite weapons...a pen or a keyboard. Actually, in the book it's going to be only pens. They have to write it out - - there's something about writing it out that makes it so much more personal. I think so anyway.

    That's it for today. I'll write more on Sunday to say I'm 1/2 way through the book. I think I will be. Let's see, I'm at 30,450 words now, that's 35%. With 7,500 words tomorrow, and the same on Sunday, that will be roughly 45,000 so yeah, that will be over 1/2 way there. Boom!  I love it. I love it. The real character of the book, the star character, is the City of Edinburgh. I'll describe her, talk about how she has existed, how seductive she can be, and how strong of a fortress she has been for so many centuries. She is my long-lost hope -- I will end up living there at least 1/2 the year after I write enough and sell enough books to afford it. She is not cheap!! Nope, she is one expensive and high-maintenance lady.

Photo Credit: Unknown

Edinburgh (The Book) Five Chapters In So Far.

 This one will be short and sweet, but even if it's not short, it should be sweet. I can say that much.   I believe in being as nice as possible, so here's just another example of that.

    I'm writing a novel that I haven't ever thought about writing really; it's a present-time romance novel, but I have to include murder and mayhem, it would be mine if I didn't. I won't say I love murder and mayhem, but I do think the commercials are funny.  That only makes sense if you're into insurance. I write novels, and today I'm writing a novel about a woman who has been through the wringer and I do mean through it. She's seen so much in her 42 years that she feels the need to run away from it all, leaving behind her life, her friends, her family, and her cat - - she isn't leaving her dog, the dog died a year ago, so she's moving forward from that too. The cat she'll leave with a good friend, and no worries, he's not all that affectionate anyway.

    She's a lot like me in so many ways, but then again, she's completely not like me in that she will see through to the end some of the things I hope to see through to the end. She will achieve what I am striving to achieve. She will be far more promiscuous as well. I could only dream about such things - - and yes, I do dream about such things. She does these things. She gets out there and grabs that man by the scruff of his collar, turns him around, and makes him an offer he chooses to accept. No one forces him, and no one judges either of them. They are where they are when they are, and they do what people do in fantasy romance books.  Reality is never so easy, is it?

    Well, today I wrote about 7500 words and I added those to my 6000+ words from yesterday, so I'm at 13,800 I think, something like that.  The entire book will be 86,000+ give or take, so I'm 16% done! Wow! I love that. I'm two days in and I'm at 16%. With this rate I can be at 32% in two more days, 48% by the weekend, and who knows, I could complete this book by Labor Day weekend. Woot! Wouldn't that be hilarious? I mean seriously, I may actually try to make that happen just to be able to say I did it. I want it to be good too, of course. I do like the way it's shaping up. It was beginning to bore me at one point, but I mixed up a little canoodling and there you go, instant betterment. (again, another insurance term)

    So, yeah, short and sweet, just like I  promised.  Elyn is thinking about thinking, and she's coming to grips with some of the more challenging issues from the stale-ended career path she thought would be world-changing. Teachers often go into the profession with wide eyes and hopes to make a difference, only to find out that the harder more accepted reality for educators is to shut up and do whatever they're told to do. It's a hard lesson for sure, and one I'm so very happy I never have to deal with again. Where do you think I got the material for most of the book? Right out of my own personal journals! Elyn will be the me I was, the me I am, and the me I want to someday maybe be. I can't say I really want to manhandle a man anytime soon, but I may not be opposed to a few of the concepts I create for the woman.

Oh my! 

    

Photo Credit: BeardSorcery.com 

Edinburgh (The Book) Progress.

 When I set my mind to do something, I decide to do it, and I do it. It's not rocket science. I couldn't do rocket science even if I set my mind to do so. That's not supposed to sound as complex as it did. I am not a Math person, and I'm pretty certain there is Math involved with both rockets and science. I am a wordsmith. I write. I mull words, I create them, I put them together, and I often times misuse them. If I had to live without words I would not be living. This much I know.

    So the book I'm writing now is titled "Edinburgh" and it is a romance novel. It is a current or present-time book, not a period, or a back-in-the-day type book. Nope, it is taking place in real-time, but I don't think I'll say "2023" as it will be moot sometime down the road. I think there could be events that take place that make (or allow) people think it's 2023 or so. I did say "post-Pandemic" at one point; so that's at least after 2021-2022.  We'll go with that.

    I have set a goal to write the book in a very very short amount of time. I won't say a week or two weeks, but I think I'm going to write the book really quickly. I am not going to make too much of a fuss about it. I'm not going to redo or overthink it. I'm really just writing it and watching it develop. This isn't one of those books where I do a great deal of research and then make up things to fit the narrative. Nope, this is going to be a talk-and-type sort of book. I'll literally make up stories, thoughts, discussions, and such as I go throughout the day. I'll pretend in my head and then put it on paper. I'll carry on conversations with myself and pretend to be every character; that should give the neighbors something to watch.

    I've written 6500 words in about 3 or 4 hours. Today was the first day of writing, and although I thought I would be starting at the beginning and then going through the book in chronological order basically, that's not what happened. I wrote out Chapters One and Two only to realize they are longer and more detailed than what I would want to read if I were reading the book. You see, the first chapters should grab the reader, and keep them hooked for a while; then you put in the long drawn out boring tedious stuff. That's my theory anyway. It works for me. That's my style, we'll say that...yeah, that's me.

    OK, so Elyn, the main character, will be fashioned a lot from my own personal experiences, but she'll have so many experiences I only wished I had, or dreamed I had, or fantasized that I had. She'll be the me inside my head. She'll do what I wish I could do with or without people watching. She and I are equally bold, but she'll get away with more than I think I would. After all, in Elyn's world Jude is the creator of the results of her actions. In Jude's world, it's not the same; believe me. (am I really speaking in 3rd person right now?) If I did what I will have Elyn do, I could expect a completely different outcome. People like bold people; they live through them; Elyn is certainly bold.

    Right now, as I've written two chapters, I only have about 80,000 words to go. If I keep up this pace, writing about 6500 words every day, it will only take me 13 days to write the book. I can do that. I can do more. I can possibly take the entire day to write 15,000-18,000 words and then I'd be way way way ahead of schedule, but there is no real schedule. The thing that is driving me to do this book so quickly is that I may be deployed soon and I won't have the time to finish it the way I wanted to. By deployed I'm not talking about a military deployment; I am a claims adjuster. We get deployed to write estimates for damages. I'm an auto desk worker.

    If I am deployed soon I will work 6 or 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. giving me only a few hours to write. I mean, I would actually write during that time, but I should also get up and move about; exercise, eat, and walk the dogs. (spoiler: I will walk the dogs and eat throughout the day. I work from home)  I'll get the book written soon, and then because I can, I'll format it and upload it with the new handy-dandy book cover I made yesterday. BAM...soon, very soon, the romantic quirkier-than-quirky novel "EDINBURGH" will be published and on sale through Amazon. 

    Since I'm writing the book on a whim, it may or may not be written to the liking of anyone whatsoever, but I know I like it, and as I've said before, I write to write. I don't write to sell. If it happens to sell I'll be happy. I'll use it as a means to ask the Scottish government to give me a creative Visa so I can invest time and money into my adopted land; it's a win-win.   You and I both know that some people will love the book; you can't help but please some when you write and try to be pleasing. I don't try to please anyone other than myself because I don't expect anyone to like what I produce. My answer is usually if you don't like it don't read it, and if you think you can do better, please do.

    Right now, in the two chapters I've written, Elyn has been suspended from teaching because a student's parent isn't happy that Elyn writes about violence; but she is a Creative Writing teacher, and there's the fact that most novels that sell are about sex and/or violence...just sayin'.  Teachers aren't necessarily paid well, so some of them supplement their careers in different ways, which include ghostwriting or simply writing. Elyn Fletcher is a writer first, and a teacher second. That also resonates with me. I think the book will be therapeutic for me because I'm still somewhat upset and discombobulated about all the years and times I was a teacher when I was dismissed, fired, suspended, and/or terminated for stupid and odd reasons. It happened to me seven times, and all seven times I took it to hearing and won. Elyn has a similar fate.

    I'll not harp on the whole teacher-bashing, but I do get my licks in. The book is about going to Edinburgh, uncovering history in her own past, and finding an old murder coverup that she wants to write about because it's not only closer to her family than she had ever been led to know, and it's bloody interesting!!  You'll have to read it to find out, but Elyn takes the trip seriously enough to remain; which again, makes sense to me. If I could do it today, I'd be there. Maybe "Edinburgh" will be my ticket to living just outside of the real Edinburgh. I don't want to live inside it really, I don't like tourists, and where Elyn also has the same propensity,  she doesn't let it stop her from helping those who mistake her for a local; in fact, that bit makes her smile.

Photo Credit: Pixaby.com 

Edinburgh. (A Romance Novel)

 One of the best things about being a writer is that I don't have to write anything in particular, and I am not tied by any contracts (at this time) to produce a specific genre, a particular project, etc. I can be, and I am, free to write whatever the heck I want or choose to write. I love that. I have decided to write another novel, but this one is a one-off, it's not in a series of any kind. It's just a book about a woman who decides to do a DNA test, she realizes she's more Scottish than she thought she was, and she makes up her mind to retrace a bit of old history that her grandparents had tried to cover up; maybe a murder.  She goes back to Scotland to find out that it was true, and she tries to be as unbiased about the situation as possible. 

    Finding her roots is of course interesting; and realizing she's up for the task makes it that much more inviting. Having traveled a bit, she knows the ropes when it comes to not looking like a tourist; immersing herself into the culture leads to more than she bargained for; could it be love? Oh my! It very well could be. Who knew? (Just about everyone who ever penned a romantic novel, that's who.)

    Well, I came across the project quite organically, I will say that. I was going over my book covers to be sure I had used only royalty-free images when I realized that I could click the radio button allowing ONLY free content; such is my life. I do things a bit backward at times. I did use the appropriate cover, so I felt good about that. I had to redo a more recent one; this is what led me to check on the eight or nine others I've created. I was a member of Adobe Stock when I downloaded them, so whew! Dodged that one!!

    Anyway, I found a few pictures of Edinburgh that I thought for sure would be in the PRO or paid category, but they were not! There are actually free pictures of my beloved adopted city, and I decided to make a fun book cover just for the heck of it. When I did, I also realized that I LOVED the idea of writing a more modern book rather than the 18th-century series that I have started. I don't have to keep it up or add to it, this can be a book I just crank out for the fun of it, and make all the glamourous mistakes I would make if I decided to do some of the same things my character does. She'll be younger than me, but she'll be just as adventurous and as off-putting at times. She'll find herself in a hole she's created for herself. We'll see how creative she can be; how resourceful.

    To honor both my heritage and my fantasies, I will of course, include a bearded half-wild guitarist who makes his living on the streets through playing festivals, small venues, anything he can get away with since he's also collecting universal credits from the government. He's not necessarily into physical labor; it takes away from his creative mind. Where most people simply shake their heads at the man, Elyn Fletcher can't seem to shake the man from her head or her heart. She realizes there's very little chance for them to become anything more than what they are, but her mind is an entirely different playground.

    "Edinburgh" will obviously take place in the capital city of Scotland, and though there will be sex, mayhem, and mystery to cling to, there will be a good dose of history, tradition, and innuendo as well. I think it will be a good book. If not it will at least be fun for me to write and then read 10 times. If I'm the only one who ever buys my own books I'm not upset about it. I like the process!!  Having said all that, I think I may need to find a few people over in my fair city to allow me the opportunity to come to Edinburgh to research and write the finer details of my book - - what do you think? A plan? (I'll write it long before that, but who knows, maybe they'll let me come over to do the film adaptation!)

Woo Hoo!! I'm off to the Lowlands - - if only in my mind; but believe me when I tell you, that my mind can be far far far more fun than the actual reality!! (I have to go now, I think I hear a man strumming something rather low and sultry, just beyond the Cowgate. Oh...and he hasn't shaved in a few days. I'll be here a while. Goodnight.)

Take Two! (Blog Book 2) Redone!

       OMG, I am so silly. Yes, there are those who can figure things out the first time, and then there are those of us who screw up, face it, realize we're nincompoops and we move forward! Nothing to see here, just me, raising my hand and shouting "MY BAD!!"  I do that. I have no problem whatsoever admitting it. If I am wrong, I know it. I am the hardest person on myself. I don't mind making mistakes if I catch it soon enough, but damn - - this was NOT one of those times.

    So, I published a book titled "Jude's Almost Daily Blog Book 2" and I really really hope no one has purchased it yet because I found not only interior issues such as spacing, and whatnot, I also (and I can't believe this actually happened) realized that I published the book using someone's copyrighted cover photo. I think the back photo was OK, but the front cover was definitely not a freebie. I didn't know that because the word "Pro" on the Canva site was really hard to see; and the first time I used the cover art I must have missed it. This time, when I was making a correction, I saw it...and I dropped my cookies!

    I think the book was up for about one week, and I'll know in a few days if anyone besides myself and Mom happens to grab one, I apologize in advance.  When Ingram Spark sent the galley or the eProof for me to download and approve it looked fine. You can't see how it will look in book form when it's on the computer's screen. You can imagine, but you can't know; at least I can't know. I decided to buy a copy for myself, and one for my mom, so she can go through it and find errors. Before she even got her copy in the mail I was fussing at myself. WHY??? Why am I so scatterbrained sometimes and so on-point at other times? I have (seriously) no idea.

    I got the book, and immediately, just from the packaging, I could tell it was too thin. I wanted a thicker book. It was only 262 pages, but when the pages are 6x9 vs 5x8 you can tell the difference. It's too thin in my opinion, and if they're charging people $15 I don't like that. I want people to feel comfortable buying a book for $15 that will be worth the money they are paying for it. I opened the book and noticed three issues; again, almost immediately. These are issues you can't see when they send the eProof to you online. 

The spacing between the lines was only single-spaced even though I know I had formatted for 1.15 spacing. The space between the header and the first line was too short as well.There were spaces between some paragraphs and not others!!! OMG!!!     That last one did me in for sure. I was shaking my head and outwardly complaining, but you couldn't hear me. I uploaded a few blogs at the end and hadn't taken the time to go through them page by page to check the spacing. I did check the size of the font, the justification of the pages, and all that, but I didn't check the space between the paragraphs and then I had to go through the entire thing and remove space before and after paragraphs, and most of the time it worked in my favor, but there were one or two I had to fight with. HATE that. I'm such a dork. 
    
    Well, when I'm writing blogs for the computer (this Blogspot) I space out my paragraphs, but when I add them to the books I don't. I try to stay consistent with what is expected by publishers, and readers alike. I did my research and decided to make the spacing 1.15 and no spaces between paragraphs, only intentions. When I tell you there are so many rules to remember, there are too many rules to remember. It's great to know I can do this on my own now without paying someone, but the burden of knowing what to do is in fact, ON ME. I have failed, but I relish in my failures, as they are stepping stones to my intended success. It will happen; someday.
    
    Someday, after  I have sold countless copies of my books (plural) people will then begin to come to this blogspot to read more about what is going on in my little life, and they'll see that I've come full circle with the whole "I can do this" adventures of writing and publishing books without costing myself anything really. I mean, I do have to pay for the copies I order, and the postage to send them to myself. I think I could probably order them for my friends in the UK, but I'll have to check to see what the postage will be. I don't want to volunteer too much!! I'm a sucker for saying "Sure, anytime!!" when I should be saying, "Oh, I don't know, let me check that."  If you know me you know.
   
    Well, that's about it, I have the new cover designed and I'll post it here. It's different. I wasn't expecting this one to pop up, but it did!!  I like it. I have to go back now and check out the other book covers I've made to be sure I didn't do the same thing!! OH...MY...GOSH, I would die. LOL
    

    

Photo Credit: Me

It's the Little Things That Make Me Sing.

 I don't know if everyone knows, but I'll go ahead and mention it; I'm unemployed at the moment. I'm not one of those proud people who can't tell anyone they aren't working. In fact, it's quite the opposite. When I'm not employed I tend to use the time wisely enough by producing works of writing. When I was unemployed last year I wrote a book in just under a full month. I published it and started a new job, then due to the ever-increasing unethical behavior of many of the people who own their own businesses, I was released when I refused to hide money. Well, there you go - - unemployed. 

    Because it was in the middle of spring, I decided I would change gears and do something really cool. I decided to learn how to become a Claims Adjuster. I mean, I already had the license, I may as well use it, right? So, I began studying, and before long I was engrossed in not one, not two, not even three, but about eight different companies that all wanted me to train under them so that they could eventually hire me, deploy me, send me out to do work for their carriers (insurance companies who pay them). Well, training takes time. I decided to file for unemployment, hunker down, and just sail through summer without going anywhere, or buying anything, and so far it's been working! YEA!

    I did get around to writing another book too; and then after that was a success, I decided to put a second blog book together. I had already written the blogs, I just needed to format, add photos, make a cover, and BAM!  Another book!! Oh, but wait, there is MORE...yes, more.  I wrote a poetry book 17 years ago, or rather I wrote many poems and stuck them together 17 years ago, and I'm re-doing that project now as well. I'm adding about 30-40 more poems to it, and I'm changing the name, the cover, you name it, it's all being changed. It will be up in about two weeks.

    When you're on unemployment the other side, your employer, has the opportunity to appeal the decision of the state to pay you. He/she/they shouldn't do that, it's not fair, and it only shows the world how very ugly and unwilling you are; but he did it. He appealed and I was supposed to have a hearing on the matter last month. Well, I had the right to ask for a continuance, so I did. Booyah!  Then, the state was super awesome and decided to postpone our hearing until right up to the minute (a few weeks) from when I will no longer have unemployment. It's a moot point for him, but one I really was very happy to see NOT come to fruition. God is too great.

    I was literally in the closet praying about it because I know I didn't do anything wrong. I hate it when I'm 100% correct or right, and someone gets the upper hand just because they have money or status. It's not right. Well, there I was praying, and the phone rang. It was the appeals court, and the clerk was telling me at 2:05 p.m. that the employer did not register by the 2:00 p.m. deadline, so the point was in fact moot - very moot. I win. God wins!! I don't win. I am blessed to be receiving whatever they pay me so I can pay my bills, study, wait to be hired by the right company, and yes, I have time to edit my new murder mystery too! God is so very very awesome.  That employer needs to realize that he was never in control of me, I won't lie for him or anyone else, even if it means I lose my job. (It's not the first time.) He also needs to realize that he pissed me off, and I killed him off in the next novel. It happens. 

    The way a deployment works is simple; first, we wait on a catastrophic event to take place, and when it does the Independent Adjuster firms call us, we are the independent adjusters who are on their standby rosters. They tell us there is an event, we choose if we want to go, and we work the claims literally 7 days a week, and often 10-12 hours a day. We are paid well, but we are not writing, and we are not studying, we are working. Deployments can last from three to twenty weeks, and sometimes they go longer. The claims aren't always settled immediately, so you can come back years later and clean up some of the claims that never got settled.

    As a newbie without experience, this is my first waiting period and I'm pretty sure I'll be picked up soon. Today alone I was contacted by four of the 1238 companies I am registered with. I think I'm really registered with 17 but I thought 1238 looked good for dramatic reasons.  I'm sitting here with my 10 state licenses, and my CCC One training, my Auto Certificate from State Farm, and I'm ready to hit it...by hit it, I mean I will be deployed literally from my desk at home, but I'll be closing the door so my daughter doesn't come in and tempt me with her nonsense - - too often.

    It's the little things that I take to God. He makes them work out in His time, but I have the promise that He will.  I will be hired. I will be hired soon. If you understand the word "soon" you'll know that it means I'll be hired when it's time. I'd say "wish me luck" but I don't do luck, nope. I pray.

Photo Credit: Emotions Mentor

Periwinkle - A Poetry Book

 More than 17 years ago, I wrote a poetry book titled "Periwinkle".  I know it was more than 17 years ago because it was published that long ago. I wrote some of the poems well over 40 years ago; it's a process.  So, I had the book published with Xlibris and it was a tiny thin book. There are only about 80 poems by me and another 5 by Reuben. There are about 6-8 pages of prose; so the entire book is literally only about 62 or 63 pages if you count pages; and 123 or so if you count the fronts and backs of those pages. It's not a thick book. 

    Issues occurred with the book from the very beginning, but I dealt with them. First, I had to find a cover photo because the publisher wanted to charge me way too much for their assistance. I found a cover photo I liked, and I wrote to the photographer to ask permission to use it. I told her I would give her credit, and she agreed. Then, after the book was published I sent her a copy, and she was really very rude to me. Because our politics didn't match up she wanted me to retract the book to not have her photo on the book. I refused. She gave me permission to use the photo, I gave her credit, and she can stuff the rest of it right up her nose. It was silly, senseless, and stupid for her to even dream that our politics have ANYTHING to do with sharing art. 

    After the book was published I realized there were two spelling errors, and that upset me. Again, unless I paid for a revision, I couldn't change it.  Time goes by and I understood more about the artist's reasoning for not wanting to be associated with me. I became upset with the person for whom the title poem was written; his politics, his mannerisms, and his extreme disrespect for Christ and others who follow Jesus were just incredibly sad! I decided to pull the book from the publisher, take the dedication of the book out of it, correct my mistakes, and then also discard the cover photo and of course the credit for such; it was time. She would appreciate that I'm sure; especially now, 17 years later when our politics are absolutely on opposite sides of the aisle.

    I tried to upload the original PDF with a different cover and Ingram Spark refused it. They sent it back over and over again, claiming that the spine width was an issue. Hello, I used their template to create the book's cover. No worries, we talked through email several times (they don't call you, they only give you vague reasoning through email, which is very annoying) but it didn't work. Finally, today, they sent me the eProof and I thought "Wow, they accepted it, good!"  That was until I looked at it. NO...it is NOT good.

    The cover was great. The interior was trash! They had previously approved the interior, but somehow something went quirky and oh-so-ever wrong. The pages were cut off, they were not the same as they were in the original publication, and this just simply BAFFLES me since for 17 years it was fine, and now, because it's with a new publisher perhaps, there are dozens of issues. C'mon people! Pick up a damn phone and tell me what you need me to do to fix it. They won't do that, so I'm just going to literally have to re-type the damn thing, and I'll end up adding poems to it, but I won't include Periwinkle. Sorry, that one is no longer valuable to me. I may re-write it, that may be a way to remedy it in my soul. It feels like a wayward child who has left my home and refuses to accept my instructions.

    Yes, that is my decision. I will chuck it. I will revamp that book entirely, and add about 50 poems to it, so that the book is thicker, and I can say "This is a good book" whereas before I said, "Wow, this is a thin book". I love the poems, I really do, but I hate that Xlibris and Amazon were charging more than they needed to, and now, with it being completely discombobulated and unable to be reproduced from the original PDF...I'll just change gears. I can do that. I'm flexible. I'm actually even happy about it. It gives me another project to do on top of all the other projects I have to do now! Yea me!

    So, I won't call the poetry book "Periwinkle", just so you know. If you go online and find that one for something stupid like $41.00, I hope you don't buy it. It has two misspelled words, and it's way way way too small to pay that kind of money for it. Maybe it will be a collector's item. I probably sold 100 or so; in 17 years. LOL.

No one expects anyone to become rich off poetry. Just sayin'.

Photo Credit: Amazon.com