Maria Hammarblad's Blog, page 19
May 22, 2014
Year of change
I knew 2014 was going to be a year of change, but I couldn't predict the extent of the changes. If you read my blog on a regular basis you might know I changed jobs and became a full time writer. You might also know I had a hard time getting the hours together with my personal life and fiction writing. Well, all that has changed.
Something - you might call it an inner voice, instinct, fate, voice of God - pushed me to seek out and take on writing clients besides my daytime job, even though I didn't have the time or energy for it. I already spent 10-11 hours every day away, and I thought I was crazy diving into even more. I still registered a company name, made a logo and a website, and raced forward against sense and better judgement.
This happens to me from time to time; I feel an inner pressure to do something that appears less than sane. I have learned that it usually makes sense in the long run. Like, one time I took out a loan and drove across Sweden to buy a really big American car that I didn't need and couldn't afford. A couple of months later a semi rammed me, and would have killed me if I'd had a normal vehicle.
Anyway, I raced forward and toyed with going down in time at the Fraud Practice. I even got so far I contacted the company owner and said I wanted to discuss going down in time.
It didn't turn out like that.
Earlier this year I read a horoscope saying, "For Pisces, 2014 will bring a completely new game." That's an underestimate.
A few weeks ago my husband started to cough up blood, lots of blood, and three weeks ago today he finally agreed to see a doctor. We went to a nearby clinic, and the doctor took one look at him and sent us to the ER. Hubs ended up staying at the hospital for days. He had pneumonia, fluid around his lungs, skyrocketing blood pressure, fluttering heartbeats, and an at the time unknown "mass" in his chest. By day three it was clear that this will require many doctor's visits, and that I couldn't commit to being in an office at certain hours every day, for the entire day every day.
I went back to work to pick up my things and quit. I feel bad about it because I wasn't even able to give a decent notice. Under the circumstances I think they understand.
Since then he has had surgery and gotten a tube implanted in his side where we tap out fluid as it builds up in his chest. A biopsy of the "mass" showed lung cancer, and today we went to get a PET scan so they can see if it has spread or not. I'm praying for not - if it has spread it will reduce his chances dramatically. We have a long row of wonderful doctors, nurses, and helpers.
To make things even more complicated, all this came a week and a half before the big RT Convention in New Orleans. I considered not going, but I had spent so much time and money on it already that it would be outright stupid not to go. I had my doubts, but it worked out pretty well.
Today is Thursday, and we've spent most of Monday, Wednesday, and today at doctors' offices. My initial estimation was correct; there's no way I could have kept my job. One day out of four wouldn't cut it, and hubs would never go see all these doctors on his own. I mean, I think it's a lot to deal with, and I'm not sick.
Hopefully, my new Sadowski Media will be able to support us all, and I have some hope that everything will turn out for the best. It is a blessing to be able to work when I can, and I am so grateful I started up when I did. Website work, social media, and writing can be done from anywhere at any time. I bring my laptop or iPad and type away. I bet all the keyboard clicking annoys other people in the waiting rooms, but they'll just have to live with it.
If I seem more distracted and scatter-brained than usual, this is why.
Something - you might call it an inner voice, instinct, fate, voice of God - pushed me to seek out and take on writing clients besides my daytime job, even though I didn't have the time or energy for it. I already spent 10-11 hours every day away, and I thought I was crazy diving into even more. I still registered a company name, made a logo and a website, and raced forward against sense and better judgement.This happens to me from time to time; I feel an inner pressure to do something that appears less than sane. I have learned that it usually makes sense in the long run. Like, one time I took out a loan and drove across Sweden to buy a really big American car that I didn't need and couldn't afford. A couple of months later a semi rammed me, and would have killed me if I'd had a normal vehicle.
Anyway, I raced forward and toyed with going down in time at the Fraud Practice. I even got so far I contacted the company owner and said I wanted to discuss going down in time.
It didn't turn out like that.
Earlier this year I read a horoscope saying, "For Pisces, 2014 will bring a completely new game." That's an underestimate.
A few weeks ago my husband started to cough up blood, lots of blood, and three weeks ago today he finally agreed to see a doctor. We went to a nearby clinic, and the doctor took one look at him and sent us to the ER. Hubs ended up staying at the hospital for days. He had pneumonia, fluid around his lungs, skyrocketing blood pressure, fluttering heartbeats, and an at the time unknown "mass" in his chest. By day three it was clear that this will require many doctor's visits, and that I couldn't commit to being in an office at certain hours every day, for the entire day every day.
I went back to work to pick up my things and quit. I feel bad about it because I wasn't even able to give a decent notice. Under the circumstances I think they understand.Since then he has had surgery and gotten a tube implanted in his side where we tap out fluid as it builds up in his chest. A biopsy of the "mass" showed lung cancer, and today we went to get a PET scan so they can see if it has spread or not. I'm praying for not - if it has spread it will reduce his chances dramatically. We have a long row of wonderful doctors, nurses, and helpers.
To make things even more complicated, all this came a week and a half before the big RT Convention in New Orleans. I considered not going, but I had spent so much time and money on it already that it would be outright stupid not to go. I had my doubts, but it worked out pretty well.
Today is Thursday, and we've spent most of Monday, Wednesday, and today at doctors' offices. My initial estimation was correct; there's no way I could have kept my job. One day out of four wouldn't cut it, and hubs would never go see all these doctors on his own. I mean, I think it's a lot to deal with, and I'm not sick.
Hopefully, my new Sadowski Media will be able to support us all, and I have some hope that everything will turn out for the best. It is a blessing to be able to work when I can, and I am so grateful I started up when I did. Website work, social media, and writing can be done from anywhere at any time. I bring my laptop or iPad and type away. I bet all the keyboard clicking annoys other people in the waiting rooms, but they'll just have to live with it.
If I seem more distracted and scatter-brained than usual, this is why.
May 19, 2014
Thoughts from the RT convention
I am home again after my RT convention adventure, and look back at the event with mixed feelings. I had some great experiences that wouldn't have been possible without RT, but funny enough, my good memories aren't related to the convention itself.
What was good?
I met a lot of great people. This is the first time I met my publisher and any of the co-authors at Desert Breeze in real life. We talk on Facebook all the time, but meeting people face to face is awesome. I also met some other Internet friends, and made new acquaintances in the lobby and at the events.
The Intergalactic Bar and Grille. I met wonderful Linnea Sinclair in real life for the first time, met Vijaya Schartz for the first time, and got to know some other wonderful sci-fi romance writers. I had a blast at the IBG.
The first night had a Mardi Gras event where participants got to see the huge Mardi Gras floats, listen to appropriate music, get beads, and get a feeling of Mardi Gras. Very cool, lots of fun.
The Fan-Tastic day brought people in on day passes. I met some truly awesome readers and other writers.
What was bad?
The organization of the event leaves a lot to wish for. I don't know how you can be unprepared for managing a large amount of people when you know exactly how many have signed up, but that's the impression I got. "Ooops, that's a really long line, guess we don't have enough buses." "Ooops, we don't have enough food." "Ooops, we're out of coffee." Logistics can be difficult, but the convention has the advantage of knowing how many attendants they have.
Setting details like food and buses to the side for a bit, the fiasco I will remember that has tainted RT Conventions for me for the future is...
...drumroll...
The book fair.
Before I start sounding like a real rambling bitch, I want to point out some facts that non-authors often don't know, or don't think about.
An event such as the RT Convention is planned far in advance. I'm a last minute girl, but I know many authors who started to plan their displays in September last year.Displays, posters, swag, and books are ordered far in advance. A vast majority of writers travel to the convention. Most come from different parts of the USA, but some come from Australia and the UK. This means that authors have either paid to send their things ahead, or brought them on planes.Everyone pays for the conference, for travel, for hotel rooms, and everyone has taken time off from their writing, daytime jobs, families, or whatever they would normally do.It's easy to forget that all this stuff that we hand out don't just magically appear. Someone has taken time to design it, order it, pay for it, and bring it. One of my neighbors at the fair had ordered her swag from China to be able to get suitable quantities.
When the authors signed up for the fair, the information said, "For the first time in RT history, the Giant Book Fair and the e-Book/Indie Book Fair have been combined! It's a one stop shopping experience for everyone!" I also have a number of e-mails and information letters saying, "Two authors will be at each table; therefore, you will have half of a 6 foot table - which is a 3 foot length."
Thus, every participating author - and there were 700 total at the fair - planned for a 3 foot length. Everyone brought displays and stuff for a 3 foot length.
When we arrived, it turns out that a foot in New Orleans is quite different from a foot in the rest of the world. Instead of two authors per table, there were three to four. So, the three foot length turned out to be 1.5. Two feet at most.
I've had three foot spaces at other fairs, and had room for my displays and books in between. Here, everything was crammed in and as you can see in the image below, we're sitting shoulder to shoulder. Luckily, one author in our row didn't show up, so we could expand to getting this much room per person. Yes, it was smaller at first.
I would be fine with that, if someone had bothered to communicate it in advance. I would have been gravy if I had gotten an email saying, "We have overbooked the fair, and in order to accommodate everyone, we must ask you to accept a smaller space." Everyone found out when it was time to set up. I wouldn't have hauled a suitcase filled with extra stuff for the book fair if I had known I wouldn't have room for it!
I asked a volunteer why the spaces were so small - there were plenty of room for more tables - and she said, "Well, you know, Indie authors. I guess we expected you to have ebooks. No one expects Indie authors to have real books."
Really? I didn't sign up for the e-book fair. I signed up for paperbacks. RT crew counted and packaged my paperbacks, and then unpacked them and stamped them. The piles of books could hardly have been a surprise.
On top of this, the one stop shopping experience turned out to be big publishing houses in one room with ample space, and everyone else crammed into another room. I could live with that too, if it hadn't been for RT volunteers telling guests that, "This is the room for aspiring authors," "Don't go there, that's not an exit," and "That's just the Indie authors. You want to go in there to the real authors."
That's not an exit?
Seriously? I had few people find me, and those who did said, "I didn't think you were here, I thought I missed you." "I couldn't find you." "I wasn't allowed to go in here."
I think someone discovered the boo-boo and tried to make up for it; the speaker started calling out, "...and then we have New York Times bestselling authors at the Indie book fair..." By then it was too late. Everyone were already mad.
And... There was a young adult section of the Indie room. Funny enough, only YA authors from the big publishers were allowed to sit there. YA from non New York houses were placed alphabetically with everyone else, which meant that fiction geared towards very young people ended up next to explicit erotica. Not cool.
I understand that it might be necessary to divide this many people into more than one room. Do it alphabetically, and don't have people showing guests away.
I believe that RT should offer an apology to all the writers and publishers in the Indie room. They should also offer some token of compensation. I don't think this will happen, and for that reason, I am out. Next year I'm going to Arizona Dreaming.
What was good?
I met a lot of great people. This is the first time I met my publisher and any of the co-authors at Desert Breeze in real life. We talk on Facebook all the time, but meeting people face to face is awesome. I also met some other Internet friends, and made new acquaintances in the lobby and at the events.
The Intergalactic Bar and Grille. I met wonderful Linnea Sinclair in real life for the first time, met Vijaya Schartz for the first time, and got to know some other wonderful sci-fi romance writers. I had a blast at the IBG.
The first night had a Mardi Gras event where participants got to see the huge Mardi Gras floats, listen to appropriate music, get beads, and get a feeling of Mardi Gras. Very cool, lots of fun.
The Fan-Tastic day brought people in on day passes. I met some truly awesome readers and other writers.
What was bad?
The organization of the event leaves a lot to wish for. I don't know how you can be unprepared for managing a large amount of people when you know exactly how many have signed up, but that's the impression I got. "Ooops, that's a really long line, guess we don't have enough buses." "Ooops, we don't have enough food." "Ooops, we're out of coffee." Logistics can be difficult, but the convention has the advantage of knowing how many attendants they have.
Setting details like food and buses to the side for a bit, the fiasco I will remember that has tainted RT Conventions for me for the future is...
...drumroll...
The book fair.
Before I start sounding like a real rambling bitch, I want to point out some facts that non-authors often don't know, or don't think about.
An event such as the RT Convention is planned far in advance. I'm a last minute girl, but I know many authors who started to plan their displays in September last year.Displays, posters, swag, and books are ordered far in advance. A vast majority of writers travel to the convention. Most come from different parts of the USA, but some come from Australia and the UK. This means that authors have either paid to send their things ahead, or brought them on planes.Everyone pays for the conference, for travel, for hotel rooms, and everyone has taken time off from their writing, daytime jobs, families, or whatever they would normally do.It's easy to forget that all this stuff that we hand out don't just magically appear. Someone has taken time to design it, order it, pay for it, and bring it. One of my neighbors at the fair had ordered her swag from China to be able to get suitable quantities.
When the authors signed up for the fair, the information said, "For the first time in RT history, the Giant Book Fair and the e-Book/Indie Book Fair have been combined! It's a one stop shopping experience for everyone!" I also have a number of e-mails and information letters saying, "Two authors will be at each table; therefore, you will have half of a 6 foot table - which is a 3 foot length."
Thus, every participating author - and there were 700 total at the fair - planned for a 3 foot length. Everyone brought displays and stuff for a 3 foot length.
When we arrived, it turns out that a foot in New Orleans is quite different from a foot in the rest of the world. Instead of two authors per table, there were three to four. So, the three foot length turned out to be 1.5. Two feet at most.
I've had three foot spaces at other fairs, and had room for my displays and books in between. Here, everything was crammed in and as you can see in the image below, we're sitting shoulder to shoulder. Luckily, one author in our row didn't show up, so we could expand to getting this much room per person. Yes, it was smaller at first.
I would be fine with that, if someone had bothered to communicate it in advance. I would have been gravy if I had gotten an email saying, "We have overbooked the fair, and in order to accommodate everyone, we must ask you to accept a smaller space." Everyone found out when it was time to set up. I wouldn't have hauled a suitcase filled with extra stuff for the book fair if I had known I wouldn't have room for it!
I asked a volunteer why the spaces were so small - there were plenty of room for more tables - and she said, "Well, you know, Indie authors. I guess we expected you to have ebooks. No one expects Indie authors to have real books."
Really? I didn't sign up for the e-book fair. I signed up for paperbacks. RT crew counted and packaged my paperbacks, and then unpacked them and stamped them. The piles of books could hardly have been a surprise.
On top of this, the one stop shopping experience turned out to be big publishing houses in one room with ample space, and everyone else crammed into another room. I could live with that too, if it hadn't been for RT volunteers telling guests that, "This is the room for aspiring authors," "Don't go there, that's not an exit," and "That's just the Indie authors. You want to go in there to the real authors."
That's not an exit?
Seriously? I had few people find me, and those who did said, "I didn't think you were here, I thought I missed you." "I couldn't find you." "I wasn't allowed to go in here."
I think someone discovered the boo-boo and tried to make up for it; the speaker started calling out, "...and then we have New York Times bestselling authors at the Indie book fair..." By then it was too late. Everyone were already mad.
And... There was a young adult section of the Indie room. Funny enough, only YA authors from the big publishers were allowed to sit there. YA from non New York houses were placed alphabetically with everyone else, which meant that fiction geared towards very young people ended up next to explicit erotica. Not cool.
I understand that it might be necessary to divide this many people into more than one room. Do it alphabetically, and don't have people showing guests away.
I believe that RT should offer an apology to all the writers and publishers in the Indie room. They should also offer some token of compensation. I don't think this will happen, and for that reason, I am out. Next year I'm going to Arizona Dreaming.
May 10, 2014
I've launched my first Kickstarter project!
After debating the matter with myself at great length (lol) I have now started my first Kickstarter project. I seek funding for writing time and editing to finish my new Embarkment novella: Arrival. Time and money permitting, the project will also fund one more Embarkment novella: Deadly Betrayal.Kickstarter is an interesting way to seek funding. I ask for money in return for perks. Those who pledge larger sums would be eligible for larger perks.
However, if the project isn't fully funded, the pledgers won't pay anything, I won't get any money at all, and no one gets any perks. It's truly an all or nothing deal.
I have made drafts of the covers, and I have written a decent amount on both books. I just don't have time to finish anything.
Perks start at $1 and include thank you listings on my website, thank you in the book, e-versions or paperbacks of the final product, paperbacks of the entire series, having a character named after you, and similar.
If you want to join in the fun, visit this link!
May 7, 2014
Operation Earth as paperback!
The last couple of weeks have been tough on me and my family, I'll tell you more about that later. For now, let it suffice to say that I needed a pick-me-up. Desert Breeze Publishing provided: my book Operation Earth is now available as paperback.
What does the reviews say?
"Amazing story! I don't read a lot of alien stories but I couldn't put this one down! Maria Hammarblad is a fantastic storyteller who makes her story come alive with epic battles and heartfelt scenes.
Rachael Hill is just as lost as the rest of the world when they wake up to the EMP blast and the worlds Technology is dead. T.V's, Computers and cars all stop dead, planes fall from the sky no longer able to run their engines and strange ships enter Earth's atmosphere. When she runs into tall, sexy commander Peter she's not sure if she should run from him or kiss him.
If you haven't gotten this book you must now as it is a excellent read! and must be shared by all!"
-- Amazon reviewer --
"I love Rachael's little illicit thoughts about Peter. Makes me laugh. Actually, her thoughts in general are just precious. Probably some of the best parts of the story. I like how the invaders assume a successful hacker blocking their transmissions must be a woman."
-- Amazon reviewer --
Blurb:
Seven billion people on Earth go about their daily lives, and no one is prepared when a global EMP slows the world to a crawl. With all our technology incapacitated, everything changes. Within days alien soldiers line the streets, and life will never be the same. In the midst of chaos, Rachael Hill struggles to adapt to the new order, doing her best to keep herself and her cat alive.
On a ship far above the planet surface, Peter just got his new Earth name, and can’t even remember his identity from the last world he visited. It’s another day on the job, one more planet on a never-ending list. That is, until Rachael bumps into him, dropping exotic objects all around his feet. His culture taught him females should be obeyed and protected, but he never had an urge to leave himself at a woman’s mercy until now.
Rachael’s neighbor Ryan hounds her to join a brewing resistance movement and make a stand against the newcomers. She still befriends Peter, enthralled by his enigmatic personality and hypnotic golden eyes. Would falling in love with an alien be treason against humanity? When the rebellion gains momentum and open conflict with the newcomers is a fact, Rachael’s personal insurrection might be her doom, or bring salvation to us all.
See Operation Earth on Amazon
What does the reviews say?"Amazing story! I don't read a lot of alien stories but I couldn't put this one down! Maria Hammarblad is a fantastic storyteller who makes her story come alive with epic battles and heartfelt scenes.
Rachael Hill is just as lost as the rest of the world when they wake up to the EMP blast and the worlds Technology is dead. T.V's, Computers and cars all stop dead, planes fall from the sky no longer able to run their engines and strange ships enter Earth's atmosphere. When she runs into tall, sexy commander Peter she's not sure if she should run from him or kiss him.
If you haven't gotten this book you must now as it is a excellent read! and must be shared by all!"
-- Amazon reviewer --
"I love Rachael's little illicit thoughts about Peter. Makes me laugh. Actually, her thoughts in general are just precious. Probably some of the best parts of the story. I like how the invaders assume a successful hacker blocking their transmissions must be a woman."
-- Amazon reviewer --
Blurb:
Seven billion people on Earth go about their daily lives, and no one is prepared when a global EMP slows the world to a crawl. With all our technology incapacitated, everything changes. Within days alien soldiers line the streets, and life will never be the same. In the midst of chaos, Rachael Hill struggles to adapt to the new order, doing her best to keep herself and her cat alive.
On a ship far above the planet surface, Peter just got his new Earth name, and can’t even remember his identity from the last world he visited. It’s another day on the job, one more planet on a never-ending list. That is, until Rachael bumps into him, dropping exotic objects all around his feet. His culture taught him females should be obeyed and protected, but he never had an urge to leave himself at a woman’s mercy until now.
Rachael’s neighbor Ryan hounds her to join a brewing resistance movement and make a stand against the newcomers. She still befriends Peter, enthralled by his enigmatic personality and hypnotic golden eyes. Would falling in love with an alien be treason against humanity? When the rebellion gains momentum and open conflict with the newcomers is a fact, Rachael’s personal insurrection might be her doom, or bring salvation to us all.
See Operation Earth on Amazon
May 5, 2014
Liza O'Connor, Climbing Out of Hell
I have a special treat today: a guest blog by Liza O'Connor on her new book, Climbing Out of Hell. Welcome Liza!
What type of changes can a plastic surgeon do to alter an identity?
Here’s Trent before and after his transformation.
Since Trent couldn’t decide between his choices, the doctor said he’d do the one that would require the least recovery time, so in many ways, the faces are much the same.
(Before is top left, the other two are afters)
The surgeon removed a bit of fat from below the cheeks to make his face gaunt and a bit of fat from the chin so it didn’t jut out so much. He used the fat to fill in the dimple.
Lower eyelid surgery combined with canthopexy turned the corners of his eyes slightly upwards and reduced the skin beneath, creating a pleasing, narrower almond shape to his eyes. His eye color was permanently changed from blue to brown with the use of Lumigan, which also gave him thicker eye lashes.
Rhinoplasty was done to add a very small bump to his nose. His lips got a bit of collagen. His ears where modified to prevent matching to former photos by the FBI. Then he was given a low dose of steroids to build up his muscles
Other, non-surgical, but important changes were to cease plucking his eyebrows, allowing them to grow out naturally, to shave less often so he always had a facial shadow, and instead of sweeping his hair back, exposing his square forehead which was now modified with some strategic hair plants, he let his locks flow down upon his forehead in a carefree style.
The above changes would prevent strangers from matching him to his former self.
However, a person who knew him well might still recognize Trent if he carried himself in with the same attitude and maintained the same expressions he had before. (In Trent’s case, that would be arrogant petulance.)
But Trent’s loss of Carrie broke him fundamentally. He lost his arrogance and without his money to back him up, he had to find a new way to get people to do things for him. He uses charm and persuasion like Carrie always did.
Not only did it help get people to work with him, but it changed his normal expressions, so when he follows his brother to Denton Iowa, Sam doesn’t recognize him and they become best of friends.
Here are some other changes that can realistically be made to change your looks:• Bone can be shaped and new bone or chin implants can be added. • Flat cheeks can get cheek implants or fat injections. • Thick lips can be decreased in size by cutting out a thin strip (from inside the mouth).• Loose skin can be pulled tight and excess removed.• Scars on the face can be eliminated or improved by scar revision surgery. • Body shape can be greatly modified (Increase or decreased).• Liposuction can eliminate fat from any section of the body that holds fat. (double chins, flabby arms, waist, butt, thighs.)• Acne or pock marks on the face can be smoothened by dermabrasion surgery.• Botox injections can remove brow furrows & emotions from a face.
In the end, successfully changing yourself, is more about attitude and behaviors than it is about changing your body.
However, to be safe against software ID systems, you need physical modifications. And even then, you might still get flagged, depending on the work done to change you, since it uses the distance between the eyes, the width of the nose, the depth of the eye sockets, the shape of the cheekbones, and the length of the jaw line that software uses to match faces.
However, in real life practice, the software is far less accurate than TV makes it look.Just a change in lighting can alter the way a camera reads the features. Eyes can look more hollow, cheeks more gaunt. Turns out in practical application the software is accurate less than 65% of the time.
The chances of Trevor being matched to an old Trent picture drops even lower. In fact, even if the computer flagged a match, when an FBI agent looked at the two pictures, he would probably declare it a false match and disregard it. That’s because Trevor’s new outlook on life is markedly different than old Trent’s. A good agent can read expressions and will conclude these are two different guys.
Climbing Out of Hell Book 4 of the seriesA Long Road to LoveRomantic Comedy
Billionaire Trent Lancaster has destroyed his relationship with the only woman who ever loved him. Now we discover the full truth of what happened. He actually had reasons for his behaviors. Still, there is no going back. Trent has lost Carrie forever, but he would rather die than marry Coco, so he does just that. Trent gives away most of his possessions, fakes his death, and starts over with a new face and a better attitude in a small town in Iowa where his half-brother Sam is sheriff.Losing his true love has fundamentally broken Trent to his core. His only chance for happiness is to become the better man Carrie had always seen inside him. True change is not easy. Can Trent grow up and become a man we can love?
ExcerptSam burst into the kitchen, frowned at Trent, then focused on Dani. “Leroy is at it again. I thought you said you were going to hide the damn thing?”
“I did. But there aren’t many places one can hide an AK-47 rifle.”
“Well, you hid it worth shit because it’s raining lead again at the downtown square!”
She gripped her head as if it might explode.
“What’s the problem?” Trent asked.
Sam rolled his eyes. “Iowa passed a law allowing blind people to carry guns in public. So her grandfather, who is blind as a bat, sits on a bench in the square and shoots his AK into the trees.”
“What’s he trying to shoot?”
“Pigeons,” Sam and Dani answered at once. She glared him into silence and continued her reply. “He likes pigeon soup. A Pakistani doctor told him it would prevent strokes.”
“Well, he’s giving me a stroke,” Sam snapped. “You have to make him stop!”
“I’ve talked to him until I’m blue in the face. He won’t listen to me. Most of the time he thinks I’m three-years old. Who listens to a three-year-old?” She threw her hands up in frustration and turned back to the grill.
Trent didn’t care for the way Sam pushed Dani. Grandparents were impossible to boss around…at least his had been. “Why don’t youtalk to him?’
Sam released a hurricane of air. “Because the mayor told me to stay away from him, since he is not breaking any laws, and any attempt on my part could result in a lawsuit against the town.” He eyed Trent. “Youshould talk to him.”
“Sam, Trevor’s been in town an hour. You know Gramps doesn’t trust people right off.”
“Neither do you, yet here he sits, like an old friend, watching you cook him dinner.”She rescued the burgers off the grill, slapped them both on buns, and shoved one at Sam. “This is your hamburger. Trevor is holding out for braised lamb.”
“Point still stands. Look, I think he can do the job. I intended to hit him with a ticket but he was so nice I sent him to you instead. He’s a likable guy. Let’s send him out and see if he can stop this madness.”
“No!”
“Then I’m shutting this bar down for safety violations.”
She stared at him in shock. “What violations?”
“Don’t worry. Mr. Olsen will find something. He owes me big time after last night’s poker game.”
Trent stood up. “Sam, you’re digging yourself into a hole. Your initial solution was excellent, and frankly I’m honored you think so well of me. I’ll go talk to him right now. Just tell me how to get to Pigeonville.”
Sam grinned and slapped him on the back as he led him out of the kitchen. “Way to man up. Seriously, I’ll owe you one if you can get the gun away from Leroy and bury it six feet under.”
Trent just hoped being a nice guy didn’t get him buried six feet under as well.
Links Released May 1, 2014 Book Four of the series:A Long Road to LoveClimbing out of Hell Amazon
Other books in the A Long Road to Love seriesBook OneWorst Week Ever Amazon “Love this book and couldn't stop laughing from beginning to end.” 5 stars – Alves - Amazon
Book TwoOh Stupid Heart Amazon “Be warned though, this book is completely different from The Worst Week Ever. Yes, there is still humor, dry wit, situations that you would think...NOT AGAIN but this one humanizes Trent more.” 5 stars - Brian’s Mom – Amazon
Book ThreeComing to Reason Amazon Once again, Ms. O’Connor has written a brilliant book about the complexities of relationships, good and bad. Again, to me, the book is the best break up book EVER and it left my heart singing in the end. Best.Book.Ever…
Other Books by Liza O’ConnorSaving Casey Ghost Lover
Liza O’ConnorAuthor Bio:Liza lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels. She loves to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LIZA O'CONNOR & UPCOMING BOOKS:
Liza's Blog and Website Facebook Twitter
Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter for the $50 Gift Card.Plus, at each stop 1 commenter who requests a book and leaves their email will win one of the following:Worst Week EverOh Stupid HeartComing to ReasonGhost Lover
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What type of changes can a plastic surgeon do to alter an identity?
Here’s Trent before and after his transformation.
Since Trent couldn’t decide between his choices, the doctor said he’d do the one that would require the least recovery time, so in many ways, the faces are much the same.
(Before is top left, the other two are afters)The surgeon removed a bit of fat from below the cheeks to make his face gaunt and a bit of fat from the chin so it didn’t jut out so much. He used the fat to fill in the dimple.
Lower eyelid surgery combined with canthopexy turned the corners of his eyes slightly upwards and reduced the skin beneath, creating a pleasing, narrower almond shape to his eyes. His eye color was permanently changed from blue to brown with the use of Lumigan, which also gave him thicker eye lashes.
Rhinoplasty was done to add a very small bump to his nose. His lips got a bit of collagen. His ears where modified to prevent matching to former photos by the FBI. Then he was given a low dose of steroids to build up his muscles
Other, non-surgical, but important changes were to cease plucking his eyebrows, allowing them to grow out naturally, to shave less often so he always had a facial shadow, and instead of sweeping his hair back, exposing his square forehead which was now modified with some strategic hair plants, he let his locks flow down upon his forehead in a carefree style.
The above changes would prevent strangers from matching him to his former self.
However, a person who knew him well might still recognize Trent if he carried himself in with the same attitude and maintained the same expressions he had before. (In Trent’s case, that would be arrogant petulance.)
But Trent’s loss of Carrie broke him fundamentally. He lost his arrogance and without his money to back him up, he had to find a new way to get people to do things for him. He uses charm and persuasion like Carrie always did.
Not only did it help get people to work with him, but it changed his normal expressions, so when he follows his brother to Denton Iowa, Sam doesn’t recognize him and they become best of friends.
Here are some other changes that can realistically be made to change your looks:• Bone can be shaped and new bone or chin implants can be added. • Flat cheeks can get cheek implants or fat injections. • Thick lips can be decreased in size by cutting out a thin strip (from inside the mouth).• Loose skin can be pulled tight and excess removed.• Scars on the face can be eliminated or improved by scar revision surgery. • Body shape can be greatly modified (Increase or decreased).• Liposuction can eliminate fat from any section of the body that holds fat. (double chins, flabby arms, waist, butt, thighs.)• Acne or pock marks on the face can be smoothened by dermabrasion surgery.• Botox injections can remove brow furrows & emotions from a face.
In the end, successfully changing yourself, is more about attitude and behaviors than it is about changing your body.
However, to be safe against software ID systems, you need physical modifications. And even then, you might still get flagged, depending on the work done to change you, since it uses the distance between the eyes, the width of the nose, the depth of the eye sockets, the shape of the cheekbones, and the length of the jaw line that software uses to match faces.
However, in real life practice, the software is far less accurate than TV makes it look.Just a change in lighting can alter the way a camera reads the features. Eyes can look more hollow, cheeks more gaunt. Turns out in practical application the software is accurate less than 65% of the time.
The chances of Trevor being matched to an old Trent picture drops even lower. In fact, even if the computer flagged a match, when an FBI agent looked at the two pictures, he would probably declare it a false match and disregard it. That’s because Trevor’s new outlook on life is markedly different than old Trent’s. A good agent can read expressions and will conclude these are two different guys.
Climbing Out of Hell Book 4 of the seriesA Long Road to LoveRomantic Comedy
Billionaire Trent Lancaster has destroyed his relationship with the only woman who ever loved him. Now we discover the full truth of what happened. He actually had reasons for his behaviors. Still, there is no going back. Trent has lost Carrie forever, but he would rather die than marry Coco, so he does just that. Trent gives away most of his possessions, fakes his death, and starts over with a new face and a better attitude in a small town in Iowa where his half-brother Sam is sheriff.Losing his true love has fundamentally broken Trent to his core. His only chance for happiness is to become the better man Carrie had always seen inside him. True change is not easy. Can Trent grow up and become a man we can love?
ExcerptSam burst into the kitchen, frowned at Trent, then focused on Dani. “Leroy is at it again. I thought you said you were going to hide the damn thing?”
“I did. But there aren’t many places one can hide an AK-47 rifle.”
“Well, you hid it worth shit because it’s raining lead again at the downtown square!”
She gripped her head as if it might explode.
“What’s the problem?” Trent asked.
Sam rolled his eyes. “Iowa passed a law allowing blind people to carry guns in public. So her grandfather, who is blind as a bat, sits on a bench in the square and shoots his AK into the trees.”
“What’s he trying to shoot?”
“Pigeons,” Sam and Dani answered at once. She glared him into silence and continued her reply. “He likes pigeon soup. A Pakistani doctor told him it would prevent strokes.”
“Well, he’s giving me a stroke,” Sam snapped. “You have to make him stop!”
“I’ve talked to him until I’m blue in the face. He won’t listen to me. Most of the time he thinks I’m three-years old. Who listens to a three-year-old?” She threw her hands up in frustration and turned back to the grill.
Trent didn’t care for the way Sam pushed Dani. Grandparents were impossible to boss around…at least his had been. “Why don’t youtalk to him?’
Sam released a hurricane of air. “Because the mayor told me to stay away from him, since he is not breaking any laws, and any attempt on my part could result in a lawsuit against the town.” He eyed Trent. “Youshould talk to him.”
“Sam, Trevor’s been in town an hour. You know Gramps doesn’t trust people right off.”
“Neither do you, yet here he sits, like an old friend, watching you cook him dinner.”She rescued the burgers off the grill, slapped them both on buns, and shoved one at Sam. “This is your hamburger. Trevor is holding out for braised lamb.”
“Point still stands. Look, I think he can do the job. I intended to hit him with a ticket but he was so nice I sent him to you instead. He’s a likable guy. Let’s send him out and see if he can stop this madness.”
“No!”
“Then I’m shutting this bar down for safety violations.”
She stared at him in shock. “What violations?”
“Don’t worry. Mr. Olsen will find something. He owes me big time after last night’s poker game.”
Trent stood up. “Sam, you’re digging yourself into a hole. Your initial solution was excellent, and frankly I’m honored you think so well of me. I’ll go talk to him right now. Just tell me how to get to Pigeonville.”
Sam grinned and slapped him on the back as he led him out of the kitchen. “Way to man up. Seriously, I’ll owe you one if you can get the gun away from Leroy and bury it six feet under.”
Trent just hoped being a nice guy didn’t get him buried six feet under as well.
Links Released May 1, 2014 Book Four of the series:A Long Road to LoveClimbing out of Hell Amazon
Other books in the A Long Road to Love seriesBook OneWorst Week Ever Amazon “Love this book and couldn't stop laughing from beginning to end.” 5 stars – Alves - Amazon
Book TwoOh Stupid Heart Amazon “Be warned though, this book is completely different from The Worst Week Ever. Yes, there is still humor, dry wit, situations that you would think...NOT AGAIN but this one humanizes Trent more.” 5 stars - Brian’s Mom – Amazon
Book ThreeComing to Reason Amazon Once again, Ms. O’Connor has written a brilliant book about the complexities of relationships, good and bad. Again, to me, the book is the best break up book EVER and it left my heart singing in the end. Best.Book.Ever…
Other Books by Liza O’ConnorSaving Casey Ghost Lover
Liza O’ConnorAuthor Bio:Liza lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels. She loves to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LIZA O'CONNOR & UPCOMING BOOKS:
Liza's Blog and Website Facebook Twitter
Don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter for the $50 Gift Card.Plus, at each stop 1 commenter who requests a book and leaves their email will win one of the following:Worst Week EverOh Stupid HeartComing to ReasonGhost Lover
a Rafflecopter giveaway
April 28, 2014
Cover reveal for Rock me Gently by M.J. Schiller
Exciting day: cover reveal for M.J. Schiller's book Rock me Gently. It will be available on May 1st, and you can win a free e-copy on the author's blog: www.mjschillerauthor.blogspot.com
Blurb:
Rock-star Josh Dunningham is anticipating another average evening of drinking and easy sex. As he downs his shot of tequila and watches a second shot travel to the other end of the bar, he makes eye contact with a blonde that will change the outcome of his evening. When he strolls around to try to pick-up this incredible-looking lady and stares into her face, he loses his usual cool.
Cassie McCallister is floored when the Josh Dunningham, of Money Back Guaranteed, invites her back to his room. The Midwestern advertising executive has never had a one-night stand, but the tall, gorgeous singer certainly gets her heart aflutter. Would it be possible for her just to sleep with him and not let her heart get involved? Or will memories of her ex-fiancé, Troy, always keep her from getting romantically involved, on any level, with another man?
Will Josh and Cassie be able to overcome their separate issues with their pasts and find the love that they both so desperately need? Or is this relationship doomed to fail from the outset? Just when things seem to be going smoothly for the pair, Cassie starts receiving threatening mail and is attacked in her home. Will they discover who wants her away from Josh before it’s too late?
ROCK ME, GENTLY ~ COMING MAY 1ST!
To enter to win a free e-copy go to www.mjschillerauthor.blogspot.com! Drawing on Saturday, May 3rd.
About the author:
MJ is a lunch lady in the heart of Central Illinois. My gosh, can you get more folksy than that? She met her husband at the University of Missouri-Columbia and now she has an nineteen-year-old (how did that happen?) and seventeen year old triplets! She loves to read, karaoke (where she can pretend she is a rock star), and spends way too much time on Facebook. She grew up in St. Louis and still has family there.
Excerpt:
Josh steered Cassie toward an exit, hoping fresh air would help to sober her up. They ended up at the outdoor pool, a monstrosity complete with overhanging palm trees. Not a soul was in sight, unusual, even at this time of night.Away from the casino hubbub, it was easier to talk. She eyed him. “Tell me about the band.”“What do you want to know?”“Well, as an advertising person, I’m interested in the gimmick, Money Back Guaranteed. Did you ever have to back up that promise?”Josh took a couple of seconds to think about that. “Yeah. A few times. Once, when an elderly couple came with their granddaughter. They didn’t like the show at all.” Remembering their reaction, he grimaced. “And once, when a girl caught her fiancé in the hall with another girl. Hardly our fault, but, she didn’t enjoy the concert, and that’s our promise, so…” He shrugged. “Interesting. Interesting.” She lifted a leg, grabbing his shoulder for balance, and tugged on the heel of her boot.“Uhh…what are you doing?”“My feet are killing me. You’re so lucky you are a guy and don’t have to wear heels.”“Yes. I was just mentioning that to my friend, Ryan, the other day.”She didn’t look up. Having successfully removed one boot, she switched legs to work on the other. “Really?”He smiled. “No. Go on.”Yanking the other boot off, she nearly toppled over, though still holding on to him. She squeezed his arm. “You’re built.”He nearly laughed at her frank statement. “Thank you.”Holding her boots in one hand, her brow furrowed as she concentrated on her next question. She began to balance on the edge of the pool, which was deserted, and scoop stepped, trailing one leg in the water, not seeming to mind at all that her jeans were getting wet. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he warned, taking her arm to steady her. “I’m fine,” she assured him, breaking away for an instant to do a pirouette in the pool’s gutter to demonstrate.“Okay, okay,” he muttered, grabbing her arm again. “No need to show off. So why are you in the advertising game?”
“I like the creative aspect of it. And, I can be very persuasive,” she said, smiling at him. As if he somehow silently challenged her, she stopped with a jerk and turned toward him, lifting up on her toes to kiss him. The taste of her was just as intoxicating as the booze had been, and left him equally dizzy. The flavor of sweet lime and midnight rolled across his tongue and sank into him unbidden. Someone in the hotel rooms surrounding the pool above them slammed a door, startling Cassie, the sharp sound almost like gunfire. She jumped away from him like she had been shot herself and started to lose her balance. He reached to save her, but too late, she fell into the pool, dragging him in after her.
Blurb:
Rock-star Josh Dunningham is anticipating another average evening of drinking and easy sex. As he downs his shot of tequila and watches a second shot travel to the other end of the bar, he makes eye contact with a blonde that will change the outcome of his evening. When he strolls around to try to pick-up this incredible-looking lady and stares into her face, he loses his usual cool.
Cassie McCallister is floored when the Josh Dunningham, of Money Back Guaranteed, invites her back to his room. The Midwestern advertising executive has never had a one-night stand, but the tall, gorgeous singer certainly gets her heart aflutter. Would it be possible for her just to sleep with him and not let her heart get involved? Or will memories of her ex-fiancé, Troy, always keep her from getting romantically involved, on any level, with another man?
Will Josh and Cassie be able to overcome their separate issues with their pasts and find the love that they both so desperately need? Or is this relationship doomed to fail from the outset? Just when things seem to be going smoothly for the pair, Cassie starts receiving threatening mail and is attacked in her home. Will they discover who wants her away from Josh before it’s too late?
ROCK ME, GENTLY ~ COMING MAY 1ST!
To enter to win a free e-copy go to www.mjschillerauthor.blogspot.com! Drawing on Saturday, May 3rd.
About the author:
MJ is a lunch lady in the heart of Central Illinois. My gosh, can you get more folksy than that? She met her husband at the University of Missouri-Columbia and now she has an nineteen-year-old (how did that happen?) and seventeen year old triplets! She loves to read, karaoke (where she can pretend she is a rock star), and spends way too much time on Facebook. She grew up in St. Louis and still has family there.Excerpt:
Josh steered Cassie toward an exit, hoping fresh air would help to sober her up. They ended up at the outdoor pool, a monstrosity complete with overhanging palm trees. Not a soul was in sight, unusual, even at this time of night.Away from the casino hubbub, it was easier to talk. She eyed him. “Tell me about the band.”“What do you want to know?”“Well, as an advertising person, I’m interested in the gimmick, Money Back Guaranteed. Did you ever have to back up that promise?”Josh took a couple of seconds to think about that. “Yeah. A few times. Once, when an elderly couple came with their granddaughter. They didn’t like the show at all.” Remembering their reaction, he grimaced. “And once, when a girl caught her fiancé in the hall with another girl. Hardly our fault, but, she didn’t enjoy the concert, and that’s our promise, so…” He shrugged. “Interesting. Interesting.” She lifted a leg, grabbing his shoulder for balance, and tugged on the heel of her boot.“Uhh…what are you doing?”“My feet are killing me. You’re so lucky you are a guy and don’t have to wear heels.”“Yes. I was just mentioning that to my friend, Ryan, the other day.”She didn’t look up. Having successfully removed one boot, she switched legs to work on the other. “Really?”He smiled. “No. Go on.”Yanking the other boot off, she nearly toppled over, though still holding on to him. She squeezed his arm. “You’re built.”He nearly laughed at her frank statement. “Thank you.”Holding her boots in one hand, her brow furrowed as she concentrated on her next question. She began to balance on the edge of the pool, which was deserted, and scoop stepped, trailing one leg in the water, not seeming to mind at all that her jeans were getting wet. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he warned, taking her arm to steady her. “I’m fine,” she assured him, breaking away for an instant to do a pirouette in the pool’s gutter to demonstrate.“Okay, okay,” he muttered, grabbing her arm again. “No need to show off. So why are you in the advertising game?”
“I like the creative aspect of it. And, I can be very persuasive,” she said, smiling at him. As if he somehow silently challenged her, she stopped with a jerk and turned toward him, lifting up on her toes to kiss him. The taste of her was just as intoxicating as the booze had been, and left him equally dizzy. The flavor of sweet lime and midnight rolled across his tongue and sank into him unbidden. Someone in the hotel rooms surrounding the pool above them slammed a door, startling Cassie, the sharp sound almost like gunfire. She jumped away from him like she had been shot herself and started to lose her balance. He reached to save her, but too late, she fell into the pool, dragging him in after her.
April 26, 2014
The future is now
When I was a little girl I used to think about the year 2000. In the 1970s and 80s it seemed so far in the future. I would wonder what the world would be like in the year 2000, and what I would be like. I counted the years and thought I'd be ancient by the time the new millennia finally arrived. In my imagination it would have androids and spaceships, and I worried I'd be too old to appreciate all that.
Now it's 2014. In the 1980s, science fiction took place in 2014.
The world didn't end. Androids aren't here, at least not like I imagined, and what spaceships we have are nothing like Jason of Star Command. It's okay to laugh, but Jason of Star Command was a big deal when I was six. ;-)
What brings me down this line of thought? Well, I got my new green card yesterday. It's valid until 2024. That's only ten years away, but it sounds so far into the future I can't fathom it.
The world has changed a lot during the past ten years, but at least I don't pay attention until I sit down and think back. If you had told me ten years ago I'd have a cell phone that would understand voice commands, be able to give me directions, and be able to talk wirelessly to my car I would have said, "Suuure I will." Now it's an every-day part of life I don't give a second thought.
2024... How much do you think it will have changed by then? Will we have implants instead of cell phones? Flying cars? Will we have suffered a Zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion? Okay, the last two aren't likely, but a lot of interesting things might happen.
What are the innovations you would be most interested in seeing?
April 24, 2014
Keep an eye on your Amazon account!
When I checked my e-mail the other day, I had a message from Amazon saying, "Your order has shipped." That would be awesome - if I had placed an order. Looking at the account revealed a pair of Beats Studio headphones going out to a Daniel Drecker in Indiana.
I contacted Amazon and said that I don't know a Daniel Drecker, I've never been to Indiana, and I certainly don't want to send him a $300 pair of headphones.
Anyway, Amazon investigated, and it turns out this guy chatted with them giving my e-mail address. He somehow figured out that I have ordered Beats Studio headphones in the past and persuaded them to send a replacement order to him.
If I hadn't been alert, I wouldn't have realized this until Amazon started asking me why I didn't return the broken pair.
Amazon stopped the shipment, removed his shipping address and the fraudulent order from my account, and I changed my password. I also contacted the website ic3.gov where you can report Internet-related crime.
Today, I got a message from Amazon saying, "I'm writing to follow up on our recent chat conversation. I've forwarded your inquiry to our Account Specialist Support team regarding to reinstate the replacement order. You should hear back from them by 24 - 48 hours."
Again?
Seriously?
I said, "Oh no you don't" and sent a message to Amazon to let them know he's trying again.
To be fair, Drecker might be an innocent third party used as a shipping address. He might not be involved in all this at all. He might not even be a real person. For all these reasons I decided not to post his name, address, phone number, and so on the first time all this happened.
If you try to defraud me twice in a week you're making me mad.
Also, if you attempt to defraud someone and the shipment is stopped, you've clearly been discovered. Doesn't it seem stupid to try again?
This time I changed the e-mail address associated with my account, updated the complaint at ic3.gov, and called my local Sheriff's office. I didn't know what to expect, on TV American police seem kinda scary, bit it was a pleasant surprise. The guy who answered was awesome.
He had a pleasant phone voice and took me seriously. He was kind, calm, filled with good advice, and clearly someone to hide behind when the bad guys close in. My only regret is that I can't remember his name.
Moral of the story? Keep an eye on your accounts!
Besides all this real life stuff, I'm sure you've seen Internet memes like this:
Daniel Drecker in Indiana is now scheduled to be an annoying side-character in a book. He's not worthy of main character status, but he will definitely be in there. The nice man at the Sheriff's office will model the hero, of course, and I'm thinking of making up a crime syndicate for him to battle.
Besides giving fuel for my imagination, Drecker is an annoying little twirp. It doesn't matter if he's really in his 50s and six feet tall; he's still a little twirp.
Has something like this ever happened to you? If so, what did you do?
I contacted Amazon and said that I don't know a Daniel Drecker, I've never been to Indiana, and I certainly don't want to send him a $300 pair of headphones.
Anyway, Amazon investigated, and it turns out this guy chatted with them giving my e-mail address. He somehow figured out that I have ordered Beats Studio headphones in the past and persuaded them to send a replacement order to him.
If I hadn't been alert, I wouldn't have realized this until Amazon started asking me why I didn't return the broken pair.
Amazon stopped the shipment, removed his shipping address and the fraudulent order from my account, and I changed my password. I also contacted the website ic3.gov where you can report Internet-related crime.
Today, I got a message from Amazon saying, "I'm writing to follow up on our recent chat conversation. I've forwarded your inquiry to our Account Specialist Support team regarding to reinstate the replacement order. You should hear back from them by 24 - 48 hours."
Again?
Seriously?
I said, "Oh no you don't" and sent a message to Amazon to let them know he's trying again.
To be fair, Drecker might be an innocent third party used as a shipping address. He might not be involved in all this at all. He might not even be a real person. For all these reasons I decided not to post his name, address, phone number, and so on the first time all this happened.
If you try to defraud me twice in a week you're making me mad.
Also, if you attempt to defraud someone and the shipment is stopped, you've clearly been discovered. Doesn't it seem stupid to try again?
This time I changed the e-mail address associated with my account, updated the complaint at ic3.gov, and called my local Sheriff's office. I didn't know what to expect, on TV American police seem kinda scary, bit it was a pleasant surprise. The guy who answered was awesome.
He had a pleasant phone voice and took me seriously. He was kind, calm, filled with good advice, and clearly someone to hide behind when the bad guys close in. My only regret is that I can't remember his name.
Moral of the story? Keep an eye on your accounts!
Besides all this real life stuff, I'm sure you've seen Internet memes like this:
Daniel Drecker in Indiana is now scheduled to be an annoying side-character in a book. He's not worthy of main character status, but he will definitely be in there. The nice man at the Sheriff's office will model the hero, of course, and I'm thinking of making up a crime syndicate for him to battle.
Besides giving fuel for my imagination, Drecker is an annoying little twirp. It doesn't matter if he's really in his 50s and six feet tall; he's still a little twirp.
Has something like this ever happened to you? If so, what did you do?
April 19, 2014
Have you tried Kickstarter?
I sometimes skulk around on Kickstarter, because I like the concept of crowd funding. There's a fair amount of book publishing projects there, everything from people asking for money to finish writing a book to editing and actual publishing. Some are successful, others not so much.
Have you tried funding a project through Kickstarter? Did it work out?
I've been thinking about trying a project. I have many unfinished books slumbering in my computer, and if I could just fund some writing time I could make something.
A main point seems to be to have many tiers of rewards, so people get something cool in exchange for their money. When looking at others' projects I've seen many good ideas. Some make a thank-you list at the end or beginning of the book. Some name characters after funders giving more than a certain amount. The funders get the finished product, of course, along with other fun stuff depending on size of their contribution.
If anyone has thoughts on this, I'd love to hear. Would you fund a Kickstarter project? Why, or why not?
Have you tried funding a project through Kickstarter? Did it work out?
I've been thinking about trying a project. I have many unfinished books slumbering in my computer, and if I could just fund some writing time I could make something.
A main point seems to be to have many tiers of rewards, so people get something cool in exchange for their money. When looking at others' projects I've seen many good ideas. Some make a thank-you list at the end or beginning of the book. Some name characters after funders giving more than a certain amount. The funders get the finished product, of course, along with other fun stuff depending on size of their contribution.
If anyone has thoughts on this, I'd love to hear. Would you fund a Kickstarter project? Why, or why not?
April 16, 2014
Planning for the RT convention
I have heard people talk about the RT convention for years, and deeming from photos on Facebook, the visitors sure have fun. Last year I decided that 2014 was "it" - the year when I would finally put heart and soul into being a writer, and when I would get my butt out of the chair to attend writing events.
The heart and soul thing was side-tracked after a few weeks into the new year. Starting a new job was counter-productive, to say the least, and I have been attempting to re-find balance in life ever since. But, that's another story to be told a day soon.
Thus far I have accomplished some of my butt-out-of-chair goal - I've been to many events and made many new friends. At least one thing to check off as accomplished.
So, RT...
I signed up last fall, and at the time the convention seemed so far away. My brain isn't wired to prepare for something that happens months in the future. At least I found a wonderful roomie, who booked a room for us. I paid my fees, and joined a couple of author groups.
Now it's closing in - it's just three weeks away - and I'm getting excited. I have my swag, I have my books. Don't have clothes, but people will just have to take me the way I am.
I haven't quite figured out how to get to New Orleans yet. I'm thinking of driving. It's far - it's almost eleven hours away - but there are advantages to taking a car. Like, I don't have to wait in the Atlanta airport. (I dislike the Atlanta airport.) I don't have to worry about how much luggage I can bring there, or back. It's many hundreds of dollars cheaper to drive there than to fly.
Downside. It takes almost eleven hours. Even with the Atlanta layover, flying only takes five. And, if I take my car it won't be at home for my husband to use. His don't work very well.
I've never been to New Orleans, but I'm sure Siri could find the hotel. Siri can find almost anything.
Regardless of how I'll get there, I'm excited. Are you going? Have you been? Did you like it?
The heart and soul thing was side-tracked after a few weeks into the new year. Starting a new job was counter-productive, to say the least, and I have been attempting to re-find balance in life ever since. But, that's another story to be told a day soon.
Thus far I have accomplished some of my butt-out-of-chair goal - I've been to many events and made many new friends. At least one thing to check off as accomplished.
So, RT...
I signed up last fall, and at the time the convention seemed so far away. My brain isn't wired to prepare for something that happens months in the future. At least I found a wonderful roomie, who booked a room for us. I paid my fees, and joined a couple of author groups.
Now it's closing in - it's just three weeks away - and I'm getting excited. I have my swag, I have my books. Don't have clothes, but people will just have to take me the way I am.
I haven't quite figured out how to get to New Orleans yet. I'm thinking of driving. It's far - it's almost eleven hours away - but there are advantages to taking a car. Like, I don't have to wait in the Atlanta airport. (I dislike the Atlanta airport.) I don't have to worry about how much luggage I can bring there, or back. It's many hundreds of dollars cheaper to drive there than to fly.
Downside. It takes almost eleven hours. Even with the Atlanta layover, flying only takes five. And, if I take my car it won't be at home for my husband to use. His don't work very well.
I've never been to New Orleans, but I'm sure Siri could find the hotel. Siri can find almost anything.
Regardless of how I'll get there, I'm excited. Are you going? Have you been? Did you like it?
