Danny Mac's Blog, page 9
March 22, 2024
Mac’s Moments – Search History
Hello,
As mentioned in the last couple of posts I started a new short story. Wanting my story with a narrator of the story is a police detective having a plot with some realism to it, I contacted a local detective who agreed to answer some questions in regard to procedures and policies.
As I drove away from the police station, a strange thought came to me. What would happen if the police found my search history and reviewed it? A chuckle ran through my thoughts at the weird notion as I remembered a thread on Facebook over a year ago where someone mentioned this very thing.
One writer mentioned all the places, towns, and countries reviewed. Another claimed they looked for famous people hoping to find anecdotes for their book. The most memorable was a woman who wrote murder mysteries and speculated on all the trouble that could be had for her search history.
I laughed at the various scenarios in the post from various authors while not thinking that any of my searches could cause alarm. That is until I drove away from the police station. In the past couple of years, one would find explorations into the supernatural world from my computer to help shape the monsters that fight the heroes of my books. Then I remembered the translations from Hebrew into English for characters using words like hate, monsters, and demons. Then there are physics, earth sciences, and health-related questions like diseases, illnesses, and other poxes on humanity.
“Oh no,” shot across my mind. “Arsenic poisoning,” was a popular search one week where the effect of one of the monsters mimicked it. To top it off, it didn’t make it into the book other than a quick mention. Hopefully, they don’t look too far back into my history.
I hope other authors can laugh at my dilemma and readers understand the extent writers go to make their books come alive. I would love to hear your strangest search of your writing career.
If you like my blogs, please subscribe for email distribution at www.dannymacauthor.com.
God bless,
Danny Mac
As mentioned in the last couple of posts I started a new short story. Wanting my story with a narrator of the story is a police detective having a plot with some realism to it, I contacted a local detective who agreed to answer some questions in regard to procedures and policies.
As I drove away from the police station, a strange thought came to me. What would happen if the police found my search history and reviewed it? A chuckle ran through my thoughts at the weird notion as I remembered a thread on Facebook over a year ago where someone mentioned this very thing.
One writer mentioned all the places, towns, and countries reviewed. Another claimed they looked for famous people hoping to find anecdotes for their book. The most memorable was a woman who wrote murder mysteries and speculated on all the trouble that could be had for her search history.
I laughed at the various scenarios in the post from various authors while not thinking that any of my searches could cause alarm. That is until I drove away from the police station. In the past couple of years, one would find explorations into the supernatural world from my computer to help shape the monsters that fight the heroes of my books. Then I remembered the translations from Hebrew into English for characters using words like hate, monsters, and demons. Then there are physics, earth sciences, and health-related questions like diseases, illnesses, and other poxes on humanity.
“Oh no,” shot across my mind. “Arsenic poisoning,” was a popular search one week where the effect of one of the monsters mimicked it. To top it off, it didn’t make it into the book other than a quick mention. Hopefully, they don’t look too far back into my history.
I hope other authors can laugh at my dilemma and readers understand the extent writers go to make their books come alive. I would love to hear your strangest search of your writing career.
If you like my blogs, please subscribe for email distribution at www.dannymacauthor.com.
God bless,
Danny Mac
March 15, 2024
Mac’s Moments – Unchained Melody
Greetings,
This is a cautionary tale for those young people feeling they will never get married or living under the presupposition that they will always be young and carefree. I too found myself in the position of thinking there was not a right woman for me. Then it happened.
For those too young to know the song, Unchained Melody is a love ballet, most famously performed by Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers in 1965. To this day, it ranks as one of the best 100 songs ever recorded. The smooth soulful passion poured into the song makes it easy to fall in love. Bill Medley, the other half of the Righteous Brothers, stated he did not participate in the song because he didn’t think it would be a hit.
My story of the Unchained Melody effects began on June 26, 1993. We finished a busy Friday night rush and things were winding down as cleanup started. A new employee named Tammy sat down to a meal when the discussion of a get-together spread among the old employees. One driver had his kids staying at grandma’s house and everyone freed up the night. As the plans were finalized, I realized the new employee had not been invited. “Hey, we are all going for drinks after work tomorrow. Do you want to join us?”
“I love to but I don’t drive,” came the innocent answer with no idea what was in store for her.
“You be here by eleven, I’ll make sure you get home,” was my way of including her in the dynamic of the restaurant.
Her father dropped her off at eleven as we closed the pizza shop. A half-hour later, the whole gang left for the bar that play karaoke in old rock and country. The friendly ruckus began the evening with a round of drinks and conversations flowed freely. My life-altering event happened sometime in the second hour.
“Ohhhhaa, my love,” sang out from a rather impressive singer. I grabbed the hand of Tammy and pulled her to the dance floor. I found my thirty-four-year-old self, shining my belt buckle against of a twenty-four-year-old woman. We moved smoothly together as the song played on. It felt natural and comfortable in her arms as the love song moved us around the dance floor.
We closed the bar at 2:30 but being restaurant people were not ready to go home. Someone mentioned a little all-night diner, and we made it over there. Breakfast and laughs continued the good time. The waitress cleared our plates and we continued to party with just coffee. The sun was breaking the night when we left the diner. By the time I got my young companion home, her father was making breakfast for himself.
A little more than nine months later, we said “I do,” before the preacher, family, friends, and God. Then I blinked and today I am recalling this as we approach thirty years of marriage. We celebrated good times and worked our way through trouble, but here we are looking forward to our thirtieth anniversary next week.
The moral of my story is to be careful of who you dance with when Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers moves the people around the floor. You just might find yourself married for thirty years and wondering what the next thirty years have in store for you.
This week saw me working on a short story. So far, the story contains 6000 words and will top 8000 before it concludes.
If you like my blogs, please subscribe for email distribution at www.dannymacauthor.com.
God bless,
Danny Mac
This is a cautionary tale for those young people feeling they will never get married or living under the presupposition that they will always be young and carefree. I too found myself in the position of thinking there was not a right woman for me. Then it happened.
For those too young to know the song, Unchained Melody is a love ballet, most famously performed by Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers in 1965. To this day, it ranks as one of the best 100 songs ever recorded. The smooth soulful passion poured into the song makes it easy to fall in love. Bill Medley, the other half of the Righteous Brothers, stated he did not participate in the song because he didn’t think it would be a hit.
My story of the Unchained Melody effects began on June 26, 1993. We finished a busy Friday night rush and things were winding down as cleanup started. A new employee named Tammy sat down to a meal when the discussion of a get-together spread among the old employees. One driver had his kids staying at grandma’s house and everyone freed up the night. As the plans were finalized, I realized the new employee had not been invited. “Hey, we are all going for drinks after work tomorrow. Do you want to join us?”
“I love to but I don’t drive,” came the innocent answer with no idea what was in store for her.
“You be here by eleven, I’ll make sure you get home,” was my way of including her in the dynamic of the restaurant.
Her father dropped her off at eleven as we closed the pizza shop. A half-hour later, the whole gang left for the bar that play karaoke in old rock and country. The friendly ruckus began the evening with a round of drinks and conversations flowed freely. My life-altering event happened sometime in the second hour.
“Ohhhhaa, my love,” sang out from a rather impressive singer. I grabbed the hand of Tammy and pulled her to the dance floor. I found my thirty-four-year-old self, shining my belt buckle against of a twenty-four-year-old woman. We moved smoothly together as the song played on. It felt natural and comfortable in her arms as the love song moved us around the dance floor.
We closed the bar at 2:30 but being restaurant people were not ready to go home. Someone mentioned a little all-night diner, and we made it over there. Breakfast and laughs continued the good time. The waitress cleared our plates and we continued to party with just coffee. The sun was breaking the night when we left the diner. By the time I got my young companion home, her father was making breakfast for himself.
A little more than nine months later, we said “I do,” before the preacher, family, friends, and God. Then I blinked and today I am recalling this as we approach thirty years of marriage. We celebrated good times and worked our way through trouble, but here we are looking forward to our thirtieth anniversary next week.
The moral of my story is to be careful of who you dance with when Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers moves the people around the floor. You just might find yourself married for thirty years and wondering what the next thirty years have in store for you.
This week saw me working on a short story. So far, the story contains 6000 words and will top 8000 before it concludes.
If you like my blogs, please subscribe for email distribution at www.dannymacauthor.com.
God bless,
Danny Mac
March 8, 2024
Mac’s Moments – Gratitude
Greetings,
As mentioned in a previous blog, I like to cook for my family and friends. To watch their face light up with each bite does my heart good. When the meal finishes and the compliments reign, I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their kind words. The moment allows me the opportunity to express gratitude to those complimenting me on my work.
Over the past five years, Amazon sold over 1000 of my books. Except for a few friends, I never hear feedback on my books. There are reviews on Goodreads and Amazon but most of those are more of an appraisal of the work than an acknowledgment of how it affects the reader personally. I am grateful for the reviews but there is no way to express gratitude to those leaving the review. This leaves me feeling empty and depressed.
A blog of my thoughts arrives every Friday on various social media in an attempt to disseminate my image to likely readers. A couple of blogs ago, a reader posted comments on Facebook about how it helped her in her life of dealing with marketing predators on social media. This went beyond the usual short comments, likes, or thumbs-up button. Hearing my fellow author take comfort from my words and taking the time to thank me, brought a deep gratitude from my being to encourage me to write more regarding life as an author. I made it a point to thank her for her kind words.
I want to believe other authors face this same predicament of wanting to express gratitude for their readers but cannot for the very nature of our business makes it difficult to do so. If you read a book, blog, or other essay by an author, please leave a comment. The more detailed the message the more authors appreciate your observation. Telling us how it impacted your life is a real thrill. Forums that allow feedback such as Facebook, Goodreads, and others allow the author to reply demonstrating their gratitude and appreciation. This is all the encouragement an author requires to move forward with their next project.
Writing this on Thursday for a Friday release made me realize I have to be more responsive to other author’s blogs, questions, and the problems they face so that they feel encouraged to move forward.
At www.dannymacauthor.com is a good place to learn more about me and my books. This past week, I reviewed the new chapter for my latest project. It has grown to 3200 words but it is more complete than before. I thank God for all those reading my posts and books.
If you like my blogs, please subscribe for email distribution.
God bless,
Danny Mac
As mentioned in a previous blog, I like to cook for my family and friends. To watch their face light up with each bite does my heart good. When the meal finishes and the compliments reign, I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their kind words. The moment allows me the opportunity to express gratitude to those complimenting me on my work.
Over the past five years, Amazon sold over 1000 of my books. Except for a few friends, I never hear feedback on my books. There are reviews on Goodreads and Amazon but most of those are more of an appraisal of the work than an acknowledgment of how it affects the reader personally. I am grateful for the reviews but there is no way to express gratitude to those leaving the review. This leaves me feeling empty and depressed.
A blog of my thoughts arrives every Friday on various social media in an attempt to disseminate my image to likely readers. A couple of blogs ago, a reader posted comments on Facebook about how it helped her in her life of dealing with marketing predators on social media. This went beyond the usual short comments, likes, or thumbs-up button. Hearing my fellow author take comfort from my words and taking the time to thank me, brought a deep gratitude from my being to encourage me to write more regarding life as an author. I made it a point to thank her for her kind words.
I want to believe other authors face this same predicament of wanting to express gratitude for their readers but cannot for the very nature of our business makes it difficult to do so. If you read a book, blog, or other essay by an author, please leave a comment. The more detailed the message the more authors appreciate your observation. Telling us how it impacted your life is a real thrill. Forums that allow feedback such as Facebook, Goodreads, and others allow the author to reply demonstrating their gratitude and appreciation. This is all the encouragement an author requires to move forward with their next project.
Writing this on Thursday for a Friday release made me realize I have to be more responsive to other author’s blogs, questions, and the problems they face so that they feel encouraged to move forward.
At www.dannymacauthor.com is a good place to learn more about me and my books. This past week, I reviewed the new chapter for my latest project. It has grown to 3200 words but it is more complete than before. I thank God for all those reading my posts and books.
If you like my blogs, please subscribe for email distribution.
God bless,
Danny Mac
March 5, 2024
My Entitled Dog – Ginger’s Revenge
Cheers,
It was last December when I last wrote about our Entitled Dog. Tammy mentioned to me recently which Ginger overheard and gave me the cold furry shoulder for not mentioning her since Christmas. She made it clear the only worse than talking badly about her is not talking about her at all. To keep the peace in the house with both mother and dog, here is another story of My Entitled Dog’s in her own words.
My Dad ponders himself as a great writer spending many hours hunting and pecking on the keyboard without mentioning me. We all know that I am the star of his stories and he wouldn’t sell a single copy of his books without me. All my adoring fans feel pity for the pathetic author and buy copies because they know it pleases me.
Starting a couple of months ago, he started having me sit before going through the laundry room to exit my door. The feeble old man felt it was necessary since the time I barely grazed his leg while passing his slow butt to my exit door. He yelped at me and I turned to see him clinging to the steel shelves lining the wall. This over-dramatic sissy pants released the shelving and claimed I buckled his knee. I don’t even know what a knee is. How could have I buckled it? Because he was so clumsy, I had to sit and wait for him to open the laundry room door.
The other day, he let me out and Bentley, the vicious dog from next door that Dad thinks is cute and cuddly walked with its owner. Naturally, I barked out my warning. Barely two barks into protecting our home, this overgrown fat old man was dragging me back into the house. There he kept me for another ten minutes until the danger was gone. My job as chief defender of the house was stolen from me by a grumpy old tyrant who is likely to be eaten by a dangerous animal someday.
Monday turned into the nicest day of the year so far and I decided to teach the naïve, fat old man a lesson in dog revenge. It started as the blazing sun rose on an exceptionally warm March morning as I did my first bathroom break for the day. Half an hour later, I tested the day again to find it warmer than before as the new sun warmed my orange fur. By ten in the morning, I made Dad let me eight times with one of them being for a quick sip of water. I kicked my bowl for more water and he complained, “There is still water in the dish,” as he filled it up to my liking. That taught him for calling me a karen all the time.
These statements are true and accurate because they come from me, Thee Queen Karen, Lord Protector of the House, Defender of the Neighborhood, Top Dog, Chief Cook, and Head Bottle Washer, and Chief Inspector, Ginger.
God bless,
Danny Mac
It was last December when I last wrote about our Entitled Dog. Tammy mentioned to me recently which Ginger overheard and gave me the cold furry shoulder for not mentioning her since Christmas. She made it clear the only worse than talking badly about her is not talking about her at all. To keep the peace in the house with both mother and dog, here is another story of My Entitled Dog’s in her own words.
My Dad ponders himself as a great writer spending many hours hunting and pecking on the keyboard without mentioning me. We all know that I am the star of his stories and he wouldn’t sell a single copy of his books without me. All my adoring fans feel pity for the pathetic author and buy copies because they know it pleases me.
Starting a couple of months ago, he started having me sit before going through the laundry room to exit my door. The feeble old man felt it was necessary since the time I barely grazed his leg while passing his slow butt to my exit door. He yelped at me and I turned to see him clinging to the steel shelves lining the wall. This over-dramatic sissy pants released the shelving and claimed I buckled his knee. I don’t even know what a knee is. How could have I buckled it? Because he was so clumsy, I had to sit and wait for him to open the laundry room door.
The other day, he let me out and Bentley, the vicious dog from next door that Dad thinks is cute and cuddly walked with its owner. Naturally, I barked out my warning. Barely two barks into protecting our home, this overgrown fat old man was dragging me back into the house. There he kept me for another ten minutes until the danger was gone. My job as chief defender of the house was stolen from me by a grumpy old tyrant who is likely to be eaten by a dangerous animal someday.
Monday turned into the nicest day of the year so far and I decided to teach the naïve, fat old man a lesson in dog revenge. It started as the blazing sun rose on an exceptionally warm March morning as I did my first bathroom break for the day. Half an hour later, I tested the day again to find it warmer than before as the new sun warmed my orange fur. By ten in the morning, I made Dad let me eight times with one of them being for a quick sip of water. I kicked my bowl for more water and he complained, “There is still water in the dish,” as he filled it up to my liking. That taught him for calling me a karen all the time.
These statements are true and accurate because they come from me, Thee Queen Karen, Lord Protector of the House, Defender of the Neighborhood, Top Dog, Chief Cook, and Head Bottle Washer, and Chief Inspector, Ginger.
God bless,
Danny Mac
March 1, 2024
Mac’s Moments – Writer’s Math
Greetings,
I have always tried to make the chapter between 2,000 and 2,500 words in my previous four fantasy books. The first book in the series communicated the initial story in 25,000 words but read like instructions or a manual. After a couple of years and many more rewrites, the finished product reached around 50,000 words by adding color and depth to the plot. Some chapters came up a little short of my goal and a couple a little long after the edits.
Last week I wrote a chapter with 2830 words completing the outline. Knowing how my chapters seem to grow as I make them more palatable for the reader, I wanted to pare down a hundred words or so. The first thing I noticed is the grammar gremlins added a lot of simple mistakes, like “of” instead of “off” in one sentence.
While reading the second paragraph, I thought it was unclear so I reworked the paragraph. “Oh, that sounds much better,” I smiled. This process took me through the whole chapter correcting for the gremlins and making it flow smoothly. I looked at several parts to remove but then remembered it is important for later. When I completed the process of trimming the chapter, I noticed there were 2988 words. “How is it possible to end up with more words when trying to cut the length?” I muttered to myself.
Knowing there are many months of editing ahead of me and the rewrites usually add to the word count, it became worrisome as to length. I posted my dilemma to two Facebook author groups to gain their opinion. A shout-out to Realm Makers Consortium and Aspiring Writers United. The general consonance is not to worry about the length of a chapter in favor of the flow of the story. I found one comment particularly amusing and to the point.
They described what I experienced as “Writer’s Math.” Many of the comments sympathized with my situation and some acknowledged having the same experience of trying to shorten it only to find it longer than before. Although not mentioned, I have the feeling writers start to make their work longer, only to see it become shorted at the end.
This spring and summer looks like week after week of editing, rewrites, and adjustments to the fifth book in the Flying People series. The book currently sits at around 40,000 words and when sent to a professional editor, it will clear 50,000 words, a nice size for a novella.
At www.dannymacauthor.com is a good place to learn more about me and my books. If you like my blogs, please subscribe for email distribution.
God bless,
Danny Mac
I have always tried to make the chapter between 2,000 and 2,500 words in my previous four fantasy books. The first book in the series communicated the initial story in 25,000 words but read like instructions or a manual. After a couple of years and many more rewrites, the finished product reached around 50,000 words by adding color and depth to the plot. Some chapters came up a little short of my goal and a couple a little long after the edits.
Last week I wrote a chapter with 2830 words completing the outline. Knowing how my chapters seem to grow as I make them more palatable for the reader, I wanted to pare down a hundred words or so. The first thing I noticed is the grammar gremlins added a lot of simple mistakes, like “of” instead of “off” in one sentence.
While reading the second paragraph, I thought it was unclear so I reworked the paragraph. “Oh, that sounds much better,” I smiled. This process took me through the whole chapter correcting for the gremlins and making it flow smoothly. I looked at several parts to remove but then remembered it is important for later. When I completed the process of trimming the chapter, I noticed there were 2988 words. “How is it possible to end up with more words when trying to cut the length?” I muttered to myself.
Knowing there are many months of editing ahead of me and the rewrites usually add to the word count, it became worrisome as to length. I posted my dilemma to two Facebook author groups to gain their opinion. A shout-out to Realm Makers Consortium and Aspiring Writers United. The general consonance is not to worry about the length of a chapter in favor of the flow of the story. I found one comment particularly amusing and to the point.
They described what I experienced as “Writer’s Math.” Many of the comments sympathized with my situation and some acknowledged having the same experience of trying to shorten it only to find it longer than before. Although not mentioned, I have the feeling writers start to make their work longer, only to see it become shorted at the end.
This spring and summer looks like week after week of editing, rewrites, and adjustments to the fifth book in the Flying People series. The book currently sits at around 40,000 words and when sent to a professional editor, it will clear 50,000 words, a nice size for a novella.
At www.dannymacauthor.com is a good place to learn more about me and my books. If you like my blogs, please subscribe for email distribution.
God bless,
Danny Mac
February 23, 2024
Mac’s Moments – Fake Authors
Greetings,
I like friending fellow authors on social media. This allows me to see how they communicate and sell their books. Through the years, there have been many helpful tips learned by watching other struggling authors promote their books. Hopefully, my fellow writers will pick up some insights from me as we learn from each other.
There are several author groups on Facebook to join and can banter ideas around with them. Here we offer suggestions for plots, writing styles, and promotions when someone reaches the point of requesting help. The symbiotic relationship of these groups helps authors overcome problems in their work. A good thing to rely upon when dealing with the problems of publishing a book.
It was six months ago when an author asked to friend me. Naturally without verifying, I agreed. They DM a hello and I said hi back. Then the question, “Do you have problems selling your books? I know someone who promoted my books to get amazing sales.”
This made the hairs on the back of my neck quiver as it sounded more like an expert promoter and not another author. I quickly checked their page and their Amazon account. The information matched their content. Upon closer inspection though, they matched much too closely. The only pictures appearing on the FB page were copies of the photos from Amazon. Some were blown up and some were chopped into other scenes.
Upon deeper delve into the FB page, it was only a month old and most of the twenty friends were Expert Digital Marketers. Then I realized, that all the posts were taken directly from Amazon. There was nothing unique about the posts. Most of them were the very same repeated weekly to gain attention. There was little to no interaction with the public. I found no likes, no comments, and nothing to indicate they were offering information for someone to become interested in their books. It appears the author was real but the person contacting was not the author.
I asked back, “So what is your favorite part of writing?”
“My guy can help you sell hundreds of books,” was the only reply.
I blocked the fake FB author page and went about my day. Since then I have seen several more suspected fake authors trying to connect with me with a page showing little of the author other than copies of Amazon postings. This week, there were three on the same day, from the same post, in the same group on FB. All three author’s pages show the lack of details of my first encounter with a fake author.
Be careful my fellow authors, there are a lot of people just looking to make a quick buck on our hard work while deflating our opportunities in the marketplace.
At www.dannymacauthor.com is a good place to learn more about me and my books. This week found myself working on a supplement chapter in my next book in the Flying People series. Which gives me even more editing to do this year.
God bless,
Danny Mac
I like friending fellow authors on social media. This allows me to see how they communicate and sell their books. Through the years, there have been many helpful tips learned by watching other struggling authors promote their books. Hopefully, my fellow writers will pick up some insights from me as we learn from each other.
There are several author groups on Facebook to join and can banter ideas around with them. Here we offer suggestions for plots, writing styles, and promotions when someone reaches the point of requesting help. The symbiotic relationship of these groups helps authors overcome problems in their work. A good thing to rely upon when dealing with the problems of publishing a book.
It was six months ago when an author asked to friend me. Naturally without verifying, I agreed. They DM a hello and I said hi back. Then the question, “Do you have problems selling your books? I know someone who promoted my books to get amazing sales.”
This made the hairs on the back of my neck quiver as it sounded more like an expert promoter and not another author. I quickly checked their page and their Amazon account. The information matched their content. Upon closer inspection though, they matched much too closely. The only pictures appearing on the FB page were copies of the photos from Amazon. Some were blown up and some were chopped into other scenes.
Upon deeper delve into the FB page, it was only a month old and most of the twenty friends were Expert Digital Marketers. Then I realized, that all the posts were taken directly from Amazon. There was nothing unique about the posts. Most of them were the very same repeated weekly to gain attention. There was little to no interaction with the public. I found no likes, no comments, and nothing to indicate they were offering information for someone to become interested in their books. It appears the author was real but the person contacting was not the author.
I asked back, “So what is your favorite part of writing?”
“My guy can help you sell hundreds of books,” was the only reply.
I blocked the fake FB author page and went about my day. Since then I have seen several more suspected fake authors trying to connect with me with a page showing little of the author other than copies of Amazon postings. This week, there were three on the same day, from the same post, in the same group on FB. All three author’s pages show the lack of details of my first encounter with a fake author.
Be careful my fellow authors, there are a lot of people just looking to make a quick buck on our hard work while deflating our opportunities in the marketplace.
At www.dannymacauthor.com is a good place to learn more about me and my books. This week found myself working on a supplement chapter in my next book in the Flying People series. Which gives me even more editing to do this year.
God bless,
Danny Mac
February 16, 2024
Mac’s Moments – Annoying Husbands
Greetings,
Valentine’s Day this week guided two old married people into reminiscing of days of yore. 1997 saw us moving from our old hometown to our new hometown. Unbeknownst to me, there is a cosmic law stating newlyweds may never reuse the old shower curtain in a new apartment. Tammy voluntold me to go to the department store with her.
We found many options to choose from and Tammy was deciding between two when she asked me my opinion. “I like the opaque one,” a sly smile crossed my face.
“Why?” was her unsuspecting answer.
“It makes it easier to sneak up on you while showering,” was my smirking reply.
Unknown sweet voice near the towels, “Why do husbands do this?” in an exacerbated tone come from the short blond girl.
This is a question I pondered for many years although the question morphed into why do husbands annoy their wives?
My answer after thirty years of annoying my wife is not scientific, nor does it carry any other weight than my opinion. There is a certain beauty when my bride reaches riled up state. Her face gathers a distinct shade of red as the frustration builds. This added color gives a glow to her personality. It is an irresistible temptation to seek beauty and fun from my spouse. I found that there are rules to riling your wife or face devastating consequences.
Rule 1. There is a time and place for annoying your bride. A husband must learn the prerequisites of proper annoying or she may just kill you. I have seen “The Look” from my wife that tells me she knows how deep the hole needs to be for the authorities to never find my body.
Rule 2. Limit the annoyance to the situation. There is a fine line between sweetly riled up and sleeping on the couch for the night. Depending on rule one, that line can be very fragile and easily broken. Every husband has faced the time they were playfully pestering their wife, and all of a sudden cowering in the corner stuttering, “What, what did I do?” Are they asking the wife this question, maybe? More likely, it is an introspective question trying to figure out where they went wrong.
Rule 3. Always make it up to your wife. This starts with a hug and the words, “I Love you.” Then present her gift of her love language. When all else fails, buy her flowers, chocolate, or her favorite tangible gift. With me, I prepare her favorite meal. I found cooking something special for her covers all my annoyances along with an assortments of other sins.
Rule 4. This is the most important rule, always annoy your wife out of love for her. Never pester her in anger, frustration, or malice. It is the loving sneak into the bathroom to playfully disturb her while showering that brings out the best in her. A loving swat on the behind reveals a smile across her face.
This is the spice of life that gives a marriage a zip in an otherwise stressful time. Every wife can only tolerate a specific amount of heat before they explode upon their annoying husband releasing a fire to burn his soul.
At www.dannymacauthor.com is a good place to learn more about me and my books. I finished compiling Short Stories from My Dreams. This is my next book due out later this year.
God bless,
Danny Mac
Valentine’s Day this week guided two old married people into reminiscing of days of yore. 1997 saw us moving from our old hometown to our new hometown. Unbeknownst to me, there is a cosmic law stating newlyweds may never reuse the old shower curtain in a new apartment. Tammy voluntold me to go to the department store with her.
We found many options to choose from and Tammy was deciding between two when she asked me my opinion. “I like the opaque one,” a sly smile crossed my face.
“Why?” was her unsuspecting answer.
“It makes it easier to sneak up on you while showering,” was my smirking reply.
Unknown sweet voice near the towels, “Why do husbands do this?” in an exacerbated tone come from the short blond girl.
This is a question I pondered for many years although the question morphed into why do husbands annoy their wives?
My answer after thirty years of annoying my wife is not scientific, nor does it carry any other weight than my opinion. There is a certain beauty when my bride reaches riled up state. Her face gathers a distinct shade of red as the frustration builds. This added color gives a glow to her personality. It is an irresistible temptation to seek beauty and fun from my spouse. I found that there are rules to riling your wife or face devastating consequences.
Rule 1. There is a time and place for annoying your bride. A husband must learn the prerequisites of proper annoying or she may just kill you. I have seen “The Look” from my wife that tells me she knows how deep the hole needs to be for the authorities to never find my body.
Rule 2. Limit the annoyance to the situation. There is a fine line between sweetly riled up and sleeping on the couch for the night. Depending on rule one, that line can be very fragile and easily broken. Every husband has faced the time they were playfully pestering their wife, and all of a sudden cowering in the corner stuttering, “What, what did I do?” Are they asking the wife this question, maybe? More likely, it is an introspective question trying to figure out where they went wrong.
Rule 3. Always make it up to your wife. This starts with a hug and the words, “I Love you.” Then present her gift of her love language. When all else fails, buy her flowers, chocolate, or her favorite tangible gift. With me, I prepare her favorite meal. I found cooking something special for her covers all my annoyances along with an assortments of other sins.
Rule 4. This is the most important rule, always annoy your wife out of love for her. Never pester her in anger, frustration, or malice. It is the loving sneak into the bathroom to playfully disturb her while showering that brings out the best in her. A loving swat on the behind reveals a smile across her face.
This is the spice of life that gives a marriage a zip in an otherwise stressful time. Every wife can only tolerate a specific amount of heat before they explode upon their annoying husband releasing a fire to burn his soul.
At www.dannymacauthor.com is a good place to learn more about me and my books. I finished compiling Short Stories from My Dreams. This is my next book due out later this year.
God bless,
Danny Mac
February 9, 2024
Mac’s Moments – Sunshine
Greetings,
Living in northeast Ohio (NEO) we celebrate winter sunshine. Starting the first of December, cold winds move across the state bringing one front after another. In between the fronts, the wind continues to blow from the west and north layering us with low-level lake-effect clouds blotting out the sun. Lake Erie is always slightly warmer and keeps the clouds hovering over us between rainy days.
If we are lucky, NEOs will see two maybe three days of sunshine per month for January and February. These days bring forth great joy and jubilation after we find our forgotten sunglasses after two weeks of cloudiness. The thick-blooded people of the land will parade around town soaking in the few moments of brightness.
The problem is to have a bright sunny day, cold dry air from the polar cap brings the temperature down. These rare sunny days are akin walking in a deep freezer while Paparazzi shines a bright light in your face. The high-pressure cell pushing cold air clears out the clouds from the region and then keeps it cold until the next low pressure from the southwest bringing more rain and clouds. Oh, but we love our sunshine when it cares to visit for a day.
Driving home from Church on Sunday, the blueness of the sky amazed me. I don’t know if was more grandeur for not seeing it for a while or if it was bluer than normal. Monday blossomed with a bright sun and it warmed to the low thirties. A haze of clouds fell across the land in the afternoon and cleared out just in time for nightfall. Tuesday came with mostly sunny skies and mid-thirties temperatures.
Wednesday saw blue skies with wisps of white fluffy clouds hanging high in the atmosphere with temperatures reaching the mid-forties. What a day to just go for a walk. Even my elderly MIL thought it was nice outside. A fourth mostly sunny day in a row made our collective spirits shine with joy and gave us a giddy-up to our step.
Thursday broke to increasing clouds and fair amount of sunshine. The heavier clouds from the storm that ravaged California hadn’t moved into NEO plunging us into gray. Mid-afternoon temperature reached sixty degrees with the sun peering between the clouds. We would be swimming if it weren’t for the impending rain expected for Friday and Saturday.
Please review my author page at www.dannymacauthor.com to learn more about me and my books. I edited eight short stories and placed them in a file called Short Stories from My Dreams. I hope this title is befitting of a bestseller.
God bless,
Danny Mac
Living in northeast Ohio (NEO) we celebrate winter sunshine. Starting the first of December, cold winds move across the state bringing one front after another. In between the fronts, the wind continues to blow from the west and north layering us with low-level lake-effect clouds blotting out the sun. Lake Erie is always slightly warmer and keeps the clouds hovering over us between rainy days.
If we are lucky, NEOs will see two maybe three days of sunshine per month for January and February. These days bring forth great joy and jubilation after we find our forgotten sunglasses after two weeks of cloudiness. The thick-blooded people of the land will parade around town soaking in the few moments of brightness.
The problem is to have a bright sunny day, cold dry air from the polar cap brings the temperature down. These rare sunny days are akin walking in a deep freezer while Paparazzi shines a bright light in your face. The high-pressure cell pushing cold air clears out the clouds from the region and then keeps it cold until the next low pressure from the southwest bringing more rain and clouds. Oh, but we love our sunshine when it cares to visit for a day.
Driving home from Church on Sunday, the blueness of the sky amazed me. I don’t know if was more grandeur for not seeing it for a while or if it was bluer than normal. Monday blossomed with a bright sun and it warmed to the low thirties. A haze of clouds fell across the land in the afternoon and cleared out just in time for nightfall. Tuesday came with mostly sunny skies and mid-thirties temperatures.
Wednesday saw blue skies with wisps of white fluffy clouds hanging high in the atmosphere with temperatures reaching the mid-forties. What a day to just go for a walk. Even my elderly MIL thought it was nice outside. A fourth mostly sunny day in a row made our collective spirits shine with joy and gave us a giddy-up to our step.
Thursday broke to increasing clouds and fair amount of sunshine. The heavier clouds from the storm that ravaged California hadn’t moved into NEO plunging us into gray. Mid-afternoon temperature reached sixty degrees with the sun peering between the clouds. We would be swimming if it weren’t for the impending rain expected for Friday and Saturday.
Please review my author page at www.dannymacauthor.com to learn more about me and my books. I edited eight short stories and placed them in a file called Short Stories from My Dreams. I hope this title is befitting of a bestseller.
God bless,
Danny Mac
February 2, 2024
Mac’s Moments – Writing Again
Happy Ground Hog’s Day,
I began writing as a cathartic exercise and a means to improve my writing skills for business. I started with short stories and have amended them over the years. I might put them into a book and share my favorite with the world. Let me know if this is a good idea.
Last October, life came at us fast. Many ordinary problems were cropping up and then my father-in-law’s health began failing. His family physician could do nothing more for him and suggested we take him to the emergency room.
They ran several tests only leading to more tests. The tension grew as we learned a neurosurgeon was called in to evaluate. It turned out he had a golfball-sized tumor growing in his brain and they whisked him off to a hospital specializing in brain problems. It was three days later before we received word of it being inoperable and his days are numbered.
This on top of many other problems caused a block from the thoughts in my head reaching my fingers to type into a story. A complete scene in my head while resting turned into “hovdohehv” when typing. I tried very hard to make a coherent sentence only to have little to nothing come out of my brain.
After a week of staring at a blank page for an hour, I quit until November. Again nothing, the only thoughts able to escape can only be described as gibberish. The first of December brought the same problem. I decided to step back from trying to write until the New Year. I kept up on my blogs during this time and it took several hours to produce three hundred words.
My prayers for healing grew with every passing week. After a leave from writing for several months, I sat down Monday morning with the final chapter of my latest book in mind. The words flowed slowly at first and then streamed out like nothing was wrong. I finished the conclusion to my New Book and found a potential title for it, The Antidimension. The book has about 37,000 words and after ten or so edits, it should reach 50,000 words.
I might add, that I created my first word in my literary journey. Now I am only a couple thousand new words behind Shakespeare. No, I didn’t as my recent search shows Antidimension is already used in other writings.
To my fellow authors, sometimes it is good to break away from writing, get your life back together, and start again. It took me a half hour to write 450 words today.
Please review my author page at www.dannymacauthor.com to learn more about me and my books.
God bless,
Danny Mac
I began writing as a cathartic exercise and a means to improve my writing skills for business. I started with short stories and have amended them over the years. I might put them into a book and share my favorite with the world. Let me know if this is a good idea.
Last October, life came at us fast. Many ordinary problems were cropping up and then my father-in-law’s health began failing. His family physician could do nothing more for him and suggested we take him to the emergency room.
They ran several tests only leading to more tests. The tension grew as we learned a neurosurgeon was called in to evaluate. It turned out he had a golfball-sized tumor growing in his brain and they whisked him off to a hospital specializing in brain problems. It was three days later before we received word of it being inoperable and his days are numbered.
This on top of many other problems caused a block from the thoughts in my head reaching my fingers to type into a story. A complete scene in my head while resting turned into “hovdohehv” when typing. I tried very hard to make a coherent sentence only to have little to nothing come out of my brain.
After a week of staring at a blank page for an hour, I quit until November. Again nothing, the only thoughts able to escape can only be described as gibberish. The first of December brought the same problem. I decided to step back from trying to write until the New Year. I kept up on my blogs during this time and it took several hours to produce three hundred words.
My prayers for healing grew with every passing week. After a leave from writing for several months, I sat down Monday morning with the final chapter of my latest book in mind. The words flowed slowly at first and then streamed out like nothing was wrong. I finished the conclusion to my New Book and found a potential title for it, The Antidimension. The book has about 37,000 words and after ten or so edits, it should reach 50,000 words.
I might add, that I created my first word in my literary journey. Now I am only a couple thousand new words behind Shakespeare. No, I didn’t as my recent search shows Antidimension is already used in other writings.
To my fellow authors, sometimes it is good to break away from writing, get your life back together, and start again. It took me a half hour to write 450 words today.
Please review my author page at www.dannymacauthor.com to learn more about me and my books.
God bless,
Danny Mac
January 26, 2024
Mac’s Moments – Author’s Bane
Greetings,
I love to cook. Seeing people’s faces light up as the conversation dries up while devouring my culinary offering pleases my heart. I suggest to every young man to learn how to cook because it works better than flowers and candy in covering mistakes with your wife.
Having published my first book in 2020, I have fifteen reviews and several friends tell me the pleasure in reading it. Again my heart brightens to hear of their enjoyment in my writing. Unlike my cooking, I cannot see the faces as they read since reading is a quiet and personal time. It would be intrusive to spy on the person delving into my story. So, I can only hear their acknowledgments after the fact. It still feels good, but not as intense as watching them eat my creation on the table.
I advertise my books on social media, Facebook, Instagram, X, and even LinkedIn. I also share my blogs on these same locations. Generally, my blogs receive between twenty and fifty reads per week. However, my posts about the blogs receive anywhere from fifty to a hundred likes on the various sites. The difference is Digital Marketers, SEO Experts, and Ad Developers wanting me to pay them money through Fiverr and Upwork.
Consistently the people who like my blog but don’t read it are the very people who DM wanting me to buy their service. The first question asked is if they can have a link for my books even though my page offers a link to purchase my books. Then tell me what a great story I produced. “What do you like about it?” is my first question back to them. Since they haven’t read the blurb let alone the whole book, they give me non-descriptive replies like character development.
I spent over $200 on these Fiverr experts in my first year as an author. I would send them a unique link to my book and they would do their magic to promote my book. Through this unique link, I received around a dozen clicks and no sales over a year. I became jilted by the lack of effectiveness and avoided these experts in all cases.
I will offer to send them the unique link to my book and if they can sell five or ten books I will pay them. “I don’t sell books,” defiantly retorts back.
“If your promotions don’t lead to sales, what good is it?”
“I make people aware of your book so you can sell more books,” is the nonsensical comeback.
My fellow authors, please be careful when dealing with the experts constantly hounding your social media pages. If they cannot take the time to read your bio, then they won’t offer effective promotions for your book. That has been my experience.
Please review my author page at www.dannymacauthor.com to learn more about me and my books.
God bless,
Danny Mac
I love to cook. Seeing people’s faces light up as the conversation dries up while devouring my culinary offering pleases my heart. I suggest to every young man to learn how to cook because it works better than flowers and candy in covering mistakes with your wife.
Having published my first book in 2020, I have fifteen reviews and several friends tell me the pleasure in reading it. Again my heart brightens to hear of their enjoyment in my writing. Unlike my cooking, I cannot see the faces as they read since reading is a quiet and personal time. It would be intrusive to spy on the person delving into my story. So, I can only hear their acknowledgments after the fact. It still feels good, but not as intense as watching them eat my creation on the table.
I advertise my books on social media, Facebook, Instagram, X, and even LinkedIn. I also share my blogs on these same locations. Generally, my blogs receive between twenty and fifty reads per week. However, my posts about the blogs receive anywhere from fifty to a hundred likes on the various sites. The difference is Digital Marketers, SEO Experts, and Ad Developers wanting me to pay them money through Fiverr and Upwork.
Consistently the people who like my blog but don’t read it are the very people who DM wanting me to buy their service. The first question asked is if they can have a link for my books even though my page offers a link to purchase my books. Then tell me what a great story I produced. “What do you like about it?” is my first question back to them. Since they haven’t read the blurb let alone the whole book, they give me non-descriptive replies like character development.
I spent over $200 on these Fiverr experts in my first year as an author. I would send them a unique link to my book and they would do their magic to promote my book. Through this unique link, I received around a dozen clicks and no sales over a year. I became jilted by the lack of effectiveness and avoided these experts in all cases.
I will offer to send them the unique link to my book and if they can sell five or ten books I will pay them. “I don’t sell books,” defiantly retorts back.
“If your promotions don’t lead to sales, what good is it?”
“I make people aware of your book so you can sell more books,” is the nonsensical comeback.
My fellow authors, please be careful when dealing with the experts constantly hounding your social media pages. If they cannot take the time to read your bio, then they won’t offer effective promotions for your book. That has been my experience.
Please review my author page at www.dannymacauthor.com to learn more about me and my books.
God bless,
Danny Mac
