Marlene Dotterer's Blog, page 78

Interviews and a London Report

Thanks to Alica McKenna Johnson for a wonderful interview! She had it up yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to remind you. So now, let me remind you about another interview tomorrow, over at Indie Saturday. I hope that link works. I'll try to update it tomorrow.

I'm still in London. See?

 Me on the Westminster Bridge

We are having a blast, to judge by our exhaustion when we return to our B&B at night. Foot report – the neuropathy has returned with a vengeance. Last night I was having...

Belfast: Titanic

Here we are in Belfast! United Airlines did their best to make sure we never got here, but we persevered, and triumphed in the end. Therein lies a tale, but I'm not going to tell it until I can laugh about it.

Belfast has proven to be wonderful. A great deal of the credit for that goes to Claire and Denis Nightingale. Claire and Denis are fellow Titanic Cruise passengers. If you aren't on the cruise, you may not know that many of the passengers have hooked up with each other via Facebook or...

What's in Store

Tomorrow is Flying Day. That means that today is Final Packing Day, and that should tell you the state of my nerves. Nevertheless, I want to sit down and pull my thoughts together. I hope to have a lot to offer you over the next few weeks. Aren't you dying to know about some of it?

A few things are done and on the schedule (give that word the soft British "sedule," if you please). I will, after all, be in England, and on a very British cruise.

I have three guest appearances coming up:
Interview ...

The Art of Thinking They Might Be…

"Of course, he (Don Quixote) carried it a bit too far. He thought that every windmill was a giant. That's insane. But, thinking that they might be… Well, all the best minds used to think the world was flat. But, what if it isn't? It might be round. And bread mould might be medicine. If we never looked at things and thought of what they might be, why, we'd all still be out there in the tall grass with the apes."

George C. Scott as Justin Playfair (Sherlock Holmes)

They Might Be Giants 

I first ...

Promoting the Book – Experiments in Advertising.

This week, I started an experiment in advertising, by buying an ad on Goodreads. It's one of those "self-serve" advertisements, something that Goodreads has in beta testing. I'm assuming that because the ads are "self-serve," they are cheaper than "real" ads. They are also very basic, no-frills ads. I would have liked to have put up an attractive ad, perhaps with animation, but of course, that costs a lot more.

First, a disclaimer: I have a strong, general dislike of ads. I've never paid much ...

How to Read a Book Contract – Audit Clause

Holy cow. This article by Passive Guy makes my head spin, and it's just one clause in a contract.

How to Read a Book Contract – Audit Clause.

 

An April Shower of Giveaways

In memory of RMS Titanic

April 10, 1912 – April 15, 1912

I have another Goodreads Giveaway for you! This one runs from NOW until April 25. Click here to go to the Giveaway page. I'm giving away 2 copies of The Time Travel Journals: Shipbuilder.

Spread the word!

 

Mama Birth: 100 Non-Scientific Things To Love About Breastfeeding

Mama Birth: 100 Non-Scientific Things To Love About Breastfeeding.

A post about breastfeeding to round out the political posts about contraception and abortion. It's all part of the same package, folks.

 

Guest Post: A Doctor on Transvaginal Ultrasounds – Whatever

Guest Post: A Doctor on Transvaginal Ultrasounds – Whatever.

I want to shout this from the rooftops. FINALLY, a doctor speaks up. I am truly sorry this physician felt it necessary to remain anonymous. That need speaks volumes to the state of our freedoms in America.

Thank you John Scalzi for providing a platform, and thank you, Dr. Anon, for speaking up.

Where are all the other doctors?

Politics Again. Because it's Serious.

I must point you to a succinct and eloquent summary by Elizabeth Moon, of the challenges facing women in our country today. I'm not sure why there is a fire sale on these laws, but the Republicans seem to be throwing them out there as fast as they can. It's scary.

More than that, it's unconstitutional, and we need women and lawyers to immediately challenge them.  These laws deny women their rights (the inalienable ones – remember those?) to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. More – t...