M.K. Alexander's Blog, page 3
February 3, 2019
New Shorts
My five “new” short stories went live on Amazon last Monday and Tuesday. I should say four short stories and a novelette, as one of them is just over 8,000 words. They were previously collected in a compilation titled “Genre Jam” which had very few readers.
I cannot say they are brand new, freshly minted stories, but they are newly revised and scrupulously edited. It was in the end quite a bit of work, not to mention designing new covers and formatting. I offered them up at Amazon for 99¢ and in this case did not put them on Kindle Unlimited.
Was it worth the effort?
That’s an unqualified, yes.
Though they are not yet garnishing readers, one story did sell, and I am 33¢ richer. I claim success, not financial success, but solely based on this lovely unsolicited review:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh, my goodness
February 1, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Verified Purchase
“Such a glorious short story with an unexpected ending. Well worth the price of admission to see this story played out. Thank you, MK.”
(Thank you, Ms Onorato!)
The short story in question is:
Louie’s Balloons
(an urban fairy tale)
What’s lower than a mime? Perhaps a balloon sculptor. Meet Louie, who has grand plans of his own, though finds only a tragic end.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N6KB2MP
Here are the rest:
George & Martha
(an urban fiction)
An literary tale about an apartment dwelling couple who has not turned off their TV for thirty years. An open window, a glimpse into their lives, and a hungry dog.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N6H2K42
Stray Sod
(a time travelogue)
The Irish seem to have lots to say about stray sod, but chiefly: don’t step on it. A whirlwind tour of Ireland in and out of time.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N611B27
The Barrier
(science fiction)
A nearby world. A classic sci-fi story with an unexpected twist. Guaranteed.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N672KSL
Spontaneous Human Combustion
(horror / science fiction)
In this novelette, a journal from a hundred years ago prompts the new investigation into a curious phenomenon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N676B1N
Enjoy!
I cannot say they are brand new, freshly minted stories, but they are newly revised and scrupulously edited. It was in the end quite a bit of work, not to mention designing new covers and formatting. I offered them up at Amazon for 99¢ and in this case did not put them on Kindle Unlimited.
Was it worth the effort?
That’s an unqualified, yes.
Though they are not yet garnishing readers, one story did sell, and I am 33¢ richer. I claim success, not financial success, but solely based on this lovely unsolicited review:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh, my goodness
February 1, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
Verified Purchase
“Such a glorious short story with an unexpected ending. Well worth the price of admission to see this story played out. Thank you, MK.”
(Thank you, Ms Onorato!)
The short story in question is:
Louie’s Balloons
(an urban fairy tale)
What’s lower than a mime? Perhaps a balloon sculptor. Meet Louie, who has grand plans of his own, though finds only a tragic end.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N6KB2MP
Here are the rest:
George & Martha
(an urban fiction)
An literary tale about an apartment dwelling couple who has not turned off their TV for thirty years. An open window, a glimpse into their lives, and a hungry dog.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N6H2K42
Stray Sod
(a time travelogue)
The Irish seem to have lots to say about stray sod, but chiefly: don’t step on it. A whirlwind tour of Ireland in and out of time.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N611B27
The Barrier
(science fiction)
A nearby world. A classic sci-fi story with an unexpected twist. Guaranteed.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N672KSL
Spontaneous Human Combustion
(horror / science fiction)
In this novelette, a journal from a hundred years ago prompts the new investigation into a curious phenomenon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N676B1N
Enjoy!
January 27, 2019
Shorts
Not the kind you wear (it’s cold here in New York), but the kind you read, or don’t.
As I write this, five short stories are publishing on Amazon (pending review…) Maybe I should say four short stories and a novelette, because one of them is just over 8,000 words.
They are, in no particular order, as follows:
George & Martha
(an urban fiction)
An literary tale about an apartment dwelling couple who has not turned off their TV for thirty years. An open window, a glimpse into their lives, and a hungry dog.
Louie’s Balloons
(an urban fairy tale)
What’s lower than a mime? Perhaps a balloon sculptor. Meet Louie, who has grand plans of his own, though finds only a tragic end. This won the BBC short story award some years ago.
Stray Sod
(a time travelogue)
The Irish seem to have lots to say about stray sod, but chiefly: don’t step on it. A whirlwind tour of Ireland in and out of time.
The Barrier
(science fiction)
A nearby world. A classic sci-fi story with an unexpected twist. Guaranteed.
Spontaneous Human Combustion
(horror / science fiction)
In this novelette, a journal from a hundred years ago prompts the new investigation into a curious phenomenon.
I cannot say they are brand new, freshly minted stories, though I can say they are newly revised and scrupulously edited. They were, in their first edition, collected in a compilation titled “Genre Jam.”
It was not widely read. I now understand this was a mistake. Genre Jam was a collection of extremely disparate stories with only one common thread: they all result in grievous injury or death— cheery, eh? The mistake being, a reader might enjoy science fiction or horror, but would balk at the idea of reading an urban fairy tale. Understandable. I’ve separated them into quick reads and I’m offering them up for 99 cents each.
Enjoy!
As I write this, five short stories are publishing on Amazon (pending review…) Maybe I should say four short stories and a novelette, because one of them is just over 8,000 words.
They are, in no particular order, as follows:
George & Martha
(an urban fiction)
An literary tale about an apartment dwelling couple who has not turned off their TV for thirty years. An open window, a glimpse into their lives, and a hungry dog.
Louie’s Balloons
(an urban fairy tale)
What’s lower than a mime? Perhaps a balloon sculptor. Meet Louie, who has grand plans of his own, though finds only a tragic end. This won the BBC short story award some years ago.
Stray Sod
(a time travelogue)
The Irish seem to have lots to say about stray sod, but chiefly: don’t step on it. A whirlwind tour of Ireland in and out of time.
The Barrier
(science fiction)
A nearby world. A classic sci-fi story with an unexpected twist. Guaranteed.
Spontaneous Human Combustion
(horror / science fiction)
In this novelette, a journal from a hundred years ago prompts the new investigation into a curious phenomenon.
I cannot say they are brand new, freshly minted stories, though I can say they are newly revised and scrupulously edited. They were, in their first edition, collected in a compilation titled “Genre Jam.”
It was not widely read. I now understand this was a mistake. Genre Jam was a collection of extremely disparate stories with only one common thread: they all result in grievous injury or death— cheery, eh? The mistake being, a reader might enjoy science fiction or horror, but would balk at the idea of reading an urban fairy tale. Understandable. I’ve separated them into quick reads and I’m offering them up for 99 cents each.
Enjoy!
January 20, 2019
Making a Living
How many books do you have to sell to make a living as an indie-author?
The first question is: what is a “living?”
The second question is: where is that living made? Surviving in New York, for example, is more costly than in, say… Arkansas.
You may have already noticed I used the word “surviving.” It’s not necessarily the same thing as making a living, but if you learn to live with less, the terms become synonymous.
Statistics is not our friend. The average median household income in the US is around $60,000. That’s probably for a family of four; and the results are skewed by all the people making more, much more; and people making less, much less. In any case, that’s a lot of books to be sold.
Maybe a better number is the poverty threshold for a single individual, which comes in around $12,000 a year. Can you live on that in New York? Perhaps, if you are able to find a roomy card board box somewhere on Second Avenue. Rent eats up a lot of income.
Okay, so let’s use a more arbitrary number, say $24,000 per annum. Could you live on that? Well, I can— I’ve gotten used to living with less. That’s $2,000 a month, or about sixty-six dollars a day. It breaks down like this:
Rent: $1200, or $40 a day (not in mom’s basement)
Utilities: $200, or $7 a day (electricity, wireless, etc.)
Food: $200, or $7 a day (think ramen noodles)
Misc: $400, or $13 a day (This might include travel, entertainment, clothes, marketing expenses; and drugs, like coffee—and/or anything else you don’t want to divulge to others).
You might have noticed I’m harping on expenses-per-day, and that’s because some days you’ll sell more books than other days, guaranteed.
Okay so far?
So what’s the average royalty for a book?
Well, that’s a hard question… Let’s just take Amazon ebooks for the moment. They can range in price from 99¢ to $9.99. Royalties come in at either 30% or 70%. In this case, 27¢ and $6.90. Divide by two to find the average: around $3.50 per book. That seems a little on the high side… $2.99 seems to be the average price for an ebook, or two dollars in royalties. Let’s just call it $2.50 a book for the sake of argument.
So, to make a living, that’s selling roughly 800 books a month, or, twenty-six-and-a-half books per day. That’s 9,600 a year. It seems doable, especially if you add in a few dollars for Kindle Unlimited readers. Don’t forget your taxes!
How do you sell that many?
Two ways: write one book that rockets to the best seller list and stays there month after month, year after year; or, write many books and hope for the best.
I wish all you indie-writers out there a happy new year, and good luck.
The first question is: what is a “living?”
The second question is: where is that living made? Surviving in New York, for example, is more costly than in, say… Arkansas.
You may have already noticed I used the word “surviving.” It’s not necessarily the same thing as making a living, but if you learn to live with less, the terms become synonymous.
Statistics is not our friend. The average median household income in the US is around $60,000. That’s probably for a family of four; and the results are skewed by all the people making more, much more; and people making less, much less. In any case, that’s a lot of books to be sold.
Maybe a better number is the poverty threshold for a single individual, which comes in around $12,000 a year. Can you live on that in New York? Perhaps, if you are able to find a roomy card board box somewhere on Second Avenue. Rent eats up a lot of income.
Okay, so let’s use a more arbitrary number, say $24,000 per annum. Could you live on that? Well, I can— I’ve gotten used to living with less. That’s $2,000 a month, or about sixty-six dollars a day. It breaks down like this:
Rent: $1200, or $40 a day (not in mom’s basement)
Utilities: $200, or $7 a day (electricity, wireless, etc.)
Food: $200, or $7 a day (think ramen noodles)
Misc: $400, or $13 a day (This might include travel, entertainment, clothes, marketing expenses; and drugs, like coffee—and/or anything else you don’t want to divulge to others).
You might have noticed I’m harping on expenses-per-day, and that’s because some days you’ll sell more books than other days, guaranteed.
Okay so far?
So what’s the average royalty for a book?
Well, that’s a hard question… Let’s just take Amazon ebooks for the moment. They can range in price from 99¢ to $9.99. Royalties come in at either 30% or 70%. In this case, 27¢ and $6.90. Divide by two to find the average: around $3.50 per book. That seems a little on the high side… $2.99 seems to be the average price for an ebook, or two dollars in royalties. Let’s just call it $2.50 a book for the sake of argument.
So, to make a living, that’s selling roughly 800 books a month, or, twenty-six-and-a-half books per day. That’s 9,600 a year. It seems doable, especially if you add in a few dollars for Kindle Unlimited readers. Don’t forget your taxes!
How do you sell that many?
Two ways: write one book that rockets to the best seller list and stays there month after month, year after year; or, write many books and hope for the best.
I wish all you indie-writers out there a happy new year, and good luck.
January 13, 2019
Un-Create Space
If any of you have a paperback coming out in the near future, you might take note. And, many of you may have already noticed: CreateSpace no longer exists, well, not in itself.
I’ve published eight paperbacks with CreateSpace over the years, and mostly without a hitch. Novel number 9, Mr Thursby, went through Amazon’s new system.
I cannot speak to many aspects of the process. I have never used the “cover-creator,” nor have I ever provided a “DocX file” to be converted. Good luck with that.
I am fortunate enough to have some expertise in graphic design, and was able to provide a PDF for the interior (set in Minion Pro 12/14), and a Photoshop PDF for the cover, spine, and back matter.
So… how is Amazon’s “new” process? Pretty good, though patience is required. At one point, Amazon told me to get a cup of coffee, and this was good advice. In all, it’s a lot like the old CreateSpace process, though a bit more streamlined. I had no problems except one: the online proof viewer did not work for the interior pages. It just kept spooling… That said, the downloadable proof was on my desktop in moments.
What else is different?
You cannot order at cost anymore, i.e., a wholesale price. Kind of drawback if you are thinking of supplying libraries with your new book. Proof copies from Amazon are at cost, but they have a banded “proof copy, not for resale” across the cover. The only work-around I can see is buying your own books at retail and enjoying the 60% royalty. No great bargain here.
Mr Thursby came out great:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1793128383
Speaking of paperbacks, I stumbled across this last week. A place called OutPublish will provide you with 3-D book art absolutely FREE. (I should add I am not affiliated with this company in any way). It’s pretty simple. Go to their site, type in your ISBN and a few seconds later they’ll send you a download link to your new art. It’s not bad, usable for promotion.
https://outpublish.com/book-cover-gen...
I’ve published eight paperbacks with CreateSpace over the years, and mostly without a hitch. Novel number 9, Mr Thursby, went through Amazon’s new system.
I cannot speak to many aspects of the process. I have never used the “cover-creator,” nor have I ever provided a “DocX file” to be converted. Good luck with that.
I am fortunate enough to have some expertise in graphic design, and was able to provide a PDF for the interior (set in Minion Pro 12/14), and a Photoshop PDF for the cover, spine, and back matter.
So… how is Amazon’s “new” process? Pretty good, though patience is required. At one point, Amazon told me to get a cup of coffee, and this was good advice. In all, it’s a lot like the old CreateSpace process, though a bit more streamlined. I had no problems except one: the online proof viewer did not work for the interior pages. It just kept spooling… That said, the downloadable proof was on my desktop in moments.
What else is different?
You cannot order at cost anymore, i.e., a wholesale price. Kind of drawback if you are thinking of supplying libraries with your new book. Proof copies from Amazon are at cost, but they have a banded “proof copy, not for resale” across the cover. The only work-around I can see is buying your own books at retail and enjoying the 60% royalty. No great bargain here.
Mr Thursby came out great:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1793128383
Speaking of paperbacks, I stumbled across this last week. A place called OutPublish will provide you with 3-D book art absolutely FREE. (I should add I am not affiliated with this company in any way). It’s pretty simple. Go to their site, type in your ISBN and a few seconds later they’ll send you a download link to your new art. It’s not bad, usable for promotion.
https://outpublish.com/book-cover-gen...
January 6, 2019
First Contact
The first reviews for Mr Thursby are in. I expected them to be from further afield, off-world as it were. I’ll settle for the UK and the USA:
First:
January 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
5 stars
“An engaging and witty confection you won't want to stop reading”
A very engaging and entertaining read – right from the start I was left wanting to know what happened next, making the book hard to put down and easy to pick up again. Alexander spins a good yarn, and the plot’s twists and turns are always unexpected, with the planet saved from a grisly fate not once but twice (there’s value for you). The underlying science is coherent and well used, the aliens convincing, and the author’s sense of humour is never far below the surface. It’s a heady mix. Recommended!
— Guernsey02, Amazon, UK
Second:
January 5, 2019
Verified Purchase
5 stars
“Excellent!”
Alexander has hit his stride with this one. I usually cannot abide zombies, but this one is a 'meat puppet' for the eponymous alien. Yes, Earth is once again the turf for an alien conflict of vast proportions, yet the characters are refreshingly human while the plot, though existentially preposterous, takes us for a veritable intergalactic ride.
— Jay, Amazon
It’s my latest novel (#9), just released December 23rd. This one is straight-up Science-Fiction (also, often hilarious). A quick read, coming in at around 250 pages.
No one here on GoodReads seems at all interested in Alien Bureaucrats, though I should also mention Mr Thursby now has a spine; that is, the paperback is published and available:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1793128383
Grab your copy and enjoy…
E-book Available here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZCS9FS
First:
January 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
5 stars
“An engaging and witty confection you won't want to stop reading”
A very engaging and entertaining read – right from the start I was left wanting to know what happened next, making the book hard to put down and easy to pick up again. Alexander spins a good yarn, and the plot’s twists and turns are always unexpected, with the planet saved from a grisly fate not once but twice (there’s value for you). The underlying science is coherent and well used, the aliens convincing, and the author’s sense of humour is never far below the surface. It’s a heady mix. Recommended!
— Guernsey02, Amazon, UK
Second:
January 5, 2019
Verified Purchase
5 stars
“Excellent!”
Alexander has hit his stride with this one. I usually cannot abide zombies, but this one is a 'meat puppet' for the eponymous alien. Yes, Earth is once again the turf for an alien conflict of vast proportions, yet the characters are refreshingly human while the plot, though existentially preposterous, takes us for a veritable intergalactic ride.
— Jay, Amazon
It’s my latest novel (#9), just released December 23rd. This one is straight-up Science-Fiction (also, often hilarious). A quick read, coming in at around 250 pages.
No one here on GoodReads seems at all interested in Alien Bureaucrats, though I should also mention Mr Thursby now has a spine; that is, the paperback is published and available:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1793128383
Grab your copy and enjoy…
E-book Available here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZCS9FS
December 30, 2018
Last Chance...
Just a friendly reminder (ICYMI) Mr Thursby, the complete novel is FREE to download on Amazon, but the giveaway ends at midnight!
It’s my latest novel (#9), just released December 23rd. This one is straight-up Science-Fiction (also, often hilarious). A quick read, coming in at around 250 pages.
So far so good…
Many downloads to the UK, Canada, and even India; though mostly in the USA.
Crept up the charts to #70 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > First Contact
Grab your copy and enjoy…
Available here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZCS9FS
Wishing all and everyone a happy new year!
It’s my latest novel (#9), just released December 23rd. This one is straight-up Science-Fiction (also, often hilarious). A quick read, coming in at around 250 pages.
So far so good…
Many downloads to the UK, Canada, and even India; though mostly in the USA.
Crept up the charts to #70 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > First Contact
Grab your copy and enjoy…
Available here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZCS9FS
Wishing all and everyone a happy new year!
December 23, 2018
Free Mr Thursby
Oh, sorry, it’s not like he’s a prisoner or anything. He comes and goes as he pleases…
Hope all is well with you!
Wishing all and everyone happy holidays and great new year to come…
A little gift to celebrate:
Mr Thursby
My latest novel (#9), just released yesterday, December 23rd.
This one is straight-up Sci-Fi.
(also, often hilarious)
Free to download on Amazon from December 26th to December 30th. Grab your copy and enjoy…
Available here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZCS9FS
Hope all is well with you!
Wishing all and everyone happy holidays and great new year to come…
A little gift to celebrate:
Mr Thursby
My latest novel (#9), just released yesterday, December 23rd.
This one is straight-up Sci-Fi.
(also, often hilarious)
Free to download on Amazon from December 26th to December 30th. Grab your copy and enjoy…
Available here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZCS9FS
December 16, 2018
Happy Holidays
Mr Thursby, the Novel, is done.
Beta-readers have all given their big thumbs up.
Now in three parts, with each part is quite distinct from the next. The whole book comes in at around 300 pages (I’m guessing at this point). The paperback edition should be ready by the beginning of the year.
What’s it about?
Science fiction at its best… Set in the immediate present, a first contact story, kind of like Aliens VS Bureaucrats. (Who will triumph?) It’s dialogue-heavy, humorous, subtle, and thought provoking. As one reader says, “it’s fast-paced but understated.”
The blurb?
Mr Thursby has called the White House every year on the same day since 1948. No one has ever called him back, until now... A mysterious alien marooned on earth for the past 70 years. A gamma ray burst racing towards us like the beam from a lighthouse. A promise to save humanity. Trust issues.
Part One
The GBR is scheduled to hit earth, threatening to boil away our atmosphere. Mr Thursby, an extraterrestrial, is here to help, or so it would seem— and yet another alien (Janus) would prefer if things remained on course. One always tells the truth, and the other always lies. Oh dear, who to trust?
Part Two
The dreaded Janus Particle has reached the planet’s surface and is beginning to wreak havoc, engulfing humans and mimicking them quite well. Thursby’s giant shield is on schedule, growing a bit larger every day. Pretty soon the whole planet can see it hanging in the sky, and there are questions to be answered, but they are answered with lies. The truth seems not to matter much.
Part Three
For now, the earth seems safe. Mr Thursby returns to his home world with news. But all is not well. There is an infestation. Janus is spreading relentlessly. Our species is doomed unless an unlikely alliance can be found. All and everything is explained.
Thanks to overwhelming interest, Mr Thursby is already a number one best-seller in the “Alien Bureaucrat” Category:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZCS9FS?...
I’ll be doing a giveaway, probably in the week between Christmas and New Year’s… so, stay tuned, and happy holidays.
Beta-readers have all given their big thumbs up.
Now in three parts, with each part is quite distinct from the next. The whole book comes in at around 300 pages (I’m guessing at this point). The paperback edition should be ready by the beginning of the year.
What’s it about?
Science fiction at its best… Set in the immediate present, a first contact story, kind of like Aliens VS Bureaucrats. (Who will triumph?) It’s dialogue-heavy, humorous, subtle, and thought provoking. As one reader says, “it’s fast-paced but understated.”
The blurb?
Mr Thursby has called the White House every year on the same day since 1948. No one has ever called him back, until now... A mysterious alien marooned on earth for the past 70 years. A gamma ray burst racing towards us like the beam from a lighthouse. A promise to save humanity. Trust issues.
Part One
The GBR is scheduled to hit earth, threatening to boil away our atmosphere. Mr Thursby, an extraterrestrial, is here to help, or so it would seem— and yet another alien (Janus) would prefer if things remained on course. One always tells the truth, and the other always lies. Oh dear, who to trust?
Part Two
The dreaded Janus Particle has reached the planet’s surface and is beginning to wreak havoc, engulfing humans and mimicking them quite well. Thursby’s giant shield is on schedule, growing a bit larger every day. Pretty soon the whole planet can see it hanging in the sky, and there are questions to be answered, but they are answered with lies. The truth seems not to matter much.
Part Three
For now, the earth seems safe. Mr Thursby returns to his home world with news. But all is not well. There is an infestation. Janus is spreading relentlessly. Our species is doomed unless an unlikely alliance can be found. All and everything is explained.
Thanks to overwhelming interest, Mr Thursby is already a number one best-seller in the “Alien Bureaucrat” Category:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZCS9FS?...
I’ll be doing a giveaway, probably in the week between Christmas and New Year’s… so, stay tuned, and happy holidays.
December 9, 2018
Editing Aloud
Now in the final stages of editing Mr Thursby, Part 3, (the finale), “All Clear,” I’m on draft number four, and will go to ten or eleven before publishing.
This is the usual course of events. My editing process might be a bit different than yours. Even after four read-throughs, a few typos remain, a few lost articles, an errant participle, a missing comma, or one too many… I can no longer see these mistakes. My brain reads right over them: auto-correct of the mind.
I can hear the errors though. Especially when the work is read aloud— and that’s exactly how I write: to be read aloud. Most of my friends make lousy narrators, nor are they willing to spend hours reading to me, even if I offer endless cups of tea with honey and lemon. I would ask my cat to help, but he tends to change every “said” into “meowed.”
Perhaps I should preface this with a bit of technical information. I write on a Macintosh, not a PC. I never use MSWord— I have in the past, but find it “baroque,” if that can be said of software. I use the very simple and free program, TextEdit. It has at least one handy feature: Menu, Edit, Speech: Start Speaking.
Yes, it reads to me… you all know this trick by now, eh? It’s not perfect but it is serviceable. Six or seven drafts to go in my case… Six or seven voices are needed to be heard, and luckily Apple can accommodate. Some of the voices are better than others; each has its own inflection and cadence, and at least one of them sounds exactly like Stephen Hawking. If he can make your prose sound deathless, well, you’re on to something big.
I usually choose the other voices, and in particular, I like to swap genders for every read-through. I always hear something that can be fixed or polished. Also recommended are the “foreigners” lurking in your system preferences, for example, Lee, a vaguely Australian-English voice, or his counterpart Karen. There are a host of American voices as well, most crisp and business-like. I will admit, sometimes they make me cringe. Pronunciation is a funny thing. Speaking of which, there are quite a few Britishers ready to read your opus; namely, Emily, Kate, Serena, Daniel, and Oliver… some seem a bit more pompous than others. My hands down favorite is Fiona, a Scottish-English voice.
There are others too, many others that you can purchase. I have not done so…. For the final draft, the final voice is mine. I’m hoarse by the last chapter, hot tea or not.
The first two parts of Mr Thursby are available here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZCS9FS?...
Menu, Edit, Speech: Stop Speaking.
This is the usual course of events. My editing process might be a bit different than yours. Even after four read-throughs, a few typos remain, a few lost articles, an errant participle, a missing comma, or one too many… I can no longer see these mistakes. My brain reads right over them: auto-correct of the mind.
I can hear the errors though. Especially when the work is read aloud— and that’s exactly how I write: to be read aloud. Most of my friends make lousy narrators, nor are they willing to spend hours reading to me, even if I offer endless cups of tea with honey and lemon. I would ask my cat to help, but he tends to change every “said” into “meowed.”
Perhaps I should preface this with a bit of technical information. I write on a Macintosh, not a PC. I never use MSWord— I have in the past, but find it “baroque,” if that can be said of software. I use the very simple and free program, TextEdit. It has at least one handy feature: Menu, Edit, Speech: Start Speaking.
Yes, it reads to me… you all know this trick by now, eh? It’s not perfect but it is serviceable. Six or seven drafts to go in my case… Six or seven voices are needed to be heard, and luckily Apple can accommodate. Some of the voices are better than others; each has its own inflection and cadence, and at least one of them sounds exactly like Stephen Hawking. If he can make your prose sound deathless, well, you’re on to something big.
I usually choose the other voices, and in particular, I like to swap genders for every read-through. I always hear something that can be fixed or polished. Also recommended are the “foreigners” lurking in your system preferences, for example, Lee, a vaguely Australian-English voice, or his counterpart Karen. There are a host of American voices as well, most crisp and business-like. I will admit, sometimes they make me cringe. Pronunciation is a funny thing. Speaking of which, there are quite a few Britishers ready to read your opus; namely, Emily, Kate, Serena, Daniel, and Oliver… some seem a bit more pompous than others. My hands down favorite is Fiona, a Scottish-English voice.
There are others too, many others that you can purchase. I have not done so…. For the final draft, the final voice is mine. I’m hoarse by the last chapter, hot tea or not.
The first two parts of Mr Thursby are available here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZCS9FS?...
Menu, Edit, Speech: Stop Speaking.
December 2, 2018
Henry A. Wallace Excerpt
I had a brief discussion the other day on twitter regarding Henry A. Wallace. My fellow poster put up a salient quote by him, decrying fascism:
“A fascist is one whose lust for money or power is combined with such an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions or nations as to make him ruthless in his use of deceit or violence to attain his ends.”
Who was Henry Wallace?
One of the greatest Americans you’ve probably never heard of. Though he was not without controversy, his accomplishments are largely lost to history.
From Wikipedia:
Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965) served as Secretary of Agriculture (1933–1940) under FDR, and as the 33rd Vice President (1941–1945). He was for many years the most popular man in the America, second only to Roosevelt perhaps.
All this leads me to Chapter 20 in the fifth and final Tractus Fynn Mystery, Red City. The following excerpt touches upon a parallel timeline, one in which Wallace succeeded FDR instead of Harry Truman:
“Tell me about where we’re going.” I rolled a five and a four.
“A better world, a place where the best of human nature outshines the worst.”
“Paradise?”
“Well, there are no gas powered leaf blowers.”
“What?”
“They’ve all been banned. And no beverages in cans.”
“Not even beer?”
“Especially not.”
“What about plastic bottles?”
“They’re made of something else… something that dissolves into nothing after a time.”
“Biodegradable?”
“Oh yes, we’re all aboard with Rachel Carson, Jacques Cousteau, and the Attenborough brothers.”
“Who?”
“Well, perhaps they are from before your time. Let’s just say we’ve recognized that our earth is a singular place, and as such, needs to be cherished.” Mr Temsik rolled double sixes. “Ah,” he exclaimed. “Well, off we go then…” He smiled. “We must pick up our own dice simultaneously… Ready?”
I felt a tingling up my arm. No pain this time. In the next moment nothing changed but our surroundings. Sand City was back to normal, more or less, and Mr Temsik was still there, now sitting opposite at a picnic table. I was wearing completely different clothes. My pajamas were gone, replaced by a simple shirt and jeans.
“It looks pretty much the same,” I said, looking around, “except for that giant sea wall.”
“It is the same… except for the rising sea levels,” he replied.
“What happened?”
“Unintended consequences. A kind of hyper-industrialization occurred after the war. An attempt to raise living standards.”
“Which war?”
“World War Two.”
“Who won?”
“The allies as you call them, though the rest of this world is quite different.”
“How so?”
“Well, haven’t you ever dreamed of wondrous undersea cities?”
“I have, but I didn’t think they be built because of rising sea levels.”
“Ah, the ingenuity of humankind, eh? Never fails to amaze me.”
“I thought we were in the present.”
“Indeed we are… but the polar ice cap is a shadow of its former self.”
“Meaning.”
“It’s melted away for the most part.”
“What about all the polar bears?”
“Bipolar bears, do you mean? Well, the penguins aren’t very happy about that… having new neighbors and all.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Many bears were relocated to Antarctica.”
‘Okay, things do seem different.” I paused for a moment. “There was no searing pain— I live here in this parallel place?”
“You did. We were great friends.”
“What do you mean did?”
“You’ve just replaced that version of yourself.”
I had to think about that. “What happens when I leave?”
“Do you mean if you leave?” Öde asked and smiled. “Well, who can say?”
“What else is different about this version of the world?”
“Many things of course… but the major difference goes back to one day in history.”
“When’s that?”
“Not so long ago… The twenty-first of July, nineteen forty-four by your calendar, there was a simple change.”
“What happened on that day?”
“Henry A. Wallace was nominated for Vice President.”
“As opposed to?”
“Harry Truman.”
“And that changed things?”
“Indeed it did…”
“How?”
“It resulted in an entirely different geopolitical evolution.”
“How so?”
“There was no Cold War to speak of. Instead, there was a generally benign competition with communism, a space race especially—and eventually, cooperation…There are people living on the moon nowadays, and on their way to Mars.”
“Americans?”
“All nationalities.”
“What about the Iron Curtain?”
“Made of paper in the end, especially after Stalin was assassinated.”
“What else?”
“Well, it’s quite a list… No atom bombs were dropped— not on people anyway. Hmm, what else? After the war, former colonies were afforded sovereignty and autonomy. Many lines on the map were changed.”
“Meaning?”
“Artificially drawn countries were modified to better reflect ethnic boundaries.”
“Such as?”
“Oh, geography is not my strong suit, I’m afraid. A few new countries in Africa emerged… the Kurds got their own nation, the Armenians, bits of Europe were redrawn, and there is no south or north this or that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, like North Korea as a separate place.”
“What about China?”
“Hmm, Chairman Mao did not come to power.”
“And economically?”
“Well, I would describe it as scrupulously regulated capitalism… free trade, fair labor practices, eco-friendly products and processes, and all adhering to global standards…” Mr Temsik paused to consider. “I would also say fewer things have been privatized.”
“Such as?”
“Prisons for one, healthcare for another.”
“Governments?”
“Yes, of course, and in a variety of flavors.”
“Terrorism?”
“Not to speak of. Very few religious zealots out and about.”
“Sounds great and all, but it’s not really utopia,” I complained half-heartedly.
“Perhaps not, but it is quite pleasant, wouldn’t you say?”
“I guess…”
“If you prefer, I can take you to a different utopia, though it is quite far from here.”
“Where is it?”
“In the distant past… It’s a version of history wholly unrecognizable to you. No Roman Empire, no burning of the library in Alexandria. No America, no English, no slaves, no colonization.”
“Why is it in the past?”
“Doesn’t exist any longer. It’s been snuffed out.”
“By Kali?”
“What can I say, except probably. Though, it is so far from your normal history, I think only Carlos has spent time there.”
“What about his world, his Viking Empire?”
“Oh yes, that’s also quite a pleasant place, certainly a utopia for those living in what you call North America.”
“Not for others?”
“Who am I to say?”
“So there’s no utopia in my present?”
“I’m afraid not, this is as close as it gets.” Mr Temsik hesitated for a moment…
“A fascist is one whose lust for money or power is combined with such an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions or nations as to make him ruthless in his use of deceit or violence to attain his ends.”
Who was Henry Wallace?
One of the greatest Americans you’ve probably never heard of. Though he was not without controversy, his accomplishments are largely lost to history.
From Wikipedia:
Henry Agard Wallace (October 7, 1888 – November 18, 1965) served as Secretary of Agriculture (1933–1940) under FDR, and as the 33rd Vice President (1941–1945). He was for many years the most popular man in the America, second only to Roosevelt perhaps.
All this leads me to Chapter 20 in the fifth and final Tractus Fynn Mystery, Red City. The following excerpt touches upon a parallel timeline, one in which Wallace succeeded FDR instead of Harry Truman:
“Tell me about where we’re going.” I rolled a five and a four.
“A better world, a place where the best of human nature outshines the worst.”
“Paradise?”
“Well, there are no gas powered leaf blowers.”
“What?”
“They’ve all been banned. And no beverages in cans.”
“Not even beer?”
“Especially not.”
“What about plastic bottles?”
“They’re made of something else… something that dissolves into nothing after a time.”
“Biodegradable?”
“Oh yes, we’re all aboard with Rachel Carson, Jacques Cousteau, and the Attenborough brothers.”
“Who?”
“Well, perhaps they are from before your time. Let’s just say we’ve recognized that our earth is a singular place, and as such, needs to be cherished.” Mr Temsik rolled double sixes. “Ah,” he exclaimed. “Well, off we go then…” He smiled. “We must pick up our own dice simultaneously… Ready?”
I felt a tingling up my arm. No pain this time. In the next moment nothing changed but our surroundings. Sand City was back to normal, more or less, and Mr Temsik was still there, now sitting opposite at a picnic table. I was wearing completely different clothes. My pajamas were gone, replaced by a simple shirt and jeans.
“It looks pretty much the same,” I said, looking around, “except for that giant sea wall.”
“It is the same… except for the rising sea levels,” he replied.
“What happened?”
“Unintended consequences. A kind of hyper-industrialization occurred after the war. An attempt to raise living standards.”
“Which war?”
“World War Two.”
“Who won?”
“The allies as you call them, though the rest of this world is quite different.”
“How so?”
“Well, haven’t you ever dreamed of wondrous undersea cities?”
“I have, but I didn’t think they be built because of rising sea levels.”
“Ah, the ingenuity of humankind, eh? Never fails to amaze me.”
“I thought we were in the present.”
“Indeed we are… but the polar ice cap is a shadow of its former self.”
“Meaning.”
“It’s melted away for the most part.”
“What about all the polar bears?”
“Bipolar bears, do you mean? Well, the penguins aren’t very happy about that… having new neighbors and all.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Many bears were relocated to Antarctica.”
‘Okay, things do seem different.” I paused for a moment. “There was no searing pain— I live here in this parallel place?”
“You did. We were great friends.”
“What do you mean did?”
“You’ve just replaced that version of yourself.”
I had to think about that. “What happens when I leave?”
“Do you mean if you leave?” Öde asked and smiled. “Well, who can say?”
“What else is different about this version of the world?”
“Many things of course… but the major difference goes back to one day in history.”
“When’s that?”
“Not so long ago… The twenty-first of July, nineteen forty-four by your calendar, there was a simple change.”
“What happened on that day?”
“Henry A. Wallace was nominated for Vice President.”
“As opposed to?”
“Harry Truman.”
“And that changed things?”
“Indeed it did…”
“How?”
“It resulted in an entirely different geopolitical evolution.”
“How so?”
“There was no Cold War to speak of. Instead, there was a generally benign competition with communism, a space race especially—and eventually, cooperation…There are people living on the moon nowadays, and on their way to Mars.”
“Americans?”
“All nationalities.”
“What about the Iron Curtain?”
“Made of paper in the end, especially after Stalin was assassinated.”
“What else?”
“Well, it’s quite a list… No atom bombs were dropped— not on people anyway. Hmm, what else? After the war, former colonies were afforded sovereignty and autonomy. Many lines on the map were changed.”
“Meaning?”
“Artificially drawn countries were modified to better reflect ethnic boundaries.”
“Such as?”
“Oh, geography is not my strong suit, I’m afraid. A few new countries in Africa emerged… the Kurds got their own nation, the Armenians, bits of Europe were redrawn, and there is no south or north this or that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, like North Korea as a separate place.”
“What about China?”
“Hmm, Chairman Mao did not come to power.”
“And economically?”
“Well, I would describe it as scrupulously regulated capitalism… free trade, fair labor practices, eco-friendly products and processes, and all adhering to global standards…” Mr Temsik paused to consider. “I would also say fewer things have been privatized.”
“Such as?”
“Prisons for one, healthcare for another.”
“Governments?”
“Yes, of course, and in a variety of flavors.”
“Terrorism?”
“Not to speak of. Very few religious zealots out and about.”
“Sounds great and all, but it’s not really utopia,” I complained half-heartedly.
“Perhaps not, but it is quite pleasant, wouldn’t you say?”
“I guess…”
“If you prefer, I can take you to a different utopia, though it is quite far from here.”
“Where is it?”
“In the distant past… It’s a version of history wholly unrecognizable to you. No Roman Empire, no burning of the library in Alexandria. No America, no English, no slaves, no colonization.”
“Why is it in the past?”
“Doesn’t exist any longer. It’s been snuffed out.”
“By Kali?”
“What can I say, except probably. Though, it is so far from your normal history, I think only Carlos has spent time there.”
“What about his world, his Viking Empire?”
“Oh yes, that’s also quite a pleasant place, certainly a utopia for those living in what you call North America.”
“Not for others?”
“Who am I to say?”
“So there’s no utopia in my present?”
“I’m afraid not, this is as close as it gets.” Mr Temsik hesitated for a moment…
