Marty Essen's Blog, page 298
February 11, 2018
Pronghorns
Marty’s photo of the day #2453: I think pronghorns are such beautiful animals. I photographed these two in Arizona, but they wouldn’t look out of place in the African bush.
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February 10, 2018
What a week it’s been!
This has been one of the most unexpected weeks I’ve had in a long time. First, Deb and I streamed a Within Temptation concert and decided the band was so good that we had to experience them in person. Next thing you know, we have tickets to their concert in Milan, Italy this December. Hey, we’ve both been working nonstop, and haven’t taken a vacation in two years—we’ve earned a break.
Then, apparently, something got screwed up while preparing the advance listing for “Time Is Irreverent,” and instead of the novel going up for sale on March 1, Amazon started selling it immediately. Ouch! I had interviews, promotions, and reviews to set up before the publication date. Needless to say, I’m working my tail off putting into place what I thought I had three more weeks to do.
Oh, well! The book is off to a great start, working its way up several Amazon Best Seller and Hot New Release charts. To help achieve sustainable momentum, the Kindle version is temporarily specially priced at just $2.99, and the trade paperback (with the silky-feel cover) is just $14.95. So if you’re interested in a book that will piss-off Republicans, make you laugh out loud, and—at least temporarily—relieve you of your Donald Trump-related depression, now is the time to buy.
This link takes you to both versions of the book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P9YLKW
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Matterhorn at sunrise
Marty’s photo of the day #2452: While in Switzerland, Deb and I met up with Emad, our Swiss-Egyptian friend, and we stayed at a hotel at the base of the Matterhorn. The only way to get to the hotel was via gondola. Here’s a short excerpt from my first book, Cool Creatures: Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents, explaining the shot:
Saturday morning at six, I knocked on Emad’s door. We had decided to get up before sunrise to photograph the Matterhorn—Deb, of course, wanted no part of our early rising. Emad tossed on his coat and followed me downstairs. When we reached the main-floor landing, the door to the dining room was locked. Since the hotel’s entrance was on the far side of the room, we couldn’t get out.
“We’re prisoners!” I whispered. “If the hotel started on fire, we’d burn to a crisp.”
The only main floor room we could get into was the sitting room. While Emad looked for another exit, I stepped inside and began checking the line of windows facing the Matterhorn. The first few were sealed shut. Then I located one I could open. I called to Emad, and the two of us—feeling like mischievous high-school kids—crawled through the window and escaped to the patio.
The Matterhorn at sunrise wasn’t as picturesque as Emad and I had hoped it would be, yet we were still glad to be up early. The mountain stretches for the sky as if giving nature a “thumbs up,” and if we watched carefully, we could see the flash of headlamps worn by climbers who were already partway up its face. Despite the Matterhorn’s imposing steepness and height, the climb from the Hörnlihütte to the summit and back is a one-day event.
We were immersed in our photography when a shrill voice cried out from behind! We spun toward the sound and froze at a sight more terrifying than a high school principal. The hotel manager was leaning halfway out the open window, screaming in rapid-fire sentences. I couldn’t understand her Schwyzertutsch (a Swiss-German dialect), but the tone of her voice made it clear—we had been very bad boys.
Apparently, the hotel did have another exit. We just hadn’t found it. Emad spoke with the manager to smooth things over. I’m not sure what he said, but the woman’s anger soon dissipated, and she ducked back into the sitting room.
Emad and I stayed outside and captured some more images of the Matterhorn. Once we had our shots, we slipped through the window and returned to our rooms.
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February 9, 2018
Stripe-throated hermit
Marty’s photo of the day #2451: This is a stripe-throated hermit, photographed in Costa Rica.
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February 8, 2018
Time Is Irreverent is now available!
We’re early. Time Is Irreverent became available today! At this moment the only place to buy the book is on Amazon, but that will change in a few weeks. The trade paperback (with the silky-feel cover) is $14.95, and the Kindle version is specially priced at $2.99. The special Kindle price is very short-term—just long enough to get the book on the charts.
I’m so excited about Time Is Irreverent! It is by far the best and funniest thing I’ve ever written. I guarantee that while you are reading, all symptoms of Trump-related depression will disappear. I know, because that’s what happened to me while I wrote the book. And if I was successful in putting a smile on your face, please post a review on Amazon as soon as you finish it. Reviews are so important.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P9YLKW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518123329&sr=8-2&keywords=marty+essen
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Fun with dugouts
Marty’s photo of the day #2450: This photo, from Peru, explained with a short excerpt from my first book, Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents:
Other than Yaguas paddling in their dugouts (a skinny canoe carved from a log), we had the Rio Orosa to ourselves. When we passed the occasional tribal village, children would eagerly paddle toward our boat and gleefully ride the waves of our wake. Though most of the children looked younger than ten years old, they had complete mastery over their dugouts. Sometimes, being swamped by the waves was just more fun than riding over them.
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February 7, 2018
Jabiru stork
Marty’s photo of the day #2449: This is a jabiru stork, the largest stork in the Western Hemisphere.
(Photographed in Belize)
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February 6, 2018
The proof of Time Is Irreverent has arrived!
The proof copy of Time Is Irreverent arrived today! I love the silky feel of the cover. The interior looks great too—at least it did for the few seconds I got to see it.
Martyman quickly grabbed the book from me and declared that since he is the star, he gets to look at it first. I tried to tell him that the main character in the book is “Marty Mann,” not “Martyman,” and that the two are totally unrelated, but he won’t listen. Oh well, I’m sure once he reads a chapter or two and realizes that there isn’t an action figure anywhere within the pages, he’ll put it down. Sometime tonight, I’ll get to examine the book more closely, approve it, and get the copies rolling off the press.
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Crossing the Athabasca River
Marty’s photo of the day #2448: When I photographed this amazing elk, crossing the Athabasca River in Alberta, Canada, my camera lens was on its deathbed. Consequently most of the photos didn’t turn out, and since I was using a film camera at the time, I didn’t know until it was too late. This is one of the few photos I was able to rescue—and only with a bit of digital help. I’m so glad the days of shooting with film are over!
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February 5, 2018
Today the Fox News’ talking point is . . .
Without even having to watch, it’s easy to tell what the current talking points are on Fox News. Yesterday, a letter in my local newspaper from a Republican called the Democrats shameful and unpatriotic for not applauding Trump at the appropriate times during the State of the Union Address. Today, Crybaby Donald took that message one step further and suggested that not applauding was both un-American and treasonous.
What’s with these people? Haven’t they ever watched a State of the Union Address before? Not applauding is a tradition that goes back to the beginning of SOTUAs. And how convenient of them to forget Republican Joe Wilson interrupting President Obama by shouting “You lie!”
Of course, I actually do know what’s wrong with these people: Donald Trump hasn’t mentally evolved beyond the age of six, his followers are hopeless cultists, and Fox News evilly manipulates them both, putting their profits above country.
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