L.C. Barlow's Blog, page 8
June 20, 2013
Ecstatic
With only an hour to go on Pivot's giveaway, I am absolutely ecstatic at how well it has done. The book currently has 686 requests, and it may actually make it to 700. Woo! In addition, almost 300 people have added it to their To-Read lists.
On just as wonderful of a note, I just turned in a revised story to Every Day Fiction. I was e-mailed this week by some of their reviewers, and they asked me to do a rewrite of a story I had submitted about a month and a half ago. I finished the rewrite today and sent it to them. I cannot relate just how happy I am that they are interested.
Seeing as this week started out with an irritated tooth and jaw bone and another drop in thyroid function, it has turned out extremely well.
I wish the lucky winners of Pivot awesome reading time.
On just as wonderful of a note, I just turned in a revised story to Every Day Fiction. I was e-mailed this week by some of their reviewers, and they asked me to do a rewrite of a story I had submitted about a month and a half ago. I finished the rewrite today and sent it to them. I cannot relate just how happy I am that they are interested.
Seeing as this week started out with an irritated tooth and jaw bone and another drop in thyroid function, it has turned out extremely well.
I wish the lucky winners of Pivot awesome reading time.
June 6, 2013
The Marrow of Life
I am very excited to be going to Prague and Talheim, Germany this summer. I have always wanted to see Prague, for I've heard that it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The architecture and colors of the buildings are amazing online, and I can't wait to see them in person. In Talheim, I will be tutoring a German family and their children in English for seven weeks. I accomplished this wonderful opportunity through the program called InterExchange. I am completely and totally excited about this. The family is so sweet, and their daughters are absolutely adorable. The two girls are young enough that I am re-learning Disney Princesses and searching for poetry and stories from my younger days. I will be taking /The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature/ - I can't wait to read "Over in the Meadow" to them. It was my favorite story when I was about four, and I still remember it.
This is not to say, of course, that I'm unafraid of going. Travel can be scary - especially when you're going alone - but I am hopeful and have faith that it will be a good experience. Last year visiting Europe was one of the most amazing moments of my life. I'm hoping to have yet another one of those wonderful experiences.
One of the most motivating quotes for this or any other undertaking in life is by Thoreau, and it was read to me recently:
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion."
This is not to say, of course, that I'm unafraid of going. Travel can be scary - especially when you're going alone - but I am hopeful and have faith that it will be a good experience. Last year visiting Europe was one of the most amazing moments of my life. I'm hoping to have yet another one of those wonderful experiences.
One of the most motivating quotes for this or any other undertaking in life is by Thoreau, and it was read to me recently:
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion."
May 26, 2013
Most Definitely Peaked
My professor recommended David Lynch's old, mystery television series, Twin Peaks. It has about two seasons and is actually quite enticing. I have always been fond of David Lynch's work, however. Mulholland Drive I think is a wonderful Mobius Strip that excellently combines fantasy and reality. Lost Highway is similar and also quite good. David Lynch has a way of transforming the simplest objects and rooms into the most terrifying. I don't know what it is about his movies, but they always have me curled up into a little ball, waiting for something to pop out of the screen. It doesn't actually matter if something ever does pop out, because I always feel like it has; thus, I can't always remember his movies correctly (did the monster actually come out from behind the dumpster, or did it not?).
I recommend Twin Peaks wholeheartedly. I'm not fond of the music at all moments, but it is a wonderfully quirky series of murder, mystery, and... well... there's a woman who carries a log around like a baby in the town. I'm not sure exactly what you would call that, but there it is.
I recommend Twin Peaks wholeheartedly. I'm not fond of the music at all moments, but it is a wonderfully quirky series of murder, mystery, and... well... there's a woman who carries a log around like a baby in the town. I'm not sure exactly what you would call that, but there it is.
May 22, 2013
A Little Bit of Column A, A Little Bit of Column B
I released Pivot with unformed expectations as to its success, but I'm thrilled so far with how many books and e-books are out there in two weeks. I could only have dreamed there would be so many downloaded and purchased in such a short period of time. I hope the growth continues.
On the other hand, as of yet there is only one brave reviewer, who I am so thankful for, and so I have yet to hear just what people think about Pivot - if they love to hate Cyrus, if they sympathize with Jack... if they see Roland down by the river, rather than just a lonely, homeless man.
I can tell you that for tonight, Jack is dreaming of an ocean's blue tide, and so, I think, will I.
On the other hand, as of yet there is only one brave reviewer, who I am so thankful for, and so I have yet to hear just what people think about Pivot - if they love to hate Cyrus, if they sympathize with Jack... if they see Roland down by the river, rather than just a lonely, homeless man.
I can tell you that for tonight, Jack is dreaming of an ocean's blue tide, and so, I think, will I.
