Susan Thatcher's Blog, page 14

Just a reminder…

Still Here

Okay, yeah, I’ve been gone for a few months. I have been in “survival mode”: doing what it takes to get through the day and nothing else. This including writing, posting, and reminding people that yes, I am an author, and yes, I have books for sale. (I still do, by the way. See the “Buy It Now” link. And order)

A turning point happened this past Saturday, March 22nd. I was part of the inaugural Authors Under the Lights, a signing event for authors (mostly independent) to meet and greet fans. I was signing autographs (Cool!), posing for pictures (Cool!), and learning about what other people do to market their books.

First, some pictures:

The participating authors. I’m in the back; you can see my little blonde head.

 

Did I mention we had male models? Yeah. This guy is a sweetheart named Eddie Finlay. I may have to write about young men and cougars….Is it warm in here?

My table. Nowhere near as much stuff as other people, but still…

And as a “Howdy” and ice breaker, Catherine Bybee shared mimosa

 

Me, Julie Prestsater, Catherine Bybee (bartender), Sandy Esparza (my assistant) and Debra Holland. Sandy, I think you’re having a little TOO much fun.

This was Authors Under the Lights 2014, a signing event featuring authors, their assistants, male models, swag, and chaos. Well, controlled chaos.

What I learned: write more books and have them ready to go. Promotion, promotion, promotion (I will finally use my iPad to create a promotional video). Swag: I saw everything from corkscrews with the author’s name on it to bookmarks with the cover art (Tom Roskelly’s designs will look amazing in miniature) to condom packets with stickers naming the hero of the stories (I think I’ll pass on that one).

I need a banner, too.

I had people coming to me for my autograph. I posed for pictures. One girl had read and reviewed my books and sought me out to get the autograph, the “pose with author” picture and tell me she enjoyed my books. Now that was an ego stroke I needed.

From Monique Costello’s Facebook. The lower picture is Monique with Renee Carlino.

So, my assistant, Sandy, and I have to figure out how the hows, whens, and wheres of the next signing event.

(Need an excuse to bump into Eddie again…)

And on a side note, I sent copies to Mrs. Obama a few months ago. This week, in the mail:

 

Life is still a challenge right now. But I’m rising to meet it.

On Living the Next Story

Don’t look for clever memes, bells, whistles or other embellishments on this post. No links, nothing flashy. Just words. I joke with others about having to stomp out so many fires, we need to wear asbestos boots.

That’s been my life lately. Surrounded by a bunch of big fires and not sure if my boots were up to the task of putting them out. Or if I even wanted to fight them anymore.

There is no snark here today. No defiance hurled at the year gone by for being a bad one. No verbal swings at anyone. No taunting of the circumstances that had me on the ropes but didn’t finish the job.

I’m still here. Weary as hell in spirit, but I’m still here.

I had a day job that paid well enough for me to live pretty comfortably (Yes, I have books for sale on the Internet. Please go buy them). It vanished pretty early on in the year. I was drawing unemployment, but when the extensions weren’t authorized, my income vanished in January. This led to a very tense living situation as I begged and borrowed money for rent. The landowner told me to get out on February 3. The eviction completely violates the law, but I’m gone. There was no point remaining in a situation where I couldn’t predict the actions of the other person. When you find yourself in a minefield, you don’t tap dance.

This is not the first time I’ve been in this kind of situation; broke, homeless, at the mercy of someone else. And it seems to get a little worse each time.

I’m over 50 and I’m sick of this shit, quite frankly. And for a period of weeks, I was honestly asking myself if I even wanted to continue. I could not see a light at the end of the tunnel, nor could I even find a match to strike (metaphoric one) to see a way out. What’s the point?

I got a job. it’s nowhere near the pay I was getting, but it’s a start. This is not  a career. This is temporary.

I have a temporary safe shelter. I am removed from the bad situation. The landowner is stuck alone in the home. No more whipping boy.

I have friends. I have glorious friends. They told me the law and my rights in the housing situation (And the landowner is and was completely wrong), they talked to me, they came, they moved me out, and most importantly, they made me feel like I still have value (even the friends who weren’t there in person, but there in spirit). Hugs have never felt better.

So the big fire is out, but he has plenty of cousins that need to be extinguished. However, I’m feeling more optimistic about it. I don’t need to fear my life being tossed onto a curb or stolen (there was a lot of petty theft in the previous house) by someone claiming it’s to offset what I owe (which, because of the actions taken, was $0).

I can breathe now. I can regroup. I have space to think without my heart pounding in fear.

I can take that one small step away from being in Survival Mode.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE AT LAST ! FREE AT LAST!

You know you want it.

HOWEVER, times are tough. We recognize that over here at www.susanthatcher.com (I like to pretend I’m not alone)

Want it for free?

You know you do.

I will still hunt you down and leave flaming bags of poop on your doorstep for the read and return.

My source. He is small, but productive.

 

But, LEGITIMATE free Kindle copies of At Last.

From January 23 to January 27 (aka tomorrow until Monday), At Last will be available as a free download on Kindle.

Here’s your link:  At Last Kindle Link

 I had to wait until today to set it up, so it is free, At Last.  (Oh, Dear God, Dr. King is going to haunt me).

I’ve had success with offering free downloads of These Foolish Things and I’d like to get its sequel into wider circulation. Thus, free Kindle download. What could be better. Oh, and if you want it signed, it’s possible. Use this link:

Susan Thatcher on Authorgraph.

So, free e-book, personalized by the author. Go for it, Dude!

“And a Round of Encouragement for the House”

As I write this, I am truly irritated: I have had a whopping 5 Kindle sales this month and 3 of them have been returned. Hey, if you’re one of those assholes who think they’re so clever and smart for beating the system and reading books for free, I have a few words for you:

1) No, It’s Not Okay link. I’ve written about this before.

2) WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?

 You want to read e-books for free? GET A MOTHER FUCKING LIBRARY CARD! DO YOU EAT OUT OF THE BULK BINS AT THE GROCERY STORE? OR MAKE NACHOS FOR YOURSELF AT A SALAD BAR WITHOUT PAYING? (I have seen this at the Hannaford store in Concord, NH on Fort Eddy Rd) WERE YOU RAISED TO THINK LOW LEVEL THEFT ISN’T THEFT? IT IS, SHITHEAD.

3) I advise ceasing and desisting this behavior immediately. I won’t come mess you up, but I can’t answer for Karma.  She sees all, she knows all, and she sees to it that what goes around comes around. You WILL end up paying for all those stolen books, maybe not monetarily, but you will end up paying.

However, that’s not what I’m writing about today.

It is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the USA. I can tell it has finally been accepted as a holiday because there are now appliance sales attached to it. Labor Day gets cars, President’s Day gets mattresses and linens, Dr. King gets appliances. Okay. It’s an acknowledgement.

My first memory of Dr. King is the news of his assassination. I was 6 and my parents had gone out for the evening. My brother was in charge and I remember him leaving a note for my parents on the bannister by the front door. I learned who he was after his death.

I’m referencing Dr. King today due to two memes circulating one Facebook.

The first:

I needed this particular reminder today. My life has been at a standstill and an unpleasant one at that. I cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel.  It’s scary as all hell, I will not kid you. I’m almost 53; this is a time in my life when I’m supposed to be  financially secure, in my own home, done with raising a family, and winding down towards a placid retirement. Notice the use of the phrase “supposed to be.” Secure? Not so much. Done raising a family? Hell, I never even started. Retirement? Are you kidding me? The way things are going, I’ll be lucky to be in the first batch of Soylent Green (look it up). I’m not alone, either. I have what should be highly marketable job skills and education. They’re not proving to be the competitive edge they should be. I’m not alone, either. THAT, my friend, is extremely scary. It’s not just me.

So, having seen the above picture a couple of times today, I will crawl forward. And do so every day.

This picture hit me today because it ties into a book I’m reading:

Super Rich by Russell Simmons

(I had no idea the guy was a vegan and yoga enthusiast).

(I look at that and my right knee say, “Nuh uh, Baby” I used to)

Anyway, Mr. Simmons speaks of giving and attraction. I first heard about this book listening the Mark & Brian show on KLOS in 2011. I went back and listened to the archived interview to get the quotes (it took me a while to get the book):

“Give your talents until others can’t live without them.”

“Good givers are great getters.”

“Rid yourself of neediness. Needing nothing is a state of bliss.”

“Operate from a happy space.”

“Let go of results, stay focused on the work itself, rather than the result. Work is the prayer.”

(And those are quotes jotted down from a radio interview. I’m sure they pop up in his book)

Work is the prayer…

I’m not seeing results right now. Keep writing. Got it.

I have a bunch of inspirational quotes in the notebook that has the above.

Joel Osteen. I’m not big on televangelists, but sometimes, I hear something I need to hear.

” Prophecy something good Whatever you’re constantly saying, you’re moving towards. [If you're not happy with where you're going] Send words in a different direction.”

How does this tie to the rant at the top of the the post? Simple. I know enough to change my direction and focus on what I’m creating. I am willing to give it away until others cannot live without it. However, those who take pride in theft, in cheating others, and do not change their ways will continue on that path until it bites them in the ass. That’s just the law of averages; sooner or later, someone is not going to just “let it go” and the results will be ugly and shameful for the thief.

So I will keep crawling forward, in the direction of my choosing, to give my gift to others until they cannot live without it. And as for those who would undermine the effort: When you fuck over someone, Karma looks a lot like this:

See the guy in the front? He’s about to experience karma, courtesy of Al Capone.

HN42X

“What’s that?” you ask. “Some kind of a secret code? Is treasure involved?”

Sort of. See this?

You type that there code in here:

Smashwords. See where it says “Coupon Code?”

Between now and February 4, if you plug in that code in the title line,

you can buy this book for 50% off the list price of $5.99.

$3.00 for a book that is getting reviews like:

“I really really loved this book and the characters. There were so many emotions I went through while reading Liz and Ty’s story happiness, amusement, love, hate, pain, and sadness. “

“I love a good love story…and this one didn’t disappoint. This romance novel was also full of wit and humor, between the two protagonists, Elizabeth Gardner and Tyrone Hadley…a real battle between the sexes.”

“These Foolish Things is a quick but wonderful read about a man and a woman who find in each other the piece that makes each of them whole. Great story that appeals to the almost-dead romantic in me ”

And that’s just a sample.

Seriously. A coupon good for 50% off a well-reviewed e-book.

Such a deal.

What One Can Learn From Ernest Shackleton

Way back, 100 years ago in 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton

Sir Ernest looking rugged.

led an expedition to make the first overland crossing of Antarctica. As you can imagine, this was a particularly hazardous undertaking and that’s without the kinds of cold weather sleeping bags, satellite phones, GPS and necessities that we have now. In fact, this is the ad Sir Ernest posted to recruit crew:

For real. He wasn’t mincing words. He got guys. Despite this straightforward warning, they went. 

They didn’t make it. That is, they didn’t complete their mission of crossing the Antarctic interior.

It’s a helluva story. One I learned from A&E. Before they sold their souls for reality shows, A&E used to tell great stories about real events.

I’ll watch anything with Kenneth Branagh.

(It’s a shame they abandoned producing great shows like this or “Longitude.” Entertaining AND educational. Quack quack)

Anyway…

They didn’t even make it to the actual Antarctic continent. Trouble happened when the expedition’s ship, Endurance,  got caught in pack ice and crushed.

SHE didn’t live up to her name, but the men who sailed her certainly demonstrated endurance.

They had to abandon ship and lived on the ice through an Antarctic winter. You think this polar vortex is bad? They had worse weather, no indoor shelter, only what supplies they could salvage from the ship, and had to eat their sled dogs. They had 3 lifeboats and after dragging them across the ice, they were able to eventually get them into the water and sail to Elephant Island. From there, Shackleton took 5  of his men and they sailed across 800 miles of open, nasty, stormy, COLD ocean to get to South Georgia Island. In a 22 foot boat. During winter.

And you think going to the grocery store is just too much to do.

16 days of getting wet, being cold, not sure if they were on the right course (old school navigation), all 6 guys in the boat made it.

There was no one waiting for them when they hit the beach. South Georgia Island was a remote whaling station. Help lay on the northern side of the island, Shackleton and his crew landed on the southern side. Their boat was too beaten up to try to sail around to the inhabited part. He took two guys,  left the remaining three on the beach to shelter under the boat, and spent 36 hours STRAIGHT hiking to the whaling station. Understand, these guys are cold, hungry, exposed to the elements, and weak from 14 months of being cold, hungry, and exposed to the elements. It had been their departure point in December 1914 and they arrived May 21, 1916.

SHACKLETON DIDN’T LOSE ANYBODY. That’s right: the three guys on the south side of the island? A ship was sent around and they were collected safely that night. The 21 guys on Elephant Island? All survived. They even amputated one guy’s foot and HE survived. (No, they didn’t eat the foot. It was gangrenous. They ate seals and penguins). On August 30, 1916, they were rescued.

Later, Shackleton’s leadership skills were credited with saving his men in the face of disaster. He kept them going.

If you’re interested, here’s a link to a radio piece about this story:NPR Shackleton story

So, what’s the takeaway?

1) You never know what you’re capable of until you push yourself.

2) Don’t let someone else’s fears and doubts stop you. Everybody has his or her own brick walls. The odds may be stacked against you, but you have zero chance of success if you don’t try.

Okay, it’s NOT Shackleton, but it ties in.

  3) Keep going.

Got a Nook, Kobo, Sony Reader or iBooks? Have I got a Deal for You

Pssst! Hey, Buddy…

Okay, Readers, let’s you and me do some business here.

Now, I’m not going to take it personally that my book sales are not moving as I envisioned (Frankly, I think they are going to be a HUGE deal and all y’all are passing up the chance to be early adopters and hipsters who say, “Yeah, I knew about that before it was cool. And I was one of the first ones to spread the word about it.” (sips soy half-caff no foam latte)). I plan for renewed interest in John Donne’s poetry to come from these books. And for people to go traipsing around Boston looking for sites from the books – even the ones that don’t exist. I want to someone to license stuffed animals to be made from this guy:

Toulouse aka Beanie

We need to spark the fire to get this going. I will be working on a book trailer (I have an iPad and I might be able to do that).

But for now….

All of you with Nooks or Kobos, raise your hand. (23, 24, 37….) Okay (and Kindle folk, don’t get your noses out of joint. You’ve had PLENTY of free/discount opportunities).

This is a good book. I can say that because I have the reviews (most unsolicited) to back that up. It’s about real love and making it work. It’s about surviving and working to be  a better person for yourself and for someone you  love.

Here’s the deal:

Smashwords link

Go order a copy of  These Foolish Things through that link and use this coupon code:

HN42X

Until Feb 7. 2014, that there code is good for 50% off the $5.99 list price.  50 EFFING PERCENT!!!!! That’s a deal. Half the price – pfft – gone!

And the beauty part? Go ahead and share it with your friends! I don’t mind!

So, your mission (and you DO choose to accept it) is to go to Smashwords on that link, enter that code, download the book, read, review and talk your friends into doing the same.

Enjoy.

Virtual Vision Board

First things first:

These Foolish Things e-book is on sale for another 27 hours for $.99.

January 1? Back up to $5.99 (despite the bitch – and yes, she was – who told me it wasn’t worth that much and should be $3.99. It SOLD at the higher prices. Rosalind, if you’re reading this, your free and unsolicited advice is worth exactly what it costs: nothing. Feel free to mind your own damned business in the future). At Last will remain at $2.99

The covers are spectacular.

2013 has been a decided mixed bag: good things, bad things, new ventures, and stress, stress, stress. Many people I know would like to give it a swift kick in the ass on the way out the door.

2014? To be better that 2013 (except for the Red Sox win), the bar is set pretty low. However, the bar IS set and we do expect you to rise above it. There are always more years where you came from.

I am a Spiritual Pyromaniac. I will burn things (in a socially acceptable manner) to bring about a change in energy. I will light candles and build bonfires (extinguishers standing by) and burn little pieces of paper with my wishes on them to put it out to the Universe what I want and need. 

I have candles going as I write this (around Exhibit A’s fuzzy butt).

You’ve just got to have this much faith that it’ll work.

And even Mr. Spock says nothing is impossible. He’s very logical.

Some people make vision boards to keep in front of their desks so they see their goals all day. This will be a vision board for me for 2014.

I want my book sales to sky rocket.

Hey, Ellen. May I come on your show?

I want you to hear me roar.

Sick and tired of financial stress. I am ready and I am grateful for it to be behind me forever.

 

And I am saying that the story continues on my terms.

Authors Under the Lights – March 22, 2014

 

I am part of this signing event on March 22. 2014

Bestselling authors Tess Oliver, Michael Siemsen, Renee Carlino, C.D. Reiss, Melissa Schroeder, P.G. Forte, Shayne McClendon, T.K. Leigh, and many up and coming Indie authors, hosted by author S.C. Ellington and Dani Hart supporting the Hope for Hazel charity.

On Saturday, March 22nd, S.C. Ellington and Dani Hart will present the first annual Authors Under the Lights, a multi-genre book signing event designed to bring indie authors and readers together to support a charitable cause. This year is devoted to Hope for Hazel. Hazel is a local three year old girl who was diagnosed in the last year with stage 3 Neuroblastoma. You can read about her and her family’s heartbreaking and touching story and make donations at www.ourlittlehazelnut.blogspot.com. More information on the event can be found at www.authorsunderthelights.blogspot.com.

“We started this amazing annual event to celebrate the hard work and struggles of authors in the self- publishing world and to give back to the community at the same time. We chose this particular charity because I know the family and wanted to be able to help in any way I could. While raising money seems so inadequate in comparison to what they are going through it’s something,” states Dani Hart, a self-published indie author. Dani can be found at www.authordanihart.blogspot.com. S.C. Ellington can be found at www.scellington.com.

 

At the book signing readers and fans will get the chance to meet and take pictures with their favorite indie authors, get their books signed, as well as take pictures with many of the cover models featured on and in the books. There will also be a raffle giveaway with amazing prizes donated by the authors and sponsors to raise money for the charity. A silent Model Auction will be featured at the book signing where bidders get the chance to bid on attending a VIP dinner with the models and their authors after the book signing to raise money for the charity. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.authorsunderthelights.blog....