Simon Duringer's Blog, page 20
January 20, 2015
Innovation, Loss and Social Media
Perhaps it doesn’t come as a surprise to everybody, perhaps my head has been so buried deeply in the sand that I missed the point… Russell Blake once mentioned that social media was largely pointless for authors as we are all simply attempting to flog our wares to each other… I think in many respects there’s a lot of truth in that too. As authors we need to engage the readers as they are the ones really looking for the next read. For the best part the rest of us are simply assisting each other pass the word to even more authors… and many authors simply don’t buy books, they want to sell them.
Many authors jump from application to application looking for the next opportunity until once more that fills up with a majority of authors and the process runs full circle or moves on. It’s a time consuming and busy prospect often with short term results. Authors such as my friend Leigh Russell have had it licked for years, spending numerous weekends out there in the libraries where the real readers hang out. Look at her now, she’s flying and deservedly so. The hard work was still there it was just a different concept or as we say in this country; she writes well and boxes clever! Debra Salonen is another travelling promoter and she too has a quite astonishing and successful back catalogue.
But there’s another aspect to social media that has been alien to me for years. In fact right up until the past few weeks, and it’s not about selling books, though of course I’d like to sell a few! It’s about the friendship, camaraderie and sharing. The human side of Social Media. A problem shared is a problem halved. Whilst we may all sit in competition with each other, the empathy amongst authors is very unlike other types of business. Commercial competition is more about beating the competition hands down, holding on to secrets and maximising profits at all costs.
I like to engage the helpful side of the business, I figured giving the reader an almanac of different authors may assist them in choosing their next read. Allowing authors to express their talents by awkward questioning out of genre might inspire readers and highlight the talent often of several same-genre authors in one book. Perhaps it’s naive as there are already publications out there which run along vaguely similar lines. But in publishing the blog and self publishing both Volumes of The Word I thought I could not only dispense with the tit tattle of corporate advertising i.e. The winner is the highest bidder with the biggest adverts, but rather than have a critic decide the success of a book, to allow an author to determine their own destiny by reaching out to the reader with wit and charm by getting out of the box. The blog seems successful enough, it gets a growing readership; 630,000 page views in just over a year, but the compilation of talent I wanted to be found in a single publication either in paperback or kindle… Does that make me a nice guy or a fool as it hasn’t quite grasped the public imagination yet? It seems readers do embrace the interviews as an author is about to launch their latest offerings but then I think it largely touches the fan base already in existence rather than new readers. For that they don’t seem to dare to reach out and take the gamble that a book like The Word offers… Maybe they have become so used to the standard non personal questioning of so many interviewers that they don’t quite grasp the intention of both The Word Volume 1 and Volume 2 and what they have to offer? But hey ho… without blowing my trumpet perhaps I’m in the midst of a new genre…
On a personal note, this form of interviewing has gained me many new friends and acquaintances and boy in the last few weeks that has been so worthwhile.
What I have seen which has made it all worthwhile whatever the outcome of my interviewing is a rally of authors assisting me during my darkest hour and really that was the point of this post. Everybody I speak with likes The Word, but it’s in the wrong place for the moment, the authors however are in the right place and I am so grateful for that… Thank you one and all!
Time for that last crazy pill of the day and bed! Goodnight y’all.
January 19, 2015
Wanderings and Wonderings
With chest pains so acute and living alone A & E was where I ended up yesterday. 5 hours an ECG and chest x-ray. Apparently I was good to go.
I thought I was anything but that.
An early morning call to the doctor, who incidentally was not mine as he has disappeared off the face of the earth and his practice which still carries his name. Nobody wanted to discuss where or why he no longer works there… Pretty ominous eh? I don’t mind admitting after a long and fearful night I was a quivering wreck by the time I got there… So, I get to see the resident nurse, resident in my doctor’s office and after three failed attempts at getting a blood pressure reading.we gave up. Every time the armband inflated it quickly deflated again like a pierced balloon. If I hadn’t been feeling so off, I might even have laughed… But apparently that’s not a good thing to happen. I think she understood that my scarlet eyeballs, hands and face indicated something not right and she referred me for an immediate appointment with a doctor…
A nice guy, he doesn’t like women much. He’s not gay or anything but having been taken for £500,000 by his ex-wife he was clearly not a big fan of relationships beyond the odd dinner date. Now he is the only partner in the practice I guess he won’t have much time for that either. 18 years and *boom* she got up and left him. He repeated the sum several times, on the odd occasion changing the term with emphasis and a pained squint to half a million pounds. In fact he did most of the talking. I guess he had the nurses notes in front of him so didn’t need me to say anything. The outcome after some serious talking… I was informed I will not be going back to work for at least two weeks, a crushing blow to be honest. I was handed a sick chit and a prescription. The irony being the three pharmacies I stumbled away too did not have the medication. I couldn’t even pronounce its name… Back to the surgery I went. Thankfully he was still there and whilst his secretary confirmed with other pharmacies/contacts that none was available he hurriedly re-wrote the script to something I do recognise and don’t like… Diazepam, quite a lot of it, so much so I have to go back to the pharmacy tomorrow to collect the rest of it… Simply not enough in stock.
I have calmed down quite a lot today as you can imagine… in fact I headed up to see the estate management people and was feeling woosie by the time I left. I haven’t managed to mention this before for security reasons, but it would seem I still pack a lot of physical strength. A few days ago literally ripping the front door handle off my flat was not a good thing and during that time I have literally been unable to lock the door… This added to my anxiety as anybody could have simply walked in. At 4pm a carpenter turned up and hey presto I’m secure again.
On the way back from their office I visited the supermarket to buy some fruit, milk etc. I was literally at the exit, basket in hand, before having the Eureka moment… Perhaps I ought to go back in and pay. Like I said woosie, very nearly whoopsie! Served by that very same nice lass with the smile made me wish I was 20 years younger. Make no mistake I didn’t look good but the smile was maintained… I left the shop sheepishly, and aimed for home. I crossed the road several times, I don’t think I looked left or right at any junction… I guess I have retained some luck, returned to the flat before deciding to head out for a walk.
My recent plan was simply to survive Christmas and The New Year without going potty. Working got me through that entire period… It’s when I stop that my mind fries, brain goes into hyperdrive and with all the wrong information. It should be about my book, but it’s about pain, loss, fear and for some time now, sleep deprivation in a big way! I saw my loss twice today whilst out on my walk. I was walking one way she was driving the other, then when I got to the end of the stretch of road and turned to go home, it happened again but again facing opposite directions about 5 minutes later. I was on the road I follow to work, force of habit… Then it struck me it’s Monday, singing lessons for her daughter, I wondered how they were coming along!
A bit like Forrest Gump, I have taken to walking in a big way recently; 5km to work, 5km back and very often another 10km or more during the day. There’s not so many places one can walk, Up roads, down roads, around the shopping precinct through the park, big circuits often in ever increasing circles… I often wonder if I set off South how long it might take to walk it and even if I’d make it, I guess it’s a couple of hundred miles… With military training I’d probably get there in one piece, though it’s not a good time of year for such a trip, too darned cold and I’m simply too old for such conditions. So, ever increasing circles will have to do for now with the safety and home comfort of central heating never too far away. Perhaps like Forrest I should start running though I was never very good at it.
I do see an awful lot on my walks, some pleasant others really not so… The drivers of Chorley go to fast. Boy racers rip through the streets at alarming speed, spinning their wheels and revving their engines to seek attention or thrill. Perhaps they just don’t know the cost of tyres!
Tonight’s walk took me across several zebra crossings, not one car stopped and they went through at breakneck speed. I’ve seen that a lot overseas but that infection has grown incredibly over here in the last few years. Murphy’s law is that the ones who do stop appear grieved at why the pedestrian’s treacherous walk hasn’t taken place and that they are being held up. It’s a lose lose for the pedestrian, take your life into their hands or stress them out!
It was icy out too and my memory of Traffic Operations had me witness too many road kills on pavements, hard shoulders and in laybys, especially in the winter months when the sun is low in the sky, glare is high and gritted roads throw up so much dirt onto windscreens. It’s no surprise that being a pedestrian these days makes me nervous, so often I do circuits of the precinct. It’s not big! LOL. The increasing number of circuits may account for the quite odd stares I’ve been getting of late, or maybe the rumours of my frog hopping down the centre of the road have just reached all corners of the town already.
So wandering aimlessly I ponder the future, people watch whilst on the move. I see people holding hands, laughing, hugging in the street. I miss all of that tremendously. Princess Diana was a big advocate of, amongst other things, hugging. She was right… For some of us it’s almost essential to feeling loved and cared for. I watched the bustle of the market, traders shouting about their wondrous goods. People standing outside pubs smoking…freezing, a unique tolerance to the weather! I noticed more than ever today the massive reductions of 70% off retail products. I ask myself; Is this still January sales or a sign of how desperate many shopkeepers are and, my goodness, such mark ups in the first place. The UK is such an expensive place to live and wages simply are not proportional to prices. It’s a bit of a shambles! Market Street is being repaved, Oh no, they’re almost at my end of it, They’re digging with JCB and heavy plant, the noise today made the builders next door appear to be angels. A phone call from my sitting room was inaudible due to the noise. At least they finished at 5pm… Next door they’re still at it. They must be well behind schedule. The carpenter who fixed the door knows their team, he says they’re a long way off completion… He could tell from my accent I was not from around here and asked why I was here… A woman.
Funny creatures women, he announced. Mine up and left after 18 years… 18 years! No explanation, still don’t know why. The words echoed of my Doctor’s appointment. Twice in one day, I was drawn into another tale and the words never again were uttered from his lips… It would be nice to hear some good news about those who appear to hold all the cards, perhaps I should talk to more women! The doctor had concluded in such circumstances 90% of cases there were always third parties involved, either offering seeds of advice, destructive advice and usually for a selfish reason for their own ends. People don’t try anymore to overcome problems, they often talk to the wrong people about them and take the easiest road out. I’m not suggesting remaining in destructive abusive relationships, but if people genuinely have no explanation, I am suggesting there is a path through discussion, understanding and compromise.
My parents will soon be arriving at the golden milestone of 50 years of marriage, already 50 years together. It’s not all been a bed of roses. But they’ve always talked and the older they get the more in love they appear to be. Those values appear to be lost. It’s a darned shame.
I’m off work for two weeks, unless something changes homeless in 11 days…a lot of thinking to be done in such a short period of time. Where to go, should I go, what to do etc… what do I want? I think there will be a lot of walking done in that time, soul searching and hopefully a bit of sleeping. I think I might go for another walk.
Apologies for such ramblings, but if I can’t talk, I’ll do the next best thing and write! Goodnight.
January 18, 2015
Love, Life and Forever After
So I admit I’m a wimp, clueless perhaps, no probably even an idiot…
So, it wasn’t always that way… I’ve been the hard man, the strong guy… It’s amazing how quickly that can all change…
Perhaps it’s my fault, Christ I don’t want to blame somebody for what they haven’t done. It’s about understanding. One day you think you know something, the next… Nada, Zinc, Bugger all, Zero. You think you’re a hero, you’re not. In fact you’re the opposite, your comments were harsh yes those ones you thought were constructive, but if they went untold how would you get your message across?
Life is an eventful journey, we’re supposed to learn along the way… So two marriages and the loss of the best thing in my life what have I learnt? Nada, Zinc, Bugger all, Zero.
I remember so many good times, they were all with one person. Not the girls I married but perhaps the only one I should have. A celestial body with an intellect to match and it slipped through my fingers. People say I will find another, but did they consider I might not want to? How does one square that circle?
She always said she was not lovely…why? I don’t know. In my eyes she was Aphrodite, the perfection I have hunted my entire life for. She was the perfect partner, the sole lover, the greatest friend and she was… So many exciting, exhilarating and relaxing times spent together. Where did it all go wrong.
Yes, I know I’m like a broken record, but we’re supposed to learn from this life and all I learnt so far is pain…that can’t be right.
If nothing else is to be right then all I want is for her to have the most enjoyable, fulfilling life ever. Yes, I have no cause for hatred or revenge because true love doesn’t equip one for that. True love is beautiful, harmonious and rich with fulfillment. My problem is that one of us did not reach that peak and after everything that happened I have no idea why not.
If you know somebody in need please share this as the solitude I now face is unbearable, perhaps a word shared is a person saved.
January 17, 2015
Depression
I’ve been thinking for a while now that I may be clinically depressed… It’s not something anybody would like to admit… But let’s take the facts. My lady, the love of my life asks me to leave, no explanation just a pleasant invitation to bugger off…and I do so. Who wants to be where they’re not wanted… But getting single is hard. I’ve lived with myself for three months and I’ve hated it. I miss her more than I can describe. I still wonder what I did wrong… I guess I should move on, I just don’t know how…
Why do I cry so much… for gods sake I’m a bloke…
I feel there’s no future, I miss the past so much. Malta, the USA, London, Devon, Ferraris, Alton Towers….Christ we had so much fun…what made it end? And now I can’t cope with myself… Drink, Jesus… I feel like I drank a well, I probably have. So many good friends but all so far away…
I dont know the answer. I know I should leave, but to go where…
Moving is an issue, its expensive, where I want to go I can’t… I’m stuck in the abyss… God help me
January 11, 2015
The Rene D Schultz Radio Interview
What a freaky Day… But What a Finale. Interviewed Pam Stack of Authors on the Air and Russell Blake but lost them online. Here’s The Rene Schultz Interview, it’s a showstopper for anybody who knows anybody with medical issues and/or most personal issues…
Ladies and gentlemen Roll Up Roll Up….
http://youtu.be/yIMRJgy5c4M
UK Readers find Rene here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...
December 26, 2014
Boxing Day Banter with Bestseller Jack Hayes
http://simonduringer.com/?p=3971
If you like it please tweet it...
#RT Boxing Day Banter in Room 42 with @JackHayesAuthor #TheInterview Don't miss it, it's WILD! Happy Holidays http://simonduringer.com/?p=3971 #IAN1
December 16, 2014
John Winstanley
All too often we forget the people that make a difference to our local communities. My next guest is a man that wanted to ensure that didn’t happen for the musicians lending their heart and soul to the trade…
Interested… You should be! So many musicians do not make it to the big time and very few know the story of their struggles trying to make the charts…
So, who is my next guest on Simon’s 10 q Interviews… Let’s find out!
John Winstanley
… I might add looked over by his interviewer (Top Right) was around at my pad last week for his interview in person… So, who is John? Let’s find out.
John Winstanley is a financier by trade but for the period between 2002-2007 he took a sabbatical and went on on an adventure which led him to promote numerous music bands from the Lancashire area of the UK.
The book Unsigned Unscene
documents those five years of John’s life as he mentored so many bands who never quite made it to the big time, but wooed local audiences across the county. I have met, and as with so many of my interviewees become friends with John and visited the streets which he used to serve. He is an icon of the community, a shining light of hope to those setting out in music, and I am delighted to announce that John Winstanley will soon be running the gauntlet of Simon’s 10 Q Interviews!
John is the author of the cult novel Unsigned Unscene, he has ben interviewed nationally and is what I would call a doer… John makes things happen.
You don’t need to be from Lancashire, UK to enjoy this novel as everybody who visits a pub or drinks at the local hostelry will know somebody like John’s clients… Those with a passion for music.
John Winstanley is also a very active member of the Chorley Writers Circle and the Lancashire Authors Association. Come back soon to see how John copes with the arduous task of answering Simon’s 10 Q Interviews. You won’t regret it!
Why not head straight off and buy the book… Here’s the link…
John and his family were recently featured on Jo Whiley’s show on BBC Radio 2, you can listen to the interview by clicking on the following link;
The Winstanley Interview with Jo Whiley
Simon Duringer is both a Goodreads Indie author and Independent Interviewer. Simon’s most recent book is The Word: The Best of Simon’s 10Q Interviews
, featuring 28 equally interesting and exciting interviews, with some great names in the literary trade from both sides of the fence (Indie and Traditionally Published). It is available on Kindle
, Prime (#Free) and Paperback
. Links to Simon’s Amazon Author Page are as follows;
UK Link – Simon Duringer Author Page
US Link – Simon Duringer Author Page
Simons 10 Q Interviews was a Finalist in the U.K. Blogging Awards 2014.
November 21, 2014
The UK Blog Awards 2015
No? OMG get across there now and vote for Simons 10Q Interviews tonight... Here's the link!
http://goo.gl/YMIorg
November 12, 2014
Doran Ingrham - Dangerous
http://simonduringer.com/?p=3956
November 6, 2014
Jake Needham Interview
http://simonduringer.com/?p=3937
#RT STOP DRINKING! The @JakeNeedham interview is now live! Don't miss it, head for Room 42! #IAN1 #readers #UKBA15 http://goo.gl/O1VFgY
