S.R. Booth's Blog, page 15
June 5, 2014
Scinegue
Scinegue
, book 1 in The Scinegue Series, is my debut novel, and I'm very excited about it. I didn't set out to write a novel. I was simply listening to the radio one day and heard a report about elderly people in another country basically being killed at hospitals. According to the report, the sick, elderly people were dehydrated to speed up their deaths.
That one report touched something in me, and I came home and started typing. I'm still not sure where a trash collector named Billy came from, but for the most part the story just flowed from me onto my computer. I've said from day one that God must have put the story in me because I wasn't trying to write a book, I wasn't searching for ideas to write about, and if I had thought about it, I just don't think I would have chosen to write from a male perspective. But the words just kept coming. Even then I wasn't planning to write a book, much less a series. But again, the words kept coming and I soon had several chapters written.
Sure there were some tough days when I didn't think I was capable of completing an entire novel. Those were the days I listened to Casting Crown's Voice of Truth over and over (and over). That's a wonderful song to listen to no matter where you are in your life. (I really wanted to mention it in Scinegue, but with copyright issues, etc. I figured it would be better not to.)
I really wasn't expecting the Supernatural twist that comes at the end of the story, but I like it, and I like how it opened up a door for the following books in the series to have a bit of a Supernatural/Fantasy flavor. I made a point of not imbuing my characters with Supernatural abilities themselves. They have some fun high-tech devices that Scinegue invents, but I wanted any powers in the book to come from God.
As a debut book, Scinegue unfortunately wasn't the best it could be when it was originally released in August 2013. I thought it was at the time, but I've learned much more about writing and publishing since then. That being the case, Scinegue has received some changes over the past year: A new cover, typos corrected and the entire first chapter scrapped. (I really liked that first chapter but realized it didn't add much to the story ; >( )
I've contacted Amazon and asked them to release the updated version of Scinegue to everyone who has purchased it. It's at their discretion whether they do or not. If you receive an email from Amazon saying there is a new version of the book, now you'll understand why. The story hasn't changed but hopefully the delivery is better. I'm sure it can be made even better and I imagine I will continue perfecting it as I learn more but it has already come a long ways from its original release.
That one report touched something in me, and I came home and started typing. I'm still not sure where a trash collector named Billy came from, but for the most part the story just flowed from me onto my computer. I've said from day one that God must have put the story in me because I wasn't trying to write a book, I wasn't searching for ideas to write about, and if I had thought about it, I just don't think I would have chosen to write from a male perspective. But the words just kept coming. Even then I wasn't planning to write a book, much less a series. But again, the words kept coming and I soon had several chapters written.
Sure there were some tough days when I didn't think I was capable of completing an entire novel. Those were the days I listened to Casting Crown's Voice of Truth over and over (and over). That's a wonderful song to listen to no matter where you are in your life. (I really wanted to mention it in Scinegue, but with copyright issues, etc. I figured it would be better not to.)
I really wasn't expecting the Supernatural twist that comes at the end of the story, but I like it, and I like how it opened up a door for the following books in the series to have a bit of a Supernatural/Fantasy flavor. I made a point of not imbuing my characters with Supernatural abilities themselves. They have some fun high-tech devices that Scinegue invents, but I wanted any powers in the book to come from God.
As a debut book, Scinegue unfortunately wasn't the best it could be when it was originally released in August 2013. I thought it was at the time, but I've learned much more about writing and publishing since then. That being the case, Scinegue has received some changes over the past year: A new cover, typos corrected and the entire first chapter scrapped. (I really liked that first chapter but realized it didn't add much to the story ; >( )
I've contacted Amazon and asked them to release the updated version of Scinegue to everyone who has purchased it. It's at their discretion whether they do or not. If you receive an email from Amazon saying there is a new version of the book, now you'll understand why. The story hasn't changed but hopefully the delivery is better. I'm sure it can be made even better and I imagine I will continue perfecting it as I learn more but it has already come a long ways from its original release.
June 1, 2014
Tulip Tree
Have you ever seen a Tulip Tree? I had never even heard of this tree until we saw one in northern NJ while out kayaking. It was so beautiful I took some pictures, and then went home and hit Google to find out what kind of tree it was and if I could grow one.
Well, from what I read, I could have probably have grown one but I would have had a 20 year wait before it started flowering!
Wow! Of course, I've also read that these trees can live for as long as 300 years so, once you make it past the first 20 years, you would be blessed with a lifetime of beautiful flowers every Spring.
Well, from what I read, I could have probably have grown one but I would have had a 20 year wait before it started flowering!
Wow! Of course, I've also read that these trees can live for as long as 300 years so, once you make it past the first 20 years, you would be blessed with a lifetime of beautiful flowers every Spring.
May 10, 2014
Coded Messages
If you like finding and deciphering coded messages, you might enjoy those in The Scinegue Series. I used a fairly simple code (because, Wow! some of those codes can just make your brain hurt ; >). Can you decipher it? Don't worry, you won't miss out on the story if you don't want to decode the apparently random letters and numbers but you'll get a little more insight into the story if you do.
May 9, 2014
The Pledge is in the Top 100 Charts Today!
Very fun! Thanks for your support and I hope you'll enjoy reading The Pledge. Don't forget, Bradley and Nicole's story is continued in Bradley and Nicole.
May 8, 2014
Locked Out of My Email Account for 24–nope, make it 48 (and counting) Hours!!!
Okay, two disclaimers. First, I love my Mac, my iPhone and my iCloud account. Second, I realize I'm the one who typed in the incorrect security answers. BUT, why on earth is a 24 hour wait period required before they will send me a link to reset my password (during which I have no access to my incoming email). AND why after a long wait of 24 hours, did they send said link to my locked email address when we supplied them with a different email address that we actually can access because we haven't been locked out of it for 24 hours.
So, now I have an additional 24 hour wait while they send the link again, and basically I'll be waiting to see if someone is going to send the link to my locked email account again or if they will actually be kind enough to send it to the account we've asked them to send it to so we can access it.
I try really hard not to get upset with customer service people. I know they are limited in what they can do. Yesterday between my husband and myself we spoke to 4 different customer service people (one was a manager) and got four different answers to our problem, and today upon calling to follow up on the link that should have arrived this morning, find out that of all four people, no one helped us at all.
I'm not sure why the message popped up on my iPhone yesterday asking me to enter my password in the first place. I haven't made any changes to my account. My email wasn't accessible so I did as the message asked and entered the password I thought I used for this. When it was incorrect, I entered the answers to the security questions I was asked, but they were wrong, too. I understand that I'm the one who forgot my information, but when I call customer service for help and provide them with all the information they ask for, including a credit card number, why can't they help me!!!!
As much as I've always loved my Mac computer, I'm not at all happy about this policy. What is so magical about 24 hours? If someone was trying to break into my email why can't I just receive a message that someone has been trying to access my account like I do from other places. I can then provide proper identification, reset my password and get on with my life.
Wouldn't you know that yesterday I was supposed to receive something important in my email. Waiting until today for it wasn't the end of the world but I can't wait another 24 hours. Now I have to find another way to get it.
Yes, I'm frustrated...
So, now I have an additional 24 hour wait while they send the link again, and basically I'll be waiting to see if someone is going to send the link to my locked email account again or if they will actually be kind enough to send it to the account we've asked them to send it to so we can access it.
I try really hard not to get upset with customer service people. I know they are limited in what they can do. Yesterday between my husband and myself we spoke to 4 different customer service people (one was a manager) and got four different answers to our problem, and today upon calling to follow up on the link that should have arrived this morning, find out that of all four people, no one helped us at all.
I'm not sure why the message popped up on my iPhone yesterday asking me to enter my password in the first place. I haven't made any changes to my account. My email wasn't accessible so I did as the message asked and entered the password I thought I used for this. When it was incorrect, I entered the answers to the security questions I was asked, but they were wrong, too. I understand that I'm the one who forgot my information, but when I call customer service for help and provide them with all the information they ask for, including a credit card number, why can't they help me!!!!
As much as I've always loved my Mac computer, I'm not at all happy about this policy. What is so magical about 24 hours? If someone was trying to break into my email why can't I just receive a message that someone has been trying to access my account like I do from other places. I can then provide proper identification, reset my password and get on with my life.
Wouldn't you know that yesterday I was supposed to receive something important in my email. Waiting until today for it wasn't the end of the world but I can't wait another 24 hours. Now I have to find another way to get it.
Yes, I'm frustrated...
May 7, 2014
How to Easily Get Rid of Fruit Flies
Fruit flies must be almost magical creatures.; >) I mean think about it, you can have a perfectly clean, pest-free kitchen, and suddenly, with one slightly over-ripe banana, Wham!, more fruit flies than you can count.
But I have an almost magical solution. At least it has worked every time I've tried it. An inch of wine in a tall glass with 1 drop of soap (I usually use Dawn, but I really don't think it matters). That's it! Set the glass where you've been seeing the fruit flies, and in a few hours, a day at the most, the bottom of the glass will be covered with dead bugs and your kitchen will once again be free of the tiny pests.
The flies are attracted to the lovely scent of the wine and go down for a sip. The soap breaks the surface tension of the wine, so when the flies try to step on it they instantly sink.
(Kind of gross, but no more fruit flies buzzing around!)
Pretty simple and it works so fast it's amazing! If you don't have wine on hand, vinegar or fruit juice will probably work just as well.
But I have an almost magical solution. At least it has worked every time I've tried it. An inch of wine in a tall glass with 1 drop of soap (I usually use Dawn, but I really don't think it matters). That's it! Set the glass where you've been seeing the fruit flies, and in a few hours, a day at the most, the bottom of the glass will be covered with dead bugs and your kitchen will once again be free of the tiny pests.
The flies are attracted to the lovely scent of the wine and go down for a sip. The soap breaks the surface tension of the wine, so when the flies try to step on it they instantly sink.
(Kind of gross, but no more fruit flies buzzing around!)Pretty simple and it works so fast it's amazing! If you don't have wine on hand, vinegar or fruit juice will probably work just as well.
April 19, 2014
He is Risen!
He is risen, indeed! Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Scinegue Sweets
Often after I read a book I want to know more about what happens to certain characters. If you feel the same way about Bradley and Nicole from the Pledge, I have good news for you. They have a Novella of their own, a Scinegue Sweet, Bradley and Nicole. It gives a peek into their developing relationship, unravels a mystery, and above all, is still a Christian story with a focus on making the world a better place.
Bradley and Nicole is being edited now, and I hope to have it published in May. I'll post a link here when it's available online.
Bradley and Nicole is being edited now, and I hope to have it published in May. I'll post a link here when it's available online.
April 18, 2014
Paperback available now!
Scinegue, the first book in The Scinegue Series, is now available as a paperback at Createspace https://www.createspace.com/4493207
Now I can start preparing The Pledge for paperback!
Now I can start preparing The Pledge for paperback!
April 17, 2014
Easter is almost here!
Look at some of the great pins I've found for Easter on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/scinegue/eas...
