Jeffrey Reid's Blog, page 4

Musings On That Turtle From Backwardistan

The Smile Ambassadors is now finally out.  It is live on Amazon, and of course, the aforementioned smashwords.com (see below).  It has been shipped to Apple iBooks and various other outlets around the aether.

As a two-headed turtle, we are pretty impressed with ourselves.  It was difficult staggering around the keyboard and trying to hit all the right keys in the right order.  What is it they say about monkeys and typewriters?  Believe us, a moneky ain’t got nothin’ on a two-headed turtle.  

As we cruise through life enjoying the scenery with our four eyes, we notice the daffodils that have sprung up around our world.  One has to stop and smell the flowers, or is it two?  Regardless, stopping and smelling flowers is something we like to do.  That is, unless there is a race to be won.  That gets us to the point of that turtle from Backwardistan.  

As you may know, turtles are not native to Backwardistan.  Not a darn terrapin in the entire country.  So, where did The Potentate get the turtle to enter the race?  That is an interesting question indeed…  It is rumored that the poor turtle was purchased in neighboring Tajikistan.  But there is no real information to confirm or deny that rumor.  

We don’t want to give away too much, unless you have already read the book.  We do know that at least several of you have downloaded our story.  Report back on your thoughts regarding where The Potentate acquired the Backwardistan turtle.

We are Published!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/413324  use this download code:  ZV87U, which is good for the next 30 days.  Be a sport and go back and give a nice review, after all, you got the book for free!

The Smile Ambassadors Publishes Thursday

It appears that The Smile Ambassadors will be published on Thursday night at smashwords.com.  It will also be published at Amazon.com, Apple iBooks, Barnes and Noble and elsewhere, including Flipkart, the largest internet seller in India.  I think it is rather cool that the booI will be available for the twelve readers in India that are interested in the story of a two-headed turtle.

The Wait

It is perhaps the waiting that is the hardest.  The book is done, for better or worse.  Now it is just waiting for it to be formatted and then uploaded to all the various book outlets.

After that happens, then we can discuss the various aspects of the story.  We can delve into the various characters, plot, and even the upcoming book that is currently being written.

All of this is for the three or four readers that may stumble upon this blog.

We should know more late next week.  All hail the world of indie publishing!

We Are Getting Closer

Had a nice chat with Maureen last night. Maureen is in Malta and is formatting The Smile Ambassadors for the epub and mobi formats. Once the files are back in hand, it will be uploaded to http://www.smashwords.com. It will be available there as a free download for a designated time. After that it will be available around the world for $2.99. I think its kinda cool that it will be available through Flipkart in India. It will also be available through Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble and all the other usual and unusual outlets.

So, we are getting closer to release date.

So, Why All These Posts?

Simple, really. We have internet connection today. In the country, where we reside, internet is very, very spotty. We came to a town yesterday and today and now we have internet.

This blog was created for the dozen or so people that will be willing to take a chance on the new ebook that’s coming out, The Smile Ambassadors, (shameless plug). Two, or maybe three of those people might want to know a little more about: A. the author, and B. the stars of the book.

So, here we are, in a hotel room, hooked up to the aether and combining those 0′s and 1′s into something we hope is coherent. While we are here, we might as well delve into something with substance; the writing process. First, a little music please.

It is as simple as that. Music. We use it as both a “white noise,” and an adjunct to have the creative juices flow. Being a bit older than most of the kitties out there, we still have a memory of decent music on which to draw.

But, to get back to the writing bit. Years ago, in another time, in another land, writing was our vocation. We wrote by the deadline. That was fun. It was not that “take your time its a newspaper” kind of deadline. No, it was real, hard, up against the clock deadline. When that second hand swooped to the top of the clock, the microphone was live, and one better have something to say, because dead air is just so….tacky.

Yup… was a radio newsman back in the day.

We digress. Ahem, “The Process of Writing.” For every writer, there is a different process. For ourselves, it all begins as a swirling, nebulous cloud. A germ of an idea, if you will. The swirling goes round, much like the creation of a galaxy. And that is where the music plays a part.

You have to hand it to Grateful Dead fans. They collect Dead music in all shapes and forms. Some compile hours of the same song done over 20 or so years. Take the song, ‘Eyes of the World,’ for example. One enterprising soul gathered about six hours of that tune from various concerts. the assemblage begins in the early 70s and takes you through to the early 90′s. Six hours of the same song. But what happens when one begins listening is that a certain groove begins to take hold. That swirling nebulous idea continues its swirl, ’round and ’round. What happens next is that the center becomes tighter. The germ of the idea becomes focused. Meat is added to that bit of an idea as the swirling music continues in its circular motion. The bits of notes fly off the swirl and attach themselves to the germ of an idea. Until, now, there is a plot!

Continue further down the path, or rabbit hole, if you will, and you have an outline. At this point it is important to run from the barn to the house to grab a pencil and jot down some quick notes before the swirling takes it all away.

Now, one has an outline. The whole story has been flashing before your eyes as the notes have played in your ears. Now, its only a matter of expanding on that quick glimpse you were allowed.

Ah, and that is where the fun begins.

Oh, did we fail to mention, that we are down in the barn making tie dye when this all happens?