Twas The Blog Before Christmas...

   Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, or whatever phrase means the most to you. This time of year is not about what we say, but what we do. It's a time of giving and helping others. It's a time for forgiveness and reaching out to those we've disagreed with in the past. Life is too short, and we are only hurting ourselves by holding a grudge.
   Three years ago, I started this journey to become a writer and it has been amazing. I've always had trouble making friends, not because people didn't like me, but because I was reluctant to let others into my life. At my age and inability to get out much, I had resigned myself to the idea I would spend the rest of my life lonely. The number of friends I've met on Social Media, and especially the in-person friends I've found through critique groups and writing partners has given me a new lease on life. I've reconnected with classmates from the sixties, most of whom live thousands of miles away, and shipmates from the seventies who I thought I'd never talk to again. It turned out one of my Navy buddies had lived only a couple miles away for years, and we never knew.
   My greatest pleasure comes from the writing partners I've found. It was a huge step for me to invite someone into my home, and it wouldn't have surprised me if they had declined my offer. It is such a blessing to have someone you can share your hopes and dreams with, and who understands the frustrations when the story bogs down and isn't progressing the way you want it. I feel all of us have improved as writers, and our stories are richer and more meaningful. It really helps when we can use each other as a sounding board to work out difficult scenes.
   If you are a writer, my sincere hope is that you find others to sit down with, face to face on a regular basis, and work together through laughter and a few tears. As the saying goes, "Iron sharpens iron".
   Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next year!

Free Downloads

   A quick post to promote my three stories. For the next five days, click on the book covers displayed on the right side of my blog and download for free. Enjoy, and have a Happy Holiday!

Why Do I Keep Trying?

   The holidays are upon us once again, and along with that comes the challenge of dealing with it. Many folks have a hard time during the holidays for many different reasons. For me, other than my usual depression which is a never ending battle, it's the passage of time.
   Every year my Christmas card list gets a little shorter. Parents are long gone, most aunts and uncles, and a number of favorite cousins. High school classmates are disappearing, and old Navy buddies are no longer there to swap sea stories. It pains me to wonder who may be next.
   It's also a reminder that another year has passed and I still haven't reached any of the goals I set for myself. It's been almost a year since I published my first book, and I had planned to publish at least two more this year. Didn't happen. I had hoped to make some extra money on a few side projects so I could afford something nice for all my family this Christmas. Didn't happen.
   All this brings me to the question of why do I bother, and the answer is hope. As long as I can get out of bed in the morning, pick up a pen and write something, there is hope. My depression and low self-esteem keep telling me I'll never succeed, but I refuse to believe that. No one can go their entire lives and never accomplish at least one thing positive.
   One thing I do know is I would be lost without my critique group and writing partners. They genuinely seem to feel I help them in some way, and they consistently appear to enjoy what I write. Some complain that I write final drafts and leave almost nothing for them to critique. I don't know if that's good or bad, just the way I write. Maybe it saves a little time by not having to write multiple drafts, but when it takes a week to write a thousand words, it feels like I'm not making much progress.
   I am making progress though, even if it's slow. I will publish the first book in my epic fantasy next year, and hopefully the second book in the series I started last year.
   If anyone is interested, I'll be offering both short stories and the novella for free for five days starting on Dec 19th. Please take a look if you can and let me know what I can do better. I'd hate to think I've just been spitting in the wind.
   Thanks for reading.

Happy Thanksgiving!

   Another year has passed and we are approaching the holiday season here in America. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving when family and friends get together around a traditional meal to give thanks for what they have. For the ones with more than they need, I hope you remember those less fortunate and reach out to help in any way you can.
   Over the years, for any number of reasons, I've been far from home at this time, but because of the generosity of good friends, I never had to spend Thanksgiving alone. Of course there was the year I probably would have been happier spending the day alone, lol. It was definitely a learning experience to see how some families act behind closed doors.
   I have been the driving force on Thanksgiving in my family for many years, cooking, baking and organizing the entire meal. Age has finally caught up with me and my grand-daughters have now taken over. They still want grandpa to roast the turkey and make his world famous deviled eggs (nobody makes em like I do, lol), but they will handle everything else.
   I hope and pray everyone will set aside their political and religious differences for at least a day and appreciate their family and friends. Someday they will no longer be there. Life is too short. Count your blessings, however small, as there is always someone with less. Develop a good attitude as that is the one thing that can never be taken from you.
   Happy Thanksgiving to all my G+ friends and thanks for reading.
   Picture is of my grand-daughters helping out last year after I fell behind.

A Failed Experiment

   On Monday I published the first of two short stories with the second one going live next week. Not that it will accomplish much, but I said I would and I usually follow through. I have others, but these are the only ones I could afford to have edited.
   The initial response I received on both Google and FB was overwhelming with all the plusses, likes and shares. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful group of friends who encourage me and would like to see me succeed.
   Unfortunately, I've only had one download so far, and that's okay. I have to look at this for the long term. I'm a slow writer and will take many years to build up a collection of stories. My hope for the future is if someone reads and likes one of my stories, they will take a chance on another. When there is nothing else to choose from, I might lose them forever.
   Part of the problem might have been since Amazon puts up 10% for a look inside, only the cover and title page appeared. Thanks to the kindness of D.W. Metz, who took the time to explain to me how to change that, it was easy to contact Amazon and have them increase the look inside to 20%. The other problem is I still don't fully understand how to use key words or phrases correctly.
   This is all still a learning process for me. Every time I publish something new, I become more comfortable with the process. I'm more confident in my formatting and cover design ability with each new project.
   It means so much to me to see more than one cover image on my author's page. Someday there will be many more, but for now, it's just one at a time.
   Thanks for reading!

No More Contests

   Today's blog is part whining and part frustration. Several years ago, I entered a couple writing contests on the suggestion of my daughter. I received some recognition from both contests which spurred me on to continue writing. I knew nothing at the time, and those stories were unedited, first drafts. After I learned that you're not supposed to submit your writing that way, I figured if I polished the stories and had them edited, I would do better in future contests.
   During the last couple of years, I've written a number of short stories, run them past two critique groups, posted online for feedback, and had them professionally edited. They've all been entered in contests and accomplished nothing. I tried different genres, including literary fiction, and still no luck.
   I hadn't paid much attention to the winning entries before, but decided to read a few to see what I was missing. I couldn't believe what I found. Oh, they were obviously well written with flawless grammar and perfect punctuation, but the stories themselves were meaningless.
   One story was about how this person made numerous bad decisions that ended up with him in serious trouble, and he blamed it all on someone he met in school. Another one was just filled with name dropping of famous people the writer had met. None of the stories held the least bit of interest for me. If these are the kind of stories the judges are looking for, then I won't bother entering anymore contests. I have better things to do than write meaningless stories in an attempt to win a contest.
   My focus will be, and probably should have been all along, to write entertaining stories I enjoy writing and hopefully others will enjoy reading.
   If you are interested in what I'm writing now, check out #saturdayscenes every Saturday on Google Plus and let me know what you think.

   Thanks for reading, and Happy Halloween!

Selling Books Locally

   This is a follow-up to a post from several months ago. Myself and four other writers got together and rented a small space at a local bazaar. The bazaar is located inside the largest mall in the area that sees a lot of traffic, especially with the holidays coming up.
   This was never intended as a money making venture, but more of an attempt to promote name recognition. Although it is nice that I've actually sold a number of books. I have to believe that some positives are happening as a number of people have approached the owner asking if and when we will have a book signing in the mall so they can meet us. I've also had two requests from folks who bought my book to meet them at the mall to personally sign their copy.
   I have been talking with the owner about the book signing, and we have tentatively scheduled it for next spring after all the holiday buzz has worn off. I'm also trying to work things out with a friend of mine, who is a local independent publisher, to have her give a presentation on e-book publishing. We think that will draw a lot of folks just to hear the presentation.
   Like I said in the earlier post, the space only costs us $25 a month, so between the five of us, that's only $5 each. Not a bad deal for getting our books out in front of the thousands of people who visit the mall every month.
   Sickness and pain the last couple of months has severely hampered my writing efforts, but I still hope to have my epic fantasy published in time for our book signing. Since I've had a number of folks ask me about the next novella in the series I started, I began writing the second book for that also. It would be great if I can get both done in time, but I'm not holding my breath.
   The picture is of our display in the mall. It sits just inside the door, and can be seen by those walking by.
   Thanks for reading!