A post about me and my life.
I had to go to the store last night and pick up some food for this weekend. It’s when I have my kid with me, so it needs to be food that’s easy to prepare, can alternate between a meal and a snack, and is relatively cheap. There are some standards that I can rely on, but my son tends to get burnt out pretty fast on them. He doesn’t have the most discerning taste, though, so I’m usually pretty safe with getting lower quality stuff.
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Last night, it snowed… about 10 inches. Last night I also got sick (at least, began feeling the effects of getting sick). Today I woke up a little before noon because my body needed the rest. I’m still tired and sore and doing my best to keep my head in one piece. I’m also recovering from blowing the snow off the driveway and scraping the car.
Why didn’t I call in sick? Why am I still going to work tonight? Because a coworker has called in sick every day for the last week. I’ve seen how it effects everyone else’s schedules… how people need to be called and shifted around, how this person is asked to stay longer, how management is suddenly on the hook for people not willing to come in. When a monkey-wrench is thrown into a well-oiled machine, things tend to go downhill fast.
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…or, a rebuttal to yesterday’s post.
I got a few comments regarding my complaint about the advertising habits of a few writers I’ve recently started to follow on Twitter, yesterday. The essential gist was, “Why do you hate the writers/writing community on Twitter?”
I don’t. I hate certain habits of a very few. But that was another post, this is a different one. This is about the redemptive qualities of the writing community on Twitter, and why I enjoy interacting and engaging with them.
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I’ve been following more authors on Twitter lately, and I’ve noticed something that has me a bit concerned. The constant deluge of advertisement and self-promotion to the point of annoyance.
I’m not going to point fingers and name names, but there are a few people that I’ve recently followed who seem to have a series of targeted tweets set to auto-post every single day. I’ll load up Twitter, reading tweets and catching up on my echo-chamber of news that has been deemed important enough to mention, when out of the blue, I’ll see a familiar post… one with a picture chosen specifically to capture an emotion that said poster hopes to evoke from the viewer/reader. Then, invariably, there will be the exact same selection of tweets to follow… each one with a book cover or image, that are very indelibly inked upon my brain… in the exact same order that I’ve seen them tweeted every day since the day I followed that person.
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I’ve been hooked by the 3D printing bug. Over there, you should see the very first thing I’ve 3D printed that I designed on my own.
I got a small 3D printer for Christmas, and have been scouring sites like Thingiverse and My Mini Factory for models to print. I’ve printed off a few benchys and a Fuckofftopus or two. I’ve made a keychain for a co-worker and my kiddo… played around with vase mode with some translucent filament, and as I’m typing this, the dress of a fairy is being printed (upside down). I’ve been having a blast with this thing… and also feeling a bit guilty for it becoming a distraction from editing.
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Since I’m giving away 3 copies of Mal-adaptive, I figured I’d talk a little about it.
What is Mal-adaptive? Mal-adaptive is a story about Malaika, a barista working in a big city just trying to make a living. She lives in an apartment with her roommate, Aaya, an ultra conservative girl who just so happens to work at a shop that sells BDSM supplies. Her best friend (and coworker), Ven, is a free spirit… likes to drink, likes to party, likes to have sex (and isn’t too particular who with). On the same day, an angel (Ephra) and a demon (Corson) show up at the Cruel Beans coffee shop in order to find Mal. They both have orders to follow her around. There’s also something about Armageddon, an evil corporation, and a Weapon that’s supposed to win the war for the side that has it. Add in a pinch of humor, and you’ve got Mal-adaptive in a nutshell.
Where did I come up with the idea? My girlfriend has fibromyalgia, which affects her muscles… especially in her neck and shoulders. Hearing her describe the pain as someone shoving knives into her shoulder blades is a bit… disconcerting to say the least. My brain seemed to jump on the idea of, ‘what if that’s NOT what’s causing her pain?’. instantly responding to the question, ‘she’s an angel who’s had her wings removed, and this is the residual pain she’s feeling’. Thus, the idea of Mal came to mind.
I’ve made another trip around the sun, and you guys are getting the gifts again. You may have noticed the Rafflecopter giveaway over there on the sidebar (and if not, you can always click here). I’m giving away 3 signed copies of Mal-adaptive to some lucky peeps. The giveaway will run until August 5.
If a giveaway isn’t your style, from August 2 to August 5, you’ll be able to download a copy of Mal-adaptive in eBook form for only $0.99 (or £0.99 if you’re over on the other side of the pond).
So, the perfect birthday gift you could give me would be to go out and grab a copy of Mal, sign up for the giveaway, and share with everybody you know. It would make this cranky old author so very happy.
Today’s topic is about reviews. The picture I’ve used is a review for one of my books. That single review is worth more to me than I can express. THAT is how I really get paid as an independent author. I’m not saying that the reviews have to be that good, either. An honest, one-star review, that takes the time to tell me ‘why’ I only deserve one star… can be just as valuable as the one over there.
They say that if a street performer makes you stop and watch them for any amount of time, you owe them a buck (who are THEY?). While I would be okay with this ‘rule’, I rarely get a chance to see anyone performing on the street here in rural north Idaho. A street performer is putting on a show, displaying what they’ve got to entertain you with. They don’t get to pop out a sign with a cool picture and a few words describing their routine and a promise to entertain… they just do what they do to entertain and get paid based on how entertaining they were.
First of all, that title is a little bit misleading. Some people like to use words… some like to use pages… others will only set aside blocks of time. It really doesn’t matter what you use to measure progress, though. Whether you write 5,000 words per day, or 5 words per week, progress is progress.
While setting a goal is important, one part of the process that people tend to forget is setting ‘reachable’ goals. Something you are actually able to do. Not only does this mean setting an attainable goal, but to also take into account what you are physically and/or mentally capable of. Those with disabilities and/or illnesses (be they visible or hidden), aren’t always able to sustain, maintain, or even reach goals that are repeated on website after website (such as: Write every day). So, the caveat regarding advice is: Take what you can, throw away what you can’t, and tweak what you need to for it to fit your needs.
I came across something strange today, and wanted to talk about it. While making sure my genre changes took affect on Mal-adaptive (it somehow found its way into the Horror category), I found that a copy of Unlimited was being offered used from another Amazon seller.
Needless to say, my first reaction was definitely a knee-jerk reaction. I’m not making any kind of commission from that sale! A bit affronted, I stopped to ask myself (and my girlfriend) what that meant.
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