Forgive me Blogger, for I have sinned. It has been twenty days since my last post.
I am going to be making some changes to this blog and other aspects of my writing life. One of the reasons I've had so much trouble with this blog is that I find it hard to come up with topics to blog about. I started it as a way to chronicle my writing life in hopes of attracting an agent. But, I only have so much writing advice to give.
Besides, my goals have changed.
I'm no longer interested in attracting an agent. It's readers that I'm concerned with.
Your average reader isn't concerned with the Indie v Trad wars, or story structure, or any of the other countless topics that interest writers. But, I do think readers like to get to know writers on a personal level.
So, my plan is to lay back on posting about writing or my books, and to just blog about my life and the things that interest me. Hopefully readers of this blog will like me as a person and that will drive them to want to read my books.
Maybe it'll work and maybe it won't. Either way it should be therapeutic.
I'm also in the process of setting up a static website where I can have links to all of my books, this blog and the mob of social media sites to which I belong.
So keep your eyes peeled. The winds of change are blowing.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Sunday, September 09, 2012
Four Years Ago Today
It happened four years ago today in the wee hours of the morning.
My wife woke me with a gentle nudge. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and looked dreamily over at her. Something was wrong, but I couldn't quite process what I was seeing. She was bent over, hands on knees, huffing and puffing as if she just ran a long distance.
"I think it's time to go to the hospital," she said with a pained grin.
I jumped up with a start and just like every cliched movie, I stumbled around the room like an idiot.
We loaded our son (only 18 months old at the time) into the car to take him to my wife's grandmother's house. I called my wife's physician on the way, left a message and did my best not to speed or run stop lights. When the call came back, I flinched so hard that had my window not been rolled up, I would have thrown my cell phone into the street.
We dropped our son off then sped to the hospital.
The contractions were coming fast now. We had to stop a couple of times during the short trip from the parking lot to the hospital doors so that my wife could breathe through the pain.
You see, this was our second child, but it was night and day different from the first. Our son was overdue and labor had been induced. It was calm and organized. Show up at this time and have a baby. I won't say it was easy, cause my wife will tell you different (and likely pull my bottom lip over my forehead), but it wasn't quite as chaotic as the second time.
I'll skip the gross parts, but let's just say that 45 minutes after we walked in the hospital doors, we had a beautiful baby girl. She came into the world on her own terms, and still seems to live that way. She is smart, strong and radiant with a good helping of mischievousness blended right in.
She is one of the best things in my life. If you ever need to find me, just check this girl's little finger. I'm usually wrapped around it.
Happy Birthday, Olivia!
My wife woke me with a gentle nudge. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and looked dreamily over at her. Something was wrong, but I couldn't quite process what I was seeing. She was bent over, hands on knees, huffing and puffing as if she just ran a long distance.
"I think it's time to go to the hospital," she said with a pained grin.
I jumped up with a start and just like every cliched movie, I stumbled around the room like an idiot.
We loaded our son (only 18 months old at the time) into the car to take him to my wife's grandmother's house. I called my wife's physician on the way, left a message and did my best not to speed or run stop lights. When the call came back, I flinched so hard that had my window not been rolled up, I would have thrown my cell phone into the street.
We dropped our son off then sped to the hospital.
The contractions were coming fast now. We had to stop a couple of times during the short trip from the parking lot to the hospital doors so that my wife could breathe through the pain.
You see, this was our second child, but it was night and day different from the first. Our son was overdue and labor had been induced. It was calm and organized. Show up at this time and have a baby. I won't say it was easy, cause my wife will tell you different (and likely pull my bottom lip over my forehead), but it wasn't quite as chaotic as the second time.
I'll skip the gross parts, but let's just say that 45 minutes after we walked in the hospital doors, we had a beautiful baby girl. She came into the world on her own terms, and still seems to live that way. She is smart, strong and radiant with a good helping of mischievousness blended right in.
She is one of the best things in my life. If you ever need to find me, just check this girl's little finger. I'm usually wrapped around it.
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
Comfort Zone
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Do one thing every day that scares you."
I think it is a good thing to step our of your comfort zone. Without the courage to press into the unknown, the human race would be in a sad shape.
Today I did something I've never done before. I gave an interview.
Doesn't sound like much, does it? I've done a lot of blog interviews, but this was a live radio broadcast.
LIVE!
I was a nervous wreck. I don't have a problem speaking in front of people, but I'm not the best self-promoter. I tend to blabber on, get lost on what I was talking about and end up on a totally different subject.
I don't know if that's good or not.
Luckily I had the wonderful Sherri Rabinowitz to keep me focused. I stepped out of my comfort zone and had a lot of fun in the process.
Just in case you missed the live broadcast of Chatting With Sherri, here it is again.
I think it is a good thing to step our of your comfort zone. Without the courage to press into the unknown, the human race would be in a sad shape.
Today I did something I've never done before. I gave an interview.
Doesn't sound like much, does it? I've done a lot of blog interviews, but this was a live radio broadcast.
LIVE!
I was a nervous wreck. I don't have a problem speaking in front of people, but I'm not the best self-promoter. I tend to blabber on, get lost on what I was talking about and end up on a totally different subject.
I don't know if that's good or not.
Luckily I had the wonderful Sherri Rabinowitz to keep me focused. I stepped out of my comfort zone and had a lot of fun in the process.
Just in case you missed the live broadcast of Chatting With Sherri, here it is again.
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Self Promotion Saturday
The title says it all, doesn't it.
I've done a few interviews lately. The first was on author Beth Jones's blog The Hungry Freelancer. The second was on author Kim Mullican's blog. The third won't air until September 4th 1:30 pm EST. Sherri Rabinowitz is interviewing me in my very first radio interview. Here is a preview.
I hope you'll have a look see.
I've done a few interviews lately. The first was on author Beth Jones's blog The Hungry Freelancer. The second was on author Kim Mullican's blog. The third won't air until September 4th 1:30 pm EST. Sherri Rabinowitz is interviewing me in my very first radio interview. Here is a preview.
I hope you'll have a look see.
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