Stress Management Technique #27

Just in case you are having a rough day, here is a stress management technique recommended in all the latest psychological journals. It really works. You might even smile.

Picture yourself lying on your stomach on a warm rock that hangs out over a slow moving stream

         Your hands dangle in the cool running water
         Birds sing sweetly in the cool mountain air
         No one knows your secret place
         You're in total seclusion from that hectic place called 'the world'
         The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air - a cascade of serenity
         The water is crystal clear & you can easily see .....
          ...... the face of the person you are holding underwater

Hometown Setting

Haven't been around much lately but thought y'all might like to see a music video filmed in my hometown of St Augustine, Florida. It's not a bad song either. I posted it on my FB page a few days ago.  

In the meantime - Still working to get the paper version of RECKLESS ENDEAVOR out. Had a problem with a link to the cover art - a reference to a name that doesn't go along well with the stuff I write. Anyway - that's solved to everyone's satisfaction so I'm waiting to see the revised proof copy before cutting it loose. While this is all going on, RECKLESS is selling well as an ebook on Kindle, better than expected since I've had no time to breathe, let alone promote. While that's cool n' all, I'm stumped trying to figure out why the first book, BAD LATITUDE (on Kindle since January) is outselling RECKLESS. Seems like BL will jump ahead almost 2 to 1 & then there'll be a surge on RE to go neck n' neck. I only check the sales stats once or twice a week (when I think of it), so maybe it's common for this to happen with multiple titles. Whatever. What do I know about how it all works? 

Back to the video. There are lots of backgrounds in the video that are right out of BAD LATITUDE (set in St Augie, naturally - or maybe I should say supernaturally). The lighthouse - which is haunted by Hezekiah Pittee & his dead daughters. The seawall at The Castillo de San Marcos overlooking Matanzas Bay, where 2 of my characters meet & eventually share their first kiss. Must be a good place for kissin'. The pristine beach (they blocked vehicle access for the video shoot - we're allowed to drive on our beach). Then there are the quaint streets which are perfect for late night zombie chases or, if you're not into that - you can just check out the shops & galleries.

RECKLESS starts out in St Augustine, but moves on to the Bahamas, naturally requiring a sail through the Bermuda Triangle - which leads up to an encounter with a dead pirate on a mission.  

So check out the video if ya feel like visitin' my town. 

There's also a good website - http://www.augustine.com/ that's worth clickin' on.

Hopefully I'll get back to blogging soon - need to figure out a theme.   

  

Bitter, Sweet by Laura Best

I'm supposed to be finishing up some last minute tweaks on RECKLESS ENDEAVOR, things like a brief synopsis, for the Kindle, iPad & Nook versions, but I was sidetracked. It'll be a late night now for sure, but I'm gonna get it done. Have to. Anyway, it all started this afternoon when I stopped at the Post Office to pick up the mail .....

There it was - Laura Best's book - Bitter, Sweet. So, I unwrapped it & started checking it out. Then I started reading. And then I kept reading. Had bought some rib-eye steaks for the grill earlier in the day. Instead of putting them on during daylight, I kept reading - until the book was finished. (It was completely dark when I fired up the grill. When I went outside & turned the steaks, I reached for the handle on the grill's lid - to close it - & since I couldn't see, missed  it, & put my hand on the hot lid. I now have no fingerprints on my right hand.)

Sorry, back to the topic. (It's okay - I'm typing left handed.)

Okay, now I'm not a writerly literary genius or even a student of the craft, & don't pretend to be. And usually I favor action packed novels, thrillers, mysteries, sometimes horror & I write adventure tales for kids - but that's not gonna stop me from offering my thoughts on Bitter, Sweet.   

First of all - this book is flat out entertaining. It is also very well written, IMHO. The characters have unique personalities. The scene description is balanced - not overdone - enough to pull the reader into the setting without disrupting the flow of the story. The dialogue is strong - each character's voice stands out. It's easy to get a real feel for the poverty, the loss, the heartache & the family's ultimate struggle to put up a 'united front' in order to survive. Well, Laura has managed to make all of her words count & created a remarkable story. Very impressive. A terrific read. Thumbs up, my friend.    

Okay, I'm off to soak my hand ....  Oh yeah, click the Amazon link & buy Laura's book. Go on. Hurry!

Hangin' Out

I've been just kinda hangin' out lately, doin' research on a buncha stuff that's gonna be in the next book, which is already underway. The picture above is from The Old Jail in St Augustine. The jail provides a fun chapter location in RECKLESS for one of the "adventures". It was also necessary to do some readin' up on how hangings were carried out, since that's how Calico Jack Rackham met his end in 1720. That little detail doesn't stop him from visiting his young descendant.

Right now I'm into Aztecs, jungles, and caves.... with a few twists, of course. I'll need some first hand cave experience, you know, for realism's sake, so there's gotta be a trip in our future (get your camera ready, Deb!). Maybe after the pirate invasion in Tampa later this month. In the meantime, I'm doing my usual poor job of marketing & promotion, in the weeks leading up to the release of the latest Jack Rackham Adventure - might be on Kindle & Nook in a week, not sure.    

Well, I've been kinda quiet lately but I ain't just sittin' around.

Jack Rackam Is Back

Guess what's happenin' this month .... Give y'all one hint ....

Think I Need A Compass?

I'm not much for looking back & can't recall ever making New Year's resolutions, so I won't start now, but........

Going through files & docs, I noticed that the RECKLESS draft was pretty much done in 2009 & here it is only 3 hours from 2011 & it's still "not out" (waiting for the final cover art).  Guess that's partly due to working out of town. Also, in my defense, I did chop out a big portion of the book to use as a launching point for the next book, a story that I really like, resulting in a major rewrite of the ending for RE. (Hint: The ending for RECKLESS is, hmmmm, better not say anything yet.) 

So did I miss out on any opportunities? Maybe. Does it matter? Dunno. Can't do anything about it now. I'm a little late to the ebook party, but that'll change within the next week or two.

I allowed myself 10 minutes to think about 2010 - beyond 10 minutes, it's all a blur anyway. This time last year I was working out of the company's office in Jacksonville, griping every day about being stuck inside behind a desk, putting numbers together. We had bid a job for Amtrak that the 'Powers That Be' almost bailed out on 'cause they decided the job was too complicated. In the meantime, we were looking at a really lean year for moneymaking projects so the railroad project was muy importante. Poof! January arrived. We were awarded the Amtrak job that was too complicated to take on & the 'Powers That Be' designated me as 'The Guy' to do the job, which meant a 16 month gig out of town. Funny, nowadays, working out of the office doesn't seem like such a bad option. (I haven't seen my office for 50 weeks. Wonder what it looks like.)

For the most part, the blog's been on a yearlong hiatus, with the odd post thrown in from time to time - an artificial sign of life. Writing was hit or miss. Impossible at the hotel, slightly better at the condo, much improved at the little house that we rented. Promotion? ZERO. I couldn't do any book signings, cancelled plans for a couple of book festivals, & couldn't attend the FWA Writers Conference or the RPLA Awards Banquet. Perfect batting average on marketing overall.

Wonder what'll happen in 2011. I want to get the 3rd book out. I'd like to do some promotion. Blogging regularly again would be kinda cool. Finding a coupla beta readers might be a plus & losing 15 pounds couldn't be a bad thing. Well, I'm still not makin' any resolutions - 'cept to finish this project n' go home, to my real house. 

I wonder if I just need a compass. GPS? A set direction? A game plan? Map? Would these require makin' resolutions? Hope not.

How 'bout you? Any goals or resolutions rattlin' around in your cranium that you'll try to ignore?

Happy 2011.




   


Blog "Stuff"

First of all, hope everyone had a very nice Christmas. I haven't been online much these past few weeks.

We're working through the cover art again for RECKLESS, trying to get it just right. Being pig-headed, as usual. While that's going on, I'm polishing & fine-tuning the final MS while working on the follow up Jack Rackham Adventure. I should be working to create "buzz" before RECKLESS is let loose, you know, blogging & such, but (a) I'm way too focused on the final product & (b) I'm terrible about elbowing my way around to even mention my books, especially on someone else's site. Personally, I tend to avoid blogs totally dedicated to the promotion of an author's work. Blogs, IMHO, should be give & take. It's fine to incorporate promotion into the mix, but getting to "know" folks, including their opinions, is entertaining & often educational. (The fact that the "I" word has been used 7 times in this post is uncomfortable enough.) 

So how do y'all do it (mix blog posts & promo) without becoming a self-centered bore? How do you attract followers with whom to share ideas? (There are 30 followers on JaxPop, only 5 on the newer Jack Rackham Adventures blog). I (#8) dunno, maybe it's best to just stick with storytellin', but I'd (#9) sure like to get some opinions.