Humorist. Novelist. Scapegoat.
Hello again, from cyberspace. I’m pulling myself away from the lure that is the Wii in order to keep writing essays for Fork in the Road. The artwork is done and the book designer now has it. I’ll be writing the back cover blurb today and settling on a subtitle. Once I can get my daughter the photographer to take some lovely snaps of me with her pricey Nikon, we’ll be all set.
The trick will be having the book written by the time the cover is done. Yeah, um … just look at the time, will ya?
Hey, gang! Long time, no type! I’ll catch up on stuff later, but for now I wanted to announce this upcoming event (info lifted from the group’s Web site without a bit of guilt on my part):
LOCAL BOOK SIGNING!
The Beaver County Wordsmiths are holding their annual Christmas Book Sale on SAT., DECEMBER 11, from 11 a.m to 2 p.m., at Dej’a Vu Books in Bridgewater (222 Bridge Street).
If you haven’t been to Dej’a Vu yet, it’s a charming little book/antique store nestled inside of an old brick building along Bridgewater’s historic main street. The store features a unique selection of antiques, books, collectibles, paintings, prints, pottery, and more! Dej’a Vu is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 724.709.8246
THE BOOK SIGNING: More than 10 local authors (including your favorite humor writer) will be taking part in the event, and we’ll all be happy to sign our books.If you’re local, come and get a personally signed book for that special someone!
If you’ve already bought my book, bring it along and I’ll sign it for you (or sign it again if you’re semi-stalking me). My books make great holiday gifts! Buy two; they’re small!
posted on May 23rd, 2010
If you’re on Facebook and want to start stalking me, now’s your chance, before the crowds really start piling up. I’ve got a Fan Page there that you can “like” and then follow my exploits once Head in the Sand comes out.
I got the proof copy in the mail yesterday. There are some color issues on the cover that the cover artist and I will work out on Monday, and then we try a second proof copy. Looks like the book will go “live” on Amazon.com by the end of this coming week. I’ll be sure to post a good direct link here (since going through my link helps me out even a little more—without costing you anything extra).
Till then, dear fans, post all your gushy goodness on the Facebook fan page or here as a comment. I love comments!
posted on May 17th, 2010
It’s been a hectic, distracting winter, but spring has finally arrived here in western Pennsylvania, and I think it’s decided to stick around (although it’s cold again today, so don’t place your wagers just yet). I spent the winter putzing around with some humor essays—writing new ones, tweaking old ones—and now they’re coagulating nicely in a puddle I’m calling Head in the Sand . . . and other unpopular positions.
The book’s in final layout stages this week, with all files heading to the printer by week’s end, even if I have to insert an I.V. drip of Maxwell House and use those coupons for a box of Depends. (The two things work together, of course.) So far, that hasn’t been necessary, but the week is young, so again, no wagering.
The problem with letting an entire season go by without updating one’s blog—even if one did have good excuses and lots of commiserative hugging and head-nodding—is that one finds approximately 5,327 unmoderated spam comments dangling on the proverbial dashboard. Give or take several dozen. Apparently C!alis, lisinopril and Russian spam are all quite popular. (I couldn’t read the Russian spam, but I think they were trying to sell C!alis and lisinopril.) I buckled down and did my cyber-spring-housecleaning here (which was far easier than trying to do any actual spring housecleaning in my actual house). And now that the book will be available for sale within a few short weeks, it’s time to dust the place off and get rid of the blogjam from which I’ve suffered since the beginning of the calendar year.
It’s also time to crank up some Sponge or Vigilantes of Love music and get back to work. I’ll sound the general alert as soon as Head in the Sand is available for order on Amazon.com (with a direct link I’ll post here). Let’s get ready to rrrrrrrrumble!
posted on December 4th, 2009
The story’s not done yet, but I hit the National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org) monthly goal of 50,000 words. Somehow I managed to get enough writing in even during that final week—which included Thanksgiving, a trip back to my home town for a class reunion, and time with my girls—to fall across the finish line around 8 p.m. on November 30. I’ll pick the story back up in January, along with two other novels that need some serious revision. I’m thinking 2010 will be a year of revision and editing rather than more new writing (aside from finishing the 2009 NaNo). Time to get these puppies out there in the world!
In other news …
KINDLE UPDATE: ONE YEAR OUT
I’ve had my Amazon Kindle for about a year now. I’ve tried to make note of any book-buying patterns that have changed since getting the Kindle. And, as you might expect, there are some:
First, when I see a book I’d like to read/own, I see if a Kindle edition is available. Usually, there is. Assuming there is a Kindle edition, I then ask myself a series of questions about that particular book:
1. Do I need to have it immediately? Like, really immediately? 1 vote for the Kindle edition. (Available in about 30 seconds.)
2. Is it available only in Kindle and mass market paperback? 1 vote for the Kindle edition. (I hate mass market paperbacks—hard on the ol’ eyes.)
3. Do I want the physical copy taking up ever-dwindling shelf space in my house? 1 vote for the Kindle edition.
4. Will I want to lend the book to anyone else in the future? 1 vote for the dead-tree copy. (Still not possible to lend Kindle books, which doesn’t really bother me. I don’t lend out books all that often anyway.)
5. Will I want a first edition copy or a hard copy that the author might someday autograph? 1 vote for the dead-tree copy. (Still kinda hard to autograph the Kindle edition of a book, which goes without saying, although apparently I said it anyway.)
6. What is the price comparison between the two editions? If all other variables are not relevant, then 1 vote for the cheaper edition, if it is a LOT cheaper. (Sometimes Kindle editions are oddly high-priced, even near the price of print editions, and this puzzles me, since I so often hear about the high cost of paper, ink, and book production in general.)
Let’s use a book I bought just this morning as an example: Robert Sawyer’s Flashforward.
Trade paperback edition: $8.51.
Kindle edition: $7.99.
The prices of the two editions are unusually close for a book that’s not a current bestseller. Which one did I purchase? Going through my list of questions, I decided that I didn’t need the physical edition of the book taking up room on my shelves. I also didn’t see myself lending the book out, and I doubt I’ll run into Mr. Sawyer while carrying a copy of the book, to give me the opportunity to get it autographed. Plus, I was extremely curious to start reading it … soon. Like, right now.
The Kindle edition won, and I had the book on my Kindle before I could get across the room to pick it up. In the past year, I’ve found the Kindle to be indispensible for traveling and for leisurely reading in my wing chair at night. Having just purchased Stephen King’s 1,000-page Under the Dome in first edition hardcover (the Kindle edition isn’t due out for a few more weeks), I was immediately reminded of two of the Kindle’s best features: It’s easy to prop up and read without the weight of a large book or the annoyance of the pages flipping backwards if you shift in the chair. And, the adjustable font size is a balm to my eyes (having recently been diagnosed with ocular rosacea as well as the omnipresent chronic dry eye).
And, if I’m not done with King’s tome by the time the Kindle edition comes out, I might purchase that edition too just to continue to read in more comfort. And yes, I know that’s precisely what the publishers want me to do. For some authors, such as King and also Diana Gabaldon, I’ll keep buying first edition hardcovers no matter what. The Kindle editions are merely icing on the cake.
A year later, I’m still buying print books—probably too many for my own good—but the Kindle has given me options for many of my future purchases. All told, I’m buying more book content than I did pre-Kindle. And I know I’m reading a lot more than I did a year ago. Happily so. For hours on end when I can manage it.
And that can only be a good thing.