Oh, man, I really let this go. And for no good reason. The truth is, I’m getting lazy. I get home after work and watch tv, pay attention to the dog (he insists)and yell at the grandkids. We did send them back to their mother Tuesday. Their presence did have a lot to do with my lapse. I’d try to write, but one of them (almost always the 16-yr-old grandson) would come in and want to talk about any kind of random thing, and offer his learned opinion on all kinds of things. He did earn the old cliché: “You should move out of home and live by yourself now, while you still know everything.”
But I would not chase him out. I felt my attention to him was more important. Neither of these kids have had anyone to fill the father role very well…I did, some, while they were here, but that’s about it. Their mother’s current live-in boyfriend (been a couple of years, now) is filling the role to some extent. He’s a responsible guy, a nurse, and there’s no hint of anything “un-parental”, but he’s harsher than the kids would want…but at ages 13 and 16, most kids think parents are too harsh.
Their mother and their aunt do not get along…now in their forties, that part of the relationship hasn’t changed much in thirty years. So these two have a poor opinion of their aunt and, by projection, their cousins. But they had the opportunity to get acquainted a little better at our great-granddaughter’s second birthday party, and they got along. In fact, the boy seemed to get along well with his girl cousin who’s one year younger, and vice versa. They were both sitting outside together (not too close) and I kidded them that the “troubled youths” were bonding. The fifteen-year-old is pretty (as are her older sisters) and her mother told us that she has boys and girls “throwing themselves at her feet.” She didn’t deny it, but didn’t treat it as any kind of serious big deal, either. She seems to be unsure if she prefers guys or girls, but seems favorably inclined to both. The kids got to know their aunt as well, and didn’t seem
On the writing front, I continue to accumulate rejections of Saving Atlantis. About 35 so far, plus another half-dozen or so that are no-response and probable rejections. Many of those rejections are from agents rather than publishers.
All of them have wanted to see anywhere from the first 10,000 words or the first three chapters or something similar. So, probably much too late, I’ve moved one of the last chapters to the front with a little re-write to introduce the rest of the book. We’ll see how that goes. If I’m still outta luck by December, I guess I’ll self-publish.
Both Just Lucky books are now available in Kindle or print-on-demand (POD). I’m ready to self-publish the two fantasy books, but I need to find an artist to do the covers. I’ve had two ladies that were interested and possibly up to the job, but both dropped out due to other personal concerns that would leave them no time. So, if any of you know someone (or are someone) who could produce a professional-looking cover that does not resemble the ones currently seen on Amazon you could earn some money, plus a professional credit. I could have those covers for $300 each, but I’m hoping to get by paying less. Besides, I’ve never been crazy about those covers, especially the one on Prophecy of Honor, so I’d really like to put on another one.
I read another Dean Koontz book titled The Husband. This had some similarities to The Good Guy in that the baddies totally underestimate the good guy. Even his brother, who’s as much a baddie as any of them, underestimates his younger brother, to his regret. I recommend it.
I just finished another of Patterson’s books about Alex Cross and I’m just starting another one. So far they’re allpretty similar. A smart and totally evil serial killer murders many, has a personal animas toward Alex Cross, but is defeated in the end thanks to Cross’s intelligence, a little luck (good for Cross, bad for the killer) and Cross’s determination. And yet, Patterson does keep the reader interested. His veery short chapters help, and he just writes well. He spends few words on “style”—the similes and metaphors that Koontz and King use a lot, Patterson uses very little and when he does it’s not noticeable.
We’re going on vacation next week, to Colorado to see relatives and friends. I’d thought first we’d drive—bringing the dog along, of course. But our son convinced me that flying was a more sensible option. It’s a little more expensive since we have rent a car to get around there, but the time saved makes it worth it. If we were to take the dog on a flight it would cost $300 round trip. Boarding him at the vet will cost about $160. Guess which one we chose.
When I started to book the trip I first went to Frontier’s website. The price looked good. Then they wanted me to buy a “bundle” of perks. That bundle cost more than the round trip for two. I declined the bundle, so then they wanted to charge us individually for the seats--$21 for two seats there and the same back. I said the hell with that—and many other words not suitable for family reading.
I went to Priceline. Got an even better deal on the flight and will only take Frontier on the way back. The biggest drawback of it all is that we have to fly out of and back to Minneapolis/St.Paul. I tried to work it from Cedar Rapids, but it was more expensive and we’d have to stay in Denver an extra day.
And that’s all for this month. Please, all of you, enjoy the summer, stay healthy, and read.
But I would not chase him out. I felt my attention to him was more important. Neither of these kids have had anyone to fill the father role very well…I did, some, while they were here, but that’s about it. Their mother’s current live-in boyfriend (been a couple of years, now) is filling the role to some extent. He’s a responsible guy, a nurse, and there’s no hint of anything “un-parental”, but he’s harsher than the kids would want…but at ages 13 and 16, most kids think parents are too harsh.
Their mother and their aunt do not get along…now in their forties, that part of the relationship hasn’t changed much in thirty years. So these two have a poor opinion of their aunt and, by projection, their cousins. But they had the opportunity to get acquainted a little better at our great-granddaughter’s second birthday party, and they got along. In fact, the boy seemed to get along well with his girl cousin who’s one year younger, and vice versa. They were both sitting outside together (not too close) and I kidded them that the “troubled youths” were bonding. The fifteen-year-old is pretty (as are her older sisters) and her mother told us that she has boys and girls “throwing themselves at her feet.” She didn’t deny it, but didn’t treat it as any kind of serious big deal, either. She seems to be unsure if she prefers guys or girls, but seems favorably inclined to both. The kids got to know their aunt as well, and didn’t seem
On the writing front, I continue to accumulate rejections of Saving Atlantis. About 35 so far, plus another half-dozen or so that are no-response and probable rejections. Many of those rejections are from agents rather than publishers.
All of them have wanted to see anywhere from the first 10,000 words or the first three chapters or something similar. So, probably much too late, I’ve moved one of the last chapters to the front with a little re-write to introduce the rest of the book. We’ll see how that goes. If I’m still outta luck by December, I guess I’ll self-publish.
Both Just Lucky books are now available in Kindle or print-on-demand (POD). I’m ready to self-publish the two fantasy books, but I need to find an artist to do the covers. I’ve had two ladies that were interested and possibly up to the job, but both dropped out due to other personal concerns that would leave them no time. So, if any of you know someone (or are someone) who could produce a professional-looking cover that does not resemble the ones currently seen on Amazon you could earn some money, plus a professional credit. I could have those covers for $300 each, but I’m hoping to get by paying less. Besides, I’ve never been crazy about those covers, especially the one on Prophecy of Honor, so I’d really like to put on another one.
I read another Dean Koontz book titled The Husband. This had some similarities to The Good Guy in that the baddies totally underestimate the good guy. Even his brother, who’s as much a baddie as any of them, underestimates his younger brother, to his regret. I recommend it.
I just finished another of Patterson’s books about Alex Cross and I’m just starting another one. So far they’re allpretty similar. A smart and totally evil serial killer murders many, has a personal animas toward Alex Cross, but is defeated in the end thanks to Cross’s intelligence, a little luck (good for Cross, bad for the killer) and Cross’s determination. And yet, Patterson does keep the reader interested. His veery short chapters help, and he just writes well. He spends few words on “style”—the similes and metaphors that Koontz and King use a lot, Patterson uses very little and when he does it’s not noticeable.
We’re going on vacation next week, to Colorado to see relatives and friends. I’d thought first we’d drive—bringing the dog along, of course. But our son convinced me that flying was a more sensible option. It’s a little more expensive since we have rent a car to get around there, but the time saved makes it worth it. If we were to take the dog on a flight it would cost $300 round trip. Boarding him at the vet will cost about $160. Guess which one we chose.
When I started to book the trip I first went to Frontier’s website. The price looked good. Then they wanted me to buy a “bundle” of perks. That bundle cost more than the round trip for two. I declined the bundle, so then they wanted to charge us individually for the seats--$21 for two seats there and the same back. I said the hell with that—and many other words not suitable for family reading.
I went to Priceline. Got an even better deal on the flight and will only take Frontier on the way back. The biggest drawback of it all is that we have to fly out of and back to Minneapolis/St.Paul. I tried to work it from Cedar Rapids, but it was more expensive and we’d have to stay in Denver an extra day.
And that’s all for this month. Please, all of you, enjoy the summer, stay healthy, and read.
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