Monday Music - Promentory

This piece of music is an adaptation of The Gael by Dougie Maclean.  I can actually play this on violin (not quite as refined as this young woman).  I think it sounds really cool on the violin, and so here I am sharing it.

Friday Social - Graduation

This would be the perfect time to say something poignant and meaningful about graduation.  It's happening all over the country.  Lots and lots of young men and women are getting their diplomas, marking their completion of years of school, and being allowed to to choose their futures for themselves.

I'm going to skip all that though.

My oldest child is graduating this weekend, and I am going to be there to see him get his diploma and I am simply going to be a proud daddy.

Wednesday Writing - Editing

Perhaps my least favorite part of the whole writing process.  But wow is it ever a necessary thing to do.  I've gone back over Island of Regrets with a red pen in hand.  I couldn't really read the story because I was focused on the words, the sentence structure, and the logic.

The book went into the hands of two other people, so we had three people going over everything to find the misspelled words, the missing or added words, the grammar errors, and more.

Today I started making the changes to my saved file.  I'm about 10% through it so far, and progressing nicely.  I should have it done by next week, which keeps me right on schedule.

I will need to get into total vampire mode soon.

Monday Music - Bleed (I must be dreaming)

There is just something about the sound of this song over all that really gets me in the mood for writing in a vampiric mode.  And the lyrics, yeah, absolutely.

Island Of Regrets - Date is Set

[caption id="attachment_155" align="alignnone" width="500"] Island Of Regrets[/caption]

June 5, 2013.  Island Of Regrets will be officially on sale.

That is the goal, and it is very much achievable.  Only something out of the ordinary will keep the book from going on sale on time.

We are contacting a local Pizza Hut for the initial Release party.  We are also contacting a local club/bar for a second release party (so that we can have spirits to officially toast the release).  We have at least 2 local bookstores (Mom & Pop type places) where we can schedule book signings, and a brand new Ice Cream Shoppe (Krazy Kones)  is opening next month - we will schedule a day to be there to sell and sign books.

We are taking orders now for signed copies of the books.  We are also doing our research to set up an order form on this web page so that people can order signed copies (this will be for any books available for sale once it is set up).

Please spread the word.  Tell everyone about this book, and when it will be available.  The initial reviews are amazing.  Thank you everyone.

Friday Social - I'm really excited

It's Friday.  Yay.  I'm finally getting over my cold.  Yay.  Plus this weekend I am going to set an official date for the release of "Island Of Regrets".

The editor got back to me today and she estimates she is more than half way through her editing (and she got her copy yesterday).  I am about a third of the way through doing my own editing, and one more person is just slightly behind me (but she'll catch up with me tomorrow).

Once all three of us have gone through the book, then I will get back on the keyboard with the notes from all three people and go through page by page fixing everything there is to be fixed.  That should take a few hours, but definitely doable.

Coming up on the schedule, contact Pizza Hut to set up the first launch party.  Contact a local bar and dance club to set up the second launch party (the first party won't involve alcohol, and I really want to toast the new book with a drink).  Contact as many of the local Mom & Pop bookstores as I can and set up days and times for book signings (and sales).  And of course look for other events to attend to promote all books I have available.

It's going to be a busy summer, and I super excited about it.

Wednesday Writing - A few funny items.

I admit I am stealing this from William Kerns (from his Facebook posts) who admits he stole it from a friend (who wouldn't mind). So basically I don't take any credit for what comes next - and have to admit I am not really sure who gets the credit now.

When I encounter an upset grammar nazi, I pat them on the back and say "There, Their, They're"
A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink and then leaves.
A dangling modifier walks into a bar. After finishing a drink, the bartender asks it to leave.
A question mark walks into a bar?
Two quotation marks “walk into” a bar.
The bar was walked into by the passive voice.
Three intransitive verbs walk into a bar. They sit. They drink. They leave.
What would have happened had a subjunctive walked into a bar?
An antecedent walked into a bar, and they ordered a drink.
An ellipsis walked into a bar…
Bartender asks a woman what she wants. “An entendre,” she says. “Make it a double.” So he gives it to her.
An alliteration traipsed into a tavern, where it tangled tempestuously with an insistent, illiterate intern.
A typo wakled into a bar.
A rabbi, a priest, and a cliché walk into a bar.
Two possessive apostrophe's walk into the bar as if they owned the place.
A subject and a verb have a disagreement in a bar, and one of them pull out a pistol.
A heedless homonym walks into a bar. You think he wood of scene it write in front of him.
The Oxford Comma joined in a high-spirited debate at the bar that included his parents, Ayn Rand and the Bishop of Canterbury.