Sunsets, Stars, West, Wind
In all of this, remember these efforts are investments in a long-term career. Social media and marketing work are as much about selling your new book as boosting sales for your back catalog—and building connections to help your next book succeed.
A bit lengthy, but this article has some good information and links buried in it.
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Drudgery?
http://www.lemodesittjr.com/2014/02/04/drudgery/
Some words of wisdom to mull over today from author Modesitt.
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I used to waste so much time on fonts, back when I printed things on paper. These days, not so much. But still an interesting observation.
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http://www.kameronhurley.com/surprise-i-have-no-idea-your-book-is-coming-out/
Remember that ground breaking shocking documentary from the 70s (or was it the 80s) where they took teenagers to prison and introduced them to the convicts? This blog post reminds me of that film. If you can ignore the language, the message is worth hearing.
I might be stretching the comparison a bit but just wanted you to know I don’t normally condone that much profanity by reblogging it.
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http://www.lemodesittjr.com/2014/01/21/westeros-revisited/
Modesitt may be on to something here.
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http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/avoid-this-common-passive-voice-mistake
Tips about passive voice.
Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon
Net Present Value
Great insights from KJA’s blog about the changing publishing industry from an author and small press publisher’s viewpoint.
Grammar Girl : Apostrophes in Science Fiction and Fantasy Names
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/apostrophes-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy-names
I’ve read most of the Pern novels and never found the apostrophes annoying. The romance subplot usually did that.
No, I’m not having flashbacks to the decade of disco, the oil crisis, feminism, civil rights, etc. I’m talking about autumn-like temperatures in the mid-70s at lunch time here in Kansas City. I took full advantage of the beautiful weather by walking a couple of blocks to my favorite local Italian restaurant for lunch.
For a comparison, here’s the average temperatures, historically, reported for Kansas City (thanks to the Weather Underground for the stats):
| August 14, 2013 | Max Temp | Min Temp |
|---|---|---|
| Normal (KMCI) | 88 °F | 68 °F |
| Record (KMCI) | 113 °F (1936) | 54 °F (2002) |
| Yesterday | 80 °F | 66 °F |
When I first walked out of my house this morning, I knew something was different. For starters, the sky was clear. I felt a bit of a chill in the air, not something I expect to feel in the middle of August during a Kansas summer. The dashboard information center in the van confirmed temperatures in the lower 60s in the pre-dawn morning air.
I took the above photograph about 20-25 minutes before sunrise this morning. I can’t take an actual sunrise photo during the work week because the sun is rising at or shortly after 6:30 a.m. Central local time. By that time, I’m fifteen minutes into my morning commute, picking up the last three of my vanpool riders. I did drive into a glorious golden orange sun hanging barely above the horizon for a few minutes. The atmosphere was pretty hazy, so I could look directly at the sun for long periods of time. I didn’t spy any sunspots though … my eyes are not quite that good. I’m far-sighted, but not that far-sighted.
So today I’m very thankful for mild temperatures, low humidity and beautiful clear skies.
Today’s gratitude journal post may be a bit rambly. I don’t have a cute photo to share. I’m not feeling extraordinarily witty either (not that I’m ever anything but marginally witty). Nothing momentous has occurred in the last twenty-four hours in my small sphere of space. But often it’s the little things that add up to the best moments.
I came home last night to some of the best grilled chicken courtesy of my hubby’s wonderful rub and grilling skills. Hands down it was hundreds of orders of magnitude better than the barbecued chicken I tried at the baseball game.
After dinner, we hung clingy clear plastic drop cloths in the main bathroom to prep for painting the ceiling. We managed to complete that task without too many harsh words or bodily harm.
We took the dogs, Lexy and Apollo, on a short walk after sundown. I could see the almost quarter moon easily, as well as Venus and Saturn (near the moon). Terry and Lexy headed home early and Apollo and I walked for another twenty minutes. I didn’t see many children out playing (a couple of teenagers) because school starts this week. Summer break is over for them.
Terry is taking both dogs to the vet today. We’re not sure what’s going on with Lexy. She’s got a spot up near her left shoulder-blade that she keeps trying to scratch. We’ve treated her for fleas and ticks and inspected her skin. We gave her a bath. She’s still scratching that spot. Terry’s worried she may have been bitten by something. Lexy will get a pedicure from the vet as well.
We’re also worried about Apollo. He’s been lethargic lately. And he has a growth on his back that we’ve had the vet look at before. Terry wants a needle biopsy done, so poor Apollo will get poked this afternoon. I can’t remember if he’s getting a pedicure or not like Lexy is.
All of them will get some sort of treat on the trip back home from the vet, probably mini-cheeseburgers.
So, today, and every other day, I’m grateful for my husband. He’s great at so many things:
My life would be empty without him.