Zombies and Taxes

Authors and taxes:

I was doing my taxes when I found to my surprise, a lot of what I bought on my own dollar and thinking that it would be lost forever, can come back to me as a tax break. I mean I know how businesses work, but I never once thought about the fact that my work as an author also makes me a business with the ability to claim computers, software, props for research, even trips taken, can all be considered expenses that the government will let you write off. It's something that I'll be using more this year as my book like expenses start to stack up.

Current Editing woes:

I've got chapter 1 and 2 buttoned up for beta review and I'm deep into the slogging through Chapter 3. I'm not getting through this as fast as I'd like. When I was working on the first book, I didn't have half as many other novel projects going on as I do now. I've had to split my limited time to three or more projects at once. I've been told to not worry so much about it, but I can't!

I'm setting myself a goal to have a chapter a week done with second draft.

Things that I love:

(Supper ADD random time GO!)

I love the sound of a sharp pen writing on a pad of paper, authors will describe things like "David could hear the cop take down his information, the officer's pen scratching over the note pad." I'm not sure if scratching is the right name for this amazing sound. And you can even go as far as to talk about how it sounds different for block writing vs. cursive.

And Hockey:

Thanks to a friend, I was able to get tickets to a Thunderbirds hockey game and he showed me the real fun of having club seats! Totally awesome and totally convinced the wife that we have to get season tickets. Now we just have to get the team be better. ;)

A moment of depression:

I had a moment of this over the last two weeks, where I learned a friend of mine's landlord not only sold her book but had become a New York bestseller.... Kill me. I found myself for the next two days doing nothing but obsessing over it. I looked up the book, looked up everything I could on the author. I EVEN in my hunt found and looked up her agent's info (and found reviews of the agent) It wasn't a moment I was proud of, I'll be honest. But after that I just kept working and I'm back to my happy-self. I woke up Sunday slipped out the door for my coffee shop feeling better about everything. I was off to talk with a co-writer about a web project...this brings me to my next topic....

The wide world of zombies:

I have to say that as of the last 6 months I have been beat over the head with Zombie stories, skits and images! I have to say I'm about done with the undead, it's a subject that just won't die! So what's a better idea than to start a story about ZOMBIES! Ok this may have not been the turn you would have taken, but here I am. My friend and I are co-authoring a web book called From Beer to Apocalypse. If you think about it, please tell everyone around you that is breathing (Zombie joke!) and has an internet connection. It's a story, and it's free! We are going to be posting a page a week (about 250 words). Feel free to give feedback and make comments as you read. I really want to make this as interactive a project as it can be.

Find it here: From Beer to Apocalypse

Current sales:

1 sale; 1 Prime borrowing. I call it a good month! :)

On a last note:

This weekend I had to say to say goodbye to a good friend of mine, I had known her for almost twenty years. I can't think of any time in my past where I have had to go through something like this. Gillian Kirkpatrick will live on through the family she has raised. Everyone of them are the most open, kind people that you'll ever meet.

God Speed, my friend.

Robert

Drive another shrimp to the barbie!

  

I hope everyone had a good Super Bowl weekend and not too many of you called in sick on Monday! :)  

New book:  

I can't remember everyone I've told so far but I've got another strong idea for a book! So far things are just kind of falling into place for it. I'm currently calling it "Oil and Water" This one won't have any Sci-Fi or Fantasy in it (So far, I leave the final product to be anything it damn well wants!) So it's going to be relationship/love story. I don't feel out of my element here, if anything I believe I can excel here with my research a thick stack of love stories piled about my desk (Yeah you can try and take a point off my man card but I'm sure your jobs have you doing things that would get you docked as well!) I can't help it I enjoy a good relationship story, and you'll find it in every type of genre out there.  This will also become my first book that I write, that won't have started as Nanowrimo idea, I'll need to make sure I keep my disciple up on this one.  

Corporate Policy: 

I've been working on it! But it's been going a little slower than I like! I've been helping with other's work and I've been wrapped up in advertising still for my first book. I just need to quit my day job so I can spend all my time doing this! :)  I'm going to try and push for an April finish to the rewrite. I'm currently starting Chapter 2 today! It's 7 chapters with most of them sitting at about 8K word count.  

Mobile patio: 

I was rolling down 405 other day when I looked over and I saw this: 

All I could think of was AWESOME! I totally want this trailer so bad that I had to talk myself down. I wanted to run the man off the road and trying to hitch it up to my wife's car (At the time mine was still in the shop getting a new rear bumper on it.) It's a portable deck party on wheels! I would totally strap down a few deck chairs and a gas girl and then just roll this bad boy all over Northwest. Yes folks, this has got to happen, and I mean like now.  

Vegas : 

Went to Vegas for my second time in 2 months, it was a bad ass time. The group that I go with is always a blast I don't get to see them enough. I also took the time to see "Love" the Beatles cirque Du Soleil.  It was a decision that I made like last second. I mean like I was sitting down as the lights went out! (Also, I learned I can go from my room to a seat in the theater in 15 minutes by foot!) I'm really glad that I went and if you head to Vegas anytime soon, you have to go. I say no more on it, go live the experience.  

Press Release: 

Looking over the press release again I kind of fell flat on my face...I made a bio, but I really didn't... put... anything in... About the book. Yeah talk about oops. In fact I was given the impression that some places might have even rejected it! So I think I got that fixed now. Shows you how new I am to all this still. I can't wait till I get to teach others how this works, there is so much to this you wouldn't even think about! Now that I'm looking around for where I want to post this I'm finding that most of the reputable places take a lot of money. I'm not sure how effective this whole project will be and at about $200 for a post on a book that only makes me about a buck each time someone clicks buy, just breaking even would be a gamble. When a lot of the sites said that you need to make a press release I didn't think it would cost this much money, in fact I'm trying to see where this isn't some kind of racket! You are spending money on the impression of someone reading what you post, not that they will. I wonder if there is a more affective way of going about this. So, while press release is done, I've not yet posted it anywhere other than my website. 

But I have learned that I'm going to need to have to ways other than email to talk with these press people. So I've picked up a business cell phone to keep my personal cell...personal and I think I'm going to plunge in a little, why not! I can't say I'll do it with my next book, but...ehh, will see. PRWeb has called me about getting this press release done I've just got to call them back. 

I came up with the most interesting idea to help promote the book though. I'm making post cards so that I can advertise my book with. I'll m going to hunt around and see if I can find a few coffee shops that would let me leave a small stack of them out for people to steal and use as coasters for their coffee  or prop up a table. You know, one of them things that when people clean out their purse/backpack, they wonder how they keep getting all this junk! 

Head Shots: 

Candice and I got together Saturday and well here some of the pictures that came out if it! It's good to have a few pictures that are a little more on the professional side, this was the winner even if the light was a bit bright.  

I'll try and post more of them in a gadget on my website soon.  

Current sales 

So far 0 bought, 1 borrowed (Amazon prime) for Feb! 

Blog on my wayward son!

New month!  

In 2010, I made only two blog posts (Also I realize that I had made that long ago.) 

In 2011, I made only two blog posts. (I thought I made the site in 2011) 

In 2012, this will be post 3! (Goal 24 posts) 

I’ve added myself to goodreads.com. I can’t tell you how giddy I have been the last few weeks to see other sites recognize me an author. Puts a little boogie into my walk! It's a great feeling to say "Hey I'm an author!"  It's even better when other people say "Hey he's an author." 

It's a nice ego stroke to be sure. I mean it don't really sound like much but when the mail came through that said "We have upgraded your account to author." I had to be pealed of the walls. There is something to be said about being easily amused. 

The week of the 16th found myself spending a lot of time at home because of the bad weather and because of it, a lot of time in front of my computer. I worked a little on my Facebook timeline picture, I wanted something that showed how my mind feels sometimes. I like how it turned out. I may remake it down the road with a much better camera. What you are seeing are all my author notebooks with the laptop that I write on stacked atop. If I were to add one more layer it would have been a kindle. :)  

Also during the winter storm I finished the last page of my manuscript for "The Devil n Jack" it ended up at 97,300 in it's current form. It needs another read through where I can clean things up and blend the chapters together. I like how the story ended and I think that all the characters stayed true, once that's done I start the fun of looking for an agent for it. I'm still a little lost on where the best place to start will be, but that will come a little later, for now it gets put up to marinate. I want to put my focus into getting Corporate Policy ready then this fall's release. Then I'll come back to work on Jack again.  

This means that I start work on the rewrite of Corporate Policy, the exciting next chapter of the Electric Disease story. It's only been a few months but I too, am starting to miss the high jinx of Dan and Clara! I think that this next book is going to go a lot smoother than book one. One, I have learned a lot from the many rewrites of book one. Two, I've been able to see what more affective for getting things ready.  I'm currently finishing this blog post in Vegas and I'm also editing the Vegas scene in my book. I've been sitting out on benches where the scenes happen to get the feel of the ambiance as I work through these first parts. SO DAMN COOL! 

One of the comments that I get when I talk to people about Electric Disease is that everyone really loves the cover. It's my wife that did it and she's always been awesome with art. She has agreed to be the artist for book two so I'm super stoked. I'm sure she'll feel the same pressure for the second cover the way I did for writing a sequel that is at least as good as the first. 

I always say that sequels can never be as good as the original. For one, you don't have the same shock of NEW. You have a set world, set characters, and a history you have to stay true to. That leaves you having to build out new experiences that will keep the reader turning pages. It was a daunting task for me this time around. I talked with one of my teachers and she gave me some pointers that make me feel much better about what I wrote.  

We have some goals that I should update!  

With the grand help of my good friend A'mee I was able to get a press release made! I'll put a link to it on my website soon, it will be in the about section. While getting this ready to go I made a "about me"  doc that I want to clean up and add to my website as well. 

I'm setup to do my headshots with Candice on Feb 4th, so once I have that I'll be able to add them to my bio and I'll have as good a press kit as I can have right now, I think.  

While I was working on all this, I found that I could put an ad in the book that will be handed out at Norwescon. As I'm paying for the ad out of my own pocket I had a little fun with it, I'll post it soon too. I hope that it works out to get me a few sales from new people.  

I don't think I'll add any more goals for now, that is about all the advertising I want to push before I settle in for a long rewrite and edit. 

On one last note I was going to try out for an MLS team, the Seattle Sounders, but because of the weather it was canceled. I'm a little bummed about that, I was looking forward to the experience. Not many people can say they tried out for a professional team before. If they do it next year, I'll have to try then. 

See you all in a few weeks!

Robert

Progress and shopping

I'm starting to wrap up work on my longer full size novel that I have lovingly named "The Devil n Jack" It was a book that I started thinking that I had a lovely 50K story and found that no, I really had a 100K story and if I really wanted to get into some details it could be closer to 120K. I don't know how it happened that I could work the plot this long, but it did and I'm shocked, but at the same time, I'm ever so pleased.

There has been some questions in the book that will have to be figured out, the Devil has been trying to out smart me and almost won twice! It's been hard on me!

I also started early work on a new book idea, more details next time, I'm still playing with it.

I'm also exited because by the time that we next talk I'll be started editing on Electric Disease : Corporate Policy! I know I have a few people out there that are looking forward to the further adventures of Clara and Dan. I too, look forward to rewrite, I miss them as well! :)

I got to talking with a friend of mine how the brick and mortar stores are all dying, and he told me it's a real shame that they are. I thought about his comment a moment then shook my head. "I don't really think it's a shame at all. I mean, if people aren't going to shop there, but they are buying things online, then apparently people aren’t going to miss them."

People don't want or need to test drive their products anymore. My friend said that was something that he always liked to do before he bought a camera or any of his electronics. I on the other hand I told him about how I'd bought my projector for my house. I'd done the loop around the county with my brother. We only found one projector, it was at Best Buy. What they hand was just a gutted display model and it was just sitting on a shelf where I couldn't even see it in action. The only place that comes to mind where I might have been able to see and projector running, would have be Magnolia Hi-Fi (Now owned by Best Buy) but the only one that I know of was a good 30 mile jaunt and beyond my willing effort.

So off to the webs I went. I found, after about an hour of reading reviews that if you are going to buy a projector, you really ARE shopping online because no one carries them (good to know). Searching more reviews I found a few of the better models, I have to say these people really seemed to know their stuff. I knew after a little bit of reading I really wanted to get my hands on a Panasonic and so thanks to my trusty Amazon I had one delivered next day (with my prime account it was only 4 bucks extra on shipping) and was playing with it less than 24 hours after I'd put my money dollars for it. My two thousand dollar order didn't go to a brick and mortar store and thanks to some great reviews I've been very happy with my projector and I don't wish I could tested them side by side in the store.

So this is what I've come to believe, retails stores are dying because of the following things:

1. They don't have what I want in the store.
2. If they carry it at the store it's out of stock.
3. When I do find something I want to buy I have to deal with having turn down 2 different magazine subscriptions and a frequent buyers program (that might or might not be free).
4. Web stores are 24 hours, every day all day.
5. Price tag. Not always a deal for me, but it is for most and I can't blame them, money is money.

This is really just a long winded way to say that I'm missing book stores! One of the stores are that are dying with them is book stores. I know that t don't sound like it, but after showing you that you can do well with internet shop. I do enjoy browsing books; the feel the weight in my hand. There aren't many left out there and while e-readers are out selling books I still love the idea of shifting through stacks of books finding the next thing I should read. I love having a large shelf filled with spines to browse.

I'm a real contradiction here, after all, no one is going to want me to sign their Kindle? And there are some REALLY cool bound books out there. If you ever get the chance to find the first edition Myst books Rand and Robyn Miller, you'll have to admit that the pages are a real treat to admire. Oh yeah, the story is great too. :)

All this boils down to it takes a lot more to be an author these days!

I have been working at my goal that I have set for the year and...

While I have been writing, I have also been spending my time building a website and looking at places to promote my book in my ongoing goal. Promotion time! Getting my name out there. Also I have an author email and looking at places to promote my book. So far with the website up and my blog going and just one post to one ebook forum I've sold 0 books in January!    (CORRECTION: I've sold 1 Yes!) Yes a rocky start indeed. -_-

On my list of things to get done for the next two weeks for my post:

• Get some head shots of me done. I have a friend that wanted to help with this, but we have to firm up a time.
• Get a press release biography done.
• Put press release on press release like websites!

On the other side of the coin, coming home on Tuesday to find the large pile of books sitting there waiting for me, they tell me just how much my reading has been backing up. While I have been enjoying my books on tape for my commute, all my free time has been spent writing and not reading. Part of me wonders if that is really a bad thing or not. I mean a large portion of the craft is reading what others have wrote, it's suppose to be insightful or something. I do agree with this, now that I have been writing more, I look at how others write and use it to improve my own style.

See you in February!