Artwork for the Author, and Looking Ahead

Looking to spice up my authorship website(s) with some artwork, I commissioned an artist a friend recommended to me. Stephanie Folse worked with the suggestions I had - me going through a mystic library seeking that Book With the Blue Cover - and she came up with this.

It looks fantastic.

If you need someone for fantasy / science fiction book covers, I highly recommend Folse to you! She's at https://www.stephaniefolse.com/ 

Also, I need to let people know that National Novel Writing Month is barely two more months away! I hope my fellow Lakeland area writers are gearing up for their novel projects!

Back Open For Business

Just to note today we re-opened Bartow Public Library for the public to come inside.

This is one of the riskier parts of the COVID-19 Pandemic, as the spread of the virus works best indoors in close quarters. A lot of the things the library staff has to do now involve:

• Making sure everyone is masked. Masks work to reduce the spread of the virus (via the moisture of our exhaling breaths). Most everyone who came in wore masks... but some refused to cover the nose, which still allows for their exhales to cause issues. Cover the mouth AND nose, please.
• Wiping down the computers especially the keyboards and mice after every person's use.
• Enforcing the social distancing such as the six-feet-apart rule. We're trying to mark off where people need to stand at the service/Information Desk.
• Putting checked-in items to quarantine for at least 72 hours.
• Trying not to stand too close while helping patrons, especially at the computers where a lot of the patrons uncomfortable with using computers insist on us helping by hand. We're trying to set up a virtual sharing between the staff computer to patron workstation to provide remote help.

So far, most of the other libraries in Polk County haven't seen outbreaks in them. I think one library in one of the smaller communities had a person test positive, they had to shut down for a week. We'll see how things play out in Bartow and how the patrons return to our building over the next couple weeks. It was quiet today, a brief rush during the afternoon when parents came in to use the computers and check out stuff for their kids.

Praying things stay safe for the staff and for the city. The COVID numbers are spiking as the flu season shifts into gear. That's the best we can do for now, muddling our way through the pandemic... 

Update on Royal Palm Literary Award Submission 2020

I've previously reported I reached the Semi-Finalist status for a Royal Palm Literary Award in the Non-Fiction Blogging category, and I am happy to report that I received word today that it's now a FINALIST in that category!

The article "Seven Reasons NOT To Invade Iran" qualifies now to reach First, Second or Third Place. However, not guaranteed: I learned a few years back that there can be more than three Finalists in most categories, so I have to remain optimistic but guarded this time.

Still and all, good news, keeps me motivated, what what. Back to writing!

(Naps on a Saturday during a thunderstorm) ...dammit...

Current Status of Bartow Public Library March 2020

With all that is happening in the world right now, one thing we need to do in Florida and the United States is to stay at home and avoid public places. A public library is as public as you can get, so my city of Bartow's library was ordered closed to the public back on March 17th. Sorry I haven't mentioned it until now.

(Staff is still coming to work because there are off-desk tasks we still need to perform to keep the library functioning. Until such time that the city orders us home if the COVID-19 outbreak gets any worse)

We still have a number of online resources available through our library webpage at https://pclc.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/bartow and we're trying to encourage people to use our Overdrive eBook access.

As for my previous workplaces Pasco County ( https://pascolibraries.org/ ) and Broward County ( https://www.broward.org/Library/Pages/default.aspx ) they're closed to the public until further notice, too.

Stay healthy, everybody!

This Morning

I have to go in for surgery to scoop out a growth on my Pituitary Gland.

So, in possibly a bad idea of tempting fate, I offer you this.

Offer up all the Unitarian prayers you got, fellow librarians and writers.

Plans for 2020 As a Librarian and a Writer

Just a brief list of things I need to do this new decade.

Writing:
Cancel my publications with Xlibris and reprint the short story collection in an updated work with newer stories and better editing. In this regards I need to finish two stories - one needs editing and one needs writing - to round off the collection.
Finish an extra story or two for submission to a particular online press that has certain story requirements. More on when I get those done.
Finish the NaNo novel from this past November 2019 because of the unfinished projects floating around in my head its one I feel best about getting done.

Librarying:
Take care of ongoing paperwork and responsibilities at my library, obviously. :)
But also get things prepared and ready for hopefully a new City Librarian (director) to take over operations
Once that's settled, get back into my reference librarian and tech assistance outreach.
Provide assistance to the FLA Scholarships committee I am currently assigned to. It's a big responsibility.

Personal:
Cope with a major surgery later this month.

So... well, the days are packed aren't they?

Regarding the 2019 Royal Palm Literary Awards Status

You might recall earlier that my story "The Pumpkin Spice Must Flow" was up for Semi-Finalist status under the Published Story category, which meant a likely shot at the Finalist status and with luck a Top Three win this October at the RPLA.

Welp... It didn't get to Finalist.

Ahh, well. It probably wasn't to everyone's tastes.

The other fiction submission "Road Trip to Vegas" never even cleared the Semi hurdle. Meanwhile, I never really heard back on the submission for the Blogging category. The judge reviewing the article I sent noted some of the links were broken and asked for fixes, but what I sent them probably did not help.

It's gonna be a quiet year for me after all. Unless I can get my muse to answer my calls...

CLERMONT COMIC CON NOW

I am at the show!

Tickets are $12 at the door!

JOIN US AND DIE.

...

Wait, that's my battlecry from City of Heroes MMO.

JOIN US AND BUY MERCH.

There, that's better.

I will blog a post-convention entry ASAP with pictures. Plus additional good news.

Keep NaNo-ing!!!

Getting Pumped for the FWA 2018

There's a couple of things to note.

I plan on attending the Florida Writers Association's ceremony for the Royal Palm Literary Award. As a Finalist, I'm guaranteed a Third Place at the least (no, it turns out I was wrong about that), so here's knocking on processed wood about making it to First.

I've had some writing awards before: The South Florida Writers group had a short story contest of their own, which I earned a Second Place plaque back in 2002. When I was in Eighth Grade, I won a county award for Palm Harbor Middle for Writing... but that was kinda a cheat because I was the only one who submitted work for it (that was the FIRST year the school was back after the old one had closed 5-6 years earlier). I won Third Place for a Largo Library writing contest back in high school for a science fiction category, and oh what a funny situation that turned out to be...

I'd like to see if I can do well enough to earn a First Place, one that counts against decent competition.

Like I said, knock on processed wood about that.

The second thing to note is that I'm making a pitch to a literary agent at the conference. I don't have much besides some published shorts and a couple of unfinished novels, but the real challenge is making the pitch itself. See if I can argue my case as it were that I'm a viable writer worth finding a readership.

Gotta knock processed wood for this too.

Check my mood by the next post.

Birthday with a Blue Book Cake

Two of my favorite things:
CAKE
and
BOOKS

Let Not This Year Be a Hard One With Writer's Block

Yeah.

I'm having a hard time focusing on any writing project right now.

Wanna know how bad it is?

I haven't taken the Christmas tree down yet.

I think if I don't get that tree put away by Valentine's Day, I need to see somebody about my chronic depression again. :/

Reminder: Local Authors Event in Wesley Chapel THIS Saturday May 21

Update 5/21: I am here now. I will document the event as best I can and post a follow-up later tonight. Please check back then. Hope to see you all here in Wesley Chapel!!!

One more time: I'll be at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at the Wiregrass Mall in Wesley Chapel FL, north of Tampa, on Saturday May 21 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

If anybody wants to show up - and it will be great to have people come and support the local authors and readership in general, please and thank you - please do.

As part of this weekend event, I've gone and turned two of my eBooks into FREE downloads for Nook eReaders: Body Armor Blues and Hero Cleanup Protocol. All I ask if you download either one and if you like the stories, please give them a review. More reviews means increased shopping views.

Click here to the B&N store link.

Click here to the B&N store link.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Official Invitation to Wesley Chapel Barnes & Noble on May 21st

I have been formally invited to attend this year's Local Authors event at the Wesley Chapel Barnes & Noble bookstore on Saturday May 21st.

It will be in the afternoon from 2pm to 4pm, and most likely on the Second Floor as always.

This year, I will have a few more ebooks to promote as well as the third volume of the Strangely Funny series.

I really would like to see my friends in the Tampa Bay area show up for moral support.

There will be more details to follow.

Writers 4 All Seasons: The Blog

My local Lakeland writers' group - Writers 4 All Seasons - had a broken website that no one could access anymore, so one of our members took it up to create a new one on Wordpress.

Writers 4 All Seasons is up and running now.

It's currently promoting our Kindle-only Anthology Stories for All Seasons and I heartily encourage all seven followers of my blog to download about 50,000 copies... well okay, in practice you can only purchase it once, but I'm counting on ya to tell 50,000 friends please and thank you... ;)

Housecleaning the Blog

I'm straightening out a few things on the page here.

For starters, I'm separating the Links for my Librarian career interests into one column, and my Writers Links - to fellow writers, to NaNo, and to some of my books on the marketplace - into another column.

That means if anyone has any suggested links for Librarianship, please suggest. If any of my fellow writers have a blog or page to promote, please promote.

I'd also like to encourage the seven people who follow this blog - Hi! - to pass the word about my works, if you know people who like to read superhero stories, or humor stories, or fantasy/scifi/horror to please let them have a look at my stories and if they are interested in shopping. Thanks.

Writing Plans for 2016... Wait, I Already Wrote This!

Freaking re-runs!!!

ANYWAY.

Writing projects listed in order of priority:

1) Short story for the Writers Group anthology planned for 2016.

On an aside note, there are plans to get the first anthology Stories for All Seasons done as a print book. So keep an eye out for that.

2) The NaNo 2015 winner rough draft Subway Night. Getting that done for editing/submission to ebook print.

3) Attempt to edit articles from my political blog into a non-fiction book.

I'm trying not to jump ahead into too many other writing projects for now. There are some ideas for my Talents superhero 'verse but I really need to avoid spreading myself out too thin.

I should also note I'll be goofing around at the Florida Library Association convention this year as always, and may even make an attempt to visit the American Library Association in Orlando this summer.

Unfortunately, I may have to miss going to any comic-cons this year. My budget's not looking good at the moment.

Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Writing Plans for 2016

Well, as always, I've got stuff on my plate.

The NaNoWriMo book deserves a serious effort this year at getting completed. I think Subway Night has the chance to sell more than ten copies. ;)

I have a short story project that needs completing for my Writers for All Seasons anthology. Speaking of which, the ebook Stories for All Seasons has sold reasonably well and the group leadership is making arrangements for a printed version to go to market in 2016 (sweet!).

I have about four - five, perhaps - story ideas still tied into my Talents superhero 'verse, and I may work on those over the year when I find the time.

I may also pull articles from my political blog and get them bundled into a print book, just to see how that goes. I may need to pursue some legal action first as I've discovered somebody had been mirroring/stealing my blog (!)...

So, that said, HAPPY NEW YEAR, people!

TOMORROW! I Wanna See 100 Million Of You At the Local Authors' Event.

Final reminder:

Just to shill to the seven readers of this blog, I'll be at the Barnes & Noble in Wesley Chapel FL this Saturday May 30th from 2 pm to 4 pm selling my works.

Location is 28152 Paseo Dr
(southwest corner facing the intersection of
Bruce B. Downs and SR 56)
Wesley Chapel, FL 33543
p: 813-907-7739




Just as a reminder, this is my stuff (available online through most book retailers, especially Amazon and BN.com).

My collection of short stories, published 2003.

E-published, available as download.
I'm currently working on other stories
based in that superhero 'verse.

Contains my short "I Must Be Your First",
which has received great reviews!

Contains my short "Why The Mask".

Contains my short "The Dread Secret of
The Battle Of Los Angeles," based on a
Real Life incident in L.A. at the start of WWII.

E-published, available for download

E-published, sequel to "Welcome to Florida".

I would LOVE to have people show up and support local/independent authors. (hint: buy my books!)  We need to encourage more adult reading (buy my books) and we need to support our bookstores as fun gathering places (buy my books).

I hope to see everyone in Wesley Chapel this Saturday.  All one hundred million of you.  Right?
(p.s. buy my books)

A Librarian-Jedi-Writer-Pirate-Geek Looks Back at 45

It's one of those round-to-five birth years again.  And another day of waking up, going to work, and regretting just a few of the things I still haven't gotten around to doing in life.

Not to say I should focus only on the regrets.  There's a few things I've gotten done with my writings and a few things I've done in my life worth doing.  I may miss my old friends, I do miss Tehya and Page my kittehs... but I don't regret having met new friends, and I don't regret having Ocean and Mal wiggle their way into my life.

So here I am at 45 years of age.

There's still a lot left to do.

So I Might Be Selling Stories After All...?

Just got this in the email:

Huh.  I earned about 10.00 for my NOOK Book sales.

The only thing I got plugged into NookPress is my short story "Welcome to Florida".  Selling that at about .99 a download.  So uh... hmm... I got over 10 people to actually buy/read that short story.

I need to login in and double-check the sales info.  Make sure there's not an accounting issue.

And yes, I do have to report this 10 bucks to the IRS.

You do not f-ck with the IRS.  Even the Joker does not f-ck with the IRS.

P.S. I may have another short story getting anthologized.  More later.

UPDATE: Actually, the NookPress service doesn't tally up any sales returns until a minimum of $10 is there.  And it's not the full .99 cents from the sale of each copy, so I've actually sold more than just ten... most of the sales were back in 2012 by the looks of the sales chart, just had two sales this year in June, ergo this financial quarter being the line-crossing.