The Meaning of Life

I was just browsing over at Wordpress and saw a funny little intro to one of the blogs.

Writer: seeks meaning of life and possibly cheese. Will settle for baby bell, cheddar and moments of minor epiphany.

 Cute.

So I thought I'd share a little story I made up -- kind of a metaphysical joke.

Once there was a wealthy man who had lived his life so far quite well, had all his material needs satisfied, his health, a beautiful wife and successful kids, and yet he began to feel restless and empty.  He found himself staring at the ceiling at night, wondering, "Is this all there is?"

So he set off to find that "something more."  Years went by as he traveled the world, never finding anything that completely satisfied that emptiness inside, until he came to a little village in the wilds of Tibet.  There, he mentioned his quest to a shopkeeper, and was told that there was a wise man who lived up on the mountain who could help him.  But, he was cautioned, the wise man valued his silence and his solitude, and would only speak once. 

So the wealthy seeker set off up the mountain, struggling through wind and snow, and after several days trek, he made it to the summit.  There the air was still and clear and the wise man sat in silence.

The wealthy man bowed before the wise man and posed his question.  "What is the meaning of life?"

The wise man looked at him and smiled. 

"Mine or yours?" he said, and turned back to his contemplation.

Blogging Day -- My Fan Fic Fixation

Today's my blogging day.

I have a blog over at Wordpress, too.  I like it there because it gives me more flexibility on my graphics than I've been able to manage here.  See what YOU think...

Runaway Rakhanar

I"m keeping my fingers crossed that SOE will sell their license to Kindle Worlds to publish fan fiction!

In keeping with my "First Times" theme, this post is actually about a first time for Rakhanar, my young runaway berserker.

Review: Walker by Michael Langlois

I enjoyed this novel very much! The concept was intriguing from the very beginning, the characters unique and interesting, the world settings nicely detailed. This writer knows how to grab his reader by the lapels from the first page, too!

The main character is a likeable man, wonderfully blunt, with hard-core integrity. He loves his mother! I love this man. We need more men like this in real life.

One thing I'd like to have seen a little more of was a bit more romance. I know it's a science fiction novel, but I've seen other authors go there, so why not? I think there was room for it, and there seems to be some set up for it. Maybe in the next book?

No spoilers, but some of the scenes that set up the danger that he was facing were so intense I felt them in my gut. Ugh. I liked that the author did come to a resolution, yet still left room for a series with this character.
Good story! I want to see more from this author.

I gave it four stars.

Embracing Zero: First Time Author Tips

I'm accepting that my sales rank has fallen into the death zone at the moment, but I'm alright with that.  I'm in the middle of a rewrite, and I've learned a lot from this first fumbling flight and gooney bird landing.  I didn't do so bad, so I'm sure the rewrite of my first novel and completed trilogy will be a success.  So, it's back to writing.  All good.

The other authors on the Amazon forums have given me the necessary perspective and some wonderful advice. They say 13 reviews is good, the cover looks great, and they've helped me perfect my teaser.  I also learned that I have to fill out my author page FOR EACH COUNTRY.  Big tip, there.

I've learned a lot from this first time experience as an author so far, and I'll happily pass along any new info along the way.

First, the DON'Ts:

• Don't get sick.

• Don't get sick and disappear for years from public view.  People are busy.  They WILL forget you. So ...

• Don't expect people to come hunting for you to find out if you're alright, especially if the only contact info you have that has remained constant is your e-mail.  Only the most loyal will do that.

• Don't get distracted by inappropriate relationships with men (or women). (Ha.  Yeah, I've REALLY learned that one. I'm being sarcastic.  I'll probably do that one again. But I hope not, the key word is "inappropriate.") 

• Don't take advice from people you don't want to be like.  For example, the guy next to you in the soup kitchen isn't the best choice for financial advisor. He may be very wise and a great mentor for the School of Hard Knocks, but the best advice he can give you when it comes to manifesting abundance is probably a rehash of  "sour grapes" that you've heard before. 

• Don't let those same people drag you down.

• Don't get discouraged at every downturn.  It will pass.  Stay centered.  Enjoy the highs, learn from and remedy the lows on your rankings and reviews.  

I'll share some DO's next time.  A final DON'T - don't forget to take care of yourself!  Go ride your bike, walk, go swimming, go hiking.  Like I'm about to do!

New Clothes for my Blog!

I got bored with my old look, so I went underwater!  I might not be able to get a new wardrobe, but who says my blog can't get a makeover?

Marketing is Hilarious! Who Knew?

I just had to pass this on -- laughing like a maniac and scaring my neighbors from this!

The Bloggess

OK, that's just her general link, and now I can't find the particular post that had me in stitches, so here's another link that has tears rolling down my face because I'm laughing so hard!

There’s probably a typo in here. Possibly several.

 I found it!

Marketing done right.

Review: A Stranger's Touch

I stuck this in my post about my son, but the preview looked kind of odd.  Here I am talking about my son visiting and this sexy cover art pops up in the post, titled "A Stranger's Touch."  Yeah.  Too weird.

So here's the link to my Goodreads review, and to Amazon.



A Stranger's Touch by Roxy Boroughs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars






View all my reviews

Review: Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt

This book was recommended by a friend who is starting a local book club with me.  I read it in hardback, unlike most of the books I read lately, on my Kindle.

My impression of it was definitely thrown off by the cover and the name.  My edition is the old cover, and I thought it might be a story about a Puritan-like community.  I was far from the mark.

It does have a somewhat slow start as it builds the weight of this world, the poverty and despair of the people who so desperately need a flicker of hope.  I never would have guessed that hope would come in the form it did.  The plot builds slowly like a steady drumbeat until the actions of the main character are inexorably set by her character and heart for the people, a quiet, unconditional love that sacrifices without recognition or return. 

The author’s voice is strong and memorable.  One phrase sticks out in my memory, so concise yet holding so much, describing Burl. “He was nineteen, and his heart, which broke for Rose, seemed to be healing. Burl could never have spoken for Rose.”  Just that simple, “his heart, which broke for Rose,” spoke volumes that other writers might struggle for pages to say as well.

In spite of this captivating start in her description of Burl, he seemed to fade into the background.  That was appropriate for his quiet, strong character, I suppose.  Still, I would have thought that the main character, Gwyn, would have been a little more aware of him.  I caught the one clue, the standard that she set for herself that she apparently missed, but because she missed it, I actually dropped that line of thought as an option.  I was not aware that I was reading a young adult’s novel, and I made some assumptions about her from that point that probably would not occur in this imprint.  I can’t be more specific without dropping spoilers.  The ending was a definite surprise.

I caught a couple of typos, “too” for “to,” a dropped letter or two, disappointing in a hardback from an imprint of Simon & Schuster, but too minor to distract from the story.

I really enjoyed this story, though my own writing leans to a faster style and break-from-the-gate beginnings.  Well written and engaging, once you get past that slow start.  And I definitely recommend you get past that!

Offering a link here, but this is not the same cover I have with my older version.