Stripping

It seems that there are times in life when "things" are stripped away.  I haven't lost anyone in my family to death, thank God -- I mention this because one of my posts on another blog was about my father having a diabetic seizure, and he's fine now -- I've just lost a little thing in my life when it comes to my writing and reviewing routine.  I haven't been reading new novels on my Kindle, because it's been destroyed.

Very strange, how it happened.  I knew I saw it on the table last, and I thought for several days that I had lost it.  So I pulled a little family joke on my roommate.  I said, "Whenever someone loses something in my family, we know the sure way to find it again is to accuse someone of stealing it.  So ...  Why in the world did you steal my Kindle, Danny?"

We both laughed, and sure enough it worked, but in a weird way.  The next day, she walked out the door and found my Kindle outside on the concrete.

Someone actually HAD stolen it.  It was beaten up and frozen, so they returned it, useless.  How nice.

So, although I CAN read the novels I download on my computer, it's really just not as comfortable, so I just haven't been doing it.  My reviewer ranking is suffering, although once I quit reviewing for several months and my ranking went UP several thousand ranks.  Who knew?

I didn't want this post to be too depressing, but since it's about accepting loss, even though I was only talking about material loss, which is trivial, I have to add a prayer for a friend who made her transition last week.  Yes, I didn't lose a family member, but I did say goodbye to a sister in Christ. Rest In Peace, Patty.  You lived like the little sign on the bar wall that goes something like this: "Life isn't about making it to the grave in a nice, well-kept, shiny body. It's about skidding in sideways, totally worn-out, whooping, "Yeah!  What a ride!"

And for those of you out there who are disappointed that this blog isn't actually about doing strip-tease, well, here, I'll give you a little feather boa tickle.  Surprise!  I used to be a stripper in my 20's -- you missed it!  It was a classy place, kind of like the good place in "Flashdance," and I didn't do sleaze.  It actually had some spiritual value for me.

But no more, that part of my life has long since been stripped away, and the Spirit remains.  I'm looking forward to the next surprise Life has in store, and remembering fondly friends who have left us behind, to sneak behind the veil ...

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.