We just watched The Perfect Getaway.
Totally awesome. Enough said. Goddamn American Jedi!
Climategate, and thank you, Rex Murphy.
1 day ago
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Hate mail!
Woot! I got my first piece of hate-mail over at the official website today :) Some lady actually took the time to go out of her way and write this really LOOONG e-mail talking about what a joke I am, how much of a hack writer I am, and etc. etc. etc.
She's just upset because I get to travel around Europe with my wife 4-5 times a year and she's stuck in an environment where her 80k a year barely manages to pay the mortage, car payments, and her kid's health insurance. I didn't chose your life for you, lady. You did!
Jealousy is an odd beast. I've never experienced it. I have always had everything I wanted in life, but I also worked hard to get those things. If I see something, I go out and get it, however I need to. I don't begrudge someone else for taking a different route, or having a different path to success.
It reminds me of my last experience in the US. I dropped my mom off at Safeway and was circling the parking lot, not looking for a space, but just waiting for her to grab a few gallons of milk on Christmas Eve. I saw her coming out, so I pulled around to the entrance and happened to park in front of an empty parking space, at which point I was visually, verbally, and audibly assaulted by a woman who began honking her horn, flashing her lights, screaming out her window, and flipping me the bird, all at the same time.
This Christmas season, take a breather, folks. Understand that the world is a great big place and you are NOT the only person on it. Act like a douche-bag and people are going to treat you like one.
She's just upset because I get to travel around Europe with my wife 4-5 times a year and she's stuck in an environment where her 80k a year barely manages to pay the mortage, car payments, and her kid's health insurance. I didn't chose your life for you, lady. You did!
Jealousy is an odd beast. I've never experienced it. I have always had everything I wanted in life, but I also worked hard to get those things. If I see something, I go out and get it, however I need to. I don't begrudge someone else for taking a different route, or having a different path to success.
It reminds me of my last experience in the US. I dropped my mom off at Safeway and was circling the parking lot, not looking for a space, but just waiting for her to grab a few gallons of milk on Christmas Eve. I saw her coming out, so I pulled around to the entrance and happened to park in front of an empty parking space, at which point I was visually, verbally, and audibly assaulted by a woman who began honking her horn, flashing her lights, screaming out her window, and flipping me the bird, all at the same time.
This Christmas season, take a breather, folks. Understand that the world is a great big place and you are NOT the only person on it. Act like a douche-bag and people are going to treat you like one.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Social Networking
I've begun the first steps of a week-long project dedicated to getting the social networking links up for Complete Writing Solutions. The rest of the week will be spent fleshing out details at LinkedIn, getting new pictures up for Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and getting all the networking details finished.
Then, next week, I begin the actual spreading of the brand. I've been offered a couple of guest blogging spots at some of my favorite freelance writing websites, and I've already been getting a few links back to the main site with some of the topics, so things are moving forward, which is perfect.
In the meantime...while I'm not doing any freelance writing for the month I'm going to be busy as hell! Promoting a brand is still work, it's just marketing and networking. On top of that there's the e-book work, Christmas shopping (I'm buying actually buying new clothing today for myself....I know...shocking!), and general holiday revelry.
Thanks for following folks, and I appreciate the support :) 2010 is shaping up to be a wonderful year, and I can't wait to see what's over the horizon.
Then, next week, I begin the actual spreading of the brand. I've been offered a couple of guest blogging spots at some of my favorite freelance writing websites, and I've already been getting a few links back to the main site with some of the topics, so things are moving forward, which is perfect.
In the meantime...while I'm not doing any freelance writing for the month I'm going to be busy as hell! Promoting a brand is still work, it's just marketing and networking. On top of that there's the e-book work, Christmas shopping (I'm buying actually buying new clothing today for myself....I know...shocking!), and general holiday revelry.
Thanks for following folks, and I appreciate the support :) 2010 is shaping up to be a wonderful year, and I can't wait to see what's over the horizon.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Finally!
Ze contract for November is done, and I'm home-free for the entire month of December. What does that mean?
Re-arranging our living room, as promised to Evy. I moved my desk into the living room so I could start work earlier, rather than in the bedroom, and since then she isn't happy about the "clutter" in the living room, so it's time to reorganize things.
Writing the first of 3 e-books I have planned for Complete Writing Solutions. That's right....three. Big plans for 2010, and I'm planning on transitioning over to mostly passive income for the year. One book will relate to globalization and learning how to become competitive on a global scale, and the other two books are going to be related to Bulgaria...but I'm not allowed to say more or I'll ruin the surprise :)
Getting Complete Writing Solutions into the market. The brand is there...now it's time to push the brand into the market. November was a pretty good start. I've had close to 1,000 hits on the website in a month. That's not enough to consider it professional by any means, but I've already been mentioned on three other freelance writer networks in the month of November, and I haven't even been pushing the brand out yet. Once I get the Twitter, Facebook, and LD connections up things should start to go nuts from here on out.
I have 2 short stories to get out in submission, and I'm still waiting on a third I sent out in June. See why I'm not relying on fiction to pay the bills? Freelance writing pays within a few days, whereas fiction can take 6 months to even hear back from editors.
Christmas, of course. Bulgarian Christmas (Koleda) is awesome :) Lots of fun traditions, and lots of good food. I'm looking forward to it, and this time I can actually speak a little bit of Bulgarian, so I'm actually really excited about that.
Other than that...I'm relaxing for the month. 2010 is going to be a kick-ass year, business-wise. Evy has some pretty big plans starting in January, and my plans are to see if I can't make at least 50% of my income next year as passive income.
That's it for now! Kicking back, drinking some beers, marinating some salmon for dinner tonight, and playing another round of Dragon Age: Origins. Cya'll on the flip side, and hope you had a happy Turkey Day!
Re-arranging our living room, as promised to Evy. I moved my desk into the living room so I could start work earlier, rather than in the bedroom, and since then she isn't happy about the "clutter" in the living room, so it's time to reorganize things.
Writing the first of 3 e-books I have planned for Complete Writing Solutions. That's right....three. Big plans for 2010, and I'm planning on transitioning over to mostly passive income for the year. One book will relate to globalization and learning how to become competitive on a global scale, and the other two books are going to be related to Bulgaria...but I'm not allowed to say more or I'll ruin the surprise :)
Getting Complete Writing Solutions into the market. The brand is there...now it's time to push the brand into the market. November was a pretty good start. I've had close to 1,000 hits on the website in a month. That's not enough to consider it professional by any means, but I've already been mentioned on three other freelance writer networks in the month of November, and I haven't even been pushing the brand out yet. Once I get the Twitter, Facebook, and LD connections up things should start to go nuts from here on out.
I have 2 short stories to get out in submission, and I'm still waiting on a third I sent out in June. See why I'm not relying on fiction to pay the bills? Freelance writing pays within a few days, whereas fiction can take 6 months to even hear back from editors.
Christmas, of course. Bulgarian Christmas (Koleda) is awesome :) Lots of fun traditions, and lots of good food. I'm looking forward to it, and this time I can actually speak a little bit of Bulgarian, so I'm actually really excited about that.
Other than that...I'm relaxing for the month. 2010 is going to be a kick-ass year, business-wise. Evy has some pretty big plans starting in January, and my plans are to see if I can't make at least 50% of my income next year as passive income.
That's it for now! Kicking back, drinking some beers, marinating some salmon for dinner tonight, and playing another round of Dragon Age: Origins. Cya'll on the flip side, and hope you had a happy Turkey Day!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Another snippet
In a twist of fate that I hate to say I predicted several months back, Flashing Swords has closed its doors due to "lack of funds". What does that means? It means that Medallions of Lashiva won't actually be going to print with this publication, despite the recent promo cover.
I won't get into the juicy details here, but suffice to say I saw it coming, which is why I cautioned the promo post a week or so ago with the "if it ever makes it to the publisher" comment.
You can't make a magazine without any funds. When all you can afford to do is have volunteers on staff to edit otherwise, you can't expect to make it work.
Sucks, because the previous owners had made the magazine into something worth respecting.
However...the bonus is that all rights have been reverted to the authors. Good news for me, because I still had another 5 months until the rights reverted. Since I've already been paid for the story once, I can re-sell it somewhere else now.
Just had a long e-mail from the head editor at Abyss & Apex earlier this week regarding another one of my stories. Ultimately they declined, but she wanted to take the time to actually go over why, considering it actually made it to the final editor's desk, rather than just getting slushed. Progress is progress, and honestly...fiction is a major backseat player at the moment, with most of my efforts focused on freelancing and getting some passive income going in 2010 with the website. Had another story rejected, and have one more still in submission. December will be recycling the three completed stories I have which have been searching for a home this year. I've been making it further and further up the slush piles lately, landing on the final editor's desks rather than just the assistant editor's, and I've been getting more indepth and detailed criticism from the chiefs, so the process is ongoing. I have no doubts they'll sell next year, because my freelance success is rubbing off and editors are taking a more serious look based upon my success in that field as a writer and journalist.
Had an idea the other day. For those who don't know, writers like Brandon Sanderson and John Scalzi have been popularizing the idea of sharing stories on their websites for free. In the latter's case, he actually scored his first publishing deal with Tor as a direct result of a serliazed story he had been publshing on his website for free, and since then has gone on to publish half a dozen books and is now a creative consultant for the new Stargate: Universe show. Prior to becoming a freelance writer he wrote e-books and non-fiction, and was writing fantasy and sci-fi as a passion project and showcasing his work on his website. Sanderson, as most know, was picked up to write the continuation of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and offers a free novel on his website, as well as in-depth look at chapers of his novels, including rough draft forms, multiple endings, and otherwise, all as a way to let his readers get in touch with him on a more personal basis. As is the case with both of them, their sales have significantly increased because of the visibility.
This led me to an idea. Considering I've already been paid for Medallions, and considering that I originally had plans to turn it into a 3 or 4 part series....I'm looking at publishing it online in serliaized format, either here or on the main website. Haven't finalized decisions yet...still percolating up in ze brain. A lot of people ask"why offer it for free", but as many authors have been showing, it's a great way to generate interest, and it's a way to potentially catch the eye of editors as well, because if you can show that your stories are generating X hits per month it means you have a fanbase of readers who will probably buy your products if they are being published by an actual publishing house. Just another facet of the 21st century to think about when looking at the potential business side of things.
Enough for now. Time to get to work. Very busy week this week, then I'm home-free for all of December, and I'll be finishing the e-book and networking the website. Peace!
I won't get into the juicy details here, but suffice to say I saw it coming, which is why I cautioned the promo post a week or so ago with the "if it ever makes it to the publisher" comment.
You can't make a magazine without any funds. When all you can afford to do is have volunteers on staff to edit otherwise, you can't expect to make it work.
Sucks, because the previous owners had made the magazine into something worth respecting.
However...the bonus is that all rights have been reverted to the authors. Good news for me, because I still had another 5 months until the rights reverted. Since I've already been paid for the story once, I can re-sell it somewhere else now.
Just had a long e-mail from the head editor at Abyss & Apex earlier this week regarding another one of my stories. Ultimately they declined, but she wanted to take the time to actually go over why, considering it actually made it to the final editor's desk, rather than just getting slushed. Progress is progress, and honestly...fiction is a major backseat player at the moment, with most of my efforts focused on freelancing and getting some passive income going in 2010 with the website. Had another story rejected, and have one more still in submission. December will be recycling the three completed stories I have which have been searching for a home this year. I've been making it further and further up the slush piles lately, landing on the final editor's desks rather than just the assistant editor's, and I've been getting more indepth and detailed criticism from the chiefs, so the process is ongoing. I have no doubts they'll sell next year, because my freelance success is rubbing off and editors are taking a more serious look based upon my success in that field as a writer and journalist.
Had an idea the other day. For those who don't know, writers like Brandon Sanderson and John Scalzi have been popularizing the idea of sharing stories on their websites for free. In the latter's case, he actually scored his first publishing deal with Tor as a direct result of a serliazed story he had been publshing on his website for free, and since then has gone on to publish half a dozen books and is now a creative consultant for the new Stargate: Universe show. Prior to becoming a freelance writer he wrote e-books and non-fiction, and was writing fantasy and sci-fi as a passion project and showcasing his work on his website. Sanderson, as most know, was picked up to write the continuation of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and offers a free novel on his website, as well as in-depth look at chapers of his novels, including rough draft forms, multiple endings, and otherwise, all as a way to let his readers get in touch with him on a more personal basis. As is the case with both of them, their sales have significantly increased because of the visibility.
This led me to an idea. Considering I've already been paid for Medallions, and considering that I originally had plans to turn it into a 3 or 4 part series....I'm looking at publishing it online in serliaized format, either here or on the main website. Haven't finalized decisions yet...still percolating up in ze brain. A lot of people ask"why offer it for free", but as many authors have been showing, it's a great way to generate interest, and it's a way to potentially catch the eye of editors as well, because if you can show that your stories are generating X hits per month it means you have a fanbase of readers who will probably buy your products if they are being published by an actual publishing house. Just another facet of the 21st century to think about when looking at the potential business side of things.
Enough for now. Time to get to work. Very busy week this week, then I'm home-free for all of December, and I'll be finishing the e-book and networking the website. Peace!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Snippet
Was doing some random browsing the other evening (had some free time, w00t!) looking at various architectural designs for ideas in regards to our house (whenever they finally get the well drilling issues resolved). Keeping in mind that the actual exterior and layout plans have been finalized, there's a lot of interior decorating for Evy and I to do, and we keep our eyes peeled for things we like. Right now the estimate is that we might be moving into the houses in 2012 provided they actually get a start next year, but things have been pushed back once already (we were supposed to be moved in by 2010), so we're just waiting to see. In the meantime the apartment is 100% paid for, so :)
In any case, Evy has a lot of magazines she collects for ideas on furniture and such, and I'm planning on going a lot of stone work and etc. I found this cool website on the Bungalow style house, and I really dig what some of these people have done with their homes.
In any case, the "plan" is to have a good 25-30k by the time the houses are up and running. We have a few cabinet sets planned out, a bedroom set, furniture, and we are also looking at a home theater, fitness room, and various sundries. Plans change, so no idea how it will work out, but that's the idea. Anyway, enjoy the snippet.
In any case, Evy has a lot of magazines she collects for ideas on furniture and such, and I'm planning on going a lot of stone work and etc. I found this cool website on the Bungalow style house, and I really dig what some of these people have done with their homes.
In any case, the "plan" is to have a good 25-30k by the time the houses are up and running. We have a few cabinet sets planned out, a bedroom set, furniture, and we are also looking at a home theater, fitness room, and various sundries. Plans change, so no idea how it will work out, but that's the idea. Anyway, enjoy the snippet.
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