The Afterlife of Tanya Madera

Hello all, I published my latest ebook The Afterlife of Tanya Madera on Amazon Kindle last weekend. This book really has it all and I hate to label  it as one thing or another. It is a ghost story. It is also a mystery and a thriller. Of course there is bit of teenage woe in it as well. The book cover is something pretty different. If you look, you will see a photo beside the fake news story. This is a picture I took while my husband and I hiked one day through the woods and it inspired the entire story.

So I had to use this photo somewhere on the cover. I tried a lot of different ideas then I finally came up with the newspaper idea. I made the newspaper in Word Perfect and then in GIMP I made the background color as close as I could for newspaper and then I smashed them together. I really like how the book cover came out. I also am happy with the story. It is a bit longer than some of my other ebooks and I have it labeled as a novelette which comes up to 16,000 words when it was done. I have the book listed for $2.99 but don't worry it will go on countdown deals through Kindle at the end of March. 

Check out The Afterlife of Tanya Madera available now on all Kindle devices. 

What's next? Good thing you want to know. I am switching modes and I will be editing a romance story and then making it for sale with in a month or two. I haven't spent much time working on ebooks because I had a bunch of papers due for school and that takes number one. This romance story has a tentative title called Stardust but it will be changed because that title is much too common on Amazon. The original title was "The Rise and Fall of the Mickaylan Empire" but that titles seems to wordy but who knows maybe I will go back to it. With that in mind, thank you to those who read my work.

Until next time, melt the snow with a hairdryer and prance in the mud.

Into the Garden: Acrostic Poetry Collection

So after many weeks of formatting, Into the Garden, is available as a Kindle ebook on Amazon. Please note to anyone who uses any Apple device such as iPod touch, iPhone and iPad, the formatting is off on these devices. Formatting poetry for an ebook is not something that you can do easily so I had to choose to make the formatting for Kindle devices pretty much perfect. It is almost perfect for all Kindle devices, perfect for Kindle for Android (at least for a 7 inch screen because that is the size I have) and mostly perfect for Kindle for PC app.  In the future I do plan on releasing my ebooks to the Apple bookstore and the Nook because they are just as popular as Kindle. Apple will require me to learn their formatting. So give me a chance because Apple will be the next undertaking for my ebooks. 
Sure, I could use Smashwords but then I am losing royalty money and I still have to format it for each device on my own or pay someone else to do it. I tell you one thing, I won't pay someone else to format my ebook when I can do it myself.  Okay let's get back on track. There is an awesome and unique poetry book that I should be talking about.

Into the Garden was a project of devotion and love for a certain style of poetry and that would be the acrostic style of poetry. Just in case you don't know, acrostic style of poetry is when the letters one word start each line of a poem. You may have seen this style where a person's name is used and they may start like " C is for caring person." Mine are seamless and you won't even know that you are reading an acrostic poem. I like this style because it forces to me think outside of the box to come up with new and interesting lines.

When I started this book, I started in the summer of 2010 and I finished it that winter. It also started with 60 poems at least 15 has been cut because I chose the best poems. There is an underlying seasonal organization as well. I really put the book together in the order I wrote them. For some reason, it was the best way to organize it. The poems are also organized by things you might find in a garden. 

The book cover is a creation that I made with Gimp. The background is a picture of an ocean wave that I had, it was originally a 35 mm picture. I swirled it once and then added a flower in the center. I chose the font and my husband did the font creation.  Here is a poem from the book as a sample:

Black Cherry

Black balloons ascend to a
Lacy firmament. Silky waves crash
Against moon dreamers.
Champagne whispers among the stars,
Ketchup stains the white carpet. I am a

Charlatan and I am holding a
Hoe-down, so come on down,
Eat poisonous scripture and let bloody
Ribbons fall to the floor. A
Rendezvous into dusk on sunken
Yachts filled with soulless bodies.

Into the Garden is $4.99 but I have it signed up for countdown deals that start in the US and UK marketplace at the end of February which will make the book cheaper.

As always, your thoughts are appreciated and I thank you for your suppoort.

My Future

There has been a lot going on in my life and I think 2014 is going to be an awesome year.  The biggest thing and the most important is I started college two weeks ago. I am going to get my Bachelor's in creative writing. I am attending an online school, a reputable real school that has an online program. So far I am doing very well in my classes. My expected graduation date is 1/18. Woo hoo. Going to college and getting  my degree is something I always wanted to accomplish and writing is what I love to do so this was a perfect choice for me.

I have decided to put my poetry book, Into the Garden, on Amazon Kindle. Let me tell you, formatting a poetry book for Kindle is an enormous undertaking. The best way to make the book the way you want the world to see is to manually code the html for the book. Good news, I have completed the coding and now my husband and I are working on the book cover. I have the Kindle Previewer plus I have the Kindle for PC app and the book is 90% perfect on Kindle devices and 98% perfect for the Kindle for PC app, I can not say about the Apple devices until I actually upload the book because I need an Apple device just to preview it. I am guessing that it should be fine because the other books are fine for Kindle for iOs.   Into the Garden is an acrostic poetry collection and features 40 plus poems written in the acrostic style with the names of flowers, fruits, and vegetables as the titles.  I should have it on Kindle in two weeks.

Another ebook I am working on is called The Afterlife of Tanya Madera. I am still in the process of writing this book and it is about a dead teenager who seeks revenge to the ones that hurt after she is dead. I started this story a couple years ago as I saw a pink flannel shirt on a tree stump while my husband and I were walking and my imagination went wild. I actually took the picture of the shirt and it will be used as a book cover for this book.  This will be a somewhat long short story could even turn into a novella.

Speaking of ebooks, I will be publishing many more this year. I found a bunch of my old stories some will be stand a lone ebooks because that are almost novellas. Others are very short and will be combined into a short story collection. It's been years since I wrote these so I have to put my editing hat on and make the best books I can. I know the stories are good but I think they can be better.

So when I save the $250 I need for ISBN numbers I am going to self-publish some of the titles I have as ebooks and sell them at flea markets and such.  Why am I publishing so many ebooks? I am trying to make a name for myself. End of story. If I can start selling books before I get a book deal that is going to show potential publishers people want to read my work and will pay for it. Everyone likes different stuff, so the more variety I put on, the better chance someone will buy my writing.

Wow, this year has only begun and with so many plans for the future, it should be a memorable year.

Until next time, suckle the orange of delights and throw the peel under the plow truck.

Stitches and The Hatfield and McCoys

It's been awhile since I wrote anything about what I watched on Netflix. Oh I watch stuff on Netflix but when a new season of a show I like comes out, I powerhouse the entire season. And there are other times where I want to write about something but then either I forget or I just don't do it. I watched 2 movies the other night. One is about a killer clown named Stitches and Hatfield and McCoy movie, the one with Christian Slater.

First things first, let's talk clowns...

Stitches just became available on Netflix (1/14) it is an Irish independent horror movie.  I watched an Irish movie on Netflix and for some reason there was subtitles I suppose the Irish accent was too thick in this movie, the accent is too much and there are no subtitles. The movie starts with a clown who goes a kid's birthday party. He may not be the greatest clown but the kids aren't very well behaved and give Stitches a hard time. Then Stitches dies in a truly gory, horrible, exciting, bizarre way at this kid's birthday party. Then time moves forward 6 years when the same kid is having a birthday party and Stitches comes back from the grave to get his revenge on the kids at the birthday party he died at.

I liked this movie. Yes, it is a little cheesy and Stitches delivers one-liners ala Freddy Kreuger style and other killers after a kill. The story is also decent.  The kill scenes are all unique and full of blood and guts. Don't expect this movie to be like the great horror movies but it holds its own ground, especially if you have a clown fear. Go on and watch it.

The second movie was The Hatfields and McCoys: Bad Blood with Christian Slater it is currently available (1/14).  I picked this movie because it was a story about the famous feud. I knew about it but I didn't know a lot about it.  So this movie is about the Hatfields, who lived in West Virgina and the McCoys, who live in Kentucky and they were fighting back and forth. The movie starts with Asa McCoy killed by a rogue band of Confederate supporters, the Logan Wildcats run by the Hatfields. The movie climaxes when McCoys young daughter and wife were killed at their cabin by the Hatfields.

I watched this whole thing and then I Googled it. Sure this movie is based on facts but the timing is all off. Yes, it was believed that Asa was killed by a Hatfield but it years before there was anymore violence. In the movie everything happens kind of quick. One thing that remains is Rose Anna and Jonce's relationship except that is portrayed differently in this movie. Aside from all of that, it really is a good movie.  There is a lot action and the story line moves very quick. So if you love American lore then this will be a good movie to watch.  I watched the Pumpkinhead version of the Hatfield and McCoy story and that was decent.

It's raining where I live today and maybe it's raining, or snowing or too fucking cold to go out so why not turn on the old Netflix and watch some movies. Have a  wonderful day.

Don't Call Me White

Is it just me but  doesn't it seem like whenever there is a news story on the web or somewhere else, someone always throws race into the story? Really is it that important? My question is if everyone wants equality, why does race always play an issue?

Speaking of race, I do not want to be called white. Instead, I want to be identified as Caucasian.  Some forms you fill including register to vote want you to check "white" as opposed to Caucasian.
If twenty years from now my bones would be discovered in some unmarked grave, the coroner or someone else would label me as a Caucasian female. 

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary white means these two things: 1. of the color of milk or fresh snow, due to the reflection of most wavelengths of visible light; the opposite of black. 2. belonging to or denoting a human group having light-colored skin (chiefly used of peoples of European extraction). Yes, my ancestry is from Europe however my skin does not look like

• fresh snow
• milk
• that blotch of white in the sky normally called clouds
• a blank wall

and I am not an Albino. Perhaps I am multi-colored. Some of my  skin is a soft pale pink, some of it is slightly tan (this is on my arms) and doesn't really change probably too much melatonin in my skin from too much sun over the years. Maybe I am a chameleon colored since I brown in the summer, I also turn red in the summer. You choose.  And what if I had a darker skin tone (always tan those lucky folks) how could they be white when really they are Caucasian.

Yes, I know I am going to get a lot of shit for writing this but maybe I am tired of everything being black and white because in this world nothing is one or the other.  And those are my thoughts of the day, in this day and age where equality and race issues are important I also want to be identified by Caucasian, a person with European descent as opposed to white, a classification based on supposed skin color not ethnic background.

Holly and Ivy- A Christmas Story

Holly Peters picked up her press pass at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Reporters and photographers bustled around her as if she didn’t exist. But she did and she was here in New York City at the parade. How exciting! She put the pass over her neck and retied her bright red scarf around her neck. Smiling, she stood against the wall and just watched all the excitement. She turned to find her best friend Alli. Someone grabbed her arm, she whipped around and it was a tall thin good looking man in a black woolen coat. He had hazel eyes and soft puppy dog brown hair.

"Ivy, you look so amazing. How long has it been, three years?" he asked.

Holly smiled, "I’m sorry but I am Holly Peters, you must have me confused with someone else."

He blushed, "I’m sorry. You look exactly like one of my friends from college. She’s a reporter, her name is Ivy."

"Well they say everyone has a twin so I guess maybe I do. I’m a reporter too," Holly said.

He shook her hand, "I’m Brad and I should’ve known you weren’t Ivy, you are actually smiling."

***

Ivy Anderson, picked up her press pass and slung it over her neck. The Thanksgiving Day parade? Freaking great. She was tired of happy little fluff pieces. She needed the job because she didn’t have many options. She was on probation. How was she supposed to know her source was a drug addict and a pathological liar? He was a good liar. He passed the polygraph with flying colors. So she wasn’t fired but put on happy duty. Ivy looked over at the people standing in the streets and behind the scenes. This would be a perfect time for something bad to happen and she would be here. She would get the eye witness accounts save face and save her career. And who knows a story with such atrocity would win her the Pulitzer.

"Holly, here you go I had to stand in line for a half an hour and then I got lost. So I am so sorry if it’s a little on the cold side," someone said behind her.

Ivy turned around, a woman her age with flaming red hair fiddled with her phone as she held out a large latte. Before she could speak, the woman kept talking, "I called David but he’s already at work and mom says the kids will be watching me on Tv. I told her that I don’t think they will see me on TV but I guess you never know. Hey, do you think you can take a picture of me standing in front of one of those balloons. I would love to have my picture taken with Snoopy."

"I’m sorry, I am not Holly," Ivy said when she found a break.

She looked up, "oh my god I am so sorry. You look just like my best friend Holly. I mean you really look like Holly except her hair is curly. We were up early this morning and I saw the black coat and the blonde hair. I am so sorry."

"It’s fine," Ivy snubbed. Then she saw Holly it had to be Holly because she was talking to Brad, an old college friend. What kind of best friend didn’t know what her friend looked like. Holly, if that’s who she was, wore a puffy black ski coat with a bright red scarf and red ear muffs. Red ear muffs? Who wears earmuffs an adult? And her hair, she had bouncy blonde curls in a cute little ponytail. Her hair bounced as if there were a million golden Tiggers bouncing at the same time in her hair.

"Oh there she is," Holly’s best friend said.

Ivy walked over with the red-haired woman who still fiddled with her phone.

"Ivy," Brad said.

Holly turned around and stared into her own face. Ivy stared into her own face. This couldn’t be. This had to be a doppleganger, maybe this chick was evil all dressed up like a sweet present ready to assume the other’s identity.

"I can’t believe this. I am Holly Peters. You must be Ivy. Your friend here said I looked just like you."

"Ivy Anderson. Are you a reporter or something?" Ivy asked.

"I work at the Lock Haven Maven, Lock Haven’s a small town in Pennsylvania," Holly answered with a bright and beaming smile.

"Fantastic so this must be the big time for you being in New York City and all and covering the parade," Ivy said.

"Ivy, you don’t have to be a bitch. I remember when you were a little nicer. What happened to you?" Brad asked.

"The world happened to me. Maybe I see things how they are instead of a fantasy world."

Brad kissed Holly on the cheek, "good luck with your story and I will be looking forward to your call. Happy Thanksgiving Holly. Nice seeing you Ivy, take care." He disappeared into the crowd.

Holly took the coffee from Alli, "so Ivy I am guessing you work for the Times or the Post? Maybe you are a big time columnist that is syndicated or maybe you just work at some sub par newspaper and you were told to be here."

"As a matter of fact I write for the Newark Ledger with a large circulation so I am doing okay," Ivy defended herself.

"Well good for you," Holly said.

"You know I am going to say this but you guys look exactly alike. More than just similar looking strangers but actual twins," Alli said.

"That’s not possible, Alli. I am not adopted," Holly said.

"Neither am I," Ivy said.

***

Read the rest of the story in Santa's Shorts available on Kindle. Part of Kindle Unlimited.

Nickolaus

Hello all, Here is the book cover for my new ebook Nickolaus. In a nutshell, this is a Santa story with a twist. In this book we learn about the a man named Nickolaus who would become Santa Claus. It is a short story and it shouldn't take you too much time to read.

Here's a fun fact ever since I wrote Moonswallow Gates writing all of a sudden got a hell of a lot easier. This book only took me a week from start to finish and it is about 6,000 words. The words would flow from my fingers.  In fact, I am writing another Christmas story for here and I have a bunch of the story already done and I started last night.

Nickolaus is $.99 at the time of this writing but it will go free in the next couple of days. Now I am going to beg... please please if you read this book, leave a review for this book. A good review can help me sell more books, a bad review can make me a better writer (hopefully anyway unless the bad review just says 'you suck' I highly doubt that is going to help me out). This is marked for the Amazon Prime program so if you have a Kindle device you can read it for free if you are a Prime member and I still make money off the book. If you don't have a Kindle device all you need is a free app from Kindle, they have apps for iOs, Android, Mac and PC.  Speaking of money, I make $.35  for every book I sell. So why do I publish ebooks anyway if I am not getting gobs of money (Amazon requires $10 in royalties before I get paid I think I have $.70 or so). One day I will have a traditional publisher who will want to buy a novel I wrote. 

Until I get to that point in my career, I am building a fan base of readers who like my ebooks and might actually buy a physical book from me. Self-publishing short stories to Amazon gets my work out in the world much easier than other avenues. I keep plugging forward until the buzz starts building, maybe it won't be this ebook but another one I wrote and I will sell more books and become more popular. I know everything takes time. I am a small fish in a digital ocean that is infinite but I am there and my ripples are growing everyday and then the day will come where I am a typhoon.

I am writing this while a large snow storm is ransacking north east United States, you probably are not going anywhere today. I know I am tucked inside my house and watching the snow fall and the absence of plow trucks. Why not curl up with a blanket in front of the fire, if you have one, and read Nickolaus.