We’ve all seen those big metals storage pods that people use when they’re moving or just have things they need to find a place to keep for a while, and I always wondered how they moved them around. Did they use some giant forklift to load the pods onto the back of a flatbed truck, […]
In yesterday’s blog I talked about setting goals and said that I would be achieving a goal I had worked toward for quite a while now sometime yesterday, and that I would tell you about it today. I hope you don’t think I’m bragging, but it’s something I have looked forward to for a long […]
I’ve spent the last couple of days plugging away at my new book, Big Lake Ranger, which I had hoped to have out by the end of the month. But I am way behind schedule and I’m not going to make that goal. At least maybe I’ll have it done by the end of the […]
Yesterday afternoon I got the final read-through of my new John Lee Quarrels book, Ka-Bar Karma, back from my final proofreader, made her corrections, and uploaded it to Amazon at 5:15 p.m. Less than an hour later, I got a message back that it was available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. As soon as I […]
I knocked out another 5,000 words in my new Big Lake book yesterday, and I’m hoping today will be the day I finish it, given any unforeseen problems cropping up. Then I will give it a final check for any plot holes or errors before printing out the last chapters for Miss Terry to edit […]
So far in my life, I have been a soldier, a small business owner, a small town newspaper publisher, and an author, to name just a few. And while I have enoyed all of those endeavors, in my next life, I want to be a karma deliveryman, serving up both the good and the bad […]
A series of severe thunderstorms came through Central Florida Saturday night, with tornado warnings in several counties, including ours. As usual, the brunt of it went north or south of us, leaving us with periods of heavy rain off and on, but that was about it. But it was still a tense night around here. […]
Even though I am enrolled in the VA healthcare system, now that we both qualify for Medicare I get most of my treatment through civilian doctors. It’s quicker and easier, and frees up the VA system for veterans who need it more than I do. Yesterday Terry and I had our regular routine checkups with […]
When Jake from Lindley’s Garden Center planted our new citrus trees on Saturday he said they needed to be watered every day for four weeks, and to continue watering our perennial peanut plants with the soaker hoses once every three days or so for a while yet. I always try to listen to the experts, […]
I think most of America has spent the last two days on pins and needles, wondering what was going to happen on Election Day and then how the final count would come out. As of midnight last night, it was still up in the air, although Joe Biden had a commanding lead. But as they […]
When my friend Linda Sand sent me this yesterday, I had to laugh. You have to wonder how something like this slips past the proofreaders. Don’t ask me, but it happens all the time in the publishing business, whether you’re putting up newspapers, books, or magazines. I’ve had my share of gaffes, that’s for sure. […]
Yesterday was another good writing day for me. I cranked out 6,300 words and finished my newest Big Lake book. It came in at 83,265 words and took me three weeks and three days from start to finish. And I wasn’t writing every day. I will spend today and maybe tomorrow reading through it and […]
Thanks to a lot of hard work by Miss Terry and my proofreaders, “Cool” Judy Rinehimer and Roberta Jensen, my newest John Lee Quarrels mystery, The Road To Wrinkle Ranch, is now available on Amazon. At present, there is the e-book you can purchase, or you can read it for free if you are a […]
I’ll tell you what, self-isolating may not be very exciting for some people but it sure has helped me get a lot of work done. Yesterday I beat my own personal record. I started working at noon and by the time I knocked off at 6:15 I had written (actually dictated) 12,050 words, and I […]
As a former newspaperman and an independent book author and self-publisher, I hate typos. But I’ve also been at this game long enough to know that they are a part of life, and no matter how carefully you watch for them, they slip in. I have at least three or four proofreaders for every book […]
Well, I said I was going to do it and I did. I sat down at my computer yesterday and started working my way toward the end of my new book, Dead Romeos, and except for a few breaks to get up and move around a little bit, and go to the bathroom, I kept […]
Thank you to everybody who was patient with the problems I was having with yesterday’s blog. After getting some sleep, yesterday morning I tried to correct some places in the blog where the text was running together to form one long word that some people were getting, but not everybody. I’m not sure what caused […]
Before I do anything else, I want to wish my buddy Greg White happy birthday. Years ago Miss Terry read something that said more Americans were born on October 5th than any other day. I think that’s because they all just wanted to copycat Greg because he gets to hang out with me. But that […]
Miss Terry and my other proofreaders all went the extra mile, like they always do, and finished with my latest book, Strawberry Slugbug, Monday evening. So yesterday I went through the manuscript making their corrections and getting it formatted to publish. It’s always a crap shoot as to how long Amazon’s Kindle publishing program takes […]
Wow, I was really surprised by how much feedback I got from yesterday’s blog when I asked about readers’ experiences using Airbnb instead of staying in motels or hotels. Between blog comments, emails, and Facebook messages, over 30 of you responded, and everybody seemed to be very pleased with the places they have stayed using […]