No Holcaust!

Please, if you want publishing news and not politics or religion, avoid this post.

But I can't help myself. Now we have officials in the Catholic church asserting that the Holocaust never happened. It was a hoax? Liberation forces only thought they found gas chambers and piles of bodies. It was all a figment of our imaginations?

My God, what kind of idiots are out there that can just pretend to re-write history? So I assume this means that American Indians weren't massacred and there were no mistreated slaves in the south or discrimination in the north.

And the glass ceiling in business, delusion.

How can the world have so many people running around who are that deluded? The same way we can bail out wall street companies so they can dole out multi-million dollar bonuses.

Okay, rant over. Must not listen to the news. Next I'll be one of the believers that the moon landing was also a figment of our imagination.

FD Wizard is going slow and it's no one's fault but my own. I need to get back to meeting the goals I set myself. Self imposed deadlines are harder to meet sometimes.

New Banner

I have a new banner and just love it. See above. If you go to www.carolshenold.com, I have it there too. It's too cool. The gal that designed it charges really reasonable prices too. You can see her site at http://vtibbs.wordpress.com
She designs postcards and bookmarks and business cards you can use with Vista Print, signature banners, web banners etc.

I tried to post the postcard here and the colors wanted to mess up so I'm not sure why but I'll work it out.

NEWS and Reviews

First, my friend Rinda Elliott has joined with a bunch of writers and they have a site called Deadline Dames. So, run right over to www.deadlinedames.com and comment to have a chance at winning all kinds of cool books.


Second, Sarah Basore, Sarah St. John, has a wonderful review of her story, "Sins of the Father." Check it out.

The review of the entire book is here. But check out her part for the story Sins of the Father!!! I’m thrilled for her–we all need reviews like this one.

Sarah Wilson Basore borrows, too, from “Beauty and the Beast” in her “Sins of the Father,” wherein a hunted lion-man meets a witch. “Sins” is probably the most gorgeously written and descriptive piece in the lot, elegantly suggesting a time and mood that sweeps the reader away.

Honestly-what were they thinking?

First, there's the guy, grown adult (So-to-speak) who felt the need to steal a hockey stick from a forteen-year-old kid who had just been given the stick by a pro-player at a game. The kid didn't even get to leave the stadium with it. Want to know the great use the so-and-so had for the stick, sell it on e-bay. The savior was the dentist who purchased the stick while still in the stadium, saw the news story and sent the stick to the kid. Happy ending but the so-and-so is still out there to prey on other kids.

Then there's the beauty contest/reality show all about inner beauty, showing these people on camera lying and cheating, knowing they are on camera and expecting to be called the most beautiful person in America. As someone succinctly said, puleeze.

Back to writing, behind on word counts, first draft, paying dues, paying bills etc. Must get off the rear, get the rear in gear and make some progress here.

Roller Coaster Ride

Writing is a roller coaster. Frequently I have so many ups and downs with-in a short period of time. I can be elated by a great review, unhappy because my book wasn't nominated for an award by the publishing company, excited since it's launch day and my new story is out, pissed off because I'm doing more promo than ever but don't seem to see it in sales. How can you be on a best seller list for a month but your royalty report says you only sold one copy? Don't get it. Missing something.

Enough whining about the business. Enough negativity.It's the writing that's fun and why I need to ignore all the extraneous stuff that sneaks in. Writing is cool, takes me away, makes me relax and forget the other stuff and playing God is too cool. Also, with my kind of stories, reality can be played with, legends become fact, myths manifest themselves in every day life, ordinary people in extraordinary situation. So, much as I fuss, I love the writing part best.

Even when I bitch about having to work full time and write, I realize that unlimited time wouldn't automatically make me more productive. I'm a procrastinator who needs deadlines to finish tasks.

What do you love about writing? What do you hate? How do you balance it all?

Bloody Murder Review

Had to share a review of "Bloody Murder" I just found on a blog called 100% of Nothing. It came out in December. I was beginning to think no one was going to review it at all.

Event planner, Tali Cates, is up to her neck in murder and the paranormal once more in this latest from Carol Shenold. This time Tali is running a local beauty pageant. Amidst cat fighting contestants and their overbearing mothers, two people are found dead. Both victims are completely drained of fluids and Tali suspects a supernatural killer, but Sheriff J.T. is highly skeptical as usual. He does his utmost to convince Tali to stay out of his way and while she would love to do nothing more, her visions keep forcing her to stick with the investigation.
As if murder weren’t enough, her daughter Cass may be dating a werewolf and her son is convinced that Tali’s new boyfriend, Aiden is a vampire. Logically, she knows he couldn’t be, but then again, this is Love, Texas, a town on the crossroads of good and evil.
This story manages to balance the elements of a supernatural tale, a mystery and a small town drama. While there are certain places where it strays into the realm of cliché, overall it is a witty, engaging read. The characters are warm, eccentric and hugely entertaining. The mystery is intriguing and keeps the reader guessing as it unfolds. I enjoyed this story very much as well as its predecessor, PRIVY TO MURDER. Ms. Shenold is a fresh, unique voice and I look forward to more from her.

Didn't even know it was out there but she said nice things about it and Privy to Murder also. I didn't see a ranking system.The link is: http://100percentofnothing.com/2008/12/bloody-murder/

Lauch Day in Three Days

Hey folks! Wednesday is launch day for "Museums are Murder." Tali and Aiden together again, fighting a werewolf and a demon who just wants to take Tali away with him forever, not a nice guy. Be sure to come to eternalpressreaders@yahoogroups.com for the launch party and prizes galore.

Is everyone ready for resolutions? My big one, finish "Fairy Dust: Wizard" before conference. Market more. Take better care of myself by keeping in better touch with friends and making sure I have live music and art, actively and regularly in my life.

I have the writer's tendency to hibernate. Also, I need to write at least 800 words, five days a week. Come on down to www.eternalpress.ca and pick up your copy of "Museums are Murder" "Privy to Murder" "Bloody Murder" and "Fairy Dust". Remember, print is coming soon, along with the ability to order from Amazon.