“Whew, you have me winded.” “Aw Lucy. It’s Friday. Time to blow off steam.” “Let me catch my breath before I try the steam thing.”
Another Friday has rolled around, and it has been hectic for the last two weeks. The producer and I have sold our house here at the beach and bought another in Austin Texas. Yes, I know. The question comes up, “Why on Earth would you do that?”
It is a good thing that there are excellent reasons for doing so.
Our youngest daughter lives in Austin, and we would like to see her more.
The health care facilities are more accessible for a septuagenarian. (Me. The Producer is still a kid.)
We love Austin. (It has an element of weird more like us )
We think the last 10 years at the beach are enough and want some city life for a while. (theater, opera, symphony, and exercise facilities)
On Sunday we will be leaving for our new home. I intend to post one last View of the neighborhood which will be where we have lived.
Today’s JohnKu talks about change. I hope you have a great weekend. Oh yes. I do have a personal hot spot but will not have internet at the new house until March 5th. Please bear with me if anything should go wrong and my posts don’t appear.
“It is Friday Lucy.” “Yup Little Potato it is.” “Let’s party.” “Okay. You get the water bowl, and I’ll get the kibble.”
Here’s Friday. Seems like it was just Friday yesterday. Well, that’s how it goes when busy. What came to my mind this week other than the crappy weather was the subject of newsletters. I guess we all know that one way to boost book sales is to have regular contact with a core fan base. Hence the birth of the newsletter.
The newsletter is supposed to give the subscriber an inside track on giveaways, new launch news, and importantly (to most pushing newsletters) a closer and intimate relationship with your favorite author.
I keep hearing how some authors have amassed thousands of followers on their newsletter. In fact, they have such a good system in gaining followers they are willing to sell you the secret for oh, $250 bucks. Now that $250 also gets you an inside track to Hollywood, an agent, and publishers. Still not convinced? Try it free for 30 days. If you don’t increase your subscriptions and land a Hollywood deal, you can get your money back.
Okay so maybe I exaggerate. I have about 1100 newsletter followers and guess what? During the time I sent entertaining, erudite newsletters I don’t think one of them purchased a book. I could give away books until the cows come home yet I see no reviews. So what am I doing wrong? I guess plenty. I stopped communicating regularly since it was a lot of hard work for very little return.
Much like Amazon advertising, I am in the dark on how to have an energetic newsletter program. I do know that if I signed up for every newsletter offered, I would get over 350 in a month. Can you imagine? Most are about 1200 words. That would be like reading an extra five books a month. No wonder my letter doesn’t get traction. I’ll bet my average subscriber gets quite a few each day and can only skim them at best. I gotta think this through. Today’s JohnKu talks about beating on reader’s doors to get them to buy our books.
Also, I am happy to say that The Contract by Gwen Plano and I has been selected as a semifinalist in the Global Thriller Book Awards for 2018. We are among thirteen semi-finalists. This is a juried award and not one that can be decided by reader votes.
Here is the list.
Richard Garis –Magenta is Missing
Randall Krzak – Dangerous Alliance
Timothy S. Johnston – The War Beneath
R. Barber Anderson – The Sunken Forest
John W. Howell & Gwen M. Plano – The Contract Between Heaven and Earth
E.M. Kelly – Addiction & Pestilence
Rachael Sparks – Resistant
Michael Pronko – The Moving Blade
Randall Krzak – The Kurdish Connection
Lawrence Verigin – Beyond Control
Harvey A. Schwartz – Never Again
Elena Mikalsen – All the Silent Voices
Paul McHugh – The Blind Pool
We will find out in April if we have been selected as the first place winner
“Come on, Lucy it’s Friday. let’s jump up and down on the couch” “You go ahead. I’ll keep an eye out.”
Another week has gone by the wayside. Is it me or does time fly? I guess it could be a combination of both. I have had one of those weeks where I had to sit back and try to figure out what I accomplished. It was kind of strange to receive a notice from Grammarly on Tuesday that since 2015 they have checked 4,570,914 words with 17,000 last week alone. I guess this would indicate I’m doing something. Wouldn’t it? *crickets*
Not to belabor the fact that time is flying by I decided to let this week’s JohnKu speak for how I feel. I hope you have a great weekend.
It is Friday again and looks like the country is in for another Polar Vortex. Man those things are nasty. I’m often asked how our weather fares when it gets so cold up North. Although we generally don’t get below 35 degrees, we do feel the temperatures at that level. The good part is the temperatures do not stay at those lows too long. Maybe one or two nights. The daytime under those conditions is in the ’50s. You can bet we have our warm weather gear on when it seems to us to be very chilly.
All n all we are very spoiled when it comes to temperatures. Our climate is such that it seldom gets above 85 degrees, so the summers are not as hot as inland. The only time the temperatures rise is when the Gulf temperature goes into the ’90s. Our air temperatures pretty much match the Gulf.
Well so much for talking about the weather. All else is fine and today’s JohnKu discusses what we talk about when there doesn’t seem to be any news. Have a great weekend.
“Hey, Lucy. It’s Friday. Let’s kick out” “You must be the smallest horse on the planet Little Potato.”
Another Friday has rolled around. The winter vortex is in full force. I’ve been getting reports from the North on terrifying stories about getting stranded in the cold. Reminds us all to take warm outerwear whenever we venture out. It is way too easy to be caught in the elements and then be made to suffer the effects of the cold.
Here in South Texas, we don’t have the kind of cold that is capable of taking life. We start to complain at 70 degrees and whine at 40 but don’t have to worry about a life-threatening situation. I hope everyone stays safe and remembers to toss in some heavy outdoor wear even if you are only going to the store.
Today’s JohnKu discusses the cold. I hope you all have a beautiful weekend.
Ah, another Friday which is another word for par-teee. Always nice to see the eve of the weekend. I hope your week was a good one. Gwen Plano and I received our manuscript back from the editor and were both impressed with the quality of work. She did a marvelous job taking our text and helping the story. Of course, Gwen and I tried to write a book all while having surgeries. I would not recommend that profile to anyone.
As we say, all is well that ends well and we are now hopeful of having a book that folks will enjoy reading. We decided to go with a mystery story rather than a thriller.
The title is The Predator a world domination fight to the finish.
Here is a preliminary blurb:
After the death of Brad and Sarah, it is apparent that a force is behind a plot to take over the leadership of the world. The murder of the two becomes only one small piece of a sinister plan to eliminate world leaders and take control.
Governments are infiltrated with the perpetrator’s allies and minions so no one can be trusted.
A small band of Brad and Sarah’s admirer’s vow to stop the evil expansion and eliminate the leader. The group comes under attack, and the question becomes will they survive and stop The Predator before the word is lost?
Today’s JohnKu talks about trying to do too much. I hope you have a great weekend.
Friday has come again. YAY. It looks like everyone is going to share in the cold front moving from the Northwest. Temps are going down and snow possibilities going up. This always reminds us that winter is still with us. Somehow we seem to forget that little fact. Sure, there is a lovely day here and there. Just enough to make us believe we will have an early spring. My advice is to not fall for it. Only assume it will be cold until April and your mind will rest easier. Like a free lunch, there is no such thing as an early Spring.
Today’s JohnKu talks about Winter. By the way, the term JohnKu was coined a few years ago by Kimberly at https://words4jp.com/ She is a poet, and when I started doing my version of a Haiku, she suggested delicately that maybe what I was doing was a JohnKu more than a classic Haiku. Ever since then I have been grateful for the suggestion. Kimberly is now back to blogging and certainly worth a visit.
“So it’s Friday, right?” “Yes, Little Potato. It is.” “YAY” “I second that.”
Another Friday which signals another weekend. (YAY) This last week saw the manuscript delivered to the editor. The title is The Predator a world domination fight to the finish. It is a sequel to The Contract, and in it, Gwen and I hope to answer some questions raised in the first book. It looks like we will be ready to publish in June, God willing and the creek don’t rise. We are currently working on a blurb and the cover. We’ll give you some more info when we have something to share.
That is all the exciting news from here. I have begun my next book which will be a solo effort. I want to give you the last three lines since that is where I always start. Here they are,
“I don’t think any of that matters anymore, my son. Now that you know the truth.”
“But how could you keep this kind of secret from me.”
“To see you grow and prosper was worth any deception. Now come on. We have much to discuss.”
Today’s JohnKu talks about the doors that close and those that open. I hope you have a great weekend.
Well, it is Friday, and like most holiday weeks it came up fast. Always seems strange to have a new year. I keep putting 2108 on things that require a date. I should be squared away sometime in July.
In moving around WP lately, I’m wondering if all of you who have ad-supported blogs realize what is being advertised. This photo is one I have wondered about.
To each his own I guess.
Since we are starting a new year, this week’s JohnKu talks to expectations.
Friday already. Seems like this week was an eternity. It was a great Christmas touched with sadness. Makes one believe that sadness is in the world just to make sure we all know happiness when we have it. I think I’ll cling to that thought. I’ll visit it a little more in the JohnKu
On the writing front, Gwen and I have completed all the editing in our capability and now we need professional help. Our manuscript is ready to send to the editor.
This is the last Friday of 2018. I have to say this year could have been better. I don’t think I will be sad to see 2019 offer a new opportunity. I hope you all have a great weekend.
