The Walking Man

A few weekends ago I help K set up and tend a booth at a local fair. It was held on the ball field. As you might expect, I took the opportunity to do some people watching. One young man has stuck in my mind. He was tall, and extremely thin, looking like he was made of whale bone and whip cord. The most interesting thing about this fellow was his walk.

Bent over at the waist until his back was easily at 45 degrees, he leaned into his stride. With arms and legs exceptionally long for his structure, and a walk that caused his feet to soar ahead to catch him from falling, he was able to achieve surprising speed. His more normally constructed companion was forced to jog to keep up. I distinctly heard the phrase, “Slow down, dammit, slow down.” That didn’t happen. The lad was enjoying being able to move across the field at great speed and he would not stop. His buddy was still complaining as they vanished down the street.

All righty then, on to the ROW80 goals.

The Goals

1.      Finish the first draft of my current project and get it off to my editor.  CM Crawford is a great editor and has very reasonable rates. Heck, she’ll even work for Amazon gift cards. The girl loves to barter. You can find her page here:

http://powderriverediting.blogspot.ca/

Done!!!

2.      Get the next project over 15K words

Progressing nicely. I’m not exactly certain of my word count here, but I am thrilled with the progress.

3.      If Ms. Crawford gets the first project back to me in time, finish the second draft during this round. If not then I will finish and hopefully publish it during the last round.

So, one thing you can do to help is to go to my Amazon author page and hit the *like* button on the upper right side. Here’s the link. http://www.amazon.com/Prudence-MacLeod/e/B0079XOY8U 

If you have an author page drop your link into a comment and I’ll go *like* it for you. Thanks for stopping by, good luck!

Adventures in Ferry Travel

The other evening K and I had a coffee date over in the city. It was a clear sunny day so we headed for the ferry landing in high spirits. The wait was short and, as soon as we vacated the car and climbed to the lower deck, we saw whales feeding nearby. They were close. Of course we didn’t have the dang camera with us. Sigh

We watched them for a while and then the boat pulled out. As the boat moved swiftly across the tickle we lost sight of the whales and turned our attention to the small boats. It was an idyllic evening; until it came time to disembark from the boat.

A long truck with a wide load had also boarded the boat. Unfortunately, it was positioned to be first off the boat, and nobody else could get off until after the truck. We knew there was going to be trouble when we saw the driver of the truck pacing the off ramp and shaking his head.

Apparently, nobody had thought to measure the width of his load to see if it could fit the ramps. He’d managed to get on all right, but getting off was going to be a problem. The load was a bit too wide, or so the driver thought. There was a difference of opinion with the boat crew, but nobody had a measuring device to sole the argument.

After fifteen or twenty minutes of loud discussion, the driver reluctantly attempted to drive off the boat. He got halfway off when they hit a problem. The load was too wide to pass between the handrails of the ramp. The crew removed the rails for one side (not an easy or swiftly accomplished task).

Once again the truck pulled ahead, but the wide load stuck on the handrails of the other side. Someone finally realized the truth of the situation. No matter how long they discussed the situation, there was now only one solution. The rail had to die. Once again the truck lurched into gear and rolled ahead. There was a scream of tortured metal then the truck was free and rolling away.

A few moments later we were rolling across the now rail-less ramp. There was a modern sculpture of twisted rail pipe nearby. It actually looked interesting. As we sped up the hill we looked. The truck was making a painful and wide left turn. We turned right and headed for town where we met our friend right on time. Some days it is better to be lucky than good.

So that's it folks, never a dull moment around here.  Have any of you got any interesting travel experiences that you thought were a disaster but turned out okay after all? Care to share? Aw come, share. tee hee hee

Coming up Roses

I know, sounds a bit trite, but it is what it is. Today for instance, I set out early with the dogs. We had some cloud cover and a stiff breeze, perfect for a walk in the hills. We hadn’t gone far when the wind shifted. I was suddenly bewitched by the scent of wild roses. They grow everywhere on this island; unpruned, uncut, and unhampered they thrive. At this time of year the air can be heavy with the scent. I love it.

As I walked along, watching the dogs snuffle and explore in the tall grass, drinking deeply of the scent of roses and clover, I reflected on just how good life has been lately. Oh sure, there have been a few blips, there always are, but it just keeps coming up roses. Yes indeed, life is good.

On that note, here is the ROW80 check-in, on time for a change.

1.      Finish the first draft of my current project and get it off to my editor.  CM Crawford is a great editor and has very reasonable rates. Heck, she’ll even work for Amazon gift cards. The girl loves to barter. You can find her on her page here:

http://powderriverediting.blogspot.ca/ 

Done!

2.      Get the next project over 15K words

Well on the way here. Over 5K words now.

3.      If Ms. Crawford gets the first project back to me in time, finish the second draft during this round. If not then I will finish and hopefully publish it during the last round.

So, one thing you can do to help is to go to my Amazon author page and hit the *like* button on the upper right side. Here’s the link. http://www.amazon.com/Prudence-MacLeod/e/B0079XOY8U 

If you have an author page drop your link into a comment and I’ll go *like* it for you. Thanks for stopping by, good luck!

A Reader’s Rebuttal

Hi folks, time for an update on the one star review post I made a few days ago. As I said then, you can't take them to heart. I received this letter in the e-mail just a few short days later. I have to say, I am blessed to have such articulate and devoted readers. Truly I am blessed. 

This gentleman's defense of my work should reassure any writer out there that a one star review is not the end of the world.

"Dear Ms MacLeod,

After reading your blog from a few days ago, the one containing my reveiw of it, I went to Amazon and read the one-star reviews on the book.  I read the book again last night, and I'm putting the following up on Amazon.

I read the one-star reviews because I truly loved this book, and I wanted to see exactly what the complaints were. Now I'm more confused than ever.

"rainbow goddess" said "horrible writing and lack of punctuation". What? Which book did she read? The copy I have has no lack of punctuation. I didn't find a single instance of incorrect punctuation except for a single "close quote" which was missing. Does this lady actually know what correct punctuation is? And I loved the writing. The characters were realistic and the plot was riveting, and the setting was dramatic. Where is the "horrible" part?

Yes there was a power imballance between the women, most of her romances contain exactly that situation, one which she makes work quite well. What's the problem with that? If a reader doesn't like it, read a different author.

"they have no problems whatsoever"? Huh!?! Does "rainbow goddess" miss the part where Kassidy ALMOST DIES?

"The falling in love overnight part was disappointing". Oh, my. This reviewer isn't going to like any of Ms MacLeod's books, is she? The premise in Prudence MacLeod romances is that letting go of the past and clearly stating your needs and speaking positively CAN and DOES call love to one and that this can and does happen immediately.

"doggy delight" said, "This author is confused over styles". I don't see it. I think "doggy delight" is confused over styles. And she clearly does not comprehend the concept of review. Give examples, state specifics, vague claims of confusion are not acceptable reviews.

Cristo Webb said, "overdone, stiff and lacked any substance". I don't know what book she read. I really don't. I think that the plot of a hitherto-heterosexual woman making what some would think of as a devil's bargain and agreeing to a homosexual relationship in return for food, shelter and clothing is pretty significant "substance". And I further think it was WELL-WRITTEN.

"Bealer "bealer"" said, "excessive use of terms of endearment and stiff dialogue". This slays me. Do readers today have no concept at all of formal English? Is there truly so much literature published in slang, jargon and vernacular that formal English is now considered "stiff"? And how hard is it to comprehend that two people who have given their word to deliberately give loving companionship would naturally and quickly gravitate to terms of endearment as part and parcel of "speaking positively"?

Now let's read the review by "pmmysuz".

She says, "I knew that the book probably wasn't going to be great because of the price but it was worse than I thought. Starts out with a great premise then gets all sickening sweet and gooey. A good idea turns into nothing."

I'm sorry, but all I can say in response to that is WTF?!? "Gets all sickening sweet and gooey" is what romance novels are SUPPOSED to do. And that is the only comment she makes at all. That is her only premise for a one-star review, the book performs as advertised. Well, exc-u-u-u-se me!

My review: I love the book and I strongly recommend it to anyone."

Now for the ROW80 goals

1.  Finish the first draft of my current project and get it off to my editor.  CM Crawford is a great editor and has very reasonable rates. Heck, she’ll even work for Amazon gift cards. The girl loves to barter. You can find her page here:

http://powderriverediting.blogspot.ca/

Done!

2.  Get the next project over 15K words

Over 2K now and climbing nicely.

3.  If Ms. Crawford gets the first project back to me in time, finish the second draft during this round. If not then I will finish and hopefully publish it during the last round.

So, one thing you can do to help is to go to my Amazon author page and hit the *like* button on the upper right side. Here’s the link. http://www.amazon.com/Prudence-MacLeod/e/B0079XOY8U  If you have an author page drop your link into a comment and I’ll go *like* it for you. Thanks for stopping by, good luck!

Technological Update

Hi folks, just an update to my technology issues concerning book covers. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I feel quite lost with modern tech and was planning to retreat into old tech, aka, pencil and paper. I’ve been mulling it all over in my mind.

(This is me mulling.)

A number of you good folk were concerned the old girl might be slipping backwards. You were kind enough to send me different techniques for master the dreaded Photoshop, and I honestly do appreciate your advice. I will heed it in the weeks to come, for I have formulated a new plan. Learn to sketch then meld the two technologies. I’ll keep you fully informed of my progress.

Meanwhile, Skip Maslan has pointed me to some software that will probably solve the problem in the meantime. Skip, bless your heart. I will investigate this and see what I can come up with.

All right now, here’s the question of the day. Brain cross over; I’m right handed so that is controlled by the left hemisphere of my brain, right? Writing is a left brained activity, but, drawing is a right brained activity. So here’s the thing, if my left brain controls the writing, shouldn’t the right side of my brain control the drawing, and if so, taking into account the cross over effect, should I try to learn to draw with my left hand?

Mull that over a bit yourselves and let me know your thoughts.

Trying Old Tech

I recent weeks I’ve hit a strange dilemma.  I decided I wanted to upgrade many of my book covers, but I want to do it with something I have created on my own.  A part of the motivation is cost, and the rest is I like the idea of creating something unique for myself.

In the past my friend Justin has made many of my covers for me. Sadly, I seem to have lost track of him.  Another good friend and gifted artist did the cover for A Simple Twist of Fate, however, she is a busy girl and I hate to impose.

I’ve had a couple of folks offer and one professional trying to get started offered, but there are always issues; unable to connect intellectually on the ideas and or these, unreliable, etc. So that brings me back to having a go at it myself once again.

I decided to go hi-tech; my computer does have the latest version of photo-shop on it. Should be easy enough to create something perfect right? Wrong. I am not tech-savvy enough. All the tutorials and instructions I have found are way over my head and ability to grasp. They might as well be written in Klingon.

I could go back to the old default, a camera and a good photo of something that will relate back to the book in some way, but that’s not really what I want. So what to do? Spend the grocery money on a dozen or more professional covers, or think outside the box? Box? Crayons? No, not quite. Box of pencils perhaps; yeah, that might work if I add in a bit of photography, but there’s a problem. I have trouble drawing stick men.

All things considered, I have chosen to go the pencil route as an experiment. There are many “how to draw” courses on line, and I do understand the technology, pencil and paper. Yeppers, that’s tech my generation can understand. So, with that in mind, I’m off to the city for a few supplies. If it works out I will post lots of pictures and possible covers; if not I will never mention it again. Wish me luck!

Now on to the ROW80 goals.

1.      Finish the first draft of my current project and get it off to my editor.  CM Crawford is a great editor and has very reasonable rates. Heck, she’ll even work for Amazon gift cards. The girl loves to barter. You can find her on her Facebook page here:

http://powderriverediting.blogspot.ca/

Done! Success! The first draft is in the hands of the editor.

2.      Get the next project over 15K words

Over 800 words on three different possible projects. A decision will soon have to be made on which one to focus on.

3.      If Ms. Crawford gets the first project back to me in time, finish the second draft during this round. If not then I will finish and hopefully publish it during the last round.

So, one thing you can do to help is to go to my Amazon author page and hit the *like* button on the upper right side. Here’s the link.

http://www.amazon.com/Prudence-MacLeod/e/B0079XOY8U 

If you have an author page drop your link into a comment and I’ll go *like* it for you. Thanks for stopping by, good luck!

Sell Books for Steve

Folks, today’s post is a bit different. Please click on one or both of the links below and check out the page that comes up. This blog speaks for itself and explains why tomorrow, Monday July 16^th , 2012 is such a special day. Please tell your friends, Tweet the message and spread the word anyway you can.

Thanks so much.

http://handcuffedtotheocean.com/

http://www.omnimysterynews.com/2012/07/sell-books-for-steve-day-monday-july-16th-1207151303.html

And now for the ROW80 goals.

1.      Finish the first draft of my current project and get it off to my editor.  CM Crawford is a great editor and has very reasonable rates. Heck, she’ll even work for Amazon gift cards. The girl loves to barter. You can find her on her Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/cm.crawford.5 

Going great guns here. I’ll have the first draft finished and on its way to the editor before this time next week. Work on goal #2 will begin the following week.

2.      Get the next project over 15K words

3.      If Ms. Crawford gets the first project back to me in time, finish the second draft during this round. If not then I will finish and hopefully publish it during the last round.

So, one thing you can do to help is to go to my Amazon author page and hit the *like* button on the upper right side. Here’s the link.

 http://www.amazon.com/Prudence-MacLeod/e/B0079XOY8U 

If you have an author page drop your link into a comment and I’ll go *like* it for you. Thanks for stopping by, good luck!

Loose Ends

Hi folks, it’s time for the ROW80 check-in again. First, though, I want to give all writers and aspiring writers a little reality check. People, the minute you publish anything at all you open yourself up to the madness. There are folks out there who will attack you with a vengeance and there are those who will love you for they will see what you were trying to tell them.

Here is an example: my book, At Loose ends.

http://www.amazon.com/At-Loose-Ends-ebook/dp/B007A3AT24/ref=la_B0079XOY8U_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342026062&sr=1-1

Now here’s a one star review of this book:

This book was so bad in fact I made a new section under book collections on my kindle titled "sucked" and this is the first entrant.
I agree with the other reviewers that the over all idea was great and I was actually looking forward to reading it because I thought the primise of how 9 /11 affected livlihoods and relationships was something of interest to me. However it was so over done, stiff and lacked any substance to grab onto to enjoy. I am an avid reader and can manage my way through most books but this book plain pissed me off it was so bad that I couldn't finish it.

Here is a letter I received concerning the same book:

Dear Ms MacLeod,

I am now reading At Loose Ends for the second time.  This time through I have had time to go slowly and recognize how good it really is.  This is dramatic, powerful, emotional, tightly-scripted, fully-developed, excedingly well written.

The scene where Teagan has her meltdown and runs fro the cafe, certain that Kassidy will laugh at her for making the proposal is dynamic.  But the scenes where Kassidy slowly gets more and more desperate to reach Teagan, using up quarters on pay phones, being shunned at the shelter, breaking her glasses, finding the cafe closed and breaking down to sob in the cold--wow!

This book tugs at my heart in ways that my favorites (Deliberate Love and Second Chance) are not able to because those books do not have the pathos or life-threatening need of At Loose Ends. 

See, the same book, but two different outlooks on the story. Oh yes, just in case you’re wondering, At Loose Ends is my best seller so far. Moral of the story? You can’t please all the people all the time. Just do your best and ignore the rest. You will reach the people you were meant to reach. Keep writing. Keep publishing.

Now for the ROW80 goals.

1.      Finish the first draft of my current project and get it off to my editor.  CM Crawford is a great editor and has very reasonable rates. Find her here if you’re looking for a reasonable editor who is really good. http://powderriverediting.blogspot.ca/

I am very pleased with my progress here. I am now over 57K and counting. Soon I’ll be ready for the first read through.

2.      Get the next project over 15K words

3.      If Ms. Crawford gets the first project back to me in time, finish the second draft during this round. If not then I will finish and hopefully publish it during the last round.

Goals 2&3 are dependant on me accomplishing goal #1. Getting there.

Now folks, for something I feel pretty strongly about, please check out this link and read the post you find there. Thank you. http://handcuffedtotheocean.com/

Perfect Day

 Today I’m having one of those special days. You know the kind, when everything goes right from the start. I woke up to see a beautiful face smiling at me. As I said, “I love you” I heard tails begin to thump on the floor. I greeted the boys then let them out before taking at first look in the mirror. My hair look great and so did I; yes, I even had my glasses on. My joints weren't even a bit stiff.

So I started the coffee pot then fed the dogs before starting up the computer. I checked on FaceBook and WANAtribes to find that at least three of my friends had books in the Amazon top 100, two nearing the top 50 and one shooting for the top spot. That gave me a real boost. I then made boiled eggs with barbequed salmon with a side of blueberries for brunch to share with my beloved. Life is good.

Now, on to the ROW80 goals.

1.      Finish the first draft of my current project and get it off to my editor.  CM Crawford is a great editor and has very reasonable rates. Heck, she’ll even work for Amazon gift cards. The girl loves to barter. You can find her on her Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/cm.crawford.5

The WIP is now well over 53K words and I am pleased with the progress; time to start thinking about a final title and a possible cover.

2.      Get the next project over 15K words

3.      If Ms. Crawford gets the first project back to me in time, finish the second draft during this round. If not then I will finish and hopefully publish it during the last round.

Goals two and three must wait until I can complete goal number one. It is all connected. J

If you are willing, could you go to my Amazon author page and hit the *like* button on the upper right side. Here’s the link. http://www.amazon.com/Prudence-MacLeod/e/B0079XOY8U  If you have an author page drop your link into a comment and I’ll go *like* it for you. Thanks for stopping by, good luck! Hope your day is even better than mine.

Whale Pics

Sorry folks, but I had to take down the pics of the whales. I'll keep my eye out and see if I can get a few of my own.


Okay, I have had several requests for whale pictures. Here they are. Now, I will readily admit I did not take these actual pictures, nor am I aware of the sources. However, I have seen similar sights more than once since moving to this island. As soon as I get a better camera I will begin hunting for pics of my own. In the mean time, the best time for whale watching is late June, and July. Living here you could easily see whales or dolphins from the cliffs or from the decks of the ferry boats. Enjoy!

This is the most common sight, the back and fin.

Large fins as she rolls on her back.

This is a breach. The most impressive I have ever seen was in 2004 off the coast of St. Anthony. The big beast actually came fully out of the water. Wow, that was so impressive.

Bye for now.

Success and Whales

I know, catchy title, right? So here’s what it is all about. I was lucky catching a boat this morning; the waters were calm and the air crystal clear. I sat outside on the upper deck watching the peaceful waters glide by. It was so peaceful. Later in the afternoon, I was on the way home, back on the top deck, and the patience was rewarded. Whales. I passed a pleasant trip chatting with a new friend and whale watching. Life on this small island isn’t all bad by half.

So, how did I do on my goals? Let’s take a look.

The Goals

1.      Finish the first draft of my current project and get it off to my editor.  CM Crawford is a great editor and has very reasonable rates. Heck, she’ll even work for Amazon gift cards. The girl loves to barter. You can find her on her Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/cm.crawford.5

I’ve made some serious headway on this one. I’ve reached 50K and am quite pleased with it.

2.      Get the next project over 15K words

Okay, this has to wait until the first one is finished. Got a few ideas though.

3.      If Ms. Crawford gets the first project back to me in time, finish the second draft during this round. If not then I will finish and hopefully publish it during the last round.

Again, this one is a waiting game.

Yes indeed folks, play time is over, we’ve got work to do! I may need you to crack the whip at me from time to time.

So, one thing you can do to help is to go to my Amazon author page and hit the *like* button on the upper right side. Here’s the link. http://www.amazon.com/Prudence-MacLeod/e/B0079XOY8U  If you have an author page drop your link into a comment and I’ll go *like* it for you. Thanks for stopping by, good luck with all your own goals!

Play and Success

First I want to talk about the play stuff. There’s a great new store on ETSY. Check this out. http://www.etsy.com/shop/PurpleRoseBoutique 

  I recently acquired several pairs of earrings and a necklace from this artist. I do so want more.

What brought this on? I was celebrating the successful achievement of a goal I set out in the New Year. I wanted to publish six novels this year and Shelly’s Turn was number six, so I rewarded myself with a few sparkly bits.

Ok, for the most part, ROW80 has helped me keep on track. In that vein I am setting out three major goals for round three. I will, of course, continue to read and comment on several blogs, probably daily. (Okay, so I’m addicted) I will also read as many books as I can manage to squeeze in and even review a few, but these are standard practice. These will be the new goals:

1.      Finish the first draft of my current project and get it off to my editor.  CM Crawford is a great editor and has very reasonable rates. Heck, she’ll even work for Amazon gift cards. The girl loves to barter. You can find her on her Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/cm.crawford.5

2.      Get the next project over 15K words

3.      If Ms. Crawford gets the first project back to me in time, finish the second draft during this round. If not then I will finish and hopefully publish it during the last round.

Yes indeed folks, play time is over, we’ve got work to do! I may need you to crack the whip at me from time to time.

So, one thing you can do to help is to go to my Amazon author page and hit the *like* button on the upper right side. Here’s the link.

  http://www.amazon.com/Prudence-MacLeod/e/B0079XOY8U 

 If you have an author page drop your link into a comment and I’ll go *like* it for you. Thanks for stopping by, good luck!