Making Plans - - Big Plans.

 Today, just because I could, I drove to El Reno, OK, which is about 22-24 miles from where I live. I wanted to see if time had changed it, if it was different and if it was, I wanted to know how it was different. I didn't see much change, and I wasn't sure if I was happy about that fact, or not. I suppose in some ways you can say that El Reno, a small city west of Oklahoma City, is the same today as it was literally 50, 60, even 70 years ago. I will say this, it had more churches than I thought it would have, or that I remembered it had. Lots of churches!

    Then, about an hour after I drove there, I took my bestie Jeannie with me out to Okarche and Kingfisher, OK, which is on the same North/South highway as El Reno. Okarche is about the same distance, about 22 miles from Oklahoma City, and Kingfisher is up the road another 10 miles. LOVE LOVE LOVE Kingfisher, Oklahoma! It has literally everything I need, but it doesn't have the two things I want  -- my kids (which include my grands) and it doesn't have my besties.

    So, what to do? I want to move out and I want my own place, but it looks like I'm going to have to make plans to stay relatively close to where I am now so that I can be closer to the grands, closer to the kids, and of course, closer to the besties. Robin and Jeannie have been in my life since I was a kid - - they do mean a great deal to me. I'll end up buying a place in or around where I live now, or maybe down into Norman, OK but it's going to take some time.

    I'll need to save about 10-15% of the house cost so I can get a better house in a better neighborhood, and I'll need to be at my job for about a year so I get better breaks from lenders too. Looks like I'll end up renting for about a year, saving each month, waiting for the interest rates to fall (which they will after November) and I'll end up getting a place that suits me better than one that is farther away - - even though I truly love Kingfisher. I guess Jeannie and I can take a few trips out that way each year - - maybe that will suffice.

    The best thing for me probably, if I'm honest, is a condo. I  know the funding is tougher, but if I'm putting up 10% I should be OK. I don't like lawn work, so the  HOA makes sense to me.  A two-bed two-bath place with 1000 sq ft will be in the $115,000 range with $250 a month for HOA. (The HOA covers the water, sewage, trash, and lawn maintenance as well as the exterior insurance.) I'll be fine. I have never been one to do anything outside the lines so I will fit into an HOA just fine.

    For now, at least the next few months, I'll end up getting an apartment near where I live now and "suffer through" the one-bed one-bath thing for a while - - though to be honest, I'm a cave dog and have no problems with smaller places. Even if I had $$$$ I couldn't see myself buying a big place. I may buy a place with a big barn! I could do that and stuff it full of horses. I could...but I probably won't. I believe those days are over too. I'm just going to be content, which if you think about it, makes more peaceful sense than anything else.

    I'm too blessed to be stressed. This much I know.

Photo Credit: www.flikr.com 

"Murder Book" is an eBook!! (June 22 Publishing Date)

 June 22, 2024 is NOT just my best friend's birthday, but it is also the day that my book "Murder Book" comes out in eBook format on Amazon! It will be sold for $3.99 and of that I am paid $1.60 (which is a LOT lower than I expected!) I was told we were paid 70% but we're not. It's 40% and where that sucks, it's not the money that I'm excited about, it's getting the book out there for people to read!

    When "Mesa" comes out (also June 22, 2024) it will be in PRINT form until about August and then it too, will be in eBook format. I'm doing one book every two weeks and I'm doing them in order for the most part. I want all of the books to have the same chance(s) as the others do.  I don't necessarily like one of my books over another one - - but I am partial (just a little) to "Murder Book".  

    There was a time when I thought I would learn to do the conversion myself, save money, and be the author who did all things by herself - - then I realized how much work it would be and decided that paying .60 per page for them to do it made a lot more sense. I do realize that it means I have to sell about 115 books to break even, but that's OK too. Again, it's not about the money -- it's the good experience. It's worth it. "Murder Book" has 308 pages and it costs $184.80 to get done. It was painless really - - but now I don't have to worry....hopefully.

    I've never seen a book go from print to eBook (my books) but I'm hoping that what I read about the conversion is true. I think all I have to do is pay for it, hit the little button that asks for a free ISBN - - and then hit the other button that says "convert Print to eBook" and BAM!  Done! At least, that is my hope. If I paid $184.80 and I still have to do something, I'm not going to be happy.

    I wanted the books to be $1.99 for the first 90 days and then changed to $3.99 but decided again, that I would have to keep going back and forth, and it would be a headache - - people can pay $3.99. It's cheap. It's a good cheap price for a 308-page book that is fun and it has several sequels. I do it - - I buy three or four books from unknown authors for $2.99-4.99 and think nothing of it. I even paid $8.99 once - - wow! I must have seen something in the reviews that I liked.

    That's another thing; having the book out on Amazon for $3.99 on eBook guarantees me more reviews. I can't say everyone will be kind, but I'm not writing to please anyone either - - I write to write. I have stories in my head that need to be expressed, so I write them. I do hope others like them, and I pray they are read over and over again - - that would make me happy. I want to hear what people think, but if they only want to say mean or rude things -- then yeah, no, I don't want to hear it. I'm not saying they have to lie - - I just want to know if the book was enjoyable.

    So, when you think about it - - write down the date for June 22, 2024, and go to Amazon to see if both "Mesa" and "Murder Book" are available. I'd rather pay $3.99 for an eBook than to pay $18.00 for a printed book. That's just me. I have to fix "Mesa" before it comes out. I'm reading it for its last go around now...it's available, but let me just say - it SUCKS right now because Ingram Spark published it incorrectly, and I have to go in and make MAJOR corrections with the formatting. I have to get them to stop the press on it until it's ready to go.

FUN TIMES!

Photo Credit: PublishDrive.com

"MESA" Correcting It.

 This probably won't be that long of a blog - I have to get into the book and start reading it so I can make all the necessary corrections. I read it as a book because reading it online is too hard for me to do after the 3rd time. I need to hold it, see it, turn the pages, and take the ballpoint pen to the pages when I do find errors. I know I'll find quite a few - - hopefully less than I think I will find - - I am really hoping for less.

    The main thing is, when I first saw it - - right out of the cardboard sleeve they sent it in, I noticed that the dang book is off-center on the front cover - - that will have to be corrected. The entire cover will have to be resized of course, which isn't a big deal, but I hate that I have to. They didn't use the one I sent up apparently, they cropped it somehow and I have to fix it - - they claim I sent it that way - - I hate them so much.

    The back cover has HUGE lettering which will need to be adjusted. It looked fine when I saw it online, but when you see it in person - - not so much. The photo of me is too dark too - - sucks. That's the cover - - the book's interior has a major problem with the space going into the gutter - - the center of the book. There is virtually NO space and I set it up for it to be at least .4 (which means nothing to you, but it's good) and they either didn't take my criteria or the formatting got screwed up when they uploaded. I don't know, but I have to find out before I resubmit. I don't want them to do it and have it be too wide.

    Writing and publishing books is a lot of fun - - but it's also a lot of work. I'll read the book over the week and send it up on Sunday to be redone. It should be ready to buy by June 22. You can "buy" it now, but it won't be printed until June 22 and by then it should be corrected. Fun times for me this week! Good thing I like the book - - and the author. She is so nice to me.

Photos Credit: Peanuts.com

NEW BOOK -- IN THE WORKS (Just Beginning)

 I suppose I could say that this book is now being written in that I have thought about it for over two years, but I've not put it to ink and/or keystrokes until today. Today, I'm working on the outline, or more specifically the things that will go into the outline. I'm doing what I call posting points. I have a notebook, I put a bunch of bullet points on it, and I start posting events; things that take place in the book -- not necessarily in order.

    The way I do this is simple; I literally sit down and write out points, just statements of what I think will take place. Then, as I go back over the points, I start putting them into chronological order to see where it all starts, where it will end, and what the general and/or overall story will be. Of course, the story won't start until the introductions are finished.

    The book will be about 86,000 words. It will be about 320 pages like all the other books. It will be about 30 chapters, and it will have about the same style. I will introduce the main characters, show them in a situation, evolve that situation, and maybe add a few new situations, and it will finally climax and be resolved later in the book.

    The first five or six chapters will be the introduction of the main character Leigh Avery Madsen. She's the lead character, and she's from DeQueen, Arkansas.  She went to college and got a degree in Finance Management. Over time she became a financial planner, but she wanted more.  She uncovers a lot of SEC violations with the new firm she's been hired into, and that leads to her having to make a decision to blow the whistle. Believe it or not, that's not the storyline for the book.

    The next few chapters will talk about the people she meets, the men she has been interested with as opposed to the man she becomes interested in; and the differences between being seen and unseen, being helped and being ignored. There are vast differences in our loves, lives, and leisure. We have so many times when we want to be seen, and so many times when we don't wish to be. This book discusses those.

    The book is a journey for more than just Leigh; she enters the lives of a few unseen and helps them to become seen. She enters the lives of the seen and helps them to become unseen. She enters the lives of the unseen who wish to remain unseen, but she needs to and chooses to expose them - to make them seen. In doing so she is seen and needs to become invisible before she's killed for her efforts to do the right thing.

    The book is a drama book. It is not a thriller, it is not a murder mystery, it is not a hot romance book - - but I will throw in a hot romantic scene -- because I like writing them. There will also be a love story, but not in the traditional way that Hallmark or others portray love; more along the line of what the Bible calls love in this book the main characters are in fact Christians, and the struggle for them is just as real as those who do not profess to follow Christ.

    It's not a Bible-Thumper, but it will mention the love, devotion, and redemptiveness of being a Believer. It will talk about faith, lack of faith, what it means to live by it, and what it means to prove it. There are true feelings and true events in the book. What I'm REALLY excited about is my preacher Charlie Garrett of Sarasota, Florida has given me permission to use his real name, likeness, and mannerisms in the book! Woot!! That makes this book - - super cool. His wife Hideko will be in the book as well, and I'll have Leigh work with Charlie at the projects in Sarasota where many unseen and forgotten live.

    The book is about appreciation. It is about awareness. It is about understanding why some are acceptable and some are made outcasts by those who have the power to do so. It is about inequality; as much as it is about finding ways to combat those who think they have the right to create such inequality. The strong survive; so be strong.

    This book will start in genuine in about a week or maybe sooner, but today I'm writing names, places, dates, things that happen, and conversations that will take place. I'm thinking of backstories for the characters who don't have major roles; there will be quite a few. The main characters will be Leigh Madsen the female lead, and her main interest Mathew James McConner (My name would have been Matthew James if I was a boy, that's why I chose this name and I took out one of the "T"s for good measure.) Charlie is another main character as well. His work is key to the understanding of what it means to be a servant.

    The notebook is full, so full, of details and what I want to add. Most of it must be what Leigh relates to her friends, family, Charlie, or Mathew. She may have a therapist too; I think adding one will help others on the bubble about needing one. Everyone needs someone to talk to - - I have you! I just tell you everything and feel so much better afterward. I also have my dog, my kids, and my best friend - - I won't discount the fact that I also have Jesus. He is first to hear of my every need or complaint; and hopefully my praise.

    The book has started. I won't tell you the title until it is published. There's a reason for it.

Photo Credit:  Charlie Garrett of The Superior Word in Sarasota, FL.  My preacher. You can find him on Rumble.com and YouTube  (The Superior Word) 

eBooks!! They're Coming Soon. (Very Soon)

 I have this really cool job, and I love it. It doesn't pay a lot, I'm not going to get rich, but what it does is allow me to work and have a steady good enough income that allows me to think, be on top of my writing game, and not stress about quotas and all that. It's not fast-paced; it's even-keeled. It's not high-pressure. If I want to, I get up out of my chair (it's in my home office) and I go get coffee, walk the dog, and even run to the store if I want to. I just use that time for break time - - it all works out. I do my job, and I get paid.

    Why am  I telling you this? Well, there's a bonus program with the job. If people I'm calling decide to pay their debts from the claims I'm telling them about, then I get X amount for every paid claim. It varies from client to client. It's not a lot, but if I get over X amount, I get a bonus as well as a commission. I'm a claims adjuster, but we also recover for our clients. That's cool - - I like that. I'm trying not to make too much money so I can still collect my SSA (I'm old) and the thing is, it will adjust next year on what I make this year, so if I have to lose a little next year that's OK, I'll save it this year -- and put it into my books! That's the plan.

    So, in a week when I'm paid again, I'll pay for 2 books to be converted into ePub files and uploaded into my Ingram Spark account. I've decided to pay Ingram Spark to do it, so I know it's done correctly, and I can blame them if it isn't. If I do it, God only knows what can happen to the formatting. It's about $250 per book, some less and some more, but about $250 per book. It's a one-time fee and then I start reaping the benefits of the book sales. I'll charge $2.99 a book and make $2.10 per book. That may not sound like much, but right now for a printed book at $18.00, I only make $1.60!  You do the math.

    That's my plan!! The first books to be ePubbed are "Murder Book" and "Of Kilted Pleasure".  They'll be first, then I'll have "Pinball" and "Edinburgh" done together too. Then it will be "1211" and "Bay Sorrell Ranch".  Since I just wrote "Mesa" I will do it after those books are done, then as I write I'll do the print and the ebook at the same time. The print is free - but the ebook is $250 or so; which is OK, I'm not going to become upset about it. I know I can force myself to learn it, but then again, as I mentioned, if I do mess up and have format errors, that's on me. I'd rather just pay to have them do it.

    Ingram Spark gives ISBN numbers to anyone who publishes with them, and they usually run $30-100 so that's a saving.  This is going to be good. I was going to promote the books, and I will, but it's better to promote them after they are all online as eBooks. Can't wait. I'll be happier when I start seeing sales go up - and any sales money that comes in from the eBooks will go into promotions of said books. Soon, and hopefully very soon, I can be a full time author and travel back and forth to Scotland like I want to - - writing, reading, walking, hiking, playing, listening, dreaming, and praying. I can't think of a better life, here on Earth anyway.

    eBooks make up 21-25% of the book sales now, so that's cool. I know that most people still love printed books, but at $2.99 instead of $18.00 it could be that a lot of people choose eBooks in the future for themselves. I only read eBooks now. I mean, I read my own printed books, but I only order a copy to go through it to see if there are any mistakes, and I correct them and send them back up for correction - - with them doing the eBook instead of me, that's their job!! They won't correct any of my errors, so I'll have to wait until I get the print book corrected before I pay them to transfer it to eBook format.  I can do that.

    This is too cool. Now, I have to figure out how to do the audiobook thing! 

Photo Credit.  www.flippingbook.com 

MESA (It's UP There!)

 It only took me several hours today to get "Mesa" ready for production. I had to go through it ONE MORE TIME as I usually do, and I will go through it again once I've approved it for print. I'll order one copy, go through it as I read it (in my hands as opposed to on the screen) and I'll take a pen to it - marking all the mistakes. Then, I go back to the PDF make the changes, and upload it again. If I do this within 60 days of the original upload I'm not charged.

    Ingram Spark is a good place to publish, but they don't help you whatsoever when you need help. You have to email every time and hope you get someone interested in doing their job. I get that they're busy, I do. I know I'm not the only problem they have, but to say "The file can't be loaded" because of font embed issues is insane!! I take extra care to download them, flatten them, embed them, and print them as Adobe PDF files - - it's so aggravating when they don't take the file because I keep thinking it's something I did or didn't do. Then, on the 11th try - bam! They take it. 

    In a few days, they'll write to me and ask if I approve it. I'll approve it so I can get them to print one copy and send it to me. If there are issues I'll let them know, and re-up it, and reapprove it. It's a hassle, but it's free and it's the best way I can do the whole process. I can't find the mistakes on my own when I just skim over or even go through the file manually. My eyes won't see all of my mistakes until I've been away from the manuscript for at least two weeks. That's why I go ahead and print it but I don't put it up for sale.

    "Mesa" is coming out on June 22, which is my best friend's birthday. I dedicated the book to my daughter Laura, but I know I won't have the thing 100% done for two weeks, why not make it three and celebrate its print at the same time I celebrate my buddy!!  Woo Hoo! It's a plan. It's a good plan too. I like this plan.

    I sent the cover-up and the interior today, and it came back with the embed issue. Naturally, like a dummy, I thought the problem was me and I tore into the cover thinking I hadn't flattened it when I downloaded it. I did it a 2nd and 3rd time, then when it still wouldn't upload, I called Adobe and they helped. They couldn't get Ingram to accept their downloads either - - and then it hit me; it wasn't the cover! It was the interior file. I must have uploaded one that wasn't saved as an Adobe PDF...just a regular PDF.

    OMG!! I hate the number of hoops you have to jump through, but OK, I do understand their need for it to be precise. I downloaded and saved it as an ADOBE PDF this time, and they took it - - yes, yes, yes. I am very happy. It will cost me $5.70 to order one copy. I can't do that of course, until they set it up and have it approved by me - - that will be Thursday or Friday and then it will take another two weeks to get me that copy. I can read it in 2 days, but I do have to wait for a weekend.

    That's going to be June 14-16 and then I can upload the new file with any and all corrections, and the thing will be instantly corrected and on sale June 22, 2024.  It will cost about $19.00 for the printed version, and I'll have the eBooks out soon too. That's the next project -- I will take the next two weeks off and start reading on how to do that exactly - - and I need to find out how to do the whole audiobook thing. I think I'm going to do that as well.

    "Mesa" is done! That makes me so happy.  I'm hoping to write the next book in about 3 or 4 weeks, so I can get it out by August. That's the plan, and then the next by October, and "Cask" will be out by Christmas. Looks like I'm only writing five books in 2024, but that's nothing to sneeze at, right? Five books:  One blog book, two dramas, and two Posh thrillers. It's a good plan -- again, I like the plan.  Now, if I can only get them sold!! That would be awesome. I have a plan for that too - - prayer. (that and promotion)

What is a Locate? (I'll Share)

     My job is to deal with locates. I deal with them every day, 100+ times a day. If there is ONE word, I say more than anything else all day, it's "locate". I'm asking "Did you call for a locate?" or "Were the locates marked or not?" I may say "I checked, and the locates were marked, and they were marked accurately." I am also prone to saying, "What? You did what? You dug a hole without a locate? What are you, nuts?"  NO MARKY  - NO DIGGY!!  ( I say that all the time too.)

    A locate is what a locator is placing on the ground (paint) and in the ground (flag on a metal stick) to mark that right below the locate or marks, is a wire of either the fiber flavor or the copper flavor -- or both. Some wires are aerial (or above ground) you see them attached to telephone poles, but a lot of what I do is underground or buried cable work - - I don't actually do the locate, no, but I am calling folks to see if they did them if they did the when they were supposed to, how they were supposed to, when they were supposed to, because they were supposed to.  You would be surprised how many people across this big country of ours do NOT do this tiny simple job correctly.

    How important is a locate? I'll tell you (you knew I would). If you dig a hole and hit a line when there is no locate you are 100% automatically held 100% responsible for having committed an actual tort, a negligible offense; and you are also responsible for paying for all recoverable damages for having done so. It may be tiny - - you know,  a few hundred dollars. It could be in the millions because you hit a gas line and blew yourself up, and the neighborhood! Yes, it happens. Google that.

    Even if you are just putting in a fence, or post, or doing a bit of deep-rutted gardening, you have to call 811 to get permission to do so because you never know where those communication, energy, gas, water, and sewer lines are. We've all seen colored stripes on the ground around our neighborhoods and the flags too - - do NOT pick those flags! That too is a tort. Do NOT do that, you'll literally put lives at risk if you do. Cameras are EVERYWHERE and you will be caught eventually - - by someone like me who investigates these things. 

    So, you're going to put in a fence, you call 811, they come out and say there are water lines, gas lines, telephone and internet lines, and there are both cable and fiber, above and below the ground. They point out the pedestals, the crossboxes, and anything like a pole or guidelines with anchors that should be an enormous clue that there are wires either above your head or below your feet.  When 811 calls USIC or another locating service, they come out and mark the place. AFTER the mark it, you can dig. If you dig before it is marked, it is a no-no, don't be that guy/gal who I call in a year when the utility company gets around to giving me that claim.

    The locates are tagged with the names of the utility company too: AT&T, Verizon, Windstream, Frontier, Cox, OG&E, ONG, you get the picture. On a busy corner there could be dozens of lines and symbols that the excavators have to understand before digging. Depth of a line is NOT a reason to blame the utility company for YOU having destroyed said line. Remember that; depth is NEVER the root cause, the person digging is the cause. Before the dig, that line was fine - - minding its own business and in working order.  When it is disrupted people lose power, and they complain. That's when and how most damagers are caught.

    Remember those cameras? They're on phones too. People like me and anyone else who sees a person digging without colored flags or marks can send those photos to 811 and guess what - - yeah, about 14% of the photos I get to prove a damager was there come from passersby who caught them digging and/or "inspecting" a pole without a dig mark -- NO MARKY, NO DIGGY!!  I really should make T-shirts that say that.

    Anyway, that's what a locate is, and the next time you see a house flatted because someone cut a gas line, or you lose your internet for no reason, you may find out it's because someone got antsy and dug before calling 811 -- it's a FREE SERVICE PEOPLE....but contractors, subcontractors, bosses, employers who think they're above the law, or that because they own their own equipment that they don't have to follow the rules - - they'll do it. ESPECIALLY IN THE COUNTRY where they think it's OK...who lays lines down in the country? EVERYONE!! EVERY SINGLE FACILITY and UTILITY company does.

    That's my rant - - I'm over it. Do me a favor, go out and look for locates in your neighborhood and if you see someone digging or working without locates visible to your eyes - - because they can't work on expired tickets from 811 - - only valid tickets which are usually only good for 2-4 weeks, take their picture and send it to the good people at 811. (Watch them call me now and ask me to stop telling people to do that.)

Photo Credit. ME.

I Love my Job!

So, I know, I write a lot about writing, but I do love my actual job too. I'm going to tell you what I do, but I'm not going to tell you where I work. Ok...I'll tell you that too; I work from home! LOL...but I'm not going to tell you the name of the firm. Nope. It's so not happening. Did you know, the last two places I've tried to work before I got this job, I had someone (calling herself a friend) who called the potential employer and lied about me. I didn't know what the lies were until a LONG time later; and you can't defend yourself when that happens. I let her go - she is no longer welcome in my life, and by my life, I mean the lives of my family either . She blew it. You don't betray me or my kids and think it's going to be OK. It's not.

    My job is that of a licensed Claims Adjuster. I've been an adjuster for about three years now. I can say that on a resume and not lie - it's true. I have the date on the licenses to prove it. Speaking of licenses, I just got my North Carolina and my Wyoming licenses. I'm now licensed in 11 states; most of which come up for renewal in a month! I have to prepare for that. Anyway, I enjoy what I do.  I'll even explain it to you.

    Licensed adjusters do so many things and for so many reasons. We may work health claims, workers comp, disabilities, etc...or we can work liability claims; think accidents, and homeowner issues. We can work on commercial property damage, political (governmental) claims when the workers for these entities screw up or when there is damage by act of God, or vandalism. I work for a niche section of the claims world; we do claims for public communication and utility companies. Really very unique work.

    All day long I'm talking to people, investigating if they are the damager of a certain property or if they were there when it happened. We try to find the actual person(s) responsible, and when we can't our client has to write it off as a loss. We try to recover when we can, but I won't lie for my company or for anyone else, so what I find is what I find. The evidence leads to where it leads.  

    I recover quite a bit, maybe $150,000-200,000 worth of claims every month actually; and it's fun work. It's not hard, but it is steady. I work a full day starting at 7:30 a.m. and I get off at 4:00 p.m. because I'm in the Central time zone, and we work a great deal of claims back East. If I do work the West Coast, it's OK to get off at 4:00 p.m. because it's 2:00 p.m. by that time, and they're back from lunch.

    I work from home and have a very short commute. I take breaks when I want. I'm not monitored. I'm not under the glass or anyone's thumb. I get my work done, and I clock out when I'm done. I love it.  All of my co-workers are fun, and very different in terms of culture, backgrounds, walks of life, etc. We joke around in Teams and have Teams video meetings two times a week so we can see each other and stay connected.  I truly do love it. I don't think I'll leave anytime soon, unless of course, my books take off, and then yeah - - I'm gone. They know that.

    I did just buy myself a new chair today. I needed a better chair because I sit cross-legged during the day and the one I have now was really taking it's toll out of my hip - I didn't want the "cross-legged" chair because I tried it at the store and didn't like it. I got a big wide chair instead and think it will be OK. We'll see. If not I'll opt for something else, but for now,  I'm counting this as a really good step in thinking I'm sticking around for a while. I'm happy...and the pay!! Oh, it sucks. No, really, it sucks. But that's OK too, I'm not in it for the money - - I'll trade money for relaxation, fun, security, and a group of awesome employers and co-workers any day.  ANY DAY.

    This is good - - I finally feel like I have a good place to call my own.

Photo Credit: Orange Factory Chairs 

Nick Posh Series ( The Plan )

     I've been planning the Nick Posh thriller series for well over twenty years, it's just I never had time to write any of them until more recently. I also didn't know how it would turn out. I didn't know I could write, edit, design, and publish for virtually free, and if I had known that, believe me, I would have started a long time ago.  As it is, I've only been publishing my own books for right at a year. The first Nick Posh book, "MURDER BOOK", was in fact the first book I wrote, edited, designed, and then published on my own. I love that. It could be improved, no doubt, but it is my baby - - I'll live with it.

    What I did today, was to think about the end of the series. I've written four of the ten books and I now know what the other titles will be, what will happen basically.  I'm working on growing them organically to work within the system; meaning, they'll relate to one another in some way.  This way readers can pick up on cues and be familiar with different things that happen, as well as the staple characters in most if not all of the books. 

    Obviously, Nick is a character in all of the books. His friends are mentioned, worked with, played with, and involved. His family of course, will be the books but there will be so much more. He's the hero, but that doesn't mean he won't be bumped around a bit - he will be. He has been. For now, it's good to know that I'm focusing on the 10 books which will be the Nick Posh Thrillers, that way I have a goal and I can meet it. I like setting and meeting goals - - it's very important to me.

    The next book is "CASK". I won't tell you what it's about, but it will take place in America, France, and there will be a time when Nick dips into London, and he takes the train up to Edinburgh for a weekend with his friends. The next book after that is "KINGDOM". It will, by default, take place in The United Kingdom - - all over it. The next book is "SHADOW" and will find Posh back in the United States. I won't say where but it's a very dark place.

    After that, I'll write "DEATH MASK", it will be another American tale, taking place in Texas, but I won't say where or who is involved. There is a cattle drive; I can tell you that, and we'll visit our old friend Dennis Rockford! Won't that be fun?  If you know, you know.  Following "DEATH MASK" I have two more books - - "TULSA" and the last will be "THE DANCE".  With both books, Nick remains in the United States; he makes phone calls to Edinburgh, and Eoghan visits during "SHADOW"; they work together in that one as well as "KINGDOM".

    With "TULSA", Nick is treated to the hospitality of a great oilman, a geologist who hails from Norman, Oklahoma, and who attended the University of Oklahoma. He buys into the rich soils of Green Country and finds himself waist-high in a murder-for-hire plot - not realizing he's been played. You'll like it. I am already writing it in the back of my mind, and can't say much more than it's slick...very slick.  The last book in the series takes place on the West Coast, and around, in and out of the Bay Area. It's not really about a dance -- but the dance of racing; both horse and dog racing.

    You'd be surprised how many vile things take place under the guise of animal parimutuel betting. I say you'd be surprised; you may not be. I wasn't when I dug into it. I expected to see what I saw - not surprised at all! And that's it -  the 10 books will be finished by December 2025 I imagine. That's the plan anyway. I should have "CASK" and "Kingdom" out by this December (2024). I have two other books I'm writing as well; books that are not Nick Posh books - both dramas. I can't tell you about them yet, but I will - - I will. I promise.

    The other plan this summer is to get all of my books into EPub format and uploaded onto Amazon as Ebooks. They will be cheaper and hopefully I can do that without too much trouble. I'm reading about it starting next week, and I'll work on the files over the next month or so. It's a June plan...and yes, I'm writing the first of the dramas about the middle part of June to about August so, I may only get one of the Posh books out this year. We'll see. I hope I can make it happen, but I also have to work and breathe. I do promise to keep you posted. I know I can promise that.

    I just bought the last little tartan book to write and take notes for the last two Posh books. Each notebook has 2 books worth of notes - - except Shadow, it has its own - - it needed its own. Just saying. It's going to be a plot twister. I love the heck out of these little books, I'm telling you. Did you know they've been around for a very long time - about 100 years or so, and many great authors you'd recognize used them to do exactly what I am doing with them. I would love to run across one in an antique store some day - what a find.

Photo Credit:  kinlochanderson.com

MESA (More Done Than Before)

 The really cool thing about "Mesa" is that it is now in the can but I can pull it out this week to work on it, including more tweaks that I'll be doing tomorrow too. It is finished in that it is written, and I've gone through it to do the spacing of the paragraphs and the page setup. It's so close to being done done.

    The thing I like about this stage in the process is that I have completed the cover. I'll post it below. I did change it up from what I had originally wanted to do. I had picked yet another "PRO" photo from Canva, and even though I may actually be a pro member, which I think I am, I don't want there to be any problem later down the road if the book takes off and someone out there claims I stole their photo without giving them proper credit.

    With Canva, you can pick photos, graphics, etc, and not give anyone credit because they were either donated or created to be shared. I always check the "FREE" box  - just to be sure. I like the photos I found though; there are so many to choose from I've never had an issue. Canva is an amazing site if you haven't heard of it; go look! www.canva.com. I used it to make my Christmas Ecard this year too. Good stuff.

    So, "Mesa" turned out about 87% like I thought it would. Nothing I write ever turns out 100% as I intended, and that's probably a good thing. I learn as I go; I change my mind quite a bit too. I let the characters talk to themselves to figure out what they'll say or do in the book. I can look a little weird I suppose to the neighbors; I should really have my blue tooth in my ear when I play out the scenes. At least that way I would appear to be sane.

    Nick and Ralph come out of the whole thing unscathed, but not for the lack of trying really hard on the part of some really bad bad guys who have a thing about making money through underground dirty methods; they like murdering people too. At least we know who these bad guys are - Nick and Ralph figure it out pretty quickly as well.

    I don't write who-done-it type books. I tell you straight up about the cast of characters and all their deeds - it's not about the murders - it never is. It's the disposal of the bodies - that's my jam...well, not my jam, but my writing jam. You know what I mean. These are thrillers, not mysteries. I can let someone else write the secretive things - - I like the chase.

    "Mesa" will be gone through tomorrow for obvious mistakes, and then I'll comb through it another time this week, and again finally next weekend before I stuff it up into the cover and have it all uploaded onto Ingram Spark. I should have it loaded and ready to go by May 26, and then it should be accepted and ready to prove about the 31st of May and on sale thereafter. 

    As always, the first round may have mistakes. I have to physically hold the book in my hands to go through it the last time for unfound errors. Believe me...I wish it weren't so. I would love to be able to catch them after I go through the thing a number of times, but my eyes can't always catch my own mistakes. I have friends who do that for me -- we laugh over a hot cup of coffee and a little side-ribbing. I can take it.

    Be looking for it - - it's actually a lot of fun. I enjoyed writing it anyway.

Photo Credit: ME!!