I've been thinking about that flier campaign I'm getting prepped for the Port Chicago book. More than 300 addresses. It's direct mail and you don't see that much in publishing. Certainly not fiction. Port Chicago Isn't There Anymore is nonfiction and the addresses in the mail campaign are specifically targeted. I mean--specifically. Almost all ( Read more... )

Yesterday, I got a bill for my Wells Fargo Visa card for $00.00. That's how much I own this month. Here's my question: should I pay it? Or not ( Read more... )

I took yesterday off and slept, mostly ( Read more... )

I saw the "ad" for Pax Dakota in Sci-Fi Channel magazine. It's not an ad. It's part of the regular section on just-released books Scott Edelman notes in the back of the magazine. Pax Dakota is one of eight thumbnails in a box titled "Focus on Fiction." No review, but it is something ( Read more... )

Peter Orullian tells me I'm a bad boy for not posting at least once a week. He's right. But by the time I get to opening the journal and thinking about writing something, I'm ready for a nap and nap always wins. But today, I reversed morning routine and here I am. Don't get used to it ( Read more... )

I just got a contact from Yard Dog Press for my short funny novel Rock 'n' Roll Universe. It'll be out in 2009.

Time management is a crucial element in writing. I ain't telling you nothing new, but those of you who've dealt with or taught newbies know that this basic element of the game is often a sticking point. I ain't saying nothing new when I say that it may be the difference between amateur and pro, writer and wanna be. When they learn to manage their ( Read more... )

For a while there, I thought I’d blog at least a few words once a day, but that won’t work. I had a complication that required 100% of my attention. It’s passed (so to speak) and I’m back ( Read more... )

I have an interesting connection to Clarke. My first professional story sold was titled "The Nine Billion Names of Arthur C. Clarke." It appeared in the July 1996 issue of VB Tech Journal (Dean Smith edited) along side a story titled "Fractal Man" by Jack Williamson. (How 'bout that--my first pro sale appears with an original Williamson story.) ( Read more... )

I got a little PR done this morning, did my usual nap, and now I'm up. I mean--UP. I'm feeling like Superman (sorta) and I'm dressed and ready to Go Somehwere. I've been housebound essentially since January 17 and I need to take the next step to returning to a semi-normal life (given the restrictions of my cyber plumbing). I'll start by taking a ( Read more... )