Sunday, August 11, 2013

Murfreesboro Writers Group: Calling All Readers!

Murfreesboro Writers Group: Calling All Readers!: The Murfreesboro Writers Group is holding a special  group book signing and sale ! Save The Date!  Saturday November 02, 2013 10 AM-2PM ...

Friday, May 24, 2013

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Words for the Writer!!

Looking for that "just right" phobia for your
 novel? 

ailurophobia


fear of cats
algophobia fear of pain
amathophobia fear of dust
amaxophobia fear of riding in a car
ambulophobia fear of walking
anglophobia fear of England or the English
anthrophobia fear of humans
anuptaphobia fear of staying single




http://phrontistery.info/phobias.html

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

The MUST haves for an author....

Several times in recent months I’ve had consultations with authors that really surprised me. These typically happen at writing and publishing conferences. One of the best reasons to go to these events is to get a totally new take on your book from someone inside the publishing industry....
For many authors, this is the first time they’ve talked about their publishing plans and the concept behind them.
As someone sitting on the other side of the table, by this point you expect that an author will have some or all of these things worked out:
  • Their pitch, the tightly encapsulated, 30-second summary that will tell you what the book’s about, what other books it’s like, and what market the book is intended for.
  • Their category, niche, or genre, the exact shelf, either real or virtual, where their book will be at home, and the books against which it will be compared.
  • Their persona, the specific aspects of their own personality that they will be projecting as an author in promoting and marketing activities.
After all, launching a book and, by extension, a publishing career, is a complex task with lots of layers of meaning and action all rolled into one.
None of these attributes is cast in stone, unchangeable. But authors still know they need to have thought about these things when they get ready to step over the threshold into public view. ...

to read the full article , click on the link below



Friday, April 26, 2013

Can I transfer my copyright?

Are copyrights transferable?Yes. Like any other property, all or part of the rights in a work may be transferred by the owner to another

to transfer copyright

How Do I Copyright My Work?

Copyright Basics

How long does a copyright last?The term of copyright for a particular work depends on several factors, including whether it has been published, and, if so, the date of first publication. As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years.

Do I have to renew my copyright?No. Works created on or after January 1, 1978, are not subject to renewal registration.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Publetariat Destroyed by a Hacker.”

Publetariat Hacked!

 Joel Friedlander stated on his blog--was shocked to receive this note from my colleague April Hamilton:
“Last week, Publetariat was named one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Sites For Writers for the fourth year in a row, and this year it was also singled out as one of the “Best of the Best”.
Yesterday, Publetariat was destroyed by a hacker.”
My heart sank. As a website owner who relies on this site and other web assets for my livelihood, I was completely aghast.
Sure enough, heading over to Publetariat, April had left a “note on the door” that reads, in part:
“As a totally non-profit, volunteer-staffed site, Publetariat lacks the resources and staffing to keep recovering from these malicious attacks.
The site is currently not accessible or properly functional, though its content is still contained in the site’s database.”
April has helped thousands of indie authors get started in publishing, and was an early pioneer online. She has also reprinted and publicized my articles as well as those of numerous other bloggers in the indie field, and also provides our content to Kindle Nation Daily.


Monday, April 15, 2013

Cult preparing for the second harvest ..

Former members of the Heaven’s Gate Cult have been posting conversations about the expected second harvest of souls…. Heaven’s Gate is the cult who committed the largest mass suicide on US soil, in Rancho Santa Fe, Ca March 26, 1997, when 38 followers and their leader, DO (Marshall Applewhite) exited their vehicles (took their own lives) following what they believed to be a UFO hidden behind the Hale-Bopp Comet. 
Some may think that the group ended with the mass suicide, but this is not the case.  The cult is believed to have had more than 90 members in its 20+year existence, and several former members are leading the way for new converts, using modern day social media to spread the word.    
Former members and new recruits believe another harvest is coming—a second chance to follow their beloved elders (leaders) to the Next Level, a place above human.  There has –as yet-been no discussion about another mass suicide, only about a second chance to follow them. 
The cult’s website is still active and contains the cult’s beliefs and philosophies, along with printed materials and training videos used in the cult “classroom”.  The website is maintained by former members Dave and Sarah King.  Other former members including Stephen Sawyer openly talk about their beliefs on Blog Radio, You tube, and Facebook.
Second harvest or second suicide?  Remains to be seen. 

A biogrpahy of one former member's suicide

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Books & Games that NO One should publish!!

http://writersweekly.com/the_latest_from_angelahoycom/007910_04102013.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+writersweekly+%28WritersWeekly.com+-+Freelance+Writing+Ezine%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Amazon
the Pedophiles Guide to Love & Pleasure
originally published by Amazon

the autobiography of the Olympic Bomber--also
originally published by Amazon

Video Game involving Rape
In Rapelay, gamers direct a character to sexually assault a mother and her two young daughters at an underground station, before raping any of a selection female characters.-a Japanese video game

I beleieve in the first amendment, but what publisher wants these items in thier catalog?  Who buys them?  If money speaks, then let's start talking!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

16 Years Ago Today...

The 39 bodies of the Heavens Gate Cult members who committed mass suicde were found near San Diego, California....


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven's_Gate_(religious_group)

one members story....

www.ClosingTheGate.com

Monday, March 25, 2013

Heaven's Gate Cult -the Elvis Connection

The Elvis Connection
As the 16th anniversary of the Heaven’s Gate cult mass suicide approaches, my thoughts turn to my brother’s decision to follow his cult family and leave this world. Sometimes this brings memories of Jimmy as a baby, sometimes as a young man struggling to find his purpose in life. 
This month, as my husband and I traveled to Memphis for a weekend vacation, we visited Graceland, I was reminded of my brother’s love of Elvis, his music, his movies, and his life.  In 1976, Jimmy was living with my family  in Norfolk, VA, and we had the opportunity to see Elvis in person, when he performed nearby at Hampton Roads, VA. Jimmy and I talked about the chance to see Elvis in person, to hear him perform and experience his strong presence. It was an event I will long remember, not because of the event, but because it was one of those missed opportunities.  I simply could not afford the ticket price, so we did not attend.  I recall Jimmy’s disappointment and anger, and my own remorse, especially when Elvis died a few months later. 

As we toured the grounds of Graceland this month, , and stood near Elvis’ grave, I found myself surrounded by an intense quiet as other visitors stood in silence at the Graceland Mediation Garden. This is the place where Elvis, his mother, father, and grandmother are buried, and where a small marker serves as a reminder of his twin brother who died at birth.  For me, it was both a reflection of the impact of Elvis' life, the loss of someone so talented and young (42), and a sad recollection of my brother’s death, also at a young age (36). 

Although I wrote about my brother’s life, his involvement with Heaven’s Gate, and his death in the biography, Closing The Gate, I still find myself deluged with small memories like this one-memories of things I had long ago forgotten. When a memory such as this resurfaces, I return again to the remembered moment and then all too quickly, to Jimmy’s death and the loss of his presence in my life    

Although Jimmy loved much of Elvis music, his all time favorite was “In the Ghetto”, and his favorite stanza may have been a hidden message…one we should have better understood.   

“People, don’t you understand
The child needs a helping hand “
Excerpt from “In The Ghetto” by Scott Davis

Friday, March 22, 2013

One year birthday!

Closing the Gate was launched March 24. 2012 One year ago Sunday!!! Thank you for all your support.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Ebook coming soon via Book Baby!


Hi all!   Exciting news--no date yet, but Closing The Gate will soon be out as n ebook--through Book Baby!





Monday, January 21, 2013

Inauguration

Alicia Keyes was great but I would like to have heard. Brad. Paisley too. Instead of the t v talking heads!!

Friday, January 11, 2013

10 TOp Tips for self publishing

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2013/01/matthew-turner/




Do you think self publishing might be for you?  follow some of the great authors like Lawrence Block (his blog linki is below) and use the linked tips (link above) from the Book designer blog (Joel Friedlander)


I moved very tentatively into self-publishing. Some publishers who’d reprinted early titles of mine—Hard Case Crime, Subterranean Press—were good enough to furnish word.doc files, and I taught myself how to publish them for Kindle,and had a few others scanned to keep them company. I withdrew them when I made an eBook deal with Open Road for 40+ backlist titles, but soon found myself back at the Kindle Direct Publishing platform, offering uncollected short stories at 99¢.

http://lawrenceblock.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/all-changed-changed-utterly/