Dazed and Confused

Well, I got the Wordpress thing going and...I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Like, I want to get an "about" link on the main page, but I don't see how to do it. And the sidebar only has room for two widgets? How bogus is that?

Time to call in the professionals...

Baby, I Was Dead-Ass Broke!

Banks. I hate 'em. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. Well, you can, but don't let your neighborhood Nike boys know that.

So what's broke mean? When you've got lint in your wallet and no job? But what if you have $25K computer system at home (purchased in better days)? You could probably get at least $15Gs for that. So are you broke, or do you just have a cash flow problem? What about the guy who's got trust funds galore, but can't get to them (or a job). Working as a waiter with $30M in the bank.

Take my sister. When she says she's broke, she's down to four figures in her checking account. When I say I'm broke, my checks are bouncing around like hydrogen molecules over the fire.

Maybe it's like if you have nothing right now but have access in the future, you ain't broke. But if you've done already sold everything you can sell, like your car, your neighbor's car...and you've got nothing left that might bring in a coupla coins, maybe that's when you can say you're dead-ass broke.

Thoughts?

(I know, weird topic)

Speaking of Fishing...

Ah, the timing was perfect. Seemingly minutes after I wrote that post about agents and publishers being fish and writers the fishermen, I received two nibbles within days of one another. One from a publishing house, another from an agent. Is this a case of "build it and they will come?" Naah. I think it's more coincidence. But a lovely coincidence all the same.

First time I've gotten past the query stage. Keep that good mojo comin' folks!

Black Rose Press

is not a reality, but I reserved the domain name the other day. Since starting this journey, I've always said I'd like my own publishing house. It doesn't matter whether I'm the only client, or if I have a stable. I'll tell you this, though--it'll be an e-book concern. That's the way of the future. It's about data storage. As many books as I can fit on a Kindle, a Sony, or the Nook, I don't have in my library. And my shelves are full. So anyway...

I'll be saying goodbye to blogspot pretty soon, abandoning it for my own domain. It's too isolated. And it's time I got seriouser about this writing business.

Promise Fulfilled

I remembered to bring my camera to CapClave. I did not use it. But I brought it, and that's what counts, right?

No. I'd promised to post some pictures, but I don't have any. So technically, I reneged. The whip, please...

Met up with old friends and made some new ones. Jeez, I just love cons, even small, weird ones like CapClave. It's a literary con as opposed to media. Books, books, books.

Attended a couple of interesting sessions. One was on reading to an audience, especially on radio or podcasts, things like that. It was moderated by Jim Freund, host of "Hour of the Wolf" on WBAI, 5-7 AM, 99.5 FM in NYC. I loved what he said at the end. To read on his show, "you don't have to be famous, you just have to be good." Now if I can only get my ass published...

I Promise

CapClave is tomorrow. This time I promise to bring a camera. Whenever I go to cons, I always make that promise, but I rarely follow through. I think the last time I brought a camera to a con was a couple or three Balticons ago. When I come back from CapClave, I will post pictures.

I promise.

I also think I'll start doing podcasts and posting them here. I'm doing two next year for Broad Universe, and I've already bought the mic. Personally, I think it's a wonderful idea. Add some content besides my own rantings. Of course, reading from my works technically qualifies as rantings but we'll just leave that minor point aside.

You, of course, will be the guinea pigs. But I promise not to post pictures of my paintings. I do reserve the right to change my mind if I come up with a good one.

Did I tell you I bought a couple of disco balls? No, the real thing. I'm going to hang them in my living room. One's silver, the other gold. Saturday Night Fever, look out! Actually, the reason I bought them is because I wanted to be reminded of what Melera's eyes look like. Hence the gold mirror ball.

Who's Melera? She's the alien star of my book, The Underground.

About that camera--better check the battery before I head out the door...

Gone Fishing

It occurred to me as I was eating my broiled trout that agents and publishers are like fish and we would-be writers are the fishermen. We dangle our query letters in front of them, hoping they'll be interested enough to take the bait. Most of the time they aren't and don't. So the fisherman moves on to other waters, hoping he'll have better luck. When the agent/publisher does bite, now begins the fight to get the fish over the gunwales. Sometimes the fish wins, and the fisherman has to start all over. But each time we get a bite, there's always the hope that we'll reel our fish in. If so, we say we've "landed" an agent or publisher, just as if they were literate marlins.

Today, someone took my bait. Only question is whether I can wrestle him into my boat.

And if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, get your mind out of the gutter.