I keep plucking away at things. I estimate I'll be finished sometime in January with all six novels, but you never know. It's taken me a long time, and a lot of research to get this far. With luck all mistakes will have been corrected. All of them. I'm embarrased over what I found, but I'll keep searching, reading, learning everything I can.

Still editing. Brain is about to implode. Got to get it done.

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I'm up to the letter "P". The editing goes slow but steady. I hear a dial tone between my ears at the end of the day. :-)

A subscriber! One subscriber! I really am pushing myself with what little talent I have, so hang in there. If you did read the full blog, you know I'm between a rock and a hard place, working out of my home. That's all I have. What talents I have, they are the "take what you love to do, and figure out how to make money from that" type of talents. That's what I'm doing now, but it's slow. I need to polish six finished novels, publishing them as paperbacks and e-books, and market them to drive the sales. I'm as green as I can get, and my last electric bill had me using less than a dollar a day. The beans I canned turned out good, and I'll test some of my dills this week. I'll try to post more often.

The new cover art for Central Park, in the Fall, which has a new name, and I have a new name. I still have a lot of editing to do before the e-book is up, with a new paperback, but when I'm done, it will be worth it. The new names mean I don't compete with my old self, and the service provider who needs to go eat shit. I'll put more than my full weight behind my new marketing effort, and my costs will be next to nothing. I'll let you know when I have new news. Things done.

I have work to do. I'll let you know when it's done. See you soon.

I had my first cold in four years this last week, and it continues to be cold and dreary. Snow, drizzle, rain. My first novel is done, formatted, ready to go. I found eleven typos. One last look, and I’ll put it up for sale on several sites. I’ll document things as I get them done. See you next week.

I had three bucks leftover at the end of last month. This month, my overall bills were reduced by $45.00 or more, and with luck I’ll get to save that for later. I needed ink for my printer to start one cash-producing art project, but I’m not about to pay for a new cartridge at my local box store (W**Mart). $31 USD for some black ink? No way. Not on my budget. I drove an hour to shop Office Max and bought recycled. I recycled the old cartridge, too. The gas I used to get there, plus the ink, means I saved ten dollars. I also need to wrap the house in heavy plastic, which I do every winter. Old farm houses are notoriously drafty. I stopped by Menards and saved $14 USD by picking up a 10' x 100' roll. Two birds, one stone.

How did I reduce my bills? I’m green, and I didn’t need to run my air conditioner for over a month. I’d take the moisture out of the air and shut it off. A cooler than normal September meant I was very comfortable, and so was my wife. I also took one car off my car insurance bill. As of last month it doesn’t run, and I can’t afford to fix it. It might be a head gasket, or a cracked head. Don’t know. Plus the starter, brakes, tires . . . The sewer rates went down by $16 a month, too. See you next week.

No post this week. I've been busy. I'll see you next week.

For the second month in a row unexpected expenses sucked up what little I managed to squirrel away. But, I’m not letting it get me down. This month I will buy some ink for my printer, and let my art flow. Also, I’ll be picking up a couple of comics. The character art is what I want to see, and what I want to practice with. Time was I could do a lot with my art, but that was twenty years ago. I could have set trends with my art. Now I can’t seem to get my faces and hands right. You see, manga does have a simple style that’s conducive to speed and accuracy. Mainly speed. These artist get a lot done in a short amount of time. I can do that too, but I need practice. Lots of practice. Also, I’ll want to start plotting my story. While I practice I can map the story from issue to issue. See you next week.

No pictures. The comic concept is proving to be a little more difficult than I thought, but I’m learning a lot. I need to drop by the library and check out a few books, and then seriously look at manga style of character art. See you next week.

Been doing a lot of doodles, thinking about a comic concept that would appeal to a wide audience. Me, I want something profound. A concept that explores more than the human condition. I think I have something in mind that would do that. I want to appeal to both young and old, with a story that boggles even my mind, so my characters are going to be ten years old, trying to survive. In my other blog I talk about the big idea behind a story, one that, without being said, permeates every character’s action and reaction. That’s when I layer in levels of sophistication. Details that take the story up to a new tier of reality. I’m firmly anchoring that philosophy within my mind. I have to come up with character sketches, detailing physical features that define who is who. Names and such have to be provided, too. The world itself, where they live, will also have to be explored until the reality of it is complete. I become them for as long as it takes to draw and tell each story segment. It should be fun, with elements of real danger and possible death. I don’t feel the need to hold back on taking the entire concept to it limits, and then some.

I need ink for my printer, and managed to reach 12,000 words on my new novel. I’m not yet done with chapter three, but I’m coming close. It reads good. I canned more tomatoes, and made grape jelly yesterday. I can’t wait until all the outside work is done for the season, and I can concentrate on my two projects. And next week I will have some pictures. See you next week.

The writing is coming along slowly, with only 8,000 words in two weeks. I’m not worried about my output, simply because it takes a while to get into the swing of things. Seven finished novels has taught me that. Also, the editing of past projects remains a do-a-little-each-day thing, until all past projects are completed. When it comes to the new work, time management has become an issue. I can concentrate fully on books for only so long before I need a break, and art makes for a good distraction. The comics will become a much-needed platform, so must fit into my overall work schedule. One hand washes the other. The problem: How do I remain productive with both? Maximizing output is important to me, especially now. I’m toying with the idea of four days on with my books, and three days working comics. That will allow me to give both endeavors prolonged, concentrated bursts of creativity.

Actually, that sounds like a plan. I’ll let you know how it works out. See you next week.

My big watermelon. Just over 43 lbs. I love it. And I canned more tomatoes. My garden is almost done and over with, btw. The vines have all withered, all but the pumpkin and watermelon. My green beans are going to seed, and I already collected some good seed for next year. Six to seven more weeks of mowing, and no raking leaves, adding that to the garden. I’ll be ready for next year.

While I get rather in-depth on the publishing front over on my Brain Turds blog, there’s more to explore. I’m also slowly editing seven novels. One is done, two is in progress, and three needs one more coat of polish. Four through seven are waiting. Number one needs me to look it over one last time, just to see if I missed anything. When last I looked it was at the peak of perfection, but that was almost two months ago. I gave it some space. But, once it’s done, it’s done. I’ll keep plodding along until all my past projects are ready. Over the next few weeks I’ll be talking to a few art galleries, seeing what I can do there. I’ll be producing a lot of art I should sell. I’m keeping a progress log, too. Of course I’ll share those entries. More next week.

Only three thousand hard words this week. That’s what happens when I start a new project. Until I know where I’m going, get the feel for my people, it’s not easy. My protagonist narrates, and he’s uniquely voiced. The world he lives in is layered, subtle, odd. The idea that drives him and the series is, of course, infinitely huge. But the rest of the characters, as I introduce them in subsequent chapters, they have be real too. Voices all their own. Of course I started a notebook on this, keeping all my many new details in order. I’d be crazy not to have a notebook on this. I am wondering how long my chapters should be. Ten to twelve double spaced pages, using 12 point Times New Roman, isn’t bad. The overall pace of the story lends itself to chapters this long, or short, depending. The main thing is I’m having fun, writing what everybody wants and needs for the foreseeable future.

I canned more beans, but ran out of lids before I could get the tomatoes done. I now have more lids. My big watermelon is almost ready, too. I’ll have a photo of that in my arms (with its weight) for my next post. I have an e-mail to write to my book manufacturer before the next day is out, and my very first grant proposal was turned down. I wasn’t surprised. See you next week.

What I want to do as a writer, and what I need to do as a writer, they’re two different things. I managed 72 pints of good food from the garden. My juicer doesn’t seem to have lasted a third season. I need lots of poster board, and found all my paints. It’s Monday morning, and I need my second cup of coffee. What progress will I have to report next week? I don’t know. I have to stop blogging and start working. See you next week.

The racoons ate most of my sweet corn, but I still managed three pints. I have a lot of yard work to do, a lot of garden work, and in the house I have to set up my art table. A nice private corner to work from. I’m moving too slowly, I know, but I need to be correct. I’m searching, researching, and then embracing everything I can find on-line that will help me obtain my goals. I’ll have more to post next week.

I’ll be doing more canning this week, as I did last week. Also last week, as with this week, I’ll be doing more research. What I’ll be doing to rebuild my life has been carved in stone. How to make money from my choices isn’t as easy. It’s not like I can go out and just flip burgers, which I would, in a heartbeat, if the choice was mine (any job is good money), despite my educational background, but the choice isn’t mine. I need to see to my wife. I have to make my stand from the comfort of my livingroom, using my meager resources. With those cards dealt and in play, I have to hedge my bet. I can’t call and hope for the best. With no ace, or a sleeve to stuff it in, I have to sweat the game out. That’s the hard part. Supply and demand now comes into play. I have to identify the most demand, and then manufacture the best supply. I have to find and target my market. Let them know I’m here. See you next week.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and this week’s post is a picture of what I’ve been doing this week. Pickles, carrots, and more zucchini than I know what to do with. The tomatoes are my first (off the vine), along with the jalapenos, and I’m going to make French onion soup this week. See you next week.

Art costs money. Supplies, marketing, shipping. There are a lot of possibilities to explore in making this idea work. On-line and off, there are distinct possibilities I can use to my advantage. Publishers, many of them, large or small, need cover illustrators and/or designers. I’ve always wanted to do a graphic novel, and sent material to Heavy Metal, many years ago, without success. That was back in the day when you mailed copies of the originals to France, and waited several months for a yes or a no. The comic market is hard to get into, but there is an on-line option for anyone to produce a magazine in which subscriptions are sold, and gaining readership in my problem alone. Also, if I do art for the eBay crowd, I have to be innovative and strange enough to gather multiple bids. Should I pick one and roll with it? Or should I start with one and build up from there. Time is also an issue with me. Lest we forget, I do it all around here, or almost all. I cook, clean, do the yard work and the garden, plus write novel after novel, query after query, synopsis after synopsis, editing them all into some semblance of perfection. All of these endeavors consume time. Each blog entry may take several hours to write, which is why I only post once a week for two, and once a month for one. Still, things are starting to come together. My mind, always filled with good thoughts and clutter, is clearing, and a specific plan of attack is beginning to gel. The cover to Central Park, in the Fall, I did that, and didn’t do too bad, but I could have been better. Practice. I need practice. Stretch my skills. See you next week.

I didn’t have time to write a post of what I did last week, since I didn’t do much to further my overall goals. Sometimes shit gets in the way of getting things done. However, art is where I left off, so I’ll fill this post with art I sold years past. eBay wasn’t as kind as you might think, and I wish there was a better way. Iowa isn’t known as a progressive art venue, so that’s out. I could set up and maintain my own online gallery, but don’t yet have the time, or the marketing dollars. I’m still figuring this one out.

See you next week.

To produce my novels, I got to save me a lot of money. The first thing I’ll do is publish the corrected version of Central Park, in the Fall. That has priority. I’ll redo the cover art, too, using my airbrush. I think that will lend the cover a more professional look. It’s also important to correct the order forms I placed in the back of the book, making them reflect the reduced prices. I should say realistic prices. I think a lot of us self-publishers price themselves out of the overall market.

Nothing will be published by me until I have no other option left. My novels must run through my agent list first, and the publisher list second. Once those two lists are completed, about six months for each book, I’ll be free to do what I want with them. And why not? I just read that agents are having a hard time selling previously published authors. Those with good yet marginal sales. The mid-list authors. I never would have thought a thing like that possible. In fact, I’m not too sure what to think, but I will keep my eyes open. One thing for sure, this time around I’ll have a more rounded marketing plan, something all-encompassing, reaching for the readers. I’ll try to launch Central Park and one other book for the holiday market. I’ve applied for a grant to help do this, and will apply for more grants.

That leaves me with one last thing to consider, and that’s cash flow. I have one talent that lends itself to positive cash flow. I’m a good artist. I can sell my art on-line. I was hoping this blog would pick up, allowing me to showcase my art projects. But, that isn’t happening. Time to look over the social networking sites, and choose one that fits my goals, catering to the strange, bizarrely cool folks on the Web. I have the feeling Facebook is more geared to what I need. I’ll also be looking into doing cover art for small publishers. See what they need, and what I can do to meet those needs, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

I’ve been eating out the garden, and enjoying it. The first batch of beets are ready, and I always pickle my beets. Managed five pints. I did four pints of green beans, too. Large photos from now on, and below is the garden. The corn stalks are waist high. Barring a big storm, I’ll have a lot of corn to eat over the next year. See you next week.

Orange Moon Publishing wasn’t an easy decision to make. I wanted to do something based on everything I’ve been through as a writer. I started submitting novels and short stories before they (and me) were ready, way back in 1995. I read a lot of How To books since then, and started publishing short stories around 2000 - 2003, but what I wanted to do was write novels, and now I write novels. Along the way there was three chances I took (three non-traditional publishers), and I feel I was royally boned three times, put away wet, and have yet to be offered a traditional after-sex smoke. It happens. There are a lot of people that prey on aspiring writers, and their stories litter the World Wide Web. Now I’m careful, seeking only publishers who have a proven track record, and actually pay their writers money. I learned some harsh lessons and moved on.

I want to do more with Orange Moon Publishing, but I don’t have the money. A little publicity aside, I haven’t sold one book from my site. What went wrong is simple enough to explain. I needed to give away signed books. I needed to give them to newspaper outlets, television outlets, talk radio stations, and all the reviewers I could possibly find. Several hundred books, and all the postage that involves, is several thousand dollars I don’t have. Think about how much it would cost if I gave out a thousand books, because, to be fair, that’s how many I would have to hand out to make my book a success, and my publishing company a success. Fifty books ordered and delivered runs me about $350.00, and would cost me about half that in postage to mail them out. There is no guarantee that any of these media outlets are going to do anything for me, free signed book or not, which is why I would have to hit so many with a free signed book. If I’m really lucky, about a third would respond in a way that gives me some needed publicity. That blanket coverage would generate some good sales figures. Since I live on a fixed income, I have to generate my own cash flow. I have to figure out how to generate publicity on the free, first. If it costs me money, that’s secondary.

It costs me $200.00 to produce one book, and it takes me three sales of that same book to pay for the storage fees. It runs me about $350.00 per year to maintain Orange Moon Publishing, regardless. Add $15.00 dollars per year, per book. The startup costs ($1200.00 give or take a sawbuck) are done and over, and now I have the year to year costs of being Orange Moon Publishing. Do I proceed? Should I let it fail?

Money aside, I have six finished novels. These novels are as perfect as I can possibly make them. First, I submit to a long list of accredited agents. Second, I submit them to various publishers who allow submissions from authors without agents. Ten to fifteen publishers. Three big publishers, the rest small publishers. All the small publishers are recognized by agents as real publishers. Publishers of quality, not clearinghouse publishers. After that, I have me, and my own publishing firm.

The problem with publishing yourself is, nobody takes you seriously. So many people out there are writing books, and most of them are of such poor literary quality, they give us serious writers a bad name. We all get thrown into the same sad slot. Only a few gems make it on their own, becoming big reader hits, and when that happens, publishers step in and buy them. One or two books a year might make it to that higher level. Those books then become traditionally published bestsellers. One book alone can give a writer the money to buy a house, a car, new furniture, and pay off past debts.

My options are limited. I start with agents, go to publishers, and then small publishers; then I produce them myself. That’s it. Either way, this is all I have to go on, while I try to break into traditional publishing. That’s the point of this blog. I’m figuring it out as I go along. See you next week.

The writing tools I use, most of those reside in my head. How I use words, how I edit my words, and the stories I tell. My computer uses Windows XP, so that dates the machine, but it does everything I want it to and more. I have notebooks and a pens. I read lots of books. Those are my tools for writing. One good contract can do a lot for me. Unfortunately, I could spend several more years, writing novel after novel, before I get that contract. I have to stack the odds in my favor. That’s the trick, and the rub. I actually have to research, write down what would and could stack the odds in my favor, and then implement those strategies. Those same strategies have to practical, and fit in with my hectic day-to-day life. It isn’t easy when one of the agents I submit queries to, admits to not remembering me, not realizing I sent in several other queries. And, probably isn’t going to remember a thing I do in the future. Women also outnumber men 25 to 1 on almost every agent client list published on the Web. Another strike against me. Yet, I’m a storyteller. I love writing novels. The Brain Turds blog, that details what I’m doing with my novels. What I think and how I feel in any given week. The Central Park blog, I let you read what I write. New posts once a month.

Four big publishers still take books submitted to them without agents, and that’s it. There are about 12 desirable small publishers out there, and only seven want what I write. That limits me to eleven possibilities, plus the agent list I sub to . . . 36 contacts total. That’s the best I can do, the best I can submit to, every contact or market legit.

Then there is me, and Orange Moon Publishing. I blog about that next week.

Last week I talked about my garden, and here are the pictures I promised. Two pictures of the garden, which looks ugly, but isn’t. Already I picked and enjoyed lettuce, radishes, onions. I gave some produce to a neighbor, who is elderly, my mother and my sister. I included a photo of the trash pile left to me by the crew who installed the town sewer system. That’s the half I have left to clean, and most of that is trees and metal. When metal prices rise again, I take it to be recycled, making a few USDs in the process.

I have tools and skills, and I have to remain home to take care of my wife. A small list of thing that are paramount, while meeting my goals. I can list everything all at once, confusing myself, but I’m not that crazy. Take the first item on the list. I have tools. Garden tools, art tools, writing tools.

Land to put the garden on is a tool, there are tools to work the garden with, and tools to save the food with. And I’m using the word "tool" loosely. A hunk of land is a hunk of land, but to me it’s a tool. Rakes, shovels, hoes, and all the drudgery and hard labor that implies. Why else do you think I look so good? Glass jars of all sizes, rings and lids, are more tools. Shelving to place the jars on. Tools. Green tools. People powered green tools. Gardening is green. Green does save money, but like that instant can of soup, it takes some considerable prep time.

My wife and me, we like to garden. Each year we put out a small garden, and I process as much food as possible. Small to me is 50' long by 30' wide, give or take. Onions, beans, tomatoes, peas, carrots, more. If I can grow it, it tastes good, can become part of a soup, it’s in there. I mow an acre of lawn with a push mower, and it has a bag. All those clipping get added to the garden. I turn the clippings under, and I use them as mulch. Everything I can use as compost, becomes compost. Shredded newspapers and junk mail confetti. Chopped up weeds and old plantings. I add as much compost to the garden as I can, all year round. Compost is 100% natural, and doesn’t cost much at all. Gardens thrive on compost. And you can compost anywhere, using containers to garden in. Apartment dwellers take note. You can grow a lot of food on a balcony, and you can compost. I work as much compost into the garden as I can, all summer long, and replant items that have run their course, like radishes and onions. Nothing says lovin’ like a green onion kiss.

I’ll post some photos of my garden before the week is out. I forgot batteries. I’m a busy guy; what else can I say.

"Life is a shit sandwich. The more bread you have, the less shit you have to eat."

　

My name is Mark, and I’m grateful for many things. My health, my wife and sons, the roof over my head, and that delightful quote from above. I’m in the process of rebuilding my life. I turn forty-eight this summer, and contrary to popular belief, it’s okay to fail as long as I never give up. Failure does teach many of the lessons we need to finally succeed in life. Hopefully, as time goes by, I can put those lessons into words.

　

The backdrop to all this is my wife of twenty-three years, who is physically and mentally disabled. I take care of her 24/7/365. I love my wife. I cook for her, clean for her; housework, yard work, garden; whatever it takes. Her seizures (she has a severe form of Epilepsy) prevent her from doing things that could be dangerous. Stairs are dangerous, pots of boiling water, chopping fresh anything with a knife, running with scissors is a given for everybody, but you get the idea. The mental side of it, it’s like living with a perky tween. You can see why I take my job as a husband seriously. She is my life, the last seventeen years by her side every single night and day, and she will continue to be my life.

　

I’m pretty much on my own. My family has helped us all they could. They treat us with decency and respect, keep us close to their hearts, and every holiday we get together for food and fun. We’re po’ folk. It’s what we do. When my wife’s mother died I found out she had cut us out of her will, and my wife’s sisters, several of them, made it a point to show us their new cars. Once sister talks to my wife on a weekly basis but can’t look me in the eye, two sisters rarely talk to my wife (Couple times a year?), and one wouldn’t pick up a phone to save her soul. Me, to them, all of them, I’m worse than garbage. A title I wear with pride, thank you. You can think what you want on that.

　

I want you to understand what I’m up against. I’ve been listing all my options, listing my resources, trying to decide what to do, rebuilding my life with the tools at hand. I make do. Most people throw money at their problems, but I can’t. I don’t have any to throw. We live on a fixed income and food stamps. Therefore, in order for me to get ahead, I have to save as much money as possible, while making as much money as possible. There is one more thing to consider in that oversimplified equation. My food stamps. For every dollar I make, the state takes away a dollar in food stamps. Fair or not, that’s the way it is. Hard to climb out of the poverty pit when Uncle Sam bends you over for every dollar make. My attitude toward all this is one of crafty desperation, and humor.

　

I’m a trained graphic artist and illustrator, and way back when, when I needed to see to my wife’s care full time, I tried to start an agency that dealt in marketing material. Brochures and such. Identity packages. Logos. I took what I had then in resources and produced my own marketing material, sent it out to area businesses large and small. I met and talked with people for eight months and they all wanted something for nothing, and I kept saying I was in this to make a living. At the end of those eight months I was broke. I had to pull back. Being a full-time illustrator, that meant producing and mailing marketing material, and lots of purchased art supplies. This was all before personal computers ruled our worlds, btw. Before scanners, copiers, and color printers could be purchased as a single appliance for under fifty dollars. Back then it cost big money to produce color marketing material. Back then I couldn’t do it. I had rent to pay, food to buy, and mouths to feed. I took my hobby, writing, and came to the conclusion that was all I could afford. Paper, ribbon, postage.

　

Fourteen years later I successfully published every short story I ever wrote. Most short stories published many times, actually. I then decided to concentrate on novels, and have six of them ready to go. I’m almost done with my seventh, and have a very good 20,000 word start on my eighth novel. You want to know where I am now? Nowhere. I got about 700 plus rejection slips to prove it. I blog about those adventures separately over at my Brain Turds blog.

　

Over the years I’ve been ripped off by three online publishers. The last of which became a clearinghouse publisher. They’ll publishing anything, from anyone, with little or no editing. But, I tried. I tried, and I learned.

　

Orange Moon Publishing was my still-born baby. My publishing company, that still could work. Several hundred dollars ($1200 to date) to produce one book, doing everything myself to save money, and I haven’t made one single dime. I bought PageMaker 7 to produce the book, spent three years paying for a Web site that sits and does nothing, paying also to keep my domain name current, and a few other items not worth listing. I don’t have the funds to produce or market a second book, but I’m working on that. Family comes first.

　

Central Park, in the Fall was a wonderful dark fantasy novel. A love story, if you must know. I produced a very nice paperback. Inside, outside, cover art, typography. I promoted the book for a year, gave away numerous signed copies to venues that promoted authors, got (some limited but good) publicity, and nothing happened. Not one book sold from my Web site. I don’t know what to think about the online booksellers. There are a lot of new and used books out an about that I should have been paid for. You can read the first chapter of Central Park, in the Fall over at the Central Park blog. I’ll keep it up for a month, replacing it with a complete short story the next month. After that I’ll put up a first chapter of another finished novel, or the first three chapters. Let you see what I send out as sample pages in a standard full query.

　

I will admit Central Park, in the Fall is flawed. There are four typos, and I misused the semicolon. Instead of (word, and then) or (word; then), I had (word, then). I did that (word, then) thing about 150 times. Four typos, and 150 (word, then) things. Most people would catch the typos, at least two out of the four typos, but the (word, then) thing? I think most readers wouldn’t give the (word, then) thing a second glance. The book is fast-paced, easy to read. Those that have read it say it’s great. I know it’s damn good, despite its flaws. All that within 90,000 words. I’ll publish a corrected version when I can afford to put it out. All I have is me, and I make mistakes. I’m willing to learn from my mistakes. I took myself back to school. I spent years learning, editing my other books. Grammar, style, whatever. I wanted them right before I again approached prospective agents. And, if I get the chance, I don’t want another flawed book on the market.

　

Until next week. Take care.