Back to work

Actually it is more like back to my routine. All the things that were broken on the truck are now fixed. While the honey-do list didn't get completely finished a major portion of it is done. There is something very gratifying about working on your own land. Slowly but surely we are getting it cleaned up and the landscape looking better all the time. Part of cleaning it up includes yarding downed trees out of the woods. These trees have been down now for a year or more and will be cut up for firewood later on this summer. Our tractor isn't that big so we ended up leaving some of the downed timber to be pulled out later, when we can get a larger machine in there. While leaving them laying would be easier, it also would provide fuel if we ever get a fire up there. Most people don't understand the need to thin the timber and clean out the deadwood, but it is all part of owning property in timber country. It also keeps me thinking about how it was so much harder for our ancestors who had to do it using horses, mules, and oxen. When I think about how hard it can be to find time to write on the road, I wonder how much harder it would be at home, with all the work that needs to be done there.

Rambling promotion.

When I wrote my first book I used a publisher and while it wasn't a disaster, it wasn't exactly what I had envisioned. Then I stumbled across a short story program run by Amazon. Participating in the Amazon Shorts program you might say was my introduction the the indie market. Amazon either rejected or accepted your work, editing and other technical chores were strictly the responsibility of the author. They provided cover art and that was about it. While the program was fun to be a part of, it didn't last long. It did however allow me to move all of those short stories over to Kindle and to finally put them all together into a single volume. I once again went the publisher route, but used a different publisher. This has been a much better experience I must say. For one thing she is receptive to ideas from her authors. Which is why we decided to try this promotion for the book Rambling, thanks to seeing a measure of success with a similar give away I did with my novella The Last Raid. So as of 12:01 tonight April 24, 2012 you will be able to download the Kindle edition for free. it will be free for the next three days and the promo will end at midnight on April 26th.

The book contains thirteen short stories most of which could be considered westerns, a couple of them are more sci-fi, two of them are autobiographical, but all of them are safe for the whole family to read and enjoy. Four of these stories are only available in the book. So please take the time to download it and read it. If you like it be sure to pass the word to everyone you know.

Home again.

It was a long hard trip, and a lot of things went wrong, but it is over now. I unloaded in Oregon yesterday then spent most of the rest of the day getting the truck taken care of in the shop in Spokane. My wife came to get me and waited with me. The problem was that we had work that had to be done at one shop before taking it to another shop to finish the repairs. Thankfully that is all over now.

So now the sun is rising behind the pines, fir, tamarack, and aspen outside the window, Scout the mighty Trucker Pup, is curled up on the floor nearby, my coffee is steaming in the cup next to the computer, so it must mean that it is time to write. Well then off I go to a future version of Seattle, where rain is the least of the problems. Trying to get the second Shade story completed, but it is going to take some time.

Inspiration from a song.

I was just listening to a song by the late Rodeo Champion and Western singer Chris LeDoux. It reminded me of where I got the inspiration to write one of the short stories in the book Rambling. The phrases that caught my attention were "Storm clouds are building above the timberline, lightning flashing across the mountain side." As someone who grew up on the Front Range of the Rockies, these phrases just reached out and grabbed me. They also made me wonder what it must have been like for our ancestors when one of these storms came rolling down out of the mountains and on to the open plains. I have seen them now when I have a place to wait them out safe, sound and dry and they are awe inspiring examples of nature's raw power. Can you imagine what it must have been like trying to find shelter back in the time before fences, highways, and even in some cases wooden buildings. My thoughts on it are in the short story "Storm" in my book Rambling. The song that inspired it? Call of the Wild by Chris LeDoux a true cowboy, and a great songwriter. It would be interesting to hear some other writers share similar stories.

Spring is here and the weather is getting nicer, so it is time to take care of some of the chores that have been put off because of the weather. Time to get into the nooks and crannies to get all that dust that has been building up all winter long. Making sure all of the cobwebs are removed and taken out with the rest of the built up debris. Then maybe after that I can get down to some serious writing, once I get my head cleaned out, or I could clean the truck.

Happy Easter everyone.

Desperation or guidance?

Last weekend I tried a marketing experiment. As I have noted here and elsewhere I have very little time to do the things I need to do when it comes to getting my work out there and moving. In a move that was either sheer desperation, or Divine guidance I took a chance and put my novella The Last Raid up for free. That's right it was free, the cost was nada, zip, zilch or zero. At first I was just amazed as the copies went flying off Amazon and onto computers, Kindles, iPads, and smart phones around the world. Some went to the UK a few went to Germany, and one even went to France. The title spent most of the weekend at either the number 1 or 2 spots on the free list. But what did it all mean in the long run? Since the promotion ended Tuesday morning my story has made a steady climb up the charts and has spent the majority of the time in the top ten titles on the Kindle Westerns list and on the Westerns list for all books. So it has been ranking right up near the top of the list that includes all paperbacks, hardbacks, and Kindle books. I have jokingly said that you can now call me a bestselling author. The surprise of it all is that I really am a bestselling western author. As for the question of desperation or guidance, I'm going with guidance. Along the way I have had a lot of help and the biggest help of all is my wife Polly, without her encouragement none of this would have happened.

Experiment.

It has been a wild week, fighting with the paperwork to get back into the U.S. from Quebec. Dealing with rude customs officials at the Port of Baltimore. Spending time with a friend and fellow writer Robert Bidinotto and seeing the movie Act of Valor, which was amazing. It also included taking a chance and making use of an Amazon kindle promotion program which allows me to offer free downloads of one of my published pieces. So I chose to make The Last Raid available for free. The offer started at midnight on Friday and will end at midnight on Monday. The response has been wonderful with over 6000 downloads (at the time of this writing) in the U.S. and more in UK, Germany and France. Now if it will turn into paid sales or not is another question. The story has been at the top of the best seller (is it really a best seller if it is free?) list for Westerns since Friday afternoon spending the majority of that time in the number one slot. When counting all of the free downloads available it climbed as high as number 42. The big hope is that this kind of exposure will get the attention of those who buy e-books and they will not only buy this work but others that are available. Only time will tell how it will all come out. I have two days left to promote my work for free and have set it up to make the short story Welcome Home available to coincide with a Face Book event Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. It was written as a tribute to those veterans I served with who had been in Vietnam so it fits with the whole idea behind the event.