Jordan's Croft

"Tempest in a Teapot" - Excerpt

2012-02-07T09:12:00.005-05:00

I decided to post this because it may not make it into the final draft of 'Tempest in a Teapot.'

Until then I thought my readers might like to get another glimpse of the new book. "Tempest" takes place at Fort Knox and in Vine Grove. This scene has Tag McTaggart from 'Let's Do Lunch' and Leo Stephenson from "Tempest" in the Warriors Transition Unit on Fort Knox.

This is the old barracks building - not the new one which is more like a hospital.

_______________________

June 29^{th, 2006}

There was a knock at his door just as Leo was getting out of the shower.

"Sergeant Stephenson?"

"Come in," Leo said as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

"We need you down to the ward." The solider stuck his head in the room, using the door as a prop for his shoulder, crutches clutched in the other hand. "Things went to shit this morning, it ain't getting better. Boomer said I should come get you."

Sergeant Bonner called 'Boomer' was a Sergeant Major. He ranked everyone in the Unit including Leo. He was the unofficial commander of the Unit – but he'd lost both legs and wasn't mobile.

"What happened?"

"There was a shooting in E'town yesterday. It was one of the Out Patient men. Dr. Lakhdar had MPs bring him back here. First she said it was for evaluation, now she says she's going to have him locked up for murdering a civilian."

"Who? You know him?"

"It's Sergeant McTaggart," the young solider hopped on one foot to keep his balance. "He's pissed as hell, says it's a bullshit charge."

"Fuckin' aye." Leo had to put on a uniform if he was going to do McTaggart any good. He had to look the part in order to play the game.

Leo knew McTaggart had a bad attitude when it came to Lankhdar. He'd shit-canned all his meds and gone back to work, defying all the odds; he even had a girlfriend. The younger soldiers looked up to him.

Dr. Lakhdar was in rare form, he thought as he walked down the corridor. Three former Spec Ops soldiers were slinking out to smoke like feral cats. They didn't meet his eyes as they went passed.

Damn Fish-eye was making them all into pussies.

"There is nothing fucking wrong with me. Let me out of here!" The man's voice would have carried across a parade ground.

"You just murdered a civilian!" Fish-eye shouted. "You cannot leave this ward!"

"It was a hostage situation – he had a knife to her throat. What was I suppose to do? Let her die? Those cops were too scared to make the shot. So I did."

"Going Rambo on Main Street is not acceptable!"

Even Leo had to grin at that.

"It was necessary! Ask the cops! Ask the DEA! I don't care who you talk to! Get the story straight and let me out of here."

"You're out of line, Sergeant!"

Leo thumped his cane at the doorway.

"Can you repeat that a little louder, for anyone in unit who didn't hear it?"

Dr. Lakhdar turned and glared at Leo. She was a tall thin woman of Middle Eastern descent. She wore her hair up, but covered it with a fine black net. She always had her hair covered, even though it was against regulations. Everyone knew she was a Muslim – the brass tip-toed around her because she hit too many hot-buttons. A man would have gotten hell for the way she treated the men, but she wasn't a man.

"I warn you, Sergeant Stephenson, you're a patient in this ward."

Leo bared his teeth. He was going to enjoy this.

"Tell it to my CO – he'll be interested to know you're yanking civilians off the streets. Taking hostages is against Army policy."

"McTaggart killed a civilian."

Leo raised an eyebrow at McTaggart, who was standing at attention, even though he'd been out of uniform for months.

A young woman in uniform walked in, saluted smartly.

"The charts you requested require your signature, ma'am."

"What?" Dr. Lakhdar turned to McTaggart. "Stay right here."

The young woman paused before she followed. She winked at Leo before she turned smartly and followed Dr. Lakhdar. The woman deserved a medal.

"What happened, McTaggart?" Leo walked into the room. The tall man in civilian clothing shifted to at-ease. An amputee with severe PTSD, Dr. Lakhdar called McTaggart 'a hard case' for his attitude. He came in once a week for the Open Group, the Group that Fish-eye didn't attend. Like Leo, he was book-shelved – he would be leaving the Army but his paperwork wouldn't go through until he was discharged.

Until a few weeks ago, McTaggart had refused to shave or cut his hair. Now he was clean-shaven, wearing his hair close to military length. There was no doped up haze in his hard eyes. He was royally pissed off.

He had the right to be pissed off.

"Report, McTaggart."

"The DEA fucked up a drug bust at Lynn's restaurant. When I got there, the cook had a knife to Lynn's throat, threatening to kill her. The cops wouldn't take the goddamn head shot." He was tense, ready to explode.

"So you did?"

"Hell yes!"

"How did you get a weapon?" Leo asked. He wouldn't be surprised if McTaggart used force to get the gun. Everyone knew how much that girl meant to McTaggart.

"A DEA agent gave me his backup." McTaggart shrugged. "It was close range."

"Good shot."

"The cops thanked me for it, but Dr. Lakhdar had the MP's come get me." He glanced at the door. "How fucked up is that?"

"Is your girl all right?" Leo leaned on the back of a chair.

"Shallow cut to the throat, just skin. Last time I saw her, she was with her parents." Tag scowled. "I should be with her."

"Roger that."

"I hate being treated like this!" Tag clenched his fists and his whole body tightened. He pulled back a fist to punch the wall. He let fly with all his weight behind it.

Leo took the blow in the palm of his open hand. The meaty smack of knuckle against palm echoed, but he ignored the pain.

"Chill. Broken fingers will only prove her right."

"I gotta get the fuck out of here!"

"She's playing you," Leo dropped his voice to a low growl. "Don't let her win."

"Fuck the bitch."

"Don't fall for her shit." He kept eye contact until McTaggart nodded, then he released McTaggart's fist.

"Just chill awhile." Leo picked up his cane. "I can make some phone calls."

Going back to work had changed McTaggart. A shave and a haircut told them that he'd met a girl. They dogged him into taking her out on a date. The group gained strength watching McTaggart put his life back together. It was a no-brainer why he'd killed a man to protect his girlfriend, any of these men would have done the same. If Fish-eye locked McTaggart up moral in the entire Unit would drop through the floor.

Leo made his cell phone calls outside, where no one in the Unit could hear him. He told key people McTaggart was sane, just worried sick about his girlfriend. It was up to the other's to do their part.

Less than an hour from his last phone call - Leo's blackberry chirped with a text message. General Fischer sent a terse summons 'butt hut 1400."

His teeth flashed, aw, too bad, he would miss group. Well he couldn't blow off a one-star general. Fish-eye couldn't argue with that – General Fischer was her CO.

Leo was chewing a Bic because he was out of cigarettes again as he crossed the street to the smoker's hut near the General's Office.

Fischer was sitting on the table, smoking. His dark-chocolate complexion gave little away, his sunglasses hid his eyes, but the tension in his body spoke volumes.

"What's going on, Sergeant?"

"Lankdar pulled one of the guys, a civilian, back into the unit."

"For?"

"Said he went Rambo on Main Street, sir."

"Which one?"

"McTaggart."

Fischer swore.

"He had a good reason," Leo explained. "There was a drug bust. His girl was taken hostage. He shot the insurgent."

"On goddamn Main Street?"

"Yep."

Leo chewed the pen in silence.

Fischer swore again. Then he looked at Leo with piercing eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

"Here," he tossed the pack to Leo. "You're wasting a good pen."

Leo grinned, stuck the pen behind his ear. He lit up, took a good hard hit, felt the rush of the first cigarette of the day.

"Thank you, sir." He started to toss the pack back.

"Keep 'em," Fischer said. "You're to keep me informed."

Leo nodded.

"There is another matter we need to discuss." He growled, taking off his sunglasses. "Why the fuck are you driving under the influence and causing accidents?"

Leo braced to take the ass-chewing. He had it coming.

"There's no excuse for my behavior, sir."

"That's not my point. What-the-fuck is going on here?" Fischer stabbed the air with his cigarette. "McTaggart is shooting civilians and you are DUI and causing traffic accidents.

"Are you falling apart on me, Stephenson?"

Leo said nothing.

"At ease, for godsake." Fischer grumbled. "Don't waste the smoke, damn things are expensive."

"What the fuck is going on in my Unit?"

Fischer looked at Leo with narrow eyes.

"Don't bullshit me, Sergeant. I've seen you out of uniform, not shaved, sloppy dress – you don't even shine your goddamn boots." He gestured again. "Today is the first time I've seen you look like a soldier."

"I'm being doped into submission, sir."

"Doped?"

"I'm not the only one, sir."

"How many meds are you on?"

"Ten, sir."

"What are they?"

"No idea, sir."

"Find out." Fischer stepped back, took a drag off his cigarette. "No, I will." He studied Leo for a moment.

"Jackson saw you pull in front of an SUV. He thought you were dead."

"Mrs. Truesdale has good reflexes, sir."

Fischer smoked in silence for a moment.

"What the fuck is going on in my Unit?"

"There is tension between the men and the staff, sir."

"That doesn't explain McTaggart." Fischer rubbed the ember from the butt then stepped on it. "Shooting a civilian gives the Unit a black eye. We look bad to the public and it fucks up my day with paperwork."

"It was a hostage situation. McTaggart was given the weapon by the DEA." Leo's teeth flashed. "They didn't have the stomach for the shot, sir."

Fischer grunted agreement.

"I will look into this." He put his sunglasses back on. "I need you, Stephenson. Don't let me down."

"No, sir."

"Dismissed." Fischer walked away.

"Christ in a fucking cornfield."

Leo took a deep drag on the cigarette. He wanted a drink. Instead, he walked to his SUV, a bike ride would be better.

'Let's Do Lunch' Discarded Scene

Tempest In A Teapot

Croft News - Ordered Geese

2012-02-03T16:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I stopped dithering and ordered some geese from McMurray Hatchery.

I've been taking about this for since my first geese died - back 10 years ago. Geese are very large and vocal birds, they're sometimes violent and always noisy. The definition of poor is someone 'whose last goose is cooked.'

Why am I doing this when my poultry raising hasn't gone well? This is a valid question. I get asked about geese a lot. Grown geese sell for $20 to $30 each, and I understand why. They are fairly rare in this area. So I'm going to raise 6 pairs of breeders.

I'm getting day-old goslings - there is already a place for them in the barn. They will live in Chicken World until they are large enough to go in the round pen. White Chinese are known to be good mothers, so I'm hoping next year to have goslings for sale.

They are scheduled to arrive in April, I'm really looking forward to it.

The Passing of a Great Lady

2012-01-25T23:52:00.001-05:00

Born in 1923 in the little town of North Kingsville, Ohio, and growing up in the Great Depression. Irene E. Stewart went to a little school where she knew everyone for all twelve years. She graduated Valedictorian in a class of 13 students. She then went on to the Ashtabula Business College, the first woman in her family to seek higher education.

Her first job was as a typist. Then she worked as a secretary for a firm of lawyers until the firm dissolved during WWII. She married John D. Callahan in 1945. They had two daughters, Diane E. (Callahan) Moore a costume designer and Kathleen A. (Callahan) Jordan an e-book author.

Irene landed a job with the New York Central Railroad in the 1940's. When it merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1964, the Reclaimation Plant closed. From there she went to work for Union Carbide in their Linde` Division until she retired.

When the economy went south in the 1970's she bought and operated the Leeward Lounge. She married Roy L. Talbot in 1976. Irene and Roy Talbot were very active in the Harbor Restoration project and the Ashtabula County License Beverage Association, until they retired in 1988. They traveled in extensively an RV, where Irene began writing short stories. They finally settled in Kentucky in 2005 when they could no longer travel or battle the northeastern Ohio winters.

With the help and support of her daughters, Irene published several short stories on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble under the name of I. C. Talbot. She was working on a collection of short stories at the time of her passing.

She will be remembered for her courage and common sense by all whose lives she touched.

She is survived by her husband, Roy L. Talbot, her daughters Diane and Kathleen, her grandsons Nevin & Carl and many other beloved members of her extended family.

She passed away on January 18th, 2012 of a sudden heart attack.

A Sense of Place

2012-01-14T01:20:00.001-05:00

The young mare wants a new bale of hay.

Vine Grove is a very small city and Rineyville isn't a city by any stretch of the imagination. What I like is the feeling of connection I have in these communities, even though I didn't grow up here.

Today was market day in Vine Grove. I went down to the Farmer's Market to see Dale and pick up a couple of the chickens I raised last summer. Since I was down there, I bought a roll of whole-pig sausage from Dan. When I delivered the poultry, a couple months back, I lent Dale my cages, so I picked up one of those. It was too cold to chat – wind-chills in the single digits will freeze off body parts.

Then I swung over to the Chinese restaurant where my friend Nancy had another cage of mine from when I sold her 3 ducks. She told me how much her family enjoyed the drakes – and how lean and tasty they were.

Once I got home I hitched up the trailer, so I could pick up another round bale for the horses. I talked to Glenn, and we found we had a couple of people in common. Daryl at Rineyville Feed and James Martin in LaRue county.

There is always the weather to talk about, I suppose a city person wouldn't understand that, but if you have animals your life revolves around the weather and if you're a farmer then the weather is the most powerful force in your life.

It took an interesting cut to back the trailer through the gate into the pasture. Hubby didn't think I could make it. (LOL – showed him!) The horses attacked the hay, so hungry I had to slip between their chests and the bale to untie the strings.

For dinner we had one of the chickens. Not one of my best meals. I've never cooked a bird that lean. The dark meat was VERY dark and there wasn't much breast meat. I knew which rooster it was – the skinniest of the lot. It will make good chicken soup, nicely flavored once it's simmered awhile. Next time, I'll know to watch it so the bird isn't overcooked – it has to be just right, can't be ignored while I'm off running errands.

I've made up my mind after eating it; I'm changing chicken breeds. The Barred Rocks are good laying birds but calling them 'dual purpose' is a joke. So I'm going to mail-order about 25 Light Brahma pullets. They are a heavy breed for eating and not bad for laying hens. My Brahma roosters will keep watch over a nice flock.

It's very easy to talk about 'eating local' or 'buying local' when they are buzz-words. Doing it – feeding my horses local feed, eating home raised chicken and pork, these are ways I'm connected to the community.

Like 'putting down roots' these connections make me feel grounded and 'part of' a community. It's a very good feeling.

What? No New Year's Resolutions??

2012-01-04T21:45:00.001-05:00

Well - no - I'm not even going to pretend to make any, because I never get them done. I don't see any reason to drive myself nuts with unrealistic expectations.

What I've been working towards - my goals - are a totally different ball game. Those I can and do make, all the time.

So what am I working on for the New Year? I'm finishing up last year's 'to-do' list and picking up a slew of 'round-to-it' stuff that I didn't get done in the last few months.

So I'm afraid that I'm going to be a boring person, who doesn't write long retrospective posts or saddle herself with un-realistic expectations. My realistic expectations are modest.

I expect to get 'Swallow the Moon' into paperback.
I expect to sell more books.
I expect to buy tons of hay.
I expect to do a bunch of writing.

I want to keep doing what I've been doing since September, because I've gotten so much accomplished in the last 4 months. I went into the office this morning, and got right down to work.

Next week I've got some errands to run on Fort Knox. This will be a good time to get ALL KINDS of stuff caught up. I've got to make some contacts on Ft. Knox and I'm hoping this will be a slow time of year for those departments. If I can get the information I need, I can start working on 'Tempest in a Teapot' again.

I deconstructed an old unfinished novel today using Scrivener. I can see all kinds of mistakes just scanning for page breaks. I'm learning the software as I go. It does so many useful little tasks. Very Cool!

I was so pleased to be back at work.

Happy New Year!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow - OH NO!

2012-01-02T21:11:00.000-05:00

I didn't mean it!

I went outside to let the horses out and it was snowing. I cussed a little bit - though it is January and this is to be expected after Christmas and all. But I decided to stay home for the day, and see what needs done here. I was almost out of baled hay and my round bale was a carpet of inedible mess in the pasture.

So I got on the phone to see if I could scare up a round bale of hay for the herd. Which is a major project! First because a bale can weigh up to 1200 lbs. Second because I have to trailer it home. Third because I have to get it out of the trailer.

I found one, got there with the trailer. The farmer, Glen, was carrying a big bottle, coaxing a calf out of the birthing area into a sheltered area for the calves. The little fella was 3 days old and a total 'squee' of cuteness.

Look at that face! At 3 days they mostly want to lay down and sleep. These are the offspring of dairy cattle, they don't get to be raised by their mothers. However, they tip-toe around looking fragile and too cute for words.

I should have taken a picture.

Anyways, I got my bale of hay, a dose of cute, and scurried home to give the 1000 lb bale to my horses. Meanwhile, it's still snowing. Hubby was home, he played ground guide to get the trailer into the pasture, then undid the dump bed so we could push the bale out of the trailer. (Ain't picking that sucker up for anybody.)

A few cuss words and a BIG push later, I was taking the twine off the round bale. I've got pictures of the herd around a hay bale before so I can post one. This is what I expect to see tomorrow when I leave for the office.

From Mulch Layer to Bestseller's List in 5 Days

2011-12-27T15:01:00.005-05:00

That's right, "Let's Do Lunch" is still on the UK Bestseller's List (click here) even after 10 days of 'real' sales and a price bump. (The price bump was to get some borrows, which it did – I have 11 to date in the US.)

Starting at the beginning –

Amazon announced the Kindle Owners' Lending Library to Kindle owners and KDP Select to authors. Some of the Writer Boards started to scream immediately – because of the clause that states the book will be exclusive to Amazon for 90 days. But there are other issues.

1) It takes almost 90 days for an active book to come off Smashwords Premium Catalog – the vendors are so slow to make changes that 'Let's Do Lunch' is still on sale on most of them with the first cover.

2) The writers with the best sales aren't going to touch the program. They can't afford to go with the exclusive clause – they will likely lose more sales than they will gain.

3) They CAN afford to put one book into it – the first of a series for instance – as long as they aren't making a lot of money in a different market.

Amazon threw in a 'Freebie' option, where an author can make the book free for 5 days, at any time. KDP Select is now THE place to launch a book. Enroll it for 90 days, promote the hell out of it as a free book for 5 days – and NEVER need to make it a Dollar Dreadful.

A layer of Dollar Dreadful mulch at the bottom of the charts.

I had no such problems, I DO did have 2 dead e-books and a collection of short stories, and all my efforts to promote have been lost in 'the mulch layer' of Dollar Dreadful books.

Once I took "Let's Do Lunch" off Dollar Dreadful status (when I got the new cover) sales dropped to nothing and stayed there. The paperback was outselling it, with 3 online sales in a month and 13 face-to-face sales.

Then what happened?

The first day was a stunner – after months of single sales 2,740 e-books went out.
This is what my 5-day FREE run looked like.

	USA		UK
DECEMBER	TOTAL	DAILY	TOTAL	DAILY
12/12/2011	1651		395
12/13/2011	2184	533	1169	774
12/14/2011	2601	417	2073	904
12/15/2011	2943	342	2464	391
12/16/2011	3265	322	2911	447
12/17/2011	3739	474	3375	464

GRAND TOTAL: 7,123 includes 7 German sales, 1 in France and 1 Spain.

What I'm most happy with is this – pulled off the website as of today (12/27/11).

This is the one from the 18th - isn't it cool?

UK Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #341 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#1 in Books > Fiction > Erotic > Adult Fiction
#5 in Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Romance > Romantic Suspense
#5 in Books > Fiction > Romance > Thrillers & Suspense

"Let's Do Lunch" has dropped off the US charts into Mid-list territory, and 2 to 5 sales per day. (This is still FABULOUS!) There are 11 'borrowed' copies in the US. As of yet, there is no clue how Amazon is going to split up the $500k for this month.

This is the UK AMAZON listing for "Let's Do Lunch" which I put on the Kindle Select Program and then free for 5 days, ending Saturday.

The book was dead - I gave away 7.5k in a week. At the time of this writing the chart looks like this:

UK Amazon Bestsellers Rank:

#2,615 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#13 in Books > Fiction > Erotica > Adult Fiction

#24 in Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Romance > Romantic Suspense

#26 in Books > Fiction > Romance > Thrillers & Suspense

The UK sales don't have a pattern yet, the average is 28 over 10 days.

The point is – for the US this is a sustainable level of sales. I'm off the mulch layer in to the 20k to 30k rank. I think the book can hold its own until the 'Swallow the Moon' paperback is ready to go.

The Halo Effect* – has it kicked in?

No.

There are no sales for "Impressive Bravado" (which is free just about everywhere) and "Swallow the Moon" (which is being pulled from all markets.)

I know these aren't halo sales because they were in the US, not the UK. I offered 'Swallow the Moon' free on Smashwords – got 1 d/l and 2 sales on Amazon US.

I'm doing some tweeting to let people know the books are out there. But, frankly, I'm not reaching anyone new, they've all seen this 100 times.

Is this a fluke?

No, my fellow Goodreads, Robust Group writers are having the same stunning results. Scales are different – Children's books and YA appears to hold strong after the free period ends. We are still waiting to see what happens for Dakota Franklin and Andrew McCoy.

Of course, now the BIG Boys have dropped in to play, Konrath and Crouch are offering free titles, possible through the same program. However, with their low prices, I don't think they are going to get a lot of borrows. Their sales will likely skyrocket…in their genre.

I have no fear they will take sales from my Romantic Suspense novel. (giggles)

How will this be paid?

Amazon Says:

"Your share of the Kindle Owners' Lending Library Fund is calculated based on a share of the total number of qualified borrows of all participating KDP titles. For example, if the monthly fund amount is $500,000 and the total qualified borrows of all participating KDP titles is 100,000 in December and if your book was borrowed 1,500 times, you will earn 1.5% (1,500/100,000 = 1.5%), or $7,500 in December."

My 18 borrows aren't going to pay that much. I'm looking a few dollars at best. I'm happy to had this chance to revive my dead book.

Amazon has been busting their butts to make it worthwhile for writer's to switch over, and we have flocked to their banner. They made early payments in December so authors could have money for Christmas.

That was a HUGE gesture of goodwill.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This should be interesting.

(Updated 1/8/12)

· The Business Rusch - The Halo Effect

The Ashtabula Horror

2011-12-23T10:25:00.001-05:00

I snagged a link to this video today because it is a great introduction to one of Ashtabula's greatest disasters. This is also as good a way as any to start talking about the second book in the Dark Harbor series.

So don't be surprised to see some links about Ashtabula here as I start collecting the background I need for the Dark Harbor series.

All this ties together with my experiment with Kindle Select this way: the money from this month's sales are going to finance my trip(s) back to Ashtabula to do research.

I've got a camera, video equipment, a scanner, my laptop and a basic understanding of what happened. I'm going to need to take a look at the area so I can describe it later.

I'm going to need a place to stay and money to live on. As much as I would LOVE to stay at Cahill House in the Harbor, I don't think I can afford it. I'm going to have to camp out somewhere cheap.

Austinburg might be a good place to stay for a week or two. However, knowing what I do about Ashtabula's weather, I might want to do better than live in a tent.

I'll give this more thought as time goes on.

Super Chickens!

2011-12-20T17:02:00.001-05:00

I know, I'm being silly, there is nothing 'super' about my chickens.

But when I occasionally take a side trip to Google on the internet to look up eggs and raising chickens I see strange things. And I start to realize that my hen house is full of weird birds.

Like hens are supposed to molt in the fall and stop laying the rest of the winter, until the days lengthen.

The girls in my hen house slowed down in October. The Rhode Island Red hen that doesn't usually lay started laying. (I know it was her because her eggs are dark brown.) She gave me an egg a day for October and November then quit.

Meanwhile, the 3 Comets and 2 Barred Rocks molted and looked AWFUL. I pitied them - so I doctored their feed with minerals I usually save for the horses. Two pounds of horse feed doctored with a scoop of "Source" minerals.

The hens got in nice feathers, they looked shiny, so I gave them another dose. They get this mix with their regular oyster shells twice a week.

They started filling the nests up - I got 9 eggs in 2 days. Now I'm getting 4 eggs a day, in the middle of the winter, when they are supposed to be on vacation because there isn't enough daylight.

I don't have the heart to tell them to quit - even if they would listen. So I've got these eggs with extra thick shells that are more orange than an orange, or a carrot. According to some of the articles I've read, the food the hen eats has a tremendous affect on the Nutrients in the eggs (click here for more).

I gave a dozen to my parents. I figured if anyone needs to eat Super Eggs it's them.

I can't decide if it's in my best interest to fire up the incubator - to get more chickens, or to eat these eggs.

They make really good tasting cookies. Maybe that is a better use for them. Until the Holidays are over.

The saying goes "Make hay while the sun shines." Maybe I should eat the eggs while I'm getting them.

Old Dog and a Heating Pad

2011-12-12T23:47:00.001-05:00

Hanging out on the heating pad - JR and Trouble

My oldest dog has a bad back. He's got a pinched disk, just like mine. We often snuggle together just for body heat. (Dogs are very warm.)

The other day I was on the heating pad, with some hanging over. Jr rolled onto the heating pad - and kinda melted in place.

Next thing I see, he's upside down, feet in the air, back planted on the heating pad.

If I ever get a photo, I'll post it here.

I know what I'm going to get him for Christmas - there are huge heated dog beds in some of the stores. I'm going to see what it will cost to get him one.

The Sucking Sound of KDP Select

2011-12-11T23:20:00.000-05:00

Mark Coker of Smashwords on Hufffington Post concerning the Amazon KDP Select program.

Long story short - Indie author sells soul (e-books) to Amazon's KDP select program in order to give their books away free for 5 days and a chance their book will remain visible and viable for the next 90 days and thereafter.

Who would do such a thing? Abandon Smashwords affiliate program (Apple, Kobo, Diesel, B&N and Sony) for a slim chance at jump-starting an other wise dead book - Indies are lining up.

According to the blogging grapevine - 20k books have been taken off Smashwords, presumably to join the Amazon program. I don't blame them a bit.

Yes, that sucking sound is books being removed from other markets and enrolled in KDP Select.

"Let's Do Lunch" is among them.

Interior Format - Fail!

2011-12-09T23:09:00.000-05:00

I've given up on formatting the interior of "Swallow the Moon" on my own.

My attention span is about 30 seconds long - and I can't seem to get anything finished. So I've decided to turn over the creation of the 'Swallow the Moon' paperback to Create Space.

Since I have the fabulous cover:

Yes, this is it. The only thing I can say is "WOW!" once again. As soon as I find out the page count, we are going to finish it up.

I wasn't going to rush this. However, I've discovered that paperbacks of 'Let's Do Lunch' are selling a few at a time. So I'm going to put myself in the position to take advantage of any sales that occur.

Stay tuned - I'll make the announcement in a few days.

New Cover!

2011-12-05T23:50:00.001-05:00

I finally found the right artwork for this story by I. C. Talbot.

Mom writes women's fiction and chick-lit, so this has the right look. I may need to get a subscription to one of the big stock photo places to support all her stories.

Looks like it might pay off.

Barnes and Nobel - Turned Out

Amazon - Turned Out

Smashwords - Turned Out

Iditarod - The Last Great Race Reviewed

2011-12-02T14:58:00.001-05:00

Iditarod by Andre Jute
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rhodes and William take on the wilderness of Alaska during the Iditarod, the 'Last Great Race.'

A very good read - the imagery was wonderful. I found myself yearning to see Alaska, in spite of my better judgement (I hate snow and cold.)

I got a very real sense of the depth of the dangers Rhodes faced. I found it hard to believe she would go on the race without being armed to the teeth. That's just me. I get the creepy crawlies from listening to coyotes howl and yap. I'd want a high-powered rifle if there was a rumor of wolves.

The other characters were also well-drawn, everything fitted together very well.

I found it curious the characters hallucinated during the race. I didn't understand that at all. However that didn't detract from the story.

View all my reviews

Raven Arrives in the Harbor

2011-11-30T13:11:00.001-05:00

Van Man Go - Custom Painting

Van Man Go dropped the last pieces of his airbrush into the cleaning solvent. It was time for a beer and a smoke. He dipped his hands in solvent and scrubbed them off with a rag. He grabbed a beer before he sat down in wooden chair.

Not bad, he thought as he looked over his latest work. It was another tribute bike – this one was desert camouflage background and scenes from Iraq. The work was detailed and lifelike – all premo – just like all his work.

He looked around – it was 2 am – the bars on Bridge Street were closing down. There weren't as many bars as there had been, back in the Harbor's heyday of the 1980s. Not that he cared. So what if the street was turning into a tourist trap? His business did just fine – there were plenty of people who were willing to pay very well for his work.

There was a breeze off the lake – bringing in the smell of fish and faint whiff of storm sewer. A sleek black Camry pulled up, the engine raced once before it shut down.

He took a drag off his cigarette – no need for a pack – he had them whenever he wanted them; a perk, one of many, from his Bargain.

The Camry door opened, a man stepped out, young, arrogant with surfer looks and tourist's clothing. He sauntered across the parking lot, looking around with a slight curl on his lip. The Harbor was old, well over a hundred fifty years, and time had not been kind.

Van sneered, he knew trouble when it landed on his doorstep. This young pup had come from elsewhere, thinking to mark out some turf. Thinking it would be easy to make a name for himself in a small town. He wanted to be the big dog on the block. All well and good – but age and cunning would always win over youth and enthusiasm.

This should be entertaining.

"Hello," the newcomer said with a broad smile. "Jeff Raven, new in town." He took one look at Van's paint stained hands didn't offer to shake hands.

"Call me Van," he took a deep drag, and waited.

"Quaint place," Raven said. "I see that you're an artist." He approached the finished bike, whistling with appreciation.

"I dabble." Van hid his smile behind his cigarette.

"I'm a teacher." Raven studied the bike. "I'm teaching Humanities, Social Studies and Phys Ed, for the new High School."

"Is that what they call it, these days?"

"What?" Raven stood up, gave Van a narrow look. He looked down at himself, checked his hands for jewelry.

"I've been around long enough to know my own kind." Van snorted. "Have a seat, there's beer in the cooler." He pointed to the cooler, the chair moved from the shadows next to him, as if lifted by invisible hands. Raven paused for a moment, looking from the chair to Van.

"Great trick."

"I've got a million of them." Van gave him a dry chuckle. "What brings you to my turf, kid?"

Raven's cocky attitude came back. He grabbed the beer, straddled the chair, resting his hands on the back. "I wasn't aware this area was claimed."

"I've been around a long time." Van grinned. "Surely you've heard of me."

"Of course." Raven took a long swig of beer. "But you aren't taking advantage of the situation. A place like this has a lot to offer."

"Do tell?" Van took another drag. "I always appreciate an outsider's view of things."

"Poor town, lot's of young blood wanting what they can't have, and willing to Bargain to get it." Raven flashed a smile. "All those young girls yearning for love. Or ambitious enough to trade sex for good grades. Surely you can remember back that far?"

"Dropped out when I was sixteen." Van shrugged. "I learned how to make money and keep books, that was all I needed."

"Sure it was." Raven drank more beer. "You have what you want – I'm just looking for stray bits that might fall in my lap."

"Bullshit." Van flipped his cigarette at Raven's feet. "You're kind doesn't pull up stakes unless it's something really important."

Raven shrugged, eyeing Van for a moment.

"I lost something that belongs to me," he said. "I've tracked her here and I'm going to get her back."

"A woman?" Van took a deep pull on his beer. "It's always women with you young pups."

"She's a very special woman," Raven finished off his beer.

"Aren't they all?" Van laughed.

Free e-Book - 'Impressive Bravado'

2011-11-27T13:22:00.000-05:00

: Cover

When sales get slow - common wisdom says it's time to do a giveaway.
'Impressive Bravado' is a short story (7k words) about Dr. Katie McCarty DVM. She's a young veterinarian, fresh out of Ohio State University. She gets an early morning all call from Deputy Sheriff Shallamon concerning the unauthorized gelding (neutering) of a show horse named "Impressive Bravado."

Katie and Shallamon go to Hopkins' Stables. They encounter a 'horse whisperer' who calls herself 'Aquitania' and claims she can talk to horses. They also discover unsafe practices that have put the young girls at the barn in danger.

Katie looks into the incident - discovering a deep divide in horse show cliques that could explain the 'attack' on Bravado. However, Katie ends up wrestling with a berserk stallion - barely getting the animal under control after he kicks his owner, shattering her leg.

You can get a free copy at Barnes & Nobel : http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impressive-bravado-k-a-jordan/1102629807

Or Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/60392

But the story is $.99 at Amazon US, UK, DE and FR: http://www.amazon.com/Impressive-Bravado-ebook/dp/B0053HA1LI

Getting Ready for Winter

2011-11-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

We are very fortunate here in Kentucky - we have a very long fall.

In Ohio, they've already got inches and inches of snow. (Shudder!) Fall is over, winter is already entrenched. The north wind is already chilling Lake Erie and the shoreline. The Alberta Clipper and Siberian Express winds aren't far behind.

Here I've got a few more weeks to get hay in the barn. Even then the roads will stay fair (as in open and dry) for the most part. It is time for me to look at the next 3 months and ask what I want to accomplish.

We got a cord of wood today, oak and ash, plenty to keep the fire going all winter if I want. I don't usually have a fire every night - or during the day - unless I'm working on something, or having company over. My parents get chilled easily, so I like to start a fire when they will be over. Right now, the new wood is in the fireplace and it is burning slow, clean and fragrant.

I hate to sound like a city-girl, but I LOVE manufactured fire logs. The ones made out of pressed coffee smell the best. I can put one of those in to start, for a fire that burns 4 hours. Then I can let it burn out, another hour to cool, and shut the flue.

My first priority is a barn full of hay. The second will be 4 bales of straw for Chicken World. The last thing I want to make those birds do is spend a winter in mud. So 4 bales will cover the ground to a depth of about 4 inches. Raising the floor above the water line. The birds will be cold, but they will be dry.

On winter days when it's wet and nasty outside, I will let the flock loose in the barn. They will scratch around in the horse stalls, fluffing the shavings. Handy creatures, chickens, all that scratching gets rid of bug larva, and any spilled grain. The rodents have less to eat, so they are bolder, which feeds the cats. That's why I want to keep a few chickens. But more than a dozen is crazy-making.

I'm already looking into the holidays - which isn't something I usually do until last minute. Last year, with my husband in and out of the hospital I was barely functional. I holed up here in the house and hardly left. (This year, while still stressful, isn't quite as traumatic...knock on wood.) The Christmas tree wouldn't have happened, except my sister decorated it after Thanksgiving Dinner.

I'm going to take Thanksgiving week off, hoping to get some seasonal decorating done - as well as Christmas. IMO a perfectly decorated house has a harvest theme that ties in with Christmas. Lots of fruit and evergreen decorations that can stay up longer than the Christmas tree. Not that I have any hope of perfection...I've just got goals. LOL (If you believe that I've got some land in Florida to sell you.)

This has turned into an unexpectedly pleasant evening.

One digression: I'm going to need to move the couch closer to the fireplace. (All fantasy/historical writers take note!) Fires need to be tended, constantly. Logs must be turned every few minutes in order for them to burn evenly. Some wood pops - sending sparks out in arcs, the narrow modern hearth is only possible because we use firescreens. Otherwise carpeting would catch fire all the time.

So if you have characters spending a pleasant evening on a bear-skin rug in front of the fire - trust me - they are going to spend as much time tending the fire as each other. Either that or the fire will go out and they will freeze. And don't get me started on what a 'roaring' fire would do - it will send out sparks. The bearskin would be up in flames, totally ruining the mood.

Oops!

University of Perversion

2011-11-13T10:31:00.000-05:00

If just one thing can come from the horrendous criminal activity at Penn State, let it be that the 'glamour' comes off of the ego-driven world of College Sports.

"Son Was Afraid to Say 'No'"

Of course the child was afraid - Paterno and Sandusky were given God-status. They were men with unlimited status and power in the world of College Sports. Obviously they weren't shy about exploiting it, either.

There wasn't anyone who would refuse them anything. Penn State certainly didn't - look at the near riots because someone dared nail them for their crimes. So how could children stand up to those men?

It seems to me that there is way too much money spent on college sports. Yes, I like to watch an occasional baseball or football game. However, my preference is to watch them as games - fun and exciting for the kids who play. The whole 'bread and circuses' mentality is revolting.

The industry that sucks in kids, churns out egotistical athletes and often cripples them, does not deserve the worship it gets. (Or the money thrown at it.) The mad culture of multi-million dollar sports contracts are the feeding ground for the corrupt, the drug-addicted, the gambler and now the child-rapist.

Colleges are industries of higher learning. Yes, industries - I've been to college it's a racket. Overpriced books, pitiful living conditions, insane instructors, the loan-sharking and crushing debt that students must put up with.

Most high schools teach a very limited few and warehouse the rest - inner-city schools are the worst - I went to one. There isn't enough money in the state budgets for the schools that need money. Why not? Because it goes to college sports.

Why don't we cut 75% of the money out of college sports and...I don't know...spend it on Education, maybe?

The country needs educated and intelligent citizens. It doesn't need ignorant, egotistical, emotionally-crippled, drug-addict men who rape children in the name of Sports.

Take their money, take their power - give it to those who will use it for the common good.

They abused what they were given, take it from them.

It's OUR tax dollars.

I'll get off my soap-box - for now.

Book Review - Iron Shoes

2011-11-13T09:34:00.002-05:00

Iron Shoes by J. Kathleen Cheney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good story about the Irish Fair Folk in the USA. A clean, well-written romance I enjoyed reading.

View all my reviews

Filed Under - 'Don't Do it Again'

2011-11-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

Just got back from the E-town flea market where I dropped off a truckload of chickens. (Yes, they were in cages. LOL)

Spent an hour chasing them down this morning. Thank God I had sense enough to lock them into the barn 2 days ago when they congregated on their own. Otherwise I'd STILL be out there with the chicken hook and a net.

This was my first experiment with raising chickens for meat. Out of 3 dozen birds there were only 11 left. What a waste of effort and money! Not going to do this again, unless I end up having to raise our own food. (Hope it doesn't come to that!) If that happens I've got a hatchet, I won't starve.

What am I going to get out of this? 3 dressed birds. So it wasn't a total loss - these birds just cost me $20 each. (rolling eyes)

Over the summer they've crapped all over the barn. Everything needs swept and raked. I hope they didn't have lice...well all chickens have lice, it's just a matter of how many lice.

This week I'm going to sell the drakes to my friend at the Chinese restaurant. That will bring the duck population down to 3, a drake and 2 hen ducks.

The chicken population has been halved - all that's left are the hens. The red hens are going next, which should leave me with 6 Dominques, (2 roosters & 4 hens), 2 Barred Rock hens and 2 Brahma hens.

I might sell the Dominques and get a few more Brahmas. They are a larger, meatier bird that should dress out better than the skinnier Barred Rocks.

There isn't any money in eggs, unless I get like $4 a dozen. At $3 a dozen I'm paying for feed. Meat birds are throwing good money after bad (as they say.) Ducks are my money makers...one hen can hatch 3 batches of 12 to 25 ducklings a year. With 6 duck hens I can make $200 a year in profit. Should I raise them, I get about $7 a drake, and $5 for 2 ducklings.

The dumbest thing I ever did was switch from Moscovie ducks to chickens.

Live and learn.

Scrivener - the Word Processor for Writers

2011-11-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

Like all writers, I've got a hard drive full of puzzle pieces - notes, photos, quotes, character sketches, plot points, calendars and so forth.

Referencing them is a chore - but what day did that even happen? And what was that character's motivation again??

A few days ago I saw a post on 'The Passive Voice' blogs about a program for writers called Scrivener. It is a converted Mac program - which will tell you that it is heavy on the visuals.

Literature and Latte.com is the home of this curious creature - a combination database and word processor that will 'print' a document to e-Pub or PDF OR it will keep all your research in a single file.

For example: The Dark Harbor Series

I have photos of the Harbor, the Iroquois, Mother of Sorrows Church scattered on my hard drive. I also have notes on haunted places in Ashtabula - Chestnut Grove cemetery and the Great Train Disaster. I've got sites saved, somewhere on my messy Favorites or Bookmarks in 3 different browsers.

Scrivener allows me to paste ALL that information under 'Research' which has a cute little cork board where all this stuff is visible at a glance.

I've only had this marvelous toy for a few days. Long enough to spend a couple hours sorting the Dark Harbor series notes into something I can actually GET when I want it.

What if I had the cover art, advertising blurbs, author bio of all my books on a cork board where I could see it, cut it and paste it? Wouldn't that make it easier than clicking through folders, thinking 'where DID I put that?'

Even if it proves to be too unwieldy for finishing up a novel, a cork board is a great place to store ideas, darlings, web addresses and photos.

Oh, yeah the cork board becomes an outline as soon as you click a different button, and I can move scenes around by drag and drop. I can also label chapters 'first draft,' 'revised draft,' or 'final draft' so I can see what needs work and what is farther along.

All this and a bag of chips - for the reasonable price of $40.

I'm in love!

First Book Signing - Nov 12, 2011

2011-11-10T19:50:00.000-05:00

Yep - that's right.

I'm doing my first book signing in E-town. This is really strange feeling. I got a hair cut and my eyebrows done today to get ready.

Now I've got to figure out what to wear.

How Times Have Changed

2011-11-02T13:09:00.000-04:00

The Fate of the LA Cafe

There was a time when Bridge Street was known as the Barbary Coast of the Great Lakes. The yacht club posted a sign: "Do Not Go On Bridge St. After Dark!"

Which was back in the days when there were 10 or 11 bars - and a couple of little shops - and Bridge Street was the Skid Row of Ashtabula.

How times have changed.

Now Bridge Street is the center of Ashtabula's commerce and tourist trade. The Harbor is only vital area in a dying city.

The LA Cafe` is one of the last bastions of the 'Old Harbor.' In the 80's it was the Circle J - with the same reputation it has now - the rowdiest bar on Bridge Street. Trouble flowed from there like water from a sewer - the Saturday Night Fights featured knives, tire irons and chains as blood feuds played out on the sidewalk and into the street.

So you can imagine my amusement at the video above.

It has taken 100 years for Bridge Street to shed it's unsavory reputation.

I'm very glad to see this.

But I still think it's hilarious.

Holy Paperbacks - Captain Marvel!

2011-11-02T11:21:00.000-04:00

I know, I know - Ms Kitty is giddy. Haven't been hitting the catnip, I swear!

Signed for 20 copies of 'Let's Do Lunch' yesterday and am still feeling the buzz. Sold and signed the first copy to the new owners of the restaurant - The Old Vault Deli is the actual place.

The Deli on the Square in E-Town

This is one of those cute little places that sticks in the mind because it is so small and the food is good.

The new owners and the former owners were there yesterday when I presented the book to Sofia.

I'm more interested in telling a good story than standing in the spotlight. Still it is a lot of fun to sit in the restaurant and think of my characters acting out the story. I've got a few reservations about how the book will be received, but I've not heard any complaints yet.

I Have a Plan - Really

2011-10-31T09:51:00.000-04:00

Now that 'Let's Do Lunch' is officially on sale, I've got time to do a bit of planning.

My editing project is almost finished. NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow.

I've got a few more things to do - StM needs to be a paperback - that should be smoother than LDL because the file isn't as old and was copy-edited.

I've made progress at home, too.

Been getting rid of paper clutter that goes back to...are you ready for this?...1979.

Holy Paper cuts, Captain Marvel! That's - 4 decades! Scary, isn't it?

This is what I pulled from the paper basket yesterday:

Yes, the first flyer from the first Harbor Happening!

Is that crazy or what?

I told you I had a boat load of paper hidden around my house. I wasn't kidding. It is going to take a very long time to sort through it.

I think I'm going to scan a lot of it, save it to PDF files and post it to Facebook and a few other places. That way other people can find it and use it.