Mood:  a-ok

Hello Dahhhrlings!

I have decided to make my short story collection A Paranormal Menagerie Too available for free from Smashwords, until the end of the year. Just thought with people buying new ebook readers and such, they can download my ebook as a free gift too!  Of course, this is also for anyone who would like to read my ebook and doesn't have a new reader.  Anyway, I'm going to set it up as free on Amazon as well (if I can). Happy Holidays, and I hope you all have a good end of the year!

Posted by heymolo at 2:35 PM EST

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I recently put my children's ebook "Will You Buy Me Something?" on youtube.

 Here's the Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPIcinjoJ2E

I thought it would be kinda cool to put it on youtube.  This way, if people are interested, they can look at my other books.

Posted by heymolo at 10:41 PM EDT

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Okay, after messing around with Smashwords and getting a few more of my ebooks on that site, I'm finding myself  not so motivated to write. I don't know if my job just takes it out of me (I recently had a promotion), or if the muse just does not want to talk to me at the moment (perhaps I offended her?), I'm just not feeling like writing.  I have several ideas in the works, but I just don't know where to go with them.  It means I have to THINK, and that's sometimes really hard. Zoning out seems to be my thing lately. Maybe I need a good lo-o-ong vacation? Maybe I need to go on a cruise?  Maybe I need to go to Disneyland?  or DisneyWorld? I love Disneyland and DisneyWorld (but not in August).  I wouldn't mind a long cruise of just eating and sleeping - I'm good at both. But the cruise I took last year almost wiped me out financially. However, I'm ready for another one.

Anyway, thinking of what to write, I have ideas but I just don't know where to go with them.  I just wish I was a bit more ambitious, or MOTIVATED.  Perhaps it's just the Winter Blah's. I wish I could make myself write everyday, but even on days I plan to write, I just don't want to.  That's terrible, I know, but I don't want to HAVE to do something.  I want to do it if I feel up to it, and lately, I haven't.

WWPFD?  She would have someone write for her.  Clever Girl!!!!

Posted by heymolo at 9:39 PM EST

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Mood:  happy

My new ebook is out on Amazon in the Kindle Select area and it's free from October 3rd to October 6th.  It's another short story collection called "A Paranormal Menagerie Too".  It doesn't have a cover right now, but I"m working on it. 

The first three stories are about ghouls.  The fourth story is about the Ghostly Hunting Party led by Wotan.  The fifth story is about a dieter's nightmare.  The last two are about otherworldly creatures that terrify the living.

After the promotion, it will be available for 99 cents, and then after the first of the year, I will make it available for $1.99. 

I hope you enjoy!

Posted by heymolo at 9:43 PM EDT

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Mood:  sad

I always love reading supernatural short stories and I was totally, totally jazzed when I found the Horror Masters site (it was HorrorMasters.com). It had hundreds of previously published short stories that I would read during my lunch hours and beyond. 

However, that all came to an end recently when the web page went away. Sadness. Why, oh why, when I find something I really like, it goes away?  Same things happen to TV shows with me, or unusual stores, or something I really, really like, because it's different, or unusual, it just goes away.

I don't know who owns that site, but I wish they would bring it back. 

Sure, many of the stories are available at other sites or ebook form for free (since they are out of copyright), but it was nice to go to one place and browse through a list of stories I had never heard of and learn of some great authors that are no longer in print or have limited printed publications.

Anyway, I just hope that it does come back in some shape or form in all of its awesomeness.

Posted by heymolo at 11:36 PM EDT

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Mood:  quizzical

After much soul searching and realizing that I may be underselling my books, I have decided to increase the pricing of my ebooks.

I have read several blogs about it and though I may not sell as many as I have been (which isn't a lot at the moment anyway), I have been thinking that I may have underpriced the ebooks.

My first ebook was a 262 page standard book size (I had it published with CreateSpace), and set the price at 99 cents due to it being my first attempt at self-publishing.  My second ebook I published was actually one that had been published in paperback already, "Which Way to the Manor?" I had started it at $1.99 and then put it down to 99 cents.  In fact, all following ebooks have been set to that price. 

Well, I have often thought I was underpricing my books, but I thought it would get more readers looking at them, but it doesn't seem to be the case, so, as other authors have done, I think I will change the prices to see how the ebooks sell with a higher price.

True, I can always set them as free and see if I can get them in front of more readers, but Amazon (Kindle)doesn't allow that, and neither does Barnes and Noble (Nook), (though I believe Smashwords does allow it). Besides, I would prefer to SELL my work rather than give it away.

 Besides I always have at least one or two short stories from my collections for people to read freely on my website.

Whether this works or not, only the future will tell, but I thought this would be fair warning to anyone interested in purchasing my ebooks that the price will be going up in 2013.

Posted by heymolo at 10:43 PM EDT

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Mood:  lazy

Okay, I admit, I'm probably my own worst critic. However, looking over some of my old writing I have to think - What was I thinking?

 I recently reread one of my novels I wrote years ago that was supposed to be a humorous mystery. I almost threw it away!  Wow, was it bad. Well, maybe not bad but more uninteresting. 

 The whole point of a mystery is suspense, and this was bad!!!

 Even I didn't care about the characters (there was hardly any character development), the plot (what little of it there was), and humor (what little of THAT there was).

 I think my problem is, half way through the novel, I started losing interest in my story.  I didn't care about the characters, nor did I care about the victim.  Nor how it ended.

 Word of advice, if you are going to write mysteries, make sure you at least have SOME idea who did it. I didn't and at the very end, I had to slip in all sorts of clues - not good if you are trying to write a GOOD whodunit!

So, I'm wondering if I should just chuck the whole thing, or do a major re-write? I'm thinking about the re-write, but I just don't have enough get up and go to get it done. Right now, I have so many other stories that are actually GOOD or at least starting to look that way, that I just don't know if I have the energy to work on it.  But again, I get started on a decent idea and then, how do I end it?  (I have far too many stories started with no middles or endings to count.)

So how does one get motivated?

Posted by heymolo at 3:16 PM EDT

Updated: Monday, 30 April 2012 3:17 PM EDT

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So, since I've been seeing "The Raven" movie advertised everywhere, I started thinking about one of my favorite writers, Edgar Allan Poe, again. 

Now, I do like his work, I mean I LOOOOVE his work, but sometimes he gets a little wordy.  I'm thinking of the story "Ligeia". To get to the heart of the story, you have to read about three or four pages of why he Loooves Ligeia, so you get why he can't really love his second wife. Okay, maybe that is needed, but I think one or two paragraphs on the subject would be enough. But let's face it, the man knew how to write, and so let me get to my point:

What gets me is that I read his autobiography last night and it is completely depressing.  The man couldn't make any money as an artist.  As an editor and a critic, he could, but then he never felt appreciated monetarily and quit. Let's face it, trying to acheive any artistic success is difficult and for many, there is very little reward. So you do have the drudgery of every day life you have to deal with just to survive. But this was EDGAR ALLAN POE!  The guy was ahead of his time and maybe that is why he wasn't so successful. But you think someone could've thrown him a bone! I mean he was brilliant. (Too brilliant probably, and made everyone else jealous?) I don't know. But it makes me think that if Edgar Allan Poe couldn't get paid decent  money for his work -- couldn't even live off of royalties, what chance do I have?  Sure, if anyone has any artistic temperament they HAVE to write, or HAVE to draw, or HAVE to create something.  But again, you have to wonder, is it going to come to something. 

I don't know about other writers, but I find myself questioning my abilities all the time.  Will people like this?  Will this make any money?  Am I leaving out too much or did I say too much? What will become of my work in one hundred years time? Will people even care?

So, anyway, I realize my rambling is all over the place, but I have come to this conclusion:

I may not be the best writer, the best story teller, or the most successful, but I HAVE to write. And in writing, I'm allowed a voice I don't normally get to use, nor one I would want to use everyday. And through the wonderful folks of Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and others, I can let that voice be heard. As far as anyone wanting to hear that voice - well, it's up to them. But I like the fact that I can freely publish and sell my work without doggedly looking for agents and publishers. I've been through that, and all it got me was a lot of rejection and wasted time. No, maybe I'm not a high level writer, and maybe I won't make any money at it, but at least I CAN do it.

And no, I don't compare to Poe, but at least I can say I tried.   

Posted by heymolo at 2:58 PM EDT

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Mood:  lazy

I'm not a big fan of Monopoloy by my nieces are.  Well, I should say my two youngest nieces are. My oldest niece just had a baby so she is too busy to play board games.  (Yet I find her on Facebook ALL the time.)

But my other two nieces could probably live on Monopoly, if that was all they had to do all day.  I personally don't have anything against it other than it is a loooong game.

I know you can shorten it and it comes in various themes but it just doesn't amuse me the way it does my nieces are amused by it.

I am starting to like slot machines - a lot.  I never used to care for them, but now, if there is even a remote possibility of winning money, I'm there.  Which makes me wonder: Am I getting old?

My mom and dad used to go all the time to Reno, or Vegas, but now that my dad has passed away, my mom goes with me or my older sister. And I'm starting to enjoy it! 

I like the slot machines that do more than just spin the wheels. Like if you get three bonuses, you go onto some interactive game. Those are loads of fun!  It's even better when I win!

But I only have limited funds and can only play so long - as they all seem to take my money. 

So yes, Im getting old. Just ask my nine-year-old niece.

Posted by heymolo at 6:25 PM EST

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I don't know how many times I have tried to get one of my books published using the traditional route.  First, it was going directly through to the publishers, then, more of them wanted a "represented" author, so I went through agents.

Sure, there was an occasional bite, but then it seemed that I would never hear from them again. It was disheartening as well as time consuming. (Not to mention the amount of stamps I had to go through.)

So now I have the ability to publish my own books, and you look through the Amazon blogs and you find that there are those readers who aren't so kind to those of us who "self-publish." The truth is, I have only started getting into this self-publish thing and I haven't really read many authors who are into it - though I plan on changing that. 

I've been reading one - John Soennichsen's "The Fat Detective" and it is pretty good.  Not much difference between that and a regular published book. Yet, there are those who will not give such a book the time of day because it is "self-published".

I have also read some lousy published books, so I can't say one is superior to the other.  As far as grammer and typo's go, I'm not perfect myself, so an occasional one won't get to me but if it was constant throughout a book, I guess that would bother me.

So my point? My point is don't judge a book by the publisher. Don't assume all self-publishers are bad writers. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. Don't count your eggs before their hatched? Don't put the cart before the horse? Don't put all your eggs in one basket? Somebody needs to stop me before I overdose on the cliches. 

Anyway, here's a very good article that tells a little about what we writers go through to try to go the traditional route.

http://daveconifer.blogspot.com/2011/12/sorry-not-for-me.html

Posted by heymolo at 2:15 PM EST

Updated: Sunday, 19 February 2012 4:56 PM EST

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