BLOG ARCHIVE 2013

Sunday, 1 December 2013: As the pages of the new and next get under weigh and start building, I invite you to take a bit of a sneak peek over the shoulder. I'll be tossing a paragraph or two here on the Motes & Orts page as the story develops. This work is non-fiction and is being written in the hope that others will read it and understand that they are not alone in what seems a too-common situation of terror and sorrow. It is also a purging of truths too long hidden. Check the linked page for what is, for now "Max". And as always, if you have any comments, please feel free to send or post.

Thursday, 28 November 2013: Almost incredible! MORE edits! The first few attempts turned my manuscript around so much that, well, even I couldn't recognise what it was! I sent 2 messages directly to KDP and posted a message of HELP onto a forums board. You see, the images wouldn't attach to the text, then they attached in all crazy places, then they disappeared again. Line breaks and page breaks got lost. Then all the text got centred and skewed round and about. The instructions and advice I was given failed. Bottom line? ANOTHER FIVE edits and finally I GOT IT! All I'll say at this point is that it's good that I know how to hard-code a web-page in HTML because, in spite of being advised NOT to meddle with the HTML coding (which is what KDP "conversion" does to a manuscript) I went ahead, used web site-building logic and, well, I do believe it's rather done. As I said just a few days ago: Anybody who says e-publishing is easy has either never done it or has an agent who does it for them. But, this has been another learning experience and after all, isn't that what a day is for? Thank you again for coming here to keep up with the latest ramblings. If you get the book, I DO hope you enjoy it. And I hope you'll take a moment to put in a review... on amazon.com. If you have any comments you'd like me to know sooner, I hope you'll take the time to type them here on the Comments page. Thank you all!

Monday, 25 November 2013:
Dunes Sojourner and Notes From the Hudson Shore
Well, let me just start by saying that anybody who says e-publishing is easy has either never one it or has an agent that does it for them. That said, let me add... IT'S UP AND IT'S LIVE and it's available! Yes, I've done a second e-book... and I'm exhausted! Believe it or not, this one took a mere 3 weeks to compile and format and a mere 16 (yes, that's sixteen) edits and about 5 up-loads before getting it into the "Review" stage!

This little tome, of a mere 83 pages (or so claims amazon.com) actually involved 7 days of 8-10 hours each to get together for the sale. Why? Because this time I wanted to include some images that I feel are truly important to the book as a whole. The images are sketches that were drawn using only a Bic ball-point pen as I sat on the banks of New York's mighty Hudson River, alone and quiet, often hungry and tired. It was a rather difficult time period and in my solitude on the river bank, it was a time of reminiscence. There were some of the most beautiful memories and some of the most painful.

There are photos of places and people as well. The photos are, for the most part, from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, on the beaches of the Rockaway peninsula that I called "Home" for several years. There, the open skies, the sound of the surf and the serenity of a shore-line that opened into nothing but the extent of Eternity was, well, embracing, for lack of a better word as I type this text. And as I'd sit there, often for the entire day and well after sun-set, so much joy and pain would suddenly come rushing into my heart and I turned them into words. Some of the thoughts were written on scraps of paper, store receipts and the likes. Others, most of which were the most painful of memories, were penciled or penned onto sun-bleached clam shells that the Atlantic would toss onto the beach, as if just for me to purge my spirit by writing my emotions on the pearly white surface. Those shells were left on the beach for the next high tide to come get them. Some-where out there, in the Atlantic waters, empty shells carry my inner-most emotions around the world. I am fortunate in being able to compile this small anthology today. There have been many hard-ships in the time that has passed since the last piece was penned and today I am at a point where more writings, in note-books and such, will be lost to me forever. I've fallen behind in my storage rent and the company has refused to take instalment payments. They're going to auction everything, including my much-needed Winter clothing, art supplies and pieced of framed art-work on the 11th of next month. I have no way of saving any of it at this point, in spite of trying to pay the balance off. They insist on full payment and there's just no way I can do that. So this little book will become my "legacy", so it seems. But, it's there, it's done, it's available for others. I hope that some will be interested in the writings. They're "Life"... good, bad, happy and sad. I believe they're applicable to just about everybody and I hope that those who read these pieces will be inspired to believe that they are, at their basic core, good people and that if they too suffer, they will learn that the bad times actually do make us stronger. I'm neither saying nor implying that bad times are always followed by good. I'm certainly not saying "Hand in there; things will get better." I'm saying, as I'm known to say: "Things will get different." And only each one of us knows our own limits and limitations, and only each of us knows how we can best handle situations. The cover art is a compilation of images; the back-ground is the open desert sands, the over-lay is my beloved beach at Fort Tilden, Rockaway, NY. (I'd actually lived there, on the dunes that once protected the fort, but even those dunes are gone, after Hurricane Sandy washed them away. How so like "Life" itself... to be washed away at some point.) I'm happiest that the book went out today. It's Viv Lortie's birthday today and I haven't seen her in many years. I've missed her very much and with every bit of my heart and soul, I hope, in all deepest sincerity, that she is well.

OK then. It's time to wait to see what the "final" results of this book are when it comes up "Live". How I wish I could celebrate this one with a martini. But the "Martini" day is yet to come. Meanwhile, thank you for coming here and being a part of this wonderful event. Imagine... book number TWO! I could just about laugh my-self into tears.

Friday, 22 November 2013:
The problem with keeping a blog about what you're writing is that writing in the blog seems to be more enjoyable and takes the time that you should be writing the book you're blogging about.

Wednesday, 20 November 2013: Honestly? I have little-to-no idea why this entire "blog" got started. Instead of writing these notes, I should be working on the next book (that has already been started, by the way). But it's rather odd how "authors" are so easily distracted and can be coerced into procrastinating at the shift of a breeze. And here I am. But it is rather nice to add a bit of a personal touch to all that is going on. There are those who have purchased the book already in e-print who I am certain would like to ask questions or make comments other than a review. And if I can explain anything or expound on anything in this or subsequent books, I'll be more than happy to do so. But for now, it's already half passed 1 in the morning and there are tasks and chores to be done in the morning. Sleep would be a delight right now. (But ah... insomnia? Perhaps, indeed.) At any rate, this "blog" has been born, this entry has been "keyed" (alas, so much for the days and term "penned"... alas!) and now... and now... and now. 20.00/8:00pm: The task and chores got done today. There's something very satisfying about working in an old barn, even when the temperatures are well below freezing. The dust how-ever makes me wonder just what's in it. - For this entry's "News", I just wanted to let folks know about the new Twitter-place. Yes, I suppose you could say I've relocated. So, for the latest in insanity, you're invited to drop by the "literary" Twit-scape: twitter.com/JudahKessler where there will be more "bookish" stuff (and, yes, quite a bit of the Homeless politics... and related politics, but more writing/publishing). I hope to see you there. And HEY! If you come by because you've been here, please let me know? It would be nice to know that somebody found this.