When I write or try to relax, I usually listen to the rain and thunderstorm tracks on my iTunes. (Though nothing can really replace the real thing.) I've noticed that it's hard to find good tracks out there to listen to. Either they're too short, too much background noise (birds, planes, so on), or extremely LOUD thunder that catches you off guard. So I have made my own tracks to listen to.
Right click to "Save Link As" or "Save Target As."
These tracks are for personal use only.
Rainstorm (62mb - 192 kbps)
Thunderstorm (62mb - 192 kbps)
Thunderstorm2 (53 mb - 192 kbps)
The first two tracks are the same; one is with thunder and the other is without. The third one listed is actually the first storm track I ever made. I listen to the "Rainstorm" track the most. On my Thunderstorm playlist in iTunes, I have about 7 hrs altogether. I have a strange fascination with storms. I think that's why I get all giddy when a hurricane or tropical storm is looking to strike the Grand Strand.
Tuesday, June 29
Friday, June 25
Free To Read!
I posted EDEN online to read on June 8th. You can find the link through my main website. I also posted the first twelve chapters of MAY THE DEAD SPEAK, which is a story under OF THE MOON AND SUN. So far I've been have a positive response to this move. This has also pushed me to fill out the series website. I'm working on the Characters area right now. I also plan to have a FAQ section, some dealing with the mythology while the other will focus on the miscellaneous questions I receive.
This brings me to FOUR CORNERS. I plan to bring this series back online, as well! :D Not sure when I will find the time to convert everything to their online format. It will take me a full day of HTML editing for that series. Though only two of the books have been published, I do have a third that's finished and ready to be edited. So much stuff to do. But I will work on this series when I need a break from EDEN.
Switching gears. My cousin is planning to publish the first book in her series called [name removed upon request]. She, however, will be going the traditional route and will be looking for a publisher that way. She expressed how she hopes she won't create a green-eyed monster out of me when/if she gets published. Seriously? She fails to realize something; I'm already published. But this is where self-publishing is looked down upon. Let me clarify. Everyone that follows me knows that I've tried twice to get published the traditional way, even looking for an agent. She says that I gave up too soon. That's not the case. I only changed my plan--my path in the whole publishing journey. I haven't completely tossed out the idea of nabbing an agent or landing that publishing contract with a respected company. The thing is, my method isn't traditional. I doubt any agent or publisher would allow me to post my work online as I write. I need this to help fuel my drive. I got a taste of it when I began publishing FOUR CORNERS online back in September 2000. It was like the webcomics of today, releasing 1-2 chapters a week. I didn't have a set released date at that time, but I hope to use one for my EDEN series. This will give me to drive to meet my deadlines, something I need to get comfortable with. If I can win NaNoWriMo, then I can meet a weekly deadline.
So no, no green-eyed monster here. It just upsets me that indie authors are looked down upon. It's not because we were rejected elsewhere and this is our only option. It is a choice! I choose to be an indie author. I choose to have complete control over my work. I choose to write for myself and not worry about making money. This has never been about making money. It's about writing stories that entertain me and perhaps others. I know I'm not the best writer, but I'm having fun. I've said this before and I'll say it again; too me, it's all about having fun, and if I can entertain others in the process, it's just sprinkles on an already iced cake.
;)
This brings me to FOUR CORNERS. I plan to bring this series back online, as well! :D Not sure when I will find the time to convert everything to their online format. It will take me a full day of HTML editing for that series. Though only two of the books have been published, I do have a third that's finished and ready to be edited. So much stuff to do. But I will work on this series when I need a break from EDEN.
Switching gears. My cousin is planning to publish the first book in her series called [name removed upon request]. She, however, will be going the traditional route and will be looking for a publisher that way. She expressed how she hopes she won't create a green-eyed monster out of me when/if she gets published. Seriously? She fails to realize something; I'm already published. But this is where self-publishing is looked down upon. Let me clarify. Everyone that follows me knows that I've tried twice to get published the traditional way, even looking for an agent. She says that I gave up too soon. That's not the case. I only changed my plan--my path in the whole publishing journey. I haven't completely tossed out the idea of nabbing an agent or landing that publishing contract with a respected company. The thing is, my method isn't traditional. I doubt any agent or publisher would allow me to post my work online as I write. I need this to help fuel my drive. I got a taste of it when I began publishing FOUR CORNERS online back in September 2000. It was like the webcomics of today, releasing 1-2 chapters a week. I didn't have a set released date at that time, but I hope to use one for my EDEN series. This will give me to drive to meet my deadlines, something I need to get comfortable with. If I can win NaNoWriMo, then I can meet a weekly deadline.
So no, no green-eyed monster here. It just upsets me that indie authors are looked down upon. It's not because we were rejected elsewhere and this is our only option. It is a choice! I choose to be an indie author. I choose to have complete control over my work. I choose to write for myself and not worry about making money. This has never been about making money. It's about writing stories that entertain me and perhaps others. I know I'm not the best writer, but I'm having fun. I've said this before and I'll say it again; too me, it's all about having fun, and if I can entertain others in the process, it's just sprinkles on an already iced cake.
;)
Monday, June 7
Creative Nostalgia
I've been thinking again (I know, the doctors told me not to) and I keep going back to the formula that has worked for me. I care more about having readers than selling books. So I'm entertaining the idea of posting my entire works online, free to read, and if they want a hard copy, I have that covered as well. It's like a webcomic idea; post a new page on certain days. I think this is what I need to regain some of my fading buzz. I use to have readers who looked forward to the posting of new chapters. But after I retreated offline to do the whole publishing thing, all of that buzz has faded. *sniffsniff* I get the random email and message every now and then about an old reader of mine who recently rediscovered me.
With posting a new chapter online it also fueled my drive to write constantly. But now, without that drive, I can find myself going days/weeks without writing.
I have weighed the Pros and Cons, and the only major con I see in this; What if someone steals my work? To which I reply, "My work is Copyrighted to me. But it is the nature of the beast." Even books out there on the bookstore shelves are sometimes claimed as plagiarized works.
I need to think of an easy way to convert the chapters into HTML. The old school way I use to do it was okay then, but this will be a mass conversion. I think InDesign has a way to do it. Perhaps an ePub way.
I'm actually excited about this. This may be the refocusing event I've been looking for.
With posting a new chapter online it also fueled my drive to write constantly. But now, without that drive, I can find myself going days/weeks without writing.
I have weighed the Pros and Cons, and the only major con I see in this; What if someone steals my work? To which I reply, "My work is Copyrighted to me. But it is the nature of the beast." Even books out there on the bookstore shelves are sometimes claimed as plagiarized works.
I need to think of an easy way to convert the chapters into HTML. The old school way I use to do it was okay then, but this will be a mass conversion. I think InDesign has a way to do it. Perhaps an ePub way.
I'm actually excited about this. This may be the refocusing event I've been looking for.
