Blogging · Mi Vida Loca · nonfiction · postaday · Uncategorized

Free Book and Catching Up

Hello, People!

Hope everyone is having a great Friday. The kids are back in school and fall is in the air. At least here it is. Autumn has one foot in the door and soon both feet will be firmly planted in my little corner of Canada.

The sky is a deeper blue and the trees have started to change. Speaking of trees. Can a person mourn a tree? I ask because I think I am. The neighbors had a beautiful huge tree in their yard and it was cut down the other day.

I loved that tree.

I mourn for thee!
I mourn for thee!

 

 

I don’t know why they cut it down. Well, to be precise, the neighbors didn’t cut it down as we who live in this mobile home park don’t own the land we live on. We rent it. We own the houses but we don’t own the land. The owner had the wonderful tree cut down. I don’t think it was sick. At least it didn’t look sick to my layman’s eyes. It was tall and majestic with lots of leaves. It wasn’t losing branches, even in the strong winds we got. At least not that I noticed.

Now it’s gone. I’m sad that it’s gone. I loved watching the birds flutter in and out of its branches. The leaves turned a majestic gold in the Autumn. I mourn that tree. It seemed such a waste to cut it down.

Moving on.

My friend Mer and I have started a new blog. I’m sure you’ve noticed me repost from it this week. The Thrifty Divas is a blog that we hope will help people on a budget like we are. We plan on having tips on buying on a budget, recipes, and other fun stuff. Give us a read if you haven’t already. It’s going to be a blog for those of us that are poor but proud. We all need help with living well on little. Come join us!

Today Mer has a great post on ‘5 Things to do with 5 bucks’.

Other news.

Today through Monday my book A Case of Deceit is free on Kindle! It’s my birthday Monday the 12th and I thought I would once again offer my book for free to everyone. Just click on the sidebar on the book and it’ll take you straight to Amazon where you can order it for free. Enjoy and please…..if you do read it please leave a review! Even a short one will do. Thanks!

 

 

Do you have plans for the weekend? Let me know! I’m nosy that way. 😉

 

 

 

 

Blogging · Mi Vida Loca · nonfiction · postaday

Update on My Amazon Problems

Earlier this week I wrote a post about problems I was having with Amazon. Someone had hacked my Amazon account and I was trying to get it back. Along with my regular account, the hacker also had control over my two books that are published on Amazon.

The fight to get my account straightened out and control over my books again had been going for close to a month. I did everything I was supposed to do, I changed my password frequently, to no avail. The hacker still managed to hijack my account. So again, I did what I was supposed to do, I alerted my bank, I wrote an email to Amazon customer service detailing what had happened.

amazon-box-1920

 

After the first initial contact with customer service, I was then pulled into a vortex of red tape and confusion. I was handed off to one customer service representative after another, from one department after another. It was frustrating and I was getting angry. My books were out there under the control of who knows who and I wanted them back.

I wasn’t too worried about my bank account because there is nothing in there. Still, I did everything I could to protect myself financially. That was easy enough to take care of. I have a great bank.

I lost count of how many people at Amazon I talked to on the phone and through emails. There were a lot. None seemed really able to do anything. After a while, they didn’t even seem to try as they just would send a standard email. They closed my Amazon account at least three different times. So I would have to go through re-opening it again and again. I was ready to say ‘screw it’ and not open it up again. But, there were my books out there. They were still listed on Amazon, yet, I had no control over them as my author account was attached to my Amazon account.

I finally did that post on WordPress about what was happening and asking for advice. And boy did I get it! Along with lots of sympathy and support from complete strangers and friends. People are wonderful!

I did finally get the right kind of help from Amazon and I have my books back! Yes!!! It was all because of series of wonderful people who helped get the word out and eventually who helped me get my books back into my control.

First was Chris at The Story Reading Ape, he kindly reposted my post on my Amazon troubles. Thank you, Chris! Because of your re-blog, I received all sorts of advice and offers of help from some very kind people.

Annabell Franklin kindly used Twitter with a link to my post to ask people for help. Thank you, Annabell! Because of your tweet, a very nice man by the name of Colin Hayden who works for Kindle Direct Publishing contacted me. I phoned him with the number he gave me and explained my problems and he promised he would make sure I got my books back on my Amazon and Kindle publishing account.

A few days later I received an email from another very nice employee at Kindle Direct Publishing (Bridgid O’Neal) stating my books should be back into my control and to check my KDP account. Sure enough, there they were! I was so grateful to see them again. I wrote Ms. O’Neal and thanked her very kindly for telling me my books were mine once again.

So, I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to Chris for re-blogging my original post because without your help the chain of events might never have happened and I would still be fighting to get my books back. Thank you!!!!!

Also, thank you to all the very nice people who commented and emailed me with suggestions and/or support. It meant a lot to me. WordPress has the greatest blogging community that I know of. I appreciate you all!

 

 

 

 

Blogging · Mi Vida Loca · nonfiction · postaday · Wednesday Whatever! · writing

Wednesday Whatever!

Wednesday

 

 

I was trying to think of something to write today and couldn’t. My mind was blank. Then I saw this blog post come up in my email box (this one)

I like the blog, I subscribed to this blog and I enjoy reading it whenever one of the authors put out a post. You should read it. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Ok, for those of you too lazy to go read it (ha!) Michael Helms, who by the way is a very good writer, asks, ‘when is an author an Author? Then he goes on to explain that he read an e-book that he felt was terrible. It was short, so it wasn’t even technically a novel, it was also badly (if at all) edited. So does this make the person who published it an author? He says, no. And I agree with him. It doesn’t make a person an author if all they publish is a bad short story. That’s not the reason I’m writing about it.

The reason I’m writing about it and pointing the post out is this……..

Am I an author? Or just a wannabe? Or maybe I’m ‘just a writer’.

You see, I’m not against what Michael says in his post. I’m more challenging some of the comments on the post. It’s the age-old debate…..does self-publishing make you an author or someone who just self-published? And if a writer puts out a book that isn’t professionally edited with a professional book cover does this automatically make it a bad book?

As most of you know my books were NOT professionally edited nor do they have professional book covers. Although I must admit I think the kind friend who did my book cover could be a professional at book covers. Anyway, the point being….does not having ‘professionals’ involved in the process make it a bad book? Automatically?

I think what got to me the most about Michael’s post was it hit a nerve with me. It hit my self-doubt button. That sucker is never far from the surface anyway.

 

Writer-

 

Am I an author? Or just a wannabe? Am I a fake because I self-publish?

In my comment to the post, I admitted that I did not have professionals involved in the process of publishing my books. Not because I didn’t want to. Because I’m a poor person. I just don’t have the money to hire professionals. Which brings me to another question. Are you a ‘professional’ just because you get paid to do something? I imagine you must have experience too. The couple of people who helped me edit my books are not paid to edit. But, one is a writer with many books under her belt and one was a teacher for most of his life. Does not THAT make them ‘professionals’?

Besides, I’ve seen traditionally published books with lots of editing mistakes. Does that discount their professionalism?

I’ve been having lots of problems getting my third book going. I have self-doubts as I mentioned. I am tired most of the time…….I could make dozens of excuses as to why I’m not writing. The bottom line is the doubt. Am I a writer? An author? Or a fake?

I know this feeling will pass. At least I hope it will. It’s not Michael’s fault that his article brought up these feelings. Nor the commentators on his post. It’s all mine. I own it.

Do I have to be traditionally published to be taken seriously as a writer? Some would answer that last question with a resounding yes. Why? Because that’s how it’s always been done? Times change folks. I’m old, but not too old to change with the times. Self-publishing is not a bad thing and yes it’s here to stay. Get used to it.

Now all I have to do is get myself in gear again and start writing, whether I’m an author or not. Because I refuse to let my fears or other’s opinions keep me from my dreams.

 

 

What’s your take on this debate?

 

My Books · nonfiction · postaday

Spring Fling Book Sale ~~ Free Book!

Hello, People!

This is just a quick reminder that I am having a Spring Fling book sale on my two books this weekend….starting today!!

A Case of Deceit will be FREE!

Deceit Kindle Cover

 

The Canine Caper will be 99 Cents!! Grab them both this weekend and enjoy a good read!

 

cover play 5 canine caper

 

If you would be ever so kind and spread the word by reblogging and letting others know! Thank you!!

 

*Be kind to authors and please leave a review on Amazon after reading (or Goodreads!)* 

 

 

His Days (about the husband) · nonfiction · postaday · Stories of my life · Wednesday Whatever! · writing

Wednesday Whatever!

Hello, People!

Wednesday

 

Today’s post is going to be a bit of a catch-up. I don’t know how many of you noticed but I haven’t been around much lately. There’s a very good explanation for that. There is actually two reasons for me not being around, one, is good, the other not so good.

The first reason being the husband. He is back in the hospital. Monday morning at 4 a.m.  I had to call an ambulance for him as he was in so much pain he thought he was dying, or wished he was dying. That was a very long day. I did manage to have my first ambulance ride in the FRONT of the ambulance. I’ve had a couple of rides in the back. Riding in the front passenger seat was interesting. Especially at four thirty in the morning. No traffic for one and I saw a couple of coyotes crossing the highway.

Anyway, getting back to the husband. In the emergency room the husband was in terrible pain and throwing up. He couldn’t even keep water down. At first, they thought it was his appendix. They took blood and found he had an infection…..somewhere. More tests were ordered. I was there from 4:30 until almost noon. I had to go home and take my insulin and meds, so I left him there as the emergency doctor told me they would be keeping him for a while yet.

I waited at home for the husband to call me…..with no call. I waited….and waited…and waited. Tried to take a nap, but worry kept me from that. I finally called the hospital at around 6 p.m. They told me they were keeping him and transferring him to a regular room. They gave me the floor he would be on so I called the floor nurses desk. They told me …. yes he was in the room but sedated for now and that I could talk to him later.

The husband finally called me about forty-five minutes later. Seems it wasn’t his appendix after all. It was his colon. It was infected and had a blockage. So they were keeping him for a few days, he wasn’t to have anything to drink or eat until they rid him of his blockage and knew he would be ok. I told him I would come and see him in the morning. Which I did. Just in time for me to have to step out of the room while they gave him an enema. Yeah, I know….too much information. Sorry.

Anyway, to keep a long story short. He is supposed to be home sometime this afternoon. Unless they change their minds. Poor guy was so hooked up to so many things he could hardly move. But, at least, he’s alive and he doesn’t need surgery. So far. He’s had it rough the last few months.

The second reason I haven’t been around much is that I’m writing a new book. I had this character keeping me awake at night. I don’t need some character keeping me awake, as I don’t sleep very good as it is. She insisted I put away Dee and Tee away for a while and write her story. She almost dictated what I’ve been writing. So, I am working on a new book. It’s a bit of a continuing story of a short story I did on here about three years ago. It was called ‘The Arsonist’. Some of you might remember it.

The book is going to tell the story of how a girl/woman turned out to be an arsonist for hire. Why she sets fires, how it makes her feel and why she wants to stop. It’s going to be about how she’s not really a bad person, even though she sets fires. How she wants to stop, but can’t. And how one man is on the hunt for her, finally tracks her down and what happens between them and more importantly what happens to her. I think it’s a mixture of psychological suspense with a touch of romance. I’ll keep you updated on the book(s).

I’ve fallen so far behind in my reading and blogs and stuff. But, I’m still around. You can’t get rid of me that easily. So, see you next time!

 

 

PS….A quick update since I wrote this post. The husband will have to stay in the hospital for now. I just received a phone call from him. He told me he has had a bit of a set back. He tried to eat some soup and it didn’t go too well. He’s in severe pain again and can’t keep anything down. So for now he is where he needs to be. Keep him in your thoughts if you will. Thank you. 

 

 

 

 

Author Interviews · Blogging · My Books · postaday · writing

Indie author of the day: Jackie Phillips

My interview for the 2016 2K Indie Book Tour! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did doing it. 🙂

Scarborough Mysteries

Jackie 2009We’ve gone through the first week of our indie book blog tour, which I am co-hosting with the talented Kate M Colby, http://katemcolby.com, and haven’t we had fun! Today is a writer who likes a mystery as much as I do, Jackie Phillips. JL Phillips is a dreamer. Now she is a writer of stories. Being a dreamer is nice but it’s not perfect until you put those dreams in writing and let other people see them. Here she introduces her book, A Case of Deceit:

Private investigator DeeDee Watson receives a desperate phone call from an old college roommate. Dee can’t turn down a plea for help from a friend, so, along with Tee, her trusty sidekick, she agrees to help. It doesn’t take long for Dee to find herself in the middle of something sinister. The more clues she finds the more she realizes all is not what…

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Author Interviews · Blogging · postaday · stories · Uncategorized · writing

Author interview: Kara Jorgensen

Here is the first interview in the 2016 2K Indie Book Tour put on by Kate Evans and Kate M. Colby! I will be showcased on Friday the 12th! Come join us as we visit different genres and authors. It’s going to be loads of fun.

Scarborough Mysteries

It is time to kick off our 2K international indie book blog tour 2016 (hosted by Kate M Colby http://katemcolby.com http://katemcolby.com & me, Kate Evans). I am delighted to welcome our first indie author for interview, Kara Jorgensen.

KaraK picKara Jorgensen is an author of fiction and professional student from New Jersey who will probably die slumped over a Victorian novel. An anachronistic oddball from birth, she has always had an obsession with the Victorian era, especially the 1890s. Midway through a dissection in a college anatomy class, Kara realized her true passion was writing and decided to marry her love of literature and science through science fiction or, more specifically, steampunk. When she is not writing, she is watching period dramas, going to museums, or babying her beloved dogs.

Here she introduces her book,  The Earl and the Artificer (Ingenious Mechanical Devices #3), a historical fantasy novel.

What mysteries…

View original post 798 more words

Blog challenge · Mi Vida Loca · Monday Meeting · NaBloPoMo · Nano Poblano · nonfiction · postaday · Stories of my life

Monday Meeting ~ November 23, 2015

Well, look at this! I’m actually having a Monday Meeting on a Monday. Hope you can join me.

 

Monday Meeting

 

Hello and thank you for reading. I have a few things to catch you up on today. So, let’s start shall we.

First on the husband front. His colon surgery is tomorrow morning at 9 am. He has to be at the hospital at 6:30 am for check in and pre-op. So, if you don’t see a post from me tomorrow that will be the reason why. Of course, if I was smart I would schedule a post to happen tomorrow, but not sure I’m that smart or ambitious. Ha! I might do a quick post just to let you guys know how he is doing.

He’ll be in the hospital for about 3 to 7 days, depending on how he does. He’s just glad to finally get it over with. Also, during his other pre-op tests last week they found he had some major blockage in his carotid artery on the right side of his neck. Plaque buildup they told us, which could lead to a stroke. Sigh. At least they found it BEFORE he has a stroke. They told us that they will be extra vigilant during the operation and that he can have it dealt with afterward. Meaning, he will be on cholesterol pills and they might have to operate on his artery to clear the blockage. We will face this further bad news later on. Let’s deal with the cancer first.

Poor man, he will be paranoid about tests if this keeps up. I told him, at least they are finding these things out before anything major happens, so it’s a good thing. Please keep him in your thoughts people. All the positive energy helps. Thank you.

A tiny bit of good news. I’ve lost some weight! Yay me. With all the worry, stress, and running around the hospital I’ve managed to lose a few pounds. Now I just need to keep going. Without the worry and stress, though. So I’m not the one having the stroke. My blood pressure is still high and that has me worried too, which doesn’t help. Always something around here with us old folk.

 

 

 

On the book front. I am being super optimistic about the success of the husbands operation and beating cancer that I have scheduled a sale on BOTH my books this week to celebrate. The first book, The Canine Caper will be for FREE on November 25 – 26th! The second book, A Case of Deceit will also be on sale starting November 24th until the 27th. For the first 18 hrs the book will be for 99 cents, then every 18 hrs the price will go up until it hits the regular price. So grab it early for the best price!

Either book (or better yet, both books together) would make a great Christmas gift for any reader in your family! The second book, A Case of Deceit is also available in paperback from CreateSpace, which you can click on through Amazon.

I do hope everyone has an amazing week. See you next time!

 

 

 

 

Mi Vida Loca · Monday Meeting · nonfiction · postaday · Stories of my life

Monday Meeting ~~ October 26, 2015

Hello, People! I do hope your weekend was fabulous and that the start of the week goes well for you. Shall we get this meeting started?

 

Monday Meeting

 

Grab a drink and a snack and sit a spell.

First, news on the husband. We received the biopsy results of his colonoscopy this past Thursday. It wasn’t the best news, but it wasn’t the worst. He has what they call a “suspicious” tumor in his colon. It’s not classified as cancerous, but it has the potential to become cancerous as it does have cancer cells in it. So the doctor has decided to treat it as cancerous. Confused yet? Yeah, lots of mumbo jumbo for what I would call a pre-cancerous tumor.

They will be operating to remove it soon. Unfortunately the spot it is in means they will  have to remove one-third of his colon. First, though, is a CT scan of his stomach and his lungs to make sure he doesn’t have any more tumors. That won’t happen until the 9th of November. So stay tuned for more updates and thank you for all your warm thoughts for him. We both appreciate it. Another bump in the road of a very bumpy road the last three years, but we will deal with it as best we can.

My book, A Case of Deceit is done and formatted and ready for sale on Amazon on the 30th. Yay!! It is also ready now for buying as a paperback. Just click on the button on my sidebar and enjoy! The sales of my book will help pay for gas money in the coming months for the husband and me to the various doctors and hospital visits we are sure to have to make. Thank goodness I got it done in time. Thank you for pre-ordering or purchasing it. I do hope you enjoy and please, be kind to this author and leave a review! 🙂

I have started my third book in the DeeDee Watson, PI, series. I’m excited for this one as I think it is even better than the others. (Which I hope means I’m getting better) It’s set on a cruise ship with another cast of unforgettable characters including Dee’s mother. Wait until you meet her. 😉 I love her. She’s actually a take on my own mother, but shhhh don’t tell her ok? She’s much more…..um…..well you’ll see. Let’s just say she’s nothing like Dee.

Are you ready for Halloween? Do you even celebrate it? I used to but don’t any longer. Just too tired and wore out lately. But, I love seeing all the stuff out there for it. It’s still one of my favorite holidays. I love all the ghoulish stuff. Wonder what that says about me? ha! We don’t have any kids come around. Don’t see that happening much anymore truth to tell. I think it’s more school activities and private parties. Which is safer these days, but such a shame. I remember going trick or treating in the dark and enjoying all the kids in the neighborhood doing the same. Very few houses didn’t participate back then. It was safe and a lot of fun. Sometimes the changing of the times is not a good thing.

I’ve received quite a lot of birthday cards for my mother the last few weeks. A big heartfelt thank you for all of you who have sent something! I will be mailing them all to her later this week. She knows she is getting something, but doesn’t know what yet. She’s going to love this! I will, of course, let you know what she says when she receives them. So stay tuned for that! You guys are wonderful!

That’s about it for this week. Let me know what’s going on in your little slice of the world! Above all, have some fun people!

 

 

 

Blog challenge · Blogging · My Books · nonfiction · postaday · writing

The 777 Challenge ~~ Accepted!

Hello, people!

I do hope your weekend was a great one. Today is Thanksgiving here in Canada, so I’m going to be slightly busy with cooking. Nothing fancy for the husband and I, just a big chicken, stuffing, mashed taters, gravy and fresh green beans. I’m going to hate the dishes afterward! 😉

So even though today is Monday, there will be no Monday Meeting this week. It will resume next week. For today, I will be posting the 777 Challenge that my buddy Jeanette Taylor Ford issued to me via Facebook. Seems she is having some computer problems and can’t get on her blog right now. No problem, you can still take a look at her blog as is. Just click her name above and tell her Jackie sent you!

The 777 challenge is to go to page seven from your current WIP or your latest published work, then write down seven sentences from that page. Then I’m to nominate seven other authors to do the same.

I very rarely follow directions completely. ha! So I’m not nominating anyone. I’m just going to put it out there that anyone who wants to do this challenge is encouraged to do so! Go for it.

Here are my seven sentences from my current WIP that will be published October 30th. A Case of Deceit.

Deceit Kindle Cover

 

 

“Is Bandoni, Tony’s last name too?” I ask.

“Yes, Cynthia never found a man who can afford her, so she never married.”

Certainly, no love lost there. “Can you get me into Tony’s place? Is that where he was supposed to have killed himself?”

I try to ask these questions as gently as I can. I don’t want to set Angela off again.

 

There you have it. Hope you enjoyed and are intrigued. Now off I go to do some work! Thank you, Jeanette, for the challenge and I hope you get your computer problems solved soon.

 

 

(You can pre-order A Case of Deceit now! Just use the button on my sidebar. Thanks.)