I had a couple of things I wanted to mention. One is what looks like a weird new scam that I haven't worked out yet, and the other is just an update on how I'm doing in marketing. Scam Alert! So, the potential scam. I received an email that looked like this: Your book just gained new reviews from my readers community.<screenshot of a GoodReads book review>Did you get it?Looking forward to hearing from you I followed up with a couple of emails, and I basically think the paid-book-review people...
about 4 hours ago • 3 min read
Last week was Homecoming week, and my younger two girls are both now in High School. It's really something watching how much effort the girls (and their mom and other girls' moms) put into the preparation. Meanwhile my oldest had a rugby tournament, where they awarded her MVP. Certainly a better way to spend her time than watching that Arkansas v Notre Dame football game. Brutal. Yes, to relax, she does rugby and boxing. Any wonder I came up with Red? Really miss having my oldest girl around....
12 days ago • 1 min read
We're a few weeks into the school year, and settling in to the new/old routine, more or less. With my oldest off to college, and my youngest now in High School, I'm getting sentimental about all the lasts. Last time I'll help one of them learn geometry. Last time I'll teach one to drive. Last time I'll find a "box of strawberries" in the fridge that is nothing but stems. It's funny how even the things you don't like become things you miss, innit? My oldest sent me one of her papers from...
28 days ago • 2 min read
We're a few weeks into the school year, and settling in to the new/old routine, more or less. With my oldest off to college, and my youngest now in High School, I'm getting sentimental about all the lasts. Last time I'll help one of them learn geometry. Last time I'll teach one to drive. Last time I'll find a "box of strawberries" in the fridge that is nothing but stems. It's funny how even the things you don't like become things you miss, innit? My oldest sent me one of her papers from...
28 days ago • 2 min read
My oldest daughter's first weeks in Arkansas have been exciting--including a "live shooter on campus" incident that turned out to be a hoax. I think my wife and I worried more than my daughter did. But she's making friends and getting her work done, and I couldn't be more proud. My other two daughters started school as well--my youngest is in high school! Crazy. I know I keep saying this, but it's gone by so fast! We are back into the help-me-with-homework evenings, Friday-night football...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
My oldest daughter left for college! Arkansas... an 8-9 hour drive on a good day. My wife and I have definitely fought strange battles with suddenly watery eyes since dropping her off... some kind of strange allergy attack no doubt. From the verdant growth in Arkansas. We miss you tons, Sienitas! Dorm drop-off Click here to be removed from family content. A Dragon's Egg and a Full-Circle Moment Okay, I have to share this—because it's one of the coolest things that’s happened to me as an...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
We took our final family trip before my oldest goes off to college. I'm guessing family trips get successively harder after this year, and, frankly, I'm not ready for this stage of life to end. I know it's cliche, but it sure went by faster than I thought it would. Do you remember how slowly the days seemed to creep by when you were a child? How exciting a birthday was? It's really crazy how quickly the years whip by as you get older, and that birthday feeling swaps to, "Really? Another one?...
2 months ago • 4 min read
We brought my mother-in-law over and kept her out late to watch our little home fireworks show to celebrate the 4th of July, or, as my new British colleagues called it, Treason Day. I have to admit, it's fun being in a meeting and having someone say, "We haven't done that in donkey's ears," and, "Oh! That's what foxed me! Jolly good!" But Treason Day made me laugh out loud. Click here to be removed from family content. Book 4 is well underway now. I took a different approach this time and...
3 months ago • 3 min read
We met with extended family to spend a day at Sea World. Hot day with cool (literally) rides. Most of the fam at Sea World Me and my oldest daughter cooling off on a ride Click here to be removed from family content. Oddly enough, the twice-a-month cadence for newsletters won out over once-a-month, by one vote. So twice a month is borderline. Maybe I'll skip a newsletter once in a while. And more people liked seeing the indie book options than didn't, so I'll keep them, but I set up ways to...
3 months ago • 2 min read
I traveled to Cambridge, England for work since my last email. I didn't get much time to explore on my own, but walked a great deal while I was there, and took photos as I went. Yes, I'm sure I looked like a tourist, but I'm comfortable with that. "Bodies in the Bookshop" appeared to be a bookstore that sold only murder mysteries (sadly, it was closed). I learned, among other things, that the title, Secrets of Deara, absolutely needs to be said with a Scottish accent. Technically, I learned...
4 months ago • 2 min read