Bobbing Around
Volume Three, Number Six
Bob Rich's rave
January, 2004
bobswriting.com/ anxietyanddepression-help.com/ mudsmith.net/
Bobbing Around
Volume Three, Number Six
Bob Rich's rave |
|
*About Bobbing Around
subscribe/unsubscribe guidelines for contributions *Bob's brags Several things I'd like to tell you about. *Valentine Day contest. *Books to buy, leads to follow... Avie Townsend has had 'Winter Mournings' published. Rita Toews fights bullying with 'Why Me?' and announces several EPPIE finalists. Kathryn Lively is starting up a book review newsletter. *EPIC announces finalists in EPPIE 2004 Awards And I am one of them :) *What's wrong with word ping-pong? *Australian author, American book How to promote, by Pamela Faye *Psychology Soul mates? She left me -- I want to kill myself. *Ergonomics Boiling Water. *Book Reviews Two books by Max Overton A New Age comedy of manners by Celia Leaman *Short story 'Nothing Upstairs' by Geoff Nelder. *Thank You, Atlantic Bridge. |
The US dollar is falling, falling. Therefore, where I charge in American money, I have had to raise my prices in order to receive the same value. E-books sold at my web site are now $US7.50, so I still receive $Au10 for them. HOWEVER, for a limited time only, subscribers to 'Bobbing Around' may buy them at the old price of $US5.00. Just send me an email, mentioning that you are responding to this offer, and let me know the titles you want.
Bobbing Around is COPYRIGHTED. No part of it may be reproduced in any form, at any venue, without the express permission of the publisher (ME!) and the author if that is another person. You may forward the entire magazine to anyone else. I am responsible for anything I have written. However, where I reproduce contributions from other people, I do not necessarily endorse their opinions. I may or may not agree with them, but give them the courtesy of a forum. |
Sending Bobbing Around off used to be a big job. Now, it's a matter of visiting an online form, then sending a single email, thanks to Atlantic Bridge Publishers. The least I can do is to offer this forum to Linda Eberharter, the publisher, for publicising her publishing business. Please visit her and look around.
Stories on the radio
Every Sunday morning, a chain of radio stations around Australia broadcasts the show Words and Music. The host, Chas Eeles, is at the very far north Qeensland radio station 91.3 FM NAG. With great sensitivity, he reads about three short stories and a poem, interspersed with music.
I am honoured to announce that Chas read my story Taming Tommy in December. On the 14th of March, he will include my story Shortcut to Love?. Both are from my anthology Through Other Eyes.
Sleeper, Awake
Originally published in America by the now defunct Clock Tower Books, my award-winning novel Sleeper, Awake is currently only available as an e-book from my web site. I am delighted to tell you that it is to be reissued by Double Dragon e-books.
Striking Back From Down Under
This popular short story collection was my first e-book, with Bookmice, a once dynamic publisher that was sold and became a dud. Striking Back From Down Under will now be released by Twilight Times Books, currently my number 1 supplier of editing work. For a couple of months now, I have worked on a succession of excellent books for them.
Monthly Short Stories
The excellent magazine Monthly Short Stories is featuring my 5000 word story Liberator in its February issue. This story has received a lot of praise, and besides, it's fun.
EPPIE Finalist
My latest book, and best to date, is Anikó: The stranger who loved me. It is one of three finalists in its category of the EPPIE Awards.
Dream Realm Awards
I am proud, delighted and amazed that the fourth book in the series Stories of the Ehvelen, The Making of a Forest Fighter, won the Action/Adventure category of the Dream Realm Awards.
New goodies My writing web site contains new reviews, and lists several new recipients of the LiFE Award: Literature For Environment.
Festival at Moora Moora
And if you live within cooee of Melbourne, you MUST attend the Festival I am helping to organise. It will be on Saturday 28th Feburary, 2004, and promises to be a great day.
Bookswelove has a brand new contest just in time for Valentine's day. www.bookswelove.net/happyholidays.html.
Visit five Bookswelove.net authors, sign their guest books for entry into the drawing for a pair of e-romances and a pair of movie vouchers.
Visit five more Bookswelove.net authors, for an additional drawing of a paperback romance, and a sweetheart bouquet of chocolates and roses.
BONUS: Find the Books We Love Valentinue bear, tell us where you found the bear, and you'll be entered in a drawing to win the bear. ALL DRAWING TAKES PLACE ON FEBRUARY 14.
Avie Townsend
Rita Toews
Kathryn Lively
Avie Townsend
Page Free Publications, ISBN #1-58961-132-2
My book is finally out (thanks to a great edit by Dr. Bob) and on its way to fame (don't I wish).
WINTER MOURNINGS takes the reader on a romantic rendezvous through Niagara Falls and the surrounding vicinity.
Kathryn Miller feels alone and desolate when her parents are killed in a winter auto accident, only a decade after her husband of three days was killed the same way.
Tom Morgan has resigned himself to forever being single. Divorced and responsible for two adolescent children, he must also care for his brother, who's suffered a permanent brain injury in an auto accident.
When Tom and Kathy meet, they find it difficult to remain distant; and they form an allegiance, both personally and together against their evil employer. Can their relationship thrive, or will it be smashed to pieces like debris going over the mighty cataract?
Avie Townsend is an award-winning journalist/author who lives in Western New York, USA. She enjoys writing contemporary pieces about the Niagara/Lake Ontario region. She is a journalist/partner at www.niagarabuzz.com. For more information, check out her website, www.avietownsend.com.
Rita Toews
1. 'Why Me?'
Published by E-Book Publishing Tools
Bullying… you hear about it on the news. You read about bullies in the newspaper. But what do you do if you are the target of bullies?
Why Me? offers teens, parents and teachers information and resources needed to recognize and stop bullying.
In Why Me, you’ll read Chelsea’s story. Chelsea has moved to a new school. She has no friends and is targeted by the “popular” girls. They even set up a web site to embarrass her. She wishes she could just hide, or fade into the background or… drop out. Anything to keep from going to school and facing another bully.
But Chelsea:
Each purchase of Why Me? comes with a bonus "Bully Busting Techniques" and a free digital diary.
You can view Why Me? at: http://www.ebook-publishing-tools.com/kidsebooks/why_me.html.
2. Rita Y. Toews was recently notified that her children's e-book, Christmas Stars, was selected as one of the finalists for the 2004 Eppie awards. As an added bonus, Prometheus, her co-authored novel with writer Alex Domokos, was also selected as a finalist in the science fiction category. Rita and Alex were recently awarded a publishing contract by print publisher NeWest Press out of Edmonton, Alberta, for their police procedural novel, Masquerade.
This is not the first time Rita and Alex's books have made the finals in the Eppie awards. In 2002 their co-authored novel, The Price of Freedom won an Eppie in the non-fiction category.
For more information on this award winning writer's books, including her books on bullying issues, please visit her website at www.domokos.com/rita.html.
Rita will be well known to long-term readers of 'Bobbing Around'. She is a fighter against injustice, a doer and giver. The book Prometheus she mentions is a recipient of the LiFE Award.
Kathryn Lively
I would like to announce that my new newsletter, LivelyWriter Reviews, will debut January 30th, with reviews of mystery, romance and non-fiction titles. The newsletter runs twice a month and is available at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/livelywriterreviews .
http://www.kathrynlively.com/.
The Electronically Published Internet Connection (EPIC) is proud to announce the finalists for the fifth annual EPPIE Awards. These awards, which honour the finest electronically published books of the year, will be presented on March 15 in Oklahoma City as part of EPICon 2004.
"For an e-author, no other award is more sought after or carries more prestige than the EPPIE," said EPIC president Dusty Rhodes. "It is the ultimate recognition by one's peers for outstanding achievement in the electronic publishing industry. And as the e-publishing industry grows and continues to gain recognition, so will the EPPIE."
"Once again we've topped the number of entries from the previous year," said Betty Kasischke, who has been the contest coordinator since its inception. "The awards are growing more and more popular, and the quality of the entries just keeps getting better. Our judges had some amazingly difficult decisions to make."
Awards are given in twenty-one categories. In addition, each year EPIC presents the Quasar Awards for superior achievement in cover art, along with the newly renamed Patricia White Service Award to one individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to EPIC.
You can see the entire list of finalists in all the categories at www.epicauthors.org or at my web site. My entry was in the rather misnamed 'Non-fiction: Philosophy' category. Actually, this is 'non-fiction, everything but self-help'.
The three finalists are
Word ping-pong is a game. I say something. You respond. I say something in return, on and on until one of us hesitates. Then the other one has scored a point.
This is a good way to amuse children on a long drive, but it's not a good way of writing. I have come across stories where the dialogue goes on and on and on like this. It is in a vacuum, typically delivered by the identical voice with different names attached.
Half a page of this, and my mind blurs. Regardless of the inherent interest of the content, my interest in the story is lost.
Dialogue is an excellent device. However, no device should be overused. Imagine a boxer who only used one punch. That's not a boxer, but a wind-up clockwork toy.
Conversation takes place in a SETTING. OK, start the story with quotes from two people talking; it's an excellent way to attract attention and start to convey information to the reader. But then, immediately, let us know where, when and why they are talking: the sight, smell, sound, feel of the place, knowledge about the wider world it is a part of, who the speakers are. Draw this in with a few bold strokes, not with baroque elaboration, and intersperse it with the continuing dialogue.
Everything you write, including dialogue, is reported through the awareness of a WITNESS. In journalistic writing, this is the author. Fiction is much more powerful if the witness is always one of the characters. As you report the words spoken, also report that witness's thoughts, feelings, memories, emotional reactions. Again, this should be a bare sketch, not a major interruption. I don't want to be surprised when after three paragraphs of musings someone responds to the previous speaker's statement.
The final ingredient that converts word ping-pong into interesting dialogue is PERSONALITY. Everyone speaks differently. The written word drops these differences. It is the writer's artistry that hints at them, so the reader will hear the distinctive voices of the various characters. Give one person a staccato way of speaking, make another speak in longer, more considered sentences. Don't have them all use the same syntax, for example addressing a person by putting the name last:
'I think that's a good idea, George.'
'Thank you, Jim.'
'Well, I think it stinks, George,' Sue interjected.
A few more lines of this, and they become cardboard cutout characters.
The way to depict personality is not by self-conscious artifice, but by getting to know your characters better than you know real people. Here is an example from Sleeper, Awake:
Mira and Tim were abseiling down the Freeway. Speaking from the lofty superiority of her seven years, Mira commanded, "Go in smaller hops, Tim."
"I can go in as big a jump as you!" And he matched her, jump for jump down the dark grey, steeply tilted but exactly straight slope. Mira had picked a spot where the endless Freeway was tilted side to side, but its surface was unbroken.
Almost at the bottom, Tim gave her a triumphant look -- and crashed knees first into the unforgiving surface. "Ow!" he cried and let the doubled rope slip through his hand. He went sliding down the rough hillside, the knees of his protective trousers shredding away. Then the safety clicked in and he came to an abrupt halt.
"See?" Mira said smugly.
Tim put his tongue out at her. He gingerly straightened his legs and got his feet against the ancient material. "Let go now," he thought at the safety, and took the last three jumps down to ground level without trouble.
"You all right? Let me have a look." She bent to examine his knees. The thick padding was worn away, and the inner lining was quickly turning red with blood. "Mother!" Mira called in alarm.
I din't have to think about distinguishing their voices. When I reported Tim's words, I became a cheeky, strong little five-year-old boy. When Mira spoke, I was the seven-year-old girl aware of her older age. The differences then came naturally.
To recap, good writing is not a uniformly coloured sheet but a gobelin tapestry of many threads, patterns and colours. Dialogue is one element, and should be used in a vividly varied manner.
I asked fellow Australian author Pamela Faye how she promoted her book in the USA. Here is her answer:
To promote 'Chétan' in America, I have had to be willing to fly to New York, May 2002, when I was asked by the publisher to attend the Americana BookExpo for six full days of promotion. Literally thousands upon thousands of visitors from all over America attended the BookExpo during the three open days to the public. There is no greater stage on earth for an author to promote on. It is the Mount Everest of the Publishing Industry.
I flew to America at my own expense, it was simply good business sense to be there, and the American publishing industry welcomed this Aussie author with open arms. My first publisher did not have the kind of money it took to fly me across the Pacific, he was already paying for the cost of the booth, and the cost involved in transporting books from Seattle to New York, not to mention accommodation fees.
I have been establishing contacts throughout the USA Publishing Industry since 1997. I was a PR proofreader/editor for a property magazine in Aus, distributing in all states, until I turned to being a PR Arts News Writer for newspapers and magazines-- and there is always my job as the What's News editor. There is no one answer Bob, simply endless avenues to pursue when promoting in the USA, or any country for that matter.
August 2003 I flew to Townsville to promote the coming production of the 'Glass House' movie, along with beginning my PR launch for the Aussie Author in her own country. Since then I have been sending Arts News Stories, for the coming release of the Native American novel, to five countries around the world-- the USA, Canada, UK, NZ and Aus. 1000 major media outlets which I had to research and compile for my own use. And, I virtually work for the tourist industry of Aus, with its continual promotion overseas, this I do because of my passion for this country of 'Rich and Rare' beauty.
To add to all of this, I now represent an American movie producer, screenplay writer, and director, through my latest involvement with Saltwater Movie Studios, which will soon be emerging on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.
All this began with a small seed that simply grew with constant watering and feeding. It has become a time-consuming passion that can only be achieved by working 7/24. All those tales about writers having no time to write after the flood gates of PR open, are true. To switch from 'full-on' promoting, to creating, in the same day, is akin to being swept up in a whirlwind then trying to orientate yourself after you have been tossed out the other side. It is not just a matter of promoting your books, you have to promote yourself-- your author name.
I wish I could give you a simple answer, but there is none, you simply have to do what it takes to get to where you need to be. If you don't have the time to send out PR releases to Press and Media around the world, there is a new company called Book Announcements in Georgia, who will do it for you, at a price. http://www.BookAnnouncements.com.
It is the personal touch that gets me where I need to be, the individual e-mails I send to the press and media. I do not use mail merge programs. The creativity of 'press releases' is straight from the author's heart, straight from the author's style as a writer. They are of the highest professional standard that I am capable of achieving, and they are sent directly to the person who needs to receive them, such as Arts editors of newspapers and magazines. If it is a story about Aus, then it is sent directly to the newsroom editor.
I use PR book cover cards, to sign and hand out, with the blurb of the novel on the back. I sign in gold ink. For overseas PR, I also take advantage of donating books to worthy causes, such as libraries for children. For these I use Australiana, koalas and kangaroos. To promote our country is a pure pleasure for me, like eating chocolate. People in the Publishing Industry do not forget who you are when you hand them these gifts. Yes, it costs money, the two Australiana books I just posted to Massachusetts cost $50 all up. I see it as $50 worth of PR. I sign on the back of beautiful Steve Parish Australian postcards, "Donated by the Australian Author Pamela Faye", then slip them in the package.
PR is costly Bob, and if I were running to a budget I would not be where I am today-- I simply chose to gamble on the talent I have.
Pamela Faye is the Australian Author of the Native American novel 'Chétan', due for release from America for the second time, in January 2004. Pamela is also a PR Arts Editor/Marketer & '"What's News" Editor for EPIC. Contact Pamela at pamela_faye@optusnet.com.au -- or read about the author's achievements at AuthorsDen http://www.authorsden.com/pamelafaye.
Soul mates?
She left me -- I want to kill myself
Many of my friends write Romance. I like and respect them, and I hope they don't look on this as an attack. But...
But the myths perpetuated by Romance are responsible for enormous suffering. This is true whether these myths occur in books, in the mass media or in people's personal conversations.
Romance authors proudly tell me that their genre (with its many sub-genres) sells more books than all other genres combined. To me, this only emphasises the seriousness of the problem. Millions of people are so unhappy with the drabness of their lives that they need to escape into a dream world of dream lovers.
All right, so what's wrong with a little escapism? Absolutely nothing, as long as that's all it is. But when it colours the way people react to those around them, the implications are enormous.
One popular romantic formula is: girl and boy are made for each other, they are a perfect fit, soulmates. However, horrific barriers keep them apart. The nature, severity and number of these barriers are limited only by the author's ingenuity. Of course, at the end, the two people become the happy couple. This predictability is not a problem. After all, in a detective story, the sleuth solves the case. The book is the journey, not the destination. No, the problem is in the underlying assumptions, and what these do to people who believe them.
Suppose I believe that somewhere, there is a Soul Mate for me. If only I could find her, I could live in harmonious bliss. I find a girl, fall in love -- and then the problems come. Problems ALWAYS come. But my conclusion just has to be that no, after all, this girl is not my Soul Mate. She is someone else.
Have you noticed that more than half of all marriages end in divorce? This is one of the reasons.
Another problem is that I may well believe that this girl is my Soul Mate, but she has decided that I am not hers. If I belive the Soul Mate myth, I'll be like the young man who sent me the email below. However, if I know the fact that my needs for love, belongingness and commitment can be satisfied by any number of girls, and all of these potential relationships will involve some conflict, compromise and disappointment, then I'll be grieving for a while, feel bad about the rejection, then move on.
Have you noticed that youth suicide is now a major social problem? This is one of the reasons.
I edited an excellent book for a gentleman named Jim Chu. One of his chapters was on love. His view is that love is like a two-way commercial transaction. Each person has certain needs, some noble like the need to give and cherish, the need to be of service to others, the need to parent children. Others are mundane: for sex, food, someone to talk to, whatever.
Jim says that in priciple any person can make a fairly comprehensive list of needs a marriage partner ought to satisfy. If I could satisfy 100% of the items on your list and vice versa, we'd have a perfect marriage. This is of course an unattainable ideal, but the closer we come to it, the better the relationship.
I think this is a far better concept for lasting love than the myth of Soul Mates.
What do you think? Responses will be published in future issues of 'Bobbing Around', but please, discuss the ideas, don't attack the messenger.
"I want to kill my self because the girl i like didnt like me so now to me suicide is the only answer. She is my friend but I would rather kill my self then have her as just a friend please help me and tell me what I can do. Please help me before I do what I have come close to doing for many days..."
This is an extract from an email. The writer's problem in not unique. Here is my answer, which may be of use to other people:
My friend, let me tell you a story. When I was 23, I asked a girl to marry me. She turned me down, and I felt devastated.
Six months later I was married, to another girl. We have now been married for 36 years, have three kids and four grandchildren.
As a psychologist, I know many people who had once felt like you do, for all sorts of reasons, and who got over it and built themselves an excellent life.
If you succeed at suicide, it's final. There is no going back.
If you fail, it can be even worse. You might cause irreversible damage, such a destroying parts of your brain. I have also worked as a nurse, and looked after several suicide survivors, if you could call it survival. Imagine, maybe 50 years in a nursing home bed, incontinent of both feces and urine, having to be turned two hourly, perhaps unable to eat so they feed you through a tube in your tummy, unable to speak, and yet fully aware...
That's hell. Don't risk it.
Go out and get counseling urgently. Seek someone who uses Narrative Therapy, or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, or both. If you can't, I am willing to work with you via email once you are over the crisis of wanting to die. But for now, seek local help.
Have a good life. You can.
Bob
If the true cost of energy was reflected in the price, electricity would be FOUR TIMES as expensive as gas.
Actually, you are already paying for using electricity when gas would do. Many people have suffered from terrible storms, wildfires, droughts, colder than usual winters and hotter than usual summers -- all signs of the increase in the Greenhouse Effect, which is a direct consequence of past energy use patterns.
We also pay though the epidemic of cancer, respiratory diseases, and other effects of pollution that is also partly generated through overuse of energy.
If you are aware of all this, I am sure you'd rather boil water for a cup of coffee using a gas kettle. But the electric jug can have a wonderful feature: a built-in thermostat that turns it off when the water has boiled.
I don't think it would be difficult to design a gas-fired device to do this. It needs a self-sealing gas outlet of the kind they have for portable heaters. The gas jug has a pipe that clicks into this, just like the electric jug has a power cord. You light the flame, perhaps with a piezo igniter. When the water reaches boiling point, a bimetal strip trips a switch that closes the gas off -- and there you are.
Any reader of a technical turn of mind is welcome to develop this concept. I don't want to share in the profits, but you might see fit to supply me with a free sample.
The Golden King by Max Overton
Funeral in Babylon by Max Overton
Unraveled by Celia Ann Leaman
When I reviewed Max Overton's Lion of Scythia, I was impressed by the depth of historical research, the authenticity of the writing. The plot was well thought out and interesting. These strengths, and the exciting pace of the action, compensated for the rather stilted dialogue and lack of depth in many of the characters.
Max is certainly a good learner. The Golden King has all the strengths of its predecessor, with none of the weaknesses. The characters have become strong, vivid and rounded, dialogue is true to life and easily distinguishes the main players from each other. The tension is unremitting.
Anyone who likes historical adventure will love this book.
As I would expect from having read The Golden King, this book starts with immediate tension, which keeps going with twist after twist. While the story follows on from the previous volume, a new reader will be very quickly caught by the realistically drawn background, the action, and above all by the characters.
I particularly liked the picture of Alexander the Great. Max Overton has brought to life a very appealing man. The great King just had to be like this: charismatic, with a glow of inner power, wise yet impetuous. Overton has done his research well.
In this, the third book of the trilogy, we follow Nikometros out of Scythia, and back to Alexander's army, and Alexander's court.
Meticulously crafted, this book is an exciting page-turner. Moreover, it will stand on its own, and entertain a reader who hasn't yet read the first two books.
I only have one little suggestion for improvement. Whenever people in Max's books shoot with bow an arrow, he says they 'fire'. Well, Mr. Overton, you may fire a gun, but the only way to fire an arrow is to tie inflammables to the tip and light them.
With this one little cavil, I tell the world that I have immensely enjoyed the three books. I hope Max continues to write.
Twilight Times Books.
Trade Paperback; Release date: August. 15, 2004; ISBN: 1-931201-11-0; Price: $14.50.
ebook ISBN: 1-931201-09-9; Format: PDF, HTML, Palm; Price: $4.50.
Author's web site
Read an extract.
Editing is work. However good the book I am going through, it's a repetitive activity requiring concentration, and the task gets in the way of the enjoyment I might get if I were merely reading.
But… there are exceptions, and Celia Ann Leaman's Unraveled is one. Why? Because it gave me a laugh, or more exactly, many laughs. I don't often sit at my computer, seized by great belly laughs, but this was my fate while editing this little book.
Oh, there is brilliantly scathing analysis here too, dissecting the hell many people's lives amount to, but always in a way that makes me laugh, never squirm.
We all need fun in our lives. I can recommend to everyone: grab this book and enjoy the humor.
He should take advantage of the perspective from the top floor of a bus. Forrister’s car lingered in Foley’s Vehicular Care Centre for its annual medical but he had to put in a work appearance.
Damn, no window seat. All those reasons for individual travel, cocooned in his Ford, came to him as he sought the least offensive fellow traveller. The beard looked normal enough: its owner gazing through a demisted circle on the window as London glided past.
An uncomfortable moment passed as Forrister obliged the window-side occupant to move a corner of his coat and shuffle up. In his car, Forrister would by now have tuned in to London FM so he turned to his companion.
“Cold, today.”
No response. Could be his new friend had defective hearing but more likely incredulous anyone had the temerity to strike up a conversation. Twenty minutes before disembarking – he had to give it another shot.
“Hey, there’s Putney Cinema. Don’t go in Screen Three – it’s squeezed in between One and Two – you only hear the other two films and at the same time!”
“Grooten!”
“Pardon?”
“For – is that all?” The beard conversed all right but in gibberish and to the window. Suddenly, Forrister’s head received a blow from behind as a robust woman thrust her elbow over the seat.
“Grooten?” She barked. The man turned at last, looked at her and nodded.
What? He hadn’t appreciated the rapidity of language development since he last used public transport. Contorted completely out of recognition. Forrister couldn’t participate until he’d built up a translation database. Unfortunately, the woman had slumped back into her seat and the beard brushed again at the condensation. Forrister had to try again.
“Full today then,” Forrister said, nodding at the one remaining empty seat.
Nothing.
Then: “Jaffa. Man…”
“Actually I have an orange. Part of my lunch. Would you like a piece?”
Before the Beard could reply, the elbow dented Forrister’s head again.
“Grooten?” she asked. He shook. She re-slumped.
Dejected, Forrister re-bagged the orange, stood and weaved his way to the winding stairs, three stops early. Before the descent he glanced back.
The woman took Forrister’s seat. Beard took an ear-piece out of his left ear and shared the cricket.
Geoff Nelder lives in Chester, UK as a self-employed freelance writer. When he taught he had several books and articles published on climate, teaching and IT. With a new focus on fiction he scribbles novels and is overexcited to be the lead writer for an experimental Internet TV sit com. More can be found on http://geoffnelder.com.
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