Replaced the current mattress with a new one that arrived in a box that weighs 101 pounds and the height of two microwaves. The packaging design is a study of beauty.
A few wild slicing motions with a key, revealed the interior.
Ready for the vacuum sealed goodness, I dumped the contents on the floor.
The last step took a pair of scissors and about two minutes. Before I knew it, Oedipus had christened the bed.
At the same time, Mooshy got trapped in the box. Surely there’s a bed inside for him beneath the plastic wrapping.
A writer, reloaded
The Last Track — Available Now!
Adventures in inflatable bedding
October 11th, 2010Name The Baddie
October 2nd, 2010Have the perfect villain name? Well, here’s a chance to get it in print. One character name will be selected and used in the sequel to The Last Track. The winner will be credited in the acknowledgments of the sequel, receive a signed copy of The Last Track,, a signed copy of the sequel as well as a cool T-shirt.
Full details at the Book Reader Addicts page on Facebook.
Huge thanks to Book Reader Addicts for hosting this contest.
Mentionable
September 26th, 2010The Last Track netted a few mentions in the past few weeks:
First, Gina at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers, apparently purchased a copy of The Last Track and recommended others do the same, even though she already had a review copy.
Margot Kinberg held an excellent discussion about the dynamic character arc of heroes in mystery novels at her site. In addition to classics from Mickey Spillane and Agatha Christie, she included The Last Track. It also got me fired up to re-read The Big Kill.
So those two entries pretty much made my week.
Last, Cynthia the admin of a Facebook group page, Book Reader Addicts invited me to check out their page, which I liked.
Details are still being sorted out, but Book Reader Addicts will host a contest for The Last Track soon. It’s going to be a little different than the standard giveaway the publisher has conducted so far.
And that’s about all I can say about that.
Nice stats
September 26th, 2010The only thing more devastating to teenager than limiting access to Facebook might just be the loss of their cell phone. It’s an exaggeration, but only slightly. In just a few years, one application has gone from innovative novelty to near necessity. But not just for teenagers.
Nearly all of my friend requests on Facebook in the last six months came from people who read The Last Track. That’s something I never expected.
Then again, I also never expected Facebook and social networking to get so big. At present more than 500 million people have Facebook accounts. Some days more people access Facebook than Yahoo or Google. Let me repeat that. A single destination draws more traffic than the biggest search engines that help people sift through billions of active web sites. That’s beyond impressive. And staggering.
It also makes me wonder what’s next for the social networking juggernaut. Maybe just more of the same.
Or maybe something even bigger.
Wearing a helmet
September 7th, 2010The best thing about summer is that Fall always follows. Such an assertion might seem like straight up sun-hating, but summers in New Jersey are the time for concerts, hot weather, and vacation. Some of those are enjoyable–in part.
What works? Definitely not the hot weather, which mean big electric bills, sun burn and traffic jams. In the old days, summer also meant riots and random beatings as reported in the crime beat section. Following the popularity of Jersey Shore, the Garden State is a more peaceful and loving place. As long as Snooki gets her Red Bull everything is OK.
Or so the papers tell me.
Summer concerts do make the fun list. Caught a few really good ones this year, Bon Jovi and Hall and Oates among them.
But after this summer, I’m taking a real vacation. Did the staycation thing and barring a medical reason decided there are very good reasons to get the hell away from routine for a week or more. Giving the body and mind a total break is important.
Until that week of respite arrives, it may be 90 degrees and humid, but the leaves are turning.
Pretty good crowd for a Thursday
September 2nd, 2010One of the fiercest boxers who ever lived–a man whose powerful body time has softened, but in its place left perspective–recently said: “Each man kills the thing he loves.” It’s simple quote, very memorable, and one anchored in fact.
Looking over many notable figures from history, the knockout blow that bumped them from their perch came not from a rival, but from somewhere less obvious.
For at a certain point in these journeys, something very profound happened. The fire burning inside them, the one that once compelled they fight on flickered. Maybe the flames dipped just for an instant. Not so much that anyone on the outside might notice. But a second of shadows where there had always been light was enough time for something else to work into its place.
Possibly for the first time ever, these champions questioned whether or not what they had always wanted, was worth it. And that second guess was the first step towards the end of whatever empire they had constructed.
And so they killed what they loved, not with acts, or neglect, but with their beliefs.
Afterward, maybe the flames roared back smartly, burning as bright as before. Many empire builders rise and fall several times. But the voices of self-doubt now waited at the perimeter for them going forward, like a fire extinguisher ready to snuff the flames forever.
That quote was from Mike Tyson, and it described a lot more than his own boxing career. Ultimately his most cunning adversary proved to be himself.
School cometh
August 31st, 2010Entering home stretch before the school year begins in earnest. Students from all over the world will return for another year on campus. As usual there is much to be done on campus.
Updates might be sporadic for the next two weeks.
Towards the middle of September, I’ll have some news about some store signings and contest results, too.
In Cat Army News, whose shelf is it, anyway?
