What Weekend?

Life is busy enough without getting sick for two days. The worst cold ever took me out of action from Friday evening through Saturday. All those big plans to get some outside work done and some promotional work went the way of a full box of tissues. Sinus headache, chills, well you get the picture. I haven't had a cold like that since I retired from teaching. Teachers have the luck to catch everything going around when their students give it to them. Stay home when you're sick, please.

Another 9/11 has rolled around. Even after 16 years, the day remains vivid in my memory. The week following was very tense in our little piece of the country. Three Mile Island, infamous nuclear plant, is in my home school district. There were dozens of false alarms from perceived threats. I woke a few nights to jets screaming over the house on their way from Fort Indiantown Gap to provide security coverage at the power plant. It was truly the international incident of my lifetime. Let's hope our politicians don't draw us into something worse that that horrible day.

Came across this interesting article at Publisher's Weekly. Amazon is making an attempt to stop those cheaters using KDP and stealing money from authors and readers with their practices. I'm sure those being sued by Amazon are only a few of the many jerks conning the system, but it's a start.

Prayers to those suffering all kinds of hardships and losses because of Harvey and Irma. I have a niece in Florida.  I'm waiting to hear how she and her home are doing.

I feel the need to talk about something fun. Cleaned up my flowerbeds a little bit for fall. Can't believe I'll be raking leaves soon. My granddaughter turned six months and has been sitting up and crawling for a full month and last week decided she could stand up too when the right opportunity presents itself. Obviously, a superior genetic background. And our weather has been lovely. Warm but not humid during the day and cool nights.

This past weekend was big for the Penn State football fans at our house. Two of my sons earned their degrees there, and I received my Masters from PSU. The school really is a good academic school and has lots of outstanding athletic programs. It's too bad it's reputation has been darkened by the Sandusky scandal. Those poor children who suffered are still suffering as adults because so many resent the black mark on Joe Paterno's legacy. Priorities are messed up for some people.

Can't say how much I miss having a new GoT episode the last two Sundays. Salvation has gotten better and better each week. I hope it gets renewed for next year. I'm thinking of doing a re-watch of Luther, a BBC cop show, which means it's more cerebral with less shooting to solve crimes. It's good if you're looking for something to watch. It's on Netflix.

Are the hurricanes impacting your part of the world? Do you remember vivid details of 9/11? Have you put your books on KDP? Have your earnings taken a hit like so many authors complain because of the cheaters? Do you watch any BBC shows?

IWSG: August Version

The Insecure Writer's Support Group, a monthly bloghop started by Alex J. Cavanaugh. On the first Wednesday of every month, members of the group share their current insecurity. If you don't have any worries this month, you can share what you've done to overcome them and to advance your writing career. Also visit the other members of IWSG and join our Facebook page.

There are two things on my writing mind this month. As I dive into a rewrite of the first book in my new series, I'm worried that it forms a cohesive story. I'm worried about the world-building. Have I made the futuristic society interesting enough? The usual questions I have about a first draft but I had hoped by this time that I would be able to create first drafts that didn't need soooo much work.

The second thing that is more a general concern about the industry is more difficult to put into exact words. Many or you know that two of my three publishers closed their doors about six months ago. I don't know the intimate details of why their businesses failed but one thing I have learned is that Amazon, that giant spreading oil slick, is squeezing those small presses the same as it is independently published authors. I've heard from a source that the big traditional publishers are suffering just as much from Amazon's control over the book market. Amazon sells more books than any other retailer. Writers and publishers have to work with them and Amazon knows that. KDP Select seems to be one of those, 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' kind of decisions writers and publishers have to make.

There are three truths: my truth, your truth, and the truth. Chinese Proverb

A blog post on SheWrites by Brooke Warner exposes a practice of some traditional publishers to not allow their authors to write those little endorsement blurbs for self-published authors. Ouch!

On lighter notes, I promised a picture of the wedding. I present Mr. and Mrs. David Gourley.

Other things I'm excited about in the upcoming week: My sister is visiting from Mississippi. I'm taping a promotional video for the October book event I'm participating in. The weather is supposed to be lovely.

Do you have an opinion or experience to share about KDP Select? Have your first drafts improved from book to book? Have you heard anything like that post on SheWrites? Any good things on tap for the rest of the week?