A Very Productive Weekend

Hello, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! The extended Thanksgiving weekend turned out to be a quite successful one for me. First off, I was able to sit down with my family for some great food and conversation. Then, I sat down with Kate Endria for an in depth interview. She gave us fascinating details about her life growing up and the history of her village, Calendria.

Then, I heard from two local papers that I had sent press releases and books to. They're going to interview me for articles that will appear December. I received a list of questions from one this morning. So that's some nice publicity. It will be nice to get the word out.

The thing that I'm happiest about, however, does not involve the current book. I began work on the next book in the Deliverers series. In fact, I didn't just begin, I wrote the first two and a half chapters! Now, for me to do that in a couple of days is just spectacular.

It was a great feeling to have the words flow so easily. Plot situations revised or fixed themselves easily, like right after I put the original thought down. So far, it seems to be a lot easier the second time around. We'll see if that continues. I'm hoping that it does. I'll keep you posted.

An Interview With Kate Endria

Today we sit down to interview Kate Endria. She is the daughter of the Lord Mayor of Calendria, and an important part of the Deliverers team. So, let's get right to it.

Editor:  Welcome to the Deliverers Publishing Headquarters, Kate. Thanks for stopping by.

Kate:  You’re very welcome. This is so exciting! I never thought I’d get to visit this place. Stig told me all about it, but I would never have believed how extravagant your headquarters was if I hadn’t have seen it for myself.

Ed.:  Well, I don’t think it’s as impressive as you’re making it out to be. But anyway, what was your family life like growing up?

Kate:  Some might say that I still have some growing up to do, especially the members of our Council. I remember some happy times when I was younger. Of course, Sharky and the pirates were always around. If they weren’t terrorizing Calendria on Tariff Day, there was always the thought that Sharky was watching.

I remember times with my papa and mother—before she died. We were happy, going to the Green for picnics, pot luck suppers at the meeting house. But, then Mother got sick, and things weren’t so good. I was seven when she passed.

But, Papa has always been wonderful, and he does his best to make up for not having a mother. And of course Gretchen, our maid, has always been a dear, and Madame Bottleneck, too. I’ve been blessed to live in a village where everyone cares about one another, and I’m proud of Papa, who’s the Lord Mayor.

Ed.:  Tell us a little bit about Calendria and its history.

Kate:  Well, Calendria has a long and rich history. It was established over 300 years ago by my ancestor, Calvin Endria. Cal Endria had been Sharky’s first mate, but he and about 40 others in Sharky’s band decided it was time to settle down and retire. So, Cal went to the captain and stated his intentions, expecting that Shaky would either laugh in his face or run him through.

I think that he was pretty surprised when Sharky didn’t do either. Instead, he agreed to let Cal and his mates retire, provided that they paid a tariff of half of everything the settlement produced twice a year for a hundred years.

So that’s how Calendria started. Calvin Endria was the first Lord Mayor, and the village was named in his honor. The position of Lord Mayor has been handed down to the eldest son in the Endria family for generation after generation.

Ed.:  You were the one who discovered the Deliverers. How did you come to be searching for them?

Black Friday Deal

Happy turkey day, everybody. So, now we're all stuffed to the gills. Some of us are watching football (Dallas came back on the Dolphins! Ugh!). Some of us have departed, or are planning to depart for the stores in that Black Friday rush. I only have one thing to say--don't go out there, it's dark!

Why go out when you can shop from home? Order the greatest gift a child could receive this Christmas right from the comfort of your couch--"The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel" can be obtained online. And now, for this weekend only, you can get it for $1.50 off the regular price of $9.99. How you ask? With a discount coupon. If you order the book on CreateSpace, and enter this code at checkout: Q42K3ZJ8, you'll get that $1.50 off. But hurry, this coupon will only be valid until the end of the day Sunday, November 27. And really, who wants to look like this?:

Enjoy, and have a great rest of your day!

Lots to be Thankful For



Hey, work's done for the week! Yay! Today, I'm just doing a quick post to wish you all as safe, happy, yummy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family and friends this weekend, eat a bunch, shop 'til you drop, and just chll and appreciate life and all its blessings! We've all got so much to be thankful for.

Check back here tomorrow evening for a special Black Friday deal on "The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel'. I'm not one to rush out the door as soon as the pumpkin pie is done to line up outside Wal-Mart in the cold, but I'd like to reward my Facebook and blog friends with a little something, because I truly am thankful for you all. So, I'll see you tomorrow!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

 My nine year old son would never read more than a few chapters of my book before it was published. Now, I know what you're thinking. That's hardly a ringing endorsement. You're right, and it used to bug the heck out of me.

I took to pestering him, "Don't you want to finish daddy's book? Don't you like it? Please read some more." I bothered him so much that I began to wonder who the child was, him or me. Insecurity can be a powerful thing.

I'd wonder, hey, if my own child won't read the blooming thing, what child will? Finally, I came right out and asked him why he wouldn't read it.

"Because," he said, "you just want to be famous."

That brought me up short and made me think. Was that true? Well, of course I'd like kids all over the world to read my book and to enjoy it. If that were to happen, then I guess there would be a certain amount of fame involved. But is that why I write, to be famous?

I know some writers who are almost compelled to write. They're not happy unless they're writing. That always kind of bothered me, because I am not compelled to write constantly. Now, once I start writing, it's a different story. Once I start, the compulsion kicks in.

But, if I don't start, I don't have the compulsion. And too often, I don't start--too many things get in the way. I think that it's not that I don't have the passion to write, it's just that I'm a lazy writer.

Take for example my second book. No it's not written yet. I've been kicking around an idea all summer, but I hadn't nailed anything down. I let things get in the way--the artwork and layout for the first book, our summer vacation, stuff at work, my Lions Club.

This past weekend, I sat down and finally ironed it out. Well, I ironed most of it out. Now, I can start writing this weekend, and we'll be on our way. Because once I get down to writing, the compulsion will kick in and there will be no stopping. No worries!

And, I shouldn't have been worried about my son. As soon as I got the proof copy, he sat down and read the book in a couple of days. He loved it. I guess his comment was just an excuse because my manuscript wasn't a book to him. But he made me examine why I write--and why I don't. And that's a good thing.