Writers-Exchange is primarily an e-publisher (which is where most of the money is for authors these days) based in Australia, but they also do print runs for books that hit reasonable e-pub sales goals. They’ve been in the e-pubbing business since 2000 and have released over 300 titles to date. Since they were an early adopter of e-publishing, they have forged close working relationships with Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble, Apple and all the major e-publishing outlets in the UK, Europe and Australia, so that’s a big network that I get to plug directly into!

There’s no advance, but they handle all the formatting for the different platforms (Kindle, Nook, Apple, .mobi, etc.) and they have over ten years of experience marketing books in digital format.

I LOVE THAT because that means I don’t have to re-invent a wheel that has already been invented, tested, polished and perfected!

Plus, based on their standard contract, which I’ve already reviewed, my royalty is going to be quite a bit more than the New York published author standard 5-10%. Sure, e-books sell for a fraction of hardcovers, but overhead is low for everyone involved in the creation and distribution. Plus, e-books are selling at much more volume than traditional hardcovers and paperbacks so I’m very excited to venture into cyberspace with an experienced ally.

A huge shout-out to my new friend Bob Beers for recommending me to the lead editor at Writers-Exchange. He has been e-pubbing since 1998 and has two pretty cool fantasy series BTW, “The Milward Chronicles” and “The Tony Mandolin Series” which is sort of like Sam Spade meets “Lord of the Rings” set in modern day San Francisco. Check out his blog here: http://fogcityfiles.wordpress.com/

I don’t have a final contract yet, or an exact estimate on when my book will be available on the Kindle, Nook, etc., but I expect it will be relatively soon because Writers-Exchange seems to typically work pretty fast.

It’s a good thing I’ve already started the sequel to “For Rent: Dangerous Paradise”! The sequel leaves Venice Beach and finds spunky young journalist Dana Santoyo embroiled in the lives of an all new cast of weird and wonderful neighbors. Living in a week-to-week motel located just off the famous Las Vegas Strip, Dana will encounter new friends, new enemies, another ghost story and another deadly mystery as she climbs towards her goal of being a network news anchor.

Assuming FRDP is released this summer, I hope to have the sequel “For Rent: Dangerous Neon” and maybe a novella that delves deeper into the Kriti/Vantu/Tohi’s spooky backstory, out by Christmas.

Thank you all for your support during the extra long creative process of getting the first novel in this For Rent series finished and out the door.

Stay tuned for when “Dangerous Paradise” becomes available on your favorite electronic technology!

Now I’ve got to go chill some champagne! :- )

Damn the torpedeos!

Aside from that haunting similarity, this remains a brief, very special and very momentary period in time to celebrate the joy those adventurers felt in-between departure and disaster.

On April 10, 1911 the Titanic set sail fully loaded and fully provisioned from Southhampton, England. At the time it was the largest, most extravagant and engineered boat ever built by Man. Bound for New York City (1911 New York City!) imagine the enthusiasm of all those looking over the rails as they plied the across the Atlantic Ocean!

Bon Voyage!

Those 2,228 very special people embarked on the most lavish luxury liner ever built by man on April 10, 1911. Okay, we all know what ultimately happened. But imagine Day Three at sea aboard that vessel, clear skies; the pestilence of Belfast and England behind you; the promise of the New America in front of you.

I mean, some of these people became Frank Sinatra’s parents’ and Bruce Springsteen’s grandparents’ neighbors! How cool is that?!

So, it is the anniversary of a magical time of dreams and aspirations, not just for the 710 survivors, but for each and every one of the 2,228 epitomes of the human condition that stepped aboard that “too big to fail” boat back in 1911. They are our distant cousins, neighbors and co-workers parents and grandparents cousins and friends; they are also, possibly, time gone by representations of you and me. Today, exactly one hundred years later, I feel a special kinship to their scared exuberance about the future!

True. Unfortunately, they were destined for a special, tragic place in history books. But today it was Day Three on a voyage of hope, wonderment and lavish engineering and I think that’s important to remember. Titanic was not a tragic voyage, it was a voyage that ended tragically.

God Speed Old Souls!

Graciously please steer us away from our own icebergs of equally arrogant stupidity!

Last night Laura and I went to see Chris Isaak at Green Valley Ranch. Before anyone asks ‘why-in-the-world-would-you-do-that?’ the tickets were free, sent to us by the casino probably because we don’t go there much anymore. Too bad their “generosity” didn’t amount to much.

I remember when Chris Isaak had his fifteen minutes of fame in Hollywood in the early ’90′s. Execs at Miramax and other studios salivated and threw project after project at him hoping they had discovered the “New Elvis”.

Well, as we all know, they didn’t because he wasn’t and Isaak’s fame quickly vanished from the airwaves.

After last night’s performance, I can see why.

Although the venue at GVR was just a glorified conference room with a stage, the main reason the show really sucked was because Isaak’s band is so, so very lame.

Exploring the edges of tepid to lukewarm, it’s hard to believe these guys have been playing together for 27 years (a bewildering little factoid shared by Isaak at one point between songs). It’s equally hard to believe any of them have ever been anywhere near their self-proclaimed roots of rock ‘n roll in Memphis. Except for Isaak, his band either doesn’t enjoy the music they are playing or they simply just don’t feel it.

The lead guitarist is some yamaka wearing joke named Hershel who missed dozens of bridge notes on their own songs and also on the well-known Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis songs they covered! Even Isaak called him out and tried to get him to “let loose” but the talent just wasn’t there.

The bass player came to life a little when he traded in his bass guitar for a stand-up bass, but he never once laid down a solid, down home rockabilly or bluesy beat to intro a song or segueway between well-know refrains of popular songs. The piano/keyboard player may once had some fire in his gut, long, long ago, but I suspect arthritis got him replaced on a church organ last month and he called in an old favor to rejoin the band.

I should probably have it in my heart to completely skip saying anything about the drummer. But I don’t. I’m pretty sure he was either one of Dick Cheney’s worn-out, organ donor clones, or a mummy from one of those Brendan Fraser movies. Either way it was painfully obvious that he has a very important side job that keeps him away from all band practice and any tutorials on drumsticks or rhythm.

Now I know that Chris Isaak is the star of the band and that the band is there to make him look good. Some fans may argue the band holds back because they don’t want to/aren’t allowed to upstage him. But Isaak wears his guitar better than he plays it and I bet he’d be the first to admit it. Hell, he even joked he combed his hair and wore a suit (baby blue BTW) with the most sequins on it so everybody would know he was the star of the show.

Make no mistake about it though, Chris Isask is a very talented, charismatic front man whose gift to the world is his voice, just like it was with Elvis. Unfortunately he is surrounded by a boat anchor he calls his band.

I love rockabilly, the Blues and good old fashion rock ‘n roll and it’s clear Chris Isaak does too. He’s still got a great vocal range and he entertains the audience between songs with boozy witticisms and down-home humor. Plus, he gets more excited about playing other people’s music than his own, which extends his audience far beyond the love sick, forlorn material he is known for.

If Chris Isaak wants to stop playing convention halls with low ceilings and bad acoustics (this is the second time he’s been here in two or three years), or get booked as a permanent act on the Strip, he’s got to dump his entire joke of a band and get some decent musicians who love rock ‘n roll as much as he does.

Otherwise, take this as a warning if the Chris Isaak tour comes to your town. Even if the tickets are free, don’t expect to get your money’s worth.

How have my crops so withered that sowing produces
a feign tapestry of life that does little to put to rest
the wolves that howl and banter at the doorsteps of my mind?

I subscribe to his religion and yet
am not saved.
Hast Jesus betrayed me?!
My bow quivers.
My arrows quiver.

I quiver.

I look upon the dust and I repeat His words.
I, a servant of Jesus, Lao and Jahweh-dude
beseech the mute sky for answers and walk away with none.

Clearly it’s time to water my crops and pray for a greener harvest.

Ahh, a January drive from Vegas to L.A. and back. Just what Laura and I needed!

Naturally, while driving back to Vegas we had the inevitable highs and lows conversation about our trip. Since then, the conversation has repeated itself with several different people about what I/we/they miss and don’t miss about living in southern California.

The top picks for loving/hating L.A. are nearly unanimous.

Perhaps predictable.

Hate the Traffic.

Love the Ocean.

However, subtlety dwells within both responses. There are pros and cons of each.

The pros of the hopeless traffic situation in L.A. and the rest of southern California are few, but significant.
Number One, the drivers are great. Nuts, but great. I was driving our Prius in the carpool lane of the 415N over Mulholland in bumper to bumper traffic at 75 mph on a Sunday afternoon. Six lanes in each direction, packed, and people are flying. How I ever drove a 1966 Plymouth Valiant and a Cheep Cherokee in that kind of madness is a mystery.  (Though I still have fond memories of zipping around it in my red, 5-speed Celica convertible!)

Needless to say I missed my exit at Ventura Blvd. But, I am proud to say I managed to get over in time to get on the 101 and to our friend’s house in Sherman Oaks right on time.

Which brings me to Number Two, lots to do. It’s hard to be introverted when visiting a city of 20+million people. Plus, a significant portion of my adult life was in L.A. Laura’s too. Visiting old friends that have remained true and old favorite stomping grounds that may or may not have changed is always interesting and usually fun.

Loving the ocean is easy and probably pretty much universal. For me, living at the ocean was a life goal of mine since early childhood. I feel blessed to have lived alongside the Pacific for 15 years. Chuck’s surprise party reminded me of the fact because it was at the apartment above the Shark’s Cove in Manhattan Beach.

As you can see from the photo, we had a gorgeous sunset that night. But the parking situation there is crazy. Two hour meters that you can’t refill even on a Saturday night unless you find and erase the chalk mark on your tires that the parking nazi’s put there to catch you. In Venice it was even worse. Even on a cloudy morning like the Sunday Laura and I wanted to eat at the Sidewalk Cafe (their huevos rancheros is the best!).

So, love the ocean, but, be prepared to struggle (and pay) to get around. Even if you live there.

Plus, sadly, Venice Beach looks like it’s disputed territory again for rival gangs. Even though rents have soared and there’s no more rent-stablization. The streets look a lot dirtier too. Even though they don’t allow the cool vans, campers and RV’s of the artistic nomads of the West Coast to park for weeks at a time anymore. Without one gang controlling everything, petty criminals aren’t afraid of doing petty crimes and the evidence of chopped bicycles, empty purses and broken car windows proves it. The dicey parts of the Strand extend far beyond Pier Avenue now and reach all the way north past the Bistro and Waterfront Cafe (my old “Swiss Place”). Even the upscale shops and restaurants along Abbott Kinney Blvd. have become a target-rich environment for desperate people. I felt like we were close to getting mugged right in broad daylight on Westminster.

Mmm, it’s just like it was back in 1992 when I first moved there. I bet a lot of residents hear gunshots every night just like I did. Maybe you have to be a bad-ass from living in Hell’s Kitchen in New York like I was to see past the ugliness. It probably doesn’t hurt to have Hollywood stardust in your eyes too.

So, hate the traffic but love seeing old friends. And, love the ocean, but it’s more crowded than ever. Those little subtleties have made me appreciate our 15′ wide lanes in Vegas, much shorter lines at the grocery store, the big green park around the corner from our three-car garage house, and our growing list of new friends in the neon oasis we call home.

Oh, and the fact that tsunami warnings are quite rare.

The promo trailers are making us expect the horse to die, right? But my prediction is the heart/mind-numbing war horse, or its fawn, will be running across the American West during the end credits.

Go War Love Speilberg!

I haven’t seen the movie yet because it won’t be released until Christmas day and I’m not in the biz anymore. But the stars, they are aligning.

Humanity is at the mercy of your story-telling Steve and you give us the new Fox News? Is the Speilberg/Cheney Channel (SCC) the New World?

The U.S. was once good at ending wars. Now, all we do is fuel them. I guess that serves the interests of everyone who thinks they have a monopoly on God.

God help the rest of us.

Am I too easily distracted? Am I not disciplined enough? It’s these kind of questions that can send me into unwelcome, unproductive tail spins sometimes for days or weeks at a time.

Finally reaching the point of being satisfied with the novel I’ve been working on the past four and a half years (!!) is a momentous event. But lately I’ve been asking myself, Why did it take so damn long?

I suspect many writers, artists, entrepreneurs and project managers often ask themselves the same question. Now, as I’m simultaneously thrilled, scared and curious about the future, I also find myself looking back and trying to make sense of the journey.

This Friday is November 11, 2011, or 11/11/11. I’m hoping it will be the first day of life outside my hard drive for “For Rent: Dangerous Paradise”. I have my query letter already written and have met several agents and publishers at recent writer’s conferences that have expressed interest in the book. As the marketing phase of FRDP begins, I’m eager to complete the outlines for the second and third books in the hoped-for series.

I realize that I basically wrote FRDP three times. Most notably because my writing improved so much by virtue of writing practically every day for four years. However, in order to be able to write the sequels in less than a quarter of the time, I have to also look at other reasons why it took me so long to get where I am today.

DISTRACTIONS

My part-time work as a freelance journalist in Las Vegas requires keeping up with casino news, researching local history, new technology developments in solar and rail, and trying to keep up with new opportunities in social media. I’ve put a lot of work into the dozens of articles I’ve written and I’m proud of the two years I wrote steadily for Living Las Vegas and I’m proud of my ongoing tips on visiting and exploring Vegas for Las Vegas Getaways. Also, as a board member of the Writers of Southern Nevada (WSN) I helped organize and produce an excellent conference on Memoir Writing this past March with a team of other professional writers.

De-stemming our grapes!

It’s an easy luxury to get lost in the internet also. Here are two great examples:

This video of a surfer girl and a couple of kayakers coming face to face with a whale in the waters off Santa Cruz.

Another is this one I just found today of a mountain lion and bear cub having a territorial dispute in the wilderness of Alberta, Canada.

Distractions are okay. They are part of being human in this hyper-connected world of ours and I have to:

1) allow
2) expect
and 3) rejoice in them.

Lesson Learned: Manage Distractions Better.

Many of the things that distracted me from working on FRDP made me a better writer and will end up in the proposed sequel: “For Rent: Dangerous Neon”, so some distractions will always be just part of the writing process.

(Admittedly, the animal videos fall squarely in the entertainment category, although even they led to setting up a You Tube account and publishing a few experimental clips – a learning curve that could prove useful in future online marketing.)

STRUCTURE

I spent three weeks outlining FRDP in May of 2007 while in-between jobs. When the “yours if you want it” return to CCH fell apart that summer, I proceeded to follow that outline and write myself into a nasty boondoggle. I based the outline on the exact number of units in my old Venice apartment building, twenty-one, which was FAR too many characters. After getting almost two-thirds of the first draft finished, I deleted six characters to trim the beast down. The spider web of personal intricacies I had woven together needed drastic re-invention.

When that hurdle was finally behind me and I had a complete first draft in the summer of 2009, I realized that moving from unit to unit in the building three times made the book WAY too long for a standard mystery. So I sped everything up by getting the police to the scene quicker and merging Section One with Section Two. Awesome. But it required another time-consuming re-invention of the spider web.

Lesson Learned: Update Outlines!

If during the process of writing something turns up that requires a substantial deviation from the original outline, SPEND THE TIME to go back and update that outline!

TIME MANAGEMENT

First things first requires commitment and versatility. Putting the butt in the chair everyday at the same time, though ideal, isn’t always possible. When it’s not, something else has to be sacrificed that day.

One of the speakers at the August meeting of the Las Vegas Writers Group, local freelance writer Carol Patton, made an excellent suggestion: set aside a specific time every week to focus on marketing. I have been practicing on expanding that suggestion to include news watch, social media and many of the “house chores” that too often consume an entire day.

Aside from setting aside Tuesday mornings for marketing, I’m testing a schedule for: keeping up with local and national publications, managing e-mail, sorting post office mail, paying bills, grocery shopping, cleaning up around the house, cooking, making Zazzy’s food and getting more exercise. So far, it’s working pretty well and I hope to have it fully implemented next week when this last polish of FRDP is over.

Lesson Learned: Put My Franklin Quest Daily Organizer to Use!

By admitting to the realities of life in the 21st century and the mistakes I made taking a less organized approach towards FRDP, I’m confident I will not only finish the “For Rent” sequels in record time, I will also be able to expand my horizons with local and national publications. Perhaps there will even be time to launch another video production enterprise.

But first, first things first…FRDP finished by the end of this week!

Still trying to put it all in perspective. These are some my favorite pics from the journey. I’ve had fun enhancing some of them to match the moods of roads that circled elsewhere thanVegas.