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Monday, October 30, 2006

Computer Games

Hi everybody, my name is Tammy Lee, and my new short erotica
COMPUTER GAMES is now at Lady Aibell Press.

http://ladyaibell.com/bookstore/product_info.php?
products_id=134&osCsid=e6f52c3f56b1fc3bf4a744411946b76f

Daria has a secret lover with dark secret of his own that she can
never reveal, except to a fanatical few on-line who would love to
believe the fun-loving chat room joker was telling the truth.

Excerpt:

"Ha ha, very funny. Tell them you'll be back later." He smiled, and
pinched through the cotton. He watched as she wiggled, laughing,
squirming, trying to ignore the impossible-to ignore fingers that
worked their way around her breasts. "Tell them, or I'll have to
throw you over the desktop and do you while you type." He pushed her
forward until she was on her feet and he threw back her chair, which
glided on its casters halfway across the room.

Standing behind her, he caressed her back as she continued to type;
now it was a competition to see if it would be possible for her to
continue her on-screen conversation while he worked his magic behind
her. His hands slid up under her shirt and ran back down her sides,
thrusting her jogging pants to the floor in one swift motion. He
squeezed her bottom and she moaned, but kept on typing and
continuing the conversation as if nothing out of the ordinary was
happening. Of course, to be completely correct, this wasn't exactly
an unusual situation.

Just another one of their games.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Want What You Need

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end leads to death.
-Proverbs 16:25

This statement seems true in everyday life. As we walk along the path we are often confronted with ideas and plans that seem like a ‘good deal’. We examine them and determine if they are beneficial to us and will help us in our circumstances.

We all need money to survive in this world. In god’s world, of course, it would be unnecessary but in man’s world it’s paramount. If we want to have a warm shelter, food to eat, clothes on our backs, not to mention the many accessories that are necessary to successfully navigate the world: cars, transportation fare, etc. Sometimes we confuse the line between want and need.

We are all consumed with the desire for money. So we examine every possibility to gain an extra source of income, many of us try to determine if it’s right to do any particular thing.

Many, however, do not. They go about their lives feeling good about themselves so long as they have all that they desire physically. Of those people, many believe that they are fine so long as their activities do not hurt anyone else, at least on the outside. They fail to take one person into consideration in that equation: themselves.

Life today often seems to be a sell-out. The balance between ‘success’ and ‘failure’ is a fine line, mostly judged by income and status. But the real success is in the happiness inside and the satisfaction of living within god’s plan. Money is a poor substitute. Wouldn’t we all be just that much happier if we slowed down in our race to ‘succeed’ and learned to be happy with what god has chosen to bless us with? Our families, our health, those are the true ‘success’s’.

Instead we, as a whole, live wildly beyond our means. People around that judge it as success not seeing the pain inside associated with piling bills and escalating payments. What we see from the outside is how ‘lucky’ the other person is.

This is a trap that my husband and I often find ourselves in. We have so much to be grateful for, but boy, so-and-so has this, or that. Why can’t we have that? So we strive harder to get more and be ‘as good’, judging good vs. bad by what we have compared to someone else.

Are you and your family leaving beyond the scope of your income? Do you allow your dreams of ‘success’ to guide your motives? Make a list of ‘wants’ and ‘needs’. Are your needs met? Are some of the things on your list ‘wants’ that you often mistake as a need? True fulfillment rests in the happiness of what god has provided for you, not what you can strive for on your own. So take a deep breath and smile for – ‘this is the day that the lord hath made’.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Big Money Available NOW

Hey fans--get your copy of Big Money now from Chippewa Publishing.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

What Is An Independant Publisher

A great many lengthy, and heated, debates arise over this singular issue. What constitutes an Independent Publisher? Much of the debate arises over a simple misconception. The simple definition of what we consider to be the appropriate definition, by use more than actual dictionary reference, of what a publisher is.

There are three camps in the independent world of today’s publishing, and they are often divided on account of these two concepts: publisher, and published.

By literal definition, a publisher is: A person, or corporate entity that accepts material from an author, or many authors, to prepare for publication and distribution to the general public.

But by popular concept, a publisher is also: A person, or corporate entity that edits, provides proper documentation, prepares cover work for, and marketing promotions for such accepted works at their own cost and free of charge to the submitting author in exchange for a percentage of profit from the sales of such work.

So to put the literal definition, and the popular conception together, a publisher is: A person, or corporate entity that accepts material from an author, or authors, to prepare for publication by editing, providing proper documentation, cover art, marketing promotion, and distribution at their own cost and free of charge to the submitting author in exchange of profit from the sales of such work.

By literal definition, to be published is: To put out an edition. Be it newsletter, article, novel, or any written work with, or without, monetary gain.

Here are some of the reasons the above concepts have become so hazy. The world of publishing has expanded beyond the huge corporations that later in the 20th century dominated the landscape of modern publishing. A great many authors have taken it upon themselves to produce their work with great success. Still more enterprising people have taken on the task of producing other’s work without the benefit of corporate strongholds. So we now have the three independent publishing camps that are made up of the actual independent publisher, and the two remaining groups that are actually independently published authors:

1) Independent publishers: A person, or group of people, who accept submission from authors, and make decisions based on quality before selecting appropriate pieces for publication. Who then edit, process, market, and distribute for public consumption at their own cost and free of charge to the submitting author in exchange for a percentage of the profit from the sale of such work without the benefit of corporate, or investor, backing.

2) Independent authors: A person who pays to edit, print, gain cover art, markets and distributes his/or her own work for public consumption.

3) Self-published authors: A person who pays to edit and have their work printed and distributed by a company geared for such purposes so as to make available for public consumption.

There is one final group that is actually a ‘sub’-group to this listing, and that’s the service oriented self-publishing company that the third group, the self-published author uses to service their publishing needs. This group is by far the most dangerous, and difficult to define and regulate. The companies, whether run by individuals, or groups of people, up to actual corporations that do this type of service are not actual publishers in the respect that the definition provides from above because although they do provide the services that the actual publisher provides, they do it for a fee, and do not normally engage in any specific selection, rather they are a service industry akin to that of a normal printer only with distribution and other services provided at cost to the author, and they almost never provide any source of marketing or promotion.

There is nothing inherently wrong with service oriented publishing companies. They do the self-published authors a great service when they perform their duties respectably. The problems arise when they either 1) charge for services they do not perform equal to the performance of a publisher, or 2) try to dupe unsuspecting authors into believing they are an actual publisher… sometimes both. This cloudy area is where most of the trouble lays for authors, and for the ability for authors to gain respect for their self-published works.

Even with the problems that can be associated with these companies, there are respectable ones amongst them, and the number is growing quite rapidly as the ilk is weeded out. The trick is to be able to understand the difference. While this publishing company does the chores of a publisher, it is not the publisher proper, rather in these cases it is the author who is the publisher paying for their work to be created in proper format by a printing and distribution company. The fact that these companies often times call themselves publishers rather than publishing companies, or publishing services compounds this problem. The works they produce are no less viable and honorable than those of the independent author’s self-published books, however, and should not be viewed as such by any member of the community.

In a world where all of the above fight the stigma of going against the mainstream of corporate America, and the old-fashioned term, vanity press, it would behoove all involved to treat each other as equals in the battle. There is strength in numbers. Unfortunately these three ranks are most often bitterly divided. Most of that division is a matter of ego, especially between the later two divisions.

There is truly a small frame of difference between independent authors, and self-published authors, in fact, close to none at all except that the later uses a printing corporation as both a printer and a distributor, where the independent author is usually a self-distributor. Neither of the two divisions encounters any form of selection process before publication; therefore there is no bastion for quality besides that of the authors themselves. The bigger problem arises when the middle group, the independent author demands to be considered an independent publisher. The self-published author rarely is cause for such debate, as they most likely will never consider themselves a publisher.

How the concept of the independent author has developed into such a state is not that hard to disseminate. In fact, it’s steeped in tradition.

At one time in England, and then here in America, when publishing was first conceived it was a cottage industry. So named because the business often took place in the home, or cottage, of the person in charge, even run by a single person, humorously enough, much like the independent publisher of today that now fights the stigma of not being a large corporation. In those times, however, it was not stigmatic, but rather a new and bold endeavor to educate, enlighten, and bring enjoyment to the masses that had previously been unexposed to literature.

However, the problem with the independent author attempting to usurp the title of publisher is today’s currently acceptable definition of a true publisher as noted above, and the fact that there is no true selection process, the author is his/or her own acceptance for publication. The independent authors have their own publishing imprints as well, lending to the confusion in their minds as to the validity of their claim as publisher, and the general publics as well.

If these groups would work together more efficiently there would be a greater tide of acceptance in the public eye than there is even today. The change is occurring however, and independent publishers, and authors of both types are gaining much greater acceptance and accolades as the process improves.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Ties That Bind

Two brads… three? Isn’t there a better way in this age of modern technology? Another writer was pondering the depths of script binding the other day, puzzled at the industry’s apparent stone-age mentality in regards to the little metal clasps that are the subject of such debate the screenwriting world over.

So what’s the great love for those little pieces of confounded metal with the tabs that poke out, and flip around and just generally cause such debate? Sure it’s possible in this modern time to bind pages in a more secure manner. Spiral binders are cheap, efficient, and most definitely more secure, so why not use that?

Permanence. Spiral binding is a fairly permanent method of binding. Yes, pages can be removed, but with great effort. The people who are reading the scripts are busy, if they like the script they will probably make several copies to pass around inside their company for another ‘opinion’… such is the nature of the game… I love this… do you? Spiral bindings would make this difficult at best.

Ring binders. Why not? Simple, easy to open and close, removing pages would be no problem, right? Right. Also, bulky, heavy, not to mention would boost the writer’s postage costs considerably due to weight. But lets get to the bulky, and heavy… producers, agents, managers, receive hundreds of scripts that they take home to read on the weekends, or at night, if they all came in three-ring binders it would increase the size and weight to a degree that is unbearable.

So, brads. That’s what we have left. The archaic, aggravating, difficult to find in the proper style, piece of metal that makes removing the pages easy, the scripts lightweight, and doesn’t increase their bulk in any way. How many? Most office-style hole punchers come designed to punch three holes in the pages. Yet the industry standard is to only use two brads, one at the top, and one at the bottom of the page-easier-one less brad to remove.

That’s just petty, you may say, that they might discount, or consider the writer a newbie for something as simple as putting three brads in the holes instead of just two. Yeah, maybe, but then consider those hundreds of scripts. That one extra brad means one hundred more brads to remove. It wouldn’t make any difference for one, but for hundreds it means one of the most valuable commodities in the movie industry… time.

So fasten the scripts in a way that is professional and acceptable. Two brads ( brass, not brass plated), one at the top, one at the bottom, and ship that baby off with confidence. You are a pro.

Happy writing.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Protect Yourself

If you post your work on line to these, or any other sites…
If you send your work out for review to other people…
If you send your work out to studios, prod co’s, publishers, managers, or agents…

Please do yourself the favor of protecting your work! Don’t sit idly by thinking it’s just Joe, he won’t do anything. Well, of course, most likely he won’t, but you have no way of knowing for sure. Studios, prod co’s, managers, agents, and the like, are professional, and unlikely to steal an idea, or the very words you’ve written, they don’t want to take the chance of being sued.

But do you really know? There are many, many more small time producers, ‘studios’, and the rest out there masquerading as ‘the real deal’ who may not think twice about using something they ‘find’, especially if they even think it’s un-protected.

How do you protect a script? It’s so easy now days that it’s shameful not to do it. The WGA makes it a snap. Simple, quick, painless, and nearly free. (Yes, nearly, it does cost 20.00 per script, but that’s hardly highway robbery.) With them, the script is protected for five years, after that you can re-new if you need to. And if there are ANY questions arising over copyright, they will put THEIR legal team to work for you! Can’t beat that!

They have an on-line submission process that makes it fast and easy. You don’t even have to pay postage, and the script is registered RIGHT THEN AND THERE when you click the button.

There are other registries too, and I’m not discounting them, if you choose one of them, that’s great, it’s protected. I tout the WGA because it’s the official screenwriter’s union, and they stand behind their registration legally. However you choose to do it, DO IT, before you put the work on line.

Happy Writing.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Novel Writing-Not What it Seems To Be

As a novelist and a member of several critique lists I found myself having
to come to grips with a word that grates on me. I see it used very often and
am asked why I hate this word so. It’s a simple little word that most people
don’t think warrants such ire. The word is—seems.
What’s wrong with seems? I’m sure you’re squirming in your chair in front
of the computer screen and flipping through several manuscript pages in
search of one of the most common words in the English language to see if you
’ve offended in any way as you type.
Well, nothing exactly. It’s a nice little word. The reason it sets my teeth
on edge to see it, especially in the beginning of a novel is simple. If
something seems to be a certain way, then it isn’t. You have signaled your
reader that you are telling them a story.
Okay, I hear you. You are telling them a story, so what’s the problem? The
problem is, it’s your job as a writer to do your very best not to let the
reader know that. The entire job of a fiction writer is to create something
in their novels. That something is the suspension of disbelief. You have to
create a world for your reader to slip into. A place to escape. A situation
to believe in.
Creating that atmosphere is much harder than it sounds. In today’s world
anyone over the age of eight is cynical. That’s a pretty sad fact, but even
children today know what’s going on and know when the wool is being pulled
over their eyes. Not as well as most adults but it’s there. Even as much as
ten years ago it was easier. Twenty years ago most writers had it made. The
world was a safer, simpler place. Thirty years ago everyone lived in a state
of disbelief so the writer could say seems and every body smiled.
Today’s reader is sophisticated, at least to the point that it’s a job now
to write to make them believe. Words like seems sends a signal, they don’t
always even realize it, but they stop believing and the story stops being
interesting for them. Soon, if the word pops up enough they end up setting
the book down after a chapter and never picking it back up. And if you’ve
used it in your opening paragraph, this is a word you use a lot; it’s just
that way.
So you say, well at least they bought the book, and snicker as you lean back
in your chair with your hands across your chest looking like the proudest
hen in the henhouse. Yes they did, and if that’s all it takes for you,
great. But before you get too comfortable as head hen, remember this… if
that reader puts your book down after the first chapter, or anywhere in the
middle, and never goes back to it… you’ll certainly never sell another.
“Wow!” You say as your chair pops back into the upright position and your
palms start to sweat. “The power of one little word is amazing.”
It really is as simple as the power of the written word. ‘Mightier than the
sword’, it’s been said to be, and it is. It’s the fate of a writer to do
battle with these words on a daily basis and realize the power behind them.
They’re not always what they seem to be.