You can lead a horse to water

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him wash the pots.


Another rejection sticks a red hot poker up my jacksey and twists. I was kinda holding a candle for these guys too, (I think I should stop involving myself emotionally in every publishing house I write to, it's probably for the better.).

Pill Hill Press, those flagrant heart breakers, are a publishing house that specialises in horror and they sent me this lovely Dear John, I mean rejection email:

"Dear Richard,

Thank you for your submission. Your novel sounds interesting, and starts off very well, but I don't believe it is a good fit for Pill Hill Press at the moment.

I wish you the best of luck in finding a home for this novel soon.

Sincerely,"

******* *******



As dismissals go it isn't a bad one.

They were quick to reply, only took a week and you have to admit it, it’s very polite.
But I’m still gutted. They’re a good firm with a good name and I wanted to be there with them, building something special, getting to know and care for them. Maybe share a picnic and drink a glass of wine together, or walk hand in hand along an auburn sunset beach… Goddamit, I loved you guys and you threw me away like a used sheep!!


I feel so exploited and dirty. ;-)
No I don't, I don't know why but I'm hyper at the moment. Must have been the great practise we had tonight. Tomorrow I'll be crying in my porridge.


Ah well, back to the drawing board.


I’ve had an idea about simply making a website and selling it as a download; then spending all my spare time trawling the social websites, (Facebook and MySpace) and just making friends with people on the off chance they download it.

E-books are big now in America, apparently… so all the experts are telling me… whatever, at least it’ll be out there.

Set the website up with a Paypal and credit card link, open a new account at the Post, (free banking in Germany) and just let those pennies roll in.

I can imagine the scene now:

“Oh, wow, who’s this Division of the Damned guy that wants to be my friend on Facebook? Oh neat, it’s a book about vampires in the Third Reich and it’s only a 3 Dollar download! Cool I’ll just do it, what’s a couple of Bucks to a guy like me? I know, I’ll tell all my friends blah blah blah”


And lo and behold, Gingerboy is a Dollar thrice richer… until the taxman hear’s about it.

What do you think of my idea?
Answers on a postcard to:

Reg Jones.

“A Dollar Thrice Richer”

Salzgitter Institute for the Criminally Insane

Jolly Old Germany.


Bah. I wish Pill Hill had said yes :-(

Reg.

LULU.com

Lulu.Com




All I can say is that it's a great medium towards publication but my God it's expensive!
For a 40 page hard cover book they wanted €10!
But that's not the end of it, another 10 on top of that for postage!!!


Whatever, it's for a friend so stop whining Jones...

Still in the middle of changing "Division" over to the Standard Manuscript Formula thing. It's a pain in the botty but I should have thought about it when I first started writing... so once again, stop whining Jones.



Right, I'm out of here.

Must get myself ready to visit a friend of mine who's had open heart surgery. One of the fittest guys I knew in the army, could run like a greyhound on speed and now he can hardly walk 100 meters without needing a break, poor bloke.
Hopefully he'll make a good recovery after all this but it's still not right.

Personally I blame the Gulf War syndrome that the British Government insist doesn't exist.
Over half of my mates that went to the 1st Gulf War have some sort of debilitating health condition.

There must be something foul there, surely?

Reg :-/

My last trip to Blighty.

http://boyfromthebay.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/op-noed-2010/

A few notes about my last trip to Britain and the "History" that goes with it.

Reg ;-)

Shush, it's a secret #2

Well, it's written.
Just need to change it 1000 times now and then proof read it.

I've also started changing my Div. of the Damned manuscript to Standard Manuscript Format, ( Standard manuscript Format ) something I wish I had known about whilst writing the damn thing... Doh!
It's a time consuming process but one which will no doubt reap huge rewards in the not too distant future, (hope springs eternal)

Right, back to the keyboards.

Have a Great weekend.
Reg. :-)

Shush, it’s a secret.

Well, sorry that I’ve been away for so long but I’ve had so much on recently and it’s all been of a creative nature.



Firstly, and this is what has taken up my time, I’ve been writing. However, what I’ve been writing is a state secret and will only be indulged after its publication.



Secondly, on a more creative-drinking nature, I was in Britain for a couple of days, St. Neotts by Cambridge to be precise. We had a great time and I plan to write something on my Boy from the Bay Blog about it soon.



Right, that’s it really.

The usual cheese board of inanity ad infinitum, ad nauseum, (I’ve sent a short story off, I still haven’t heard anything about the manuscript, blah blah fishcakes) stands as its expected to stand but hopefully I’ll find something out for the next entry.



Right, catch you again.

Reg

Blog Construction and four days in Blighty.

Reading this Blog, one might draw the conclusions that


1.) I'm a computer whiz for building extra pages into it, setting the background, arranging the layout etc. etc, and

2.) I have a lot of time on my hands to experiment and do this.

Both suppositions would be hopelessly wrong.

I mean so wrong that they make Neville Chamberlain’s, “Peace in our time” speech look like an inside trader’s tip.



No, I have a friend who did this for me.

Disappointed?

Well you shouldn’t be; the fact is that though you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to actually design your Blog, you do have to have a lot of time to work out how to do it.

Richard Grayling from Struggling Authors works in IT and he knows the ropes, I mean he REALLY knows the ropes.
What would have taken me the best part of a month to work out took the Bill Gates of the would-be writer world approx three hours, and the results speak for themselves.



So, imagine the scene. You have a notion that you would like to try your hand at Blogging but the technical how’s and do’s are a tad over your head, what do you do?

For a paltry 20 of your English Pounds Richard can whip you up a Blog you could take home to mother for tea and crumpets, AND GET AN INVITE TO COME AGAIN!!

Check out his offer here:http://strugglingauthors.blogspot.com/2010/08/special-limited-offer-blog-setup-for.html



And remember, you heard it here first… I always wanted to say that.

The second part of the title refers to my little sortie over the next couple of days. I'm off to Blighty for the CAMRA Real Ale festival at Earl's Court. Wish me luck, this could get nasty...

Tara.
Reg :-P

Tee's book has arrived!

So it’s here!


After much awaiting and a'tapping of feet, the postman finally delivered my copy of „The Eye of Erasmus“.
And it's VERY nice.



This is the splurge on the back of the book:

The Eye of Erasmus’ is the first of a series of four inter-related fables about time and fate, told in Teresa Geering’s characteristic hypnotic prose.

It tells of Erasmus, a baby born during a thunder storm, who is clearly destined to be special and, initially, especially obnoxious with his flashing black eyes and haughty ways, until he finds love.

The trouble is that the girl literally ‘of his dreams’ hasn’t actually been born yet.

No problem …… Oh, but there is ……. Danger lurks ……..

Comment by George Polley, author of ‘The Old Man & The Monkey’ and ‘Grandfather & The Raven’: “‘The Eye of Erasmus’ is different from the books that I usually read. When I received a review copy, I wasn’t sure. Now I am. It is a tale gently and beautifully told. Like the Harry Potter novels, it is a book that readers of all ages will enjoy. It is definitely a book that I will read again and again.



So daddle off little one to Amazon.com

And snap up a copy



Take it easy.

Reg. ;-)