I did it again. I finished revising The Perfect Gift three weeks ago, and have since finished the layout and cover and have set everything up for printing. It should get reviewed by the printer tonight or tomorrow and then I'll order my first copies.
Ya know something? This is a darn good book! It's really fun to read and keeps your attention quite well. The plot-twisting story line surprises you often, you'll laugh several times and cry at least once (going off the average of the few people who have read it so far).
Anyway, I'm very happy with it, and that means something coming from my biggest critic (myself!), not to mention the decade-plus of teaching university writing.
If any of you dear friends (or strangers) out there in www-land would care to do me a big favor, please blog about my ChristmasNovels.com site. I want to move from Google's page two to one, and you can help me achieve that by including a link from your blog. I'll be submitting some online press releases tonight and tomorrow as well.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Christmas Book
I did it! I finished the revision of the free Christmas Book Gone but not Forgotten two days ago. The new title is Courage, Love & the Meaning of Christmas. And I must say, it's good! The first version was popular and seemed to keep lots of readers glued to the pages, but the new one is much better and even I'm excited about it.
Yesterday I read through the sequel, The Perfect Gift, to see how nearly ready it is, and was pleased to find it in very good shape. I'm sure I can finish revising that within a week, if not a few days.
I'm working on other parts of the project as well, like setting up Christmas Writing .com, which gets about 15,000 searches per month. If I can get to number one there like with my other two related pages, then that should bring in a lot of potential customers.
Anyway, I'll have to find other work soon, but it's great to have these things - what I really want to succeed at - in place and nearly ready to go!
Yesterday I read through the sequel, The Perfect Gift, to see how nearly ready it is, and was pleased to find it in very good shape. I'm sure I can finish revising that within a week, if not a few days.
I'm working on other parts of the project as well, like setting up Christmas Writing .com, which gets about 15,000 searches per month. If I can get to number one there like with my other two related pages, then that should bring in a lot of potential customers.
Anyway, I'll have to find other work soon, but it's great to have these things - what I really want to succeed at - in place and nearly ready to go!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Christmas Book
Eleven years ago I decided to finish a Christmas book project I had begun. I decided to finish it by Halloween. I finished a week early.
This month, I decided to repeat that same feat. Funny thing is, it's the same book! Three weeks was too fast! Not that it didn't turn out pretty darn good - many people reported that they totally loved it. Many others said they couldn't put it down till they finished. I got tons of great reviews on Amazon.com where it stayed up in the top 200 rankings for a couple years (which must mean that a lot of other books tied for first place, second, third, and about 200 other places, so who knows how many books were ahead of mine).
Anyway, I'm about half way through checking the revision so far and I gotta say...I'm impressed! I'm really loving it. It's so much better than the first version, and I've got plenty more to add to the last half of the book.
Anyway, I'll be selling it at FreeChristmasBooks.com. I'll give away the old version to try to draw in a lot of new readers and hope they return for the new and improved version as well as the sequel which is also nearly finished.
So if you want a great Christmas gift, please don't forget that everybody loves a great Christmas book. This one's fairly short (the original's 110 pages), easy to read, engaging and inspiring...if you believe all those comments on Amazon, and if I do say so myself!
This month, I decided to repeat that same feat. Funny thing is, it's the same book! Three weeks was too fast! Not that it didn't turn out pretty darn good - many people reported that they totally loved it. Many others said they couldn't put it down till they finished. I got tons of great reviews on Amazon.com where it stayed up in the top 200 rankings for a couple years (which must mean that a lot of other books tied for first place, second, third, and about 200 other places, so who knows how many books were ahead of mine).
Anyway, I'm about half way through checking the revision so far and I gotta say...I'm impressed! I'm really loving it. It's so much better than the first version, and I've got plenty more to add to the last half of the book.
Anyway, I'll be selling it at FreeChristmasBooks.com. I'll give away the old version to try to draw in a lot of new readers and hope they return for the new and improved version as well as the sequel which is also nearly finished.
So if you want a great Christmas gift, please don't forget that everybody loves a great Christmas book. This one's fairly short (the original's 110 pages), easy to read, engaging and inspiring...if you believe all those comments on Amazon, and if I do say so myself!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Free Utah Real Estate
Change of plans: we just changed the site name again, this time to Free Utah Real Estate.com. This time, we got it right.
For one thing, our mission is now clearer ("Utah's free real estate and rental marketplace"), whereas the old name may have been interpreted as patriotic (though we are - especially if you equate political freedom with the free market) or environmental (though we are - including reducing paper usage by putting valuable information online).
For another thing, the name now matches some of the most common search terms better, so people will find us more easily.
If you'd like to do me a huge favor, post a link to Free Utah Real Estate.com on your blog (to help the search engines bump up our rank). Thanks!
And Happy New Year.
For one thing, our mission is now clearer ("Utah's free real estate and rental marketplace"), whereas the old name may have been interpreted as patriotic (though we are - especially if you equate political freedom with the free market) or environmental (though we are - including reducing paper usage by putting valuable information online).
For another thing, the name now matches some of the most common search terms better, so people will find us more easily.
If you'd like to do me a huge favor, post a link to Free Utah Real Estate.com on your blog (to help the search engines bump up our rank). Thanks!
And Happy New Year.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Utah Real Estate
Today we're putting the finishing touches on FreeHomeUtah.com, where you can list or search for Utah Real Estate for free, or upgrade your free listing for under ten bucks per month.
Along with teaching at Utah Valley University (which I'm loving!), doing my unique type of energy work (which continues to get amazing results for clients), and some sales for ZYTO, I'm hoping to make Free Home Utah a major source of income.
Even with the market down a bit, there are still tens of thousands of Utah homes for sale, and free advertising without any catches should be a no brainer for any real estate agent or for sale by owner.
Now to get the word out!
BTW, friends, if you have a blog and would care to help me out, mention Free Home Utah.com and make a link to it with the words "Utah real estate" on your blog. Thanks!
Along with teaching at Utah Valley University (which I'm loving!), doing my unique type of energy work (which continues to get amazing results for clients), and some sales for ZYTO, I'm hoping to make Free Home Utah a major source of income.
Even with the market down a bit, there are still tens of thousands of Utah homes for sale, and free advertising without any catches should be a no brainer for any real estate agent or for sale by owner.
Now to get the word out!
BTW, friends, if you have a blog and would care to help me out, mention Free Home Utah.com and make a link to it with the words "Utah real estate" on your blog. Thanks!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Slow is Relative
I used to sail a 16' Hobie Cat. It was fast and fun. One night a front blew in and we sailed over 30 mph through the dark, listening as white caps tumbled slowly toward us out of the darkness. Plumes of water shot out 15' behind each pontoon. The swells were smooth and even, all coming from the same direction, and the boat raced along between them, slowly climbing over one crest and dropping into the next trough.
One of the fun parts of sailing a small catamaran is flying one pontoon. With enough wind, one hull lifts clear of the water and you have to be careful not to flip or let the other pontoon sink completely below the surface, which instantly slows you to a near stop and makes flipping that much more likely.
After my 2,500 mile ocean voyage aboard a 53' ketch, I sold my Hobie and replaced it with a Catalina 22. It sleeps five inside, has a double-burner stove and a hammock I stretch between the mast and the bow pulpit. I can plug my computer into the stereo and watch a movie. I've camped on it once and plan to spend a week on it at Bear Lake in August. I'm not sure I could flip it if I tried. It would take one heck of a wind.
On the other hand, it's hull speed is about 8 mph though I've had it up to 9 once. It's not nearly as fast and it doesn't slice through the waves the same way. I plan to sail it a few more times and then decide whether I want my quick, exciting boat back.
Yesterday I was invited to drive a 30' racing boat in a sailing race put on by the Great Salt Lake Yacht Club (the saltiest sailors in the world, as they say). It's sleek, low lines give it a handicap of 2-3 minutes per mile over my Catalina, but without much wind, I'm sure we never topped 3 knots.
But we were racing. We maneuvered around before the starting line, keeping a safe distance from other boats until the starting horn sounded. We then tacked upwind, rounded the mark, and hoisted the spinnaker as quickly as possible for a downwind run to the committee boat, then turned and made another mile loop before finishing...last.
But even though it was still slow sailing, it was fun! It was different. I discovered that the secret to enjoying slower boats is to race. Make it relative. It doesn't matter so much that you could almost swim faster toward the horizon at times, because you're not thinking about the horizon. You're thinking about the other boats just in front of you and the lines attached to sail heads, clews and spinnaker poles. You're thinking of the winches and handles right in front of you and the tiny tell tails flapping in the wind, telling you how to trim the sail for maximum speed.
What I should learn from all this is...to stop watching the horizon all the time. Look away from the big picture now and then and focus on what's right in front of me. Get caught up in that and enjoy it. The horizon, like a watched pot, comes faster when you're not looking.
The abundant construction barrels around my neighborhood look different to me now as I steer around them, careful not to touch them and incur a penalty.
One of the fun parts of sailing a small catamaran is flying one pontoon. With enough wind, one hull lifts clear of the water and you have to be careful not to flip or let the other pontoon sink completely below the surface, which instantly slows you to a near stop and makes flipping that much more likely.
After my 2,500 mile ocean voyage aboard a 53' ketch, I sold my Hobie and replaced it with a Catalina 22. It sleeps five inside, has a double-burner stove and a hammock I stretch between the mast and the bow pulpit. I can plug my computer into the stereo and watch a movie. I've camped on it once and plan to spend a week on it at Bear Lake in August. I'm not sure I could flip it if I tried. It would take one heck of a wind.
On the other hand, it's hull speed is about 8 mph though I've had it up to 9 once. It's not nearly as fast and it doesn't slice through the waves the same way. I plan to sail it a few more times and then decide whether I want my quick, exciting boat back.
Yesterday I was invited to drive a 30' racing boat in a sailing race put on by the Great Salt Lake Yacht Club (the saltiest sailors in the world, as they say). It's sleek, low lines give it a handicap of 2-3 minutes per mile over my Catalina, but without much wind, I'm sure we never topped 3 knots.But we were racing. We maneuvered around before the starting line, keeping a safe distance from other boats until the starting horn sounded. We then tacked upwind, rounded the mark, and hoisted the spinnaker as quickly as possible for a downwind run to the committee boat, then turned and made another mile loop before finishing...last.
But even though it was still slow sailing, it was fun! It was different. I discovered that the secret to enjoying slower boats is to race. Make it relative. It doesn't matter so much that you could almost swim faster toward the horizon at times, because you're not thinking about the horizon. You're thinking about the other boats just in front of you and the lines attached to sail heads, clews and spinnaker poles. You're thinking of the winches and handles right in front of you and the tiny tell tails flapping in the wind, telling you how to trim the sail for maximum speed.
What I should learn from all this is...to stop watching the horizon all the time. Look away from the big picture now and then and focus on what's right in front of me. Get caught up in that and enjoy it. The horizon, like a watched pot, comes faster when you're not looking.The abundant construction barrels around my neighborhood look different to me now as I steer around them, careful not to touch them and incur a penalty.
10th Time Lucky?
Today I decided to believe in love again.
I hope this doesn't sound too cheesy but I realize that it has been at least several years since I quit believing. It wasn't a conscious choice, but an unconscious reaction to too many crashes and burns. I never would have chosen to give up, which may be why the subconscious took over. It didn't like all those painful experiences and shut some things down to prevent me from finding another one.
Some of my failures came from not trying hard enough, not giving things a chance, and letting them get away too easily. Others came from risking too much as I tried to learn a lesson from the earlier failures, and maybe I overcorrected, opened up more than an undeveloped relationship deserved, which made the flaming wreckage at the end even harder to take.
I imagine a car swerving down the highway, trying to correct course but spinning further out of control until it hits an embankment and rolls over into the river. Years later, the car is dragged from the river and gets ready for another drive.
Anyway, I'd like to put all that behind me and do it right this time. I'd like to think I'm a bit wiser now and that something great will work out at last. It seems like that's how things begin - they just begin. As long as I'm out there, I should run into someone compatible. If that hasn't happened for too long, maybe it's because I wasn't really out there but just going through the motions.
I have no idea how or when or where or who. I'll just get out there and keep my eyes open and hope for the best.
I hope this doesn't sound too cheesy but I realize that it has been at least several years since I quit believing. It wasn't a conscious choice, but an unconscious reaction to too many crashes and burns. I never would have chosen to give up, which may be why the subconscious took over. It didn't like all those painful experiences and shut some things down to prevent me from finding another one.
Some of my failures came from not trying hard enough, not giving things a chance, and letting them get away too easily. Others came from risking too much as I tried to learn a lesson from the earlier failures, and maybe I overcorrected, opened up more than an undeveloped relationship deserved, which made the flaming wreckage at the end even harder to take.
I imagine a car swerving down the highway, trying to correct course but spinning further out of control until it hits an embankment and rolls over into the river. Years later, the car is dragged from the river and gets ready for another drive.
Anyway, I'd like to put all that behind me and do it right this time. I'd like to think I'm a bit wiser now and that something great will work out at last. It seems like that's how things begin - they just begin. As long as I'm out there, I should run into someone compatible. If that hasn't happened for too long, maybe it's because I wasn't really out there but just going through the motions.
I have no idea how or when or where or who. I'll just get out there and keep my eyes open and hope for the best.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Announcing ShaunRoundy.com
I'm updating Shaun Roundy.com and will probably do most of my blogging there from now on.
Thanks to anybody who's been reading this stuff.
Thanks to anybody who's been reading this stuff.
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