July 2013 trip

                        Thanks to the Greater Power

The Lord guided us safely on our trip to South Dakota and back. We enjoyed the trip through Utah to Denver,   a route taken only one other time. Inattentive drivers made us nervous. We had to purchase a new battery and two new tires.I felt His presence as we visited friends and relatives. Some of whom it is doubtful we will see on this earth again. In fact we attended the memorial services for a first cousin when we were there.

Our youngest grandson delighted us with his compassion and love. I enjoyed going to a matinee with him and his mother and also viewed the fish hatchery again.

He wanted to give us something, but of course has no money at his disposal. He begged for two quarters from his father and inserted them in what I thought was a gumball machine, Instead it discharged two miniature rubber balls. He joyfully presented his grandfather and myself the treasures
he was able to obtain.
I have my ball and plan to display it somehow. Any suggestions?

I re-read Pride and Prejudice while on the trip. Although I found Ms. Austen's extensive vocabulary disconcerting and sometimes inaccurate, I enjoyed it as much as I did on my first reading. Upon reading the novel I did comprehend that I have been much  lacking in  vocabulary in my own writing. Be prepared, dear friends, for I endeavor to correct that particular fault in my future literary efforts.

Sturgis here we come

Strange, everytime we go home I think it will be the last time we drive, but guess what? We'll be driving back  a week from Friday and intend to stay until after the threshing bee.
I am getting anxious to be in cooler weather, and to see our close friends and family.I fully intended to have my new novel, Running Strong, ready to submit before we leave, but time is running out. I also want to re-submit a love story.
And when I get back I will concentrate on my triology, Jeremiah's Issue. I started it in  1993 on my old typewriter. My problem is I evidently lost some chapters and can't find them in my computer or on my back-up tapes. I do have them on file on paper, so I'll just have to re-type them.
I have been attending an exercise class three times a week. It is called Silver Sneakers and is a fitness program especially for elderly people. I know it is good for me, but then I have to take a nap when I get home and there goes my day.
PUblish America is bugging me to promote the two novels I wrote under my alias, J. Rose Knight, but my contract with them will expire soon and I'll get the rights back. I think I will revise them and send them to a publisher who will edit. They really need editing, and Publish America doesn't do that.
Write LIfe Publishing in Omaha published my latest book , Andy's Shock avaiable at Amazon and at http://writelife.pnnaclecart.com/fiction/Andy's Shock/ That company edited my book thoroughly.

I had another birthday in May and realize I better get busy if I want to finish my triology
If you read this I hope you will comment as I feel as though I am talking to the wall.

Never give up

I spent 4 hours at the Book Exchange yesterday and didn't sell a book. I did have fun visiting with the other authors. One also has a business in which he does one on one consulting about how to use phone, tablet and computer together. I need this. I'lll see how much he charges and maybe take a quick course. Another author and good friend of mine found an outlet whereby it put her on line book up for free. He got over five thousand requests for the book. She is happy that five thousand people will read her book even tho it is free. She doesn't have to pay for it either.
I don't know if I'll do that. I just got notice that muse-it-up publishing is going to advertise my on line book, Jeri Bittle on their newsletter April 22 As a Buzz deal for 99 cents. Hey, that is great. just go to http://museituppublishing.com/ and find their newsletter. This book was written under my alias J. Rose Knight.
I also received a seven page agreement form from WriteLife publishers. It is so full of whereas's and heretofors and such I've read it three times and still don't know for sure what it says. I think it says they want to be my agent which will be wonderful. I've got to read it again. They have also granted an author's discount so I can buy books and sell the;m at my discretion.
I had about thrown in the towel as far as writing. I am too old and broke to be running around the country promoting my books.
I love to get e-mails and telephone calls from my grandchildren and have skype now so Jesse and I have skyped a couple of times. I look worse on skype than I do on my driver's license!
L'm so looking forward to having Robert up from Phoenix this Friday  is his birthday. Rich and Sheila are coming down from Portland and we will all celebrate  our first grandson's birthday.

I am going to a book signing tomorrow at The Book Exchange in Havasu.
There will be 10 authors. I hope I sell a book or two.
I got a letter from a second cousin telling me of the death of her brother. She didn't know I had lost my sister Dec, 10

We are all getting older. She mentioned cousins I never knew.
Sometimes I wonder why I'm still around, but I'm glad I am. I enjoy the company of long-time friends and meet knew ones often.
I still feel protective of all my children even though I can't help them much. At least I can listen and sympathize with them. I love to lurk on facebook and keep up with the younger ones. My grandchildren and their friends.

This new technology is mind blowing. I try to keep up, but my Cruz reader died and my cellphone didn't like its bath. lol I need to get out my book for my computer as it is not doing quite what I expect it to do.
I have a novel completed on paper but can't find my electronic back-up. Don't  remember where I stored it. Thumb drive or disc I hope I didn't put it on the floppy disc because I don't know where I could get it to run.That computer died a long time ago. well I better get some slep for my big day tomorrow!

My New Book

I can't believe I finally got back on my blog. I had thought it was history. Here goes. We celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary in JUne in Sturgis South Dakota where we were married. My most recent book Andy's Shock will be available soon in paperback. It can be ordered at http.//writelife.pinnaclecart.com/fiction/andys-shock/ I submitted a Christmas story to Muse-it-up Publishing and a Bea and Ben story to long-story-short, but haven't heard anything yet. I have several novels in the works, guess I'll have to concentrate and finish them. I've been publishing one a year for awhile, but, let's see. I have seven novels unfinished so .....I'll have to live to be 87 if I want to finish them all.Of course I will.

The new technology

Intelligent individuals have made gigantic strides in communication. People contact others by pushing speed dial on their telephones. They can snap a picture and send it to someone almost instantly. Computers make writing letters absolete, file cabinets are empty, information is stored in the computer and in discs and thumb drives.
An advertisement for a televion set that is also a computer recently caught my attention. What next? the television show, Person of Interest, may not be too far fetched.
More important, how has this access to our private lives improved humanity? In the field of medicine and improving health it has been dramatically useful. Records are more accurate, sharing of information and medical procedures are more precise. Criminals have become sophisticated. No need to rob banks when funds can be accessed by using the correct digital combinations on the computer.
Law enforcement and law makers utilize the telephone and computer to catch law breakers and
penalize them. Education of children from pre -school to universities has been greatly enhanced by computers.
They are here to stay.
I try my best to keep up with the times, but just when I see a light at the end of the tunnel changes are made, new ways to use Facebook, Twitter etc. and again I am left in the dark.

Anxiously Waiting

Last summer I entered a short story contest at Good Housekeeping magazine. They will declare the winners this month. It would be so nice to at least get honorable mention. They state that they will have no contact with entrants, so I guess I'll find out when the magazine comes out.
I sent my 3rd. revision of the novel, Andy's Shock, to Write Life Publishing. I thought it would be the final one, but I just received an e-mail saying that it will be edited again!
I met Jean Webster through church and she and I are going to review each others novels. I gave her Snap Decisions. It has been rejected several times. She right away told me she didn't like the main character, so I will have to sweeten her up a little. She gave me Becoming Margaret. I don't think she has ever submitted it to a publisher, but I enjoy reading it.
We became great-grandparents for the first time. Feb. 6th Emerson Whiteway is her name. They are calling her Emmy. (Thank goodness)I've seen her pictures, and she is cute.
I sent her a Disney gold bracelet. Nick made a coin collectors thing for her.
I have pretty much given up on Muse-it-up. I can't keep up with them technology wise. Don't know how to make a banner or do a web site.
I've pretty much given up on facebook too I waste too much time looking at it.

A New Year

I remember when I eagerly looked forward to the new year. Now it seems time goes too fast.
I guess that's what happens when you stop and realize there aren't too many New Years left in your life. Nick always told me, "Twenty years from now you'll forget all about it," when I would get into a snit about something. Twenty years from now I'll be almost 100 and will probably have forgotten everything. I love to visit with my grandchildren, but when they tell me about their life's ambitions including their retirement, I think "I won't be around then."
So I better just think about the present year and set goals for it.
1.
I will be great grandmother in February. I must think of something unique to honor her arrival. I don't scrapbook,paint, knit, crochet, or quilt. All I do is write. I pray the muse will be kind and inspire me.
2.
One grandson will graduate from high school in POrtland this spring. If I can't be there in body, I will in spirit.
3.
we will be celebrating our 60th. anniversary. HOpefully in Sturgis SD in the church where we were married in JUne of 1952.
4.
My new novel "Andy's Shock" will hopefully be published this year.

Ups and downs

When returning from a month-long vacation I went through my e-mails and learned that my royalty check was so small the publisher decided to wait to send the money until the next quarter in case some more of my books were sold.
I can't believe I only sold six books!
I went into a real funk and decided I would never write again.

Later I resumed going through more e-mails and found one from another publisher. She stated that they had received my latest revision and will be sending out further critiques. Guess that means they are still interested, right?

Maybe I won't quit writing after all.

Disagreeing With Editors

In my personal opinion, an editor must like your genre or they will not do a good job editing.I could never edit a vampire or paranormal book. (I was afraid of the story about the three billy goats and the troll when I was in school. The teacher finally burned the book so I would come back to school.)
I did have one editor who seemd to not like my book. She never once said anything good about it. We persevered, and it is now published.

y contribution to Letters to My Mother published by Adams Media begins with "Dear Mom, today my daughter, Jayna,..

I argued with the editor that I didn't need the words,'my daughter' as my mother was her grandmother and knew perfectly well who Jayna was. He insisted, and that is the way it was published.

I fussed about it to a friend one day. "But the reader didn't know Jayna was your daughter," he said. All of a sudden it made sense to me.

Aanother time in another anthology, the editor changed my protagonist from the younger brother to the older. I had to take a walk and calm down until I realized she was right. My story is in Summer Shorts published by Blooming Tree Press.
Please read the coomments given after my postings. They are informative as well.
Please tell me about experiences working with your editor. I will post again at eleven.

insomnia thoughts

It's midnight and thoughts keep flying around in my brain.
So, I am working on my workshop on EDITORS I will be presenting on June 4th on museituppublishing.blogspot.com/p/muse-blog-comference.htmlhttp:/
It will be on most of the day, but it can be accessed anytime after, I think.
I'm kind of excited about it. It will be the first of an e-line workshop I have done.
If you can log on for any of it, I would be glad to have you and any comments you would like to make.

Now I am going to work on RUNNING STRONG, a novel that has been on the shelf a long time. I will heed my friends advice and expand my plots. (I have some characters sitting down, but don't tell what they sat on.) The reader may think they sat on the floor. I don't use enough words

This and That

I got an e-reader for MOther's Day. Yeah! ( and I had posted a message saying my kids didn't support my writing. )Anybody have chocolate? I need to eat my words!
I also got chocolate covered cherries, flowers and cards. And dinner out with NIck.
I'm having fun with the reader , spent all morning at Radio Shack getting it programmed.
I now have my book Jeri Bittle and Aesops Fables, and a couple of other free books at my beck and command.
I submitted a short story to Alongstory Short. Haven't heard if they got it yet.It may be in cyberspace.
NOw I'm back in the mood. Recusitating a novel I wrote in 2008. J. Rose Knight Joan

marketing my book

I tried to get the form letter from muse pub to go on myblog.I think I got it, anyway it said it was successful. My grandson, robert came up from Phoenix and gave me a few pointers on the computer. Thank god for grown-up grandsons! My novel, Jeri Bittle by my alias J. Rose Knight was released Friday. I do so hope some people will buy it. I had fun writing it. Now I'm writing a sequel. You can find out how to buy the book by acessing htpp//museituppub or by going to publisher@museituppublishing.com Be sure to ask for Jeri Bittle by J. Rose Knight

Thinking of getting another blog

My grandaughter suggested I get a new blog for my psuedynom, J. Rose Knight. I think its a good idea. We'll have to get together by computer as she lives in the middle of South Dakota and I live in Havasu AZ I'm working on my sequel to Jeri Bitle. My group The Four Goddesses is meeting tonight at Denny's. They are reviewing the sequel as it is written. I haven't heard from the publisher concerning my newest submission. Snap Decisions. I hope they will accept it.

looking for publishers

I'm thinking I shouldn't put all my eggs in one basket. (I know, it isn't cool to use cliche`s) What I mean is I have two more novels ready to go. I submitted another one to Muse, but haven't heard yet. I think they are very busy. My novel, Jeri Bittle will be released on April 12, e-line only. I went through my submission opportunities folder and found that most of the publishers are either no longer taking submissions or are out of business I may bite the bullet and submit to Harlequin again. (It took them six months to reject the last one I sent them.) Is that good or bad? I really like Musepub. they edit, and suggest changes, and promote the book. I guess I'm just anxious to get my books out there. My sequel to Jeri Bittle has hit a wall. Got the prologue and three chapters. I''m sitting here thinkin, "Now what?" there are so many directions I could take it. romance? Mystery? aliens from outer space? guess I better sleep on it. Goodnight

Busy, Busy

Went to a granddaughter's wedding in Denver last week-end. It was beautiful came home to company from SD. Got my manuscript back from the publisher with a work sheet to proof-read one more time. I haven't been able to find much time, but am about one-half way through. It has been edited by me several times and the line editor several times and the context editor several times and the publisher at least once.
This is the final time before it goes to print and so far I have found six errors.!!
Now have more company from San Jose and Milton Freewater Oregon. (relatives, glad to see them. )they went to PHoenix to spend the night with their grandson. I almost went with them, but have to go to the goddesses meeting tonight and must get this novel fixed and sent back. Also need to get color ink and photo paper to down-load wedding pix my daughter in law sent on the computer.

And people ask me what I do now that I'm retired!!!

My novel

My book is to be released in April Yea! It will be by museitup publishing co and ezine only.
I will tell you all the details later. The name of the book is Jeri Bittle
She is a Wyoming rancher's wife. She drives on I-80 west as she returns from Gillette after visiting her ailing father.

Events occur that change her life forever.
An attempt is made on her life, but she survives. Her husband is killed and she knows someone wants her dead. but who? and why? She struggles to provide for her three-year-old twins.

The old county sheriff and his wife support and encourage her, but things in the county are not what they seem.

How old is too Old/

I mostly lurk at my groups e-mails, but one got my attention this morning. It seems the authors group is having a conference in Montreal next November. I almost signed up, and then I thought, Are you crazy?
I would be with utter strangers, sharing a room with a stranger, in Montreal (where is Montreal?)
I would love to meet my editors, Nancy and Penny, and the publisher, Lea, and all the others. But I'll be 79 in May. would have to save up my money, and talk my better half into accepting my plan. what do you think?

WHAT TO DO NOW?

I just got an e-mail from my publishing company offering to reverse my rights as neither book has sold in the last year.
However, they want 149.00 per book. That is 298.00.
I can leave them there for the remainder of the contract (four years) if I would prefer.
I would like to get the rights to them back and after revising, submit them to another publishing company.
The reason they haven't sold is that I have to buy the books from them and sell them on my own.I can't afford to buy them. I have sold to all my friends and relatives. Book Signings have not worked for me. They charge too much for the books.
Thank you to those who commented on my last blog I am using your suggestions on how to remember my ideas for writing.

Getting it Down

ON paper, I mean. don't you just hate it when you're out and about and all of a sudden a great idea about a story pops into your mind.Sometimes I quickly squiggle the main part of it down on a receipt or something, but can't read it when I get home.I'm so sure I'll remember it when I get home I put it out of my mind..and that's where it stays.
I confess that occasionally when a friend is telling me something important to her in detail, my mind wanders and I am writing a story in my head that has nothing to do with her problem.
Back to the real world I go and lose all the ideas I had at that time.
My oldest son bought a recorder for me so I could talk into it while I did dishes etc. but I'm not a multli-tasker, and It didn't work out for me.
What do you suggest?