The Pavilion Book Expo… THE BISHOP’S WIFE…

Pull all these book promos because I liked them… and at the time I was trying to decide just how to go about producing 1 myself.  I am 1 of those people who likes to look and see what everybody else is doing… then decide upon how I’m going to do it.

When it came to creating the cover for my book, THE BISHOP’S WIFE, I went to Barnes&Nobles and walked around just looking at the book covers trying to decide which grabbed my attention the most and why?  Then I went home and began creating…

For the past 2 or 3 years I have been contacted by the America Book Expo about taking part in their event.  It is costly but a fellow author-girl, forgot her name… but she has several books out and a great website…forgot that too… but it is her name  Tracie something or other .com… I think.   Well, she told me that she is there every year passing out her books.  She says you really go there to sell… but to make contacts.  Plus the libraries attend purchasing books for their shelves.  Maybe next year who knows… I would really love to do it.

Right now THE BISHOP’S WIFE may not be a best seller but my sells are picking up.  I do receive royalty checks.  And I have sold a lot of books over this site… which is why I first started writing a blog in the first place.

So, I guess my efforts paid off.  Then I kind of liked writing on this site… it gives me an outlet to express my opinions, thoughts… and feelings on various topics and issues as they pop up.  And I kind of lot having my say and not having anybody to tell me I can’t.

I get asked often about promotions and self-publishing.  One thing I can tell you for sure and that is that there are a lot of free avenues for you to exhaust before you start thinking about shelling out that big dough to all those different publishing companies who make you a lot of empty promises.  Social media is free exploit it… it can get you out there, and that is exactly what you need… to get out there.  And there are a lot of ways you can do it… and it can work for you if you are smart, aggressive and diligent.

And yes, writing a book is very much like going into business.  You have to push it…  A business can’t run by itself… and neither can your book.  It goes way beyond just having a few pages printed up.

At any rate… here are a few of my book promos along with some other author’s book promos… and some footage from the Pavilion Book Expo…

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2013

Add a comment April 30, 2013

Family…Obama and Health Care Reform Bill passing…out of work out of mind…

Well, I know it has been a while since I last blogged anything…but if you knew what I have been doing…then I don’t think you would have minded.

First of all…most recently we have discovered some long lost relatives.  And I do mean…loooooong and lost. 

They live in Alaska…believe it or not.   And I did say Alaska…where they have been for the past 40 years. 

Who knew?

Well, we sure didn’t.  But God has a way of  uniting families…and friends again.  He really does…and always in His own time.

At any rate…I have found some new cousins.  Or rather they have found us.  And it is so wonderful.

One in particular…a cousin by the name of  Jean…has been taking up all of  my time.  Somehow or other…she came to believe that I do nothing all day but sit around waiting on her to call me.  And she talks for hours.  So much so that she even has told me-

“Oh, why don’t you just take the phone with you into the bathroom.”

This mind you…so we can continue to talk while I shower.   She is so funny.  She keeps me laughing.

She is indeed a character.  But I guess it gets like that when you find something that you never thought you had.  What a feeling it is.

In watching bits and pieces of news in between my various stops…as you may recall…I no longer watch television.  So, I catch the news from time to time while stepping into this place or  dashing into this one…that is if I don’t read it first over the internet.

But while watching Obama out stomping for Health Care Reform…I could not help but notice how much more he seemed to be in command…sure of  himself…by far more Presidential than I had ever seen him (outside of  the debates he had had with John McCain while running for office).  He seems to be more comfortable with the position…and the carrying of  that title…’Mr. President’… than ever before.

It made me think while observing on a news flash…of  the Biblical text where it states-

“What the devil means for evil, God will turn it around for your good.”

Truly, one could say that this has been the case for President Obama.  

What the Republicans meant for evil…God has turned it around for his…and I guess you could say  for ‘our’ good as well.  Where they tried to hinder him and block him…it only forced Obama to step up his game…push harder…fight tougher…become more determined.   And in the process he has come off  looking sharper and keener…and certainly by far more Presidential than I have seen him. 

Though the battle to get the bill through the Senate has clearly shown that Obama is not somebody who backs down.  He has proven that he is tougher than they think.  And the good part is…they can’t pull anything out of  Obama’s closet in order to try to keep him quiet…or keep him in check.

Pulling skeletons out of  the closet is a popular deviced used by Republicans.  It was what they used against President Clinton from the very moment he stepped into the White House…and if the truth be told…before he even got there.  

It was also a ploy that the Republicans used against  Ted Kennedy to keep him out of the White House…and oftentimes as a means to try to keep him silence him and keep him quiet, and in his place.  But Teddy was a fighter.   Call him what they would…but he never backed down…or let it stand in his way when it came to standing up for what was right.

Which is why for the life of me…I cannot see why Democrats in Massachusetts did not turn out in full force to ensure that  Ted Kennedy’s seat stayed Democratic?

Say what they will about the woman who was running for that seat.  It still should not have mattered whether she got out and worked for it or not.  Because at the end of  the day…she didn’t really matter.  But what really mattered was…that we continue to give Barack Obama all the support, aid…and help that he needs to get his job done…and done properly.  And that cannot be done with a whole lot of complacency because people feel that Obama has not done anything since being in the White House.  It has only been a few months.

By this time in his term…George Bush had alread squandered away the surplus that Bill Clinton had left on the books…when he departed from the White House following the end of his term as President.  And then he kept on spending more and more money…even though he had already gone through the reserve.

Which is why George Bush and his buddies were so hot to go after the Social Security money.  They wanted to wreck that too…and leave all of us in a hole.   Not to say that they didn’t leave us in a big fat pit anyways.  Because they did.

It is like folk expect Obama to be some kind of  a magican.

Who said change comes ‘over night?’ 

If  it took all of  8 years to get us into this mess under George W. Bush.  So, why should anybody believe it should take a few months or a year…or a couple of years to get us out of  it?

It may well take all of  Obama’s years and then some before we finally see any turn in the Bush mess.  Because believe it or not…George W. Bush really did ‘a job’ on this country…on our country’s policies…and anything and everything else he could corrode…taint…or  destroy.

Half of  what  Bush did to undermind this country is still yet to come to the forefront.  After years of chaos and havoc…and ton loads of  failed policies…a wars…and antagonzing our friends…and allies…not to mention ‘the money.’   And then not to mention all the power brokering that set into motion a failed economy…that not only rocketed us but also the world into near bankruptcy…plus skyrocketing unemployment numbers…massive massive massive job losses due to lots of  failing corporations…many which had been staples in our economy.  Companies that churned out the very first automobilies…drafted the blue prints for them…and built them from nothing.  Now gone…   Or bought out by foreign entities.

What has happened to us?

Bush-nomics?

Perhaps…  

And yes…Bush…and Bush senior…and everybody in between had a hand in it…when they started selling off  America to the highest bidders…sending jobs overseas…seeking cheaper labor…and failed to look at the greater and bigger picture. 

They lacked vision. 

All they saw was a global market…a bigger world to take from.  And how to weaken and get richer by. 

But what happened to the vision?

Shouldn’t our leaders have some vision of where they want this country to go?

Where they are taking us?

What it should look like and be like in the next 10 or 20 years?

The Bible says-

“My people perish for lack of vision.”

Where are the visionaries?

Don’t we have any…any more?

When the Founding Fathers laid the foundation for the government of  this country they were looking in the future.  They had an understanding of what the President should be like…his values…his morals…and his judgement.  If they could step into this present time…I wonder what they would say.  Perhaps there would be some tears…because it seems that the very things they tried prevent from happening over time came about.  And they saw it…they realized the problems that certain selfish endeavors and alliances could bring about.

Even in my own town I see a lack of vision.  It started years ago and has continued from administration to administration. 

When I look at downtown Brooklyn and what Brooklyn has come to look like in the past few years…it all looks great.  But…

When I look at 125th Street in Harlem…it looks okay.  But…

What happened to the people who used to live there…the stores that used to be there…the business people who were forced out of  their businesses because of  higher rental rates…and eminent domain… etc…etc…?

When I look around and see all the vacant  warehouses that used to house massive factory complexes and tons of workers…all that is gone now.  And those places if  they have not been torn down have all be turned into condos and/or artist work spaces.

Today you see everybody trying to get into health care.   Of course a few years ago when AIDS first came upon the horizon…everybody began moving away from careers in the health field…but no more.   In fact, you see more men than ever before opting to become nurses.  It is all rather strange.

When I was back in college…practically everybody…   Well, most of the women were studying to become school teachers.  Our campus did not have a nursing department…but today nearly most campus’ do.  And there are tons of  people vying to try to get into a good nursing program…which from what I hear they tend to be highly selective and very competive.

When I was in college you could always get a job as a bank teller, or a receptionist,  or office clerk…telephone operator, switchboard operator, telemarketing person…etc.,   but all of  those jobs for the most part  are gone…meaning most of them no longer exist.  Between banking machines, automated voices…and of course, the influx of  computers millions of  people and jobs have been shoved out…and onto the sidelines.  Or should I say…into unemployment lines.

Today, I heard that the National Unemployment rate is 9.7% for Americans who are out of a job…and for African Americans the rate is vastly higher being…being 15.8%.   Bush-nomics hard at work… 

Wow. 

To hear people talking about being out of work or 2 or more years…is really heartbreaking.  It is hard to survive without a job…not knowing where your next dime is going to come from…going from month to month in uncertainity about your food…shelter…who is going to pay your bills…or what bill you can afford to pay this month.   I do know the feeling…and can relate to anyone going through it.

There was a time you could be a home health attendant just by merely filling out an application.  Now people need classes and have to take  tests.  And it seems that today even that kind of  job is hard to find…when before they were always looking for people to fill those slots. 

Times truly have changed…but one thing has not.  People will continue to need and will have a need for good health care whether they have a job or not…and irregardless if  they may be health today.  With escalating prices…a system nearly now dominated by ‘for-profit’ entities on all sides of  the coin…people (the general public) need to be protected from them…and serviced properly by them…and with dignity.  And that is what I hope that this bill just signed and brought about by President Obama will do.

Can you imagine that various Democratics have been targetted since having passed the bill?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/36026491#36026491

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/36026098#36026098

Can you imagine such hatered on the part of the Republicans…and those who have bought into their lies?

Cutting pipe lines…shooting pellet guns into windows…trashing  Democrat’s offices…and throwing bricks.   Definitely sounds like a bunch of spoiled little brats…those Republicans.  What a bunch of  sour  and sore loosers.

I guess all that lying about Obama’s Health Care Reform Plan…fell upon deaf hears in the end…nor the calling the President a liar.  With a vote of 220 to 207…the Democrats won…which finally allowed the bill to pass in the U. S. Senate.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul

While Sarah Palin called for the brainless to-

“Don’t retreat…but reload.”

Can you imagine such a woman ever sitting in the White House? 

I understand that the real reason Palin bailed out of her office was because the people in Alaska were calling for her to be impeached.  That sounds like a good reason to go running for the hills, and to leave her office in midst of  her term.  

Wouldn’t look so great now would it?

I mean not with all the bad press that  that would have gotten her.  The woman is  truly a disaster.

On another note…while reading something other things over the internet I came across an article  regarding Israel’s new attitude towards the United States.   

“We don’t need America.”

Such a statement seems ludacris to me…after all these years of taking America’s money and being given our weapons…and actively seeking the support of  America to defend and maintain them in the Middle East.  Yes…that statement seems a bit odd to me.

I would hope that it does not stem from the fact that America now has a black…or African American President. 

Least ways…I would hope not.  But one must wonder.  There could be no other reason.  As though American suddenly has lost some level of  power or authority in the world since Barack Obama went into office. 

If  anything we have regained a new level of  respect…and respectability.  And I have no doubt a greater level of security and a feeling of  sincerity among our Allies fowlling the Bush era.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/234891

http://www.newsweek.com/id/234972

http://www.salon.com/news/healthcare_reform/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2010/03/23/healthcare_reform_signing

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/03/21/live_healthcare

I was happy to read the below article in it regards to President Obama’s support of  Black Colleges and Univerisities.   These historic institutions are so important to us.  And deserve to aided as so many leading African American professionals emerge from them.

http://www.ed.gov/blog/2010/03/president-renews-white-house-initiative-on-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/

Besides blaming my ‘new found cousins’ from taking up all of  my time…I am proud to inform you that soon you will be able to purchase my book, ‘THE BISHOP’S WIFE.’   And you will be able to do it in less than a couple of  weeks.

I am trying now to rush and put the finishes touches on my web site…and finish off all of  my stuff.  Because when you go to my official website I want you to love it.  It will have all kinds of  info on my book, including excerpts for you to read…and info of course on me…photos…music…and information on all the other stuff that I am doing, and that I am involved in.  It should be exciting. 

Some of you have checked out my ‘Filedby’ CLINK to the right of  this blog…and found purchase info on my book already.   But if you hold off  I will soon be offering an opportunity to get an advance copy for far less.  So, just sit tight…because it is coming.  And now you know why I have not written as many blogs lately.

Because yes…I have been busy…meeting new family members…and trying to launch my official BSMITH101 website…as well as…started planning my 2010 intenerary for my book tour this year.   So, I hope that you will forgive me.  I have not forgotten about you.  And hopefully soon I will be back on schedule.

Well, God bless…

Oh, yeah…   I am sure that you have probably realized that the weather has finally broken.  We are coming into Spring…and it feels good.   So, let us take one last look at my winter scenes as we now look towards the warmer weather.  It is definitely on its way.

I just  love  these  pictures though.   But the ones to come will be so much more welcoming. 

Well, God bless…

And oh, yes…one other thing.  In having found our long lost relatives in Alaska…where it really is dark for 6 months and light for 6 months…(I had to ask if  it was true).  Not only that but my cousin, Jean…told me that on any given day…they are subject to running into a moose.  Which they have to pay attention to whether or not his…or her…ears are down and their hair is standing up…which means ‘look out.’  Because it could charge at you at any moment.

It all sounds a bit like living out in the wilderness to me.   Because…well…  Because of  the bears.  Yes…I said bears.  And there are 3 types…one you can fight off…the black bear. 

Then there is the brown bear…and of course…the polar bear.  Both of  which are no joke… and will eat you.

Yes…it sounds a bit too wilderness-ery to me.  And they live in downtown Anchorage.   And this picture…of course…is Anchorage in the summer…where they do have 24 hours of  light all summer long.  Unbelievable.

And in discovering our lost relatives…we also have found out what Native American Indian tribe my family belongs to.  It  is the Seminole Indians.  Which I will have you know is the only indian tribe in America that never signed a peace treaty.  I just had to go up on their site to find out about them.  I would love to meet our family on that side as well. 

I wonder if  it is possible? 

http://www.seminoletribe.com/

Wow… this is soooooo interesting.

 THE BISHOP’S WIFE  is now on sale…CLICK this LINK to purchase my book.  You do not need a paypal account to purchase, and you can purchase using a debit card.  Thank you. 

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…”  www.bsmith101.wordpress.com  ©2010

2 comments March 25, 2010

Micheal’s death…the concert… and Palin

Finally, I am up and out.

We just flew back in from Tampa on Sunday afternoon, and I have been drained of  any energy every since.  I have barely eaten a thing.   All I have wanted was sleep…and more sleep.  But finally today I decided that maybe I needed to get out and get some fresh air to clear out the cob-webs from all that compressed air I was forced to breath in during our flight down and back from Florida.  And maybe…just maybe…I was right.

I feel better already.

Florida was beautiful.  It rained most of the time while we were down there.  But I loved every minute of it anyway. 

My plan was to write my blogs during the evening while laying around in the hotel…as we were in Tampa for the AIM conference with our church.   But our hotel did not have a business room where I could access a computer for free.   Instead they had an UPS store with computers that could be rented at a rate of  59¢ per minute.  Needless to say, I was livid.  And my son had failed to bring our lap-top computer on the trip. 

So, it meant that during this whole Michael Jackson thing…and Palin resignation…and the whole of the 4th of July weekend…I had been computerless.  And unable to voice any opinions on anything to anyone accept to the walls of  my hotel room…how boring.

So, alas…I am happy for this opportunity to be able to once again feel the rugged curves of  the keys of my keyboard.  And now able to voice my voice…but I have forgotten what it was that I had wanted to say.

Though through the whole week last week…I had much to voice…I now, however, find that maybe I am just too tired to say anything.  Though I did think that Palin has committed political suicide…not to mention that there most be something bigger behind her quick decision to resign at this time.   And then… frankly, I believe Michael may have been murdered.

If  Michael was in the mental state that those around him claimed that he was in…then any contract signed by him for 50 concert dates would be null and void…as he was not mentally competent to sign anything.  My other point to this is…is this.   When an artist signs a contract…and particularly an performing artist like a Michael Jackson…the promoters would have insured him.

I am curious just how much the owners of the Staple Center in LA had Michael insured for…as they were the ones promoting the 50 concerts in England.

My second point…is this.  No talent in their right mind would have ever signed a contract for 50 consecutive concert dates.  Most entertainers can barely make it though a couple weeks of  performing without becoming exhausted. 

At 50 years of  age there was no way that any out of shape performer who had not been on the road or on stage for at lease 8 to 10 years…such as Michael… could have possibly pulled off  the 50 concerts that Michael Jackson was said to have been booked for.  Not without battling complete exhaustion and/or possibly killing himself  by dropping dead on stage while attempting to do it.  

It was simply an impossible fete that even the King of Pop would not have been able to pull off.

Had Michael died during the time of  his rehersals for his 50 concert gig…it would have meant a big pay day for the promoters of his supposed 50 concert dates.   Had he died while on the road or any time during his 50 concerts…also meant a big pay day for his promoters.  And having died while under contract…which Michael was…also meant a tremendous pay day for the concert promoters of his 50 concerts.

But had Michael gotten up on the stage and not been able to fulfil his concert dates…for reasons due to exhaustion…burn-out…fatigue…drugs…etc.    This would have meant financial disaster for the promoters…and demands for rememburstments for all tickets of the shows which had to be cancelled.  Something which no promoters wishes to ever face.

http://www.michaeljacksonlive.com/memory.php

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29676050

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29676991#29676991

Michael Jackson’s untimely demise has left many questions.  And among them are questions as to whether or not Michael superseded the law in the aquisition of  his children?

In perhaps, the biggest baby-mama drama ever…if  Michael had aquired the first 2 children, Price Michael and Paris, legally…then why had they not been legally adopted by him?

No legitimate lawyer would have allowed that to get pass him or her.   He or she would have counseled Michael on the merits of  legalizing those children as being his.  And it would have had to have gone through Probate Court.

Then there is the issue of  Blanket.  

What happened to his mother?

Why is she not named on the birth certificate for the child?

Was this legal?

Since Blanket had to have come from some woman…or girl…somewhere…who was she…and what happened to her?   As  Blanket did not  just materialized out of the  air and just came to be.  Why was his mother’s name omitted from her son’s birth certificate?

I have never heard of any such a thing before…and the matter really sounds quite fishy to me.

The lawyer…or lawyers involved in Michael’s acquisition of  his children really should be questioned…because it seems to me that they…or he…or she…overstepped some boundries of the law.   Even though California laws vary so much from other states…perhaps it was all legal and aboard board.   But I think not.

Having money you get whatever you want.  And I think that Michael Jackson having money managed to find the right people who for a nickle or a dime would deliver to him whatever he wanted. 

And in the end…it is those very people who you cannot ever trust.

So, it is not a mystery to me…that papa Joseph is crying foulplay in the untimely death of  his son, Michael Jackson.  It is sad and becomes highly unsafe for anyone who becomes worth more dead than alive.

We await the autopsy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196332/Michael-Jackson-Debbie-Rowe-biological-parents-of-children.html

Hope that you are enjoying this weather.

I got up early this morning to read my Bible on my mother’s very large front porch.  The sound of the birds chirping and feel of the early morning breezy on a beautiful sunny summer morning…made it an absolutely beautiful experience.  Just me…my Bible…and the beauty of the Lord.

Enjoy your day.

I am still twiddling my tumbs waiting on the publishers to finish…but the hold up this time is kind of my fault…in that because of the money I had already put out to publish my book, THE BISHOP’S WIFE.  You know when I gave over 2 grand to Xulon Press…which I go into more in-depth in another blog…and got nothing back in return.  So, when I finally decided upon another company…I had to do it on a payment plan because I just did not have all the money to pay for the printing of  my book all at once.  Which was really one of the main reasons I chose the company that I finally decided upon. 

Four payments in the amount of $175 for the package that I chose…which with a special they were running gave me 20 advance copies of my book for free.  And they should have given me something out of the deal…as I had done all the work for my book including designing  my cover and the layout of my interior pages…plus the editing of the my text, as well…which what has been the hold up. 

I just keep finding another error…and I am such a perfectionist.  It would kill me not to put out a work that is not quality.  So, please continue to bare with me.  THE BISHOP’S WIFE will soon be out and available for your purchase soon.    the time when my book will soon be made available for sale.  God is good…I am so happy to finally  have gotten it done and out…and into the final stage of the process…besides getting out to aid in selling it.

And I am still working hard on my book trailer for ‘youtube’ too…and my radio promo.  All of  which I shall premiere right here on my blog site first.

 Well, enjoy the rest of your day and I have so much more to tell you.  It’s coming. 

God bless…

Thank you for reading this blog…and  my others.  Please be sure to continue to share this blog site with your family, co-workers and all your friends… “pass it on…” http://www.bsmith101.wordpress.com ©2009

 THE BISHOP’S WIFE  is now on sale…CLICK this LINK to purchase my book.  You do not need a paypal account to purchase, and you can purchase using a debit card.  Thank you. 

2 comments July 14, 2009

Self-Publishing woes…

Well, it is about 4 o’clock and I was suppose to go to the bank today.   Guess I won’t have much money for the long weekend.  I’m trying not to use my bank card too much…because frankly I can never trust my balance when I do.  I did a transaction for a couple of thousand with my card…but later there was a disbute between me and the company.  At the end when I just couldn’t take it any more…and yes, I’m talking Xulon Printing…after one obstacle after another…I finally said enough is enoug and-

“Give me all my money back.”

I think that they were kind of tired of me anyway…but I never complained without good reason.  I do not like any company who feels they have you over a wheel barrel just because they have already gotten paid.  Perhaps you have experienced a simular situation.  But when you have paid $2000 plus dollars…even tolerance for the sake of just getting it done soon will fall by the wayside if the company is flagrant in their dealings.  And that is just how Xulon is…flagrant in their dealings.

Believe when I tell you-

“They only want your money.”

“It’s all a game.”

What else do you want to hear…because I could tell you a lot more.

So, I recently went over the internet to check my bank account balance after giving them the axe last Friday…and yes…they have yet to reimburse me any part of my $2000 plus.  But from the on-set I did realize that they would want to keep as much of my money as they could on  their side of the table. 

In fact, Xulon is only going to reimburse my bank account some $300…but I knew from early in the game…and had realized that I was probably going to have to go down to Florida and sue them…and that is not so bad since they are located near Orlando.  But based upon the facts…I am entitled to every dime of my money back…as Xulon failed to fairly meet any part of our contract.  And the kicker in the whole thing was as they not only wanted to rob me…but wanted me to say it was okay to rob me by having me sign off on our contract.  They wanted to rewrite our contract by getting me to sign off on an email that they had sent me.  

To have signed off on that email would have meant…had I signed…that I would have been writing away any chance of every later taking legal action against them.

I really was not born yesterday…but I think Xulon thought so.

If I had signed off on that email…they could have also printed up my book any way they pleased and just thrown it at me.  Because in essence really that was what they were trying to get me to sign off against. 

Since Xulon had failed to provide me with an original cover…as the cover they sent me to approve was actual a cover they had used for a  prior author’s book…yet they charged that design against my funds.  I had also paid for rush service which was to take about 45 days…what a rip-off that was.  That was way back in March and my book to this date had not even gotten into the print room…due to one hang up after another on Xulon’s part. 

Then they have this author’s site where you supposedly retrive your proofs and inter-office emails.  My access code…provided to me by Xulon never worked.  When I informed them that it did not…I was told they had thousands of other authors and none of them had any problems with their’s.  So, I could not use that service…for which they charged against my money…I am sure.   After going over the Galley twice…upon which the last time I thought this time it was really going to go to print finally…but this is when they held up the printing…yet again…and told me that if I didn’t sign off on that email that they had sent me they would not print my book until I did.

So, I sent Xulon an email concerning several issues…(1) since Xulon did not want to reimburse me my rush fee money ($299)…a service they never provided me…I told them I wanted 30 books instead of the contracted 10 in exchange for my money.  Now, that is fair…as the charge to authors for their books printed by Xulon is $5…at $5 a piece I come nowhere near my $299.  But I felt I was entitled to something for my money…and I was not just going to let them rob me and me not try to get something out of the deal.

I also said I wanted my cover printed on quality glossy cover stock…really is that too much to ask for?    Besides, Xulon claimed that they did that anyways.

So, then why did they want me to sign off  on the printing of my book…if they already provided all of that?

Because I told them that if the printing of my book didn’t meet with the quality and expectations I had paid for…then I would not be satisified. 

And why should I?  

I had afer all paid them more than $2000 to do the job…for which they had breached every term and condition concerning the services that they claimed to provide.    Such things like…a professionaly designed original book cover.  Xulon even goes as far as asking you for your suggestions for the cover…of which they follow nothing.   I said put the title in thick bold fonts…not.  I said no people in the design…not.  I said something classy and ritzy…very not.

So…I said it in my very first blog…and I am going to say it again.  You will never know the type of company you are dealing with until you actually go into business with them.  Some people may fair well with a company…but that may not be your experience.   We weary of the sharks.

However, look out for my book, “THE BISHOP’S WIFE”…once I get it published…and it will be published.  I know you will enjoy it.  It is my second piece of fictional work…about woman in the mid-fifties who can’t put out of her mind a pass love though she marries a Bishop who is not what or who she expected him to be.

Oh, forgot to tell ya’ that Small Claims in Florida allows you to sue for up to $5000…that gives me plenty of money to fly down and soak up some sun too as I visit with relatives.  But I will be going down…and soon to get my money.

Check the comments below…someone commented that she had a similar experience with Xulon.  Where was anyone writing stuff like this so I could find it when I was trying make a decision on who to get self-published with.  It certainly would have been helpful.  

Currently, AUTHORHOUSE has my contract to publish my book.  I must say…I like them already.  They even create you a website as part of you deal for no additional money.   They have a legitmate contract…something that I never got from Xulon.  They have a payment plan…and their rates are nowhere’s near Xulon or some of the others depending upon what package you buy.  And if you use them…well, they have a referral plan as well.   I know…I know…shameless of me but I want every $100 I can get…I can help to finish paying off my publishing fee since Xulon ripped me for all of my money.   So, send me a comment if you decide to go with AUTHORHOUSE…so I can collect my referral fee.  And I am not kidding.

Had something else I wanted to say but it has fleed from me now.

The other reason I am trying not to use my bank card too much…is because of the current financial situation.  I have always been told –

“A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bushes.”

I know what I have and I intend to hold onto my money…what little I have after my $2000 Xulon investment…until I’m sure which way this thing is going.  With these banks threatening to cumble you really can’t be too sure about anything.  But since the gas prices are down…keep your tank filled.  Because who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Enjoy your weekend.

God bless…  ‘pass it on…’    www.bsmith101.wordpress.com 

God bless…and thanks for reading  ©2008

3 comments October 10, 2008

O.J… can’t seem to get it right

Poor ol’ O.J…you really got to feel sorry for the guy.

Trouble just seems to follow him.  For a man who once had everything that, I guess, most people would have liked…somehow it all just got away from him…it slipped through his fingers.  It happened one night following a long trail of events which really if you examined them were on the road to doom.  And doom it was…it ended in murder.

Had it been written by some great British suspense writer the scenes and scenarios could not have been better written.  It had all the clues and every bit of the suspense of a top rated thriller.

But this latest farce really amounted to nothing more than a shakedown Mob style.  And for having done it…O.J. Simpson is facing the possibility of life in prison. 

It really doesn’t seem fair. 

Considering the world of memorabilia and the problems of thief, fraud and the like…O.J. going after those guys in a way that they could understand…well, the means clearly does not justify the way…but the memorabilia business is big multi-billion dollar business laced with underhanded and crooked dealings.  O.J. was merely seeking to protect and retrieve his own items…in what to him seemed to be the most effective and expedient way of doing so.  Perhaps it was also meant to be a message to others, as well…but at the end of the day the trial amounted to nothing more than getting O.J. up on charges with the hopes of finding him guilty to correct mistakes made in 1995.  And to me seems wrong.

I will agree that O.J. has lead a life that most of us would not have agreed with.  He has been charged with things in which most of us find apprehensible…but dragging throug a trial for the sole purpose of finally being able to say-

“Got cha’ now.”

Is just is not right.

People flash guns and rob people everyday…and frankly many of them really should see some real jail time…but I see judge after judge releasing them…or just giving a few months of probation and these are real criminals.  Though some may argue that O.J. Simpson is a real criminal…and perhaps he is…the court saw otherwise.  And some may say the same about those whom I mentioned I see time and time again being released by judges everyday in courtrooms for doing the same thing as O.J. just did…flashed a gun and sought to rob someone.    

O.J.’s real crime these days seem to be…that since 1995 he has been a real danger to no one more than himself. 

http://voices.kansascity.com/node/2319

http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur47569.cfm

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20231198,00.html

http://www.macon.com/nation/story/481651.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3133636/OJ-Simpson-found-guilty-of-armed-robbery.html

Well, hope you have a beautiful day.

SELF PUBLISHING WOES…that Xulon Press…

Started having problems with my publisher again.  This time I just plain told them to forget it and give me my money back.  Part of the problem with them is that Xulon believes I am just dying to get publish.  Perhaps, I was…until I realized I had made a mistake choosing in them to handle the job for me.  Now, since 6 or 8 months later and it has been one headache after another with them.  I am just too fed up for it to really matter…if they print my book or not.   

You can always pay another company to print it for you.  But I have never seen a company like Xulon more bent on robbing somebody. 

Currently, my project went back into the ‘hold’ mode because I refused to sign off on some things.  These things would prohibit me from later going back and filing for damages against them for not providing the services that they promised.  If you go back to my first or second blog…it lays out the problems…one of which they submitted to me a cover for my book which had been the cover of one of their privious authors.  Secondly, I told them in my contract…where it asked for suggestions regarding the cover…I told no people…and what do you thing I got?

People!

But if the truth be told it is the way that most companies have gone.  It is about money…not about what you paid for…not about service…but money  Once they get your money they feel they have you…then it is down hill from there.  That is when they start to want to make the demands and give the orders.  Not on my money…they don’t. 

So, I am no longer responding to anything that my publishing company is forwarding to me…as I have demanded my money back.  This I already realize…will mean that I will have to sue them.  But I rather sue them than let them get away with murdering me.

But you have got to look out for my book, “THE BISHOP’S WIFE”…once I get it published…and it will be published.  I know you will enjoy it.  It is my second piece of fictional work…about woman in the mid-fifties who can’t put out of her mind a pass love though she marries a Bishop who is not what or who she expected him to be.

The second Presidential Debat is tonight…should be interesting.  I’ll meet you in front of the television or over the internet…but we will meet to see how this round of the debates go.  I think McCain is going to make it a point to look at Obama once or twice this time.  What do you think?

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/watch-to-watch-for-during-round-2/?hp

God bless…  ‘pass it on…’    www.bsmith101.wordpress.com

God bless…and thanks for reading  ©2008

Add a comment October 7, 2008

Doing for ourselves… thinking about…

Finally, went upstairs to do something I have been putting off.  

Well…I wasn’t really putting it off…because I really wanted it done.  I just didn’t want to be the one to have to go up there and do it.

For every woman considering getting rid of her husband.  Keep him if for nothing else  or for no other reason…but to go upstairs and get rid of the raccoons which have invaded your attic.

That is my dilema.  A family of raccoons have taken over my parent’s attic.

A few weeks ago, I went to Lowels and bought a hammer…I know, I said daddy had all of these tools…but I don’t know where to find them.  They’re downstairs in his workshop somewhere. Which when daddy was alive he kept well organized…but having been deceased for a couple of years now…his tools have all been gone through…and nothing is as daddy had had it down in his workshop or anywhere else.   

Which is, of course, my problem.  The house is in vast dis-repair.

But from the attic the raccoons can have their run of the whole house pretty much.  They can run from the attic straight down into the basement.

Since coming home from Detroit, I have been kleenly aware that a raccoon was in the house.  As  I opened the back door and stepped into the hallway to gain access to the downstairs apartment…I could hear it upstairs in the hall…eating something and it sounded like sharpening something. 

And I knew what I was listening to…because I had encountered a raccoon earlier a few months ago in the house.  It had gotten into the kitchen…but my niece’s cat soon resolved that issue by chasing it out into the hallway and up the stairs. 

I had initially thought that that raccoon had gotten in through a basement window or something.  So, we would leave open the back hallway door with the hope that it would exit the house.  Which I though it had…until I got in from Detroit.  But I was totally unaware that we had a whole raccoon problem in our house until our neighbors later shared with me.

After getting back from Detroit…then came the neighbors…telling me that they had been watching these raccoons night after night crawling into our attic through the roof.  And not only that…but they told me that their was a family of them up there in our attic.  And at least one of them was larger than a cat.

I could only wonder why they hadn’t bothered to tell me this before. 

So, of course, I would want to secure upstairs to at least keep the raccoons from coming downstairs and prohibiting me from accessing the basement…you know the washer machine…and for the oddest reason we now have started to have problems with the electric…the refrigerator and stove keep going out.  And since everything else is on…I usually don’t realize the problem until some while later.  This means…I have to go down into the basement and hit the circuit breakers…something I just found out about…thank God for men who know something.

The first time the problem happened I was sitting at my computer…like now…and there was some type of electrical surge.  It didn’t bother my computer though but I did recognize that something had happened…but everything as far as I could see at that time was alright. 

Much later…hours later…no, more like some time later…like the next day…that’s when I came to realize that the refrigerator wasn’t working.  This I found out after finally reaching into it to get myself something to drink…and since no one else would be going into the refrigerator but me as I am currently the only here…so, there was no way for me to discover the problem until I finally opened the refrigerator and found out that my water wasn’t cold.

My mind went to calling an electrican…in fact I tried but the guy who had given me a card…well, his phone was not in service.  Which was kindda alright because I was wondering…”how am I going to afford an electrican?”  But when you have to do something…you have to do it…and that is why I had decided to called the electrican in the first place.  It was a problem that had to be fixed.

I’m finding that with property…there is always something.

The only something I used to have to worry about when I had my apartments were the landlords.  And oh…yeah, the utility bills.  But not now.  I’ve got to worry about the roof, the taxes, the mortgages, the yard, the trash, the water bill etc…etc…etc…   A house is no joke.  But at the end of the day…you’re paying for something that is yours.  And no matter how you chop it…it just feels a lot better than paying on something that belongs to somebody else…and that you will never own not a even a piece of.

Shortly after being told the electrican’s phone had been disconnected, I got a call from the guy who I bought my bought my grill from…you know the grill I intend to go into business with just as soon as I can get enough money to buy some food to put on it.  Well, after telling him my delima…he calmly told me that the refrigerator and stove are both on 2 separate lines because they use so much electricity…and that I probably needed to go down into the basement to throw the circuit breakers to get them back on.

And it was just as he said.

I have been home in my parents house trying to straighten out our estate matters since 2003, and I can’t remember there being this kind of problem with our electricity.  Because since that intial time the electricity on the stove and refrigerator has gone out 3 or 4 times in the course of 2 weeks.  Which signals to me…that I still need to call an electricity because something must be wrong.

But as I had started buying meats and things and stocking them in the refrigerator and freezer…I was forced into a position of having to go downstairs into the basement.

Which means razor sharp teeth or not…I was going to have to deal with my raccoon problem myself.

I had actually been waiting on a man to come by…any man…so I could send them or him to block the attic door and secure it so that the raccoon could not come downstairs.  But to no avail…no man.  Not even one of my brothers… 

I thought about calling the handy man whom I hired occasionally to do odd jobs around the house…but I always have to pay him.  And I have no money…it is all invested in my up and coming business.  So, I couldn’t call him…besides still I owe him $10.00 anyways.

So, what is a girl to do?

Well, I wasn’t going to let over $150.00 in meats go down the drain.  Are you crazy?

No, it meant I…I had to face my raccoon problem alone.  I would have to go out on the front porch get the wood I had cut to size from Lowels for the purpose of blocking the attic door…the pad lock that I bought for the purpose of securing the chain that holds the attic door close…and my brand new hammer…well, you know…to bang with.  We were all going to have to go upstairs today…and now.  Because I was not going to let my meat spoil.  No, way.

So, I did what I had to do.  I put on some thick jogging pants, an old pair of thick sneakers…got one of the fireplace pokers…stuck my hammer into the side of my jogging pants and went up stairs…me and my neice’s cat.  I was prepared to do battle.

It was going to be either those raccoons…or me and my meats.  And I had decided it was going to be me and my meats.  The raccoons would have to be block off.

It took me a while to get up those few stairs…I was exercising caution.  Nothing like a little caution…but I wasn’t being afraid.

By the time I was banging those boards into place and securing that pad lock onto the chain…I was singing as loud as I could-

“Thank you, Jesus…for giving me the victory.”

Next I had to go down into the basement.  But I wasn’t sure if a raccoon or 2 wasn’t down there.  But I didn’t have anybody I could deploy on the job…other than me and the cat.  Though I thought about calling my son.  But if anybody had to get attack by the racoon…I rather that it was me and not my son.  So, I didn’t call him.

So, it was me and my niece’s cat…again.   Thank God for the cat…she is no joke.  My kind of girl.  We went downstairs and did what we girls had to do…we hit the circuit breaker.

And there was no raccoon to be seen.

But I think I need to get married…because this ‘doing it for ourselves’ stuff is for the birds…and it is definitely just not making it…least ways not for me.  I gave up manual labor a long time ago.  And I have no intentions of being drafted back into it…and particularly if it includes varmints!

And I don’t want to chase any racoons!

Hope your day wasn’t quite as interesting. 

After all of that I had to shower…can’t stand to be dirty.  Just thankful I finally boarded up that attic door.  But I will have to go back up there because my pad lock was a little too big for the chain.  So, I ended up tying the chain and securing the pad lock over the knot to keep it from moving.  But I definitely need to buy a smaller lock…just so I am sure that door is secure until I can afford to have the racoons chased out and the roof of my parent’s house totally fixed.

Well, God bless…

I am putting the finishing touches on my book, “THE BISHOP’S WIFE”.  I couldn’t afford to get a copy editor so I had to go back through it myself and try to catch all the errors.  And if you have read these blogs…well, you know I don’t always catch everything.  But I try.  

I can’t stand to read something that is littered with type-pos or other errors.  It is so distracting…and then I used to teach English…well, worked as Sub teaching English and Math…though I did end up becoming a regular teacher too.  I was an Art teacher in one of our local High Schools. 

I am so picky about English though.  There are so many things I just can’t stand.

I can’t stand when someone is talking and they say ‘ta’ instead of ‘to.’   ‘Ta’ drives me crazy.

And I can’t stand the ‘is’ and ‘are’ thing either…I don’t know what is the problem that people can’t get it right.  And it wasn’t such a problem before…but language…proper language is really going to the dogs these days.

I finished the “THE BISHOP’S WIFE” back in March, but because of all the problems with the printer, Xulon Printing, it hasn’t been printed yet.  But they offered me a deal, and if you want to know the deal you can email me via the comments section and I will tell you….but they offered me this deal…so, based upon that I decided to go forward with them.

But remember what I said about my book, “THE BISHOP’S WIFE,” when it finally comes out I will let you know where to buy it…which actually I can tell you that now.  It will be available via, of course, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, via my website and through Xulon.  But I will keep you posted as to when you can buy it.

But when writing anything you really have to put it away for awhile before you can really catch all the errors…or most of them.  I am continuously finding errors in these blogs…which is why I go back and periodically re-read them.  Without a fresh pair of eyes when going over text for errors you will just keep seeing what you think you typed or be reading it as it should be…not as it is. 

So, I have kind of been redoing my text…and actually I am glad I have had this chance.  Because it was really loaded with all kinds of errors…as most of time when I was working on the book…creating the story…I was working until 3 or 5 o’clock in the morning then leaving out to go directly to school as I was carrying a full credit load of classes (21 credits to be exact)…meaning I was extremely sleepy and quite tired during the whole time I was creating “THE BISHOP’S WIFE.”  

But I had to keep pushing myself…and a lot of the time I was so tired literally I could barely see.  But I would be trying to plug along anyhow…with one eye open and one eye closed…because I knew I had to get it done.  So, I had to force myself to complete “THE BISHOP’S WIFE” even if I was tired…and even if I could hardly see…and even if it meant walking into class having not gotten any sleep at all.   I had to do it…and that’s what I did.  I forced myself to complete the story…to finish the book…and I did.  I got it done.

I rarely write narratives…fictional books or short stories.  Because for the most part I spend my time writing screenplays or plays which are the 2 basic areas of writing that I have always been the most interested in until recently. 

I say until recently because now I have started receiving information that is non-screenplay or play form…but it is coming to me in the format of a book.  I write in whatever format the stories come to me in.

As my history has basically been writing in either a screenplay or play format…I have never had to struggle with the stories…but I find writing a book different.  For me when writing a screenplay the screenplay unfolds before me as if I am seeing it at the movies.  It is the same kind of thing for plays…except I see them being perform on stage…as I am creating the text.  I hear every voice and know every nuance, and every character.

Because I do not try to plot or create a story…no, I allow the story to develop on its own (but everyone has their own techniques as to how they write and develop their stories and characters).  I am always surprised by the course of events, the cast of characters that pop up in my storylines, their dialogs and the eventual end of my creative writings…be they a play or a screenplay or Radio Drama.   And that whole proccess is even more interesting and exciting to me when I am creating Radio Dramas. 

There is something about Radio Dramas that really excite me when those stories come to me.  I guess it is that they are a bit trickier and have to be paced quicker than writing a regular screenplay or play because of all the on-running storylines, varied sub-plots, and of course more main players due to the varying storylines.  Having to create all of that dialog…which when you think about a Radio Drama it is nothing but a lot of dialog, some music and sound effects…that in of itself forces you to become more creative.  You must master creating natural sounding conversations which have to move the storylines along without getting bogged down.  And finally, writing a Radio Drama is more of a balancing act than anything else…trying to give equal time to 2 or 3 storylines.  To be able to create a good Radio Drama is truly prefecting of the art of story telling.  The unfortunate part about it…there isn’t a great demand for Radio Dramas anymore…they for the most part are a thing of the past…very sadly.

Imagine spending $2000.00 on something…to self-publish a book that everytime you picked it up to look at it…you cringed.  Because that is exactly what I would have been doing…had I printed “THE BISHOP’S WIFE” with all the errors that I just located this weekend while going back over the story…not to mention all the prior errors I had found earlier.  If I had printed that book with all those errors in it…I wouldn’t have been able to look at it.  It would have been a total waste of my money.

There is nothing worst than a book printed with a ton of errors…2 are too many.   And I am not saying it is perfect…that is not what I am saying.  I am trying to get it to perfection…and it sure is a lot closer to it now than it was before.  But one thing is definitely for sure, it is a lot better piece of work too than it was before I found this last group of some reall horrid errors in my text.  I caught stuff that would have really made me sick to my stomach…missing words…tons of them.  To have printed my book earlier would have been more than embarrassing to me.   It would have been a disgrace…of the professional I think I am.

So, before I send it out…I’m going to go through it again. 

I think you will like the story…it is fictional about a 50’s something woman who marrys a Bishop, but she can’t let go of her thoughts about an old flame.  Definitely, not biographical.  Well…it could be…but not.  Least ways I don’t think so…   You’ll just have to read it.   “THE BISHOP’S WIFE”…one thing for sure it is radical.  You will have to hold onto your seats for this ride.   So, look out for it.

Talking about language…here’s your Chinese for today.

If you remember I taught you… Ni hao….meaning ‘hello’  of ‘good morning’

the word “hao” is Chinese for ‘good’  ….‘ni’ prepresents the person   and ‘nim‘  a group of people    as in  ‘nim hao’  or ‘ni hao’  ….pronounced as  “nimb how”    and   “knee how”

Ni hao ma?     How are you      pronounced…‘knee how ma’   you can answer simply by saying ‘hao’ meaning ‘good‘  or that you are well.     So, ‘hao’ means good.      or you say the same thing to a group of people by saying….

Nim hao.     which means  ‘hello’ to a group of people      when you add the ‘ma‘  you have the sentence into a question….  nim hao ma?    meaning ‘how are you’…which would really translate to ‘how are all of you’.

When you hear the word ‘gor ren’  sounds just like the bird’s name ‘wren’…..when you hear ‘gor ren’ they are talking about a group of people.   Here again I have given you my verision of what it sounds like…not the exactual Chinese spelling of the word.        If you were to say “Mei gor ren”  …you would be saying that you are American.   It is pronounced  “May gor ren” ….I am American.

I am sure that saying will come in handy in China if you go to the Olympics.

And one more thing about those raccoons…I could never have gone up there if had not I believed that God has given us dominion over every living thing.  It’s in the Bible…and He is true to His word.   Be bless…  

Be good…and don’t forget to keep sharing this blog with your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, classmates, the woman in the grocery store, your church…etc…everybody.  For interesting…information and insightful information…    www.bsmith101.wordpress.com    …pass it on…

I am not chasing any raccoon!  And I mean it!

I’ve got to find me a husband. ©2008

1 comment July 29, 2008

My day out… my Bible… and Chinese

Today while out and about, I noticed the gas prices at a couple of places.  It was at $3.99…not much difference from $4.08.

But psychologically speaking. 

It sure looks a lot better.

A couple of days ago I was out at the track.  Sometimes I just like to pull out there and sit in the car and read my Bible.

On this particular day, I ran into an old family and church friend with whom we had grown up with.  He shared with me a book he was reading. 

This book had to be about 2 1/2 inches in thickness.  It was a book on the Masons.

We have all heard of the Masons…but I never knew much about them as most of what they do is secret and kept among themselves.

But what was interesting about this book were the hand signals that were displayed in it.  The hand signals used by the Masons symbolizes some type of secret code…which of course this book explained along with everything else about the Masons.  But I was not about to read all that stuff. 

But those hand signals are the exact hand signals used by the rappers.  You’ve seen them in the music videos and at the music award shows flashing all kinds of hand signals.

Well, those hand signals come directly from the Masons.  Along with some other things called the hidden hand and the claw…which are all shown in this book which is full of pictures showing everybody and their brother using and flashing these various hand signs from generals to Presidents past and present.

But besides those hand signals, I couldn’t help but notice how much this person whom I had known for many years was taken with that book.  So much so that as I looked at that book and how thick it was…I couldn’t help but think that if it had been the Bible he probably wouldn’t have even opened it.  And here he was all goo-goo gah-gah over this book about the Masons as if it were some kind of wonderment.

Not to mention as he continued on and on…he eventually got around to mentioning how the Bible is a piece of manipulated junk.  Where of course we now had to go into a detailed conversation because I just could not allow that to go unchallenged.

But what made me feel bad for him was…that you cannot read all kinds of doctorine because it will confuse you.  And he was terribly confused…and I could clearly see it and definitely hear it.

There is no doctrine which has not pulled bits and pieces from the Bible…that in of itself should speak volumes for the merit of the Bible.   That everyone wants to draw from it…does ring a high degree of significance on its behalf.  

And the fact that they do pull from the Bible…and create all kinds of religions to fit whatever they want to do, practice and/or preach and teach…is indeed a fact.  From the Mormons to Catholicism, the Church of Scienctology, Islam, all those Eastern Religions etc…etc…all have taken wing from some section, practice or statement and/or statements found in the Bible.

As I listened to him, this person who had grown up in the same church I had, I just felt bad for him…as he talked to me getting excited as he told me how he spent $20 for some other book on something else.   He was getting all excited as though these books were leading him to some new found form of enlightment that gave him some strange form of euphoric ecstasy.

I don’t read many books…but I do spend time every day with one very special book which means an awful lot to me.  I search it out for understanding, wisdom, peace, guidance, even correction etc…etc…and it does that much and more for me.

Happy reading…and be sure to look out for my book, “THE BISHOP’S WIFE.”  

Remember I will tell you when and where you can purchase it just as soon as I straighten out my problems with the publisher.  I recently informed them that it would cost them more money than it would cost me if I had to take them to court.  I just don’t want to have to fly all the way to Florida to do it…but I’ll go if I have to.  And in Florida…in small claims you can sue for up to $5000…now that is a real incentive for all the aggravation that Xulon has caused me.

But I would really rather work it out…and I have them in the palm of my hand…it is not the other way around.  And if you would like to read that story you can check out my very first blog…under the section entitled “Self-Publishing.”   The story on how Xulon Publishing was planning on taking me for a ride…all the way to the bank. 

I’m finding myself having to take 3 to 4 showers per day with all this heat.  Can’t stand to get over-heated and sweaty.  But just imagine if we couldn’t shower as we would like to. 

People around the world are faced with exactly that…and even some right here in the United States.  People in the mountains of West Virginia have contaminated water…all of it…even their drinking water.  I saw once on PBS where somewhere in those mountains the water faucets in some mountain towns poured out mud.  That is right…mud…and they ran the  faucet to prove it.   Through the kitchen sink faucet and bathroom faucets…through all their plumbing. 

I couldn’t imagine living that way…or being forced to.  And even though bottled water seems pretty cheap…imagine trying to buy it for your everyday useages.  You won’t think it so cheap then…I am sure.  Imagine trying to buy enough water so you and your family could bathe with it…much less drink it, wash clothes and dishes with it…etc…

There is something about not having something which makes you desire it.  And you have a tendency to desire it all the more when it is not readily available to you.   

If we didn’t have fresh water…we would be desiring a cool drink of water.  And would be willing to pay any price to get it.  (kind of sounds like our current gas prices)

There are people who for one reason or another whose water or electric and/or gas may be shut off…meaning that if they have bath water it is ice cold.  And if they don’t have water, they can’t bathe or flush the toilet or have drinking water. 

We are blessed…but being blessed does not mean that we should not consider other people.  Consider them…and lets seek to make this a better place for all people.

I respect and love you.   Lets consider this planet and all that we are doing to ruin it.  Some day someone will look back and say-

“How come they didn’t do something?”

It’s a good time to think about trying to preserve this planet for those who will come after us…and for those suffering right now because of what we have already done. 

Thank you for reading.      ….God bless…and have a beautiful day.

These hot flashes are really getting the best of me.

I used to hear women talk about them…but never paid much attention to what they were saying.   But I understand now.   

They make all of this heat all the worst.   And ooooh….my nights.

My Chinese teacher told me that Chinese women do not get hot flashes…it has to with something they either eat or take…which I guess amounts to about the same thing.

Ni hao ma?

Yes, I do take Chinese…or rather took it for a few semesters.

And I just said ‘hello and how are you?’    Pronounced  “knee how ma?”  

Now, that was easy…wasn’t it?   ©2008

Add a comment July 23, 2008

Hello world! Obama, Hillary, Bill…and me

To think that someone is allowing little ol’ me a platform to voice my highly opinionated thoughts anywhere in this universe…it is a dream come true.  Can’t stand high tech stuff…I don’t want any ringtones or a cell phone that takes pictures, nothing…but think I might actually get to love this blogging thing…because I have a lot to say.  And now thanks to this high tech outlet I can say them to someone other than my niece’s cat.

(1)  I thought we lived in America?

Whatever became of the right to have freedom of speech?  I don’t know how many times marches and rallies were allowed to the KKK (Ku Klux Klan…the clueless and mindless…oh, well…that’s another subject)  in various cities (north and south) in this country…because whether we liked or not they had a right to voice their mindless opinions. 

Then why during this pre-election period had several occasions arose that people were ousted from various campaigns for having said things like… “Hillary is mean”???    If she is mean…she is mean.  And no amount of reshuffling or rephrasing is going to overcome it.  The truth is the truth.  And truthfully speaking she and her husband did some pretty mean spirited things during the primaries which spoke volumes towards who they truly are.  They were the ones who introduced the race card…they were the ones touting that “they” represented the poor white voters of America.  Since when?  I’ll tell you when…since she needed them and couldn’t think of another way to win…and it still wasn’t enough.

Frankly, that Priest who spoke in the church where Obama used to be a member, he really told the truth about Hillary.  That whole enactment was directly out of network tv (the nightly news) and had it been done on Saturday Night Live nobody would have said anything.  Also, as quietly as it has been kept I heard commentators stating those exact same things at the very time they were taking place (it is in the news clips).

But going back to my initial thought…isn’t this America?  Our right to freedom of speech is drafted into the fabric of the Bill of Rights called the 1st Amendment.  So, what I could not understand was that all during the primaries people were being given the boot because they voiced their opinions.  What?  Let me say it again…all during the primaries this past Spring various members of all the primary campaign groups vying for the Presidency of the United States all lost people close to their campaigns due to those people saying something.  And the number one adversaries leading these charges were journalist (what a bunch of hypocrites) sent out by whatever political group they favored to smear and smutty up the other side as much as they possibly could by unseating whomever they could.  And look for it to get worst as we draw nearer and nearer to November…when it is time to really cast our votes for who will become President of the United States.  And dare I say…look for more tricks by those underhanded, double-dealing, side-talking, conniving, backstabbing-(PAUSE)  Oh, I’m sorry…I got carried away…REPUBLICANS!

(2) What did you think about Hillary trying to rewrite the game as she went along?  At first Obama had the majority vote and Hill had the delegates…then the tables turned.  When she had the delegates and Obama was winning state after state…Hill was singing ‘well, let the delegates decide.’  Yeah…that was before Obama started to dwindle her delegate count and finally overtook her even in that.  Then near the end of the primaries Hill started picking up states…only mind you…after the Republicans began to try and throw the primaries in her direction.  And why not?  The Clintons exited the White House amid a myriad of unresolved issues of which the Republicans would have anxiously welcomed revisiting.

And all that stuff about “…so my daughter and all your daughters”…hog wash…that’s all that was.   It had no real meaning for Hill other than being just another ploy to try seek out some level of loyalty from a very underserved group.  What a bunch of crock that was coming from Hillary Clinton, and about as truthful as Hill saying to the poor people in the hills of West Virginia, Tennessee etc., who make their living going down into dangerous un-monitored coal mines, breathing in cancerous polluted air whilst drinking and bathing in filthy polluted water while providing this country with one of its most valuable and most highly under-rated commodities, coal…saying that she knew them and felt their pain?  Oh, yeah…while stepping out of what limousine?  Or while getting on what jet plane and turning up to her lips a glass of what top-shelf drink?  Whilst all the while they (Hill and Bill) were trying to frame Obama as the elitist…insane…when they have double the millions…in fact almost 3 times as much money as the Obama’s.  And she wants Obama to pay off her Primary debts which she liberally and unabashedly kept sinking into that sinking ship called her campaign…be real.  If she loaned it to herself then let herself pay it back…it’s what we do in the real world when we take out loans and create debt. 

But oooh no they’re different, those Clintons.  In real terms it was her money…loaned to herself…so, if she gave it back to herself what would that hurt?  Least ways she wouldn’t have to worry about any interest accumulating on it.  Why should Obama give up any of his donations (which he will surely need to use during his run against McCain) to reimburse Hillary for going to the Mall and spending her own money on herself?   (This may well be but yet another Hillary scheme…if Obama ran out money during the final leg of his campaign to the White House and lost…Hillary could step in and say “See, I told you he couldn’t win.”  But he really lost because he ran out of money…due to reimbursing Hillary’s…what nearly $10 or $15 million back to her.  But everybody would be reporting the lost as Obama was ‘weak, inexperience, lacked diplomatic credentials, lack of voter confidence, etc.’…and guess who would be leading the charge?  That’s right…our girl Hill…team player that she really is.)

She knew she was loosing…and yet Hillary continued to pour money into her campaign knowing that whoever would become the nominee for the Democratic Party would be put on the spot to do so…to pay off her debt.  And lets face it unless you were either pretty dumb or lost in space somewhere you had a pretty good idea that Obama was going to end up being the nominee…it was in the numbers and he had them…all of them. 

So, yeah…Hillary kept pouring in the money…because she knew one way or another it would end up being somebody else’s responsible.  Either she was going to reimburse herself out of her own campaign money or she would break poor old Obama down and try to wiggle it out of him and the Democratic Party.  She should fall down on her knees and repent right now.  But that’s how insiders play…they stack the deck and never play fair…and always want you to look like the bad guy.  Personally, I hope Obama doesn’t give her a dime…not one thin dime.

(3) To anyone thinking about self-publishing…let me give you the dis’ on that.  And you will probably hear it only here.         a.  no matter how much you investigate a publishing company you will never know them until you have to work with them.      b.  they may look like the best thing since Santa…but I am telling you be weary of anybody wearing a red jump suit all year round.    c.  you’ve checked out their product and their publications look great…right?   yeah, right…..   contact the authors and asked him or her what the first cover looked like and how much were they were charged for another cover.  (I even got a cover design that had been used for one of the company’s prior author’s book…and they still wanted to charge $250 for a re-design)   d.  find out their charges for corrections because you would be surprise just how expensive making corrections can be.  (let’s just say after a $50 sur-charge for corrections the cost at the company I used, it was $2 per correction and that only covered type-po’s…..’alw’ instead of ‘all.’   then there were errors that company made in reformatting my manuscript…errors in spacing…even to not wanting to in my table of contents, want to assign the page numbers to various sub-sections)…where is Batman or Superman when you really need them?  Oh, brother…  

All I can tell you when they ask you for the money first (and my process was on-line…the first part of the process was to pay them)…realize you are already in trouble.   That was the easiest part of the process; it rapidly went downhill from there.  There system suddenly became convoluted so much so I couldn’t readily tell how to submit my manuscript or anything else…but they had my money.  And I am very computer literate.

The next morning after failing to move forward with my order on-line, I called the company and ended up having to email them my manuscript (instead of being to do over their system).  I added rush order service and something called ‘author’s press release express.’  It all was an exercise of just giving away my money.  I spent over $2,000 for something which from day one only got worst and worst. 

Remember I just told you that I paid for rush service.  Well, on the 11th day after having placed my order for this company’s services I came to find out my the staffer handling my service at the time had not put my order through as of yet…because during those 11 days he was busy trying to get me to buy yet another service from his company that would have cost me another $299.  So, I had paid for rush service believing that once I had placed my order with them that they were working on producing my book.  But they were not…because it was actually sitting in limbo somewhere while this guy was trying to add to his commission by getting to buy something else.

Furious at this, I demanded back my rush service money as well as cancelled the other additional service which I had foolishly bought into…believing I was dealing with a fine and upstanding religious printing company (Oh, and I am going to tell you their name…just keep reading I have more to tell).

The next thing to happen following my dissatisfaction regarding my rush service…or the lack thereof, was this service which they call ‘authorlinks.’  It is where authors go on their websit, put in your user code and password in order to access notices that the company forwards to you regarding your book, sales, production etc.  But the access code they gave me never worked.  Upon calling and talking with thr other person who was assigned to me once my book was finally put into production…she commence to tell me how my user information did work and how she was looking at my notices inside my box, and that I had 12 notices.  I told her it did not matter that she could access them when I could not.  Well, this was just too big of a thing…she had to send a notice to the techy people and how they had 500 other authors and none of them had any problems accessing their box…etc…etc…  You would have had to be on the other line to really get a picture of this story…I never recognized that at the time it was all a game at first.  So, she told me until they could fix it she would email me my typeset manuscript and anything important…which is what she did. 

My manuscript had some 260 pages…from which I found 150 errors which I had failed to pick out before sending it in to them…and it is a good thing I kept going back over and over my work before submitting it to them because I had had no idea about the charges for corrections.  But with far less than 1 error per page and only one paragraph that needed to be redone (which they considered a major change) I thought I was doing pretty good…I wasn’t going to be too bent out of shape.  The fee of $314 to make my corrections didn’t overwhelm me…because I would rather have a professional product…and a bunch of type-po’s and grammatical errors take away from any book or any other printed material.  But about 8 of my errors were errors done on the part of the company and were not mines…and they refused to adjust them.  And not only did they refused their errors but to make any corrections until I paid them the $314…this mind you while they were still in procession of my $2000 and had yet to refund me for the 2 services I had previously cancelled, and had already paid for.  I absolutely refused to give the company another dime until they forwarded me my correction…for one main reason…because the company refused to make many of the changes which I requested even enough they claimed that my 150 changes…basically misspelled words…deemed that they needed to retype set (that was what the $314 was supposedly).  But if they had to retype set…then why couldn’t they also make all the necessary corrections which had text all jumbled up (errors that happened on their end)?  I was simply not going to pay for corrections which I was not sure about what I would be getting, and highly unsure about what I was suppose to get.  This held up my book for another 2 weeks (14 days).

By having bought into their rush service my book was suppose to be published within a 45 day span.  There we were still at the starting gate locked at a standstill with 25 days already lost, no refund of the money for the services I had cancelled, and here came the cover of my book.

Upon putting in my order for service the company provided an area where you tell them your thoughts regarding your cover design.  One of the key requests regarding the design of my cover was that there were no people on my cover.  Secondly, I requested a sophisticated ritzy design as my book was entitled “The Bishop’s Wife.”  And I got anything but what I requested.  First of all there was a woman on my over dressed in some type of sundress…no jewelry…no Sunday suite…nothing ritzy and certainly nothing sophisticated about it at all.  In fact it was quite plain…and on top of it all…from the very moment I saw that cover I knew I had seen it somewhere before.  And I had.  It was the cover of another author’s book which this company had published.   What a disaster.  And they still wanted me to pay for it.

After trying to straighten out the mess with the company and to get them to refund me for the services I had cancelled…all to no avail…I decided to sever my ties.  I’ll have to get back to you on that as I am still waiting to hear from them on it.  But I will probably have to take them to court.  

Sometimes you just have to recognize something for what it is.  I had a bad feeling about this company from the moment I tried forwarding my manuscript to them.  When the first thing they took was my money and failed to provide an adequate system for me to also forward my manuscript…that in of itself should have sent off bells in my head…and to a degree it did but not enough to keep from trying to work with them to get my book published.  It was all one big mistake…right from the start. 

I thought I had made the best choice…that they were a bit more expensive but I believed that I was going to get what I paid for.  And you know what…I really did.  I got just what I paid for and deserved…because I decided to judge a book by its cover.  The website of the company looked great, the services sounded great, their product (or what I thought were their products…books by other authors) seemingly all looked great.  But you really can’t judge a good book by its cover.  I should have contacted some of those authors.

And that company’s name is Xulon Publishing or Printing out of Longwood, FL…and they called themselves a good Christian company.  Don’t you believe a word of it.  And you can tell ’em I’m going to tell the world just what kind of company they truly are.

Now, that I have gotten that off my chest who knows what I will be talking about tomorrow.  I’m widely versed, highly knowledgeable…and would love to hear what you have to say.  And did I tell you I write screenplays and once won a law suit where the judge not only awarded me my money back but the car too.  Only the Lord…I used to think I was smart.  But now I know better…I give honor where honor is due.  God Bless…  ©2008

Add a comment June 13, 2008