Marketing Marvels

In case you haven’t tried, it’s hard to write a book. It’s even harder to write a good book. That is to say, something others want to read that isn’t riddled with punctuation, spelling, and/or grammatical errors. But then, it’s damn near impossible to get people to buy your book. Therefore, marketing consumes most writers’ time that should be spent writing.

Book trailers are the latest, greatest way to promote one’s writing. A fellow author in my workshop, Bonnie Milani, has written a book entitled "Home World". She has the added benefit of being in the business of theater. (Yes, you read a tinge of jealousy in that last line.) Anyway, she is talented, and the following video is her 30-second version of the full-length book trailer. The full version is 2 1/2 minutes. It is pretty cool.

While watching it, you may think, ‘When is this movie coming out?’ Well, if sales go well enough, maybe soon? In the meantime, this fabulous piece of film is strictly a promotion for her novel, Home World.

 Home World (30 second trailer) by Bonnie Milani

 Check it out…and then check out her book.

Someday I might have the means to create a book trailer for my  McShane Mini-Mystery Series.

Facebook Strikes Again

Facebook Strikes Again

I'm a realist. One life lesson I've imparted to my children is "Privacy is a thing of the past. Deal with it." I still take the precautions I can, but the entities have their way around our paltry, pitiful defenses. I still try to make it a little difficult for them. So, when I get those messages about how the corporations and/or government is monitoring us, all I can do is shrug.

This morning I read an article in USA Today advising five things to do on your facebook page for your privacy's sake. The first was clearing all your searches, and that made perfect sense to me. So I decided to check it out. The first item became the first problem. The article explains how to go to the activity log and clear all the searches so fb won't have this info to sell to their advertisers. The problem? The referenced "Clear All Searches" under "Activity Log" doesn't exist on my page. Instead, I can only access one item at a time and unlike, thereby removing it from my timeline.

I wonder, was the author wrong, or has the machination of facebook already covered their loss of information by simply removing one option? Do you have any idea how many posts you've liked? Check it out under Activity Log. I bet it's a bunch. I'd be sitting here all day doing that. I pretty sure fb was counting on that.

Here's a link for you to try your hand at thwarting the monster. 5 Facebook Tweaks to Make Right Now -
(http://usat.ly/PqNLL

Dogs Just Know

I take Kaley, our son’s fifty-pound mixed-breed dog, to the park each morning after everyone else leaves the house.  She knows the pattern. Her excitement builds as I gather the leash, the Frisbee, the poop bags, all of the accoutrements required for walking a dog in the neighborhood. Her tail wags at a blurring speed as she paces before me. She offers her best doggy smile while impatiently waiting at the door.

If, for some reason, we don’t go at the designated time, (sometimes it’s difficult, due to my arthritis/tendonitis flare-ups) she walks to the closet where most of the things are stored, and gives a small whine. “Later,” I tell her. She drops her head and shuffles to the dog bed near the table, staring at me with forlorn eyes.

After a few minutes of that, she’ll come over, nudge my leg, and prance to the door, as if I’d forgotten to do something. “Later,” I tell her again. Once again, she drops her head and shuffles to her bed. I swear, the animal pouts. When I get up, she runs around my feet, hoping the time had come. This will go on until my medicine kicks in and I can take her to the park.

Today, she surprised me.

The arthritic pain in both of my wrists had been building for the last several months. Yesterday afternoon, I went to my doctor and received cortisone shots in each. I’ll tell you, if you’ve been blessed to never have one, it is painful.

This morning, I can barely lift my coffee mug. There was no way I’d be able to hold back a fifty-pound dog with a leash if she chose to bolt. However, I hated the thought of having to scold her for getting under my feet because I hadn’t taken her for our walk.

My husband left for work. Kaley began to prance. My heart ached. I bent over to pet her. She jerked her head back as if startled. Her cold nose pressed against my right wrist. She inhaled deeply. Then she sniffed rapidly up my arm as far as she could reach.

Then, she looked at me, and I swear, there was sympathy in that expression. She rubbed her head against my leg, went to her dog bed, stretched out, and closed her eyes.

Kaley knows I can’t take her for a walk today.

Two hours later she has still not employed her usual practice of “reminding” me of our missed walk.

Dogs just know.

Common Sense Deficiency

True Story...

I just saw a guy standing on a corner of a major highway intersection. Smoking a cigarette. Carrying a gas can.

I literally laughed out loud. That is, once I got out of the potential blast radius.

"Ya can't fix stupid."

Snow

Yeah, I'm a Floridian. I just went to the beach yesterday.

You can throw this back in my face when the hurricanes come through, bust out our power, tosses some cars and trees around, and flood us out.

I know. Karma's a bitch...still, this was funny.

Hate spreads

Every cause has its lunacy. Abortion, Religion, Politics, Immigration, Same-Sex Marriage; the list could go on and on. In every impassioned debate, you'll find someone willing to “line them all up and shoot them”. That haters hide themselves behind the bible, their guns, the flag, or whatever icon they feel represents their cause, doesn't change the fact they hate, and are looking for a target.

The only thing these haters want is someone to argue with, an opportunity to spew their anti-(fill-in-the-blank) rhetoric. Don’t engage these people. Don’t debate these people. Your measured words and intelligent, reasoned argument would change nothing. If anything, you’ll find yourself being drawn too near their hatred, and finding hatred within yourself.

And they will have found the target they were looking for.

What can you do? Disarm them. When their rant begins, grow silent. School your face to reveal nothing but compassion. Then change the subject.

If you’re still not able to get away from their hatred, gather yourself to walk away, look them in the eye, and say, “I’ll pray for you.” Then remove that hatred from your life. The absence will be a blessing beyond compare.

To be a Gentleman

A conversation with a friend prompted me to consider the definition of “Gentleman” in today’s society.

The original topic centered on the “Southern Gentleman”. The subject had been lambasted, as all things Southern are these days. I should mention my friend was a gentleman from the breadbasket section of the country, whereas I represent the female gender from the south.

The first point made by my friend is that the southern man is perceived as ill-mannered and uncouth, holding little to no respect for the fairer sex. He offered his personal experience with a few southern men as examples. I countered the type of behavior he described could be found in the north, south, east, and west. Those were not gentlemen.

I would like to offer my definition of a true gentleman in modern times.

Gentlemen, no matter their locale, are well mannered, up to and including holding the door open for a person (male or female) behind them. He measures his words for the impact they might have. Considerate of those around him, he will hold his tongue rather than offer direct insult. There are occasions when an irrational person might goad a biting response from a gentleman, but at that point, the offending party deserves what comes next.

A lady, by this definition’s extent, is a complementary counterpart to the gentleman. Socially pleasant and charming to the friends and associates of her gentleman, she would be mortified to cause a scene in a public place. Any and all unpleasantness would be held for the private moment.

A gentleman would never raise his voice to a lady, most especially in a public place. What he says behind closed doors, among compatriots in private, is his business, and another gentleperson would never repeat what might or might not have been said.

On a final point, a gentleman would never refer to himself as such. It would be pretentious and shallow.

How do I know of what I speak? Because I have the honor and privilege of being married to a true gentleman. His parents’ fortunes were less than stellar, but they taught him how to behave and how to treat one's fellow man. He was born in Miami, Florida, marking him Southern Gentleman. His parents were Cuban. Even with the stereotypical Latin Blood, he is the epitome of a Gentleman, by every word of the above description.

He saves his passionate heritage for me, in private. I am one blessed, lucky, ecstatic, satisfied woman. Can your partners say the same?