I Have Been Remiss. :-(

 I have been remiss.  :-(

My book is out and I thank those of you who have asked for it in their local libraries.  I don't know who you are but the librarian in Duncan said that she had never seen anything like it.

It is in several local shops and should be in Chapters when they do their next inventory.  Fran is doing an amazing job of marketing.

Apart from dealing with the book, our suite and our Ladysmith house are both available and coming available and new tenants are already  knocking down the doors so we've been up to our elbows - well, wrists.

AND, I must confess that any writing time that is beckoning to me is going into a novel which I am working on.  I truly have the bug.

Only The Very Dedicated

This, I believe, will only be for the VERY dedicated (perhaps 2 of you) or those that I have bribed (none, so far) but I am told that the following will allow you to leave messages on my blog:

1. create a Google account (this is the part that requires dedication) :-)

2. go to the comment blank

3. type in your message and then click on the green button

I await the messages of the very dedicated...

It Was Not a Hoax

MY BOOK IS OUT!

$ Bottom Line $

Now, the bottom line: self- publishing is not for the faint of heart or for the very poor.  However, if one were to wait until a commercial publisher, perhaps, picked up your work, it could well be a posthumous publication.

I’ve written for journals and magazines and these go through fairly quickly, but fiction, maybe not so much.

SO:  Firstly, the Printorium in Victoria came in at the best price for printing the books and according to Brad at Turning Points they are both pleasant and efficient.  To date, that has, also, been my experience.  Their price for 100 copies is $6.27/copy. The price for 250 copies is $5.20/copy. In addition, there is a one-time setup fee of $39.95 which includes one proof copy of the book. Mailing of proofs and shipping books is extra. 5% GST applies. That is based on 142 pages.  My book rather slim and, of course, the price will vary with the number of pages – but this should give you a starting point.

I set the cost of my book @ $12.95 and Brad responded: $12.95 sounds like a reasonable price point. Generally, the price is based on number of pages, type of content (e.g. photos and colour add to the price) and market status. My fee will be $540 for the book work plus $75 for the logo, plus GST.  I’m going to plug $12.95 into the barcode for now and it can be changed

later.

ABSOLUTELY, this is not a $ making proposition but I have had a REALLY good time and been inspired to take on the writing of a novel.

I am hoping that the books will be available next week.

Stay tuned J

If You Have Questions Use The Email Bar

While I wait to see the first copy of All These Long Years Later, I will continue hoping to lay balm on any frayed nerves re publishing a piece of your work.

As you will realize, I’ve deleted some bits and pieces eg. The attached file mentioned in the last paragraph.   When you get that far, you will receive your own file containing your own details.  Yeah!  It’s an adventure.

FROM BRAD:

Here is the second draft of the text.

WHAT WAS DONE?

1.       ISBN assigned. It is on the copyright page.

2.       Robyn’s corrections were applied, with notes and exceptions listed below.

3.       Other corrections were made (a full spell-check), mostly spaces, some dashes and US-to-British spelling changes. See notes below.

4.       The new Mill Gaudy 12 pt font was applied.

NOTE: This changes all the page numbers!

WHAT’S NEXT?

1.       Robyn to answer questions in the notes below, and verify that all other changes as requested were made correctly. Send any further updates to Brad.

2.       Brad to apply design changes to the first page of each chapter.

3.       Brad to finalize the table of contents.

4.       Brad to do final check of text for widows/orphans and other typographical problems. This can only be done once the text is absolutely finalized.

5.       Brad to design cover and send first draft to Robyn.

ALSO:

The CIP application has been submitted.

The details are in the attached text file. I have requested the catalog record for January 31 since Ottawa requires 10 business days to generate one. We can always go to print without it, but I think it makes the book more finished if the catalog record is printed right on the copyright page.

The Cover - YEAH!

Gaining momentum.... here's the cover of All These Long Years Later. Very vintage.  And by the way, if you can't tell, I'm holding a1953 Halloween pumpkin.  Not much has changed over the years for pumpkins.

I Still Have My Comma Key

Yesterday, I mentioned the absolute necessity of working with good people and by that I mean capable as well as invested and available, when publishing a book.  You write, you read, you change: delete and add.  And then you find an editor.  I know that the person, Jean Ballard @ My Life With Critters, the editor of my book, All These Long Years Later,  has no plans of continuing in the field of ruthless red pens  but oh! what a loss.
Authors: dig diligently for your editor. You need to be comfortable asking why and how - to debate and to accept or to reject.  Jean made what could have been an uncomfortable business into fun - even when she threatened to yank the comma key off my keyboard.  

No Vomiting Here

 I have finished the final proof of the book before it goes to the printer.  Then I get one copy back to proof again.  I was told yesterday that some authors have said that they will vomit if they have to read their text one more time.  No vomiting here - but very severe stomach cramps :-)  AND every time I do proof, I find: oops!

I also have a copy of the front and back covers and am EXTREMELY happy.  I'm hoping to post it this week.

In the meanwhile, I am continuing with what Brad @ Turning Points  emailed as Iwent through the process of publishing.  I hope that it will clear the path for some of you who are thinking that the whole thing  is overwhelming.  Truly, it's a very steep learning curve but having  the right people to work with,  lessens the grade considerably.

FROM BRAD: 

Anyway, the key thing for now is for you to proofread the PDF to confirm the text is intact, or send me a list of the corrections to make. The best way is to assemble a single list of corrections and send it in an email. The most efficient way to identify a correction is with the page number, original text, replacement text. E.g. Page 34, change “the quick brown fox was eating pheasant” to “the lazy brown dog, after eating pheasant, had a coffee”.

 

Elmer Fudd With a Quill Pen

So, there was no more confusion as to whether I have written a novel or a book of short stories; but then I got back my CIP registration no longer as novel but as a biography.

That one was a a bit of a stretch.  Normally biographies are about the life of a real person.  But who was she - this person whose biography I was writing? 

But then, since my stories feature one protagonist, perhaps it was decided that she was me.  But then...again, would this not make it an autobiography - me writing about me?  

Maybe historical fiction?  I did use nuggets from my own life as starting points for each story but to be able to remember the exact details and even the words spoken by each character would make me rather exceptional. The stories are heavy on dialogue because that is something that I skim for when I am buying a book.  

And, actually, I did comment in my Preface under And One Further Note that All of the stories are historically accurate and based on actual, personal experience – liberally laced, here and there, with irresistible moments of imagination.

Hey, well, maybe more than moments - how about hours and hours? 

Never mind, I called Brad at Turning Points. "A biography," I wailed.  "It sounds like Elmer Fudd with a quill pen."

By today - only some  three or four working hours since my call, he had dealt with the situation as had the folk at CIP and I have now, officially, written a book of short stories. 

ONWARD...

He Made It So Much Less Complicated.

Nothing back yet from the CIP people.  I guess I really confused the issue.  Novel - short stories; short stories - novel.  What do I know?  I only write the stuff.

However, I did start, a couple of days ago, making some suggestions about  about self-publishing.
Again, I repeat set some reasonable deadlines for reviewers.  
Beyond that,  it's a very daunting ordeal and without someone who keeps you informed on progress and next steps - !!!
I, honestly think I'd have limped away  in a  hopeless funk if I'd had to do this on my own and I know I'd have fretted super seriously  if I had not been kept informed, step by step, as we progressed through the process.
After  I handed over my manuscript, I asked what next and received the following from the company with whom I had chosen to work.
<bradgrigor@gmail.com>

The next step was for me to estimate the size and cost of doing the book. So
I have done a quick load of your Word document and the initial page count is
152, which includes title page, copyright page, dedication,
acknowledgements, contents, introduction, the text and the about-the-author
page. This is based on a 6"x9" standard soft cover format.

 My fixed price quote for the project is $540.00 plus GST for 152 pages
(plus/minus a nominal amount) and a soft cover design.

 What does that include? Basically, I take your manuscript from a Word
document to a professionally designed and produced book that is ready to go
to press. This includes:

- font selection, text layout and typesetting

- produce a galley proof (Adobe PDF format) for you to review for final text
revisions

- apply final text revisions

- cover design and preparation

- file preparation and submission for press

- setting up your account with the Canadian ISBN Service System and assign
your ISBN

- generate the barcode for your ISBN

- submit your application for Cataloguing in Publication (CIP). Allow 10
business days to process the CIP. Assumes at least 100 books will be
produced.

- process the CIP record into the copyright page of the book

- review and approve the proofs of the book



The price includes one review/edit cycle in which you identify any errors or
corrections. Additional review/edit cycles are subject to a $50 fee per
cycle.



Here is the process I follow for the text (a similar process is used for the
cover, which is handled separately):



NOTE: Before I start, it is best that you have thoroughly (really) edited
your Word document because once I take the Word document, all further
changes will be managed under strict change control through my typesetting
package (Adobe InDesign). No changes will be accepted until step 3.



1.       I will process the Word document. I generally do not alter your
text. However, I will remove or fix certain punctuation such as multiple
spaces, multiple carriage returns, correct use of "." (ellipsis), ensure
typographic quote marks are used, correct use of "-" (em dash) and "-" (en
dash), correct use of footnotes, italics for book title references, etc. In
other words, I take of all the typography and layout. If I see any content
issues (spelling or other), I will advise you before making any changes.

2.       I will produce a galley proof in Adobe PDF format. This is the
industry standard pre-press format that will show the book exactly as it
will appear in print*. You will need the Adobe Reader program (or
equivalent) to review the proof.

3.       You will review the galley proof and identify any errors and
corrections. These need to be sent to me electronically, usually as a
separate Word document.  Typically, changes are documented as "Page nn,
'text' should be 'text' or "Page nn, delete 'text'", etc.

4.       I will apply all the listed changes and produce a final PDF. That
completes the first review/edit cycle.

5.       At this point, if you identify any new errors or corrections, this
is a new review/edit cycle and we repeat steps 3 and 4 until finished. There
is a fee for each new review/edit cycle.

6.       Otherwise, I sent the PDF to press.

7.       The press will send back a proof copy of the book.

8.       We will review the proof copy which is supplied so we can ensure
the print quality (including colours) is acceptable, there are no unusual
layout or typographic problems, etc. It is generally NOT a time to re-write
the book contents. However, if we do find any errors, we can still make
corrections. If so, we go back to step 3 for another review/edit cycle. The
printing company will also generally charge for another proof copy.

9.        Then we approve the proof and in a couple of weeks, you get books!

 I will help get competitive printing quotes, but the printing contract will
be directly between you and the printing company.

 Robyn, I'm sure that all sounds complicated, but I'm here to take care of
all the details for you. Please let me know if you want to go ahead and if
you want to go through your manuscript one more time before I get started.

 Thanks so much for the opportunity of working with you.
Cheers!
Brad

Truly, who would have thought?

Seems I upset the works.  I am working on a novel - an on and off thing with odd chapters getting written out of order and lots of time lying awake at night re-working the characters and plot - I am very much a plot person - and trying to tie all or at least some of the bits and pieces together.
Anyway, as this is just now foremost on my mind, in my last blog, I managed to refer to my presently being published book of short stories as a novel.
This got the folks from CIP (Cataloguing in Publication), who seem to be reading my blog  - when I christened my blog Who Would Have Thought, well, who would have thought?  but thanks guys -  in a bit of a hold it, we need to check this out sort of thing.
Consequently, who knows?  I have great faith that sooner or later this book will happen.

Library and Archives Canada
Cataloguing in Publication (CIP) is a voluntary program of cooperation between publishers and libraries. It enables the cataloguing of books BEFORE they are published, and the prompt distribution of this cataloging information to booksellers and libraries. The Canadian CIP Program is coordinated by Library and Archives Canada.

If You Decide to Publish

With my novel only about a month away, I need to say that I have learned SO much.  Some has been through my own scrambling, slipping and getting up again. 

At first I felt really overwhelmed and juddered around trying to find a comfortable footing from which to launch my endeavour.  I had written for magazines and journals but with these it was submit, wait, get accepted or rejected.  Now I had to make an investment: time, money and very much most importantly, self.

Secondly, I waited and waited for reviews.  My advice here is to ask and if you don’t receive what you need within a couple of weeks, don’t be shy to ask again.   Be brave.  Ask if there is a problem.  If they are avoiding the review because they don’t like the book, find out why.  If it’s a case of not bothering - move on.   I would give nobody more than one prod over two weeks and then find another reviewer. 

And when the first draft is done and as you revise, get as many people as possible to read what you are writing; but remember that other than spelling or grammatical errors, their opinions are only opinions and you are the author. Still, don’t dismiss second person thoughts out of hand.  Cogitate.

And lastly, find a good publisher to work along with you.  Check his or her work before hand.  Meet and talk with them in advance.  If you can, also talk to others who have used their services.  Initially, I contacted two of the large publishing companies – both of whom are still sending me emails  bleeding with the bargains that they claim to be offering.  Their prices were high, their offered packaged suspect, their salesperson obnoxious, and other writers, with whom I spoke and who had published with the big guys had been quite unhappy on a number of fronts.

My experience, however, with a local business, Turning Points Arts in Chemainus BC., has been excellent.  The SO much that I learned, apart from my neophyte setbacks, has been through Brad Grigor and Turning Point Arts.

I always believe in giving due credit where credit is due:  

brad@turningpointarts.com

Sharp Canine Ears and a Lassie Instinct

Continued:

So Farlie had rescued the trapped Buddy and alerted us to the fact that our kitchen was rapidly filling-up with smoke from Fran's somewhat overdone piopcorn.We were getting impressed:

Then, last Spring, Fran was working in a room into which Farlie was not allowed and so was surprised to see the dog craning her head in as far as she could reach.  Fran shooed her out and Farlie moved away down the hall.

A moment passed and Fran felt a bump on the back of her legs.  Turning to scold Farlie, she realized that, once again, she was being urged to follow.

She removed her headset and heard very faint cries for help.

Again Farlie nudged her and the two of them proceeded outside where they found the next door neighbour, a recent amputee, lying on the ground.  Her wheelchair had tipped as she was attempting to maneuver out of her apartment.  Our neighbour re-named Farlie, Lassie, and proclaimed her a hero.

As this story spread, several people suggested that I should write about it – a feel good story is one that should find itself in print.

But somehow, something else always arose to catch my attention – that is, until last night when we were visiting friends just outside of town. 

Their yard is fenced and Farlie and Finn, their dog, were outside.

At one point, there was a mild mannered woof from the back door. We conveniently ignored it.   There followed another woof and a spate of quiet crying that finally roused me.

As I opened the screen, Farlie rushed, not in, but away, toward the gate.

I then received the tell-tale head butt and she made her way, again, toward the gate.

Once out onto the road, I saw an overturned motorcycle lying on what turned-out to be a young woman.  She was pinned, face down, in a ditch.

Cutting to the chase, but not to diminish Farlie’s alert, as it turned-out, she had cuts, scrapes and bruises and a badly marred ego, but nothing worse. 

It was her position, under the weight of the bike, feet up, head down into the ditch that had incapacitated her.

However and even being aware of Farlie’s record, what really surprised all of us was that the young woman had not called for help.  She had yelled as the bike went over but beyond that, she had stayed quiet trying to assess how best to free herself with the least attention – something that could not have happened.

Sharp canine ears and a Lassie instinct – feel good stories deserve to find themselves in print.

And, yes, I could go on and on but I won't  :-)

A Bump On the Knees

                      

 continued...

Okay, so I am sounding like a demented grandmother – pulling out the grandchild’s pictures on the flimsiest excuse.  I’ll stop.  Soon.  :-)

But…

Some months after her arrival and at one of our raucous family gatherings, nobody had noted that Buddy, also an S.P.C.A. rescue and one of my son’s dogs, was missing.  Nobody had noticed  – that is, except Farlie. 

Insistently, she bumped against my knee and moved away, time and again.  Finally, I got her message, followed her to the laundryroom and found a very dispirited Buddy inadvertently locked inside. 

Farlie was praised and we thought no more of the event until the day that Fran put the popcorn in the microwave for two hours instead of the intended two minutes.

In another room, Farlie was again heading and nudging, until finally, Fran followed her back into the kitchen which was thick with black popcorn smoke and getting thicker by the moment. 

A nasty mis-adventrure averted!

We were pretty  impressed.

continued:

It Seems We Had an Akita

Continued...

It was very obvious that our new dog was not an Alsatian nor was she a dog to be called Buffy.  The name, Buffy, conjured up images of helpless vulnerability coupled with just plain poufy silliness.  This was not our dog.

Home, named and with training started, we made a veterinarian appointment.

 “No,” said the vet.  “You’re right.  She’s definitely not Alsatian – probably Akita with maybe a touch of Lab.  But mostly Akita, for sure.”

Akita?  I had no idea and so I went looking.  What I found left me with no doubts whatsoever.  It seemed that we had made a very, very lucky adoption.

But I really wished that I had seen her in her infancy.  And then: Richard Gere’s 2009 movie, Hachi.  I saw my dog.  No self-respecting Akita will ever play fetch – such silliness :-)

Loyal to the last breath, incredibly intelligent and extremely quiet.  Who could ask for more?  But still…


                               

This Dog is Absolutely Not a Buffy - Yuck!

Continued…

     I was finding that our new dog needed very little instruction.  Truthfully, that was the last time that I yelled at her.    Nothing was ever chewed, or stolen, in fact on one occasion, when she picked-up a stuffed animal from the floor and carried it to me, I simply said no and put it back.  Nothing was ever again disturbed.

     She had come from the SPCA sporting papers that claimed she was an Alsatian and they had named her Buffy.  NO on both counts.  This dog is not an Alsatian – not even close - and Buffy?  She is definitely not a Buffy.

     I was in my Archie Bunker Chair listening to the 6 o’clock news on CBC.  We had been considering names.  Part way into the coverage, there was a piece about Farley Mowat paying the fine that Green Peace had recently acquired and paying it in loonies.  The significance was not lost on us.  Farley Mowat had always been a hero of mine.  He was Canadian.  I had come to the conclusion that the puppy was primarily a northern breed.

     Farlie – I called o Fran. 

     What? 

     A name for the pup.  Farlie.   I gave all my reasons and I added, plus the name is androgynous.  It’s the wife in Stuart McLean's Vinyl Café series.  And so, our puppy became Farlie.

                                                                  

                                                                    *******

     Don’t even think it…  I know :-(  

     McLean’s Vinyl Café wife’s name is Morley.   But that did not come to me until we had started training using Farlie and, anyway, that ie replacement on Farley, on the end of the name, is definitely a feminine touch.

To be continued…

Doggy Rules

It was a very foolish move to try to put our new puppy in a crate but our intentions were only the best.  Once freed, she continued her circling of the hall and the rooms…

Continued…

Around and around the rooms she went.  Meanwhile, I thought it best to establish our expectations immediately.  There would be no going past the door frame from the kitchen into the front hall or living room area – only when she was with us and entering or leaving the house.  To that effect, I placed  chairs across the kitchen and hall entrances.  This was something new and momentarily disturbed her compulsive behavior.  She considered the barricade, sniffed it and scooted over;  and then in obvious confusion, she turned and  looked back at us.

    I removed the chairs, replaced them with great dramatics and we tried again and again.  I realized now that my timing was terrible: try to teach me something new in the midst of a panic attack and see how far you get.

     Later that day, however, my concerns were vindicated.  She had quickly realized which area of the house  was hers and so when she needed to relieve herself and nobody was immediately available, off she went into the carpeted livingroom, squatted  and …

“No,” I yelled and rushed at her - too late to avoid the wet spot but quickly enough to cause her to cower.  Little did I know, at that point, that this was a dog that free of fear and told once, she understood completely and no further instruction was usually needed.

To be continued:   

    

   

A Case of Very Frayed Nerves

Life sometimes simply happens…it’s not exactly tomorrow but if you are still with our new dog and Fran and I, here we go…

Continued:

We arrived home with our SPCA puppy…

Based on previous dogs which I had owned, we decided that certain rooms in the house would be off-bounds and, as we run a Band B, this was pretty much an essential.

We, three of us, entered through the front door, turned left out of the entrance hall and were in the kitchen / family-room combo.

I removed her leash and she began a frantic, panic-stricken dash – not running but urgently rushing from the kitchen into the family room and into the hall, down the hall and back into the kitchen.  Around and around she went.

“I don’t think this is going to work,” said Fran

“We have a dog,” I said.  “You want a dog, we have a dog  and this is one dog that really needs us.”

She agreed.

The rushing slowed to pacing but on and on it went – following the same route.

“Maybe she needs security,” we thought and so we opened her large, new cage.  She backed-off. We put food in the cage’s farthest corner.  She stayed as far away as possible.  Finally, well intentioned but foolishly, we lifted her and put her inside.  “She needs to get used to staying in here while we are out.” 

“Maybe not,” we decided as she tried to chew though the cage’s heavy wire; and we returned the cage to the pet shop.

Stay tuned:

Collecting the Puppy - Home We Go

Events had conspired and now we were waiting an additional five days until we could bring our new puppy home.

continued:

In the meanwhile, we visited the doggy shop and like a couple of expectant parents, we prepared a layette.

We’ll need a nice thick bed and when we’re out we’ll crate her so we’ll need a really big cage – room for her to move around and be comfortable.  We also bought matching water and food bowls on a raised stand.  We were told that large dogs should not be made to bend too far.  A bit silly, I thought, as I had raised several large dogs – but, whatever.  And we purchased a collar and matching leash, in a happy, bright blue to compliment her white, golden fur.  Fur, a word I now know to be accurate.

On the designated day, we arrived at the SPCA to collect our puppy.  While Fran completed the paperwork, I led the dog to the car.  She trembled but didn’t balk, looked at open back door of the car and with obvious trepidation, jumped in.  To this day, she will not voluntarily enter a vehicle by any door but the rear – never a side door.

And off we went – heading for our new lives.

…come along with us tomorrow…

Copyright © 2014, Robyn Gerland 
                                                                                    
                                                                                      My new mat in blue to match my collar and leash.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Not Yet - For Our Puppy

Continued…

We were told by the SPCA that we would have to wait a week until the beautiful blonde dog in the large front cage would be eligible for adoption:

We jittered at the bit.  Five days later, we called and yes she is still here. 

Can we come for a visit?

Of course, they said.

When we arrived, a volunteer was quite literally wedging her into a tight cage while she struggled and tried to back out.

This was not the same dog that we had first seen.  The incessant barking of the other dogs and her caging had destroyed her open, trusting puppy personality.

We’ll be back first thing on Friday, we assured them.  That would be exactly one week plus one day for the compulsory neutering of SPCA dogs, and we could take her home.

However, on the next day, Wednesday, we received a call. Unfortunately,  she had gone into heat. The week was not completed until Thursday and now they could not neuter her until Monday. They wanted to be sure that she had proper post-operative observation - wisely, there were no operations on Fridays.  That meant almost five more full days.  We so much wanted to bring her home and now we were also very, very worried about the transformation that was obviously at play.

Stay tuned:

Copyright © 2013, Robyn Gerland

Puppy Love

Continued…

So…we had pretty much decided on getting one of the Golden Lab puppies that we had looked at and were heading home when we saw a sign for the SPCA.

“Why not...?” I suggested and Fran turned the car into the curving, country driveway.

At the bottom of its incline and attached to the main building there were four large cages.

In the very first one was a beautiful young dog – no older than about six months.  Fran parked our vehicles and walked over to her enclosure.  The puppy sat rigidly upright wagging her tail and clearly saying, “Look at me.  Am I absolutely not the very best dog that you have ever seen?” All around us there was SPCA mayhem – barking and crying and jumping.  This dog sat silently.

Fran knelt by the enclosure and reached her hand inside.

“Yikes!” I thought.  My teaching had been that you exposed absolutely no part of the body to an unknown dog until you and she had come to an understanding.

The puppy stood, stretched and rubbed first her muzzle and then the side of her head against Fran’s offered hand.

We climbed the stairs into the office.

“The pup in the first cage?  Sorry. She just came in today.  A lady found her wandering in the shopping area.  She doesn’t have a license or a tattoo but she is a lovely dog and I’m sure her owners will be looking for her.” said the woman in charge.

“Well, if not,” I questioned, “how long do you hold the dog before it can be adopted?”

“A week.”

“So, if we leave our names and a phone number…

We were suffering a very bad case of puppy love.

…to be continued…

                          

Copyright © 2013, Robyn Gerland

Off to the SPCA

continued:

We were looking for a puppy and had decided to explore the possibility of a Golden Lab. After viewing a three week old litter, we left our names and phone number with the breeder.

On the drive home, we passed a sign Puppies for Sale.  Yup, they were small and cute but as they aged I knew that they would still be small and as cute as a small dog can be (my personal bias) and likely yappy.

Here I digress.  I cannot understand why condos and such allow only small dogs.  When potential guests ask about our B&B pet policy apologizing that their dog is large but well trained, I sigh in relief.

 “No,” I said, firmly. “A dog, okay; but we’ll wait for the Labs.”

Off we went again, heading homeward but as we passed a sign reading SPCA, I suggested that just maybe…and we turned down the winding dirt road toward the building...

...stay tuned

Copyright © 2013, Robyn Gerland

 

Puppy HUnting

Once upon a time, in a previous life, I wrote a column for a newspaper.  On one occasion, I decided that Farlie, our S.P.C.A. rescued, yellow Lab but mostly Akita, was due for her moment of glory.  She had truly earned it.  If, by chance, you read the column, when I first wrote it, thank you.  It's always really nice to know that I am not here writing away in a vacuum; and perhaps you might care to read it again and give Farlie her second moment of glory.  Plus, hey, I've played with it and it's really almost nothing like the original.                                  

 

Farlie is our S.P.C.A. rescued, yellow Lab  but mostly Akita cross whom we adopted when she was six months old.

When we had first met her, we had been puppy hunting.  My partner badly wanted a dog and since we had both retired, I had agree with only one stipulation: I would not be on the other end of the leash.  Dog walking was not my thing. 

We checked Lab puppies.  They were four weeks old, all Goldens and both parents were available for observation and were beautiful dogs. We  left our name and phone number with the breeder.

to be continued....

Copyright © 2013, Robyn Gerland

Moving Along

I received an update from Brad Grigor at Turningpoint Arts, this morning.
I'm getting a quite excited as we seem to be moving along.
If I publish another book, and as I have said, I am working on one, I will be able to cut the time lines appreciably.  I will know what to ask and whom to ask and might even not need to ask.
I can't imagine cutting any time out of the initial editing or corrections, however.  This is a very pleasurable but also a very time consuming job.

"Good morning Robyn. While processing your edits, I found a few where the
instructions are vague, so I will be sending for clarifications later. One
of the problems is if some text is removed early in the book, all the later
lines and paragraphs shift, causing instructions with insufficient textual
context to become vague.
Once I make  all the changes, I will fire back a PDF for you to confirm
that I made all the changes correctly. I will also be changing the text
font, as we discussed, and this will also cause the lines and paragraphs to
move relative to the page numbers. "


And I add, YIPES!

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A Pitfall of Diversification

I've written five or six starts and created several different outlines for both a series of short stories and a novel and am wondering if I should write the stories and then try to connect them into a novel. I've presently got about 20,000 words on the go and 40,000 qualifies as a short story.  However, when you have 1000 here and 3000 there and they are clearly unrelated, it leads to some serious head scratching.
I guess this is what is meant by too many cooks spoil the broth - in this case, getting from start to finish of a storyline without waking in the middle of the night with another alternative whispering in my ear.