Point Made

 Summer is here! Kinda. We are experiencing a heatwave here in the City by the Inland Sea. We expect average high temperatures in the high sixties. Our temps have, before the last few of days have reached the mideighties. Activities for the last week included a Zeilber event with The Milwaukee Rep. I did not facilitate. I joined as a participant. Again our client wanted to discuss racism and the role theater could take in promoting and bettering the discussion of racism. Was I happy being a participant? I'm Irish, for crying out loud. Of course, I wanted to comment. The theater is populated with stand-out opportunities to confront racism. The Milwaukee regional theater scene is populated with actors and directors of color who can blow the walls down with exciting and engaging pieces that can love, enrage, and educate us about the Black Experience in American life. I previewed Neat, which showed the life of a young woman as she memorized her mentally damaged aunt and moving from th...

 Tah-Dah I forget when I first heard someone use this word (?) to imply the something magical had happened. Look what I did, if you will. This week I've jumped through all of the hoops in the processes of getting my book into the guts of the IngramSpark publishing Behemoth. It accepted my files and sent me an E-proof. I approved the e-Proof and TA-DAH. We can order the book.  As I've mentioned before, it's a print-on-demand (POD) process. They can make literally one book. It's also available as a digital book (Kindle, Nook, etc.) I've ordered a hard copy just to make sure everything is top drawer. After I see that, I'll be marketing the book. You will be able to order it from online dealers such as Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble. Or, you may prefer to order it from your favorite brick-and-mortar local bookstore like Boswell's here in Milwaukee. I will supply the ISBN #, so it's easy to find This process takes a bit of time. They tell me the proce...

Pandering to my reader's need to view images of my great-grandchildren Brixton Jonny Bird & Lil Ledge                      Amy Evens & Boden Now that I have your attention. There is a community in Brazil surrounded by a country that is being ravaged by the COVID. They are wide open and enjoying life. Why? It appears when you've vaccinated close to one hundred percent of the adult population, you've won the battle with COVID. You can't safely be an unmasker if you're an anti-vaxxer. Ask me what I think of a President that spends all of his energy and time trying to keep out refugees from countries we helped turn into hell holes. At the same time, he looked on while millions of people contracted the COVID 19 virus that ultimately killed over a half million people. Question? How many people in the US will die because we took in these refugees? I Don't Know When It Started, But It's Got To Stop I am speaking of course about the ...

Thanks to my friend, editor, and fellow curious-as-cat member, Pam Frautschi, I was able to see Mike Goushi's interview with Alex MacGillis . MacGillis wrote a book, Fulfillment; Winning and Losing in one-click America. In the book, MacGillis frames his view of the current state of our country. He formed this opinion after a couple decades of traveling the country as a reporter. Listening to this interview, I realized that I am one of the people who has contributed to the rise of Amazon. They have become one of the 'Tech Giants." They have, in a sense, out 'Walmarted' Walmart. They didn't have to build brick-and-mortar stores down the street from the big box stores. Instead, Amazon modernized its operations. They can deliver your order in a day or two with no shipping charges. Anytime there is a disruption in a market, the winners and losers show up. It usually expresses itself in jobs destroyed and created. Automation is a disrupter as it often eliminates j...

 Book Publishing Saga Is Almost Over. I can breathe a little bit easier now. We finally got the book uploaded to the publisher. My next step is to order some hardcopy books and get the book reviewed by some readers.  The process, not without some kicking and screaming, was accomplished late on the evening of April15th. As of the morning of the 16th, the digital format was downloadable. What I need are what are called ARC's (Advance Reader Copies). I will order them as soon as the publisher lets me know the files have been set up for the POD (Print On Demand) service. They only print a book when they get an order for it and they will and do print one book. So it's possible some changes will be made depending on my ARC feedback. However, the mountain has been climbed and I can see the green valleys below. Writers write. I'm currently writing a screenplay. I haven't had a compulsion to write something like this since I finished the novel I'm publishing. 26 Women poured...

... Published A Novel Idea I've uploaded my Files to IngramSpark. And soon, I will announce the availability of my Novel, 26 Women. Because Ingram has the ability to distribute books through many outlets, You will be able to acquire my book from your preferred source. I'm publishing two forms. One is digital for those that read on their phones, laptops, or desk computers. The other is a print on demand (POD) trade paperback for those that want a book in hand. After ordering, it will take a couple of days to get your book.  If you're going to Boswells or another bookstore, they will order it for you. As soon as I get the word that it's available, I will publish the ISBN ID number to speed up that process. COVID 19 As advertised, I am, according to the experts, fully immunized from COVID. Two shots and a two-week period following the last one, and I'm good. I have lunched and brunched with fellow fully immunized friends, and I've got to say it feels good to shake ...

 It's with great relief and hopeful feelings that I announce that it has been two weeks since my second COIVD shot. I can no longer get the disease, and if I'm careful, I probably won't spread it. Who Ray! I'm hoping to download my edited and formatted files to Ingram Spark this week . This means my novel 26 Women will soon be available in digital form. (Nook, Apple, and Kindle) It will also be available in a Trade Paperback version that will soon be available through your favorite bookstore or online vendor. The journey down this trail of self-publication is both an education and a trial by fire. Anyone that tells you it's easy has already done it more than once. There are demands made, particularly in formatting the files that are not for amateurs.   John Gresham does not concern himself about allowing for the bleed in his book size configuration entries.  Nor does he have to be aware that the first paragraph in a Chapter has no indentation.  The Font in the ...