Shameless Self-Promotion
What is shameless self-promotion? What can you do to make sure it doesn't get out of line? Many in the US are aware of the balloon boy incident and the uproar when it was revealed the parents had staged the whole thing for publicity for a possible TV show. There is also the instance of the White House party crashers. Both of these illustrate what can go wrong when people are focused on promoting themselves that they disregard laws, but is it possible to promote yourself without coming off as desperate and "shameless?" As a new author, I want people to know about my work; to read and, hopefully, love my work. There are several ways I've gone about trying to make sure people are aware o

Thanksgiving
Well, while some of you indulged (excessively, if I might add) on the gobbling creatures, yours truly decided to go on a much more traveled mooing and clucking path. I figured it would be less time and more meat for the three of us (my girlfriend, her brother, and I) to consume and chase with the drinks. Her brother's plane landed at 6pm, a full hour before the time we had calculated (a breakdown in communication somewhere), so we drove the 20-minute one-way ride to get him. On the way, we noticed it had started drizzling, but I didn't think it would affect the grilling outside. By the time we returned, the drizzle had increased and I still hadn't lighted up the charcoal. I started i

Amazon Kindle Program
I know, I know, I know...I had said I wouldn't be on here until the turkey (or turkeys, give or take a few) had been digested, but I just found a great service and I couldn't keep it to myself. Kindle Publishing by Amazon. This is a blogging program where you can sign up for your blog to be downloaded by mobile users and the best part is...are you ready???...you get paid for it. I figured why not sign up for it and tell more people about it. The subscription price per blog is set by Amazon at either $1.99 or $0.99, it's determined for you. You also have to set up a different account from your regular Amazon account and set up your information including payment info (bank account

Thanksgiving
We are in the midst of celebrating our first Thanksgiving in Upstate New York and we are more involved with shredding and emptying the still-packed boxes than with preparing the meal for tomorrow. It will be exciting, though, we will have a visitor: Nadia's brother, Willy. Yes, there will be eating, drinking, and, unfortunately, laziness. I don't think I will be able to write a word until next week. But, there is a lot I have to be thankful this year. This was a rebirth year for me in many ways and I thank God for all the blessings and opportunities that have come my way. I hope this has been a gracious year for all of you and may the blessings keep pouring in. Enjoy, shar

A Charlie Brown Christmas???
I have absolutely no idea what a Charlie Brown Christmas is, although I do harbor my own suspicions, but I could not resist picking up a Charlie Brown Christmas tree at the store when I saw it. I'm sure most of us have seen the program A Charlie Brown Christmas, so you remember the story of the Christmas tree and Charlie Brown's misgivings about the holiday, which he sees as too commercialized. Anyways, I picked up the tree and took it home, where I was told by my girlfriend that I had been ripped off. "That tree is not worth seven cents, let alone seven dollars," I was subjected to hearing quite a few times. I said I couldn't pass it and I'm sure I would do something about. Th