OK OK

It's not a real reason to be absent, I'm aware. I'm an author, and I do all my own publishing, my own publicity, my own everything. Sometimes I slip, or lose my energy; this has happened recently because of two things. First, my dad has been sick, forcing me to drive across the White Sands (see picture below) twice or three times a week; it's a long drive, and quite beautiful, especially this spot where the sand is literally coming right over the fence. I have lots of time to think, but unfortunately, less time to do publicity or write.

Second, of course, is my son's burgeoning fame as a Youtuber. He makes money; he's well known; he enjoys a certain status in a tight community of "content producers." I too am a content producer, but I plug away, and have no niche, only a small following, very few "likes." Some, yes. But I write short stories. Who reads those these days?

And I write haiku. These days, about four a day, and this fills my plate; slowly I'm getting a thousand more for e pluribus haiku 2018. These, I'm thinking, I'll turn into a book. I have a few thousand; I could easily make five thousand, have a plot, and make everything I've done as background. It's a wild and beautiful country, and it's a very agitated times. People are struggling to keep their sanity with an abuser-in-chief and out-of-control foreign policy. Maybe that's my niche - making colorful, lively portraits of parts of the country, with very few words, illuminating its character.

The sand blows over the fence - time marches on. I'll be back. I'm writing a play about Hoover, and have about a dozen projects I'm working on. You'll see some soon, especially if I get some free time.

white sands at night

free on kindle

Thursday Nov. 9 - Five Second Rule: 20 stories to pick up
Friday Nov. 10 - Do Unto: A short story and 20 others
Sat. Nov. 11- Pile of Leaves: Stories of a Rake
Sun. Nov. 12 - e pluribus haiku 2016

free on kindle

Sun. Oct 29 e pluribus haiku 2015

Mon. Oct 30 A Dozen Crime Stories from a well-known, big-box, discount retail chain

Tue. Oct. 31 e pluribus haiku 2016

Wed. Nov. 1 Do Unto: A stort story and twenty others

Mannequin Challenge on Audiobook!

Check it out!

Kindle deals weekend

Free on Kindle this week and weekend:

A Dozen Crime Stories from a well-known, big-box discount retail chain
TH Sept. 21

Do Unto: A short story and twenty others
FR Sept. 22

The Five-Second Rule: 20 short stories to pick up
SAT Sept. 23

Pile of Leaves: Stories of a rake
SUN Sept. 24

OK so I've done more quilting than writing recently, but I did do some fiddling - this picture is me, at the Burro Street Exchange, in Cloudcroft, over the weekend. I'll tell you what took the wind out of my sails, to tell you the truth, and that was the fact that my own son got a YouTube channel with thousands of likes, ten thousands of subscribers, a sponsorship, etc. In other words, he hit it big. And here I am, plodding away, writing poetry and short stories, dropping it in the sea of self-published work, etc. I was a bit jealous though most people have told me, don't compare apples and oranges.

The fact is, sales is recognition, and he has a side job, though he's still in high school, and I'm sitting here, still with my day job (in a middle school in nearby Alamogordo) hoping someday my writing will amount to something. My music is doing well. My quilt (second one, for a second granddaughter) also going well. My writing, floundering. I didn't even finish my two novels this summer.

Ah well, plug on. To hear this (No Expectations) go to the Burro Street Exchange Facebook page. It's a beautiful little boardwalk in downtown here. More about my general PR angst soon.