Review of my wild wine book

This was from Amazon- not too bad.


An ideal and thoroughly 'user friendly' introduction, December 12, 2009
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)

Wine making is among the world's most ancient culinary arts and is enjoying a resurgence of popularity today. The latest addition to the Atlantic Publishing Group's outstanding 'Back to Basics Cooking' series, "101 Recipes For Making Wild Wines At Home: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Herbs, Fruits, and Flowers" by wine making enthusiast John Peragine focuses upon the do-it-yourself creation of wines made from plants growing wild. Organized with introductory chapters on the legality and history of making wines at home, winemaking basics, and grape-based wines, "101 Recipes For Making Wild Wines At Home" moves on to include informed and informative chapters on wines from berries, 'stone fruits', 'seeded fruits', citrus and tropical fruits, and apple cider; wines made from vegetable and grains; and herbal wines. Of special note are the chapters devoted to making meads and wild wine drinks. Novice wine makers will especially appreciate the chapter identifying the ten most commonly encountered problems when making wine. Enhanced with a glossary, a bibliography, a resource list, a comprehensive index, and appendices on 'Wine yeast Strains' and 'Tales from the Vineyard', "101 Recipes For Making Wild Wines At Home" is an ideal and thoroughly 'user friendly' introduction and instruction manual appropriate and recommended for personal and community library reference collections.

2nd Annual Christmas Story

Here is the 2nd Christmas Story. Let me know what you think.

 

Christmas Spirit

There was a rapping on the door.

“Welcome Father Kringle, thank god you could come on short notice. We just did not know what else to do.”

The rather portly man entered the doorway. He was dressed in a large red coat, with the traditional black cloth of a priest peering from underneath.

“May I take your bag, Father Kringle?” asked Mrs. Who as she stepped out of the way to allow the priest to enter.

“No, it contains what I need in situations like this.”

As Father Kringle stepped past Mrs. Who, a scent caught her nose.

“You know Father Kringle, you smell like fresh baked ginger bread.”

Father Kringle dropped his rather large sack on the floor with a thud. He looked at Mrs. Who with some impatience.

“Yes, I get that a lot. You know it’s the time of the year. The sisters are baking a lot. That’s probably what you smell on my clothes.”

“Yes, yes. That must be it.” Mrs. Who thought he must have been rolling in the dough before making the trip because the sweet ginger bread smell was so overpowering. She noticed that the father still had his coat on.

“Can I at least get your coat?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Father Kringle quickly shed his coat. His long white beard looked like a ski slope against his black shirt. His clerical collar was obscured by the immense beard, but Mrs. Who was sure it was there. Even though Mrs. Who had never seen this man before, there was something oddly familiar about him.

“ Have we met before Father Kringle? You look like…”

Father Kringle broke in, “Many people say I look like someone they know. It is the beard I suppose.”

“Yeah, that must be it,” it finally dawned on Mrs. Who who he looked like, “ You look just like…”

Again the priest cut her short, “Can you tell me more about what is going on with your daughter?”

“Sure, sure. Please have a seat while I hang up your coat.”

She took the coat from the priest. It was heavy and seemed very old. The red color was faded and there were some places that were patched. The white trim was dingy with old dried mud. She hung the coat in the front closet and quickly sat down in the chair facing the couch where the priest sat. His immense size let little room for anyone else to sit.

“Well, I am not sure where to begin. I guess it was the Friday after Thanksgiving.”

“Black Friday. Umm hmm. Go on.” His large head nodded in encouragement.

“My daughter, Cindy Lou, and I were shopping. We had gotten up at five o’clock AM in order to get the best sales, you know. We were bumping and pushing our way through Sears. By ten, Cindy was tired and fussy. She is just six years old and did not understand why we could not buy all of things she wanted for Christmas. She was becoming increasingly cranky and I knew it was time to go. I told her to sit down and in the meantime I took my items to the layaway line.” Mrs. Who stopped.” Where are my manners. Is there anything I can get for you? Coffee? Tea?”

“I would like some hot cocoa, but please finish your story.”

“Are you sure you want to wait, it won’t be any trouble.”

“No, please continue. It is very important to know what happened so I know how to proceed.”

“Of course father. I am sorry. Where was I? Oh yes- layaway. So I was in this huge line, but I could see Cindy sitting on the bench. She had a frown and was kicking her feet back and forth. It took 45 minutes for me to get through the line. I swear I never lost sight of her, I swear.” Tears began to well up in Mrs. Who’s eyes. As if by magic, father Kringle produced a cloth handkerchief. Mrs. Who took it. She looked at it a moment. It was beautifully embroidered with a Christmas tree. It had the initials KK stitched in the corner.

“Are you sure you want me to use this?”

“Yes, yes. I have many of them back home. Please continue.”

Mrs. Who blotted her eyes and continued.

“ When I was finished placing all the presents on layaway, Cindy Lou was fast asleep on the bench. I nudged her awake, but I knew instantly something was wrong. It was the look she gave. It was so filled with anger. It was not my little Cindy Lou.”

“ Did she say anything to you?”

“She said- ‘presents. Where are my presents?’ Her voice. It was deep and filled with rage. I can’t fully describe it. It was not her voice. I know this must sound crazy…”

“No Mrs. Who. You don’t sound crazy at all. What did you do next?”

“ Well I took her home. I thought maybe she had come down with a cold or something and that was why her voice seemed so hoarse. Here regular doctor’s office was closed, so I found an urgent care center. They said they could not find anything wrong with her.”

“Did she have a fever?”

“Funny you should ask that. Her temperature was below normal. The nurse thought it may have been a problem with the thermometer.”

“Umm hmm. So then what happened.”

“She had not said anything since Sears. She did not respond to any questions by the doctors, she remained passive with a scowl on her face. I took her home and her silence continued.”

“How long?”

“Well for a couple of days. She just stayed in her room for the weekend. I called her regular doctor on Monday and she said there was a bug going around, but that unless her temperature went up that she should be better in a couple days. That was a week ago. Her temperature stayed low. I tried three different thermometers from the store and they all read “L” which meant it was too low for them to register. I piled blankets on her. And then a couple days ago when she finally said something.”

“ What did she say?”

“ It was about the same as before. It was still in that hoarse voice,’ Presents, when can I get my presents?’” Mrs. Who said it in a low hoarse sounding voice to make the point, “ I told her it would be a few weeks before Christmas. She started convulsing and screaming ‘presents. Give me my presents.’ I did not know what to do. I ran out of the room crying.”

There was a loud thump, and then the sound of breaking glass. Mrs. Who’s face turned pale as she looked up the staircase toward the second floor.

“Where is her father?”

“Oh the doctor? He is away on business. He travels a lot.” Mrs. Who drew a deep breath.

“Father. I know I should have come to church more often, and for that I am sorry. But I promise you, that I will be in front pew every Sunday from now on.”

She swallowed hard. ”What is in the bedroom up there is not my daughter.” Her eyes were wide and her pupils were small pinpoints. “Please father. I called Father Dickens and explained to him what was happened. I did not know where else to turn. He said you were the best one to handle this situation. Please father, can you help me?”

“I believe I can. I will need that cocoa now. It should be tepid, not hot.”

“Sure, sure father. Let me know if there is anything else.”

“You would not happen to have any cookies would you? I have low blood sugar. I should have eaten before I came over.”

“No problem father. I have some sugar cookies I just baked yesterday.”

“Perfect. Now where is Cindy Lou’s room?”

Mrs. Who’s eyes got large again. She pointed at the stairs. “ Up there, second room on the right. Her door is closed. Just go right on in. I believe she is asleep.”

Father Kringle picked up his sack and made his way up the stairs. As Mrs. Who made her way to the kitchen, she was impressed by how such a large man could make his way so nimbly up the stairs. His footsteps did not seem to make a sound.

Father Kringle wrinkled his brow, and touched the doorknob. It was ice cold to the touch. He quietly opened the door and stepped into the room. It was so cold he could see puffs of his own breath. In the bed, neatly tucked in was a small girl with braided pig tails. She looked pale and fragile, and her face was serene as she slept.

Mrs. Who entered the room with the cocoa and plate of cookies.

“Please place them on the dresser. Mrs. Who you will need to trust me now. I have seen this before and I believe I can help your daughter. Have faith. I am sorry but I must ask you to leave the room and wait for me downstairs.”

Mrs. Who looked down at her daughter and shivered.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Mrs. Who. No matter what you hear, please wait for me to come downstairs. Do you understand?”

“Yes” She looked over at her sleeping daughter.” Yes Father Kringle.” She grabbed his hand between hers. There was a far off jingling sound. Her eyes met his. Without a further word she left the room and closed the door.

“ Heh….heh….heh.”

Father Kringle opened his bag and began bringing out items and placed them next to the cocoa and cookies.

“ Heh, heh, heh.” Creaked a voice from the bed. “Father Kringle, have you come to save this little girl. She is ours. OURS!”

“I knew it was you foul demon. As soon as she mentioned Black Friday, I knew I would be facing you once again.”

“Ohh, Father Kringle. Did you miss us. Te he he.” The last part was not in the hoarse whisper, but it was the voice of a little mischievous girl.

Father Kringle picked up the cup of cocoa and said a few words over it. There was still a spoon in it. He scooped a spoonful of cocoa and threw it at the little girl in the bed. Her face contorted in a horrible mask of pain and anguish.

“ It burns, IT BURNS.”

“That proves it. You cannot stand the power of the blessed cocoa. Begone foul…”

“No you fool. It really burns it’s too hot.”

Father Kringle dipped his finger into the liquid to find it was scourching hot. He put the cup down.

“ I said tepid. This was not tepid…” He continued mumbling to himself as he picked up the cookie.

The little girl’s bloodshot eyes became wide as he held it above his head with both hands. The priest broke the cookie in half and said something that was inaudible

“What was that priest? What do you intend to do? Do you think that by holding a mass you can drive me out. Ha, ha ha.”

“ Nuts!”

“What is that fat jolly man?”

Father Kringle threw the cookie halves back onto the plate.

“ I said nuts. She told me these were sugar cookies and she gave me macadamia nut cookies. I can’t eat these, I have a severe nut allergy.”

The girl said nothing, her mouth was agape. Father Kringle reached down and grabbed two candy canes and made a shape of a cross.

“The spirit of Christmas compels you.” The girl writhed and screeched in pain.

“ No, no you can’t. We want to stay. We are greed and impatience.” The voice changed and modulated as she screamed.

“Begone foul ghosts of Christmas present, past and future.”

He went back to the dresser and picked up a branch with green leaves and berries and placed it upon the little girl’s brow.

“ No, stop it. It hurts, it hurts.”

“With this Mistletoe I drive you out unclean demon. Go back to the department store from whence you came.” The Father pressed the branch harder on the little girl’s brow.

“No really it hurts. That isn’t mistletoe you stupid pork chop of a man?”

Father Kringle looked closer. He knew he should have wore his spectacles, but that made his appearance even more conspicuous. He leaned down and gave a closer inspection of the plant.

“Oh I am so sorry. That was holly berry.”

“Are you about done? I mean do mean to save this poor girl don’t you? Or is your plan to send her to the hospital with scratches and scrapes with third degree burns.”

Father Kringle straightened himself up.

“ Be silent!”

A white deluge erupted from young Cindy Lu’s mouth and splattered over the front of Father Kringle. There was the smell of soured milk mixed with cinnamon.

“Egg nog? I have had enough, begone from this young innocent child.”

That is when the second creamy wave hit Father Kringle square in the face. It dripped from his beard.

“You are a naughty child. I am placing you on my list.” Father Kringle produced another embroidered kerchief and wiped his face and beard. Little Cindy Lu had produced a naked fairy Barbie and was rotating her head around and around while she giggled.

“What will it take for to leave this innocent child’s body.”

Cindy Lu looked up. “Presents! We want our presents!” There was a madness in her eyes.

“Presents? You want presents.”

“Yes, Yes. Give them to us. Give them.”

There was a twinkle in Father Kringle’s eye.

“If I give you a present, you will leave this child?”

Father Kringle reached deep within his pack and produced a small wrapped box. It’s bow was perfectly made and there was not a seem to be seen. It was stunning.

“Give it to us. Now!”

Cindy Lou threw down the doll and lunged for the priest. Father Kringle took a step back.

“Remember your promise most unclean spirit.”

“Yes , yes. Give it to us.”

The priest tossed the present. He dared not get any closer for fear of another egg nog bath. The small box landed on Cindy’s lap. She greedily grabbed it and tore at the green paper and the red ribbon floated to the floor. She tore open the box beneath the paper. There was something dark and round inside.

“Noooooooooooooooooooooo.”

Cindy collapsed and then sat up crying.

“Mommy, mommy. Where are you mommy?”

Mrs. Who flew into the room.

“Cindy? Is it you?”

Mrs. Who ran to the bed and embraced her child. She was kissing her head and rocking her.

“Thank you Father Kringle. How can I ever repay you?”

Father Kringle was silent and began repacking his sack. When he was finished, he looked up at Mrs. Who and the beaming face of young Cindy Lou. Father Kringle absent mindedly reached for the cookie on the plate, and then realization stuck him.

“Ahhhhh, nuts.”

John Peragine- Dec. 2009- All Rights Reserved

Proof Your Book Too

LiveJournal Tags: book writing proof editing

I can say from experience of righting a few books that nothing is more stomach wrenching than to open my book straight from print and seeing grammar or spelling errors.

I believe the these types of errors are a shared responsibility. I write the words- type type type. I go over them a few times to try to catch errors- check, check check. After I am satisfied I submit the manuscript. I am a firm believer that you cannot proof your work alone, as your brain will play tricks on you. You will miss things because your brain will fill in errors and not alert you that there is a problem. The universe was nice enough to provide editors for this purpose.

That does not mean that I should not do my level best to try to fix and all all errors in a manuscript it is just that it is a shared responsibility of the editor to find and pick out what I might have missed.

When I am writing a book, an editor will go over my manuscript with a fine toothed comb and many times there there will be a senior editor that will look over as well. Once this is done and everyone is satisfied it is sent to the printer who then sends back a proof. This proof is then reviewed once again and approved for print.

So how can errors make it through so many reviews and still make it to print? Well as an author you have to be proactive. Edit as much as you can and hand it to someone you trust and has a close eye for details to look it over before you submit it. Ultimately, if an error reaches the page in print, it is the author’s fault. try to get a hold of the proof before it makes it to the printer to give it another good looking over. Once it is in print it is permanent, at until the second edition comes out.

How Much is the Money Worth

As I finish a number of jobs I realize that when the money is there- the world is good, the other 300 days a year can be a nightmare.

It is just the nature of the work and the fact I am working for myself. I have a great boss- he allows me to wear PJ’s to work, take naps when I need them and I can take a day off whenever I need to. But you have to read the fine print- the money can be slow at times. Really slow.

There are days when the bank account looks great- the bills are paid, and I can take my wife out on a date to Mc Donald’s. These are the days to cherish. But most of the time… I am wring 10-12 hours a day, keeping off my creditors and praying I will see a check.

If it were not that I really love to write- I ‘d be better off on welfare. I love to create and type type type- I just hate not being able to scrape up a dollar for a soda once in awhile.

So writer beware- don’t do it for the money because you will be disappointed. Write because you love to write and then pray you win the lottery.

What I say every time

Every time that a new book that I have written comes to the house in that cool brown box I say the same thing, “THE PHONE BOOKS HAVE ARRIVED.”

If I have to explain that this is a line from “The Jerk” with Steve Martin, the joke will be lost on you. But to me- I laugh every single time.

Dating for a Married Man

So the RSS feeds do work on Amazon.com. Check out my profile there. It’s kinda neat…but PLEASE stop buying my books or any books directly from them. Please go to my online Amazon store at http://johnperagine.books.officelive.com/mybooks.aspx. That way I can make $.50 on my books.

So I know you must be wondering about the title of this blog. Well about a year ago, Atlantic Publishing had this book about online dating. They wanted me to go “undercover” to these online dating sites like Match.com and write about my experiences. But yes I am happily married so it was a little strange- but mostly it was funny. You have got to read the book about my adventures in Online Dating Land.

 

You have to check it out. I reread it, it seems like I was almost discouraging people from try online dating.

RSS Feeds

Well I am trying to catch up with technology. I am not sure how I am doing- so I hope this posts on Amazon.com under my author page.

Right now is a race at light speed towards Thanksgiving- I have 2 books- one on winemaking and the other on executive coaching that I have deadlines. Type , type , type like mad I say.

The upside- a new book on beermaking. The ink is drying on the contract and so now I get to go to microbreweries to drink and talk. Bring on the pub chips! I love my job!

Comments

For those that have tried to post comments, I think that I fixed the problem. Comment away. The more interactive the better!!

Writer’s Block Meanderings

I just recently did some testimonials for a new mediation book and CD set that is supposed to help with writer’s block. I listened to the CD and fell asleep. It was a nice sleep, but not sure about its effectiveness as a cure for writer’s block on just one session.

Thank goodness that in this point in my career that I do not suffer from writer’s block. My trouble is not having trouble writing, it is not having enough jobs to write about. This economy is even hurting writers- both mainstream authors and freelance writer’s.

For many, buying a book is a luxury and one of the first things cut from people’s budgets- although I have noticed a great increase in the number of people going to the public library. Books for free- Genius!

I did take my trip to the Biltmore, thanks to my lovely editor Kim. It was awesome, and I took a lot of great pictures. Here is one of them. They created a carpet out of flowers.

Time Suckers

LiveJournal Tags: time sucker writing writer

LiveJournal Tags: time sucker writing writer

Technorati Tags: time sucker writing writer

As a writer I have to spend a lot of time online researching, updating blogs and utilizing social networks in order to get people to buy my books. It is like walking through a field of land mine time suckers. Maybe I have ADD but there are some many things that attract my attention that it is hard to stay on task. I have to remember this simple formula:

Time=work=money

If time is being sucked into an online application, then there is no work being and therefore no money being paid. As someone who relies totally on the revenue generated with writing this can be a deadly trap. Lets look at the top offenders:

1. Online games- World of Warcraft and the type. Don’t even download these games or go to the sites. You will be sucked in.

2. Facebook- There are two areas that can just eat up time. One is the applications (games, quizzes ect) and the other is reading and commenting on all your friends posts about what happened last night. You can use facebook as a powerful networking and marketing tool, but if you like these other applications limit yourself until AFTER you have gotten your work down.

3. Twitter – Like facebook , twitter is a great networking tool and has marketing potential. However limit tweets to relevant things and use it to direct traffic to your web site and blog. If you spend time looking at updates, it can eat your time before you know it.

4. Shopping- Even if you are just browsing online- do it during specific non work times.

5. News articles- You can spend hours looking at interesting articles- don’t be sucked in.

 

Set time for work and play. It is hard to do when you are self employed but creating a calendar and set work hours will help you stay on track. If you are just too tempted, turn off the internet during periods of writing time in which you do not need to research the internet.

Writing Book #8

As I was negotiating my newest book- I added some travel and a higher price. At this point I figured I had nothing to lose and you never know unless you ask.

 

I got the higher price without so much as blink and while I did not get exactly the trip I asked for, I did get a trip. They would have never offered it unless I had asked and so my suggestion to you new and seasoned writers is do not be afraid. The worst they can say is “no”. Think through it first and do not ask for the moon. You will have a gut feeling if the timing is right, but if it is – go for it. I am really glad I did.

 

Slush Pile

I went to a workshop yesterday called the slush pile. Each participant printed one page on an overhead and a local publisher critiqued it. They were all anonymous. Thank God!

I was so nervous and when mine hit the screen, I tried so hard to pretend that it was not mine. I made notes as he talked and did not look down on the page. I was terrified.

Needless to say he shredded it, but in the end I was thrilled. FINALLY some criticism that I could work with and all of it made sense. I intend to begin rewrites immediately. I realized that there is so much I don’t know and I need to keep learning.

When I read a good book, I just read it. I never thought about tag lines and flow. Now- for better or worse- I am becoming highly attuned it. I am looking for elements that make a great story.

The main areas- I am too wordy (who would have guessed) and I need to work on the flow a lot more. I need to SHOW rather than TELL.

 

Proof

This is the blog post for the first submission. I thought about everyone’s comments and concerns and let us just work on this for 2 weeks and see how we do. I just read through it and loved it. I do not want to give anything away right now though.

 

While we are doing our critiques let us ge to know each other by posting comments. I will begin.

 

My name is John Peragine. I have been writing full time for almost two years and it has been a hell of a ride. Before that I was a child protective services worker and not a day goes by that I don’t say” Why didnt I leave sooner?”

I have written and  had published 7 books ( some are on the shelves some are in various stages of print) I have written articles for a number of magazines and do other freelance jobs daily.

I am also a classical musician and play the flute/piccolo in the Western Piedmont Symphony (North Carolina). I am happily married and have two daughters 11 and 14.

So that’s me. I wanted to start this group after having some mixed results in some that I have attended. (see my previous blog notes.) I am very excited about this, and Sarah has started us off with a winner. So use the the guidelines and post your critiques.

Amendment Writer’s Group

There was a suggestion that if you post your material online even on a blog that some publishers will not accept the work. SO, instead I will need people to send me their email addresses. I will collect submissions and then email the submissions to everyone in the group. The critiques can still take place on the blog however- I will start a new topic with the name of the submission and each person in the group can still use comments to add their critiques. Again if you would like to send a corrected copy of a work I will send that copy to the author. I would like submissions this week so we can get started. I have a short story ready to go.

 

Thanks!

 

John

Twitter Critique Group

This post is for those interested in the Twitter Writer’s Group. I have posted the information about the format below. As soon as we have submissions I will post them to get this kicked off. If you have questions, please email me at drjohnnd@hotmail or twitter me at Drjohnnd. If this group grows I may limit the amount, as we will not have time to do good critiques. (I would say 10-12 maximum) For now, I will post everyone’s submission since there is only a few of us. Please post critiques over the next week. BE HONEST. This will not work if you are worried about hurting people’s feelings. It is the only way we can grow and expand as writers.

Twitter Writing Critique Group

John Peragine, Group Facilitator

MEETING TIME: Submissions and critiques will be collected and posted on Fridays every week.

Welcome to the Twitter Writing Critique Group! This critique meets online utilizing Twitter, and a central blog. http://drjohnnd.blogspot.com Each member will send submissions and critiques that will be posted every Friday. The facilitator will be responsible for delivering posting submissions and monitoring critiques to make sure that they abide by the guidelines. We are here to help each other develop in our writing. This is an "open" critique group, but is only appropriate for people who write regularly, are seriously interested in improving their writing, and are willing and able to create and receive comprehensive written critiques. For this to succeed, and to maintain our identity as a coherent group, it is essential that this be a "one for all, all for one" group, sharing equally among ourselves. To that end, we offer the following guidelines.

GENERAL

Critique Group members write and critique any sort of fiction, whether short stories or novels. Each member has the same goal: to improve our own writing and to help our fellow members improve theirs. We are honest in our critiques and completely supportive of each other as we nurture our writing talents. Members should be familiar with the basic narrative elements of plot, character and setting and how to interrelate them.

Members are expected to participate regularly (although we're not fanatic about this), attack their own writing actively, and take the time to do thoughtful, helpful written critiques of other members' work, according to a set format. Being in this group takes time. It will not feel good to writers who prefer to give or receive, "That was nice," feedback. This is a critique GROUP; the idea is for works to be critiqued by the group. If you submit a work and don't participate for several months, we may prioritize other material submitted after yours for a weekly critique.

SUBMISSIONS

If you've ever looked at professional critique services, you will know that the members of this group are providing a valuable service for free. At the same time your fellow members are working on their own writing (and research), their jobs, their families, etc. They may also belong to more than one critique/writers group. In recognition of this, your submissions should make it as easy as possible for the members to read and critique your work. Submissions should be made in standard presentation format: they should be created as a txt.doc, or txt format. Pdf format is too hard to reformat. If you know there is a major problem in the text, uneven tense usage for example, you should correct that before submission, even if it means waiting another week. The facilitator cannot make changes once the submission has been posted.

Members ARE NOT to send out submissions to other members directly. This is extremely self-centered and disrespectful of the other group members.

For new members, we ask that you submit either a short story or the first ten pages of a novel or novel chapter. We have found that most of the problems you have will show up in this length of a submission. After that we will accept longer submissions; depending upon the number of submissions we have, we may decide to allot two or more weeks for critiquing longer works.

Your work will be posted on a blog. This is for members to read. All critiques should be sent as “comments” to that blog. You may also write shorter comments on Twitter at #writercritique. Picking and choosing who you want to critique your work is against the principles of the group. All the members of the group are expected to write critiques. These should be done throughout the follow week. New submissions will be posted on Friday. Limiting your submissions to those with the most favorable (or least unfavorable) critiques is defeating the whole purpose of the group. Of course you are free to ignore parts or all of any individual critique, though if you are serious about your writing and eventually publishing it you should do so most judiciously. Remember, these are critiques, not just proof-readings, Works not submitted to ALL members WILL NOT be included in the posts that week.

As uncomfortable as it may be for some, you WILL have to read critiques from the members posted publically! Again, this is to be fair to the WHOLE group. You will have a chance to respond to these critiques. Exchanging of written critiques without an oral report is discouraged, except in cases where a member was not at a meeting to present a critique and both the author and the critique agree on this.

It is often best to give yourself some time before plunging back into revising your submission. However, you should apply the feedback you received to your next submission. If the critiques said ((I'll use myself(John) as an example) you should use real punctuation instead of hyphens, look over the punctuation in your next work before submitting it. Again, it will be discourteous to the members if they keep seeing the same problem over and over again.

CRITIQUING

The CRITIQUER actually receives the most benefit. It is easier to see both good and bad parts in other people's writing than in your own. Looking for problems in others' writing trains us to see it in our own writing. Again, part of the fairness required in a group of this sort is remembering that we will all be critiqued at some time!

A good critique will show the author what the work looks like through the eyes of a "good reader". Yes, the eyes of a reader, not another author!. Although you may offer a suggestion or two in your critique, it is not your job to correct the problems or to rewrite the submission as "if it was me writing it".

WRITTEN REPORT. This is a 1-2 page comment that is posted on the blog under the work submitted. In the written report you might note "Too many POV changes" but you don't have to list all of them; maybe just a couple of examples to help the author see what you mean. We use the following six sections for all reviews:

1. PLOT SUMMARY: Just a couple of sentences to give the author an idea of the main thrust of the story as the reviewer saw it.

2. GENERAL EVALUATION OF THE FOUR MAJOR WRITING COMPONENTS (1-2 paragraphs each)

A. Plot B. Characters C. Setting/Milieu D. Ideas/ Themes/ Symbolism

3. THINGS THAT WORKED WELL. There may be several or (again worse case) none. Most of these should be noted on the manuscript; again you only need to give a few illustrative examples Ex.: I really like your settings. I could easily envision walking up to the haunted castle after our car broke down!"

4. THINGS THAT DIDN'T WORK WELL. Same as #3 Ex. "Lots of anachronisms. Like cavemen with cell phones!"

5. WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT? If you are critiquing the beginning or middle of a story or novel, take a guess at the rest of the plot. This is not to be accurate, but to give the author an idea of what clues and story direction he/she has put in the reader's mind so far.

6. OVERALL EVALUATION. Did this story work for you? Were you interested? Did you want to read more, or was this enough, and what made you feel that way? If you picked this up off a shelf at the store and read this section, would you buy it? In hardback or wait for the paperback? Would you suggest your library get this book,?

Corrected Copy This is optional. If you would like to make corrections on the text and send m to the facilitator or scan them if you are handwriting them to the facilitator, then the facilitator will forward those corrections via email to the writer. This is optional, but all of the comments should also be mentioned in the “comment” post online. The point of a corrected copy is to point out areas in a more efficient way that writing comments alone cannot achieve.

Questions about this group should be submitted to John Peragine at Drjohnnd@hotmail.com.

Writer’s Critique Group

I have tried out a writer’s group, and I think it will be good, however it is so long between sessions and they do not even meet every month. That reduces it to less than 10 times in a year. This just not seem to be the most efficient group, as my writing would never get finished if I dragged it out waiting for critiques.

I belong to a couple of the greatest networking sites on the planet- Facebook and Twitter. I am sending out the call to fiction writers, that are dedicated to their craft and to a writer’s group. It does not have to be large, in fact a cap of 10 members would be best.

I envision exchanging each others work (small chunks) every week. Each member looks at the work and writes a short critique of it and maybe on online chat for oral critiques. These would need to be brief because every writer’s time is valuable.

I have some guidelines from a group I am in now that would be helpful to use. I want this to be honest, professional and fast paced. I would love to see Sci-Fi or fantasy, but at this point any fiction genre would work. 

Send me a comment here, on twitter or email me at Drjohnnd@hotmail.com if you are interested.

Memories all Alone in the Workshop

This morning I went to a Memoir workshop. I was ready with pen , paper, an open mind and a willingness to learn. What I learned in the first half an hour are these obvious truths-“memoirs are mostly written by women” and “ publishing is a hassle, you are better off going to a vanity press and paying to print your book.”

I was still willing to have an open mind. The majority of the rest of the class was a sales pitch for the facilitators’. We were given a prompt and were asked to write using “I remember…” We then had the chance to read what we had written.

There is always that one person- that dominant person that will suck the very life out of class. By the time it was mine turn, I had one minute. I had written about my childhood in Florida and times I went with my parents to go clam digging. I spoke quickly and that was that.

I did meet some nice people there and had some interesting conversations about what they were interested in writing their memoirs about.

I did get some tips such as creating a theme throughout the memoir, use chapter headings that followed along with the general theme. The other bit advice I will pass on is that you must continue writing long enough for your writing to improve. Don’t give up- just write.

 

 

Writing Group Blues

I took the plunge last night and went to an advanced fiction writing group. It was in a little quaint room at an arts center. There were 7 of us, and of course I made a grand entrance of being late. It seems that GPS systems do not update as often as they should and my directions were OLD. There is a whole new highway for goodness sakes. I digress.

 

Members of the group submit work in the form of a chapter or short story. The submissions are really for the next months group, so what I was listening to had already been read by members in attendance. Two short stories were critiqued: I wished I had a copy of because they sounded interesting.

The critique takes three forms- writing on the piece ( grammar, spelling comments), a written report that is broken down into sections such as setting, plot, ect… and then the third form is an oral report. These reports are what take the bulk of the meeting. I listened to the reports intently, but I began to wonder if the folks had all read the same piece because their comments were so divergent. This is not a bad thing, because  the writer definitely has different viewpoints to consider.

At the end I submitted the first chapter and a half of “Erl King” for next month and then we introduced ourselves. Half of the people in attendance last night were new just like me.

When it was my turn I told them I was a writer of a few magazine articles and an author of some non fiction books. I was asked what kinds of books I wrote and I told them some of the titles.

The reaction I received from a couple of the writers was a big shock. I was challenged by the notion I was not an expert in these fields so how could I write a book. This is a fiction group right? Creative people writing about people and events that never happened?

My response was that I did A LOT of research and talked to many experts. I assured them that by the end of the book I was an expert on the fields I wrote about. I had some responses that referred to my act of writing as fiction just like making a fictional resume. These comments I ignored.

Writing non fiction is about making boring information interesting. It is about research and spinning factional information into a book people won’t yawn about. Marketing these titles to a publisher is not easy, but these are areas I was sure I could right about due to my life experiences. This is what I encourage other non fiction writers to think about.

We will see how next month goes. Maybe I was the victim of a green eyed monster. (Shakespeare- Merchant of Venice)

America’s Heart was Vanishing

I had reached the conclusion that the true heart of America was vanishing forever. Communities were no longer cohesive collectives of people helping people and neighbors actually knowing each other’s name.

I grew up in the 1970’s. During the summers I would play outside all day with my friends. It took a stern warning to be in when the first street light came on at night. Many nights I would pretend to ignore this, but then I would hear my mother’s voice calling my name. Everyone on my street knew everyone else. I made a couple extra dollars by mowing and raking some of the elder’s yards throughout the year. People would sit on their porches and community barbeques were common during the spring and summer months.

My parents never worried where I was playing. They knew they could call a couple houses and find me quickly. They threatened me on nice days to get outside and stay out of the house. Times have really changed.

Now kids stay home and plug themselves into computers and 800 channels of satellite television. They play video games and chat online with their friends. The streets in my last town were absent the sound of children’s voices. I never really knew my neighbors and they never seemed to care to ever introduce themselves to me. We live in a time of distrust and fear, at least that was what I had come to believe.

I recently moved into the West Salem community. I could go on about what a monstrous move that was, but now that I am settling I have had a change of mind. The old communities of my youth still do exist. I know my neighbors and found that there was an actual community organization that passed on news and sponsored events. People wave and I am able to walk on real sidewalks that I share with children running with dogs and playing till the street lights come on.

For the first time since my youth I can say that I feel like I have come home again. My home as a child was in Clearwater Beach Florida, but I did go to high school in Winston- Salem. When I say home, I mean that I feel neighbors look after one another and plan activities and celebrate life together. I can sigh a relief that the heart of America has not died yet, it is exists in the tiny community of West Salem.

Parent’s Estate

Have you been dreading what to do with your aging parents? If you are like most people, the thought of what you are going to do should your parents become incapacitated or even pass away can be a very emotional task.

When people read the word estate, they may figure that means that they have millions of dollars to deal with. This is not totally true. Everyone of us must face that when we pass from this world it is not a free pass. There are funeral arrangements and burial considerations. Each of us has some items that we leave behind. If you do not make arrangements ahead of time, it can be a real mess.

Nobody likes to think about all of the costs and activities that go along with settling a parent’s estate in the midst of grief and heartache. My book Complete Guide to Organizing Your Records for Estate Planning: Step-by-step Instructions makes it easy to create a plan, and more specifically create an organizer ahead of time.

My book Complete Guide to Organizing Your Records for Estate Planning: Step-by-step Instructions  is not a replacement of a estate lawyer or expert. Instead, it helps you organize all your necessary records and documents you will need when the day comes that your parent’s can no longer take care of themselves or they pass away. Planning ahead takes some of the burden and streamlines the overwhelming process we all must face.

Complete Guide to Organizing Your Records for Estate Planning: Step-by-step Instructions  includes a CD ROM that contains all of the forms listed in the book. You can print these forms, fill them out, attach the necessary information and create a estate planning folio for each of your parents.

You will thank yourself later for planning ahead. My book Complete Guide to Organizing Your Records for Estate Planning: Step-by-step Instructions contains a day be day planner that you can follow during the first few days and weeks after your parent’s death. It makes your grief stricken time easier to handle, and alleviates the questions and concerns we all have when faced with this difficult time in our lives.

Bog Man

Today my wife and I went to a small local Celtic Music festival. They had pipers and fluters (yes that is a word because I say so) and fiddlers and drummers.

There was Haggis in a can, ice cream being sold by the bikecream man (he had a bike welded to an icebox). We saw it all in the wonderful little Bethabara Park, a historical preservation park.

There are small buildings and other historical landmarks. Our favorite is the medicine garden in which we were lucky enough to buy seeds from to plant at home.

I have to say the absolute pinnacle of the day besides the Irish Car bomb Cupcakes we ate, was the man selling peat logs. He had a grill burning peat on a day that it was close to 95 degrees. It was hot and smelled like he was burning green peppers to ash.

I am an open minded person and my wife was interested in peat as a church back in her native Iowa sold peat logs as a fund raiser every year. It is supposed to recreate the smell of a little cottage on the Moors.

So Kate decided to buy a little bag of peat pieces. This is where things went really badly. The man in full kilted attire challenged her about how she intended to use it.

She replied she wanted to burn a little in our fire place on the bricks. Peat won’t burn itself, it will only smolder. It creates a definitive vegetable smell that people like to smell and add a smoke flavor to their foods.

This kilted bog man began to convince her that she was not buying the right peat. He began chewing on a 500 year old peat log and then continued to chew on a 1200 year old peat log. This was to demonstrate it was made of vegetable matter.

He then said that he way of using peat would not allow the volatile oils to be released and it would burn black. He then licked the black sludge off a metal bowl he was using in the cooking barbeque.

This was not enough because he then scraped more black sludge from the inside of the barbeque lid to show more volatile oils and then stuck it in his mouth. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever eat barbeque again.

He handed Kate a peat log and then walked away as he told her to think about it. We quickly left when his back was turned, ate cupcakes and went home with no peat for our trouble.

The thing that I walked with today is an untapped way to get more oils and fiber into your diet.

The Complete Guide to Organizing Your Records for Estate Planning Step-by-Step Instructions With Companion CD-ROM

I was so excited when I opened my door yesterday to find a cardboard box. On it was stamped, “Atlantic Publishing.”  I knew immediately what was inside. It was my newest book on Estate Planning.

I ripped open the box with a cork screw, it was all I had handy. I grabbed a book and flipped through it, and I was extremely pleased. The wonderful artists at Atlantic had transformed my words into a easily readable and interesting book.

In the back was the companion CD ROM. I slapped it into my computer and went through the numerous files and it looked great. I can’t wait to use them myself to create a organized book of my estate records.

I am so inspired that I am going to offer three ebooks if you buy my book through my site.

1. Jazz up your Records. This ebook describes how to make your organizer look great as well as informative.

2. Tax laws and your estate. This ebook talks about different tax laws you may not be aware of when preparing your estate.

3. Estate planning for your pet. This book looks at what you can do to  prepare for your pets passing.

For your free ebooks you must:

1. Go to this website  http://osirispapers.books.officelive.com/mybooks.aspx . Click on the link to purchase the book. It will take you to Atlantic Publishing. YOU MUST click the link on my page first, or I get no credit for the sale.

2. Once you have purchased your book, send me an email with you confirmation number from your receipt, along with your email address. My email address is drjohnnd@hotmail.com. I will then email you the ebooks.

You will find all you need to create an organizer for your important records and tips on preparing your estate for loved ones. I will highlight different areas of the book in the upcoming weeks here on my blog.

Repo- The genetic Opera

I am a huge movie buff and am guilty of going to see movies when they first come out. I read the reviews, I save my pennies for popcorn and drinks. Alright, I take out a small loan to buy popcorn and drinks. I always felt that I was on top of what was going on at the local cinema. So how in the world did I miss Repo- the genetic opera?

It did have a limited release, so I don’t have to beat myself up too much. A few weeks ago I saw the video sitting in the horror section at Walmart and did not really look at it too closely. I saw a preview on a video I recently rented. To my surprise it was a musical. That got my attention and then I looked a little closer to who was in it- Paul Sorvino, Alexa  Vega (Spy Kids), Sarah Brightman (Phantom of the Opera- London), Anthony Head ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Giles), and even Paris Hilton. I went to Best Buy with my Rewards Card Voucher and bought it. I sat down and was blown away!

 

It is the next generation of Rocky Horror Picture Show only a hundred times better- the music was rock opera, the story was right out of a classical opera set in the future in which people are buying replacement organs on credit only to have them repossessed if they miss a payment, and it is a graphic horror movie.

 

It is not the faint of heart. It is from the producers of “SAW” but it is so ridiculous it is easy to overlook the violence because they are singing and it is comical in parts. I read that there is a movie tour in the US and even Europe with a shadowcast much like Rocky Horror. You must rent or buy this movie. It is totally wild and awesome. I want the soundtrack now!

 

Wedding Planning Book hits #1

I was browsing through Amazon.com today and looked at the Wedding Planning Book I wrote and I saw:

#1 in
Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Retail Businesses

It’s a niche category, but hey I think it is awesome- New York Times Best Seller List here I come!

As a writer, it is nice to know you are appreciated and that your books matter. I am still very new to all of this. I can tell you that it is inspiring for me and makes me want to write a lot more when I get a little boost every once in a blue moon. Writing is a very solitary profession that can be a little lonely at times.

I don’t live in a big city, and I am not a superstar so I really don’t have any fans ( unless one of your out there want to start a fan club- HA!) But seriously it is a nice boost to see that my writing is recognized even a little. If you would like a copy of this book that takes you step by step about how to create an awesome career as a wedding planner go to:

http://tinyurl.com/dap3af

 

Children Writing a Book

So what is worse than writing a book yourself? Having two children decide they are writing a book. My wife often says that the solution to the war in Iraq is sending middle school girls. There is nothing more scary or totally insane then angry young girls. They do not play by any rules except the ones they create, and even those are subject to impulsive revisioning.

My daughters , Loreena (11) and Sarah (14), thought it would be an excellent idea to write a book together. It is a romance thriller that begins in the early 1900’s and spans to modern day. It’s theme is one of second chances in love.

Sounds great right? I was sent the first chapter and thought,” Wow this is good stuff. My girls have some talent.” It is at this point that things get a little out of control.

The fighting began two nights ago, mostly about artistic differences and disagreements about plot structure and who was responsible for which chapter. Now in the world of writing this is not an uncommon event, but with pubescent girls, the gloves came off. The fighting, not unlike a Monday Night Wrestling Throw Down, ensued. There is no logic, no begging to be reasonable, just lunacy.

 

At this stage they agreed to do a story board and outline. For now, there is peace, but I am not too hopeful. In the end, they will probably get a fiction book published before me because their passion is unchecked and their energy unmatched.

My wife was Pierced Today

We went to an awesome Greek breakfast and then went to Claire’s at the mall. My wife an appointment and sat up in the seat for honored guests. A little girl in pigtails crowded in close for event, for she was next in line  to sit in the seat of honor.

The certified stabbing professional had my wife sign all sorts of forms to release them from liability should something go horribly wrong. I don’t know what all fuss was about, I mean what is the worse that can happen when a teenager gets their hand on a spring loaded gun with a roofing nail poised to pierce skin and cartilage.

The little girl held her breath and my wife reassured her that everything was fine. Pop! It was over. On the top of her earlobe was a small barbell. The little girl in pigtails looked up at my wife in awe. My wife told her it did not hurt at all.

The little girl clutched her bear that she was holding and wiggled into the seat. This was her 3rd try, and today was going to be the day!

How do you write about topics you are not an expert in?

 

When I wrote the book about Wedding Consulting, my friends, family and peers looked at me strangely. I am 6’1” of burley Italian man. Not the typical wedding planner persona. Although I would argue that I do not exactly fit the piccolo player persona either.

I usually respond two ways. The first is that I contact experts in the field that I am writing about. I get their perspective about the material matter and they supply tips for the readers. I take the the material they provide for me and shape it into a book. This is not the case for all the books, as the one I am currently working on about making wine, I do have some expert knowledge about.

The second way I approach it is that I do a ton of research. I read everything I can about the subject I am writing about. While this may not make me an expert, I can then spin the material I have learned from experts into a readable and easy to understand format. There is a saying that there are “ No new things under the sun.” While mankind does continue to evolve, we are building and spinning things in new and interesting ways, the material at its core is not new.

It is the job of a good author to make old knowledge or ancient plot to turn and develop it in a unique way. There might be new names, faces and backgrounds, but most good stories are eternal.

 

Check out what experts have to say about starting a wedding planning business. If you buy this book through my website, send me a message and I will mail you bonus book or material. http://osirispapers.books.officelive.com

The Move From the Seventh Level of Hell

I am providing a map from Dante to give you an idea of the hell I have been living since Monday. It has taken 3 truck loads (1.5 hours each way) and I still have stuff to get. It NEVER ends.

Then I come home and Teeny Cat let me know how he felt about the move. He peed all over the bed. There was a puddle. What the hell was he drinking?

Then I lost the power cord for my computer today. I called Best Buy- and the lady says $109 dollars. WHAT? She says,” That’s all we have, take it or leave it. “ Nice customer service. I went to the store and they had one of those already been opened boxes- 50% off. I guess that is not all they had after all.

I did have a Sloppy Joe Pizza at the Mellow Mushroom. Yummy. Still, I had to come back to the house of boxes, but at least my computer works now. Whew! Back to work, finally!

Neighborhood Association

In my almost 40 years, I have never lived in a neighborhood, that was historic or had an association. I now live in both. I just received my first newsletter.

 

I know for some reading this, it does not seem that exciting, but it gives me hope. Sometime ago I asked the question why people did not sit on porches anymore. In my opinion it is because the concept of community and neighborhood is disappearing in America. The idea, that you actually know and talk with your neighbor seems foreign.

 

 

When I knocked on my neighbor’s doors yesterday, I was greeted with someone peeking out and not very happy to see me in the middle of the day. I am well groomed and pretty harmless, but even in this new neighborhood there was initial distrust and skepticism. Once I informed them I was their new neighbor, doors were flung open and I was warmly embraced.

One of my neighbors seemed totally amazed that I was knocking on doors and introducing myself. It was backed with a large smile and a hearty handshake. I genuinely felt welcome and appreciated. I left my email address with another neighbor and have already received emails from the neighborhood association. 

Images of days gone by when neighborhoods met, had BBQ’s and celebrated holidays together has come to life. There is even a garden club. Wait wasn’t that the background for the “Stepford Wives.”

Ebay Book Coming soon

 

I was excited to hear from the publisher that my book on powerselling on Ebay should be released soon. It was a very interesting process to create this 300+ page book.

The underlying message throughout the book is that it is difficult to reach the powerseller status, but it is even more difficult to maintain it. If a Ebay store is to survive they need to look beyond selling garage sale items and act like a real small business. This is what truly separates the average ebay seller from the Powerseller.

There were a number of experts and powersellers that contributed to this book, and without them, it would not be the power tool that it has become.

If you have any questions about powerselling on Ebay, do not hesitate to ask. If I do not have the answer, I will ask one of the experts!

 

John Peragine

Longevity

I have learned that in the writing business, that after a year of creating books that I now have longevity. I am outliving my editors. I guess I should thank the writing Gods for their blessings.

 

I started writing full time August 2007. In that time I have had 5 books published and 2 on the way. I have written for three magazines on a regular basis and had more freelance work then I can handle. I don’t live in NY or LA or any other large metropolitan city you can recognize with two letters. (unless you can recognize WS)

 

I have a BS degree in psychology and a Phd in Natural Health. So what is my secret of relative success?

 

I can break it down to two points.

 

The first is hard work. Being self employed and working from home is some of the hardest, most constant work I have done in my life. Even as a musician I have breaks. As a writer my waking and sleeping mind are constantly working and churning. Don’t get me wrong, I totally love it. People ask me if I am near burning out and my response is that I wish their more hours in the day to write.

 

The second point is that I am always working on the next project. I do not allow lag time. I use time each day looking for new projects and bolstering marketing efforts. I do this through blogging, social networking and bidding on projects on sites such as Elance.

 

My word of advice NEVER EVER give up.

Cats In the Catwalk

 

We got this killer deal on a cat walk system that allows the cats to be outside in a giant habitrail. They have a tower, a clubhouse and other accessories. About $1000 worth of equipment for $50.00. Thanks Craigslist.

We are acclimating the cats to their new digs. Not sure how they feel about it yet. The kind remind me of tigers at a zoo.  I hope they like it- in the big city it is the safest way.

I am counting time as deadlines, 2 concerts, and packing all have to occur in less than a week. I can do it, yes I can!

Prada The Devil Drinks Coffee

I am casing my neighborhood in Winston-Salem. I have found this little cafe under a new set of uptown swanky condos. By the clientele, I can tell I am out of my pay range, but the family has taken over a table with our coffees and hot chocolate. 

 

Each of us with a laptop, we must be quite the site for this yuppie haven of the movers and shakers of the West End. Well we are here and we are here to stay.

 

This little cafe has coffee, gelato and Bellinis (a combination of peach nectar and champagne), and an assortment of beers and wine. It is quiet for the most part- a HDTV in the corner is playing “Moonstruck” from an Apple TV box.

It is an education for the girls as we are coming from the country. We even were lucky enough for a person on the street to ask us for a dollar. It was new for the girls, not so new to me- it heralds me back to reality and away from the land of the bigots. I recently read a quote that said something like “Big bigotry- small town.” I want to raise my girls differently!

If anyone wants to visit this new cafe visit www.caffeprada.com

Now I will finish my Americano.

Sitting In A Library

 

I guess this is the place where I am a “Super Star.” The public library. It is here that I can scan the shelves and find my name. Kind of cool.

Today school is out and there are children scampering around like mice. The librarians who are speaking loudly about where they are going to lunch are shushing the children.

It brings me back to my childhood. I was an odd child that would spend hours in a library. During the summer my parents worked, so I would ride my bike with sandwich in tow to spend the entire day at the library.

For me, it is a magical place. There are so many choices of places to go, it was like a literary train stop. At the library in my hometown they had these carpeted wooden tubes you could crawl into in the nooks and crannies of the children’s section. They had a hole in the top to allow light in.

I remember grabbing Tolkien, Herbert and other fantasy writers while I crawled in a tube and would be transported all day.

The library also had a room with type writers. All I had to bring was paper. I would type up science fiction stories about wars in space, and a reluctant retired space general. I guess I was already stamped and ready to ship to writer’s land.

Have a great day and visit a library soon.

Tip about followers on Twitter

You can increase your number of followers by simply following more people, as most people on Twitter will follow you back.

 

Did you know that Twitter has rules about this? I didn’t until recently. You can not follow more than 2000 people without having at least 2000 people following you. Once you do, you can follow more people. This is to prevent spammers and bots.

 

If it looks like you are following a bunch of people all at once, you could be banned. You need to pace yourself. You can go to TwitterKarma.com and see what your ratio of followers and following is. You can do a mass unfollow for those you do not wish to follow.

Another way to ensure that you are not banned or lose followers to make sure you are sending a sufficient number of “Social” posts rather than “sales” posts!

This works people! GO to my friends website http://stuart-turnbull.com/ to learn more.

Holy Twitter Explosion Batman!

I have been working on a book about Twitter for a client. In the spirit of research I actually tried the techniques I was writing about.

 

It worked- Better than I can describe!

I am under contract for this Ebook so I can not tell you what particular technique put over 500 new users in my Inbox this morning, but I will send a link to where to get the Ebook when I am done.

I have been writing about marketing techniques for awhile and I can honestly say what I did for a few minutes last night was amazing.

I am now on the lookout for life and executive coaches to help me with my new book, so if you are out there please contact me at drjohnnd@hotmail.com. You name will be in a published book plus you will receive a free copy of the book.

You will be the envy of all your friends.

The Ole Switcheroo

Did Coke think that we were stupid? Did they think we would not notice?

I understand that we are headlong into a recession, but swiping 4 ounces from the already overpriced pop is just too much.

 

 

 

I went into a gas station to buy my wife a real coke- not diet, not zero, not cherry, not anything except a real sugary sweet, ice cold Coca Cola.  I reached into the case where they are always waiting.

The Coca Cola company rolled out its original plastic bottle Coke sometime in the 1980’s. It was a 16 oz bottle to replace the glass 16 ounce bottles. Personally, I think it was the greatest mistake for two reasons. First, there is no comparison of coke from a glass bottle compared to one in a plastic bottle. And, somewhere along the line High fructose Corn Syrup replaced plain cane sugar. Once in a blue moon I will find a $2.00 glass bottled coke with cane sugar….ahhhhhhh!!

Back to my rant. I take the bottle of Coke the the register and noticed it was light. Now I agree, that I have drank way too much pop to notice such a difference in density but stay with me. I look at the bottle on the counter and noticed it looked funny, and upon closer inspection I noticed it was 16 oz. Now I remember that Coke went to 20 oz. quite a few years ago, and so I went back to the case. There were NO 20 oz. Coke products. I went back to the register and the clerk rang up the purchase, and it was the same amount as if it were a 20 oz.

I spoke to this clerk and she said she had not noticed, but all of the other pop like Pepsi was still in the 20 oz size. The Coke bottles fit the same racks, look very similar , but that extra 4 oz. are gone!!! What is the deal Coke? The American public will not stand for it. Hike the gasoline prices back up, but leave our pop alone!

Snappy Opera Tunes

I am playing a whole lot of choral pieces today. Wagner, Verdi, Orff, and Puccini just to name a few. It is really a nice cross section of requiems and opera pieces.

 

We are going to be performing it at a Baptist Church during the season of Lent and so I am curious how “O Fortuna” or the “Habanera” from Carmen are going to be received. You can take the altar boy out of the church but you can’t take the church out of the altar boy. I could create a rather tasteless joke at this point but I will resist the temptation.

 

Tomorrow Mr. Teeny becomes Ms. Teeny and the meowing and writhing will finally abate for awhile. It is driving me mad. Give it up already cats.

 

Brief but important changes

We have a new cat- Stella Luna. She is female and our Teenie is male. It is amazing how two cats fall in love instantly. They are in lock down and Teeny has a special doctor’s appointment to make him more like Stella.

We signed the lease on the new house in Winston Salem. We are SO excited.

 

It is kind of romantic. My wife and I met in Winston 21 years ago and now we return.

Everyone is NOT a Star

Have you noticed with the invention of reality television shows like American Idol that suddenly everyone is a star? It seems even my hair dresser has a Christmas “CD” that she has produced and is selling on her website. I feel this is utter insanity.

 

The truth is that talent, true talent is rare. Not everyone who thinks they can sing or perform is Hollywood or Broadway bound. There are the few exceptions, but I am so tired of everyone thinking they are a “star.”

 

I guess I have Hannah Montana to blame. Good ole Miley Cyrus with her gravely teenage voice has convinced a whole generation that they are superstars. Uggg.

 

I know from where I speak. I was performing from an early age and played my first paid gig when I was eleven. I went to the top of where I could go in Clearwater, Florida and had to move on somewhere else when I got to high school.

 

The solution was that I went to North Carolina School of the Arts. In the 1980’s this was a totally different animal then it is today. It was a true conservatory. I ate, slept and worked everyday at music. I soon realized I was but a drop of talent in a vast ocean of even greater talent. I was humbled.

 

There are local arts schools run by people that had talent, had their fifteen minutes of fame and now make their money promising children stardom. These kids get starry eyed and slack brained. Many of these kids become homeschooled. What is that all about? Even if these kids have talent, do they want to be illiterate, socially retarded artists? Believe me there are plenty of those out there.

 

Who is to blame, the charlatans that are shoveling out these ridiculous promises or the parents that are squandering their child’s academic and collegiate future in the hopes of a bit part in a sitcom or a 30 second commercial spot. Maybe they truly believe in the term “starving artist.”

 

My solution? Following your dreams and have a back up plan. Get out of town and experience what is out in the rest of the world. NEVER EVER read your own press because family and friends will ALWAYS think you are a star. And for those home school kids- GO TO SCHOOL! Go to prom, try out for the football team or cheerleading squad and get a grip on reality. Turn off Idol and Dancing with the Stars and bury your head in a good novel.

Time to move ahead

Thanks for those who wished my daughter well. She still has a migraine after days of grueling medications, but she is moving onward past it. I am so proud of her and am in awe of her bravery.

I am excited that I am moving soon. The new house is 99 years old. I was wondering how people do centennial house birthday parties. Do I light 100 candles around the house? Do a decorate with balloons and invite those lived their in the past? It will be quite the experience.

It has a coal fireplace and I also wondering if people burn coal in their homes anymore?  If any of you out in internet land have any answers please post them.

 

John

Good News- The Executive Coaching Book is Back

After speaking with editors of my publisher, they have allowed me to redo my book-

How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal and Executive Coaching Business: With Companion CD-ROM

 

Here is the book copy. It will be bigger better and even more awesome this time around. If you are interested in preordering  go to

http://tinyurl.com/dap3af

In the U.S., the average professional coach makes roughly $150-$200 per hour. It is not uncommon for a seasoned coach to make well over $100,000 per year. If you are good at motivating and inspiring people, a coaching business may be a great choice for you. People seek out coaches to help them in matters of life, business, career, and even parenting. And they are paid very well with few startup costs.

 

As a professional coach, you will recognize and define your clients’ goals; construct a realistic strategy for achieving your goals; establish a detailed program of actions and activities; identify, manage, and change business improvements; get effective and timely results; monitor your progress and build on your successes; achieve what may have seemed impossible; and get the rewards and recognition you deserve. If you are investigating opportunities in this type of business, you should begin by reading this book.

 

If you enjoy working with people, this may be the perfect business for you. Keep in mind that this business looks easy but, as with any business, looks can be deceiving. This complete manual will arm you with everything you need, including sample business forms; contracts; worksheets and checklists for planning, opening, and running day-to-day operations; setting up your office; plans and layouts; and dozens of other valuable, timesaving tools of the trade that no business should be without.

 

While providing detailed instruction and examples, the author leads you through every detail that will bring success. You will learn how to draw up a winning business plan (the companion CD-ROM has the actual business plan you can use in Microsoft Word™) and about basic cost control systems, market research, getting new clients, tax laws, pricing, leads, legal concerns, sales and marketing techniques, and pricing formulas.

 

 

You will learn how to set up computer systems to save time and money, how to meet IRS requirements, how to generate high profile public relations and publicity, and how to implement low cost internal marketing ideas. You will learn how to build your business by using low and no cost ways to satisfy customers, as well as ways to increase sales and have customers refer others to you.

 

 

Successful coaches will appreciate this valuable resource and reference it in their daily activities as a source of ready-to-use forms, Web sites, and mathematical formulas that can easily be applied to their operations. The companion CD-ROM contains all the forms found in the book, as well as a sample business plan you can adapt for your own use.

 

Again to preorder go to

http://tinyurl.com/dap3af

Tonight, Tonight It all gets played tonight

Tonight is the big concert- Rossini and Tchaik, I play in your general direction (This is for Monty Python Fans). Rehearsal, food, concert, after party, sleep about 1 Am. Whew!!!

I am also finishing 20k in the wild Wine book. It is shaping up quite nicely! I am quite excited about it. I still need contributors. So if you have made wine, or drink a lot of wine, send me an email!!!! Drjohnnd@hotmail.com.

I hope to chapter 3 of Erl King up next week. It is also shaping up quite nicely. Let me go practice on my twig. (ok you dirty minded people- I play a wooden piccolo…..never mind!)

 

John

Bang on!

I am sitting through a rehearsal thinking about the universe of energy, as drums are tapped and cymbals are pummeled, while gongs are shook out of their slumber. It is quite backdrop for creating Law of Attraction Flash Cards. It is quite surreal. It reminds of the feeling that I had watching Neil Gaiman’s “Coraline”. There is definitely layers of reality and I believe music and sound vibrate seamlessly through all of them.

I am excited to play the piccolo solos in Rossini’s Overture to La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie) and to finish the evening with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #5 in e minor, Op. 64 which is a devil of a piece on flute and piccolo. I have my work cut out for me. I will try to post sound bites of the concert next week.

You know I may have to treat myself to a late night snack after all of that. I really want some Thai!

If anyone reading this does home winemaking please look at my site,

http://tinyurl.com/dap3af, about participating as a case study.

gone

removed by me

Snowy Mind Drifts

March started with a snowy blanket, which is fine but my oldest Sarah is sick. See when they finally get around to making it a law requiring couples to have a license to have children, which I feel confident there should be, there will be a class called body fluids 101. I am convinced that unless you have cleaned after a child is sick, at least once, they should revoke your parent card. You just can not truly understand the joys of it all, without experiencing it. So without going into gory detail I will leave it at that!

I am constantly shocked that we live in a generation of folks that have such a high level of self importance mixed with an expectation of entitlement, that it makes me want to choke at times. I am often hired to find musicians and hire them for various gigs in the area. I am befuddled by the number of people that feel like they are slighted in some way if I don’t call them “first” for a gig. Now I have a large pool of musicians that I hire from and make a decisions based upon musicianship, attendance and reliability. If they do a good job and I don’t have any trouble with them, I would be more likely to hire them in the future. This is not a guarantee, and I am not required to do so.

I receive the calls and emails of grown adults whining that they did not get picked. Is this some left over issues from kickball games during recess?  This is business, and I treat it that way. There are no favorites, only the best musicians for the job. I think that there is some illusion that if I get pestered enough or am threatened with “ I will talk to you boss,” that I will in someway cave in. Actually the opposite is true.

Well enough of my bellyaching. I am off to write about WILD WINES!!

 

John

Recession blues- berries

I have spent most of the day writing about ways to cut back and prepare financially during this recession. It is a little depressing, but in some ways it is nostalgic. Lets go with nostalgic. Of course I am not old enough to remember the depression (although my girls would argue the point.)

Our communities have been torn apart by technology and fear. We spend more time on computers and watching television than we ever have. We stay indoors all the time. Do you know who your neighbors are? Could you name 10 people on your street?

Ever notice that new homes don’t boast front porches. Even on older homes, when was the last time you saw people sitting on their front porch and spending time together? When I see a person standing on a porch I think they are delivering a package, they’ve lost their keys or they are part of a SWAT team headed by Jack Bauer.

I do not have cable or satellite and do not have an antenna for any kind of television reception. It was just an expense I could no longer justify we needed. Now keep in mind I have a 14 year old and an 11 year old.

We do have a television and get $1.00 movies from REDBOX. (If you have not discovered REDBOX- go the www.redbox.com right now!) We watch our favorite television shows on www.Hulu.com for free when we want to.

So what have we gained? Well about $60 a month more in the budget for one, but more importantly we are spending more time together and TALKING. There is silence now where their used to be sound all the time from the tube. WE love it. We play board games now and create fantastic dinners as a family. No complaints, only, “Hey Dad can I cook tonight?”

Cats Who Teleport

I am convinced that cats can indeed teleport. My cats can get through locked doors with the door remaining closed. Sometimes they run down a hallway only to appear in another room seconds later. I do not know how or why they able to do this, but I have a question for these feline tricksters----How about feeding yourself. Better yet, get a job. A real job with real pay. You stick your nose up a cheaper cat food and if it costs as much as prime rib you will act like I never fed you before. How about using those teleporting skills at a bank- you know become a real “cat burglar.” Why is it that your fantastic skills for escape work the best at three in the morning when I find you purring in my face and tickling it with your whiskers?

If you can walk through walls why do you wait to go to the bathroom only after you come inside? Why do you wait to leave a present in the clay chip box? Can’t you just teleport to some nice quiet spot in the woods?

Is there a book of cat superpower rules? Who wrote that book? A cat I suppose. I am sure that locked within the pages of that diabolical book are instructions to cry to get in and out of the backdoor as many times as you can in a fifteen minute period. Teleport for God’s sake, I won’t look. Who would I tell anyway? They’d have me locked up.

I know you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth, but your cat code of conduct forbids you from acknowledging this fact. I am sure that as I am typing this you have some mini cat computer blogging about your aggravating humans. One last message to my two feline comrads- the bathtub is not the world’s largest most elegant litter box, so stop using it!!!

I hate stomach bugs

Last night I was exhausted, this morning about 7:00 am I realized why, I have a stomach thingy. Yech! Not too bad, just annoying. I am awaiting time to go the symphony rehearsal. Among my many hats I play the piccolo in a symphony and I am the personnel manager.

I have come to two conclusions concerning life today:

1. No matter how mad or upset you are about a break up or a fight, NEVER post it on Facebook. There have been a number of people I know that have done this. Why? For sympathy? Is it because misery loves company? You might as well post it in your local newspaper or the daily news. Even then, it would not be as public and humiliating as posting it on Facebook. Why do you do it people? I would too much shame to admit my relationship is on the rocks. Even if a person is posting it in an attempt as some form of retribution, all they look like is an idiot and pathetic. Stop the madness! Make private things PRIVATE. Isn’t there enough pain in the world?

2. I have come to the other conclusion that most long term relationships and marriages have at least one huge incident. It is a challenge to the relationship to test to see of it survives. It could be a huge fight, infidelity or a number of large issues. I think that people in relationships should prepare themselves for this eventuality. If they are truly dedicated to the marriage, they will bond together and survive. If not, then the relationship is probably doomed. I am an advocate of living together before marriage because at least when this event occurs the couple has the choice of parting ways. I guess my point is that people don’t really want to think about the better and WORSE parts of a relationship. What are your thoughts?