Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Temple of Horus, the falcon God, at Edfu


Itchy Feet

I love to go places. You can tell that by my books and the fact that I have yet to set two in the same country. I even like to fly but the twenty-two hour flight I've scheduled to South Africa in May, in the cattle car sometimes called "tourist class" or even "world traveller" is gonna be an endurance test. If only I can get an aisle seat.
I'm already planning what to take. Tan and khaki. Or ecru or sand or beige. Bright colors can excite the animals in Krueger National Park, and I certainly don't want to excite a wild animal. White doesn't stay white long on the dusty dirt roads. Doesn't this sound great? I can't wait. Where do I get that yellow fever shot? Stay tuned. Photos will follow.
A friend of mine who happens to be the inspiration for my Dotsy Lamb went to Egypt last year at my urging. "Don't worry," I told her, "Egypt is perfectly safe." It was when I went there in 2007. No problems. She and her fellow travellers are now called the" Newport News 13," after being trapped in their Cairo hotel throughout the events of last February. She's finally speaking to me again.
If I can find the memory card, I'll attach a photo I took in Egypt to this post.
Later
P.S. I did and it came out above this post. I'm still learning.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

This is my first post. I intend to keep this up about twice a week and I'll be talking about traveling, mysteries,
writing, and publishing in world where nothing stays the same for long. I feel like I'm on one of those airport people movers, running, and stepping on my own shoestrings.
Seriously. I've quit saying, "I'll never self-pub. Never, never, never!" Now it's more like, "I think I will put my two newest books up on all the espots and see what happens."
The thing that bothers me the most about this brave new world is that there is no gatekeeper. No publishers or agents to say, "This sucks." Or maybe, "Needs work." How will people know (How will I know) when a book is pure trash and when it's good? I buy books too, you know, and I get overwhelmed by the volume of books I can get with one click. I'm afraid I fall back on name recognition and that keeps me from discovering fresh new voices. Guess what? The old book store owner hand-selling a book he loves was serving us well, but he's almost gone.
I miss him. I still like holding a real book.
But here I go. Uh oh. Now I've got to pay for my own cover design, editing, layout, and probably a bunch of other things I haven't thought of yet.
So please sign up as a follower and let me know you're there.