One of the main things about “the writer’s life” is that you make it a priority to write. No matter how much or how little, you always write some. But then come the times you just don’t want to. It happens. I’m in the middle of a very short break, not having written since Saturday. But I’m so very close to finishing the rough draft of my new novel Arroyo that I don’t dare take too much time off. I’ve promised myself to finish it this year and it’s more than possible. So, back to work tomorrow.

But then I’m going to take a month-long break. No fiction writing in January. I’ve written every day (almost) since December 8, 2008. I want a vacation from it. My work in progress also needs a breathing space so I can pick it up and read it as if someone else had written it. 

What have I been doing instead? Reading, watching TV, doing yard work, driving around the beautiful Central Texas countryside (we’re in a drought, which is horrible, but the burnt up grass looks golden in the sunlight and is really lovely). I’ve recently read His At Night by Sherry Thomas, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett. I’ve recently watched all of season 5 of Dexter, season 2 and 2.5 of Battlestar Galactica, and have started re-watching Star Trek Enterprise. Plus The Amazing Race and Survivor. January will probably be like this. It’s nice.

 Yeah, yeah, I know. I should be writing. (Photos by Roxanne Rix)

Oh, in January sometime The Cowboy’s Baby will be in paperback and available from Blurb.com.  But it will also still be available as an e-book for Kindle for $2.99 www.amazon.com/The-Cowboys-Baby-ebook/dp/B003UYUVZC. 

Unforgettable and disturbing stories here. Be warned. They’ll make you think.

Ghost Seas is a short story collection of literary science fiction, fantasy, horror, alternate history (and even a Western) by Steven Utley. If you like reading you’re going to love this collection.

There are two First Contact science fiction stories the likes of which you’ve never read: Upstart, funny as all get out (depending on your interpretation, I suppose) and Race Relations, a very odd and affecting story, just the way I like them. Then there’s the title story Ghost Seas where a newly married couple learns something unexpected about each other with tragic consequences. In Haiti, Utley give us the horribly topical tale where the future United States of America’s recent triumph in putting the first man on Mars is juxtaposed against the never-ending misery of Haiti in the middle of a cholera epidemic the whole world is ignoring. And this is just a sample of what’s waiting in Ghost Seas.

Howard Waldrop’s written a most entertaining introduction.( If you don’t know Steven Utley now you will afterwards.) Michael Bishop’s written the foreword. These stories were originally published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, Pulphouse, Shayol, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and others.

Ghost Seas is available as a Kindle e-book.  www.amazon.com/Ghost-Seas-ebook/dp/B000R7GAEQ .

Photo by Roxanne Rix.

Well, I was all prepared to tell you how I published to Kindle, how easy it was (and wasn’t), and just what the process was. Then I went over to the amazon.com site to make sure I had the terminology right and found out they have just changed it all up. They’ve added several steps I did not have to take, and since it will be a while before I publish again I can’t say I know how to do it anymore.

But I bet it’s even easier now.

First, you need an amazon.com account and for that you need a credit card. That is the most basic step necessary for Kindle publishing.

Next, go to the amazon.com website and scroll down to the very bottom of the screen to Make Money With Us and click on Self-publish with us. Go down to the Kindle books section. Click on learn more. Then click on Getting Started & FAQs with the Kindle Publishing Guide. Read everything with a link. Everything. Then scroll back up and click on the video tutorial. Then, finally, look at the announcements and click on the “New”First-Time Publishers link from December 2. This is what is new to me, but if you will follow it step by step you will probably bypass what was my most difficult task—getting the book formatted properly.

Alert. Most of the problems I had with formatting my book came from the fact that I have been working in Microsoft Works. For best results you need to be in Microsoft Word from the very beginning. What looked perfect in my works document was degraded bit by bit every time it was translated from one platform to another. We got it fixed, but it caused unnecessary anxiety and time.

So, easy. Just go look at their NEW FIRST-TIME PUBLISHERS link from December 2 and follow their instructions.

Your book is published within three days. You can later go in and republish it if something has gone wrong, but this takes your book off the market for a period of time ranging from the three days to much longer, depending. If you make mistakes or want to change the book description or the price or the author name, again, you can go in and change it.  And if you end up really unhappy, or for some other reason don’t want the book up anymore, you can unpublish it. The one thing that remains is that anyone who bought your book will still have access to it.

Like Kirstie Alley and losing weight, if I can do it then you can do it.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK— Ghost Seas by Steven Utley and Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett. Here is the link to Steve’s short story collection  www.amazon.com/Ghost-Seas-ebook/dp/B000R7GAEQ .

Photos by Roxanne Rix.

My Kindle book is a romance titled The Cowboy’s Baby. www.amazon.com/The-Cowboys-Baby-ebook/dp/B003UYUVZC.

Find Gretchen Rix on  facebook, and follow me on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/GretchenRix.  Check  out my interview on Kindle Author from November 9.

Lockhart, Texas is celebrating its 21st annual “A Dickens Christmas” this Friday December 3 and Saturday December 4 on the courthouse square and at the Dr. Eugene Clark Library. It’s small town fun to be sure; all entertainment is free (unless you decide to stay for the Gaslight-Baker comedy “Fruitcakes” Saturday night). Lockhart has a new Best Western motel right near Walmart.

Friday night at 730 the Dickens Christmas Lighted Parade kicks off. Many participants in the festival dress in Victorian costume and stroll the streets.  After the parade, go out to the arts and crafts tents where my sister and I, along with Jody King, will be helping new children’s book author M.G. King sell her picture book Librarian On The Roof only half a block away from where the true life adventure took place. Local musician Fletcher Clark will perform holiday music in the historic Clark Building right after the parade too.

On Saturday, the Kings and I (and Roxanne) will be back selling Librarian On the Roof.  Here’s your chance to meet the author, then go on to get something good  to eat at the food vendors tents or at one of our famous barbecue restaurants or any of Lockhart’s other restaurants including The Baker’s Rack right on the square. All through the day various Lockhart school choirs will sing. The festival also boasts a harpist, ice sculpture, free carriage rides, wiggle waggle train rides, the exotic animal zoo show, street juggling, glass blowing, POLYNESIAN DANCERS, a petting zoo, magic show, fencing demonstrations, gymnastics and martial arts demonstrations, and lots of stuff to buy. And there’s a Dickens Tea at the First Christian Church.

It ends with the lighting of the yule log in front of the library at 7. Before that, the winners of the Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story contest will be formally announced.

If you have never seen the Caldwell County Courthouse, this is a great chance to walk around on the lawn. If you have never seen the Dr. Eugene Clark Library, it’s open to you this Saturday.

Come on down. Lockhart is an easy drive east of Austin. It’s close to Bastrop, San Marcos, Luling, Martindale, Gonzales, and even San Antonio. We’ve got our Victorian dresses to show off, not to mention all the neat old houses near downtown.

So, you want to be a Kindle writer. 

First step, write a good book. Doesn’t have to be a great book but it does have to be good. Be sure you have done the best job you can do, get second and third opinions on it, proofread it several times (and get someone else to do it for you too), and then make some decisions.

Do you really want to self-publish your book and do it with Kindle, or do you want to take your chances with traditional publishing?  Be aware that self-publishing (at this time, anyhow) can close some doors for you with traditional publishers and even readers.

If you are young and have never submitted any of your writing for publication, you’d be better off going the traditional publishing route. You will learn a lot about publishing by submitting to agents or publishers, and you will have more time to refine your work as you wait. And you may get that contract.

If you are middle aged or older and have had experience submitting to publishers and want to take a chance, then Kindle self-publishing might be exactly right for you. I decided it was absolutely right for me. But be advised that any sort of self-publishing may get you very few readers (but then that can also happen with a physical book in the local bookstores as well).

The next step if you want to publish on Kindle is to read all the instructions. They are available for everyone at amazon.com under self-publishing Kindle books. Read each category carefully, and pay special attention to the formatting information. Also, go into the discussion forums. Read the complaints. Read the compliments. Read the answers to the problems that come up during publication and afterwards. Give yourself several months to process this information. Google Kindle publishing for forums independent of amazon.com and read in them too. Then…

The next step if you’re seriously considering Kindle self-publication is to buy yourself a Kindle. I’m not kidding.  Buy the Kindle and then buy a few self-published books. See how good they are (or aren’t) and what they look like. This is what your book will look like. If you don’t like what you’re seeing, then go another route, maybe print on demand or Smashwords or blurb.com.

Next time I’ll discuss the nuts and bolts of publishing to Kindle.

WHAT I’VE READ THIS WEEK–Voyage to the Red Planet by Terry Bisson.

My Kindle book is a romance titled The Cowboy’s Baby. www.amazon.com/The-Cowboys-Baby-ebook/dp/B003UYUVZC.

Find Gretchen Rix on  facebook, and follow me on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/GretchenRix.  Check  out my interview on Kindle Author from November 9.

NOTE TO ME–This photo of Fort Davis makes me think of Daniel’s saloon in Arroyo.

The Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story writing contest for 2010 is over. We got some great stories.

First place winner is Karen Katchur of Bethlehem, PA  for her story “The Van”.

Second place winner is Steven Utley of Smyrna, TN for his story “Cold Hands”.

Third place winner is Patricia A. Peirson of Winnetka, CA for her story “Coming Home”.

In order, places four through fifteen are John Ankers of Liverpool, UK;  Trace Riles of Ontario, Canada;  Karen S. Swensson, Chris Lovett and Sharon Lyle of  Georgetown, TX; Valerie Whisenand of Glencoe, AR;  Tyler Miller of Cheney, WA;  Jaclyn S. Miller of Mishawaka, IN;  Carl Jonsgma of South Australia;  Steven Dake of Jackson, Michigan;  Bill Goodwin of Hill City, Kansas;  Winona Howe of Riverside, CA;  Aaron Peterson of Santa Rosa, CA;  and A.F. Schwier of Marble Falls, Tx.

First place prize was $1000.00 and a trophy. Second place prize was $500.00 and a ribbon. Third place prize was $250.00 and a ribbon. Fourth through fifteenth prizes were ribbons.

The Junior Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story writing contest winners are as follows.

First place winner is Jerico Espinas of Oshawa in Ontario, Canada.  His story was “The Mark of Ice”.  He received a trophy and $250.00

Second place winner is Jonathan Kim of Allen, Texas.

Third place winner is Rachel Reimer of Manitoba, Canada.

Fourth through tenth place winners are M. Shale Carey of Westminister, MA;  Megan Stevens of Remus, MI;  Alexa Smith of Round Rock, TX;  Thomas Young of Edmond, OK;  Shelly Crouch of Woodville, TX;  Joe Duncko of Canfield, OH;  and Peter Brand of Rochester, NY.  Junior Scare The Dickens Out of Us authors ranged in age from 12-18, with most of them being 12-14 or 17-18.

Second through tenth place winners in the Junior contest received ribbon prizes.

The Scare The Dickens Out of Us and Junior Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story writing contests are entering their third year in 2011. In early January, go to www.clarklibraryfriends.com for the 2011 rules. These contests are privately funded. All entry fees go to to the Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library and are used for library projects.

Lockhart, Texas is a small old town in Central Texas between Austin and San Marcos (or between Austin and Luling depending on your highway) with ties to the Chisholm Trail. Lockhart boasts possibly the most beautiful courthouse in the state and the oldest continuously-in-use library in Texas (also an architectural gem). It is also known as the barbecue capitol of Texas (four bbq restaurants almost within walking distance of each other).

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK–The Revenge of the Houndby Michael Hardwick.

“The face of a cat,” Marcia continued as if he had not interrupted. “I was going to say she had the face of a cat. Sort of a small triangle. Sharp. Green eyes. Slightly slanted green eyes. Really neat.

“And maybe she did get fat. Maybe she’s more of your sort of beauty now, if a beauty at all, in fact.” Then Marcia muttered under her breath. “Zaftig! Why not say fat if you mean fat.”

“Can’t be too fat if she’s riding the range on her horses,” Ellison interposed.

Both of them burst into laughter, lightening the tension.

When they stopped Marcia asked, “So, boss, how are we going to get in to see her?”

“Walk up to the front door, I guess,” he said.

“Can’t. You can’t get through the wall.”

“Make an appointment? Maybe through her lawyer?”

“Yeah, if she’ll see you.”

“Too bad that damned cat got away. Well, maybe we can catch …”

Peter burst into the office, eyes wide with panic, arms and legs moving in opposition. When he was at last able to control his windmilling limbs his mouth worked too.

“She took Leon!” he cried, taking huge gulps of air, pointing vigorously out the door the way he’d come.

Ellison knew Leon, of course he did, more than anyone had yet guessed, and he was integrating him into the resort staff this week. Peter tugged at him, but tears and ragged breath notwithstanding, Ellison hadn’t moved.

“Who took him, Peter?” he asked, steadying the boy.

“That old woman took him.”

“What old woman? And why, Peter?”

“The one with the golf balls. She took Leon to get the golf balls back,” he cried.

****

The Cowboy’s Baby by Gretchen Lee Rix copyrighted 2010. Cover photo by Roxanne Rix. Available at amazon.com as an ebook for Kindle readers and Kindle apps for $2.99. ALERT—This blog entry is the end of Chapter One of  The Cowboy’s Baby. Hope you enjoyed it. www.amazon.com/The-Cowboys-Baby-ebook/dp/B003UYUVZC. Find Gretchen Rix on  facebook, and follow me on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/GretchenRix.  Check  out my interview on Kindle Author from November 9.

My romance novel The Cowboy’s Baby went live on Amazon.com as a Kindle e-book early this July. Self-published.     

I did not make a mistake publishing on Kindle. I am ninety-five percent happy with the way the book looks and one hundred percent happy that the book is available. My expectations for selling the book, however, have taken a slow and steady downward path toward reality.     

First, two caveats. This is my experience, and may not be yours.  Some people have done very,very well with Kindle publishing and some have done modestly well. Then there is everyone else.  Also, my book has only been available for four months; sales could increase (or decrease) at any time and patience is a virtue I suspect many new Kindle authors are learning. (The second caveat was that things could change with more time.)     

I dreamed of selling a hundred books a month. Now I’d be happy (and I mean it) if I sold five books a month. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but it adds up. The problem is that no one knows my book is out there (or your book either). And this isn’t a problem that only concerns Kindle writers, books get lost in the glut of brick and mortar bookstores too, but with electronic publishing you can’t physically go into the store and get your book and replace it with the cover facing out.     

So, that’s the really bad side of self-publishing on Kindle. You may only sell twenty-five books.  Total.  Ever.     

But (assuming your book is actually good), is it better to have it out there and available and PUBLISHED, or to keep it in a box under your bed. I decided it was better to be published. And you can fool yourself into thinking you are going to be one of the ones who makes enough money off this to live, for a little while. It’s fun to expect that to begin with. Just make sure you’re not going to be dangerously unhappy when it doesn’t happen.     

So, obviously you  can tell from the above that I’m not selling a lot of books. (Not yet, I say). But trying to sell has been a much needed and interesting education. Unexpected. Some of it has even been fun and I do recommend it.     

Next blog (or the next), I will go into the mechanics of publishing to Kindle (what little I know of it). Best advice is to probably hire someone to do it for you. But you can do it all by yourself, even if you know little to nothing about publishing software.     

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK–Jezebel’s Daughter by Wilkie Collins.   Saw Unstoppable at the movies. All photos on this blog are by Roxanne Rix.   

Find Gretchen Rix on  facebook, and follow me on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/GretchenRix.  Check  out my interview on Kindle Author from November 9.