The Sandman Ain't Who You Thought He Was

September is gone. October is upon us. Yeah, I'm stating the obvious but I'm a bit stupefied by how fast life rushes by these days. In less than a month, THE FEEDSTORE CHRONICLES will be out and still I'm busy writing the acknowledgment page, lining up my author photo and working with my publisher on the other final touches.

I'm forever saying, if I can just get through this week or this month life is going to slow down. However it never does. Forrest and his momma compared life to a box of chocolates but if you ask me it's more shoveling sand. Sure you can dig out a hole but soon as you do new grains are going to start tumbling in to take the space.

I have not been reading near as much as I would like but in recent times I have read two books written by friends.

John Wilsterman has the kind of sneaky wit that creeps in on you. Oh there is plenty of surface humor to his work as well but its that subtle funny that works best in his novel Beneath Juliet. John self-published Beneath Juliet and I'd be lying if I didn't admit to doing a bit of editing as a read along. But it is the rare book that I read, regardless of where or how it was published, that I read and can silence my inner editor. I'm not talking typos and grammatical mistakes. Heck i have a hard enough time noticing that stuff in my own work. It's more of a voice thing and how I would have written a  line or introduced a character or plot point. But I'm also a HUGE character guy and let me tell you John  has stocked his story with plenty of big and interesting fish. The story revolves around a strange Georgia lake and its shadowy past. There is a cold case murder and an accused serial killer. Yes, I did say the book is funny and it is, but it's also much more. Stop by John's site and order a copy for yourself to see what I mean. Beneath Juliet and its rich characters will keep you thinking about them for weeks after you've turned that last page.  

I also read The Man in the Cinder Clouds by a Rick Daley. I read this one on my Nook but it is also available for kindle. The Man in the Cinder Clouds is a middle-grade book with a unique twist on the Santa Clause legend. I plan to read this one aloud to my boys as we get closer to the holidays, but this is a book that the young at heart, regardless of age can enjoy anytime of the year. Rick offers his take on the origins of Santa in the most entertaining of fashions.

There are a million blogs talking about the changes within the publishing industry. about how independent publishers and self publishing authors are changing the way people buy books. To do anything other than sign a contract with the big New York houses uses to be frowned upon. At least by other writers and people with knowledge of the business but ti seems to me the reader,t he very people we sit long hours at the computer and write for don;t really care who how or why I book was published. At the end of the day it comes down to -- Was the book enlightening, entertaining, and worthy of the dollars I spent?

When that answer is yes, the author has reason to be proud. So I urge all of you, pick up a book and read whether it be from a big 6 publisher, an independent, or self published. When you pick up a book you can go anywhere in the world, right from the comfort of your couch.

One last thing. Not long ago I blogged about a very cool literacy project called the Black Stallion Literacy Foundation. At the time there PayPal was not functioning properly and you had to jump through hoops to donate to this worthy cause. But those issues have been fixed so if you tried before and was unsuccessful or simply hare just know hearing about it and have a few spare dollars you can change a kids life by donating a few dollars here, or to read and learn more click here.