Category: Bless Their Hearts

Writer McCrankypants strikes again

ARGH. Kickity kick kick ARGH.

Sigh.

Hi, peeps.

I’ve been running around trying to get a print version of From the Hat Down up and operational.

It’s not working. It’s making me frustrated. REALLY frustrated.

The main issue is that the print people claim that the file I and my typesetter supplied is causing the print to be too light. You see, I ordered an ol’ skool paper proof, which means I ordered a preliminary version of the book, bound with the cover so I could see how it looks. The exterior looks fine. But the interior typeface is just too light. So I brought it up with the printer people who allegedly did some “tracking” to determine what the cause may be. Meanwhile, my typesetter checked, too. The settings in my typesetter’s file are fine. They’re where they need to be. The printer people insist they’re not (bless their hearts).

In the meantime, the book doesn’t get printed because I refuse to release a book whose type looks like it’s the 20th Xeroxed copy off another Xeroxed copy.

I spent around 15 years in publishing. My typesetter spent about 20. And my designer is still working in publishing. I met her 20 years ago at the press where we worked and at that point, she had a good 10-15 years of design experience under her belt. Ergo, we kind of know what we’re doing.

But the printer people are just not on the boat with us.

And this makes me Writer McCrankypants.

So, dear readers, at some point, I will have a print version available. For reals. But I want to make sure it’s a quality product that you will be able to read without thinking: “Damn. This typeface is so light.” Because that will make you Reader McCrankypants, and that is so totally not cool.

And yes, at some point, I will have some other e-formats available. Those issues are also contributing to my McCrankypants self. Send me some good ju-ju. Maybe the printer needs a ju-ju infusion, too. And all the e-platforms. Just massive good ju-ju everywhere. I think that will decidedly help. In the meantime, howsabout we listen to the playlist to From the Hat Down to make us feel better? Music always makes me feel a bit better.

Here:

LINK, in case this embedding freaks out again.

And here’s the playlist for From the Boots Up, just cuz.

LINK, in case the embedding flees this site.

Ahhhhhh…

Happy reading, happy writing. And happy Friday, all!

by Categories: Bless Their Hearts, Indie publishing, Publishing bizness, Stuff that sucks, Technology, The Writing CrazyTags: , , , 9 Comments

Step away from the smartphone…

A couple weeks ago, I saw a story on Dateline, NBC about 4 college-aged women who “gave up” technology for a couple of weeks.

That is, no smartphones or computers. What was interesting and horrifying to me about the story was one, that they basically went through withdrawal for a while without the devices and, two, how absolutely clueless they seemed to be about interacting with people and the world around them without an electronic device.

WTF?

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by Categories: Bless Their Hearts, TechnologyTags: , 9 Comments

Things writers should NOT do, part 2

Hi, kids!

So this whole writing thing can bring you down. It can stress you out, maybe make you say stupid things and do even stupider things.

Yes, a lot of this should be obvious. But to some, maybe not.

I blogged about that HERE, with regard to responding to a bad review (hint: DON’T).

And here’s another example of unprofessional and rude behavior. In this case, an author took offense at a forum administrator’s moving of his thread to a more appropriate section of the forum. That forum was the “small press/self-published” thread. The author had a very public meltdown on the forum, then took the nasties to Twitter, where he continued his insults. Read the comments on that blog that documented his behavior/meltdown, because many of those commenters note more of this author’s claims.

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by Categories: Bless Their Hearts, Publishing bizness, Things that might make you think, Things you shouldn't doTags: 4 Comments

Ban, baby, ban

Censorship is so last century.

That’s why I’m always surprised when I come across articles like this in HuffPo. Specifically, a Missouri school district has banned two books from the high school curriculum and library over concerns that they’ll apparently cause high school students to swear a lot and even have sex. Or something.

Which books, you may ask, have that kind of power? The unmitigated power to cause someone to suddenly start swearing like a drunken sailor on shore leave and, quite possibly, to suddenly want to have oodles of sex on a beach?

Click to find out. Oh, the horrors.

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by Categories: Bless Their Hearts, Books, Stuff that sucks, Things that make you think, Things you shouldn't doTags: , , , , , 2 Comments

Things not to do when you’re in Congress

Hi, kids!

Lordie. Had quite a lot going on, and I’m finally able to chill out and provide some tips to you and, hopefully, certain parties in the state and federal legislatures who I’m sure read this blog religiously. Actually, this is pretty good advice for all of us.

Wanna know? Click on…

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by Categories: Bless Their Hearts, Random WTF stuff, Things that might make you think, Things you shouldn't doTags: 2 Comments

This ain’t Blondie’s Rapture (sadly)

Hey, all–

So, presumably, at least half of you have heard that the Rapture is this Saturday. For those who are not up on Christian eschatology, that’s the day when the chosen ones are called on up to heaven and all the unbelievers and unsaved are left to rot here on the planet as it basically self-destructs. Pleasant for those of us “left behind,” if you will. [snark]

And yes, I am not among the chosen. Not that I ever pretended to be or wanted to be. I don’t believe that religion makes you more moral than others, or that it makes you special or superior to others. Nor do I believe that one religion is better than another, or that there’s a hierarchy of people that God, however you perceive him or her, designates.

At any rate, I like a good apocalypse, but stuff like this — with people proclaiming specific dates and thus usurping what’s supposed to be a power reserved for deities — makes me nervous, because a lot of people buy into it, and that’s just walking the cult line.


source

All that said, Harold Camping of Family Radio has been perusing his King James bible for decades, and he’s been looking for secret codes and numbers that would tell him exactly when the Rapture happens, and after manipulating those codes and numbers (using his own numerology), he came up with May 21, 2011 as the date. And because Camping’s been around since the 1950s, Family Radio has had lots of time to build up an audience. Which it has. It’s translated into 61 different languages and there are Rapture billboards all over the world.

More? Click on.

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by Categories: Bless Their Hearts, Random WTF stuffTags: , , , 1 Comment