Getting reviews have been harder than expected. I have given away many many copies in expectation of getting a review but very few follow through for whatever reason, some legit others not so legit. But I got my third review on Amazon

 More than I expected, June 12, 2013

I will read mostly anything I can get my hands on however I was a little nervous to read this novel since I knew it was the first novel the author had wrote however I was pleasantly surprised. Other than a few grammatical errors and also some parts of the text that seems choppy, the plot was good and the story telling kept me interested. I was able to connect with the characters which also kept me drawn to the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good unexpected ending.

Pretty exciting to know others are reading my book. I could have left it in a drawer somewhere like a lot of people do. Pretty cool stuff!!

Looking for Suggestions

After publishing my first book and all the lessons I have learned and still am learning, I have decided to do something. I thought how hard it is for first time authors to get noticed amidst this sea of authors new and well-known. Self-publishing has become easier than ever with digital publishing and on-demand print. Amazon, Smashwords, Uncovered Books (coming out this fall) and Createspace for on-demand paperback publishing.

It used to be, as my Grandfather was a self-published author, that you would have to pay a lot of up-front set-up fees for the printing and then buy a shipment of books and hope you can sell them and make a profit. Only the most confident, motivated and with at least a little disposable income ventured into the world of self-publishing. If you lacked one of those things, most likely the disposable income for the initial investment, you relied on traditional publishers by submitting your book and receiving tons of rejection letters before finally getting one, if you ever did.  Those days are now a bygone era.

Now anyone with internet access can be self-published. This is a great thing. Of course that means that there are more new and emerging authors. Uncharted imaginations, if you will. Stories that will not be stuck in a drawer because someone behind a desk decided it was not a profit worthy project. We are free to decide for ourselves what authors we want to read and which ones to pass on.

I have decided to do my part in helping these previously unpublished authors to achieve some attention. I want to start a book review site just for authors that have never before been published. Authors that are unheard of from the everyday world. Authors that still have day jobs like teaching, manufacturing and service jobs. A place where readers can find their new favorite author. While titling a book can sometimes be the hardest part of publishing a book, naming a website can be the first and hardest part of staring a blog or website. I could use a few suggestions....Any ideas?

So Many Lessons

I believe I am destined that in all my life ventures my first attempts at anything every possible mistake must be made. My first book will be no different. By the time I get my second book done it will be a success overnight from all the lessons learned the first go round. I will say that some things like getting reviews are painfully slow. I know I know. I need to give them time to read the book. But some are coworkers who agreed to review then come to work and tell me they love the book and came to really care about the characters but yet the number of reviews on the book stay the same.

One of my coworkers even left me a funny voicemail. I keep it for entertainment purposes. I have pretty blond roots and in the service industry with irregular crazy hours, I sometimes get my days backwards. One of those days I thought I had the day off. Come 6:00 am and I was due in at 5am a girl who agreed to leave a review left a message "hey you were due I'm at 5 and I know I said I would put your review on but I got distracted with the baby and laundry so will you please cone into work now? I promise to get it in today." I came I'm assured her it was a mixup I'm schedule and I'm not that vindictive. Of course she has yet to post. Playing that message gives me a giggle.

Free Ebook for Memorial Day

My YouTube Rant

What people do on their own time, in the privacy of their own home is none of my business. When it enters my home, it becomes my business. I have three boys, nearly all teenagers. A lot of their viewing entertainment comes from the internet. We watch Netflix. Movies chosen are upon approval of my scrutinous eye. Sometimes before, sometimes with a lecture later after seeing the 'previously viewed' section. I'm no prude. I'm probably am too lenient in what they watch, but I still have a few scruples.

Two of my kids love to watch Tobuscus on YouTube. That's cool. I've watched him. I have even laughed at his rants. Definitely on the hyper-side, which annoys my oldest son. There are other things they have watched and subscribed to on YouTube. All innocent, most not my taste, but acceptable. These videos they watch are geared to these kids.

My issue, though, is with the advertising. I have no problem with ads in general. Hey, if it means I can get something for free, I will gladly look at an ad. But the ad is erotic. I didn't click on it to see where it led me. I clicked on another video and there was a similiar ad where a woman in only a bra was on her knees and bent completely over so all you saw was cleavage. My kids can choose to look at that stuff when they are grown men, not living in my house. Until then, I am responsible for feeding their impressionable minds and I have plenty of other junk I can plant in there to rot.

I don't even really care that they have those advertisements in general. I just wish they would match the ads with the videos. If the videos are about Erectile Dysfunction then you are probably old enough to see that that type of advertisement. If you want a russian or asian girlfriend, that's your business. If you are watching Tobuscus, you are probably between the ages of 12 and 15 and not an age appropriate ad. I believe YouTube should change their algorithms on that aspect of their page.

Well hello there...

Hello all you blog readers out there. I would like to welcome you to tipsy hour. I cannot tell you how long its been since I have had more than one adult beverage in one sitting. I'm a huge lightweight. 2 beers and 2 shots tequila. At least I knew when to leave. At the same time I made my first corny joke. Wait. That's all my jokes. When I made my first SUPER corny joke. I waitressed tonight and after closing we all four shared in drinking a few. The owners myself and the knew and probobly first official head chef at my local diner. The conversation was all business visionary. I'm only there to snag a few bucks but this new guy is a keeper. I wouldn't cry if they bagged me. In fact if Gordon Ramsey were there he would fire me. I'm new and I suck a bit. Whatever. I got $100 for4 hours work and that's $100 more than I had 4 hours ago. This guy, though has a dream. I listened and was happy for them while drinking my beer. Then he used a comparison of the restaurant as a gold mine and there were no miners there. I spoke up and said they could hire my 16 year old. On that lame joke I took my leave. Goodnight all as I must get up in the morning and work another 16 hour work day. Yea me!!!!

Is being a Hermit a Suitable Life Choice?

I have always believed myself to be a people person. Customer Service was always first choice in career options because I am friendly, approachable, patient and understanding. A warm genuine smile will offset any wanna be cusser outer of the business world. After so many years of retail, fast food and other customer oriented jobs. I think my latest one has me running for a deep cave in the mountains to live of the Earth and paint stick figures on the walls by campfire. The very idea of waking whenever I wish to bathe in a cool stream and breakfast off berries seems very relaxing. No worries, no material possessions to make payments on, no house to keep clean, no people to appease. Ahhh the dream.

Reality is I would like it for about an hour, nap a sweet nap and wake bored out of my mind and already sick of myself. Granted, I love a good camping trip, with others that know how. Truth is I am just kapoot and burnt out. Being a middle manager for a busy fast food joint is an underpaid high stress job. I don't recommend it. If I had to do it again I could just as easily be the underpaid woman at the window taking cash and waving, with no other job than that. "Would you like fries with that?...If everything on your screen is correct, please pull around to the next window please....That will be $1.99 Thank you and have a lovely day". I could do that all day, If my pride would let me as the sole breadwinner of a family of four. No money drawers to count and stress over a drawer that's $2 short. No assigning crew tasks and figuring out how we can be faster, cheaper and friendlier with less people than the day before. No dealing with call-offs and people walking out on their job. No being pulled in 20 different directions while each station needs manager help and tring to figure out why there's no pop coming out of the pop machine and calling to see who can get trash bags because the ordering manager decided trash bags was not a suitable item to break the monthly budget as opposed to ...oh I don't know...anything else. All this while a higher up is telling you the manager before you blew labor and now you have to make up for it by purposely undermanning your floor. Excuse me while I take a moment to scream inside my head. Wait, moment disturbed while someone asks for their tenth smoke break with a line out the door of the lobby and cars wrapped around the building.

Bored sounds pretty good compared to this stress. Of course I don't have internet out there to self-publish my books. Heat and shelter would be nice in winter. Well, I guess I really need to evaluate my career choices and make a change. Cuz this ain't cuttin' it no mo!!

Sleutz or Slutz?

I laughed when I saw this in the local paper. All I could think was this poor guy getting mocked by all his friends, coworkers and classmates. I thought newspapers were supposed to have better editors than this.
A prideful moment turned into mockery. So sad. So funny!

Murphy's Law

Murphy's law states that what will go wrong will go wrong. This law applies often in my life. Today for instance, I am finally hooked with internet service after two years of going without. Woohoo right? I can, at last, blog, tweet, email, and do general search and surf without spending oodles of time at my local McDonald's wifi. Tech calls me at work to let me know my DSL is hooked up to the house. Sweet! Come home and ...nada. oh yeah I forgot how DSL works. Its not a cable, its a phone line internet. Do you know how old my phone lines are in my house? Neither do I. In the few years I have lived in my century home I have yet to use a real phone line. Cell phones rule in this household. Guess I'm putting in a new line to the box. Uggh always one more thing. I hate Murphy.

New Emailed Review by Kat

So. I just finished reading your book. I have to say, you should be very proud of yourself. I didn't expect it to be that deep and emotional. I cried. Which is a huge thing because I hardly ever cry because of a book. I will post a review to amazon very soon. -Kat

Shout out to all shift workers

O...M...G. I am so tired. I am a swing manager at a fast food joint. I can be scheduled to work any shift. I am working thirds this week. As far as the work goes, its actually my favorite shift. It's low key, there's less employees to deal with and none are teenagers and no upper management ever comes in on third. It's just more relaxed. Go in, work, go home. It's all good. The part I have a hard time with is the sleep adjustment. I go home ready to crash but only sleep lightly for about an hour or two. Then I'm awake. After trying to get something done at home for an hour I try to take another long nap. It takes me about four days to adjust. Those four days I'm in a sleep fog trying desperately to remember all my tasks both at home and at work. Day and night I'm exhausted. Then I somehow adjust. The moment this happens, I get put back on first shift.

Last time I was this tired I had a newborn.

It makes me wonder how nurses and firefighters and anybody else that works swing shifts function. You people are special and amazing!!

The Amazing Potato

I'm all excited. I get excited easily over daily things. I didn't feel like dirtying a cooking  pan, mostly because I'm slightly lazy, so I decided to rotisserie my corned beef brisket. I'm two hours in and it smells amazing.  Then I kind of spaced on how long to bake a potato and googled it. In the process I discovered how to "bake" potatoes in slow cooker. I consider myself an above average home cook and never thought to cook these things this way, well the rotisserie is a new gadget for me so I never really thought about cooking much that way. However the baked potato in slow cooker is useful. I live thirty seconds from a convienient store and my kids always want to go down to buy chips and junk food. They all love baked potatoes but will never cook them. Not exactly a convienient food till now. I can put them wrapped in foil in slow cooker, by the time they get home from school there is a ready made snack that is way better and cheaper than potato chips and dip. It will be good all evening and the leftovers have tons of possibilities from mashed potatoes to soup to potato pancakes. Yummy in my tummy.

Unexpected excitement and trepidation

My kids like the windows open at night. Unfortunately this has left my house vulnerable to the random curious squirrel. We have a family that live in the couple trees and bushes in my yard.

I was sleeping on the couch trying to prepare for my third shifts I have to work this week. My 150lb mastiff / great Dane mix was curled up under my legs. I get awoken by a dog the size of a full grown man jumping off the couch from under my legs chasing a blur on the floor. This gray blur ran behind my living room chair and is now trapped by the threat of jaws larger than this tree rodents body.

This is the happiest I have seen my dog who lives a quiet and boring life. Her biggest excitement is when the kids are coming home from school. If she catches the tiny intruder she will kill it with one swoop. I believe, however that she has no intention of killing it, just to play. Looking at manslaughter at best. At worst, I have a pest stuck under my chair I have to figure out how to get rid of before I have an infestation or insuring all our rabies shots are up to date.

Either way I see me being very tired at work tonight cuz I ain't going back to sleep now.

Why books are great

In this age of technology, everything is in the palm of our hand. Every moment we feel the need for distraction, just pick up your cell phone. Get out your kindle, nook, or iPod. Pull out your netbook and ride the free wifi from your local coffee shop or fast food joint.

In an effort to simplify my life I had my internet and cable shut off. I took advantage of my little gadgets for daily distractions. I watch Netflix on my phone or read on my nook. I take my laptop to McDonald's to download stuff over a cup of coffee and Pandora. After having to replace my old phone, I find my meeting is not up to snuff with my new. My battery died while plugged in watching Heroes. That was the series I was into when I made the decision to downgrade. Having three kids I find many gadgets not charged as they should be.

With nothing electronically ready to properly distract or entertain I go back to the trusty paperback. I have a stack waiting patiently for a day like today.

Nothing beats a paperback. OK so I can't carry a library of 10,000 real books without breaking my back but I just need one good one to sit on my couch cuddled up with a cup of tea. I love the feel of the page as I hold it impatient that I can't read faster to turn the page to see...see what? I don't know...see who gets killed, who gets caught, who's in love with who, who gets betrayed, who's an alien and how it all happens. I get excited to felt the pages get thicker in my left hand and thinner in my right as I read further into the book. Tge bittersweet feeling when i see from the top of the book I don't have much more and these characters won't be with much longer but I so long to find out is on any page now.  Those are things you can't get from a digital device. I still love a good real book.

Why books are great

In this age of technology, everything is in the palm of our hand. Every moment we feel the need for distraction, just pick up your cell phone. Get out your kindle, nook, or iPod. Pull out your netbook and ride the free wifi from your local coffee shop or fast food joint.

In an effort to simplify my life I had my internet and cable shut off. I took advantage of my little gadgets for daily distractions. I watch Netflix on my phone or read on my nook. I take my laptop to McDonald's to download stuff over a cup of coffee and Pandora. After having to replace my old phone, I find my meeting is not up to snuff with my new. My battery died while plugged in watching Heroes. That was the series I was into when I made the decision to downgrade. Having three kids I find many gadgets not charged as they should be.

With nothing electronically ready to properly distract or entertain I go back to the trusty paperback. I have a stack waiting patiently for a day like today.

Nothing beats a paperback. OK so I can't carry a library of 10,000 real books without breaking my back but I just need one good one to sit on my couch cuddled up with a cup of tea. I love the feel of the page as I hold it impatient that I can't read faster to turn the page to see...see what? I don't know...see who gets killed, who gets caught, who's in love with who, who gets betrayed, who's an alien and how it all happens. I get excited to felt the pages get thicker in my left hand and thinner in my right as I read further into the book. Tge bittersweet feeling when i see from the top of the book I don't have much more and these characters won't be with much longer but I so long to find out is on any page now.  Those are things you can't get from a digital device. I still love a good real book.

Confessions of a Desperate Soul

I'm supposed to write here everyday for marketing purposes. Let people get to know me and my book will sell. Normally, I try to write something cute and optimistic, or vent about something that is not Earth-shattering.  Really that is who I am on a daily basis. I enjoy life on a whole. I don't let things bother me and I have had major things happen in my life. Hey, I was a teenage mom and twice divorced one was even abusive. I could write about my own life. Through it all I have enjoyed my children, my family and even became best friends with my first ex-husband and father of two of my kids. I have had major low points where I have cried into my pillow but  I have always had something to hold on to.

I can look in the mirror and see an extraordinarily strong individual that can love and care for others beyond, reasonableness at times. I can handle anything thrown my way with a smile and a laugh. I will go to any length to protect my kids and those that I love.

There is only one stress that I am unable to handle. Financial. Looking back at my life, when I have feasted is when I was married or counting on someone else to provide. When I am in famine, I am alone counting on myself. I'm not sure how I am such a failure in this area of my life. My biggest problem is that failure in this area spreads failure to other areas.  If I cannot bring in the right amount of income, I cannot pay for disasters like a broken down car. Mine has been on jacks in the driveway for a month now waiting for me and YouTube to get it right. Without the right income I cannot improve or even maintain my home properly. Like my 1930's garage that needs torn down waiting for me to be able to afford a dumpster as I stare at a letter from the city demanding it's removal or I get fined.  without the proper incoming funds I cannot properly pay my bills, which is why my gas got turned off yesterday and I sit wrapped in an electric blanket glad it's warm outside. That's what happens when you can only pay half your bill every month.  I hate that I get stressed when one of my kids ask for $5 for a school trip. Where will that come from? I give it to him with a smile and a kiss. But I am blessed that I have yet had a day that I m homeless or have gone hungry. My kids have never been forced to starve. They may have done it themselves refusing to eat chili because it has beans in it - God forbid - Beans.

I'm certainly not lazy. I currently work two jobs, three if you count my weak marketing attempts for this book. Unfortunately, they are both minimum wage jobs. I accepted the first job that would hire me in spite of knowing I was not suited for it. I do not manage others well, but it's a paycheck. No one else has called in regards to my application. I have certainly applied to enough jobs that I would thoroughly enjoy and pays enough to meet my needs. I didn't even get  call to interview.

I qualify for public assistance but I am not on it. It would help and I am not too prideful to accept it. I wouldn't advertise I'm on it but I wouldn't refuse if it means I can take better care of my kids. They will not accept me because I refuse child support from my oldest son's dad. After I had my son, three days before my nineteenth birthday, his dad decided cocaine dealing was a good vocation. I refuse to let someone like that have parental rights to my child. My son is 16 now and never met him. I refuse to change it now. Child support agencies don't understand or care. I am an enigma to them. Because I put the safety of my son before a check, I disqualify myself from that help.

 I am working hard to make the book sell, after all I believe in it. It's my dream job and has the potential to be my financial cure. I know in the right marketing hands, not mine, it can be a sensation and provide me with a job that doesn't make me ready to cry when I clock out. After all, they say that if you can make a living doing something you love, you will never work a day in your life. I think in time it will do well, I just can't afford patience right now. I am having a hard time finding that marketer /promoter that is willing to be my salvation.

I have no desire to own the mansion on the hill. I don't want to go to the Caribbean every year. I want to have enough money to fix up my house to be a great home for my kids and be a place where I can bring my Mom to help her care for my Step-Dad with MS and in a wheel-chair.  I want pizza on Friday - guilt free. I want, when my kids ask for money, to give it stress free. When disaster strikes, I want to be prepared to complain about the cost of the mechanic or the plumber, then pay them without hesitation or fear.

Maybe someone will answer my ad today and my salvation will reveal themselves in their marketing genius and this particular misery will be resolved.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day and I will post something cheerful.

But if you know of a miraculously good marketer/pr guy  ...let me know

Smartphones are Astounding!

Smartphones are astounding! It's no wonder people are so addicted to it especially now, with mobile internet. I find myself on it ALL the time. I wake up and check for school closings and the weather - on my phone. I check my email with every bleep of a notification (ok mine sneezes and makes me giggle every time - it's cute - don't judge) If I can't remember a recipe, I look it up - on the internet - on my phone. I want to get hold of a friend? I message her on Facebook - on my phone (ok used to - but still...) I want to play a game - I download - to my phone. I can download books, movies and music, all to my phone. I don't even have to download them. I have an app for that! Netflix, Pandora (I use Jango) Gmail. There is an app for that.

I know I am not saying anything new here but I am surprised at myself. When I first got my smartphone (HTC Evo 3D) I hated it! So I thought. They are mini computers. Even though I used it it to it's full advantage, including why I got this one in the first place, as a hotspot for my laptop at home, I thought it was too much. It froze on me all the time. I could take out the battery to reset the phone faster than a cowboy could draw his six-shooter. I thought I wanted to downgrade to a flip phone. All I could think about was 'what if I got mugged on my way home from work?' Just to call 911 I have to unlock it, click on the phone app then dial 911 all while screaming and being bludgeoned for my $2.

When it was time to replace my phone, I started to reach for the flip I wanted and my hand wavered. No, no. I don't want the hassle of a smartphone, I reminded myself. But how will I check my blogger stats on a whim with a flip phone? What if I need to Google something, like 15 things to do with a banana peel? That's important, right?

My Chaser is not as advanced as my Evo was but it ain't dumb.

P.S. In case I got you curious.....http://gomestic.com/home/extraordinarily-different-things-to-do-with-a-banana/

One Last Facebook Failure

I have no intention to keep balking about this and I promise this will be my last Facebook bash. But seriously though, this is really ridiculous. I had succumbed to the idea that my account was closed after I got the text from a friend showing that my messages had been removed due to spam or abuse. I can only imagine how unprofessional this looks to the other authors and book clubs that have 'friended' or 'liked ' my page. Then I get an email from Facebook saying how much I have missed and look at what my 'friends' have posted since I have been away. It's not my fault I am away. I click on the link to come back. I have to confirm my identity. So I decide to try again. Maybe this time I will be luckier and get images of people that I do know.  This is what I get:

Image 1: Two girls with swirlified faces. I wouldn't know my own child like this.

Image 2: A scanned photo of magazine model. Even if I knew the name of the model, it's not her.

Image 3: Several people all together with the box around more than one face. Which one am I supposed to name?

Image 4: A pinup model on a truck. Again a model, not her page.

Image 5: A concert poster. Axle Rose is not my 'friend' but I would accept the request.

Image 6: (used 1 of 2 skips) Meme cartoon. It's a drawing of a meme on a stick figure...I dunno! Ally McBeal?

Image 7: (used 2 of 2 skips) Boobs. At least it was an actual image of the owner of the account. Nice rack but still have yet to ever identify a woman by her cleavage as I am a straight woman. I may notice great cleavage but I don't drool enough to be able to identify in a lineup.

So I have failed once again. I emailed them and complained. I told Facebook I was willing to confirm via cell phone or email. Something tells me I will not hear from them. Now I have to either be stubborn and boycott Facebook or swallow my pride and start again, maybe with a printout of my 'friends' as a cheat sheet.

Facebook and I are at Odds

As many authors do, I started a Facebook page, twitter account, linked in account, a blog, among other things. Its all about self promotion. It didn't take long but I got hooked. (Hello, my name is Ericka and I'm a social media addict) I love to see my blog stats get higher and higher. Then I check the likes on my Facebook page. More than yesterday. Awesome. I go on and on like this through every account getting a high from a retweet or comment. Then something happened. I feel anxious and upset, partly for mild addiction reasons, mostly for promoting reasons.

Here's what happened. I got on Facebook. It tells me they believe I'm not real and I need to confirm my identity. Cool, no prob!  I grab my cell ready to put in special code. No such luck. They want me to identify my "friends " in random photos.
CRAP! I, like so many other Facebookers personal and professional, have both sent and accepted random requests. They gave me no alternative. No codes sent to my cell, no other way, no other choice. I take a deep breath and hope that out of the five people I have to identify, four are of the five are actual family members and one is a pic with the person's name included in it. No such luck there either. After failing, no other choice is given. One of the people I do actually know and had helped me get some of those random "friends" sends me a pic of his message screen to me that says my account has been deleted to spam or abuse. Not happy. Not happy at all. I want my account back. I am real, so real.

TR89X - Everyone Loves Free!!

My book Unforgotten is active on Smashwords and has a coupon for a free eBook good till Saturday April 27th. Just go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/300318 and enter coupon code TR89X. I am excited to see everyone take advantage of this. Hope you all read, love, post, tweet, share and tell everyone about it. Thanks to all who do:)