Aug. 14, 2011: After looking at publishers' prices, I decided to just upload the cover and manuscript PDFs into CreateSpace (Amazon.com). I used their create process for the cover and got it as close to my original as I could. I had to alter the page size to allow for bleeding so the number of pages came down, but still a respectable size for a novel. It's all in review now and I should be able to see a proof in a few days. I might even have a shipment of books in time for the White County Creative Writers' Conference on Sept. 3 and my speaking engagement at the Jacksonville library on Sept. 6 (10 a.m.). What a nice idea, having my new book in time for my 65th birthday on Sept. 7.
Aug. 6, 2011: My new e-book, WHILE THE ANGELS SLEPT, is live at Amazon.com and can be called up in the Book category with either the title or my name in the other window. It's not showing up on a generic Google search, but is on Amazon.com. I'll look into that. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to find a reasonable printer for the paperback. I bought a new PDF converter today, professional model, and it works like a dream. Should make life easier in dealing with print shops. I'm also happy to report that my friend, C.J. Vernatter, is also on Amazon.com. His science-fiction short story, SIDE SHOW, went up at the same time as my book.
Aug. 2, 2011: Ohhhh, what a busy day. I did a final edit on WHILE THE ANGELS SLEPT, went to Mt. Holly graveyard in Little Rock and photographed an angel monument for the front cover, purchased my print copy ISBN and bar code from Bowker, called a couple of print shops to get estimates on the first run (I still need to do the typesetting -- i.e., run the Word.doc through MS Publisher and spruce it up) and I created the cover and uploaded it and the manuscript to Amazon.com for Kindle readers to enjoy. I haven't contacted B&N Nook yet, my brain only allows one or two headaches a day. Once I'm done with Kindle, I'll tackle Nook. So it looks like I'm well on my way to being a self-published author. I doubt that I can get the printed book done by the White County Creative Writers conference (I sat on my butt too long), but I have a speaking engagement on Sept. 6 at the library in Jacksonville and those extra days might help. If not, along with the other books I'll have ready, next year's Arkansas Writers Conference will be a good place to set up and sell my little darlings.
Aug. 1, 2011: I'm still working on my own books, but I'm also serving as publisher for a client, my friend C.J. Vernatter, who provided me the rights to publish his Science Fiction short story, SIDE SHOW. I created the cover in Adobe Image Ready and PowerPoint and uploaded both the cover and the copy to Amazon.com -- waiting for them to post it.
July 30, 2011: I just copyrighted my latest novel, WHILE THE ANGELS SLEPT. I'm designing the cover and will publish it as an E-book on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble for their Kindle and Nook readers. THE GOODBYE TRAIL is being rewritten and will soon join "Angels". Meanwhile, here's a preview:
WHILE THE ANGELS SLEPT
Mystery - 50,000 Words
Coming Soon
With her rich husband dead, Lydia Taylor just wants to get on with her life. But there's a couple of problems with that. She being haunted by international art thieves who want her money and by strange men who want her body. In desperation, she turns to an old high school chum who is now a detective investigating the wrongdoings, and he still has a crush on her from high school.
TEXAS JUSTICE
Western Fiction - 70,000 Words
Coming Soon
The wanted poster said Dead or Alive, but what do you do when the man you are tracking is the man who taught you everything you know about being a lawman? Former U.S. Marshal Bill Shackley murders the man who raped and killed his wife. It’s up to Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Clayborn to bring him in. The job is made harder by the fact that Shackley is Clayborn’s foster father, having raised him from a small boy after Sam’s real father was killed in the line of duty. But that’s not the only problem. An old political enemy has hired Mas Lodi, the most dangerous bounty hunter in South Texas to go after Shackley and bring him back … dead. But that's not the end of the story. Justice will be metered out in a very old fashioned manner at the end of a six gun.
WHISPERS IN THE WIND
The Search for Jack the Ripper
Horror - 72,200 Words
Coming in 2012
“The witch! The old hag, she did it. Taught him her secrets, she did. Right nice of the old gal, considering it was she what did him in for misery’s sake. An’ what matter of conjuration d’yuh suppose she was up to when she told him what her payment would be? An eye fer an eye, she wanted. But it wasn’t jest an eye that she wanted. The witch. She wanted ‘er payments in blood. Livers and lungs, she wanted; and the heart, especially the heart.” --The Blind Man
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Chief Inspector Lionel Diggins’ wife dies after a lengthy illness. Losing her, he also loses his will to live and tries to ease his pain by drinking himself nearly to death. Recovering from the bottle, he finds he has lost favor in the eyes of his superiors at Scotland Yard. During Inspector Frederick Abberline’s sudden bout with pneumonia, his superiors assign Diggins to take over the investigation of a string of grisly murders purportedly the work of the world’s first serial killer – Jack the Ripper. When he begins his investigation ghostly warnings urge him to be careful. His dead wife, Alice, is reaching out from beyond the grave to protect him.
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To learn more about me, please visit my other site:
http://www.delgarrett.blogspot.com/
To see what I'm doing when I'm not writing visit my martial arts site: http://www.kenjukido.com/
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Budget Services Available:
Editing, Ghost Writing, Speaking to Writers' Groups (Depends on price and travel arrangements - contact me at del.garrett@facebook.com
