Wishing for more books (and more space for them)

Amazon is a nightmare if you’re trying to keep your book collection small in case you need to move soon (a “small” book collection in my case means a full bookshelf in my room, six large boxes full in storage, and other books scattered all over the house). I’ve recently been slowly trying to purge the ones I don’t really need to hold on to. Like today, I just made myself part with another boxful of books in order to feel a little more comfortable in the amount of packing I’ll need to do if I ever move out of this tiny apartment.
And then I find stuff like this:

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For like, you know, when I have kids.


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I’ve put off reading this classic because I want to have this one, the 50th Anniversary Edition. Is is that important? I guess it is to me. I’m a little weird like that.


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William Gorman’s debut novel from Crystal Lake Publishing. Love that cover art!


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I’m intrigued by the idea of steampunk literature. I just haven’t read any yet.


What to do, what to do? I’ll probably end up buying these eventually. Trying to be content for now. I really don’t have much room for more (not that I ever turn a book down if I find a good deal).
 

Hard decisions on cover art

I got the cover concepts from my graphic designer recently, and they’re all so good it’s giving me a really tough time figuring out which way to move froward. I think I’m pretty close to a decision but it’s close. It will still be a while before I’m able to show you anything, but just know I’m pretty excited.
Tip: My mailing list subscribers will see the cover first. Click here so you will, too.

February is a great, expensive month, and Stephen King is still alive

February is home to one of my favorite holidays, Valentine’s Day. It’s also the month in which houses my wife’s birthday. So I’ll be spending more money this month than usual. But that’s okay, because she usually shares the chocolate I buy her.
I would be remiss (not amiss, thank you Google!) if I didn’t mention that February is also Black History Month. I’m not extremely well-read on the subject, but I do want to take this opportunity to shout out about The Color of Water, an inspiring and incredible memoir by James McBride.
In other February news:
I’m looking forward to begin communication with the graphic designer that will be working on my book’s cover. I booked Design for Writers a little while back, and they said I should be contacted sometime around the beginning of February to begin the work. Pretty psyched about that.
Also, I have an editor (David Gatewood) scheduled to take my manuscript later this month! He’s one of the best out there, and I look forward to working with him.
So, good things happening this month! Hey, any advice for good birthday and/or Valentine’s Day presents, I’m all ears; I haven’t decided what I’m getting Emily yet.
I know this is not the greatest of blog posts; I was just kind of checking in to let everyone know I’m still here. Apparently there was a rumor circulating a few days ago that Stephen King had died, but he (or probably one of his PR people) logged onto his blog to dispel that rumor and reassure all of his fans. Of course, if had been true, I wouldn’t be too surprised if he continued to write bestsellers from beyond the grave. I mean, this happens all the time, right? Or am I misunderstanding the term ghostwriter?
 

Merry Christmas

As an interneter, I’ve fallen a bit short. I was going to have some sort of great holiday email sent our to my subscribers, and a cheery yet thought provoking Christmas themed blog post. But I got sick this week, and I lost all motivation, and the best I can come up with is a few sentences about not blogging and this picture of the Grinch from last night’s traditional Christmas Eve viewing:
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I like the Grinch. He and I both have an inexplicable dislike for Christmas carols.
Remember the Savior come as a humble baby. He will come again as a conquering King. Merry Christmas everyone. Now I gotta get out of bed and make my wife some biscuits.

Writing and fear

In a newsletter I sent out around Thanksgiving, I told my readers that I had been struggling with getting any writing-related work done over the holiday, and it wasn’t as much because of laziness as it was of fear. I’m pretty sure that, if you’ve been writing a while (or even if you’ve just started), you probably know what I mean. Maybe you don’t. Many non-writers may not realize that fear can be one of a writer’s greatest hindrances. A lot of times, when a writer has “writer’s block,” most of it is from fear.
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