OT-'Chasing A Stanky Dawg'-OT

[randroid]

Folks,

Since several of you have asked, I'm pleased to announce the completion of my latest Novel, tentatively titled, "Chasing A Stanky Dawg". It's about a road-trip taken by Jimmy (the narrator of the first book) after he comes down with a terminal case of cabin fever and feels the need to get out of Dodge. No release date as yet because I don't yet have a puplisher, but I have a friend who's a very successful author and he's going to set up a few contacts for me.

At 300 pages and just over 92,000 words, it's an exercise in seeing how unpredictable life is, no matter how carefully planned it may be. I'll keep you up to date as progress is made.

-Randy

[greg g]

Have you thought about E publishing??? Just listening to a feature on NPR about the trend away from printed and bound books.

[randroid]

Greg,

I thought about e-publishing a few years ago, but if Stephen King can't make it work I don't feel the need to do anything other than to think about it.

-Randy

[Plymouthy Adams]

I had a title picked out for a book but really never got beyond that...

The Wine-O and the Gutter Mutt

[Norm's Coupe]

Good luck getting your book published. I'm not much of a reader myself. Can't even sit in the chair and read one whole section of the newspaper without dozing off. But....I wouldn't want to read it on the computer either. Sometimes I'll even doze off reading post on this site.

Now, my wife loves to read. She always has a few books to read. She buys some and gets some from the library. But.......here again, she wouldn't read a book on a computer screen. She likes to either sit in her recliner or glider to read a good book. E-books are for those who don't know how to sit down and relax to read.

About the only time I can read something without dozing is a good how to book, or a history book.

[randroid]

Norm,

I feel the same way about reading a lengthy work on the computer screen, and I think almost everyone else is too. When I send the manuscript to friends whose judgment I respect I always print it out first. At least four copies of 300 pages each won't be cheap to print or mail but I'll gladly do that rather than insult my hand-picked 'critics' by asking them to print it for themselves.

As 'green' as e-publishing is hailed as being, it actually uses more paper than commercial publishing if each page is printed one-by-each as is recommended.

-Randy

[RobertKB]

Good luck with you new book, Randy. My wife writes a lot and I know how much work is involved.

I have been in love with reading since Grade 1. I can honestly remember thinking at the time I was learning to read that a whole new world was being opened up for me.

I also like books as objects, especially hard covered books. I buy some but most I get from the library. $15/year for a library card is the best investment anyone can make. I took my soon-to-be-three year old grandson to the library today and took a couple of books out of the children's section for me and him to read together.

[Rodney Bullock]

That's great, I can't wait to read it. Congrats, it's nice to have a mix of folks here on the forum. There is a lot of talent here.

[Norm's Coupe]

Randy,

You are right on about printing out a book off the internet. Oprah offered a free download of a book she was promoting about a year or so ago. Wife ask if I could download it and print it off. Took forever on dialup to download that book. Then when I started printing it, a couple of sheets of paper must have been misaligned in the paper tray as I only got half of one page on two sheets of paper. So.......finally, I just printed it off (about 300 pages) single sided to keep the pages in order. If it had been a printed book off the shelf, it would only take 150 sheets of paper instead of 300.

Robert.........

Geez, you guys have to pay for a library card. It's free here. Only time you have to pay anything is if you don't return the book or movie on time. Hope no one from our library system sees your post. They may start charging us a fee. Just what we need in the city, another fee.

[Young Ed]

I think the intention of an online book is to either read it online or put in on a device like a kindle so you can take it with you to read.

[RobertKB]

I think the intention of an online book is to either read it online or put in on a device like a kindle so you can take it with you to read.

Ed, excuse my French, but what the hell is a kindle. It kind of sounds like Inspector Clouseau, of Pink Panther fame, asking for a candle. Is it some kind of new electonic device my old brain has never heard of before?

Edited October 16, 2009 by RobertKB
Spelling

[Norm's Coupe]

Ed,

What's a kindle? If it's something like a blackberry or notebook type of thing, who wants to sit there and read 300 pages on that small little screen. Enough to make you go blind. It's sort of like looking at pictures on those new little photo albums thingies. In a book album you can see several pictures at once without flipping the page of that electronic thingy.

[Young Ed]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015T963C/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=4309521925&ref=pd_sl_19calxq4k4_e

[Norm's Coupe]

Robert.......

I looked it up. It's another gadget that will cost you a few hundred bucks to buy, not to mention the books you may buy to put on it. Then of course, you can hook it up to an iphone, etc. and pay several hundred for that too. Here's a link that explains it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Kindle No wonder the younger people complain about not having money for cars and other hobbies, they spend it all on this type of junk, when they can go to a library and get it for free.

[Plymouthy Adams]

punk kids and yuppies just got to have all the latest bells and whistle..I just now upgraded to a touch tone phone..you know Norm..you really no longer have to crank the handle to ring the phone anymore...I do have one of these on my wall at thouse...1909 model in oak..very beautiful workmanship...and for the record, yes as as kid I did talk on this phone..I was up a bit in years when ma Bell did her thing in our area...they still charge a surcharge for sunlight where I grew up.

[RobertKB]

Thanks Ed and Norm. I don't like reading long pieces of writing on the computer screen, so I would not like a kindle. I just like the feel of a nice hard covered book as you are reading it and I don't think that will disappear and be replaced by kindles. It is kind of like the digital watch that was so popular at one time. Most people have gone back the old analog dials because they just have more appeal. Wasn't there a thing called an e-book a while back that did not do well?

[Young Ed]

Haha here's one for you. I wear an analog watch daily to work and occasionally outside of work. However I rarely look at it for the time!

Edited October 16, 2009 by Young Ed

[RobertKB]

Haha here's one for you. I wear an analog watch daily to work and occasionally outside of work. However I rarely look at it for the time!

Probably use your cell phone to check time.

[Young Ed]

Well when I'm at work my PC has a clock the phone has a clock and I have a desk clock. Plus there are display boards with the time on them in the walkways. Outside of work I usually do look at my cell phone. I do look at my watch for the date though.

[Norm's Coupe]

Here's one for you. As all the older guys here know, I have a cell phone, but never turn it on. Had it for almost two years now and only used it to make one or two calls during that time. Not much into all this electronic wireless stuff.

But........my son is. He even builds the computers from scratch. Even though his job does not require him to have laptop, he does carry one around a lot of times. But.........believe it or not, he does not have a cell phone and says he would not have one. It's kind of refreshing to see someone who is only 42 and doesn't want a cell phone.

[Captain Neon]

Kindle has never been very popular. If Kindle ever catches on it will be similar to CFL, and non-CFC refrigerants and propellants. Propaganda and finally laws making its cheaper and better predecessor unavailable.

[Captain Neon]

Norm-

I have a cell phone, but I use mine like you. I only turn it on if I am traveling, can't find a payphone, or my pre-paid phone card is out of minutes. I do use my cell phone as a call-back number, again if I am traveling. Phone only comes on if I am expecting a call or to make one. I think of cell phones as leashes and I am on enough of a leash when I'm at work.

I do use my watches as timepieces and not jewelry. If I have no schedule, which isn't very often, then I don't wear one. For me, a watch is like a Swiss Army knife, both get used a lot.

[greg g]

no cell phone, (wife has one but not on very much) haven't worn a watch since August of 2001, don't do video games or computer games except for some solitare.

Bought a GPS navi last year, but don't have it suctioned cupped to my windshield an on all the time, and still us a map cuz I like alterate routes.

[Norm's Coupe]

Ben,

Our home phone is a regular phone line, won't give that up. But........the cell phones are as you mentioned. Both mine and my wife's phones are on a prepaid card. For people who don't use a cell phone much like us, that's probably the best way to go for a cell phone. We buy a card that is worth $100 worth of minutes, or one year length. What we don't use during that year is rolled over when we buy a new card at the end of the year, as long as we don't let the card expire entirely. So........we usually buy the new card about a week before the one expires. We've had our phones for a little over 2 1/2 years now. Started out with a 6 month card. So........I think I still have about $257 worth of minutes and the wife has about $230 worth left to use. That's because each time they roll over the minutes with a new card, we also get bonus minutes. Think it's $10 in bonus minutes each time. Anyway, that works out to only $8.33 per month (per phone) to have peace of mind when out on the road, using the $100 cards.

Like you said, finding a pay phone today is like looking for a needle in a haystack, even in the larger cities like we're in. Then when you do find one, it may have the cord cut, speaker broken, or it's full of gum.

[Don Coatney]

Randy;

Enjoyed your first book and look forward to reading your new book. Keep us posted on the publishing date.

How close are you to Denver? I will be spending a couple of weeks out there next year.