Well, I did it again. Against the advice from a few bloggers I know and trust, another weekend passed and I was a ghost. Everyone tells me that in order to create a successful blog with a loyal following you have to write something every day—even if it’s only a few sentences. It seems that my weekends are jam-packed with obligatory duties and domestic tasks. Before I know it, Sunday evening bushwhacks me and I realize I haven’t written a word. No excuses here; merely a lame explanation.
UPDATES:
- Alex, my 16 year-old cat suffering from kidney failure, seems to be doing better. Her appetite has improved and her demeanor seems normal. On Thursday, my wife and I are consulting a holistic veterinarian, hoping that she can recommend gentle treatment for her condition.
- My new Toshiba computer has a defective CD/DVD drive. When I tried to install Microsoft Office and placed the CD in the drive, it sounded like a 747 was rumbling down the runway! I brought it back to Fry’s Electronics and swapped it for a new one and it seems to be fine. I considered switching loyalties and investing in a Mac Book, but I’m here to tell you that a comparable Mac costs four times more than a PC. Personally, I can’t believe that Mac’s are four times better than PC’s, so I don’t think there’s one in my future.
- Got a call from my editor at Amazon Encore. We made a publishing deal with a small Asian country (can’t spill the beans quite yet). It’s nowhere near the deal we made with the European publisher; however, ANY deal in Asia may give my novel more exposure in the Asian markets and if we can solicit some interest in China or Japan, the markets there are huge.
- Spent all-day Friday at a meeting near LA. Four hours on the road to and from, and 6 painful hours listening to the boring drivel of issues about which I couldn’t care less. I hate to be a whiner, but are they kidding me? Imagine sitting on an ass-numbing plastic chair and watching 7 Power Point presentations with figures and graphs and pie charts and statistics. This meeting was supposed to be a “Team Building Event”. But in truth, it was more like the cure for insomnia.
Okay, time for me to earn my keep.
DM Annechino's Blog 
I don’t know about word press, but Blogger lets me schedule my blog posts, so I can pre-write some of them and schedule them for a time later down the road. That way if I two thoughts I want to write on, but I don’t want to waste one of those thoughts by publishing them together. Of course it helps that I have all sorts of drama in my life. Another idea once you get going to attract attention is to have contests with little giveaways, so for example post a picture and challenge your readers to label it. The one who does the winning caption gets a copy of your book, or an old sock from your drawer…whatever you get the picture. Also if you are going out of town, or need a break you can ask people to “guest Blog” or write an entry which you post and give them credit and link back to their blog too give them attention as well.
Finally, I say do it! Go Mac you won’t regret it. I am an IT professional. I have worked with both operating systems and equipment for a long time. I am telling you the Mac is worth it. Not to mention with today’s Mac you can run mac or Windows on it or both at the same time. Try that with a Window’s machine. If you were to price out the same quality of equipment for a PC manuf the price would actually be comparable. Not to mention since Apple makes the OS and the Equipment the integration is far more seamless. I say treat yourself and write it off as a business expense. I hardly ever have to fix my Mac or have speed issues with it. However I spend hours every month servicing my ex’s xp machine that her and the kids use. it is a simple fact.
Ken, thanks for the comprehensive feedback. Great suggestions! Because I’m a new blogger I guess you can understand that I haven’t yet figured out all the tricks. Thanks to guys like you, it makes the process easier.
I already bought a Toshiba laptop, but promise that I will invest in the Mac as soon as my book hits the NY Times Bestseller list!
Glad to hear Alex is doing ok. It will be interesting to know what suggestions the new vet gives you.
Congratulations on your 2nd foreign book deal!!
Love those foreign deals!