Commandments of Logic

I have no idea where I found this originally, but whenever I see fighting on the internet, I feel compelled to share it. Try to stick to these commandments in any argument. Keep it civilized. That's the real victory.

#TuesdayBluesDay 9.29.15 More Than Ever

And so I present to you the first #TuesdayBluesDay selection, submitted by my good friend

@QuietQuitter



Artist: Malcolm Vaughan

Song: "More Than Ever"

Released: 1958

Chart: UK No. 5
Label: His Master's Voice

#TuesdayBluesDay

Well, I've decided to open yet another new feature here on this blog... What's Playing at the Flamingo?

Every Tuesday, we will showcase a classic from 1929 to 1975. These will be songs that could have swept Archie Goodwin and Lily Rowen (or any number of willing suspects- er, partners) into a passionate embrace. They may be fast or slow, vocal or instrumental, well known, or hidden gem.

They will (attempt to) be songs that would have been heard in the fabulous dinner/dance clubs of NYC during this period of history. I know the real Flamingo was in London, but we're working with the fictional one created by Rex Stout.

I will try to make it historically accurate and even set the scene a little with some pictures if I can figure that out. We will call it #TuesdayBluesDay and I'll always be looking for suggestions over the weekends before each post.

If you danced the night away to a special song during this era, please let me know. Send a message here, Twitter, Tumblr, G+. Just use the hashtag so I know what it's for! Include artist, title and if possible where and when you heard it!

If you spend time watching shows set in this time-span, you probably have some great suggestions!

If you love the blues, jazz or big band, pick some favorites from that era and educate some youngsters!

If you love stockings, high heels and anything with some glamour, poke around for a song or two!

If you are all about all things noir, this is the perfect way to set the mood!

Please, ask your parents, your grandparents, aunts, uncles, whoever, and get those answers in!

Thank you in advance for helping me recreate this tiny slice of history.

Garden of Ideaden

Well, my blog these past few days has been a little limp. I've been missing my normal sparky word choice and witty repartee. I'm going to share something with you here, it's a bit personal. But I feel that any good relationship includes sharing, so you deserve to know.

Damn phone knows who's boss now.

My phone deleted my idea pad.

I have this spot on my phone where I write down all these ideas that I get throughout the day, week, etc. Then when I have time, I sit down and craft eloquent blog posts. The problem is, when I sit down to write, I can never come up with ideas. I have to allow my brain to spark creatively in its natural habitat, away from the computer. This leads to notes, words, phrases that later become brilliant blog entries. It's a veritable Garden of Ideaden. And now it's gone.

I had entries dating back to last year of things I wanted to write fun short article-format, infographic-laden missives about. But now I'm starting from scratch, so my blogs may be a little spartan until I build back up that creative bulwark. Or if I can figure out a way to find it in a cloud it may have been saved in. I'm still searching. I might have emailed it to myself once... that's an area to explore.

Regardless! Thank you for your patience while I ferret out new brilliance from my daily life in a substantial pool of random thoughts tailored for blog-filling. It should not take long.

G+

I have a G+ page. I don't have any circles, and I don't have anyone in the circles I have or... something? Basically I have no one there and it is lonely. Do you have a G+ profile or page? Please leave the link and I'll be happy to trade circles!

Word Cloud

Social Media Marketing Word Cloud

If you didn't know...

I have a Tumblr! I'd like to share it with you...
I mostly post Nero Wolfe things, hence the name. Occasionally there are cats, nostalgia, history, Doctor Who, Phryne, whatever strikes my fancy. And I can be very fancy.

Super fancy.

http://atthebrownstone.tumblr.com/

Seasonal Gourds

You have got to be kidding me. Et tu, Google?

Is this a thing? I feel like it's a thing. As a committed Non-Steader, I find Fall a trying time. As in, people are constantly trying my patience with things like this.

No. No, I am not going to put up a "Seasonal Display". I got roped into making a "Fall Wreath" a few weeks ago, and now we ARE NOT EVEN GOING TO USE IT.
Because reasons?

Apparently, it's not "pretty" enough or it isn't "sending the right message". It's fall. The wreath is orange. Just out of curiosity, WHAT MESSAGE ARE YOU TRYING TO SEND?!

I don't like pumpkin spice flavored anything and no I don't want to go pumpkin picking. This is barbaric. I will get a pumpkin at WalMart if I want a damn pumpkin, just like ANY NORMAL PERSON WOULD!

Decorative gourds. Dollar Tree has gourds, in case you needed some. I noticed we're already popping up with the Halloween candy and decorations in some places... I'm looking at you K-mart! It's not even October yet.

You know what's insidious? We all know to watch out for the pumpkin flavorings, so this year they got smart... they got devious. We were all prepared for Pumpkin Spice so they flanked us. They took their seasonal-gourd-autumnal-pumpkin-costuming up a notch. They went stealth and introduced this:

Candy Corn Flavored Everything

Here's a short list -

http://mentalfloss.com/article/12737/11-foods-inspired-candy-corn

And here are some examples -

What are you reading?

It's that time of the month again. I have reached the end of the Nero Wolfe books. Now I must begin again. Starting with Fer-De-Lance - the very first Nero Wolfe.

You really should check it out, nothing is better than Wolfe ordering over one hundred golf clubs, which apparently you could have delivered in 1934, and then informing the sales rep that he only wanted to observe one in action, and see the selection. That poor guy...

Happy Autumn!

I think it's officially the end of summer, and the start of fall.

You all know what this means...

Well, if you had read my book (which by all accounts no one has) you would know!

Fall is the beginning of the best season for Homesteaders, Pinteresters, DIYers, and all other people who want to do something "fun" or make something "pop". It has begun, I assure you.

I would say watch your back, but it's probably more important to watch your surroundings. If you see signs of the encroaching invasion, run to the nearest television, sit down in front of it and refuse to acknowledge the existence of anyone. That may work.

If you see mason jars begin to appear in your residence, move out immediately.

Top 10 Fall TV Shows (That I Plan to Watch and Why You Should Too)

These are in no particular order. The reasons listed are my own, and I don't expect anyone else to share them. Feel free to ask on Twitter if you have any questions. All premier dates are for the US. For times, check the internet to make sure you get the right one for your timezone.

Caskett

Castle:
Premiers Sept. 21st, 2015
Reasons to Watch - Fun, lovable, Nathan Fillion, Caskett.
Not only is the probably the best murder mystery show being produced in the US, it's got humor and intelligence. Plus, as I have mentioned, Nathan Fillion. That's really all you should need.

Supernatural:
Premiers Oct. 7th, 2015
Reasons to Watch - Scary, fun, SamDeanCas, practical ghost hunting advice.
This is a bit more for younger fans, but honestly if you started watching this when it first aired about a decade ago, you're probably in your 20s at least. This show has a mostly rabid fandom, and is actually fun to watch most of the time. I recommend catching up on Netflix just in case you want to know what's actually going on. Otherwise, tune in just for the eye candy and fun. Salt and burn people!

The Blacklist:
Premiers Oct. 1st, 2015
Reasons to Watch - Clever, Dark, James Spader's voice.
This show is also available on Netflix for catching up on the first two seasons. It probably gets the award for most lovable bad guy, who might not be bad, but still... It's twisty fun, and who can resist seeing the criminals they deal with each week? The underlying story about fathers, daughters and the fate of the free world is pretty gripping as well.

AHS Hotel:
Premiers Oct. 7th, 2015
Reasons to Watch - Horror, Lady Gaga, Innovation.
The last few seasons of AHS have been a bit hit-or-miss for me, but I honestly can't stop watching them. They are all beautiful to watch and the story lines are at least trying to be original while still giving enough familiar imagery to tug at your sense of nostalgia. This year, there will be a great setting in the haunted hotel, and hopefully a great cast including Kathy Bates. It's a bit of a "cross your fingers and hope this iteration is good" show, but worth checking out the first few episodes.

Criminal Minds:
Premiers Sept. 30th, 2015
Reasons to Watch - Intelligent, Lovable Characters, Great Murders, Garcia.
For those of you who haven't seen CM, it's got all the seasons on Netflix now, so get to work! This is by far one of the best shows, right up there with Murder, She Wrote and Quincy for staying power. A sometimes rotating cast, great story lines and murders to solve, this one is a must watch every year. Unless they got rid of Hotch or Garcia, then I'd be done.

Scandal:
Premieres Sept. 24th, 2015
Reasons to Watch - Hidden secrets, wine, love triangles, Mellie Grant.
You know when you find a show that infuriates you but you can't stop watching? That's what Scandal is for me. Watch the first four seasons on Netflix before jumping in for season 5 because this is not an easy to follow plot. Everyone is lying about everything to everybody else and it is just fabulous. Plus I always feel like I should be drinking wine when I watch Olivia and her white-hat turned slightly grey-er hat adventures. She has a passion for red, and I like to be sympathetic.

We are Scorpion.

Scorpion:
Premieres Sept. 21st, 2015
Reasons to Watch - Fast-paced, Sylvester, flashy, Ralph, Walter's sister.
This show. I seriously don't have words to describe why you need to watch it, you just do. It's so great and a little Magnum PI-ish and just fun. They do big things, they have the amazing Robert Patrick, they have the adorable kid, this show just has everything. You should do everyone a favor and watch the second season.

How to Get Away with Murder:
Premieres Sept. 24th 2015
Reasons to Watch - The girl from The Killing, dark secrets, murder plots, fast rewinds, Frank.
Frank is by far the most interesting part of this show. Well, and the girl from The Killing. We may actually get to find out "Who murdered Rosie Larsen?" this time around! The first season is up on Netflix, and it's by the same creator of Scandal. You can count on the tough as nails African-American goddess to be at the center, this time in the form of Viola Davis.

The Librarians:
Premieres Nov. 1st, 2015
Librarians, action, Christian Kane.
Reasons to Watch - Based of the popular TNT movie franchise "The Librarian: Quest for the Spear", et al. This has a fun cast, cute special effects and encourages reading. I can't imagine a better use for a television show. It also has the yummy and amazing Christian Kane, who you may have seen in Leverage. He is paired with several people including the somehow-in-this-show Rebecca Romijn, who I hope is not coming back for season 2. She wasn't great.

NCIS:
Premieres Sept. 22nd, 2015
Reason to Watch - Gibbs.
We all have to know what happened! I have to be honest, I'll probably stop watching this show completely if they kill off Gibbs. I can't stand Bishop, and Tim and Tony are fine, but they can't support the show alone. They could just make it a show about Abby, that's I'd watch. ffMaybe if they brought back Ziva... but anyway, this is all on Netflix as well, and worth the watch.

The best friendship on TV

Honorary Mentions:

Person of Interest
I've already written a whole thing about that show, so go look that up on my blog here.
Doctor Who

Don't act like you aren't excited!

Obviously I'm taking for granted here that you are already watching the Doctor, since it already premiered. If not, address that before continuing with the list.
Sherlock BBC
This should be coming back for a Christmas Special this year, and a new season in 2016. You're silly if you don't watch.
The League/South Park
These are just personal faves, but I understand they aren't for everyone. Check them out if you like funny and occasionally dirty jokes. Or if you want to stay at the EBDBBnB.

The Importance of Being Musical

I've been working on a few separate projects recently. One thing I've noticed is that my music really tends to reflect in my writing. Whether it's short punchy sentences for comedy, concise answers for How To, or the long flowing melodies for poetry, what I'm listening to seems to have a direct correlation to what I'm writing. The odd part? I don't make the choices, the music does.

Waking up on any given morning, I may or may not feel like writing. It's one of those things. Sometimes I have to talk myself into it, or some days I just declare a Mental Health Day and goof off with Netflix and my cats.

Occasionally I'll be in the mood to read, or do something else. There are some mornings where I just pull the cover back up and sleep in.

But on the days I want to write, I notice that I pick the music first. Whatever I'm in the mood for musically tends to somehow translate into what I'm going to write that moment. Sometimes that will switch fairly quickly, just kind of flowing from one genre to another, project to project.

Just a thought. Maybe listening to a different type of music could expand your written horizon?

Lies Gracefully

There are times... when no one says it better than Nero. I can honestly say if I died tomorrow and needed an epitaph, I could not do better than "Lies Gracefully".

As a writer, lying is kind of what we do. The idea that I could be thought of as a graceful liar is entirely pleasing. I think that most writers would think of themselves as "Successful Liars" or "Accomplished Truthstretchers". It's all a matter of perspective. For me, grace has always been something I've cherished. It seemed important somehow, even as a young child that being graceful was a quality I should strive to achieve. On some days, I like to think I even attain that lofty goal.

When it comes to lying, I can't imagine a better way to lie, than "gracefully". Seeing as how it would be on my headstone while I was laid below, the double entendre seems apropos. 

This Day in Cats: #Caturday Issue One 9.19.2015

Fall Fashion for Cats

There is nothing as great as having a cat. Mine happens to look awesome in scarves. And boas. And hats and all manner of other accessories. You have to play to your cat's strengths!

If your cat is a winter:

make sure to pick blues and reds, darker shades.

Merry Christmas?

I'm not a hipster.

If your cat is a summer stick to more pastel colors!

FAB-U-LOUS!

Don't be afraid of texture, color and shimmer. Most cats look stunning in sequins... it sets off their eyes!

Remember to ensure that nothing is too tight on your kitty. Always make sure there's two fingers of space between their fur and anything encircling their neck or torso.

These simple tricks can keep your kitty looking purrfect all autumn long!

Now if you'll kindly excuse me I have to go apologize to my favorite feline...
...for making him wear a boa on the internet..

The Ballad of Seagram's Ginger Ale

My old friend

When I was craving ginger ale today... I had the saddest moment. I went into the store, walked to pick up a case of Seagram's and almost dropped it.

Someone had ruined it.

RUUUIIIIIEEEENNNND!

Seriously. They took out some quantity of sugar and replaced it with Splenda... Why? What possessed them? What conceivable idea could have skipped through their collective brain that made it seem like a good idea? There isn't any explanation that would justify this. You don't want sugar, drink diet. You want sugar, drink regular. You want to have some weird third option like Dr. Pepper 10 where it's some bastardized hybrid of something that tasted worse than anything ever did? That's your call! But you DO NOT ruin the regular in the process!!!

I mean seriously. Just why? I'll never get an answer, I know. But I had to ask. Now I will offer a sad ballad in my own private space, to salute the drink that got me through countless colds as a child, the only soda I could always count on my grandparents to actually have. My ginger ale. My Seagram's.

The Problems with eBook Marketing

Understanding the amount of money you would need to traditionally market your eBook is vital to your success. Obviously, as an indie author you are not going to have a ton of cash, a marketing budget or any other sort of "traditional" modes available. So when people tell you to "market" your book on your own, essentially creating your own viral campaign, what are they actually tell you?

As an indie author, I've found some things to be less helpful than others...

First of all, getting a Twitter account is a fine first step. You may actually attract some readers. It's not likely though. If all you are doing is posting adverts for your book, people will usually just mute you and then there goes any sort of retweetability. So, if you're going to have a Twitter, don't be boring and single-minded. Your Twitter is all about promoting yourself as an interesting person, and thereby making it seem that your book may also be interesting.

Getting a blog/website/whatever account seems like a logical second step. This is one such step that you're reading right now. It's only effective if it talks about things other than your writing. Again, very few people are going to want to pick up a book you've written if you just post pictures of your cover and excerpts. They want reviews, interviews, color, pictures, entertainment, and maybe a small plug for your book at the end. It's not a great way to get readers, it's just a good way of communicating with them once you have some.

The third thing that any blog or successful author will tell you is that reviews are key. Getting eyes on your book and getting people to recommend it on Amazon, or give it reviews on their blogs or wherever is the real goal. It's better to have 50 good reviews than to have 300 reviews and only 5 of them are 5 stars. You need to select your reviewers carefully and don't try to bribe them! You can't "pay" for reviews (beyond a free copy of the book usually) so that they remain unbiased. Well, you try getting some random stranger to review your book without buying some sort of "package". I haven't found one yet. I'm sure they exist, but it's just rare to find that one honest, independent reviewer that has free time and would love to read your special little offering. Pro-tip: Don't ask anyone in your family to review it on Amazon either. If they live in the same house, have ever been shipped to or have any connection that Amazon can see, they will reject the review based on the fact that you might "profit" from their review. Even if they purchase a copy of your book at full price, their review will be rejected. True story, happened to my first and only review.

By now, if you're like me, you're getting a bit desperate. You are starting to look around at the people you follow and see that they all have thousands of followers. You wonder if it would be easier to just buy advertising on your own... maybe buy some followers... maybe invest in some paid interview/blog tour/bookplugging service things... after all, that's what most people kind of think has to happen to get some lift off. You can't tell people how amazing your book is if no one is even aware you wrote one. I honestly can't tell you if these methods work because I'm broke and I've never tried any of them. I have been just going along, minding my own business, refusing to spend a single penny. I wrote a book because I had to, and I don't think that I should have to spend money to get people to read it. If someone hears about it, that's fine. I'm obviously not going to get rich and retire early, but at least I'll know that any sales I get are strictly because someone liked my work.

Marketing an eBook is really an uphill battle, especially if you don't want to invest in the "traditional" methods of advertising that are available to indie authors. I know a lot of people will say that you have to put money in, you have to be willing to show you believe in the product before people will give it a chance. My argument is that I believed in it enough to put it up on Amazon, and I'll do anything I can for free to promote the heck out of it. I just don't think anyone else should get rich off my effort in the process.

Just my two cents.

Adult Naptime

Do you ever get sleepy during the day? I used to think part of adulthood was just sucking it up and powering through. But lately, as I get a bit older I have begun to wonder if it actually would be better to nap...

According to some very cursory Internet-based research, I am in luck! The dark cloud hanging over the idea of napping seems to be dissipating in favor of sleep masks and blankies at our desks, in our cars and in our homes.

Obviously not everyone has the luxury of napping. If you work at a hospital or WalMart or something important where you are just on the go all the time, then you may lack the opportunity. Maybe you don't get a break because your shift isn't long enough. Perhaps you work several jobs with differing schedules, and a regular nap time is not in the cards. That's ok! I totally understand and I've been there myself. But for those of you who do get a lunch break or a smoke break or maybe you have a job where there's some downtime, napping could refresh your brain. If you're a stay-at-home parent, you can nap when your child naps! Built in scheduled napping!

This Time article and this one from the National Sleep Foundation, who among others*, support the idea and offer some tips and tricks. I just thought it was important to offer some support for people who may feel bad about drifting off during lunch or passing out at the keyboard for a few minutes in the afternoon. Adult nap time should be a part of our day if we need it. Don't feel badly if you nap!


*I would have provided the link to the WebMD article on this subject, but it probably ended with "You may have cancer."

Austrailian TV and Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

I have to say, right off the bat, I'm slightly obsessed with this show. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is everything I love about TV. It's fun, its sassy, it's interesting, its clever and it just is always awesome all the time. They deal with everything from women's issues, LGBTQ+ issues, abortion all the way to murder, dancing, guns, and magic. Plus the lead actress is a mature woman, not some tiny starlet who can't act. #Phryne for life. So why don't more people know about it?

Well, first it probably doesn't help that it's Australian. Americans are used to getting their imported amazing TV from the UK, and while Australia is a former colony (just like US get it?) they don't use the same means of dispersion. So, Downton Abbey, which I love, gets prime viewing on PBS. Australia's amazing shows are relegated to Netflix/Amazon/wherever, which takes a million years to update. You can watch Doctor Who almost the day it comes out, but good luck finding Danger 5. Australia is a bit of a red-headed step-child in terms of it's television.

Change comes from within. We should encourage and support shows like Miss Fisher however we can. Buy DVDs, give it great ratings on Netflix, write to them, email them, visit their websites, whatever it takes! They somehow do not have a twitter, but they do have a Facebook page. If you have US Netflix all three seasons are currently streaming. Give a go. If you love it as much as we love other things like Inspector Lewis or Endeavour, let's show Australia we care!

Blogging on the Run

Today has not been a great day for sitting down and being able to write.

I've been up and running since early this morning and was finally able to stop for just a second to eat lunch and oddly, I thought a blog and twitter update may be another good use of my time. I'll be emailing everything in, the Twitter update, the blog and I'll be interested to see how that turns out later. My first attempt at such technological innovation could spell disaster!

I've seen a lot of "advice" type posts and entries and such that stress the importance of updating everything every single day. You must maintain your momentum on tweets and posts or you will backslide and everything will be for naught!

I don't know if I really think that's normal. People have lives. I don't even get to write actual work every single day, as life intrudes. So the idea of maintaining this perfect record on everything seems a bit silly. Tumblr has a lovely system where I can set up 50 things and it will post one a day so it looks like I'm there even on days I'm not. Even Blogger has such a "schedule" option, though I didn't think to use it in advance of days like today. Twitter, well, that doesn't seem to be possible without some sort of third party software.

The whole point of all this "constantly updating" stuff is to make your audience feel connected to you, but I don't really have an audience, so why am I stressing over this? As I sit here nodding my head at my own valid point, I'll just kind of agree that if I'm too busy to post, it's really not like anyone is itching to read this stuff anyway. So it all works out in the end!

My 2nd Graphic

I love these things! Please check out @SouthernBelleGaming on Tumblr and Twitter, as a thank you for making this!

ADHD Author

I don't know if this happens to a lot of people, or happens frequently, but I had the oddest experience today.

I was working on my new book (something funny, but with a different topic from my last work which no one seems interested in, which is fine) when I all of the sudden had a mental image of a completely different idea and it captured me with such ferocity that I immediately had to open a new file and start in on it. It was as if my writing had suddenly become dangerously ADHD. It was the weirdest experience, and a new one for me.

Probably a great poet.

I've noticed lately that the more I write, the more ideas seem to arrive. It's quite different from how I was when I was younger. I remember wanting to be a writer as a teenager. I also went through a phase where I was a poet. I won some awards and things, but obviously you can't make a career out of poetry, or so I was informed at the time.

Regardless, I seriously believed I was going to be a writer, as a life path, job, what have you. That persisted through college, where I met with several other people. I thought of them as less than intelligent. They boasted, they too were going to be writers! Some had already been published. That pretty much soured the whole thing.

I really thought that you had to be brilliant, technically astute, a wordsmith, really have something worth saying or reading to become "an author". Suddenly faced with people who I did not want to listen to in conversation, let alone read anything they might write, I decided that if that was what it meant to be "a writer" then it was not for me.

The main argument was that I felt I didn't have enough skill, talent or drive. I just wasn't good enough. I didn't think most people who wanted to be "writers" did either. Most importantly, I didn't want to bore people and I didn't think I had anything that really justified anyone's attention. I apparently still don't.

I never really invested myself in writing because I thought you couldn't make money at it. I grew up thinking that the most important thing in life was income. I sadly wasn't wrong. But now I make time to write, tweets, journals, this blog, my books. I may not have anything that other people want to read, and that's alright.

I write selfishly now. I write because it feels good. I write because I have these ideas and it seems like an injustice to myself not to put them down for posterity.

It seems incongruous, but the more I write, the more I have to write about. All of that time wasted as a teen and even into my early twenties, thinking that I should not bother writing things down until I had that "one big idea", that "bestseller" material. I am just now starting to realize that all of the things I did bother to write down were practice. I may never get to the gold-plated-top-dollar idea that makes me rich or famous. Now I know if I don't write things down in the interim, I will never get there.

Every day that we write brings us closer to our best work.

(I feel like that last part should be a graphic. Maybe I'll ask that nice person to make another one!)

Someone actually made something for me...

Special thanks to @SouthernBelleGaming
Please follow them on Twitter and Tumblr!

Top 10 Video Games for Authors (and everyone)

My favorite Trivial Pursuit, for example.

I'm a huge fan of games, be it board, console, PC or other. One of the pluses about being a gamer is the ability to really take off into a world that is not your own, live another life. Games have the ability to communicate those stories, just as books do. What is being a writer, after all, if not a storyteller? Writing is a skill that we take years to develop in most cases. We hear from an early age that reading is essential to our craft, that the more we read the better we will become at capturing our stories, be they fiction or non-fiction. Lately, books have gotten cheaper, and people read more on computer screens than paper. But in making that shift to reading on the screen, we should remember that there is another new medium that should not be forgotten. Video games.

We think of them usually as a few mindless hours to distract a child or a fun way to kill time. Some make money streaming their games for others to watch (reminiscent of the days we used to go over to our friend's houses to gather around one N64, PS or dual each other at Pong) or record their gameplay for uploads to YouTube. These mostly focus on the technical skill of the game, how to beat a boss, how to kill faster, more efficient travel, tips and tricks. But playing a game yourself, especially a well-crafted game, with a story you can get invested in, that can be a transformative experience. There are some games that suck you in just as deftly as a well-written novel.

Modern video games have the potential to be just as epic, enthralling and engaging as the storytellers of old. Modern writers should consider playing games to see if there's anything they could absorb that may make them more effective storytellers. Most importantly, they can be an important bridge to the older forms of storytelling which relied more on verbal and visual communication, less on written words. Video games are the visual and verbal storytellers of our time. They are the modern equivalent of the shaman dancing around the fire, the old fisherman with his tall tales of giant creatures, the mother soothing her children with fairy tales. They are showing us who we are, and who we have the potential to be. Like any good story, video games fill a void within us.

Therefore, since it is #NationalVideoGameDay, I'll be giving you my:

Top 10 Video Games for Authors

Please keep in mind, these are not reviews, they are merely opinion. Some of these may be based loosely on books. This list is not based on gameplay, difficulty or personal choice, simply on quality and depth of story.

Honorable Mentions:

Silent Hill Series, Resident Evil Series, Prince of Persia (They made movies.)

10. Alan Wake, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (Steam)

9. Thief (Amazon)

8. This War of Mine (Steam)

7. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (Amazon)

6. Fallout Series (Steam)

5. Witcher Series (Steam)

4. Uncharted Series (Amazon)

3. Assassin’s Creed Series (Amazon)

2. Gone Home (Steam)

1. Bioshock Trilogy (Bioshock, Bioshock 2, Bioshock Infinite) (Steam & Amazon)

 

You'll never go a whole day without saying it.

If you're anything like me, you have a problem. Netflix is just addictive. You watch, you binge, you can't tear yourself away. Sometimes, you know what you feel like watching. Sometimes you let Netflix do the choosing. Occasionally, magic happens.

I was minding my own business Tuesday night. Watching some IT Crowd. It was supposed to be taken down on September 1st but it was still up and I thought I should watch as much as possible before it went away because I love that show. I also love Black Books and Father Ted, in case you were wondering. Yes, Graham Linehan is a genius. We will do a whole thing on why the BBC is god at some point, just not right now. Anyway, my Netflix gave me the "We're having trouble accessing these titles right now" bit. So I turned Netflix off and then back on again.

When it popped back up, there was a new selection, Person of Interest. I was vaguely aware of this being a thing, had no real interest in it. I really dislike Jim Caviezel's face usually. I read the little blurb. I had nothing else pressing to watch other than Moss and Roy, so I figured why not give one episode a try?

Cut to 16-ish hours later, I have finished the first season. I take a break for sleeping and eating and then I am right back in. The plot contains elements I am fiercely passionate about in the real world and Jim Caviezel's face isn't as bad as I initially thought. I am now finished with season 3, and season 4 will be coming to Netflix on the 22nd I believe. Season 5 will be airing sometime in the next 12 months.

If you have concerns about privacy and government surveillance, this is a great show. If you have a desire for 'superhero-esque' rescues and stunts, you will be enthralled. There's also Camryn Manheim and some other recognizable character actors in key roles. It has hackers, NYC, e-interrogation, technology, a great mix of stuff. Created in part by J.J. Abrams, which gives it that fun "lens flairy" look without actually being lens flairy.

I usually judge TV shows by how many episodes I have to fast-forward through. If I have to skip through more than half of them, it's not worth watching. The less skipping required, the better. This gets an 8/10 for watch-ability. I only had to fast forward through 10 episodes out of 3 seasons so far. And even with that, I stopped to catch the important plot points. They do a good job about moving the story forward in each episode, weaving things in, making you impatient to get to the end while still allowing you to enjoy (most) of the journey. It's a solid offering if you're bored. Plus the show is rumored to be wrapping up after this. If you end up loving it, you have a chance to catch up before it starts again mid-season.

Just my two cents!

Pretty Please With Orchids On Top

I am a huge Nero Wolfe fan. I read these stories several times growing up, and now I read them voraciously just to try and find things I may have missed. I usually succeed. But as I look online, I notice a really sad thing happening. So many of the Nero Wolfe websites, blogs, fansites, etc. have just been discarded.

Half of the links I click on now don’t work, blogs have been abandoned and most people will never hear about the joy that is Archie and Wolfe working together. Please read these books, request them from your libraries, buy them online, or in person or wherever! Support sites like The Wolfe Pack if you can, and just reblog or retweet if you’re broke like some of us. You can also find me on Twitter @nonsteader or Tumblr @atthebrownstone

Keeping these stories going is important. If you’ve never read a Nero Wolfe book, try one. If you can’t stand reading, watch the TV show or listen to the radio shows:
Radio Shows 1Radio Shows 2

Share Nero Wolfe with someone you love today!

“I am a reader not because I don’t have a life, but because I choose to have many.” #internationalliteracyday (should be everyday!)

#InternationalLiteracyDay

#InternationalLiteracyDay

The More You Know, Selfish Edition

...About me.

I've recently been considering a slight shift in my blog direction.

I really intended to have this be a space where I add updates to provide secondary material for my book, but no one seems to be reading it. Which is fine, I remind myself.

In my life outside of writing, I do plenty of other things, like reading, gaming, watching Netflix, more reading, playing with my cats and other stuff. Maybe what I need here is a blog that includes more content. A blog that isn't limited to just my one book that no one cares about. Maybe that's the solution. I mean, it can't really hurt to branch out a little, cover some other ground. I'm not just a writer, so why should my blog be so limited?

Plus, everything else I would write about basically reflects the non-steading lifestyle. It's all about doing as little as possible for as cheap as we can get it at the minimum level of effort. Obviously I will still blog about terrible, awful Pinterest things when they happen to me, but maybe I shouldn't limit myself to just that...

In Bloom-ers

Summer is ending. I won't say finally because I don't want to jinx myself, like a cop with only one week to go til retirement.

This means things will be way less colorful, pretty, bright and hot. But most of all, it means gardening is at an end!

For the next few months, short of a greenhouse* solution no one will plant anything! Maybe some pumpkin harvesting left, or a little corn or something useful, but pretty plants are done for.

Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe is a lover of orchids, and at one point he discusses why the orchids are effectively his mistress. To paraphrase, they are capricious, expensive and they serve only to give him pleasure (if I find the quote, I'll add it here). Flowers that do nothing but look pretty are great if they give you pleasure, but for those of us who are non-steaders, we prefer less work. Summer ending means a few months where no one will ask us if we want to "help with the weeding".

*By greenhouse I mean they actually own a greenhouse.

The Wreath of Con

Last night, my S.O.* comes to me and says, "I have found an awesome project on Pinterest and we are going to make a thing. I need you up early tomorrow."

Those words, to a non-steader... I am already flinching inwardly. The thought of having to waste precious Netflix/sleeping/kitty time on some idiotic thing from the bowels of crafty hell is just more than I can handle. I begin to make my objections.

"I really don't think we have time for that. Or materials, I'm sure there's something we need that we don't have and we can't go out and buy anything right now and c'mon you don't really want to do this do you?" I am hoarse, trying to squeeze it all out in one breath so that there's no chance for interruptions. My face is contorted into a mask of carefully calculated abject concern and worry.

This is my best "Are you sure you want to do this" face and it has worked in the past to curtail these "urges" to make things from Pinterest.

But it does not prevail. Not today.

Today I am awake bright and early at 5:30 am. I have been carefully selected by default (the cats apparently cannot help) to assist with whatever this project is and I haven't even been given the courtesy of coffee. What was this urgent mission you ask? This massive undertaking that required I only get 3 hours of sleep and did not have time to pause in the kitchen for caffeinated courage?

http://www.ellaclaireinspired.com/the-wreath-trick-autumn-leaves/
@ellaclaireblog**

This. This monstrosity. Some orange fall-ish thing found on Pinterest. We are making a decoration for our front door because apparently September is "the beginning of autumn" and we "have to coordinate our house to showcase our personality". Yes those were the exact words.

I would like to state that we do not currently possess the items listed on that website. Brown pipe cleaners or something? I have no idea. The short version is we are going to Walmart immediately so that we can spend probably half of our weekly food budget on two wreaths and pipe cleaners and whatever else. It's a giant autumnal con!

I then made the problem worse somehow. I was the moron who suggested that we actually could just wait a while, collect pine cones and then hot glue them together to make an actual FREE wreath in a few weeks. If a wreath was even required. I think I learned that project in grade school? I don't know exactly, but I thought it was a good idea. My personality is pretty happy being showcased as free. At least as an alternative to whatever this costly monstrosity would clearly become.

I've realized that much like Juggernaut, these whims of whimsy are impossible to stop once they have begun. So if you happen to see a door with a giant fluffy orangish wreath, just know I was conned into it and I don't think it enhances our door at all. It clashes with the cream/dirt color.



*S.O. means significant otter. Maybe that should say other. Significant other. I might prefer the otter at this point... and of course I'm kidding if you're reading this honey!

**The lovely person who first posted this seems really nice, so please check out her blog and Twitter for more stuff like this if you enjoy these sorts of projects! :)

Promotional Issues

So, I post my book on Amazon, and I really don't know what I was expecting.

I even created a Twitter account, which was a hurdle for me. I had a Twitter back when it first launched and it was such as hassle and caused so many problems I deleted it back in like 2010. Getting back on that particular horse was not easy and (to anyone who knows me) proves my commitment to the promotional aspects of being an author.

But that's the issue I'm currently struggling with. Do I buy followers, do I pay for advertising, do I try to find a way to direct people to my blog? Why does everything on Google+ just look like it was tossed out by some corporate PR team? I agree that writing should be done for the sake of the writing itself. I'm not a writer because it's easy, I'm a writer because I can't help myself. I finally put the pieces together for a book and now it feels a little... fake? Like I have to artificially drum up interest, engaging in a metaphorical circle jerk of other independent authors and reviewers and companies who are just looking to profit. That feels... just wrong.

I think maybe it was a little naive of me to think that book would speak for itself. Honestly, in the sea of self-published and independent books, it's almost impossible for anyone to notice, even if it was the best thing ever. The market is just flooded and it almost makes me think that even trying to get people to pay attention is a fantasy. I guess I will have to resign myself to never selling any copies and knowing that at least I put it out there and if no one is every interested, then that's just how it goes.

But what purpose is there to publishing when no one will ever read it? Should I continue to write, but simply keep these things to myself? Is that the correct solution that will at least allow me to feel less like a whore? I don't know. I just don't like the concept of publicly shouting at people to buy my stuff. I think that's probably why authors get agents and publishers and managers in the first place. They hire people to do the shouting for them.