It’s been
a while since I’ve added a new entry on my blog, but I’m remedying that right
now.
Since I
last wrote, I’ve published a couple of
things on Smashwords. This is the first
time I’ve done this, but the reasons are pretty much my own. One is a humor piece I first started years
ago about the world’s worst pulp writer, Edgar Rice Krispies. I was inspired in part by Peter Schickele’s
PDQ Bach and the fake horror writer M. M. Moamrath, created by a number of
writers, but most notably Steven Utley (I confess, he’s actually the only one
whose name I remember.) I had it kicking around for a few years and actually
published a shortened version (severely shortened) in Amazing Adventures, a semi-prozine.
Over time
I had planned to do something else with it, but mostly I collected old photos
and wrote funny captions for them. I
also accumulated some funny—to me, at least—pseudo-biographical and
pseudo-historical details, mostly involving Krispies’ involvement in causing
the First World War. I really hadn’t
looked at it for a while, but it seemed about time to get it out there. Smashwords simply offered what I saw as the
best venue for a piece I realized was unlikely to have wide-spread appeal
beyond science fiction or pulp magazine fans.
Putting
everything together was actually easy.
It was mostly a cut and paste operating with MS Word and the program’s
tables and frames apps. Then I had to
format it to meet Shashwords’ requirement, which mostly depended on my using
smaller d.p.i. images than I had initially use.
So, it’s up, listed at $2.99, offered in several ebook formats, and
while it’s not a bestseller—hell, I don’t think I’ve sold a single copy yet. I did set up a Facebook page for it and got
the news out to my fandom friends there, but I can’t say it’s done anything
positive, Like most writers, I really
bad at self-promotion.
Still,
I’m pleased to at last have it out there.
I’ve always liked it and it still makes me laugh. Perhaps someday someone will stumble across
it, realize its genius, and help make it a cult classic (yeah, sure).
The other
book is a children’s book, “Stacey and the Monkey King,” which I wrote about
twenty years ago as a Christmas present for my niece Stacey Franklin. She was six at the time. Later her family moved to Kansas, where,
after a soccer injury, she developed Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy in one
arm. RSD, which has a number other
names, is mostly notable for cause intense horrible pain and making the
affected limb twitch. Over time it seems
to spread to other parts of the body, and the pain can become unbearable. At one point, she was actually on methadone
to handle the pain. By then, she was
mostly wheelchair and home-bound, unable to attend school or do much else.
Two years
ago, Stacey had gall bladder surgery.
During the surgery, her blood/oxygen level dropped dangerously. As she recovered, she had to be on oxygen
when she slept. One night, she
apparently accidentally knocked off her oxygen mask. Her parents found her the next morning. Her body was already cold.
I had
long tried unsuccessfully to get “Stacey and the Monkey King” published, but
getting a childrens’ book accepted is almost impossible unless you’re a
celebrity. I had considered having it
make as an e-book and I even went so far as to create illustrations for the
story. Again, Smashwords offered the solution. Once it was available, I knew Stacey would be
essentially immortal. How could I resist
that?
That’s
one reason why I write--to cheat Death in about the only I know how.
If anyone
is interested, you can find “Stacey and the Monkey King” at Smashwords. It’s a Christmas story and a damn good one,
too, I think. Personally, I don’t like
the holidays. Too dark too long during
the day, and I’ve got seasonal affective disorder, too. But knowing that my story added a little
cheer to someone’s Christmas would make me feel better.
Stacey
& the Monkey King
Edgar
Rice Krispies: Mangler of Adventure
