Me Today:

1. Woman gets a nosebleed – blames me because I coughed near her — into my sleeve, not at her — she was in a locker room at a rec center;
2. Woman says too many typos in the first chapter of my book, so she couldn’t go any further. I found a few in Chapter 1, corrected them and re-uploaded;
3. Lots of snow and people who live here don’t know how to drive — still!
4. Can’t figure out Mobi – again to update the ebook – but I’m still working on it;
5. Lots and lots of notes and reorganizing but nothing forward in the second book;
6. Worries about sales on first book.

World Today: 

Kid sets himself on fire at a high school in Colorado — severely burned — My problems seem soooooo small compared to that burned kid. Sad, huh?

“The only wrong system of writing is to not write.”—Hugh Howey

IMHO:

Read this comment every day. But, guys… get real…. Women do worry about all those little tasks – walking the dogs, doing the laundry, vacuuming, cooking, washing the dishes, homework – kids’ reports and posters, math, basketball games and swimming. We don’t have a staff (or a wife). The tasks call out our names, and rather loudly. So, I want to follow this advice, truly; I’ve driven to write, yes, but I have to make time. I do make time, but sometimes it’s only for two hours. And, I try not to worry about money, but sometimes I do. I wonder if people are buying. I wonder if people are reading it and loving it. I wonder if I’ll ever make a living off it. I love the stories I create, but….

I know I’ll keep writing. I’ll find the time… no… make the time to create every day. Some writing days will whiz by and I’ll look up and see the day has drifted by. Other days, I’ll squeak in as much as I can, but the story will move on. And the new story is a doozy – an evolving beautiful mess right now.

So, I’ll try not to worry about my stats, ranking, money, or other peoples’ stats, ranking and money or really poor works that make more than me (Huge sigh). I’ll keep moving forward. I’ll focus on the new story. After all, it’s a new year and that’s where my head should be. And, it should always be a lot more fun to create something new. The old book is old news. So get on with it! (Okay, so look at all that stat stuff once a week – no more!)

Focus on the blog. Focus on the words. Focus on the gory details. (That’s my new mantra.) Stamp that huge time stamp for the completion date inside your head. But don’t stress about it – if you don’t make the deadline. Get it right, don’t rush. Do many, many rewrites. Just keep writing!

Keep having reunions with old friends and learn something new. Make new friends. Keep the thoughts alive! Write!

But, when things get in the way… here are a few cool quotes to think about:

Jose N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love:

“There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it.

You surround yourself with people who make you laugh.  Forget the bad, and focus on the good.

Love the people who treat you right, ignore the ones who don’t.

Life is too short to be anything but happy.

Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.”

Chris Hardwick, The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life)

Regarding: News media focusing on everything bad that happens:

“It is…entirely your responsibility to make yourself feel better. No one is going to do it for you…. Look for good news.” Check out this site each day: http://www.happynews.com/

“You have the power to choose what you notice.”

 “Open the drapes in your brain and let the light in.”

“Shape your reality….Find the good news and what motivates you and inspires you….You are not a helpless victim of your emotions.”

 Thanks guys.

Yes I finally got a review on the my new novel. Thanks, guys. Need more, though. Don’t be afraid to tell me what you think.

Now for today’s thoughts:

You know you’ve come a long way when your research leads you to Home Depot to look at tools that could cut someone up. In my new book my very bad guy has to have a tool that he can carry in a backpack while hiking deep into the Grand Canyon. I’ve also called doctors to find out about poisons from plant material. I’ve gone back through all my old notes from interviews with real killers to understand their minds and what would lead up to a spree killing. I’m giving myself nightmares. I’ve researched the areas where I want the story to happen. I’ve written tons of notes and have a crazy outline and an even crazier beginning (compared to the first mystery in this series and the non-fiction book which had a detailed outline, story plot and were researched to the nth degree. So the questions I pose to other writers are:

How real should it be? Do readers want all the sordid details that are in my head? How much information is enough before it is overload? When will a reader stop reading? When do they want to figure it out for themselves. What’s the fine line?

How plausible should it be? When does a reader simply stop reading the story because it is poorly researched and is just not believable?

Mystery readers want certain things to happen. So, I’m searching for all those things in other mysteries which I love to read. I’ve found that I love all the little details. I love the depth of the characters’ psyches. I love the surprise—but not too much surprise. And, I love the wrap up. No, not like on a TV series, but actually solving the current case. There can still be unanswered questions that will lead to the next book in a series, but it’s nice to have an ending, and hopefully, one where the good guy wins.

So, dear readers, give me some clues. What is it that you want to read in mystery novels? I’m very curious. It may not completely change the way I write—some things are ingrained, but I will always research your comments, and what is really interesting to the population out there. Who knows where that path will lead?

Thanks and Happy New Year everyone.

How often have you heard the old adage: “Do what you love and the money will follow” and how often do you believe it? To me, it usually boils down to one or the other:

1. Do what you love. I am enjoying the writing, but alas it takes a long time to make money on it. So instead, I am striving to get better at my craft. With the help of my friend Mark McGinnis, who is the author of the Scrapyard Ship series, I am learning so much about the eBook and Amazon world. Who knew how much stuff I’d have to learn about uploads, and programs such as Jutoh, Calibre, and Mobi. Gaaaaaa! But it keeps my brain young—goooooo brain!

Hugh Howey, author of Wool, Shift, Dust and now working on Sand as well as many other projects is a wonderful source of information. He is the guru on direct publishing, he’s done well in sales and is still a nice guy! He is such a kind person and actually emails newbies like me. His message is clear: Keep writing, keep writing and keep writing. And, that’s what I’m doing. Thanks Hugh! This author builds on so much of her past, that it’s hard not to bug people to read it.

2. The money will follow…. Sometimes…. If you build it, the money will come… and all that. I know… I’m new to this. But, no matter how many times you send out the word, it is up to the readers to take a chance on your book and up to Amazon to post the reviews. (I still haven’t seen a single review…. Heavy sigh). So, come on readers! Take a chance! You won’t be sorry, I promise! Someday it will all come together. In the meantime, I will continue to write the story. It’s a good one, I promise.

 Now, having said all that…. the reason for the title:

I recently saw a Facebook site that really disturbed me. Actually, it really freaked me out. There were so many guns and crazy talk about intelligent design, creationism and other really bad things said about our president. I guess I don’t hang out with these kinds of people, so it was weird. This old geeky freak writes about peace and love and getting along. How come others do this stuff? Why do they believe in it? I hope this isn’t a growing concern. I live in Boulder and even though sometimes I trash talk it, I feel we are the sane ones. I am so far removed from rednecks that I forgot there are people like this out there. Sad, but true. So good luck with your bunkers and your survival tactics. Me? I’ll keep on believing in the system for now. However, I do have a little doomsday prepper in me because I do cook, bake my own bread, grow my stuff, store stuff in plastic buckets, and learn new things every day. So maybe I’m not as far removed as I’d hoped–well other than the automatic weapons and trash talk, trust me not even that!

So, Happy Solstice everyone! Don’t be sad, don’t be depressed. Go watch a bunch of Rankin and Bass cartoons, sappy Christmas movies, bake, put up decorations and be happy, dam….t!

Dear friends and colleagues:

I am happy to announce that my first fiction book is live on Amazon, as an eBook for $2.99.

This is the first in the Caitlin Ferguson mystery series, Silver Element by Drusilla Tieben.  Please give yourself a treat and order it for Christmas! Also, once you buy it, please write me a small paragraph for a review right away on Amazon by just clicking on the rate this book – 5 stars would be wonderful!  The ratings help with sales. People search for 5-star books! I appreciate your support and your forthcoming wonderful reviews! (I will have a paperback version in January, a little more expensive than the eBook, however since they actually have to print it.)

There are lots of fun Boulder scenes and wonderful characters based on local people and from my law enforcement years! Thanks for your support!

Here is the blurb on Amazon:

There’s a growing problem in the neighborhood. Drugs, rapes, and murder. The police are apathetic; and nobody is addressing the problem at the street level. A group of four women have turned to Dr. Caitlin McKinnon-Ferguson, a psychologist and police consultant–where they learn more than they ever hoped for. They go on the streets of Boulder to fight crime where no one expects them to become involved, because they are a little over-weight, a little gray-haired, and, to be honest, seem so nice.

This eclectic band of women learn about the powers of observation, police tactics, and martial arts. Caitlin’s first order of business is to organize walk-abouts. When they discover a meth lab in their little suburban neighborhood, they turn to the police–but nothing comes of it. Why? Then there’s an assault in Colorado Springs and a murder in Boulder. It’s up to Caitlin and her unlikely apprentices to connect the dots and solve the crimes before there’s another victim. What these five women didn’t count on was going up against a ruthless Rastafarian and his gang–a gang that would just as soon cut your throat as they would quietly pass by you in the dead of night.

Silver Element is a work of fiction—mystery and fantasy, set in Boulder, CO.

Looking forward to seeing your comments! Enjoy!

P.S. Drusilla Tieben is my full name. Dru is my nickname.

Here is my Bio on Amazon:

Drusilla Tieben is a former police officer, crime analyst, profiler, and police trainer. She holds a black belt in Aikido. She went to school in the south when streaking was a national competition, and women had to fight every step of the way to have real jobs and make a living. She is one of the few women who loves science fiction.
Discover the Life You Want to Live, published in 2012, is a work of non-fiction based on her career and life lessons.

Her new book, Silver Element, the first in the Caitlin Ferguson mystery series of mysteries takes place in Boulder and Colorado Springs, CO is now live on Amazon Kindle. The paperback version will also be released on Amazon next month. She lives in Colorado with her husband, son, and 2 attack wiener dogs.

Blog: drutieben.com

Of all the things, why would we ever want to buy a monkey? I’ve heard this often from my male friends. They think it would be so cool to own one. Most of the women I know would never consider owning such an exotic pet. I think fish and birds are too exotic!

So, I decided to conduct an in depth exploration of the Barenaked Ladies’ song: If I Had a Million Dollars, just to see what people would buy. I asked around got some interesting statements.

Question: “What would you buy first if you had a million dollars? Here are some of the answers I got doing my most inexpertly poll:

Guys would buy a monkey. Again, I ask: Why???? One woman said, “We’d never buy a monkey because we married them!” (I’m sorry, guys, that was funny!)

The most frequent answers are listed below. People would:

Travel

Pay off college

Spend more time with family; help various family members;

Help my children—medically because they don’t have insurance to pay off physical repairs. Then I’d buy a 1964 Chrysler 300 hardtop, cherry red with the rest of it.

Put it in the bank and think about what to do with it

Invest

Buy a house or pay off a house

Quit my job and travel with all my family members then buy a Corvette (and that was a woman’s answer!)

Go through my wish list (everything I wanted to buy)

And, the oddball answer that was so cool:  Get a few more Chihuahuas—you go girl!

Me? I definitely wouldn’t buy al those crazy elephant bones, Kraft dinners or a green dress. I would pay off all the bills, fix the house up, make sure my kid’s college fund was completely funded, support local charities—especially EFAA, located in Boulder, hire a full-time personal trainer—definitely the Fit after Fifty guy—Jack! Then, I would buy a few more chiweenies and dachshunds!

So, this time of year, let’s think about what we are thankful for, what we can do to help others, and do something a little bit nice for ourselves. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 FYI—Best Barenaked Ladies video (a little dated, but still funny): www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHacDYj8KZM

Recently, I was lucky to meet an amazing woman who also is an octogenarian. We got together to create a trade paperback for her son, whom I met at a writer’s class. He is now a pretty darn good muckety muck* on Amazon with his first eBook.  But she wanted a real book—to hold in her hands, to share with her friends, to just have it.

So we got together and yakked it up and I said, “Oh, yeah, I know how to do all this….” Sure I did.

The process is a huge undertaking. No wonder writers pay other people a lot of money to do all this dithery stuff. We just want to write, really, and maybe put up a fairly good book in the end!!!

But alas, unless you want to stay on the sidelines—or the side of someone’s desk for a gazillion years, you have to learn all about direct publishing. So we went to Create Space and set up an account. The first part was easy – your name, the name of the book, getting an ISBN – they do that for you, which is nice. Then, we got to the interior design. OMG! So, here is what happened: First we had multiple conversion errors. OK, so I left it as and 8½” by 11” file. Then I resized it. Then I forgot to save it as a .pdf file. Then I forgot to embed the text (Whaaaa?). Sizing and gutters and embedded texts, OH MY!

The biggest thing I learned out of this: Never ever never never never never never never never never never never use the templates…. Do it all in Word: Set up your margins exactly as they specify and set it up on a blank page in Word or Open Office. And, don’t forget the gutters!  Page breaks, and section breaks, headers and footers, making sure the headers and page numbering started on the correct page. Those were allllll a nightmare!

Upload upon upload upon upload, etc. It is maddening. You get the picture. Finally, it looks right…. Whew!

I don’t even want to talk about the Cover conversion. I’m not going there (OK well maybe a little bit). It’s a .pdf file that includes the front cover, spine and back matter specifications…. All you had to do is remember your high school math for all those formulas:

For a 5.25” x 8” book you need this: Width:  .125 +5.25 + .74316 + 5.25 + .125 = 11.49316; Height:  .125 + 8 + .125 = 8.25

CMYK, RGB color, 100% flattened to one layer and minimum resolution of 300 DPI. Argh! I know geeks understand this, but let’s face it, this old nerd was out of her league! So, fortunately, I got some help for all that. Too many big words and big software programs that I don’t have in my possession…. Thanks to the author for his help. Whew!

At least the KDP conversion was easy. (The author already did it!) But, eBooks are way cool. I’m liking them more and more…. (Especially that big print!)

I learned a lot from my octogenarian friend. I learned that I can do more than I think I can. She learned more than she will ever need to know about computery stuff, and we had a blast. I cooked, we ate, we talked and talked and talked. I made a good friend.

So, for all you young media consumers out there, please take a moment and thank us lowly old people who still like to write for you. Give us a break when you find a few errors. We really try hard to come up with good products. We really try to learn new stuff. It’s just that that pesky writing always gets in the way…..

_______________________

From Wikipedia: 

*Big boy, big cheese, bigfoot, biggie, big gun, big leaguer, big-timer, big wheel, bigwig, fat cat, heavy, heavy hitter, heavyweight, high-muck-a-muck (or high-muckety-muck), honcho, kahuna, kingfish, kingpin, major leaguer, muckety-muck (also muck-a-muck or mucky-muck), nabob, nawab, nibs, nob, pooh-bah, wheel.

I was ranting about something or other that drove me crazy about a new mother, or her kids, or a whole world of entitled people—something that has continued to bother me lately—when a co-worker asked me:

“Yeah, but why do you care?”

That stumped me for a little while. OK maybe a few seconds-before I spoke, and then I don’t know if the co-worker understood where I was coming from. Sometimes I’m pretty opinionated (OK most of the time). But, I’d like to ask: “If things don’t seem to be working out with a method that they are using, why can’t they see that? Why can’t they change how they do things? And, why are they afraid to ask for help? Do they not know that they need help?

Why does it take everyone so long to admit that it’s just not working?

My co-worker then stated, “You don’t know what their lives are like. They’re working or they’re single parents. They have too much on their plate. They’re busy.”

So I thought about it some more as to why I cared about other peoples’ lives. I care because it affects my life. For example, when I go to events for my child, I see chaos. No one has a good time because these other parents’ kids are screaming, or running around, and no one is doing anything about it. They don’t feel they have to. They don’t watch their little star on the stage. They’re too busy letting the siblings wreak havoc. These parents are on their phone, talking to their friends (rather loudly), texting, tweeting. They are not paying attention. And, they don’t see anything wrong with this…… Sigh. Maybe it’s just me? The same holds true for shopping, eating out at restaurants, and going to movies, or any other public event. What happened to discipline? What happened to ground rules? Why are we so busy making friends with our children and not enforcing some rules?

So I say: “We gotta look at why we are so busy all the time.

Are we such media consumers that we forget to look up and see what’s going on with our kids and our families? Are we so immersed in media and electronics that we can’t focus and contemplate a thought for more than a few seconds? Are we well-informed by the media, or are we allowing ourselves to be hypnotized by mass market opinions? Or, is media simply another distraction?

How can we learn to think about things deeply once again? How can we teach our kids how to sit and be calm with so much noise and distraction? How can we learn to trust that we are good parents?

Here are a few ideas I’m working on:

Learn to trust each other and the decisions you make.

Learn to take some time and actively listen to what others have to say without inserting an opinion or interrupting each other.

Learn to value life differences, and that doesn’t just mean age.

Learn to value each child you have. Give each one of them a special time with you. Leave the siblings at home or with a babysitter so you can focus on each one on an individual basis.

Learn when it’s time to trust teenagers. Hopefully, you’ve taught them well and can begin to give them more privacy as they get older. But, they have to earn that trust by right action.

I’m still not an advocate of having media in every room. We don’t give our kid a cell phone. We limit the time one each media device and it always comes after homework and chores.

It’s up to us to be the best parent, and mentor, that we know how. And if we don’t know something, we can’t be afraid to go out and learn a new way. We can’t sit back and let things just happen. We have to make it happen!

My advice: Get outside, go for a hike, sit under a tree and think about your life and your kids’ lives!

Recently, I’ve been reading a lot of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series. Reacher is a guy that anyone would love to be—big and strong and free. But he is also a little weird and autistic and not a part of the universe we live in. Maybe that’s why I’m fascinated by him. He had never had to deal with daily life stresses of family and obligation. Yet, he always takes on a cause if he feels responsible for making something awful happen.

I can relate to his feeling of displacement. He was the son of a military guy who then became a military guy, never having a home to call home, moving around and never settling down. The military was his life. He didn’t know anything else. He became a displaced, homeless guy after the military.

Although I wasn’t in the military, I was in a position with the police department where I was used to being in charge. Even though I was (and still am) a reluctant leader, I continue to take on monumental tasks and fight the system.

I once had easy access to all kinds of data. I knew just about everything that went on in the city, and would help get the right people arrested. When I retired and returned to civilian life, I didn’t have access to all that data.

I wanted, no had to, get out of police work. There are only so many awful kid stories, bodies and sex assaults that my brain could handle when I decided to start a family. It was time for a change.

So, by reading these Reacher novels, they brought home that I’m not on inside anymore—the one in the know. So I have learned to keep talking, keep listening, keep reading and keep in the know by creating a spy network. Sometimes it’s about connecting with other moms or grandmas in the neighborhood. Sometimes it’s about connecting via email, websites, blog sites, or other electronic devices. And, sometimes, it’s about connecting up with the seniors at the Rec Center.

The network reports back to me and we deal with whatever is going on. Seniors have the time to sit on a park bench, or in a car at the park, or lunch with each other. They see everything (well except the ones who don’t see so well, then they just ask what’s going on in a loud voice!) They deal with the potential criminal element by making them move on. Hey, they’re seniors—they have the right to be nosy and noisy.

So, maybe, like Jack Reacher, I’m just nosy, or I feel obligated to do something. Or, maybe, I get involved because I am a reluctant leader. Why do I think I can be in charge of something? Why do people depend on me? Because I project that know-how, harnessed with feistiness–although sometimes I have to call in favors from old cop buddies to really figure out what’s going on. People depend on me and trust me because I listen; because I’m not afraid to intervene–to take action; and because I have allowed others to believe in me. Thanks, Jim Grant (aka Lee Child) for creating this fictional character for all of us old ladies in the know.

Why does everyone else seem to know what’s good for you more than you do? Why is it that more than you do about when you are ready to publish your book? Who decides what real fiction is? Despite the flaws, when do you believe that you are a good writer? When is it good enough? (POGE-See post March 12, 2013). Obviously, you have to fix the major plot issues, as well as typos, drama, action, verb tense, dangling participles. But, despite all your flaws, continue to ask this question: Is it a good book?

I recently read a great article posted on a website called writetodone.com. The article was titled “Is Your Writing Any Good? Here Are Seven Ways You Can Tell.” I have accomplished these five:

1.  You’ve Been Told You’re a Good Writer.

2.  You can Look Back and See How Your Writing has Improved.

3.  You Have a Good Grasp of Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation.

4.  You Can Spot Sloppy Writing from Other People.

7.  You’ve Been Pair for Your Writing.

The bottom line is: Fix the first book to the best of your ability, upload it, and keep writing. I’m working on the self-acceptance part….

 I’ll close with an encouraging quote from a super-success story, self-published, author, Hugh Howie: “Be yourself. This shouldn’t be counterintuitive. Don’t lose sight of who you are. Embrace the awkwardness, the glee, the dumbfoundedness.” Thanks from this superfan.