Let’s all remember the true meaning of Memorial Day: honoring all those who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve democracy.

My posts will resume on Thursday, December 27.

On this yuletide eve, I wish all readers of this blog happy holidays. All the best to you and yours, whatever your backgrounds in this world of diversity that I celebrate so much in my books.

If you’re traveling, bon voyage. If you’re partying, don’t drink and then get behind the wheel. And, above all, be safe and enjoy all those end-of-year celebrations.

2019 awaits us. Who knows what it will bring?

Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

[Note from Steve: I’ve augmented my book-buying algorithm. Yes, I still avoid a book’s reviews, especially those zero-content ones on Amazon. Yes, I will study the blurb and “peek inside” to see if the author can write. But now I also peruse small presses’ catalogs! The following three books I found doing just that for two small presses, Black Opal Books and EDGE Publishing. Try it. My algorithm now takes a bit longer, but it’s nice to weed out all the dregs on Amazon, so a lot of time is saved!]

Poseidon’s Eye. Trisha O’Keefe, author (Black Opal Books, 2016). Alex is a hot-shot Hispanic when all hell breaks loose after his bachelors’ party. He goes from being engage to the boss’ daughter to being a hunted man, framed for a murder he didn’t commit. He sets out to prove his innocence, not knowing Murray, a detective, already thinks he’s been framed. There’s a parallel story as she tries to prove that as well as prove herself to the men in her department.

Set in SoCal—Alex is from LA; Murray’s based in Bakersfield—the reader will get a glimpse of the Golden State’s area I grew up in, which stretches from the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific Ocean (the last action scene takes place on U.S. 101). The portrayal of the life of migrant workers is all too real, and the picture painted of actions taken against Hispanics and Native Americans by white haters and bigots is tragic.

The major theme here, though, is the duplicity at the highest levels of government and greedy corporate interests. Alex has to cover a lot of ground here to prove he’s innocent; dangerous roadblocks are in the way, as well as many twists and turns in the road.

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It’s not just a time for burgers and beer; it’s a time to remember what’s made America a shining beacon for freedom-loving people everywhere, a light to shine upon the darkness for those escaping war, famine, and natural disasters and those who want a better life; and it’s a time to be with our families and friends and those we have welcomed to our shores in celebrating our independence. Help make America sane again! And please, drive carefully and drink responsibly.

It’s been a big weekend! I’m sure you’ve traveled safely and imbibed responsibly, and will continue to do so.  Did you also honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe?  That’s what it’s all about.

Les deseo a todos nuestros amigos mexicanos un feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all our Mexican friends.

Amazon. I have many problems with Amazon, but package delivery isn’t one of them. Like most online retailers, they use many delivery services—the USPS is just one of them. These delivery services generally do a good job (I just wish more of them would at least ring the doorbell). They also make money from retailers, whether you get free delivery or not (it’s rarely free for the retailer). That keeps the USPS in business so the few of us who still send letters, birthday and holiday cards, and yes, packages, can still do so.

Every online retailer has to pay state sales tax for direct deliveries now; I guess the law also applies to affiliated retailers (Amazon has many), but that’s not Amazon’s responsibility—how could it be? Is Amazon putting brick-and-mortar stores out of business? Maybe. Toys-R-Us couldn’t adapt; Walmart and others are adapting. Blaming Amazon for USPS budget woes seems like a stretch, but the times they are a-changin’….

My problems with Amazon? They’re mostly book author-related. Readers are only affected because they’re limited to what they can see on their laptops and smart phones. That’s why libraries and bookstores will never be replaced, thank goodness.

Facebook. Many of you know I have a Facebook author page. It complements my website and includes mini-reviews of books, mostly classics, and some chat about my own books, including sales. I pay nothing for that service. But everyone reading this who uses Facebook should revise their security preferences. And beware of surveys. Your online security is important to me. Every reader is. We all have to help each other.

Old radio shows. They were the precursors of audiobooks, complete with sound effects. They were the precursors of podcasts too. Most of all, they were like fiction books because they sent imaginations into overdrive. Even though families often sat around listening to them, each person’s imagination participated and created her or his own little world.

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[This article is the second in a series about social media use by authors. Feel free to comment.]

Let’s see: I’ve disparaged Twitter—it’s mostly useless, for authors directly participating at least (your publicist might use it, though); and I’ve given my advice to use Facebook in a limited sense (you could limit it to just an author page—if they start charging, forget about it). What’s left?

Goodreads. This massive website for discussing books and reading used to be a lot better, but it’s gone downhill since Amazon took it over. It’s never been user friendly and allows cliques to develop without any adult supervision.  Anyone can form a group, and some of them are huge.  Groups are run by a monitor (maybe more than one for large ones), and submonitors often control subsections of groups. Rarely you’ll come across monitors or submonitors who are snarky individuals, little despots who like to flaunt their power.

Authors should promote their books in the sections allocated to them, of course, but the definition of promotion is often distorted by monitors. I was censored in one chat thread about sex and romance in books just for mentioning my opinion as both reader and author—no mention of my books, so not really promotional at all.

Groups can be political too. I was kicked out of a discussion group for expressing an opinion contrary to the monitor’s (I can’t even remember what the thread was about, or what pissed him off—a mountain out of a molehill, to be sure, but the little tyrant booted me out without any explanation).  You never know when someone will get their hackles up and go after you. Back away from such people. They’re not worth your time.

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A. B. Carolan and Steven M. Moore wish you:

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Celebrate responsibly.  Don’t drink and drive.  If you see one of the wee people, you’ve had too much!  Or, Ancestry will say you have some leprechaun DNA.

Chinese culture goes back millennia.  Food for thought.  I salute all my Chinese readers, friends, and relatives.  Have a great celebration along with Detective Dao-Ming Chen of the NYPD!