News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #181…
A salute. To all those front-line workers who deserve much more than applause and cheers, I salute you. That includes doctors, nurses, maintenance workers, grocery clerks—all who are keeping things going for the rest of us. I also salute the volunteers working in food pantries and aiding in general.
Some of my readers have made many useful suggestions about how we can all help those in the frontlines of this war against the coronavirus…and each other. I’m truly impressed by the sense of community that I’m seeing in the tri-state area from most people (not so much elsewhere). Most are showing common sense, listening to the health experts, and not protesting or exhibiting rash behavior. That’s all for the greater good…and toward a speedy recovery from the state, national, and worldwide disaster this pandemic represents.
I’m in that demographic group where COVID-19 would probably kill me if I got it, so I’ve become a reluctant recluse. All I can do is stay at home, except for essentials, and read or write my stories so I won’t catch the virus or propagate it—or give it to anyone else if I get it! The writing is a small and perhaps selfish contribution compared to the above, but authors are obviously not essential employees! And it goes toward promoting that common-sense reaction to the pandemic, if only by creating entertainment that allows others to stay at home.
Reading. I’ve recently read Alex Gerlis’s Prince of Spies and Keith Steinbaum’s The Poe Consequence (for a review of these two books, see the mini-reviews section of my blog archives). I also binge-read Faith Martin’s Jenny Starling mysteries, fine stories in the British mystery tradition (I reviewed the entire seven-book series recently—see the “Book Reviews” archive of this blog).
Writing. Although I’ve finished two manuscripts, A Time-Traveler’s Guide to the Multiverse (it’s a sci-fi rom-com) and Death on the Danube (#3 in the “Esther Brookstone Art Detective” series), I had to slow down a bit because I had a pinched nerve in my right shoulder (I’m a touch-typist so I need both hands). Most of this newsletter was typed before that. I guess you could say it was caused by COVID because I was doing a lot more writing…as well as reading. I’m better now, thank God.
The Smashwords sale. What I can do as a writer is provide readers with reading material. For obvious reasons, people have more time to read. Adults, however, have a bit more patience than children and young adults in this era of stay-at-home living. Kids need exciting stories. So this month I put all of A.B. Carolan’s sci-fi mysteries for young adults on sale at Smashwords. These books have also entertained many adults who are young at heart.
The Secret Lab is about a mutant cat and a gang of kids on the International Space Station in the future who solve a mystery that involves the origin of the cat. The Secret of the Urns is about a young girl out to save ETs whose planet is invaded by Human miners. Mind Games is about a young girl with psi powers who sets out to find her foster father’s murderer.
Note that all these books are available in ebook and print versions, but, like all my sales, the ebook is only on sale at Smashwords using the special coupon codes included in my email newsletter.
Not a member of Smashwords? Become one. It’s easy, and you’ll have access to all my ebooks as well as those from many other authors writing in many genres.
Note that all my books are inexpensive.
Free fiction. Toward the same goal of providing you reading material during these days of pandemic, check out the free fiction in the “Steve’s Shorts” and “ABC Shorts” archives of my blog. Also, you will see a list of free PDFs you can download on the “Free Stuff & Contests” web page.
Looking for a good book to read or an old movie to watch? In addition to those mentioned above, check out the “Mini-Reviews of Books,” “Book Reviews,” and “Movie Reviews” archives of this blog. (Obviously I haven’t seen a new movie recently because of COVID-19.)
Be smart…stay safe. We’ll get through this!
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
