Timestamp

Poets are alchemists,
Trying to turn lead into gold
But only getting pyrite.

A Question

Do you ever just throw your hands up in the air in disgust?

Question: How do you catch them?

The Nerve of Them....

So I received an email from PublishAmerica recently. They were the folks who did my first book, From Here to Never; Time Travels from Maine. I wasn't impressed with their layout of the pages. I liked the cover, but I did that myself.

The email I received from them said that since my book hasn't sold for over a year, they are willing to return the rights to the book back to me.

And it will only cost $99.

I'd do it in a heartbeat if it was free. There's still about 3 years left on the contract I signed with them, and I want to totally redo the book.

However, I'm not willing to pay the fee.

PA has been on an email blitz for the last year or two, trying to get us to buy many copies of our books. They have couched it from many different angles, including much lower pricing, hardcover versions, placement of the book in prestigious places. It was all in response to pressure from Amazon to take over printing of any POD books sold through their site which, of course, takes money out of the POD publisher's pockets.

PA didn't agree to the demand and all their books were removed from the Amazon online purchase process. So they tried to push their loss of business onto the backs of the authors they represent.

With a $20 price tag, substandard book design, I just never felt like trying to sell the book. I didn't see any value in it, so I moved on to other books I have since completed and continue to try to market.

I can wait three years to save $99.

There's always more books.

It's My Birthday, and I'll Rain if I Want To

Hello.

Here's a mishmash of stuff.

I wish people would stop asking to borrow a pen and just come out and say, "I wish to have one of your pens. Do you have a pen you will give me to keep forever?"

My son is playing Junior Legion baseball this summer. He made the team, and it wasn't really expected because I found out that they use Junior Legion in this area as a sort of extended baseball season for the high school team.

My son doesn't play on the high school team - he is homeschooled. That's not to say that he can't try out for the high school team; it just hasn't happened.

What is driving me nuts is that my son only played in 2 out of the 7 innings last night. There are about 17 kids on the team, so some will have to rotate in and out. But only 2 innings? That was one at bat and two innings of standing in left field waiting for something to happen.

Of course, the high school team kids get to play much more than that. I wonder if I can complain to the American Legion, which is the founder of Legion baseball. After all, I am a member.

Here's a poem I wrote for today:

Just Another Day

It rained on my birthday,
My fiftieth birthday.

I didn't expect the heavens to open
And angels to descend singing,

"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace,
Good will toward men."

But rain?

Then I remembered
I told my wife
Fifty is no big deal,
Just another day.

Now I have to go cram more stuff into a teeny tiny ad because that's what the manager wants. Can anyone say 6 point type or smaller? Should be illegal. Wait, I think it is.



Happy Birthday to me.

This is Only a Test

I've uploaded a new short story to Amazon for distribution through its Kindle store. This is something of an experiment to see if I can sell a 99¢ short story. I've seen people complain about that price in the forums, but it's really the lowest you can go.

Here is a link to the story: The Decision

It's a Wrap

With the closeout of American Idol, Season 9, last night, there are a few things on which to comment, I think.

Season 9, by most reports, was rather underwhelming in its totality, and it's difficult to see any of this year's contestants going on to have a career like Carrie Underwood or Chris Daughtry. I know the producers look for certain "packages" that seem to fit a particular mold that they think makes good television, but they are supposed to make for good recording artists after the show is finished, as well. I'm not so sure AI has been as successful at that part of it.

Lee DeWyze was this year's winner, beating out a better, more complete musician and performer in Crystal Bowersox. How many times have we seen this happen throughout the years? Yet, those who ultimately win the competition riding the waves of millions of votes usually seem to flop in the marketplace after they cut their first albums. How is this possible? What happened to all those fans who swept them into prominence?

The finale results show was filled with musical stars from the baby boom generation, Hall & Oats, Joe Cocker, Barry Gibb & Robin Gibb (the remnants of the Bee Gees), Alice Cooper, Chicago, and I'm thinking that the nod to those watchers who are older is nice, but these folks really need to retire. They just don't have it vocally any more.

I seem to have a thing for Siobhan Magnus.

With the leaving of Paula Abdul after last season, and the departure of Simon Cowell after this season, one wonders what will happen to the Idol franchise. It's true that the format is quite easy to replicate, but the personalities usually aren't. With a slow drop in ratings over the last couple years, I think that will be accelerating.

I really can't see attending the Idols on tour concert coming to our local civic center this year. Unless it's to see Siobhan.

Out.

Season with Prudence

Some armchair poets of today like to toss in a "doth" or "thee" into their verse here and there. I guess they think it seasons their poem, gives it an aura of something classic. The problem is that the rest of the poem doesn't use the older language patterns, so the occasional "doth", "thee", or "thou" really sticks out like a canker sore on the lower lip.

The best thing that these poets could do, if they want to impart a characteristic to their poem, is study the works of John Milton, John Donne or many of the other medieval era poets to see how they used the language. After all, they wrote in the language of their time, and that, frankly, is what most poets should stick with - the language of their time.

I Told You So

Here we are, three games into the 2010 Major League Baseball season. The Boston Red Sox just wrapped up their opening three-game series against the New York Yankees.

They won only one of the three games.

During the offseason, the Red Sox did not sign power hitter, Jason Bay. Instead they signed Marco Scutaro (SS), Mike Cameron (CF), Adrian Beltre (3B), and John Lackey (P). Given the people the new fielders were replacing hit about the same or better than their replacements, the offensive capability appears to have been downgraded somewhat. However, defensively, the team has improved. With the addition of another top-of-the-rotation pitcher in John Lackey, the Red Sox moved in the direction of strong pitching and strong defense to win games. GM Theo Epstein even stated that was their goal as they salivate over new defensive stats like UZR.

It's not working so far.

The Red Sox won the first game with offense, 9-7 - it certainly wasn't pitching holding the Yankees' run count down.

Pitching and defense lost the next two games.

At their current trend, the Red Sox will win only 54 games this year. Yes, I know it's a small sample size from which nothing of significance can be derived. If they win their next game against the Royals, then the trend changes to the Sox winning 81 games this year. That's the skewing of statistics with too small sample sizes. However, one can still make that statement with accuracy at this time.

So even though the season willl eventually even out the stats, probably in ways that show the Red Sox heading to 90+ wins for the season, I'm going to use the small sample size to say one thing:

I told you so!

Hallucination of Majestic Elephants

COMING SOON

Hallucination of Majestic Elephants
Literary Buzz:

“Along the way many great writers have begun with poetry and Jeff Howe’s five books of poetry published to date are diverse, enjoyable and very collectable, he writes with soul, ‘....Majestic Elephants’ will stamp him as another one on his way.” A. Myrtle. Poetsview.com

"From what I've seen of the previews, this will be a humdinger!" ReviwerGuy

"Jeff Who?" New York Times

Can We Just Stop it Now?

Probably think I'm talking about the railroading of government-run healthcare over the country, don't ya?

Actually, what I would like to see stopped is anything that is "From the Heart."

Follow me on this.

There are a lot of non-professionals, who by dint of the internet, home computers and home studios that are creating their own masterpieces of literature and music without the aid of a publisher. I'm okay with that. Quite okay, in fact. The market will still determine what it wants (and what it wants can get pretty weird).

Still, people need to come up with better titles for their works - and I'm seeing too much of what I referenced earlier.

There's

Poetry from the Heart,
Poems from the Heart,
Stories from the Heart,
From the Heart Productions,
Tales from the Heart,

and I just saw Music from the Heart.

How freakin' unoriginal can you be even if you "feel" like it's the perfect title?

Oh yeah, we also need to do something about this runaway train called the Federal Government, too.

Called the Best 5 Second Video on YouTube

This one makes me laugh every time.

I Guess It's Supposed to be Cute, but...

FairPoint Communications has decided to "bundle" its internet message with a cute, gremlin-like creature called a bundle. Most people probably find it cute. I find it a tad disturbing. See for yourselves: