The prompt yesterday was “the golden hour.” I used it to write another 100 word piece. Not really a story, but a poem inspired by the picture I shared here.
Grant Faulkner, who is a part of the NaNoWriMo organization, and also runs a website called 100 Word Story, spoke last night at The Avid Reader bookstore in Davis last night. A friend mentioned it to me, so I went because the idea of writing flash faction and micro fiction has intrigued me but I’ve never really dabbled in it. Of all the stories I’ve written, I can think of only one that qualifies as flash (1000 words or less) and one that may be micro (100 words).
One of the things Faulkner mentioned was that, when he writes micro fiction he aspires to exactly 100 words. No more, no less. At the end of the discussion he gave us a prompt and suggested we give it a try. So … here is my first micro story. The first sentence was the prompt. It is exactly 100 words long.
“Just one more drink won’t hurt anything. Isn’t that what they say, whoever they is?”
The bartender nodded. “I think I’ve heard that a time or two.”
“Doesn’t it matter though?”
“On what?”
“One drink in, another won’t hurt, right?” I pushed my empty glass forward. “But, if you’re on your sixth or seventh, maybe not.”
The bartender took the glass and placed it under the tap. “Yeah, I gotta keep tabs on you, don’t I?”
He pulled the handle forward and begin to pour.
When he pushed the glass back to me, I slid my car keys to him.
Metal prints aren’t your thing? Maybe some coasters might be what you’re looking for.
A swan at a nearby lake, the sunset at San Simeon, an old church in Sedona, and sunset at the Freeport Bridge near Sacramento. (sorry about the shadows, I’m learning there is nowhere in my house that is reflection free)
These are four inch coasters. Cork on the back. Epoxy covering the front. Heat and cold resistant. $16 for the set. If shipped within the U.S., add on $12.
Let me know if you’re interested. Kmcreative55@gmail.com
December 2017, the missus and I went to San Simeon for a few days. Most of the hotels there are on the west side of Hwy 1 and back up to the beach. We checked in around 3:00 and then wandered down to the beach. A few hundred yards to the north we found a spot to watch the sun set with camera in hand. For the next couple of hours, I didn’t stop taking pictures. The combination of clouds and rocks, surf and sand, was absolutely perfect. As the sun went down, the colors went from blues and yellows to fiery reds and oranges. The full gamut of colors was on display and I took a lot of pictures that night. Ever since, I’ve been chasing something that compares. I’m still searching.
I have this currently available on metal. 10 x 16 (approx. because it’s hanging somewhere and I can’t measure it right now). Cost is $100. Or if you’d like a different size … 8 x 10 for $50. Or tell me what size and I’ll send you a quote. Postage not included. If interested, comment here or shoot me an email at kmcreative55@gmail.com.
I’ll be posting more pictures from this sunset in future weeks.
I should add … I get my metal prints from a place called Magnachrome. That’s all they do … metal prints. I’ve ordered metal from one or two other places and the quality just doesn’t compare. These are a little more expensive than at some of those other places, but the small additional cost is worth it.
A few years ago, we went down to San Diego to visit our son. We stayed in Mission Beach, a block from the ocean. One night we went to dinner at a restaurant that was even closer to the beach. This was the view from our table. A view I looked at and puzzled over. The lamp and the sunset. I wasn’t sure if they would work together. But I pulled my phone out and took the picture. I think it worked.
The details:
Metal Print
8 x 10 3/4 inches (because this was with my phone the images loses resolution for larger sizes).
$40 plus postage
If interested, drop a comment or email me at kmcreative55@gmail.com.
Last year, I created a website to try to sell some of my photography. It didn’t do much primarily because I don’t have any idea how to market.
So, I’ve decided to try a different approach. Once a week, I’m going to post here about a photo I’ve taken. The post will include a picture of the photo, the location where it was taken, and the cost for the photo as I currently have it. Anybody interested should reply in the comments or send me an email at kmcreative55@gmail.com.
Here is an example:
Birds in Flight
I took this at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge which is located a couple of hours north of Sacramento. The first time I went to the refuge, the place was teeming with birds and ducks and geese and all manner of other water fowl. I entered this photo in a contest the refuge had for inclusion in a fundraising calendar and it was selected.
The details:
16 x 24 Metal Print w/hanging mount.
$150 (shipping not included and to be determined if ordered)
If you like the image but would prefer a smaller size, let me know. An 8 x 10 (or similar size) would be $50 (shipping not included). A special order will require a longer delivery time.
Coming November 1, A Veterans Anthology is a collection of fiction and non-fiction in which veterans are featured. Some follow them in battle, some follow them after battle. A couple of stories are non-fiction tributes to fathers who served. A couple are tales of futuristic veterans. There may be a little bit of everything in this collection.
I put out a call for this earlier this year, edited the stories, and set it to publish on November 1. The authors include: Berthold Gambrel, Fred Nolan, EK Lloyd-Williams, John Patterson, John Rosskopf, Gregg Matson, Julie Woodside, Lionel deMaine, Marcia Ehinger, P.L. Clark, and myself.
The book is available in e-book and paperback virtually everywhere books are sold on-line. All proceeds beyond costs will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.
A fellow writer mentioned that Amazon now has an AI feature, named Rufus, that can answer questions about products on Amazon, including books. So … I decided to ask Rufus what readers think of my books.
Here is what it had to say:
I don’t have access to reviews or opinions on specific books. However, here are a few general things about Mark Paxson’s books:
– Mark Paxson is an American author known for writing mystery and thriller novels. Some of his popular books include the “Jack McCall” series and “The Last Witness”.
– His books often feature complex plots with lots of twists and turns to keep readers guessing. The protagonists are typically ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances.
– Reviews praise Paxson’s ability to build suspense and his detailed writing style that brings settings and characters to life. Many readers enjoy the fast-paced action in his books.
– However, some critics find the plots convoluted or unrealistic at times. There are also reviews that mention excessive violence or dark subject matter in certain novels.
– Paxson’s writing has been compared to authors like Lee Child and John Sandford. His books appeal to fans of the mystery, thriller and suspense genres.
– Reader opinions are mixed, with some loving the high-stakes stories while others prefer more grounded mysteries. Checking reviews can help determine if his style matches your reading preferences.
– Overall, Mark Paxson has developed a following for his page-turning thrillers, though critical reception is somewhat divided. Looking at reviews from readers with similar tastes can provide helpful insight.
After reading this, I had to double-check whether there is another Mark Paxson with books on Amazon. Because I don’t have a Jack McCall series or anything titled The Last Witness. Pretty much everything else that Rufus has to say is completely wrong. At least from my perspective. I’d love to know who this Mark Paxson is that Rufus thinks I am. Maybe he’s a more successful writer.
One of the things that is interesting is that there are over 150 reviews of my books on Amazon, but its AI doesn’t have access to those reviews? What exactly does it have access to then?
If this is the best that Amazon’s AI can do, it’s gonna need some more work.
When last I wrote here, it was June of last year. I read that post and I thought some of it occurred in September. Oh well. This is one of the things I’ve noticed about getting older. Time frames don’t actually jibe with my memory anymore.
Since that post, I participate in another craft festival. This time in December. A holiday fair that I thought would produce more sales because people would be buying gifts. Nope. I did just about the same amount of business as I did at my first art festival in April. Although, I did sell more books. What I’m learning is that the vast majority of people won’t spend more than $20-30, which means my bigger prints just don’t sell no matter how many people walk by and ooh and aah over them.
But I haven’t given up. Two things are coming up. First, on March 17, I’ll have a booth at Sip & Shop, a semi-regular event at South Slope Wines, a winery about ten minutes from home. The event will include about 10 vendors, live music, and food and wine provided by the winery. I’m hoping drunk people having a good time with the music and food will be willing to spend more money. But my sister who has done some events at wineries says they don’t.
Once that event is done, at the urging of the missus, I’m going to have a trial run at a local vendor market that is permanent. I can rent a space by the month. I’m going to try for three months and see what happens. I don’t have to be there when the market is open for business. They have staff who handle sales.
And don’t forget my website I’m slowly adding things to the website. My latest addition includes black and white images and 8 x 10 prints. Soon, I’ll be adding more individual pictures of coasters and more metal prints.
All of this means that I’m making more coasters and ordering more prints … and hoping that I’ll find buyers for all of this stuff. The website has been up for three months and I haven’t had a sell. But I also haven’t done much to promote it. I’m hoping to do more of that this year, as I add to it.
Meanwhile, in writing land …
I’m working with some authors to put together and publish an anthology. Each story has to loosely address this theme … what happens in that extra hour we get when daylight savings time ends. We’ve got nine authors contributing stories. I’ve seen most of the stories. Some are dark, some are speculative, some are more gentle. It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out.
And contrary to my last update, I have not worked on Carlota. Instead, I’ve been making very slow progress on my lighthouse story. I’ve researched lighthouses and the specific lighthouse where the story will be based. For the last few months I’ve been struggling with writing the thing though. What else is new. But … I’m about 3,000 words in and a few light bulbs have turned on.
One aspect of this story is that I’m writing it completely different then any other story I’ve written. I usually write from “the beginning” and just go from there. With this story, I’m writing in bits and pieces. A little bit here. Some over there. I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to organize this story.
In some ways, it is a return to the type of story my first novel, One Night in Bridgeport, is. Some back story, some history, several pieces of story bringing together the real story. I still don’t know how exactly I will begin it. I don’t know where to include the history. And I don’t know when to bring in the main characters. But I’m starting to write the disparate pieces so I can eventually figure it all out. After months of pondering, I’m excited to finally start putting more words on paper.
In the bad news department, I’ve sold one book in the last month and a half. But also, since I haven’t done much to promote them, what should I expect? Gotta find ways to get them out there, which leads to …
I’ve applied to be in a book festival hosted by a local independent book store. I’m not optimistic I’ll get into it because they want to know about how I address social justice in my fiction and in my life, and that’s just not something I consciously do in my fiction. but we’ll see.
I managed to finish a writing project that has lingered for around ten years. The working title was K Street Stories, but the final title will be Hard Ground. This is a series of five short stories based on people I came across while working in Downtown Sacramento. There are connections between the stories and they all end with the same event. Hard Ground is only 17,000 words, a length that I refer to as a long short story.
I’m thinking that I’m going to combine it with a couple of other similar length stories and publish those three stories together in a paperback and and ebook, but also release each separately as an ebook. It’s also possible that one or both of the other stories I’m going to include in this collection might eventually reach novel-length at a later date.
The next story that will begin this collection is titled Carlota. It’s what I’ve described as a sexy space romp that involves the end of life on Earth and a space ship that takes some survivors to establish a new human existence on a planet far, far away. This story has also lingered for around ten years and I’m eager to see if I can finish it. I’m not sure how long it will be, but I’m thinking 15,000 – 20,000 words may be just right. All depends on what I want to do after they arrive on that new planet.
The third story is up in the air. I recently came up with an idea to write a story that takes place in a lighthouse in the 1800s. I have a general idea about this. It’s likely going to be a ghost story and a survival story combined into one piece. I know what actual lighthouse I’m going to base my story on and recently learned that the keeper’s log from that lighthouse is kept at a museum that I’ll be driving past in September. I’ve reached out to the museum to see if there is any way for me to get access to that log. If I can, I’ll likely wait until then to start writing this story.
Beyond that option, there are plenty of others floating in my head and in half-completed projects. What I’m doing right now is riding the high of having finished something.
In other news, as I shared in a post over at KingMidget’s Ramblings earlier today, I have four photographs accepted for exhibition at the California State Fair next month. Giddy is the word I’m using to describe how I feel about this. My imposter syndrome suggests this is the type of thing that never happens to me, so it feels good.
Finally, I am continuing to take baby steps towards building a website where I can sell things. I’m going to start by focusing on my photography. I just need to sit down and get it figured out and get it started.
That’s it for now.
Hope you all are creating and following your dreams.
The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing: isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination and consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that’s on a good day. (Robert De Niro)
Novels, Short Stories, and More 