A Flood of Emails on Electronic Acupuncture

I got 32 email concerning my use of electronic acupuncture and naturopathic/alternative medicine. I gather there is an interest. I'll pick one and share.

Joyce wrote:
...I want to , need to learn more ways and better ways to deal with the spasticity.  Where can I learn more about the electronic acupuncture that you talked about.  Naturopathic medicine to deal with spasticity.  .??? I never want a repeat of this week and it is not over yet.  Help!  
 
I already sent an email back to Joyce and here is my response.

Hello Joyce,

Infections are always a bug-a-boo with all part of the body. Even if you don't know it's there. I tend to listen to what my body is telling me. For me, the first sign of infection is malaise because I've always been a do person. While I may not know the cause, I know something is brewing. I also have this weird sense of smell that can smell an infection on myself and others. I can usually pinpoint the location within 72 hours. That's one of the reasons I made an excellent trauma nurse. The body relatively screams at me what's wrong. I know, I'm Abby Normal. That's also why I started searching for naturopathic/alternative medicine schools.

I guess the first thing I should ask is does your husband have any electronic devices implanted in his body? Like a pacemaker or pain control units to his spine, if so he cannot use this device. The device is the ETPS 1000. It's a neurostimulator like e-stim, but it's placed on acupuncture points. It works by sending a pinpoint electrical charge into the nerve. Unlike general e-stim it doesn't have a large pad but a tip like a ball point pen.

This is the LINK to my particular model. There are many and they all do the same thing. Google ETPS and you'll see what I mean.Mine has control dials for the amount of charge (patient's tolerance) and polar settings to excite or sedate. I've actually used it for years. I have no idea what the going price is, but I paid $250. You will need a prescription from your neurologist. It is battery operated and can be done by yourself or to others. I just found it on Amazon for cheaper, so maybe it's approved in the US now. When I bought mine back in the 90's it had to be ordered from Canada.

I actually have a working knowledge of acupuncture so I know the spots, but it isn't necessary with the books you can buy. Has you or your husband had an EMG run? You hear higher static sound with tightly contracted muscle, this works on the same principle with high and low pitched tone. At the highest point you hit the nerve-muscle junction and the point of the causing the pain and spastic muscle. Although the book shows general points, you are on a search and destroy mission. Find the highest pitch (squeal) for the maximum benefit.

Just after my stroke, the muscles tightened unbearably. Trying to do the ROM exercises became a daily chore lasting precious minutes getting the joints relaxed enough to move especially in my wrist. I pulled out my acupuncture needles and inserted them into my forearm and the base of thumb and fingers too. After a few minutes I found the bunched muscles relaxing. Then I remembered this unit I bought for my husband for his pain control that sedated nerves. I tried it and it worked. I got more range of motion doing the exercises. It was me marrying modern and ancient philosophies like I usually do.

Now keep in mind that I am also on the maximum allowable oral Baclofen, Zanaflex, and Valium at night for muscle spasms. Or rather I only take the Valium at night because it will be the straw that breaks the camel's back and puts me to sleep. I am also on a Botox injection schedule of every 3-4 months...5-6 months had me in agony for a month to a month and a half. Because it is available for me. I do not forgo modern medicine but look for ways to augment it.

The two books I strongly recommend are Natural Health: Pain Management for the 21st Century and Natural Heath II: Health Maintenance for the 21st Century. Both are published by Accmed and written by Bruce R. Hocking. Even if you don't order the unit, they are invaluable for understanding massage points.

Hopes this helps your husband.

Jo

There's no perfect fix for spasticity. Doctors cannot even agree what causes it or why some stroke survivor get it and others don't.

 

You have to first define the mechanism of what is broke to fix it!

 

I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV. While I do have a Ph.D, it's not in medicine. I'm just an ordinary stroke survivor looking for ways to combat what has happened to my body and try to make it better.

Does it relieve all my pain? No not 100%. Does it relieve all the spasticity? No, there is still some that you can see in the previous picture. The is no fix all. I just have found it helps me. 

 

I also treat the muscle spasms with an herbal blend of Rosemary, Red Thyme, Epsom salt, and Marjoram herb steep it into a very strong tea and soak in a bath tub. (steep time 30 minutes) These herbs and mineral have natural muscle relaxing qualities. I use a cup of each in a 2 quarts of boiled water.

Monday Mailbox ~ You're a Published Author?

It's Monday and time to answer your questions. Today's email is decidedly not a good one, but a common question.

You say you're a published author, but I've never heard of you and can't find a reference of your previously published books. Why is that? VR

My response...

It depends on what you've read, what it pertains to and in the circles you follow. I haven't always wrote fiction. I started my publishing career in nonfiction. Do you have any interest in Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis? Arthritis in general? Physical therapy with children? Medical text? Dissertations? Medical Abstracts? Computer languages, now ancient and no longer used? Coding Manuals? Textbook collaborations?

No? Then no wonder you don't know me as an author because that's what I wrote and published. Nonfiction is very specifically geared to a set audience and not the general population. Added to this almost all of my previous work are now out of print. Most were before computers came into play with search engines. I also did not write them under this name which makes finding me nearly impossible. No, I'm not being coy about not using my other publishing name. I do not want my publisher name to be tied to my indie author blog.

Still I am a multi-published author. I do know the ropes of publishing, contracts, deadlines, royalties, and agents. As far as being an indie published author, I'm still learning as I go. There are some things that I know to be true, while others are a trial and error situation.

I hope this answers your question.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox ~

Today is Monday, and I'm shuffling through all my emails and letters trying to pick which to answer here for a topic for this week. So many good ones to choose from. Decisions, decisions...Ah, here's a good one...

 I've often heard that writers write what they know and what they love or have an interest in, but you write everything from espionage to zombies to nonfiction about being a survivalist. Nobody can have that much that much knowledge. An Avid Fan

My response...
Dear Avid Fan,

Actually I do. I was born with an inquisitive mind and have degrees in a wide variety of subject matters. I love researching, finding out new things, and doing new stuff. That's just the way my mind clicks.

I pull from my own personal, real life experiences to write my novels. It gives my characters a depth that comes from fully understanding the character having walked in their shoes in real life. When I first started writing, I wrote strictly nonfiction because of this knowledge base. But actually when reading for pleasure, it was fiction I chose.

About ten years into my writing career, I thought I'd try my hand at writing fiction...a space opera. It sucked like terribly sour lemons. May that book, all 500 pages, stay hidden in a box under my bed forever. But that didn't deter me. I kept writing fiction as well as nonfiction. Writing fiction was a whole different animal than technical manuals, how tos, and nonfiction. I had to learn a whole 'nother craft. It took me another five years before I attempted another novel. That's an equivalent to a Bachelors degree and then some time wise.

I often say that death is the absence of learning. For me, it's true. I will always consider myself a student but never a master at anything. As far as a variety of topics for my novels go, I could pull from real life material to write a hundred novels or more. I write what I know. If I don't know it, I'll research it. One thing for sure, I will always write suspense to make you keep turning the page to see what happens next.

Keep those cards, letters, and emails coming. Who knows...maybe I'll pick yours to be spotlighted on this blog one day.

I love 'em and always will answer you back.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox ~ Brain Farts

After weeks in a slump, humor saves me once again with this pared down email. A humorous look at a fact of life. It's time to answer your questions?

You say it so often in real life and here... what is a brain fart? AJ

My reply...
AJ,
I can't remember when I first heard the term, it must have been brought home by one of my children. If all else fails - blame the kids. It certainly was not used among my circle of friend until I started using it constantly. It falls in line with CRAFT (can't remember a freaking thing). It when during a conversation or action when you mind goes blank and you can't remember stuff. For example, you walk into a room and forget why you went in there.

CRAFT is usually age specific. A condition that hits elderly folks like me. But brain farts can occur at any age. It can occur at any time or place. It often occurs without warning... just like regular passage of bodily gas. It can be silent and deadly too! Unlike blowing off steam to vent anger that is done with forethought. It just happens.

Do you admit your brain farts? Or do you hold true to the adage- Thou who smelt it must have dealt it?

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox~A to Z Challenge

 No, this isn't an email or letter I received. While I considered joining this challenge, I decided against it. Not because It would be hard to blog that much, because I usually blog more than was required. It wasn't because I couldn't figure words of themes to blog about. With a OED anything is possible. It was more the schedule of posting I had set this year for my blog would be interrupted.

But that being said, I've enjoyed reading every post of those I follow. All FIFTEEN of y'all. In previous years I always viewed this challenge with a ho-hum attitude. This year has been different. It maybe be me since my stroke. But here's who I've been reading in no particular order...

1. father dragon                        2. Positive Letters...
3. Lara Lacombe                      4. Retro Zombie
5. Unwritten                             6. PK Hrezo

7. Thrift Shop Commando      7. The Warrior Muse               

8. The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment      

9. S. P. Bowers                        9. The Girdle of Melian          

10. Cruising Altitude 2.0       11. Alex J. Cavanaugh

12. Scattergun Scribblings    13. Been Writing

14. Scribblings of an Aspiring Author 15. World of My Imagination   

There are a couple more that I am forgetting to name also. Granted most of these are writers with books to sell. But this challenge caused them to think inside a box that is inside a box by the themes they picked. And such a wide array of themes there were.

Now thatthe month of blogs is almost over, a request...keep on blogging. Not everyday. I can't expect all of you to be like me. <g> But at least three times a week. Pretty please with a cherry and sprinkles on top!

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox ~ Why Would You...

It's Monday and time to answer your questions.

Why would you stop being a traditionally published author and just do self-publishing? Isn't it cutting off your nose to spite your face? CM

My response was this and I've said it over and over again in this blog...

Dear CM,

For years my husband has been terminal with cancer. He's outlived every projected time frame for his demise. At the time I had a tentative contract with a subsidiary of a Big 6 publisher. I had a job in my own consulting firm, teaching culinary arts part-time, part time as a traveling minister, and writing. It was old hat to me, my writing life had always been a thing I wanted to do because I enjoyed it. Yeah I've always been an type-A overachiever.

I'd always dreamed of writing fact based fiction and dabbled at it in between contracts for nonfiction. In short after my husband had two heart attacks and a stroke in six months, and two months later was diagnosed with cancer, I ended up returning my partial advance and canceling my contract with the publisher. I just couldn't do a book written at this time in my life. There was just too much turmoil. I ended up telling my partners in my firm to buy me out of the business. See I'm an overachiever that recognizes my limitations.

After a seven year hiatus from publishing, I toyed with the idea of publishing again. During my hiatus I wrote four novels. I contacted my agents and was told that they didn't handle what I wrote. I'd have to search for another agent.

I searched for three years getting rejection letter after rejection letter. I'd been away from the business for seven years and things had changed in the business like author promotion except for reviews was now handled by the author and you needed a platform. I was also breaking into a new field of writing...fiction which is a harder sell. Although I had a proven record of sales in nonfiction, I was basically as the bottom of the slush piles of agents. It was a position I had no experience in. So I didn't really rejected my agents or publishers. They rejected me.

I also knew I couldn't leave my husband to traipse off hither and yon to go to this or that book signing, conference, or television show. I was stuck. At the time email and snail mail were big for promotion. MySpace was in its infancy but gaining ground. Self publishing was losing its vanity press stigma. E-books was still a new thing with a 10% of the reading market. I let the fact that I couldn't sell my fiction stew and fester. I decided to continue learning the craft of fiction writing. I'm still learning.

Enter FaceBook, twitter, and Google + to open up new avenues to promote self published fiction. They were to tools I needed to put myself out there without leaving home. I already was blogging and had a website which was the very basic tools I needed. I took college course that were up to date on web enhanced promotion and marketing. I read everything written on the subjects of web marketing and platform building.

Yes, I still plan on continuing a hybrid relationship between self publishing and traditional. Why cut off my nose to spite my face. I can have both butter and jam on my bread if I want to. The market is changing again from the big market to novellas and shorts versus saga type reads. Indie authors are making the best sellers lists by the handfuls, and the distinction between traditionally published versus indie published are crumbling. And no, I do not think traditional publishing is dying. It's just going through an identity crisis, and slowly listening to authors and readers. But the fact is, my husband is still living and I am still his caregiver. That is my priority.

Why would you pass up traditional publishing your manuscript?

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox ~ How I Edit *Redux*

It's Monday and it's time to answer your questions. As you may have noticed this particular post has been up first on my blog for a month now! That's because it first published on February 11th instead of March because of a hiccup with either my computer or Blogspot. Sorry about that and hopefully it will not happen again. But now it IS March 11th, FINALLY. The first two months I had repeated glitches or ghosties in my blog. I've added to my list because of another visit from Abby.

What are the steps to self-editing? EB

My reply...

EB,
If you've read my blogs, you know that I only just recovered some of my self-editing techniques after my stroke here. Since then, I've had a couple of visits from "Abby," my Abby Normal brain. I still don't feel 100% confident about the process yet as I once was.

• Redundancy- this includes over use of the same words. Saying the same things over and over again. There are limits.
• Filler words such as "that"
• Passive sentences "to" plus a verb
• Read it aloud- if you have no speech impediment like I do, you'll find mistakes.
• Changes in POV, point of view. Switching from one character to another's mind or what they know ot switching up the "I" and "you."

So far that's about it as far as I remember. I know there is a lot more to it. I'm still waiting for more nocturnal visits from "Abby" for my personal editing to be restored.

What is your main tripping point in editing?

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox ~ Typing One Handed Revisited

It's Monday again and time to answer your questions.
With the influx of new readers from the stroke communities my previous blog about Typing with One-Hand Tied Behind Your Back has received almost 500 hits. The blog itself has reached 5,000 hits since January.

Most of the questions in my email account were evenly tied between the typing blog and praise for my Platform blogs. Since I had already revisited platforms it was time to visit typing again.

With the advent of my stroke I went from typing with two hands averaging speed roughly between 95WPM to 120WPM which was extremely helpful in producing six books for sale last year. I could type as fast as my mind could create. Not only had I received cognitive damage, which I've mentioned the struggle many times here, but I also lost the use of my right hand.

I might mention here that the kernels for stories and characters never stopped just my ability to get them all down in an understandable way stopped. The creative juices are still flowing. I'm thankful for this blessing, but there are limits to what I accomplish. Last year I set a goal to type one-handed 45WPM corrected by the end of February. I'm only managing 40WPM sometimes and it is March. Did I fail? Nope. I set the goal too high. Am I going to quit? No on my life. I passed my typing class way back when by typing a meer 60 WPM and work my way up to 120WPM. I'll increase my spped with practice.

When I first started typing with one hand, it was more a hunt and peck type of typing. My fingers of my left hand didn't know where ALL the keys were. I had to learn a new finger position to type one handed. I searched the internet for ways to touch type one-handed. I'll admit all the sites wanted to sell me a program to teach me.

I looked at all kinds of specialty keyboards. Some I'd have to learn a whole new key system. You might be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but it takes forever to unlearn and relearn. The keyboards were sky-high in price and comparable to a new brace or splint. I just couldn't justify the cost when I was working towards getting the use of my hand back. It would become almost useless as the dozens of braces, splints, crutches, and other must haves for injuries in the past. Just collecting dust in a closet or in the attic.

Getting back to the keyboards, I hit upon a brilliant idea. Putting away my ergonomic split keyboard for future use. I broke out the original white keyboard which came with my computer. I took the chart above and took markers and colored my keys to match the picture above. It was slow going at first as with anything new you try. At first it was still the hunt and peck method but I was using all my fingers effectively now.

But I ran into a problem. My hand from pinky tip to thumb tip measures six inches. I have little hands and dainty fingers. My ring finger wears a size four ring but needs a five to get past the knuckle. A standard QWERTY keyboard measures eleven and a half to twelve  inches across. It was just too big to reach the keys without taking my fingers out of position from the home keys.

I started searching for a smaller keyboard. This is what I bought.  It's the Gear Head 89-key keyboard that's just 6.2 inches wide. A Windows mini keyboard that accounted for a 20WPM jump in my typing speed. No it doesn't have a keypad which accounts for fifteen of the missing keys off my 104-key keyboard. Yes I bought a separate key pad because most standard keyboards have the key pad on the right side of the keyboard which is very awkward for a left handed typist anyhow. AND it was cheap! Less than $20 for both.

"But Jo, instead of buying all these new things wouldn't it be easier to use you laptop?" Yes, it would be but my laptop shuts down after twenty minutes because of heat sensor issues.
"But they make fans to go under them." Yes and over the last three years I've bought seven of those. The problem with most laptops is the fan inside of them that is supposed to keep the CPU (central processing unit- the brains) cool are too small to do the job. I know, I know some of you have laptops which will run all day, but I bought mine when it was relatively a new thing. It should be replaced, but right now I've got more important things vying for my dollars.

It has taken a lot of time punching away at these keys to build my speed up to 40WPM. As you can see, the typing has gotten better. It used to take me an hour to type out a simple email or less than a two hundred-word blog. Today this has taken  less than half an hour for 800 words that includes searching for copyright free pictures. That's progress.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox~ A Survivalist with Disabilities

I had a couple of interesting emails this week. They both concerned my book Are You a Survivalist or a Prepper? The gist of the emails were this...How am I a survivalist/prepper if I'm disabled too? This book just got its first 5-star review on Amazon! I'm excited.

Interesting question, but I am still both just slower at it now. I guess the easiest answer is that I started the ball rolling before my stroke. I had all the building blocks in place. If I hadn't I would have to hire a handyman or specialists to do the conversions for me.

But now for the longer answer. Being proactive for any eventuality is a lifestyle. I learned and practiced this lifestyle since I became responsible for my children. The world of responsibility changes once you have another mouth or five to feed, clothe, or be responsible for instead of just your own. You start thinking in terms of future instead of the pleasures of the moment. You are the custodians of the future.

Growing up with parents and grandparent, who survived war shortages and the Great Depression doesn't hurt either. Like all elder relatives they have an impact on your life and how you grow up. By the time I was born most of that strife was history, but not forgotten history. It missed me by that <holding thumb an index finger a half inch apart> much. I was too young to remember the hardships.

I never forgot the stories. I knew history had a way of repeating itself in various forms. The World Wars were dubbed the war that would end all wars was not true. Did wars end, no, but we don't feel the impact as a society as we once did.Years spent hiding under a desk in mock atomic blast drills are still in my memory. Not that a desk would stop annihilation from a nuclear bomb, but it might protect us from some falling debris. Money would never be as tight as the Great Depression, or will it? Where are we now? Very close.

So when I became the parent, I wanted my children to know a life of ease, but not forget the past. While I passed on the stories from their grands and great-grand, I began implementing my own strategy of what I would do if it happened again. My Momma always told me never to forget there would be an again. I started researching ways to put food up for long storage, making friends with people who knew these things, and studied hard because now the future was in my hands. I've devote my whole adult life to this concept of again.

Not that the errors of the past have repeated themselves in my life, but maybe in my adult children or grandchildren's lives. They will be armed for that eventuality. My stores are not for some future calamity, but comfort for daily living the smart way. But if there were ever a crisis on a global scale, we would survived.

Now that I've covered the background information into my current mindset let's get on to my present condition. My stores that I have been collecting and rotating for years has come in pretty handy in the past nine months to the day of my stroke.  Imagine you have a grocery store, albeit small, in your home. How often do you need to go shopping? How much do you really have to cook from scratch or chop vegetables? Especially, if you have them pre-chopped and frozen or dehydrated already? My stores are my life line. It saves me money and it's practical. Yes, my stores will eventually run low and I'll have to replace them.

That's why I still coupon and weekly grocery shop. Granted I'm not hitting ten stores to get the best price even free anymore, but still I'm replenishing what we are using. My garden died last year, but I had enough in stores to handle that. In my book, I talked about putting up my stores with twenty mouths to feed for six months to a year, how much do you think two mouths would have depleted the supplies? That's right, not much. My storeroom still looks like this and that's with my children pulling for their families too. By the way, this is two shelves out of ten.

But Jo, you are a hemiplegic. No, I can't shop by myself anymore, but my children are beside me learning as I go. Then they are  leading by example for their children by practicing the same preparedness behavior.  I don't object to spending good money for something I need or want, but I'll squeeze a penny until it screams for mercy. If I need a new computer, I'll buy a new computer as good or better than I want for a great price. I have valuable knowledge to impart on the future generations.

After my stroke I bought one of those slice-o-matic things that you see on TV. I couldn't justify the price before when I had a knife and skills to use it. But now, it's about convenience. I can pop vegetables in it and slice away to my heart's content for my dehydrator.  Perfect uniformed slices every time and with one hand. So I can continue taking advantage of BOGO (buy one get one free) sales.

While I finally had to fork out the cash for a new stove, my solar oven and twig stove are dismantled for future use. Yes, it is an added drain on electricity from my solar panels but that's why I didn't totally go off of my regular electricity server. I'd planned for total off-the-grid living for our property. It may be a few years for that move. At least until I can get one of my children's family to move out there with us. That doesn't stop my son-in-law from building the trailer homes for the property though.

My stroke was a bump in the road. Eventually, I'll figure out a way to do all the things before or regain the use of limbs that don't work like gardening on a large scale instead of in raised pots. Until then, I'll keep plugging away at my new book, have the knowledge I do, and do what I can.

Are you prepared?

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox ~ How Do You Find the Time

It's Monday and time, once again, to answer your questions.

How do you find the time to write? I'm doing the best that I can raising two children, work, and go to school. I'm beat but I've tried writing my novel for five years and getting nowhere. CW

My reply...

CW, Well first off I've paid my dues by now having an empty nest, graduated college multiple times, and held several full-time jobs, some at the same time. So I don't face your type problems anymore. I face whole new time constraints. See my blog on The Schedule. I am an extremely disciplined person. Part because I had a military father and part because I have things I want to do.

I call writing my want to do thing because it is an added demand that I place on myself. For me, writing is as essential to my being as breathing. It is something I do as a coping mechanism and for personal enjoyment.

When my children were small, I knew when they would wake up so I woke up early enough to get an hour's worth of writing done. Even it was fifteen or thirty minutes, I just kept at it. Keep in mind that I had FIVE young kids and TWO full-time jobs. While I was in school, it was one full-time job, one part-time job and a full course load in school. I know it boggles your mind doesn't it?

It's all about the second line in the picture above. The WILL TO DO IT. I didn't expect to be called by a publisher for an article I wrote, but it happened. Was I up for the challenge? Nope. Would I take up the challenge or would I say, "I just don't have the time." I chose the first one which began a third career as a writer. Did I need a third career at the time? Yeah, like I needed another hole in my head.

That's one of the reasons I call myself Abby Normal. If there is sometime I choose to do- I will do it. Maybe writing your novel isn't a priority for you. Are you sure all the other things are not just excuses? How much time do you spend each day surfing the web, on Facebook and Twitter, watching television? Ah ha, you do it to decompress from all the stress in your life. Yes, I understand and I hear you.

I use my writing to decompress. I write for me and no one else but me. If someone wants to buy a copy of my books that's great. It's all about your mindset. No, I'm not throwing stones and expecting everyone be like me. They would have to be insane.

Oh, here come the men in their little white coats now! Hehehee!

Are you insane enough to be a writer too?

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday Mailbox~This Blog Being Linked to Another Site

It's that time of the week to respond to your emails. This week's mailbox is a little different. It was a request to combine part of my blog with another website...a collaboration of sorts. Usually I ignore such request outright. Particularly if I don't the website in question, but this time I did.

Now, I'm very protective about my copyrighted material, including this blog. What writer isn't? There's not a week that goes by that I don't get half a dozen requests to link to this blog or quote something in this blog. But, this request had a hook with a worm on it. It promoted an issue that has my newly garnered interest.

It seems that due to my responses on their site and me writing after a stroke is news worthy. I've been following their site since I got home from the hospital in late June 2012. They patiently answered my comments and questions from a newbie stroke survivor with their expertise and first hand knowledge. Some have even popped in over here to read my blog and comment. Some have books and scholarly articles published in their field that they promote on their site also.

I received an email this week from the administrator over there. They asked to be able to link my site to theirs. They have both a org website and a blog on Blogspot. HERE

You could have knocked me over with a feather (I know that's a clique and a big no-no in writing) as I read the email. I started hyperventilating so bad my husband asked me if I was all right. My mouth opened and closed as the words wouldn't come, and I read it again to be sure.

My DH (darling husband) was so concerned that he couldn't understand my words lip reading, that he touched my arm. Of course not, I really wasn't saying anything. That's one of the problems with minor aphasia when dealing with a deaf person. I could teach him sign language, but you sort of need two hands and full dexterity of all your fingers to form some words. I just patted his hand to reassure him. I really didn't think that what I talked about on my blog would draw such international attention...besides my books and writing how-tos.

by Hziz

To say I feel honored is an understatement. My blogs about my surviving and coping with my stroke is just a bump in my path of writing. Much like young children hamper their mothers from writing.  I say in my byline... everything affects my writing. So this blog is about everything writers, especially this one, faces in producing books for sale. All the ups and downs, all the twists and turns, and bumps and sideways wiggles that some of us face. To let my readers know they are not alone in their struggles and possibly answer some questions you may have. Nothing is worse than feeling alone.

Of course I said, "yes!" I'm excited. Can't you tell? Whether you are a stroke survivor, caregiver for a stroke patient, or just curious I invite you to pop on over to read stroke survivor blogs and information.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.
 (You may have no idea who is reading on your blog)

Monday Mailbox~Sources

It's Monday. Time to visit Tilda the Mailbox.

Thanks , I have recently been looking for information about this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I have discovered till now. Are you certain in regards to the source?

This was sent to me regarding platform building. But a lot of my blogs give information about writing the perfect book or how to advertise it. So I'm doing to answer this one question about sources in regards to my blog.

I use various sources of information as it pertains to my blog. Some of the sources I use are tried and true by me or other writers. Some are garnered by books I have read by authors I trust to give me the straight skinny on ideas. Some are things I learned in various classes I've taken or taught.

Before 2010, I had no idea what a platform was as to writing. I knew all about advertising and market share was from my business as a consultant and college. There is something to be said for entrepreneurship. It's either eat or be eaten in this world. There is always something higher on the food chain than you. Although for most humans, they become prey for microscopic organisms more than huge animals.

To consider myself well read is an understatement, you can't have as many sheepskins under your belt as I do and not be well read. No, I'm not bragging just stating facts.Education aside, I have diverse interests and skills, and haven't run across much that I didn't want to know more about. I have an inquisitive mind, and am always questioning. If I have questions stewing in the pack rat of a brain of mine, I have to find the answer. "Because" doesn't suffice.

To quote passage and verse where I received the answer, I can't do it...unless it's the Bible. The world has abundant resources available to a seeker of information. Type any question into a internet search engine and view thousands of results. For me, my mind is a sponge and absorbing as much as it can until it's over saturated and dripping. The only detriment to my stroke has been that I reach the over saturation point too soon these days.

So how do you search for answers?

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday's Mailbox~Huh??? Piracy Maybe

It's Monday so it's time to visit ol' Tilda the Mailbox again. In case you didn't know, Tilda is the character that's sitting on the mailbox.

This week in my mailbox was an e-mail from "anonymous" which left me going, "huh?" It was regarding my Friday posting of "Reviews of Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption and Another."

This post is wоrth everyone's attention. How can I find out more?

Now I'm not sure whether this comment was about my searches for piracy of my novels, my novels, the reviews themselves, extreme couponing, stopping the extreme because it can lead to hording behavior, or being a survivalist?

Usually commentary are either pretty specific or general, but I know what it's about. But this one, I'm at a loss to how to answer because I talked about all of the above. So in future, please be more specific with your questions and comments. I'll be happy to answer them.

I'm going with the piracy for this question since it seems to me me the most important.

In a previous post, I mention that piracy is losing authors several thousands of dollars annually. It is an ongoing occurrence with authors that offer their books for free, but it's not limited to free books. It is just doubly easy for disreputable folks to rip CDs of music and films this way also. They infringe on the copyright of the material and it is punishable by law.

It is up to the publisher, in my case it's me, to keep on the look out for pirated material of which I hold the copyright for. As an indie author, you hold the copyright. So every month or so I Google, Yahoo, and Bing myself. To my knowledge they are the most widely used search engines.

In the cited case where I was surprised by a posted review, I had Googled my author name and was searching for anything that shouldn't be listed. I know who I've given permission to sell my books for me. That way, I'm assured payment of royalties. If something shady turns up, in this case it didn't, I have a course of action to take. I have several friends who are lawyers and judges, and this is how they told me to do it..

1. E-mail the party ask them to remove my book
2. Send a certified letter to to the person running the site and/or site host. Giving a specific details such as date, web address, etc and ask them to remove it by a certain date for compliance. Most web hosts are not aware that an illegal action is being done. If they are then they should be held responsible also.
3. Contact my attorney and he'll send another letter. Which if it isn't resolved, and then court action will be taken. It's in my contract with him to proceed with legal action. And, yes I will go to court to protect my copyright. They can also be expected to pay lost wages, and pain and suffering at that point, as well as legal fees. I have done it before and will do it again.

I do try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but after my initial contact, I'm not afraid to take it to court. I am not litigious in nature, nor do I wish to take a courts valuable time, but I will if forced to.

It's the duty of every author to protect their own copyright. It takes perseverance and vigilance on your part to see it's protected. The point is to be proactive in your stance to protect what is your intellectual copyrighted material. Now if you are traditionally published, don't think it can't happen to you. It may, and has happened. If you suspect copyright infringement contact your publisher.

Once something is written by you, there is no bonafide need to formally copyright your material. It can cause an unnecessary headache when you sell your story to a publisher.   Which if I choose to do someday, I hold the copyright and can transfer it. If I pay and go through the trouble of officially copyright something that may not be the case. It gives me some wiggle room.

As an indie author, I have more than enough proof that the manuscript is mine. I keep all my research material, rough drafts and revisions just in case. I keep separate thumb drives of my books. This may be overkill but I like to think of it as being proactive. If I ever need to prove that it is my intellectual work, I can. There's a "paper trail" in this paper-free environment. I can't help it, it's the past auditor and accountant in me.

If this is NOT the answer the e-mailer wanted they should e-mail me again with what they exactly wanted.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Monday's Mailbox ~Blushing

It's that time again...Tilda the mailbox had this to say this week, and yes, I'm tooting my own horn.

1) ӏ'm amazed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that's equally eduсative and еntertainіng, anԁ let me tеll уou, yοu've hit the nail on the head. The problem is something not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I found this during my hunt for something concerning this.

2) Woah! I'm really enjoying the template/theme of this blog. It's simple, yet effective. A lot of times it's tough to get that "perfect balance" between superb usability and visual appearance. I must say you've done a amazing job with this. Additionally, the blog loads super quick for me on Chrome. Exceptional Blog!

3) You should be a part of a contest for one of the finest websites on the web.
I am going to highly recommend this web site!

4) I’m a long time watcher and I just thought I’d drop by and say hello
there for the very 1st time. I critically appreciate your posts. Many thanks
You might be my function models. Many thanks for
your post.

All I can say is "thank you" and blush becomingly at such high praise. Can a sexegenarian still blush? A sexegenarian is someone in their sixty's. Now get your mind out of the gutter <g>. You betcha. I can get that warm, fuzzy glow creeping up my neck, over my cheeks, and to my ears just like a teenager.

Are you surprised? I can hear you now... blushes show embarrassment. Surely someone your age can't be embarrassed. Praise is not something I accept well. I feel that there are more worthy and accomplished folks out there in the cyber world...so I blush because I am worthy and have touched someone. I feel honored that I hit a nerve and garnered a response.

On "Wednesday Writerly Way," I'll be talking more about websites as a promotion tool. This blog is not only a way to vent, although I do this quite a bit, it's a selling tool. It's a way of promoting and get readers to know me. This is my website, as well as my blog.

I thought I would share.

Keep writing on loving the Lord.

Monday's Mailbox

Here's another message from the old Tilda mailbox, or rather e-mail box.

Ηave you ever conѕidеred creating an
ebook or gueѕt authoring on other blοgs? I have a blog baѕed uрon on the sаme infοrmаtion yοu ԁiscuss and would rеally
liκe to have уou ѕhаre sοme storiеs/ іnfοrmatiоn. I know my viewerѕ would valuе your ωоrk.

It was again posted by, you guessed it, anonymous. I have an ongoing love/hate relationship with the '''anonymous" e-mails because I love hearing from people but hate not being able to reply to them. Most "anonymous" comments do not show up here, but go straight to my e-mail addy unless they are a Blogspot members. I'll get five to ten on any post I do.

To answer the e-mail- Yes, I do guest blogging and interviews, and no, I haven't wrote an e-book on the various subjects I write about on this blog. I have done several guest blogging gigs over the past few years on a variety of subjects. I also do interviews and host them from time to time here, and in the blogosphere. I haven't considered an e-book on the subject because honestly the internet and bookstores are overloaded with books on the subject.

What it takes to appear on my blog:

• The subject of discussion
• Any pertinent pictures, ie author photo and cover of your book.
• An e-mail I can send you questions
• Contact information for others to buy your book or follow you on twitter, Facebook, GoodReads, website/blog

All is handled by e-mail so feel free to to send me a message to www.jomurphey@yahoo.com also be aware that interviews are usually posted on Fridays in the order in which I receive completed information, questionnaire, and photos. This is the day I do guest blogs, interviews, and reviews.

To have me appear on your blog as a guest:

• Subject matter or books you want me to discuss
• Format
• Other considerations

I can't promise that I can get it all done in a week, but I will do my best. Possible lag time is four weeks with my Abby Normal life. This is subject to change. You may notice on my side bar I belong/contribute to several other things...this is about a quarter of them.

If you've followed my blog for any length of time you may have noticed that I periodically change my background or layout from time to time. I still haven't found my perfect fit. Being an eccentric and eclectic person is hard sometimes. Being a creative person makes it doubly difficult. I just haven't found a theme that screams "ME" yet.

 For the coming year the blogging schedule will look like this:

• Monday Mailbox: Answers to your questions you e-mail me.
• Tuesday Tumbling Terms (subject to change): This was a hugely popular item last year. It's basically word power and enrichment. As writers as we strengthen our vocabulary, we write better.
• Wednesday Writerly Ways: Whether it be grammar, marketing, indie authors or other things about writing/publishing you might want to know.
• Friday Fun: Interviews and Reviews
• Sunday Strokes Survival: Challenges of writing and living with a stroke. As my tag line says, everything affects the author in me. As an author and a real live person, my day-to-day life has changed drastically since May 2012.

This is all subject to change, but I hope you will join me.

So what are your blogging ideas for 2013?

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

From the Mailbox

 I really get some interesting e-mails in my contact box. Most are from anonymous because they get it from one of the feeds that subscribe to my blog. They get mailed to me with address line reading "Anonymous" so I can't e-mail them back with answers unfortunately. If you are making comments via a feed service please put an e-mail address somewhere on it. Otherwise, I may or may not answer you.


Anonymous writes:

With havin so muсh writtеn contеnt ԁo you ever run іnto any prοblems of plagorism оr coрyright infrіngement? My site hаs a lοt οf unіque cοntеnt I've either written myself or outsourced but it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my agreement. Do you know any ways to help stop content from being ripped off? I'd trulу appreciate іt.

Sorry about the typos and misspellings, I copied it to Wordpad from my e-mail. This is the way I received it. Why didn't I post it here directly from my e-mail? Have you noticed on some blogs it reads black and white on a colored background, and has the words underlined? That's because it was copied from the original post or Word to here. I discovered this early several years ago when I first started blogging.

Okay, on to answering of the question and suggest a fix. I never post anything on my blog that I don't expect to be "stolen," or misrepresented, or used. The fact is that I created this blog for friends, family, other writers, fans, and readers. If you notice under "Pages" there is a page called "Legal Stuff?" This is my disclaimer. If you scroll to the very bottom of the blog, you will see an additional copyright statement provided by Blogspot. I basically expect people to be honest. Most have asked.

The thing about copyrights is that you have to prove the text or drawing is yours. For me it's rough drafts, editing versions, and ultimately a finished book so there is plenty of proof it's mine. The internet makes it your job to protect it while providing intellectual content is not infringed upon. If I use your material a simple " that's mine you haven't asked my permission to use it" will suffice. I'll pull the contents. In others, it's just straight outright theft if it continues, and revenues are lost because of it, I can be taken to court. The internet makes it so easy to do this unawares. Vigilance is the key.

To plagiarize someone you steal their exact words. Not an idea, but word for word. Since even the text I put on here may have been someone else's original idea and I expanded upon it isn't plagiarizing. The format may be the same, but some people do think alike...writers especially. It really doesn't pay to do it either you could face jail time and multimillion dollar lawsuits. My opinions are my own and gathered from a varied of sources. Just like everyone else's in the world, I have opinions. It is, after all, my opinion or my way of doing it.

I frequently do searches on my books to see if they've been stolen or pirated. So far, I've been lucky to my knowledge. That includes character names in case someone has changed the title and put their name on it.  I'm diligent. They would be foolish to do it with my works, but that is not the case with every author. The internet is world wide and very easy to find anything you want just be careful about using it without permission. I backtrack pictures and graphics back to the source on here.

Other contents like organizing your files, outlines, etc are gotten widely accepted practices, or other author's suggestion (I hob nob with quite a few), and has my own personal spin on it. If I get something from a specific source, I'll e-mail the author for permission to use it and cite back to the author.  It is my opinion on what works and what doesn't. Excerpts are usually in rough draft form and if it is taken and another writer runs with it, that's their problem. My finished text will be different than posted here after expansion,editing, and more editing to polish.

How you can fix your problem, have you contacted the offending person? In spite of contact are they still persisting to use the material? How far are you willing to go to get them to stop using the material? Just a warning, how are you going to back up your beliefs that the person has stolen something from you? For me, I have a lawyer who will draft a letter of infringement, and cease and desist with a public apology. It that fails, there is always a lawsuit.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Escape from Scon Eden Revisited~Mailbox

In light of the Embassy in Egypt and the American ambassador killed in Libya, I've had numerous emails about embassy life. So I know some of you read it. I get on average of sixty emails a day between three accounts about my novels. There is a danger in writing what you know.

There are a differences between Consulates and Embassies. Embassies deal with political issues between the host country with Marine guards in place as well as some local security, while consulates deal with issues like expatriates, tourists, vital statistics of in this case Americans. Both of assist with Visas. Embassies are located in the nation's capital, Embassy Row in D.C, whereas consulates can be anywhere within a country like in California.

You may ask where were the Marines I mentioned in the novel. Consulates often are not guarded by that country's military. In the case of Libya, the attack was planned for when the ambassador was visiting the consulate. Since the names have not been released yet I can almost guarantee one or two Marines were there. Most times where the Ambassador goes so do the Marines.

Something like doesn't happen without a lot of planning before hand. Like the Japanese consulate kept waiting in the outer rooms with a declaration of war prior to Pearl Harbor, US had prior communiques about these attacks to coincide with 9/11/2001. As in Escape from Second Eden threat analysis is done constantly. Today since 9/11/2001, it is difficult to sort through the chaff to find the wheat. Just like the novel, I am constantly questioned what really happened and what my creative mind conjured up to move the story forward. All you can do is send me a query with the scene and I'll answer with a yes or no.

For me personally. it brought back every little thing that happened in Sri Lanka between 1969-1971. Nightmares abound and all the ghost which I dug out of the closet in writing the novel resurfaced in graphic detail. Even my father, the head of the Marine security force, say there is not a day that passes he think about what occurred. This is a Marine who served his country for thirty-two years plus reserve time. Who was reactivated for flight marshal after the World Trade Center. A Marine who fought in Vietnam, Korea, and few dozen times of coming home, packing his duffle bag, and kissing all of us. "See ya when I see ya," and out the door for a week or months at a time.

It was a rough life but one filled terror, love, and family values. God first, family second, and everything else takes a back seat.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

The Mailbox

Miss me? The cast comes off on Thursday.There is still pain when I use my right fingers but I figure it's from not using them. It's been a rough year of injuries for me, but I'm back to writiing. During my hiatus I've gotten some interesting e-mails and letters from readers of my novels and nonfictions. I thought I'd share one with you today...much easier to cut and paste than type.

Just checked out your book on Smashwords and you're so so talented. Do you have any suggestions for a budding writer like me?

What has worked and what hasn't? Tried FB, Twitter, even book marks. I just don't want to waste my time on things that don't work.

My answer..

Hello and thank you. I'm wondering which particular book you read. I have four on Smashwords and over twenty-seven published. I have five more titles in the works for publishing this year.

As far as writing goes...
Practice, learn and practice some more. I know you've probably heard somewhere in your life "practice makes perfect," while I'll never be perfect, writing is a craft that is inspired and learned.

Read constantly.

The more you read the more ideas spark your creative juices. With self-published books you can also see where the author may have done something wrong.

Join a critique group. Writing can be a lonely pursuit. Get interaction from readers and other writers to scratch each other's back. It is also good for encouragement when you get frustrated. I actually belong to several. But be cautious about the group you join. There can be a lot of deadweights and possible scam artists out there on the web.

Join a reading group in your area. Not just a group of writers.

Write multiple books. On average it will take ten books to become "known." The person with one title is like the 1960's one hit wonders in musical groups, a flash in the pan. If you are serious about writing then you need to do it.

As far as marketing your books...

Twitter, facebook, google+ etc are good for building relationships with your readers and future readers...not just advertising your books for sale.

The same thing goes for a blog or website. Relationships are important in getting "recognized." Name recognition is the hardest thing to do in marketing your product. Without a huge publishing company backing your book, it's all on you.

Attend writer's conferences and workshops. Build a large network. Out of every fifty people who becomes part of your network, only one will buy your book...you do the math. On average a person has to see or hear about your book twenty times before they will buy it.

Have you contacted your local newspaper? They may feature you in their life section. Local person does good type of thing.

Do you have a local library or one within fifty miles? They often have "Meet the Author" type events.

A local book store which features local authors? Most of the big brick and mortar bookstore will not allow independent authors for booksignings so concentrate on the small independents.

Do you have an area of expertise that you can use to publicize your book? For me, I've been in the State Department, been a nurse, worked for non-profit enterprises, been the entrepreneur (which includes self-publishing), been the marketing consultant, military background, etc. Do you remember the 9/11 news blitz? Which author did they call to comment...Tom Clancy because he wrote a book similar.

Depending on what you write, there are opportunities for promotion.I'm just bouncing a few ideas off the top of my head here. What it takes is tenacity. Not giving up. Think of yourself as a door to door salesman. Knock on every door and if you have to stick your foot in the door jamb to get the audience's attention. As far as marketing books for writers..."Guerrilla Marketing for Writers" is excellent for giving you some ideas which may or may not work. Remember nothing attempted is a failure. If you contact even one buyer out of fifty you've done well. Thomas Edison said after two hundred attempted failures to make a lightbulb and finally made one which worked..."I learned two hundred ways not to make a lightbulb."

Jo

So do you have any other suggestions I could offer this budding writer?