Wednesday WIP

How about...hmmm, no idea. I don't have anything with me. Maybe I'll dig out something old, or write something of the cuff that I've had in my head for while.  BRB...

You know what's weird, I was just thinking about this WIP the other day. I've not written much on it, but the idea was conceived in the aftermath of the tornadoes that barreled through Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia two years ago. I'd read a newspaper clipping about some debris that traveled 100 miles and came up with a story idea. The premise is a journal that flies 50 miles to the front yard of a teenage boy. He reads it and gets involved in the writer's life only to find that she eventually wants to kill herself. So, he wants to find her to stop her. Anyway, I'd lost the beginning of that 1st draft, then remembered I'd posted it here a while back, so I'm posting it again. It's the first entry of that journal. Here ya go.

March 18, 2011 

I’m tired.  Tired of living in this sardine can of a home with its lack of windows, torn curtains, and the smell of dog piss emanating throughout.  I’m tired of going through the motions as daughter, sister, and friend when I feel like nothing more than a speck of dust on a window pane ready to be wiped clean away.  I’m tired of the snobs and flakes and posers at school who think they’re either better than you, smarter than you, or more pathetic than you and take pride in it.  When did we come to strive for depression.  The Emo boy and girls with their dark makeup and their skinny jeans brood in the hallways acting as if their blue-collar lives are pure hell while they listen to their iPods, play on their Xboxes, and talk on their cell phones.

They don’t know what it truly is to ache.  What it’s like to watch your dad walk out the door and never come back.  To watch your mom spend every waking moment with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other.  To be the sole provider for your family, the mother to your sister.  To be mocked and bullied at school because of it all.

And this journal, and the art, it’s not enough anymore.  I can’t do it.  I’m ready to free fall from life, to plunge into the unknown.

I’m ready to let death take me away from this place.  I don’t care what’s waiting for me on the other side.  It has to be better than this . . .

I went to Vegas

And as I was having a great time in Vegas , people were dying in a tornado in Oklahoma.

And while I was having a great time in Vegas, a 18 year old boy succumbed to cancer.

But it's things like this that brought me to Vegas in the first place. I wrote a book last year. It was about a boy, much like the boy, Zach Sobiech, who died of cancer yesterday. It was about a boy who wanted to say goodbye. A boy who wanted to make a difference, even if it was a small one, before his time on earth was over. A boy who wanted to remind people that you only get once chance to live your life, and that you shouldn't take it for granted.

Though it was my message, I didn't live up to it, not until recently at least. But then people in my life started getting cancer. And people in my life started dying.

So I started living.

I'm publishing a book.

I'm kickboxing.

I'm getting out of my comfort zone.

Then a guy I'd never met asked me to go to Vegas and I said yes. 

Don't get me wrong. I've known him virtually for a while now, and I insisted we meet in person before  I actually made a final decision. So we hung out a couple times then I decided to go.

I went because at any moment I could take my last breath and leave this world without ever having seen Las Vegas and that would have been sad.

We continued to hang out until we went and we got along great and had a lot of fun together and we had a blast in Vegas, all while people lost their lives in different parts of the country.

But I don't think they'd mind much because we were taking advantage of the life that was given to us.

I hope when I die people are out there living life to the fullest. I know when I leave this place people will mourn my death, but I hope they don't do it for long. I hope they move on quickly and find solace in the memories they have of me whether I was their daughter, sister, mother or friend.

 I hope  they remember me when my spirit soared and how I tried to live like at any moment I could
get hit by a bus, or a piano could fall on my head or we could finally get that huge earthquake they've been promising for years and my world could come crumbling down around me, taking me with it.

But until that happens, I went to Vegas, and I know Zach Sobiech had huge Vegas moments, and I hope most of those who perished in Oklahoma had their Vegas moments.

Make sure you don't forget to take your Vegas moments. One day, you may not have the chance.

Love and Life,

Megan

Adding to Goodreads

Even though most writers have a love/hate (mostly hate, not me, doesn't bother me much) relationship with Goodreads, I've added my novel, Dissected to its list of books (it's cool to see my book up there). Why you ask? So I can get some pre-publication buzz, and so I can host a giveaway, which I will post next week. And now people can add it to their to-read list. Of course now I'll probably get requests for ARCs which I won't have, but oh well. I may send out some proof copies to bloggers I've worked with before and respected, but not very many as I'll have to pay for those copies.

I've been trying to add the book to Amazon as well, with no luck. I've sent them an email, so hopefully it will be resolved in the next couple of days.

I've also sent it in for formatting, which I'm super excited about. I can't wait to see what it looks like in book form. It's going to be about the same size as Never Eighteen. I think I'll keep all my books about the same size, unless they're just too many pages to do that, but I think Dissected will be around the same word count when I'm done with it.

That's all for today. Have a great Thursday.

ISBN Numbers

I bought them today from Bowkers. Ten of them. It's cheaper than buying just one, and each format, for instance, e-book and paperback, has to have their own number. So I bought them and started filling out the necessary information to get Dissected listed on Amazon and Goodreads. I still need to design the back cover. I wrote the jacket flap copy today, so I can do that soon and upload a cover in its entirety to Createspace, so it's ready to go when my formatting is done.

I'm still revising in Autocrit. It's a slow process and to be honest, I've been busy and tired and I've not had much time to do it, but I think it's important. I think I'm going to shoot for a release date of mid July. I'm hoping to really dig in the next couple days and get it done and get it off for formatting.

I've already designed my bookmarks, so I should send those off for printing. Just need to design postcards, buttons, bracelets, and stickers, and I have my swag done.

Then I have to purchase a barcode and set up distribution and I'm good to go. It's a lot of work, but I'm hoping in the long run, it will all be worth it.

Tailored Ads

Does anyone else find this creepy or annoying? Like Google and Facebook are stalking you? I guess I used to find it amusing that Facebook always knew what I had been searching. At one point they were advertising online dating and weight loss. I was like, what are they trying to tell me?

Now it's getting to the point where everything I do online is being tracked. Last week they were advertising self publishing. This week it's cleats and soccer balls. And it's not just things I'm searching, it's also websites I visit. I use iStock to get stock images. I went to the Neptune Society to research an article for the day job. Has Google and Facebook collaborated to become today's Big Brother?

Are they using it like some kind of Chinese water torture. If they keep the ads there long enough, will I crack and click on it and finally buy the fucking cleats?

I feel like I have a stalker following me everywhere I go, watching my every move. I need a virtual restraining order. Of course, I'd never be allowed one because Google and Facebook pretty much own the internet.

So, does this bother you?

Okay, Friday Scribbles...

Next Pandora Song: 405 Death Cab for Cutie

Book of the Week: IDK, been too busy. Um, took a break from Divergent, as good as it is. Too busy writing, editing, revising. We'll go with my own book, Dissected, coming to Amazon this summer. :)

Netflix of the Week:  Um, haven't had time to watch anything either. I'll stick with Desperate Housewives. Still making my way through season six.

Quote of the Week:  "Advertising is based on one thing: happiness. And do you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It's freedom from fear. It's a billboard on the side of a road that screams with reassurance that whatever you're doing is OK." ~ Don Draper