I had a number of interruptions in my writing times last month with two out of town trips by car - I have yet to master typing while driving. This month is getting into the Holiday Season and while I am not working in retail anymore it does have an effect on so many things that I am doing. Singing in the church choir around this time of year involves extra rehearsals and performances and of course when asked to volunteer for something I have yet to learn the word n_ (See I can't even type it.)
But in spite of all of that I am writing again. Still have about four and a half chapters left in this current one. I have two more after this one in the series and I have a couple of people urging me to write a sequel to my first novel. Then there are others who want me to write more poetry and an autobiography.
Honestly, an autobiography! I find my life so boring that I have to have a friend write the about the author page for each of my novels. Who would want to read about my struggles? Don't we all have struggles enough of our own?
I suppose I would write it if I thought that it would help anyone in any way but it would seem to me to be just a matter of ego.
So it's back to the current novel, I'll keep you posted on its progress.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Off For An Interesting Weekend
I will be attending the PFLAG National Convention in Nashville this weekend, I found out a few days ago and it really is a big deal to me. I was invited by the President of our local chapter and I am one of the only non board members going. I am the co host of their morning radio program so I think that is why I was invited, I'm going to make the best use of it. I'm going to tape a few short interviews to air on a later show.
For those of you who do not know, PFLAG New Orleans was the chapter that brought the transgender into PFLAG National and we are going to be well represented as of the 6 people That I know are going, 3 of us are trans.
It is important to understand that trans people are not trying to take any rights away from anyone else, we just would like to have the same rights and especially when it concerns keeping a job, a house or how we are treated in public. We are just people and as such we have our share of good and bad and would like to be able to live our lives without too much scrutiny, after all how many times can you be asked about your genitalia before it becomes offensive? The answer is NONE!
I'm going to be talking to people about my books and especially about the poetry book as it applies directly to so many that will be at the convention and as a guide for those who want to learn more about the emotional aspects rather than just the physical.
For those of you who do not know, PFLAG New Orleans was the chapter that brought the transgender into PFLAG National and we are going to be well represented as of the 6 people That I know are going, 3 of us are trans.
It is important to understand that trans people are not trying to take any rights away from anyone else, we just would like to have the same rights and especially when it concerns keeping a job, a house or how we are treated in public. We are just people and as such we have our share of good and bad and would like to be able to live our lives without too much scrutiny, after all how many times can you be asked about your genitalia before it becomes offensive? The answer is NONE!
I'm going to be talking to people about my books and especially about the poetry book as it applies directly to so many that will be at the convention and as a guide for those who want to learn more about the emotional aspects rather than just the physical.
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
A Little Something Of Interest
I had mentioned in an earlier blog that I had received my first rejection letter in the past 4 years that I had been submitting work for publication. The second followed from the same company, I had sent 2 short stories in at the same time.
I also entered a poetry contest and my poem was accepted for publication, they asked if I had another poem that I could send. I wrote another one that fit their criteria and sent it to them. I got the notification back on that one, it's being published too.
My poem The Land Of Misfit Toys will be published in an anthology called Where The Mind Dwells and What Makes A Lifetime? will be in another anthology called The Best Poets Of 2015.
The title of the second anthology seems like quite an honor to just be included but to have had the poem requested...I'm feeling a lot better than I did when I received those rejection Emails.
I also entered a poetry contest and my poem was accepted for publication, they asked if I had another poem that I could send. I wrote another one that fit their criteria and sent it to them. I got the notification back on that one, it's being published too.
My poem The Land Of Misfit Toys will be published in an anthology called Where The Mind Dwells and What Makes A Lifetime? will be in another anthology called The Best Poets Of 2015.
The title of the second anthology seems like quite an honor to just be included but to have had the poem requested...I'm feeling a lot better than I did when I received those rejection Emails.
Monday, October 5, 2015
What Is The Biggest Obstacle For A Writer Today?
The answer to that question may differ from author to author but most people think that with all of the self publishing outlets available today it would be easy to get a book published. It is but that isn't the hardest part.
Writing the book in the first place is a major obstacle for some writers, it isn't mine. I have never had writer's block and it doesn't seem to be looming on the horizon for me so I dodged that one. Simply by having been a prolific daydreamer for my entire life I have over sixty years' worth of short stories, novellas and novels just waiting to be put down on paper or on the Internet. You can put them out there for no cost at all, now for the major obstacle.
Getting the work into the hands of readers is the most challenging part, especially if you have no budget for advertising. You try to count on your friends and many will buy your book and have you sign it but they may not get around to reading it for a very long time and you need reviews! Reviews are a great way to boost sales, very few people are willing to risk their hard earned money on an unknown author and publishers are very much the same way.
You never see a TV spot for an unknown author but you do for James Patterson and John Grisham whose fans are already anxiously awaiting their next release. Avid readers should be the ones to jump at a new author, a chance for something truly different and fresh but they are among the biggest followers of authors. I have to admit that in my very early years of reading, before I started to school, I read the complete works of two authors before I moved on to anyone else. Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are still among my favorites.
We all do it, we go to the same restaurant and order the same meal time after time. Try someplace new, a different cuisine entirely. You might love it, you might hate it but if you never try it you will never know.
Buy a book by an author that you have never read before, take a chance and if you like it do the author a favor and write a review.
Writing the book in the first place is a major obstacle for some writers, it isn't mine. I have never had writer's block and it doesn't seem to be looming on the horizon for me so I dodged that one. Simply by having been a prolific daydreamer for my entire life I have over sixty years' worth of short stories, novellas and novels just waiting to be put down on paper or on the Internet. You can put them out there for no cost at all, now for the major obstacle.
Getting the work into the hands of readers is the most challenging part, especially if you have no budget for advertising. You try to count on your friends and many will buy your book and have you sign it but they may not get around to reading it for a very long time and you need reviews! Reviews are a great way to boost sales, very few people are willing to risk their hard earned money on an unknown author and publishers are very much the same way.
You never see a TV spot for an unknown author but you do for James Patterson and John Grisham whose fans are already anxiously awaiting their next release. Avid readers should be the ones to jump at a new author, a chance for something truly different and fresh but they are among the biggest followers of authors. I have to admit that in my very early years of reading, before I started to school, I read the complete works of two authors before I moved on to anyone else. Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are still among my favorites.
We all do it, we go to the same restaurant and order the same meal time after time. Try someplace new, a different cuisine entirely. You might love it, you might hate it but if you never try it you will never know.
Buy a book by an author that you have never read before, take a chance and if you like it do the author a favor and write a review.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
What The Heck Is Going On With The Heilsing Cases?
I know that everyone who happens upon this blog will not be familiar with my series of novels The Heilsing Cases so I will fill you in.
We meet Heinrick H Heilsing during his period of wasting time and his family's money just pretending to be a paranormal investigator. He wouldn't have chosen that field of endeavor on his own but it was a condition to obtaining the considerable trust fund and control of the activities of the family's philanthropic foundation.
Hank, as he likes to be called, is not really a bad man he just has a problem with getting motivated. He is actually kind hearted and extremely generous, a genius who has been rebelling against his family from the beginning. That was the cause of his problem, he never found out what his family's work was all about so he considered paranormal investigation as a joke.
Sometimes it takes extreme circumstances for someone to find their true life's calling. These six books follow Hank's life and growth after such an incident.
Beginning in order is suggested and these first three are already available through Createspace and Amazon.com, A Darker Side Of The Light is the first, followed by The Darkness Survives and then Darkness In The Afternoon.
In the works and around the halfway point we have The Darkness That Waits.
I will let you know when that becomes available and it will be followed by The Darkness Within and Darkness No More.
I hope that you will read and enjoy them, if you do would you mind writing a review for Amazon or Goodreads or my facebook page booksbyme.
If you don't like them - just keep that to yourself. ;)
We meet Heinrick H Heilsing during his period of wasting time and his family's money just pretending to be a paranormal investigator. He wouldn't have chosen that field of endeavor on his own but it was a condition to obtaining the considerable trust fund and control of the activities of the family's philanthropic foundation.
Hank, as he likes to be called, is not really a bad man he just has a problem with getting motivated. He is actually kind hearted and extremely generous, a genius who has been rebelling against his family from the beginning. That was the cause of his problem, he never found out what his family's work was all about so he considered paranormal investigation as a joke.
Sometimes it takes extreme circumstances for someone to find their true life's calling. These six books follow Hank's life and growth after such an incident.
Beginning in order is suggested and these first three are already available through Createspace and Amazon.com, A Darker Side Of The Light is the first, followed by The Darkness Survives and then Darkness In The Afternoon.
In the works and around the halfway point we have The Darkness That Waits.
I will let you know when that becomes available and it will be followed by The Darkness Within and Darkness No More.
I hope that you will read and enjoy them, if you do would you mind writing a review for Amazon or Goodreads or my facebook page booksbyme.
If you don't like them - just keep that to yourself. ;)
Monday, July 13, 2015
It Had To Happen Sometime...
I had done a little research on the Internet and sent my book of poetry to a company that said they accepted unsolicited manuscripts from unknown authors. I sent them my files and they promptly sent me a contract and a check. Wow, this is easy!
Unfortunately it is difficult to get any company to spend advertising money on anything that they don't project to generate massive funds and my poetry book was not exactly what they would be wanting to spend their money on.
Poetry isn't the hottest commodity, add in that the author is a total unknown and the title is Poems From A Transgendered Heart and it doesn't exactly scream best seller but I was happy that it was accepted and seems to be selling not quite like hot cakes but it is selling.
A couple of years later I decided to publish my novels through CreateSpace and being a self publishing site there was never any real fear of rejection letters.
I finally sent a couple of short stories to a publication that pays rather well for anything that they publish, I received an Email today - one of my stories has been rejected. They include a generic note saying that they don't have time to send critiques but they would not be using it.
Rejection with no real reason given, it reminded me of my attempts at the High School UIL Solo and Ensemble Competitions. I was always given a rating of a 2 (the medals went to 1's only) and the lone comment from the judge each time was, "Very nice job, you'll get a 1 next year!" I never got a 1 but I saw the sheets from my friends that did, filled with notes about ways that they could improve their performances, never just Very Good Job - always lots of helpful suggestions.
Somethings never change.
Unfortunately it is difficult to get any company to spend advertising money on anything that they don't project to generate massive funds and my poetry book was not exactly what they would be wanting to spend their money on.
Poetry isn't the hottest commodity, add in that the author is a total unknown and the title is Poems From A Transgendered Heart and it doesn't exactly scream best seller but I was happy that it was accepted and seems to be selling not quite like hot cakes but it is selling.
A couple of years later I decided to publish my novels through CreateSpace and being a self publishing site there was never any real fear of rejection letters.
I finally sent a couple of short stories to a publication that pays rather well for anything that they publish, I received an Email today - one of my stories has been rejected. They include a generic note saying that they don't have time to send critiques but they would not be using it.
Rejection with no real reason given, it reminded me of my attempts at the High School UIL Solo and Ensemble Competitions. I was always given a rating of a 2 (the medals went to 1's only) and the lone comment from the judge each time was, "Very nice job, you'll get a 1 next year!" I never got a 1 but I saw the sheets from my friends that did, filled with notes about ways that they could improve their performances, never just Very Good Job - always lots of helpful suggestions.
Somethings never change.
Monday, June 8, 2015
From the beginning...of my writing career
This isn't going to be a biography, actually more of a bibliography.
I started life very much differently than I am now - obviously I was much smaller but I was also perceived and treated as a male. acceptance was easy but happiness was scarce.
I finally began my transition at the age of 58 - the poetry book is an expression of the emotional journey from male to female, not the physical one. I felt that it might help some people to understand that it isn't really a choice but a necessity for some of us.
I started life very much differently than I am now - obviously I was much smaller but I was also perceived and treated as a male. acceptance was easy but happiness was scarce.
I finally began my transition at the age of 58 - the poetry book is an expression of the emotional journey from male to female, not the physical one. I felt that it might help some people to understand that it isn't really a choice but a necessity for some of us.
Poems From A Transgendered Heart
September 19, 2011
I then decided to dust off an old manuscript that I had almost completed 14 years ago, I edited it and published it almost exactly 14 years from the date that I had stopped working on it It is the story basically of my life at the time, unhappy and dreaming of a better life - the dreams however were not my true dreams. (I was heavily into denial and trying to fit in at the time) It is a romantic comedy but don't look for any sort of linear progress outside of his daily life - dreams don't work that way.
Never Stop Dreaming!
February 21,2014
Now I have started to create again, publishing the first of a six book series, because of my love for the works and mind of Douglas Adams, I thought about calling it a trilogy but then again maybe just one little typo while labeling it a six book series - one e instead of an i, I'll let you figure out which one. Thess are called The Heilsing Cases, that title will become obvious in the first chapter. A Paranormal Investigator (but not really) finds himself in the middle of a major problem. He never really believed in any of this but vampires? He soon discovers that he is the only one who can put a stop to the killings.
A Darker Side Of The Light
July 10, 2014
The second book in the series finds Hank, as his friends call him, getting married and going on a honeymoon in New Orleans - that doesn't last very long. Strange events have begun to follow him around and his team of friends and helpers. Swamp tours are supposed to be fun, unless you are hunting for or being hunted by someone or something. The team has started to expand. They will all be need for their special skills before bringing this one to an end.
The Darkness Survives
October 28, 2014
Finally back to his Penthouse in Manhattan, with a few new team members, all of whom are now living in his building. Things start to happen almost immediately and in their very building. Once you start to delve into the paranormal, the paranormal seems to take notice. Some extraordinary events occur causing a few changes to take place in two of the teams members that will change the team forever.
Darkness In The Afternoon
April 21, 2015
Be sure to watch for
The Darkness That Waits
Coming soon
All of my books are available on Amazon.com as soft cover or Kindle editions.
Please allow me to introduce myself...
Now if while you were reading that title you heard either Mick Jagger or David Clayton-Thomas singing it to you, you're my kind of people - however, I stopped there because I am not a man, I am not wealthy, I do have good taste and relatively few people find me to be satanic in the least. My best friend calls me Saint Sally on occasions but that is a story for another blog.
I am a writer, I have always been a writer at heart but like so many things in life, I always just assumed that I wasn't good enough and therefore didn't bother. I'm bothering now and it is the happiest that I have ever been.
I have a book of poetry and four novels - so far.
I am changing a lotof things in my life, the first being that I have turned in my notice at my job. I have never liked working in sales but I am extremely good at it and the paychecks come with greater regularity than royalty checks. So giant leap of faith, having faith in myself is new for me.
I play trumpet and have just joined a new band, I still play with another band as long as they aren't marching - bad knees, actually not too bad of a knee and one terrible knee. Another new experience for me as until I moved to New Orleans a few years ago I had never played Dixieland jazz.
I'm not really planning on going back into professional photography but I have only burned one bridge in my life and it wasn't photography, music or writing.
I'll be back to talk more about my books, myself and my somewhat skewed philosophy of life - it should be enjoyable. (Life and the blogs.)
I posted on Facebook that I was leaving my job and got nothing but supportive comments, this image captures one comment that I received more than once....
Sally Michelle Jackson, Author!
I am a writer, I have always been a writer at heart but like so many things in life, I always just assumed that I wasn't good enough and therefore didn't bother. I'm bothering now and it is the happiest that I have ever been.
I have a book of poetry and four novels - so far.
I am changing a lotof things in my life, the first being that I have turned in my notice at my job. I have never liked working in sales but I am extremely good at it and the paychecks come with greater regularity than royalty checks. So giant leap of faith, having faith in myself is new for me.
I play trumpet and have just joined a new band, I still play with another band as long as they aren't marching - bad knees, actually not too bad of a knee and one terrible knee. Another new experience for me as until I moved to New Orleans a few years ago I had never played Dixieland jazz.
I'm not really planning on going back into professional photography but I have only burned one bridge in my life and it wasn't photography, music or writing.
I'll be back to talk more about my books, myself and my somewhat skewed philosophy of life - it should be enjoyable. (Life and the blogs.)
I posted on Facebook that I was leaving my job and got nothing but supportive comments, this image captures one comment that I received more than once....
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