February
2018
And
here we are… February about to wrap up, March coming in, and I
still have dozens of to-do items tossing about all over the place
in a rush to either get them done or carry them over. Let’s see
if we can give things some focus.
In
My Backpack will be celebrating its Fifteenth Anniversary
in March. I do have some plans in place for the anniversary, which
I am basically leaning toward approaching with less advance announcements
and more spotlights as they happen. (A good portion of that involves
a few items where, while I am pretty excited, promises cannot
be made that they will be finished and ready between the 1st and
31st next month.)
I
am hoping—stress the hope upon hope upon hope part of hoping—that
by tomorrow I can share some special promotions that will be running
in March for my books. What I can tell you right now is that we
are kicking the tires on several options that could end up involving
something for every title.
A
Parkside View will be ready by next weekend
with its new issue. And… cross-promotional opportunity here… A
Parkside View: Volumes 1 & 2 will be out next week on
March 6th. Updates on the book will be part of the March 1st web
site update.
And
because you folks have been amazing, we close with a new essay…
“A
home for all seasons”
Today…
a peek behind the March curtain. By Monday… a new essay and more.
After
a great run in January, you may have noticed some massive stop
signs have appeared around In My Backpack. I get it.
I’ve seen them. All over the place. There are a few reasons for
that.
Next
month is the Fifteenth Anniversary of the web site, and I have
been working on some projects to go along with it. A small part…
hopefully, fingers crossed, moving in the right direction at least…
is a return of the Lucky Seven interviews. I should have some
more to share on that when March arrives.
On
March 6th, A Parkside View: Volumes 1 & 2 will be
released. I am quite appreciative of some of the advance notice
coming around, and hope to see a bit more as the publishing date
nears. We will definitely have additional news on the new book
in a few days.
As
part of celebrating both the anniversary and the new book, I am
working on a promotion involving at least Time
Just Drifts Away. Need to finalize a
few things, but it looks like there will be a short run of dates
in March where you will be able to download the Kindle edition
of my first book for free.
I
wish I could share more, but for now that’s about it. An anniversary…
special interviews… a new book… a chance to download one title
for free… yup, busy.
More
coming soon. Be sure to head over to The
Attic for now. January was a tremendous month
for material, and there are literally hundreds of essays to check
out in the site’s active archive area.
Been
a crazy month. A lot of work is being directed at the combination
of the next book release (A Parkside View: Volumes 1 &
2) and the upcoming anniversary for In My Backpack.
Should be able to pick up the pace a bit again around here over
the next few days.
Featuring
all forty-three essays that have appeared on its pages, A
Parkside View: Volumes 1 & 2 will be released on March
6, 2018. Content includes eighteen pieces that have only been
released to date in the monthly newsletter, along with two new
efforts exclusive to this book. The title will be offered in both
print and Kindle editions.
The
advance promotional work for the book has begun, with a nice piece
appearing online for The Post-Standard in Syracuse, New
York. (The
Post-Standard
is expected to run this effort in its print
edition on Sunday, February 25, 2018.) My sincere thanks to The
Post-Standard and Casey Rose Frank for the attention and
consideration.
In
March, this web site will reach its Fifteenth Anniversary. While
it’s too early to share specifics, there are plans in motion for
a handful of special celebrations.
Closing
in on the
release of Incredibles 2.
Some
details about progress
and plans around Disney theme parks.
Another
short entry today… snippets from the web…
The
questions have been there since Mjolnir was destroyed. And now,
we might have the first
looks at Thor’s new weapon.
The
wait for season 2 is almost at an end. On
March 30th, A Series of Unfortunate Events, led by Neil
Patrick Harris and Patrick Warburton, comes back to Netflix.
A
bit of this, a bit of that… trying to get back to work around
the web site.
No
heavy lifting today, just some assorted items and a new essay
to finish things off…
I
promise I won’t say many of the things I’m thinking. When a couple
with no sailing experience decides to invest everything in a boat
and set off around the world, the questions begin and they do
not get kinder the longer you think about scenario. But… there
they go… off on their voyage. Land
was never out of their sight, and they didn’t
need to use the number three to cover a count of their days of
travel.
More
details
about Deadpool 2 are emerging, including
a new trailer and the confirmation of Terry Crews.
And
to wrap this day up… “Surprised
I’ve never…”
The
new issue of A
Parkside View will be out by Thursday.
(I actually expect it out later today or tomorrow… but given my
history, we’ll see how that goes.)
Not
going to be a huge entry today. Been putting in some time on the
new book, and I don’t have a ton to share right now. Should have
a new essay or two as the week moves along.
Word
is that Mario
Kart may be coming to a smartphone near you.
A
lot of great stuff came out over the weekend. While the Avengers:
Infinity War bit wasn’t one of the best overall, it was a
solid reminder of what is heading our way
in a few months.
A
LOT of ground to cover… so grab your beverage
of choice, get comfy, and let’s head off…
Local
Friends for Local Business…
This
month, the challenge is Old
Reliable. It runs the full month, the 1st
to the 28th.
We
all have those places that we trust nearby. For a cup of coffee…
a quick meal… medicine, clothing, home repair… the list goes on
and on.
In
some cases, we know the owners. In some cases, we know those stopping
in to buy things. In all cases, they are the places we would never
find if we lived someplace else, and yet we would need to find
some equivalent in our new neighborhood.
One
great part of these places, beyond the people, is that we know
what we expect to find. They make food we find tasty and crave…
they carry the brands or options we are looking for… they offer
an environment we feel comfortable in. As the title of the challenge
suggests… they are, for us, reliable.
A
Parkside View…
The
February edition will be out in the next few days. Just finishing
up a few final things.
This
issue of the monthly newsletter will be the twentieth offering.
Its pages always contain a new essay, bowing for the first time
exclusively in A Parkside View. Also included is at least
one essay drawn out of the archives—From the Backpack—and that
can mean from the web site, old notebooks, and even folders and
scraps of paper that have been filed away for quite some time.
Are
you signed up to receive A Parkside View each month?
What?
Well, why not? It’s easy… and free. Just send along an e-mail
(or, use one of our social media pages to send along a message).
We’ll reach out to confirm everything, get it all sorted and set
up.
Writing
& Books…
Sticking
with A Parkside View as a theme… in March, the new book
will be released. A Parkside View: Volumes 1 & 2
contains all of the essays from the first two years of the newsletter.
(Volume 1 covered a half-year, with the newsletter kicking off
in July of 2016. So... two years... eighteen months for this one.)
Forty-five
essays will be on the pages of this new book. Two essays, acting
as the bookends, will be brand new and only found in this effort.
Eighteen of the essays have only appeared previously in the newsletter.
More
information will be coming out this month. The release date is
now set as March 6, 2018. And, here’s a look at the cover design…
ComplemenTerry
Designs…
As
we begin exploring opportunities and finalize some details, 2018
is shaping up to be a limited-run year as far as appearances are
concerned. As of right now, we are sorting out information that
we believe will mean only two shows for us, with each of those
being a two-day event. The first is on November 24th and 25th,
and we could have some specific details available soon.
To
stay up to date on all of the latest information, check out the
ComplemenTerry Designs Calendar
of Events page.
Writing
appearances…
In
October, Bob will be headed to Rhode Island with his “A Writer’s
Workshop: You may never get published (Horror stories and thoughts
to help you try anyway)” program. This is the first event of 2018
to be confirmed, and additional information for it will be shared
very soon.
In
addition, there are some discussions being held about readings,
signings, and other presentations. Check the Upcoming
Events page for all current and finalized
details.
The
month of January...
To
kick off the year, forty-two essays were posted on the site. The
material covered A LOT of ground… two in Sports…
two in Travel…
and the others posted in the General
area, which included new essays and From the Backpack efforts.
To
catch up on what was posted last month, you can look over the
Now
Playing entry for January 2018. Plus, all
of the material available on the site can be accessed by checking
out The
Attic.
And
that’s it for today. A few updates need to be made around the
web site so February can fully arrive. We’ll be back on Monday
or Tuesday, hopefully with a new essay ready to go.
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