About Mountain Mist Productions

Sorry, Mountain Mist Productions no longer accepts outside Submissions.

Link to this Blog.

Blogs:

Recession, Depression, No Book Concession...

Poms really are stupid...

Of little things and bigger things to come...

So much happening...

Online buying and privacy

Newsworthy or not

Trust and Respect

Writer's Artistry

Habby Birfday to US!!!

Doing the early morning stint

Of animals and what is really important

Driver responsibility

First Blog - Coming home and being honest

Scroll down...

Recession, Depression, No Book Concession...

 

Posted: Saturday, 16th August, 2008

 

I find the most irritating thing about people in our field of endeavour is the fact that so many lack the ability to synthesise reality issues into something they can not only handle but from which they can learn and grow. I guess I am not one hundred per cent the Artist then; for Artists so often use their work to skirt around issues, preferring that others deal with annoyances and yet they still expect the usual accolades and rewards that they feel are owed to them.

 

Which leads me to how Writers (Writers, Artists - interchangeable in my book, all supposedly professionals when they take the step of offering their work for sale to the general public) deal with something so excruciatingly boring as a Recession. My bet is it is all too much for most of them. I was speaking with a new Writer yesterday and I asked her if she had been keeping up with all the latest economic and political news and I pointed to some of the commentaries of late about the state of the World and how this bodes for the future. Her response was, "No, I try not to stress myself too much."

 

Uh-huh... "great stuff" if you can be satisfied with that attitude. Some of us do have to think about nasty things sometimes, and analyse them and try and figure out how to cope and be one step ahead of "bad stuff". It just makes business sense to know what is going on around you, whether you are a Writer or a Publisher. In fact, I would even say you are morally obliged to do so; and if you do not... well, the World won't end; but there may very well come a time when to sail blissfully along is no longer an option.

 

The current global financial crisis is not to be taken lightly in my opinion. It is serious, very serious, and we may be feeling the repercussions for another two or three years yet. I have been telling my Authors that we are heading for a global Depression for well over twelve months now... and telling them to prepare for it. So... how does a Writer or an Artist prepare for such a calamity? The same way every other person does - be sensible, cut back on spending, plan your travel, go back into yourself and look at how you live your life and see how you can adapt and improve your very existence. Some of my Authors have begun to grow their own food, to travel less to conserve fuel and to rationalise air travel now that airline tickets seem to be on the rise. They are prepared with some cash on hand and they are looking at ways to cut costs with an overhaul of their business budgets.

 

Recessions - we've had them before and The Computer Nerd and I weathered all those Recessions "we had to have" back in the Eighties and going into the Nineties. Tough times, with many people losing their regular jobs when companies began to down-size and we saw executives becoming lawn-mowers and supermarket shelf-stackers. This may very well happen again, but we'll be OK, won't we? We are Artists after all. If I sound sarcastic here I am not going to apologise because there is indeed something of a smugness when you can escape into your own world of artistic endeavours when chaos reigns in reality. Perfectly acceptable until the time comes when you have to face the music and admit that things would be a whole lot better if that damn royalty check was a bit bigger.

 

So... as Writers and Artists can we ride out these annoying little economic pickles? Historically, yes, Art has generally survived hard times and in some cases, has even thrived. Back in the early Nineties I was editing and writing my first novel (it sits in a drawer and will come out when I have the time); but I was also doing craft and I actually made money making dolls during the worst of it. I had a craft business for about 4 years during this time. It started out as a hobby - I never made a taxable income but I always had money in my purse. That is how I learned about running a business and when the publishing came along I was able to slot into that quite easily. I also learned that when times get tough people do need some form of escapism - be it a good book to read or a pretty picture to enjoy or simply a soft toy to cuddle.

 

Books... generally regarded as "Recession-proof", have in the main been expected to carry on being popular during the bad times. Like I said, people like to read to escape. But what do they read? The big names? You'd think so, but with the price of hardcover bestsellers these days my bet is they will go for cheaper softcovers and even second-hand books from the auction sites. If you are an Author out of the mainstream how are you going to come through all of this? If you are self-published or POD you are not going to be able to reduce the price of your books because... well, you just can't and you know that. Production costs are not going to go down at any time - if anything they might go up, like everything else. So, what do you do? Look for a wonderful traditional contract? Yes... you could do that... but how many of those are there (a colleague told me she is dealing with two thousand submissions a month at the moment and she is only a small outfit) in the grand scheme of things? And the bigger firms... ah... how safe are their investments? Have they been stung by all these financial woes? Are their own people losing their jobs? Not happening just yet to my knowledge but I have seen it happen before once they realise that they too have to tighten their belts.

 

Seems to me the best bet is to spend this time honing your craft, go back and revise your work, update your skills and if you do have to publish, self-publishing with an outfit that does not charge an arm and a leg is still the best option if you can't get in with someone else. You can at least begin the marketing trail and work on learning all you can about getting out there and just basically play the waiting game until things get better. And how long will that be? No one knows for sure but our bet is probably about two years and we ain't seen the worst yet. We may be wrong; but I do know that the word "Recession" is a misnomer... believe it or not we are in full-blown "Depression".

 

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Poms really are stupid...

 

Posted: Tuesday, 22ndJuly, 2008

 

We have a friend, a woman, who is virtually "agin" everyone and everything. Let's just call her Ethel. Poor Ethel cannot hold a conversation without slanging off at someone over some injustice, perceived or otherwise. And Ethel is not backward in coming forward when it comes to categorising people... in fact she is  downright bigoted and racist. So for years we have had to listen to Ethel proclaiming that "Poms are stupid" and the word "stupid" is assigned a variety of meanings from dim-witted, slow, unintelligent to irrational and incapable of any reasonable thoughts or actions.

 

Yes, to say that dinner conversation with Ethel is limited is an understatement. Pity the dinners weren't more limited, if you get my drift. Ethel is the kind of person who could, at the drop of a hat, wangle a dinner invitation from the Queen herself. Well, she could... but she wouldn't... the Queen being a Pom and all and well... Poms are stupid. I digress. I can safely write about this because Ethel believes the Internet to be "stupid" as well. Geez Louise... that must mean I am "stupid" too! Ah well, if the shoe fits.... I digress again. OK, OK... so Poms are stupid and no one can convince Ethel otherwise and there is no point in trying so we sit and weather out tirade upon tirade about this "stupid" race. During such tirades I could be very glad I am Irish except that my family history is blighted by one English ancestor and he was quite a character with a lot to answer for so I believe. I digress again. 'Struth... it's hard not to digress when thinking about Ethel because such little sorties of the mind are sometimes the only way one can endure Ethel's vicious vitriols.

 

Anyway, I just read an article that now leads me to agree with Ethel that yes, Poms are indeed "stupid". Stupid, sick, sadistic or just plain cruel and insensitive. Here is the article, http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24053437-2,00.html; and there is a further link down the bottom of that article to go to The Sun for more. Geez Louise... this is a story about Britain's SAS using German Shepherds to spy on Iraqis - after they are jettisoned out of planes at 25,000 feet with oxygen masks and all the usual paraphernalia. Oh, I'm sure they'd be so low-profile once they get on the ground that they'd be easily able to slip in and out of people's houses and public places. DUH!!! Sitting ducks. How dare these creeps put these beautiful animals in such danger. The gist of the article is that they would rather it be the dogs that get killed than the SAS blokes. I've got a good mind to sic Ethel onto them.

 

I am blessed to have three German Shepherds in my household and yes, I can attest that they are every bit as intelligent as we are and yes, it is possible to train them to do some amazing things. That doesn't mean mankind has the right to abuse them in wars that have nothing to do with them (or anybody else for that matter) and oh, aren't we all sick to death of all the useless waste of life, be it animal or human. They are right though... dogs have been used in wars for centuries. And you know what happened to many of the German Shepherds after the Vietnam War? The lucky ones came home, the unlucky ones were shot or just let loose. Didn't know that one, did you?

 

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Of little things and bigger things to come...

 

Posted: Sunday, 13th July, 2008

 

Today was the Computer Nerd's Birthday and we had a nice day just poddling around, we watched some DVD's and just generally took things easy. I bought him one of those Himalayan rock salt lamps for his study and he thought that was pretty cool. I had been reading up on them for a while and decided if the health benefits are anything close to what they claim they might be worth a shot. Don't know for sure... they might be a big take like those early ionizers that were around in the Seventies. Don't think they did much except use up electricity - and possibly contributed to an unsafe level of radiation.

 

Anyway, if all else fails we have at least two species of what is commonly called Mother-in-Law's Tongue growing in abundance around the cottage. This is supposedly one of the plants that is good to put indoors to cut down on radiation from computers and other appliances... and that is probably all it is good for. I was speaking with Hope Thomas about the need to do something about all this intrusive technology in our homes and she agreed that indoor plants were a good idea. Hope also has animals, as we do, and trying to bring plants into the house without attracting their attention is like trying to invade a foreign country using soldiers seconded from some over-populated and alien planet. The solution? We put our thinking caps on and came up with the idea of bird cages. Some can be strung from the ceiling and some have stands high enough up and away from prying little paws. Geez, the things you have to do!

 

I had a most frustrating week last week and I hope it will be better this week as we have now solved a lot of technical and logistical issues regarding the new things we want to do. Main thing is we have a new domain which will also be called Views Forever and I am tossing up whether I will either change the Blog name or move it over there. Our Ezine and Print Magazine will be featured there when they come on. We'll see.

 

I'm still getting Submissions even though we closed off ages ago. Honest - we don't want any at the moment as we have new books and new people coming on and new stuff to do until the cows come home. I have always said I want Mountain Mist Productions to remain at a manageable level and not become so big I can't handle it. I don't know how Publishers with a few hundred people on their books can possibly do all that is required of them. Even with our little group it is a juggling act at times just to give time to certain areas and I don't want the whole thing to get out-of-control.

 

Had a chat with Ellen Weisberg this past week and she is doing some amazing work with Libraries in the US. Ellen is one Author who recognises the benefits of getting your book into as many Libraries as possible. OK, you may have to donate more books than you sell, but it is a way of getting known and hopefully down the track your name will be out there enough that when you do unleash your great pièce de résistance you will be so famous Readers will be the ones knocking on your door.

 

It's all part of the journey, folks, and as The Nerd always says... you have to spend money to make money.

 

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So much happening...

 

Posted: Saturday, 5th July, 2008

 

It is 2 am and I have been trying to get back here for ages. Hectic as all else and we still have some work to do on our new shop. I think it is a case of too much to  go into it, too little time and there is still some technical stuff to work out. But, we are making progress and we shall start again on Monday. I am now taking week-ends off and I am looking forward to doing "cottage" stuff this week-end. The cottage is coming along nicely. It is a pretty big "cottage" and the gang from Hannah's Column love it. The weather is lovely here in the Winter - minimums of around 13 C or 56 F and maximums of around 28 C or 86 F at the moment. Was speaking with Tina Johnston and Jenny Markwell during the week and they were in the single digits down where they live. We do not miss those southern Winters at all!

 

Looks like Ebay have been forced to back down on the PayPal thing. I always chuckle to myself over that sort of thing. Sometimes I am very proud of how things work in Australia. I think the main thing is for people to stand up and be counted and it usually works - or at least things come out in the open for discussion. Bullies are everywhere these days and it is high time people took back their rights and their own spaces. Well... it works most of the time!

 

Poor Hannah is not very well at the moment. She has never been very strong in the health department and some German Shepherds are just like that. It is hard for me to believe that she is entering old age for German Shepherds and she will be 9 this October. We are working on getting her better and I think she is going to be fine.

 

I was going to tell you about Hannah's two new sisters...

 

The first one came to stay September 10 last year. She is a German Shepherd/Cattledog cross and her name is Sheba. We found out about Sheba through the Tweed Council Friends of the Pound. Poor Sheba's owners who had her since she was three month's old were going into a retirement resort and could not take her with them so there was a frantic search to find her a new home. Six months later and no response so I said if they could not find anyone else we would help them out. They drove 12 hours to bring Sheba to us and we have had her now for 10 months and she turned 16 on December 1st so she is now 16 and 1/2. Pretty good for her age too and she has only had a couple of bad times where she was ill for a couple of days but she bounced back. She is a little bit deaf at times and is blind in one eye and probably only has about 85% vision in the other  but she manages quite well and we can walk a bit and she takes herself for walks around our back yard. We know it is borrowed time but she is a dear old thing and she gets on well with everybody and her best friend is... Lorna!

 

 

 

Then... Dixie came to us from www.petrescue.com.au on May 13th. She is a purebred German Shepherd Dog and they told us she was 4 years old but she has turned out to be a puppy. We think she is only 12 months or 18 months old tops. She is gorgeous! She gets on famously with Hannah and especially Sheba and they sleep together. As for the cats... well, we'll work on it, she may not be a cat dog like Hannah and Sheba - we'll see. I would never put a new dog with cats and one of our previous German Shepherds had never liked cats but after 12 months she was allowed to be with them and ended up loving them all to bits.

 

Here is the Dixie Doodle - she is very small but boy, is she feisty, and is already shaping up to be quite a character. She was surrendered to Blacktown Pound in Sydney but 12 days later she was re-surrendered to Windsor Pound because the people said they were going into a unit and then she was rescued by the Hawkesbury Animal Welfare League and she had been in care since February. They flew her up to us and when we went to collect her she jumped up and wagged her tail and the eyes went straight to The Nerd. He adores her and I think she is good for him as he walks her every day after work.

 

 

Hannah is already training her to begin work with the rest of the gang for Hannah's Column!

 

Other great news is this week we took Joe Kohl (extremely famous cartoonist) on board and I will do some press stuff in a little while. I am going to some work with both Joe and Steve Langille and I am looking forward to that. How privileged are we to have this talented duo? Geez... we must be doing something right. I have all these ideas in my head and it is going to be such fun!

 

We are also soon to get our very own Artist who will be doing specialised portraits for us. Her name is Lilly Antoneavic and she is an absolute treasure and soooooo talented! This is such a buzz and this week the photos for cards that have come in from our people are absolutely amazing.

 

All this energy... I need to take this week-end off and I also need to get some sleep! Catch you all next time.

 

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Online buying and privacy

 

Posted: Thursday, 19th June, 2008

 

Well, Ebay have officially announced that PayPal and COD will be the only accepted methods of payment from mid-July. Heavy-handed stuff and I received their email (actually came twice) late yesterday. I will go into Ebay and cancel my account later on. High time people started standing up and I was very pleased to read some of the Blog comments in the Australian IT section of www.news.com.au this morning. Lots of people are angry at Ebay and PayPal. The matter is still under investigation but even if Ebay is forced to re-think there will still be sour grapes and mistrust and the damage has been done. I use Oztion, but only as a Buyer thus far. We have discussed getting a shop and putting our cards up once we get that going but there is no rush.

 

Living in the country as I do, I find Internet buying just so convenient and I have bought a lot of stuff off Oztion. Stuff I use to make my dolls and old kitchenware and so forth. I found out that a lot of modern kitchen and tableware items that come out of Asia are simply not safe and may contain high lead levels and other toxic substances. So, I am buying depression glass and stuff from the fifties and sixties that I can actually use. The quality is in the old stuff and even high profile brands are made in places like China these days. I'm interested in purchasing old fabric that people have stored in their cupboards for years and I will gradually build up my stash of this. I recently bought a beanbag made in you-know-where for Hannah to sleep on and even though I washed it first it smelled so bad I ended up tossing it. Plus, Formaldahyde is also used to keep the bugs away in transit. Geez Louise!

 

Getting back to Ebay... I resigned once because I sent them an email when I found out that all your private details of your buying and selling are readily available through the Search Engines. Go ahead - type your "private" Ebay ID into Google and see what comes up. I said that people should be able to buy in complete confidence and not have their private business plastered all over the Internet. They wrote back and said "tough" basically, and then referred to their Terms and Conditions and the fact that it assists Sellers by giving them a higher ranking in the Search Engines etc. I fired back and said Ebay is so big individual Sellers do not need to be in the Search Engines and all this stuff regarding transactions, feedback and so forth should be contained within the privacy of the Ebay Community. I also said that one time a person could go into a shop and buy an item without the whole community knowing about it as your private transactions should really be no one else's business. I said there is a lack of respect and an invasion of privacy and that Buyers could feel compromised. No answer.

 

Anyway... then I really needed something and the only way I could get it was through Ebay so I rejoined and used a very convoluted ID and email address that wouldn't be so easily identifiable. But... in the circumstances that can now go too. This is Australia - we believe in the concept of "a fair go".

 

Another interesting article from www.news.com.au this morning contained a warning to people selling goods online not to include their addresses in their listings as robbers can work out the location and come a-visiting. Makes sense and we have always fiercely guarded our privacy. We've been criticised for not being upfront about giving a physical address but that is just tough. We use email, a mobile phone number and a P O Box because we have had our fair share of Net whackos over the years. They are not welcome in our space - or cyberspace, as the case may be. Again, it is time people stood up to scummy behaviour. When we first began we had a dreadful time with spam but now the laws in Australia have tightened up and it is a lot better. Good to see and I have always had complete faith in the Australian judicial system.

 

So... email us before you come calling or else... did I tell you we now have THREE German Shepherds? Yep, Hannah now has two sisters. More next time.

 

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Newsworthy or not

 

Posted: Monday, 16th June, 2008

 

Doing an early morning stint in the cottage again - up at 5.30 and that's pretty usual for me. Cup of coffee and read the news services. Some days I wish I hadn't bothered, but I guess I'm not ready to totally cop out of the human race yet (although I could be pretty close) and so I try and keep up-to-date with the latest news. These days I have little respect for the Media. I think it is a pretty fair comment to say the Media in Australia is a closed shop. As independent Publishers is has been pretty near impossible for us to get new books reviewed and articles published. So, yet again we say... We'll do it ourselves.

 

Some of our Authors and Artists have done very well at publicity though; and it is due mainly to their persistence and initiative. I do the odd press release and we stand a better chance of getting these into little local newspapers rather than the big ones and as for television... forget it. Although I was contacted by one little fellow once and when I called him back he kept saying, "I've got five minutes... I'll give you five minutes." So I launch into my spiel and he keeps rabbiting on with "I can only give you five minutes." I eventually said, "This is obviously not a good time, I'll catch you later." I never did. Geez, what makes these people think the are God? I mean, the bloke contacted me... and like I'm not busy, am I? Geez Louise, I'd better not get started. Seems though, we have a fresh batch of rookies who are more interested in sensational journalism rather than stories the average, everyday person likes to hear about. And good news? Forget it.

 

The big thing our people have most success with is radio and some of the Family have had some great radio interviews recently. With the poor quality of television nowadays people are turning back to radio. I giggled to myself the other night when I turned on the radio in my craft workroom after having turned the television off at 7.30 pm. As I settled in to do some sewing it was like it was all those years ago when we didn't even have television and I must say there are some really good quality radio programmes on now. It is possible to listen to ABC or BBC news at 6 am and never have to worry about listening to news for the rest of the day because the same old stories are re-hashed all days unless a monumental disaster occurs.

 

News item of interest this morning is that Ebay in Australia is trying to get their users to accept PayPal and COD only. This means other credit card systems like Australia's own Paymate will be locked out. It also means you will not be able to pay for stuff via direct deposit. Personally I like to pay for stuff I buy on Oztion via direct deposit because there are no credit card fees. I've got a feeling if this comes in Oztion will have a whole bunch of ex-Ebayers joining their ranks. Let's hope Oztion can remain a good and ethical alternative to Ebay. If not, I will give them the flick too.

 

I am the first to admit that online selling is difficult and we have been through all the problems with selling our books and cards. It was not easy in the early days to find a reputable credit card processing company who would not charge an arm and a leg for fees. Fees are necessary, but PayPal charges way too much and I have never liked their level of security (or apparent lack there-of... all those phishing emails...). I would urge everyone to look at Paymate. They are an Australian company who have been going about as long as we have and we think they are great. They put the money straight into your account and there is none of the rubbish that PayPal carry on with. We can now accept payments in many different currencies and I am sure we will soon be able to use the facility to shop overseas.

 

We are now set up with Paymate but we also accept cheques, money orders and direct deposit. Still, a lot of people are wary of buying online and I'm afraid I have now reached the stage where I think that is just plain ignorance. If you are stupid enough to use a credit card with a $10,000 limit to purchase stuff over the Internet and something goes wrong you only have yourself to blame. We always advise people to use a card with the smallest possible limit, carefully check every step of your purchase and call your bank at the first hint of trouble. And believe it or not trouble rarely happens and the majority of transactions go through without a hitch. In our eight years we have never had any security issues. Always contact the Seller if you have a query because it is their job to help you and to make it right if you are not happy.

 

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Trust and Respect

Posted: Thursday, 12th June, 2008

 

I have been thinking a lot about the changes I've seen in the publishing industry. When I began Mountain Mist Productions in 2000 there were only a handful of players and now new Houses seem to sprout up overnight. Sadly, not all the books they publish are meritorious, but nevertheless they do get into existence and I guess that is all some people worry about. I look at what some charge for their services and I marvel at their gall. Sure, it's business, but Art should not come at such a high price.

 

We stepped back from all of that when our little group voted to become "exclusive". That's their word (I'm referring to my Authors) and not mine. We closed off Submissions and now our membership is virtually by "By Invitation Only". Our Members may refer people to me and I find people myself, depending on what we are doing and if I think they will fit in and whether or not I think they are sincere in their intentions and so forth. Sounds elitist, doesn't it? Well, I suppose it is; but trust me, it is a whole lot easier than having a couple of hundred people on your books whom you never get to know, much less even remember their names. It also means we can do the best we can and not be overloaded or bombarded by often poorly-written Submissions which take up time and energy. It is a fact that a lot of people submit their first drafts to Publishers and expect to be on the Bestseller Lists the very next day. Try and convince them there is still a lot of work to do and you are often met with a haughty "What would you know - my book is good and people will want to read it!" Writers with over-inflated egos have no place in Mountain Mist Productions thankfully and we are simply able to get on with the job without any grand-standing.

 

Yes, we do things differently and it is getting harder and harder for me to explain this to people. I am an old-fashioned, strictly a hand-shake kind of person who believes in communication and if we do encounter problems we talk them out. But, as Shelby Forrest says, I am also pretty good at what he calls "riding shot-gun" and we rarely have any problems within the ranks. I'm the Mum and I am very proud of all my children. We communicate and share information and I guess you could say the Internet is our kitchen table - we all come together and share what we are doing and we vote on the big issues and basically all the children know as much about the business as I do. It is very satisfying to see a new person come into The Family not knowing much about the industry and then gradually you will see new knowledge and understanding creep into the discussions and you can see their confidence growing and you just know they are going to be OK out there in the literary jungle. And... I, in no small measure, learn from them too and that is something I could not do if we were a bigger outfit.

 

I fully acknowledge how hard it is for Writers these days; I also understand the tremendous economic strains Houses must endure and when you add into the equation the poor standards of reading these days and the limited subject matter that actually appeals to people the poor saps are really up against it. I have been concerned for a long time that Writers' frustrations might eventually cause the industry to implode. Right before we took our decision to close off Submissions I was well-aware of the "Them agin us" mentality which was seeping into the industry and Writers and Publishers seemed to have little respect for each other at times. Everyone was out to rip everyone else off, no one was to be trusted and even the poorest books were expected to be treated as though they were God's great gift to mankind. It was a dreadful, terse situation and I stopped visiting a lot of Sites because the over-the-top rhetoric offended me on so many levels. Anyway, the bottom line is... Writers, just like everyone else, have to take a good look at themselves from time-to time. And so do Publishers. And... if you can't be professional you have no right to exist.

 

So... this week I had a lengthy phone conversation with someone who caught my eye and I though her book might be interesting. I always like to speak with people on the phone initially if I can because you can tell a lot from a conversation and a person's voice as to what makes them tick and what kind of person they are. It also gives me a chance to explain who we are, what we do and how we operate. This is very important because we are so far away from the traditional parameters that some people find it hard to accept that we could be that independent and that different. This person I spoke to remained silent for most of the conversation while I rattled on about Mountain Mist Productions. Then... she said... "So, what's the catch? There's always a catch.". I burst out laughing but inwardly I was saying, "Oh, you poor thing!". So sad that we have become so incredibly cynical, isn't it? I then had to go over everything I had said to prove that "what you see is what you get". We'll keep talking and see what happens.

 

That conversation really rattled me, I tell you, because I am just not like that. I can understand it because the industry has become a bit on the stinky side but it does not sit well with me that I cannot communicate with another human being on an honest level without my every motive being questioned. Hell, if I were as unscrupulous as some I'd be rich now and I wouldn't give a damn what anybody thinks. But, with Mountain Mist Productions there are standards, and I have not spent the past eight years building up a solid reputation for nothing.

 

I've got to be honest and say I am not comfortable having a cynical person around me and if I even get a hint of mistrust with someone I try and find out the cause and if I think there is a problem I politely say I think they might be better off elsewhere. We simply do not have the time nor the energy to devote time to one person to overcome old prejudices and pre-conceived ideas about our industry. I tell them all to forget everything they ever learned about the publishing industry when they come on with us and if they don't like what we stand for or what we do they really are better off elsewhere. Trust and respect are the hallmarks of everything - be it Family or a Publishing House as far as I am concerned and I don't intend to ever waiver from that. Funny that most of my guys have been around for so long though....

 

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Writer's Artistry

Posted: Monday, 9th June, 2008

 

Often when I ask Kel Harris how she is doing she says, "I'm as busy as a bucket-full of fluffy ducks.". Kel is one of those perpetually busy people and she can turn her hand to almost anything. It was quite some time after we published The Duty of Guardians - Earth's Bane that I discovered what a talented Artist she is. We were working on Merlin's Way at the time and Kel let it slip that she does wood-carving. I remember my jaw dropping as I tried to comprehend . "Pictures, please!", I shouted through the phone.

 

©Kel Harris -one of Kel's clocks.

 

Well! I was indeed impressed; and we will be selling some of her work in our soon-to-be-opened and re-vamped Online Shop. We are aiming for July 1 and in addition to Kel's woody stuff she'll also have some of her paintings on Greeting Cards as well as some of the amazing jewellery she makes:

 

 

I understand that the sequel to Merlin's Way is coming along too and that will please a lot of people. Kel's major character is... a dog; and it is almost an unwritten rule that Publishers are supposed to reject anything that features a talking dog. Oh, I don't think so... not this dog anyway; and I know there are a whole heap of people who are glad that Dylan didn't end up plastered on the back of a rejection slip. Forget the canine thing - he is a New-Age Philosophe in his own right and all power to him I say.

 

Too way out and creepy for you? Here's something even creeeeeeepier...

 

I have a little Children's story, Henry's Lesson, which is a fairy story featuring two cats and an annoying little dog who learn that arguing all the time can cause a whole lot of grief. I hope we can find the time to get the thing in print real soon as I feel we are ready to do so now and Kel and I are looking forward to having some fun at Christmas. You see, when I found out about Kel's abilities I asked her if she would be interested in illustrating the book and she agreed. I sent her the text for the book and away she went.

 

Now, the main character of the book is Henry, based on one of my cats, Toot. Toot died whilst we were living in Brisbane - a few days after his 20th birthday! He was a black part-Burmese who was very vocal and determined and he effectively ran our household for 20 years. He never had much sickness in his life until the last two weeks when his liver started to give out. Those last two weeks I had with him were precious and on the night he died I had decided I would sleep in the living room with him where he had a bed by the heater. I left the room for a few minutes and he called out to me and I went back and picked him up and he just took a last gasp and slipped away quite peacefully. The Nerd was there too and we were devastated - we couldn't believe he was gone after two decades in our lives. He lived life to the full and in many ways he is still with us as I often think I can still hear him or think of how he would tell the others off when they are mis-behaving.

 

I digress... Kel sent this picture of Henry (based on Toot, remember):

 

 

When I saw this I nearly freaked out because... here is a picture of Toot:

 

 

Here's a close-up of Toot's head:

 

 

So... why was I freaking out? When she illustrated the book Kel had the text only - she had never seen a picture of Toot and she didn't even know he was a black cat! Do-do-do-do-do....

 

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Habby Birfday to US!!!

         One of the many Free E-Greetings we have over at www.1stmistcards.com

Posted: Friday,16th May, 2008

 

Oooops, a few days late but it is the thought that counts. Busy as all else here and still trying to catch up after our great move and all. May 8th was our 8th Anniversary on the Internet. I can't believe it has been that long. I have my Authors and Artists to thank for everything and now it looks like we are here to stay. There have been a few ups and downs and we all gave up on the get rich and famous bit ages ago but we have an incredible amount of energy and with the world the way it is, if we sell a few books and cards that's a bonus. But... I sense we are doing something much more important.

 

OK... no use dancing around the issue - most people today are all too self-centered and are just plain not nice people.  And there appears little the average person can do about it. We can but try, and that is basically what we are doing with our cards. We started doing greeting cards as a means of expanding our mandate of books and also to in some measure make up for the shortfall in the reading department these days. Reading is all but down the toilet and as for communication, that is but a dim memory to most as people just don't seem to care these days. Sad to think that our cards are having a far bigger impact than our books but that is the way of the world. Maybe we can do a little something to get people back on track rather than being further "dumbed down". Whether or not we succeed remains to be seen,  but you've got to admit the concept of Read More, Talk More, Live More is worth a shot.

 

It scared the hell out of me to think that I could have something to do with turning around all the apathy and nastiness. How did I dare think that I could get people communicating with each other again? Or reading? Or thinking about more than what to have for dinner or what to wear out on Saturday night? Basic stuff... and then there was the really BIG stuff. The times when it really counts.

 

When I began the greeting card business I had just gone through an horrific time myself. Brought up in a close-knit family unit in the country, I was led to believe that family was all-important. I won't bore you with details, but I never for the life of me bargained on the younger members of the family bringing about the disintegration of all that we held sacred. Or of having to face up to the fact that I had been lied to all my life, or of having to recognise the sociopathic and narcissistic tendencies that dominate my family nowadays and which would make my parents turn over in their graves. Heavy stuff. Then my brother died and I was not told... didn't find out for two months. When I contacted his daughter to express sympathy she couldn't understand that that is what you do when someone dies and she basically gave me short-shrift. I stood there wondering how these young people cope when they cannot even have the good grace to thank someone else for caring. I had just lost my brother for God's sake, and there was this little witch saying she didn't give a whoop about how anybody else felt. And next day I had to design a series of sympathy cards. To what end?

 

Yep, there I was, having to pretend that I truly believed in what I was doing and that it was for the common good. I needed to have my faith in people restored again. And I did. Thanks to my Authors and Artists, my friends and my cousins who helped me understand what had happened. The people of Gulargambone with whom I was in contact were marvellous. A couple of them said, "You are one of us" and basically said they were disgusted with the lack of respect that had been shown not only to me but to them as well. That blew me away. I haven't lived there since I was a little kid but I can still go back there and it feels like I never left. And to have them support me when they don't really know me just goes to show the depth of the old values. I thought that was pretty cool so off I went to design more greeting cards.

 

I'm writing about this because I am not the kind of person who can say, "Ah, well..." when something happens. And yes, I will be designing cards that make people feel better and  they will be cards that say things like, "I care", "I understand", "I'm thinking of you", etc. I have learnt that it is important to show people that you care and have respect for them; and that it equally important to say, "Thanks".

 

I am currently building a catalogue to be unleashed on the world shortly - let me know if you want to be sent a copy.

 

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Doing the early morning stint

Posted: Monday, 6th May, 2008

 

I think it is pretty much a given that Writers can be creatures of strange habits. Some write during official "office hours", some at night, some in the afternoon.... I write best early in the morning (been up since 3 am this morning), always have. My Authors have finally stopped chastising me for getting up at all hours and sending emails. Clifford Forde over in England used to get quite frustrated with me ("When do you sleep???") and sent me warnings to take care of my health. I don't sleep very much a lot of the time. Me widdle brain won't let me; there's always an awful lot going on in there - it comes with the job and I don't fight it. Richard Lee Fulgham once said I would die if I ever stopped. He's probably right.

 

I did stop a bit this past year though; and just poddled around doing my own stuff... wrote a bit, made some dolls, read a lot, hung out with the gang from Hannah's Column, looked for a new place for us, found one, moved, started planning a garden, caught up with friends and truly, genuinely, tried to remember what it was like to be a normal human being. Are Writers ever normal human beings? God, I hope not.

 

So... I write early in the morning and... every afternoon about four o'clock. At this time in the afternoon I sometimes have to stop what I am doing and go and write something - anything, a few words, an idea, a poem. This sneaky little creative urge is quite urgent at times and I love it! It's the reverse of the three o'clock downtime a lot of people experience. Instead of reaching for a caffeine fix or whatever, I write. This exercise is what fuels the writing fire and it is so entirely personal and so powerful that I now accept that this... whatever it is... is not only in my blood but that it is at the core of my very essence. And I am extremely grateful.

 

Writing is a gift and that is why I get so upset when I see people abusing that gift. Self-gratification aside, all Writers must at some point confront what having the gift entails and decide on their priorities and values. Personally I am not a great fan of spending your entire life writing for therapy or of writing just to see your own words in print. What's the point to it all? Seems to me that if you have the gift you have a tremendous opportunity to share the gift and it is that sharing that makes it all worthwhile. I won't say it is always easy and there will always be obstacles thrown in your way. Like jealous family members or friends who can't understand what you do because it is so long since they read a book that they wouldn't even recognise one if it hit them in the face. But then there are the people who also feel the urge to write to you and share something and that's when the buzz comes and somehow all those early mornings turn into golden times.

 

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Of animals and what is really important

Posted: Sunday, 27th April, 2008

 

Sunday night here in what we are tongue-in-cheek calling Lorna Doone's Cottage. Strange to think of such a concept in Australia; but it appeals as a place of infinite possibilities. It also has such an all-pervading sense of character and artistry that we can happily be transported back in time to share a cup of tea with the real Lorna Doone. Our own Lorna Doone is no less a character and could be equally as famous if she put her mind to it, I'm sure.

 

We have only just moved to Lorna Doone's Cottage and there is still a lot of work to do. We fell in love with the place about two years ago but didn't buy it then because one of the locals told us there was some pretty serious development planned for the area. Turns out that was not the case and when it came up for sale again we jumped at the chance to get this fabulous house with its amazing garden. And Lorna came with us... along with everyone else in the gang from Hannah's Column. Moving day was a trial to say the least, even though we only moved a short distance, and poor Lorna was frightened out of her wits. It didn't take long for them all to realise that this is a really cool place though, and even Lorna came around after a while. Well, a long while to tell the truth.

 

 

The kitties are two years old now and Lorna has developed as the most intelligent one and the one with the most personality. She keeps me on my toes and she basically doesn't take anything from anyone. Hannah seems to quietly cheer her on and our household is all the richer because of Lorna. I remember when she was just five months old two of the bigger cats were having a bit of a discussion and Lorna came running up the hallway, her little legs going a hundred miles an hour, and the big guys got such a shock that this little thing would tell them off that they stopped and peace returned. She was about the size of a half a pound of butter at the time. Or so it seemed. Now she is all grown up and clearly is a presence in our house that we all enjoy. And this cottage wouldn't be the same without her.

 

My Authors are used to me harping on about animals but make no mistake, they are all big sooks too when it comes to animals. If I go a while and don't mention the tribe I get emails asking for more pictures and updates. We are gathering more material for the Column and I am actually looking forward to getting it going again. Of all the pages on our main site that is the first port of call for a lot of people. It used to really puzzle me but now I just go with the flow. Let's face it, people love animals and they are one of the few pure pleasures human beings have left in this stinky old world. Hannah and the gang have given a lot of people a lot of pleasure and that is fine by me. With the launch of our Greeting Cards animals have a very special place in that project too.

 

It is nothing unusual for Writers and Artists to be inspired by animals. Hey, if it was good enough for Ernest Hemmingway, it's good enough for me.

 

Just before I go I must mention that Friday was Anzac Day. Awfully strange day because we have just lost a good friend who was a Vietnam Vet and I suspect that was not in some small measure due to exposure to Agent Orange. We lost a friend, a critic and supporter, and one of the brightest and enquiring minds as a result. Our lives were richer for having known him and he will be sadly missed. He never liked anyone to talk about Vietnam and the damage done to him was still significant even though he appeared to handle everything extremely well. I longed to ask him a lot of questions but I always respected his stance. I guess that is one of the tribulations of being a Writer. Sometimes though, you need to know when to step back. I have always tried to discourage my Authors from picking subjects that may be seen as riding on the shirt tails of someone who has gone through an horrific experience. I realise that to understand something some people have to write about it. But... bottom line is... it is not always about you.

Driver responsibility

Posted: Wednesday, 23rd April, 2008.

At times I feel the writing world is in an uncontrollable spin and it leaves one feeling powerless, confused and well...sad. This is how I feel but I wonder how many Writers there are out there who have no qualms at all about their methods or morals. I really don't feel the need to share every little detail of my life with my Readers and I only draw on experiences if I think they will enrich and enhance a character or a situation. If something doesn't sit right with me then it is most likely not going to impress my Readers. At least I would hope that is the case. I think about Readers a lot and in order to do that I envisage myself as a Reader and ask myself the questions I think a Reader might ask.

 

Questions like... Why is there so much gratuitous material in books these days? Whatever happened to imagination? Why can't Writer's just write a good story and be done with it? Why do I need to be embarrassed by the books I read? Why do I have to have the dreadful realities of life slammed in my face every time I pick up a book? Why can't I just escape for a while? And so many other why's it would take all day to ask them.

 

I stopped taking Submissions largely because of the poor standard generally of the work that was coming my way. I was also deeply disturbed by the lack of real writing and by the desire to write (with some urgency, I might add) on whatever topic was the current flavour of the month in order to catch the attention of the Readers. Sloppy writing and taking the easy way out because the Readers have already been so conditioned by the Media that they are almost prepped to the limit for an onslaught of what is often grim reality. I'll grant the place of social comment and observation in Literature, but let's be honest... we have all reached saturation point with all the sad tales of woe and no hope, of narcissistic individuals and and all the deep-seated psychological excrement that supposedly mirrors real life. Don't even get me started on the endless and often unpronounceable sicknesses and phobias that plague this modern, emotionally-challenged society. Tell people that this is the reality enough times and they will start to believe it. Sad to see so many young adult novels these days that are so dark and violent that you wonder if their Readers could ever have any concept of real peace and happiness.

 

One Submission I read turned my stomach so much that I couldn't bear to ask for a complete look at the manuscript. It was aggressive, violent, warped and it dealt with every range of emotion and every illness known to man and frankly, it scared the hell out of me. I felt so sad for the Writer. I started thinking... Why? Why write something so incredibly horrible, so disturbing and so completely without any respect for humanity? Don't get me wrong here, I am not a religious zealot or anything, but I do think that as Writers we have to take some responsibility for what we write. Otherwise we are just drones, hacks trying to make a quick buck using shock tactics and sensationalism or even worse... praying on people's fear and fascination with the morbid. Granted, life in the real world at times truly stinks and things can go horribly wrong and yes, it is difficult. But does the whole of humanity have to suffer through Literature as a result? Are we to succumb to the darkness and be expected deal with it because that is all there is?

 

Besides... there is a difference between writing a good story and playing out life's problems through the word processor. I believe real Writers are professionals and they should act as such. How incredibly arrogant and selfish to expect your Readers to suffer all that you have suffered. Seek the higher plane. Your books don't have to be a re-hash of your own lives - you can still create characters through whom you can portray all the emotions and experiences that make life so complex these days. Do it right and you will keep your Readers right up until the last page. You will get them thinking and evaluating and they will have you to thank for that. Never forget that whatever your Reader will feel will come from your characters and not from you directly - you are merely the person in charge of the vehicle. Drive responsibly and don't speed.

First Blog - Coming home and being honest

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