25th December 2009

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you all are having a great day. I’m glad to say I’m the grateful owner of a new pair of slippers, which I really did need. The old ones were starting to talk to me and were really keeping my feet very warm in this cold snap we all find ourselves in. My daughter has done the usual made noise all day but my son has disappeared upstairs with his new games machine (Xbox 360), when I say new it was second hand yet I don’t think he really cares as it was what he wanted.

Chrimbo dinner is soon to be serve so I thought I’d take the time to do my blog with a tut-tut from the wife, though she smiled as she shook her head. We have a friend for dinner, well he had no other place to go and you know this isn’t the time of year to be alone. I know how that feels and it just isn’t something I would wish on anyone. Anyways I’ll need to get back to help put the food on the plate. I hope you all got what you wish as a present and have a warm, loving day.

18th December 2009

One week to Christmas and as always there’s the last minute gift to get or the card that you forgot to send. My wife got the present when she was at the doctors today but the card came this afternoon so we’ll need to send it tomorrow. Strange how the post has gotten later over the years, isn’t it. It’s worse, of course, at this time of year though. It’s easy to say that everything is down to the posties not pulling out their finger enough but isn’t it? Yet we don’t really know what it’s like as we don’t do the job and have little idea of how it has changed over the years.

Played Spellforce 2 all week, finishing the main game last night. Now I have the add-on to start tonight, yet I don’t know if it will be worth it. After all the main title was buggy to say the least and I didn’t enjoy it as much as the original Spellforce. Often I felt that it was a poor add-on at best, which shows why I’m a little wary of Dragon Storm. I may be wrong though so I suppose I’ll need to check it out to see.

11th December 2009

The hunt for a job has come to a standstill as Christmas approaches. Not really a surprise as the job market is very quiet at this time year and it won’t improve until after the New Year. In fact it will be the end of January before I’m likely to see it pick up again. Of course I still have to continue the search even though I know there isn’t much of a chance of finding anything.

I have now made my books available in E-book format through Smashwords.com. I have thought about it for a while since being told about the site but only now decided that it would be a good idea. For one it gives readers the choice of formats and it also opens up another market for my books. It was a lot of work to reformat it to Smashwords standards so they would be able to get the premium distribution, opening up the possibility of it getting onto Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, as well as other online sites. In the end it all comes to giving the customer the right to choose how they wish to view my books and that can only be a good thing, right?

I’ve also been spending a little too much time playing Spellforce 2. It’s not as good as the first one. Three times I hit bugs that have caused me problems. On one occasion it completely crash and the other two times it just froze graphically. For a game to be still so unfinished even after it has been released as an Ultimate pack or Gold edition is at the very least annoying. Still it is playable enough for me to waste many hours fighting my through each map with more still to do.

4^th December 2009

By mid-week I gave up trying to beat the block that has held me locked in an iron grip and decided to lose myself in Spellforce 2. It wasn’t my first choice as I checked out some other games but found they weren’t to my taste so quickly shelved them. Between each I sat staring again at the computer hoping the Muses would visit something on me. Nothing stirred in my mind so in the end I decided that Spellforce 2 with its mixture of strategy and roll playing would be a good way to let the ice that surrounds my mind to melt.

With the festive season fast approaching I think it will be after the New Year before I return to Banshee 2. With the pressures, that we all find at this time of year, lifted I’m sure I will find creativity flowing more easily. Yes I have most of the gifts for Christmas in, thanks to my wife. Actually she usually sees to most of that leaving me only to get her present. As you may already know I got her a Wii, which she already has. For this reason I got her a few other presents to open on the day. Nothing as expensive as the Wii was but still I’m sure she will love the two books and the CD. I also got her a small gold ring with some inexpensive stones set into. The books are from one of her favourite authors, Catherine Cookson; whilst the music CD is Meka’s new album. I know she’ll love them all and it never cost me too much. That is important when the budget is limited and with the job front being so slow I have to keep a close eye on the pennies.

Comments:

E-e-r-r-r

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Posted by Anonymous 16:03:48 05.12.2009;

27^th November 2009

Writers block has held me in its grip all week. Sitting staring at a blank page with the only the lines that I wrote last week on it hasn’t helped. I’ve reread what is there but I can’t seem to find the words to take the tale forward. I’ve even stared at the plot that I have but it doesn’t give me that push to get on with Banshee 2. So the week has stretched itself out yet now I’m at the end of the week I wonder where it has gone.

It’s been a very dark week with all the rain. Flooding has hit many parts of the <st1:country-region><st1:place>UK but finally we saw the sun today. It has been almost two week since it showed face in the sky. Thick clouds have made most days so dull that I’m surprise to see the plants in the garden haven’t withered, never mind being drowned by all the rain. Any more and I think we all may be washed away out to sea. It’s not funny yet there has been a lot over the past month. The weather men are saying that it should be drier this weekend, let’s hope.

20^th November 2009

It’s been a bleak week and not just because of the weather. I’ve been troubled with writers block, only managing a couple of hundred words. I suppose it isn’t a surprise with being made unemployed again. Yet at the same time I was expecting to be made jobless, so you would have thought that I’d keep the wind in my sails. Regardless of the reason I’ll get through it, with any luck soon and get on with my next story.

One good thing of the week was that I got the missing serial code for Spellforce 2. If you’ve been following my blog you will know that I got the game last year but the serial on the box was the wrong one. The shop I got it from refused to replace it or give me back my money. When I got in touch with Trading Standards, they gave me the run-a-round, refusing to help. I then contacted the makers of the game and though they did send a nice email promising that they would look into the matter I never heard back. I sent some more emails but still nothing. Well this week I tried another search of the net for the serial and found one that worked. Now I can play the game when I want rather than it just gathering dust.

I also joined Twitter this week after joining another site FReado. Freado is a little like Authonomy but more geared for readers. I put up a section of Bublos hoping to gain interest. The site talked about Twitter being linked to them so I thought it a good idea to see what it was like. I’m still at the finding my way around stage. Other wise I’m not sure I’m doing it right but still we all have to start some where.<o:p>

13^th November 2009

Friday the 13^th and my internet went on the blink, don’t you just hate that? I do. In the end I had to delete my software before reinstalling. It didn’t go smoothly though. After searching for the disk I had to download it with another computer but it wouldn’t install. Each time I tried it would just hang there doing nothing. In the end, after another more fruitful search, I got it back up. What caused the problem in the first place I will never know but reinstalling seems to have fixed it for now.

It’s been a wasted week as I have done nothing more than read a book, which I still have to write a review for. Scarecrow by Darren G. Burton kept me glue for several days. I also went to the interview at the jobcentre, I don’t sing on for over a week. I got the letter today telling me how much I’m entitled to; of course they are taking money off till December because of Tax Credit rollover. Though the rollover is good, it comes in a lump sum and never seems to go far enough. This leaves a few very tight weeks ahead but as always we’ll get through it. As usual the government gives and then it finds a way to take it back, at least from those that need it the most. Or am I being unfair?

6^th November 2009

It was a long week at work, time just dragging by. Got laid off today though, at least I got the week out of it. Phoned the jobcentre as soon as I got home, got an interview for Tuesday first thing. It’s a drag that I have to go back to signing on again but needs must. I’ve luckily enough to have managed to save most of what I need to get my wife’s Christmas. I’m getting her a Wii, she had a loan of a friend’s last year and enjoyed it a lot. Since then she’s been wanting one, so I have been saving my pennies to get it. I’ll go to Amazon for it as its cheaper there, saving me a lot.

I’ve spent a lot of time reading or should I say catching up on reads I owed on Authonomy this week. I like to comment on books of those that have left their opinion of mine. I also enjoy looking at sci-fi, being a fan of that genre. I know it may seem strange since I write horror but I think both often cross over one another. My writing hasn’t really done so. Though in the past I have started a fantasy story just never managed to get round to ever finishing it. It was a good idea but I just never really got into my stride, plenty of idea’s just none that seemed to fit the tale. In the end what I did has lain in the drawer for years. In the end horror was so much more fun to work on, at least for me.

Now I’ll have more time to get my self into the next story and you all know what that should be. I never managed to get the energy to do anything last weekend. Instead I went on a cleaning spree around the house, by that I mean the kitchen. I cleared unused crockery into a box which I put in the loft. At the same time the wife want the Christmas decorations down though not to put up till next month. Till then they’ll be stored in a cupboard for easy access. I also approved Bublos this week so now I await it arriving on Amazon and other online stores. I will put a link to it once it does form the horror section of this site.

30^th October 2009

The work ran out on Tuesday. Mainly due to materials not coming in when they should have. This led to everyone being sent home till Monday. That’s when the materials are now expected; let’s hope it turns out that way. If so I think I should get another week or two out of the job. This isn’t bad as it will give me just enough to get my wife her Christmas present.

I approved Bublos for distribution this week. Now the wait for it to arrive on the pages of Amazon. I think I did a good job, that was till I tried promoting it on Lulu and someone pointed out a mistake. How many did I miss? I hope not many. I don’t think there is but what can I do. After all I can’t afford an editor or to even change it now. I wish I could though that would make life too easy, wouldn’t it. So not much I can do now other than hope that anyone that does buy it doesn’t notice any mistakes and enjoys it.

As for the next story, I never managed to find the energy. Somehow after getting home on Tuesday I felt washed out. This doesn’t mean that I just sat about doing nothing feeling sorry for myself. No, rather I found things that needed done about the house. Cleaning mainly, not the most enjoyable way of spending time but it kept me busy. At the same time I’m able to get the house back into shape after decorating the livingroom. Its amazing how thing’s around the house gets neglected when sprucing up one room. Well at least it kept me from just hanging around the house with little to do.

23^rd October 2009

Fitting a new carpet tomorrow. When that’s done we, my family, can get the livingroom back the way it should be. At the moment my desk has one of the drawers blocked by a chair. It should be fun putting the carpet down because I’ll be lifting the old one at the same time. My son will help; well I need the help moving the furniture.

I got my proof copy in this week of Bublos. The wife is reading through it just now and she has only found one mistake, which is good. Hopefully that is all she will find, that way I can approve the book for distribution. Then it’s on with writing Banshee 2. I didn’t do any writing this week, too tired with more overtime at work. Though I have been thinking about it a lot more. I don’t know if any of the ideas will be of use but some of them are interesting. I’ve also been mulling over the plot and how the characters will be carried on the journey to the scenes in my head. It will be good to see how it develops. I hope that I might do some work on it this week end but I’ll have to wait and see.

Sometimes it seems like the days just flyby before I have time for anything. I suppose that’s just the way things are when you’re busy. The days taken up by work and the few hours left before you have to get some sleep is filled with the family or TV or countless other things. The effort to find some time for you quickly gets swallowed. More effort is something I think I have to make to find those few hours to write. At times though you just can’t get in the zone, so to speak. I think that has plagued me over the summer. There were many reasons though I can’t blame anyone but me for that. At the same time it helped me sort Bublos, making it better.

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16^th October 2009

It has been a long week. Mainly because of three hours over time I did on Monday. I had another hour on Wednesday. As you can imagine I’m glad that it is now the weekend. No overtime this weekend so a chance to relax though I do have things that still need done in the livingroom. Those shelves still need to go up. I didn’t find the time last weekend as I had to repaint them. The wife gave them one coat but she doesn’t keep very well so that was all she could manage. It won’t take me long though to get them onto the wall, finally finishing everything off.

I did dig deep though to get Bublos ready for this weekend. I still have two chapters to go through again but should, provided I don’t have problems, be able to publish it through Lulu. I’m looking forward to getting it out there into the wild. Of course I’ll need to get the proof copy and give that to the wife to have a look again to see what she thinks of the changes and see if she can spot any errors. I’m hoping that there aren’t any as this will mean more editing as well as another proof before approving it for distribution. Eight weeks from approving it I’ll see it on Amazon. Then I might be able to concentrate on Banshee 2.

I think it was the fact that I haven’t published Bublos which was slowing me down with the new one. I kept going back in my mind to Bublos. In a way it was good that I delayed it, for it has allowed more time to try and find where the story needed work or more. It helped a little putting it up on Authonomy for it gave me the view point of others, which always helps. Anyways I still have two chapters to go.

9^th October 2009

I’m working overtime tomorrow. Wish I wasn’t but needs must to fill an order. Still I’m off on Sunday. My mate Mickey started on Wednesday. He needed it to as he just recently passed his driving test. His dad has got him a run around, which Mickey needs to insure before his dad will let him have it. The insurance is more than the car cost because he just got his licence; it was a shock to say the least.

Sunday I’ll need to finish all those little jobs to get the livingroom back into order. My shelves at the computer need to go back up after another coat of paint. The wall clock, a cheap thing I got as a free give away as part of some promotion years ago, needs new holes drilled. You know all the tiny things that finish off making the main family room of the house more your own space.

I did some work on Bublos, more still to do. As I said there weren’t a lot of comments on Authonomy but some of what was said was of some use. I will try to get more of it reworked this weekend. Though I’m at work tomorrow I don’t have to be there till nine so I get an extra hour in bed, which should give more energy to do some rewriting. I was hoping to get more done this week on it than I managed and so was looking forward to making headway this weekend. I’ll just need to make a bigger effort.

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2^nd October 2009

Feeling tired tonight, haven’t slept well most of the week. I’ll catch up on some of it this weekend by having a long lie in tomorrow. It’s not that I stay up late when working, I’m in bed by eleven. Just one of those times when you get so tired that sleep doesn’t want to come.

The decorating is almost done, only a few small things to do before reassembling the living room. Shelves to paint and then put back up, the clock need a new screw hole drilled and the fire surround has to be given another coat of paint. It will be good to get the job done so the main room can get back to normal.

I have also to start the final, I hope, look at Bublos. I’m hoping to go ahead and publish it through Lulu in the next few weeks. Before that I thought, taking in what comments I got through Authonomy, I’d check it through again. It can only make it better or at least that is the plan. I only got a limited number of helpful comments though I did try to get more. What was there didn’t go into much detail so I’ll need to work hard to find where the work is needed.

I did get some good news work wise, I will be working for another couple of weeks. Just the kind of thing you want at this time of year. All the orders are small so unless something larger comes in it won’t last beyond the end of this month. Still I can’t complain as I was supposed to finish this Wednesday coming.

25^th September 2009

Got a phone call at half eight on Wednesday morning asking me in I could start back at work that morning. Two weeks this time is the promise. It has been an easy few days working on the turntable. It seems there’s a few small orders but nothing like I would have expected this time of year. I suppose that’s due to the downturn in the world economy. A couple of months worth of work to get Xmas paid for would have been good but you take what you get and make the most of it.

My wife and my friend Mickey finished off the lining paper leaving me to paint the walls this weekend. I have the fire surround to paint as well. I can move it away from the wall so no worries there. The inset will be black whilst the rest is getting painted white. The fire wall is going to be chocolate brown and the other walls shall be cream. It should be nice when it’s finished. It’s amazing how long it takes when you’re trying to get it right. There was more filling to be done at the start of the week, which I got done before getting the call to work. The council never do everything; in fact you usually find that when you call them they try to get out of their obligation to do the work. Miss a weeks rent and they’ll be at your door to see why. Local authorities, what can you do with them?

18^th September 2009

A week of painting and still there is more to do. Decorating is good once you finish but can be such a pain as it eats up the days. It has left me little time for much else though I am almost finished with the first chapter of my next tale. The smell of gloss is giving me a headache as it always does. I don’t mind emulsion but gloss just makes me feel ill. I’ll be glad when it’s done, I can tell you. I like the prep work to get everything ready to look fresh and new. Of course I also enjoy the feeling when you look at it when it’s done. Hopefully that won’t take much now. My wife will do the lining paper and I will coat it in the colours of her choice. I just hope she doesn’t change her mind half way through, hehehe.

Tonight I’m going to relax with a drink with my friend Mickey. He was around giving me a hand during the week. He did his driving test yesterday, first time and he passed. My wife and I got him a joke card to congratulate him on his achievement. I don’t drive which is probably for the good. As a younger man I was more interested in driving but neglected the need for going legal, to my shame. At times though I wish I had learned to drive properly yet at the same time I believe I wouldn’t be very good at it. For that reason as much as anything holds me back from learning. Still there moments when it would be good to have the ability, never mind the vehicle. That is usually in the early hours when waiting for a bus to take you to work or home at night. At those times you know that if you could drive then you would have the extra half hour in bed or be home that bit sooner. Then again you would also have the expense that goes with cars, maintenance, insurance and of course tax. The things that make you poorer.

11^th September 2009

Finally the council has replastered the walls that crumbled when stripped them a few weeks ago. Now we can start getting on with the decorating. I’ll be glad to get it done and get the living-room back to normal. As you can imagine it isn’t the only place in a state, my bedroom has become a dumping ground for the things taken out of the main room till the work is done.

I’ve also been working on my next story. I’m still on the first chapter and don’t seem to be making much headway so far. Still that’s the way it goes sometimes. At least I know where the story is going, that helps. I just have to get into a flow with it then everything should roll along at a better pace. I have also uploaded the full of Bublos to Authonomy to get feed back. At the same time I’ve put my other books on private for now. Too many people were looking at A Winter Journey when I need them to look at the newer tale. With the feedback I hope to find the week spot in my latest and therefore make it a stronger read.

Something has been nibbling at my blueberries. There aren’t a lot on the bush as I only got it this year, so it’s still young. The few berries that it has sprouted are still ripening but already the wildlife round here is taking an interest in the sweet fruit. My gooseberry bush was a cheaper buy so I don’t expect anything for a year or two. It is growing nicely though and you never know next year. I hope in the end to be able to use both bushes, if I get enough fruit, to make wine. I don’t think though that the two bushes would give enough berries, I’ll wait and see.

4^th September 2009

It’s been a long week suffering with the bug I caught last week. It left me just wanting sleep, which is all I seemed to do. I even had to get my wife to call the jobcentre to tell them I couldn’t sign on. They sent out a form to fill in that was done when I got out of bed feeling like a truck had run me down. Anyways the wife posted it back to them the following day and we got paid our benefit on time. It surprised me as I thought that we would have to wait till the form was processed but luckily not.

I have missed out on doing anything because of how rough I was. No job searching, no checking out the sites on the web like Authonomy and even my garden has been left for me other half to see to.

Luckily I am now feeling a lot better and will be getting back to normal. I have plans to get on with Banshee 2 this weekend. I also want to put more of Bublos onto the Authonomy site. I’m still trying to get more feedback on it before deciding how to move forwards with it. Lulu has sent me an email this week saying that they are trying to sort out problems they are having with Amazon.co.uk. It shows that they haven’t forgotten about me at least or that’s how the email made me feel. They have also changed their packages and it reminds me of the old system that first caught my eye. Yes it cost a little more but if the service is back as good as it used to be who can complain. As I said though first for more feed back before I make my mind up. It also lets me see how Lulu shapes up over the next few weeks.

28^th August 2009

You know that feeling you get when you’re about to come down with a nasty cold or flu. Well I’m suffering from that, hence why I a little late writing this blog this week. I went for a snooze in the hope that a bit of rest will head off whatever I’m in for. Not much hope I know because we all know what’s for you won’t go past you, right.

Anyways what else have I been doing to keep boredom at bay? First I got a light to encourage my Lemon trees as the bad summer has left them struggling and the weather folk promised us a heat wave. I was a kid in ’76 which was a real heat wave. This year we got two weeks of warmer than normal weather and they call that the heat wave, nothing like covering your back. The light I got was cheap but offers the plants the equivalent of 240 watts yet because of the energy bulbs only uses 44 watts, not bad eh.

Out in the garden my Blueberry bush and Gooseberry bush are coming on well. Though my tomatoes aren’t doing so well, really what I need is a proper greenhouse. What I have is fine as a propagator to get them started but not much when the need the room to spread out. I wish I could afford one but like most things it will have to sit on the list of things I’ll get if I win the lottery.

My venture into decorating the living room now awaits the council to send out some plasterers. The Inspector came and has put us down for the repairs but it could be a few weeks before they come. I’ll be glad when they do then I can get on with making the livingroom liveable again. It never ends does it?

Comments (1):

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Posted by Femme Gratuit Mure 04:58:39 11.10.2009;

21^st August 2009

Signed on, on Monday but it could be two or three weeks for my claim to be sorted. This means no income till it is, lean times ahead unless someone at the jobcentre decides to do some actual work. If they do then it will be sooner rather than later.

I’ve been stripping wallpaper the past couple of days. My mate Mickey came round to give me a hand. I was glad he did, the more hands the lighter the work, not that it was hard. Being a council house though stripping the wallpaper means one thing, as the wallpaper comes off the walls so does the plaster. Whole lumps fell from the walls which we now need to wait for the council to come and fix it. Of course first we have to wait for the Inspector to see what need repairing. Usually the Inspector is quite quick in coming out but from him coming out to the workers turning up to fix a problem is a month or two, some times longer. So now we have the joy of living in an echo box, every time one of us speaks the echo off of the bare walls amplifies the sound so it sounds like we’re shouting. Now I’m finding myself whispering almost.

I’ve been having a break from writing this week, instead I’ve been playing games. First it was Civ 4, now it’s Dungeon Siege 2. DS 2 is a good game but there have been a few oversights like when you load the game, you aren’t where you saved it but away at the beginning. As I said a few oversights, which you have to look past; other than that it is a good game with plenty to keep you busy and tuned into it. I can see myself playing for another week or so.

14^th August 2009

Well I was right, I got three weeks work and now I’m back to signing on. More work could come in at anytime as the Christmas orders arrive. In the meantime I’ll have more time to work on Banshee 2. I got a start on the first chapter, which is a start and I have the plot worked out. At the same time I have begun to format Bublos. More work to do to it before it is ready for when I can go forth with publishing. I’ve still to find a publisher though Lulu has shown signs of improving its customer support. I am waiting to hear back from them though concerning some issues. They are minor ones, yet I might have to put them to the side if I wish to get Bublos into print. Mind I’ll need t wait till I have the money to go forward as the cash has been spent. I held onto the money for a while but you know how it goes when you have it burning a hole in your pocket. It happens even more when you have kids and they are in need of new clothes for school. They’re back to school next week. Oh the peace and quiet that it will bring, only joking. My kids aren’t really that noise, except when they’re arguing, which luckily isn’t too much. My son is actually looking forward to getting back to school, though my daughter hasn’t said anything. I’m guessing she’ll also be happy to get back after the six week break.

7^th August 2009

Slept in for work yesterday but still managed to get there in time. Though it left me feeling like it was Saturday for some reason. A strange day all in it was, the heat added to that lazy weekend feeling. Today was all go in comparison even though there was little slacking yesterday. Today was busier as I had the machine I’m work going full tilt. Four bins were filled with waste that gets recycled by another firm.

Lulu seemed to be looking at my complaint more seriously. A member of staff by the name of Nick is looking into it and said he would keep me notified of progress. Now that is what customer support should be like. Maybe I might finally get everything sorted soon then I can get back to publishing Bublos. Fingers crossed.

In the meantime I’ve started sorting out a plot for Banshee 2. Detective Munroe will play a part in this one and Mandy’s family. Micky one of the characters from the first book is Mandy’s great nephew, so that will be the tie in. I’m enjoying working out the details to this one first, usually I just dive in and start writing. This time I’m setting out the plot first so I know where I want to take it. I wrote half a plot last year for it but I can’t find it now. It has forced me to start from scratch yet I think this is good because I have let the ideas from the first inspiration grow and mature a little. The plot, I hope, will add to that making for a better tale. Well that what I’ll be trying to do this weekend. At least Saturday won’t feel like Thursday or so I hope.

31^st July 2009

I was looking at Createspace this week as a way to publish Bublos. After checking it out though I realized that it doesn’t offer much in the way for distribution. At first I thought that their Pro Plan would offer at least distribution through all of its parent company’s many sub domains but unfortunately no. This is sad because if it had then it would have given me a way for my books to be on all of Amazons’ sites world wide, as they are the ones that own Createspace. Ah well, it doesn’t and they don’t.

I will keep looking though the cost of other publishers seem very high, from $399 up till you reach the silly money. I’ll need to save a lot before I can afford to publish again by the looks of things. Saying that, if Lulu were to get around to sorting things out, then I might be able to get on with setting up Bublos for the market. I don’t think that is going to happen though, it’s been to long and they don’t seem to really wish to answer my calls for them to come clean.

Whilst I save I can start writing my next story, Banshee 2. There’s a sub title that I won’t reveal at the moment. Mandy will be back for the funeral of one of the two men that died in the first book. I’m still working out their relationship, as there is a gap in the years separating them. Aunt, Great Aunt? As I said something to figure out this weekend, maybe.

24^th July 2009

Started work again, Adcraft phoned me on Tuesday. So that was me back at work by the next day. It’s only for three week, with the usual, if more work comes in it could be longer. It would be nice but three weeks is better than nothing, especially as I had to pay out for a new power pack. The computer is fine though and the new PSU is a Tagan 680w, plenty of power there. It’s also the quietest unit I’ve had, which is an added bonus.

Got another answer from Lulu but it just adds to the first problem. I got a reply from my question regarding withholding tax. They said all my sales were from the <st1:country-region><st1:place>US none in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>UK. So that still leaves me wondering where the <st1:country-region><st1:place>UK sales are. I know I have had some but they aren’t on my account. Saying that, others have been told that Amazon seems to be using a <st1:country-region><st1:place>US printer for books sold through them. This means all Amazon sales are classed as <st1:country-region><st1:place>US sales. This all seems to be a little confusing for me. Mind others are saying that they are missing more sales than has been reported. In the end it still leaves me wondering about my own troubles with Lulu. After all they haven’t given me anything but the run-around. I even was told off from a Lulu staff member for posting about my doubts concerning getting help from support in the forums. If Lulu doesn’t want to hear people complaining the sort out customers’ problems, don’t ignore them or give them the brush off with lame excuses.

I have four more chapters to edit in Bublos this weekend. I’m also getting some feedback from fellow writers on Authonomy.com. I’ll wait for more before I decide to make any more changes as I want to get to my next story. A follow up to Banshee Angel of Judgement is beckoning and sitting Bublos to the side till I can get it published might be a good thing. It would then let me give it a fresher look at it and give me an idea of where I need to fix it. I will at one time put the whole story on Authonomy for a bit but not yet and only for a short time, to get feed back with any luck.

17th July 2009

I’m writing this on my wife laptop. Why? Well mine blew the PSU the other day. I got a new one yesterday, only for that to malfunction today. When things go bad they really seem to go down the swanny. I only hope that all the trouble with power packs hasn’t caused any other damage to other components. Because of all this I’m unable to do any more work on my story or had much of a connection to the web, which is depressing to say the least. It’s amazing how much we become dependant on the tech around us. Yes, we hear the horror tales of losing our link to the web but it is only when it happens to us that we see what others are going on about. After all there was a time when we weren’t linked through the WWW. Yet we all managed very well without it. What did we do that used up our time so well that we had no need to interact with the wider world? Before the web we watched endless TV, listened to the radio, went to the pub and breathed fresh air whilst going for a walk. We still do these things yet, somehow found we have time to talk to new friends from the other side of this small blue globe. The past few nights I have been a bored to say the least. Last night I was so glad to finally find I could once again get lost in the great digital universe and at the same time work on Bublos. Today saw me back to using my wife’s computer to do those things I think of as essential, checking on my emails, etc, etc. I only hope that my luck changes soon as I don’t think I could stand any more of the kind I’ve been getting of late. With Lulu, work and now the computer, well they do say troubles come in threes; let’s hope.

10^th July2009

What a rotten day; though the weather has been good. My job ended today, yes it was supposed to last longer but a contract has been delayed. The day started bad, my water bottle burst in my bag and then I gave myself a nasty knock on the elbow; it still hurts; going to have a big bruise tomorrow. I also got an email from BBB, they got an answer from Lulu but it was the same rubbish they hit me with. As you can imagine this has been adding to that crappy feeling all day as I thought it over. Anyway if Lulu want to cause upset and ignore their users then they can’t be surprised if we start looking closer at their dubious practices. One that I have noticed is that all my sales to date, whether they are in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>USA or else where, have be subject of the famous Withholding Tax. Now correct me if I am wrong but is that not supposed to be only for US sales? If so maybe it is my duty to looking into, who I should report this matter to – the IRS or Inland Revenue? I might not be taken seriously; then again it does look dodgy to me. As I said before If they treat their customers badly when they have concerns then they can’t just expect us to sit back and take it, can they? No.

As you can tell from my rant it has been a very, very bad day.

3^rd July 2009

Lulu still hasn’t addressed my problems with them. I did get a reply from support but it was unhelpful to say the least and by the answer they gave me, it looked like they failed to actually read what I was saying. I have now gone to the Better Business Bureau to make a complaint to them. Whilst at their site I noticed that Lulu is being reviewed by them at this time. I only hope that this action will lead to Lulu sorting things out for me and others but by the way things have went so far I don’t hold much hope of it.

Bublos is being re-edited by me after my wife asked a few questions. I thought I had everything neatly wrapped up. Still if I need to work on it some more to get it right then that’s what I need to do. Most of it is background or to explain what happens next to the main character. As I said, I thought the end was answered, hopefully it will be by the time I finish reworking it this time.

On brighter news, I start work on Monday. Again it is with the company that I worked for before, so it is only for three weeks. Still that’s better than nothing and I’m looking forward to be earning again. It may not be my dream job, yet does it really matter when the bills are piling up and the kids are making their never ending demands for the things that they see as essential, no.

26^th June 2009

My Lulu troubles still are on going. I did get word back but it far from resolved the issues I have. I sent in my reply and now await them getting back in touch.

My wife has finished checking over Bublos, making recommendations on where more is needed. Luckily it is in only a couple of places, with more typos than I would like to sort out as well. It’s strange how they always creep into your writing. No matter how hard you work to eliminate them you always seem to find more. Sometimes I think it the word processing package not saving it 100% correctly. That will just be my paranoia though. I got the cover finished for the book and have started searching around for publishers. I did find one or two epulishers which don’t ask for cash and so look like they offer a good service. What I didn’t see on there sites was forums to gauge what others experience is with them. More research is needed before I decide how to go. I have the time as at the moment my job search is going no-where. The job market is very empty for those of us with few skills. Well not a great deal I can do about that, just keep searching and hope that something comes my way soon.

19^th June 2009

Still not sorted my problems out with Lulu, I’ve been force to move my query to the Escalation forum. I don’t hold out much hope of them getting back in touch but have to give them a couple of days to see. It hasn’t stopped me finishing Bublos though, so that one good thing. My wife is reading through it checking for those little errors that I have missed. While she does that I’m trying to design the cover. With a couple of idea’s to play around with, I don’t think it will take me to long. I’ve got my graphics pad to help make the whole process easier, there’s nothing worse than trying to draw on a computer with a mouse. I know from experience because that was how Teddy the Bear was done and I did have to fight with the mouse to get it to do anything. Don’t get me wrong the pad makes it easier but you still have to learn to use it. It’s not like when you drew at school with pencil and paper. Then you looked at the paper and your hand was there, unlike with the pad where you aren’t watching your hand; as what you are sketching is appearing on the monitor screen, with your hand out of view. You quickly adjust which is good; leaving everything down to how good you are as well as how good your ideas are.

12^th June 2009

What is happening with Lulu support recently? I got in touch with them last week over some issues that have been bothering me recently as well as sales that haven’t appeared on my account though I know I made them because I ordered the books myself and got them from Amazon. Yes Lulu has to wait for Amazon to tell them about the sales but other sales that I made in March have shown on my account that I also knew about, not from me though. It doesn’t garner confidence in Lulu, especially as I have now waited over a week for support to get back to me about my concerns. All of this is not making me want to continue using Lulu though they are cheap. With the Social finally sorting out my claim and me nearing completion of Bublos, I was hoping to get on with publication of my book. I will get on with finishing Bublos and see how things go with Lulu, though I shall be holding off in getting the book put to print. I’m not happy about it yet I feel I have little choice than to look at more expensive competitors that will require more saving. Still if I get a better service then maybe it is the way to go. I’ll just need to see how things go at Lulu until then.

Comments (2):

Alternatives I looked at a few Will, the cheapest was compatible with Lulu at around £9 per book until you started adding on a £50 minimum charge check your uploaded .pdf file. The next was 10 books minimum at around £300-400. A halfway house in editing and formatting your manuscript which again is compatible with lulu's offers. I just wonder if you pay more if lulu will up their game in terms of service.

Posted by Col 19:38:50 13.06.2009

I'm hoping Lulu will get things sorted without it costing more but I would be happy for them to charge me what they use to under the old package they used to offer, if it meant the service was the way it was too. I have a lot to think about.

Posted by BillyYoung 16:43:43 14.06.2009

5^th June 2009

Had a break from working on my book last week-end but was right back at the editing on Monday. I’m also looking for quotes from the bible as headers for each chapter. So far half of those needed have been found; it’s not easy when looking for the right ones to complement the piece of writing. It is also interesting as I find things I had forgotten or missed when I last read the passages in the good book. I have had to use the net to help find some verses, whilst others I knew. The editing/proofreading is certainly helping improve what I have though there are still one or two lines that I just can’t seem to get right. I’m giving myself more time to work on it as with my current situation financially I thought it best. Once I have things sorted with the Social I can think about going ahead with publishing this book, which could be July though. Still look on the bright side, it helps me spend more time looking it over, sorting anything that needs fixing.

I also can give myself time off from writing at the weekend. Give myself a chance to thing about what the story may need. I got a game for my birthday, Hand of God Legend, which I will be able to lose a few hours with. I’ll need to check to see if there’s any online help, though I enjoy gaming I’m not a gamer by any standard. The main thing is that I enjoy it but I know there is more to life than banging on a joypad.

Comments (2):

Hi BillySome time ago you mentioned my son Will Goddard's book on your website (thank you very much! It is very encouraging for him). How did you hear about him? He has just finished his second book...also available via his website. www.willgoddard.co.uk Thanks very much! Good luck with your new book

Posted by Liz Goddard 07:45:29 06.06.2009

Hi Liz, I heard about his book on Lulu and I do like to encourage fellow authors, especially when they are 11 years old. You must be very proud of him. Tell him to keep up the good work. :D

Posted by BillyYoung 15:11:56 06.06.2009

29^th May 2009

I finished the first draft, which includes the epilogue. I wrote to endings, both are similar yet I need to make up which fits best with the story. I’ll take it under advisement once I let the wife have a look; saying that though she won’t get it till I’ve sorted out as many of the typo’s and other mistakes that I made writing it. It also gives me a chance to look over the rewritten parts to make sure I sorted any inconsistency problems, I’m sure I got them all; I think I did though.

Before I go over the book again I’m going to have a weekend of from it. I’m going to have a game of Civilisation and put writing out of my mind, as much as I can. Especially Bublos so that I can look at it with fresh eyes after the weekend; this way it might be easier for me to see where the work is needed. As it goes with money at the moment I might to have the funds to publish this coming month as I had hoped because the social has decided that they’re going to put my wife and I through the same hassle they did over Christmas. This has the effect that I may need the money I had saved to see us through the coming hardship that the brew is causing. I tell you if I was to stick a needle in my arm filling my head with smack, then I would get everything going including a bus pass. Yes they have an illness but it’s self inflicted so I have no sympathy for them, not when I have to struggle because I’m willing to work. Rant over as I’ll just have to hope I can save somewhere else and not need to use my book money.

Was out gardening this week again, mowing the lawn front/back. Got a very large bag of compost at B&Q for £2.50, it was reduced because it was burst open. As I needed compost to replant my seedling peppers I just had to grab it. What’s left will do for other things, the strawberries when they also are in need of more root room. 70kg of compost for that money though was just too good a bargain to turn my nose up at.

By the way I thought I would like you to see the synopsis for the back of the book:

In the book of Revelation it mentions a scroll with seven seals. What if this scroll was hidden on earth? When an old man dies in <st1:place>Liverpool his flat is emptied by Joe and his friends and a strange looking book comes into Joe’s keeping. Soon he finds what trouble comes with the book when he watches his friend Toby being tortured then killed before his eyes. A man he recently met rescues him from possibly the same fate. Soon he finds out the man that saved him is more than just a man and that those that are after him aren’t what they appear to be. Demons and Angels don’t really exist yet Joe now knows they do and the book mustn’t fall to the wrong side or it may spell the end of everything.

Comments (3):

bZzADLhcplant in house

Posted by kardozo 00:46:30 30.05.2009

JzZlWNEpgduOFSwqJRPred sea

Posted by lankanvin 20:54:57 01.06.2009

GJiUWHvcobirthday gift

Posted by chb908 01:12:47 03.06.2009

22^nd May 2009

I’ve been out making up a gate to finish off the fence I built at the side of my house. My son and friend Mickey helped though I did the major work myself. I took a six by six fence panel, cut it down and then made my gates out of that. Yes you read right, I have two as the gap was just a bit big for one. Making it from a panel keeps it looking like just part of the fence yet at the same time keeps them light. The real test will be later in the year when the high winds come in. I think it should be fine though I might make sure by getting a or rather make a latch for the top as I can’t seem to find what I have in mind anywhere. It shouldn’t be too hard to get some bit and bobs to make up what I want.

I’ve done most of the re-writing of Bublos though I still have the epilogue as well as some reworking to keep the story consistent. Some issues crept into it as I added some content though it was only minor things that should be easily sorted. After I have that sorted out I have the next part of the job to do, proof reading/editing. As you can tell it’s not the most favourite part of creating a story, still it is important. I have to format it before I go forwards with it to Lulu for publishing, that’s not so bad though. I do hope to have it all done for sometime in June but that is only hoping. We will see how I manage to get on in the coming week.

Comments (2):

Best of luck with the proof reading.
Been through the whole job search thing in the eighties. Now its my youngest daughter turn although see has managed to pick up a part time summer job at a visitors centre as PR role. She's tec'ing at the Guardian Hays festival this week. She likes Edinburgh and is hoping to get chosen for tec'ing there - only expenses paid but good for contacts to future freelance work in media.
Posted by Col 09:33:37 26.05.2009

I hope she gets the Edinburgh gig.

Posted by BillyYoung15:11:25 26.05.2009

15^th May 2009

That’s me registered with the Jobcentre now. It was a rapid reclaim which made the whole process very quick and painless. Still I do hate it, signing on that is though I don’t actually sign on the dotted line till the 25^th of this month. When checking for advertised jobs on the website I find little has changed from the last time I did so. As things go though I didn’t expect that much would be different after all it was only just over a month ago since I was last claiming unemployment benefit.

I’m hoping to get out this weekend and cut my grass. It seems to grow at an accelerated fashion this time of year; no sooner have you went over it with the mower, than you need to do it again. I was out working in the garden during the week, really just pottering about for something to do than actually doing anything in particular. My plants are coming on well though, the onions need thinning out and I’m still waiting on the tomato plants bursting into life. I’m sure that in the next week I should see the first of the pushing their way through the soil.

I’ve been working hard with my writing. Bublos is starting to shape up as the rewrite and editing of the middle of the book is starting to show fruit. There is still a bit to go as well as more of the old editing after I finish this reworking of it. It is still on track, fingers crossed, for a June release; which is what I am hoping for. Last night I redid chapter 15, which was 13 but with added content, it may need finishing tonight when I look at it; saying that it might not, I’ll just have to wait and see how my mind flows tonight.

Comments (2):

LLBRHiWill
Hope you have some success soon in the job hunting.
Que. Out of interest how did LLBR get to review your books. i.e. did they request a copy of your manuscript or were they able to obtain it themselves direct from lulu(zero cost).

Posted by Col 07:08:47 22.05.2009;

I sent them a PDF of Banshee Angel of Judgement, which they reviewed.

Posted by BillyYoung 15:05:44 22.05.2009

8^th May 2009

Phoned the Jobcentre today to get signing back on. Like most of us it’s not something I like doing though there is little option. As I said last week, my job came to an end on Wednesday. Now I start looking for more work or win the lotto, which is not likely. Anyways in the mean time I can get on with my writing though I didn’t do any yesterday as I was working on my garden. Finishing of the fence I was putting up. I’ve still got to put a gate on it but I don’t have the materials to do that or the money to get them, so it will wait till I can. My daughter volunteered to paint the fence as well as the hut which I got up at the weekend as hoped. She did a great job; my son helped at first but couldn’t put up with me telling him how to do it. I gave them both a fiver for the effort though my daughter did wonder why I gave her brother the same as she got. That was until I pointed out the fact that he had helped with the fence, mind if it hadn’t been for my mate Mickey I doubt if I would have got it up at all.

This weekend I’ll need to see if I can check on all the links from this site. I believe some have moved or become dead, so I need to check them all again and get them sorted. I also need to add some that I have been planning to add for a while though not found the time to get the work done. So a lot of fun as you can imagine messing about trying to avoid the frustration such things cause.

1^st May 2009

Got told that my job will be finishing on Wednesday coming; I can’t complain to much as I did know it would be for a short time only. It also means that I get to work more on Bublos, as I’ll have the time as I look around for another job.

Got the posts up for the fence on Sunday as planned; tomorrow my mate Mickey is coming around to help me, again, to finish it. Hopefully the weather will play ball as it did last weekend that way we might even get the hut up too. I got paint for the fence and hut which I can only use if it’s dry, so I’ve got my fingers cross though the forecast is for showers. It should be fine, I think, to paint them if that’s the case. That reminds me that I need to charge up the drill for it will be needed.

Shopping last Saturday was more expensive than I had hoped, isn’t it always the case though but I got everything that I was after, as you can probably tell from above. It was a good day out, not the usual shopping trip the family makes, more one that those of us that like DIY or gardening would enjoy. As I ambled around the huge stores full of things that you could use to improve your home or garden does make you wish you had more cash to spend. Mind you could take it too far and that is when reason would have to prevail so you don’t, lucky then I don’t have more cash then.

Comments (2):

Just popped in to say hi, my ’Onorary editor, also has the same surname as you. Thank for the comment you left. All the best with Boblos. As your see from my topic update, when you read it I succumbed and started a fourth book to my Trilogy.

Posted by Colin Knibb 21:13:49 07.05.2009;

Well it should keep you busy for a while Colin but don't stop the poetry as I enjoy reading it. Will need to get your book somewtime when I have some cash spare, not so easily found these days.:D

Posted by BillyYoung 13:37:05 08.05.2009;

24^th April 2009

I managed to write the synopsis for the back of my new book this week. I shall post it when Bublos is closer to release as I still have some work to do on it yet, as you may know if you have been following this blog. I have managed to sort out some of the story and rewrite a little of what I needed to do, though I still have more to do. The middle is building up nicely yet Joe needs to interact more with the family he is staying with. After all they have been good enough to let him stay with them without question as a favour to Urim, who save Joe from a very sticky situation. Yes the main character is coming to terms with some serious problems after watching his friend murdered before his eyes. He has also learned that there is more danger in the world than he once believed, demons and angel are more than just myth. The secret of the book has also got to be revealed in some of the reworking of the tale I am trying to shape. At least I have the basics set out already so most of it just needs the polishing that I hope will give it more sparkle or whatever it is that makes a story good. Hopefully I can do this and that if you do get a copy you will like what I have done.

I have got some shopping to do this weekend to get some bit and bobs for the garden. So I will be off to B&Q tomorrow afternoon, taking the family and make it a day out. Sunday, if the weather is up to it, I get the fence posts up but it will be a week before I get it finished. That gives the cement time to set, holding the post solid as we get some strong breezes hitting the side of the house in winter; where the fence is to go. So a busy weekend ahead though I will still find time to write.

17^th April 2009

Though I was off on Monday I didn’t get time to rest. My wife and I got a new bed, when I say new I mean we were given a four poster by some friends. So Monday I spent building it up; not an easy task when you don’t have the manual, though I did have a hand drawn sketch. I didn’t take to long to get it up; it just tried to be difficult as you can guess. It’s a big king size contraption which is taking a little getting used too, all that extra space to spread out on. The first night I woke a couple of time thinking that I was about to fall out because I’m so used to a normal sized double. It’s a bit of a weird feeling waking in the middle of the night like that, I can tell you.

I also got a hut which I’ll put up in the coming months. It will give me some where to put the kids’ bikes, freeing up the hallway where they are parked at the moment. It’s not so bad as there is plenty of space in the hall for them but getting them out of the way would tidy up the space no end.

Another good week at work. Some new faces started this week to speed up production. Though this might shorten how long I have a job, the bodies are needed to get the order filled in time. This helps the business so in the long term may lead to more work in future, a good thing then in the longer term of things. At the moment there seems to be plenty to do for the next few weeks, hopefully though more orders will come in to keep us going as long as possible; fingers crossed.

10^th April 2009

Happy Easter everyone.

The first week at work charged past before I knew it. It was a good week though and it is great to be earning a wage again. I’m off on Monday, I didn’t expect to get the Bank Holiday, so a long weekend to get working on with Bublos. With working I’ve not had much of a chance to do much to it this week. I have been thinking about it; playing with ideas as I worked away. That is one thing in favour of repetitive jobs; once you know what you’re doing you can basically switch off to what your task at hand and think about other things. Of course you still have to keep an ear out for the supervisor’s instructions, as well as what is going on around you. You don’t want to miss out on some juicy conversations or the not so funny jokes, as the case may be.

3rd April 2009

This week has just flew in, not that I felt that I was busy or anything, yet still it is the weekend already. I have been lost I suppose finishing the first draft of Bublos which I managed to do last night. Of course as you may know I have got a lot to rewrite as well as flesh out. Where to start? I was thinking in the middle though I could swap and change to keep me fresh. I still have an epilogue to write too, I do have that in my head at the moment though I don’t want to put it down till I have sorted out the rest. I know it makes no sense, who said authors ever did that though.

Spring is certainly with us this week. I can tell because my grass is needing cut again. It’s to rain tomorrow though to be dry on Sunday so with any luck the weather man will be right and I can get out then to do it. With the growing lawn, so my plants are starting to look good. I had brought them in the other week when the frost returned, now they are back out in the back garden again. Hopefully I can leave them now, after all they are able to take cold weather; I’d just like to get them a good start before facing the chilly blasts off of the north.

Monday isn’t far away now and back to work. It will be good to get out of the house, even though I shall have less time for my book. As always I will just have to find the energy to get on with my story, after all writing doesn’t really pay for its self. Rather I’m the one that has to find the money for my stories to get out there. I enjoy the whole process, though working on the story, constructing it is the best part of the journey, at least to me. Yes I get the thrill of seeing it in print but finishing the project, getting those words down is something. Now to polish it, make it something, hopefully, that the reading public will enjoy.

27^th March 2009

I got good news on the job front this week; I start back at the firm I worked for before on the 6^th of April. I take it that it will be doing the same as last time though I’ll need to wait and see. Still it will be great to get back to doing some work, as well as earning some money to pay the bills. It will also mean that I can put money aside towards the next book being published once it is finished.

I still have a lot to do though before it will be ready for that. I have some rewriting to do to the middle. I am getting close to finishing the first draft, yet as I do I see where it already needs the changes to build up the story. There is more work to be done to the start though not the full reworking that is required elsewhere.

My herbs that I was trying to grow have died. It was my first attempt at growing them so no surprise that they didn’t make it. My Lemon tree that I started growing last year is starting to show signs of new growth after the winter. On the go are also a Gooseberry and a Blueberry bush which are both looking good, time will tell. The onions out in my back door have started to sprout which means fresh spring tails soon. If I use some early it means there’s more space for the others to grow larger over the summer. I have a lot to do in the garden this year. I need to put up a fence at the side of the house to give more privacy at my back door. That won’t be till the good weather comes in, as with most things in my garden. I’m so glad to see the lighter nights coming in now.

20^th March 2009

The weather has been very good the past couple of days, giving me the opportunity to get my garden done. I have some onions on the go, as well as some herbs and some fruit bushes in the form of Blueberry and Gooseberry. Today I added to that by getting a strawberry plant, though this may need growing indoors as I don’t have a cold frame. Everything has to be grown in large planters as I don’t have a large garden but that’s alright, as long as they come too.

As always I have been writing away. I’m now onto the fourteenth chapter though I still have a bit more to do. I did take time out though last night to do some reading. What was I reading? Well it was a story on Authonomy by Rayo Azul called Sudden Dearth. I got so involved in the story I couldn’t help but read on till I reach the end of what had been posted. I’ve read some other stories that this talented author has put on the site and I have enjoyed them as well.

Last Saturday I was out on town for the fist time in a very long time. It was my mates, Mickey’s birthday. I didn’t get steaming or even close though I did have a good night. I brought a Guinness hat back home for the wife. What can I say, they were giving them away so I grabbed one. It was great night.

13^th March 2009

I have to hand in another specimen next week, just to make sure that my kidney infection has cleared up. I am feeling a lot better I’m glad to say. If you have ever had this kind of illness you’ll know how it feels. Not something that you would wish on anyone, I sure.

I managed to get more done on my story, Bublos. It is coming along, though I have got a bit to go before I can start the hard part. Rewriting and editing are always the hardest time when writing a story. It is then that you see things that you didn’t notice first time round. Even though you think you got it just about spot on, there is so much that you find that needs a little more work. Some of it is just the expected typos yet that is never all that you find. Anyway I don’t have to think about that just now.

I had an interview at the Jobcentre this week, the thirteen week one. It went well, usually though you find that the figure behind the desk looking at you as if you’re so sort of scrounger. It never seems to matter how many jobs you have applied for or that they can see on their computer that you have been work not that long ago. This time though the woman doing the interview was very friendly. Maybe it is because they know themselves that there hasn’t been a lot to go for recently. It is rather depressing when week after week you find nothing new to send a CV to. Yet you can’t just give up; can you, so you keep trying. After all living on the social isn’t going to get your family the things you want for them and when you have kids they seem to think that you have a limitless amount of cash. If only.

6^th March 2009

I have been ill this week with a kidney infection. At first I just thought it was a bladder infection so thought it would get better on its own. On Wednesday though I started to pass blood clots in my water which told me it was a little more serious than I had thought. Yesterday I got myself to the doctors and they wanted to put me in the hospital but I managed to get the doc to let me go home with a course of antibiotics. I go back to the clinic on Wednesday to make sure I’m on the mend. Hopefully no more meds and a clean bill of health.

I have been so rough feeling that I haven’t really managed to do much. My imagination though has been working overtime. When you’re ill your dreams do become stranger than normal, don’t you think? Mine certainly do. Some may even be usable in a future project. I’ll not go into what that will be other than say it would be more of a spoof horror than anything else. As I said weird dreams.

27^th February 2009

I’ve been hard at writing every night for the past week. Yes, Bublos is coming on nicely. I know though that I have a bit of rewriting here and there to do. I need to add some history of the main character Joe at the beginning of the book for it is lacking in that area. Of course though I don’t want to bog the reader down with it, still some would be good for the story. That is something that I can leave till I have the story down on paper so to speak. Still there is a lot to still get down and as I work it is evolving hopefully into something that will be a great read.

Job hunting is still going nowhere which is a bit depressing. The Jobcentre is pulling me in for an interview in two weeks to review my claim. Really all it is for is to check that I’m actively looking for work. It would be easier to find one if there was something to find. Searching online just seems to throw up the same jobs that I am not qualified to do. When I phone employers you get the same standard response that they aren’t looking for anyone at present but will keep my name on record in case this changes. The secret to getting them to taking your name mention it when they answer. This doesn’t mean they will write it down but it does beat the feeling you get when they hang up without even asking.

My cooker needs replaced and without the money that is something that my wife and I can’t stretched too. The oven door doesn’t shut unless we wedge a piece of wood under it to stop it opening. Then there is the gas burners that don’t work no matter how much we try to clean the holes. Looking around at even cheap replacements it just seems to much, even second hand. We may have to check out FreeServe to see if anyone is giving one away. Well I’ll just have to wait and see, let’s hope my lotto numbers come up even just enough for the cooker.

20^th February 2009

I got an email for JoWood this week say that they knew about the problem and were looking for a solution to it. Like me you all just think why not just send out the CD key to all those that have purchased the game. I think that just might be to simple an answer for those who are in charge of the company.

I’ve been working away on Bublos most of this week. I’m feeling pleased at how it is coming. Soon death shall come to one of the characters whilst the other will be force to flee. There is so much more still to form in my head though the basic tale is there I just have to bring it out then mould it.

My daughter’s birthday is next week. She’ll be twelve yet the way she goes on I’m sure she thinks she’s older. Too much like her mother but without the experience of years. My son and I are getting on better now after our spat over his fighting. You hear it when younger that kids will test your sanity still you don’t believe it till you have them. The early years are the simple good ones because as the get older they argue back to much and you’re the one that is always wrong in their eyes. That is unless you’re giving them money for something they want which there is always something that they just must have.

13^th February 2009

Well Friday the thirteenth is almost already over and some will be just too glad. With me though it’s been a week of hassle. It started on Saturday when I installed the second disk of the Spellforce Universe game but when I tried the code that came with it no joy. So Monday came and I tried to get help from JoWood the producers of the game. Unfortunately they don’t seem to care about their customers at all and have still not gotten back to me with a proper code. I planned to take the game back to the retailers as is my right as I have only had the game for about three months. The retailer though won’t give me a refund. So I got onto Trading Standards to get the brush off from them as well, even though I am in the right. So I’m stuck with a faulty product that was released with the problem and have no way to get it solved. What have I learned? Not to buy JoWood games from now on and if anyone ever asks what I think of the company, tell them the truth JoWood sucks. It also says a lot for Trading Standards in <st1:place>Kilmarnock as they offer no protection to the consumer in their area. Life for those of us that are struggling on the lower rungs of society are still treated with contempt by those higher up the ladder. Will it ever change not without a revolution in the vein of those that have gone before, by that I mean the French Revolution or 1917 in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Russia. Maybe that is what the rich should keep in mind.

6th February 2009

The sixth of February already, Valentines not far off and it doesn’t feel like it’s that time of year already.

My son and I still aren’t back to our norm after last week. I know I should talk to him yet don’t want to argue as that is all we seem to do. He’s my boy, I can remember him being born and taken to special care even though he was 8lb. A worrying time as he had some minor problems but they sorted them selves out and within a week he went home with us. Over the years we have always been close though now it seems like there is a gulf between us. He’s at that age where he’s trying to gain his own identity so to speak even though I can see he already has a wonderful personality already. I have always tried to encourage him, as I have with my daughter too, to express himself. Maybe that is why we are at the place we are now, hopefully though we will find a way past this troublesome time.

Nothing much more of note has taken place this week. Just the usual job hunting, this seems to be at a standstill at the moment. New jobs seem to have vanished though I am sure it can not remain like this. The only thought is how long shall it last?

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30^th January 2009

I had a major falling out with my son this week. He got suspended from school for fighting, these things happen. My wife and I had to go to an interview yesterday with the school. After this Calum was allowed back into school but last night he came home after another fight with a fractured hand. I know I can’t protect him from this sort of thing yet being his dad I was greatly disappointed that he felt the need to go to the park after school for the entertainment of others. Because of this my relationship with my son has become a little strained. I guess that things will improve with time though at the moment I don’t seem to be able to talk to him without arguing.

Adding to the problems is more people or companies seem to be asking for money I don’t have. The council messed up my council tax bill last year and have now passed it over to debt collectors. I offered to pay it at what I consider a fair amount but they want more. Then there is the funeral parlour that laid to rest my father in law last year doing similar. Money can only be stretched so far before it can’t go any further which all these people that want it from me don’t want to understand.

Life never seems to get any easier, mind you who ever said it would.

23^rd January 2009

I managed to get a small amount of writing done this week. I just seem to be struggling with this one, maybe I left it to ferment in my mind to much or it could be the other stories that are crowding it out. I’ll just have to push through this, then hopefully it will start to flow.

Job hunting is at a standstill. I look at the jobs advertised in the local paper to find none that I am qualified for. It seems more and more jobs these days want some sort of licence for. To get the bit of paper you need to pay for a course; as you can’t pay for the course till you have the money which means having a job, you’re snookered. I sometimes wonder if those in charge really have got a clue or just don’t really give a damn. In the end though we just have to get on, I just hope that something comes along soon as money is getting really tight. Maybe my previous employer might get in touch if they get more work in.

16^th January 2009

Started working on Bublos this week though it is going slowly. I can see the story in my head clearly enough yet trying to find the words to take it in the direction I want is another thing. You would think that was the easy part of writing but far from it. I suppose that it’s the same for those that speak in the public arena, they to have to find the words to get over their meaning without being misunderstood. The main thing though is that I keep on going through this period for I know that I should soon get back into the flow of the story again. Maybe I shouldn’t have had the Xmas break so to speak.

Job hunting is at another standstill, there just doesn’t seem to be anything. It means I have too much time on my hands with nothing to do. Yes could use all that time to write though I’ve only managed to really do a little as I have already stated. Boredom has truly set in and I need to drive myself through it. Winter is always such a depressing time, bad weather doesn’t help. If it was nice and sunny we could all go for a walk, the rain though is off putting. Well let’s hope for some sun.

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9^th January 2009

More comments have been posted with links to sites containing adult pictures which I was forced to delete. I seem to be doing this on a daily basis now so will need to consider what I can do to stop this.  It is a little annoying though I suppose it goes with running a website.

The game I’ve been playing is going well. In fact I am now onto the first of the add-on’s. I have been a little addicted to it, rarely getting to bed till the early hours because there always seems to be one more thing to do before I quit at night. Saying that though just goes to show how much I have been enjoying it. It is keeping me from my writing which I shall need to start thinking of getting back to soon as I can always play the game once I get through the first draft of Bublos. It is good though to get a break from tapping away at the keyboard and refresh the mind.

Job hunting is going nowhere at the moment. Not surprising with the current climate in the financial market. Of course I still have to go through the daily drudgery of checking the internet, looking over the papers and phoning around employers to hear the same thing, “I’m sorry but at the moment we aren’t looking for anyone,” or “We’ll keep your name in our record and get in touch if something comes up.” I think we’ve all heard it before but what can we do other than keep on trying.

2^nd January 2009

New Year has started off rather quietly for me though tonight seems to be promising else. A family friend and her new boyfriend is coming round for a bit of a drink. We had a couple of cans with them today so as write this I’m slightly inebriated so please excuse me. Its strange real as it doesn’t feel like the New Year though I know it is. Not that I’m not happy that it is because it has to be better than last year or the previous one. The last few years have been challenging to say the least. Those are in the past now so now to hope the coming year can give us more hope.

Hopefully you have all had a great time over this joyous season; I also hope that you all have a wonderful year to come, full of all the things you have wished for.