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Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine - a FR*E*E monthly ezine for writing parents. ************************************************************** You are receiving this e-zine because you subscribed through e-mail. Unsubscribe information is below. ************************************************************** TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. WELCOME NOTES 2. QUOTES FOR THE MONTH 3. EDITOR'S ARTICLE: Interview with Rita Toews, Co-Founder of Read an Ebook Week By DAWN COLCLASURE 4. CONTEST CORNER 5. ADVERTISEMENTS 6. GUEST ARTICLE: 15 Questions to Instantly Help You Write a Downloadable Tips E-Booklet By PAULETTE ENSIGN 7. BOOK EXCERPT: The Pacific Between by Raymond K. Wong 8. BOOK GIVEAWAY 9. WHAT??™S UP WITH THE BOOK??™S WRITERS 10. BOOK NEWS 11. SITES SITED 12. FREEBIE CORNER 13. WRITING PARENT TIPS FOR MARCH 14. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 15. UNSUBSCRIBE INSTRUCTIONS ************************************************************** WELCOME NOTES Hello, Everyone! Welcome to another issue of the Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine! Please note there??™s been an address change. While email can still reach me at BurningMidnightOil@mail2world.com please email me at the new email address BurningMidnightOil@myway.com from now on. As always, feel free to send me any email with comments, suggestions or just to plain chat. This month, I learned about Read an Ebook Week, started by Canadian author Rita Toews. And in honor of the yearly event, I??™m making Ebooks the focus of this month??™s issue. You??™ll get to read my interview with the brainchild behind Read an Ebook Week below. And this annual read-a-thon got this writer to do more than prepare to read Ebooks during the week; I also FINALLY created my own! I??™ve wanted to write an Ebook for years and I just kept putting it off. But as Read an Ebook Week approached, I took on the challenge to FINALLY write my own Ebook. And I did! Read about my Ebook challenge at my blog here http://dawncolclasureblog.blogspot.com/ then mosey on down to my interview with the person who started it all. You??™ll also get to read a great article ???15 Questions to Instantly Help You Write a Downloadable Tips E-Booklet??? by Paulette Ensign. What more could a time-frazzled writing parent ask for than the ease of writing a tips E-booklet? We??™re talking SHORT here. Read Paulette??™s great advice on how to approach the task by keeping these 15 important questions in mind. Enjoy this issue! Hugs, Dawn Colclasure Editor and Publisher http://dmcwriter.tripod.com/ ************************************************************** QUOTES FOR THE MONTH ???EBook technology makes things possible that could never be attempted on paper.?????”Paul Papanek Stork http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/oct00/stork.htm ???One great benefit of short eBooks. Your audience loves them. They don't want to spend a lot of time reading. They want quick solutions in an easy to read format.?????”Judy Cullins http://bookcoaching.com/freearticles/article-208.shtml ???E-publishing offers a market for books that are longer, or shorter, than traditional print novels. It is an excellent market for novelettes, which can be sold for a lower price than a paperback novel and are often more acceptable to the consumer because they are easier to read (or print out) than a full-length novel.?????”Moira Allen http://www.writing-world.com/publish/FAQ.shtml ************************************************************** EDITOR??™S ARTICLE Interview with Rita Toews, Co-Founder of Read an Ebook Week By: Dawn Colclasure Rita??™s bio: Rita Y. Toews is a Canadian author living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with her husband and obligatory author's cat. She has written three children's e-books, KELLY??™S BABY BROTHER, CHRISTMAS STARS and THE BULLY. CHRISTMAS STARS was voted one of the best e-books for 2002, and KELLY??™S BABY BROTHER won an award of excellence. As well, she has co-authored several novels with Hungarian author, Alex Domokos. THE PRICE OF FREEDOM, Domokos' biography, won a Clara Award and an Eppie Award and is available in audio. PROMETHEUS, a future fiction novel, was on the McNally Robinson best-seller list for two weeks. Their e-book, MASQUERADE, has been published by a Canadian print publisher. Q: What is your background as a writer? I've wanted to write since I was young but never really did anything about it until I had launched my family. I found university writing classes gave me the confidence to begin submitting articles to periodicals and newspapers. From there I graduated to children's stories and novels. Q: Have you published any Ebooks? If so, what kind and where can we find them? Yes, I've published several e-books. Along with my co-author we've done 3 novels with Hard Shell Word Factory - two, THE PRICE OF FREEDOM and PROMETHEUS, are available now, and THE CENTURION will be available soon. Our mystery book, MASQUERADE, is in e-book format with Books Unbound E-Publishing, as is my children's book CHRISTMAS STARS. MASQUERADE was also picked up by a print publisher and released as BODY TRAFFIC. Writers' Exchange has published a collection of our short stories entitled TEN CHOCOLATES FROM THE BOX in e-book format, as well as my children's story KELLY??™S BABY BROTHER. My children's e-book on bullying, THE BULLY, is available free from my website http://www.thebullybook.com Demand from teachers for THE BULLY in print was so great that it was published as THE BULLY: A DISCUSSION AND ACTIVITY STORY. Q: Are you a BIG Ebook reader? How do you find the time to read Ebooks? What are some of your favorites? Time! That's the big factor in reading, isn't it? I'd love to read more but where does one find the time? I have e-books on my Hie e-book reader as well as my Palm. I tend to lean toward the mysteries, or thrillers. Wayne Arnold's PLAUSIBLE DENIABILITY from Books Unbound was a great read. When I'm in the mood for a good laugh I'll look to Darrell Bain's humor books. Q: How did you come up with the idea for Read an Ebook Week? Why did you create it? I think e-books initially got a bum rap. The print publishers weren't happy to see e-books gain ground and it was difficult for individual authors and small presses to make an impact on their own. I felt that a united effort, supported by readers who wanted to read books from independent sources rather those dictated by large presses, was needed. Enter Read An E-Book Week. This week gives writers and publishers of electronic literature a chance to "toot their horn" so to speak. Read An E-Book Week is registered with Chase's Calendar of events so it opens doors to the media who are looking for stories to cover. For example, libraries have become receptive to e-books and welcome a display during this week. Q: Has Read an Ebook Week gotten a lot of press? Any special notice? How do you promote it? It has gotten some press. I'm approached each year for an interview regarding the week. I usually appear on our local television station and I put together a display for our library. This year has been difficult because I've been away on book tour when I should be promoting the event. Each year I provide banners that are available for authors and publishers to display on their websites. Those can be found at http://www.thebullybook.com/readebookweek.html Q: Which do you think is better for an Ebook writer: Publishing it themselves, using something like Lulu.com or going through an Ebook publisher? Why? I think an e-book publisher is the best bet for an author. A writer cannot, and should not, try to edit their own material. It's impossible. The eye reads what the brain tells it is there. I've had no experience with Lulu.com. Q: In your opinion, what makes for a popular Ebook? Certain genres have caught on in e-books. But even if an author doesn't write in the hot genres there is still the possibility of a best-seller. Promotion is key. Q: Do you feel that free Ebooks really do bring more traffic to a person's Web site? How can they promote their free Ebook? Oh yes! A free e-book brings a lot of traffic to an author's site. Make sure the Web page is coded properly in the header with the word "free". A good Web page is one that is saturated with your key words which should include the words 'free', 'e-books' and the words of your specific genre. To promote your books you do need a good Website. Learn basic HTML - it's not hard. A Website doesn't have to be expensive. I did mine using free web creation tools and a free hosting service. If an author wants pointers just get in touch with me. I'll be happy to share my expertise. Q: How can writing parents squeeze in the time to write their own Ebooks? That is very difficult - but it can be done. I've known writers who set aside an hour very early in the morning or in the late evening that they dedicate to their writing. Q: Any final comments about Read an Ebook Week or for writers of Ebooks? I encourage writers to grab a hold of this week and use it to their benefit. It was created specifically for you! Approach your local media well in advance of the week and open with - "The first full week of March is Read An E-Book Week. As an e-book author I would........" Offer to appear on TV. Offer an interview. Offer to do an information session on e-books at your library, or offer to do a reading. Take advantage of the opportunity to promote yourself and e-books in general. *** Dawn Colclasure edits and publishes the Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine, which is a product of her book: BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL: How We Survive as Writing Parents (Booklocker). She also writes for the newspaper SIGNews and the Web site, The Shadowlands. She??™s been published both on and off the Web, in magazines such as Mothering, American Fitness, Home Education Magazine and HOMEspirations, and Web sites such as Absolute Write, Writing Etc. and Writing World. Visit her on the Web at http://dmcwriter.tripod.com/. ************************************************************** CONTEST CORNER It is time for stretchers of the truth to vie for the $1000 in prizes given at the 3rd Tall Tale Tell-Off contest held June 17, 2006 at the Brown County Public Library, Nashville, Indiana. The $500 first prize brings talented liars out of hibernation. There is a $5.00 entry fee for each submission. The event is sponsored by the Brown County Public Library, Brown County Chamber of Commerce and WRAPS (Writers, Readers, & Poets Society). For more information and entry form, talltales@browncounty.org or Brown County Chamber of Commerce 37 W. Main, PO Box 164, Nashville, IN. 47448 (812) 988-6647. ********************************************* AuthorMania.com Writing and Poetry Contests, 3rd Annual ~~Writing Contest Rules~~ One Prize: $1,000 Contest Begins: April 1, 2005 Postmark Deadline: March 31, 2006 Winner will be announced by May 31, 2006 Entry Fee: $20 Rules: ?· Short story, any topic (no adult, hate, or racist), no more than 5,000 words. No previously published works. Include title, author's name, full address, phone, and email address. ?· Manuscripts must be in English, and typed. No handwritten submissions or email submissions will be accepted. ?· Manuscripts without the proper entry fee will not be accepted. Please do not mail original manuscripts! ?· Manuscripts will not be returned. Contest is open to US residents only. ?· You may enter as many times as you like, but each entry must each be accompanied by a $20 fee, and mailed separately. Send manuscript entries and entry fee to: Cindy Thomas C/O AuthorMania.com Writing Contest 1210 County Rd 707 Buna, Tx 77612 *Please make checks and money orders payable to Cindy Thomas.* *As stated on AuthorMania.com: The contest must draw at least 50 paid entries in order to award the $1000 prize. In the event that the contest does not draw enough entries to award the $1000 prize, the amount it does draw will be awarded to the winner. Once enough entries are received to award the $1000 prize, this notice will be removed from AuthorMania.com.* ~~Poetry Contest Rules~~ One Prize: $400 Contest Begins: April 1, 2005 Postmark Deadline: March 31, 2006 Winner will be announced by May 31, 2006 Entry Fee: $20 Rules: ?· Poems and poetry, any length, any topic (no adult, hate, or racist), no word limit. ?· No previously published works. Include title, author's name, full address, phone, and email address. ?· Manuscripts must be in English, and typed. No handwritten submissions or email submissions will be accepted. ?· Manuscripts without the proper entry fee will not be accepted. Please do not mail original manuscripts! ?· Manuscripts will not be returned. Contest is open to US residents only. ?· You may enter as many times as you like, but each entry must each be accompanied by a $20 fee, and mailed separately. Send manuscript entries and entry fee to: Cindy Thomas C/O AuthorMania.com Poetry Contest 1210 County Rd 707 Buna, Tx 77612 *Please make checks and money orders payable to Cindy Thomas.* *As stated on AuthorMania.com: The contest must draw at least 20 paid entries in order to award the $400 prize. In the event that the contest does not draw enough entries to award the $400 prize, the amount it does draw will be awarded to the winner. Once enough entries are received to award the $400 prize, this notice will be removed from AuthorMania.com. If we get enough entries over the $400 prize amount, we will award a second place prize. A second place prize will only be awarded if enough paid entries are received to cover another prize amount, and we have no idea what, if any, amount that will be until we receive or do not receive said entries. * ********************************************* II INTERNATIONAL STORY WRITING COMPETITION IN ENGLISH 'ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT STORIES - TORREVIEJA, ANOTHER LOOK 2005' The Internet site http://www.torrevieja.com in coordination with the Culture and Foreigners departments of Torrevieja town council is pleased to announce the II Annual Story Writing Competition in English 'Anthology of Stories about Torrevieja Another Look 2005'. UNTIL 15th MARCH, 2006 1.500 euros in prizes and publication of the prize-winning authors! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The last edition (2004) JOY LENNICK, WINNER OF THE FIRST STORY WRITING COMPETITION IN ENGLISH: 'Torrevieja, Another Look' On Friday 25th February, 2004 the award-giving ceremony for the first Story Writing Competition in English "Another Look" took place in the Music Palace auditorium, before a packed audience of local English speaking residents. The idea of the competition, which was organised by the Culture and Foreigners departments of Torrevieja Town Hall in conjunction with the Internet website http://www.Torrevieja.com, is to put into words a vision of Torrevieja from the viewpoint of its foreign residents or visitors. The Mayor of Torrevieja, Pedro Hern??ndez Mateo, together with the councillors for Culture and the Foreigners Department, Eduardo Dol??n and Mar?a Dolores Canales, and Alexis L??pez Vidal, director of Marketing of Torrevieja.com, announced the winners of the first Story Writing Competition in English "Another Look", which received as entries 32 stories written in English. The jury, made up of Jane Cronin (English teacher), Dave Jones (journalist), Andy Ormiston (writer and journalist), Marie Bance (poet and language teacher), Ian Frewer (writer and columnist) and David Stokes (writer) with Graham Knight, director of the Municipal Office for the Attention of International Residents, acting as secretary without vote, decided to award first prize of 300 euros and a plaque to Joy Lennick for the story "Worth its Salt". The second prize of 200 euros and plaque went to Elaine Wareing for her work "The Searcher" whilst the third prize of 100 euros and a plaque was given to Carol Drewry for her tale "The Time Tent". The mayor of Torrevieja talked about the excellent integration that exists amongst British citizens in the town, whom he referred to as the "new Torrevejenses", and whose numbers on the municpal register now exceed those of people born in Torrevieja. At present there are nearly 13,000 British citizens registered as resident in the area, as against 12,000 people born in Torrevieja. 1st Prize Worth its Salt by Joy Lennick 2nd Prize The Searcher by Elaine Wareing 3rd Prize The Time Tent by Carol Drewry Read the COMPLETE BOOK here RULES of the 2nd annual Story Writing Competition in English ???Anthology of Short Stories - Torrevieja Another Look??™ The Internet site http://www.torrevieja.com in coordination with the Culture and Foreigners Departments of Torrevieja town council is pleased to announce the II Annual Story Writing Competition in English "Anthology of Short Stories, Torrevieja Another Look??™. The rules of the competition are as follows: 1. The competition is open to any writer who wishes to submit a story written in the English language. Condition of residence in Torrevieja or, indeed, Spain, is not a requirement. 2. Any unpublished narrative of any genre (fiction, non-fiction etc.) may be presented. 3. Length: The maximum length of a story should be 3,000 words (not including the title). There is no minimum amount of words. Entires should be typed with a minimum letter size of 10 (Times New Roman or similar). 4. The competition shall consist of two distinct parts and participants may submit ONE entry for EACH of the two parts of the contest as follows: (i) (Group 1) A story which specifically relates (in any way) to ???TORREVIEJA??™ (click for info about the city). (ii) (Group 2) Any other story relating to any other subject. 5. Prizes: Group 1: (Torrevieja) First Prize: A cheque to the value of 400 euros, a trophy and the publication of the prizewinning story. Second Prize: A cheque to the value of 300 euros and trophy. The publication of the story will be subject to the decision of the jury. Third Prize: A cheque for 200 euros and trophy. The publication of the story will be subject to the jury??™s decision. Group 2: (any other subject matter) First prize: A cheque to the value of 300 euros, a trophy and the publication of the prize-winning story. Second prize: A cheque to the value of 200 euros and a trophy. The publication of the story will be subject to the decision of the jury. Third prize: A cheque to the value of 100 euros and a trophy. The publication of the story will be subject to the decision of the jury. All prizes are subject to existing tax legislation, with legally established payments being applied according to amounts. Authors must renounce their copyright. Any other entry, whether a prizewinner or not, may be publsihed at the decision of the jury. 6. Each competitor may present one piece of work only FOR EACH OF THE TWO CATEGORIES (a max of 2 entries per author), which must be unpublished and must not have obtained a prize in any other competition or contest. No narrative will be admitted which has already been published in electronic form: on website pages, cd rom etc. 7. Stories may be submitted by either of the following means: Internet, by visiting http://www.torrevieja.com/anotherlook and filling in the relevant form with name, postal address, author's contact details, INCLUDING A MOBILE OR FIXED TELEPHONE NUMBER, pseudonym or slogan and a short C.V. of the author. by post, enclosing an envelope with the story title written on the outside and the following details of the author on the inside (in a separate sealed envelope): ??? First name and surname. ??? Post code and town ??? Country from which story has been sent ??? Telephone number ??? A signed declaration stating that the work is unpublished and that it has not obtained a prize in any other competition or contest ??? Photocopy of Identity Card or passport ??? A short resume CV All this material should be sent to the following address: Oficina de Atenci??n al Residente Internacional C/Caballero de Rodas, 27 03180 Torrevieja (Alicante) Telephone: 00 34 96 570 61 59. On the envelope should be written the words: ???Second Story Writing Competition in English. Anthology of Stories, Torrevieja Another Look??™. The envelope should also be clearly marked as to which group (1 or 2) of the competition the entry relates to. 8. The jury will consist of people with recognised prestige in the field of literature and the local media and include the winner of the previous year??™s competition. The President will be the Councillor for ???International Cooperation??™ and the Secretary will be the Director of the ???Oficina de Atenci??n al Residente Internacional??™, both acting as non-voting members of the jury. 9. The jury may declare the competition null and void if the quality of work submitted does not reach a minimum standard. 10. The jury may establish a reading commission consisting of suitably qualified members to carry out an initial selection if there are a large number of entries. 11. The period for the presentation of entries will end on 15th March 2006 at midday. 12. The decision of the jury will be made known at a public event organised for the purpose during the month of May 2006. 13. Any query that arises from the intepretation of these rules will be resolved by the jury. 14. The act of presenting a work for this competition implies the acceptance of each and every one of the competition rules. ************************************************************** ADVERTISEMENTS New Message Board for Writers, Writing Parents and Booklovers!!! The Write Stuff is a new message board created by Dawn Colclasure, a disabled writing parent who loves books! The board offers anyone of similar situations a chance to discuss being a disabled writer, a writing parent or a booklover! The write Stuff offers registered members a chance to swap books, talk shop or discuss Dawn??™s books, as well! All writers and booklovers of any age or stage are welcome to participate! Check the new board out here: http://p105.ezboard.com/bthewritestuff66370 *** ORANGE COUNTY'S LARGEST MIXER III March 9, 2006 5:00pm-9:00pm Costa Mesa, California http://w ww.largestmixer.com/ocmixer Mix and mingle with business people representing hundreds of industries, chambers of commerce and companies. Orange County??™s Largest Mixer III is a great opportunity to reach small to large companies, meet new clients and make your business grow. *** WOMEN'S SMALL BUSINESS EXPO April 27-28, 2006 8:00am-6:00pm Greater Los Angeles, California ht tp://www.WomensSmallBusinessExpo.com You can take your business, your idea, your dream and turn it into a profitable reality! Learn success secrets from the nation??™s top business leaders, meet extraordinary entrepreneurs, power network, and form success teams. Create your destiny and shape your future in just 2 days. The Women's Small Business Expo is for emerging entrepreneurs, as well as women who are already operating their own small businesses. Win a vacation for 2 anywhere Southwest Airlines flies. *** Celebrate Read An E-book Week at Writers Exchange E-Publishing and receive 25% off every book! We have hundreds of e-books in many genres. Starting from picture books and progessing to "adult only" books we cater to all ages. As a family friendly store we do not stock erotica or horror. Details: http://www.writers-exchange.com/ *** PAT FARENGA??™S SPEAKING SCHEDULE http://www.holtgws.com http://www.learninginourownway.com UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS: WHEN: March 10th and 11th, 2006 WHERE: InHome's Ninth Annual Conference, Sheraton Chicago Northwest in Arlington Heights, IL. Contact: cdavison69@yahoo.com for more information. TOPICS: Working with your child's strengths, Learning without a curriculum, John Holt, Schools are from Mars, Homeschoolers are from Earth WHEN: April 22, 2006 WHERE: The Little e Festival, Quality Inn, Vernon, CT Contact: http://www.nutmegscholars.org TOPIC: The Priceless Learning in Everyday Life WHEN: June 2 -3, 2006 WHERE: Lexington Homeschool Workshop Contact: Contact: homeschoolworkshop@hotmail.com TOPIC: Learning without a curriculum, Learning Outside the Box, Schools are from Mars, Homeschoolers are from Earth WHEN: June 8-11, 2006 WHERE: The LINK Conference, S. California Contact: link.art@verizon.net for more information. TOPICS: Teach Your Own Seminars: Beginner and Advanced WHEN: July 1-2, 2006 WHERE: The Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO), Russell Sage College, Troy, New York Contact: isaacgraves@gmail.com TOPIC: To be announced. Check http://www.holtgws.com/patrickfarenga.html to learn what this will be. ************************************************************** GUEST ARTICLE 15 Questions to Instantly Help You Write a Downloadable Tips E-Booklet By: Paulette Ensign Everyone has something they want the world to know. A downloadable or electronically delivered tips e-booklet is a great way to do that, creating author status and a marketing tool for yourself in the process, with no production expense. You may have considered writing a full-length e-book. Many people entertain that possibility. Fewer have actually followed through once realizing how much time and effort that takes. Instead, a downloadable tips e-booklet can be the ideal way to go, ultimately leading you to writing that longer book, or not. Here are some questions to get your tips (and cash!) flowing. You can mine your own field of gold by looking at any notes you??™ve created along the way, or jotting down things now as they come to mind. What is the single most compelling subject from your experience or knowledge that you want the world to know about? If there are several topics, consider which one you are most passionate about. Can you identify the single most outstanding thing you want people to know? Think about whether it is a new skill, perspective, attitude, or expansion of general knowledge. Why do you want to write an e-booklet? It may be an altruistic gesture to spread the word about something. It might be a marketing tool for a business or book you have or want to have. The e-booklet can be a profit center for you. Maybe you would you like it to be both a marketing tool and a profit center. How would you divide your subject into segments? Look at the possibility of those segments becoming additional e-booklets to develop into a series, or as mini-chapters of one e-booklet. What are you often surprised by that people do not know about your subject area? There could be something that seems so 'common sense' to you, while being highly helpful or enlightening to others. Does your information need to be presented sequentially or can it be random? Notice if specific entries stand-alone or if they need whatever came before to cause the entry to make sense to the reader. What do you want people to do and not to do, be or not be as a result of your e-booklet? Think about how this information will benefit the reader. Who besides the reader can benefit from this material? There may be manufacturers, suppliers, or distributors whose business activities can profit by distributing your contents. Those will be large-quantity buyers of your e-booklet. Is there jargon or language that is peculiar to your topic? Consider how you will monitor and treat that in your content. What surprised you most when you learned about your topic? That is probably useful to pass along to your readers in some way. Which resources are needed to implement any of your suggestions? Look for the easiest ways to accomplish what you are recommending to your reader. What is it that people need to know about you? Tell what gives you the credential to write about this topic. What other products and/or services would also make sense to develop to assist the reader in this topic? Decide whether it is important for those to be products and services of your own, of someone else's, or both. How would short anecdotes be useful in supporting your materials? The anecdotes could get in the way or enhance your content. Do your tips need visual support with graphics to allow them to be more fully understood? Clip art could be adequate or you might decide to use original art. Are you ready to get started? Or were you already making notes as you were reading this article? Take as little or as much time as you??™d like in creating your first tips e-booklet. You??™ll be amazed by the results. Everyone has something they want the world to know about. What??™s the starting place for you? Copyright 2005 Paulette Ensign About The Author: Paulette Ensign has personally sold over a million copies in four languages of a tips booklet called "110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life," all without spending a penny on advertising, in electronic version as well as hard copy. She has had clients match and surpass her results, worldwide. She has learned her business by doing it, never having taken a formal business course in her life. Her San Diego, California -based company, Tips Products International, offers a range of products and services to support your success regardless of your budget of time or money. Phone 858-481-0890 email paulette@tipsbooklets.com or visit http://www.tipsbooklets.com. ************************************************************** BOOK EXCERPT THE PACIFIC BETWEEN By: Raymond K. Wong Publisher: Behler Publications (www.behlerpublications.com) ISBN: 1-933016-32-9 LOC#: 2005903200 $14.95, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 Trade Paperback, 234 pages http://tinyurl.com/g6dsh Chapter 28: Return to California I turn the corner and park the car on Roselyn Drive. I don??™t know what to expect. By now she must have read my first letter to her. She knows what a screw-up I am. Was. In the past, I would??™ve just escaped, pretending my tail was not between my legs. I would have run as far and as fast as I could. But not this time. I just want to see her. I knock. No answer. I knock again. Silence. I knock a third time. It??™s after ten at night. Where could she be? I turn to leave. I change my mind. I take out my American Express card and slip it between the door latch and the frame. I wiggle the doorknob while sliding the card up and down, until I hear a small click. I push the door open, but it??™s stuck on a stack of mail. One or two days??™ worth. I push and pull at the door until it gives way. Her apartment smells clean, a hint of pine. The lights are off. The only sound is the bubbles from the filter in the fish tank. I close the door and turn on the lights. I pick up the mail and sort through it. My letters are not there. In her bedroom, I rustle through her desk??”bills, case notes, CDs, a few keys, a large pile of big paperclips, but no letters from me. In fact, nothing from me, to me or about me. It??™s as if I don??™t exist in her life. I scribble on a Post-It: Please call or see me at the Westwood house. I miss you so much. "I want (strike out) I love you. Greg." A door squeaks open. I crumple the Post-It and toss it away. I turn, expecting to see Kate. Instead, the woman staring at me in horror is not someone I know. She??™s in her mid-twenties, short and thin, dark brown hair and large hazel eyes. ???Who are you???? Her voice is sharp. ???I??™m sorry. I??™m Greg, Kate??™s friend.??? ???I??™ve never heard of you. How did you get in???? ???I have a key,??? I lie. ???Show me.??? ???Listen, I was just leaving.??? I move toward her. ???I wanted to see Kate. She wasn??™t here. Thought I??™d leave her a message.??? She takes a step back. Her face tightens as she clutches her purse. ???Don??™t come any closer or I??™ll call the police.??? ???Kate never mentioned me? Greg? Lockland???? ???No.??? I notice that the LCD on Kate??™s answering machine is blinking a big red 1. ???I can prove it.??? I press the play button on the answering machine. ???Don??™t touch that.??? The message on the machine comes on??”as I suspected, it??™s my message to her this evening before I left LAX, coming straight to San Marcos: Kate, please pick up...Kate, I want to see you tonight. I can stop by your apartment after ten? I can??™t wait to see you. ???See???? I say. ???Doesn??™t sound like you.??? ???Well, it is,??? I say, getting annoyed. ???And if you??™ll excuse me, I??™m going now. Would you please tell her that I was here and I must see her soon? Just give her the message.??? ???I can??™t.??? ???Why not???? ???She??™s not here. She??™s gone.??? ???She left for Seattle already???? ???I don??™t know about Seattle, but she said she??™d be away for a while and she wanted me to take care of her fish for??”why am I telling you this???? ???Do you have her contact information???? ???I think you??™d better leave now.??? ???I??™m going. But please tell her, if and when you talk to her, that Greg Lockland came by to see her. It??™s very important that you tell her. That she calls me.??? I head toward the door, and she takes a few steps back, away from me, her hand inside her purse??”I can tell she??™s ready to use her mace or stun gun or .44 Magnum. As I go through the door, I turn and look at her again. ???Are you sure she never mentioned me???? ???Never. Now go.??? I??™m back at the Westwood house before midnight. The damage from the accident on the east wing stares at me in contempt. Long, dark shadows spread like phantom fingers over the walls??”distressing, like a deserted gingerbread house, a big ugly chunk bitten off by some angry old witch. And little Hansel is back without his Gretel. I dread this empty place: the hallways grim and hollow, pictures of my past haunting me on the walls. A tall pile of mail sits on top of the dining table??”I didn??™t even think of stopping the mail before I left. The central air is running low, humming in the background. Somebody??™s been here. Must be Emily. She probably still has a key to the house. I approach the piano by the French windows in the west wing. I sit on the bench and lift up the lid. The black and white keys of the Steinway are inviting. I strike one, its sound delightful and crisp. I strike a few more, then simply bang on them as hard and as fast as I can, making random, furious sounds. If Kate??™s punishing me, she??™s doing a fine job. What I dread, though, is that she has given up on me, or, worse, that she didn??™t really care for me to begin with. She??™s left for Seattle without waiting for me or leaving me a message. An eye for an eye. I left. She left. Should I stay and fight for her? Or should I let her be? I don??™t know. I can??™t sleep, so I watch the world, as its shadows shift and shrink, rouse to the sounds of birds and ticking clocks and children on the street. Then I drive to UCLA Medical Center and look for Dr. William Heekin, the chief of staff whom my father mentioned on various occasions. A brilliant surgeon. Somebody who can help Patrick and Susan. I find him in his office, a nice view of the campus and books all over the wall. He??™s about my father??™s age, bald and fully bearded, skin as dark as charcoal, distinguished looking. As I enter his office, he takes a look at me, stands up and greets me with a zealous handshake. ???So great to see you,??? he says. ???I??™m sorry to bother you.??? ???Not at all. Not at all. Your father and I were great friends.??? ???I??™m not here to talk about my father.??? His eyes widen. He looks hurt by my stern statement. He has, perhaps, underestimated the fracture in the relationship between my father and me, no matter what he might have gleaned from personal accounts and gossip. ???I??™m here about my friend and his daughter,??? I say. I tell him about the transplant, how I want to bring Susan here for the surgery and am willing to pay for everything. He seems hesitant at first, but gradually warms up to the idea. They do have one of the best programs in the country, and a top-notch staff of specialists. Transfer is possible. They can work with UNOS and Hartford. Dr. Rook, one of my father??™s prot?©g?©s, is probably one of the best transplant surgeons in California. I??™m glad to hear that he??™ll be available in a week or two. They can admit Susan as early as this weekend. At least my father??™s good for something. Posthumously. ???That??™s such good news,??? I say. ???I??™m sure Patrick will be glad to hear that.??? ???Mr. Lockland,??? he says. ???About your father.??? ???Dr. Heekin, with due respect, I really don??™t want to talk about him.??? ???What about his office???? ???What about???? ???His personal effects.??? ???Why don??™t you pack them into some boxes and send them to me???? ???I suppose we can do that.??? ???Great. You can just send the stuff to my father??™s house in Westwood.??? ???Are you sure you don??™t want to take a look first???? ???Not really. Nothing I??™m interested in there. Nothing.??? That night, after talking to Patrick and telling him to pack up, fly to LA with Susan and move into the Westwood house, I lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling for a long time. Finally, I??™m doing something for someone else, someone who really matters to me, and I??™m happy. I am. It??™s like a quest, a fire that burns inside of me, and it gives me life and energy. At the same time, I am lonely. Envious and sad. At least Patrick has Susan??”a cause, a relationship, a reason to move forward. I don??™t know what reason??™s left for me. I??™m drifting, lost in this grand house, feeling miniscule and bitter about my own existence. I get up and open the window to let in some fresh air. Below, scattered leaves and dirt litter the swimming pool. And little bugs that wanted only a quick drink. The greenhouse looks on in odd silence, flowerpots stacked and abandoned. I think of Mom. I think of the last time I watched her walking out the door. I think of the last time she cleaned my room and told me not to leave crumbs on the bed. I think of the last time she pinched my arm. I think of her crazy little farce as she fluttered about after I told her I was moving to New York. I think of how she clutched my hands and told me to be good. I think of many things. Big things. Small things. Insignificant things. Things that aren??™t around anymore. I start to cry. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Raymond K. Wong is a professional actor and has worked with Julianne Moore, Peter Falk, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rob Marshall in feature films and in TV and stage productions such as Roommates and Sex and the City. He studied creative writing at UCLA and edited at Scholastic in New York. He is a movie critic at Actors Ink and has been published in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Asian-American Writers Anthology, and Writers Post Journal. His essay, ???The Truths about Rains and Floods,??? was included in the anthology Stories of Strength (Lulu Press, $15.95, 1-4116-5503-6) that benefits disaster relief charities and features over 100 other authors such as Orson Scott Card, Wil Wheaton and Robin Lee Hatcher. His website is www.raymondwong.com. EXCERPT COPYRIGHT 2006 BY RAYMOND K. WONG REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION NO PART MAY BE USED, EXPRESSED OR REPRINTED WITHOUT THE AUTHOR??™S PERMISSION. ************************************************************** BOOK GIVEAWAY Wanna score a FREE BOOK?? How about an E-book? Get a free electronic copy of SURVIVAL STRATEGIES FOR WRITING PARENTS by Dawn Colclasure. How to win? Simple! The first reader to E-mail me with any quote from this E-zine will win! It??™s THAT simple! E-mail me at: BurningMidnightOil@myway.com Good luck! ************************************************************** WHAT'S UP WITH THE BOOK'S WRITERS? The following is news of writers you can read interviews with in Volume One of the MIDNIGHT OIL book. This comes from ALISON LAKE, interviewed in Volume One as ALISON BURKE: Article about me in the Sacramento Business Journal. (Sorry for tooting my own horn, but thought this was kind of cool. And, I haven't left MPPI as it says--still my part-time gig) http://tinyurl.com/k5vbd *** Got this from BRENDA NIXON, whose essay appears in Volume One: Hi, Thought you'd like to know I'm a guest today on Mom2Mom Connection: http://tinyurl.com/ohawt Feel free to forward this to parents/preschool teachers you know. Brenda Nixon, www.brendanixon.com Parenting Speaker, Writer, Educator Author, Parenting Power in the Early Years and Writers Who Speak ************************************************************** BOOK NEWS What's the latest with the first volume of BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL: How We Survive as Writing Parents? No book news this month. ************************************************************** FREEBIE CORNER Free Ebook creation help: http://www.ebooks-made-easy.com/ebooksoftware.htm More free Ebook creation tools: http://tinyurl.com/zj9ld Get free bonuses just for signing up for the Business Book Sampler newsletter at EntrepreneurPress.com http://www.entrepreneurpress.com/cgi-bin/books/newsletter.html Dowload a free copy of the Ebook, Steal this e-Book! http://www.u-publish.com/stealme/ Download free Ebooks here: http://samvak.tripod.com/freebooks.html Check this out to get free books AND eBooks! http://www.basketbizhelp.com/0freebies/books.shtml Get the free Ebook Writers Freebies http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art5702.asp Free Ebooks, software, videos and more: http://tinyurl.com/ot65g MORE free Ebooks: http://www.merlesworld.com/ebooks.htm http://tinyurl.com/ktt6s http://www.frugalhomemaker.com/ebooks.htm ************************************************************** SITES SITED The following are interesting, helpful sites that I??™d like to pass on. Planet PDF: http://www.planetpdf.com/ SearcheBooks.com: http://www.searchebooks.com/ Putfile: http://putfile.com/ Chicklit: http://www.chicklit.com/ CutePDF: http://www.cutepdf.com/index.htm ************************************************************** WRITING PARENT TIPS FOR MARCH: TIP: Never expect to do everything yourself. If you have another adult or older child in the home, ask them to watch the younger children for an hour or two so you can write or go out for some time to enjoy yourself. TIP: Don??™t allow young children to play with or explore your writing equipment or material. Keep in mind that if something can go wrong, it usually will. TIP: Take some time out of your workweek to chat with a friend or other writing parent. The break can help alleviate stress and even spark more ideas for things to write. ************************************************************** WANNA SUBMIT TO THIS E-ZINE?? I am always open to submissions for the E-zine!! Feel free to submit any of the following: 1. An article. Any style and length. Articles must relate to writing, being a writing parent or successful business/marketing ideas. If the article is a reprint, you must own the reprint rights. 2. Tips for writing parents. 3. Advertising info, a freebie link, fan mail or, if you are included in the book, news and updates on what??™s going on in your writing life! PLEASE NOTE: Payment for submissions has been restored to $5 per article, payable on publication. ************************************************************** You are subscribed to this E-zine because you requested a subscription or signed yourself up on your own. To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to: 59308-unsubscribe@zinester.com |
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