Tag: a message to my readers

Get a Move On, Leester!

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

Cat climbing tree hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy

Ach, running late again! Rainy morning, completely overcast, still dark when I woke up–so I went back to sleep.

I always try to put up the first two blog posts of the day before I eat my breakfast. No can do today! Mouse’s batteries kaput. So I had to rush out in the rain to our friendly Indian store (because this little store has everything! The owner is a genius) and get some batteries. Happily, that made everything work.

And I found the hymn, Morning Has Broken, to be just exactly the medicine my spirit needed.

It’s late, again I have to play catch-up… but let’s have breakfast first.

Have I Written Too Many Books?

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

Bell Mountain (Bell Mountain, 1)

I’ve written 15 books in my Bell Mountain series so far (two still awaiting publication), and it troubles me a little that some readers have already said “That’s enough!” Like they were being forced to read ’em and couldn’t take anymore. The one that really hurt was the reader who said he loved this series when it first came out but now it was (*sigh!*) boring.

Two dozen Tarzan books. I don’t know how many for the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Hercule Poirot, Freddy the Pig, Rick Brant, Nancy Drew, et al, et al. Those series are all a lot longer than mine. Readers must have liked them!

Nevertheless, I did feel it was time for a change. So I turned my fantasy world’s clock back 2,000 years to write about King Ozias. It’s going to be a trilogy, I even have the titles for it: Ozias, Prince in Peril and Ozias, Prince Enthroned and Ozias, King Betrayed.

Point is, everything’s going to be different except for some of the geography (There’s no bell, no cloud, on Bell Mountain yet). Different kind of civilization, different characters–oh, yes, above all, different characters. They’ve all been waiting for their cues to come on stage. Which is very cool, and suggests to me that I’m on the right track.

Of course, it’ll be several years between now and the first reader reactions to the first Ozias book. I pray we’re all still here for that. Meanwhile I’m working as hard as I can.

Lemme Outta Here!

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

From bored goldfish to sexist dogs: 13 common pet problems - solved! | Pets | The Guardian

Those last two nooze stories I wrote up have left a bad taste in my soul. The sun is shining, the bird feeder’s full of fresh seed. What say I go out there for a while, smoke a cigar, and work on my book?

Please don’t anyone feel bashful about requesting more hymns! We need to sing louder anyway.

I do wish I had a couple of goldfish here. They make for very restful company.

Pray harder, sing louder. It may be God will hear us. Surely the Judge of all the earth sees what’s going on down here.

A Colossal Milestone!

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

This day in sports: Cal Ripken Jr. hits for the cycle in 1984 | DC News Now

Eat your heart out, Cal Ripken! I’ll show you a streak!

Would you believe it? I have blogged on this site for 3,000 consecutive days! Ai-ya, how did I ever do that? Actually I did it yesterday but didn’t notice till bedtime, and my last look at my stats page.

(Uh, Lee… couldn’t you find anything else to do?)

(Yeah, I could and I do! It’s called working your tuchas off!)

I don’t know what good I’ve done, but I like to think I’ve done some. I pray my work is of use to Christ’s Kingdom.

Another Comment Contest? Maybe?

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

Pin by Becky Marr on Jace crafts | Green army men, Cool cartoons, Army men toys

I have had a lot of things distracting me lately. Just now I looked up and saw we have 89,500+ comments.

Normally I’d have a contest for No. 90,000, because it’s a milestone. But I’m late, I’m late!

So I’ll set the goal at 91,000. We can say it’s eccentric.

And so… the lucky reader who posts Comment No. 91,000 will win a) an autographed copy of one of my books, or b) this cool T-shirt that says “If they have to kill us, they’ve lost” (I’m wearing one just now), or c) a little bag of plastic army men, suitable for decorating a cake or scaring off gremlins.

Everyone can play, everybody’s eligible–we only rule out comments that are abusive to others on the site, profane, or just too inane to bother with. I don’t mind a bit of piffle, but one does have to draw the line somewhere.

The contest officially begins…. now!

Coming Unstuck

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

1,555 Child Armor Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images

Well, I’ve finished another chapter of Ozias, Prince in Peril. It looks like the boy king and his mother will have to come out of Lintum Forest and fight for his throne. The usurper Maressa, her hunters having failed to find and kill the king, has resorted to even more underhanded methods to draw them out.

Now I have to move on to a Newswithviews column. We are governed by persons who really have it in for us, and I suppose it doesn’t matter how that happened–we have to get rid of them. Before they get rid of us.

See you again around suppertime, with another critter video.

Stuck!

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

How Much Honey Could Winnie The Pooh Really Eat?

I have to write a Newswithviews column today, and don’t know what to write about. I want to continue writing my book, but yesterday I poured myself into it and now I need a refill. I really need more blog posts, but nothing suggests itself. My wife says I need a vacation. Lots o’ luck with that!

I know what I’ll do. I’ll go pick up our laundry. (Gee, I could skip ahead and write Byron’s TV Listings, but then I’d have a great big hole to fill on Saturday.) With or without ideas, you’ve got to have clean laundry.

There’s a lesson in there, if I could only find it…

I guess I could always go out and threaten our democracy. Anybody up for that?

Why Cover the Nooze At All?

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

74 Angry News Anchor Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock

It’s always a relief to go nooze-free on the weekend; but the question inevitably arises: If it’s such a drag, why cover nooze at all? Well, I have my reasons. Here are some of them.

*The country is not OK and very badly needs help. Millions and millions of people don’t see that. If they did, we wouldn’t be in the shape we’re in.

*Refusing to do things God’s way way leads to nothing but trouble. There’s not one sin I can think of that can’t be avoided by keeping God’s word. Yes, if we could do it on our own, which we can’t, we wouldn’t have needed a Savior. We can’t sanctify ourselves; but we can at least repent our sins and try to do better.

*The people who want us to think they’re smart are really the dumbest dindles in the room and we should never, ever, listen to them. We can only hope some people catch on when elite idiocy is exposed, usually by mockery.

*We need a break so we can stay sane. I do, at least.

*It’s good for us to have fun together! Christian fellowship is good in itself, and it certainly doesn’t hurt to let non-Christians in on it, too. Maybe we’ll discover we can like each other.

Trying to Catch Up… Again!

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

251,711 Catch Up Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock

I’m way behind in my work today, the viewership is way down–and the WordPress problem that I had last week, with the comments failing to display… it’s baaaaack!

Man, this is getting old. Welcome to the Age of Nothing Works.

(And suddenly Robbie only wants dry cat food… What’s that about?)

Going about my chores last night, a new character for the book I’m writing, Ozias, Prince in Peril, popped into my head, along with what she’d be doing in the story. I’ve learned that it’s usually a good idea to stop what I’m doing and write it down in case I forget it overnight. Enter Aylen, the old nurse of the late King Flosi, who may have a loose screw somewhere but is otherwise sharp as a tack.

Where do these characters live when they’re not breaking into my plots? It’s so cool, the way that happens. It’s like I knew these people, once upon a time, and now they’re coming back. Do you think that’s weird? Welcome to the world of fantasy-writing.

Win Something Fantastic!

Posted By: leeduigonPosted On:

Life & Other Crises: Could You Love a Surprise Package?

I’ve just noticed that we have less than 1,000 comments to go to reach 90,000. I wonder if I can drum up any interest in a comment contest.

Well, sure–if the prize is gaudy enough. I’ve got T-shirts and books. No one gets excited. I briefly considered “Win a date with Joe Collidge!” Very briefly.

Didn’t I once offer a little bag of army men? How did that turn out? I’m guessing it didn’t.

Oh… suffice it to say that the reader who posts Comment No. 90,000 will win something. (You can always use little army men to decorate a big cake.) I’ve got some time to think it over and I’m always willing to take suggestions. If I can get any.