Tag: a message to my readers

What’s Wrong With This Blog?

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

My WordPress Reader makes it easy for me to visit other blogs; and lately I’ve noticed something about them that makes me wonder about my own.

I keep running into blogs that have thousands of followers and more hits every day than you can shake a stick at. My blog is in its fifth year and has only 200 followers. Because there’s nothing about the other blogs that strikes me as unusual–they’re just nice blogs that I enjoy reading–it makes me think there must be something that I ought to be doing but that I don’t know I ought to be doing.

To make it even more confusing, at least to me, my Twitter page, which mostly just links to this blog, has almost 2,000 followers. Doh! I will have to ask an expert about this.

Anyhow, given that virtually everyone knows more about computers and blogs and social media than I do, please feel free to offer your advice.

Christian vs. Almost Christian Fantasy

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Every now and then I blink my eyes and suddenly remember that a main purpose of this blog is to get readers interested in my writing and hopefully motivate them to try my books. Over the years, this has worked dozens of times.

Another purpose is to get readers and writers interested in fantasy fiction that serves the Kingdom of God. This is difficult because there is very little of such fiction.

And so turn we unto amazon.com and its convenient Top 100 list for Christian Fantasy.

Is this a reliable guide to selecting a book for particularly Christian relevance?

Nope.

Case in point: Pax Daemonica by Julie Kenner, #7 in her series about the adventures of “a demon-hunting soccer mom.” It was No. 1 in amazon’s Christian Fantasy several weeks ago, and it was No. 1 yesterday. It must be selling quite well.

Thing is, the theology is off. It seems there’s this secret Vatican unit whose mission is to hunt down and destroy demons: otherwise demons will take over the world, and that’ll be curtains for the human race.

Huh? What? You mean the bad guys really can rub out the human race, after Jesus Christ, the Son of God, went to so much trouble to redeem us? And, like, forget the absolute sovereignty of God–we can only be saved by these Vatican Navy Seals’ mastery of really cool martial arts skills?

I daresay the difference between right Christian doctrine and almost-Christian belief is as wide as the gulf between life and death.

Life lesson: Just because somebody says it’s “Christian fantasy” doesn’t mean it is.

I Have Been Nominated…

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

One of my fellow bloggers has nominated me for a Creative Blogger Award. I didn’t know there was such an award, and it’s gratifying to be considered.

Now I’m supposed to follow directions and do certain things. First, to provide five facts about myself.

1. I know almost nothing about computers, and not much about the social media, either. My wife, my editor, and a few of my friends keep this blog ball rolling for me, allowing me to concentrate on the content.

2. I read the Bible every day, for my sanity. On some days it’s the only truth I get.

3. I have lived in the same small town all my life.

4. My heroes and role models are all long dead.

5. Writing and reading are my main activities, but my wife and I always reserve time for each other. Work efficiently, and you buy time.

Now I am supposed to nominate five other bloggers for the award. That’ll be a pleasure–always bearing in mind that I can’t nominate all the blogs I read all the time.

1. Rivendale Review. Michael Graeme is simply a superb writer.

2. Aman Himself. He’s not afraid to review the most formidable literary classics, including books I doubt have been read by anybody else for many years.

3. Ajoobacats. You rock, Doc. Your eclectic literary tastes have turned up many books I now plan to read.

4. Through Open Lens. Beautiful, original photography, every day. Plus corny jokes.

5. Weavingword. She’s a fantasy writer who writes fantasy in the service of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Us folks gotta stick together.

Finally, I have to somehow let my nominees know I’ve nominated them. Well, here goes… betcha I’ve done it all wrong…

We Have a Comment Contest Winner!

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Actually, we have two of them–a tie. No, I’m not going to say, “In that case, nobody wins.” Nope–I’ll send out two First Prizes. Come to think of it, there weren’t any second or third prizes. Anyhow, both comments are recorded as having come in at the same time, so that’s two winners. They will receive each a signed copy of one of my books, their choice of title.

Way down the road I’ll have another contest for Comment No. 4,000 (this was for 3,000). I hope it doesn’t take a whole year, this time.

Don’t be expecting really lavish prizes like mink stoles, or new cars, or rings of power. I need to sell a lot more books before I can move up into that neighborhood.

To everyone who posted comments–thank you, and keep ’em coming! 🙂

Comment Contest: 54 to Go, and Counting

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Only 54 more to go, and someone will win a signed copy of one of my books (your choice) as the prize for posting the 3,000th comment on this blog.

Not qualified are any sales pitches posing as comments (you know who you are), any message containing an f-bomb or any other profanity, blasphemy, or personal abuse of me or any other commenter.

I am not Reddit or the Los Angeles Times, so I have not banned Climate Change Denial Denial comments, however inane and wrong I know them to be. Actually, though, I can ban anything I want. But in most cases I let the comment slide.

If you want to win a book, but can’t decide which one, just click “Books” and look them over.

P.S.–Yes, there have been some problems posting comments here, which WordPress has been unable to rectify because the difficulty has a variety of causes. But some readers have told me that, after they were rebuffed once, the comment went up when they tried again, even though they did nothing different the second time. Go figure. It’s computer stuff, way beyond me.

(P.P.S–Don’t those little girls have amazingly infectious smiles?)

P.S.–If You Can’t Leave a Comment

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

WordPress is trying to iron out this problem of readers being unable to post comments here, although they try: but WordPress has asked me to provide more information.

They want to know exactly what happens when you try to “Leave a Reply” but are not allowed to. I’ve gotten a lot of complaints about this, but I have no idea what’s causing it.

I also don’t know how, if you can’t post a comment, you’ll be able to answer my question so I can pass it on to WordPress.

Please be patient, we’re working on the problem.

Problem Solved (I Think)

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Yesterday my WordPress Reader was inundated, monopolized by reblogged posts, all from the same person. Almost all of the content was sports.

Today he’s gone, hallelujah. I am not sure why he is gone, but I think it can only be due to one or both of two things.

1. I contacted WordPress, turned the guy in by name, told them he wrecked my Reader and asked them to make the problem go away. I haven’t yet had an answer from WordPress, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t acted.

2. The whole problem started because I innocently chose to Follow this guy’s blog, because he had just signed up to Follow mine and I was returning the favor.

I tried again and again to Un-follow him, and maybe my last attempt succeeded.

To cut yourself loose from a blog you don’t want to hear from anymore, you have to go to that blog and click “Following.” It will, for a fraction of a second, display the word “Unfollow” and then revert to “Follow.” That’s where you should leave it. In the goofy language of computers, “Follow” means you are not currently following that blog.

If your Reader is full of junk from blogs that you’re sure you’re not following, check the fine print: those items have probably been reblogged by someone who you are following. That’s the person you’ve got to Un-follow.

I hope this is helpful to y’all.

Fellow Bloggers–Heeeeelp!

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Someone has so stuffed my WordPress Reader so full of unwanted sports stories that I don’t have time to scroll down far enough to get to the blogs that I do want to read. So if you’re used to me Liking your posts, or leaving comments, and you wonder what happened to me–I can’t find your stuff now, it’s been immersed in a sea of sports.

I hate modern professional and college sports. I do not want to read about them. Alas, I have no idea how to make it go away. And the WordPress communication, problem-solving, trouble-shooting thingy at the bottom right-hand corner of the page doesn’t work–when I start typing my question, it disappears.

English soccer! Indian cricket! American tennis!

I truly, deeply do not care.

I still have some love for baseball of the remote past, my past, when it still was baseball and not just a way of mining the public for money.

Can anybody out there help me dump all this sports crap out of my reader?

Comment Contest: Just 110 to Go…Let’s Hear It

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Whoever posts the 3,000th comment on this blog will win a signed copy of one of my books (your choice).

So far there are just a few readers who comment regularly while everybody else keeps mum.

To leave a comment, all you’ve got to do is scroll down to where it says “Leave a Reply” and click it, and you’re in business.

I don’t allow comments that include the f-bomb or other cuss words (come on, now–this blog is sponsored by a Christian ministry), a sales pitch for some product that has nothing to do with anything here, or remarks that are personally abusive to me or other commenters. Other than that, let ‘er rip.

Go, go, go!

I’ve Begun My Next Book: ‘The Throne’

Posted By: leeduigon(patty)Posted On:

Yesterday I began writing the ninth book of my Bell Mountain series, tentatively titled The Throne.

I must confess to a little stage fright. I do know how the story starts; but where it’ll take me from there, only God knows. And having just finished reading No. 7, The Glass Bridge, and proof-reading No. 8, The Temple, I found myself wondering, “Can I do this again? Really? Is there more of this magic in me?” Only it’s not magic. It’s the gift of God. I’m not smart enough to create this stuff without Him.

I’d tell you what the book’s about, except I don’t know but the very first part of the story yet, and I wouldn’t want to throw out spoilers, and if you haven’t read any of the other books in the series, what sense would it make to you?

Meanwhile, the weather’s right, the birds are busy, the bees have arrived, and I just couldn’t stay away from the work any longer.

Tally-ho and away we go!

P.S.–Ignore the sign. I don’t write myself into the story, and I have no plans to write any of you in, either.