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One Scary Long Day
Started at 6:30 am… Made a ton of progress. Got homes for most everything. Picked up, packed, and moved a ton of boxes. Didn’t get back to the room here until 9:30, so 15 hours, a lot of steps, and a ton of exercise. Got some photos of what it looked like when I started. But had great help, Chis and Steve York brought me dinner, and talked with a ton of friends stopping by. I would have some pictures that I took today, but can’t get them to load. So will do that when I get back. Working on an iPad has limitations, especially when exhausted. Don’t forget there…
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Traveling… Oh, My….
Off to WMG Publishing Northern Offices… By the time most of you read this on Wednesday, I will be somewhere in the center of the Nevada desert, headed north. I will stay in a nice suite hotel in Boise, then on to Lincoln City, Oregon, on the coast, on Thursday. Then on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday all day, I will be in the WMG Publishing 7,000 square foot warehouse/office basically organizing things. This trip is organization and decisions on what I am going to be doing with a lot of things that fill that place. We first got that warehouse nine years ago when my friend Bill died and…
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Things Are Moving Here…
Nevada Has Done Well… So far on this virus. But now they are talking about opening and you can feel the activity in the air. In fact, in downtown Vegas, the city has closed off a couple blocks of roads, one in the art district and one down near Fremont Street and set it up with tables under umbrellas for diners to eat outside from restaurants close by. The city did this. Cool idea. More cities should do such a thing. Kris and I have gotten take-out the last three nights from our favorite restaurants to help them. It’s going to be a struggle for all restaurants, that’s for sure.…
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What Would I Do…
If I Started A Bookstore Today? I got asked that question today and honestly I know exactly how to make a used bookstore very profitable in today’s world. I would not start a new store. Too expensive, too small of profit margins, too much risk, and honestly no real need with online bookstores working the way they are working for more and more people. But I know how to start a very profitable used bookstore. And keep in mind, I have owned and run two used bookstores in my lifetime, but I would NEVER start a new used bookstore the way I did the two I used to own. It…
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Short Post Tonight
First Off, Thanks for the Anniversary Wishes… Very much appreciated, both here on this blog and in letters and on Facebook. Kris and I are both kind of surprised it has been that long as well. (grin) Second, the code to get half off of the workshops or lectures or subscriptions is SummerLearning2020 A number of people today had trouble getting that in the right place. Basically you find a workshop or lecture or class you want to get half off for the next three days and hit “Purchase Course.” On the page that comes up, right at the top, it says, “Add Coupon.” Put in the code SummerLearning2020 at…
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May Workshops Starting
Tuesday and Wednesday… All May regular workshops are starting up and there is still time to get into them. And June workshops are available as well to sign up for. And all of them are half price in (we hope) the last sale we are going to do to help writers through this time. (Details in yesterday’s blog. Every class, subscription, lecture, and workshop is half price until Friday.) This staying at home for all of us is lasting a lot longer than we all thought. But there are glimmerings of hope in the next few months. But life still goes on during this shutdown. Today was Kris and my…
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An Adventure
Never Would Think I Would Be Doing This… Just two short months ago. But this morning, when I normally get out of bed at 10:30 in the morning, I was up and showered and out the door by 8 am. Gloves, mask, and a jar of spray disinfectant in hand. First stop, a Walmart. Not crowded, no lines at that time of the morning. I was on a hunt, stalking the wild paper products. I got a large package of paper towels, a massive package of napkins, tissues, and huge package of the good toilet paper. Plus some rice. Total win. The place was very, very well-stocked with everything. Felt…
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A Day To Rest
Well, Sort Of… I got thinking back to the last time I took a day off and neither Kris nor I could remember. Maybe a year? Maybe longer. And realize I don’t mean working five days a week. I go at this stuff from right after I get up to early hours of the next morning. Seven days a week. I haven’t even played a hand of tournament poker in over a year. Seen a few movies, ran in a few runs, but then I would go right back to work. And I am not calling my fiction writing work. That is actually the fun time of the day, but…
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Card Sharp Silver… Day 15
Strange Times… I know the world (because of really bad reporting) believes that Nevada was late locking down, but actually the governor shut all casinos and restaurants and developed the phrase “Stay Home for Nevada” about three weeks ago. Actually a few days ahead of when San Fransisco shut down. And a week later he put teeth in the order and started yanking business licenses that refused to close and arrested a few nut cases. He just finally had to call it by the official name five days ago to get national news reporters from spreading the rumor that Las Vegas was open for business. The Strip is a ghost…
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Notice The Construction?
Having a Great Time… Old web site just finally gave up the ghost, and this was the theme I will be using for Smith’s Fiction web site, so just went and got it for this. Thankfully I got my blog up so I didn’t miss my streak. So some group mind help. Even with this new theme, every time I save a post it says “Updating Failed” so does anyone have any idea what I am missing. The post is saved fine, and then when I go to publish it, it says “Publishing Failed” even though it published fine. Anyone got any idea what I am missing? More than likely…