Music I've Been Listening to Lately

You know it's a good song when Shrek can fight to it!

Sporadic Blogging Ahead!

My blogging has already been sporadic thanks to several life rolls this year. Just when I think I'm getting back into a regular routine, Murphy strikes again!

Last week, one of the sisters-in law (SIL #4) and her husband went to collect their daughter (Niece #4) from college in Indiana for Thanksgiving Break. They stopped by SIL #2's house since she lives in the same town, having recently retired as a professor from Niece #4's alma mater.

It turned out to be a good thing SIL #4 and family were at SIL #2's place because she fell and broke her arm. Needless to say, SIL #2 needs a little extra help. SIL #4 is there this week.

I'll be heading to Indiana on Saturday to relieve SIL #4 for a week. After that, we'll see.

I've had a broken arm. It was incredibly painful and awkward when I was nineteen. Now, that we're all on the downhill side of 50, we don't bounce back like we did in our teens.

Hopefully, I will be able to get in some words next week in between cooking and caring for SIL #2 and her three dogs. If not? Well, there's always new goals to set for 2026!

The Number of Books on Amazon

According to a recent report I saw, there are approximately 44 million book titles on Amazon right now. That's right. Two fours followed by six zeros. That's a lot of books.

Do all of them sell regularly? No.

Does it matter? Also, no.

Does it freak me out as a writer? Absolutely not.

But as a reader? The thing that bothers me is that I won't live long enough to read all of them.

Seriously.

The thing is reading trends come and go. What's hot today won't be hot tomorrow, and vice versa. Believe it or not, I love that this many books are available!

We live in a time of plenty. (Here it comes!) When I was a kid (TM), I was forced to read the same dang books over and over because there simply wasn't enough books available.

Now? Now, we're living in glorious abundance! We can find any subgenre of genre we could want. In the mood for a certain trope? It's there! Any older book you loved five, ten, fifty, one hundred years ago? You might be able to find it again! There's no limit!

So, who's complaining about the abundance? The authors who feel that readers owe them a living.

I've never really understood this.  In fact, there's a couple of well-known authors who have been and still complain about the tsunami of swill from those of us who started indie publishing from the beginning of the Kindle Age.

Here's the thing those authors don't get. As a reader, I've tried their books. They are not bad writers. It's just their stories aren't my thing.

And that's all right, too.

Just like I know my stories aren't probably their thing. It doesn't make my stories swill.

But with 44,000,000 books out there, it makes it harder for a voracious reader to read EVERYTHING.

At least in this lifetime.

You see, my idea of an awesome afterlife is a gigantic library. One where I can read as much as I want, where my tea is the perfect temperature and my plate is full of cookies. And by the time I finish the current 44,000,000 books, another 44,000,000 will have been written and ready for me to read.

Monday Movie Mania - Roofman

Don't believe the trailers! Roofman is not a romcom, but a dramedy based on a true story. That doesn't mean it's not an excellent film.

We went to see this a few weeks ago before October blew up in our faces. It's definitely cute and enjoyable.


----------


SPOILERS!


----------


PROS
1) Kirsten Dunst always delivers, and her Leigh was quite believable. But Channing Tatum was the surprise. He put a little depth in his character Jeffrey. The actors' onscreen chemistry cemented the story.

2) Lily Collins and Kennedy Moyer as Leigh's daughters were realistic, no sappiness or other annoying characteristics.

3) Juno Temple stands out in anything she does, even with her bit part in this flick.

4) Peter Dinklage rocks as Leigh's jerk of a boss. The scene were catches Jeffrey naked at the toy store was side-splitting.

5) Since the story is based on a true life criminal case, I give lots of kudos to the writers and director for not trying to give it a happy ending.

6) the end credit scenes consist of interviews from some of the real life people involved in the case. It's worth watching to understand how the real Jeffrey managed to pull off his con after he escaped from jail.


CONS
1) I can't think of a damn one!


Overall, Roofman is an funny, endearing, and sad look at what people do to survive and love in the modern world. I give it 10 stars out of 10.

Music I've Beem Listening to Lately

For some strange reason, I've been in a Joan Jett mood lately.

Missing in Action

It's been nearly a month since I posted anything. Things have been. . .weird.

There's probably more words that are more accurate. Maybe off-kilter? Unprecedented? Worrisome?

The combination of the federal government shutdown and the Kickstarter Union strike delivered shockwaves through our family. Genius Kid called often, terrified that he wouldn't be able to pay his bills though he was still required to work full time. I beat my head against the wall attempting to put together my planned  October Kickstarter.

We've dealt with things. Somehow.

I put off the Kickstarter until next March for a lot of reasons. I didn't want to rush to finish the last two books. Finding a printer for what I wanted to do for this Kickstarter became a royal pain. Books are getting held up in customs even though books aren't supposed to be subject to tariffs. Shipping companies are using the tariffs to rip off both producers like me and customers. Even if everything went smoothly with me getting the shipment, the US Post Office decided to raise rates during the New Hallowthanksmas season since it's the busiest time of the year.

The stress of pulling this off became so great I halted my efforts because the last thing I need is my blood pressure climbing again after I worked so hard to get it under control. I like not taking so many damn pills!

Genius Kid came through the shutdown okay. He's smart and had enough in savings. The incident became a lesson on how you can do everything right and still get screwed over. *sigh*

In the meantime, I've simply been writing. I figure if nothing else, I can get A Barrel of Vinter written, edited, and published before the end of the year.

Maybe.

Unless some clown decides start World War 3.