This tale is set in the Solar System Services, Inc., universe a few centuries after Alone is Not Lonely on the planet Onizuka. Because the planet's tilt is greater than that of Earth and has a slower rotation, it experiences longer days and nights depending on the season. Most colonists live in the equatorial band, but some hardier souls live north or south. Travel during Onizuka's winters are next to impossible.
As a result, the colonists have found some of Earth's historical stories and culture provides them with the means to survive an Onizukan night. Some whimsy remains though. The colonists won't waste edible pumpkins and turnips as Jack O' Lanterns, so they carve native pink-fleshed tubers for their Halloween tradition.
And if the name is familiar, I wrote a college paper about the cultural contributions of Japanese-Americans, including NASA Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka prior to the Challenger disaster. He'll always have a place at my table.
And I fell asleep on my recliner. Whoops! At least I woke up in time for tonight's JV Soccer Teacher's Appreciation Event since I had announcing duties.
However, I wanted to talk a little bit about Amazon's new ID verification policy.
Amazon began requiring identification verification from sellers over a year ago thanks to the INFORM Consumers Act. This law applies to all online marketplaces, from Target to Etsy, to provide the necessary information regarding sellers to consumers.
There's been a spate of con jobs going on with online stores where shoddy goods are delivered to the consumers. Or even, nothing at all is delivered, and the consumer has lost their money to some fly-by-night scam artist.
Now, the process has moved to KDP. If you're starting your writing/publishing career, you will now need to provide a qualifying picture ID when you sign up for Amazon.
For those of us who joined KDP in the early days, or maybe started when KDP was still DTP, Amazon is slowly going through and verifying our identities. From what I've been able to learn, the priority is based on the volume of sales.
However, if you change how you do business (for example, I'm in the process of switching from a sole proprietorship to an LLC), you're verification will happen when you enter your name change under your Account info on Amazon.
This is something to be aware of because eventually Amazon or some other service will tap you on the shoulder and say, "ID, please."
Like many other folks, my concern is privacy. I understand the need for consumer protection, but I don't want my information in place where someone can steal my identity. Amazon claims it deletes the copies of your driver's license or passport, but do they really?
It's one of those things that bothers me when it comes to Amazon these days.
I've been hanging out at our standalone Starbucks for a few hours every day this week, working on Death Goddess Walking. It just needs another 10-15 thousand words. When the story gets into the downhill slide, the words come faster. I'm not sure why, but it's like a breathless race to the finish, and I get annoyed by things interrupting me Luckily, no one bothers me at our local cafe.
When I get home, I've been working on swag projects for the next two Kickstarters and for my online store. Some different bookmarks. Tarot card bags. T-shirt designs. It's been fun doing artsy stuff again. When there's sufficient product, I'll post some pictures for you to check out the swag.
Today though, started on a rocky note. My poor yoga instructor texted us that the Friday morning classes were canceled because she tested positive for COVID. I feel so bad for her after suffering through it myself in July. People forget the damn disease is out there. It's not over. It will never be over. Please, PLEASE take care of yourselves! Get your vaccines and boosters. I don't want to see any more people die from this blasted virus!
Meanwhile, I'm getting caught up on financial stuff before DH and I head out for a date night. Connecting is important for any relationship, even for us old folks.
When we get home, I'll probably work on some editing and covers while DH watches his favorite current show, On Patrol Live. Toledo is one of the cities the program follows. The calls for TPD are overwhelmingly shots fired, as opposed to Daytona Beach where it's usually drunk and stupid. I think DH likes that show because it proves he's relatively normal and intelligent.
I'm obviously not, just by virtue of being a writer.
But we can't stay up too late. There's high school soccer games tomorrow morning. DH is the time keeper, and I've been drafted to do announcing. I just hope I have enough caffeine to be coherent.
It's now 12:19 a.m. on Thursday, and I'm just getting around to writing the Wednesday post. Where the hell did the day go?
And I'm about to take my meds and head to bed.
I need a moment of quiet, but I think I'll go hide at Starbucks tomorrow just so I can get a couple of thousand words done on DGW instead.
The driveway lights have been changed to orange and purple. Skeleton lights have been hung in the art room. I'm about to put one of the Halloween wreaths on the front door.
However, I need to wait until DH mows the grass before I put out the inflatables.
And to top it off, it'll be chill enough this evening to enjoy a pumpkin spice latte!
Two years later, none of my boos have been moved. Many friends, still using Smashwords, whose books were move were told that D2D could not be distributed for various reasons. But let's face facts, most of those books D2D would not accept were erotica or erotic romance.
*sigh* Sometimes, I feel like the 2013 Pornacolypse has never ended, and its spilled over to touch everything.
I'm currently making some changes to my business plan, and I'm looking at some new avenues to selling my books. There also avenues I've been using for the last thirteen-plus years that I'm analyzing the old avenues.
I know a lot of folks love buying their reads on Smashwords, and D2D has signaled its going to keep the Smashwords storefront to sell books. But under my current plan, I'm no longer selling as much on Smashwords as I did before the merger was announced. In fact, I haven't broken $13 for the last two years for the Suzan Harden titles. The Alter Ego tomes do better, but they are also going downhill.
So, I'm looking at removing all of my books off Smashwords. And that's taking into account that Alter Ego's revenue that can pay for five pizzas a year.
However, I'm not looking to hurt any readers who rely on Smashwords to obtain their books. If anyone has an objections to this plan of action, add a comment or you can contact me privately, via the Contact Me page.
