Wow! Has it really been nearly three years since I felt there was something worth talking about on my blog? Probably not. However, if there was, I certainly didn't do anything about it. September 17, 2016 is the last time I posted. Where have I been? Hiding under a rock? No. Traveling the cosmos exploring dangerous, uncharted, alien worlds? Sadly, this is also a no. I could say real life got in the way, but that's a cop out. Everybody who writes anything has a "real" life. I suppose some are just better at managing it than others. So where the hell have I been?
The day job. That takes up all kinds of time. Designing, planning, and overseeing the development of high-tech software tools that knock the socks off their users...okay, that might be a bit of a stretch. How about, designing, planning, and overseeing the development of adequate tools that effectively track jobs as they move through the manufacturing process, and giving users the information they need to get their jobs done? Yeah, that's probably a bit closer to reality. It ain't sexy, but it's satisfying work. Been doing a lot of that, but it doesn't take up all my time.
What about social media? Can't blame that. I've been all but absent from Twitter, Facebook, and...well, everywhere else. Effective marketing strategy? No. No it isn't. I suppose I hit the wall with social media. Wow, look at all those retweets! But...where are the sales? How come nobody at Starbucks spits their coffee all over the poor slob sitting next to them and loudly exclaims, "Holy shit! That's Mike Reynolds!" Yeah, that hasn't happened. For the record, that hasn't happened to E. Michael Mettille, either. In case you haven't been paying attention, they're the same guy. Neither one of them even wears a disguise. They don't even try to hide it. Anyway, crafting clever tweets and posts and retweeting and sharing those who retweet and share you back was taking up so much of my time, it was hard to get any actual writing done. My activity slowed, then dwindled, and finally completely stopped. Now I'm a free man selling just as many books as I did whilst active on all my platforms. Ain't that a bitch?
So...what the hell have I been doing with all this free time? I've actually been doing quite a bit of writing. Worked on a couple of screenplays, most of it crap. However, there are a couple that have potential. I'm actively trying to get one of them picked up. Oddly enough, producers are really hard to nail down. It's a pilot for kid's show, kind of like Mister Rogers meets Blue's Clues and they have a big fight while walking across the Reading Rainbow. It's actually pretty good, and there isn't any fighting going on. The idea is to interest children in reading and extol the virtues of learning new things. Learning is cool and fun!
Let's be honest, I don't spend near as much time writing as I should. Where else does all the time go? I've been coaching. My granddaughter joined a youth bowling league, and I got suckered into coaching. It's actually very rewarding, too early on Saturday mornings, but it is pretty awesome. It also gives me time to hang out with the kid. With work schedules and school schedules, there is never enough time for that.
I've been traveling too. Went to Greece, awesome. It's difficult to fathom how small you feel standing next to something built thousands of years ago that is actually still standing. There aren't words. It's a spiritual experience that makes absolutely no sense until you're standing there in front of it. Been to Mexico a bunch of times and Jamaica once. Both those places are beautiful and relaxing, but neither compares to Athens or Santorini. Check that, Chichen Itza and Tulum both had that same humbling effect on me, but most of my time in Mexico has been spent lying on the beach lately. Definitely not complaining, but that's a different kind of trip than exploring historical places.
That's about it. Well, this was useful. Now I know where all my time's been going. Hopefully, the next time I jump on here I'll have some really exciting news to share. Full disclosure, it definitely won't be nearly as exciting as exploring alien worlds, but with any luck it will at least be pretty cool.
Happy reading!
The day job. That takes up all kinds of time. Designing, planning, and overseeing the development of high-tech software tools that knock the socks off their users...okay, that might be a bit of a stretch. How about, designing, planning, and overseeing the development of adequate tools that effectively track jobs as they move through the manufacturing process, and giving users the information they need to get their jobs done? Yeah, that's probably a bit closer to reality. It ain't sexy, but it's satisfying work. Been doing a lot of that, but it doesn't take up all my time.
What about social media? Can't blame that. I've been all but absent from Twitter, Facebook, and...well, everywhere else. Effective marketing strategy? No. No it isn't. I suppose I hit the wall with social media. Wow, look at all those retweets! But...where are the sales? How come nobody at Starbucks spits their coffee all over the poor slob sitting next to them and loudly exclaims, "Holy shit! That's Mike Reynolds!" Yeah, that hasn't happened. For the record, that hasn't happened to E. Michael Mettille, either. In case you haven't been paying attention, they're the same guy. Neither one of them even wears a disguise. They don't even try to hide it. Anyway, crafting clever tweets and posts and retweeting and sharing those who retweet and share you back was taking up so much of my time, it was hard to get any actual writing done. My activity slowed, then dwindled, and finally completely stopped. Now I'm a free man selling just as many books as I did whilst active on all my platforms. Ain't that a bitch?
So...what the hell have I been doing with all this free time? I've actually been doing quite a bit of writing. Worked on a couple of screenplays, most of it crap. However, there are a couple that have potential. I'm actively trying to get one of them picked up. Oddly enough, producers are really hard to nail down. It's a pilot for kid's show, kind of like Mister Rogers meets Blue's Clues and they have a big fight while walking across the Reading Rainbow. It's actually pretty good, and there isn't any fighting going on. The idea is to interest children in reading and extol the virtues of learning new things. Learning is cool and fun!
Let's be honest, I don't spend near as much time writing as I should. Where else does all the time go? I've been coaching. My granddaughter joined a youth bowling league, and I got suckered into coaching. It's actually very rewarding, too early on Saturday mornings, but it is pretty awesome. It also gives me time to hang out with the kid. With work schedules and school schedules, there is never enough time for that.
I've been traveling too. Went to Greece, awesome. It's difficult to fathom how small you feel standing next to something built thousands of years ago that is actually still standing. There aren't words. It's a spiritual experience that makes absolutely no sense until you're standing there in front of it. Been to Mexico a bunch of times and Jamaica once. Both those places are beautiful and relaxing, but neither compares to Athens or Santorini. Check that, Chichen Itza and Tulum both had that same humbling effect on me, but most of my time in Mexico has been spent lying on the beach lately. Definitely not complaining, but that's a different kind of trip than exploring historical places.
That's about it. Well, this was useful. Now I know where all my time's been going. Hopefully, the next time I jump on here I'll have some really exciting news to share. Full disclosure, it definitely won't be nearly as exciting as exploring alien worlds, but with any luck it will at least be pretty cool.
Happy reading!
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