Book Release Day

This day actually started with yesterday, when my books were to arrive. I was supposed to get a call from the office, and dreamed of holding one of those sacred objects and marveling at the permanent representation of my creative endeavor.

You guessed it. The UPS guy didn’t show. The call wasn’t made and I was left with nothing to hold but my aching stomach. A book release party with no books? As the anguished screams echoed in my head, I took deep breaths and tried release the tension in my body.

It didn’t work.

But I’ve been self-employed for over three decades. These things happen. You either cry in your beer, or get off your butt and make it work. The beer can get warm. I had things to do!

The party started on schedule, and the next three hours zipped by like lightening flashes. The crowd was enthusiastic, my reading was well received, handshakes and hugs were generously distributed. My first shipment, when it does arrive, is sold out.

Who needs beer anyway?

Clifford M. Scovell
Prison Earth – Not Guilty as Charged
http://www.prison-earth.com

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The Trials and Tribulations of Publishing

God I’m tired!

I’ve said that more than a few times over the last few weeks of getting my book, Prison Earth, to its release date. It’s not just those tedious hours of editing over the New Years holiday weekend, reading each sentence, paragraph, and page forwards and backwards to find any and all errors. It’s also dealing with the ancillary tasks: planning my book release party, ordering promotional materials, contacting and working with bookstores, etc.

I’m totally green at this, and it is sometimes hard to contain my rage when a printer churns out posters that are so dark you can hardly see the key elements of the book cover. Or struggling to help a bookstore owner buy books when PayPal refused to accept her credit card. At first I thought it was a problem on her end, but when PayPal also refused to accept my own card, I chalked it up as one more glitch designed to drive me crazy.

Does anyone at book-writing school tell you about these kinds of things? OK, I didn’t go to book-writing school, but they probably don’t.

And yet, I’m also driven by the excitement of seeing my work in print, with the hope that a lot of people will enjoy my fast-paced story that just might be more fact than fiction. My book release party is in a week and with any luck, (UPS could still reroute them through South America…) I’ll actually have books to sign.

Afterward, I’ll probably sleep for a week.

Clifford M. Scovell
Prison Earth – Not Guilty as Charged
http://www.prison-earth.com

The Big Day

Birds are flying low, dogs are howling, and there’s a touch of excitement in the air, because my new book, Prison Earth – Not Guilty as Charged will be released on Thursday, January 21st.

Everybody’s talking about it…OK, maybe just my small group of friends, but they’re everybody to me! However, if you tell all your friends, then I’m sure it will be everyone talking about it!

If you’re into Sci-Fi adventures, you’ve got to read this book. It’s a fast-paced interweaving story about our planet being used as a prison for aliens. It follows a group of humans as they begin to discover what is happening. It also shows that the alien’s perfectly-ordered prison system isn’t as secure as they thought.

Believe me, this isn’t one of your omnipotent-alien stories. For starters, there’s more than one species, and they don’t all get along. For another, just because they live longer than we do, doesn’t mean they’ve worked out all the social-networking bugs. Otherwise, this book would be just another corny alien-invasion story, and who wants to pay big bucks for that?

Want to know more? Go to my web site, www.prison-earth.com and see for yourself. You can download some free short stores related to the book.

Clifford M. Scovell
Prison Earth – Not Guilty as Charged
http://www.prison-earth.com

The Resolution

2010 is here and I’m totally overwhelmed with the possibilities. I’ve a new book coming out on January 21st, and much to do to get ready for it. (Check it out at http://www.prison-earth.com) Writing in this blog is one task on my A list. There are many more, some not even related to my newest enterprise.
Of course, there’s always the New Year Resolutions. I’m going to lose twenty pounds. (OK, it’s the same twenty pounds I was going to lose last year, but this time will be different!) I’m going to make more money: a very American dream. I’m resolved to have better communications with my family and friends.
Ho Hum. This is sounding a lot like last year’s unresolved resolution list. It’s hard, because there’s always a good excuse for putting things off.

So maybe I should just say, “No to excuses. I’m going to do this, no matter what.”

“I’m going to finish the next book in my Sci-Fi trilogy.”

Nope! That won’t do it. I know I’ll dig up this resolution time and time again, but it’s an open-ended promise.
“I’m going to finish the next book in my Sci-Fi trilogy by January 31st.”
Put a year on it.
“January 31st, 2010.”
Better, but what’s the down side of not doing it?
“I’m going to finish the next book in my Sci-Fi trilogy by January 31st, 2010, or I’ll take a bath in ice water.”
Hmmm…that’s got promise.
My next commitment is to finish this blog today. In fact, I’m going to do it right now!

“Honey? Will you empty the garbage?”
“Yes, Dear. Right after I finish here.”
“You used that excuse yesterday and it’s really starting to stink in here.”
“Just five minutes.”
“Ditto on that one.”

Sigh!

Clifford M. Scovell
Prison Earth – Not Guilty as Charged
http://www.prison-earth.com