David Wind's Blog

The Last Generations,
Baby Boomers, EarlyGen X, & More

On this Independence Day weekend, I’m bringing you three thoughts on three of today’s most prominent issues. All three need to be addressed by more than me. Read on…

(Written between 6/24-6/20)

I can’t help but write this! I am a novelist, not a journalist, not even a true blogger. I’m just a writer, and I write (in alphabetical order): Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, and Science Fiction novels, which means I can visualize a lot of things, in fact most things. I have written about serial killers, plain killers, harassers, medieval knights, parallel worlds, and a series set in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world; and, like most writers I know, I’ve written a lot. But for the present, I cannot figure out what’s going on around me. What the hell happened to everyone? Are the lessons of the past doomed? This is why I say the Baby Boomers & early Gen X are the last generations.

Why, you ask, why do I think the last generations are the Baby Boomers and the early year births of Gen X, then you are probably a millennial or a Gen Z.

To those generations I say, you never really heard the music, you never gave much thought to what happened and inspired the anti-war movement back in the sixties and seventies. Most likely you really didn’t understand the width and depth of the civil rights movement either.

Why do I say this? Well, being born on the cusp of the Boomer Generation (actually 2 years earlier but I do identify with boomers since I’ve never been able to be silent). I find that in the fifty to sixty years since the late sixties and most of the seventies, the attitudes of the younger generations have changed dramatically—I want to say radically, but that isn’t the word to apply here..

When I think about what is happening to our world, and I think back to the sixties, to the music, the protests of Vietnam war, the Tricky Dicky Nixon’s bullshit, the Civil Rights movement, and Women’s Movement, I see we have either forgotten what we went through and what we did, or we just don’t care anymore—where are the people taking to the streets?.

Perhaps it was the music that brought us all together, the peace, love, and anti-war music. I can give you a playlist of a hundred top ten songs that dealt with it all. Think Buffalo Springfield and “For What It’s Worth,”

There’s something happening here
but what it is ain’t exactly Clear
There’s a man with a gun over there
A-telling me I got to beware
Written and copyright by Stephen Stills

And then there was the song OHIO, about the four students killed by the national guard for protesting the war. And have we forgotten the Chicago 7?

The women’s movement gave us, to name a few, “You Don’t Own Me, Respect, I Am Woman, I Will Survive”, and lest we forget Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen”. What the hell happened to people and to the musicians with social conscience?

I can’t think of hearing one top 10 contemporary song dealing with the political world of today, or of the last 20 years, on the level of what it was in the sixties and seventies. What the hell is wrong with us?

I’ll take that back, the not hearing any protest contemporary (or semi-contemporary) music: think Foster the People’s, “Pumped up Kicks”, not a song about sneakers; but, in actuality both an anti-bully and anti-gun song, which was much misunderstood, and in many instances, especially after the Sandy Hook killings, banned from being played on the radio. So a potential anti-gun song wasn’t enough to galvanize people to act. And then of course there is the controversial Eminem. But in reality, no one has been able to spur these later generations into action. What happened to you Gaga, Beyonce, Billie, Taylor, and so on? Why aren’t you putting your beliefs on the line and stepping forward to lead your generations with songs that fuel the outrage so many now feel?

While people are decrying what is happening, so few put their mouth and sweat and integrity on the line for a cause they believe in. Even while the Marjory Douglass Stillman surviving students continue to vocalize and protest around the country, they still can’t seem to gather the people. Why aren’t the majority of Americans, those who believe what is happening to our country today is wrong, acting? Why aren’t they putting their beliefs on the line and stepping forward? I am, just by writing this and knowing I will lose some readers of my novels because of this.

Where are the protesters, where are the volunteers who go door to door to espouse a cause? I don’t know, all I get is political emails begging for donations, not real people, not people I see out in the streets. (WAIT…PROTESTS UPDATED FURTHER DOWN)

Doesn’t anyone see this is the reason the other side—the ones who prefer autocracy over democracy, the ones who want to control everyone—are the ones who are beating us. These would be autocrats, these pretend Orwellian Big Brothers are loud, rude, crude, and extremely dangerous. They spew lies and expect people to believe them. The only way this will stop, is if we take it to the streets, show how important this is, and how to make those who seem too lethargic to step up, step up, and help stop what is happening by using the ballot boxes

Why do we let these overbearing, lying, and autocratic politicians tell us what we can do? These wannabe Hitlers, demand we ban books about SAME SEX MARRIAGE, about GAY PEOPLE, the entire LBGTQ SPECTRUM, and anything to do with the MISTREATMENT OF BLACK PEOPLE, especially during SLAVERY, and the JIM CROW era. (For those who are unfamiliar with the origins of the Jim Crow laws, and who or what Jim Crow was, click here)

Politically and currently, these people want to return to the past and separate AFRICAN AMERICANS, DARK SKINNED LATINOS, JEWS, MUSLIMS, AND ANYONE ELSE who doesn’t conform to their handmaid’s tale version of their world, or who doesn’t vote for them. I checked and found many instances where The Handmaid’s Tale has been banned in many areas of the country including state schools in Kansas and Texas among other.

I guess book burning is next.

I understand I’m venting to you, whom I feel safe with, considering most of the people who read my blog are my readers, and you know my worlds. And I’m certainly not doing this just for political reasons, not at my age. I’m just hoping some of my younger readers will see this, think on it, and act as their conscience dictates.

But the fact remains, we are now living in a world with lopsided values. This is far from sudden. The rich, yes they are getting richer, and a fair amount of them are boomers as well. But what were they doing in those formative years? And those of us who aren’t wealthy, who consider themselves in the middle class (upper, middle, lower, it doesn’t matter which) who live on a set paycheck, or are retired and live on Social Security and whatever might be left of pensions or 401k’s as the market goes down and down, we are now becoming part of the NOT MIDDLE CLASS.

And who are the NOT MIDDLE CLASS? You know who they are, where they are, and know the chances they weren’t given because of who they are.

I have been a victim of racism, and I’m a white guy, born in the mid-forties, bred initially in the North, and who really grew up in the fifty and sixties. And when I say racist, I mean it, because when a racist antisemitic jackass talks to me or looks at me, he does so with a hatred I have seen too often in the faces of other racist, and I have experienced this hatred throughout most of my life. Even as a kid.

It’s getting worse too. I do expect mail from this, primarily hate mail, but I hope not. The only purpose of this rant, is to put my feelings out there and hope somehow, I get through to those younger people, my younger readers, who yet might be able to reshape the future, because it looks dark, overcast, and dirty from where I sit.

I know those who have read my sci-fi fantasy series understand where I believe we are headed, which is to a world so vastly different than where it appears to be headed that I cannot believe in 2014 – 2015 when the first rumors of Donald Trump running for the presidency were being whispered, I sat down and wrote the outline to the first book of my Tales of Nevaeh series, “Born to MAgic” never, ever, in my wildest dreams thinking he would get to where he did.

Now, I wish I had been even heavier handed. But when he challenged Iran, I thought everything I had written would come to be. So far, the trend is not yet in that direction. Let’s see what happens in November, and then see what 2024 brings.

PROTESTS AT LAST!
HOORAY FOR THOSE BRAVE WOMEN and MEN!

Perhaps there is still hope. As I write this post, the decision to reverse Roe V Wade came out, and people are protesting, finally. I have been watching the rallies since the announcement of this newest effort to destroy Women’s Rights, and maybe this will be the fight for the newest generations, for this isn’t just about abortion rights, it’s about a person’s inalienable rights to control our privacy, to control our bodies, and to keep the conservatives of the government out of our bedrooms, and out of our marriages. It is time stop them from stripping our freedoms which are now at grave risk. Yes, perhaps there is hope; yet, I fear it may not be so for time is not on our side. I fear for my children and my grandchildren.

GUN STUFF

There have been several recent happening in Washington, and close together as well. The passage of a pretty weak gun ah ‘safety’ law, one which may or may not do anything unless the states themselves follow the program.

What we need is good gun sense, and the banning of any military style weapon. A hunter doesn’t need to destroy its prey. One shot of a hunting rifle should be enough to bring down a deer. If you need to use a semi-automatic weapon to bring down a deer, using the favored 5.65 NATO bullet, you’re not hunting, you’ve declared war on the wildlife you go after.

For thousands of years, men and women have been able to hunt without the use of rapid-fire weapons. Bows and arrows, even spears did the job. Then there were firearms, and they worked well, take the Marlin 336C, a lever loading hunting rifle that is still high among the top choices for true hunters. But weapons of war, why? Are the hunters who use these AR 15 style weapons so impotent it’s the only way they can ‘hunt’?

Welcome to the United States of Dystopia

Talk about The Handmaid’s Tale, and the reversing the Roe V. Wade, seems fitting, but wrong. This is a conversation that everyone believed was put to bed fifty years ago. Perhaps I’m misunderstanding the world…perhaps I’ve misread certain things in the constitution, but the preamble itself makes it all crystal clear:  We the people: We the people doesn’t say we the men, or we the women, but WE THE PEOPLE: It makes no distinction about which sex people are.

These are the first words of the constitution of the
United States of America : The Preamble

We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

In the English language, which is one of the most difficult languages in the world, and because there is no distinction between men and women together, such as they have in the romance languages, it has always been a given that the use of the word men or man, is for both sexes when used as a generality.

So if men have control of their bodies, to do as they see fit, why isn’t the same true for women: or, more specifically, why isn’t it the same for the conservative men who want to hold onto their power, no matter what it takes?

We seem indeed heading toward an autocratic United States, helped by a suddenly ultra conservative Supreme Court, which is the first step into the dystopian world George Orwell warned everyone about in his novel, “1984”. It is the world of Hitler, Stalin, Putin, and Xi Jinping. Will it be the same for whoever the next president is?

THIS CHOICE IS UP TO YOU, and the only way you can help assure you get the answer you want, is to make certain you and everyone else whom you know votes in November and then again in November of 2024. Until then, take to the streets, peacefully. Tell them what you believe is right! You aren’t the other side’s minions… Not yet anyway.

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‘The Future Ain’t What It Used To be!’ 

The first time I heard this particular Yogi-ism, was a long time ago.  I’d forgotten about it until the other night, when watching Stephen Colbert on his Late Show. Colbert did a piece on it, and as I laughed, I also thought about the meaning behind the words, and realized this particular Yogi-ism, was a gem of deep and absolute wisdom, and is especially meaningful in today’s world.

Most of us know the future is never set, it is always changing. What you and I believed in when we were growing up, whatever age you are,  doesn’t fit now. No matter if it was the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, etc… It is a far cry from what any of us envisioned.

Yes, the future ain’t what it used to be.

Thoughts of the future used to be filled with far reaching expectations, with hope, and  inspiration. Civil Rights and religious freedoms had come to all people, or so we’d thought. Disease was all but eradicated—I mean really, what they’ve done with everything from Polio to influenza tells us we are doing it right.

Then several things happened: We had a shift in American politics; a change in world-wide relations; a pandemic, and an insurrection. Then came the 21st century Space Race! Who, among us, except for science fiction writers, ever expected the private sector corporations to take up Space?  Yes, the new race to space is the playground of the billionaire corporate heads, and shows us a future given credence within the sci-fi books of the past decades that appears to be coming into the present.

So, yes, Yogi, the future ain’t what it used to be. But the question is, is this good or bad, or is it just the way life cycles every few centuries?

The pandemic changed us, there is no doubt about that! I’m still waiting to see how it turns out. Will those who believe in the misinformation about vaccines survive the next year, spread the disease amongst their families and friends, or will they die before propagating the disease even further? Or will they do what they consider the unthinkable, and get the Covid vaccine?

And when the world finally settles down, will it be safe for all of us, or just some of us? There are a lot of questions needing answers, but only the future will bring them.  And our future is definitely unsettled at this point in time.

I think the course the future will take, for we Americans, and for the rest of the world, will be determined over the next 4-5 years. It will depend on us… on the ordinary people, the you and me and our families to look to the future, and to move on a path that will lead us onward, and not hit yet another detour into the darkness that has riddled so much of our past.

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di·vi·sive·ness: a tendency to cause disagreement or hostility between people.

 

I know I promised to discuss my newest novels in this blog—and I will; but having published my first nonfiction book I wanted to explain why I wrote The Indie Writer’s Handbook before bringing out my next novel. I also wanted to post this subject out before the start of the New Year.

It is because of divisiveness. No, not quite the divisiveness currently tearing our country and our world apart; rather the intellectual divisiveness within the publishing industry. Divisiveness is not just a political condition in today’s world, it seeps into all parts of our lives.

As a writer, I find divisiveness in the writing world to be out there in many ways. Such as the fact that integration came slower to the publishing world than to the real world. Think about this: In romance writing, publishers like Harlequin did not publish romances about African American men and women until the 90s. Men writing romance — with rare exceptions — were not welcomed into romance until recently, unless they hid behind a pseudonym. Early science fiction and fantasy writers did the same thing, but in reverse: women wrote under male names. Women writing mysteries often used only their first initial or both first and middle initials with their last name to keep their gender off the book cover. Possibly the earliest form of Gender Neutrality)

As a Hybrid author (a Traditionally and an Independently published author) I find that there are many levels of divisiveness within the traditional publishing world that poisons (disrupts) the atmosphere for Independent writers who publish outside the traditional sphere.

As Indie writers, we are looked down upon and labeled vanity authors … authors who are not good enough for the traditional publishing world, a concept that is continually pushed by the traditional publishers and authors.

Independent writers are also called self-published writers. While this is true in the most basic meaning of the phrase, self-published is a misnomer. It is a misleading term as Independent writers do much more than self-publish; they create their own publishing companies to publish in the same way as do traditional publishers, complete with professional editors, cover designers, and formatters. This is not vanity press publishing; this is Independent publishing at its finest.

I can name you dozens upon dozens of Indie authors whose works are more professional and presented with more competence than many of the professionals who walk amidst the best seller lists.

While divisiveness is wrong no matter where it occurs, there is not much that can be done, except to push through the discordant rhetoric with the goal of having readers pick up our novels and our nonfiction books and learn Indie writers are no different than traditional writers.

And if traditional writers would look at their own history, and the notable writers who published Independently at various times in their careers, they just might pause for a moment and re-examine how they view Independently published writers. L. Frank Baum, Edger Allen Poe, Mark Twain, and even William Strunk, Jr. self-published during their lives as writers. Even writers like Stephen King, Joe Konrath, and Barry Eisler have Indie published.

I will however admit, one of the biggest problems Indie writers face is pushing through the bad press of both the Vanity Press issues, and the early and amateurish attempts at self-publishing that occurred early in eBook history. The readers themselves have taught us that poorly conceived books are not purchased just because they are inexpensive.

Readers are looking for and requiring the books they purchase, even for as little as 99 cents, be published as any book should be, with a good story; a sharp and well-designed cover; and professional editing and proofreading. Without those three basic standards, a book should not be put into the marketplace.

I started to Independently publish in 2008. My first novel was my 29th published novel, and I loved every minute of writing it and then publishing it. Since then I’ve produced 12 more, each of which I am very proud.

I wrote my newest book, my first nonfiction, as a response to the way Traditional publishers and authors act and refer to Independent authors. My intent for The Indie Writer’s Handbook is to give those writers entering the Independent publishing arena a step by step guide for publishing their books.

My handbook takes a new Indie writer from their final draft to the launch of their book. It is not a book to teach anyone how to write; it is an aide to guide the writer into producing a professionally crafted book, be it a novel or a work of nonfiction.

My hope is that this book will inspire other writers to bring you many more novels and books for your enjoyment!

Oh, I forgot to mention I’m halfway through the fifth book of Tales of Nevaeh.

 

David

 

Copyright 2019 by David Wind

https://davidwind.com

 

 

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You’ve finished writing your book, what’s next?

As many of you know, I started to Independently publish in 2008, after publishing 28 novels with Traditional publishers.  I haven’t looked back since then.

HOWEVER, I wrote my newest book, The Indie Writer’s Handbook, as a ‘step-up’, if you will, for new Indie writers/authors as well as more experienced Indie authors and those traditional authors who are putting out their backlists or new Indie work.

It is a given fact, readers are looking for and requiring the books they purchase, even for as little as 99 cents, to be published as any book should be, with a good story; a sharp and well-designed cover; and professional editing and proofreading.  Without those three basic standards, a book should not be put into the marketplace.

My intent for The Indie Writer’s Handbook, is to give those writers entering the Independent  publishing arena a step by step guide for publishing their books.

My handbook takes a new Indie writer from their final draft to the launch of their book. It is not a book to teach anyone how to write; it is an aide to guide the writer into producing a professionally crafted book, be it a novel or a work of nonfiction.

My hope is that this book will inspire other writers to bring you many more novels and books for all readers to enjoy! And perhaps The Indie Writer’s Handbook be help those of you who haven’t written yet, but are beginning to toy with the idea (It’s never too late to write) and may one day write a novel, or a nonfiction book

A portion of Chapter 1 follows below.

Until next time, have fun reading.

David

 

From The Indie Writer’s Handbook.

Release Date 9/1- Pre-order available

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1

STEP 1

The Final Draft—Or Is It?

Your book is done, you stare at the last words on the last page and there is a sensation of triumph like nothing you’ve ever felt before. Writing a book is no small accomplishment. Then reality hits. How do I get it into readers’ hands? Once your book (non-fiction/fiction) is written, you need to start the first of the ten basic steps in the Indie publishing process. How to get your work into a reader’s hands is not one of those steps. However, it is the very beginning of the final pre-publication processes. Rest assured, when you are really ready, you’ll have your answer, for now, we’ll go in order of the steps.

There are ten basic steps in the initial publishing process, which are followed by another eight pre/post publishing steps. Once steps 1-9 of the initial publishing process are completed, such as the editing steps, cover design, copyrighting and others, your next steps (10 & 11) are to set up the publishing and selling outlets, and send your book to the beta readers, which is the very first time your book reaches a reader’s hands.

Steps in the Publishing Process

Final manuscript draft
Formatting for editing purposes
Editing

Structural Editing
Line Editing
Copy Editing
Proof Reading


Cover Artist
Formatting for eBook and online sale
Formatting for Print Book sales online and bookstores
ISBNs

ISBN for an eBook
ISBN for Print Book


Copyright
PUBLISHING: Understanding Your Retail and Distribution Outlets

eBook Publishers
Aggregators
Print Publishing


Proper Set up of Publishing and Selling outlets
Pre-Publishing Upload and Beta Readers

Pre-Publishing Upload
Beta Readers


Early Marketing Strategies
Reviewers and Reviews
Prepare the Advertising Schedule (first and second quarters of the book’s release)
Launch
Marketing and Advertising

Launch Release Marketing
Ongoing Marketing
Promotions
Social Media Marketing
Advertising


Professional Organizations
Resources

STEP 1: THE FINAL DRAFT

A final draft generally comes after one or more rewrites. For me, my final draft—the one going to my editor—is usually my third draft (which is a combination of my second and third drafts). My second draft is done by working with the hard copy, rather than the electronic version.

After making all the corrections and changes by hand, I then work with the electronic version of the manuscript and make those changes on the computer. This also gives me the opportunity to consider and reconsider my handwritten changes.

Once that’s done, I’ll reread the manuscript to make certain it’s what I want. Then, and only then, do I start the editing process. Not my editing, my editor’s editing.

Without the proper editing, your book doesn’t have the chance you need to make everything right. A good professional editor, an expert in the editorial process, will not only spot what’s wrong but will spot what doesn’t work from their trained perspective. Remember, you are extremely close to your work and in most cases, cannot be impartial.

Once the changes from the editor are implemented, it’s time to move forward.

“But why do I need an editor? I know English, I’m a good writer, and I have great editing programs on my computer, like MS Word, or Grammarly, so why would I spend money on an editor?”

All I can do is ask you to think about this. Why do publishers pay editors to edit books? Why does every book, fiction, and non-fiction, go through the editing process at a traditional publishing house?

The answers are simple. A good editor does exactly what is necessary to make a book not just readable, but exceptional. Professional editing will make or break a book, and a book, no matter how good it is, cannot survive without proper editing,

One reason why so many Indie books are not given proper respect, is because many are of poor quality. Great stories tumble to the bottom of the pile, or are returned to the seller because of typos, misused words, and poor formatting. These issues are some of the reasons why you need a good editor to make certain your book not only rises above but presents your reader with an experience that gives them a reason to read more of your books. A professional editor can take a poorly written but exceptional story, and make it stand out. But if this great but poorly written story goes unedited by a professional, it will falter and…

In order to reach the editing step, you need to make sure your final draft is ready for editing. Editing is the first essential step to bring your book to the level of a professional writer and publisher. Nothing can substitute for good editing, and no writer can truly edit their own book for typos. The explanation for this stems from the fact that you are reading the words you wrote; and, since our mind already knows what the correct spelling is for the word we are reading, and by having this knowledge, our minds fill in incorrect spelling, missed letters, and basic typos with the correct ones. This is why you miss your own mistakes.

There are several types of editing; copy editing, line editing, and substantive editing. In most brick & mortar publishing houses, your main editor is your substantive editor. The most intensive form of editing is substantive editing, which involves working on and correcting the book’s structure, organization, coherence, and logical consistency.

Once this is done, the editing process moves on to copy editing and line editing and then—

Now that we’ve gotten ahead of ourselves, let’s draw back on the editing talk. Our next step is what I call pre-edit formatting. The purpose of which is two-fold.

First, it allows your manuscript to follow a specific style, as opposed to just writing. Second, if done properly, it will save you significant costs during the editing process. If an editor has to spend time adjusting the formatting so the editor can read easily and work better, it is time you pay for. Some editors work by word count, others by an hourly fee: either way, time is money.

So, please do pay attention to the next chapter for its importance for your book, your professionalism, and your wallet.

Copyright September, 2019 by David Wind

Thank you for joining me.

The next blog:  di·vi·sive·ness

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The Difference Between

Novelists and Politicians

###

Hi, All.  Given the increasingly difficult social/political atmosphere, I thought the following would be worth repeating— the first part was originally in one of my newsletters, and hopefully ya’all will see the humor of the situation…

American politics today is nuts, and the crazies are on all sides: I’m not crazy enough to do a rant about todays politics, I know better; but, I would like to give you all my thoughts on the similarities and the differences between Novelists and Politicians.

I use the ‘label’ novelist, because there are many categories of writers. Of the myriad types of writers—I use the universal word for all genres of fiction, novels—we novelists are the writers who create stories from our imagination. We create stories that are not real, yet….

The other writers, the non-fiction writers: Journalists; bibliographers, self-help writers, even the how-to-do-it writers have their opinions, and rarely hold them back.

But if you want to know a novelist’s real opinions on controversial subjects like current politics, you need to explore their writing. You can find mine as well, in my mysteries, thrillers, sci-fi, and fantasy, but that’s not the issue here, it’s what makes novelists and politicians so similar yet so different. In my opinion, of course.

Novelists write stories: politicians tell stories
Novelists write fiction: Far too many politicians speak fiction.
Novelists work to make their stories appeal to as many readers as possible: Politicians work to make their words appeal to as many of their constituents as possible.
Novelists will use actual events to build a story’s ‘suspension of disbelief’: Politicians use current events to “push” their agenda in a way to suspend just enough disbelief to make voters believe they are working for them.
Novelists create great histories for their characters: Politicians… yeah, them too.
Novelists have no need for their characters to be truthful: Politicians… too many create their own character, just like a novelist..
Novelists seek the perfect ending for their stories: Politicians seek to prevent their end from coming.

I am not saying novelists and politicians are either bad or good, all I’m saying is a politician is a person, and like all people, there are good, bad, indifferent, psychopathic, and, as Igor said in the movie Young Frankenstein, when Doctor Frankenstein asked him whose brain he had stolen, Igor replied…   “The jar said Abi..Normal”

It’s sad to say, but today’s political atmosphere is coming across as strangely and frighteningly, abnormal.

HOWEVER

If you read my Tales of Nevaeh series, (I wrote the first book in 2014 & 2015, before there were any nominees to either party) you will have realized that in Born to Magic, I described how one rogue president created a situation that turned into intercontinental nuclear war, pushed by the terrorists and religious fundamentalists, and responded to by the political world powers.

This ended up with the destruction of the world. Born To Magic, book one of Tales of Nevaeh described what happened. It also describes my vision of a possible the future, and of how the world and its inhabitants managed to survive a nuclear war 3,000 years earlier.

I have another announcement….

I am releasing my very first nonfiction book. I wrote it in response to the way Independent Writers are looked at and treated, and I wanted the new Indie writers, and the Traditional writers who are now publishing Independently, to have a guide to move them along the path from final draft to the launch of their book.

 

The guide I wrote is titled, The Indie Writer’s Handbook, and it is scheduled for release on September 1 of this year.  If you, or a friend, is planning on writing a novel or a nonfiction book, and planning to become an Independent writer who publishes their own work, please take a look at this, it will help you immensely!

David

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THE ROCK & ROLL

HALL OF FAME

CLEVELAND, OHIO 

 

Stepping into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, or THE ROCKHALL as they call it, is akin to stepping into one’s youth. This is especially true for those of us who were born into or just before the Baby Boom generation (1942-1964). When you enter the Hall, and the music hits you, the reversion to teenager begins. Then your regression becomes complete the first time you see a mention of, or the pictures of, one of your favorite singers.

For me, the memories came swiftly—memories I hadn’t thought about for decades: Where I was and what I was doing when I heard Elvis, or the Everly Brothers, or the Beach Boys, or Chuck Berry; where I was when I heard the news of Buddy Holly, Richie Havens, and the Big Boppers’ plane crash as I walked through the ROCKHALL, seeing pictures, movies, and listening to their music.

The ROCKHALL is a sprawling, yet tightly set up museum of what they call six varying levels.  Although you enter and exit on level ONE, you go down to level ZERO, which is the Ahmet Ertegun Main Exhibit Hall. When you enter,  you are starting at the roots of Rock & Roll.  You see the history, the origins of rock music, discovering how the birth of Rock & Roll came from its parents–Southern Blues and Country music–and first became Rock-A-Billy before progressing into a musical genre all its own, and turn generations into Rock lovers.

Here at level ZERO, they first have their newest acquisitions: Today it included Jerry Lee Lewis’ piano, Notorious B.I.G.’s outfit and the guitar of Robert Lamm of Chicago,. Then you step into the next gallery where you find exhibits showing the Roots of Rock, which are Blues, Gospel, R&B, Country, Bluegrass, and Folk.

From there, you go to the only possible exhibit that shows what burst from those early roots…ELVIS! Which is both an exhibit and a quarter hour film. It is not a time waster.

Following Elvis, we went through the Fifties, the Soul Music, and then into Heavy Metal.  Each one evoking specific memories of time, place, and people with whom I shared those times: Diana Ross, The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles The Shirelles, Bob Dylan, Gene Vincent, Bill Hailey and the Comets, The Who, the Stones, Led Zep, and so many more.

Then we went through the Baker Gallery Special Exhibit, The Summer of Love Turns 50.  Wow! Talk about memory makers: Photos of the groups and artists, posters of that summer at the end of the 60’s, the music, the clothing, the protests against the war in Viet Nam, all of those things came rushing back as if it were just happening.

Then came The LEGENDS OF ROCK & ROLL, which brought back to life the 60’s…the days of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Blondie, the Doors, U2, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, the Who, Guns N’ Roses and more.

Seeing the lyrics of so many songs: viewing clips and pictures of the groups playing at Monterey Pop and Woodstock: The Mommas and Pappas, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin.   Oh.. Almost forgot.  They have a Rock & Roll Pinball exhibit open, where you can play pinball on the old machines featuring various rock groups and artists.

Finally, there is the RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW exhibit. Which shows how the evolution of rock & roll helped to mold today’s stars. This is a look into the background and stories of today’s most popular acts, including Sia, Bruno Mars, The Arctic Monkeys, Lumineers and others.

OKAY, that was LEVEL 0. Level ONE, was the second floor, which is the entrance, the food court, and the gift shop.  Wow, surprise….

ON TO LEVEL TWO

Level Two is an interactive experience, including music sound booths to hear different artists and the One Hit Wonders who helped to shape the music of the 60’s and 70’s. Level two also includes the Guitar Gallery, with exhibits of guitars played by Billie Joe Armstrong, Bobby Womack, Mike McCready, Jerry Garcia and many others.

We found the Architects of Rock and Roll on this level, featuring Les Paul, Alan Freed and Sam Phillips; and, a multi-media exhibit detailing how VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR, and finished the floor by stepping into Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. Another memory rush!

LEVEL THREE was the HALL OF FAME GALLERY, which I found to be very cool, because you can vote for one of next year’s possible nominees—but just one, and after that you get a peek behind the scenes at past inductions. This was also another mind trip into the past, as you read the names of the artists, and their songs.

Then, if you are up to it, there’s a four-hour film by Jonathan Demme, playing in the Connor Theater, showing once-in-a-lifetime performances of many of the Hall’s inductees.  To be honest, we watched Bruce sing for about five minutes, and moved on.

With Rachel Steele

Levels Four, Five, and Six center around Rock & Roll music on radio and TV , but my timing on reaching the fifth floor, where SiriusXM keeps the Classic Vinyl channel playing in the Alan Freed Studio, was perfect, as Rachel Steele, the weekday DJ was in full stride.

I was lucky enough to grab her attention, and was able to get her to sneak out of the broadcast booth to say hello to Bonnie and me, and give her an autographed copy of my book A Better Place To Be: based on the Harry Chapin Song.  We took some pictures together, and then she raced back inside as the current song was ending.

All in all, we had a great time at The ROCKHALL and in Cleveland!

If you find yourselves in the Cleveland area, and love music, do make this a MUST SEE place, and if you aren’t in the area, you should find the time go.

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A few months ago, my local area magazine asked me to do a few articles.  The one in March, was supposed to be about time… So, I wrote a first-person Interview with H.G. Wells (after all, I am a novelist, not a journalist).  The response was exciting, and I am thinking about doing even more.  We’ll see….  In the meantime, the article is below, but first, a few announcements.

I am very pleased and proud to tell you that, ‘A Better Place To Be’, my contemporary fiction novel, based on the Harry Chapin song, has received two special awards: The novel is a B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree; and, was received the Bronze Medallion for Literary Excellence from Ireland’s prestigious DD International Literary Awards.

The novel is available on most retail websites, (Amazon, iBooks, B & N, Kobo, and others) and it is also available in print versions from Amazon, and by order from your local bookstores.

My newest Suspense novel, Desperately Killing Suzanne, was released on June 3rd, and is available in eBook and Print versions… Enjoy!

Now, on to the H.G. Wells interview,

An Interview with H. G. Wells, through The Time Machine

March 1, 2018

Today my guest author is the well-known socialist and author, Herbert G. Wells, currently of London, England. While best known for such works as The War of The Worlds, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The Invisible Man, he is also known as a futurist, and as ‘the Father of Science Fiction’, along with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback.

“Thank you, Mr. Wells, for agreeing to this interview. I’d like to discuss a couple of thoughts that I believe my readers would appreciate.”

“Fire Away, Mr. Wind.”

“Many people around the world look to your works as much more than just fiction. Especially today, where your writing and the theories your writing espoused have mostly proven to be an accurate vision of things to come, or should I have said, things that have become.  How do you feel about being held up as a ‘futurist, someone who can accurately see what may happen?””

“Very Good, Mr. Wind, I like the twist to the wording. Many of the things I wrote about have become reality; however, what I wrote about was simply the way my mind worked out probabilities, followed human nature, and put my own emotions into the mix.”

“Your first successful book was The Time Machine, which took its protagonist from your present-day London, to the far future, with stops in-between, detailing how the world (using London as the base) would change along the way. You foresaw World War One and saw another great war after that. You described how society changed at every stop the time machine made, finally ending in what everyone expected to be Utopia.”

“I did, but as we all know, it wasn’t Utopia, just another form of people making other people subservient to themselves. One of my reviewers called it ‘A warning to everyone, everywhere about what they are doing now.’

“I am so impressed that you would think in that way, in 1895, and the reviewer was very insightful.”

‘First of all, the late 1800s were an extremely enlightened time, at least in my social circles in London; however, don’t be impressed, Mr. Wind, I’m a writer of fiction, I make things up, as much as you do. There was no review like that, but it would have been nice to have it.”

“I see. Well, say what you will, but what about your novel, When the Sleeper Awakens? In that novel, you present a theoretical civilization from which parallels can be drawn to those in The Time Machine. This time you write of a protagonist who goes to sleep and wakens 200 years later, in a society he thought he envisioned before sleep, but discovers it to be darkly Dystopian.”

“I see where you are leading. What can I say? I wrote it fifteen years after The Time Machine, after The War of the Worlds, and after The Invisible Man. The 19th century had changed into the 20th century, the final 100 years of the millennium. The automobile was gaining ground, aeroplanes were flying and becoming part of our vocabulary and society. It wasn’t hard to envision, to extrapolate, where the far, far future could lead. How difficult could it be, really? All you need to look at is the way people behave, especially the way those who seek overall power, who want to control everyone and everything. I, um, believe your current president is a man like that… And please do not forget that writing of a possible Dystopian future, is done as a warning, to make you and everyone who reads the work, aware of the possibilities of not caring about others.”

“I understand but—“

“—Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Wind, all that’s needed is for you and anyone else to look to Hitler, look at what he attempted to do. If it weren’t for you Yanks, he might possibly be controlling the world right now. Look to what happened in China! It is still happening, and the threat to everyone’s freedom does not go away. What I write about is human nature. Human nature at its best, is almost god-like: at its worst…I’ll let you deduce the potential results. “

“Mr. Wells, I’m afraid our time is up. It has been a pleasure for me, and I hope for you. I would love to continue this conversation at another time in the future, would you be willing to do so?”

“It would be my pleasure, Mr. Wind, and thank you for having me today.

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Copyright 2/8/2018 by David Wind.  This article appeared first in the Platina Post.

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H.G. Wells was born in 1866 and died in 1946, after accurately forecasting both WWI and WW II. He was cremated, and his remains are interred in London, England. Wells has been and continues to be one of the greatest inspirations to science fiction writers and to the legions of fans who have been reading his novels for the past 123 years.

 

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The Question

First of all, know that I am a writer, not a regular blogger. Just like any other person in any profession, writers come in different sizes, shapes, and genres. There are bloggers, journalists, biographers, how-to-writers, Indie writers, Traditional writers, non-fiction authors, and novelists, and even within the writer categories, there are untold sub-categories. Novelists write in hundreds of genres; non-fiction writers also have hundreds of genres to choose from… I could go on and on, but let’s stop here for now.

There is one thing that I believe crosses every category, every genre, and every writer: ‘The Question’.

What is ‘the question’? Well, obviously, it must be the most burning issue ever, if it effects all writers, right? Well, maybe. Here are two versions of the question: Where do you get your ideas from? / Where did you get your idea for this book from?

While there is usually a generic answer most of us use—unless there was an earth shattering and mind blowing epiphany—that goes something like…”I watch people and as I observe them going about their lives, questions rise in my mind and soon I find myself creating a story around that particular situation.”

I believe what I’ve just told you is absolutely true, for the most part. But it’s just outside of ‘the most part’, where the real answers lay. Just the mention of my new novel brings the question out immediately. “Why write a novel based on a song, and, really, who does that?”

So, before you have a chance to ask me that question, let me answer it. I first heard Harry Chapin in the early seventies—’72/’73— on the radio, and I  became a fan. I never missed a Harry Chapin performance at Alice Tully Hall, and listening and watching him perform, was like having a friend playing guitar and singing in my living room. I think if you ask any fan, you’ll get a similar response. “Harry wasn’t just a singer, he was a friend. Somehow, Harry Chapin crossed an invisible barrier and achieved what few do. And for me, the aspiring writer, he spoke to me as a storyteller even more than a singer.

Let’s fast forward to one of his concerts, where he performed ‘A Better Place To Be’. The first time I heard that song was my epiphany, so to speak. The song created a question in my mind: Who was the man he was singing about? What had happened to him, to create the situation the song detailed? Oh, yeah, I’ve been carrying the germ of an idea around in my head for far too many years. In the time between then and now, I’ve had three children and written and published thirty-nine novels. A Better Place To Be, released December 1, of this year will be my fortieth—it is also the first novel of this type I’ve written.

What pushed you to finally write A Better Place To Be, comes the question again.

I have no choice but to answer in the arena of brutal honesty. The death of my son, Zach, this past January, pushed me to write the book. There is nothing like the loss of a child to make one examine one’s own life. And this was no exception.

Perhaps it was coincidental, but a few months earlier, I had begun to once again think about the song. And then, perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, shortly after Zach’s passing, I heard the song on the radio as I was driving. By the time A Better Place To Be, finished on Classic Vinyl, I couldn’t help but think of my son, and I realized that my life was moving forward even if I wasn’t, and even if I didn’t want it to.

How much time did I have left to get to those things I wanted to accomplish? That’s an unanswerable question, because no one knows the future. So, a week or so later, I sat down and started A Better Place To Be.

I wasn’t sure about what I was doing, or how to go about creating the backstory to a song. As far as I knew, writing a book based on a song, had only been done for children’s books. Even the great David Bowie once tried to create a play based on his song, The Man Who Fell To Earth, and it did not reach fruition. If he couldn’t, what made me think I could do something similar?

What I did was to ignore everything and just write. While I feared this would turn into a project about my son, that fear never materialized because Harry Chapin didn’t right about my son; instead, it grew into a story about a man who lost everything and who had to learn how to not only survive, but find A Better Place To Be.

The final four chapters of the book, is the song. The twenty-six chapters preceding the final four, make up the backstory.

Because I believe Harry Chapin was a special person, and one who far exceeded the title of ‘entertainer’, I have decided to donate a portion of my royalties to WhyHunger, the organization Harry created to end world hunger.

And that is the answer to, THE QUESTION.

For those who are interested in reading ‘A Better Place To Be: Based on the Harry Chapin Song’, it is available in all eBook formats, from most of the worlds’ online retailers, and in Paperback from both online retailers or at your local bookstore.

Links for David Wind

A Better Place To Be: books2read.com/u/bQBjDw

David’s Website: davidwind.com

David’s Amazon Author Page: amzn.to/15Pec6

Facebook: FaceBook: facebook.com/authordavidwind

Goodreads: bit.ly/1v1IE6B

BookBub: bit.ly/1YuIrqJ

The post The Question appeared first on David Wind.

First of all, know that I am a writer, not a regular blogger. Just like any other person in any profession, writers come in different sizes, shapes, and genres. There are bloggers, journalists, biographers, how-to-writers, Indie writers, Traditional writers, non-fiction authors, and novelists, and even within the writer categories, there are untold sub-categories. Novelists write […]

The post The Question appeared first on David Wind Author.

It was my pleasure to interview fellow Florida writer, Melinda Clayton for the Platina Post. Melinda is just a couple of hours north of us, in Deltona, where she and her family live. Melinda is the author of two series: The Cedar Hollow Series, which includes novels Appalachian Justice, Return to Crutcher Mountain, Entangled Thorns, […]

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 appeared first on David Wind Author.