They Took My Prostate Approaches in Softcover

Two posts in one month. How loquacious I've become! Set aside your Kindle. The softcover version draws nearer.

JP Mac Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Running

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My tale of murderous witchcraft in a Hollywood apartment building has been selected by Soteira Press. "Mark of the Bruja" will appear in an upcoming anthology of stories themed around horror in California. Keep an eye out for publication updates. A lot of water under the old author bridge since I last published a short story. Nonetheless, no better promotion for a writer.

"Prostate" inches toward publication as a softcover. The PDF should be finished by tomorrow and, hopefully, the back cover and spine by Tuesday. Possibly a dummy copy will be in our hands by week's end.

On the running front, my knee has been tender since early July. I've still been going out 3x a week, but taking it easy. Yesterday, I put in 3 miles, but failed to arise early and suffered from the late summer heat. Slow on the running front, but speeding across the literary veldt like a cheetah on the keyboard.

Griffith Park Luau 5k: Thoughts, Insights, Ruminations

Back with yet one more huge 5k medal.

I loath 5ks that allow strollers and dogs. Especially when the women pushing the strollers are faster than I. Also, it's not a grand idea to run 3.1 miles along Griffith Park bridal trails on a Saturday morning, which is a peak usage period. People training for marathons and sundry other races bolt through the pack and around the runners with dogs stopping to talk to non-runners with dogs. For the second 5k in a row, I felt a slight lactic acid buildup at the start, followed by fatigue, and the desire to quit and walk the race. Fortunately, such thoughts, if unentertained, turn listless and meander off.

On the upside, this was home ground. I often train on these very trails during the week when no one is about. On mile three, I was passed by a woman pushing a stroller and talking on the phone. This was too much. But I knew something she didn't. The final .1 mile featured very loose soil. Tricky for runners, especially those pushing wheeled conveyances. I passed her in the home stretch. But she found a patch of solid ground and came on strong. I gave it the gas and almost reinjured my knee, but extended myself enough to keep from being picked off at the finish line.

Thanks to this woman and child, I achieved my modest running goal for the race. (Sub 36 minutes, if you must know.)

Oh, Chi

Back in May, I noted different features of Chi Running. Today, I did quite well staying with cadence and leaning forward. But I lacked a speed burst. When stroller woman kicked, I fell out of chi running form and tried to race old school. This resulted in a tortured hybrid style that inflicted a sharp knee pain—the signal that I'm doing something wrong. This week I'll mark out 200 meters or so and practice sudden accelerations. In case I encounter more strollers.

Hallow Mass Volume II Outline  

Sloppy, scattered, but underway. I need to set solid deadlines if I hope to publish by Christmas of this fine year. I reread the original and was pleasantly surprised it didn't offend me with as many errors and poor writing as I'd feared. But onwards to December. 

Running and Prostate

Maximum Performance

A lonely ebook seeking softcover company. 

Both are doing well, thank you. Ran 4.4 miles today in new Brooks trainers. (Maybe not so new. I've had them 11 years, ever since injuring my knee.) Reading old 2008 posts, I was quite an optimist. Even with a known tendency to push myself and get injured, I always recovered eventually. The idea that my marathon days were a memory only registered very slowly.

And finished those days may be. But I'm game for one more go. After all, this time I have a book to write. Speaking of which, another marathon possibility might be my old target of the California International Marathon.

On the subject of books, I advance at a glacial pace in formatting my prostate ebook for softcover. Niggling details of a fraction here added to a fraction there. Such exacting trivia. I'm considering adding artwork, but if it looks like too much effort, I'll put it off for another edition. 

A Marathon for Me?

What's happened since July 4? Steady progress and early morning runs to beat the heat as I continue my plan of running a monthly 5k. In addition to augmenting a considerable technical tee-shirt collection, the races keep me focused and motivated to pick up the pace a bit on my 3x a week training runs. Coming up in August: the Luau 5k in Griffith Park.

Was a Marathon Mentioned in the Post Head?

 

Yes, good catch. I have set a goal: to RUN a marathon. Not soon. Not in 2019. Possibly in 2020, or so. But that distance will be target as I intend to chronicle my running comeback with a book detailing the decade of injuries, operations and dashed hopes that upended my dream of completing the Boston Marathon. The attempt to once more cover 26.2 miles—locally—will be the scaffolding upon which I construct a tale of defeat and . . .? Time, effort and a bit of luck will write the ending.

Who Are the Fine Contenders? 

Van Garner suggested I shoot for the all-downhill Ventura Marathon. A solid choice. Another selection might be the Surfers Point Marathon, a flat ocean-front course. In fact, my wife shall be joining me this November for a 5k along a portion of said marathon. Courses fast and flat or all downhill lack terrain variety and can stress your leg muscles through repitition. But I wont' be breaking any records. To finish an upcoming marathon, is to wear victory laurels—from a writing standpoint.

Hopefully, I don't end up like Pheidippides.

Santa Clarita 5k 2019

Back home and safe in time for the earth to move beneath my feet.

(Wow. Hot little earthquake just rocked the house as I sat down to write this. On it shook. But everyone is okay and the Internet didn't cut out.)

Back up in the foothills once again for a 5k. Super running weather: overcast with temperature in the mid-60s. I've run this race in 2007 and 2010. As you may note from the picture to your left, Santa Clarita has succumbed to the giant 5k medal bug.

No goodie bag, but a nice technical shirt.

I slept poorly last night, hated getting up early, and almost walked the whole thing, but I stuck it out for a 36:57 finish. That's seven minutes off from my January 5k.

Like '10, there are no more mile markers. Many people now run with phones in hand, listening to apps like Runtastic. Not me. I focused on my goal: finishing before anyone with portable oxygen.

Glad I went and did what I did. Happy July 4th! The grand experiment continues!

UPDATE:

My official finishing time and pace.

Tourist Promo for Portland, Oregon

Raise My Ranking During Hot Smashwords Sale

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Raise it! Raise it high in the rankings, I say. For here is a reading bonanza awaiting you in the sultry month of July. I'll let ebook seller Smashwords explain more about their 11th Annual Summer/Winter Sale:

Are There Discounts of Some Kind?

"For the month of July only, thousands of Smashwords authors and publishers will provide readers deep discounts on ebooks. Discount include 25%-off, 50%-off, 75&-off and FREE. 

Explain More in Your Curious Way

At one minute past midnight Pacific time on July 1, the special Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale catalog goes live on the Smashwords home page. Readers can browse the catalog and search by coupon code levels [Indicating discount amount] and categories. After 11:59pm Pacific time on July 31, the catalog disappears. 

And Then?

The coupon codes are exclusive to Smashwords and will not affect prices at other retailers. There’s no need to remember coupon codes. Readers will receive the discount automatically by adding [a} book to their cart.”

Might I Suggest?

But don’t just add any book. Starting tomorrow through July, might I implore you to add one of mine? Yes, a plug, a pitch, a request, but, then, to do less would be to betray this very blog page as well as Smashwords noble summer sale.

I won’t do that. So stock up on your summer reading starting tomorrow. And read well this month. I’ll say no more on the subject. 

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Running, Writing, Vital Jake Plug

In Motion

Running consistently the last few months. My weight slowly trends down. With a 5k race approaching in three weeks, I'd like to work in some speed—a relative term when you're fat and slow.

No Story Like a Short Story

I'm hurrying along to finish another tale with a June 30 deadline.

T.L. Schreffler

Cohesion Press craves stories combining military and horror with an emphasis on last stands. I just so happened to have an unsubmitted story from last year that can be arranged to meet said criteria. Plus, I'm employing a new proof reader, which has forced me to advance my deadline. But we're talking upscale problems. 

"Prostate" eBook Selling Well

Very consistent sales, with a few purchases in the UK, Canada, and Australia. I welcome my English-speaking brothers in prostate cancer—and assorted side effects. I'm told this is Men's Health Month, a period dedicated to heightening the "awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys."

Back to Golf

In keeping with the spirit of the month, author Janet Farrar Worthington has been kind enough to excerpt part of my post-op cancer story on her VitalJake blog. Janet is a tireless booster of men's health in general and prostate cancer in particular. She's been a proponent of my book and I'm grateful for her promotion. 

With all the above in mind, I'm announcing the softcover version of They Took My Prostate: Cancer-Loss-Hope will be available August 9. I'll put up a pre-order page on Amazon for those who'd like to gift a guy facing this particular challenge. 

And a pleasant Sunday to all. 

Help For Indie Authors

Peace and Wellness to You

jpmacauthor.com is now LIVE!

Denver Post

Yes, This Was My First Rodeo

I'd thrown my saddle over the concession stand was kicking popcorn everywhere, convinced I was riding a web-building bronc. But for all my hacks and woes, the website is finally up and visible under its proper—may I add 'noble?'—name: jpmacauthor.com

Oh, sweet, merciful heavens. I came so near to quitting, scrubbing everything, sitting in sullen self-pity for weeks on end, cursing the unfairness of life and novice web-building.

 Word Press Lessons Learned

And not just Word Press, but Bluehost, Elementor and Namecheap. Essentially, I build my website backwards. First, here is a construction plan that seems proper in hindsight:

Obtain domain name. (Namecheap)

Choose hosting service. (Bluehost)

Select software (Word Press)

Add drag-n-drop page builder plugin (Elementor)

Namecheap assigns you Domain Name Servers. They must be changed and pointed to your hosting service. I didn't know this because I fell out of contact with Namecheap when I changed my hacked email before assigning a new email to Namecheap. 

Pinterest

(As a side note, there is a reason Robert Mueller found no Russian collusion. That is because he did not investigate Namecheap. In order to enter my control panel and change the DNS over to Bluehost, I had to spend over an hour in web chats and on the phone with Russians. Alexander and Olga were nice. Marisha had a world-weary attitude and sketchy English.)

The Short Version

Once your domain name is pointed at Bluehost—or whoever you use—then pick a template, change the settings in Word Press, toss up a site maintenance page, and build your website at leisure. When you're ready to go live, take down maintenance and present the world with your calling card.

I've lived this for two months and still have a yard-long list of tasks to finish. But I'm a wiser web-builder than I was on April 1. More importantly, I kept writing throughout, thereby saving myself from total, no-shower, eat-at-your-desk obsession. 

More soon on this web-building business. It might be nice to have some new books to add. There's a thought. 

Thoughts on Paying It Forward

Take a few moments and contemplate giving away from what you have. Not a lot of moments. Just some.

Quora Questions We Could Live Without

Long Term Troubles Loom for Kids and Cell Phones

Disconnected: How To Reconnect Our Digitally Distracted Kids by Thomas Kersting
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A short and sweet book, almost a long pamphlet, detailing the dangers kids face from extensive time on the Web. (Adults, too.) And while Nicholas Carr covered this topic a decade ago, there is new research showing a spike in the amount of time youngsters spend interacting online. As Carr pointed out in The Shallows, excessive screen time erodes focus, increases anxiety, and leads to social retardation. Ten years later, the situation is much worse. But there is hope.

Fascinating read, particularly if you have kids.


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Scott Captures Pacific Brutality

Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila by James M. Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With its emphasis on atrocities, the book examines the butchery committed by Japanese troops against the Filipino population of Manila during the fighting there in February 1945. Brutal as the SS in Poland, the deliberate murder and rape of civilians is augmented by the haphazard rain of artillery fire employed by the attacking Americans. Survival in certain neighborhoods was problematic and whole families up to several generations were annihilated.

Decisions by commanding generals MacArthur and Yamashita are examined, with the book closing on War Crimes trials held in Manila only months after the war ended, with Japanese mines still being detonated by the unwary.

Well-written and fast-moving, Scott explores a little-known aspect of the fighting in the Pacific; an atrocity worth recalling the next time someone cries, 'Hiroshima.'

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Word Press Website and Elementor

 Part of my big plans from the other day may now be revealed: I'm almost finished building a Word Press website. Since I know nothing about tech beyond point-and-click, this task has been a vexing, interminable ordeal. I've already been hacked and had something unpleasant placed into my code, though this could be two separate intrusions.

(Most of my best bitching is on my Facebook author page. Scroll down past time-wasting videos.) Within a few days, I'll alert you to the launch of my bare bones site, no blog or email honey trap to build a big list, no shiny affiliate links. Just BUY THESE BOOKS!!

Upsell Jungle

That's Word Press "free" software for you. One upsell after the other. Since I have no idea whether I need this or that plugin, I fritter away hours checking everything out. I'll be grateful just to launch the freaking site and be shed of it for a time.

Website Ingredients

Here are the fixings:

Namecheap for my domain name--jpmacauthor.com (I'm still on a proxy site, finishing up the last touches.(

Bluehost for hosting. I tried HostGator and spent over an hour on the phone attempting one hack after another to get the thing installed. Finally, I learned that Safari isn't compatible with HostGator. That might've been helpful to know in advance.

Also, Safari is not 100% compatible with Bluehost. To access my control panel, I have to switch browsers to Firefox. Charming.

Word Press which you can sign-up for from Bluehost.

Elementor, a drag-'n-drop page builder. Upsell masters.

Submitting Short Stories Like It's 2009

If you want a cure for writer's block, build a website. You'll be so grateful to return to a discipline in which you have knowledge and experience and are not perpetually confounded with one step forward, eight steps sideways, and one hop in the air.

I've sent a short story off to Harbinger Press for an upcoming anthology and fired off a second tale today to a new fantasy/speculative fiction site.

Finally, I feel good about something.

More soon on my big running plans.

(Image: Power Addicts)

Top 5 Odd Videos

Something new from Cornerstone Media via Lumen 5 and Pexels.

They aren't full-videos. Simply the titles of videos I believe are odd. Times change quickly, and I could be proved wrong. 

Big Plans, I Tell Ya

Zafar

Coming soon. Big writing plans. Big running plans. Big website plans. Big. Stinking big. 

Big Top Payback

A clown, an affront, a response, all in under 30 seconds. 

Conrad Not Pleased with Nostromo

Nostromo by Joseph Conrad
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Upon completion of Nostromo, Joseph Conrad told a friend, "Personally, I am not satisfied. It is something—but not the thing I tried for."

Conrad's "something"contains numerous characters, great and small, set in a violence-racked, fictitious South American country. As Costaguana's resources are tapped by American and European investors, resentment, greed, and betrayal roil the nation and spawn yet another revolution. Wealth is sought, gained, lost and hidden, always with a price.

Conrad jumps about in the time line, changing points-of-view, foreshadowing, advancing the story, then later filling in details. For substantial periods, I was left guessing as to which details really mattered and which character backstories would pay off. However, the last fifty pages raced along, indicating that, perhaps, other narrative sections might've been equally condensed.

As a note, I would avoid the Brent Hayes Edwards edition, since the introduction seems designed for people returning for their third helping of Nostromo and is a nest of spoilers.

Uneven, but fascinating book.


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