Book Reviews and Plans of greater Adventure

Traveling the world is great. But it comes with some challenges. These are pretty much invisible if you’re just doing the tourist thing. The release of Redemption’s Bullet has made me much aware of these issues. The new website had to be created, and this meant interaction with designers in different time zones. Vision is a personal thing, and the communication of those ideas is a difficult process without the added challenge of doing everything via email. Inga and I are returning to Russia for the summer, and that included the usual hoops of getting a visa to enter the Russian Federation. This was my third such visa application, so I am well versed in the process. Being able to read Russian and understand the sentence structure was a real benefit. ScottDCovey

The book released in Europe first, then America, and finally Canada. I had to stay on top of the timing to ensure no issues in the distribution pipeline occurred. The first review was from a European fan, and it went live in America about the same time it got published in Europe. It took several more days to show up on the Canadian side. But it is there now.

I don’t believe in paid reviews. I have talked about this before but, I think it needs to be mentioned again. Book reviews from reviewers or worse from other authors are deceptive. If a publisher asks one of their authors to review a book by a junior writer how honest can it be? They both have the same boss, and the purpose of the boss’s company is to sell books. So how realistic is the review? I have a few friend reviews on my first book, but each of those people said in the review they were friends of mine. Honest reviews are from regular people that buy the book and post a review. I like this policy that Amazon and Apple has. 

Redemption’s Bullet got a little more exposure this time, and it has a couple of Blog reviews. This helps the book show up in search engines. It helps interested readers find it and me through the new website. I applied the same rules as Amazon’s policy. I didn’t pay for the review. The reviewer bought his copy of the book, and I had no influence on what they wrote. The review is found here.  

http://columbusfriends.org/books/redemptions-bullet/

And here 

http://ebook-gift.com/books/redemptions-bullet/

I will copy and past the reviewers impressions for you inside this blog without any editing as I want it to remain truthful. 

Review of Redemption’s Bullet by Columbus Book Friends.

“The story starts with old sea containers being used as drone flight centers. I liked the description of dirty socks and rotten tulips. Those unique details are what engage me into a story. Another thing that I find interesting about this story is that it's not a "rags to riches" or coming up from the bottom type of story. Instead, the story starts with the character already being a dictator of a country (with much of the press hating him). The inciting incident (the event causing the tension and chaos) is that the 'New World Order' (using USA equipment) attacks this dictator and his family. As you might expect, there is a lot of swearing in this book. I am fine with that. One thing that made me pause for a few moments is that the dialog doesn't seem to be broken up properly. I am used to a style where each person says a few lines, followed by a line break. In this book, you can expect full paragraphs of conversation. That makes several of the characters come off as "chatty". Lucky for readers, such as myself, there is a bunch of action throughout the book. This book does not fail to deliver on action (or hold back on how far it will go)!”

As you can read the review, I take Rhys way out on the curve in this darker series book. It also makes me think; “did I go too far with the countess?”

It is an honest, independent review and I like it. I look forward to the reviews independent fans will post and the ones from friends. Only my family is prohibited from posting reviews. The rest of you are free and encouraged to post what you thought. Good or bad. 

My friend Bekka and I at Davidoff Cigar Tbilisi

On a more personal side, I will be once again attempting to start the resident process in Russia so the current visa is the last visa I will have to apply for. I love the Russian people and the idea of society they share. This doesn’t mean I won't be returning to Canada. I will, I promise. Inga and I have been looking already and have decided on a neighborhood. Past the next four months, our plans are fluid. 

I saw a post on Facebook about a guy who drove a Jeep from Calgary Alberta to the top of Alaska and then turned around and drove to the tip of South America. It was a cool post that embodied the nomadic lifestyle. It gave me the idea of doing the same thing, but harder. Why not Russia? I will pitch the idea to the Russian company that owns the rights to sell Jeeps in the Russian Federation. Inga is game. But, then when isn’t she game to do anything her crazy husband comes up with. The basic idea is to travel from Moscow to Vladikavkaz the southern most point. Luckily Inga can speak that language. Then turn north to Anapa and Crimea. Following the northern edge of the country through Siberia and down to Kamchatka. Finally ending in Vladivostok, we would have to charter a boat to get across to continue the drive in Canada. I think it would be a great trip and an even better sales venue for both Jeep Russia and Jeep Canada. Although I think Americans and Canadians alike will be jealous of the Russian 2.8 turbo diesel. The Jeep that drove the two largest countries in the world. 

This odyssey would tie in well with the piece of NonFiction I’ve been working on. Thinking about how we live life and how most other people live life has gone from comparisons to convictions. When Inga and I were looking at homes in BC, the key ideas were simple, small, and supportive. Communities that didn’t require you to drive to the gym or grocery store. 

Many species migrate. Genetically programmed they pick up and make a journey. We humans used to do the same thing. The First Nations people in Canada were migratory to some extent. It is hard to think that perhaps we are still driven by that biological coding. But if you’re honest with yourself I think you’ll find other examples of these biological drives. Midlife Migration is the working title for this MSS, and it has been fun to write.

It perhaps shows a little to much about the author, But, real confidence is showing up naked and telling people what you think. So while only one person wants to see me naked I think you all like reading about my rather warped sense of the world,  right? 

Launches, failures to launch, and success.

   When you start to write a book, you usually approach the project with vim and vigor. Technically speaking you have already made your first mistake. It isn't a book till it receives an ISBN number. It is called a Manuscript or MSS. That day was a long time ago for Redemption's Bullet. It started with a vote on Facebook, asking fans and friends if they wanted a sequel or prequel. During the MSS process, I left my full-time job and joined the ranks of the retired. I had to let my old friend and dialog critic go to cat heaven. The furry fury aptly named The Piker was 18 and in considerable pain daily. This rationale did not make that act easy. Perhaps the hardest decision of my life. Then I packed everything I owned into a single suitcase and moved halfway around the world to Russia. Yes, this all done while devoting 4 hours a day to write Redemption's Bullet and a few more hours to make sure I kept my blog and FB pages current.

My father liked to say; "If it were easy, they wouldn't call you a professional." Life gets in the way of our writing this is certain. But we are professionals, and as such we make the time to apply our energy to the goal of creating an incredible and entertaining story. It took me a long while to finally complete this task started so many years ago. I learned a great deal about grammar and the technology needed to push the books envelope and stay inside the lines of believable. I know this is a much stronger story because of these things than my first. We all make mistakes with our first attempts. We, professionals, get better, because of those mistakes.

Because I made the choice to keep this sequel inside a price point easily enjoyed by everyone I've had to apply this shoestring model to the marketing and advertising. This is something new I had to learn as well. I think the ad campaign has been successful, and I hope entertained you as well. I say I think it has been successful because it is too early to tell how many books have been sold. It will also be impossible to determine which ad was successful in making people aware of the new book. The numbers look large and those engaged past the like or act of watching the videos were good. But when you get to wise age numbers you know what you know, and you're even more aware of what you don't. I don't know marketing and advertising, and so I guess I will have to wait to see if I am provided more lessons to learn from. Youtube Channel

Book promotion seems to be a new cottage industry on Twitter. So much so that I have had to delete a few groups I follow as I was getting too many "This the GREATEST book I've read this month." When you get three such tweets from the same person, you have to wonder.

Redemption's Bullet got it's first review and while I know we typing monkeys are told not to read reviews who actually doesn't? Perhaps Stephen King. But, I doubt many others don't. I saw four stars and thought why not five? I thought why not five not because I have a huge ego and think it deserves five. I thought what could I have done better? I thought how did I not live up to the readers expectations. The comments did not shed any light on the why. Perhaps it was the change from the first person to global? I arrived at this because I am not Stephen King and can easily go back through my reviews and read his last one in the first book.

The early release of the book also served to put a fire under my ass to get a new website created. I hate website creation and all that goes with it. Tactical mind talking to the practical designer on a virtual shared persona. It was hard, frustrating, and not without drama. But I learned a little more of life's little lessons and got past it all. Scott D. Covey is live.Scott D Covey

I wanted to make the site more like a lounge or place people could go to see more about me and the books but be light on selling. I find in today's marketing and Ad adventures sites are asking me to buy, or place a deposit, before I've even had a chance to come to a decision if I want to. Now I know this isn't the newest technology smart car and at 2.99 and 9.99 respectively we aren't talking big money. But, still I don't like the trend, so I made the choice not to follow it.

I might have been successful in this regard as I can see the pre-order sales numbers for the Ebook. It releases on the 29th of this month, and I am happy about the number. Ok, OK I will tell you. 96!

Thanks for having faith in me. For waiting as I traveled all over the world to make sure I captured the feel of the place to better bring you along as Rhys hunted and avoided capture. For spending your hard earned cash on a story. For your comments, reviews, and all the learning experiences you my readers, and friends, provided.

My time in the Republic of Georgia is coming to an end. I will miss the great people that call this place home. I've shared some great times here, with truly unique and hospitable people. Georgia is in Redemption's Bullet, and I know because of my experience here it will feature in my writing again.

That is if I ever write another paragraph of publishable prose.

Don't worry. Every writer feels the same way after completing twenty edits and various revisions and rewrites. If they say, they don't. THEY ARE LYING BASTARDS.

Please enjoy Redemption's Bullet responsibly. In no case should you ever try to follow Rhys Munroe as a role model. He is the man that stares down leopards after all.

Websites and custom painted jets.

    In my last blog, I talked about writing and doing many things yourself. Making a story a great story is a challenge to both imagination and perseverance. Sometimes it is a struggle between the two to see the winner. Stress is proven to reduce productivity, but I don’t know if anyone has studied how stress reduces creativity. Perhaps this is one such test. I got a little creative with the rollout of the newest website.

If you have been reading, you know my website woes. ScottDcovey dot com got hijacked by a donkey/midget porn site in Belgium. My attempt at resurrecting that site got sidelined and held hostage by an asshole. I refused to pay the ransom. I will run into him one day. So the newest attempt is scheduled to launch later this month. I have high hopes. Dreams even, of this site being everything I need it to be. I am even considering an APP! Free of course to all.

The book is scheduled to launch before Summer. Sorry, this is as close as I can guess. Just when it seems I have all my ducks in the row, someone tells me I am supposed to be herding cats! But I do have some goodies for you. The cover photos are ready in 3D and so is the Logo painted plane’s website launch video.

Short and sweet today as the stress of the previous week is affecting my creativity.

Much Love,
Scott D Covey.

Book. THE END

    It has been a while since I posted anything to my blog as I have been busy getting the book ready. Yes, it officially has an ISBN 9781633237865, for those that like to keep track of such things. So it is officially done and Bob Mayer I can finally type ‘The End’. But, Like he pointed out in his blog a few months ago, rarely is it the end. Now, I have to get an official website back up. I got scammed on my previous site and learned a few lessons. Again, this would be something helpful to new writers to understand and get some insight from professional conferences. A simple understanding of the difference between marketing and advertising is not enough. You have to know your readers and know what they want to see in a graphic representation of your work. Sure it has to be easy for them to order and buy the book but it also has to give them something to do past the obvious. I have been using my blog as such, and it is a poor replacement for a well-designed site. So I have been working to get this accomplished. I have also been working closely with the layout and design of the interior of the book. Past edits, and formatting it has to be easy to read and intelligently laid out with enough gaps in the transitions. Thanks again Jay M. Then the cover and back block has to be done. So you see as wise Mr. Mayer points out ‘The End’ is just the beginning.

    My supportive wife, Inga, has left me with this task and is taking the time to spend time with her parents. This may seem odd to anyone who hasn’t lived with a writer. Too often we creative typing monkeys get frustrated and can unintentionally level this frustration at those closest to us. I like to be as honest as possible here. Perhaps too much so. Three days in my underwear, only remembering to eat when you get dizzy going to the washroom and trying to find a few answers in Vodka, or just

recently, Absinth! While the answers are rarely in a bottle, it does slow the brain or provide it a distraction to move out of the mud it finds miring the process. Absinth is perhaps different. They import the real wormwood stuff here. The magical formula used by many creative types in the past and outlawed in most countries. Yes, I know you can buy Absinth in Canada, and they say it is ‘real.' That real definition is a little interpretive. Real ingredients but… when you live in a country that worries about the rat poo level in your Snickers bar, do you think for a second they would let you drink something previous artists have cut body parts off while under the green fairies influence? No! But, this is Georgia, and here you are free to be you. You also are expected to take responsibility for your actions. Local Cha Cha is available everywhere, and its purity is questionable when you buy it out of repurposed Pepsi bottles. The stuff runs about 60 percent pure alcohol so its clean of anything alive but, chemically it is a little risky. Something few locals care about, past doing a spoon burn check. So the imported Absinth is the real deal. I missed leaving my real Absinth spoon back in Canada. A gift from Mr. Antell it was from Finland and very old and I left it in the care of Dimitri with my watches. I made it work, and the hot clouded liquid bit my tongue with a sharp licorice embrace. It took four such potions till the green fairy revealed herself. Less of a fairy really and more like a cloud specter just on the edge of your vision.  I didn’t understand what it was at first until Commander Scotty’s words echoed in my head. “But, It is green.”

    The inspiration arrived, and I scribbled and sketched the book cover. I took pictures wisely thinking I may not be able to interpret this genius while not gripped by this specter’s tutelage. The room got remarkable hot, and I was glad that my tutor had no problem with my near nudity. I forgot to eat. But in a way, I was feeding on my creativity. It was like tossing a brick on the accelerator of a BMW M5 and trying to steer it through the mountains. The wheels eventually always come off. Knowing this I had locked my door and hid the keys when my conscious self-wasn't really paying attention. The morning light did not come easily. I crawled from it like a newly born vampire. I slowly gained the ability to stand and went back to my desk. The notes had survived. The pictures provided illumination and worked as a sort of a self-discovery I didn’t need. However, the cover was done. I was alive.

    So today as a bit of a treat I went to an outside cafe and told you all about it. I am not airing my liver. Who are we kidding the purity of the air would surely kill it. This is what it is to be a writer. So when you are looking at that book on the shelf, and the price know the author bled to create it. Most certainly differently than me. But we bleed the stories we share with you. To imagine the worlds and characters, we become them. We hurt ourselves and often those that love us. It is this to be a writer of fiction.

    The new book will be released shortly. Redemption’s Bullet is ten times the story Grey Redemption is. It is darker, much darker, and tighter because of those that helped/made me edit it over and over again. I am very proud of this book. It is written in blood only for you as you deserve it. A public thanks to testing readers, coerced editors, friends, fans, and family. This would have never been possible without you! A special thanks to Inga the strongest and most loving person I have been gifted with!

Nielsen Book Ratings and Forced Hands

   This month has come with several new revelations. Revelation delivery is usually reserved for angels. It must be a union shop or something. These shipments usually are accompanied by destruction or at the very least several people turning into salt. Thankfully my revelations were delivered by the outsourced delivery service, so it was with slightly less destruction. Not that this was in any way easy and without some serious soul searching, and anger.

    It turns out that all the stuff we writers have learned by attending conferences and learning how to “break” into the publishing world has missed a very significant tool. This tool is called the Nielsen Book Ratings. Yes, the same metric that brought you the Kardashians and petulant screaming Irish chefs is firmly in control of what gets published. In the same breath, Agents and dominant Publishing houses are bemoaning the state of the industry. 

We have all heard, or read, the responses from Literary Agents. "Due to the shrinking reading, demographic traditional publishing houses are less inclined to take risks with new authors or lesser artists." Really? So it rained last year, and the wheat crop failed, so you decide not to plant another one? We creative, typing monkeys are what you people eat. So you’re not going to encourage us to keep writing? If authors are not nurtured why would we they feel any loyalty to stay with a house? It’s business. You made your percentage from my effort and applied the skills you were compensated for, and now I am in the Nielsen Book Rating top one hundred; so piss off. JK Rowling dumped her publisher and while I don’t know the reason for certain it does give me pause to wonder. 

I do know one famous author who has moved to a smaller press for his series books, and the new titles he is publishing. He has mastered his craft and doesn’t need the editorial help. He was on the NYT bestseller list a few times over the years so is name is out there. Why should he choose to subject himself to the influence of companies driven by an accountant metric that brought us such wonderful enriched TV like Bay Watch! 

The huge media giants decide what makes main stream TV. Meanwhile, Show Case tops the charts with “Sons Of Anarchy” and the Sci-Fi channel makes a killing with “The Expanse”. So if these media giants see this with TV based using an outdated and stupid metric why would they apply it to print? More to the point, why has not one single agent or agent representative brought this up as a point during a writers class at one of the many conferences I attended or spoke at? I’ve listened to hours of material about making a killer thirty-second elevator pitch, creating a foundation of readers, and the ‘secret’ bump to get you to the top of the slush pile. ‘I’ve been offered representation and wanted to give… ‘ 

    Perhaps it is because they are close to the fire and know if they let the cat out of the bag that unless your first book is a blockbusting bestseller you’re in and done at one! Faced with this reality it is easy to see why putting in the amount of work to school a new author past all the pitfalls and issues that may come up is daunting. It also explains my disappointment with the last several mainstream titles I bought and read. The Border by Robert McCammon was the only book I enjoyed reading in the previous year. 

I was lucky enough to have an agent that follows me on Twitter point this out a few weeks ago. Now I could point out errors and omissions in the Nielsen system, but, this would just look like sour grapes. It isn’t the reporting system that I have issue with. It is the idea of 'mainstream', and writing to the audience desires. If you have never tried Red Wine how do you know what you like? If all you have been exposed to is the White variety and the rating system only has Whites, does a Red go to market under this system? No, it does not! The profit margin is closely watched by the accounting department and not the creative editorial one. If you need a greater example swipe to your music collection. Is it 'MAINSTREAM'? Is it one or two styles? No it probably is as varied as you and your moods. I have twenty thousand songs, all purchased, from so called 'mainstream' to Jim Carrol and the Dropkick Murphys. How many albums did the Jim Carrol Band sell? Probably not enough ever to make what his book The Basket Ball Diaries made in a week! This preoccupation of some with chasing fancy bits of paper with pictures on it created the Indie music industry and then had to play catch up, buying Indie labels, to stay relevant. These same suits, and those that stupidly play their game are making the same mistakes all over again! 

So while the big houses complain about the industry changing while refusing to see the hand they play in these changes. Fanning the fires of their destruction while the fast moving formats adapt and overcome. The publishing industry will not be the same story arc as the music industry. They say Caesar played the violin as Rome burned. Do we hear the same tune under the incessant whining of those that profit from our arthritic fingers and denied social encounters because we made the decision that; “This Day We Write!” 

So with this scathing blog I have forced myself into a corner. I have let the cat out of the bag for many of you that may be unaware of this system. If you currently have representation you might want to insure it fits with your life path. If your first ride on the bull isn’t incredible you will have to pen name your next attempt! I may have to put my money where my mouth is as well. I promised you a sequel. I have written you a sequel. I have, with help, edited you all a great sequel. One that is far better than the first. I have a multi-country fan base so the traditional method of publishing means that my Russian fans have to pay a days wages to read it. This isn’t progressive or fair. So perhaps I price it out as 2.99 and let everyone who wants to enjoy a good story do just that!! Stay tuned!! 

POSTBLOG (I couldn't find this as a word. Postscript is but this is more accurate! Hey, Chicago Book Of Styles... Decision please?

    My wise mother always said when you write an angry letter you should 'sit on it' for twenty-four hours and then reread it. So I did this with the Blog. I awoke even more pissed off at this situation than when I went to bed. After reading this again I have managed to put this into perspective. While I genuinely feel for those of you struggling to create and imagine wonderful stories it is the world we find ourselves in. So while my decision to adopt the; "Not my circus, not my monkeys" mindset it is my hope that in reading this you are a little more prepared. I also looked over my fan base and what the actual cost would be for many to enjoy my newest effort. Too many of my fans and followers live in areas that are less affluent than America and Canada. I am not in the position that I have to earn money off my writing to eat. But, for some on my FaceBook Author Page that actually may be the decision. So I am going to publish this sequel with Amazon. It will be available as a paperback and eBook sometime before summer. In doing this I know Scott D. Covey will be blacklisted. But, I believe the industry that is forcing my hand is going to burn into obscurity anyway. Finally, I get to keep my promise to give as many people a sequel as I can. 

I have created an author page and it is here: Scott D. Covey

   In closing I want to publicly thank all my test readers. Jason, Shawn, Cathy, Angela, Tim, Dimitri, Sergei, and Elliot (AKA RIZ).

   A very special thanks to a friend with a heart only small when compared to his intelligence. This option was only made possible by his hard hours of editorial work. Jay I am in your debt and know many will read this that wouldn't have been able to at a $9.99 kindle price point! Further all profits will be forwarded to a worthy cause to help education or reading in parts of the world that benefited from the low price point option. 

To: 

Penguin Random House £409.9m (23.4%) ... 

Hachette Livre (UK) £287.9m (16.4%) ... 

HarperCollins £132.3m (7.6%) ... 

Pan Macmillan £57.3m (3.3%) ...  

I send you a very special Vancouver Alex salute..........................

Havana Club Georgia and my Chirstmas Saviors

I am done apologizing for not keeping up with my blog posts. I turned fifty, so I believe I am pretty much done apologizing for anything unless I light you on fire. It has been very busy here in Tbilisi, not that anyone will notice, but between firing off a response to a request for a full manuscript submission and exclusive time to read it in full we have been doing the holiday thing in addition to the regular day to day. So I haven’t had much time to think really. I found I was being pulled back into the regular Canadian lifestyle of work, responsibility, and more work. This is Georgia! The focus is on Family, friends, and enjoying life. So why the hell was I falling back into this routine, complete with those nagging questions such as; “Is this story plot really tight enough?” “Did I go too far with the Countess (in Redemption’s Bullet)? Did I get too drunk on my birthday? What is with the holidays that makes people so crazy? Georgia has more holidays it has two calendars and so when you add the Canadian Christmas the madness of the season became a little overwhelming. So I did what I normally do when surrounded by pissed off elephants, growling leopards, or quiet smiling tattooed Russians. I whispered to myself; “Relax, take it easy ain’t nothing killed you yet.” This usually cues up the mental recording of Monty Python’s song Always Look at the Bright Side of Life and cures everything. Not this time!

Like only a whisper spoken in the dark can it caught in the chaos of “I wonders” and threatened to drag me with it. That only leads one to the bathroom mirror at two am with questions and concerns that the person reflected can’t answer. The situation was dire, threatening, a Fear Of The Dark Iron Maiden accompanied Joyce meets Hunter S. Thompson merging. I needed a cigar!

This thought brought to me by the labored spray of sweat as my last angel struggled in an unrecoverable flat-spin. Crashing on my shoulder back first, I couldn’t help but think “Bet she misses the good one now.” Instead,  I said; “Perhaps, I’ll have two.”  Cue AC/DC …No stop signs, speeds limits nobody gonna slow us down….

I jumped into a cab and sped off into the sunlit cool of this beautiful city that has been home for four months. While this may sound easy, enough, let me add a few disturbing facts. Taxi drivers are nice and helpful, saint-like sometimes, but I can’t speak Georgian, they can’t speak English, and we both speak Russian like seven-year-olds. Just to make it interesting Georgia has a very odd pattern to it’s streets and the cabs from one area have a very limited knowledge of other areas. I was going to Vake the richer area of Tbilisi from the working class area. The exhausted angel sleeping it off in my pocket wasn’t going to be any help.

We made it through the holiday traffic and managed to discover Davidoff Cigars. Mecca, in this case, was a small little shop with English enough staff. The section of cigars was splendid and with prices as close to Cuba as I’ve seen. They were very helpful and bent over backward to make my stay enjoyable. I enjoyed a small Robusto and reality returned slowly. Life is to be enjoyed. One should not be aware of their angels, just the blessings each day brings. I inhaled the aged Cuban leaf deep into my lungs and with each exhale felt a little more normal.

The other Cigar smoker in the lounge was Shawn. Shawn is not his real name. It is the name he kindly allows us English tongue handicapped people to use. This is a little example of Georgian hospitality. We enjoyed some small talk as Cigar lovers and became fast friends. He told me that he belonged to the Georgia Whiskey Club and that they were having a Bourbon tasting on Sunday if I wanted to come. I jumped at the idea.

Sunday came, and I met with an awesome, friendly group of locals from all walks of life. The evening's host was Giga Khatiashvilli, and he greeted me like an old friend when I walked into the restaurant-bar 11/11 located at 11 Galaktion, near Liberty Square. He wasn’t just a gracious host, but stepped up to be my interpreter for the evening as well. We sampled two offerings from Jack Daniels, and two more from Bulleit. The opinions of the evening were as varied as the palates they graced. I preferred the Bulleit offering distilled in Lawrenceburg Indiana. It contained  95 percent Rye and was a little more “layered.”

The tables were graced with various whiskey themed offerings as well. Chicken skewers finished in a Jack Daniels sauce and baked apples finished in the same manner with walnuts. Various finger food delicacies also found their way onto our table, and I had a good time trying to explain the haute culinary couture of a hush-puppy. It came down to everyone loves mashed potatoes, and deep frying makes everything better. The evening was tied in a bow with coffee, cigars, and a wonderful pumpkin pie.

During the evening, Giga introduced me to his friends and Shawn managed to get free of work to attend as well. I was introduced to Dimitri Gakhov and told he was Tbilisi’s resident expert on cigars. Turned out he is and it also turns out he is a super nice guy as well. Not at all like a stuffy expert! We shared the evening, and I forgot how much I was missing home and my traditional Christmas. While it might sound maudlin, but I wasn’t in the least bit drunk and the room truly was filled with the spirit of Christmas. People of all walks of life and income were enjoying a common love and sharing.

Dimitri invited me out to the Havana Club Tbilisi, as he was expecting the new 2015 Bolivars to arrive and I decided to take him up on his offer. I met him at the Havana Club and was immediately impressed at the design and offerings of this oasis. It is an inviting and yet elegant place, striking a perfect match rarely seen in cigar lounges. He greeted me in a rich dark suit, and I was formally attired in Puma T and antiqued Guess jeans. It was fine, and we both fit the decor. The humidor at the Havana Club is impressive, and I don’t say that with an “in Georgia” qualifier. Novice to the jaded smoker will find something to tempt and tantalize including rare offerings and aged beauties. The selection of spirits is as remarkable, and the staff are attentive and professional.

Dimitri and I talked about the Club and his visions for the future and enjoyed a couple of hours between tasks that demanded his attention. One of these was the delivery of the 2015’s and watching him open the boxes once again reminded me of Christmas. It is rare to see a man doing his job that is not a job but a passion and love. If you are within a thousand kilometers of this place, it needs to be on your cigar bucket list. If you are a true connoisseur and love travel, then this should be a destination stop. Georgia has incredible wine and not just the sweet stuff that gets exported to the Americas, but world class incredible vintage sips. I also heard that one of the most famous wine areas in a country known for wine is going to do a Port offering. Hey, I know a guy, and I feel better now!

Georgia is rich in history and culture, and while you can find that elsewhere you can not find hospitality like this anyplace. Add to this an easy visa process and incredibly gentle sin tax and you will not find a better place to smoke and drink while you check out a little history.

 

Musings & just a little venting in Tbilisi

The Surrey International Writers Conference is currently going on and I find myself sorely in need of some positive energy. The kind Robert Dugoni usually brings in bunches. Getting and reading rejection letters are part of every writer’s path. It is part of the business and the trade. This fact doesn’t make it any easier. Being a citizen of the world and away from one’s regular support group compounds the issue. Well, at least Vodka is inexpensive and good in Tbilisi. Relax, my over sensitive readers, it isn’t that bad. But at times it feels that way and at moments like those I reflect on the stories Bob told a few years ago, and will most likely say again to you attending this year. Fill up on those as they will pay as many dividends as any Masters Class. Be positive with one another, and support each other, as we are all the same regardless of the stories we tell. I know it can be difficult but endure.

I recall listening to a writer attendee talk about his Neo-gothic steampunk vampire detective novel. It was set in the last century, but the dialogue was in an abbreviated text form of language. I listened and while most certainly not my genre, interest, or understanding I nodded and was supportive. When someone interjected negatively about the language form, I responded with “It worked for A Clockwork Orange.”

We storytellers (props Rick M) face a very uphill fight. The industry is changing and the audience seems to still be shrinking. Time, our most precious commodity, is fleeting and making the time to read is difficult. I love reading and I can’t get into fiction while I am writing. I reward myself with two weeks of reading time when I finish my first draft. Letting the project sit I let myself enjoy some fiction. Traveling the world and enjoying real books means when I finally got to my copy of The Border it looked like it had been through a war. I enjoyed it immensely and was reminded of the magic of reading once again. Good storytellers can perform this magical feat. It also inspired me to pick up my own MSS and run a critical eye over it again. I re-read sections of Writing 21st Century Fiction by Donald Maass paying close attention to some tension angles and twists. It inspired me to push the envelope of the genre and write a new first chapter. Risky to be sure, but I believe it works better and adds a quirk and a twist reader’s will love or hate. Either way it will generate strong emotions. Currently, it seems to be hated. But lets put this into perspective Agents aren’t really readers. They are quasi-humans descended from the genes of the three-headed dog that guards Hell. As such they guard the gates of literary stardom and obscurity with a fierce voracity. Jaded and judgmental they journey through piles of parchment penned pap, searching for the next STEPHEN…Seriously they are human. They read our stories with an expert eye to the marketability of our stories. They know the industry and the market. Perhaps in this climate they are less likely to take many risks but, on the whole, they are positive people. I try to remember this fact when I read; “While I liked the characters and the…I just don’t think I am the right agent for this project.”

One point of criticism that I will in all seriousness add is hire some of the out of work tech gurus and start accepting PDF attachments. Honestly they could use the work and are pretty cheap these days. I write in Scrivener, on a Mac, and exporting to rich text and fixing all the page breaks, margins, exotic punctuation, and ghost monkeys is more than a little challenging. “Please add in the body of your email three chapters…page margins of…with pink bows instead of periods and underlines for italics.” I think a correctly written query is enough to let you know if this person is real or not. Then decent antivirus software at the server level should be protection enough. Bring the PDF down to an Ipad for continued reading if you think the risk is too great. Imagine reading projects formatted and easy on the eyes? Nirvana right? If you have made the decision to spend four hours reading an MSS then surely the expenditure of two hundred bucks for an old Ipad is minuscule for the combined ease to you and writer alike. I wonder how many great writers get slush piled because they sent an email with difficult to read content?

  I have been making new friends here in Tbilisi and enjoying the country of Georgia. Inga and I have been helping out friends that run a place called The English Language Club. It is a great little club that does English language training and asked if we’d come and tell the kids about Canada. It was a hit and everyone had a great time learning. Me included!