2012: The Beginning of the End (An honest look back)

I must mention at the beginning of this post that all can not be revealed here.  With more eyes on what I put on the web these days, I will be unable to totally rehash 2012 in full.  It breaks my heart to have to hold back on the truth, but that is the way things are.  Should I ever become a self-made billionaire writer who answers only to himself, then I can fully disclose all the obstacles I had to overcome to deliver Monarch this year.

The most disheartening thing to me right now is the fact that there are still errors in the story.  They are mostly small errors that should have been fixed prior to the release of the paperback.  I own up to my mistakes and can blame no one but myself.  

Had time not been so sensitive with this story I might not have self-published.  In truth, I was editing up until after midnight on December 8th.  Could all four stages have used a last Quality Control run through?  Absolutely!  As writer and publisher it is my responsibility to deliver the best product possible.  Had certain things, which I am not at liberty to discuss until I put them in my memoirs some time from now, happened differently over the past three years, those errors likely would not be there.  But they are for now.  What you see in the pages of Monarch was what I could do with the time restrictions I placed upon myself.  And again, it is my responsibility to go back and fix any and all errors after the new year.  

I would like to be able to lie to you and tell you that all these other great moments took place this year.  That would just not be true.  This year has been a battle for me.  While I am glad to say that I survived, I cannot say that I am better off than I was this time last year.  I would elaborate, but again I am obligated to not go into detail at this time.  

You can see my frustration.  How do I properly paint a picture of the year that was, if I cannot disclose all that took place.  The truth is I am unable to go in depth into 2012.  You will have to accept that some of what I am unable to mention involves others and I do not want to hurt them or myself by speaking truths that might affect the future for them or myself.  Such is life, no?

One reason I felt the need to publish Monarch was because of Cipher, the story my main character, Ginger, reads in Monarch.  I wrote Cipher back in 2000 as a screenplay but did nothing with it, other than make a short film trailer.  As the past decade unfolded I always had Cipher in the back of my mind.

It wasn't until 2005 that I began to notice similarities in the story as was taking place in the real world.  Sounded crazy to me, so I let it go as coincidence and as my love for Cipher potentially making something out of nothing. Years later, as I was working on the 1st draft of Monarch I implemented my perceived coincidences as those of the readers of Cipher.

Monarch has not even been out in its entirety for even a month and I have found a not-so-happy coincidence with Monarch and our present reality.  In just over 12 hours our country will be going over the fiscal cliff.  Whether we can prevent it or not, no one knows just yet.  However, there are two moments in Monarch that seem eerily similar to what may potentially take place at midnight to our economy.  I don't want to ruin the story, but if you read Monarch I hope you'll take a moment to think about the big picture when that not-so-happy coincidence takes place.

If I were not a self-publishing author, I would let someone else point such a thing out. It would surely sound better coming from someone else, but there is no one else lining up to point these things out.  So here I am.  These so-called coincidences are evident even in many of the books that I read.  My mother even mentioned a book she was reading that had a reference to something in current events. We look for relevance in all that we consume.  Hopefully our country and the world won't go over the fiscal cliff tonight.  God knows I need my tax refund just as much as anyone else.  But if we do flip the page to a new year and no agreement has been made, I will not smile and say I told you so, because I never actually did.  Symbolism and metaphors are not the same as what will be happening to my wallet.  They aren't, no matter how similar the images. While it is true my main character is a metaphor for something larger than herself, what happens to her is her journey and not the journey of all of us.

This year has been an absolute whirlwind and I am thrilled that it has come to an end.  My hopes are high for 2013.  I am no longer on the clock in regard to a writing project.  Can't even begin to tell you what a burden that was.

For those that are interested, I have two stories that I hope to do something with next year. One is a screenplay follow-up to Monarch.  The story is about James Ruth and is better suited for the screen than the page.  The other is entitled Psykosis.  It is much shorter than Monarch but touches on some of the same issues as my first novel.  These three stories make up my Psychological Apocalypse trilogy.  I find the human mind fascinating and I believe it is the frontier of the near future.  These three stories mark the old world of the human mind and memory, the pitfalls if you will.

Hope you are as excited about the new year as I am.  I look forward to discussing things in greater detail on the other side.  Hopefully, it's not as we are plummeting toward another great depression.  Take a deep breath and embrace whatever comes next. We'll face it together.

Happy New Year!

-aap

Happy Psychological Apocalypse!

Whew!  We made it.

All the naysayers will have their day of "I told you so's." And so they should.

As for those who had been waiting with bated breath for this day... slowly emerge from your bunkers and rejoin the world.  Any embarrassment will pass.

While there is certainly no shame in clinching up over what might possibly have happened, it is time to transition into another way of  using that energy.  What we do from here on out is up to us.  Because the only thing standing in our way now is ourselves.

"If only I had..." is no longer a viable excuse.  The future lay beyond this day's threshold and new plans need be made.

It was so much fun working on a story that had today 12/21/2012 as the psychological apocalypse for my main character.  Writing about the future was both fun and frustrating at the same time.  The future is much like a blank page.  While anything theoretically might take place, the hand that holds the pen that makes its mark upon the page has a history.  In that case, what is written may come with surprises but is always in relation to something that has happened prior.

The media's minimizing the importance of this day over the past few months has been intriguing to watch.  It showed how we might be coaxed into dealing with other events in the future.  Suppressing anxiety is a good thing.  But doing so by eliminating discussion is scary on another level.

As we continue on through this holiday season and into the new year, let us all be thankful for what we have right now, because no one knows when it might all be gone.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

-aap

FOUR

Four days and counting until 12/21/2012.  Or did you think I would let you forget?

Admittedly, I have had to begin thinking about how to promote Monarch once Friday has come and gone.  So much of my focus over the past three years has been focused on the 21st.

My surprise this year has been how willing most everyone has been to simply dismiss this Friday as if it were nothing.  It certainly is not nothing.  Another surprise is how unwilling the majority of people are to take a real look at themselves and the world around them.  Are we all so interesting and self-involved that we do not see our own place in the world?

I am as guilty as anyone of enclosing myself in a bubble from time to time.  We all do this because of the importance we place upon our goals at any given moment.  Be it a much-needed vacation, family, retirement, love, video games, you name it.  The end of a man-made cycle of time that coincides with astronomical alignments and potential earth changes just has to take a backseat.  But it is there for all of us in the rear-view mirror, so close that it's wanting to move into the front seat and drive.

Anthropologists, Sociologists and Psychologists are having a field day watching how people are reacting to our proximity to this Friday.  They are keen to see how we all deal with the much maligned day.

I watched a program on one of the science channels (can't remember which channel or what show it was) and it discussed how people pay less attention to a known potential cataclysm the closer they are to it.  People who live near volcanoes live in denial of potential disaster.  Same as those who live on a "known" fault line that is overdue for a massive quake.  The same is apparently true for most people concerning this Friday.

Why else has talk about Friday's importance to all of us been left up to a selected few archaeologists and NASA scientists the past eight months?  FEAR, that is why.  There is no benefit for a country, outside of Mexico and Guatemala, in focusing too much attention on December 21, 2012.  Those two countries are raking in mad money due to tourism.

Our perception of what that day means has been altered this year to serve a purpose.  The purpose is to maintain normalcy and suppress anxiety.  There were two big misinformation bombs that I heard over the past year.  One, the Mayan's didn't take into account Leap Years.  Therefore, they claim, the end day has passed or is yet to come.  I heard this one so many times doing research that it made me wonder if it was true.  It turns out the Maya didn't need leap years because their calendar was more precise than our own.  The second round of misinformation was the great deal of importance given to an archaeological find this past spring.  Some writings were found in a pyramid chamber that mentioned cycles after the end of the 13th Baktun on 12/21/2012 -- the supposed end of the long count calendar.  The find littered news sites on the internet and on television for two weeks.  Why?  To suppress fears.  Genius!

Many people already knew that the Maya thought of time in terms of cycles repeating themselves.  This information was publicized for those who did not already know about those cycles.  Some New Agers knew it, that was why they were talking about a new beginning and not destruction.

I am all for people not getting freaked out by something they cannot control.  It does none of us any good.  But dismissing the significance of Friday is not wise either.  The people of this world suffer many faults, myself included.  There are way too many of us on this rock and we are still growing out of control.  We have become a detriment to our own planet.  These are facts.  Anyone who thinks otherwise is either in it for the money or has been led astray by someone who is.

The only thing NASA needs to be doing is finding another planet for us to live on, because the way things are going this one will be used up within a handful of generations.

I'm no hippie-dippie peace and love advocate.  We just can't allow special interests to destroy our home planet just to pad their pockets. WTF point is there in that?  Although there may be no way we can currently stop it, that doesn't mean we should stop talking about it.  Sure, we'll all likely be long gone by that time, but is that really how we want to be remembered?  A generation of people who idly sat on their hands and allowed those who don't care about us, except for how they can profit from us, to stick a knife deeper and deeper into our collective side as a species?

There are many things to take pride in as a species, but communication is probably our crowning achievement.  A majority of our technology is communication oriented in one way or another.  It's all about our making our point.  Be it as individuals or as a species.  We are the speakers for our planet and our solar system. (Have we ever named our solar system?)  Beginning on 12/22/2012, our goals need at the very least include becoming worthy ambassadors to such an immense responsibility.  We all have greatness within us. Sometimes it's just too difficult to show.

Regardless of what you think may or may not occur on Friday, we are living in a time of great change.  What kind of change that will be is to some extent up to us as individuals. There may be no D-Day for what transpires.  It may be a gradual realization.  That is how humanity had progressed up until the start of the twentieth century.  But with the speeding up of everything in our lives these days, our old, slow way of processing new information is changing.   This change has already begun, regardless of our actual awareness of exactly what it will mean for us.

If you feel yourself within a time of great change even after 12/21/2012, I highly recommend my book Monarch.  The book is all about change.  Good and Bad.  It's about taking personal responsibility for who you are and the choices that you make.  But most importantly, Monarch is about how we are connected to one another, and how that connection can and does affect all of us.

I swear it's not a love fest.  I didn't even mention that I deliver my own brand of Apocalypse to Ginger Reed and her world in this story.  What kind of 12/21/2012 story would this be without at least a little carnage.  My being able to present that was alone worth the effort to write the story.

If you haven't picked up Monarch before 12/21/2012, don't worry, you'll get just as much out of it afterwards.  Grab a copy and enjoy the ride.  

-aap

Get Started for Free!

today is a new day

What happened before is in the past; we can can wrangle over what transpired, or simply let it go.  My ever-searching writer's ear helps me to create stories from whispers in the ether.   I can hear the questions asked in private but have yet to go public.  The most obvious is: Why read a book about 12/21/2012 with only 9 days to go until that day arrives?  The ether also offered up this one: Why not release Monarch several years earlier?

Now I'm no psychic; the whispers in the ether are of course my own.  The above questions were questions I asked myself before I started on Monarch 2 1/2 years ago in the spring of 2010.  I hear them today because these are valid questions from those who are reluctant to investigate further. How the story was written in 2010 was shaped by my concerns over those particular questions.

While Monarch takes place literally in the present, it deals heavily with an issue that is as timeless as our our own history here on Earth. FEAR FOR OUR LIFE.  It is the greatest of motivators and most basic of emotional states.  Every culture in the world has creation and destruction myths because we live on a world within an expanding and infinitely changing universe, not a glass doll house where everything is as it should be.  The threat of destruction is, and always will be, possible at any moment.

The good news is that we as humans love to be blissfully ignorant of what is going on around us, and we like to pretend that all is going to be ok.  Even if it is only for a little while.  But we sure would like for things to be kept that way for as long as possible.   These things are eternal and do not change by generation.  They are a part of what makes us human, and that is what is at the core of Ginger Reed's epic journey to freeing her spirit from the confines of her gilded cage.  (Those who have read Monarch will get the reference.)

Ginger's journey is a similar journey that all generations face when, on occasion, we open our eyes and look around and ask: What if "X" happens?  Is there anything I can do?

In short, I wrote Monarch to be a story about the enduring human spirit.  It is meant to show how all of our lives are intertwined in ways that we don't even know until we open our eyes and take a look outside.  Sometimes, all we need is a little push.

So, why read a book about 12/21/2012 with only 9 days to go until that day arrives?  Because it is about so much more than that day.  While it takes place presently, it could be taking place at any time.  The fear of something awful happening isn't going away anytime soon. Besides, as long as nothing happens next Friday, we will all be looking back on the end of the Mayan Calendar and wonder: what if something had happened? Some of us might even be asking: what did actually happen?

Why didn't I release Monarch several years earlier?  Granted, the majority of this story has been available for most of the year, except for the last few chapters.  But, in honesty, I did write the story Ginger reads back in 2000.  Cipher, however, is not Monarch.  Monarch is so much more than Cipher, and I was not prepared to write it before 2010.  But when 2010 arrived, I had to write it.  I was hell bent on bringing both Ted and Ginger to life.  I won't lie, it took a lot to fight off those lingering questions in the back of my head as I pushed through the blood, sweat and tears to deliver upon that promise to myself and to you.

I assure you that questions about 2012 will linger long after the new year arrives; and Monarch will be uniquely relevant to potentially answer some of those questions.  Haters and naysayers aside, there will be those who shall use their own experience of this time to shape a better future.

It all comes down to one simple choice: Will you at any point next Friday think about what has happened up until now and wonder what happens next?  If you do, how will you react?

While those who read Monarch will not likely share in the same experiences as Ginger, a few women and men may be able to relate to her.  That by itself would make all my work over the past thirteen years worth it.

To read Monarch, you can find it as an eBook or paperback.


EBook Retailers                             Paperback

Amazon                                      Black & White   $14.99
$4.99                                           (6x9)

Barnes and Noble                        Color        $65.00
$4.99                                           (8x10 Coffee Table Collectors Item)
                                                   *Buy the eBook and Save 38% with
                                                    coupon in the back of the eBook.   
ITunes                                     
$4.99

Smashwords
$4.99

Diesel
$4.99

I know the one book is pricey.  I had no control in setting the price.  But if you buy the eBook, there is a coupon code to use at the back of the book to save 38%.  The collectible will only be available for a short span of time and contains all of Scott Padgett's wonderful illustrations in vivid high-resolution color.

-aap

Enter The Cipher

One month in the cipher with eleven days to go until we reach the center.  That is how Ginger Reed, the main character of my novel Monarch, would frame her belief surrounding the winter solstice this year.  That focused state of concern can happen at any time for anyone one who lives and breathes.  A prophetic apocalypse need not be passed down from an archaic civilization to warrant the ecstatic state of fear that Ginger experiences.  It helps, but isn't required.  

Our perception of our own existence in reality, and how that reality can be affected by everything around us, is the crux of her crisis.  We all live in a personalized bubble.  As does everyone else in our lives.  Some of the time, with a person's age and unique situation varying the circumstances, the bubble allows information to pass back and forth freely through its membrane.   

For the sake of the story, let's just say that Ginger's bubble has become rigid -- her bubble a shield.  Action or reaction is required on her part to ward off danger.  If she were a lioness, her ears would be pinned back. She is defensive and ready to pounce.    

That is the state of mind of the main character in Monarch.  My debut novel that is now available in its entirety.  (Originally released as eBooks in four individual stages throughout 2012)

The Paperback versions are now available as well.  For those who like Scott Padgett's artwork and want to seem them represented in their full color brilliance,  there is the 8x10 version.  The cost was beyond my control, though it is cheaper than most College Classroom Books.  There is a coupon code at the back of the recently updated eBook versions of Monarch.  If you buy the eBook you can get the code and save money.  The coupon takes 38% of the sticker price.  

The second paperback is also available.  It is a 6x9 black and white version of Monarch.  The listing price for that is $14.99.  Both paperbacks are available for one or two day shipping.  

Should she and her family survive 12/21/2012, Ginger's Birthday is on the other side of the swirling cipher for her, and it's a big one.  She will be turning the BIG 40.  Monarch is an ode to the enduring human spirit inside us all. Take the ride along with Ginger and be changed forever.

-aap

The Homestretch

It's the Hap-happiest time of the year.  Just before midnight last evening I uploaded the first half of the final stage of Monarch (Monarch:Butterfly). The conclusion of Monarch, the final piece of my four-part eBook series, will be made available on 12/08/2012.  It will coincide with the release of the Limited Paperback Edition of Monarch.  

I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time.  When I first wrote about this particular day back in July of 2010 it was just a day like any other.  I had my extensive outline, my first round of research completed and had this rapidly swirling concept of time in mind - this vortex or cipher, if you will - around the day 12/21/2012.  It was my quintessential opening day, the one I chose to introduce the world to my main character Ginger Reed.       

If you haven't met her, you're missing out.  A casual observer might come to the conclusion that she's an attractive soccer mom who lives in the suburbs with her wonderful family.  That observer would be correct, because that is the very image that Ginger has tried to maintain.  However, her fears over what might happen on 12/21/2012 will take her to the edge of sanity.

You should know that I wrote this story for one single reason: I had to.  I had to write it because I wanted there to be something out there about 12/21/2012 that I would actually want to read myself.  This book contains all the aspects I like in the books I currently choose to read: Mystery, Drama, Psychological, Apocalypse and Fantasy.

Mystery - If I don't have questions, then I'm not interested.

Drama - As a former actor I needed emotions to make my point, and without emotional motivations for every action a story can lose focus.

Psychological - If I'm not actively thinking about more than the physical surroundings my characters are involved with, what is the point?  "Smithers, massage my brain," Mr. Burns (The Simpsons)

Apocalypse - If I was going to write a 700 page novel about the lead up to 12/21/2012, it had to have the Apocalypse.  I cannot even tell you how much fun I had developing Stage Three.

Fantasy - I am a big fan of fantasy.  Tolkien and King were two of my greatest influences for this book.  The book Ginger feels she has to finish reading prior to 12/21/2012, Cipher, was a screenplay I wrote back in 1999.  That screenplay was a slow-cooked apocalyptic fantasy with a Middle Earth feel.

I could go on and on about influences and genres that this story touches on, and that motivated me to write it in the first place.  That is for another day.  Today is about entering that 42-day cipher surrounding 12/21/2012, as if we have been pulled into the gravitational stranglehold of the giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Ginger Reed is feeling the pull of time, are you?

Finish the journey on 12/08/2012 via eBook or with your Limited Paperback Edition.

-aap

Final Update - Monarch: Butterfly (Part One)

**Important Info Regarding the Release of Stage Four**

After doing some research into Amazon's Create Space, I have decided to release a paperback version of Monarch on 12/8/2012.  Because of this decision Monarch: Butterfly shall be released in two parts.  It will work very much like the split-release of Stage Three.  In September, Chrysalis was released on the 21st missing only the 46-page final chapter.  I released the final chapter on October 1st.  This was done in earnest for my original readers in order to compensate for the seven-week update delay to their version of Monarch through Amazon.

On 11/10/12 the first part of Monarch: Butterfly will be released.

The Conclusion of Stage Four and all of Monarch shall be released on 12/8, with thirteen days remaining until 12/21/2012.  Part One and Part Two of Stage IV are each approximately 100 pages in length. There will be two weeks for you to finish before the world finds out what, if anything, will happen on that much maligned day.  

I am utilizing the four weeks between 11/10 and 12/8 to polish the entirety of Monarch for the Final First Edition.  It will be a 700-page sprint to the finish.  That will be my last dealing with Monarch, unless I decide to do a second edition at some point in the future.  May the holidays be a joyous time for everyone, especially for those who have taken the bumpy ride along with the Reed family.  I cannot thank you enough for doing so.

Remaining eBook (Updates) Release Dates:

Monarch: Butterfly (Part One) will be released on 11/10/12.  On 12/8 Monarch:Butterfly (Part Two) and Monarch: Butterfly (w/ both parts) will be released.  The Final First Edition of Monarch will also release on 12/8.  

The Limited First Edition Paperback Release Date for Monarch is 12/08/2012

At the very back of the eBook version of Monarch, which will be updated next week Saturday, you will find a coupon code for the Smashwords version of the eBook.  This will enable anyone who purchases the eBook to begin reading the conclusion of Monarch in December.  The coupon will expire on 12/20.  Those who already own Monarch will also receive this new code, should you need to use it, when you use the current code on 11/10 to begin reading the Monarch: Butterfly (Part One) update.

*The paperback version of the book will be available for a limited time only.

I'm not sure when the cutoff day will be just yet.  It will run from 12/8 to either 12/21, 1/1, or  2/1 (Ginger's Birthday). It is a limited release because I have no idea how the book will feel or look in a reader's hand.  If I am not pleased with how it comes out, I will cut off print sales on the 21st.  At 700 pages with illustrations the proper size of the book is my greatest concern.

Whatever the books look and feel like, each one printed is sure to be a collector's edition.  It was never my intent to release it as a paper bound book.  I had been thinking about an eBook only release ever since I started writing back in 2010.

Over the past year, numerous people told me they would read it once it came out in print.  It was frustrating for me to hear this over and over again.  An eBook seemed cost effective and the Green thing to do.  Plus, I was self-publishing, and an eBook was the only way I had even considered releasing Monarch without a traditional publisher.  Print is permanent and it can cost a pretty penny to publish it that way.  The extent of my resources - limited.  

It turns out that it is now just as cost effective to self-publish in print as it is to eBook.  While it is not as environmentally friendly, I do understand the relationship people have with a physical book.  My main character has a serious relationship with the book she is reading, and it is in print. Many of the books I read are in print.  The paperback First Edition of Monarch will be available on 12/8 through Amazon, and only through Amazon.

It's been an adventurous ride over the past 2 1/2 years.  I can't wait to hear your feedback, and to talk about the whole process at greater length on the  other side of publication.

 -aap

Do you know what will happen on 12/21/2012?

Do you know what will happen on 12/21/2012?  Neither does Ginger Reed, but she believes one author’s book might hold the answer.  If only she can finish the book and find out what that answer is, she might be able to help her family survive an impending Apocalypse.  With only one month and eleven days until the much maligned end date of the Mayan Calendar, she has to hurry.  And so do you if you want to finish the one book this Holiday Season that will blur the line between reality and fiction like no other. 

The Final Stage of Monarch releases on 11/10/2012.  That is the same day Monarch opens and Ginger Reed walks into a bookstore to buy Cipher, the book that she feels she must read in order to save herself from a potential life-changing event on 12/21/2012.  Fear and Obsession can take hold of ones mind and block out everything else.  They can make you do things that you might not do otherwise.  They can change the course of your life forever. 

Take the life-altering ride with Ginger and see where the two of you end up. 

Reader’s Note: The optimal way to experience Monarch is to begin reading it on 11/10/2012.  This way you are following literally in Ginger’s footsteps.  While she reads Cipher, you are reading Monarch.  A truly unique reading experience like no other.  Will she finish reading the book before “Zero Hour?”  Will you?  What will happen?  Be one with the moment and enjoy the ride, and remember: It’s only a story.

-aap

10/1/2012 Full-Release of Stage Three

The day is finally here.  Stage Three is available for release in it's entirety.  Amazon still has not made the update available to owners of Monarch.  I sent another email today and hope to have at least an update link available on your Manage Your Kindle page on the Amazon website in the short term.  If you took advantage of the free three-chapter opportunity, I hope you enjoyed it. Purchase Stage Three at either Amazon or Smashwords to find out if Ginger, Dmitri and Alasdair escape the city.   If you own a Smashwords copy of Monarch, you can download the new version at any time.  

I personally recommend Smashwords.  The updates are available immediately and you have several different formats to choose from, including Kindle format.

*A little secret: If you downloaded Monarch: Chrysalis (Coccon) for free from Smashwords over the past two weeks, you should now be able to read the last chapter.

If you have yet to read any of Monarch or downloaded Stage Two or Three before reading Stage One, no worries.  Stage One is available for FREE on Smashwords.

Stage Four is due for release on 11/10/2012.

-aap  

Stage Three Release

Stage Three of Monarch, minus the last chapter, is available for free via Amazon and Smashwords.  It will remain free on Smashwords until October first.  The Amazon "Free Period" will run until 11:59 PM on Wednesday the 26th of September.  I will then raise the price on Chrysalis, like I did with Monarch, to $199.99.  DO NOT BUY IT!  This will remain the price until October 1st and the entirety of Stage Three is made available.

On October 1, 2012, the final chapter of Stage Three will be released for $1.99.  Stage Two will lower in price to $0.99, the current price of Stage One.

This particular way of releasing Stage Three will function as a final test, so to speak, for the release of Stage Four on November 10, 2012.  Because Stage Three is free right now it allows everyone, even my poor early purchasers of Monarch who have suffered long update delays, a chance to read up to the last chapter.  This was not the case with Stage Two.

I hope you enjoy the 75% Free Preview.  But you should know that the two people who read all of Stage Three, including the missing chapter, prior to the release both told me that they enjoyed the last chapter the most.  I won't ruin anything here, but I will say that the small town in the last chapter was the title and setting for a screenplay I wrote.  I even borrowed two old characters from that screenplay for some rather oddly surreal cameos.

On October 1, 2012 read the final chapter of Stage Three.  If you enjoyed the first 75%, you're going to love how it ends.  Just Saying.


Thanks for Reading.

 Enjoy!

-aap

Final Stage Three Update

I have come up with a solution to work around the lengthy update process with Amazon.  Even though the process was frustrating during the release of Stage Two back in late May, I couldn't let it keep me from my task of self-publishing Monarch. I like a challenge as much as the next guy, and my challenge after the release of Stage Two was to figure out a way to deliver each of the last two stages of Monarch without major "technical" issues.

The plan is this:  At Midnight on September 22, 2012 Monarch: Chrysalis (Cocoon) will be available Free of charge for five days.  It will only be available at Amazon and Smashwords.  Currently the Amazon page has it listed for $199.00. If you were to purchase it now, you would get a one page document telling you outdated information.  Do not buy it.  When it becomes available for free the book will be missing the last chapter.  I repeat.  When Stage Three becomes available on September 22nd for free, it will contain three of the four chapters that make up Stage Three.

Owners of the Amazon version of Monarch, the four-part serial novel, will receive their updates at some point.  When that is?  I cannot control and cannot tell you.  I can, however, control the release of Monarch: Chrysalis (Cocoon) as an individual Stage Three eBook.  It is separate from the omnibus novel that requires an update for each new stage upon their release.

Should you want to read the rest of Stage Three, and I hope you do, you will either have to wait for your kindle version of Monarch to update (and I will inform you when I find out anything) or you will have to pay $1.99 to know what happens.  The full version of Stage Three, all four chapters, will be available October 1st.

My readers are the reason I have chosen to release Stage Three, and likely Stage Four, in this way.  Three out of four chapters for everyone, to me, seems more fair to those who bought Monarch, than to just go ahead and release Stage Three.  This way I include my most loyal readers who have been with Ginger and myself ever since the bookstore.  The update with all of Stage Three will be available at some point, and those readers will be able to finish the last chapter.

As for everyone else? You guys do not know and won't have to deal with the frustrations that the others had to deal with.  Rejoice!  From midnight this Friday night until midnight on next Wednesday everyone will be able to read Monarch: Chrysalis (Cocoon), minus the last chapter, for free.

Regardless of the eBook technical issues and my attempts to be judicious with the release of Stage Three, the entirety of Stage Three will be available for sale on October 1st.

I believe I can say with certainty that the update for Stage Three will be available before the release of Stage Four on November 10th.  That's far more time than it took for Stage Two to finally update. The final chapter will suck you right back in and deposit you in the quaint little town of Millers Ridge near James Ruth's farm.

Enjoy.  And thanks for reading.

-aap

Summer's Wane (Late-August Update)

The mercury in our thermometers has begun to retreat.  Thank goodness, too.  It has been a hot summer here in the southern United States.  We topped 100 degrees on numerous occasions, and that doesn't even take into account  the humidity.  Take one step outside and you are wearing it like a wool sweater.

Fall is right around the corner, just under one month away.  I've been so busy these past few months that updating my blog has taken a back seat to getting things done.  For years prior to my starting this blog, friends told me that I should start one. I fought the temptation of being able to communicate something in an instant for a long time.  Everything changed when I decided to write a novel.  Almost everyone I sought advice from as I began preparations to self-publish talked about building a platform.  They advised that non fiction writers had to have a platform, while fiction writers--it couldn't hurt.

For any of you who keep up with my blog, or follow me anywhere else on my online "platform," I will be sending Amazon the updated version of Monarch this Friday.  It will contain stage three.  This update will be made available at Amazon's discretion.  Whichever comes first, the Amazon update for Monarch, or September 21st, will dictate when everyone else will be able to purchase their copy of Monarch: Chrysalis.

I chose to establish the twenty first of September as the default release date for stage three because:  a) It's three weeks from the day I will have sent the update to Amazon, and their rules stated a three week potential wait time; b) I promised to have Chrysalis out this summer, and the 21st is the last day of summer; and c) I promised the owners of an Amazon eBook of Monarch that I wouldn't release stage three until it was available to them first.  This was as fair as I could think to make the release of Stage Three.  If it doesn't work, I'll try and remedy the situation as quickly as possible.

Zoiks!  I've just pre-apologized.  Can you tell I've had "release" issues recently?

Ok, you're up to date.

Thanks for Reading!

-aap

100th Blog Post (What's Next?)

December 5th, 2010.  That was when I started this blog.   The first blog was very brief, nothing more than an introduction, as you can see for yourself below.

  

First Blog

Hello and Welcome!  My name is Aaron Pitters.  Over the next few months I shall go into detail about a few things (my first novel, the other writings, a few observations from the "writing" trenches)  that I hope some of you might be interested in.  I know I have enjoyed creating them.   Until then, I bid you all a Happy Holidays and a Healthy New Year in 2011.

I've done so much reflecting recently that I'll try and avoid it here.  I want to thank those of you who have kept up with my blog during the past year and a half.  If anyone has any questions for me, I gladly welcome them.  Whether it is about Monarch, writing, movies, science, technology, sports, or any of the other subjects I commonly write about here, I'm hoping the next 100 blog posts can be more interactive.

I'll make even more effort to post here once I've released Stage Four of Monarch.  It will likely take less time to reach 200 posts than it took to reach 100.  The focus of this blog over the past year and a half has been primarily on the process of self-publishing my first book.  The focus will change by the New Year.  While I will always be glad to answer questions about Monarch, my attention will be on the vast expanse of other subjects that I have an interest in.  After two and a half years, I will be ready to stretch my mind.  

Screenplays, Short-stories and the potential follow-up to Monarch will be topping my mind come 2013.  I can guarantee you that any follow-up won't be anywhere near 700 pages in length.  

A follow-up to Monarch?    

Yes, I have one in the works.  It was first written as a screenplay three years ago.   The story ties in with Monarch.  Not as a follow up, though there are two characters carried over from Monarch.  I feel it is one of the best screenplays I've ever written.  What happens with Monarch over the next few months will decide what happens with the follow-up.   While I would be thrilled to adapt it into a book, I'd love to see it as a film.  

I likely won't be giving too many details about the potential follow-up until October or November.  But if you are interested in this next project and would like like to voice your opinion about it's prospects, please feel free to let me know.  

At a party the other day, a friend asked about a story idea I had told him about, as well as nearly a dozen others, over two years ago.  It's a twist on reality TV--it could potentially draw interest in several different formats.

People think their opinions don't matter, but they do.  I hadn't thought about that "reality TV" story for almost three years, but my friend had remembered it and told me: "you've got to write it." It might be the next story I publish because it resonated with my friend more than twelve other stories I told him about nearly three years ago.  That's powerful feedback that has stayed in someone's memory.  While someone who lingers longer than their welcome is a bad thing, an idea that lingers in someone's memory is one of the goals of creative writing.  

Who knows... I may go on a screenwriting binder.  Could try and pump out a couple of the new ideas that I have had since starting the novel, but haven't had the time to do anything about.  I hope to have a better idea of the path ahead come October.

As always, your input is welcome.

Thanks again for reading.  

-aap

New Lease On Life (Stage Four Release Date Announcement)

In my last post I detailed the negative of the past two years.  A habit that I seem to have fallen into over the past year.  Doom and Gloom do not make the heart grow fonder.  At times over these past two years it has felt like I've been on a train that has come off the tracks.  The unconventional way I have gone about things for much of my life has led me to feel like that on more than one or two occasions.

I was asked recently Do you have any regrets?

I've made more than a couple poor decisions in my life, so I had to think about the question for a moment. After I eliminated a few choices, I told this person that my decision to leave California was probably my biggest regret.  While living in Georgia has kept me close to my family, I miss the artistic community and culture of Los Angeles.  Don't get me wrong, I love Georgia.  And my time in LA was a love/ hate relationship.   In the twelve years I have been back in Georgia there have been moments where I felt that I was part of an artistic environment.  However, those moments were because I either paid to be a part of it, or had to give so much of myself that those moments were of my own invention.

LA and the ATL are two different worlds.

My time in LA was about my attempts to start an acting career.  When I left I was tired of the scene, but I thought I would be back.  Life happened and that return was indefinitely postponed.  It's funny to think about it in context with what i am doing now.  I was planning to do research on Cipher when I left LA so that I might write my first big screenplay.  The world seemed to pave the way for me, making my path back East as easy as could be.   

What's funny is how much more difficult things have been while working on Monarch--the story that finally delivers a version of Cipher to the public.  Like many journeys, things start off with a clear picture of where one is going and the path is free of obstacles.  The longer that journey lasts, and the closer one gets to the end, obstacles inevitably seem to pop up, altering the course or changing the journey altogether.

It was not my intention back in 2000 to write Monarch.  The story and the characters had not even been imagined yet.  It took the writing of twenty screenplays and several short stories, not to mention taking numerous writing classes, attending several seminars and devoting years to writing groups, to gather enough confidence to try and tackle a novel.

I must confess that while all of the above was extremely helpful, my most influential experience over the past decade was people watching.  People watching is an invaluable tool for writers.  If you can't pick things up about people, there is no point in trying to write a story that involves them.

Like in real life, my characters are amalgamate of their environment, their surroundings. They are also made up of large portions of myself.  I could go through just about every character I've ever written and find a piece of myself in them.

With the end nearly in site...

Since I released Stage Two I've had to begin thinking about what happens after the release of Monarch.  For two years it was my beacon and I followed it without question.  The two J's, June and July, have been tough months.  I feared putting the cart before the horse by planning too far ahead, losing track of the last two stages and their need for release over the next few months.

The Mid-Summer Blues of Two Zero One Two

It appears my desire to release stage three relatively close together to stage two shall not be fulfilled.  While I would have liked to have my vision of the apocalypse out as soon as possible, it will not be that easy.  It seems that the old expression "wish in one hand and $!&+ in the other" is confirmed once again. These past two years have been the most demoralizing in my entire life and the $!&+ keeps piling up.

To set such a lofty goal (the writing of a seven hundred page book for my first novel) was an undertaking that I felt I was prepared for back in 2010.  I had my health, a purpose (break away from screenwriting and hop on the eBook revolution), and enough drive and passion to meet the tricky but distant enough deadline of 12/21/2012.

In retrospect, if I hadn't been so eager to deliver my long ago written screenplay Cipher (a story that deals with 2012) before this coming December, I might have begun my literary career with a manageable 300-page story.  No, I had to try and tackle the world.  The challenge of incorporating Cipher into a larger story proved too tempting.  Back in 2010 as I was preparing to begin, I had no idea what was ahead of me--only big ideas and a plan to reach my goals.  


The first six months spent writing the initial draft were gravy.  The story flowed forth with such ease that I became overconfident, maybe even cocky.  There was so much time remaining and I was making such good progress, who could have blamed me for feeling like I was ahead of the game.  Time, it turns out, does not like to be taken lightly.  

Flight of the Monarch

Well sound the trumpets and strike up the band.  Great news, everyone.  After seven agonizing weeks of waiting, the frustration is over.  Amazon has sent out the mass email to all of you who have purchased Monarch (Stages 1-4) through their website.

I am very pleased with the content of those emails, too.  It gives people a choice of replying "yes" to the email as you did back in December, or by going to your Manage Your Kindle page on Amazon.  

Anybody who has kept up with this Blog will know that this is a gigantic relief for me.  I try not to get stressed out over things that cannot be controlled, but this book has not been like just any other thing.

All I can do is avoid making the same mistake with my next book.  As I have said before, the writing of a serial story is traditionally released with each individual part made for sale in order, with the whole thing released only after all the other parts are out there.

My attempt to utilize the Amazon update system for the release of Monarch blew up in my face over these past seven weeks.  This was never supposed to be about changing the way books are released.  I just tried to make it as easy and affordable for a reader to get a hold of my book.

Don't get me wrong, I still think a book that receives updates is a good idea.  This is a digital age and such a thing should be possible without hassle or delay.  It's just that all readers who purchase this type of book need to be aware of those updates when they are made available, and they need not be punished by delays for expecting that, either.  

Who knows maybe things will change because of my vociferous complaining over the past month and a half. I'm just glad that the emails have finally gone out.

Now I can focus on the positive, and start looking forward to the release of Stage Three.
The Apocalypse is Nigh!   

-aap

  

July Update for Monarch

As you have undoubtedly heard me talk about before, the release of stage two of Monarch  has been a minor disaster.  I can no longer stay angry with Amazon.  I must now accept the blame entirely as my own.

My desire to utilize the technology of the time caused me to go against what thousands of others have done when releasing a story in parts, as a serial.  Releasing Monarch  under the assumption that timely email updates would coincide with the release of each stage was naive on my part.  While I thought, and still do think, that it would be a great way to read a book, the application of the technology is not truly available to a consumer yet.

When I released Stage One in December of 2011, everything worked out perfectly.  A little too perfectly.  I was under the foolish belief that the rest of the stages would release in similar fashion.  That wasn't the case, and it looks like it won't be the case with Stages Three or Four, either.  I cannot apologize enough for my horrible planning blunder.     

I have since removed from sale on Amazon the version of Monarch (Stages 1-4) that requires updates, and from everywhere else except Smashwords.  Smashwords is the only place I know for certain that a customer has access to updates as soon as they are posted.  Updates to each stage will be made available to Amazon customers who purchased Monarch in the Manage Your Kindle page on the Amazon website, and when and if they ever send out emails alerting you.

The four individual Stages (Egg, Larva, Chrysalis and Butterfly) will be available separately on multiple eBook retail websites (Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Google, etc.).  Upon the release of Stage Four Monarch will take flight again.

2012 MLB First-Half of the Season

The 2012 Major League Baseball season is nearing the All-Star break.  It has been an entertaining first half of the season so far, especially if you are a fan of great pitching.

There have been five no-hitters thrown so far this year, two of those were from the National League (Johan Santana and Matt Cain), while two more were from the American League (Jared Weaver and Phil Humber).  The other no-hitter was provided during interleague play by a bevy of Seattle Mariners (Kevin Milwood, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League and Tom Wilhelmson).  

Five no-hitters so far this year is two more than all of last year and one less then 2010—the supposed “year of the pitcher.”  The year 1884 is the true record holder for most no-hitters in a year with eight.  Since then the most dominant stretch of pitching excellence was in the years 1990 and 1991 when seven no-hitters were thrown in each of those years.  A forty-four year old Nolan Ryan, the Texas flame thrower who frequently exceeded speeds with his fastball of over 100 mph, pitched a no-hitter in each of those years.  Those were the same years that my favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, a team that came to be known for its great pitching, began their run of excellent play. 

Just because there have been five no-hitters thrown already this year, and we’re not yet at the All-Star break, doesn’t mean that the 1884 record is likely to be broken.  Arms tend to tire near the end of July as the heat of summer and number of innings pitched begins to take its toll on a starting pitcher.  Even if a new record were to be set, there will be no fireworks, no tickertape parade, and no trophy.  It is not an individual or team achievement and therefore it would not be celebrated as such. 

Future generations will marvel that in the live-ball era (when hitting home runs was supposed to be easier) pitching was the most impressive aspect of the time.  With all the great young arms coming into the game, even if the 128-year-old record were to fall it may very well be broken again much, much sooner than that. 

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here—there is still the second half of the season to go.  With so many surprising teams in contention this year (Baltimore and Washington to name a couple), it is shaping up to be a memorable season with or without such a longstanding record falling.

Say Goodbye

I had hoped that this next Monarch update would be more positive in nature, but alas things have not changed and I must again convey the negative.   A long exasperated sigh...

I have reached my wits end with Amazon.  I don't know what else to do.  For over one month I have checked my email hoping that they would have sent out the update to my readers.  During that time I have spent countless hours writing emails to the KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) department with no resolution.

Out of respect to my readers who have gone without their update I have unpublished Monarch on Amazon.  A piece of me dies by having to do this, but for the time being it is the right thing to do. 

Monarch is still available through Smashwords, Apple, Barnes and Noble and other eBook providers.  Stages One and Two will still be available on Amazon, but I can no longer in good conscience allow Monarch to remain up for purchase on their website.  Not until they address this issue.  It is shameful what they have done, and just so you know I have given them more than just a tiny piece of my mind.  That may not help to expedite the process but it sure felt good.  

My greatest fear now is that this inexcusable delay might happen again for the last two stages.  Amazon has unwittingly taken a piece of my joy away.  There should be moments of joy for me as I release these individual parts of my first book.  The rocky roads I have faced to get my work into a reader's hands (writing, editing, rewriting) were supposed to be the most formidable part of the process.

The most daunting stresses I have faced along the way are much the same as those facing my main character in Monarch: Keeping Promises.  I promised my readers that the first two stages of Monarch would be available by X and X days, and I have been able to deliver so far.  Amazon promised on several occasions over the last month that they would send out a mass email to my readers.  Read a few of my last blog posts and you'll know how well that's going.  Ginger made a promise to herself up on the mountain at the end of Stage One, and Stage Two deals largely with her attempt to keep that promise.  She said, "If you can't keep the promises you make to yourself, how can you expect to keep them to others?"  Needless to say, she was dealing with some internal stress at the time.  Ginger and I both have internal stress to deal with, but what stress is Amazon under?  If you can't keep your promises then don't make them.  Is that so difficult?  Just keep your promises is all I'm saying.  

With so little time for me to get Monarch completed and into a reader's hands, I was forced to put my trust in what people promised me that they would do.  If you are a big business and break promises, that business should suffer a loss and not be allowed to carry on as if their errors are nothing.  If you are an individual, know that no positive word will be spread about you and that when all is said and done you won't be a part of anything that follows. 

I firmly believe in a code of conduct when dealing with others.  The Golden Rule of conduct is golden for a reason.  (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.)  When you are wronged you are right to make it known to others that someone or some company has done you wrong.  Some call it Karma, others call it Justice.  However one sees it, the breaking of promises shatters that code of conduct and paves the way for bad business and fractures relationships.  

In addition to hurting those of us who are still awaiting our updates, the Amazon house of horrors for an update system has led me to not want others to have to suffer needlessly because of Amazon's incompetence.  I cannot allow more people to suffer the needlessly long wait that others of us have in anticipation of an email update.

It's bad enough I've had to loose money because of Amazon by giving away my book to make up for their not updating it, but now I fear my reputation may be tarnished before I've even had a chance to release the entirety of my first book.  Suck it Amazon!

-aap

Euro 2012 Final

First off, I must apologize to the Italian team.  They have far exceeded what I thought they were capable of at this tournament.  The Azura truly deserve to be in the Final with Spain.  After squeaking by the first round, they out classed England and again squeaked by via PKs to the Semis. Once in the Semifinal, the Italians dominated the German team with the same stifling defense that the world has come to know them for during the better part of the past decade and a half..  Their offense looked better, livelier than the German side.

As for the Germans, I cannot even explain what I saw the other day.  This was their tournament.  It was supposed to be their coronation, at long last a trophy for all their hard work.  But alas, like the Russians against the Greeks, the German team crumbled under the pressure of the moment.  Every other game that they played in this tournament was so easy for them.  As soon as the Germans ran into a team (the Italians) with the wherewithal to actually put up a fight, they lost all sense of who they were.  The midfield and backline should be very disappointed with themselves.

What were Gomez and Klose supposed to do when the heart of the German team, the supposed strength, failed them so miserably?

I still don't know what was wrong with Bastain Schweinsteiger.  If he had a bad ankle and was so ineffective against the Greeks, why on Earth did the man start and play the whole match against the Italians.  He was better in the Semifinal but there was no energy and the only time he did anything positive was at the very end when he began lobbing the ball in toward goal once the game was lost.  Not sure what the Germans will have to do to overcome this massive setback.  First Bayern Munich in the Champions League Final, and then this stinker against Italy.  It's going to be a long off season for some of these players.  They are better suited for a deep run in a tournament than the Russians, but they have to shed that choker status--much like Lebron James did this year in winning his first NBA Championship in dominating fashion.  You cannot let up, ever, until the prize is yours.

Facing Forward

With all the troubles my readers and I have faced concerning the release of Stage Two of Monarch (Larva)--and the troubles are still ongoing, hundreds of people still don't have their copies of Stage Two--I have had to focus too much of my attention on what I had hoped to move on from.   Over a month removed from the release date and a large portion of my readers are without their update.  

In my effort to afford a proactive and frugal reader the chance to read something before anyone else, they are the ones who are not able to read Stage Two.  My unique way of releasing an eBook in stages, which was meant to reward people for purchasing all four stages at once, has hurt them, and I am saddened and angered by what has happened.

This unhealthy and unusable anger has forced me to reconsider the release of the rest of Monarch. I have to look forward, even though the past is unresolved.  My main concern with the release of the book has always been getting it into a reader's hands before December of this year. The reasoning for doing this was sound on my part: I have a book that deals with a specific date in the future, and allowing people to read it with enough time before December  is only fair. To release a six hundred page book in fall with so little time before December would have been unfair.

"No man is an island," the old saying goes.

Sometimes I wish that weren't true, but it is the case in the civilized world.  Troubles arise that one man cannot resolve via his will alone.  Concessions often need be made, and plans must be altered.

My intent was to release Stage Three shortly after Stage Two.  As both the Author and Self-Publisher of Monarch I have to take responsibility for how things have unfolded so far, and how they will unfold from here on out.  So far, I am seeing why I should have chosen something less complicated for my first release.  Write it, edit it, and slap it up on the web.  But then I have rarely taken the path of least resistence.


My single-minded artistic side (Author) is indignant for any and all unnecessary delays.  "How dare anyone or anything stand between my work and my readers."  That side refuses to forget how much work has been put in and craves a release.  It wants to bask for a moment in the pride of completion before moving on to the next project.  


My rational side (Self-Publisher) is charged with placating the artist and keeping things in perspective in order to reach the end.  "Rome wasn't built in a day, was it?   And for goodness sake, don't go expecting the world to bend to your will just because you want it to."  


Thankfully there is a semi-happy balance between the two sides and I'm not out on the street talking to myself.  Not yet at least.  A writer worth his or her salt never forgets a slight, big or small, and makes damn sure to put it to good use.


As the publisher of Monarch, I have concerns about rushing into the release of another stage when the last stage has yet to reach hundreds of waiting hands.  With less than half of the book to go, a reader may be better served to receive stage three and four at the same time, or very close together.  It is a potential compromise between my initial concern: Do I release Monarch all at once or in stages?  Even though Stage Three should be good to go before August, I must consider releasing the last half of the book (Stages Three and Four) all at once.  I cannot afford to further upset readers with another unnecessary month-long delay.  I don't know if I can do anything about that problem with Amazon's KDP email update process, but I do not want to have the same thing happen with Stages Three and Four.   


I'll have to run the idea by my editor when I see her next.  Either way, it gets me facing forward instead of worrying about what I cannot change.  


-aap


   

Euro 2012 Semifinals

The quarterfinals have come and gone, and the results were about as suspected. The first (Czech vs. Portugal0 and last (England vs. Italy) games were the most hotly contested matches.  Both the Czech Republic and England were just outclassed by their opponents. The Czech team at least came to play.  That English team truly did revert to their old ways -- defense, defense, defense.  They couldn't put three passes together.  Sloppy, ugly futbol.  England needs to rethink their game plan if that is the best they can come up with, better yet, go back to the fundamentals of offensive futbol.

There is a reason that the Spanish brand (Possession and crisp passing) of futbol has come to dominate these types of tournaments.  It works!  Look at who is left, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Germany.  Each of those teams, except maybe to a lesser extent Portugal, likes to possess the ball. and they do it very well.  However, only two teams can proceed to the final game.

Matchups:

Portugal vs. Spain -  Without David Villa, the only true striker for Spain is Fernando Torres.  Torres has been running hot and cold, and more cold as of late. The past two games he's had too many offsides runs and just can't seem to time things right.  The coach appears to be playing games with Torres psyche, trying to motivate him.  Will it work?  We'll find out tomorrow.


This is Cristiano Ronaldo's tournament so far.  It has been a bit of redemption for him, since his poor showing in the Champion's League.  The man has a chip on his shoulder and has since reclaimed his place amongst futbol's elite.  


Spain is not the Czech Republic; they play brilliant defense and will control the ball for the majority of the 90-minute match.  Portugal's opportunities may be few and far between.  This should be a brilliant game to watch.  Both sides will likely score, but Spain is the classier of the two teams and should move on.


Italy vs. Germany - Italy looked amazing against the English.  Their passing was crisp--Pirlo truly is the Maestro.  The Azura possessed the ball for 70% of the match, they just couldn't score.  Some credit should go to John Terry; he was absolutely brilliant.  However, the midfield and the forwards, besides Carroll and Gerrard, were bloody awful.  


The German side had only one weakness against the Greek, Bastain Schweinsteiger. I don't know if he is just suffering from the ankle injury or if it is from a concussion that he received during the Champions League final, because what he did out there against the Greek's made absolutely no sense.  The man is one of my favorite German players, too.  His passes belonged on a high school team or at the very best the English team.  Yuck!  I was happy to hear that he will not be starting.  Poor guy hits the post during PKs at the Champions League Final and is now totally ineffective here in the Euro.  Good thing for Germany that they have so much depth and class to compensate for the loss of Schweinsteiger.  


Will Pirlo have enough magic in those 33 year old legs to take Italy to the finals?  No, Germany wins big and advances to a Clash of the Titans with Spain. 


Italy is tired and banged up.  They have gone as far as they can go.  Portugal has been a great team to watch in this tournament.  There is so much anticipation whenever Ronaldo puts his cleats on the ball, but they are unfortunately lacking some depth to take them all the way to the final.  There is a sliver of a chance that Portugal might sneak by Spain due David Villa not being out there to put additional goals in the back of the net.  If it is Germany and Spain, and it should be, oh what an electric final we will all see.  


-aap

Euro 2012 Quarterfinals

There sure were a few surprises in the first round.  Greece befuddling a superior Russian side to advance was the upset of the tournament thus far.  The Russians looked broken in the second half; their composure was seemingly obliterated by the late first half goal by the Greeks.  Russia just couldn't crack the solid Greek defense.  Sometimes you have to lose to win.  That loss may be a character building lesson for the Russians, one they should use to mentally prepare for such a game in the 2014 World Cup.  

The biggest disappointment has to be the Netherlands.  I read something yesterday where the team was jawing at each other over who was to blame for their poor showing.  Not good.

I had really hoped one of the host countries might have advanced, but it wasn't meant to be.  Poland came out firing against the Czech Republic; their problem was that they fell flat in the second half and were out classed by a superior Czech team. The Ukrainian, Poland, and Russian losses were similar in a way.  All three teams came out with great energy in the first half of their respective games, but each seemed to feel the pressure of the moment in the second half.  To the Ukrainian team's credit, they never stopped firing, but they were not poised enough to knock one into the net.  The officials got the non-goal call wrong.  However, since they didn't call offside seconds earlier, both bad calls negated each other.  

France and England advance.  France looked awful.  If they play like that against Spain, it will be a blowout.  With Rooney back, England played their style of futbol (try and score early, defend and counter attack) and squeaked by Ukraine.  

Matchups:

Czech Republic vs. Portugal - At the bare bones of this contest it will be Ronaldo vs Chech.  A predominate scorer against an equally savvy goalkeeper.  The back lines of each side may determine this match.  Neither employ brilliant defense, so the advantage goes to the one who has the best finisher.  Great game to watch.  Portugal moves on.

Germany vs. Greece - This game seems lopsided in Germany's favor to most futbol fans.  Germany has much better composure than the Russians and will not stop shooting on goal.  However, the German defense is susceptible to lapses just like the Russians.  Good timing on offense and a stellar defense give Greece a very small chance of squeaking out another win.  Will it happen?  Highly unlikely.  Germany moves on.

Spain vs. France - A clash of the futbol titans.  Spain has snapped back into form after a stagnant game against the Italian team to open the tournament.  France on the other hand has regressed into their 2010 World Cup manifestation, with half-hearted and ineffective play.  Granted, Ibrahimovich scored one of the classiest goals I have seen in some time against them--it does not excuse the French for just giving up after that amazing goal.  They left it up to the English to decide their futbol fate.  Boo... poorly played.   As I mentioned before, if they play as uninspired as they did against Sweden then they are in for a shellacking.  Spain moves on.

England vs. Italy - This has a chance to be a truly brilliant, albeit slow-paced game.  Italy is on its way down but is still cagey enough to pull this thing out.  England seems to be on its way back up but their old habits may come back to bite them before this tournament is said and done.   England moves on.

It should be four exciting games to see who moves on to the semis.  Keep an eye out for the first and last matches for the big surprises, those two games look to be the most hotly contested matchups.  

-aap

AFC South Shake Up

With exciting new players like Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts and Justin Blackmon of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the AFC should have a lot of eyes on it this season .  Will the Houston Texans be as tough on defense without Mario Williams?  Can the Tennessee Texans savvy veterans of Chris Johnson and Matt Hasselbeck get over the hump and make a push for division crown?  It should be an exciting season.  

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About Time!

Well, after enough complaining to get the right people to take notice, Amazon sent me another email this morning.  In this morning's email they apologized and said that emails would be going out by week's end to all those who have purchased Monarch.  Hooray!  Or as  I prefer to say after needlessly wasting hours of my life, "About time."

I hope the email updates do actually go out by week's end, but I'll believe it when I see it.  I'm still waiting to get that phone number that was promised.  I have a feeling that will never be sent.

Rhetorical Question: Do you suppose it is better for these big businesses to have their customers waste their time over days and weeks, in some cases, as opposed to hiring enough people to actually deal with those customers' issues immediately?  Of course it is!  Who needs a good reputation when you own the marketplace?  When saving money is more important than the customers who supply it, it's time for that to change. And yet if there is no one to complain to, then nothing can be changed.  Wow, what a perfect way to horde all the money and piss everyone else off.  Stay classy you soulless monopolies.

I look forward to talking to you guys on the other side of those email updates.  If you have any troubles--well, wait a minute.  I'd give you a phone number, but apparently there is no such number.  So I guess you could try and email them,  but that could take weeks for them to figure things out.  Oh hell, let's just hope that it works properly.  

Thanks for reading.

-aap

Amazon, oh Amazon, why does thou hate me so?

I wish I could say that all was roses in my small self-publishing world, but I don't like to lie or pull punches.  It wears at my soul and would go against my reason for starting this blog in the first place.  This space on the web is meant to detail my process of self-publishing.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  

I'm not sure where Amazon fits into that, but they sure aren't the good, not after what they've done to my eBooks and my readers.  And once I tell you about it, you'll likely have your own thoughts and may even agree.  

I know my particular eBook is unconventional: one book with four parts added at different times.  But it is the way I had to do it with the time constraints I posed upon myself.  If I were to release a 600 - 700 page novel in September or October, there would be so little time before the integral date in the book of 12/21/2012 that some people might not have enough time to finish it by then.   Very Uncool.  And I want cool to be the rule when it comes to my readers.  I don't mind running hot over people making mistakes.  We all make mistakes.  But when people mess with my readers I take it personally.  I am doing all that I can to start a career as a novelist and my readers are everything to me.  

Due to their tardiness I was forced to contact Amazon yesterday about my recent release of Stage Two.  "Two weeks" I was promised originally as a response to my request for an email update in regard to my addition of over two hundred pages.

Below is the email I received today after I had to contact Amazon once they did not respond within two weeks like they had promised.  

Time To Go Big

I've finally decided to take Monarch wider than Amazon.  This is due in large part because of Amazon and the poor customer service I have received since the beginning of the year.  This type of thing happens when you get too big for your own good.

When it comes to dealing with professionals, I expect to explain myself once and have that be sufficient to get my point across.  I always think of the Cars song "Psycho Killer" at such times.  "Say something once, why say it again?

That's enough hating on Amazon.  I would advise self-publishing authors who are attempting something similar to what I am working on (Releasing a novel that REQUIRES multiple updates), to be warned that your patience will be tested with Amazon's customer service, and your readers will be forced to wait needlessly.  OK, now I'm done.        

The Spectacularly Awesome result of Amazon FAILING is that it forced me to move to SMASHWORDS earlier than I had planned.  Why I was waiting, I can now barely remember.

One Week

There is only one more week until the release of the second stage of Monarch (Larva).  If you haven't already purchased your copy you should do so soon.  The price of Stage Two will increase once it is released.  Or you could buy all four stages for one low price.

Monarch - $3.99   (Best Deal) 
Stage One (Egg) - $1.99
Stage Two (Larva) - $.99

To preview the first stage of Monarch go here and download the PDF for FREE.

Once you finish reading Stage Two be on the look out for Stage Three, which should be releasing in July.

-aap

Three Weeks of the Caterpillar

With only three weeks left until the release of Stage Two of Monarch (Larva), I hope you all are hungry to see what happens next.  In this stage Ginger will reach an end to her anxieties as the clock ticks down to 12/21/2012, though it just may be the beginning of her worst fears.  But not before she must face the mounting concerns her husband has about her disconcerting  behavior, which hampers her ability to finish Ted Parker's remarkable tale in Cipher and keep the promise she made up on the mountain.

Monarch: Larva promises to be the most nerve racking stage of all.  With two stories being told in tandem, there is likely to be something for everybody.  Just as Ginger Reed wants to know what will happen and how it relates to her and her family, those who read Monarch may begin to wonder the same thing.  

Monarch is a transformative journey that will force those who read it to take a look at themselves and those around them in a different light.   While it is a work of Fiction, many will relate to the story in a deeper way the closer we get to December.

Monarch is a true amalgamate; being in large part a Family and Personal Drama, but with other ingredients that give it a unique mojo that is all it's own.  There are parts of the story that dabble and excite with Science Fiction and Fantasy themes.  However, much of the story is steeped in the deep underlying Mystery about "What will happen?" on 12/21/2012.  That question, along with others, complicate Ginger and create the Psychological Thriller and Suspense tones that run through the entire novel.  And when you mix those parts together, Monarch becomes a Spiritual Awakening of an individual through the four stages of the story that were patterned after the most magnificent butterfly in the world.

Just three more weeks and the journey continues.

I hope you'll join me.

-aap