Thursday, May 2, 2013

On the Level, a mystery of suspense, romance, and home improvement

The picture below is the cover of the project that's slowed down my travel plans and efforts at home renovation for the past year. Click here  On the Level , to find the web page for my first novel. The book was originally planned as an endpoint on one of my bucket list items, (learn to write something a person would pay money to read for fun), but now seems like just the first step on a very different kind of journey. I'm already writing book two in the Long Island Sound Handyman series, and have an outline for book three.


Do you like the cover? I took the design I'd sketched below to a very talented art student and asked her to turn the concept into original cover art.  Marissa Stanton not only produced the painting upon which the cover is based, but painted the back cover of the paperback edition, superimposed the titles, and created the electronic files I uploaded to the book producer. I had also researched the colors of book covers that really stood out and asked Marissa if she could paint in green and gold. I continue to get compliments on her work.

My Cover Concept Drawn in Pen and Ink


After studying the chaotic world of agents, big publishing firms, small firms, and sharks providing "author services" for big bucks to aspiring authors, I selected CreateSpace, an Amazon company to print and distribute the paper version, and Kindle Direct Publishing to distribute the e-book.  These companies were excellent to work with, and required no up front cash from me, or onerous contracts.


Getting to the point where the photo above was taken, a book signing at the local library sponsored by The Write Stuff writers' group, required quite a lot of work.  Much of that was after the story was written.  So far the reviews are pretty good, sales fair. This is one journey that was worth the effort. If you want your own copy, just click on the book title at the beginning of this post to be taken to the Amazon.com page for the book.  





Thursday, April 25, 2013

April 25, 2013 Springfield, MA

How many times have you discovered an attraction only a short way off a highway you have traveled repeatedly?  For me the truth is, too often.  Today we are visiting a cluster of small but entertaining museums and gardens in the heart of Springfield, MA.just off Interstate 91.

Sandwiched between State Street and Edwards Street, and just north of Chestnut, The visitor's center is easily accessed through the Edwards Street parking lot. The main body of the attraction consists of four museums clustered around a garden filled with delightful life-size sculptures taken from the works of Dr. Seuss, who of course was a Springfield native.

Here's Gloria helping to hoist a bronzed platter of green eggs and ham. Take a guess who won't be cooking dinner tonight! The courtyard is filled with characters from the Dr. Seuss books. Horton, The Cat in the Hat, The Storyteller, and the Lorax pose among lesser characters.  Here is a long distance shot of a cluster of statues with friends Neal and Dory Alderman in the midst of the action.
The Springfield Science Museum is attached to the visitor's center, so it's a logical place to start. The day we arrived most of the exhibits consisted of dioramas featuring local wildlife and habitats, although the compulsory dinosaurs, elk, and polar bears were present to amuse the young and old.  The newly hatched emu's stole the show, in this largely child oriented exhibit. Gloria snapped this picture of me in front of a large, but stuffed, black bear.

We spent quite a bit of time in the Michele & Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts which has an eclectic mix of arts from sixteenth century Italian and French portrait painters, to a photo exhibit of the Beatles (the singing group), abstract sculpture, and nearly everything in between. I got a kick out of paintings that have been judged to be copies of the works of masters done by their students.  It took experts years to figure out that these weren't done by the masters, so I guess it's OK for me to enjoy them for the beauty they possess. Of course photographing such exhibits is not allowed, so you'll have to see for yourself.


Another interesting, if creepy this time of year, garden exhibit is this topiary castle formed from what appear to be kudzu vines. I imagine in a few months the thing will be green and magical. Today it looked a little sad.

We found so much to do that we will have to return to see the GWV Smith Art Museum and the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History (across Edward Street) another time.

I enjoyed this attraction far more than the Basketball Hall of Fame on the other side of Route 91.  Of course the problem may be that I'm not much of a sports fan, and at $10 per person for non city residents, four museums was a bargain.  The site also contains a small cafe' which serves light fare and snacks at reasonable prices.