2023 - Planning ahead!
You would think that I would be smart enough by now not to set forth specific plans, intentions, and dates when it comes to writing, editing and publishing. And you would be be right!
That’s not what this post will be.
Instead this post will be a hastily written before the deadline —- I mean well planned layout of the things I intend to strive to accomplish in no particular order and with no particular looming deadline.
1st - The Lattean Mascots. They are here to stay. I have fun drawing them. (And less fun turning them into digital graphics, but that’s ok because I have the process down now.) Also, they allow me to acknowledge the changing seasons and times. (And hopefully remind someone of Coffee Chronicles - episodes 1-15 out now on kindle vella.)
2nd - In keeping with the website. I am planning a few updates to this webpage. It was built in anticipation of the first book release and with all of the things that I want to see and provide. But I’m not 100% on it yet. Like, how will I accommodate for the announcement of a second book release? So stay tuned.
3rd - Speaking of… The second book is well in progress. So far along, in fact, that I could confidently have it’s title printed in the back of the first book! That’s all I want to say about that for now, as I have this whole marketing plan (which I’m already behind on,) leading up to the release of Junior Rangers Novel 2.
D - is about this blog itself. I have been very privileged to have traveled extensively. Or maybe travel isn’t quite the right word, and instead I should say “moved about the earth with some extended stays.” Sometimes with my family. Sometimes in the interest of my education. And most recently as consequence of my own choices. Some of those stories are, or were, kicking around the internet in the past. But I thought that it might be fun to reflect on them here, maybe write about them from a new perspective, and just share more of my appreciation for the places I have been fortunate enough to see, and the people I’ve been lucking enough to meet. I’m not turning this into a travel blog, but from biking across the US, to spending 2 years in Lesotho, I want to try, again, to write about some of these experiences, with the goal of sharing them with the new (ha!) audience (haha!) of this blog.
5th - Coffee Chronicles. - CC is not supposed to be, never was intended to be, and will probably never be (until I find the money, time, and interest to turn it into a fully illustrated novel) a perfect literarily- scaffolded adventure. But that doesn’t mean that Coffee Chronicles season 1 doesn’t have an end. It does. And I expect we are reaching it this year. How soon? I’m not sure. That depends on how long it takes me to get there, and how the upcoming events can best be fit into the episodic release schedule of Kindle Vella. (which is near enough the episodic nature of coffee chronicles that it’s not so much a hurdle as a guided lane down the right path.)
6th - Something else on Kindle Vella - I’m in the process of developing something else for Kindle Vella, something which better fits in with the Kindle Vella advice articles I’ve read online. Why? Well, mostly as part of a plan to grow an audience and capture more attention. Aka: Marketing. But also, there are a few other interests and writing muscles I want to flex.
G - Dinosaurs. I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention. (who are you anyway? I think I’m writing this whole blog mostly for myself, so if you are reading it, thanks!)
8th - Pictures and fun stuff. So… twitter huh? I’m on instagram too also as alienjest (no press this time.) So you can find me there. I’ll try and post a bit more regularly on all the social medias.
9th - More to come!!! I’m sure I’ve forgotten some of things I have up my hypothetical sleeves. That’s the product of rushing to get this blog out on time… I mean of purposefully planning this list to end with promise and potential! Anyway that’s a look forward. My last easy out for a blog before I have to start thinking about these again!
If you read this thanks! If you didn’t how did you find this sentence?
As always, picture
Happy 80th B-Day Dad!
Alligators at the Blue Hole Checking out the New Year
The Alligators remind me of a poem which used to appear on a warning sign at the Blue Hole on Big Pine Key asking people not to feed them. The Author’s name wasn’t present, (although I suspect it was someone working for the Fish and Wildlife Department charged with protecting Key Dear on the island.) That sign was taken down. But I think the poem deserves to survive. If I find the name of the author, I will amend this to give proper credit. Also, this is from memory so I might have gotten some of the words wrong:
There once was a gator named Alig
who lived in a place called Blue Hole
Some people they fed him,
others they swam
but most of the water was his dinner bowl.
So Alig grew braver with each passing week
He no longer called visitors “Sir”
he mistook a young miss for his usual fish
and one morning for breakfast
Alig-at-her
-Anonymous