When Things Don't Go Like They're Supposed To

Image via CrunchBase

         Today I was supposed to have a post about Twitter and my observations on the first few days of using it.  Well, I changed my mind.   My plan now is to move that scheduled post until Friday--if all goes right.

          I was even announcing my Twitter post on Twitter over the past couple days.  Now I'm all red-faced that it's not gonna happen today.  But I will get to it.  And actually I'm not red-faced anyway.  I have my reasons.

          Weird computer issues.  Don't know what was going on yesterday, but I'm sure most of you have had issues like this before.  Actually I think it was Alex J Cavanaugh's fault by setting the blogosphere on fire with the release of CassaFire.  What a day for Alex, eh?  Congratulations on what seemed to be a very successful book launch.  Of course, I missed much of it dealing with whatever unexplained things I was dealing with.  Must have been Alex's fault,  Yeah, that's who I'll blame.  I don't think the Federal Duck would do anything like that.

         Then there is this new Blogger comment thing that seems to only be present in the pop up box.  No "subscribe to comments" option seems to be available.  I saw where others also mentioned this so it's not just me.  What's up with that?  It's difficult to keep track of the conversation without the notification and I can't keep track of where I've left my comments.  I hope Blogger fixes this.  Does anyone know what's going on with this?  The design of the pop-up box is even different now.

           Last time I looked you could still subscribe to comments with the embedded comment box, but so many people had said they were having problems with that system (and I used to as well until I started using Chrome) that I switched to the pop-up box.   Now I'm thinking I might change back--I like the possibility of interaction even though it usually didn't happen.  What's everyone else doing?

          I was also having problems with leaving comments on WordPress sites.  I would compose a wonderful comment, but then when I submitted it the comment just disappeared.  I thought it was just a fluke until it kept happening with every WordPress comment I left.  Now what's that about?  Did anyone else have any problems with that or is this something on my end?

         Twitter did see some action from me over the past couple days and that's what I really wanted to talk about.  Hopefully that will happen on Friday.   Although maybe anyone who saw my tweets about Federal Duck would just wish I'd shut up.   I'm serious about the Federal Duck issue.   Some out in Twitterland probably just thought those tweets were wise quacks.

          So now after a tedious day of frustrations I'm tired.  I'm ready to duck out of here and go to bed. Looks like I'm back on line, but now it's too late to do anything with it.  Tomorrow will be another day from where I stand (or actually sit), but for now tomorrow waits for today.  And ducks are birds too.

          And if all goes as planned, Federal Duck will be my Thursday topic on that other blog of mine--A Faraway View.   Quack!

           Did any of you experience the comment box problems that I mentioned above?   Are you on Twitter? If so, how do you use it and do you find it useful?

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Catch Fire! The CassaFire Blog Party

         If you don't know Alex Cavanaugh, then you don't know the famed Ninja Captain who is one of the big wheels helping to propel the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge toward the stellar reaches of blog event success.   His book release CassaStar took the sci-fi community by storm in 2011 and even became the darling of those who don't typically read the genre.

        Today is the Catch Fire Blog Party, celebrating the release of CassaFire by Alex J. Cavanaugh! The goal is to help CassaFire “catch fire” on the best seller charts and even surpass the success of the first book, CassaStar. There’s also a special package of prizes being given away at the author’s blog (copies of CassaFire, CassaStar, tote bag, mug, and bookmarks) as well as book giveaways during his two-week blog tour. 

How about this collection of CassaCollectibles?   These can be yours
See Alex’s site for details:http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

CassaFire

by Alex J. Cavanaugh

CassaStar was just the beginning…

The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.

The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities. 

To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

Available today!

Science fiction - space opera/adventure

Print ISBN 978-0-9827139-4-5, $15.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 240 pages

EBook ISBN 978-0-9827139-6-9, $4.99, available in all formats

CassaFire is the sequel to Cavanaugh’s first book, CassaStar, an Amazon Top Ten Best Seller:

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal

You can visit the author’s site at http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

Book trailer available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa6VINRGtyE.

Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cassafire-alex-j-cavanaugh/1034742568

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/CassaFire-Alex-J-Cavanaugh/dp/0982713940/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329417150&sr=1-1

Amazon Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/CassaFire-ebook/dp/B007A2TSNG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1329663355&sr=1-1

As they say, seeing is believing.   Check out this very cool book trailer:

Now how about you? Are you ready to catch fire? Order CassaFire today and be part of a chart-topping book release.  Be sure to check Alex J Cavanaugh for more information.

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Just Rambling -- #atozchallenge

Image via Wikipedia

      In the mid-1960s my parents bought a Rambler station wagon.  It caught fire somewhere outside Pulaski, Virginia.

      Actually there was only a tiny bit of fire inside the engine when it overheated as we climbed up the mountain after exiting off Interstate 81 because the gauge was registering a high temperature.  The car didn't really catch fire, but it makes for a good story to tell it that way.  This story is always good for some laughs at family gatherings.

      This has nothing to do with my post today.  I only used this thought because I used the word "rambling" in my title and had a flash of word association.  This concept of making associations is something I'll be blogging about in the future.  How can anyone say they can't come up with something to write about?  Or is it more of a case of having so much to write about that you don't quite know where to start?

     Today I'm just killing some time with this post.  In the future I'll be putting up a post about the topic of "killing time"--somehow that post keeps getting postponed.  I kind of hate it when I have to pone my posts, but these new ideas keep interrupting my schedule.  And since I have a special post scheduled for tomorrow, I thought maybe I'd just blabber today.

     And speaking of blabbering:

                    Image via WikipediaI am now on Twitter!  Please follow me @ArleeBird

 

       
         As the cheering subsides, I will continue.   This was destined to happen.  I began playing with Twitter this past Saturday on the A to Z Challenge Twitter account.   Then when I started getting a bit out of hand with my tweets about "Federal Duck" I knew it was time to take the conversation to my own Twitter site.

       So now you can get updates on "Federal Duck" and all sorts of other inanities and nonsensical wise quacks on my own personal Twitter site--that is unless the Twitter folks decide to kick me out of the aviary for my palavering.  And from what I've seen on Twitter so far I'm probably in no danger.  After all, an Arlee Bird needs to Twitter.

       Yes, this Federal Duck thing is going somewhere.  Some of you might hope it will be going far away and if so, you will be getting your wish.  Be sure to check this week's edition of A Faraway View, another blog that many of you probably don't I have.  How's that for some product placement?

        Speaking of product placement, I'm not done with that topic yet.  I've still got more posts to come on that topic, marketing, advertising, and all sorts of capitalistic fun.  Consider this mention today an advertisement of things to come when I'm not getting sidetracked with other topics.

        So like I was saying, this coming Wednesday on this blog--Tossing It Out--I will be putting in a few words about Twitter. It will be more than 140 words you can rest assured, but I'll try to keep it relatively short.

        Here's my goal:  I want to learn about this Twitter thing.  I'll be tossing out my thoughts on it and looking for some education tossed back to me from you Twitter experts.  And I'm sure that even those of you who don't give a whit about how to twit can offer some valuable insight.

       But I'm stealing my own thunder.  Come back Wednesday for that story because I hear the sound of a nearer storm approaching.  Could it be a CassaStorm?   No, that's coming later.  The roar of revelry I hear in the near future is the sound of the party tomorrow for Alex J. Cavanaugh's Catch Fire CassaFire release party.  Are you ready to feel the burn of a hot new best seller from Alex?

       Join us tomorrow as the Blogoverse erupts when Alex makes his grand re-entry into the sci-fi scene.  Are you ready to party?

        And do not--I repeat, do not--forget to sign up for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  Tell your friends, enemies, family, and family who are enemies to get on board with us as we strive to achieve the amazing feat of 1000 by this Thursday March 1st.

        Then we'll talk about April 1st.

         Oh, and one more thing.  Be sure to stop by Yvonne's blog Welcome to My World of Poetry as she versifies the visit we had with one another.  Thank you for your sweet words, Yvonne.

     

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We Preempt This Post for an Important Announcement

         There was another post scheduled for today but then I changed it.  Actually I've had a few different posts scheduled for today but I've changed them as new ideas took precedent.  But that in itself is going to be a topic of an upcoming post.  I won't say when that post will be since that date might change.  Change can happen, right?  So let me tell you what's happening right now.
But first....!
          Yes, actually, first let me present another "Comment about a comment" based on my post at the beginning of the year titled "Where Am I Now Anyway?".  Here is one more:
Sarah Allen said...

Ha! That's awesome :) Since I usually write posts at night and schedule them for early morning, while I'm still asleep, the time disparity definitely happens for me too. I think its fascinating that we can do it that way, although you're right about possible miscommunication or misunderstanding. Sarah Allen (my creative writing blog)

January 4, 2012 9:43 AM 

        This is sort of an illustration of what I was talking about at the beginning of this current post.  Except rather than the night before, I might write a post a few days before it goes on line or in some cases weeks or months ahead of time.   What sometimes happens in those cases is that something else may come up to cause that original post to get preempted or even changed or cancelled entirely.   No blog bit written for some point of time in the future is necessarily guaranteed a place in time.  

       It is fascinating that we have the ability to manipulate what we write on a blog as opposed to what we write for a book or have scheduled for publication.  I've never done it yet, but I could go back and change an older post if I wanted to and that is something you couldn't do very easily with a hard copy of something you've written. Blogging is media juggling and that's probably why I like it so much.

And now...

     Here's what I think takes precedent to what I was originally going to talk about.   It's the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  Still a month away, but it weighs heavily on my mind as it probably pervades the thinking of my illustrious co-hosts and many of you who have signed up and perhaps may be even faithfully following the Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog and Twitter  Daily News.   If you are not following these sites, I encourage you to follow the links over to them, mark them, and check them regularly.  There is some fun stuff coming.

         If you haven't heard yet, we are making a push for 1000 sign-ups by Thursday March 1.  That's less than a week away, but we can make it with your help.  By the time you read this (when my future will be your present),  we'll have passed the 700 mark on the A to Z Linky List.   On the first day of sign ups we passed the 300 mark.  I believe we can at least match that first day over a period of nearly a week.

        What can you do?   As any of you know who have been checking my Sunday Summary posts on the A to Z Blog, many bloggers have already been promoting the Challenge on their own blogs.  Some of those posts have been very creative!  And all of them help the cause.  We're requesting that over the next few days you do a special post to put out a call to those who may not have heard about the A to Z Challenge or just haven't made the effort to sign up.   If you can at least make a mention on your blog it would help.   Word of mouth is the best promotion.

         Then, try some other ways to spread the word:

• Direct email to those bloggers you know who haven't signed up.
• Announce in places where there could be bloggers (church, school, meetings, etc.)
• Post notices on bulletin boards (library, church, school, laundromat, etc.)
• "What's happening" sections of local newspapers.
• Whatever means your creative mind comes up with.

      Why the thousand by March 1st?  Oh, I don't know--it sounds good.  But seriously, we want this to be the jumping up point for the next and final phase of sign-ups.  We expect a sudden rush in the last week of March and last minute decisions at the beginning of April.  Those of you who have already begun visiting those who are now on the list know how advantageous it has been to have these early sign-ups.  I've seen many of you making the rounds and making new friends in the process--not to mention the added followers.

       If more people sign up in these weeks before the Challenge rather on those last few days, we are all ahead of the game and will be less likely to miss some of those blogs that might have waited or will allow our own blogs to have the opportunity to be viewed and marked now as opposed to later.  It's a win-win situation for all concerned.  So please help us in our push for a thousand by March 1st.

And Still More News....

       Next week on February 28th is the release of Alex J Cavanaugh's Cassafire.  There's a big party on that day to celebrate.   Join him to help his book catch fire on the book charts.

        Don't forget our other co-host Stephen Tremp has a great book called Opening and it's now available.

        Karen Gowen's Celery Tree online bookstore is also a place for you to check out for fine books from many of your favorite bloggers and it's something that you can be a part of as well if you have a book to market.

        Go down the list of all of the co-hosts to visit their sites if you haven't done so already.  There are books, artwork, and some darn good company to be found with all of them.  

      And One More Thing...

        There's still a video contest going on.   We stop taking submissions on March 11th so there's still time for you to make your own video and enter it in the contest.   Check the A to Z Blog for rules, sign-up, and list of entrants so far.

         That's a lot going on!  And now back to our regularly scheduled blogging--unless I change my mind.

          What have you been doing to get others to sign up?   Are there any other ways you can think of to get the word out about the A to Z Challenge?   What is the most unique or original way that you've heard about the Challenge or something else getting promoted?

         I'll leave you with the following message from our sponsor courtesy of Dale Smurthwaite:

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Hot New SciFi from the Amazing Alex: CassaFire

          Does Alex J Cavanaugh, Captain of his own ninja army of loyal bloggers, really need an introduction?  Just in case anyone reading this doesn't know Alex let me briefly tell you about him.   Alex can be found at his namesake blog where he normally talks about movies, music, and other bloggers.  I've known Alex for the past couple of years or so and he is a fine gent and an amazing blogger.

          Alex works in web design and graphics and has a wide range of interests including music, gaming, and  science fiction.  He lives in North Carolina with his wife.

           But I'm not here to talk about Alex, I'm here today to review his upcoming book CassaFire.  I was fortunate to have received a review copy of the book and now I'm going to tell you what I thought.  But before I do here's what the book is about:

 CassaStar was only the beginning… 
The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather.
The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren's civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan's technology and strange mental abilities. 
To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves, the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…

            I enjoyed Alex's first book CassaStar although I found it a bit too confined to the space stuff, which I guess is a somewhat silly statement since it was a space book.   I couldn't totally relate to the galactic action.  Also I thought too much time was spent in the preliminary training activities even though I will concede this is where most of the character development and story foundation was being set.  Not so much a fault of the author, but mostly my own impatience as a reader.

          Thank goodness in CassaFire Alex has brought most of the story down to Earth--or should I say the planet Tgren.   I like having my feet on the ground and reading about things I can kind of relate to.   The scenario is created well as we get to know the Tgrens and their customs as well as some of the lay of the land.   Now that's more what I want to know about.

           For the space fans there is still plenty of space action with various types of spacecraft from small to humongous.  And there is still lots of flitting about with that cool mind jumping travel that we learned about in the first book.   Then there is an epic space battle which seemed to come and go almost too quickly, but no big deal for me since we've seen that.

           As in CassaStar, the real forte here is the interaction between the characters.  We still have the training sequence where characters are developed, but this time it's done in a far more interesting manner and with more factors at play.  Add in one hot Tgren babe who is Byron's match in skillsets then stir in some romantic tension and now we're talking story.

            For the female readers who enjoyed the male bonding of CassaStar I think you'll like the new relationship far better.   The theme in CassaFire still has to do with friendship and building trust, but this time there is more spark that creates a sizzle in the story line.   Now I see where the CassaFire title comes into play.

          Don't get me wrong.  This is no soppy romance story, so you guys out there don't get nervous.  There is still plenty of action and male bonding and even a bit of drinking and partying going on.  Somehow this book just seemed fuller to me than the first one.  What I think it has is more balance.   It has an energy that kept me engaged and not scratching my head over silly questions like where's all the water come from on the spacecraft for the crew to take so many showers.   This go around Alex just lets the story flow without bogging down too much with mundane things like showers.   But don't get me started on that topic.

        The main character of Byron has grown considerably from being a cocky upstart to a hardened experienced pilot no longer involved in combat, but now in a gritty occupation of transporting materials.  He seems to be overly brooding and aloof, but that allows for further growth as the new story progresses.  The other characters are all well drawn and the dialog comes across as very natural.  We are not overwhelmed with character background, but given enough details for the story to make sense.

       If I had one criticism it would be more directed to myself as a reader.  Alex's writing is excellent.  At times it seemed so good that it was distracting.  My bad.  Maybe I was trying too hard to find something wrong or some little mistake that I could harp on.  Not there, nowhere to be found by me at least.  All I could think was I wish I could write that well and it kind of annoyed me.

        I don't think most readers will have that problem.  Just read and enjoy.   I think you will like this one a lot and be saying, "Bring on the next book!"

         I'll rate this book 4.9999999....   Okay, so I have a hard time giving perfect scores.   I guess according to Amazon ratings CassaFire will be a big 5.

     
Coming February 28, 2012

CassaFireby Alex J. CavanaughPrint ISBN 978-0-9827139-4-5 EBook ISBN 978-0-9827139-6-9Science Fiction - Space Opera/Adventure       

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Be sure to check out my Wednesday post on Tossing It Out to see the result of approaching someone I found in a Google search and asking for a guest post--an interesting outcome.