tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42032047144511892712024-03-13T18:22:47.351-06:00The Adventures of Patrick & LisaJust like the title says.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15713525742397083064noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-64466019878526111922017-06-20T17:03:00.000-06:002017-06-20T17:03:05.019-06:00TransistionsEach week it feels like a little bit more of the dissertation stress melts away. This is a good thing, although I'm still working through the transition.<br />
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While we always have fun creative projects on the list, I'm finally in a place to get some of them done! And look at potential employment opportunities, think about getting the house ready to sell, wondering where we will end up...AND forcing myself to not get overwhelmed and enjoy the next downshift from doctoral candidate stress.<br />
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So, here are some of the fun creative things that have been going on in our house....<br />
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First....<br />
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Forever Mountain Publishing has inventory!!!!!</h3>
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This is a box of Patrick's novel <i>Johnson Farm</i>. It has been available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Farm-Farangian-ebook/dp/B0716XQKDK/" target="_blank">Amazon </a>and <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/johnson-farm-farangian/1126386279" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a> as an ebook, but the paperbacks are actually here!!!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O0PX4fpxX6Y/WUml9Z4E1dI/AAAAAAAAGpM/IwY-xJxwi8E7zLpkdn6WhhtlLAuG6A9tQCLcBGAs/s1600/DSCN1329%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O0PX4fpxX6Y/WUml9Z4E1dI/AAAAAAAAGpM/IwY-xJxwi8E7zLpkdn6WhhtlLAuG6A9tQCLcBGAs/s320/DSCN1329%255B1%255D.JPG" width="320" /></a>After the <a href="http://adventuresofpandl.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-real-reason-lisa-prefers-i-go-to.html" target="_blank">armed forces</a> were put away...</h4>
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...an aircraft carrier took their place.<br />
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Since dissertation is done...</h4>
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...that means more time for knitting...<br />
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...which means more yarn!<br />
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And some creative endeavors are still related to work...</h4>
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...like that would really stop.</div>
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Lastly...</h4>
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Overhead in the Kidder house...</h4>
<i>{Giggles}</i><br />
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What are you up to?<br />
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<i>I just catapulted a fairy.</i><br />
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Why did you do that?<br />
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<i>Look how far she went! She wanted to fly! See, doesn't she look like she wants to fly?</i><br />
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The way her legs are positioned, I think she wants to dance.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15713525742397083064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-85935643322086951902017-06-05T19:46:00.001-06:002017-06-05T19:46:23.894-06:00The real reason Lisa prefers I go to conferences with her...Yeah... We're going to get to what's in the title... But first...<br />
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Yesterday was the re-dedication of the Idaho Falls temple. We attended the first session via the broadcast to our stake center (and we were grateful for not having to deal with two and a half hours of meetings before church and choir practice after...). It was good, and we're glad to have the temple open again!<br />
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Lisa is working on developing articles from her dissertation and teaching (again). She's also got some interesting knitting projects going on and just went to a conference (which she can talk about if she wants to...)<br />
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Over on my side of the office I'm editing <i>Going Home the Hard Way</i>, a follow on novel to <i>Johnson Farm</i>.<br />
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And by the way...<br />
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The proof for the novel is in and the production run started<i> this morning... </i>I should have actual books available late next week (No you can't have the first one... That one is staying on my shelf...)<br />
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<i>Hard Way</i> is going well. There is a lot of work going on with it, but I think that in the end the story will be stronger than the first one. Some of the subject matter is definitely proving more challenging to write...<br />
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Speaking of challenging...</h3>
There will be a third book in the series which technically is happening in parallel with the first two. This one will be the biggest challenge yet and is one of the reasons <i>Hard Way</i> is taking longer to write. As I've said it's a parallel story to <i>Johnson Farm</i> and <i>Hard Way</i>, which means I need to <i>make sure</i> things match up at some points. But that's not the hard part...<br />
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<i>Johnson Farm</i> and <i>Hard Way</i> are told from the point of view of a 14 year old boy. The third book, which currently has the working title of <i>Jamie's Story</i> (but that may not be the final title), has two point of view characters. That's still not the hard part...<br />
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One of the two points of view is that of Jamie, a 14 year old <b><i>girl...</i></b> This is going to make things really complicated. I've done the 14 year old boy thing (some people say I'm still doing the 14 year old boy thing...), but I've never been a 14 year old girl (or any kind of girl for that matter!). This means I've been doing a lot of thinking about how to write this.<br />
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One of the steps I've taken is calling in a little help to get me in the right mindset. I've had the daughter of a friend of ours do a little decorating on the notebooks I intend to use for notes and the actual writing of Jamie's part of the story...<br />
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Funny thing number one: This is the only blue one I gave her to work on... I never told her I was using blue for notes... <br />
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Nothing weird here. This one just fits the subject matter...<br />
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Funny thing number two: The footprints actually make sense with a couple things that happen in <i>Johnson Farm</i>... Again I never told her about them and she hasn't read the book yet... (And you're going to have to read it if you want to know what I'm talking about...)<br />
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Again nothing weird here... Just a pretty flower (and you'll have to read all three books to disprove that...)<br />
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Once again a young artist does an extraordinary job for one of the books. This time it's something to help me write the book instead of a finisher, but it's still great and much appreciated.<br />
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Ok... So... What does any of this have to do with the title?<br />
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Well, I did say some people still think I'm a 14 year old boy at heart...<br />
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Well, I mentioned Lisa went to a conference (I had work that needed to be done here so I didn't go... )<br />
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Well, you may remember these guys from last post...<br />
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Well... They kind of did a little construction while Lisa was gone...<br />
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Yeah... I was busy even when I wasn't working...</div>
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The whole thing has been taken down now, but it would be feasible to do it again (and possibly better!). Of course I'm not planing on doing so (yeah... and I'm not building an aircraft carrier on the table instead...)</div>
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That's it for now. See you next post.</div>
<br />Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-85130766739429990192017-05-23T20:38:00.002-06:002017-05-23T20:38:35.326-06:00Postgrad Paradise?Well, Lisa is getting de-stressed from the whole PhD program. It's quite a process as she has been working full time and going to school for several years...<br />
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This means she's doing a lot of knitting (as well as working, and teaching, and music for church, and...). But, you know Lisa... She finishes one project and starts another.<br />
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And that means..<br />
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That's right!!!<br />
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Miniature siege artillery!!! (Seriously we built these as part of family home evening last night...<br />
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Over on his side of the house Editor in Chief (or was that Lord High Executioner?) Patrick's second book - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Farm-Farangian-ebook/dp/B0716XQKDK/ref=sr_1_1" target="_blank">Johnson Farm is officially on the market as an E-book</a>! The physical edition is at the printer as we speak, so those copies are likely to start cropping up soon...<br />
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The next novel is <i>Going Home the Hard Way</i>. It's probably coming out next year (there's a smaller book in the works for the fall and another big book project in the works too).<br />
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In the mean time we also both survived birthdays, and had a good time doing it...<br />
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The knife in the center has an obsidian blade and those are Idaho opals in the handle. We picked it up in Spencer, Idaho on an opal hunting trip (there are other opals but we want somebody who's a little more of an opal specialist to work on them...).<br />
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The little soldier dudes were part of the birthday fun.<br />
And they definitely seem to be up to something...<br />
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What are they up to? What new adventures are we going to find ourselves in? Will Patrick actually loose his mind working on this next book?<br />
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For the answers to these and other questions tune in to the next post at The Adventures of Patrick and Lisa (And some of you (you know who you are...) should also tune in at the family reunion...).<br />
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Well, I guess there's really not much else to say,<br />
Except...<br />
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See you next post!Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-57801396508093116692017-05-09T17:36:00.002-06:002017-05-09T17:36:26.983-06:00Graduation and new projects...Ok, lets get the first one out the door (we know it's what you came here to read about anyway...)<br />
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Lisa has officially graduated with her doctorate! Which is a real accomplishment (and gives her the right to wear a silly hat...)<br />
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In this pic she's on stage and about to get officially 'hooded' as a doctor... <br />
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Would someone explain to the camera person that I am smiling... (seriously... look at the other pics on this blog...)<br />
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Here's Lisa with her partners in crime (also graduates of the program).<br />
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I'm really proud of Lisa. And I'm going to let her tell her version of the story of this adventure before I say too much... So, on to other things...<br />
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<br />
What you are looking at here is the reason I got a really good deal on a rifle (it also happens to be the action of a Marlin model 60 I picked up to celebrate Johnson Farm being launched). Basically the guy who owned it previously <i>didn't clean the action...</i> That means it started jamming up on him, and after I cleaned it up it looks pretty new. Unfortunately thanks to the weather and our project load I haven't had a chance to test fire it yet (stay tuned for this and other fun!).<br />
<br />
Yes, I did mention Johnson Farm being launched... The e-book version is ready for me to proof (it should be on sale on the 20th...) and a small run of physical books will be available fairly soon. I'm not going to talk about that too much right now (the focus really should be on Lisa's accomplishment...), but it's happening...<br />
<br />
As a final item...<br />
<br />
This is the best adaptation of Land of Confusion I've heard since the original video in the 1980's...<br />
This is a great Rogue One tribute...<br />
And...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v4KcEol4lpA?ecver=2" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; width: 100%;" width="640"></iframe></div>
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There's a hint to what's special about the third Johnson Farm book in there... (more than one maybe?)<br />
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See you next time... Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-3282692627178920752017-04-18T18:32:00.002-06:002017-04-18T18:32:31.955-06:00Dissertation Defense...Check!<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yW6uTs7xeRg/WPZ27r4r7SI/AAAAAAAAGPo/wCuclcQHFNQqVynE83CruC2NMThgGDqXgCKgB/s1600/20170414_080724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yW6uTs7xeRg/WPZ27r4r7SI/AAAAAAAAGPo/wCuclcQHFNQqVynE83CruC2NMThgGDqXgCKgB/s320/20170414_080724.jpg" width="240" /></a>Well, it is done.<br />
<br />
It still feels a bit surreal, but good.<br />
<br />
I know we've usually been posting on Monday evening, but even last night words just didn't seem to work themselves together to give you a good description.<br />
<br />
Sunday, I would tell people it was like a giant sigh. I can still feel parts of my body releasing the tension. I'm not sure some of those muscles have relaxed in a very long time.<br />
<br />
The defense process is an interesting one. You have this committee of 5, who have read, reread, and advised you through this entire process. But the defense is that time to present the whole thing, in defense that you have done what it takes to complete the degree. It felt very much like everyone there was a witness to my learning. But I only had 30 minutes to present it all!<br />
<br />
I'm not sure I could capture all that I have learned in this process. There were definitely times of stress, and times of excitement. But overall, I'm glad I took this journey.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to know about my study you can watch my <a href="https://youtu.be/8YI2X1A8rYQ" target="_blank">3 Minute Thesis competition from 2015</a>. It doesn't include the results. I ended up with a small sample size, but some very interesting differences between Time and Tool in feelings of disorientation.<br />
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I'm not sure what is next on the horizon.<br />
<br />
But in many ways, I do...<br />
<br />
Patrick's novel will come out in May. <br />
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He will continue to write. <br />
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I will continue with teaching, learning, and technology.<br />
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We will continue to share our adventures.<br />
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...<br />
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...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3UHYuqPB7Ho/WPZ579vX0JI/AAAAAAAAGPw/W7_alVYTnvAJSV46g_SqowdWS_-eIAt7ACKgB/s1600/20170417_205031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3UHYuqPB7Ho/WPZ579vX0JI/AAAAAAAAGPw/W7_alVYTnvAJSV46g_SqowdWS_-eIAt7ACKgB/s320/20170417_205031.jpg" width="240" /></a>Oh, and lots of knitting!<br />
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First I want to congratulate Lisa and thank her for finishing her doctorate (Oh come on, you didn't really think I wasn't going to comment did you? ). In general I'm going to say, "Yeah, what she said...". In specific: "...will continue to write." That would imply it was possible for me to stop...<br />
Take care everybody and see you in the next one...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15713525742397083064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-22693218021550054972017-04-10T21:11:00.002-06:002017-04-10T21:11:09.460-06:00The end is in fight??? (yes pun inteded people...)Well, I missed posting last week (almost missed posting this week...).<br />
<br />
On Patrick's side of the office the Johnson Farm Kickstarter closed Friday. It didn't fund the backup plan (you did realize there is a backup plan right?) kicked in and we are somehow <i>still on course for a May release!</i> (Just not the way I'd initially planned...)<br />
<br />
On Lisa's side of the office... Lisa is doing her dissertation defense this Friday (which means you can start calling her Dr. Kidder on Saturday... ( Don't worry you won't have to call me doctor... yet...). So, she's pretty busy and I'm going to let her tell you all about it next week.<br />
<br />
Tonight we just had a major meeting on getting books printed (you know since we both have books to print and such...) and will have more news to share soon. In the mean time...<br />
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I'd like to thank Drwhoforever96, the BBC, and Guns and Roses for summing up this month so far pretty well...<br />
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See you next week...Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-80844769508024337962017-03-20T20:28:00.003-06:002017-03-20T20:30:54.048-06:00Johnson Farm - ONLY Available via Kickstarter until April 7th!Writing is something Patrick has wanted to do for a long time. We have worked together to make sure he has the time and the space to write.<br />
<h3>
His first novel is ready!</h3>
You now need to contribute to the Kickstarter project to...<br />
<br />
1) Get a copy of the book for you,<br />
2) Get some extra swag (who doesn't like extras?)<br />
<br />
and<br />
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3) Support Patrick (and me)<br />
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<i><span style="color: red;">Click the image to get your copy!</span></i></h4>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" scrolling="no" src="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1094327337/johnson-farm/widget/video.html" width="480"></iframe><br />
<h4>
What is Kickstarter?</h4>
In order to publish Johnson Farm in hard copy - we need the money to pay the bookbinder. (For those of you who know the story...remember when Joseph Smith needed to find the money to publish the Book of Mormon? The process has not changed too much - you need money to get the books to sell the books. Once everyone likes his stories and keeps buying them, <i>then</i> a company will take interest and offer to do some of this work for him.)<br />
<br />
Kickstarter is a way to crowd source the funding to get Johnson Farm in hard copy. <br />
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The way is works is people commit to the project, and <i>IF</i> the project is funded, then the money comes out of your bank and your reward is sent out. <br />
<br />
If the project does not get FULLY funded, then you have lost no money. But that means Johnson Farm will not be available in hard copy in May. 😢😞<br />
<br />
Yes, you will need to create an account on Kickstarter.<br />
Yes, you will need to pick a pledge option.<br />
No - your money will not be taken out of your account today. It will come out in the middle of April - but only if the project is fully funded.<br />
<h4>
Why Should You Get a Book Now?</h4>
<div>
If the Kickstarter project does not fully fund, we will have to go to plan B or C or D. (There are back-up plans). But that means the book will not be available in hard copy this year, and maybe not even next year.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Many of you have expressed a desire to read Patrick's writing - now is the time to support him for all the hard work he has done. The Kickstarter page has some insights into the story behind the story. (You might also want to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lckidder" target="_blank">follow me on instagram</a> for other insights.) </div>
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<h4>
Writing is Hard Work</h4>
</div>
<div>
I ran across the image below on twitter today. I just want to same that this has seldom been the case with Patrick. He has a plan every day and writes every day. Sure he has had some days when the writing was more difficult, but he has consistently written everyday (except Sundays, well, sometimes you can't control when ideas come, so they get quickly jotted down to get added to the plan for Monday.) I am so proud of the work he has accomplished and know that you will enjoy this story (and the others to come).</div>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Kafka's diaries show the real fun side of writing. <a href="https://t.co/h7UWC7UFVR">pic.twitter.com/h7UWC7UFVR</a></div>
— Matt Haig (@matthaig1) <a href="https://twitter.com/matthaig1/status/843585485507383296">March 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
If you've reached this far - your next step is: <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1094327337/johnson-farm" target="_blank">Go to the Kickstarter: Johnson Farm page and put your order in!</a> <br />
<br />
The clock is ticking...<br />
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15713525742397083064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-46205476631218706702017-03-06T21:07:00.000-07:002017-03-06T21:09:09.854-07:00T minus 32 (or was that 39...)Yep, me again posting a little earlier than usual because things are brewing...<br />
<br />
First, Lisa's dissertation defense is scheduled for April 14th at 9:00 AM! (That means that after about noon on the 14th people need to start calling her Doctor Kidder (Patrick will be maintaining his title as Lord High Executioner...)). So, um, yeah... She's a little busy right now...<br />
<br />
On the other side of the house we are now taking pre-orders for my novel Johnson Farm...<br />
And this time I did make the video...<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" scrolling="no" src="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1094327337/johnson-farm/widget/video.html" width="480">Â </iframe><br />
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When you go to the <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1094327337/johnson-farm?ref=user_menu" target="_blank">Kickstarter page</a> (where you can preorder the book...) you will notice there are a lot of options to get some extra swag in addition to the book. Now, here for readers of this blog, I'm putting in an added bonus!<br />
<h3>
Added bonus!</h3>
There are two $500 pledge slots on the Kickstarter page. The two lucky people who choose them have the opportunity to name something (a school, hospital or teacher) in the second book. If someone who reads this blog, were to make one of those pledges (or get a family member to (hint hint...) <i>in addition </i>to the school, hospital or teacher there is an entire town in Northern Idaho which goes unnamed in the first book that <i>will </i>be named in the third book! That means a reader of this blog who makes one of those pledges (or successfully motivates someone to make that pledge) could be naming a town in Northern Idaho! (Note: if two people who are readers of this blog make $500 pledges the first one will have the choice of naming the town <i>or a character in the third book! </i>The other reader/pledger will then get to name which ever the first didn't choose). If these criteria apply to you - add a comment below stating the date you put in your pledge (and use a name/email so we can connect you with the pledge in kickstarter, or send me or Lisa a text - those in the know, know the digits to use.)<br />
<br />
I am thinking about other goodies for blog readers who pledge or advertise the Kickstarter and I will entertain suggestions in the comments. (Note that if I come up with additional goodies priority goes to those who have already contributed...)<br />
<br />
The actual book copies will go out in May.<br />
<h3>
Now the funny part...</h3>
According to the last plan the Kickstarter was supposed to open today, but the KS team actually pushed it through on Friday and we got our first backer Saturday morning! So, I was going to ask who was going to be first to back it, but somebody already did...<br />
<br />
Well, that's it for this week...<br />
I'll leave you with a little Smash Mouth (and a video that hopefully represents my adventure with Kickstarter!)<br />
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<br />
We'll assume the Mystery Men are potential Kickstarter backers...<br />
See you next week (I hope!)... Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-51366103772573652362017-02-27T20:43:00.005-07:002017-02-27T20:43:53.516-07:00I thought we were done with this...It's been a busy couple of weeks around here...<br />
<br />
Lisa is analyzing the data for her dissertation, again...<br />
Within the last 48 hours she's finished one version of the analysis; been asked to do another test (which someone thought would work better...); and gone back to the first test with some modified pre-analysis. But, progress is being made.<br />
<br />
In terms of weather we had<i> finally </i>gotten the snow melted off the road and house and then it hit again...<br />
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This icicle got started since our last post and...<br />
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grew and...<br />
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<br />
grew. It's currently over two feet long!<br />
<br />
On my side of the house I have been mostly working on the launch for Johnson Farm (Which I wanted to have done a week and a half ago...). With both of us getting sick and all, it's taking time, but things are going. Pre-orders are expected to start via Kickstarter on Monday March 6th!<br />
<br />
Speaking of the pre-orders...<br />
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<br />
Here's a sample of the swag that's going to some of the pre-order people! There are even more exciting things that I will be telling you about in the next couple of weeks!<br />
<br />
After I get the novel launched I'm working on a major non-fiction book and I will be doing the first draft for the third Johnson Farm book. For a couple of reasons, I want the first draft of the third one done before I do too much editing on the second one. So the first draft of the third is next up on the fiction program.<br />
<br />
There are some major differences in the third book.<br />
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For those who I haven't told about it here's a hint. If you remember this video from my last post...<br />
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<br />
This would be the version that works for book three...<br />
<br />
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<br />
And no I'm not saying the book is going to be animated! (geezo... animated... It's a novel!)<br />
<br />
Well, that's it for this one. Hopefully we'll be back next week and if not, see you in two!<br />
<br />Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-41342811790122461692017-02-13T21:34:00.001-07:002017-02-13T21:34:55.586-07:00a very musical episode...Believe it or not we're actually doing a post on schedule!<br />
<br />
Lisa is getting over her pneumonia and I'm getting the sinus infection under control, so we're feeling better and making progress.<br />
<br />
Lisa has just sent off the first draft of chapter four of her dissertation. So, she is moving forward on getting her dissertation done.<br />
<br />
On my side of the house, the release date for Johnson Farm is moving back a week or two but it's still happening. Most of my attention right now is on projects surrounding the release (stay tuned in the next few weeks to find out how you can get a copy and some other premium goodies!).<br />
<br />
So, there's lots going on, but it's stuff that can be challenging to understand if you've never been there... so...<br />
<br />
Here is my musical attempt at explaining the writing process (thanks to the original creators of the music and videos!!!)<br />
<br />
1. First comes the pre-writing research...<br />
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<br />
<br />
This is that first step where you're trying to figure out what to write...<br />
This is where the third Johnson Farm book is right now... <br />
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2. Next comes the first draft...<br />
It always takes a little longer than you expected and ends up a little rough,,,<br />
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This is where the last chapters of Lisa dissertation are right now...<br />
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3. Next comes the initial edit...<br />
This one is always tough to do...<br />
We can truly call it a hard fight...<br />
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<br />
But it has to happen...<br />
This is where Johnson Farm's second book and Lisa's chapter four are right now...<br />
<br />
4. The 'copy' and finish editing....<br />
At this point there is still work to do,<br />
but you feel like you're in pretty good shape...<br />
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Definitely at this point you are winning, but you have to go all the way...<br />
Lisa's chapters 1-3 and the first Johnson Farm book are here...<br />
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5. This is the step we're looking for...<br />
For Lisa it's the dissertation defense...<br />
For me...?<br />
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Um... Publication Party!!!<br />
Note: we would also accept book signing as an answer here... <br />
<br />
Aand then we go back to step one and do it all again!<br />
<br />
That's my musical interpretation of how the writing process works...<br />
<br />
Until next time those of you who are going to the Layne family reunion (you know who you are) do what you've got to do for the reunion;<br />
and...<br />
Be there or be unpopular!<br />
<br />
Hopefully Lisa posts next week, and if not I'll see you in two (this time for sure!).Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-22147681669270747472017-02-09T19:16:00.000-07:002017-02-09T19:16:18.355-07:00Don't read this post!!!Well you little rebel you...<br />
I intended this post to prove my theory that nobody would read this post, but you did...<br />
So, I guess I should actually write something.<br />
<br />
We've been missing a few posts here. The truth is there has been stuff going on...<br />
<br />
Lisa is on her second round of antibiotics... She was sick for about a week before I went in for my six month checkup, when I left my checkup Lisa had a prescription for antibiotics and a diagnosis of walking pneumonia...<br />
<br />
A couple of days after my appointment <i>I</i> had a prescription for antibiotics, because I got a fairly nasty sinus infection... With a diabetes diagnosis I get pneumonia vaccinations, but the sinuses still got me... <br />
<br />
Yeah, it's been a fun couple of weeks...<br />
<br />
In other news Lisa is running her data for her dissertation. Its a big step toward getting it done. I'm not giving away what she's finding because that's her thing.<br />
<br />
On my side of the house I'm getting ready to Launch Johnson Farm and the website for my publishing company it's a lot of work but it's a good thing.<br />
<br />
And...<br />
<br />
It keeps me from turning into this...<br />
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<br />
Yeah, I know there is stuff I need to do on the house...<br />
But I'm going to wait until my yard is full of mud and white stuff...<br />
<br />
Tune in Monday for more of a real post, and hopefully some good news!!!Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-54889029481371058352017-01-16T20:07:00.000-07:002017-01-16T20:07:34.306-07:00Getting down to buisnessLots going on at the moment and most of it is good!<br />
<br />
This week is the last week Lisa's planning on collecting data for her dissertation. She could really use at least eight more people but she'll go with what she has either way because she really wants to be done and moving on to new things. Hopefully we're seeing a graduation at the end of the semester.<br />
<br />
Lisa and her brother Chad are also hard at work figuring out this year's family reunion (On the one hand we will hopefully have a newly minted doctor to deal with... on the other hand umm... good food, fireworks, shiny things... be there or be unpopular!).<br />
<br />
I'm sure Lisa has more to say but I'll let her talk about it when she gets the chance.<br />
<br />
On the other side of the house Patrick's first novel (first to be released anyway...) is well on it's way to being released at the end of March/beginning of April. I've solicited some help putting together cover art for the book and am finishing content editing and moving into copy editing (That's the part where you spend hours on end stressing about correct spelling and punctuation (Trust me several hundred gallons of Dr Pepper were harmed in the completion of this part of the project...)).<br />
<br />
This brings me to...<br />
<br />
Talking about team-ups!<br />
One of the first people to sign on to do cover art is a young woman who was in our ward until they split the ward last year. Sariah is a pretty recent high school graduate who is doing some mental health/support services work and dreaming about making a serious go of it with her art work. I think some of her stuff is good and I really wanted to give her a shot at doing something that will get a little wider attention. Hopefully I can say more on how this is going (and talk a bit about some of the other people I'm working with) in weeks to come.<br />
<br />
If things go really well Patrick will be doing book signings about the same time as the family reunion...<br />
<br />
With all the work on the dissertation and books and such we've had to depend on our minions to do some of the work around the house including reorganizing the office a bit. And when I say our minions...<br />
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I do in fact mean Minions!<br />
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And they are helping with the project!<br />
<br />
The crane was a Christmas present (as were the Minions). It's four feet high and is actually in the home office (and we really are reorganizing the books and such in between other projects).<br />
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There's more going on and I'd like to tell you about it but I'd better get going for this week. (Lisa stop the Minions before they get to the half track!!!)<br />
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Hopefully Lisa will post next week, and if not I'll see you in two...<br />
<br />Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-82004707271150058142017-01-02T20:16:00.002-07:002017-01-02T20:16:59.639-07:00Continuing and starting new...It's a new year and new things are in the works...<br />
and we're working on finishing some of the old big projects too.<br />
<br />
Lisa has about half the data she needs for her dissertation and really wants to get the rest of it in the next couple of weeks so she can finish and graduate in May. This isn't an easy process, but she's getting through.<br />
<br />
Lisa is also experimenting with dyeing yarn and knitting stuff (she's turning things purple as I write this...). This is one of those things that she's wanted to do for a while and is just getting to now.<br />
<br />
She is also starting classes as a teacher and as a student tomorrow (so she's going to be busy...)<br />
<br />
Meanwhile on the other side of the office...<br />
Patrick finished the first draft for his second novel in the Johnson farm series in December and will be releasing the first book to the public later this year (hopefully around the end of March but that may slip...). The second book is going to take a little longer to get to print because I actually need to get a first draft of the third book written before I can finish the second. I need to make sure a few things will match up...<br />
<br />
The first book is starting the last phases of completion this month so stay tuned...<br />
<br />
I am also starting a new project this week, a book on personal finance... This one adds a new wrinkle in that I've actually got a team that I'm working with for the writing part, not just reader/reviewers and art people. So, in addition to being an author I'm project manager on this one. (I'll be introducing my co-authors and the other members of the Forever Mountain team in the near future).<br />
<br />
New shiny stuff is coming, but it's a little lower on the priority list at the moment. I really want to get the books going...<br />
<br />
Besides...<br />
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We seem to have been invaded! Don't (I mean really don't) ask how the half track got up there...<br />
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As some of you might have seen, Lisa had fun creating a whole story with the advent calendar this year. On my other blog I've been experimenting with using toys to create pictures to go with my posts. Lisa knew I wanted to use some Lego stuff, but hadn't gotten around to expanding the collection. And as a result my wife bought me toys and played with the first!<br />
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So, now that she did, and made a fun story with them, I've got no excuse...<br />
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At least they don't eat much...<br />
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And they're not too hard to clean up after...<br />
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Well, that's about it for this one...<br />
Last year was quite a year and there's a lot of adventures to come!!!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YjfLp8uXxUM" width="560"></iframe>Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-80297990116215314342016-12-19T20:44:00.001-07:002016-12-19T20:44:27.926-07:00Merry Christmas... is it really Christmas?Have you ever had one of those days where you get working on something and then you look up and it's a couple hours later than you thought?<br />
<br />
Yeah... that was the last six weeks...<br />
<br />
Lisa has been running subjects for her dissertation and teaching (a lot....). So, she's been busy.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile...<br />
<br />
I have finally finished the first draft for the second book (got that?) in the Johnson Farm series (just over 290 pages (71,304 words)). In this book our young hero gets ordained in the church, discovers people aren't always what they seem, and discovers precisely why you <i>never </i>get in between two fourteen year old girls who are angry at each other <i>and carrying weapons (even pretend ones)😨😨😱.</i><br />
<br />
Lisa is still hoping to defend her dissertation this spring, which means she needs to get her whole document written by mid March 😅.<br />
<i> </i><br />
Hopefully in about the same time frame I'm releasing the first Johnson Farm book for sale (Tune in in the coming month or so to find out how to get some cool book launch related swag😎).<br />
<br />
In other news Lisa's music folks are doing a significant part of the Sacrament meeting this Sunday (Christmas). So she's working hard on that too...<br />
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Now that NANOWRIMO is done for this year and the first draft is in the can I'll be more regular on doing blog posts again (and Lisa will do some too when she gets the time). So, stay tuned for cool shiny things (including some that <i>you </i>can own), school news, book stuff, and other adventures that are sure to come in the next year!<br />
<br />
That's it for this one...<br />
There are books to write and things to do.<br />
Merry Christmas everyone!<br />
<br />
And for those wondering how we're going to get all this done...<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qfwnfb-wBP4" width="560"></iframe>Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-10590609741758268222016-11-14T19:33:00.002-07:002016-11-14T19:33:11.220-07:00Has it really been a month???Ok, yes I know it's actually been a month, but there were adventures happening!<br />
<br />
For those of you who aren't as interested in the reading and stuff just watch this explanation (thanks to WRappin and Wierd Al for this one)...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JE37e1eK2mY" width="560"></iframe><br />
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For those who are interested in reading...<br />
<br />
Let's start with Lisa's stuff...<br />
In the last month Lisa has done four presentations at two national conferences and was awarded a conference internship that covered most of the cost for the one that work wasn't paying for. Competition for the internships is actually pretty tough and at this point Lisa is the only person I'm aware of that got one on the first try!<br />
<br />
Lisa is also officially in the data collection phase of her dissertation (she's running tests on people and recording the results) so she's well on her way to actually being DR Kidder!<br />
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Of course Patrick wasn't exactly just standing around guarding the walls...<br />
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Ok... so maybe I did guard the walls but I did other stuff too!<br />
<br />
I went with Lisa to both of the conferences.<br />
<br />
At the first one I discovered the old Mormon settlement that was the actual first building in Las Vegas. I also found components for a couple of new stories and finished the almost next to the last draft for Johnson farm. The next steps from here are to put it in the hands of my third group of pre-readers (which includes people who will hopefully be creating my cover art!) and doing the worky icky, make sure all the punctuation is correct, editing.<br />
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And of course this happened...<br />
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We brought back about 20 LBS of agate and petrified wood. (We also found the worlds largest agate sphere but I'm going to have to find the picture for that one...)<br />
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(Lisa found the picture, although there was some funky light reflections on her phone.)<br />
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<br />
The second trip was in Portland Oregon...<br />
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I brought this little pretty home...<br />
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<br />
I'll be turning this amethyst point into my version of the one that Jamie, one of the main female characters in my novel Johnson Farm, wears.<br />
<br />
Speaking of Johnson Farm... NANOWRIMO started while we were in Oregon, so I didn't spend too much time roaming the city. I'm working on the second book of the Johnson Farm series with three more planned. Hopefully I'll be releasing one a year for the next five years. But for now it's get the first draft of book two done this month (27,000 words (about 114 pages) so far and about that much more to go...), and then get the first book out and on the market!<br />
<br />
So, for all the nieces and nephews that bugged me about being in one of my books that one's coming too (about 70 pages done) but I needed to give it a rest to get this whole book in a month thing out of the way... hopefully you guys' book is out in 2018!<br />
<br />
So, what have we learned from all this?<br />
Lisa is a really smart competent person who gets things done.<br />
<br />
And Patrick...?<br />
Well, Patrick just has too many things he's trying to do. And...<br />
You <i>can not</i> take that guy anywhere without rocks and stories being part of the adventure!<br />
<br />
So, that's the short version...<br />
We'll say more when Lisa feels like writing one; the second book is done; or I go completely insane (or is that completely insaner?)<br />
<br />
For those of you who actually read this instead of watching the Albuquerque video...<br />
Here's another one! (This is about the shape book two is in (which is why I'm not writing too much right here right now...))<br />
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<br />
Thanks guys, see you soon!Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-2720268543450013102016-10-04T19:50:00.001-06:002016-10-04T19:50:20.377-06:00The big push...Well, in our last post Lisa talked about her dissertation. She's collecting data now. Not as fast as she'd like but it's happening. She's also gearing up for two conferences and trying to plan a family reunion. So, she's busy. And I'm not exactly going slow either.<br />
<br />
I'm pushing the release date for Johnson Farm back to late winter / early spring. It will be better for marketing. I'm still planning on having the book ready to go by the end of the year, I just want a better slot for marketing it. The current plan is to get the main editing finished by November 1. Then I will be writing <i>the sequel</i> as a NANOWRIMO project before finishing the final edits in December. The book is really coming together. It's actually gotten positive reviews in the second round of people reading it (which is kind of important because this is the first time I've let a teenager get her hands on it, and it's a YA book). So stay tuned to find out how you can get your hands on a copy (I'm going to be offering signed books and some other swag when the book comes out...<br />
<br />
I mentioned I'm doing the sequel next month. I'm also putting together a proposal for a personal finance book which will be my early 2017 new writing project (I'll also be editing the second novel and working on the zombies book). So, hope fully two out next year and maybe three in 2018 it's going to take a lot of work, but people are realizing I'm happier and easier to deal with if I'm writing (so people are starting to learn to leave me alone and let me write!).<br />
<br />
All in all it seems like we're never quite at rest, but it's a good thing... progress is happening.<br />
<br />
That's about it for this one...<br />
<br />
Until next time I'll leave you with this thought of what the novel process is like (thanks to Learningelvish)<br />
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<br />
If you're not sure how this applies to writing a novel, try writing one this November... You'll find out!Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-55391026845280276702016-09-20T19:27:00.002-06:002016-09-20T19:27:13.443-06:00Next stepsI know that lately (well, since Fall of 2014) Patrick has been doing most of the writing here. Today you get to hear about the work that I'm doing...<br />
<br />
Last week was definitely stressful, I had finally set a date for my dissertation proposal - Friday, September 16th.<br />
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<h3>
What is a Dissertation Proposal?</h3>
This is when I present the design of my research, prove that I've thoroughly searched the literature (and no one else has done what I've designed) and get permission from a committee of 5 people (who will also decide at my dissertation defense if I get to graduate) to move forward and start collecting data. This is the second biggest (and <i>almost</i> the last) presentation for my degree. I've written more about some of the details about this on <a href="https://lkidder.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/dissertation-proposal-check/" target="_blank">my other blog</a>.<br />
<br />
There were questions - which were addressed, and some points and ideas that need to be made more clear in chapters 1-3 (this is common). And, one of the committee commented that my PowerPoint presentation did not look like PowerPoint - I guess some of the design research I've done is paying off.<br />
<br />
End result, I have permission to move forward. <br />
<h3>
What is Next?</h3>
I'm currently waiting on the permission from the Human Subjects Committee. Once I receive that email I can begin advertising, and hopefully be able to schedule 36 participants to come spend an hour in the computer lab. It is a bit unreal at the moment as I have been focused on this end goal (which is not really the end) for quite some time.<br />
<br />
Once I have collected the data, I can do the analysis, write chapters 4 and 5 and the plan is to graduate in May 2017!<br />
<h3>
In the Meantime...</h3>
<h4>
In the Work/School Arena</h4>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>It was pointed out to me yesterday that I made a list of "<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/100-idaho-educators-follow-twitter-edufollowchallenge-keith-o-neal" target="_blank">100 Educators in Idaho to Follow on Twitter</a>." I honestly haven't posted anything on Twitter lately - but there will be more towards the end of October as I tend to post more when I'm at conferences. Which brings me to the other upcoming things...</li>
<li>At the AECT Conference my schedule will be busy as I was awarded one of the <a href="http://www.aect.org/events/intern/InternWinners.asp" target="_blank">Cochran Internships</a>. I am excited for this opportunity, but I'm told it will definitely keep me busy. In addition I'm also doing a round table about my dissertation research - which won't really be ready for a full presentation, but will provide an opportunity to talk about it. I will also be helping with the Three Minute Thesis Competition as <a href="https://youtu.be/8YI2X1A8rYQ" target="_blank">I won last year</a>. (That was like a mini-dissertation proposal - a 3 minute version of the 40 minute presentation I did on Friday. You can get the overall idea of the research watching that video.) I will say that this competition really helped me focus my writing.</li>
<li>Then there is the Quality Matters Conference where I'm participating in 3 presentations with colleagues from across the nation. I really enjoy associating with all these people and look forward to our conversations this year.</li>
<li>This morning I also got a notice that my chapter from last year has been cited again (<a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=SlKinpQAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank">according to Google Scholar</a>) - which means with two publications I'm up to 15 citations! I find it amazing that people are actually reading stuff I wrote.</li>
<li>Patrick is the real writer. He has several projects in the works, as usual, and is making amazing progress in spite of having to deal with a very stressed Lisa last week.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4>
In Other Arenas</h4>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>I continue to knit to keep me sane.</li>
<li>Patrick is using more E6000 - perhaps he will share some of those creations next week.</li>
<li>And the planning has begun for the Layne Family Reunion 2017</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15713525742397083064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-7203768186589478822016-09-05T19:21:00.002-06:002016-09-05T19:21:53.954-06:00I got drafted... or... Taking a shot!It's been a busy couple of weeks in our little corner of the universe. And, both parts of the title are accurate within the last week!<br />
<br />
Last week I got drafted to help out with a young men's activity. I helped out because our young men's leadership is down to... um... ONE GUY. We took the boys out shooting and had a really good time at it. One of our boys (all of 12 and not exactly buff) was a bit apprehensive (it was his first time holding a gun). By the end of the day he'd actually fired the biggest rifle we had out there (a .45-70).<br />
<br />
As for myself I have confirmed that I have mixed feelings about certain Russian made semi-autos. Aaannd, being me, it just wouldn't be a trip out into the wild without bringing something home...<br />
<br />
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<br />
Yes, it's junk (or it looks like junk), but that seriously thick glass (left can) will get used in some upcoming projects. The right can holds some casings I recovered. Yes, I know that steel cases and rim fires can't be reloaded effectively, but... brass melts and steel can be recycled... Just for reference the casing in the glass can is a 7.62x39 that I put in there for scale...<br />
<br />
I'm not going to talk about what I'm planning on doing with any of that stuff at this time because there's more immediate coolness.<br />
<br />
Moving on with our theme of taking a shot...<br />
I finished a project this week, my chainmail messenger bag. That one will be featured in an upcoming post too. Getting it finished cleared the way for a brand new project using mailing techniques I haven't played with before...<br />
<br />
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<br />
As you can see it took me a couple of shots to get the ring sizes right (the one on the right...), but I'm on my way to making new cool stuff so it was worth it.<br />
<br />
Writing is still going on of course, but I'm not going to talk too much about that...<br />
Instead I'd like to announce the best interruption to my writing schedule in a long time!<br />
Lisa will be doing the official proposal meeting for her dissertation on Sept 16th!<br />
After the meeting the real fun begins...<br />
She'll be collecting a bunch of data; analyzing it with some big scary equations and software; and then writing up a big old honking paper that she then has to defend in front of her committee.<br />
<br />
It's a pretty major step and I'm proud of her. <br />
<br />
I'm really not going to say much about my writing at this point, but...<br />
<br />
I will say...<br />
<br />
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<br />
If you'd like to find out how to get your hands on this, and other bits of shiny, stay tuned for future posts! That's right! I may be drafting <i>you...</i><br />
<br />
That's it for this one. I'll probably have Lisa write one in two...<br />
<i>Until then...</i><br />
<br />
This just seems to be the right way to end this one... (thanks and credit to Peter Gabriel)<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CnVf1ZoCJSo" width="560"></iframe>
<i> </i>Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-47142779111026974932016-08-15T19:41:00.001-06:002016-08-15T19:41:41.299-06:00Plinking at progress...Lisa reports she's feeling confident about trying to set a date for her dissertation proposal. That means, at least for the moment, most of her committee can agree about what she means on the stuff for her study (I understood most of it... oh... a year ago?). Of course once she actually has a proposal date she gets to gear up for people asking interesting questions about what she wants to study... <br />
<br />
Over on my side of the office I've made my first foray into the world of gun smithing. Nothing really exciting I put a new grip on my snubby.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Truly one of those cases of 'if you read the instructions and think things will go OK'.<br />
<br />
I've even succeeded in getting Lisa to do a little shooting<br />
<br />
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<br />
If I recall this one was taken while she was amazing a friend of mine by taking out her target on the first shot.<br />
<br />
Speaking of that trip... some of my folks heard me talking about hitting the bottle...<br />
<br />
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<br />
In my world that might not mean what you think it means... But, I did find a really fun way to make the broken glass for my 'beach glass' projects! Incidentally the silvery bit is where my round hit the back side of the bottle. I'm finding there's a whole interesting sub set of ballistics here... Lisa took out her bottle on the first shot with a .38 special. Mine (above) hit the bottle in a different spot and only shattered one side of the bottle. My buddy with a .40 cal decapitated the bottle with the first shot and needed a second to shatter it... interesting... I think I need more bottles...<br />
<br />
Here's some of the glass after the next stage of processing...<br />
<br />
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<br />
What am I going to do with it? I'm not entirely sure yet but that's the fun part! <br />
<br />
<b>Warning!!! Talky wordy stuff ahead!</b> (Gah! You'd think he'd stop talking about writing at some point!!!)<br />
<br />
The book I was going to do related to the glass stuff has fluctuated, but is
currently back on (which means I'm up to three books actively in some
stage of the works, with a back list to be worked on (yikes!)). <br />
<br />
I've started research for a new (non craft related) non-fiction. I'm not sure which is scarier: the fact that I've committed myself to read 2000 pages worth of research material, or the fact that I know exactly how many hours that will take me...<br />
<br />
The third item on the schedule is the novel Johnson Farm which is in a read and edit mode at the moment. The first feedback is good and I am quickly moving on to the most critical segment of this part, actual young adult readers (dum, dum, DUUUM!!).<br />
<br />
I'm also moving on to the marketing side for Johnson Farm. This will include the usual electronic commentary and advertising, and a Kickstarter Campaign to fund the initial launch. To answer a question before it's asked I want to release the first one under my own label because I would really like it to be a Forever Mountain book. There are plans in the works to move things over to a larger publisher after a couple of critical goals (including the writing of the second book). So, hopefully I'll be doing a book signing at a Deseret book near you at some point in the near future (Maybe Seagull for you LA people...)<br />
<br />
And yes I did mention writing the second book... That's this years NANOWRIMO project, and I'll get around to talking about it later...<br />
<br />
More to say, but I'll save some of that for the next one... Hopefully Lisa's got some good news for us next week, and I'll see you in two. (In the mean time anyone who keeps reading will be sent back into that interesting place I call the inside of my head... Thanks to Information Society for posting the video and as for the rest of you... don't say I didn't warn you...)<br />
<br />
<br />
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Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-62042027385528524122016-08-01T20:35:00.001-06:002016-08-01T20:35:06.718-06:00One step at a time...Ok... so... some of what we have here today was <i>supposed</i> to be ready for last week's post. But, life happened and the first bit of it is ready for today.<br />
<br />
Lisa is pressing on with her dissertation and seems to have finally gotten a committee together and has even started educating them on what the heck she's doing. If she hasn't mentioned it already she's also recently been awarded a fairly prestigious internship for one of her conferences this year. That means she's going to be working hard, and that we will be there for longer than we first planned. Buuttt the hotel gets paid for, the registration fee gets paid for, and she gets a stipend for food and travel and such. It also means that she's becoming more of an insider for another (and larger this time!) organization that she really wants to be active with. (What do I say? Well... Vegas Baby!!! (Actually it may not be that exciting really... writing stuff...)).<br />
<br />
On my side of the house Johnson Farm is one step closer to being published on schedule. For those keeping score that will be my second book of the year and the first novel of a series. The second novel of the series is currently planned as this years NANOWRIMO project (with books three and four to come...). I'll be talking more about this in upcoming posts...<br />
<br />
For <i>today's </i>post... I'm also started on next years first book, another craft book. This one will teach about how to make and use your own 'beach' glass. It's planned as an intermediate level craft book (a step up from the last one). I am also releasing some videos related to this book (and a couple more for the last one (and at least one for the novel...). As of tonight I actually have the first of those videos out the door!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eGkuOS9PdSo" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Yes, it's simple. But it's also another one on the resume (and hopefully the first item out for my third book!). I actually have had a couple people ready to jump ship to my team just from filming this one...<br />
<br />
Three more videos are planned at this time (with the material for one of them on my desk already). So tune in in the near future and hopefully I can show you why 'hitting the bottle' might not mean what you think it means!<br />
<br />
In the other side of life Lisa is still the ward music coordinator and keeping those singers singing and players playing.<br />
<br />
As for myself I'm still ward clerk. Once again I have two assistants who are doing fairly well and once again there are thoughts of "when I get them trained up I can move on to something else". Of course last time I thought that they reorganized the stake and I lost all my trainees to another ward!<br />
<br />
And, once again I am working on cleaning up the ward list. This requires calling, emailing, or otherwise contacting people who want to know who I am before they will tell me anything...<br />
<br />
And once again one of my favorite bands has provide timely theme music for the project...<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jt22MEsnFUw" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
So, thank you to INSOC for the timely video! (Yes I do actually play this one while I'm working on ward list stuff!!!)<br />
<br />
That's it for this one. See you in two...Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-15590532587265977512016-07-18T20:09:00.000-06:002016-07-18T20:10:10.308-06:00Some News from Lisa...Just a few months ago, I (Lisa) decided to submit an application for one of the few internships for AECT (Association for Educational Communications & Technology). I scrambled to update my CV (long resume for those outside of academia), answer questions about my goals and research (like I really know what I want to do when I grow up), and had a faculty advisor willing to squeak in a letter of support just under the deadline.<br />
<br />
There are limited spots for these internships. What would this get me?<br />
<br />
Registration and hotel costs for the AECT 2016 conference are covered along with a stipend to help with travel. In addition, during the conference I will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from leaders in instructional design, learning, and technology . Following the conference I will be paired up with one of those leaders as a mentor to help me continue to progress as I transition from PhD student to professional.<br />
<br />
(What would it get Patrick? - a week long most expenses paid trip to Vegas to write, and write and write.)<br />
<br />
I completed my undergraduate degree years ago, so in many ways I do not feel like your regular PhD student. In other words, it feels like I'm on a second or third career and falling behind.<br />
<br />
I was already planning to attend this conference. The presentation I submitted was accepted, and I had already committed to helping with the 3MT Competition (See <a href="http://adventuresofpandl.blogspot.com/2015/11/conferences-and-travel-lisas-belated.html" target="_blank">Conferences and Travel (Lisa's belated post)</a>)<br />
<br />
This morning I received in my email inbox...<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Lisa, congratulations!<br />
You are a recipient of a 2016 AECT Leadership Internship. You join a prestigious and small group of people who have become leaders in the field...</blockquote>
<h3>
I was selected as one of the three Cochran Interns!</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cSMmszlOyWQ/V42Hez98dBI/AAAAAAAAEYI/UfuYI-A_WhU7iLu7XPEUbXq7htYBe5eEgCLcB/s400/AECT%2BInternship%2BAnnouncement.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.aect.org/events/intern/InternWinners.asp" target="_blank">AECT 2016 Internship Announcement</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I was so excited! And extremely grateful for this opportunity. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While my life has not always taken the expected path, I have been extremely blessed with opportunities to grow and progress in my professional life. From opportunities to further my education to kind comments from professional men and women I admire to affirmations like this award; all small indications of the Lord's hand in my life letting me know that I am where I need to be, doing what the He wants me to do.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15713525742397083064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-18143187205421874552016-07-11T19:18:00.001-06:002016-07-11T19:18:49.613-06:00Ebb and Flow...We made it back from the trip...<br />
<br />
In case someone's not sure what we're talking about...<br />
<br />
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<br />
We had a cruise/reunion/birthday-party thing to go to... (We love you Grandma!)<br />
<br />
When we left, our car was still at Honda. Given that at least one other car associated with the cruise/reunion/birthday-party was kind of totaled due to things related to one of the things they were tracking down in our car, and another had transmission issues... I think we're glad we gave Honda an extra week! So...the car gave the Honda guys fits (I blame the ninja squirrels) but we didn't break down in the desert... I'll call this a win.<br />
<br />
We did have a good trip all around though it did remind us that some days it doesn't pay to leave home... When we got back Lisa discovered that her dissertation committee chair is leaving for another university so she has to reorganize her committee (again...). On the bright side she remains the most cited researcher in her department at the university. She met with some folks already and it looks like the dissertation timeline she has in mind will work out (which is good).<br />
<br />
In my side of the writing game... Don't know yet... ask me next time I post.<br />
I have a meeting with with some fairly serious publishing people on Wednesday about the novel that I hope to have out in December. I have the latest version of the pitch put together and hope to have the latest edit of the book completely on the computer by the end of the week...<br />
<br />
I am also working on the copy for the first book of next year. I also hope to have at least one if not two videos for this one up by the next time I post (fun stuff). I'm not going to say specifically what the videos or the book are about just now but...<br />
If you find the concept of ballistic fragmentation of non-crystalline solids to be interesting or scary check back in two weeks... (trust me I've already made one neighbor jealous playing with the stuff for this one...).<br />
<br />
So we're back...<br />
We're working on stuff...<br />
We're taking the good with the bad...<br />
Even though some days we'd rather be here...<br />
<br />
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Or here...<br />
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<br />
But in any case we'll be having fun,<br />
getting things done,<br />
and...<br />
<br />
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<br />
hanging out with the gang!<br />
<br />
That's it for this time. If Lisa doesn't post next week, see you in two...Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-86438892513116473072016-06-20T20:37:00.003-06:002016-06-20T20:37:22.124-06:00What happened to the Honda???"What happened to your Honda?" actual question I had to answer today...<br />
<br />
The easy answer:<br />
It's in for repairs.<br />
<br />
The more detailed answer:<br />
I told them it was the transmission, but they thought it was the front axle... then they thought it was the wheel bearing... then they figured out it was the transmission... (note: I will not be paying for the wheel barring or the axle). The upshot is that the car is in for repairs and it's taking longer than expected to fix it, but because they had so much trouble figuring it out they're comping the rental till they get the car fixed (behold the power of words... the writer (and no- car guy...) diagnosed the problem and is getting a discount...)<br />
<br />
The long answer:<br />
Ok, so there we were heading up Trail Creek to the secret Forever Mountain Publishing marksmanship training range (hey a security section's gotta train) when we were attacked by these ninja cows (note: most cows are not actually ninjas (but these were I tells ya))...dressed in all black...just at the edge of the shrubbery...<br />
<br />
The car really is in for repairs and I can tell you the Civic that we have for a loaner isn't really my style... But it just fits in with the adventures...<br />
<br />
<b>Speaking of Other Adventures... </b><br />
As I write this we're gearing up for yet another family reunion experience. Specifically Lisa is bombarding me with potential activities and I'm reassuring her that as long as I have a place to write and a soda I'm fine...<br />
<br />
I'm actually kind of looking forward to the family stuff but I'm also quite serious about the writing stuff (those who understand understand; those who don't understand stay away from my pen/paper/soda and nobody gets hurt ;-) )<br />
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Also in the news we are apparently accepting tribute now...<br />
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One of the professors at ISU brought these to Lisa last week. It's actually funny, with everything going on we haven't had time to hunt for rocks. We definitely haven't had time to do anything with rocks. But... we still somehow end up with more rocks...<br />
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I also have some interesting research going on (as a writer/psychologist I can call just about anything 'research' and be at least partially accurate...)<br />
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but for some reason Lisa thinks guns and family reunions might not mix, so I'll save it for another post...<br />
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<b>Speaking of writing (you know it had to be here somewhere...)</b><br />
I'm actually fairly serious about that writing through the reunion thing... I've got an appointment for my book pitch on the 13th so I need to be ready. I also have the first draft I'm setting down to get ready for the pitch, next year's non fiction title, some short stories...<br />
<br />
I would also like to point out to our single readers that it is a confirmed phenomenon writers attract members of the opposite sex (It's true, and if I repeat it enough I'll motivate Lisa to get her own new sidearm...). This can be a blessing or a curse... It's a blessing when it gets you something you want (like better service at a restaurant or dates for you single writers out there...) and a curse when you're stuck at a car dealership with an all out chatterbox...<br />
<br />
Lisa reports she's got chapter three of her dissertation out for review and is well on her way to<br />
re-reorganizing her committee so progress is being made...<br />
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I think that's it for this one...<br />
Until next time...<br />
<br />
beware the ninja cows!!!<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-1224883308898152142016-06-07T19:53:00.003-06:002016-06-07T19:55:36.928-06:00Wee'reee Back!!!Ok, so people may have noticed that we've missed a few posts here on the Adventures of Patrick and Lisa...<br />
<br />
Well, May was an interesting month. Chainmail Bottle Carriers officially hit the market on May 4th (Yes, it was supposed to be April but the guys doing the e-book conversion didn't quite get the idea that captions belonged on the same page as the pictures...). After the e-book there was the Mother's Day shooting incident... (both of which were talked about in our last post).<br />
<br />
<br />
Lots of wordy stuff:<br />
Since then we have invested in a block of ISBN numbers (those weird little numbers you find on books that let you find the exact book and edition you're looking for) and filed paperwork for our own publishing label. So we are now operating as Forever Mountain Publishing! The first release under the Forever Mountain label is also Chainmail Bottle Carriers (the PDF version instead of the e-book (I hold the rights for it and they're considered different editions because they're a different kind of file...)). The PDF is available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/385052670/chainmail-bottle-carriers-book?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=chainmail%20book&ref=sr_gallery_1" target="_blank">here</a>. The e-book has much wider distribution thanks to Amazon and other sources.<br />
<br />
About the same time the pitch for my next book, a novel called Johnson Farm, was read and critiqued live in a webinar. I have an appointment with some publishing people about the book next month, so I may be announcing a change in publishing plans before too long. In the meantime I'm fairly on track for Johnson Farm to come out in December.<br />
<br />
I've also gotten started on the next novel... Started being the key word... I've got the first couple of chapters in but I'm finding this one is more complicated than I expected and I'm giving myself more time to get everything worked out. This is also the book that several nieces and nephews asked if I would work their names into it... I've been working on that... That takes a bit of creativity too.<br />
You can expect bits and pieces about this to show up in both blogs, but that's it for now...<br />
<br />
Progress...<br />
Lisa continues to move forward on her dissertation. She wanted to be farther than she is but it's a writing process and it takes time. She is also down to do two conferences this year and may be working on the inside of one of them.<br />
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Lisa's also been knitting up a storm and interacting in her knitting community. She's officially hitting the point where she's modifying patterns and confident enough about it that she's actually talking to people about the mods (she can talk more about that later...).<br />
<br />
Firepower!<br />
I actually have to tell on one of my good friends just a little bit. I picked up a new .357 snub nosed revolver a couple of weeks ago. This one is not a snap decision it's the end of a process of finding the right piece of equipment for our needs.<br />
<br />
Well, a friend of mine (who is a shooter but not experienced with the type of weapon in question) went with me for the first run shooting it (still working on breaking it in...). Initially I don't think he was really impressed. He brought his .40 automatic which holds three times the rounds and has a longer barrel and better sights.<br />
<br />
Initially he would have been right. The first 20 rounds or so were .38 specials; fairly mild, but good enough (not as powerful as his .40s). Then, when we switched guns for a round or two, he realized I'm actually a lot better shot than people might think...<br />
<br />
Those .38s are a milder load but can do the job if you put them in the right place.<br />
<br />
Then I loaded up with the .357s... Naturally I didn't hit anything on the first go with them (have to adapt to the heavier recoil and a little different trajectory), but they definitely got his attention! I mean genuine startle reaction time.<br />
<br />
I checked a book when I got home and the .357s I was shooting had about <i>three times</i> the energy of the .38s and <i>one and a half times</i> the energy of his .40s... I may have made a new .357 fan...<br />
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Summing up...<br />
So that's about it for now. Some projects are complete. Others are moving forward. And a few new ones are coming on line. We're looking forward to seeing some of the family and sharing some adventures with them.<br />
<br />
Hopefully Lisa gets a chance to post next week. In the mean time there are words to be written and projects to be done.<br />
What's this month going to look like?<br />
Maybe...<br />
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Thanks to DocJackz for the video. Yes I'm aware that The Doctor doesn't carry a gun and James Bonds is a PPK. I'm not claiming to be entirely like either one...<br />
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Thanks for reading see you next week.Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4203204714451189271.post-45575752353047918642016-05-09T21:12:00.002-06:002016-05-09T21:13:16.772-06:00There and back again... again!Last week Lisa told the tale of our trip to California. Normally we love going on trips and find them energizing and relaxing in interesting ways, but not that trip...<br />
<br />
There were a lot of things going on and a lot to get done after we got home.<br />
<br />
In the last week we officially got my first book of the year out (after having to explain to the publisher that captions actually need to be <i>with the pictures</i> and that the captions didn't have to be repeated more than once). I started writing text for my latest book project (due out in 2017). Lisa got chapter 1 of her dissertation to her advisor....<br />
<br />
And then there were the things that weren't writing related. Two Sundays ago (the one before Mothers <br />
Day) Lisa got her new choir director and got the choir to meet for the first time in our new ward (and the stake wants them to sing in stake conference next month...). I had a bunch of clerks office stuff to do including pushing to get my new membership clerk (who knows when that is going to happen...) and explaining to someone who really should have known better that as a clerk I do not in fact have the authority to perform marriages for the dead (talk about a looong story). And a whole series of other adventures better left to another time and place.<br />
<br />
Somewhere in all of this I mentioned to Lisa that I didn't think the typical ward Mother's Day thing was going to be very good for either one of us at the moment. Lisa quickly found that with some club points we could get a really good price at a nice hotel in Salt Lake.<br />
<br />
And then this happened...<br />
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Video courtesy of PandoricaGallifrey ...<br />
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In all seriousness we did get away for the weekend, and it really was what we needed. We got the relaxation and stress relief we didn't get on the last trip. Speaking of that stress relief...<br />
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I know it's a weird Mother's Day activity but we had a good time "bustin' caps" at a local shooting range. Lisa did pretty good for her first time with a pistol. No, the grouping on my target in the picture ain't the best, but considering it was a range gun not mine and this was my first clip with it... I'm not complaining. They got better after that.<br />
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Later in the day we went to a really good Brazilian steak house for a nice dinner.<br />
<br />
I actually woke up both nights of the trip with ideas about the new book. So, Lisa kindly ignored a lot of rambling on my part...<br />
<br />
So my tip to everyone is... If you really need to get a way for a day or two, find a way to do it once in a while...<br />
<br />
It really helps.<br />
<br />
Here are a few other lessons learned on this trip<br />
<br />
1: Fancy hotel manager types get worried when they see a guy with crazy hair wandering into their hotel restaurant....<br />
<br />
2: Those same managers get really embarrassed and defensive on the <i>second </i>day of the trip, when they come up to you in the hotel restaurant; see that you're writing in a notebook; and then read your t-shirt that says "Please don't annoy the writer he may put you in a book and kill you" (Thanks to Lisa's mom, Marisa, and company)... Yeah, the service got a lot better after that...<br />
<br />
3: Lisa really prefers revolvers to semi automatics. Revolvers don't throw hot brass at you...<br />
<br />
4: There is absolutely no point in me not taking a notebook into a restaurant... I only end up writing on the napkins!<br />
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Well, that's it for today...<br />
Until next time...<br />
Remember, your mind is your greatest weapon,<br />
Keep it sharp and loaded!Sir Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18254264795380420955noreply@blogger.com0