Here I am at the edge

Euro noir I have seen  Noir  TV series from all over Europe. Honestly, the only ones I can’t get into are ones from Norway and Finland.  The Icelandic series sometimes take a while to click but the Norwegian and Finnish series I cannot get into, whether this is because both countries have a border with Russia is hard o define. It could be the style of acting that grates with me, as none of the characters appear likable to me.

Being a photographer is the bottom  It is well known that the majority of my book covers are taken from pictures I have shot, the reason for this is I can't afford the expense of a nice cover.   For years, my late father told me I was a good photographer - a great compliment - as in his eyes I could not do anything.  At one time I did think about becoming a photographer, I even started a course. The problem is to become successful you need to find somewhere that has no photographer.   As most villages have a regular photographer, you are required to set up shop for five years to attempt to establish your business, the next five years are for you to break even - if possible - only then can you consider making your work pay.  In the meantime, what are you living off for the first ten years?

What is normal? I have returned from an appointment at the doctors with the knowledge that my BP is back to normal.  I can only put this down to a matter of supreme mind control on my part, as my life is anything but normal at the moment.  My life has taken a turn for the worse this week with news that my right ankle is likely to give way at any time, meaning I can't go the long walks I needed for escape from feeling trapped, now I feel more trapped than I did before. To me, normal would mean a feeling that either life has stopped being a struggle against depression, feeling I have got to a level where it no longer matters to me, or that I no longer care about living this life. In short, only in death would my life become normal as I have so many family issues always on my mind.

If nothing changes it will be the same I said years ago, "If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck," and the news of my latest injury presses the point home more.  I was planning a trip to a jazz festival in May of next year, the venue is the site of my zombie story. This would have been a return visit as I went to  Bridgnorth  several years ago for a Folk music festival.

I had a good time I had a feeling the day was close, and it IS here.  My right ankle is so painful I cannot put my weight on it, so my last ramble was to   Dundry . I fought this day off for seventeen years, knowing any day could be my last; finally, the Lord decided it is my time. I am glad I had the time I did have and the opportunity to see what I did, but some things are inevitable, and my  RAF  injury caught up with me.

The moving finger writes   I am amazed that people think I am a  #bestseller . After all, I make less than $1 a week from  #writing , this month's sales show how bad things are  #Free #ebooks  have equalled sold e-books at 2-2. This is only marginally better than  #Amazon .

Times change I usually try to maintain some standard of writing, but that has changed this year. Why should I maintain a standard when nobody buys my #ebook s?  If my standard falls, remember this, you are reading the blog for free.  Here are some links to my ebooks    https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Alan%20Place%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall  /  https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/search?query=Alan+Place / https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alan-Place/e/B007U50BOI%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share /  https://www.scribd.com/author/427063671/Alan-Place . 

Time on my hands As I am not doing a lot of writing these days, this will give me the opportunity to restore my collection of cd's to the memory on my USB stick.

No more for sale This month, I decided not to put more books for sale. Without the help of  Draft2Digital   https://www.draft2digital.com/book/   this course of action would have happened years ago.  My final act of putting a book for sale on   Smashwords   appears to be what it is, the act of a desperate writer. When I started, my goal was to sell ten copies of one e-book in a day, with the mighty site of Amazon , there was some hope, this hope soon died. Despite the huge sales for the series   http://alsdomain.weebly.com/forgestriker---the-hit-series.html , not even the mighty Forgestriker could sell ten copies in one week. The final honours of the most sales in a day (6) and a week(7) remain with my Amazon bestseller - the vampire story - Holding Richmond. If I'd wanted to go out at the top, I should have taken this action two years ago when I had back-to-back months of 20 sales, and the opportunity of a three-peat. Instead, I ...

The sequel This is the beginning of the sequel to A Homecoming https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075BJH2D2  and  https://www.draft2digital.com/book/235628 Jehoiakim woke from a disturbed night - one more in a series - he couldn't recall the last time he'd slept well; his tendon injury made sleep difficult, and his mind was racing about the story he had in mind about the events at Masada. The sun rose across the bay, but he felt no warmth in his bones, too many sleepless nights left him drained and cold despite the desert heat. He got up from his bed, and getting dressed as he walked to the kitchen, he fumbled in his trouser pockets to locate the change before he put the kettle on for his morning coffee. "Was it only a day or two since Adriana returned to Haifa?" he thought. “It seemed like weeks. I miss her so much, I know she's got her job and now is a respite she needs but I'd like to see her again." He was roused from his longing for Adriana...

Ghosts of Jazz Ghosts of Jazz is a story I wrote several years ago to great acclaim from several readers; the book is for sale on Draft2Digital    https://www.draft2digital.com/book/32323 This is a sample of the beginning of a story I was writing a few months ago. The lady walked onto the floor like a cat on the prowl, eyeing the crowd. She was no youngster but her voice and sexual presence more than made up for lack of youthful vigor. Cat knew she held the stage; the men wanted her, and the women wanted to be her. Her patrons loved Cat, and she was feared by those who crossed her. She is the Black Cat.   At the top of the Merrick building in Medville, there is a small club known as Room 666. Inside this secluded area, is a jazz lounge that is frequented by the most exclusive guests, if you get an invite you have become a respected member of a high-class elite group whose powers are only limited by your desires. The main thing about this room is money c...

Dundry   The photo on the post is one I took last night on my way to  Dundry , North Somerset.   This summer my plan is to explore the South  Bristol  area around where my family was moved to after the fire in May.   I may be  disabled , and unable to keep my usual pace up, but I am not willing to give up my walking yet, that day isn't far off that is why I'm doing as much this summer as I can, by this time next year it could be over.   The photo shows  Chew Valley lake  which supplies Bristol with water. In the drought of 1974, a village was rediscovered in the lake, the records show the last time the village was viewable was back in the early 1800's. 

It was the best of times   Barring a miracle, this month will be the worst in my four years on   Draft2Digital   https://www.draft2digital.com/book/32452 . With two weeks gone I have made only two sales, meaning to equal my previous low I need four sales.  On the up side, this is still better than any month in the last three years on   Amazon.   www.amazon.com/dp/B07226FRDK

WHY? Why did I return to #writing ? My writing was never about the money to me, after all beyond my #scifi  series Forgestriker  nothing has sold. To me, a sale is a sign of appreciation for the time invested, I only make $0.60 cents per #ebook .  The main reason I returned is that I needed a release for the build up of stress in my life over the last two months, it isn't only the fire that created the tension there are other issues involved.