Only a quick note today, but just a week with an agent and I’ve got publisher interest in Finders Keepers already. A leading sci-fi publisher has requested to read Finders Keepers, so we’re off to the races already.

As always, I will keep you posted.Only a quick note today, but just a week with an agent and I’ve got publisher interest in Finders Keepers already. A leading sci-fi publisher has requested to read Finders Keepers, so we’re off to the races already.

As always, I will keep you posted.

I went to sleep at 6 o’clock last night. I can’t remember the last time that happened. I’d been fighting off a cold since the middle of last week (and mostly losing), and finally, yesterday, it got the best of me. Despite being on the couch all day, I still had no energy. I was also cranky and a bit warm (probably a slight fever), and by the time 6 o’clock rolled around, I was done. I watched a little TV, fell asleep around 6:45, woke up at 8:30, and then went down for the night.

TypicallyI went to sleep at 6 o’clock last night. I can’t remember the last time that happened. I’d been fighting off a cold since the middle of last week (and mostly losing), and finally, yesterday, it got the best of me. Despite being on the couch all day, I still had no energy. I was also cranky and a bit warm (probably a slight fever), and by the time 6 o’clock rolled around, I was done. I watched a little TV, fell asleep around 6:45, woke up at 8:30, and then went down for the night.

Typically, I only get about two colds a year, so I’m figuring this was No. 1–and just in time, too. I’m getting to that point where it’s the busy for me personally. Now that I’ve got an agent and I’m trying to get Finders Keepers published, I need to get into game mode. I need to be in top shape. I’m back at my early hours and starting on some new projects–which I’ll talk about soon–as I prepare not only to get Finders Keepers in print but engage in the Comic-Cons (NYC and San Diego).

So this was my one cold before it gets warm, and now that the worst seems to be passed–I feel way better today–it’s time for me to really get rolling.

Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2008/04/29 14:28

That’s it. It’s official. I am officially signed with my agent!

Woo Hoo!

It’s been a long ride, indeed, but well worth it. Now the real work begins …

I’ve already sent her an updated Finders Keepers manuscript, plus a bunch of other materials that will be necessary in the marketing strategy to help get a publishing deal. Those materials include:

* 3-page synopsis of Finders Keepers

* 2-sentence description of Finders Keepers

* 5-sentence description of Finders KeepersWoo Hoo!

It’s been a long ride, indeed, but well worth it. Now the real work begins …

I’ve already sent her an updated Finders Keepers manuscript, plus a bunch of other materials that will be necessary in the marketing strategy to help get a publishing deal. Those materials include:

* 3-page synopsis of Finders Keepers

* 2-sentence description of Finders Keepers

* 5-sentence description of Finders Keepers

* Marketing and promotional ideas I’ve come up with

* My bio

* Updated Finders Keepers manuscript

So my agent and I’ll will confab about the getting published plan, and then she’ll go do those agenty things that agents do, like get me a deal!

As always, I’ll keep you posted …

Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2008/04/28 05:29

Several years ago I hurt my back playing racquetball. More truthfully, my back finally gave out [i]during [/i]racquetball, although it was probably grinding down long before that. After the initial wave of agony passed and the doctors finally admitted they didn’t know what the heck they were talking about–and after my suggestions for about a year–they finally recommended I see a chiropractor.

I first went twice a week for about two months, getting me generally on track, and since then I’Several years ago I hurt my back playing racquetball. More truthfully, my back finally gave out [i]during [/i]racquetball, although it was probably grinding down long before that. After the initial wave of agony passed and the doctors finally admitted they didn’t know what the heck they were talking about–and after my suggestions for about a year–they finally recommended I see a chiropractor.

I first went twice a week for about two months, getting me generally on track, and since then I’ve been going to the chiropractor once a month for an adjustment. It’s a little hard to tell just how much good going to a chiropractor does …until you don’t go. It’s like taking vitamins. Do they really help, or do you just want to believe they help? I’m still not sure.

But after going for my monthly adjustment for the last several years, for one reason or another I haven’t gone for the last three months. And now I need to go back. But not for the reasons I would have thought.

I realized after about 6 weeks that I wasn’t quite breathing properly. It was one of the more surprising side effects when I first started going. After a good back cracking–and my spine properly aligned–I was standing up properly, so it seemed, and thus, opening my lungs more, allowing me to breath properly, perhaps for the first time ever. And I could really tell the difference. I felt like I was breathing more deeply. More fully.

And now that I haven’t gone in a while, I’ve been feeling like I’m not quite able to take the deep breaths I used to even a few months ago. And I’m feeling slightly upset over it. Not upset as in, I’m annoyed that it isn’t happening, but a feeling upset, even when nothing seems to be wrong. Now, it’s not like I’m on the floor crying my eyes out or anything, but it’s just noticeable enough. Like a splinter in my breath. It’s just not quite right.

So I’m going to the chiropractor this week to get a good ole’ back crackin’. Sure, my back could use the adjustment, but it’s the breathing I’m most focused on.

Who knew?

The famous U.S. Postal oath begins may very well begin "Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night …" but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the mail arrives on time!

My agent contract isn’t official yet simply because the signed copy I mailed to her [i]still hasn’t gotten there[/i]! Arrg! Now, I know it’s just one of those things, and we’ll get this official sooner rather than later, but I want to get this baby wrapped up so we can get down to the business of Finders Keepers. The famous U.S. Postal oath begins may very well begin "Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night …" but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the mail arrives on time!

My agent contract isn’t official yet simply because the signed copy I mailed to her [i]still hasn’t gotten there[/i]! Arrg! Now, I know it’s just one of those things, and we’ll get this official sooner rather than later, but I want to get this baby wrapped up so we can get down to the business of Finders Keepers. Once my agent receives her signed copy, she’ll sign and date as well, and then make a copy and mail that back to me. [i]Then[/i] we have an official deal.

But until that time Finders Keepers remains in this strange limbo, ready to go to publishers, but not able to go to publishers. It’s like a race horse at the starting gait, getting all riled up, just waiting for the bell to go off so it can run like the wind, but the bell is broken, so the horse has to wait until the bell is fixed. And the repairmen keep saying, "just a little while longer, just a little while longer," and yet still nothing.

After all this time, a few more days isn’t the end of the world, but when you’re ready to run, it’s frustrating to remain in place. Hopefully the contract will arrive today, and then my agent can sign and return today. So until then, I wait …

It’s now been a whole week since I started my new job, so perhaps it’s understandable that I haven’t found my rhythm yet. I’m still up early, and in the office by 8 a.m., but my days are a bit longer than they were–I’m now in the office until about 6 p.m. (so far)–and I’m still getting my feet wet and where I need to be and when. And given that the pace is fairly quick, it’s an adjustment.

One my life-long problems has been that I expect too much of myself too soon. My brain knows that IIt’s now been a whole week since I started my new job, so perhaps it’s understandable that I haven’t found my rhythm yet. I’m still up early, and in the office by 8 a.m., but my days are a bit longer than they were–I’m now in the office until about 6 p.m. (so far)–and I’m still getting my feet wet and where I need to be and when. And given that the pace is fairly quick, it’s an adjustment.

One my life-long problems has been that I expect too much of myself too soon. My brain knows that I shouldn’t expect instant success, but some other part of me seems to ignore that, and wants to be in total comfort zone from the git-go. Well, the ain’t happening. Not that I’m totally lost, but I’m not in the zone either. And I like being in the zone. It’s nice.

On the other hand, my days seem to fly by, so I don’t feel as wiped out at the end of the day as I thought I would … although that could easily change. It’s only the first week. No telling how I’ll feel a month from now. Or a year.

It’s too earlier to say how I feel about the new gig one way or another, but what I do know is that I’m still looking for rhythm, and if history is any teacher, it’ll be a while.

I had that dream. You know the one. The naked, unprepared dream.

Yesterday was my first day at the new job, so I guess it?s not so crazy that I wound up having that dream. But in the dream, I was in the office, which was sorta dark and murky, and I was meeting with an executive who was brutish on me. Even though I?d only been there the one day, he was berating me for not having business cards to hand out even though the company hadn?t set me up with them yet. (Apparently that wasn?t his proI had that dream. You know the one. The naked, unprepared dream.

Yesterday was my first day at the new job, so I guess it?s not so crazy that I wound up having that dream. But in the dream, I was in the office, which was sorta dark and murky, and I was meeting with an executive who was brutish on me. Even though I?d only been there the one day, he was berating me for not having business cards to hand out even though the company hadn?t set me up with them yet. (Apparently that wasn?t his problem, but very much mine).

And then we sat down at a conference table, with him on one side and me on other, and suddenly I was dressed in a suit jacket, but no shirt underneath (I?m pretty sure I was dressed from the waist down; there were no visuals, but I didn?t feel any breezes down there, so we?ll just go with the idea that the boys were appropriately covered). The scene didn?t last long beyond that, but it was hard not to notice that I was naked (top up), underneath my open suit jacket.

That was pretty much the whole dream. So it didn?t totally freak me out, but it revealed some obvious anxiety I had about the new gig. But now that my first day came and went, today was a little more comfortable, already feeling a bit more settled.

So now I?ll have to see what happens when I shut my eyes tonight. Who knows what dreams will visit me ? or what they?re trying to say.

Well … after a bunch of tweaking back and forth, I have finally signed the contract with an agent! Whew! It’s been a long search to find an agent, but it’s all but done. With help from my lawyer, we finally got the contract language nailed down in agreement with the agent, and now I’ve printed and signed the contract. It’s going in the mail today. So once she signs and mails back my copy, we’re official.

Just a few more days and we can put this in the books and really get rolling.

Well … after a bunch of tweaking back and forth, I have finally signed the contract with an agent! Whew! It’s been a long search to find an agent, but it’s all but done. With help from my lawyer, we finally got the contract language nailed down in agreement with the agent, and now I’ve printed and signed the contract. It’s going in the mail today. So once she signs and mails back my copy, we’re official.

Just a few more days and we can put this in the books and really get rolling.

It’s time to get Finders Keepers in print.

I’ll keep you posted …

Okay. I’m a baseball junkie. I admit. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. And as the 2008 baseball season kicks off tomorrow–woo hoo–for a junkie like me, it’s also a weekend of fantasy baseball drafts, and I’m about to get my fix on.

Tonight I’m involved in one league, with my dad, which we’ve won twice in the last four years. But we’re coming off an awful season–we came in dead last–and so we need vendication.

Then tomorrow morning I’m in another league–with my dad and a friOkay. I’m a baseball junkie. I admit. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. And as the 2008 baseball season kicks off tomorrow–woo hoo–for a junkie like me, it’s also a weekend of fantasy baseball drafts, and I’m about to get my fix on.

Tonight I’m involved in one league, with my dad, which we’ve won twice in the last four years. But we’re coming off an awful season–we came in dead last–and so we need vendication.

Then tomorrow morning I’m in another league–with my dad and a friend of the family–which we’ve been doing on and off for about 20 years. We had another bad year last year in that league, too, so we’re looking for a big comeback. We’ve won this league four times over the years, so we’ve got some good history, with the last victory in 2003 and a close second a few years ago.

So for the last few weeks I’ve been pouring over baseball stats and scouting reports and mock drafts, getting my cheat sheets together and letting all of the info settle into my brain in a way that I’m ready to play at my peak, without over studying, which can happen. But I’m feeling pretty relaxed and ready to go. Although, in all fairness, I was up at 4 a.m. this morning with the pre-game butterflies. I just couldn’t sleep.

Like I said, I’m a baseball junkie. And I need to get my fix.

So I went to the movies the other night, and I’m sitting there, in a mostly empty theater, when the previews start up. And even though I’m about to see [i]The Bank Job[/i], which is a heist movie, for some reason all the trailers are for horror/slasher movies. So I tune out, because those aren’t my kind of movies, except that the last trailer kinda catches my eye, for one reason or another, probably because it’s the fifth trailer and I’m ready for the movie to start.

It’s about a photojournSo I went to the movies the other night, and I’m sitting there, in a mostly empty theater, when the previews start up. And even though I’m about to see [i]The Bank Job[/i], which is a heist movie, for some reason all the trailers are for horror/slasher movies. So I tune out, because those aren’t my kind of movies, except that the last trailer kinda catches my eye, for one reason or another, probably because it’s the fifth trailer and I’m ready for the movie to start.

It’s about a photojournalist or some such who just happens to snap photos of a guy with a hook killing some woman on a train. And the photojournalist guy keeps going back to the train and I guess he snatches photos of the killer a few more times, and then decent into evil, blah, blah, blah. So what’s the title of this work of art? You guessed it:

[i]Midnight Meat Train[/i].

No lie. I started cracking up right in the theater! Wow, is that bad. It reminded me of all those late 70s/early 80s slasher movies. You know, [i]Killer Prom Biker Demons[/i], [i]Bloody Picnic Cyclops[/i], whatever.

Oh, man, that was good stuff.

A close second favorite of mine, title-wise, was a trailer for some movie a few years ago called [i]Blood and Chocolate[/i]. Now if that doesn’t say awesome werewolf movie, what does?

So be sure to look out for the Midnight … Meat … Train … (but say that out loud in a deep, ominous voice and not laugh; bet you can’t do it).

Post edited by: rcolchamiro, at: 2008/03/28 09:00