New Book - A Visit to the Farm

I'm still pushing to make, "Astronaut Training, The Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat," a success but I need to bring the next book out also. I finished putting the cover together. I'll take one more review of the text and then send them both off to the printer. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the day. This second book should be better received than the first one as it will appeal to a more general audience. It doesn't involve any science or space activities. I'll have to get back to the book I'm working sporadically on, "The Land of G'lop." A witch, warlock, and wizard book. I'm also working on a third book of the "Adventures," group of books. This next one will involve their having to move up river to live where Dad is working. If they don't the dam being put across the river they live nearby will result in their drowning when the lake it forms covers their house.

Trip to Barnes & Noble

I went to Barnes & Noble at La Cantera here in San Antonio to discuss my book with them today. They are reluctant to list it in the store. I need to submit it to their Small Press Department. I will attempt to get the information ready tonight so I can post it tomorrow. They ask such things as is it with a wholesaler and is it listed with Bowker Books in Print. All of this information is available to them on their web page as the book is available for sale through Barnes & Noble. It's in the B&N near me at Bandera Point, but it's the only one. I'm going to upload the second book, "A Visit to the Farm," this weekend. Wish me luck on this new adventure of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat. I've added some ancillary drawings to it. I hope that they add to it and don't distract from it--only time will tell. I've also sent a list of addresses of people to send announcements to for my signing this next month at the Twig Bookstore, here in San Antonio.

Book Signing

I'm gearing up for my book signing at Twig Book store on the 20th of June. They need to have a list of persons to send out notifications to. I'm compiling them. It's a good exercise as it forces me to update my addresses. I seem to have gotten into some fire aunts. I have bites on both arms and around my knees. The ones on the underside of my wrists make it difficult to use a mouse. I'm not allergic to them but when I get this many it makes my body ache. Oh, well, given a few more days I should be back to normal--whatever normal is. I redid the cover for the second book "A Visit to the Farm" in "The Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat." It was too messy. I trimmed a lot of stuff off and enlarged the title. It looks better now. I'm supposed to hear back from the people at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday as to whether they'll be carrying my book, "Astronaut Training."

Today's Work

What has today brought me? Should I say more of the same? It's brought me a small check for books at the U.S.S. Alabama battleship books store. Every little bit helps. I've finalized my restructuring of the next book, "A Visit to the Farm." I worked on the cover: the front went together pretty quick, I'm having some trouble with the back cover. I talked with a gentleman at the Kennedy Space Center about their selling my book. He's supposed to get back with me. I've also talked with the library in Boerne, they want to do a signing but can't until August. I need to complete my list of names to send post cards to and get it to the Twig Bookstore for the signing on the 2oth of June. I visited three elementary schools yesterday and talked to the librarians. Got some pretty good feedback. I'll have to wait and see what comes out of it.

My home page is ronaldcthompson.com
My publishers web page is r-an-kenterprises.com

Restructuring

I'm redoing the structure of the book, "A Visit to the Farm." When I put it into a 6" by 9" format the chapters were too long. I've broken each chapter up into "headed" subsections. This will also allow me to place the illustrations in better positions to help the flow of the story. I still don't know exactly how long it's going to be. I hope to know in the next few days so I can finish all of the little things and get it to the publisher. I passed through Wal-Mart and the local grocery store and while visiting managed to hand out some book marks. I need to get out and push the publicity for my book, "Astronaut Training, The Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat." Very few readers know of its existence. Any suggestions?

Home Page

For those of you that are interested I have updated my web page (actually it's updated by somebody else, I just work with him to get it like I want it). It should be a lot more representative of my work than it has been. I'm still working on the second book in the Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat. It's taken me a lot longer than I thought it would. What's making it difficult is inserting the twenty-six line drawings into it without breaking the text in the wrong places. I have had to make a number of compromises on their positioning. We can't win them all. I can't go to the printer until I'm certain how it all fits together. I don't know exactly how long the book will be. Why don't you all make me happy and order my first book either through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Barnes & Noble won't charge you shipping like Amazon does, but they will charge you tax.

Astronaut Training and A Visit to the Farm

I'm getting a list of addresses of people together to send out notifications concerning my upcoming book signing and reading on the 20th of June at Twig Bookstore. My book, "Astronaut Training" is available in the Barnes & Noble bookstore near me. It felt a little bit comforting to walk into the store and see it on the self. I've revised the last drawing for the book, "A Visit to the Farm." It's still on track to be published early next month. Anybody out there know of a publisher that needs a book from a new author written for fourth or fifth graders? Adults, who have read it, have told me that it's a good read for them too. I'd like to get it widely distributed and get the second book rolling so I can get back to my full length science fiction books. I've finished sixth of them. Two are the first books in a trilogy. I need to get the third one written but it won't do me much good if I can't get the first one published. I don't know how far I should take the Cosmic Cat theme. Maybe I should start selling T-shirts and other items.

Books selling

Today was a small milestone. My book is not only in independent bookstores but I found it in the local Barnes & Noble. I've also got a book signing on the 20th of June in the Twig Bookstore here in San Antonio. I haven't completed my drawing I need to change in the new book, "A Visit to the Farm." I'm almost through with the corrections to the text. I may do things the hard way but I print out the entire book and read through it, marking my corrections in the book. They get typed in later.

A long day

It's been a long day today. I redrew one of the drawings for the book, "A Visit to the Farm, The Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat." I'm still not happy with it. I plan on getting the book to the printer by the first of next month. I've got to make a number of telephone calls to the book stores selling the first book, "Astronaut Training." I'm trying to arrange a couple of more signings in the next few weeks. My wife and I are getting so overrun with things that we're putting some of them on ebay. It takes more time than I want to spend to do it. I've also got a few things on Craig's list. Anybody need a Gramophone?

A Visit to the Farm, The Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat

I completed my last review (I'll probably do another one) before the book gets published. I have one more drawing to alter. The two kids in a hammock need bigger feet as the perspective looks wrong. Oh, well we can't all be perfect all of the time. I signed up to start twittering but probably won't keep it up. I'm more comfortable with blogging and using a few extra words. Has anybody read my book, "Astronaut Training, The Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat?" I'd like to know, also if you have read it would you go onto Amazon and write a short review of it. The reviews help sell the book as other people will be able to tell what previous readers thought of the book. Hopefully, all good! I thought readers might like to see what part of the cover for, "A Visit to the Farm," looks like, or at least what I envision it looking like. It may change.

Update on Writing

Sometime I think that writing is a never ending story. I'm rereading and revising the second book in the Adventures of Curtis, Connie, and Cosmic Cat. I think I did the same thing last week, oh well. It seems that every time I look at it I find something that I would like to change. I also made the mistake of rereading another book (The Land of G'lop) that I wrote some time ago with the idea of expanding it. It's a book about a family of five witches and two wizards (warlocks?). They're all older and fight a lot after their mother the "queen" witch dies. I've killed one of the witches off and one brother which necessitates that the book be expanded. I've got a number of drawings of witches to do next. Anybody know of a good book to help me with my witch drawings? The drawings are all finished for the second book in the Cosmic Cat collection. Maybe I should have named the books "Cosmic Cat and his kids." Too late now. I've also updated my publishers web page--it still needs some more work but it will have to do (r-an-kenterprises.com). My web page is ronaldcthompson.com in case anybody is interested.