Coucoumellisms

I've discontinued my book and had the rights returned to me. "You own the unformatted text only, and you can do as you choose with that alone. PublishAmerica continues to own the ISBN number, the cover design, and the layout design of the text. Any use of any of these items would be a serious and very clear case of infringement. Therefore, you can use the same design only if we transfer the rights to you, or to your new publishing company. If you would like to use the cover or layout design, we would transfer the rights to your cover design and/or text layout, and provide you with high resolution pdf files of each. The cover design would cost $500, and/or the text layout would cost $250." Umm yeah, about the cover design?  I hated it.  You can keep it and good riddance.  I imagine I can always get another ISBN if ever I publish the book with a real publisher and I doubt that I will need the layout design.  Not tha...

I entered the dark, empty chapel this evening and instantly I felt HIS presence.  That presence that makes you want to go down on one knee and stay there. I found my way to a bench and knelt there and prayed.  I could have stayed there for hours, in the calm and silence, with God. Something has snapped inside of me.  I think a ball has been set into motion.  I see seemingly totally unrelated events suddenly coming together.  I'm not sure what direction the ball is rolling in, but of this I am certain, something is going to change. For the first time, I have seriously considered the unthinkable, and what I thought unthinkable suddenly seems not only possible but perhaps part of God's plan.  That remains to be seen.  I do know this, in order to keep the ball rolling, there are two tasks I must accomplish first.  One of them is to send my book to publishers.  The other is to find a spiritual director. Oh God, it was so good to be in Yo...

I posted this list on facebook awhile back.  I have since gone through a few more of the books listed here, so I'm posting it again.  Wondering now, which one will be my next book... hmmm... These are the ones that tempt me most: Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger David Copperfield - Charles Dickens Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell Brave New World - Aldous Huxley Dracula - Bram Stoker The Divine Comedy - Dante Those books I've read in their entirety are in bold. The ones I started but didn't finish are in italics. 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (Loved this book!) 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling     5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (Read since last time) 6 The Bible  (at least, I  think  I made it through, it was awhile ago...) 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte  (A very dark book, but the end is worth it.) 8 Nineteen Eighty Four - ...

He got up and planted a big kiss on the side of her neck, right where it met her shoulder before putting his empty bowl and glass in the sink. “Stop.” She said, half-laughing, half-serious, “You’ll be sorry if all your charms start working on me.  I happen to have a certain faiblesse for kisses in that particular spot.” “Just providing all that attention that you’re so starved for.” Christian bantered.  “Before you go back to your lonely existence.” “I’ll be so spoiled, I won’t want to go back.”  Joanne smiled. “So don’t.” “And yet,” Joanne pretended to sigh, “I must.” “When are you leaving?” “Early Sunday afternoon, I think.  So I can be back in time to unpack, get groceries, throw out the spoiled food in my fridge, all that kind of stuff, before I go back in to work on Monday.” “Spoiled food, hmmmm.” Christian mused.  “I’m sorry about that.  I’ll have to pay you something for the food you’ve lost on my account.” “Don’t be ridiculous!”...

It was about seven-thirty when her cell phone rang. “Allô?” she answered. “Joanne?”  It was Karine. “Hi Karine.” “Are you planning on coming home anytime soon?” Karine asked. “Umm, well yes, eventually.  Why?” “Uh well, because you’re missing your surprise birthday party, and I think Christian is rather upset that you are not here to appreciate his efforts.”  Karine replied. “Oh noooo.” Groaned Joanne. “Oh yessss.” Confirmed Karine. “Okay, I’m on my way.” Joanne answered. “Okay, bye.” It was after eight o’clock when Joanne walked in the door.  She noted the untouched birthday cake on the counter of the kitchen.  It was obviously decorated by hand, with some effort gone into forming fruits and flowers.  Karine, Patrick and the girls were there, and she immediately recognized Michelle, Patrice and Caroline, mutual friends from years ago.  The guy sitting next to Caroline, she did not recognize.  She greeted the friends she ...

“Are you trying to keep women away for good?” asked Chantal. “Look at me.”  Christian told her, still joking, “I don’t need to keep women away, they aren’t attracted to a man my size anyway.  What woman would want me?!”  He laughed again. Joanne looked at him.  Christian was not a slim man.  He was a bit large around the waist, but he also had wide shoulders, and his weight was evenly distributed through his arms and legs.  When she looked at him, she did not see a fat man. The others continued joking, but Joanne was not listening anymore.  She continued to look at Christian.  To her eyes he was pleasant to look at.  His brown eyes crinkled in the corners when he laughed.  His face was expressive, his smile was charming.  She liked the way his very dark brown hair curled at the neck.  He kept it just a little on the long side, and it waved just a bit on his forehead too. Christian glanced at her and noticed her starin...

She was deep into a website project on her laptop when Christian came home later.  She saved her work and closed the laptop. “So?”  She asked, as he sat across the table.  “How was it?” He eyed her.  “You enjoy talking about yourself?” He asked. Joanne nodded. “To a stranger?” Joanne shrugged, “Sometimes that’s easier.”  She said.  “Strangers don’t judge.  They don’t really care.  They aren’t personally involved.” “So you’ve done this before?  Talked to a psychiatrist about your problems?” “Uh, no.  Not really.” Christian shook his head.  “So how can you know you’d like it?  What do you think it’s like, having to go through unpleasant memories that you’d rather forget?  It’s not much fun!” “Sorry.” Joanne replied. “So if you enjoy talking about yourself so much, why don’t you tell me what you were going to tell me this morning?” “You’re not a stranger.” Joanne reminded him.  “That makes things ...

My books were sent to me on February 16, 2010 from a place 5 hours away from me. It only takes five hours to get there from here by car. Yep, only five. It is March 25, 2010 today, exactly five weeks and 2 days since they were sent. Is it just me, or is there a problem here? Five weeks and I have still got nothing to show for it? I paid over $50 just for the shipping. That makes a $200 package more or less. I'd really like to have it now if you don't mind. Thank you very much.

Be Not Afraid (Paperback) by Jeanne Chabot (Author) No customer reviews yet. Be the first. List Price: CDN$ 25.91 Price: CDN$ 16.32 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details You Save: CDN$ 9.59 (37%) Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item. Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca. Gift-wrap available. http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1448929369/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

I read through my book yesterday, and finished it this morning. Unfortunately, there were a number of typos, and other errors, including some formatting ones, especially near the end, that I did not catch, as well as at least one inconsistency. There are a few passages that I think could have either been written better or broken down. But it is too late now. An editor would have been nice, would have caught these things, but Publish America is, albeit a free one, still a self-publishing company, and does not offer much in the way of services, other than printing the book. It's too bad, because I think it is a decent book, and could have been better. Still, despite the few errors, it is not unreadable, nor incomprehensible like some of the books they publish must be. We (the authors) provide the book description as well as the author description for the back of the book, and I came across at least one in the Publish America Directory, that, in reading the back cover, I tho...

... but this is weird. It is supposed to be a complementary copy, so at no charge to me. The receipt inside confirms this, as my total comes to $0.00 even including shipping. However, I had to pay $20.62 in importation fees! What the heck is that? It breaks down into $1.32 in GST, $17.10 in BROK FEE (broker's fee I imagine?) $0.85 in BROK GST, $1.35 in BROK QST. How do they get all those fees on a free item? Any percentage of $0.00 is $0.00 as far as I know... and what is this BROK FEE? Does this mean that, had I decided to ship the books I did buy to eventually do book signings somewhere, that on top of the outrageous shipping prices, ($120.00+ instead of $50.00+) I would have had to pay outrageous importation fees too? It's a good thing I had it sent to my friend instead!!!

The official relaease date is December 22, but the book is available here: http://www.publishamerica.net/product86896.html

It turns out that the title The Passage was also taken so the book will be known as Be Not Afraid . I liked that, because it is something Jesus said, from the Gospel of Saint Luke, cited in the book. The verse itself pretty much sums up the book: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes I tell you, be afraid of that one. Those are also the first words that Pope John Paul II chose to speak, when he became pope. "Do not be afraid." I think I am ready to hand in my final draft. I've gone through it and changed things I didn't like and I don't think there is much more to change anymore.

I have mentioned before that I was writing a story. I finally finished it awhile ago. I've been correcting and re-writing since, and last week I sent it in to the publisher that published a book by my father. They want to publish it! I just have to send the final copy in by September 1, and I have to find a new title for the book. Desert Storm is already taken. I am currently brainstorming and have come up with a few tentative titles: The High Road Hope Sang The Merchant's Daughter The Passage Hope Whispers Still brainstorming though.

... I've finished the first draft of my first novel and I'm now starting a second... Ever since she could remember, the seashore had always been Maria’s favourite place to escape to. It was a constant in her life, never the same twice, yet always there. Some days, the seagulls scattered into the air, screaming loudly as she walked past. Some days, the ocean was calm, some days huge crests rolled in and broke against the boulders scattered here and there along the coast. Some days the ocean was grey and angry, other days it was blue and serene, but it was always there, and it called to her as she stood, bare toes digging into the fine white sand. This was one of the subplots in my first novel and it's going to become my second novel. The above citation is the beginning paragraph.

I have officially finished the first rough draft of my first novel ever. It isn't the first I've ever started, but definitely the first I've gotten more than half-way through without getting bored of it and going on to something else. I'm busy printing it out double-spaced as I write this, so I can read through it at my leisure and add things or re-write them, or take them out. But hey... I'VE GOT A NOVEL FOLKS!!!

I've been toying with the idea of doing something about the funny things our family ends up saying when we mix up our French with our English, and I finally did something about it. I made a little book, dedicated to my goddaughter and niece, Claire. Here it is:

I've always liked to invent stories. I used to go to bed early when I was a teenager so I could lie there and daydream. I had an ongoing story that I would add to every night in my head. I had more than one of these stories... as I got older, the type of story changed. None of these stories were ever written down, they were purely for my own pleasure and entertainment, but I've also always enjoyed writing stories, ever since I was a kid. I used to write stories in school, and sometimes at home too. I've written stories since I've been an adult too, and sometimes, at night, I still fall asleep imagining a story. I've been working on a story for 3 or 4 years now, a story that I haven't gotten bored of yet, that I haven't laid aside and forgotten. I know where I'm going with it, I still have ideas for it, I'm still inspired to write it. I think I may just finish it. The nice thing about having a blog, is that I have been able to take certain ...