Sliding into 2020

cj Sez: Fall, autumn, pre-winter, post-summer, turn-back-the-clock-time…whatever you call it, it’s time for state and county fairs. Corn dogs and hot dogs, funnel cakes and cotton candy, games of skill and luck, rodeos and grandstand entertainment, blue ribbon winners and petting zoos, a kaleidoscope of color, a cacophony of beautiful noise, and exciting rides.

Photo by Jeff Johnston

  How about that for an exciting ride at the Greater Gulf State Fair? Personally, I would not be one of those people spinning and hanging by a thread that many feet in the air. That said, I hope you had a chance to go to a fair this year.

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   I feel like I’m on a downward slide to the end of the year—somewhere between Halloween and the beginning of winter (the winter solstice occurs December 21). And my favorite annual greeting pops into my brain: Happy HalloThanksMasYear! Think about it. Right now, many stores have displays up for the generic harvest time and fall colors as well as for every one of those holidays.

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NaNoWriMo anyone?

   If you’re participating…best wishes for the win!

November is the National Novel Writing Month, and the challenge is to write fifty thousand words, as in 50,000, in one month. Let’s see, “30 days hath September, April, June, and November.” That means you’ll have to write an average of (just a minute, calculations going on) 1,667 words per day. Whew!

   If you’re not in a support group (they are very good for encouragement and motivation), there are multiple sources of helpful forums and advice online. There is even an official organization:  https://www.nanowrimo.org/

   So, shouldn’t you be writing? There are only 27 days left until Nov. 30.

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   November 30? Now that I think about it, since I get paid monthly, I have only one more payday until Christmas. Aarrgh

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cj’s helpful hints for your Holiday Gift Giving List…

   The good news is there is still time to get bargains that offer more bang for your bucks, and that’s anthologies! More than one story in a tome, offering hours of enjoyment at one low price.

   In addition to getting wonderful stories, the best part about the two listed here is that part of the proceeds will go to benefit worthwhile charities.  (P.S. I have a story in each anthology.) HOMETOWN HEROES (benefits the Cajun Navy) is available now . .

   FINALLY HOME is set to launch December 10 (benefits animal rescue groups).

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Personal Update:

   I’ve requested a reversal of rights from Simon&Schuster for my novels CHOOSING CARTER and DEADLY STAR. As of this post they were still free on Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited. If they disappear before you can grab a copy, you can still order autographed paperbacks from The Haunted Bookshop. (See below.)

   I’m hoping to get the novels re-issued with new covers and new names, and if I’m lucky, it’ll be next year. (Seek a new publisher? Indie publish? ¿Quien sabe?)

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   That’s it for this week’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. See you next week?

cj

   Visit my Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj for information about my stories. And if you wind up searching for my name, be sure to use two "t"s in petterson.

   TO ORDER an autographed copy of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, and the anthologies HOMETOWN HEROES and THE POSSE, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and a RITA Award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice.

Visit me on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author on Facebook