Easter weekend sample

The Set Up

           This week, we return to my serial novel, The Presidents Club.  We join a scene from Chapter 18 back in the Louisville Tavern. The guys are discussing an absent member while Louie the bartender has just finished serving a new custome -- a stranger.

The Snippet

Tommy Pritchett was proud of his friend, Abe, “Where is he?”

Louie answered, “He called a couple of hours ago. He was going to stop by and pick up Ron after he got off work at the Holiday Inn. Ron needed a ride today.”

“Ron needs a ride every day,” muttered York.

Fishinghawk took up for Ron, “Sometimes he don’t -- sometimes he walks.”

“Ain’t he in his eighties?” asked the pastor.

“Where is he?” asked Dr. Ridge.

“Can’t you hear? They just said Abe’s bringing him,” York snapped.

“Of course, I can hear!” retorted Ridge. “I’m talking about the new guy, Gregg, or whatever he said his name is.”

They looked at the bar stool where Jerry Gregg had been -- and he was gone.

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Snippet Sunday - March 24

Like it or not, we're all in sales.

The Set Up:      

       Retail sales has paid the bills for me for almost forty years. During the mid-eighties, I got out of pharmacy and got into REAL sales. In fact, it was straight commission sales. 

       Ask those who know, and you'll find out that a job in straight commission sales can be the highest paid job available. It's also one of the highest turnover positions because it's practitioners cannot cut the mustard. 

       If people are writing books full time, well, they're in sales. Unless they can get into a situation where they get advances on their work, they're definitely in straight commission sales. 

       My snippet this week comes from a blog I wrote that appeared on my publisher's site, HERE. Maybe the excerpt below will inspire you to read the entire article.

This week's snippet:

Over the years I’ve heard many euphemisms for people in sales: account rep, consultant, advisor, broker, agent, customer service rep, and one of my favorites, vice president.

I’ve crossed trails with many people who haven’t done as well as they would like to have had in their chosen field, simply because they couldn’t sell themselves or their products: accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, ministers, photographers, artists, painters, editors, doctors, lawyers, chiropractors, pharmacists, teachers, nurses, coaches, retail store managers, and the list is endless.

In fact, everyone is in sales -- especially authors.

Everyone is selling something and it’s usually themselves or their skills or services.

Sometimes, we blame our low self-esteem on others: the used car salesman in a plaid sports coat, the door to door brush salesman in a polyester suit, the cosmetics sales lady in an old car.

Baloney.

Name a profession that hasn’t had it’s share of unprofessional perpetrators of perpetual sleaze.

Want to change the perception?  

Start with the person you see in the mirror.

What next?

        Sample the work of dozens of other great writers representing a cross section of genres HERE.  

        If you're an author languishing in anonymity, remember the old adages, "There's safety in numbers," and "Sales is a numbers game."

Get busy growing your network of contacts, both in real life and online. (How many connections do you have on FaceBook & Twitter?)

St. Patrick's Day at the Louisville Tavern

The Set Up

Meanwhile, back at the Louisville Tavern, one of the members of The Presidents Club, Woodrow Risk, is sharing a newspaper clipping with the group. We join the scene near it's conclusion...

The Snippet

Reverend Pritchett now offered up a summary of the situation, “So what we have here is a sign. Maybe not from God, but a sign to which we should give some credence. If this document survived the rigors of a tumultuous journey from someone’s front lawn, into their bathroom, then to the recycle bin, and almost into a bird cage, to now be spread out before us here, on the bar in the Louisville Tavern, it must warrant our serious attention and consideration.”

York chided the minister, “Are you trying to channel William Faulkner or Billy Graham?”

Louie, who had been serving a recent arrival at the far end of the bar rejoined the conversation and said, “I heard you mention Creedence. Are you talking about ‘Fortunate Son’?”

Gold said, “Abe’s friend must have been a fortunate son. It sounds like he must be rich. He sponsored that PBS show I saw and now he’s got his own ‘initiative’ and something called a ‘Government Literacy Project.’”

Fishinghawk had to join the discourse, “Well, I’m in favor of more literacy in government. Woody, did you read this thing before it got the bird shit on it?”

What next?

Interested? Sample the work of over four dozen other writers by visiting the home web site for Weekend Writing Warriors.

The following video is, of course, relevant to this post as well as my previous article on helicopters. Enjoy!

Sex Scene in Seven Sentences

News: 

        

My serial novel, The Presidents Club, a political thriller, is now available twice a week, on Sundays and Wednesdays on the publisher's website. My weekly blog on the same site is presented every Friday. 

The Set Up: 

        Rosemary Woods is executive secretary to billionaire investor, Julian Thibaut. Her unrequited crush on Thibaut's personal security chief, Gerald Pointe, has come to fruition the night before. They are finishing breakfast and we join the scene just after she asks him if he wants to see the morning paper.

The Sentences:

        “I guess not, neither of us are dressed to go get it,” and they laughed together. “What day is it anyway?” he asked.

“Saturday.” She smiled as she got up and walked towards the bedroom. As she walked, she untied the belt of her robe. Then she said over her shoulder, “You must have enjoyed last night if you can’t remember what day it is.” 

As she stepped out of view, the robe dropped to the floor.

...and now:

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Weekend Writing Warriors - March 3, 2013

News

        The Presidents Club will be presented twice a week starting this week. Wednesday, March 6 is the big day (Chapter Ten). From now on, readers will get one chapter on Sunday and an additional one on Wednesdays.  My weekly blog article on the same site will move to Fridays. Happy reading!

The Set Up

        The old men in the Louisville Tavern had sent their youngest member out into the dark to investigate the explosion that had left the bar in darkness. As we join the scene, Franklin York has just returned to the bar.

The Eight Sentences

            

York was rattled.

He had difficulty finding a bar stool.

The flashlight in his hands betrayed his claim, “I’m alright.” 

The beam was a desperate searchlight seeking a target in vain.

The men in the bar were rattled by York’s behavior.

They were all anxious to hear what York had to report about the explosion but didn’t press him.

The silence was unbearable and seconds seemed like hours.

York spoke to Louie in the dark, “Gimme a shot of Jack Daniels -- and another beer.”

And now...

        For samples of over five dozen other great writers, visit the web page for Weekend Writing Warriors.