Publisher's Synopsis
An author's mind is a terrible thing to waste as it bubbles with stuff that we are all capable of conjuring, but most are spared the amusement. During the last decade, this author has had a number of mind rushes come over the spillway and, in a fit of intellectual ineptitude, has decided to let it loose upon the unsuspecting public; thus, this collection of four entertainments designed to both edify and crack you up. From the author of No Irish Need Apply, The Jade Owl and Are You Still Submitting Your Work to a Traditional Publisher? comes - A Reader's Guide to Author's Jargon And Other Ravings from the Blogosphere: to wit - - Extempore Thoughts for the Day - Ask Miss Chatty - New Leaves in the Wind: 5 Essays from a Recovering Webaholic A Reader's Guide to Author's Jargon: a non-definitive guide to AuthorSpeak - an entertainment for readers to help them absorb the details of an author's craft. It's writing for readers, not writers. To wit - "A Pot-boiler: A formulaic book written for a surefire audience with the promise of a steady revenue stream. This does not mean that a potboiler is poorly written. It just means that their author depends on the income, knows where the paycheck is and writes it to reader's taste, in most cases severing the creative bond between art and commerce. The name derives from the poor starving artist who needs to pay the gas bill to keep the pot boiling. The expression usually applies to books, but the label can be applied to any art form that is driven by popular demand instead of creative integrity. It is possible to align the two. Usually, works of this nature are not enduring, because popular tastes change leaving whales beached." Extempore Thoughts for the Day: daily aphorisms, both deep and ethereal, affording the author a platform to spew out fortune cookie wisdom at the drop of the hat. Meant to make you ponder. Meant to make you laugh. To wit: "Books, like chapels or cathedrals, open their doors for reader meditation. Of course, authors still must pass the collection plate." "Variety is the breakfast of life. You waffle today; you pancake tomorrow." "The Roman Senate opposed dictators, but Caesar had his Gaul." "They say the world has seven wonders. I agree. They're called the days of the week." and 263 more Ask Miss Chatty: a unique advice column from the drag queen hostess of The Painted Lips Lounge. Need I say more? A laugh riot. New Leaves in the Wind: Five Essays from a Recovering Webaholic: a view of Corporate America and its romance with the World Wide Web, and how gazillions of $$$ have been wasted in the process. An insider's view. News at eleven! To wit: "Mild mannered during the day, Business Dick works at implementing serious solutions in a database realm. He sits through hours of meetings, wanders through mountains of requirements and watches thousands of buckos spill over the black rim into the red. Alas, says Business Dick, there must be a better way to make the deadlines. Let me go to my local bookstore and buy a Book for Dummies. Soon, Business Dick transforms himself into Dick the Web Rogue." So, if you need to fire up those synapses for the brain and the Kindle, come jog in the jargon with me. Regret is not a four-letter word.
