The Daily Blunder

Foolish Fiction Writer Launches Serialized Blog Novel Two Years After The Novel Was Rejected by Publishers

Foolish Babe May 29th, 2008

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) May 16, 2008 — In 2005, Eileen Cruz Coleman’s novel entitled, Sweetwater American, garnered the attention of a New York literary agent who signed Cruz Coleman after having read the first one hundred and sixteen pages of the then unfinished novel. With her then agent’s support and input, Cruz Coleman finished writing Sweetwater American in late 2005.
Sweetwater American landed on the desks of six publishers in early 2006. After all six publishers failed to take the novel on for publication, Cruz Coleman put Sweetwater American away and got to work on other writing projects.
With a new novel on the way, the premise of which only Cruz Coleman’s closest writing friends are privy to, Cruz Coleman decided to pull Sweetwater American out of her forgotten hard drive files and give it new life by taking advantage of blogs and their ever-growing popularity.
But before moving forward with her serialized blog novel idea, Cruz Coleman decided to seek the input of her writer friends on Backspace: The Writer’s Place, an online community for writers. Cruz Coleman started a thread entitled, Publishing Unsold Novel on a Blog, and asked fellow members to offer their thoughts on the idea. After digesting everyone’s input, Cruz Coleman decided to pull the trigger.
Cruz Coleman launched Sweetwater American on May 9, 2008. The first three chapters are up on the blog and Cruz Coleman plans on adding chapters on a weekly basis.

“The novel is dark and writing it took a lot out of me. It left me emotionally beaten. By serializing it on a blog, I hope to engage with readers in a fun, creative, and relaxed way,” said Cruz Coleman. “I’m always encouraging writers to use the Internet to get their work out to potential readers. Well, I’m finally taking my own advice,” she said.
When asked what the phrase Sweetwater American means, Cruz Coleman said, “You’ll just have to read the novel to find out.”
Read the full press release: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/05/prweb949464.htm

“Winning Isn’t Everything”…(It’s A Lot Less Important Than You Think)

Foolish Cat May 22nd, 2008

vince

“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing”

-Vince Lombardi

For the past several months we have heard cries from many prominent democrats, as well as from cynical columnists and bloggers of unknown affiliations, that Hillary Clinton should drop out of the race for the presidential nomination because, barring some astounding revelation about Barack Obama, there is virtually no chance of her winning. Indeed, many have accused her of crippling the Democratic party with her stubbornness; after all, she can’t win so what’s the point? All she’s doing is hurting her friends.

But who said winning was everything?…Oh yeah, Vince Lombardi. But here’s the truth - Lombardi was wrong.

If you think about it, in almost every walk of life, winning probably falls somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of importance. In fact, NFL Head Coach may be one of the few occupations or activities where the quote actually applies. So maybe it isn’t fair to say Lombardi was wrong; for him it made sense. But this idea of “winning is all that matters” has metastasized. In a culture that idolizes athletes and reveres sports teams, football teams in particular, the idolizers have kidnapped the quote and taken the form of regional vice presidents “inspiring” recent grads, or inept little league third base coaches trying to win something in their lives, or armchair quarterbacks whose description of worth is determined only by outcome. Ways and means be damned.

But what of this attitude? Isn’t improving better than winning? Think about it: say you’re a golfer who shoots in the 90’s consistently, and has done so for years, and you’re out on the links with three friends who want to play competitive golf for fun - no money. Let’s also say you’re the uber-competitive “winner” everyone knows you as. Would you rather shoot a 102 and beat the other guys, or would you rather shoot a 72 and come in last? Which round would make you happier and more satisfied?

What if you’re the same “winner” in a sales environment and you have set the goal of becoming the #1 salesperson in the region. Seems noble and ambitious and indeed may be. But what if being #1 meant you had to set a goal of $2,500 in commission for the month, because that was a little more than what the “top guy” was making. Great. But what if you set a goal of $6,000 for the month, achieved it, and were actually third in the region in sales. Which is better? Any pro athlete will tell you: they’d rather play on a loser for a lot of money than on a winner for free.

But politics is not golf or sales you say. Fair. But all three, as well as everything else, fall under the umbrella of Life. Hillary’s struggle is her struggle not just to win, but to improve her skills, satisfy her ambition, and attempt to achieve the private goals she set for herself. Winning would be great, but it is not everything. And I don’t want to hear about the selfishness this stance implies - that she should consider country above her personal ambition - that’s ridiculous. Her attitude (stubbornness if you prefer), that of one refusing to quit, literally against all odds, is what this country is built upon. It not only strengthens the individual, it strengthens the immediate opponent as well as candidates of the future. And if Obama gets the nod in June, he will be battle-hard for the next round.

I’m not really a big Hillary supporter, and indeed have not made up my mind who I’m voting for at all in November, regardless of the nominee. But I have become resentful of those in her own party pressuring her to quit. She’s still winning primaries for Christ’s sake! Leave her alone and do what you need to do to help support who you support. But those of you calling for her to give up, understand that that is the true difference between a winner and loser.

Go on, Hillary.

Blunder.

Improve.

Backspace Writers Conference

Foolish Babe May 16th, 2008

For all of you writers out there, here is a fabulous Writers Conference which we think you may be interested in attending. Check it out:

The 2008 Backspace Writers Conference (August 7 & 8, Radisson Martinique, New York City) brings together literary agents, acquisitions editors, best-selling authors, and publishing professionals for a two-day, two-track program of workshops, panels, and networking in the heart of the publishing world.

In addition to keynote talks by Mark Tavani, a senior editor at Random House, and New York Times bestselling author Lee Child, program highlights include a conversation with Simon Lipskar and Mark Tavani on agents and editors working together, a marketing discussion by M.J. Rose, a workshop from independent editor Jerry Gross on finding and working with a reputable book doctor, a role-playing workshop from Jeff Kleinman: “Buy This Book!”, agent and editor panel discussions, and panels on the young adult market, short stories, memoir, nonfiction, crime fiction, erotica, children’s picture books, and more.

Attendance is limited to 200. $355 for Backspace members; $395 for non-members. In addition, Mystery Writers of America is offering their members a special discount. Register Now and come meet the people who can make a difference in your career!

Literary Agents: Richard Curtis, Simon Lipskar, Jeff Kleinman, Emmanuelle Alspaugh, Paige Wheeler, Laney Katz Becker, Jenny Bent, Maya Rock, Michael Bourret, Scott Hoffman, Ronnie Gramazio, Elisabeth Weed, Stephany Evans

Authors: M.J. Rose, Harry Hunsicker, Jason Pinter, Jackie Kessler, Heather Brewer, Gail Konop Baker, Laurel Corona, Lisa McMann, Jenny Gardiner, Danielle Younge-Ullman, Claudia Gray, Marlys Pearson, Jessica Keener, Elizabeth Letts, A.S. King, Robin Slick, Susan Henderson, Pam Jenoff, Trish Ryan, Leora Skolkin-Smith, Caroline Leavitt, Reed Farrel Coleman, Chris Grabenstein, William Powers

Editors and Other Publishing Professionals: Hilary Rubin Teeman (editor, St. Martin’s), Charis Conn (contributing editor, Harper’s Magazine), Kristen Weber (senior editor, New American Library), Bella Stander, Jerry Gross, Lauren Cerand, Eileen Winnick

“Backspace is relatively new but it’s the real deal - which is amply proved both by the quality of discourse within and the truly amazing hit-rate its members have already achieved.” – Lee Child, New York Times best-selling author

“I love being associated with you guys. Such a class act. Backspace is the pre-eminent writers organization because you guys have made it so. Always innovating, thinking outside the box, and just generally doing conferences bigger and better than they have been done before. I’m just honored to have been there from the start.” – Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency

“I mention Backspace whenever I teach my writers’ workshop around the country. The yearly Backspace conference is an invaluable resource. I’ve taught there and can’t say enough good things about the information, encouragement, and enthusiasm they provide.” – David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author

From Attendees:

“I have never had such an excellent time at a conference! The presenters were uniformly accessible and pleasant. The overall mood was also excellent.”

“The workshop was so well organized and run. Bravo to all of you who worked to pull together a truly remarkable event, well worth the price of admission!”

“The superlatives just flow whenever I try to describe my experience at the conference. I can’t say enough or thank you enough. Superb. As I keep telling folks, it’s impossible to convey what I took away from the experience, because the most valuable things are the intangibles.”

“It was the best writing conference I’ve ever attended on all dimensions - the amount of new information, real contact with other writers and people in the industry, and the level of truth-telling made it stand out.”

“I thought the conference was absolutely fantastic. The informal atmosphere and seriousness of intent combined into an exciting, very useful, very enjoyable weekend of talks and panels. I learned so much, met so many wonderful people, and got a far stronger handle on how to market my work. Many, many thanks.”

You’re Not on Drugs? What’s Wrong With You?

Foolish Cat May 14th, 2008

Generally speaking, I’m skeptical of most scientific studies. I’ve found that if you drill down deeply enough, you can usually find a source that has a vested interest in the outcome of the study. A study that says eating more tuna lowers cholesterol - funding by Bumble Bee. A study linking eating chocolate and large penises - funding by Nestle. Whatever. Some surely have merit, but many have so many flaws in the way they were conducted that they’re complete crap. Either way, we usually believe the studies that support things we’re already doing or that support our beliefs.

Here’s a study I found shocking: 51% of all Americans are on some kind of chronic prescription medicine. Not medicine - prescription medicine. 51%. The study was made by Medco Health Solutions, Inc - basically a huge legal drug dealer - but I tend to believe it because it makes no claims on what the numbers mean - it simply states the number. Do with it what you will (I guess there motive could be to convince people “see, everyone else is doing it”. After all, they are drug dealers).

But if you just look at the number, you might say, ‘yeah, well, a lot of people are sick. That’s life.’ Yes it is. But more than half of the country doesn’t have to be sick - that’s the point. The number of people on drugs isn’t high because of lupus or leukemia or Alzheimer’s, or a hundred other mostly unpreventable diseases; the number is high because people aren’t taking care of themselves. Yes, of course, there are people who have those diseases, and thank God for the medications to ease their symptoms, improve their quality of life and, in many cases, cure them. That’s the purpose of medicine.

Here’s what medicine should not be used for: as a replacement for living a healthy life. And if you look at what drugs most people are being prescribed, that’s exactly what it’s doing. High blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, respiratory problems, gastrointestinal problems, and, of course, depression. This is the sickness of America.

Now, I know that plenty of people who eat right, exercise, and try to alleviate stress in their lives, still are unfortunate enough to acquire one or more of these conditions; but for the Grace of God I am not one of them. And I also know that genetics often plays a role (one cholesterol drug commercial basically says “it doesn’t matter what you eat, your cholesterol is high because of Aunt Edna or Uncle Steve), but genetics probably plays a part in everything we do - it still won’t get you out of a speeding ticket. Your body, your responsibility. The fact is, generally speaking, people eat too much, move too little, and spend too much time indulging in behaviors that are not in balance with the human body. This includes smoking, drinking, worrying, Twinkies, etc. Eventually your body retaliates.

And certainly doctors carry a lot of blame for the recklessness with which prescriptions are written. It’s shameful. But in their defense, they get pressure from their patients to alleviate symptoms; and patients are very similar to other types of customers in that if they aren’t getting what they want they will go somewhere else.

But let’s be honest, we all know who the real culprit is for this debacle. Like anything else, if you want to know who is at the top of the chain - you follow the money.

Pharmaceutical companies need sickness to thrive. It’s not conspiracy theory, it’s fact. Chronic disease - not cure - is the way to billions annually. Healthy living is antithetical to a drug company’s profits. It isn’t their fault, necessarily, that people don’t take care of themselves - the way many claim that tobacco companies are directly responsible for people choosing to smoke - but they do have a vested interest in people not making better lifestyle decisions. And with the profits come more ads, more sales calls to doctors, and more people hooked. And don’t get me started on the kids. 1 in 4 kids on prescription drugs. It’s despicable.

So take a walk, eat an apple, meditate, or make a change that you should have made long ago.

Find your way.

Blunder.

Mission Ridiculous

Foolish Cat May 1st, 2008

Here at Blundering Fools, we try to be as positive as possible by applauding those that take chances in spite of the odds or opposition to the action taken. It is this type of bold action that often changes the course of humanity and improves the lives of succeeding generations.

But there are, of course, commissions of acts of such pristine ridiculousness and infamy, that the literal meaning of our site cannot help but to be invoked. Today marks the five-year anniversary of the “mission accomplished” speech by good ol’ W., on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. ‘Nuff said.

I don’t have a lot to say about this debacle that hasn’t already been said, and the White House has already issued a preemptive mea culpa to help offset dwelling on the speech on it’s anniversary. No need to dwell - the state of our country since the war began and since W.’s speech speaks for itself.

But that being said, it’s funny to watch the speech again just to hear the magnitude of the blundering words, “major combat operations in Iraq have ended”.

It’s not a dream, this is your president!

Blunder on, George.

Even In The Toughest Times, It’s Always Up To You

Foolish Cat April 29th, 2008

Rising gas prices is the biggest concern in America and oil companies are making 12 billion dollars a quarter. Food supply, the one thing Americans always took for granted, is thrown into question with some retailers limiting purchases of staples like rice. Our president, instead of leading and uniting, has thrown up his hands with regard to the economy and blamed congress for the state of the union. People are losing their homes, soldiers are dying overseas, and the planet is getting hotter every year. Relative to the American perception, times are tough.

But times like these are when it’s refreshing to know that every individual is in charge of his own life. We still have choices to make that will determine our own happiness and abundance, as well as the happiness and abundance of our families. We are not the headlines. We are not the government. We are not even the planet. We are unique and free-thinking human beings that have the power to control the state of our lives.

It’s tempting to get caught up in tragedies and politics and global gloom and doom, but it is imperative not to. Look, I’m not saying ignore the world - on the contrary, see where your passions lie and make as much change as you can - but don’t believe that the general state of things is indicative of your life and your future.

And I don’t say this from atop an ivory tower; I’m with the masses. I was knee-deep in the housing quagmire and am still struggling to crawl out. And who isn’t affected by $50 dollar fill-ups and $300 grocery bills? It sucks. But it isn’t the Big Picture. It’s a paragraph. A chapter. It isn’t the story.

Besides, I believe that most of what we read and hear from the media is exaggerated, and very little will make any impact on us at all. So filter everything, and let through only those things you think are of major importance to your life - I think you’ll find that it is nothing compared to the things you form in your own mind.

Chin up and blunder on.

Smoker Hate: One of the Last Forms of Acceptable Discrimination

Foolish Cat April 23rd, 2008

smoking

The attack on smoking and smokers over the last couple of decades has been vast and fierce. Venom that was once geared mainly towards the cigarette companies was, somewhere along the way, redirected towards anyone who used the product. The campaigns have painted the picture of a typical smoker as some kind of sub-human idiot with a death wish. Quite frankly, I think it has gotten way out of hand.

But lately it has reached a new level: bullying. And if there is one thing I can’t stand, it’s a bully.

During some kind of sting operation, Whirlpool caught 39 workers - who claimed they did not smoke or chew - using tobacco, apparently on company property. The non-smoking claims were made on a benefit form and would have cost the workers an extra $500 per year in premiums had they answered in the affirmative. Basically, they lied to save some money.

Now on the surface, I would imagine that most people wouldn’t have a problem with this. These people are liars and should get what they deserve. But that’s not the point. The bullying part of the equation is the fact that companies ask this question of smokers in the first place. Why?

“It’s obvious”, you say, “smokers are proven to have more health problems than non-smokers. It’s a scientific fact.” That’s true; I would not argue that point for a second. But so do obese people. Should we be allowed to ask how many pounds overweight a person is on a benefit form and adjust the premiums? I’m sure that’s not far away if it isn’t already happening. But what if a study came out that said homosexuals have more health problems than straight people? Can we ask about sexual orientation and adjust? Blacks have a shorter life-expectancy, can we nail ‘em with the $500?

“Those last examples are determined by genetics, people can’t be penalized for that”, you say. “Smoking is just a dumb choice” (even though I’m sure genetics has a lot to do with a person’s smoking tendencies and it’s just a matter of time before that gene is found). Okay, so then we can ask if people ever have unprotected sex; after all, that leads to all kinds of expensive things like pregnancy, herpes, aids, etc. And certainly we can tack on the $500 for anyone caught eating a bacon cheeseburger. I mean a bacon cheeseburger! Assuming you enjoyed life and had to choose between smoking three cigarettes a day or eating three bacon cheeseburgers a day, which would you choose?

Here’s the thing: I’m not defending smoking in general; I quit smoking almost three years ago and am thankful every day that I was able to beat the habit. But I don’t like to see people treated unfairly. And big companies know that smokers are basically indefensible and can be picked on without any fear of being sued for discrimination. Even people who believe it is unfair will rationalize the action and say it’s for their own good. Rationalization is a fallacy.

Life insurance underwriters aren’t shy about their questions, so if you really want to protect your profits, follow their lead and shake everyone down, not just the smallest kid in the schoolyard.

The Main Reason People Don’t Buy Into The Environmental Movement

Foolish Cat April 22nd, 2008

earth

Earth Day. Apparently this holiday has been around since 1970! Who knew? I honestly don’t think I heard about Earth Day before 2000. But that’s neither here nor there; the fact is I was a kid during the 70’s and 80’s and was never fortified with the idea of environmentalism.

Anyway, I’m watching a show today on PBS or something with my daughter and a public service announcement comes on regarding Earth Day. They’re specifically talking about the value of trees. “Not only are trees beautiful”, it says, “they provide homes for animals and provide the oxygen we need to breathe.” During this speech they, of course, show cute little monkeys and birds with babies and little children running and so on. Great. But right after that, they say something like, “did you know that everyday thousands of trees are cut down to provide paper to draw your pictures on? You can help save trees by using BOTH sides of the paper when you draw!”

Now, on the surface, this seems like a valid tool to impart the ideas of resource economy and alternatives to kids. But the first thing that came to my mind when I heard this - and I can’t imagine it didn’t occur to a lot of kids as well - was, “that’s true, using both sides of the paper would save trees, but do you know what would save even more trees? Not using paper at all!”

I mean what are we talking about? It isn’t like your stuff is coming off of the refrigerator and going straight to The Louvre (maybe the circular Louvre!). Some scribbley green lines for grass, a yellow sun up in the corner, stick people indicating your family and maybe a couple of “m’s” up in the sky for birds? How necessary is that? It certainly can’t be worth the price of trees! And don’t even get me started on all of those books in your room!

This, of course, is an exaggeration, but it leads to what is, in my opinion, the major dilemma of the environmental movement: who is to say what is necessary? When it comes down to it, 99.9% of everything we have and do is a luxury. We don’t need air conditioning. We don’t need indoor plumbing. We don’t need cars or televisions or churches or museums. In fact, unless it falls under the category of food, clothing, shelter, or medicine - and even then only in the most basic of forms - we don’t need it. For hundreds of thousands of years we had none of these things and managed to survive.

The fact is, in free, civilized, societies, people want more than to survive: they want to be happy. And for some, happiness is driving a Suburban or having a healthy lawn or drinking fifteen bottles of water a day. Or using another sheet of paper to draw on. And as easy as it is to say drive a Volkswagen instead, another could say drive nothing at all.

I don’t know the answer. And I guess if what Al Gore and the scientists tell me is true (I haven’t done the research so I’ll have take their words for it), we have to do something.

I do know this though: either way, the Earth will be just fine, it’s the things living on it that will be screwed.

Happy Earth Day, Fools!

And a Wiki is About to be Born

Foolish Babe April 17th, 2008

So I have been thinking a lot about wikis lately. Don’t laugh. I know I have issues! Anyway, until recently I only thought of wikis as online encyclopedias. I never considered the fact that you could actually have a wiki populated with a heck of a lot more information than just encyclopedia-like stuff. I recently attended a Web 2.0 seminar during which the word wiki was uttered oh, maybe a gazillion times. Okay, maybe not that many times but man, was it a hot topic. I was fascinated by what some folks are doing in the world of wikis. They are using wikis to capture all kinds of information. Information currently stored in Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, power point presentations etc. (As a side note, I despise power point presentations. I will do everything I can to stay away from them. They are boring, boring, boring. A bunch of fancy slides with no real meat). Two of the presenters at this seminar briefed us by way of a wiki. How cool is that?!

Anyway, the more I thought about wikis, the more jazzed I got. So much so that we’re planning on testing the waters with a Blundering Fools wiki. The whole point of online communities is to share information with each other so that we may learn from others’ experiences and gain a larger perspective of the world in which we live. I meant for that to come across a hell of a lot more profound. It’s late and that’s all I have. Plus, Foolish Cat is waiting for me. We are watching I AM LEGEND tonight.

Foolish Cat and I launched this blog because we wanted to connect with others who share similar views as us. We believe that in order to learn and grow, you have to take chances and yes, you have to blunder along the way. Otherwise, how are you going to learn?

We are passionate about life and everything it has to offer. We have blundered and have downright experienced darkness and despair but man, we never gave up. We kept on keeping on. We are determined to live each day to the fullest and we strongly believe that everything happens for a reason.

So, here is what we’d like to do. We are going to add a wiki to Blundering Fools and let you all populate it with your experiences–the places you’ve been to, the things you’ve done, mistakes you may have made along the way, lessons learned etc. The only thing we’ll ask of you is to keep the Blundering Fools wiki in the true spirit of Blundering Fools which is all about taking life up a notch.

We would love to hear from you. Please let us know what you think about this idea. Feel free to leave a comment or send us an email.

As always, blunder on, fools!

Gardening Like A Fool

Foolish Babe April 10th, 2008

For two years, I have stared out into my expansive front yard, my mind racing with landscaping ideas. I am not a gardener. I know very little about plants and soil. Ask me what the difference between acidic soil and loamy soil is and I will answer, “one is acidic and the other is loamy.” That’s all I know. The prospect of figuring out what kind of plants, flowers and trees would thrive in my yard intimidated me to the point where I decided that I’d rather continue staring out the window onto an imaginary garden rather than get out there and start making said imaginary garden into a reality.

And let’s not forget that plants can’t just be planted willy-nilly style. Even if I got to the point where I had picked out a few bushes and plants, where in the hell would I plant them? What if where I decided to plant them was the absolutely wrong place and all my plants died within two days of planting them? Or worse, what if my neighbors gathered around making jokes and laughing at how ridiculous my yard looked? Yes, my friends, I was afraid of being a blundering fool!

So, with a cup of coffee in hand, I continued to spend spring days staring out onto a make-believe garden filled with flowers and exotic plants, bushes, and trees. I imagined myself walking my property, taking note of which flowers were beginning to bloom and which ones needed pruning, my senses swimming in a colorful and textured landscape. And after my stroll, I imagined myself sitting in a white gazebo, situated in the middle of my garden, reading a book, birds perched on the gazebo’s railing. Ah, yes, quite the daydream.

Unfortunately, so many of us spend too much time daydreaming about the things we’d like to do someday, when we have more time, more money, more skills, more…

Sad, isn’t it?

I was itching to garden, yet my fear of ridicule prevented me from doing so.

Well, no more. In the true spirit of Blundering Fools, I decided not to spend this spring walking through an imaginary garden. I buckled down and got real serious. I read up on different plants, soil types, fertilizers etc. On my quest for knowledge, I perused online gardening stores, blogs, and discussion forums. After deciding which plants I wanted, I placed an online order and also visited my local nursery. I was filled with excitement and couldn’t wait for the weekend to arrive so I could get out there and start planting.

I got downright dirty, pulling weeds, raking the ground, digging holes, mulching etc. Hell, I think I have muscles where flab once existed.

And the best part of all this is that I got to spend time with my husband and children. My kids helped mulch and water the plants. My husband helped dig holes, pull weeds, mulch, and chase our children. And he did it all with a smile on his face. Well, for the most part, that is.

I still have a long way to go. Did I mention I have an expansive yard? But I’m getting there and I can honestly say I feel healthier and happier. When I look at my garden, I’m overwhelmed with feelings of pride and love for my family.

In closing (that sounds so formal, doesn’t it?), I would like to share the following article which Foolish Cat shared with me yesterday. I hope you find it as inspirational as I did. Click Here for the article and, as always, Blunder on, Fools!

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