Y’all need to love this video! It’s from my Virtual Friend, Marc Schuster, aka Zapatero. He’d posted a series of blogs on the creation of this (here is the final post; you’ll have to work your way from there), and just posted the final product. I love it! Has such a Elvis Costello/Where The Wild Things Are vibe!
Never talk back…never talk back…never….
Cthulhu Tree (Image © F. P. Dorchak, April 2018)
This past week my wife and I took her out-of-town cousin and husband around town to check out their old homestead. They were passing through on their out-of-state way home, during a road trip. As we walked the area around their old house, they showed us this gnarly old tree.
I couldn’t pass up the shot!
I took it with my Nikon D3400, changed the image from color to monochrome, tilted it a bit, and did another transformation or two.
H. P. would be proud!
Colorado Moon Set (Image © 2018 F. P. Dorchak)
I’d been up and about early this morning–though not as early as I’d liked, but that’s another story–when I discovered the really cool moon set. I knew the near-full moon was up and about, but hadn’t thought about this morning until I looked outside.
We’ve been dog sitting, and I was getting ready to go do an early walk with the little guy, when I saw this. So I rushed outside with my Nikon and snapped off a couple of shots in literally some five minutes before I’d lost the moon set. Yes, it set that quickly. No, I didn’t time it. Focus. I also knew that the moon would be (and was) overexposed, but by the time I tried to get the best image in-focus I was quickly losing it and didn’t want to fiddle around with finding the best exposure compensation setting.
So, I just thought I’d make myself useful since I haven’t been posting much, and throw these up here. I used my Nikon D3400. It was at 6:30 a.m. Used my 70-300mm lens. I love the graininess of the shots, too. I mean, I wish they’d come out sharper, but I like the creepy look and all.
’54 Buick “Super” (Image © F. P. Dorchak, March 10, 2018, Buick courtesy of Jon Spindler)
I am not a “car guy,” but the other week I spotted this cool looking vehicle and I just had to see if I could take some shots, because it reminded me of a car that would be in any horror movie. Though not a car guy, I do definitely appreciate fine art, whether it be in oils or metal, and this definitely ranks as fine art!
It was such a gnarly looking vehicle!
So…I went over and found the car’s owner, explained to him my deal, and he allowed me to take some shots. Now, I took them in both color and monochrome, but I really like the monochrome better. Only a couple of them came out where the guy wasn’t in the shot or other identifying objects such as license plates (and I can’t figure out how to smudge em in the images), so I’m only presenting three shots here, two monochrome and one color. Had I thought about it at the time, I would have asked the owner to pose with his ride, but I didn’t.
The car is a ’54 Buick “Super.” It’s owner is Jon Spindler. He graciously allowed me to use his name and the images of his ride. Thank you, Jon, for allowing me to interrupt your day and use these images!
The roof is a sparkling burgundy, and the body is a really neat flat black, which, the guy told me, is tough to maintain. Since it’s not a glossy coat, it attracts all kinds of dust, which get into the non-sealed (my word, like I said, I am not a car guy…) finish. But, man, it looks neat! I much prefer this look over glossy. I have a color image below.
Isn’t it just a cool car?
And that’s exactly why I just had to take these shots.
’54 Buick “Super” (© F. P. Dorchak, March 10, 2018)
’54 Buick “Super” (Image © F. P. Dorchak, March 10, 2018, Buick courtesy of Jon Spindler)
Where Am I? (© F. P. Dorchak, January 29, 2017)
Where am I?
Well…I’ve got a few chainsaws in the air (for the record, yes, I did use to juggle…some…not chainsaws).
I had begun work on my next novel. However, as I did I’d heard from AuthorHouse that my first novel, Sleepwalkers, had finally been reinstated as the eBook it had once been—and should have been all these years. I’d also begun talking with my formatter, Pam Headrick, to finally put Psychic, which I’d released in 2014, into an eBook. I had not done so because of finances. But a couple of months after Pam had started-and-been-delayed she had developed some pressing issues of her own and had to bow out, but had referred me to a couple of other formatters to complete the eBook conversion.
So after checking out her referrals, I found one and was ready to roll and get that baby out there. I was poring over the Psychic file to prepare it for conversion, when I’d discovered that something extremely funky had happened to the file: somewhere along the way, apparently random sentences in the file had been broken up!
Yes.
A word, a phrase would be “returned” into its own line, it’s own sentence.
And there was no apparent consistency as to why.
So I am now going through it literally line-by-line, comparing the electronic file to the trade paperback version. Sentences and formatting have been so all-kinds-of-messed up, and in at least one case, the last phrase of a sentence had been flipped before the first phrase—and turned into its own paragraph.
How the hell does something like that happen?
“Magic,” someone had once told me, that‘s why weird shit happens.
So, that is going on.
I’m also in the process of working on a bunch of my photographs (is the proper term a “gaggle” of photos”? A “murder” of photos?) from the past year I’ve been wanting to post. I also intend to throw up (“vomit”?) a stand-alone site for my photography, at least for the better of my photographs. I even plan on having some for sale. Well, that’s the intent anyway. But anyway, I’m trying to make a go at getting some of the better of my images up on a blog post or three and into its own website.
But wait…there’s more:
Since dumping Facebook in December, I’ve been giving a lot of thought as to how to rework/reinvent/rethink how to better present my writing so…you know…I can actually sell stuff.
I’m a lost cause!
I don’t really think there is anything to change. I don’t have a lot of resources nor time to really get out there and canvas the globe. And every time I turn around there is some other author who claims that doing This or That will prove successful. Will sell books. I’ve been on social media for many years, I’ve gone to author gigs, sat on and moderated event panels. Kept up on the industry. I simply do not have the resources to do all these nifty marketing opportunities to further get my work out there. Everyone keeps telling me that “this one will really work”…but, sadly, none of the ones I’ve ever tried have ever “really worked” for me, and I can’t just keep throwing money at every single opportunity that promises riches, however well-meaning the advice.
Thing is, I am happy to be able to write my stories, do it my way, and release them. My life goal has always been to be able to write full-time and live off my writing. And while I do have six books out and so many short stories, I have not been able to live off of any of them.
Life has always been good to me! I’ve always tried to follow the Fall Line of my life, and on a certain few occasions when I’ve tried to nudge certain aspects of it “here and there,” I’ve always been put back into my place. As it were. It’s really weird. I don’t believe in Fate, but as I look back over the course of my existence in this reality, it really does seem like my journey had a certain…theme. And my goal of being able to write? Well, I have met that goal: I have written and released books. Sure, my work isn’t famous nor selling, but I have been able to write.
So all this talk about reinventing my approach?
This is where I’ve ended up after it’s all said and done. Thirty-two years of pushing my work. I just have to accept that. If literary success is still to come, fine, I am open to it, but I’m just gonna keep writing that next story and enjoy my life, because, maaan, I’ve written some cool material! Even some I reread!
I have no idea how to reinvent my approach to selling books. No idea how to better get my stories out there…without having tons of money to do so.
And it all takes money.
But I also seem to be missing some other elusive “key” that others are finding who’ve been doing it far less than I have and are finding some measure of success. Everything in my life happens for a reason, for the better…so, perhaps all of this is for the better. And, yes, I have been successful, even if it doesn’t look like so to the IRS or Big Publishing.
Where does this leave me?
I’ll keep writing…but not in the crazed fashion I used to. While some of them are fun, I don’t know that I’ll even do all the author gigs I used to do. I get no book sales out of them and they cost me. I am not in demand for panels and interviews. No one cares about my exposure—I’m not successful in any literary sense—why should they? I get it. Social media? Been involved in it for years. No sales there, either. This is not Sad Sack. This is taking stock…a hard look at where I am, where I’ve been, and to where I am headed.
But, hey—I finally won a national award!
So none of this is a bad thing!
It’s just something different.
I’m simply being realistic and reorienting my head. Adapt or die, I always joke. So I am adapting. To what, I’m not sure…but I am leaving myself open.
Thank you all for reading my work!
For those who have helped bring it out—thank you for helping me bring my ideas into reality!
I can’t thank you all enough! It has been a blast! It still is! And it will continue to be!
Life is a journey.
And it’s a journey I’m still excited about!
Smashwords “Read An eBook Week”! March 4 – 10, 2018!
Starting tomorrow, Smashwords is unleashing a “Read an eBook Week” from March 4 – 10, 2018. Three of my novels will be included at half price of their Smashwords price, so if you’ve been skeered at reading some of my stuff, here’s a cheap and easy way of taking the plunge…of the knife….
With the death of his father, Benjamin Becker inherited a small estate in his hometown in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York, which fit in beautifully with his failed marriage and lackluster life. Ben returns home to take stock in his life…to see if there was any way to save it. Was he messing things up…or was someone—something—else? A sexy, emotional thriller!
A stranded astronaut draws upon confused and contradictory memories to recall his involvement in UFO Black Operations—and Humanity’s not-so-pleasant future.
Fact manipulation. Disinformation. Obfuscation. Are the lives we live really our own?
Kacey Miller is on the run.
Stumbling upon a heinous crime scene one sleepless night, she is drawn into an investigation where both the suspects and investigators are tormented by bizarre, supernatural experiences. She must decipher her own visions and nightmares, which forces her to confront long-denied, deep-seated, and secretive guilts—as well as her own connection with the murderers.
Do The Dead Dream? (© 2017, F. P. Dorchak [cover art: Lon Kirschner])
This review is from Edie Scott, a friend of mine of many years:
“Wow… AGAIN with a WOW!!! Every time I read a Dorchak book, I rate it as his best book ever. I almost hesitate in reading his next book in fear that it will be a let down from the one I just finished…he surprises me every time! I have read EVERY book this guy has written and every time I’m finished it truly is his best book yet. I never one time have been disappointed and always, always, always read his latest and GREATEST!!! Do the Dead Dream is the ULTIMATE!!! It took me a while to finish the book, not because it wasn’t a page turner, but because there were stories that honestly scared me! I have my favorite stories but every one was fabulous!!!!! If you are looking for a suspenseful and encompassing book, this is the one for you!!!”
Thank you so much, Edie, for taking the time to write and post this! That was so kind of you! I’m sorry I scared you…well, okay, not reeeally (unless it drove you into your Safe Room—but even then, can we talk?)! :-] It’s so cool to hear how any of my work affects others. Nearly every one of these stories had been rejected by multiple publishers, though I know I heavily reworked them, it is cool to see that they do have an audience.
And the title of this book is apropos to the stories themselves, in that these stories had hopes and dreams of their own…once thought dead, they almost were…but they had dreams to come back…to be brought out to the reading public.
And here they are.
Yes, the dead do dream…and sometimes…sometimes those dreams do come true….
Do The Dead Dream? An Anthology of the Weird and the Peculiar is the 2017 Best Book Awards winner of Fiction: Short Stories.
Do The Dead Dream? 2017 Best Book Awards Winner for Fiction: Short Stories
