Audiobook Update!

69/285

That's, like, 24.21%.

Progress! But I still have quite a ways to go I'm afraid…I sure have a lot of odd jobs to do...

Yours Dearly,

H.N.

Before I begin with this entry a few things.

You can buy the book here: 


I have a new summer project I'm working on, a superhero tale set in Portland, OR called Stumptown Heroes. For news on that, I have created another live journal account where you can check up on the news, details, and progress: similar to how this one worked. You can find it here: stumptownheroes

And now that's out of the way...


Alright. So. I've been checking ways to get the word out about CLK without spending an arm and a leg. Surprisingly, even the one month option would cost me over 3k and I'm pretty much broke right now and even then, saving for grad school. What I have done is make a live journal about it (which I doubt anyone actually reads, but hey, it's still accessible through google), publish, and publish a cheaper, easy to download eBook version. (I have a Mac, so apparently converting it to ePub and making it so it can be available for wider retail would cost me…well, more than I have.)

So. Since I don't have 3k what's a more reasonable goal?

Well…$285 for starters.

And what is this for?

…Well it's kind of spoiled by the title of this entry.

Audiobooks!

Yes!

So, why audiobooks? Well, according to Hudson Audio Publishing's website, it can help get my book on iTunes, Audible.com, and Amazon.com. While I have Amazon.com almost covered (there were complications so intend of globalReach, I have Extendedreach but, hey, it's something) I could definitely use the exposure and at $285 that's a steal and the best offer I can afford at the moment.

So that's my new project for Introducing the Classic Lit Kids. Audiobooks.

Let's hope it comes through.

Current Status: 20/285.

Yours Dearly,

H.N.

As of today, you can now purchase Introducing The Classic Lit Kids!!

Where can I buy it?

I got a package that made the book availble globally so it should be able to be bought on the Barnes and Noble website and Amazon.com. However, I've done the searches and they don't seem to be up yet, so I'd suggest buying it at lulu.com.

What's the price?

Unfortunately, it's a little more expensive than I originally anticipated. The print version is $10.99. However, I don't have a lot of money and I doubt anyone that will want to read this will have a lot of money either. Therefore, there's also an eBook version that is $1.99.

So…what now?

Well, originally, this would have been the time that I started on what will hopefully be my magnum opus, a cross dressing, swashbuckling, lesbian sex comedy called Benjamin B. Folly Takes It Like a Man. However, after some thinking, I decided that I wanted to have a few more experiences before I sat down worked it. (For instance, I want to do study abroad first in New Zealand.) So, Benjamin will not be this summer's project.

Instead, this summer's project will be Stumptown Heroes. This one will be a superhero tale taking place in my hometown, Portland, Oregon. It will include pop stars, robots, mad scientists, history tidbits, hipsters, superheroes, and one epic female bromance and it will basically be a love letter to Stumptown. I'll create another livejournal account for that next project shortly. In the meantime, I'll keep this one unless I have any updates on anything related to Introducing the Classic Lit Kids.

Yours Dearly,

H.N.

Me! Me! Me!


Now, this isn't the official, send to the public copy. It's the "let's make sure that the chick that wrote this thing doesn't have any more glaring errors now that horrendous and confusing beginning is patched up" copy!

But still.

While it's not out for the public yet, it's pretty damn close.

And when I get it, I may even take a picture of me holding it and post it up here just to be like, "Hey, world! See? See? I really do write! This isn't just something I tell people!"

Yours Dearly,

H.N.

New Things Added:

- Explaining Red's name change!

Things I Have On The Back Burner:

- Getting Sid into the world of his book. It didn't really fit so I didn't put it in this latest version.

To Do List:

- Earn $100 so I can publish on lulu.com as well as sell it on Amazon


I have sent the latest draft to Merilee! Although she is my dear friend, unlike Zinzi, she is not particularly familiar with the characters so I'm having her look over it for a second opinion. To be honest, I'm incredibly nervous but I'm looking forward on getting her notes back so I can finally publish and get my name out there!

Yours Dearly,

H.N.

Oh God. My back hurts. But this is going to be SO worth it.

New Things Added:

- Title on odd pages
- Name on even pages
- Dedication page
- A different epilogue! I like this one way, way better.The ending though, I've decided, works and I think the new epilogue plays to that.

Edits:

- A little bit on tense. Still a little confused. Working through it.

To Do List: 

- Possibly getting Sid in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I'm just looking for the right section to put him in.
- Explain Red's name change…
- Earn $100 so I can publish the book on lulu.com as well as sell it on Amazon

Also Considering:

- Getting one book printed and see how it looks and if anything needs changing before dropping $100...

Yours Dearly,

H.N.

New Things Added:

- Title page
- Copyright Page
- New font: Palatino!


Edits:

- More footnotes
- Italics added (thanks to new font)
- Some spelling
- Dialogue! I've finally figured it out. It looks so much cleaner almost like a real book!


Ahhhhh! It's all coming together! It really does look like a book. I can't even believe it. However there's still some things to do.

To Do List:

- Red's name change has occurred simply by going 'Find' and 'Replace'. It's going to take more explaining.
- Possibly getting Sid in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
- Possibly changing the ending
- Getting the title on the top of the right pages
- Earn $100 so I can publish the book on lulu.com as well as have it get sold on Amazon.com

Be still my beating heart. This sure does take a lot of effort but Lord, is it worth it.

Yours Dearly,

H.N.

Okay. Since I have epic writer's block, (I technically have two more requests filled but they suck so I'm posting them until they're somewhat decent which will probably happen when I rewrite them entirely.) I've taken to (finally) working on the edits to the actual novel. The reason why it's taken me so long to really get through this is because the editing process is my least favorite part about writing.

I hate reading things I've written. It takes a lot for me to just show my work to someone, so I'm pretty self-conscious to begin with. I understand that grammar edits are desperately needed and I have no trouble fixing those, but content ones scare the crap out of me. I know it's needed but if I can, I avoid it like the plague and go into my own frustrated cocoon of embarrassment and shame. Thankfully, I'm beginning to burst out of that but just a little.

Tonight I got all of the grammar edits. (Including changing the 'My Brother's to 'my Brother's.) Granted, there weren't a heap of those as most of the edited pages were just read and/or draws of dicks thanks to the creativity of my wonderful editor. Tomorrow, however, I'll be working on the content ones.

Which will involve sitting down and changing things. I dread it. Partially, I believe, because I'm lazy but I really want this novel to be the best it can be so we'll see how these shenanigans pan out.

Yours Dearly,

H.N. 

Okay. So I've been having some writer's block lately and in that writer's block I have been reliving my childhood by playing Pokemon online. It. Is. So. Much. Fun. But I didn't want to get too off course so while I'm going through this Pokemon kick, I'd like to relate it to The Classic Lit Kids somehow and so I began to imagine them all as trainers and…this happened.

( Sid )

( Pippi )

( Alice )
( Peter )


Whew. That took a long time. I do have some other ideas, especially for Calvin, but that'll have to wait for now.

Yours Dearly,

H.N.

PS Yes. Still working on requests despite distractions.

 I was thinking about what I was going to write about for this prompt, honestly, when I came to the conclusion that I just…couldn't. Thinking about it was just too sad.

Here's why: Alice and Sid are not outgoing people. Left to their own devices, they would just remain in their own little world, away from anyone else. Without Pippi to bring them out and force them to hang out with Peter more and more, they would just be a cynical duo. I could see them being completely dependent on another. Like, if Alice ever got a boyfriend, I can see Sid effectively moping, jealous, because he never really developed the capacity for making other friends and I doubt anyone else would approach him. As a team, Alice, Pippi, and Peter brought out a more fun side of him and help his self-esteem out. As for Alice, Pippi challenges her in a weird way. She makes her rethink her views because both girls are pretty strong-willed. Without Pippi to constantly question her, Alice would be so very set in her ways.

As for Peter, he would have no reason for hanging out with Sid and Alice. He would just remain with The Lost Boys and probably eventually get himself into a very harmful situation with his more grounded friends to keep him out of trouble. I could definitely see a tragedy from Peter's end.


So…yeah. I could understand if people don't believe that Pippi's a particularly "needed" character. I can see some people arguing that she's just this Manic Pixie Dream Girl girlfriend type. But really, Pippi effects more than that. The way that everyone interacts would be so different without her and that interaction is just really, really sad.

Sorry for the lack of short story but I think these notes should still count.

Yours Dearly,

H.N.

PS Oh and fun fact that wasn't mentioned: if Pippi never came to America, Sid would probably change his hair color a lot more and experiment with green, blue, purple, and all sorts of colors. The main reason he continues to stick with blue is because Pippi's mentioned that she likes it and it suits him. :)