Okay, I joke about it because that's what I do, but it's time to get serious about the weather. It's horrible out there. Not "let's make jokes about milk and bread" horrible, but honest to goodness, you're taking your own life into your hands if you go out horrible.
Between the snow that already fell and what came down yesterday there are several inches on the ground. At some point yesterday it turned for a time into rain/sleet, so there's now a coating of ice that was followed by more snow, some of which is still falling. Now the winds have picked up, so snow is drifting--over a layer of ice.
Roads are drifting shut; as of about midnight Monday night US 33 in western Noble County is down to one lane in several areas, let alone the county roads. With drifting, drivers often encounter sections of road that seem fine, only to suddenly come across snow covered areas--in this case, over ice. Stopping times will be severely effected. Four wheel drive is fine in snow, but in these conditions it can be worse than useless, giving drivers a false sense of security. White-out conditions are also being reported.
(County Highway crews will be out in the morning, but I don't know what time--and with the continued winds, I don't know how effective they can be. INDOT will be having the same problems.)
Add to that the fact that temperatures are going to get so low that ice melting materials will stop being effective.
We haven't even talked about wind chills. Strong winds will blow that snow around for the next couple of days, and temperatures will hit record lows--that means not only getting pulled off the road but stuck in drifts, and getting out to dig could mean frostbite in just a few minutes.
Take it seriously. Do not go out unless you have absolutely no choice (I'm afraid I can't do anything about work requirements). If you do have to travel for any reason, have a full gas tank and emergency supplies, and remember that if you get stuck, it might take awhile for help to get to you.
A forecast for Thursday says "not as cold. Highs near zero." That should tell you something.
Ambient Snow Noise
At my chiropractor's the other day (her office, not her home), she was playing one of those ambient noise CDs that's supposed to relax you. At the time she was pushing my spine into my sternum, so you can debate how effective it was; all I heard was the sound of my own screaming.
Still, it got me thinking. I've heard ambient noise soundtracks of babbling brooks, sea shores, gentle rain, birds chirping, distant thunder, and I've just now realized how very loud nature can be.
Basically you can get ambient noise from any season ... except winter.
Why don't they have any winter soundtracks?
Howling wind, scraping snow plows. The sound of cars skidding off the road. The noise of snowblowers, bodies falling, people cursing. Surely people would pay to hear something like that, if only in the middle of July.
I think I've just hit on a new idea. Maybe I should start wearing a body mic ... I can put the recording on disks, and I'll be rich.
Or at least make enough money to pay the chiropractor.
Still, it got me thinking. I've heard ambient noise soundtracks of babbling brooks, sea shores, gentle rain, birds chirping, distant thunder, and I've just now realized how very loud nature can be.
Basically you can get ambient noise from any season ... except winter.
Why don't they have any winter soundtracks?
Howling wind, scraping snow plows. The sound of cars skidding off the road. The noise of snowblowers, bodies falling, people cursing. Surely people would pay to hear something like that, if only in the middle of July.
I think I've just hit on a new idea. Maybe I should start wearing a body mic ... I can put the recording on disks, and I'll be rich.
Or at least make enough money to pay the chiropractor.
Snow. Just ... snow. Oh, and cold. Real cold.
As if winter needed any help, what with the fact that the roads in northeast Indiana are already snow covered and slippery right now. (Three inches or so last night, which is enough for that particular hazard.) Also, just so you don't forget, after the snow it's going to get crazy, dangerously, stupid cold. One forecast is saying a low of minus 20 and a high of minus 11 Wednesday. No, that doesn't include windchill.
From the National Weather Service:
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 3 AM EST MONDAY TO
7 PM EST MONDAY...
* WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches
expected with the highest amounts north of the Toll Road.
* WHERE...Portions of northern Indiana, southwest Michigan and
northwest Ohio.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The
hazardous conditions will likely impact the Monday morning
commute and possibly the Monday evening commutes. Blowing and
drifting are likely.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Winter Weather Advisory for snow means periods of snow will
cause primarily travel difficulties. Expect snow covered roads
and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.
(It's not much snow by our standards, but I've found in recent years that not as much snow is needed for the emergence of that type of person I like to call Homo Stupidus.)
Our Newspaper Feature Is Live!
I sent out a press release about seeking photos for our new book--and ended up on the front page of the Living Section in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:
http://www.journalgazette.net/features/20190124/no-extinguishing-albion-authors-fire
The funny thing is, after an interview with J-G author Blake Sebring, the article ended up not being about that specific project at all! Instead, he did a general profile of Emily and me, and our writing careers. Thanks to Blake, who did a great job.
The only thing I'd add is that our contact information didn't end up in the article. Emily just finished updating our website, which now includes order information for the newest novel, Coming Attractions:
http://www.markrhunter.com/
All our books can be ordered from our book page there, or look us up at all the usual places, including amazon at
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO
http://www.journalgazette.net/features/20190124/no-extinguishing-albion-authors-fire
The funny thing is, after an interview with J-G author Blake Sebring, the article ended up not being about that specific project at all! Instead, he did a general profile of Emily and me, and our writing careers. Thanks to Blake, who did a great job.
The only thing I'd add is that our contact information didn't end up in the article. Emily just finished updating our website, which now includes order information for the newest novel, Coming Attractions:
http://www.markrhunter.com/
All our books can be ordered from our book page there, or look us up at all the usual places, including amazon at
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO
Newspaper profile coming tomorrow (Thursday)
There's going to be a feature about Emily and me in the Thursday issue of the Fort Wayne newspaper, The Journal Gazette. (Assuming some big news event doesn't kick it down the road, of course.) I'd sent them a press release about the Albion Fire Department photo book project we're working on, and they interviewed us last week. It should be out in both their print and online additions, and the latter is here:
http://www.journalgazette.net/
After I sent the press release I talked to a reporter who interviewed me for over an hour, so I take it the article will be about more than just that particular project. We're looking forward to it--I hope you enjoy it too!
http://www.journalgazette.net/
After I sent the press release I talked to a reporter who interviewed me for over an hour, so I take it the article will be about more than just that particular project. We're looking forward to it--I hope you enjoy it too!
50 Authors from 50 States: The Writers Colony-Eureka Springs, Arkansas
50 Authors from 50 States goes to Arkansas:
50 Authors from 50 States: The Writers Colony-Eureka Springs, Arkansas: If you’ve ever been to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, you’ll see gazillions of inspirations. I’ve never been but I did write a book titled wi...
50 Authors from 50 States: The Writers Colony-Eureka Springs, Arkansas: If you’ve ever been to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, you’ll see gazillions of inspirations. I’ve never been but I did write a book titled wi...
Izzy and cancer
Izzy was ten. She spent fully half of her young life battling cancer, and once we really thought she'd beaten it. But cancer is stubborn, and insidious, and it really, really likes killing people.
And that's about all I have to say, because ... what can you say? Nothing covers this. There's no inspirational comment or encouraging word you can give anyone in the face of this. Honestly, I have trouble even looking at those last few photos.
I have two daughters of my own.
There are some fund raisers going on for the family, and they really need it. (She has two younger brothers.) Overall there's a Prayers for Izzy FB group here:
And also a Paypal fund raising account:
And some creative people selling stuff to help:
And that's about all I have to say, because ... what can you say? Nothing covers this. There's no inspirational comment or encouraging word you can give anyone in the face of this. Honestly, I have trouble even looking at those last few photos.
I have two daughters of my own.
Roads are drifting shut
Warning: County roads across Noble County are drifting shut in the strong winds, and many are already impassable. We've been advised that the county highway is not coming out until 7 a.m.--do not go out on county roads until they've been cleared. If you get stuck, you'll probably stay right where you are until daylight. Remember that most police vehicles and wreckers are no more able to navigate deep snow drifts than any other vehicle.
In addition, although INDOT does have some plows out, drifts are also forming across state highways. Until the winds die down and plows can catch up, your best bet is to not go out under any circumstances.
In other words, it's really awful out there. The Noble County Highway Dept doesn't have the resources to have trucks out 24/7, and I don't have anything in that decision making process, so there's no point debating it.
We've known for over a week that a serious winter storm was coming, and that there was a chance this area would be hit by it, so nobody really has an excuse not to be prepared. I feel for people like me who have to drive to work requirements (I didn't have to go far), but not so much for anyone who chooses to go out.
Nice Winters, and Other Strange Concepts
We had such a nice, warm winter going on there.
(Well ... "nice winter", is relative. But in northern Indiana, if the temperature stays above freezing for any amount of time between late December and the end of January, that's a nice winter.)
I wanted it to continue. I contacted my state representative and asked him to build a wall between us and Canada, to keep out those nasty polar vortexes. Look, I love Canada, but I understand why they call that country America's Hat: They have to wear hats up there to keep their ears from falling off. For nine months a year.
You have to respect people who get by even though they think North Dakota is a bit too warm for them.
Anyway, my state representative recently got a frostbit nose on the Pokagon State Park toboggan run, and was thus sympathetic. He threatened to shut down the state government unless they funded a Games Of Thrones style ice wall, until it was pointed out to him that keeping a polar vortex out would require a wall eighteen miles high ... and besides, Lake Michigan was a problem.
That guy has since moved to Boca Raton, which I discovered is in Florida. Traitor.
So, with no approval for a wall, or my backup idea involving a line of several hundred thousand salamanders pointed north, winter came back.
(Imagine my embarrassment when I discovered salamanders had to be powered by something, which made the idea financially unsound. I thought they all just crawled to the state line and breathed warm air into the wind.)
So one day I went outside to do yard work while it was in the low 50s (Fahrenheit--let's not get silly). Two days later it was 22 degrees, and lake-effect snow--which my wall would have stopped--was causing vehicles to skid all over like a Disney On Ice version of "Cars".
Which ... come to think of it would be a brilliant show, and I'd pay to go, if I could get out of my driveway.
Anyway, for awhile there we were having decent (relatively) weather, while the south was getting clobbered with ice and snow. I feel for the south, but there's a certain irony there: For most of my life I've sworn every winter that by next winter I'd move away; but like an angry Democrat celebrity, I never do. Honestly, I really love Indiana the rest of the year, but is a northern Indiana winter worth that?
Plan B was to become a rich author and have a winter home, an idea I abandoned when I found out the average author earns under the poverty line.
When it snows in the south, the counties dig out their only snow plow (manufactured by Mack in 1959). Most adults stay in, most kids go out to throw snowballs, and people who have to drive somewhere crash. All of them. But there's a good side: southern snow rarely lasts long, and pretty soon they get nice and toasty warm again (relatively).
Without a wall. Or maybe with, because the upper Midwest functions as their winter barrier.
Our good luck is over now, and we can expect a few months of complete ick. I shall survive by staying home as much as possible, writing under a multi-spectrum lamp while wearing both long flannel underwear and a big fluffy robe, and several layers in between. It's not quite denial.
But it beats Boca Raton in the summer.
(Well ... "nice winter", is relative. But in northern Indiana, if the temperature stays above freezing for any amount of time between late December and the end of January, that's a nice winter.)
I wanted it to continue. I contacted my state representative and asked him to build a wall between us and Canada, to keep out those nasty polar vortexes. Look, I love Canada, but I understand why they call that country America's Hat: They have to wear hats up there to keep their ears from falling off. For nine months a year.
You have to respect people who get by even though they think North Dakota is a bit too warm for them.
Anyway, my state representative recently got a frostbit nose on the Pokagon State Park toboggan run, and was thus sympathetic. He threatened to shut down the state government unless they funded a Games Of Thrones style ice wall, until it was pointed out to him that keeping a polar vortex out would require a wall eighteen miles high ... and besides, Lake Michigan was a problem.
That guy has since moved to Boca Raton, which I discovered is in Florida. Traitor.
 |
| Just to make it clear, this is NOT Boca Raton. |
So, with no approval for a wall, or my backup idea involving a line of several hundred thousand salamanders pointed north, winter came back.
(Imagine my embarrassment when I discovered salamanders had to be powered by something, which made the idea financially unsound. I thought they all just crawled to the state line and breathed warm air into the wind.)
So one day I went outside to do yard work while it was in the low 50s (Fahrenheit--let's not get silly). Two days later it was 22 degrees, and lake-effect snow--which my wall would have stopped--was causing vehicles to skid all over like a Disney On Ice version of "Cars".
Which ... come to think of it would be a brilliant show, and I'd pay to go, if I could get out of my driveway.
 |
| "Screw it, bring in the zamboni." |
Anyway, for awhile there we were having decent (relatively) weather, while the south was getting clobbered with ice and snow. I feel for the south, but there's a certain irony there: For most of my life I've sworn every winter that by next winter I'd move away; but like an angry Democrat celebrity, I never do. Honestly, I really love Indiana the rest of the year, but is a northern Indiana winter worth that?
Plan B was to become a rich author and have a winter home, an idea I abandoned when I found out the average author earns under the poverty line.
When it snows in the south, the counties dig out their only snow plow (manufactured by Mack in 1959). Most adults stay in, most kids go out to throw snowballs, and people who have to drive somewhere crash. All of them. But there's a good side: southern snow rarely lasts long, and pretty soon they get nice and toasty warm again (relatively).
Without a wall. Or maybe with, because the upper Midwest functions as their winter barrier.
Our good luck is over now, and we can expect a few months of complete ick. I shall survive by staying home as much as possible, writing under a multi-spectrum lamp while wearing both long flannel underwear and a big fluffy robe, and several layers in between. It's not quite denial.
But it beats Boca Raton in the summer.
 |
| "What ... you don't like me?" |
50 Authors from 50 States: Arizona Book Store in Tuscon
50 Authors from 50 States: Arizona Book Store in Tuscon: Antigone Books: https://www.antigonebooks.com/ This is a great looking bookstore that’s owned by 3 generations—and it’s renewable—...
My publisher's dropping me; it's a good thing
Good news, everyone!
The new newsletter is out: https://mailchi.mp/dbc5dc2002fd/my-publishers-dropping-me-its-a-good-thing?e=2b1e842057
Or you can just read it here:
My publisher is dropping three of my books!
Well, it really is good news, but I'm going to have to explain it.
At my request, Start Publishing has returned the rights to three of my books: Storm Chaser, Storm Chaser Shorts, and The Notorious Ian Grant. They were originally put out by Whiskey Creek Press, which was later bought by Start Publishing. Start is a big company, and made arrangements for their e-books to be distributed by Simon and Schuster, a large and respected publisher.
This excited many WCP authors, as Whiskey Creek Press was a fairly small publisher, with limited resources. I understood going in that I'd have to do a lot of my own selling and promoting; but with these new players, it was hoped we'd get better distribution and more promotion help.
Alas, that didn't happen. I continued to promote as best I could, and overall I've liked and gotten along with everyone from both companies. But those three books are older now, and to my disappointment their prices never got lowered. In addition, I felt the print book prices were way too high, especially for an unknown author like me. (WCP and Start specialize in e-books.)
With Storm Chaser now seven years old and set at the same price as when brand new, my sales had dropped dramatically. In the last quarter of 2018 sales of those three books were abysmal, and I know that's a real word because I looked it up.
But I wasn't ready to give up. Many people who read Storm Chaser kept asking me for a sequel, which the other two books were--but the sales of those two weren't as good. I felt there was potential for the series yet, so I asked Start Publishing for the rights back.
It was a long process.
I want to stress that my experience with the publisher was for the most part very positive, and I met many good and admirable people. In fact, I still have another novel, Radio Red, available through their Torrid Books line.
But the rights to the other three are back in my hands, which is why you may notice them disappearing from various websites and resellers across the internet. (I do still have print copies of the two novels for sale. Storm Chaser Shorts, a short story collection, was never available in print--but it will be.)
Emily and I are going to re-release the books, including a print run for Storm Chaser Shorts, once she's designed new covers and otherwise gotten them ready. These are the old covers, which you'll see if you buy any print copies from us before the supply runs out (well, not the middle one, which come to think of it could stand a new title):
I'll probably drop the price of them close to my cost, since the new editions will have a much lower price tag. Emily's hard at work on other projects right now, but I'll keep you updated on when they'll come out. Also, I'll be going back to work later this year on a prequel, as a way of introducing readers to the Storm Chaser series as a whole.
And you'll see all those changes on MarkRHunter.com, of course! Remember to support your local author: Whenever a book doesn't sell, an angel loses his wings--don't jam up the roadways with hitchhiking angels.
The new newsletter is out: https://mailchi.mp/dbc5dc2002fd/my-publishers-dropping-me-its-a-good-thing?e=2b1e842057
Or you can just read it here:
My publisher is dropping three of my books!
Well, it really is good news, but I'm going to have to explain it.
At my request, Start Publishing has returned the rights to three of my books: Storm Chaser, Storm Chaser Shorts, and The Notorious Ian Grant. They were originally put out by Whiskey Creek Press, which was later bought by Start Publishing. Start is a big company, and made arrangements for their e-books to be distributed by Simon and Schuster, a large and respected publisher.
This excited many WCP authors, as Whiskey Creek Press was a fairly small publisher, with limited resources. I understood going in that I'd have to do a lot of my own selling and promoting; but with these new players, it was hoped we'd get better distribution and more promotion help.
Alas, that didn't happen. I continued to promote as best I could, and overall I've liked and gotten along with everyone from both companies. But those three books are older now, and to my disappointment their prices never got lowered. In addition, I felt the print book prices were way too high, especially for an unknown author like me. (WCP and Start specialize in e-books.)
With Storm Chaser now seven years old and set at the same price as when brand new, my sales had dropped dramatically. In the last quarter of 2018 sales of those three books were abysmal, and I know that's a real word because I looked it up.
But I wasn't ready to give up. Many people who read Storm Chaser kept asking me for a sequel, which the other two books were--but the sales of those two weren't as good. I felt there was potential for the series yet, so I asked Start Publishing for the rights back.
It was a long process.
I want to stress that my experience with the publisher was for the most part very positive, and I met many good and admirable people. In fact, I still have another novel, Radio Red, available through their Torrid Books line.
But the rights to the other three are back in my hands, which is why you may notice them disappearing from various websites and resellers across the internet. (I do still have print copies of the two novels for sale. Storm Chaser Shorts, a short story collection, was never available in print--but it will be.)
Emily and I are going to re-release the books, including a print run for Storm Chaser Shorts, once she's designed new covers and otherwise gotten them ready. These are the old covers, which you'll see if you buy any print copies from us before the supply runs out (well, not the middle one, which come to think of it could stand a new title):
I'll probably drop the price of them close to my cost, since the new editions will have a much lower price tag. Emily's hard at work on other projects right now, but I'll keep you updated on when they'll come out. Also, I'll be going back to work later this year on a prequel, as a way of introducing readers to the Storm Chaser series as a whole.
And you'll see all those changes on MarkRHunter.com, of course! Remember to support your local author: Whenever a book doesn't sell, an angel loses his wings--don't jam up the roadways with hitchhiking angels.
50 Authors from 50 States: Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg, Ala...
Alabama on 50 Authors From 50 States:
50 Authors from 50 States: Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg, Ala...: I’ve always had a fondness for Fannie Flagg…Grew up with her comedy…didn’t know she wrote Fried Green Tomatoes-a great novel. And now I’...
50 Authors from 50 States: Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg, Ala...: I’ve always had a fondness for Fannie Flagg…Grew up with her comedy…didn’t know she wrote Fried Green Tomatoes-a great novel. And now I’...
Inspiration at the Drive-In: the genesis of "Coming Attractions"
I was looking for
something else entirely when I stumbled across this article, which went up on
LiveJournal way back in 2012--not long after I finished writing Coming
Attractions. I'd entered a writing competition back then, and put up the
novel for voting. It made it through the first round, then ... that was it.
The manuscript at the
time was much, much different from what ended up being published--in fact, some
parts are totally changed. Better, I hope! But the article’s interesting,
especially when compared to one I wrote just a few days ago, before I
remembered this one. Maybe I’ll post that newer one later, when I’ve forgotten
this one again.
- Oct. 5th, 2012 at 6:35 PM
When I tell people about
my new novel, Coming Attractions, one of the first things they ask is
how I came up with the idea of a romantic comedy about a drive-in movie
theater.
The answer is not how,
but where: At the drive-in, of course.
Just as I came up with Storm
Chaser by looking to the skies, I came up with Coming Attractions by
looking to the screen – the silver screen. But this book isn’t brand new: I
came up with the concept years ago, when I started taking my kids to the
Auburn-Garrett drive-in. Sadly, that’s the only one left anywhere near my home,
although when I was a kid the Hi-Vue was closer.
There was a third near
the limits of a reasonable drive, but toward the end it started showing X-rated
flicks, back at a time when you couldn’t get them at the video store … back
before the internet made that all passé.
At the time (this would
be decades ago) the Hi-Vue where where you would go for family friendly fare:
Their screen faced the highway, so they couldn’t show R rated stuff. The
Auburn-Garrett sometimes showed racier movies, but the Hi-Vue was closer and I
was a kid, so you can guess where I ended up.
But by the time I had
kids of my own, the Auburn-Garrett was the only game around. I was a single
father, the drive-in was cheap, and we all loved movies, so I introduced my
girls to one of my best childhood memories.
If you wanted a good
spot, you got there early. (The good spot is in the middle, near the restrooms.)
So I pulled out a notebook, and while we waited for the sun to set, my
daughters and I brainstormed the idea for a new novel – an idea that was as
close as the big screen before us.
Of course, the story
isn’t really about a drive-in, any more than a story is about a tornado, or an
airplane, or a war. Stories are about people. Over time Charis and Jillian,
with the help of a laptop, notebook, and various reference books we bought
along, helped invent the characters, the plot, and … well, the atmosphere kind
of took care of itself.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don’t forget you can
order Coming Attractions, and all our
other books, on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Mark-R-Hunter/e/B0058CL6OO
Not to mention everything but our newest book is up at http://markrhunter.com/, and Coming Attractions will be there soon, too … or just search
for “Mark R Hunter books” on that newfangled interwebs thingy. No, I don’t run
Molson Coors Brewing Company.
So Many Photos, So Little time
I've finished
going through all the CDs and drives I could find, looking for any picture
that might be useful in our Albion Fire Department photo book project. (It's a
book project about the Albion Fire Department … focusing on photos. Pretty
self-explanatory, but I'll look for a catchier title.)
Every photo I
found that had even an outside shot of being useful, I transferred to a file
and then to a thumb drive. I was pretty loose in my definition of
"useful", since Emily can do amazing things with mediocre pictures,
of which I've taken many. Then I totaled them all up.
My file now has
7,792 items, taking up 34.4 gigabytes of space.
This does not
include a whole box full of photos loaned to us by Phil and Cindy Jacob, many
of which Emily is in the process of scanning into her computer. It doesn't include the boxes of prints I have, myself. It also doesn't
include any pictures we may yet have loaned to us by anyone else; it's
just the ones I had immediately available in electronic form.
So … I've got some
sorting to do.
Hopefully we'll get
many more good photos donated toward the project, so I don't have to mess with
my mediocre ones at all. But I have to admit, I had a lot of fun going through
all those files. I've pretty much mastered a complete lack of organization, so
I had to go through all my boxes of CDs … music, pictures, backups, documents,
everything. I kept saying, "Hey--I remember that!"
I also
transferred, to a different file, hundreds of my old humor columns, dating back
to between 2000-2004. Basically fourteen to eighteen year old columns, which
means many of my readers have never seen them, and the rest have probably
forgotten. A project for later this year: Adapt and assemble them into a new
book, which I've tentatively titled "Still Slightly Off the Mark".
An easy project in
theory, but I'll probably rewrite them, since I'm theoretically better for
having a decade and a half more writing experience. What do you think? Do we
all need a laugh?
I think so, too.
 |
| Old photos--or in this case, video scans--do my heart good. |
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