I wonder who the Numb-sculls are?

I was leaving the Lounge of the Top Shop, yesterday and Sprint was sheltering in the doorway while he smoked another 'Coffin' Nail'.

"Why here?" I asked, "and not your usual spot outside?"

"It's raining," he replied.

"Bye Sprint."

"Bye Horse." Sprint has an issue with remembering names - everybody is 'Horse'.

It was raining- a soft Irish drizzle and once again I decided – It's a pity you don't have a small bottle of hair shampoo with you – then you could get a “Free” wash - and not have to pay for the water you use.

That's the way it's going in Ireland now. The Government have set up a “Quango” to do a job carried out very well by regional councils and have spent Billions setting it up and now want the citizens to pay again for water.

We already pay 23% Value Adder Tax on purchases, 2% of this is earmarked for water support services. Local Property Tax and Household Levies are also supposed to be used for local services. Vehicle tax is collected to improve the roads – but it was diverted last year, and probably this as well, and was given to Irish Water.

Our Government collect taxes each year at rates set at Budget Time, and when it starts rolling in they divert the first big bite, taken from the revenue for their own salaries, expenses, and pensions.

We have a population the size of Greater Manchester, and it's catered for by 10 full-time Burroughs Councils. We elect 165 alleged Numb-sculls to sit in our parliament a few weeks a year for massive salaries and expenses.

In 2012 (the last year they supplied figures) the Oireachtas, cost the citizens almost €120 Million, in salaries and allowances.

That's a lot of water under the bridge!

The best advice I ever got - and I'm ignoring it!

I was told a long time ago that people don't appreciate anything they get FOR FREE!

However I also knew clever people who, at times, got furniture and antiques at the "Free Counter": someone else was throwing the items away.

So for today only as I already said before, at the week-end, I'm FREE.

The book is said to be a good read, a thriller, and hard to put down (I put glue on the cover of that copy).

The ending is a surprise, they say. It was to me when I was writing it, as I think the characters ganged up on me and led me to it.

But it does fit well with the story.

I know you are thinking: get on with it and tell us what it is about!

No!

Check it out for yourself!

I'm including a link to Amazon.UK as I think their Carrier Pigeons fly fastest!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Wicker-Wood-Lazarian-Wordsmith/dp/1500691364

Now I'm Free - Again (A free Kindle eBook).

I decided that, I'd be hard nosed, this time, and not do a Free Kindle day for “In The Wicker Wood Where Secrets Are Buried”

But it's the Irish Spring - frost and fog in the mornings, scorching heat later in the day - and it's neatly the Spring Equinox, and I'm in a good mood. Well: as good as my Grumpy – Victor Meldrew Mood ever gets.

So here goes on March 23^rd – for one day only – a Free Kindle Ebook.

http://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B00U1SPJ3O/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_eos_detail

In The Wicker Wood - My New Book Available Now

At last I got In The Wicker Wood edited and into print, but like Milligan and Puckoon, it nearly drove me daft.

Anyway it's for sale now and my Beta Readers say they like it and that it is a page turner – but what else do you do with a book except turn the pages.

Maybe they mean it's a book you will read not fling at the wall in frustration!

I do that a lot especially when the lovely girls Michelle, Naoimi and Lucy in chapter two are Anabelle, Cindy and Debbie by chapter nearly last – Titchmarsh should stick to telling us about flowers.

Or when the solicitor sees the client arriving at the door on the CCTV and also sees his secretary letting her in. Then a few pages later he is at his desk and rises to meet the client as she knocks on his door. Then the client's POV says he was sitting at the desk when the secretary opened the door and announced her.

The writer should have stuck with being a TV Producer. But that's not the worse – the baddie secretes the kidnapped girl in the attic and then when a rescue attempt sets a blaze in the living room – HE CALLED THE FIRE BRIGADE AND THE POLICE!!

Hey Buddy what's this young one doing tied up in your attic – is this Fifty Shades of Choking Smoke?

Anyway back to my book that you won't throw at the wall or out the window – that reminds me Simeon rang me from the Window's Help Centre and asked me to open my windows – I'm frozen now and he has hung up!

Anyway judge for yourself:

The time is Ireland in a fragile peace deal, after the Northern Ireland Ceasefire.
George Edward Bowen believes he is dying from terminal cancer. He has sin on his soul and although not a Catholic he wants Priestly Absolution for the girls he kidnapped and killed. He abducts Father Jim Gaffney.

Bishop Sylvester Mahon, who is also hiding secrets, contacts his old IRA acquaintance Shane O'Neill and asks him to find and rescue Gaffney. When Sonny Mc Entaggart finally finds out who his father is – he is on the run from the authorities. He is using the alias, Shane O'Neill.

Detective Seamus Fanahan, ably assisted by the superior detection skills of Sheba – a seeing eye dog – identifies and apprehends the kidnapper.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Wicker-Wood-Lazarian-Wordsmith/dp/1500691364/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

Have a goo inside the POD or buy the Kindle Edition, here or perhaps there – even Japan from the Google Search.

Wow! Not bad going for a Bogger!

Here lies ...

Finally, at last.

Sister, I found you

After a long long time.

I know where you are resting.

In Granddad's and Nana's grave,

Unnamed : only a postscript.

“And their Grandchild”.

Kindle Countdown Deal

#Micropoetry

In old age

life proceeds

from one slice of breakfast

toast to the next.

*

A Moonlit Moonless sky,

tailed Comet.

Traveler returns:

no one here to admire the beauty.

*

Encounters with people's discarded spit,

occurs:

when you grasp the edge of a Café table

and stick a finger in gum.

*

My inherited self,

born of Father's strong seed

and Mother's sour milk,

is torn in their daily fight

for my malleable soul.

*

I remember the birth canal,

as gasping in panic,

I struggle when a tight fitting

long necked jumper glues itself to my face:

preventing my head from emerging.

Just an example of the magnificent small and restricted poetry that a Twitter format puts on poets.

These are from my book of poetry, stories and other  efforts that are on offer this week on Amazon Kindle at a 76% discount.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Knowledge-Seekers-Land-Cudhabeen-ebook/dp/B00JYKH6DG

As a self published writer I still retain all my publishing rights!

Hachette v's Amazon

Hi all, this is tickling my fancy in a peculiar way.

In Ireland self publishers seldom get a chance to publicise their books on or in the media. It appears traditional publishers have an unseen veto, on who can get on air or into papers, to ramp up interest in their books.

There are some exceptions to this when a retired "Personality" of radio or TV writes a book - on "How I Tied My Shoelaces Each Morning." They will be indulged by an editor or producer they worked with.

Of course when that happens - I immediately Tweet the program and ask if I can come in and talk about my book as well.

I'm still waiting to be invited.

So Publishing Houses ganging up on us -that's us, as in we authors, and Amazon our outlet for sales - in not new to me - just amusing.

More so in fact when I hear Stephen King has signed up to the campaign on the Publisher side.

Mr. King tried very hard from 1982 – 2000 to sell his book, The Plant, directly on the Net. He was griping about his publisher and the money they were taking from him. He wanted all the royalties for himself.

His idea was to offer the first few chapters as free download, then he tried to sell the remaining chapters at $1 each. The project was a failure. And after six instalments it folded and the book is yet to be completed.

The last instalment was published on December 18, 2000. The book is yet to be completed. The original instalments are now available for free on Stephen King's official website.

So King has tried Self Publishing and is now against authors trying to directly produce and sell work.

When Paperbacks were first produced Hardback Publishers were also up in arms. But when they got into the market by producing their own Paperbacks they "Cried Off" the protest, instead of crying about the process.

Watch this space when traditional publishers get "Bought Off" by Amazon this "Storm In A Teacup” will blow away. I wonder though when it does - will the traditionally published writers get an increase in their 8, 10 or 12% royalties? Maybe also an increase in their signing on advance. An advance that is paid back from the royalties.

But it's not the money I get by self publishing my work that attracts me: it's the publication rights, the film rights, the hardback rights, the magazine rights etc., that I retain for myself.

That's the clincher and maybe this traditional publisher against Amazon may not be just about money: it's also about publication rights.

The traditionally published writers who are jumping on the band wagon didn't retain their publication rights: they have taken the 30 pieces of silver and perhaps now regret that they did.