I only want to add: http://thefensk.com
Category: Writing
The SHOES, Part 2
If we were having coffee today I’d have to beg forgiveness again because, well … I just have to give an update about the shoes.
I first mentioned the shoes last June, while they were still in the process of being transformed into the showpiece/centerpieces for our daughter’s upcoming nuptials.
To recap, Gretchen, my darling bride, took our daughter’s sweat-stained, ragged, worn-out pointe shoes, remnants from many years of intense dancing, and proceeded to turn them into works of art. To this end she used paint, decoupage, glue-on gems and flowers, and all manner of arts and crafty add-ons. She created about twenty unique pieces for this wedding.
When the florist delivered the bouquets and boutonnieres he mentioned to me that no centerpiece flowers were ordered and I showed him what we had instead … he was impressed.
Anyway, as you can see from the pictures, after she finished decorating all the shoes, the plan was to display them in a tall glass vase. After looking them over, she decided a little height was necessary, so each vase was elevated with an inverted glass heart dish. A dab of lace around the dish, a round table mirror, a little decorative border and a few additional accents completed the centerpiece … I think it was a marvelous and unique idea and I am not alone. In looking at facebook postings of wedding pictures, everybody included multiple shots of different shoes.
The glass dishes were a little unstable as a platform and this required a late-breaking modification … we glued them, and very late at that, so we were quite fearful of the glue curing in a timely fashion. It made for tricky transportation because I did not feel safe boxing them … so I put them on the floorboard of the two cars we were driving with a little light padding around them … and tried not to take any sharp turns during the 170 mile trip to the venue. All arrived intact.
Like most wedding preparations, these shoes were just one of many details.
The wedding? Simply magical.
Thomas Fenske is a writer living in North Carolina. His latest novel, a Curse That Bites Deep has just been released. More info: http://thefensk.com
Don’t Take My Word For It
I’m stoked about my first teview. It’s from the tometender review blog (a top-rated GoodReads reviewer!).
A Curse That Bites Deep is available in paperback from Amazon or in eBook format from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. Buy links here … http://www.thefensk.com
Help me get rhe news out, please reblog!
Book Release / Giveaway!
At long last, my second novel, A Curse That Bites Deep has been published. To help celebrate the release, I’m giving away several kindle copies through Amazon.
Ah, as with most things associated with a curse, there’s a catch. Follow me on Twitter. Not a big deal, the giveaway will guide you.
Here’s the link: https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/21b5f6291cccaac8
If you happen to win, please favor me with a review. If you don’t happen to win, hey, you can still be bitten by the curse, and $3.99 is not really that much … it’s likely cheaper than a latte.
More information at http://thefensk.com
Spoiler?
You will have to read it and decide for yourself.
A Curse That Bites Deep, coming Saturday, October 1.
More Info: http://thefensk.com
Weekendcoffeeshare – It’s About Timing
If we were having coffee, I’d be in a big rush. “It’s all about the timing,” I’d say.
Or maybe it’s fate. I’m not sure. These aren’t situations I’ve created. Well, I guess that’s not true. Yes, I’m responsible, but the timing difficulties aren’t my doing.
You see, next Saturday, my lovely, talented daughter is getting married and we are in a whirlwind of final preparations. Here’s where fate comes in. That same day is the release date of my second novel. Yes, I had a hand in her creation and in the creation of the book, but the convergence of these dates is not my fault. Really.
We are in the process of going crazy trying to check off every detail on our multiple lists. Remember the shoes? There seem to be endless final touches and my lovely bride has made other crafty contributions as well meaning there are other decorations to tweak. And all of the contacts must be coordinated: Caterer, Cake, DJ, Photographer, Venue …
And in the middle of all of this, in the background, I’m trying to lay the groundwork for the release of my book. Thankfully, my publisher started doing “pre-release” earlier this year. With that, the book is already rolled out to the ebook retailers but in pre-release. That means readers are offered the opportunity to pre-purchase the book for a 25% discount. You just don’t get it until release day. It’s a good deal, really.
It also allows me the opportunity to do some of the promotion work early. That’s the only thing that’s keeping me sane about it right now. And outlets like Facebook and WordPress will let me schedule posts so I can set up some “RELEASED TODAY” posts ahead of time … so I guess the release will be heralded with at least some fanfare. I am under strict orders to NOT mention the book at the wedding. I’m good with that. It’s my daughter’s special day, not mine. Anyway, I’ll be too busy being the gracious host.
So I probably will miss coffee next week. Maybe one of my coffee buddies will pitch in and help my auto posts along. Oops, I gotta go …
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Thomas Fenske is a writer living in North Carolina. His latest novel, A Curse That Bites Deep will be released October 1. More info: http://thefensk.com
BUY IT! He’s got a wedding to pay for!
Weekendcoffeeshare-Video Tales
If we were having coffee I’m sure I’d eventually end up talking about the video. “Video? I thought you were a writer,” you might ask.
Then I’d explain that there is a lot of business to being a writer and videos are one of the newer things. “Oh, you mean like movie rights?” You might ask innocently.
No, not movie rights, that’s another thing entirely. Getting started in this business requires a lot of outside work that does not include writing. Some of it does, though, like this blog. Having a blog is part of a writer’s business, and thankfully, it includes writing.
I think every writer goes through this. One tends to see the dream of being published with a limited vision, like looking at the world through a paper towel tube. The concentration is on words and revision and editing. Once the contract is signed there is a new harsh reality to actually having a book published: you have to help market the danged thing. There is a LOT of competition from other writers, especially in the world of independent writers. A new author must master a number of different new skills, like blogging and tweeting to get the word out. Website design is another skill. Of course, if a writer has deep pockets, they can pay someone to do these things for them. The idea is to get yourself noticed ahead of all the others. Sadly, you are just one of many.
“But what about the video?” you’d ask, thankfully getting me back on track.
Video trailers are one of the latest things. I paid for my first one, one for my first book. I was really late in the game for that one. It’s not bad, a little funky. It was cheap. You get what you pay for. I was going to pay the same people for a new one. I had an idea and thought I’d work up something to more explain my idea. Decided to use Power Point to see if I could work out my idea. I’d never used it before. I’m fairly technical but I had never really had a reason to use it. Microsoft bundles it in with Office … so it was there.
It didn’t take too long for me to realize that I could actually use this. A book trailer is generally text based, so why not? What I wanted to do required specific timing … visual effects that were timed with a specific musical score. This presentation software had functions that facilitated that. It took some time, especially to fine tune the timings, but I managed to work it out. Then I found out it would even export a video file. That’s a little funky, and it messed up the timing a little but I anticipated some of the blips and re-edited and managed to work through them. I’m sure I could use some other video tools but I already had this and gave it a shot.
Is it perfect? Naw. Is it okay? I think so. It introduces the story and builds suspense and introduces the mystery. The music is raw and edgy but I think it fits the video nicely. Check it out here … tell me what you think.
Note: replaced link with newer version.
Thomas Fenske is a writer living in North Carolina. His latest novel, A Curse That Bites Deep will be published October 1 — presales of ebooks are available now. More info at http://thefensk.com
Great News!
My latest novel, A Curse That Bites Deep, will be published October 1!
My publisher, in association with most of the major eBook retailers, have decided to offer the a 25% discount on eBook pre-orders until the official release day. On the first of October it goes back to normal price.
That’s a crisp one dollar bill off, folks! It will reserve your copy and it will be available on release day.
This is a sequel to my debut novel, The Fever, and continues the story. Ah, but things take an evil turn in this one. People are dying, suspicions run high, and poor Sam seems to be in the thick of things.
More information and quick buy links can be found on my web page:http://www.thefensk.com
If you have already caught THE FEVER … you won’t want to miss this continuation.
If you haven’t caught THE FEVER … yet … well, there is still time!
WeekendCoffeeShare…How are YOU?
If we were having coffee today, since I don’t have much to talk about I think I’d just listen.Well, I do, but these little sessions all seem to be just about me so for once I would just shut the heck up and let you take the lead.
I’d want to hear about your woes and your joys and your concerns and your observations. I’d laugh at your jokes, and express sympathy for your sorrows.
No matter what craziness you seemed to have going on in your life, I’d nod and commiserate. I’d do my best to bite my tongue and not tell you how much worse my situation(s) have been.
We would hug or shake hands and part and you might feel just a bit better about getting it all off your chest for a change.
I’d still be carrying my burdens, but they’ll keep for another week, don’t you think?
Thomas Fenske is a writer living in North Carolina.
His latest novel, A Curse That Bites Deep, will be published October 1 … and the eBooks are currently available for a 25% pre-release disccount … Links and other information are available at www.thefensk.com
A Continuation …
The pre-release of my novel A Curse That Bites Deep is in full swing. Well, except for Amazon. All of the other major ebook retailers have their pre-buy links up and you can reserve your copy for a 25% discount. Links are available on the “buy” button on my web page: http://thefensk.com
Hopefully Amazon will get with the competition and activate it soon. Then I’ll be able to market the book in earnest.
The book is a sequel to The Fever and everybody is back. Well for a while, anyway. There is evil afoot and Sam seems to be at the center of it all. There are a few surprises and a few murders and a good mystery to be solved.
I’m looking for reviewers so if you review books and might be interested drop me a line …
There’s an email link on my web page as well as more information about both books and me. http://thefensk.com
Scratching the Surface 
