My Reviews

My Reviews

Editing a Novel on a Tablet

Published by Owen Jones on 5 March 2022 12
Editing a Novel on a Tablet

Editing a Novel on a Tablet

Editing a Novel on a Tablet

As many of you know, I finished writing Dead Centre II at the end of last month. It was also the first book that I had written solely on a tablet – a Kindle Fire HDX. I had never tried editing a novel on a tablet though, so my next task was to try that.

Editing a novel on a tablet has been a disaster!

I will explain. The Kindle Fire HDX has sixteen gigabytes or memory, so plenty you would think. And, yes, indeed it is! If you only write a couple of thousand words a day and then upload them to the main computer.  It works very well if you then just tag them on the end of your novel..

The size of the Kindle (in the photo), compared with my Asus, is tiny, yet it has ten hours of battery life compared with the Asus’ two and a half. It makes it the ideal medium to use when I’m out for the day but still working. That was why I thought I’d try editing a novel on a tablet as well.

Kindle Fire HDX

However, although it can easily read books much larger than the 75,000 words in Dead Centre 2, it is not equipped to hold them in memory for editing. While it can cope with editing an article or a chapter with ease, editing a novel on a tablet like the Kindle Fire is awesomely tedious.

The first problem with editing a novel on a tablet is that the internal gubbins of the tiny machine is so overwhelmed that it sometimes can’t find the time to load the keyboard. If you can persuade it to do that, and there are a few tricks you can play on it, it takes seconds to carry out each command. Usually, between one and sixty, unfortunately, but it can take longer.

So, say in your typing frenzy, you allowed the predictive selection of ‘standardised’ for ‘stand-up’, you would need to backspace seven times and type ‘-up’ (i.e, three characters). That is ten operations, which could easily take five to ten minutes.

Now, I like the app called My Office, I think (a large ‘W’ on a red square), but I’m afraid it can’t cope with editing a novel on a tablet. Writing, yes, but editing, no. When writing on the Kindle Fire, I achieved speeds of 600 words an hour. That is comparable with my speed on my Asus, although I can write faster anually, although I hate typing up.

Dog Root in a Tree Stump

Dog root in a tree stump

Dog root in a tree stump

A photo for those of you who couldn’t see the root outside my office window.  A root-branch transformed itself into the head of a dog overnight! See it, clearly marked? You will probably need to enlarge the image to see it easily. However, she is there looking up to two o’ clock.

My experiment with editing a novel on a tablet has put me back a few days. Mainly because I did stick with it for fourteen of the twenty chapters. However, that means that I have to crack on now.

All the best,

+Owen

Amazon Image  Dead Centre the first of the two novels about the ex-SAS daredevils.

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Modern Digital Designs

Published by Chalita Majang on 7 February 2022

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Or how to keep up with the Joneses!

Modern Digital Design for The Megan Series

My Dad, Owen Jones, is a writer, as regular readers of my blog will already know, and has been a author of books for ten years on February 21st 2022. I was a teenager then, but I remember the excitement of the occasion very well.

It had taken him about fifteen years to produce a book from his father’s automatic writings as a Spiritual Healer, and the last thing that he had to do was produce a cover for the book.

Looking back on it, it probably shouldn’t have, but it did come as a shock that he would have to do that as well. Now, my Dad knows his way around the Internet, but this was a totally new experience, and it was for me too.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, he did that and uploaded everything to the leading online bookshops of the day.

The cover was basically a flat image of the front cover of the book, but that was what all authors were providing at the time.

However, over the years, some more design-savvy authors began to provide more eye-catching cover images.

As far as I recall, it began with spread-eagled shots of the front and back covers plus the spine. They were definitely a big improvement.

After that, book covers went 3-D, and that is even better in my opinion, as a general item, but there are specialised uses for all three styles.

Finally, so far, that is, some authors are putting the 3-D cover with the blurb on a relevant background image, and that is the bee’s knees in book advertising covers for me.

Look at the postcard I made for my father at the top of this page.

I am thinking of learning how to do this, so if you are interested, please encourage me with an email.

Best wishes,

Chalita.

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Dere V14 Air Notebook – Review Update

Published by Chalita Majang on 9 January 2022

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My Dere with a warped mouse pad

This article is my own personal experience with the Dere V14 Air Notebook, which I bought a little while ago. I will not be going into all the specifications of this device, because you can find this information on the manufacturer’s website. I will say that it comes with Windows 10 Pro and the Intel core i7 processor though.

My first impression was that it is small and came with unadvertised accessories. I have been using 17 inch laptops for a decade, and didn’t realise how much smaller 14 inches is. That is my fault. I should have done. However, it becomes a real problem when you transfer your spreadsheets across. If they were made to make full use of the larger screen, then there will be data that is not visible without scrolling, and if you resize the spreadsheet, the data will appear very small. You may need (stronger) glasses!

It is very light, but that was not a reason why I bought this device anyway.

The screen shows very vivid colours. It is the best screen I have ever worked with without a shadow of a doubt. It is very easy on the eyes. The sound capabilities of the Dere V14 Air Notebook are, however, not in the same league. I listen to the radio a lot when I am working, or not too, but I can often hardly hear it, which is completely unlike the Asus machines that I have been using for the last seven or eight years.

I will need to buy external speakers.

The Dere V14 Air laptop does not come with a carrying case, which I consider to be a serious fault. Why would a company that is proud of itself not provide a case with its name on it? In fact, this computer doesn’t have its name on it at all.

That is just weird!

And another strange thing is the camera. It is on the hinge with the screen. I don’t know whether it is an Asian/Caucasian thing, but in normal work mode, the camera is focusing just above my head. I suppose that is why they give you a free external camera, which should be unnecessary.

Yet another ‘free accessory’ that should be unnecessary is the USB hub. This device has only ONE measly USB port in this day and age! I am sure that the original specifications stated two ports – one normal and one high-speed. I would never have bought a computer with just one.

The three best features of this $600 laptop are the screen, the Intel core i7 CPU and the solid-state drive (SSD). It is so fast! I didn’t know what I was missing, and will never go back to spinning disks.

My feelings are mixed at the moment, but I think that I just about come
down on the side of the Dere V14 Air Notebook.

Update After Six Months Use

That last paragraph above is wrong. I would never buy another one of Dere’s products!

Pro’s

1] It is very fast

2] It is very light

3] The colours are fantastic

Con’s

1] The mouse pad distorts with the temperature! Sometimes, it distorts so much that it stops working. I think that the keyboard moves too, but I am not quite so sure as I use the black overlay they provide – otherwise the characters on the keys are difficult to read.

2] The sound system is completely inadequate.

3] Having only one USB port is really annoying. Yes, they provided a very cheap USB hub, but the Dere fails to recognise it quite often. I bought an expensive hub, but the problem persists. Perhaps the motherboard is distorting with the mouse pad.

4] It should have come with a mouse and a carrying case.

Summary

Now I know why the manufacturer has not written it’s name on this notebook. Basically, it’s an embarrassment. It’s a cheap model that has not been designed very well (eg: the camera and speakers), and even has bits missing (eg: extra USB ports, mouse, carrying case, and heat-resistant housing).

The screen and the SSD are the only things it has going for it, and it’s just not enough for me.

My rating is 4/10

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Villfarelsen – Misconception

Published by Owen Jones on 15 December 2020

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Villfarelsen: En andlig guide, en spöktiger, och en skrämmande mamma!
Villfarelsen

Villfarelsen

En andlig guide, en spöktiger, och en skrämmande mamma!

av

Owen Jones

Översatt av

Charlotta Zaar Böll

Berättat av

Ida Berglöw Kenneway

“Villfarelsen” är den första delen i en serie av tjugotre noveller om den andliga utvecklingen hos en ung flicka som heter Megan. Hon har latenta övernaturliga krafter och hon är nyfiken på att utveckla dem, men ingen annan som hon känner verkar ha någon aning vad hon pratar om.

Eller gör dom det? Både hennes mormor och hennes mamma gör allt de kan för att stoppa Megan från att ta reda på mer. Historien visar Megans frustration med de levande, så när hjälp kommer från den andra sidan, tar hon emot den med öppna armar och utvecklar långsamt men säkert sina övernaturliga krafter.

Detta är berättelsen om Megans uppvaknande.

“Villfarelsen” handlar om de paranormala krafter som finns inom oss alla, vilket borde göra dem helt normala istället för paranormala, om människor inte var så rädda för det övernaturliga, vilket i sig självt också är helt naturligt.

Det här är en bok för alla som någonsin har funderat över det övernaturliga, paranormala eller metafysiska- Det handlar om den normala andliga utvecklingen som alla högre själar måste gå igenom för att nå sitt ultimata, oundvikliga öde, hur lång tid det än kan ta. Dessa berättelser bygger på faktum på flera sätt än en.

Amazon   Apple iTunes   GooglePlay Kobo Scribd   Audiobook 

2] Megans trettonde

Översatt av: Jenny Ulvestål

Amazon   Apple iTunes GooglePlay   Kobo   Scribd   Audiobook

3] Megans skolresa

Översatt av: Jenny Ulvestål

Amazon   Apple iTunes GooglePlay   Kobo   Scribd   Audiobook

4] Megans skolprov

Översatt av: Jenny Ulvestål

Amazon   Apple iTunes   GooglePlay   Kobo   Scribd   Audiobook

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Our New Blog Theme

Published by Chalita Majang on 4 December 2020

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Musings on our new blog theme
Buying a new blog theme

We decided to buy a new blog theme.

The previous one was seven years old and the designers had stopped keeping it up to date several years ago. Therefore, as WordPress developed, certain key features had ceased to work.

The result was that it was becoming tedious to update.

I, and my colleagues and friends chose the new blog theme that you see before you at this moment. The designers have produced it especially for authors and publishers just like me 🙂

We set our new blog theme up quite quickly, although that is not to say that this new theme is without its problems, not the least of which is the slow response from the support desk and the lack of a clear, easily referenceable manual.

Blog Support

In these days of Covid-19, support must be difficult, since call centres are all closed, or should be, I imagine. Either that or they are running at one-third to a quarter capacity. Anyway, the support team does answer eventually, but it can take days, which seems like years, if you are anxious to get a new blog theme up and running!

If they had a comprehensive or even just a decent manual for the theme, I am sure that my friends and I could have sorted it out for ourselves much more quickly. However, the guide, such that it is, is on line and nothing more than a bunch of hyperlinks. After clicking on a few of them, I don’t know where I am any more.

My biggest mistake with the new blog theme was to impose it directly on top of the old one. I advise you to open a fresh instance of WordPress somewhere, and practise there until perfect. That way, you won’t lose your blog for a couple of days, like I did.

What a panic that was, I can tell you!

The new theme is huge though. My blog is quite large anyway for a one-man band, Owen Jones, the former owner, had created nearly three thousand entries. Two thousand of them were posts and pages! Still, I was stunned to find that the blog had swollen to 4.4 GB after applying the new theme!

Theme Features

To be honest, I have only set up the barest blog from the resources available in this theme. I am aware of what else it can do, but time has so far prevented me from learning how to implement more. Features, such as the direct sale of books (without paying Amazon, Apple or anyone else); the rental of blog space to advertisers such as authors, publishers or just about anyone; and so much more.

In fact, I have just decided that the next feature I want to implement is ‘the shop’. I am going to call it ‘Megan’s Market’, where I intend to sell readers’ and writers’ paraphernalia. It will also be able to handle the sale of ebooks, my own and those of others.

I hope that you will support me in these ventures, especially the direct sale of ebooks. If you are a regular visitor, you will notice me adding these extra features to our new blog theme over the coming month(s) 🙂

On the other hand, if you would like to purchase your own copy of this theme, called ‘Publisher’, or one like it but geared in a different direction, the owners are currently, as I write, offering a discount of 45%!

Here is the link: New Blog Theme

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The Ghouls of Calle Goya – International

Published by Owen Jones on 18 May 2020

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Gastarna På Calle Goya - En lärorik berättelse om goda avsikter och onda handlingar

The Ghouls of Calle Goya in Swedish

The Ghouls of Calle Goya

When malice results from good intentions!

by

Owen Jones

When Frank, a staid, middle-aged, confirmed bachelor takes his new, diplomat Thai bride to a friend’s apartment on the Costa del Sol for their dream honeymoon, they are in Nirvana… until the ghouls of a secret Scandinavian society torment the superstitious young woman to the point of seeking death to end her suffering. Frank is way out of his depth… What is he to do to save the first love of his life?

The Ghouls of Calle Goya is the perplexing story of how Evil can result from the happiest of circumstances and good intentions, and how madness can be the result.

It is based on a true story and is set in Norway, the UK, Spain and Thailand.

The Ghouls of Calle Goya is available in several languages in several ebook formats (Barnes & Noble, GooglePlay, iTunes, Kindle, Kobo), paperback and possibly even audiobook (Amazon/Audible) too.

The cover is an original in crayon by Aliya.

Click a link below to learn more about the availability of the book in the language of your choice:

English   Norsk   Português   Español   Svenska

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Street Problems in Barry

Published by Owen Jones on 8 October 2019

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Holton Road, Barry

Holton Road, Barry

Street Problems in Barry

We had only been back in Barry, my home town for six months, but it didn’t take that long to realise that there were street problems that were unusual. At least, I wasn’t used to them, but then of the previous fifteen years, I had spent thirteen in Thailand and two in Spain. One of the first things that my wife and I noticed was the lack of a police presence on the streets. The second was the deserted streets after dark – a sign that suggested to us that the unsavoury ruled the streets during that period.

One afternoon, a friend, who seems to know a lot, told me that the night before, there had been only two police cars on duty in Barry – a town of 60,000 inhabitants. The lack of a visible police presence was beginning to make sense.

A few days later, a man, whom I also know well, told me that he had spent the last hour with an elderly lady, who had fallen over and cracked her head. My friend had phoned the emergency services, but it still took an hour for them to arrive.

And then, just before Christmas, I was sitting in a pub opposite a local supermarket, when a woman started to beat a young boy. He was six, seven, eight years of age. One of the men in the pub sprinted out, but the mother had already disappeared inside to do her shopping, leaving the boy crying in a huddle in a corner.

He phoned the police, comforted the boy and came back inside. When the boy ran off, the caller got cold feet and left, but the police never arrived, and the woman emerged from the shop and called a taxi. The police did not show up at all.

That is my experience of modern Barry – it has changed so much since I last lived here.

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Street Problems in Barry

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Francis Page – Frank the Poet

Published by Owen Jones on 27 September 2019

Francis Page - Frank the Poet

Francis Page

Francis Page – Frank the Poet

My old friend Francis Page, AKA Frank the Poet.

More details coming soon – he has promised me an interview at noon  on Monday 30th September in the Butterfly Bar, Barry, but in the meantime, here are a couple of his poems.

 

 

By There Name by Francis Page

By There Name by Francis Page

 

Rifles High by Francis Page

Rifles High by Francis Page

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iTunes – Apple Stocks Novels of Owen Jones

Published by Owen Jones on 24 September 2019

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iTunes - Apple Stocks Novels of Owen Jones

iTunes – Apple Stocks Novels of Owen Jones

iTunes – Apple Stocks Novels of Owen Jones

There is good news for avid readers of Welsh writer from Barry, Owen Jones, that are also audiobook fans who prefer to use the ubiquitous  service of Apple’s iTunes!

iTunes – Apple – now stocks not only the ebook novels of Owen Jones, but also the audiobook versions, AND, they are all on one page, which makes it easier to identify series and stand-alones.

Owen Jones now has more than three hundred ebooks on iTunes, a hundred and fifty of which are in languages other than English, and about seventy of them have been narrated by professionals to create audiobooks of excellent quality.

ACX – an arm of Amazon and Audible – has overseen production and Quality Control throughout, so you know that you are getting a great product.

Many Locations

Owen Jones writes in the general genre of Fiction>Psychological, often including references from Spiritualism, Buddhism, or even just ‘traditional religions’ – references such as intuition, dreams, Auras, Astral Travelling and the like. His books are also set in many locations, including Wales, naturally, Thailand, various countries in Europe, Russia and the USA. One series, Dead Centre visits seven countries in just one of the two volumes!

When asked about the new collection of his audiobooks on Apple iTunes, Owen said:

“I am very proud to have my audiobooks for sale on such a prestigious platform as Apple’s iTunes. So many hundreds of millions of people around the world use an iPhone, iPad or Mac several times a day, and now they all have direct access to my audiobooks as well as my ebooks. I don’t have one myself, but I checked some trivia just for my own information, and I was surprised to see that Apple uses 131 different URL’s to allow direct access to its products. That probably means 131 different countries! Not bad for a local Barry boy, eh?”

You can find Owen Jones’ audiobooks by following this link:

Audiobooks by Owen Jones on iTunes

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Brexit – The Real Reason

Published by Owen Jones on 15 September 2019

Brexit - The Real Reason

Brexit – The Real Reason

Brexit – The Real Reason

Everyone should listen to this short YouTube video about the real reason why the Tories want Brexit or to leave the European Union. The biggest question, though, is: Why haven’t the Remainers made anything of it? Please SHARE it with Remainers and Brexiteers alike.

Click the link below to watch the video.

 

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Spanish Friends

Published by Owen Jones on 16 May 2019

For My Spanish Friends

Una noche en Annwn

For My Spanish Friends!

I am giving away four of my most popular audiobooks in Spanish completely free of charge on a first come, first served basis.
All I ask is that you leave a short review in Spanish when you have finished.

If in the UK, please go to:

http://audible.co.uk/acx-promo

If you are anywhere else, please go to:

https://audible.com/acx-promo

and then enter the free code for the book you would like to listen to. If it has already gone, please try another. Please note, the books for the UK market are marked with ‘UK’, but that is NOT part of the code, so please don’t enter it into the box.

and enter the free code for the book you would like to listen to. If it has already gone, please try another:

46UQLW5B3SKKY (Una noche en Annwn) UK
7KWPYN8247QW4 (Una noche en Annwn) US
32WP8DU26P5HH (El malentendido) UK
3GE5MNXWAC7YR (El malentendido) US
7AMZUQG3YZ3F4 (Cambiar el Destino) UK
42GNF3GL48PM3 (Cambiar el Destino) US
2CYZD2XPC7365 (Autoria) UK
2GM8U3CSDFHZF (Autoria) US
2Y6GTP488WPC9 (Cómo Dar a tu Perro una Verdadera Vida de Perros) UK
2KLFKFE7B6L6B (Cómo Dar a tu Perro una Verdadera Vida de Perros) US

All the best,
Owen Jones
Visit my Spanish book page on ‘Megan Publishing Services’ here:
http://smarturl.it/spanishbooks?IQid=giveaway

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Brexit and Politicians

Published by Owen Jones on 12 May 2019

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Brexit and Politicians

Brexit and Politicians

Brexit and Politicians

I am a Remainer. My main reason for not wanting Brexit is that I don’t trust our politicians. I don’t trust any politicians, not only British ones, but it seems to me that we have more chance of justice, if we have a couple of layers of them. Yes, that is more expensive, but at least we ordinary folk might get a fairer crack of the whip.

Just look at the things our British politicians have been caught doing over the last decade, and they have been getting away with it forever! I should imagine that the continental politicians are corrupt too – I can’t see why they shouldn’t be, but then the whole shebang should be reformed. Calling Brexit and retreating into our caves won’t help.

Anyway, another reason for being anti-Brexit crossed my mind the other day. I have always popped over to the Continent for a few days on the spur of the moment every now and then, time and money permitting. This will no longer be possible, will it, if we will require visas to go over there?

I used to fly to Cork – thirty minutes away, but that might not be possible either, because they will be EU and we will be… what? British? Just British… stuck on our own little island with almost all our boats and bridges burned, unless we plan our once-a-year fortnight’s holiday abroad.

How pathetic, how limiting, is that? Everyone else in Europe can just get on a plane or a ferry, and Brits have to queue for a visa!

No wonder rich people are buying EU citizenship in Malta so they don’t get left behind the rest of the world like we will be!

Brexit is a step back into the Dark Ages… voted for in haste and fuelled by liars who only want more power as British politicians – but you can bet your life that they will still have the right to spur-of-the-moment travel – it’s always the bloody same:

One rule for them and another for the rest of us!

Vote for a second referendum! How can it be undemocratic to ask a more informed people what they want? It is the only way that we will move forward.

Use #FBPE (Follow Back, Pro EU) in your social media messages to show you support remain or a second referendum!

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Brexit and Politicians

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The Ghouls of Calle Goya – Audiobook

Published by Owen Jones on 17 April 2019

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:58 — 6.8MB)

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The Ghouls of Calle Goya

The Ghouls of Calle Goya

The Ghouls of Calle Goya

When Malice Comes from Good Intentions

by

Owen Jones

Narrated by

Elizabeth Bray

Londoner Frank marries Joy, a beautiful young Thai, who works in town. She has always dreamed of going to the Costa del Sol, so they head to an apartment in Fuengirola on Calle Goya loaned by Frank’s boss for their dream honeymoon.

Things start to go wrong when Joy fears that the apartment is haunted. Fear leads to depression and deepens into terror. Frank has no idea what to do, except take her back to her family in Thailand, but that brings its own misfortune.

Life finally looks brighter because of the intervention of a secret Scandinavian society.

This is the story of how Evil can result from good intentions.

Free Audiobook

Free Audiobook

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UK Post Office

Published by Owen Jones on 27 February 2019

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The UK Post Office

The UK Post Office

The UK Post Office

When I was young, there was a period of my life when I couldn’t wait to open a Post Office Savings Account and also buy Premium Bonds. I can’t remember how old one had to be, but let’s say fourteen for the savings account and sixteen for the Premium Bonds, the top prize for playing which every month was a million pounds.

At roughly the same time, I started buying coins for my collection from around the country and selling my duplicates too, which usually involved transferring money using Postal Orders. It made me feel independent and that made me feel ever so grown up.

At eighteen years of age, I abandoned the Post Office in favour of the bank, and postal orders for the more convenient cheque.

Well, now, forty-five years later, we seem to have come full-circle, since my bank no longer issues cheques. I had to send £65 to the Home Office last week, and I had to pay the Post Office £8.50 for the expensive privilege!

£8.50 to send £65 within the country!

Daylight Robbery

That is not only 13%, it is daylight robbery and a kick in the teeth to all the people who use this crappy ‘service’. They get my money for three or four days, and I give them 13% for the privilege! Is the dreaded and very expensive, Western Union cheaper?

It really wouldn’t surprise me.

However, the nightmare doesn’t end there. I had to send irreplaceable documents, which the counter staff cheerfully told me are not covered by their normal insurance, and so had to pay £11.50 postage and insurance.

At least this was a reduction. The first time I sent exactly the same package, they charged me £18.50!

You couldn’t make it up, could you, but I think the Post Office is… as they go along!

There has to be a better way, and, for me at least, the Post Office will be my last option next time, not the first port of call.

Stuff ’em – they don’t care about us!

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All the best,

Owen.

Podcast: The UK Post Office

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The Eyes of Death

Published by Owen Jones on 19 February 2019

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The Eyes of Death

The Eyes of Death

The Eyes of Death

by

Donald L. Vasicek

Review by Barry Boy

I was given a copy of The Eyes of Death by Donald L. Vasicek in return for an honest review.

The Eyes of Death is a difficult story to classify because it concerns psychic powers, which, probably, most people in the world believe to be real, although most people in the West think of as imaginary. Therefore, it could be classed as either Non-Fiction>Body Mind and spirit or Fiction>Fantasy. However, The Eyes of Death is a novella written in the third-person singular, the main character of which is Hannah Powers, who lives in the ‘preppy-type’ city of Evanstown north of Chicago.

The general atmosphere of the novel is tense, as if something is always just about to happen. And it does too, the an early example of which is an armed robbery on a small shop and the tragic consequences of it. Hannah also becomes aware of her psychic powers, but is to some extent confused and disappointed by them, because she cannot help the people who are the subject of her Second Sight.

In fact, she begins to think that she must be mentally ill, or at least, mentally damaged, but there is no medical evidence for this. Hannah seems to find her new life with psychic powers both frightening, lonely and very sad, because she can do nothing to help the people, whose future she has foreseen.

Psychic Abilities

The Eyes of Death is an interesting novel to me, because I believe in psychic ability and have some personal experience since most of my relatives are Spiritualists – mainly psychics and Healers. I grew up with these beliefs from being a small child, and I have never found anything, anyone or any argument to persuade me that humans are not psychic. I also understand the loneliness that is concomitant with those beliefs. It would be much worse for someone who had their psychic abilities ‘switched on’ suddenly one day.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Eyes of Death. and recommend it to anyone who likes ‘psychic dramas’. The sometimes ‘experimental’ style of writing and the cover both compliment the subject matter.

I give The Eyes of Death by Donald L. Vasicek five out of five stars.

You can read our exclusive interview with Donald L. Vasicek on this blog Megan Publishing Services here:

Donald L. Vasicek author interview

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Donald L Vasicek

Published by Owen Jones on 10 February 2019

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:16 — 1.5MB)

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Donald L Vasicek

Donald L Vasicek

Donald L. Vasicek – Author and Screenwriter

Today, we are going to meet Donald L. Vasicek, the award-winning American author and screenwriter. Over to you, Don, please tell us something about yourself and your work.

1 Name Donald L. Vasicek

Website / Blog The Zen of Writing http://www.donvasicek.com

2 Country

United States of America

3 Do you prefer to read a particular genre?

I enjoy thrillers, suspense, mystery.

4 Do you write in the same genre? Yes.

5 Have you always written and what got you started professionally?

I was inspired to write after I lost my family 40+ years ago. It was like a part of the hidden me emerged. The pain of loss was so immense, my brain switched to pushing me to express my feelings through writing. I got started writing professionally by having a poem titled, “Dad”, I wrote that was published by “Success Unlimited”.

6 How many books have you published?

One. A second one, “The Real Ghost”, which won 1st place in the Waldorf Publishing Book Competition, is now being published by Waldorf.

7 Which one would you like to tell us about?

“The Real Ghost”.

8 Why did you write this book and what is it about?

I originally wrote “The Real Ghost” as a screenplay, after another screenplay I wrote, “Born to Win”, a story about a boy who sets out to win a muscle car race to win the prize money to pay for his Gramps’s life-saving surgery, was produced by Incline Productions, Inc. I converted “The Real Ghost” screenplay into a novel. “The Real Ghost” is a story about a boy who sets out to prove he saw Babe Ruth after no one in town will believe him. Known for telling “tall tales” to get attention, the boy wants to prove he is telling the truth this time. It is a light-hearted, suspenseful thriller that walks on the edge of the paranormal genre.

9 Book cover and ISBN/ASIN

Waldorf Publishing is in the process of publishing the book, so there is no book cover, or ISBN/ASIN at this writing.

10 What would you like your next book to be on?

My next book is titled “The Caller.” It is a suspense/thriller about a successful woman who sets out to find her soul mate only to experience that each time she dates someone, they are murdered. I am also presently writing my autobiography for my grandkids.

11 If you could go anywhere in the universe, where would you go and why?

I’ve been here before, but I would like to return to Stratford Upon Avon, the hometown of William Shakespeare. The community possesses positive energy for me. It is quiet there. The people are friendly, but not to the point of being pushy or anything like that. The fields surrounding the town are lush in green foliage. A small river runs through the town and there is a large oak tree right in the middle of a main thoroughfare in town. This particular road swerves around the tree to preserve the tree, which is about a block from Shakespeare’s grave. There is simply a certain kind of peace and safety there that is relaxing and nice.

12 Is there anything you can share about yourself or your work that not many people know?

I love to work out 6 days a week lifting weights, stretching, rowing & walking on a treadmill (knees from running for several years have limited me to walking on a treadmill). I am a Twitter freak. I love doing puzzles. I love to read. I love animals. I love my wife and traveling with her. We’ve been to numerous countries even marveling at the Berlin wall, crushed and being used for streets and walkways in Berlin, not to mention the Masai Mara Game Preserve in Kenya, where our wildest dreams of seeing wildlife closeup, became a reality.

13 What is your favourite foreign food?

Since I’ve been to numerous countries, it is difficult for me to single out one favorite foreign food. The Vietnamese Pho Ga stands out for me as one of my favorites.

14 Are you, or have you ever been a terrorist?

Being a terrorist, as far as I’m concerned, is one of the most cowardly ways to make a point. I use my brain to express myself, not guns, explosives, knives, beheadings, torture, murder, etc. So, no, I’m not or never have been a terrorist.

15 Have you ever accidentally called your spouse/partner by the name of a character in your latest book and if so what was his or her reaction?

No, I never have.

Thank you for telling us about yourself, Don. Best of luck with your new book. I hope that you will come back and give us a cover shoy and purchase details when it is available.

You can read our review of ‘Eyes of Death’ by Don here on this site.

Bye for now,

Owen

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Boots Pharmacy Barry

Published by Owen Jones on 29 December 2018

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:34 — 1.0MB)

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Boots Pharmacy, Barry

Boots Pharmacy, Barry

Boots Pharmacy, Barry

Boots Pharmacy has been in the centre of Barry, my home town, forever, or at least as long as I can remember. In fact, my first girlfriend got her first Saturday job there as an assistant on the drugs counter. The experience inspired her to go to university and become a pharmacist.

They were the good old days apparently, because it is a sad, old-looking place now, although I don’t know what opportunities they offer young people these days. I don’t know, but my guess is none.

Anyway, that is not what this article is about.

I have been suffering from a severe case of gout for the last week, and yesterday, a friend – a fellow traveller, suggested a remedy. Today, dosed up on an unsustainable amount of Ibuprofen and codeine, I limped up to the prescription counter in Boots.

‘Hi’, I opened, I’m having a problem with gout. What can you recommend, please?’ She started to look at her computer. ‘I have heard of Napraxis’, I said.

‘No, that is prescription only’.

‘OK, Altar? I used to buy that OTC in Spain…’

‘No, but, I could order something in for you’.

‘OK, yes, please, but I need something now. I’ve been told that Feminax contains the same drug, and relieves gout’.

She looked up from her screen and studied my face. ‘How do you know that?’

‘Research. Can I have a box of Feminax, please?’

‘No, I can only sell that to females between the ages of fifteen and fifty’.

‘OK’, I countered, ‘my wife here wants a box’.

‘No’, she replied, ‘not now that I know what you want it for’.

Crazy

So, to cut a long story short, I pointed out that Boots’ policy on this matter was prompting me to go to another pharmacy and not be perfectly honest. The woman shrugged apologetically. ‘Well, it’s either that, or I stand outside your shop here and ask a young woman to buy my drugs for me’.

She looked surprised when I said that. It reminded me of teenagers stopping adults outside a corner shop to ask them to buy cigarettes or alcohol for them.

It is a stupid policy that encourages people to lie, and we wonder what is wrong with society? Government and shopping policies are forcing me to either cheat, lie or wait four days to go to the doctor’s.

If I could have bought what I needed, I would be limping around for four days less, AND, the doctor’s time would have been saved for a more important case.

It reminds me of five years ago, when I tried to buy ten boxes of paracetamol from Boots to take abroad with me – a years’ supply – and the assistant refused me.

‘Thirty-two tablets maximum’, the girl had said. ‘Suicide risk’, she had said knowingly, but she also advised that I could buy thirty-two in all the pharmacies and corner shops in town.

And people wonder about why we are where we are?!

As a nation, we have all gone bloody mad!

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Boots Pharmacy, Barry

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Saga of My Bus Pass part one

Published by Owen Jones on 28 December 2018

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:34 — 1.3MB)

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Saga of My Bus Pass part one

Saga of My Bus Pass part one

Saga of My Bus Pass part one

The saga of my bus pass begins in the now sleepy seaside town of Barry in South Wales. I happens to be my home town, and I returned to live there with my Thai wife of fifteen years in June 2018. I am now sixty-four years of age, so I have been qualified for a bus pass for four years.

However, I have lived in Thailand and Spain for most of the last fifteen years, so I didn’t bother to apply for one. I was soon to wish that I had started the application process earlier. From my first few days home, friends were extolling the virtues of the bus pass – one even called it ‘his best friend’.

A bus pass removes the restrictions on mobility that are imposed by a shortage of money, which a lot of older people experience despite what the media would have the youth believe about wealthy, greedy pensioners propping up the price of houses. Who are these pensioners going to leave their houses to, for God’s sake?!

Anyway, my bus pass… so, I went down to the local council offices and asked at the Information Desk.

A very large, but young woman, asked me what I wanted as she dabbed at the perspiration apparent on every inch of bare skin. I told her and she slid a form towards me, which I took, filled in and handed back.

“I cannot accept that without proof of eligibility”, she said with a strange look of satisfaction. “Proof of date of birth, a utilities bill, and a signature from your doctor”.

“I don’t have a doctor, and since I’m renting a room and have only been here for three days, I don’t have a utility bill either… I will probably never get one either”.

“That’s your problem”, she said and proceeded to ignore me.

I walked to the nearest doctor’s surgery, registered, and then took the council form to the ‘Buccaneer’ pub to think about it. An hour later, I phoned the surgery for an appointment for a check up.

“August 14th., 8:15? Does that suit you?” I was asked by a cheerful receptionist.

“Well, it’s six weeks away, on my birthday, and a bit earlier than I was hoping to have to get up”, I said light-heatedly.

“September…” he started. I interrupted him and agreed to the August appointment.

When the day came, the check-up fell way below my expectations, but that is another story, to continue my bus pass saga, the doctor refused to sign it.

“I am not here to validate your age or place of residence”, he retorted rather angrily.

“But the local council said…”

“Hearsay”, he cut me off. “If the local council want me to sign anything, they can write to me here!”

My birthday had not started well, and it set the tone for the day.

A week later, I went back to the local council, where the grumpy fat lady had been replaced by a friendly young man. I handed him the form.

“Confirmation, please, sir”.

I passed him the letter from the doctor confirming my appointment and my passport. They were sufficient, so he scrutinised the form.

“You need to get your doctor to sign this where the box has been marked with a cross”.

“He won’t do it, unless you ask him officially. Perhaps, he’s looking for a fee…” I quipped.

“All doctors sign these firms, take it back to him and tell him…”

“No”, I interjected. “I will not be the shuttlecock between you both. Here is my application for a bus pass”.

He took it. “This will be rejected”, he said glumly. “My advice is to change your doctor… it really is common practice for them to sign these forms…”

I received a rejection letter from the council today, which stated that I should return the form to my doctor for his signature. I’ll send that off tomorrow and let you know how I get on later.

And if you’re wondering why I don’t just take it to the doctor, I don’t want another six-week wait.

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Saga of My Bus Pass part one

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