OT: Fire Anyone?

I don't know how many of you know that I live in SE Georgia. But, I
do. And we have severe drought and extreme fire conditions here at the
moment.

The biggest fire was in Waycross, GA about 50 miles from me. The new
largest fire is West of that in Atkinson County. Last Friday night the
fire was almost in my backyard. I evacuated to town. I took my 2 cats,
2 dogs and things I could grab at the last moment. We fled to a free
room at the hotel. Critters went to Susan's house for the night.

I have to commend the firemen. Until you see them at work, up close
and in action you have no idea how much it takes to do what they do.
My house did not catch fire. No homes caught fire. The fire took about
3 days to totally put out and it was not a large fire. The Waycross
fire has been burning 3 weeks now. Atkinson fire for about a week and
a half. The Okeefenokee Swamp is on fire too. This is not a totally
bad thing, it helps clean out the underbrush and happens from time to
time. The bad part is the regular land, trees and in some cases homes,
too.

Anyway, we came home the next morning to find soot and burned pieces
of what used to be palm trees, pine trees and greenery of all kind
covering my property.

I will take a hurricane any day. At least you have a few days to
decided what to take, pack your vehicle and get out of its way. This
fire was 1.5 hours and I had to run. I was yanking photos off the
wall, stuffing things into bags, running out to the truck with boxes.
And in the end I forgot critter food, I only brought dirty clothes
with me and ALL of my shoes.

Have you ever thought what you would run with if you only had less
than an hour to evacuate? This was my first experience and I did good
because I got my critters out of harms way, but I failed at the other
essentials!

Dana
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Dana© wrote:
> I don't know how many of you know that I live in SE Georgia. But, I
> do. And we have severe drought and extreme fire conditions here at the
> moment.
>
> The biggest fire was in Waycross, GA about 50 miles from me. The new
> largest fire is West of that in Atkinson County. Last Friday night the
> fire was almost in my backyard. I evacuated to town. I took my 2 cats,
> 2 dogs and things I could grab at the last moment. We fled to a free
> room at the hotel. Critters went to Susan's house for the night.
[...]
> Have you ever thought what you would run with if you only had less
> than an hour to evacuate? This was my first experience and I did good
> because I got my critters out of harms way, but I failed at the other
> essentials!

Wow, Dana, what a close call! I'm glad you, your critters, and
your house survived!

Out west we experience fires like this frequently, because of the
dry climate and periodic droughts. Before I moved to where I
live, in 2000 the town went through a fire that began as a
prescribed burn in a national forest. Some yoyo ignored the
weather forecast of strong winds, and the fire quickly became
uncontainable.

The town was evacuated and more than 400 houses were burned out,
more were damaged but repairable. My dad was evacuated, too, and
some good friends took him along with them. In the confusion,
he forgot to pick up his Parkinson's meds! They allowed the
friend to go back in the next day to get them. The fire didn't
come close to the part of town where he lived, but at that point
the authorities weren't taking any chances. IIRC, people were
not allowed to go back for about a week.

Who wouldda thought the Okeefenokee SWAMP would burn!

FurPaw

--
My family values don't involve depleted uranium.

To reply, unleash the dog.

"Dana©" <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in message
news:cpdm335bh7058jldcoa55m4esok0jt512n@4ax.com...
>I don't know how many of you know that I live in SE Georgia. But, I
> do. And we have severe drought and extreme fire conditions here at the
> moment.
>
> The biggest fire was in Waycross, GA about 50 miles from me. The new
> largest fire is West of that in Atkinson County. Last Friday night the
> fire was almost in my backyard. I evacuated to town. I took my 2 cats,
> 2 dogs and things I could grab at the last moment. We fled to a free
> room at the hotel. Critters went to Susan's house for the night.
>
> I have to commend the firemen. Until you see them at work, up close
> and in action you have no idea how much it takes to do what they do.
> My house did not catch fire. No homes caught fire. The fire took about
> 3 days to totally put out and it was not a large fire. The Waycross
> fire has been burning 3 weeks now. Atkinson fire for about a week and
> a half. The Okeefenokee Swamp is on fire too. This is not a totally
> bad thing, it helps clean out the underbrush and happens from time to
> time. The bad part is the regular land, trees and in some cases homes,
> too.
>
> Anyway, we came home the next morning to find soot and burned pieces
> of what used to be palm trees, pine trees and greenery of all kind
> covering my property.
>
> I will take a hurricane any day. At least you have a few days to
> decided what to take, pack your vehicle and get out of its way. This
> fire was 1.5 hours and I had to run. I was yanking photos off the
> wall, stuffing things into bags, running out to the truck with boxes.
> And in the end I forgot critter food, I only brought dirty clothes
> with me and ALL of my shoes.
>

Glad all's well that ends well.

> Have you ever thought what you would run with if you only had less
> than an hour to evacuate? This was my first experience and I did good
> because I got my critters out of harms way, but I failed at the other
> essentials!
>
>

I have thought about it - I guess I'd spend most of the time getting
my two cats organised, grab my car keys and handbag (purse)
and make do with that.


--
Jette Goldie
jette@blueyonder.co.uk
http://www.jette.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
http://wolfette.livejournal.com/
("reply to" is spamblocked - use the email addy in sig)

We just had a fire last weekend on a mountain not to far from here...they
just let it burn because there were no houses near by....they did have the
Wildfire guys there just in case it got out of hand. We were coming back
from Tucson Sat night and could see the fireline..very impressive. This part
of Az is in a 10 drought and every year the fire threat gets bigger and
bigger. We live out in the middle of the desert and there is a dirt road
right next to us...I am afraid some Bozo will drive by and flick a
cigarette. I told hubby I want to buy a couple of those farm sprinklers and
put it around our 5 acres...he looked at me like I am nuts...LOL.
Dana ,I am so glad no one was hurt and you all evacuated safely. When we
lived in Florida I remember evacuating a couple of times because of
Hurricanes. not fun.
Jacquie
"Dana©" <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in message
news:cpdm335bh7058jldcoa55m4esok0jt512n@4ax.com...
>I don't know how many of you know that I live in SE Georgia. But, I
> do. And we have severe drought and extreme fire conditions here at the
> moment.
>
> The biggest fire was in Waycross, GA about 50 miles from me. The new
> largest fire is West of that in Atkinson County. Last Friday night the
> fire was almost in my backyard. I evacuated to town. I took my 2 cats,
> 2 dogs and things I could grab at the last moment. We fled to a free
> room at the hotel. Critters went to Susan's house for the night.
>
> I have to commend the firemen. Until you see them at work, up close
> and in action you have no idea how much it takes to do what they do.
> My house did not catch fire. No homes caught fire. The fire took about
> 3 days to totally put out and it was not a large fire. The Waycross
> fire has been burning 3 weeks now. Atkinson fire for about a week and
> a half. The Okeefenokee Swamp is on fire too. This is not a totally
> bad thing, it helps clean out the underbrush and happens from time to
> time. The bad part is the regular land, trees and in some cases homes,
> too.
>
> Anyway, we came home the next morning to find soot and burned pieces
> of what used to be palm trees, pine trees and greenery of all kind
> covering my property.
>
> I will take a hurricane any day. At least you have a few days to
> decided what to take, pack your vehicle and get out of its way. This
> fire was 1.5 hours and I had to run. I was yanking photos off the
> wall, stuffing things into bags, running out to the truck with boxes.
> And in the end I forgot critter food, I only brought dirty clothes
> with me and ALL of my shoes.
>
> Have you ever thought what you would run with if you only had less
> than an hour to evacuate? This was my first experience and I did good
> because I got my critters out of harms way, but I failed at the other
> essentials!
>
> Dana
> Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
> for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Thank goodness you and your critters are safe!

We have major droughts here in Central Texas, and the past two 4th of July
holidays were so dry that DH wouldn't allow me to buy fireworks, and didn't
want to go anywhere that had them. He said he had seen a fire spread and
burn a house and that until you've seen it, you don't realize how quickly it
happens. I took his word for it.

With hope and heart,
Kathleen
--
He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn,
or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.
~ C.S.Lewis

"Dana©" <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in message
news:cpdm335bh7058jldcoa55m4esok0jt512n@4ax.com...
> I don't know how many of you know that I live in SE Georgia. But, I
> do. And we have severe drought and extreme fire conditions here at the
> moment.
>
> The biggest fire was in Waycross, GA about 50 miles from me. The new
> largest fire is West of that in Atkinson County. Last Friday night the
> fire was almost in my backyard. I evacuated to town. I took my 2 cats,
> 2 dogs and things I could grab at the last moment. We fled to a free
> room at the hotel. Critters went to Susan's house for the night.
>
> I have to commend the firemen. Until you see them at work, up close
> and in action you have no idea how much it takes to do what they do.
> My house did not catch fire. No homes caught fire. The fire took about
> 3 days to totally put out and it was not a large fire. The Waycross
> fire has been burning 3 weeks now. Atkinson fire for about a week and
> a half. The Okeefenokee Swamp is on fire too. This is not a totally
> bad thing, it helps clean out the underbrush and happens from time to
> time. The bad part is the regular land, trees and in some cases homes,
> too.
>
> Anyway, we came home the next morning to find soot and burned pieces
> of what used to be palm trees, pine trees and greenery of all kind
> covering my property.
>
> I will take a hurricane any day. At least you have a few days to
> decided what to take, pack your vehicle and get out of its way. This
> fire was 1.5 hours and I had to run. I was yanking photos off the
> wall, stuffing things into bags, running out to the truck with boxes.
> And in the end I forgot critter food, I only brought dirty clothes
> with me and ALL of my shoes.
>
> Have you ever thought what you would run with if you only had less
> than an hour to evacuate? This was my first experience and I did good
> because I got my critters out of harms way, but I failed at the other
> essentials!
>
> Dana
> Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
> for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

On Fri, 04 May 2007 08:23:26 -0600, FurPaw <furrealpawdog@gmail.com>
wrote:

> IIRC, people were
>not allowed to go back for about a week.

That is why I was a little nervous about leaving. I was afraid they
wouldn't let me back in. Very scary.
>
>Who wouldda thought the Okeefenokee SWAMP would burn!

You know the swamp is mostly peat floating on water. So, the fire will
get into the peat and smolder and the fire fighters think they have
the fire out and poof it comes out from under and starts again. That's
why they don't try to even put it out in the middle of the swamp. They
wait until the fire comes to the land around it and threatens the
people before they start worrying.

Dana

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

On Sat, 05 May 2007 06:52:21 GMT, "jacquie" <happikat@nospam.net>
wrote:

>When we
>lived in Florida I remember evacuating a couple of times because of
>Hurricanes. not fun.

I know, but at least with them you have a few days to plan and pack
stuff. This all happened while I was sleeping during the day. If Susan
hadn't called me and asked if the big plume of smoke was something I
should worry about I wouldn't have even known. She could see the smoke
from the fire behind my house from 15 miles away.

Give me a hurricane any day....not Katrina type, but just a regular
one. I'm not that ballsy.

Dana

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

On Sat, 5 May 2007 05:07:26 -0500, "Kathleen"
<lovebirds1201@hotmail.com> wrote:

>and that until you've seen it, you don't realize how quickly it
>happens. I took his word for it.

I know it must be fast. That's why it scares me. Glad this one is out.
My ex lives a few miles from the Waycross fire and he said if it jumps
the highway it will be coming toward them. But, its his new
girlfriend's house, so....who cares? LOL!!

Dana



Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

On May 4, 7:23 am, FurPaw <furrealpaw...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dana© wrote:
> > I don't know how many of you know that I live in SE Georgia. But, I
> > do. And we have severe drought and extreme fire conditions here at the
> > moment.
>
I'm glad to hear that you're okay. Natural disasters are something,
eh? I used to live in S. CA and I too had to pack up a few things and
leave. It is interesting what one chooses to take. I remember
calling my mother once we got back home and told her that I took all
of my pictures and negatives (didn't have a computer back then) and my
baby (tee hee) and all she kept saying was "you didn't take your
jewelery???" LOL! No mom, didn't care about the damn jewelery.

Today I'd take the computer and my discs with all of the pictures.
Pretty much everything else can be replaced. Not only did we deal
with the fire issue in CA, but we were lucky enough to have a few
earthquakes too. Nothing delightful about earthquakes and there is
even less warning than there is for a fire.

Hang in there and I'll send you some of this flippin rain that we seem
to get relentlessly.

Dana© wrote:
> I don't know how many of you know that I live in SE Georgia. But, I
> do. And we have severe drought and extreme fire conditions here at the
> moment.
>
> The biggest fire was in Waycross, GA about 50 miles from me. The new
> largest fire is West of that in Atkinson County. Last Friday night the
> fire was almost in my backyard. I evacuated to town. I took my 2 cats,
> 2 dogs and things I could grab at the last moment. We fled to a free
> room at the hotel. Critters went to Susan's house for the night.
>
> I have to commend the firemen. Until you see them at work, up close
> and in action you have no idea how much it takes to do what they do.
> My house did not catch fire. No homes caught fire. The fire took about
> 3 days to totally put out and it was not a large fire. The Waycross
> fire has been burning 3 weeks now. Atkinson fire for about a week and
> a half. The Okeefenokee Swamp is on fire too. This is not a totally
> bad thing, it helps clean out the underbrush and happens from time to
> time. The bad part is the regular land, trees and in some cases homes,
> too.
>
> Anyway, we came home the next morning to find soot and burned pieces
> of what used to be palm trees, pine trees and greenery of all kind
> covering my property.
>
> I will take a hurricane any day. At least you have a few days to
> decided what to take, pack your vehicle and get out of its way. This
> fire was 1.5 hours and I had to run. I was yanking photos off the
> wall, stuffing things into bags, running out to the truck with boxes.
> And in the end I forgot critter food, I only brought dirty clothes
> with me and ALL of my shoes.
>
> Have you ever thought what you would run with if you only had less
> than an hour to evacuate? This was my first experience and I did good
> because I got my critters out of harms way, but I failed at the other
> essentials!
>
> Dana
> Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
> for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.



AAgh! 8~)

Yup, between hurricanes and my paranoia of fire, i keep
three briefcases and two canvas bags packed full of photos
and other mementos. All the books that came from my
grandparents' house are together on one shelf, quick to
throw into a laundry basket. My Great American Novel is
hanging around my neck in a flash drive - since i finished the
first draft 4 days ago i even sleep with it.

And thanks to your post i got off my duff and did what i meant
to do before now and bought a 2nd flash drive to let me keep
a second copy somewhere. Bank, or my parents' safe maybe.
Then maybe i'll quit sleeping with the original drive.

I dunno why, but i have this thing about fire. And i probably
wouldn't have time to get more than one of the 5 bags, and
still grab a cat! UGH, hate thinking about it, but it's good to
prepare!

--
pax,
ruth


Save trees AND money! Buy used books!
http://stores.ebay.com/Noir-and-More-Books-and-Trains

On Sat, 05 May 2007 11:53:57 -0400, nickelshrink
<nickelshrink@yahoo.com> wrote:

>I dunno why, but i have this thing about fire. And i probably
>wouldn't have time to get more than one of the 5 bags, and
>still grab a cat! UGH, hate thinking about it, but it's good to
>prepare!


I have a thing about drowning. It goes back to my childhood when I
almost drown. But, thankfully, unless we have another 40 days and 40
nights thing, I don't have to worry.

Dana
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

On 5 May 2007 07:36:29 -0700, whirrledpeas <judgedl@gmail.com> wrote:

>and all she kept saying was "you didn't take your
>jewelery???" LOL! No mom, didn't care about the damn jewelery.

Well, 99% of my jewelry was my mothers jewelry. She was a gold freak
and its all gold. So, not only was it sentimental, but it was
valuable.

>
>Today I'd take the computer and my discs with all of the pictures.
>Pretty much everything else can be replaced. Not only did we deal
>with the fire issue in CA, but we were lucky enough to have a few
>earthquakes too. Nothing delightful about earthquakes and there is
>even less warning than there is for a fire.

You know I have never put my photos on disc so they are all still in
big clumsy albums. I need to do something about that. And you can have
the earthquakes....and those tornadoes...poor people in Kansas are
having a hard time today.

I will opt out for a hurricane any day.

>
>Hang in there and I'll send you some of this flippin rain that we seem
>to get relentlessly.

Please do!! It hasn't rained here in months. I have a tree in my front
yard that is actually turning yellow. I am afraid if we don't get some
rain soon I will lose it. I have never seen that happen before.


Dana

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Dana© <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in
news:cpdm335bh7058jldcoa55m4esok0jt512n@4ax.com:

> I will take a hurricane any day. At least you have a few days to
> decided what to take, pack your vehicle and get out of its way. This
> fire was 1.5 hours and I had to run. I was yanking photos off the
> wall, stuffing things into bags, running out to the truck with boxes.
> And in the end I forgot critter food, I only brought dirty clothes
> with me and ALL of my shoes.
>

I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh at this, but LOL!!! At least you
didn't have to go barefoot. :-D

Just a thought about the photos: digitize and back them up in a safe
place, then all you ever have to worry about is yourself and your
furkids.

Chak

--
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie
--Rudyard Kipling

Dana© <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in
news:060p33peq517n3hfp0mjmvfp3uuec5jdc8@4ax.com:

> I know it must be fast. That's why it scares me. Glad this one is out.
> My ex lives a few miles from the Waycross fire and he said if it jumps
> the highway it will be coming toward them. But, its his new
> girlfriend's house, so....who cares? LOL!!
>

Heh - but don't you think she's already got enough troubles just having
him in her life?

Chak

--
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie
--Rudyard Kipling

nickelshrink <nickelshrink@yahoo.com> wrote in news:5a3nl2F2mlt02U1
@mid.individual.net:

> My Great American Novel is
> hanging around my neck in a flash drive - since i finished the
> first draft 4 days ago i even sleep with it.
>

Huh? Huh? Did we know about this? What's it about? Do you have a
publisher? Details, woman! I need details!

Chak

--
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie
--Rudyard Kipling

Dana© <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in
news:8rpp33574p9ub3m54ab96pvtqtgd25377k@4ax.com:

> Please do!! It hasn't rained here in months. I have a tree in my front
> yard that is actually turning yellow. I am afraid if we don't get some
> rain soon I will lose it. I have never seen that happen before.
>

Definitely water the tree, even if you have to use, er, used toilet
water. Brown grass will come back next year, but once the tree dies,
that's it.

Chak

--
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie
--Rudyard Kipling

Chakolate wrote:
> nickelshrink <nickelshrink@yahoo.com> wrote in news:5a3nl2F2mlt02U1
> @mid.individual.net:
>
>> My Great American Novel is
>> hanging around my neck in a flash drive - since i finished the
>> first draft 4 days ago i even sleep with it.
>>
>
> Huh? Huh? Did we know about this? What's it about? Do you have a
> publisher? Details, woman! I need details!
>
> Chak
>


LOL! I could give you about 27 years worth of details (I started it
that long ago, dropped it, resumed it, etc.) It's about a group of
women students at a midwestern college in the 1973-74 school year.

Well, now, that sounds bland. OK, it's about drugs, murder, angst,
bad language, and a LOT of snow. 8~)

As for having a publisher, no, if my husband who won a big award
(tho it was for a short story) can't get a publisher for his novels i
have no desire to bash my head against that cement wall, so i am
going to publish it myself at lulu.com. They make it available as hard
copy (typical trade paperback prices), or as a downloadable ebook,
nice 'n cheap at around 2.00. I'll let yall know, count on it!

But a 1st draft is, while a milestone, nothing like a final. Much
rewrite work to do still! It does amaze me, though, that i have actually
written an entire novel.


--
pax,
ruth


Save trees AND money! Buy used books!
http://stores.ebay.com/Noir-and-More-Books-and-Trains

nickelshrink <nickelshrink@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:5a4m01F2ng67iU1@mid.individual.net:

> But a 1st draft is, while a milestone, nothing like a final. Much
> rewrite work to do still! It does amaze me, though, that i have
> actually written an entire novel.
>

Amazes me, too. Color me mightily impressed. :-)

Chak

--
Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie
--Rudyard Kipling

Chakolate wrote:
> nickelshrink <nickelshrink@yahoo.com> wrote in
> news:5a4m01F2ng67iU1@mid.individual.net:
>
>> But a 1st draft is, while a milestone, nothing like a final. Much
>> rewrite work to do still! It does amaze me, though, that i have
>> actually written an entire novel.
>>
>
> Amazes me, too. Color me mightily impressed. :-)
>
> Chak
>

I'll just enjoy your being impressed and hope that
if/when you actually read it, you don't think:
"Eww. Put a monkey in front of a typewriter..."

8~)


--
pax,
ruth


Save trees AND money! Buy used books!
http://stores.ebay.com/Noir-and-More-Books-and-Trains

I bet that was VERY Scary....I probably would have panicked
We had a fire a couple of years on the mountain right behind us...down the
end of my road...we kept on watching that fireline coming down hill..we all
knew if it hit the Valley floor we would have to run thank goodness they got
in under control in time. Fires are very scary a few years back one of our
Mountains burnt really bad and people lost all of their houses.

One of the Hurricanes we had went up and down the coast 3 times...my husband
had to fly out with the planes ..so it was me and the kids and two dogs and
cats....the first time we left we went to Tallahassee...We came home on a
Sat night...I went to work Sunday...Hubby got home with the planes called
me and said I called to say Hi..and Bye again..the Hurricane is coming back
and the planes are leaving again. I closed the store..went and picked up my
kids and pets..dropped the store money off at the bank...headed for
Montgomery(normally a 3 hour drive) The road was the only one out of our
part of Florida.... It took us 6 hours to get to Montgomery ...Couldn't find
a Hotel or Motel Room until we got to Atlanta. When we got back I told my
husband I was going to sit out the next one That hurricane spawned a
couple of Tornados on the base. I like living in Az ..we don't have
hurricanes and if tornados(a rarity) do show up they are nothing like the
ones in the Midwest and south. We have some Great lightening storms

"Dana©" <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in message
news:uuvo339vo8ghfq3d60je2au6shm5d5dio2@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 05 May 2007 06:52:21 GMT, "jacquie" <happikat@nospam.net>
> wrote:
>
>>When we
>>lived in Florida I remember evacuating a couple of times because of
>>Hurricanes. not fun.
>
> I know, but at least with them you have a few days to plan and pack
> stuff. This all happened while I was sleeping during the day. If Susan
> hadn't called me and asked if the big plume of smoke was something I
> should worry about I wouldn't have even known. She could see the smoke
> from the fire behind my house from 15 miles away.
>
> Give me a hurricane any day....not Katrina type, but just a regular
> one. I'm not that ballsy.
>
> Dana
>
> Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
> for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

I almost drowned when I was five..it was in a river, and to this day when I
go into the ocean I panic when I fill a under tow or a riptide...my husband
always comes and gets me...I don't have to worry to much about oceans in
AZ...although if the Ocean keeps rising we might just have an ocean in Az
"Dana©" <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in message
news:6mpp335rr2suergdcccade7elvnses7442@4ax.com...
> On Sat, 05 May 2007 11:53:57 -0400, nickelshrink
> <nickelshrink@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>I dunno why, but i have this thing about fire. And i probably
>>wouldn't have time to get more than one of the 5 bags, and
>>still grab a cat! UGH, hate thinking about it, but it's good to
>>prepare!
>
>
> I have a thing about drowning. It goes back to my childhood when I
> almost drown. But, thankfully, unless we have another 40 days and 40
> nights thing, I don't have to worry.
>
> Dana
> Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
> for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

nickelshrink <nickelshrink@yahoo.com> wrote:

> As for having a publisher, no, if my husband who won a big award
> (tho it was for a short story) can't get a publisher for his novels i
> have no desire to bash my head against that cement wall, so i am
> going to publish it myself at lulu.com. They make it available as hard
> copy (typical trade paperback prices), or as a downloadable ebook,
> nice 'n cheap at around 2.00. I'll let yall know, count on it!

If I were you, I'd try peddling it to agents, anyway, first (in the US,
writers can send direct to publishers). Self-published just doesn't sell
the same way as "regular" published, nor does it get the same marketing.
And too many folks who should have remained unpublished go the
self-publishing route, giving self-published a dirty smear. Having read
a few of those books, I can see why they were rejected by publishing
houses. They really needed an editor.

--
Keera in Norway * Think big. Shrink to fit.
http://home.online.no/~kafox/

On Sun, 06 May 2007 00:21:29 GMT, Chakolate
<chakolateDeathToSpammers@gmail.com> wrote:

>Definitely water the tree, even if you have to use, er, used toilet
>water. Brown grass will come back next year, but once the tree dies,
>that's it.


Oh yes, I am watering the tree. And the lawn, and the shrubs and, and,
and....everything. But I am not planting anything else new.

Dana
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

On Sun, 06 May 2007 00:10:33 GMT, Chakolate
<chakolateDeathToSpammers@gmail.com> wrote:

>I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh at this, but LOL!!! At least you
>didn't have to go barefoot. :-D

I know. And I didn't realize what I had done until I was in the
hotel getting dressed to go to work. Ugh. I had one clean blouse and
the pants I was wearing.
>
>Just a thought about the photos: digitize and back them up in a safe
>place, then all you ever have to worry about is yourself and your
>furkids.

Gosh. That would be a daunting task. I have so many photos. My entire
life. Do you scan them and then transfer them to a cd? Right?

Dana

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

On Sat, 05 May 2007 20:40:22 -0400, nickelshrink
<nickelshrink@yahoo.com> wrote:

>I'll just enjoy your being impressed and hope that
>if/when you actually read it, you don't think:
>"Eww. Put a monkey in front of a typewriter..."


LOL. Well, I'm interested and I promise I won't say that!!


Dana
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Keera Ann Fox wrote:
> nickelshrink <nickelshrink@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> As for having a publisher, no, if my husband who won a big award
>> (tho it was for a short story) can't get a publisher for his novels i
>> have no desire to bash my head against that cement wall, so i am
>> going to publish it myself at lulu.com. They make it available as hard
>> copy (typical trade paperback prices), or as a downloadable ebook,
>> nice 'n cheap at around 2.00. I'll let yall know, count on it!
>
> If I were you, I'd try peddling it to agents, anyway, first (in the US,
> writers can send direct to publishers). Self-published just doesn't sell
> the same way as "regular" published, nor does it get the same marketing.
> And too many folks who should have remained unpublished go the
> self-publishing route, giving self-published a dirty smear. Having read
> a few of those books, I can see why they were rejected by publishing
> houses. They really needed an editor.
>


8~) Publishing industry rant warning!

You're absolutely right, self-pub is about 90 percent trash, and
that means the rare gem will be so buried among the literally
10's of thousands of offerings, nobody will ever see it, and they
sure do lie about promoting you.

I completely agree and i'm doing it this way anyway! There
are reasons --

You can't break into the pub industry. They have a wall and a
new writer canNOT get through it. DH's novels are professional
quality, he has the award, and still can't get an agent, except the
phony ones who charge for their services -- and publishers ignore
them like they ignore 'slush' submissions.

Publishers want the next DaVinci Code and do not give a crap
about any good workaday book. It's mostly agents that my
DH has tried to enlist - you're right, it all has to go through
agents, publishers don't even read unsolicited manuscripts
anymore.

The service he uses and that i will use, lulu.com, is actually a
step *below* self-pub, but that can be a *good* thing. Self-pub
requires thousands of dollars. They, as you say, claim to
publicize you, but they don't, and you pay for a warehouse
full of copies.

Print-on-demand, OTOH, costs zip. Nothing. You upload it
and *readers* pay if they want a copy. In fact it's just a print
service, not a publisher, and you can create your own
publishing company, use lulu for your printing and binding, and
never have their name appear on your book.

You can buy some copies for yourself, and that's where doing
your own publicity comes in. I have a few famous or semi-famous
people i intend to send copies to. One, before she started
publishing zillions of teen novels herself, was my professor in
grad school and said (in 1981!) that she'd be willing to act as my
agent. Since i haven't contacted her in 20 years i will not
presume upon that, but i'm grateful for her encouragement back
then. She's one of the dedicatees, and is also a character in it
(I'm a character in her first teen romance too!). If she gets
enthused about it, fine, if not, fine. I've got a couple more.

It might get noticed by a "real" publisher through one of these folks,
but by then they will have to take it as is!

Arrogant of me, i know, and i'd happily edit out incongruities and
grammar errors, but i will not, ever, succumb to all the plot
changes they would require. "Too many characters, hate the
POV shifts, change that, needs more sex, make it first person,
change the ending, shouldn't CharacterX get punished/killed/expelled?"

Blah blah blah! 8~) If it flies, it flies, if not, fine. This is my
story,
and i will have done what i was meant to do!

Despite the huge amount of dross, i think this is the future of
publishing because it is an affordable way to cut the sharks out
of the process. The arrogance of a writer like me who wants to
tell her story *her* way* is nothing compared to the industry's
"Oh you have to leave the decisions about what deserves to be
read to us. We know what best!" arrogance. Good writers
are getting rejected as though they were writing amateurish dross.

And more *good* writers will go the print-on-demand route, more
good stuff will appear in those venues. Some one of us,
somewhere, will break out. The industry will have shot itself in
the foot. I actually *want* to be a part of that revolution, believe
it or not!

*LOL!* Sorry, end of "the publishing industry is a bunch of sharks"
rant!





--
pax,
ruth


Save trees AND money! Buy used books!
http://stores.ebay.com/Noir-and-More-Books-and-Trains

"Dana©" <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in message
news:susr33pra6a45e8l7ivsf6sq893aqdijdn@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 06 May 2007 00:10:33 GMT, Chakolate
> <chakolateDeathToSpammers@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't laugh at this, but LOL!!! At least you
>>didn't have to go barefoot. :-D
>
> I know. And I didn't realize what I had done until I was in the
> hotel getting dressed to go to work. Ugh. I had one clean blouse and
> the pants I was wearing.
>>
>>Just a thought about the photos: digitize and back them up in a safe
>>place, then all you ever have to worry about is yourself and your
>>furkids.
>
> Gosh. That would be a daunting task. I have so many photos. My entire
> life. Do you scan them and then transfer them to a cd? Right?


A whole series of CDs probably - or one of the many photo websites.
Or both.


--
Jette Goldie
jette@blueyonder.co.uk
http://www.jette.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
http://wolfette.livejournal.com/
("reply to" is spamblocked - use the email addy in sig)

On Sun, 06 May 2007 06:43:31 GMT, "jacquie" <happikat@nospam.net>
wrote:

>I almost drowned when I was five..it was in a river, and to this day when I
>go into the ocean I panic when I fill a under tow or a riptide...my husband
>always comes and gets me...I don't have to worry to much about oceans in
>AZ...although if the Ocean keeps rising we might just have an ocean in Az


I was about 2 and I was at the beach in Savannah, GA. As a result I
feel a real panic when the water gets up under my arms....I feel like
I can't breath...and that's in a pool or the ocean.

Speaking of AZ my mother used to talk about swimming in the drainage
canals there when she was young. I think it was against the law, but
she was a daring kid. She got caught by the police once and driven
home.

Dana
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

On Sun, 06 May 2007 00:16:12 GMT, Chakolate
<chakolateDeathToSpammers@gmail.com> wrote:

>Heh - but don't you think she's already got enough troubles just having
>him in her life?

Very true!! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!

Dana
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

On Sun, 06 May 2007 06:40:28 GMT, "jacquie" <happikat@nospam.net>
wrote:

>It took us 6 hours to get to Montgomery ...Couldn't find
>a Hotel or Motel Room until we got to Atlanta. When we got back I told my
>husband I was going to sit out the next one

I know what you mean, on one evacuation my ex left here headed to
Savannah on the interstate to pick up our son and head to North GA to
his brother's house. My daughter and I evacuated at the same time but
going across the state on back roads. It took us 3 hours (which is
normal) but it took my husband 21 hours to go 300 miles ON THE
INTERSTATE!! He was NOT happy. And the hurricane didn't hit the coast
so the next day everyone that went North with him was coming home at
the same time. We all thought it was funny. But, I am not evacuating
unless its a Katrina type headed right for me. Not worth the panic and
stress.

Wish I was living in AZ again. My uncle still lives in Cave Creek,
outside of Phoenix. I love it. Lucky you!

Dana
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

nickelshrink <nickelshrink@yahoo.com> wrote:

> *LOL!* Sorry, end of "the publishing industry is a bunch of sharks"
> rant!

Good rant. Makes a lot of sense. And maybe I'll read more self-published
- after all. Nice revolution. :-)

--
Keera in Norway * Think big. Shrink to fit.
http://home.online.no/~kafox/

On Sun, 06 May 2007 11:38:35 -0400, Dana© <AneeBear@ownmail.com>
wrote:

>On Sun, 06 May 2007 06:43:31 GMT, "jacquie" <happikat@nospam.net>
>wrote:
>
>>I almost drowned when I was five..it was in a river, and to this day when I
>>go into the ocean I panic when I fill a under tow or a riptide...my husband
>>always comes and gets me...I don't have to worry to much about oceans in
>>AZ...although if the Ocean keeps rising we might just have an ocean in Az
>
>
>I was about 2 and I was at the beach in Savannah, GA. As a result I
>feel a real panic when the water gets up under my arms....I feel like
>I can't breath...and that's in a pool or the ocean.
>
>Speaking of AZ my mother used to talk about swimming in the drainage
>canals there when she was young. I think it was against the law, but
>she was a daring kid. She got caught by the police once and driven
>home.
>

Why is it against the law to swim in those canals?

R

Ratatosk, Jola

--

If you need to e-mail me, replace "don'tbother" with "zedicus"

On Sun, 06 May 2007 11:48:22 -0400, Dana© <AneeBear@ownmail.com>
wrote:

>On Sun, 06 May 2007 06:40:28 GMT, "jacquie" <happikat@nospam.net>
>wrote:
>
>>It took us 6 hours to get to Montgomery ...Couldn't find
>>a Hotel or Motel Room until we got to Atlanta. When we got back I told my
>>husband I was going to sit out the next one
>
>I know what you mean, on one evacuation my ex left here headed to
>Savannah on the interstate to pick up our son and head to North GA to
>his brother's house. My daughter and I evacuated at the same time but
>going across the state on back roads. It took us 3 hours (which is
>normal) but it took my husband 21 hours to go 300 miles ON THE
>INTERSTATE!! He was NOT happy. And the hurricane didn't hit the coast
>so the next day everyone that went North with him was coming home at
>the same time. We all thought it was funny. But, I am not evacuating
>unless its a Katrina type headed right for me. Not worth the panic and
>stress.
>

Katrina + tiptop dyke wouldn't have that much damage. Pay for
maintenance and one might be surprised.

R

Ratatosk,Jola
--

If you need to e-mail me, replace "don'tbother" with "zedicus"