Is t.v. getting better or is it me?

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I teach online classes for a library training certificate and/or diploma at night for Credenda Virtual College. When I’m done I need to relax! So, I turn to television to give me a break from work and monitors and life in general.

Linda Aksomitis at the historic Jailer's Inn in Bardstown, Kentucky. The jail was in full operation until 1987.

In the past, I’ve had few choices. I absolutely, positively, without-a-doubt do not do reality t.v.  My students and I share enough real world drama that I don’t need to spend my evenings watching unscripted television and pseudo-drama. And usually, I don’t do comedy, er, well, I don’t do comedy like Robot Chicken or politically based stuff that means I need to understand the nuances to get it. To be honest, I don’t “get” a lot of comedy period.

Anyway, this has meant my t.v. for the past decade has been a whole lot of CSIs, Criminal Minds, Mentalist, and House–the typical detective/cop shows and doctor shows that have proliferated the airwaves since the weekly westerns (like Bonanza, the Wild Wild West, Rawhide and Gunsmoke) went out of fashion. And of course as a SciFi lover, I’ve also had Stargate and Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe along with various incarnations of Star Trek on my lists, as well as Fringe.

But this year has been different! Networks seem to have discovered–about the same time that authors have started self-publishing all those stories that don’t “fit” on bookstore shelves–that there’s a lot more to entertainment than the old standbys and keeping the genre lines on the straight and narrow.

My favorite shows for 2011-2012 have had a whole lot more to offer! Check out:

  • Lost Girl – the Canadian made series about a succubus – http://www.showcase.ca/lostgirl/ (and while they bill Bo as the main character, Kenzie, the “fragile” human is really the star)
  • Once Upon a Time – Jennifer Morrison (previously on House and now the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming) is drawn into Storybrooke, the fairytale town where her son (now adopted by the evil Queen) now lives, to save everyone from living under a curse. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1843230/
  • Revenge – who couldn’t help but sit on the edge of the armchair weekly as Emily Thorne (who used to be Amanda Clark but traded identities) exacts revenge for her father being framed by the wealthy inhabitants of the Hamptons? With mystery and drama it’s got lots of tension. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1837642/
  • Awake – a series billed as a psychological thriller  where a cop lives parallel lives in two worlds, one where he lost his wife and the other where he lost his son – who knows which one is “real?” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1839683/
  • The River – this is the first mainstream show (not about vampires) that I’d call horror – I’m certainly hooked on this show filmed on the Amazon River with its supernatural happenings! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1836195/
  • Missing – spy stories have always been around, but Becca is a retired CIA searching for her kidnapped son – the around-the-world filming puts me right there with her. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1828246/
  • Touch – if numbers and figuring out the patterns of life fascinates you, then Touch will intrigue you. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1821681/
  • Alcatraz – I’m a history buff and science fiction fanatic — the writers of Alcatraz have a perfect balance of these two genres in this series that may be slated for the ax after this season. Hopefully not! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1728102/
  • And did I mention there are some comedies out this season that I love! Two Broke Girls is hilarious and so is Whitney.

At any rate, is t.v. getting better or what? This year’s offerings have inspired me to tell a good story that doesn’t really worry about genres or how it’s billed–now I just need time to write.

New Course in Development

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Here it is, winter break–nearly the end of February–and still no snow to speak of on the prairies. It’s a dismal year that doesn’t see us covered in a thick blanket of the white stuff so we can go out and snowmobile until we’re tired and ready for spring.

Snocross

Snocross, Linda Aksomitis, author & photographer

That said, I’m busy developing a new course on how to publish and sell your own e-books, which will be carried worldwide online through the community college network (also direct registration for those with no local college) this fall. I love developing instructional materials and I love e-books, so this is a great way to pull it all together. Of course, it’s also giving me additional incentive to get my out-of-print and a few never-in-print books that are languishing on my hard drive out into cyberspace!

The e-book publishing course will join my existing course, Introduction to Internet Writing Markets, which just had its 10th anniversary (and 5th complete rewrite–gosh, things don’t stay the same long out here!).

But back to e-books, Snocross, the ebook YA easy-read that I brought out at the end of December has been a Kindle best seller in the areas of winter sports and extreme sports almost steadily since its release, plus on-and-off on the extreme sports general booklist! I’ve been very pleased with the response! Snowmobile Challenge, an e-book re-release of my 2003 award winning YA novel, has also had steady interest.

Tales of a Traveling Saleslady: The Cage

Tales of a Traveling Saleslady: The Cage by Linda Aksomitis

Currently, I’ve listed the short-short e-book, Tales of a Traveling Saleslady: The Cage, free on Smashwords, to launch the Traveling Saleslady reprints–there are seven stories, with the next one, Tales of a Traveling Saleslady: The Rose, to be released next week.

Anyway, 2012 is full of exciting things here in e-book land, even if there’s no snow in the f2f one to make life exciting!

Snowmobile Racing Novel–Snocross–Released on Kindle

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Snocross

Book cover for Snocross: Linda Aksomitis, author & photographer

Snocross was released January 4, 2012, exclusively through Amazon. Why? To have it enrolled in the Amazon Prime Kindle library, where Amazon Prime members can borrow an ebook free each month. See the free month enrollment plan at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/prime

I’ve been working on Snocross for a number of years, finally making the decision to go exclusively digital this winter with the rising wave of e-books. The story is set in November of 2005, at the 2005-2006 season opener in Duluth of the now defunct WPSA racing association. I’ve also included a few photos in the book that I took that weekend.

The cover (above) photo, which I also shot, shows two Snocross racers at that event: Phil Johnson (#233) and Katejun Coonishish (#101) in a semi-pro class. The two main characters in the novel, Shawn Riggs and Jacqui DeVille, ride similar models.

Snocross is a hi/lo young adult novel, making it a fast paced read for anyone interested in snocross racing. The novel starts with Shawn Riggs, the main character, practicing for the upcoming national event–his first–with a hangover. It’s not that Shawn’s really into drinking, but it seems the popular kids at his new high school are and he really wants to fit in.

Jacqui DeVille is Shawn’s competition on the racetrack, and much to his dismay, it turns out that not only is she headed to the big weekend event in Duluth, but his dad has agreed to pick up her sled in Winnipeg. Then the local football jock, Cole, whose dad is his step-mom’s boss, also ends up coming along. As if Shawn wasn’t nervous enough without all the additional stress.

This snowmobile racing story takes readers through a weekend of fast corners, high jumps, and adrenlin rushes for everyone!

Watch this AMSOIL Championship video of snocross racing on Duluth’s track to get the sights and sounds of snocross.

Me and eBooks

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Snowmobile Challenge

Snowmobile Challenge, an award winning young adult novel, now available as an ebook on Amazon and Smashwords

I started publishing electronic books long before they came of age–long before Kindle or Kobo or Nook or iPad ebook apps or android ebook apps, or even netbooks. The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) statistics don’t even give any ratings for the year 2000, way back when I took my first steps in this industry: http://idpf.org/about-us/industry-statistics

In fact, my first ebook came out in December of 2000. That year  Danielle Steel had three titles in the top 15 best sellers, James Patterson had two, and John Grisham led the list with The Brethren. My ebooks, along with a few thousand or so other ebook titles, weren’t any competition to these or any other hardcover or paperback titles. Why? This article from Michael Mace outlines some of the reasons ebooks failed in 2000: http://mobileopportunity.blogspot.com/2010/03/future-of-publishing-why-ebooks-failed.html

But times have changed in a big way. After ebook sales increased more than 1000% between 2008 and 2010, it’s hard to say how 2011 will tally up when all the bits and bytes settle. Kindle sales have been, predictably, soaring higher and higher and higher. http://venturebeat.com/2011/11/28/amazon-black-friday-kindle-sales/

So here I am, jumping into ebook publishing once again with all my out-of-print and a few never-in-print titles. The first two are now on Amazon and Smashwords:

This time, the future for them looks a lot brighter!

2011 Fall Author Tour

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Saskatchewan fall

Looking out Linda Aksomitis's kitchen window at the fall scene.

It’s that time of year again–the leaves are turning colour, the combines have finished chugging through the fields, and Saskatchewan’s Education Week has arrived. Once again, Education Week overlaps with Saskatchewan Library Week. Things are much less rushed when the weeks run back-t0-back instead of together!

This year my presentations will focus around the place I love best–home–Saskatchewan past and present. No matter where my travel writing career takes me, I still find the best place is here. I’ll be reading from:

  • Pictures – Juvenile realistic contemporary fiction novel set in Waskesiu, SK – features a sasquatch encounter

It’s going to be a busy week, as I’ll be reading in 10 locations around Saskatchewan:

  • Monday, Oct 17 – 11 a.m. – Watrous

- 1:15 p.m. – Cudworth

- 1:00 p.m. – Shellbrook

- 1:30 p.m. - Bjorkdale

  • Thursday, Oct 20 – 9:00 a.m. – Leroy

- 2:00 p.m. – Southey

  • Friday, Oct 21      – 9:30 a.m. – Langenburg

- 1:30 p.m. – Punnichy

Book Reviews for L is for Land of Living Skies

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L is for Land of Living Skies

L is for Land of Living Skies is a finalist for the High Plains Book Award!

Authors often say writing a book is like having a child–if that’s true, then waiting for book reviews after the book is published is like waiting for a report card! How well did your progeny do? Pass or fail? A+ or getting by with Cs and Ds?  Teacher’s pet or the one in the corner that nobody seems to notice.

Well, the first review from the professional publications for L is for Land of Living Skies is now in and it’s a 4-star rating! I never even hoped–out loud anyway–for such an awesome write-up as Saskatoon journalist, Linda Wood, gave it for CM (Canadian Materials). You can read it at: http://umanitoba.ca/cm/vol17/no41/lisforlandoflivingskies.html

I also discovered a great independent book review online at:

http://readingpit.blogspot.com/2011/03/l-is-for-land-of-living-skies.html

I was also thrilled to learn that L is for Land of Living Skies has been shortlisted for the High Plains Book Awards: http://ci.billings.mt.us/index.aspx?NID=1180

My wonderful publisher, Sleeping Bear, has prepared an excellent teacher’s guide that’s free for download at: www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/TeachersGuides/LandGuide.pdf

First Day of the Virtual Literacy Day Conference

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Whew! The first day of our virtual Literacy Day Conference was absolutely incredibly amazing! Yes, that’s a lot of adjectives for a professional writer to be tossing around, but hey, it really was a day to write in the history books.

L is for Land of Living Skies: A Saskatchewan Alphabet by Linda Aksomitis

Linda Aksomitis presented L is for Land of Living Skies: A Saskatchewan Alphabet in her session at today's Virtual Literacy Conference.

Why, you ask? What could possibly be that exciting to a seasoned conference organizer and presenter? Well, the fact that my session this morning had 1115 students participating from 55 schools across Saskatchewan is what made it a day to remember. It was full of energy and enthusiasm — and not just all mine.

The Literacy Conference is a joint venture between our Saskatchewan chapter of CANSCAIP, CANSCAIP SK Horizons, and Credenda Virtual High School & College, which is where I teach. The Saskatchewan Arts Board, whose programs serve Saskatchewan by helping to build a strong and vibrant arts sector, funded the Literacy Conference. Information on the conference is available at: http://www.credenda.net/canscaip/ It runs from Wednesday, January 26, 2011, to Friday, January 28, 2011.

Two of the schools were winners of books I put up for the draw. Belle Plaine Colony School won the autographed classroom set of Adeline’s Dream. Burstall School won the autographed copy of L is for Land of Living Skies: A Saskatchewan Alphabet.

And that brings me to tomorrow, where I’ll present a workshop on how to add details into your writing, using my novel, Longhorns and Outlaws. I’m sure it’ll be as much fun as today.

The Best of 2010

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Confucius said the first, most noble way to learn wisdom is through reflection.  As the year ends, I find reflecting to be one of the most important things to do before looking ahead and planning the coming year.

2010 was a good year.

Linda Aksomitis in Switzerland

Linda Aksomitis in Switzerland -- photo by Pia Grazia Seregni

David and I had a fabulous trip to Quebec in February. We watched one of Canada’s longest running snowmobile races, the Grand Prix de Valcourt. We visited the Bombardier Museum and Ski-Doo factory — two things that have been on our to-do list for three decades. Then we snowmobiled a thousand km through the mountains of Maritime Quebec. What an experience! On our trips in other years, I’d been a passenger on a two-up sled, but this time I drove myself. I wasn’t sure if I could do it, either the km or the mountains, but I did, proving to myself that even if things are difficult they’re achievable with hard work.

In fact, 2010 was an amazing year for traveling. In March I did a castle tour of Wales, attended the TMAC travel writers conference in Cardiff, then spent four days in London. Next on the list was Georgia in May, where I paddled in the wake of Olympians and swung from the treetops like Jane (on a zipline). Switzerland at the end of August took me high into the Alps where I stood at the top of Europe, then hiked down a mountain path better suited for goats. From plane to train to boat, I explored this tiny country I’ve dreamed about since reading Heidi in sixth grade.

My fall school visits took me around the province for 10 days during Saskatchewan’s Education/Library Week in October with my almost-out new book, L is for Land of Living Skies: A Saskatchewan Alphabet. And finally, a 10-day drive with David in November took me right across the U.S. to the tip of Georgia and back again with our brand new snowmobile trailer.

Each trip brought me new experiences and stories to tell, but even more, enriched my life.

I grew this year as a teacher, too, adding the Business Administration program to the Library Technician training program I’ve already been teaching in for the past four years. My first students finished the library program in December and I know I’ll cry at their graduation in March as I reflect on how far we’ve come together. I’m proud of them all, of the content they’ve mastered and the skills they’ve acquired. Even more important to me, though, these years with them have shown me so much about being a mentor and teacher.

At home, our remodeling made progress this year and my office will be moving to our second level shortly. The process is teaching me patience, a virtue I have little of.

We’ve also made some big decisions this year, like selling our carwash. It was, as we hoped, a fast and painless process, since it sold just three weeks after listing in December. All that’s left is to go through everything and move it before the end of March!

So, now to think about what I’d like 2011 to bring…

L is for Land of Living Skies: A Saskatchewan Alphabet Has Arrived

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It was a long wait–but well worth it! L is for Land of Living Skies: A Saskatchewan Alphabet arrived this week and will hit bookstores next week. I love the illustrations and can’t thank Lorna Bennett, my illustrator, enough for all of the hard work she put into getting them just right.

So what’s inside the book? Well, all the letters of the alphabet, of course. They take readers on a tour through Saskatchewan’s past and present with poetry, information boxes and illustrations.

L is for Land of Living Skies

L is for Land of Living Skies

L is for Land of Living Skies is rich with the creative talents of many more people than myself! I workshopped my first draft of letter meanings with my writing group, the Children’s Writers’ Round Robin nearly two years ago. While I’d travelled Saskatchewan for more than three decades, first as a travelling saleslady, then as a library consultant and finally as a travel writer, there were still things I hadn’t discovered that were suggested. Taking their ideas and suggestions, I generated the final list, which was approved by my wonderful editor at Sleeping Bear Press, Amy Lennox.

After much discussion, Lorna Bennett, from our neighbouring province, Alberta, was selected to do the illustrations. It was awesome to collaborate with her and provide her with photos she needed from around Saskatchewan. Where I had no ideas, she always managed to come up with something creative, like the worker in U is for Uranium and the kids looking at the clock in Z is for Zone. The editorial team at Sleeping Bear Press were always present and supportive, offering guidance and assistance to bring it all together.

And finally, Sleeping Bear Press’s graphic designers pulled it all together in a book that’s colourful and full of  life and energy from this place I call home, Saskatchewan.

Thanks so much everyone!

Author Visit – Kinistino School 2010

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The manner of giving is worth more than the gift. ~Pierre Corneille, Le Menteu

As an author I’ve had some much-appreciated gifts from my audience: A good review, an autograph asked for, a question about the next book I’m going to write. But none of these tops the gift I received from the 75 kids in grades K to 5 at Kinistino School on the first day of Education Week, October 18, 2010.

Linda Aksomitis at Kinistino School

Linda Aksomitis at Kinistino School giving three readings in the school gym.

What was it?

A simple spontaneous round of roaring applause that grew, like the amazing kerchief a magician pulls and pulls and pulls out of his sleeve, when I closed the novel I was reading from and looked up.

It was, indeed, an excellent day, starting with the high school students at 10 a.m. They accompanied me through a tour of Saskatchewan with the new book, L is for Land of Living Skies, then on a spin around the world as I told them about my journeys as a photojournalist. The middle years students were next, spending the next hour before lunch with me on much the same tour as the older group.

Shortly after 1 p.m., just in from the sunshine of a perfect fall day, the younger crowd were full of enthusiasm as we explored Saskatchewan, letter by letter. It was, however, the novel, Pictures, about young Sam’s adventures at nearby Waskesiu that captured their imaginations.

In years of school visits, I’ve never had a better audience!

From Kinistino, it was back to Prince Albert to spend the night, then move on to Shellbrook for Tuesday.