Roaming in the Rain at Cowpens

 

A couple of days after my King's Mountain walkabout, I managed to squeeze in a quick trip to the Cowpens National Battlefield. This time though, Sarah and Dallas accompanied me.  I didn't think we'd be able to make the trip, because we had several errands to run that day.  But we managed to complete finish our frantic running around and make it to the Visitors Center an hour-and-a-half before closing time.  And unlike my trip to King's Mountain--a light rain was falling.

 

The monument at the Visitors Center bore plaques listed the American forces...

 

 

 

...and the British ones involved in the battle. 

 

Since we were the only ones in the Visitors Center, the park rangers offered to start their fiber-optic map program outside the scheduled times.  The show used lights on a map to illustrate the course of the battle and the entire Southern Campaign of the American Revolution.

After the show we stepped out into the rain and on to the battlefield trail. 

 

Half of the path was over the old Green River Road...

 

...which both forces straddled when they deployed.

 

Here's a the view on the Green River Road from the rear of the American position, looking towards the British.

 

The battle was fought just over three months after King's Mountain (17 January 1781).  So visiting the park at this time of year gave me a good impression of terrain and weather conditions at that time, although it appears the day was clear, but colder.

 

I was surprised how substantially forested the battlefield was.  I expected a more open field as I've seen depicted on maps.

 

Here's the area where the American skirmishers stood. 

 

We didn't see any Redcoats, but we did come across some wild turkeys. 

 

Shortly after turning off the Green River Road, we came to the spot where Banastre Tarleton...

 

...and William Washington crossed swords...

 

...or at least came close to doing so (historical accounts vary).

 

The trail looped back toward the American lines...

 

 ...and the maps along the way illustrated different phases of the battle.  Above, the British surge forward expecting another easy victory over a rabble of militia.

 

Cannons were highly prized, even the two small Grasshopper Cannons Tarleton had at his disposal.  Unfortunately for Tarleton, neither gun remained at his disposal after the battle.  There was a 3-pounder replica in the museum, while a metal silhouette sat out in the field.  I think this was near the spot one of the Grasshoppers was captured.

 

The Washington Light Infantry Monument:

 

Another surprising feature of the battlefield was how relatively flat it appeared to be.  The terrain didn't appear as rugged as I imagined from looking at maps like this...

But looks could be deceiving.  Sarah, Dallas and I were out on a leisurely stroll, albeit in a light rain.  We didn't force-march all night, being deprived of rest, food and water, like Tarleton's men were.  Nor did we have to assault enemy-held positions.  Any advantage, no matter how small, could be decisive in a fight.

Near the end of our walk the clouds thinned a bit and I attempted to capture the battlefield at sunset.

 

When we returned to the Visitors Center, the park rangers offered to show us their short historical film before they closed.  We took them up on their offer and after the film, nosed around the small gift shop.

 

 The museum and gift shop were smaller than the one at King's Mountain, but still worth devoting some time to look things over.  We left the park with less than 15 minutes to spare before they closed.

 

Cowpens is certainly a battlefield worth visiting, or in my case--revisiting.

 

 

Walkabout Around King's Mountain

 

A couple days after my last blogpost I traveled to South Carolina to visit my daughter Sarah and her boyfriend Dallas.  It was also the first time I met Dallas' family.  To say I had an enjoyable time would be an understatement.  The only "cloud" to the trip is that my both Sarah and Dallas work and attend school.

 

But as they say:  Every cloud has a silver lining.

 

And the silver lining on this trip was Sarah & Dallas live within driving distance to several battlefields in the Carolinas.

 

So on Saturday, December 7th, I stole away to the King's Mountain National Military Park while Sarah and Dallas were at work.  I was one of maybe half-a-dozen visitors that cool and cloudy day.  The Vistors Center, pictured above, was the first the first part of my tour.  The building consisted of a small museum, theater and gift shop.

 

For you miniature wargaming fans, here's a photo of the diorama depicting one of the Loyalist bayonet charges that occurred during the battle.

 

The park rangers were very hospitable and offered to start their historical movie early for me.  Since my knowledge of the battle was vague at best, I took them up on their offer and I'm glad I did.  (Wikipedia has a decent account of the battle and the aftermath).

 

After the show, I put on my jacket, strapped on my small backpack and set out on the 1.5 mile battlefield trail.  The park also has more extensive hiking and horseback riding trails, while the nearby state park hosts a campground.  But since my time was limited and I didn't have a horse, I kept to battlefield tour.  While the winding path was paved...

 

...it was often steep, especially the portion that ascended to the summit.  Memorials and information plaques were placed at several key locations.  I especially liked the "You Are Here" maps, which superimposed the troop dispositions of the battle. 

 

(I added the yellow graphics to the picture above). 

 

Here's a view looking up at the summit from Cleveland's NC Militia position...

 

While I was on active duty, I was stationed in North Carolina for several years, but never got use to the summer heat.  So I was happy to be doing my walkabout this time of year.  Plus the lack of foliage gave me a better view of the battlefield, which I felt approximated the weather and terrain conditions during the actual battle.

 

Many of the Overmountain Men that assaulted King's Mountain came from beyond the boundaries of the orignal Thirteen Colonies, in what is now Tennessee.

 

Their most notable leader was Isaac Shelby:

 

A view of the summit from Shelby's position...

 

The climb to the summit...

 

A monument commorating the battle...

 

Prior to the Revolutionary War, King's Mountain was used by the locals as a hunting camp.  I'm not sure if it's the highest mountain in the area, but did manage to get a couple of almost-panoramic views of the countryside.

 

Here was a newer monument that not only commemorated the battle, but the opening of the national park.

 

 The Loyalists, or Tories as they were often called were led by Major Patrick Ferguson.  Once Ferguson was identified, thanks to one of his mistresses defecting to the patriots (or rebels, depending on your point of view), nine men were reported to have fired at him when he was at this spot...

 

 

Seven (some accounts say eight) musket balls struck him, blowing him from the saddle. 

 

But one of his boots remained stuck in his horse's stirrup and dragged his body down to the patriot lines.  Ferguson's other mistress was also killed in the battle.  (Apparently both of them were named Virginia).

 

Since the War of 1812, we've managed to patch things up, more or less, with our British cousins.  So much so, that our battlefields often include memorials to our former enemies. 

 

Ferguson's Memorial:

 

And that was my last stop before returning to the Visitors Center.   

 

I went inside the gift shop and bought several souvenirs.  I was somewhat dissappointed they didn't have a replica of Ferguson's silver whistle.  The park ranger at the checkout counter said she'd buy one too if they had some.

 

I headed back to meet Sarah and Dallas for dinner at his parent's place.  Overall, my tour took me 2.5 hours to complete.  I could have spent all day there.  Since my wife couldn't travel with me due to her new job, maybe during my next trip to SC we can all visit the battlefield.

 

Top 10 Christmas TV Specials

 

(Image from:  A Christmas Story)

Well the Christmas Season is upon us and that means dusting off our Holiday DVD collections or scrolling through the TV guides to watch our favorite shows. 

Just before Thanksgiving, Doug Knoop of the Seattle Times came up with his Top 10 Holiday TV Specials for discerning viewers.

Of Doug's faves, I've seen only six shows he considers to be the pick of the litter.  The ones I haven't watched are:  Prancer, Christmas in Yellowstone, Black Christmas and Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special. 

Prancer sounds nice and Christmas in Yellowstone sounds peaceful, but I won't be trolling Amazon.com for copies of Black Christmas and Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special anytime soon. 

I'd just as soon as suffer through the entire Star Wars Holiday Special.  (At the risk of dating myself, I remember watching part of it during the one & only time it aired).

After reading Doug's article, I clicked on the TV poll where I spent several minutes trying to decide which ONE show I liked above all the others.

Of the 34 choices, I narrowed it down to my own Top 10, listed in alphabetical order:

A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Christmas Carol (the 1951 version with Alistair Sim)
A Christmas Story
Holiday Inn
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the 1966 cartoon)
It's a Wonderful Life
Miracle on 34th Street
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Scrooge (the 1970 musical with Albert Finney)
White Christmas

I love A Christmas Story's spot-on depiction of a kid's quest for the present of his heart's desire and Die Hard is a cool action-adventure flick.  But in keeping with the Season, I had to think of which movie came closest to the real meaning of Christmas.

This pruned the list down to:

A Charlie Brown's Christmas
A Christmas Carol
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
It's a Wonderful Life

Reflecting further, if one believes Christ was born into this world to save us of our sins, then the truest form Christmas movie would be some sort of redemption story.

And the show that touches me most deeply in this category would be...

 

...A Christmas Carol.

 

Why this one--besides Alistar Sim being the best movie Scrooge ever? 

 

Because more than any other Christmas movie, the scenes that choke me up the most are:

 

When the Ghost of Christmas Past reveals to Scrooge his dying sister's request that he take care of her son...

 

 

 

...which he didn't.

 

Yeah, that would have shattered me then and there.  Forget confronting the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come...

 

 

 

And then near the end, there's the moment Scrooge asks his niece-in-law for forgiveness...

 

 

...with the tune of Barbara Allen playing in the background.

 

What I also found interesting was that several versions of Dickens' tale were on the TV poll, even Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol.

 

In comparison, only the original Miracle on 34th Street made the list...

 

 

...along with the animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

 

 

You just can't beat the classics.

 

But no matter what you watch--even if it's Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special, or a bootleg copy of The Star Wars Holiday Special--I hope you and yours have an enjoyable Holiday Season.

 

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and "...God Bless us, every one!"

Coping with Windows 8

This may indeed be the incorrect way of doing screenshots, but the image illustrates what I want to do to my PC after uploading Windows 8. 

I've had my PC, which came with Windows Vista, for several years now.  Prior to Halloween a writer friend of mine offered her e-book for free for a few days and then on sale for less than $2.99.  I wanted to support her work and get the book, but the problem was I didn't--and still don't--have a digital reader.

Prior to the end of the sale, she announced you could still buy the book even if you don't have an e-reader, provided you have Windows 8.  About the same as my friend's book sale, I noticed my Windows Vista-based programs on both my PC and laptop were acting "clunkier" than ever before, despite doing regular virus scans, disk cleanings and defraggings.

After thinking about it for a few weeks, I figured it was high-time to upgrade.  However, I wanted to "test the waters" first by uploading the program on to my PC, before I upgrade my laptop.

I'm glad I held off upgrading my laptop.

I've been dealing with glitches and hiccups every time I turn on my PC. 

My friend Dale later told me on Facebook, that Windows 8 was primarily designed for touch-screens.  Since my PC isn't a touch-screen this could explain a lot.

Here's just an off-the-cuff list of the issues that have plagued me:

Right off the bat, a program called PCSmartFix popped up during the upgrade process.  I thought it was part of the Windows 8 package.  After the upload was completed I clicked on the desktop icon, which sprang to life and announced that I had 8,142 items wrong with my computer.  PCSmartFix could fix it all and make my PC run like new--for $29.99. 

I e-mailed the group  saying no thanks and initiated the uninstall sequence.

Windows 8 also came with some type of browser program (I think) called AVG Guard, which automatically added another tab.  I uninstalled this too, because it was seriously hindering my web browsing.

However, with AVG gone, my screen sprouts pop-ups like it was infected with the measles.  My friend Adrian suggested I adjust my pop-up blocker, which I did.  But the only setting that seems to work is "high," in which case I have to click the "allow once" button that pops up everytime I move to another page.

Another annoyance is having to scroll to different pages to do anything, rather than clicking on a desktop icon.

The biggest problems for me right now thoughis :  I'm not able to directly upload all the photos I recently took for my webcomic.
And when it comes to blogging, I'm not able to type anything within the main body area of the Blogspot program.

Some of these issues may be unrelated to Windows 8 and just happen to erupt now.

Then again, this could all be "operator error."

Whatever the reason(s) though, it's delaying my writing projects and seriously trying my patience.

(Image from mdjunction.com)

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best wishes to all of you and your families this Thanksgiving Holiday.

 

Thank you for your support!

NW Bookfest '13 Workshop Review #10: Get Published, Stay Published

 

(Image from:  Publisher's Weekly Blog)



For the final workshop of NW Bookfest '13, I chose to attend Get Published, Stay Published; hosted by Terry Persun.

No matter what genre you're writing, how much you write, or whether it's fiction or non-fiction; chances are Terry has experience writing it.  So you can't go wrong attending any seminar or workshop he's a panel member of, or hosting.  (He was part of the sci-fi panel I discussed three NW Bookfest posts ago).

Terry can talk fast, but don't worry because he usually has handouts--which he provides AFTER his class.  This is to prevent folks from merely snagging handouts and slinking out of the room.  Besides, reading handouts after a lecture reinforces learning.  Right?

 

Anyway, here's the gist of Terry's advice on getting and staying published--

 

--Learn the business

--Learn to write (well that is)

--Commit (set aside time to write every day, if not at least regularly)

--Data mine everything for ideas (work, hobbies, interests, travel, etc.)

--Build your repertoire (keep writing)

--Be courageous (keep submitting your work) and finally--

--Know yourself and what kind of writer you are.

 

Terry divided writers into two general categories:

 

1. Product Writers--write anything and everything according to the market.

 

2. Process Writers--write only what interests them.

 

What camp do you pitch your tent?  (I'd consider myself a process writer, because I feel I'd have a hard time writing about topics I have no interest in).

 

Terry considered the following to be Five Key Elements for maintaining your publishing momentum:

 

1. Account for your work.

--Establish a production goal.

--Have several projects going on simultaneously in order to limit the effects of writer's block.

--Circulate your finished work.

--Be organized.

--Have samples of your work handy.

 

2. Conceptualize your work.

--Make sure your copies are clean.

--Check spelling.

--Spell people's names (as in agents and editors) properly.

--Respond--positively/politely--to rejections.

--Send out groups of submissions, not just in single shots.

--Don't shortchange your clients.  Send them what they want and do your best work.

 

3. Create a Community of Equals.

--Find people who understand what you do.

--Ask for help (but be sure to provide help when asked)

--Stay in touch.

--Share your success.

 

4. Live the life of a writer.  (No this doesn't mean drinking yourself into a stupor).

--Go to writers conferences.

--Market yourself.

--Let readers know about your projects.

--Support the business you're in.  Buy books from your author friends.  (Besides this could be a tax write-off).

--Market your friends' works.

--Promote reading/literacy in general.

 

And--

 

5. Treat writing like it's play.  Have fun! 

 

Remember, if you're bored with your writing, your readers will be too...

 

 

NW Bookfest '13 Workshop Review #9: Best Practices and Formatting For Self-Publishing

(Image:  Gutenberg's Printing Press from The Renaissance Connection)

 

When I first started attending writers conferences several years ago, self-publishing had a less-than sterling reputation.  Self publishing was viewed as a last resort or act of desperation.  Not to mention the opinion that your book is lacking in quality.

 

Since then, opinions--and quality--of self published books have improved.

 

Oh sure, there's still a lot of self-made slush out there, but more authors are turning to self-publishing in order to maintain firmer control of their work--and keep more of their profits.

 

But self-publishing isn't a one-size-fits-all process.  In this penultimate workshop I attended for this year's NW Bookfest, Gerri Russell explained some of the pros & cons of self-publishing.

 

 

On the sunny-side, self-publishing is on the rise.  According to Gerri--

 

--Self-publishing has increased 287% from 2006-2012.

--87,201 e-books were self published.

 

What does all this mean?

 

The number of books self-published is now outpacing the traditionally published boo

Every self-published author is also a publisher (and all the associated headaches that go along with the title).

Books aren't primarily sold in bookstores anymore.  There sold via--

--online retailers, like Amazon, or

--downloaded on to gadgets like iPads, Kindles, Nooks

 

The Big Question to ask yourself, then:  Is self-publishing for me?  (Especially if I'm a newbie author).

 

Ironically, 40% of self-publishers are "old hands" that have books published via traditional means.  And 60% of self-publishers have been writing for 10+ years.

 

I guess old dogs can learn new tricks--at least in the publishing business.

 

Anyway, the Next Big Question is:  Can you earn a living self-publishing books?

 

Gerri's findings were--

--average income/year is $10,000

--mean income was $500

 

So don't quit your day job right away.

 

Who earned the most?

 

Writers with agents earn 3 times more money.

 

(Image from:  The Avengers)

 

Unfortunately though, not from these kind of agents.  Instead, believe it or not, writers get more earning power from people like this...

 

 

Romance writers earn 20% of the average income, while sci-fi, fantasy and literary writers earn 38%, 32% and 20% of the average income, respectively. 

 

An even bigger reason not to quit your day job.

 

However, being previously published helps writers earn 2.5 times more than those who haven't

 

So with all this dire news, should you still self-publish?

 

Yes, if you feel it's right for you and your book(s).  But "self-publish" doesn't mean going-it alone.

 

You will need the following assistance--

 

--an editor (for narrative continuity)

--a copy editor (to check for proper grammar & syntax)

--a proof reader

--a professional cover artist

The fact of the matter is, readers expect more from an indie author than a traditionally published one.  You have a reputation to build and flawed books won't be taken seriously.

So from additional tatistics Gerri unearthed--

--getting professional editing provides a 13% increase in earnings
--while a professional cover design increases earnings by 34%

You may not be able to judge a book by it's cover, but from a marketing standpoint, you can certainly sell more.

The bottom line is:  Prove to your readers and critics that you value your book.

The rest of Gerri's seminar was a quick run-through of various formatting procedures used by the following companies:

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
iBooks
Nook Press
Kobo
Smashwords

What ever method you choose, be sure to buy your ISBNs (International Standard Book Number) and spread the word of your book release through social media.

Here's to your success in getting published!

Happy 50th Anniversary to Dr. Who!

(Image:  Dr Who montage)

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the BBC's sci-fi/cult classic Dr. Who.  The Wikipedia entry says Dr. Who holds the record for the longest running sci-fi TV series in the world.

While Wikipedia is known for playing fast and loose with facts, I believe this one.  I remember my sister Rox watching Dr. Who, then played by Tom Baker, as avidly as I watched Star Trek.

I must admit though, while I'm familiar with the series--especially the arch enemies--the Daleks--

 

--I never really followed the show.

But even though I'm not a fan, I'd like to extend a Happy Anniversary to all my "Whovian" friends and family.

Enjoy the celebration!

(Image from: Dr. Who Series Seven)