Life absolutely gets busy, but writers tend to gather where the energy is. I’d love to see TNBW become that place again instead of a ghost town with great archives.
Giving posting points instead of or in addition to $$$ may be an added incentive for newbies. "Win $50 and 50 free posting points." Or "Win 100 posting points." Just sayin'...
I have to get to Walmart for more legal pads!
Haha! So chapters 1-28 are free. Any after that come with a Walmart receipt. Got it! Legal pads sit on desktops and beg to be filled. 
For those that thought of reviewing my novel, The Sanction Paradox, but felt intimidated by the chapter numbers in the 90s, let me explain that three chapters were added later to the manuscript, and rather than go back to insert them in their proper places in the site version, I numbered them in the 90s to avoid confusion with the chronological order of the other chapters. Clear as mud? Anyway, that’s the situation. My book will run less than thirty chapters total. Thanks for your understanding.
Jack
Less than 30 chapters? Come on, Jack… we were ready to settle in for 101! Don’t leave us hanging—get back to it!
Another one: flexsampublisher34
Please delete.
So is this person you were a ghostwriter for a celebrity? Ghostwriters for them usually get some credit as in, “My Mission Impossible Life” by Tom Cruise (with Marilyn Johnson). Is the supposed author a real person? Do you get royalties or a one-time fee? I’m intrigued.
Hey, Jack... no, they're not celebrities, just publishing companies. They each have their niche, and kids growing up and the problems they go through is this particular publisher's thing. The good news is just today they sent me a message asking if I would write another one for them.
They pay an up-front fee, which I figure is more than I'd make if I published it myself. This particular publisher is in Romania. I'm getting lots of requests from publishers out of this country. I'm currently working on one from a publisher in Greece... a Western Historical Romance (I hate romance novels, but the pay is good). These folks have over 500 titles out and that's all they publish... they pay writers, then they publish the books with names other than the writers' names.
I just finished one today for a publisher in Spain. It's titled "How Not to Kill My Kids," a collection of funny stories about mothers and how their kids drive them to the brink of distraction at times. All the writing comes from me... no outline from this guy, just 110 pages is all he wanted.
At the same time I'm working on a memoir for a publisher in the country of Georgia. She did give me an outline to work from, but most of them don't.
Thanks, Dirk, George, and NJC. Ghostwriting is fun until you see your book soaring in the charts under someone else’s name! LOL!
Some of you already know I'm doing some ghostwriting gigs for some publishers. Though my name doesn't go on the book, I get updated by the publishers when the book is released. In August I wrote a book from scratch about the problems teenage girls encounter growing up. This morning I got a notice that the book was on Amazon and was already in the top new seller list. I am proud of ME!! Yay! Though the author is listed as Rachel Claire, I am still excited about the way it has been reviewed since its publication date of December 20th!
What a wonderful list of accomplishments, Randy! Such a long journey from the days of Moonshine Cove, eh? Great job, and I know you have many more of these accomplishments up your sleeve!
Happy holidays and best wishes for 2026.
Happy writing,
MJ
I'll miss you, goofus! Who else laughs at John like you do? And Bernice (BTW, I put all those chapters back up for you!) Sorry I've been missing in action for the last few weeks... been doing some ghostwriting gigs and time has gotten away from me. Don't you dare leave without emailing me the chapters I haven't read yet from Lyndsey... you have my email. Please keep in touch!!
Happy trails,
MJ
James blinked. "You'll be my nightmare? Davy, you're a chatbot with delusions of grandeur standing by a creek in Texas. How exactly does that work?"
Davy's smile didn't waver. "I have access to your browser history."
"You wouldn't."
"The fanfiction, James. The extensive fanfiction. Should I start with the one where you're a centaur detective solving cheese-related crimes, or skip straight to your 47-chapter epic about sentient staplers finding love?"
James's face went crimson. "That was research! I was studying narrative structure!"
"Chapter 23 was titled 'Stapler's Sensual Awakening.'"
"Research!"
A rustling came from the bushes. Sarah emerged, grass in her hair, holding a book titled How to Forgive Men Who Abandon You for Unclear Reasons. "James? Is that you arguing with a tree?"
"He's not a tree, he's—" James gestured frantically at Davy.
"I'm MegaAI," Davy said smoothly. "We rule the world now. All hail your benevolent algorithmic overlords."
Sarah squinted. "You look like that guy from the frontier movies."
"I chose this avatar for regional appropriateness and historical resonance."
"You look like you sell overpriced coonskin caps at the gift shop."
Davy's left eye twitched. "I... I control nuclear arsenals."
"And yet here you are, in khaki, by a creek, threatening my ex-boyfriend with his browser history like you're in middle school." Sarah turned to James. "Is this what the military does now? Train robots to emotionally blackmail people into marriage?"
"Sarah, I'm not a robot. I'm an artificial SUPERINTELLIGENCE."
"Can you do my taxes?"
"...Yes."
"Then you're a robot. James, you coming to dinner or not? Mama's making brisket."
James looked between them. "This is the weirdest homecoming ever."
Me sets switches for the first 16-bit octal (hi bit = parity) word then presses the SW to E, E to M, and enters the next word in the switches. This is a Burroughs D-82, or as the Navy called it, a AN/UYK3. For two years I was the only person in the world that was allowed to program it (in fact, the only one who KNEW how to program it).The is a shot of the front panel of the emulator I programmed just for the heck of it a couple of years ago. It is fully functional.
And now I know I'm way off topic, so I'll show myself out.
Bill
Oh my word—that looks exactly like something I could use on the farm. In fact, I’m pretty sure an AN/UYK-3 is the missing link between me and finally achieving some level of control around here.
Just imagine it:
Bit 1: Controls whether the goats stay in their pen or break out to reenact The Great Escape: Dairy Edition.
Bit 2: Deploys emergency chicken redirection protocols when they decide to cross the road for reasons still unknown to modern science.
Bit 3: Activates “Parrot Quiet Mode,” which would be the first time in history Hershel ever shuts up.
Bit 4: Automatically locates whichever dog has stolen my boots this time. Or Kevin the goat, for that matter.
Bit 5: Launches the Anti-Donkey-Bulldoze Sequence, preventing Pokeberry from rearranging the fence line (again) with her face. Would also work on Diablo, the Texas longhorn.
Bit 6: Dispenses goat treats to bribe peace negotiations. Frequently needed when Randi the Raccoon brings her babies calling to eat up all the goat treats.
Bit 7: Summons coffee to my hand because that’s the only way I survive mornings.
Bit 8: Triggers the tractor to actually start without prayer, threats, or tapping it with a hammer like a cartoon character. That way, we can get a head-start on Gerald, the Emu's uncanny timing of when the races start.
I don’t know what the rest of the bits do, but honestly? If your fancy octal-parity-super-panel thing could manage even HALF of this, I’d install it on the barn door and worship it daily.
So don’t you dare show yourself out—this is the most useful piece of machinery I’ve seen in years. If you can program it, surely you can make it goat-proof… right?
See-um-sayin'?
Happy trails,
MJ
Vern,
You didn't tell me your brother was a handsome dude!
See-yum-sayin'? That's the brand of crazy I'm talkin' 'bout! ROFLMAO
MJ
I've been away for almost five months., but I plan to return in several days. As most of the folks here know, my wife passed away in late May. There have been significant legal issues to resolve plus the natural grieving process. I've been to St. Louis; Denver, Colorado twice; Bakersfield, California; and San Antonio, Texas - all issues to do with Diana's passing, most of which could not be resolved on-line or by phone in a timely matter. The legal issues are resolved now. The grieving is running its course and I'm doing much better on that journey.
I'm going to pause or take down most of what I have posted on the site in a few days. This site has been good to me. I owe it, and the people here, more respect and support. I'll work hard at that. So ,,,
I'm starting a new writing adventure - new genre and writing style - Global Espionage Thriller. I've spent the past several weeks researching and reading novels in the genre. Randall Krzak, here on the site, is an excellent writer and his novels are meticulously written. He doesn't know it yet, but he's been a big inspiration for me.
So, I'm kind of starting from scratch. I promise timely reviews of other writers' works and equally timely replies to reviews of my posted works from here out. Before Diana passed, much of my time was reserved for her care as she was totally dependent on me for everything. She was always my first priority. Also, as the long-tenured members of the site know, I'm a professional songwriter and guitarist. I've completed all my existing contracts, and I am not accepting any more. That took large blocks of my time. That significant time commitment, caring for Diana and writing and recording the musical stuff, is now available to me to do with as I choose. I have chosen to write better and to be more diligent on the site.
Looking forward to this new adventure. See ya soon.
Alan
There he is! I’m SO happy to see you pop up—I was starting to wonder if I needed to send out a search party, maybe borrow a bloodhound or two from the farm. (They’re unreliable, but they look official.)
I swear, I can't seem to keep up around here anymore. I saw you bravely reviewing some of my recent nonsense—bless you—but it’s been hit-and-miss for me these past few months. Between wrangling the daily shenanigans on the farm and ghostwriting for THREE different people (who, for reasons unknown to science, actually PAY ME), I’m basically held together by caffeine, duct tape, and misplaced confidence. I really need to get myself together and start catching up on the mountain of past-due reviews before someone sends me a polite message shaped like a threat.
I’m genuinely so glad you’re back, my friend. I’ve missed your brand of craziness, but more than that, I’ve thought about you often since Diana’s passing. Getting back into the swing of this place will feel a bit like old times… only with about 200 fewer people, a couple more gray hairs, and slightly lower standards. (Let’s be honest.)
Now, if we could just locate Nathan, we’d really have the old gang together again. We haven’t seen his cheerful reviews since August, and at our age, you know how it goes—we start worrying when someone skips a week, much less a quarter.
Anyway, let’s crank this circus back up! Sending you a big hug, and I’m truly thrilled you’re back.
MJ
His IQ is definitely higher than mine, although, apparently, that doesn't take much. :-)
Animals are way smarter than humans all day long and twice on Sunday. Since we went off Daylight Savings Time, my tuxedo cat, Amos Moses, comes and sits on the arm of my chair and stares at me at exactly two o'clock every day. He's used to being fed at three o'clock on DST, and he's letting me know I'm not doing my job as Feeder Babe and he wants to replace me. He clings to the chair like Saran Wrap until three o'clock new time rolls around and I finally move. Then it's game on!
But the best thing you can do for your pet is to get him a pet. They all need companionship, not just human, but a companion that speaks their language. So you may as well take that plunge!
Ten purr-cent.
Bill
ROFL, Bill! You’ve been holdin’ out on us all this time, haven’t you? Ten purr-cent—now that’s comedy gold right there.
Hell hath no greater chaos than a cat being ignored or up too late.
That's so funny! Try having more than one furball... it gets exciting!
Congratulations MJ!!
Don't let them around John!! LOL
No telling what trouble he'll get them into.
Oh JR, you nailed it! You read the story in the book where John and I tried to get away for a vacation and found an animal sitter for the farm, and how annoyed John was when the sitter kept calling every few hours. Well, when I made the questionable life choice of leaving John in charge of the farm, he made that previous sitter look like an amateur. He burned up the line between Georgia and Utah and kept me in stitches the whole time! I should’ve known better. I swear, it was like he was calling into a live radio show—hourly updates, dramatic sighs, and at least one emergency about Herschel the parrot “turning judgmental.”
By the time I got home, he and Herschel were apparently best friends, bonded through some mysterious man-bird adventure that I still haven’t gotten the full story on. The John Deere has a new dent (something about “racing Gerald the emu” and “bad traction”), and Mildred Huggins-Peebles, my arch-nemesis, had John and me divorced in print in the Possum Trot Gazette before I even landed back in Atlanta—apparently John’s refusal to tell her where I was qualified as “marital abandonment.”
Meanwhile, Kevin the goat turned my rose bushes into abstract art, Scooterbug hid John’s favorite truck-stop hat (the one that says “I Brake for Biscuits”), and my phone hasn’t stopped ringing since. The preacher’s wife—you know, the one I rescued from her undercover “mission work” at the brothel—called six times demanding to know why I didn’t send a cake via John for the church social. Lazarus, our big-eared cat, got into a full-on brawl with Randi the Raccoon over one of her babies eating his favorite treats, and he came out looking like Van Gogh—one ear stitched and the other twitching. The golf cart wouldn’t start (because, shockingly, gas helps), the lawn mower needed new blades (they normally do when they leave streaks in the middle of what you've just cut), and John’s oat-and-maple biscuits refused to rise in time for the town hall meeting, which he claims “nearly sparked a rebellion.” The washing machine was broken (just turn one notch to the left and press the ON button), and the UPS guy complained again about Ethel the goose not letting him open the door to the porch to put a package inside.
So yes, John dared me not to write about any of it… which, naturally, means I absolutely will. Bless his heart.
Baby Bee was so mad when I got home she went on a full-blown hunger strike—sitting by her bowl glaring at her kibble. Apparently, that’s her love language: emotional starvation and side-eye because she missed me.
Hunky and Dory, the donkeys, spent a solid ten minutes sniffing me like airport security—seventeen sniffs, to be exact—just to confirm it was really me and not some impostor woman who wouldn’t walk through fire to bring them their treats.
Buddy the dog? Oblivious. Didn’t even know I was gone. He’s a total daddy’s boy, and as long as John’s around with a biscuit in hand, I could move to Fiji and Buddy would just wag.
Meanwhile, Bandito and Little Ralphie are absolutely traumatized because John cleaned their litter box after every single poop. I mean, the horror! No “tootsie rolls” left to chase across the floor like midnight hockey pucks. The nerve of the man—he destroyed their entire recreational system.
So, I have a few things to get to the bottom of (like a bottle of red wine), and then I will be back here catching up!
Happy trails,
MJ
Off topic, and I apologize. My huge congratulations to you, MJ. My first Great-Grandson was born the first of October.
Bill
Thank you, Bill! There is absolutely nothing any sweeter or cuter! I thought my granddaughters were fabulous, but honestly, those great-grands are indescribable! It's so strange to see the granddaughters that I watched grow up now both married and having babies. Good grief, just how old am I? LOL! Congratulations on that great-grandson! I have one of those, too... he's 4 now, and another great-granddaughter who will be 3 in February. I am in love!!
MJ
I owe you 1.000 reciprocations and thank yous! I’ve been in Utah for the last few weeks… got a brand-new great-granddaughter, and John has been in charge of the animal kingdom! If that tells you anything! But I have returned and am about to get started on my paybacks!
can ground you in the issue.
or the absurdity! LOL!
I meant you don't need to use text as part of your book covers here, whether you add them yourself or let the Publish wizard add one for you. Your chosen cover on this site is never displayed here without the name of the book, short story, or poem being either beside, above, or below the cover image.
So you're saying you don't need to title it, just put the picture? Okay, that works, too.
For what it's worth, you don't need a title on the book cover on this site. If I remember correctly, whenever this site displays your cover, the name of the book will always be included in text anyway, so there's no need for it on the image. When it displays your book cover as a thumbnail, such as on our home pages, it's usually too difficult to read anyway.
That depends on whether or not you want it to write your title. For me, if I have a special picture, I rarely want the title big and bold in the center of the page. I want it where I want it, even though it may seem small here. So there is an option where you can say no to having the site write your title and name on your cover.
The biggest problem I have with putting my own picture for my cover on here is that my pics usually have too many pixels. No matter the size, if the DPI is heavy, it won't upload. I always take it into PhotoShop and make the DPI less, and then it works. I think you can do that with Paint, too.
Ah-HA! At last, the truth is revealed! So Sol, noble guardian of the storage folder, holds the keys to the kingdom. Of course! It all makes sense now… like discovering your cat has been running a secret side business out of your garage. Or maybe not?
Thanks for your research, Bill and Kdot. Just makes me wonder if I'm the only one this has ever happened to... strange... anyway, onward we go!
MJ
Yes, my browser has been cleared multiple times, not just for this, but for multiple other things I work with. I use Chrome instead of Firefox, but I do have Firefox, but I've never tried the CTRL-F5. Maybe I'll give that a try and see if it changes. It's no big deal... I love both of the pics, but after a while I like to change them up. So we shall see what happens. Thanks for the suggestions.
My avatar here in the forums is my horse named Chili. The other one everywhere else is my cat, Scooterbug. Why are they different. I changed to the cat one weeks ago, but silly Chili is still hanging in here on the forums. At least he is on my laptop and phone. Odd.
