Buster's Thoughts on Living a Good Life

Hi Friends,

Buster's been thinking about writing another book. His first book, "Dig It - Gardening Tips for Dogs", has gone down well with readers, and he can see there is a need for a book about finding better ways to live a good life. Boy does Buster know lots about that!

Buster's an expert at resting, eating well, and focusing on the positive things in his life. As a dog, Buster's main reason for living seems to be to have fun. Have a snack, Fun! Sit down and snooze, Fun! Go to bed, Fun! Go outside, Fun! Come back inside, Fun! Stay inside and do absolutely nothing, Fun!

I've been thinking a lot about Mindfulness lately, and will be learning about it in May, once a week, heading off to learn from someone who's made it her life's work. This program has been put on by the MS Society SA & NT, for people who have multiple sclerosis. Mindfulness and MS go together well, as far as I can see, and the other people there all seem committed to learning more about this. This is Fun!

I think the canine outlook on life, with it's Live Life in the Moment attitude fits in with the canine mind. I thing Buster's next book will be a look at Mindfulness and how he thinks about the whole thing, with pictures ... I'm not sure how these pictures might happen - my friend who did the illustrations for the last book has moved away, and she has an actual job, so may not be available...

We'll see what happens ... Some of the pictures from "Dig It" may be suitable for the new book, and there are always other opportunities. I may even learn how to be a wonderful illustrator, Ha ha - that would be fun!

Buster lives a good life, and always has fun! Fun is being with those you love, with others you're prepared to at least be friends with if not actually love. Fun is being involved in what's happening in your home, and fun is being involved in what's happening in the greater world out there over the fence and beyond!

This book is largely sitting inside my head (I am Buster's human and his alter ego, or he is my imaginary dog and my alter ego, not sure how that goes ...). I just looked it up on Wikipedia and it would work either way, I think.

Anyway, can't hang around, I'm off to a writing lock in, and I'll have a think about Buster's new book while I'm there, as well as working on putting together my new poetry collection. Life is Fun!

Yes, Third Print Run, WooHoo!

Today I visited the printer who I've chosen to do the third print run of my book, Dig It! Gardening Tips For Dogs. Peter, from Bunyip Print gave me three copies of the book, for me to check and to get back to him if there were any changes needed, and to let him know if he could do the printing. (I'm a writer, a self-published one so I have to do all of these things myself. It's going well, and I'm enjoying myself with this!)

I had a quick look at it at Bunyip Print, and it all looked pretty good to me. I was advised by the woman who works there (sorry, I've forgotten your name), that I should take it home and give it a good look, to make sure it was all ready to go.

I didn't really think I'd need to actually do anything, but once I got home today, I fired up the computer and sat down with the book, and my copy of the manuscript that is on the computer. Imagine my horror when I discovered some paragraphs missing in the proof copy of the book!

On checking it back against an older copy, I was able to fill in the gaps, deleted an image that I'd used to fill in a gap, not realising there was a gap because I'd somehow deleted a paragraph of text. I hope I've fixed all of the errors. I changed the text in the caption of one of the illustrations, and in general checked everything.

After I did all of that, I sent the revised copy to Peter at Bunyip Print, with a list of the changes made. I've heard back from Peter, and I have to say, I am impressed by his promptness. I'm certainly going to talk up Bunyip Print - such attention to detail, and promptness is always impressive, and I feel they will do the best for my book, this one and any others I may produce in the future...

Dealing with the local businesses always feels good to me, and when they seem as good as this one, it makes me even happier to be doing business locally!

So Buster the Dog is going into the third print run of his book, and I launch back into promoting his book for him! I think my next move will be to produce some bookmarks, with words of Gardening Wisdom from Buster! Keep your eye out on this website, and please get in contact if you'd like a copy of the book - it will be $10.00 $AUD, with no charge for postage, unless the cost is huge...

Cats and dogs

I had an idea yesterday that is somewhat relevant to this website. Ideas can be dangerous things, but I think this one is safe enough, and it may lead to making some money for me and my friend Allison Hean - the clever illustrator of the book that this website is all about.

I write things, and Ally has illustrated things for me. These two things together added up in my head to my idea. I was thinking about poetry, as I often do, and I thought that maybe I could take Ally's pictures she's done of dogs and cats for me, and put them together.

You see I have written various poems about both dogs and cats, and my idea is that I could put a dog picture with a dog poem and a cat picture with a cat poem. OK, it's not an absolutely wonderful idea, but it might end up being cute.

If I could make up some little books and sell them for a little bit of money, it would be empowering for me and will be useful to Ally too, I think. She's working hard and doesn't need the money, but it would be good to be able to give her some money derived from her wondrous illustrating talents.

So that's the story - if anyone has any thoughts on this matter, I'd be ever so glad to hear them! Please leave a comment - the life of this embryo book depends on you!

Writing the Next Book in the Series

Hello to everyone who has popped in for some news about my venture into self-publishing. I have been thinking lately about getting down to my works in (no) progress. One of these is the next book in the series begun with 'Dig It! Gardening Tips for Dogs'.

In the last part of that book another book to come is hinted at, and now that stocks have run low in the third print run of the first book, I have decided it may be time to get serious about getting book two written.

I have an idea, I have a working title, but I am woefully low on money to buy myself time to write the book. The idea is for a funny book about sex from a dog's point of view (slightly raunchy but certainly not pornographic), the working title would be Doggy is not the Only Style, the money to buy some time? Well, dear reader, this is where you come in.

If I can get enough donations, I can get down to writing this book, and paying my wonderful illustrator Allyson Hean to create some funny but only slightly naughty pictures.

So that is my plan, checkout this website just above the blog posts to donate if you want to help this plan come into fruition.

Thank you