We’ve been treaded…but good

Gadsden Flag

I wanted to save this. It was a response to yet another facebook meme photo of the gadsden flag. I do not knock the person who posted it, nor do I knock what that old flag/n/snake stood for, but I believe it is far too late for it to be meaningful anymore. The only way for our nation to regain what has been lost would be through a real revolution…and I seriously doubt that something like that is possible in this time without some sort of apocalypse or total economic collapse as most people are so completely inured to what is going on as to prevent any meaningful change to occur.

So the saved response. Take it as you will…or not. It is what I have come to realize after 5 decades in the land of U.S. Bizarro World. —-

…Too bad that is meaningless. In our lifetime, we have NEVER experienced true freedom. We are coerced at the point of the gun to assist in the theft of our income on a yearly basis, we pay even MORE in the form of taxation for EVERYTHING all of the time, to the point of losing up to 40% of our disposable income to it AFTER the primary taxation method… we allow our government to continue its current form and allow them to gerrymander the districts to keep the same evil people in positions of authority.

We have long since abdicated any responsibility. In fact, we are NOT a free nation at all, but rather a thinly disguised fascist state that pays mere lip service to “freedom”. Even those on the conservative side, when questioned about how to change things have said “we need to litigate”. a quote of Mark Levin when asked what should be done on his radio show.

Our nation was founded upon principles the founders KNEW couldn’t survive…and they were correct, as progressive thought and politics began a long quiet struggle in the late 1800′s and took center stage with Woodrow Wilson’s administration in the early 1900′s.

When “we the people” understand that we have been sold down the river…a LONG time ago, that will be the beginning of change…but I have no hope for this occuring in our lifetime…unless the nation collapses under the unsustainable weight of its debt burden…but remember the government is in control of the military and the law enforcement branches, so what comes after…will probably just shed the veneer of a republic.

Sorry for piling on here on your page, but the constant barage of facebook memes/photos/slogans angers me to my core, as it is lip service rather than reality. “Reality”…is police geared and equipped to appear exactly as soldiers breaking and entering supposed private residences hunting for a ‘terrorist’…and no one…NOONE blinks an eye, rather they cheer in the streets.

We’ve been firmly tread upon, and we cheer.

 

So I’m a best selling author now!…er, well, sorta’, kinda.

So I’m doing some research on marketing my work…still waiting on da’info regarding smashwords ‘n’ amazon before getting into it whole hog, and I decided to look at where my book sits over at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/284350 …and drumroll… I’m on page 5 of the bestseller filter in the fantasy category in my price range.

GO ME!!!

It means little to nothing compared to a zillion copies sold by the big names in the writing field, but hey, it made me grin, and since I put my blood, sweat n’ tears into the thing, I might as well enjoy it…and I have, after all, sold some copies and gotten a couple 5 star reviews.

The sad thing for writers trying to publish, either self or traditional, is that most of us don’t sell a single copy of anything…or so few copies as to make no never mind.  Some of this is due to the glut of works out there, but sadly it is also due to the fact that fewer and fewer people are READING.

In my alter ego, as CABDUDE, I hear it all the time.  People get in the taxi, conversation ensues, and they get all enthralled that I’m doing the taxi thing to allow me to focus on writing…and then the bomb drops:

“That is so cool…but I never have any time to read.”

I want to scream:  ”MAKE THE TIME!  You have time to do every damn thing else, including sitting in front of a bottle of booze or watching mindless drivel on the tube WHILE consumin’ ze booze for hours on end!” …and then I stop myself.

Their life.  Their loss.

As for me, I make the time, all the time.  Reading enriches the soul, educates the mind, and is so much more fulfilling than anything else I can think of doing…er, well, ‘cept for writing.

And so, back to pounding away on the next one…and reading the next one!

My life.  My win.

Must..post…moarrrrr…here

Okay, now that I’ve published my little brick of a novel, I’ve got to start the marketing stuff soon-ish.  (Well I’ve got a couple more weeks, as it takes time for the work to filter to other re-sellers…and I MIGHT have to publish to Amazon separately…but other than that.)

As an integral part of the process, one of the self marketing bits is this blog.  Up until now, it has been just me ranting n’ ravin’ on whatever I wanted to, and while that will continue, hopefully to your entertainment and interests,  I’ve now got to start focusing on the other hat a self published writer must wear…THE MARKETING DUDE BEANIE O’ LOVE.

So anyway,  I will continue the taxi shenanigans stories as they present themselves, but I will also start blogging about this whole new journey I’ve embarked upon, that of 21st century self published writer dude.

Oh and back to 7 pages a day on the next book as well, so that I can avoid the “G.R.R. Martin decades ‘tween book” syndrome.  :-)

Of course all of this stuff also depends upon whether the folks who actually READ my stuff think its worth a crap.  So if you HAVE read/purchased/etc. my novel, please make sure to review it either on:

http://www.kobobooks.com/

https://www.smashwords.com/

http://www.goodreads.com

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/after-the-burning-cj-peter/1114769445?ean=2940044328310

—and I’ll attempt to update locations and such as the book becomes available.

So I went and published my book!

It took a bit longer than I thought it would, but here it is:

After the Burning: Princess

Now to keep pounding out the pages for the next one!

The book cover is done!

After the Burning – Princess a novel by C.J. Peter

An overdue cab story

So I picked up the fare at a bar on the north side. He said his girlfriend left him there and that he lived in Highlands Ranch. I’m thinking…$$$ and off we go.

The whole nearly 100$ ride he whines about unrequited love and how love isn’t received, but it must be given. I’m thinking ‘yea…sure, whatever’, but keep nodding and being cab-psychologist.

We get to his house and he pays with a card, but insists on giving me a tip in cash. He opens his wallet and its STUFFED with singles. I joke, “If I didn’t know better I’d swear I just grabbed you from a strip bar!”………………….he then mumbles that is where his “girlfriend” works.

I held off choking with laughter (barely) until after he got out.

And that’s kinda’ how my night went. Profitable, but dear gods the maroons in this town sometimes.

Sometimes my job is “Cops” exciting

So there I was tooling over to pick up one of my regulars over by 80th and Federal, when at the light at 80th and Lowell an idiot in an SUV comes screaming up, tries to make the turn south and ends up missing said turn and after smashing through a fence, nearly smacks a house.  He grinds through the bushes and tears up his vehicle…right in front of me.  Then he tries to get away.  I turn around, follow the guy to get his plates while calling it in to 911.  The guy then sees that the Metro taxi is following him and decides to play “Mr. Daredevil Gone in 60 Seconds Guy”…with a broken axle.

I tool along behind the brain surgeon until…HE PULLS INTO HIS OWN DRIVEWAY.  I sit there talking with the 911 operator, my car angled to get the best view…and he gets out and stumbles into his house.  I wait for the cops to arrive, leave them my info letting em’ know I have a beautiful customer who will be stranded.  So I blaze off.  (D-girl, you rule for being patient waiting for me.     )

So I get my customer safely home, and then return to see if the police need any more info…and THIS is what I see:

Apparently, all hell broke loose after I left.  I ended up filing a full incident report, then had to identify the driver (which I did), and then show the officers where the actual wreck occurred.

The officers were sorta’ in awe that I did what I did.  One of em’ said, “Most people just blow this stuff off.  Thank you.”  Made me feel good for being there, but irritated that most people can’t be bothered.

But mostly I was  just glad it was at the end of the driving shift.