Cataclysmic

I’m suffering this morning.

It’s my own damn fault… I should have paid better attention. Idiot!!!

I’ve been doing my best to provide for those around me, and working on preparatory projects, and I often forget all about myself, and what I need to get through my day. And it’s always the trivial things I overlook. I need to be more diligent with the inventory. My problem solving, timing, and organizational skills are improving, but I do have my moments.

Suffering might be a bit strong. I’m not actually “suffering”. Perhaps too dramatic.

It was that unfortunate moment when I realized I was out of flavored coffee creamer, after I had brewed a strong pot to begin my Sunday. I have a ton of work to do, and coffee is my companion during my daily tasks. Those who know me, understand coffee is an absolute must in my universe. The elixir of the gods. Without access to the elixir, the results can be cataclysmic. When I’m wide awake at 4 am, coffee is a necessity.

I’m not a big fan of milk in my coffee, even with added sugar (and I refuse to drink it without flavored additions). Milk waters it down too much. Tastes a little flat. Dulls that slight edge of bitterness I need in my morning drink.

The idea of going out into the world to get supplies today, makes me roll my eyes and dread the excursion. Of course, I’ll do what needs to be done. The stores are not far away. I just have to muscle up the energy to go out and get it over with. Knowing what to expect out there, makes the trek difficult, and sucks the enjoyment out of the experience.

Life is meant to be enjoyable, and I hate the idea of slogging through the quagmire of negativity, just to get a chore complete.

(Bleck)

The one time I wanted to stay home, chilly day, comfy cozy in pajamas, wrapped up in a fleece blanket while petting my dog, maybe zone out to reruns of the Office, chilling with Nancy, and not go anywhere… (sigh)

I suppose all will be well. I shouldn’t complain. Life is very, very good.

I did say these installments would be shorter as the days move forward. This is one of those shorter posts.

Quick update: I’ve been through both manuscripts, the primary novel and Companion, with a fine tooth comb. I can’t seem to find any formatting issues or glaring problems, so I believe all engines are ready to fire up on that. Just have to press “publish.”

My last conversation with my artist indicated he was doing retouches and detail/finish work. Once completed, he’ll send me the PDS file, and I can check that box off.

The Companion art is done….

Now, a question for the adventure clan…

I’m looking for advice/input at this leg of the journey, and I’ll try to keep it brief. I’ve been struggling with one component during all this.

The Companion (free read) art, is a slap together job through a Fiverr agent. A bit rough. I was thinking at the time, “free read… does it need expensive art?” I decided… no. It didn’t need to be flashy. It’s an extension story, and free is something I wanted to provide to my people.

Do you believe art work for a free read, should be flashy, expensive? Or… it’s free… don’t worry about it too much. My readers already know how serious I am with this project, and I’m looking to provide the best product I can (within my abilities to provide).

I’ve been wondering if I should take the existing Companion art and have it redone/tweaked/revised, before making it official. A side-by-side look indicates the books may belong together, and exist in the same universe, but the fonts are different. The images are not as crisp (get what you pay for). Knowing the source material, I know where it came from, and how it was put together, but something about it just rubs me the wrong way.

The question is: Go, and keep it simple, as a freebie? Or, send it away to a pro for a revisit?

These are the thing that keep me up at night.

Any and all advice, links to pros who do retouches, a specific direction to go, is much appreciated. I’m thanking you ahead in advance.

In the meantime, I’m working toward another free read which I’ll be providing to my subscribers and followers, only. My own personal version of a news-letter. A short tale that fits into the expanding universe. I’ll let you know when that’s complete.

Have a good week. Stay positive. Be good to each other and chat soon.

Peace 🙂

Thank you for reading and joining me on my journey. Please subscribe in the provided area to receive a notification of new posts by email or feel free to follow me on Twitter @jeremymorang, or follow along at my Facebook page to read up on a character’s journal entries. Please give this a like if you like it, share with others, or leave a comment if you wish. See you at the next one.