MARCH 6 2014: BEING SOCIAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA VIA LINKEDIN

Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.

Benjamin Franklin

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I heard an interesting discussion recently between two fairly successful authors. One said he thought a great deal about his audience when writing—and tailored what he wrote to their needs.

The other said he though very little about his readers while he was actually writing. He focused entirely on the story.

I’m in the latter’s story-driven camp. I tend to focus entirely on the story when writing—if only because my fictional world is real to me while I write, and as such, is utterly absorbing. Yes, I know intellectually that my characters are not real when I’m away from the keyboard—(or so I pretend) though they remain a very strong presence.

That said, even though I consciously don’t tailor my stories for my readers while engaged in the process (who knows what my subconscious gets up to) I do think a great deal about my readers at other times, hope they/you will enjoy what I write; and love corresponding with you.

You enrich my life. You give me faith. You sustain me. I now know—and like—more than a few of you personally.

That apart, you may well be a villainous bunch—but I am strongly biased in your favor.

E-mail and blogging apart, it has taken me some time to get comfortable with social media—and it remains a work in progress. Nonetheless, recently I have been making a serious effort to reach out through Linkedin—and have been much moved by the reaction; and agreeably surprised by my own feelings. Because solitude goes with the disciplines of book writing, I have tended to think of myself as fairly self-contained—and not really needing as much human interaction as many—but instead I find myself much engaged by the lives of those I am corresponding with. In fact, all in all, I’m finding it a heart-warming experience.

You would think you would know yourself after nearly 70 years of life—but evidently I’m fonder of my fellow humans than I realized.

I’ll try and keep it a secret.

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WHAT MY READERS THINK

Glad to see you back in the “area.” Your books have been fun for myself, sons, daughter, and friends. I hope all
is well or at least settled so you may once again enjoy life and write . . . we who can not write as you do read/live
vicariously through your books.
Fred Ruggles

MARCH 5 2014: THE SECRET OF SUCCESS IS BEING WILLING TO FAIL—AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN—AND GETTING BACK UP EVERY TIME. AND NO, IT IS NOT EASY. IT IS MERELY NECESSARY.

“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Steve Jobs

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I have written before that writers live in a state of permanent failure—both because financial success is comparatively rare—and because you rarely write quite as well as you want to.

If you do, you raise the bar. The challenge is the thing—and writing itself is just plain wonderful. In essence I am saying that failure in writing is arguably a more enjoyable way of life—at least for some of us—than success in another field. And money is not how we measure success (though we need it as much as anyone else).

What counts, above all, is the writing—the extraordinary process of converting thought into words in a manner that will win over the reader.

Does it hook?

Does it flow?

Is it clear?

Does it entertain?

Does it touch?

Is it compelling?

Does it offer surprise?

Does it illuminate the human condition?

Does it amuse?

Are my written words consistent with what I am really trying to say—or has something been lost in the transition from mind to written word?

It was in this spirit that I encountered a short but highly relevant article by CATHERINE CLIFFORD in Entrepreneur Magazine

Even the most successful people have failed at some point or another. Actually, scratch that -- especially the most successful people have failed at some point or another. (And probably a whole lot more than you might imagine.)

The biggest difference between successful people and less accomplished individuals is that successful people don’t let being rejected keep them down. Successful entrepreneurs have the emotional tools to manage disappointment and not let it derail them for too long; they’re resilient and determined. 

Rejected: Entrepreneurs: Your Irrational Optimism Is Necessary

Alex Fauske, The Doodle Video Guy, put together this animation illustrating the surprising records of failure for some folks who are now pretty legendary success stories with data from San Francisco-based startup organization Funders and Founders. Teaser: Sylvester Stallone was rejected 1,500 times when he tried selling his script, with himself as the lead actor, for the now legendary movie Rocky.

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WHAT MY READERS THINK

As a woman I would have thought it would have
been "not my cup of tea" however I found myself thoroughly enthralled and did not want to leave it
down until I had it finished. I also found your research tapes incredible.
After finding your site I am now going to try and get a copy of your books and re-read Games of the
Hangman and hopefully get a chance to read the others too. I am amazed like your other readers that
you are not more prominent, especially here in Ireland.
Keep up the great work

Imelda Masterson

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APPARENTLY IT IS NOT JUST MY IMPRESSION—RESEARCH CONFIRMS THAT WOMEN REALLY DO MAKE BETTER LEADERS THAN MEN

It has long been my belief  that our most neglected resource is human potential—but that our social structures seem more concerned with enforcing conformity than encouraging creativity. In short, we are not very good at drawing out talent; and clearly some of us don’t want to.

Talent has a disconcerting habit of questioning the status quo—and those who are in power, and otherwise entrenched in their comfort zones—don’t like that. Talent is troublesome.

God knows, schools are bad enough with their emphasis on socialization, but then one—most probably—enters the corporate/government/military world where independent thought has little chance of surviving. And after a while—a very little while—you accept this as being normal. You have to if you want to keep your job—let alone advance your career.

This relentless pressure to conform has a great deal to do with social control—which brings me on to the question of leadership. If I’m going to be controlled, I would like to be well controlled. Recently, I commented on how wrong it is that women are not paid the same for equal work—and that led me to the thought that women are generally more effective than men, and might make better leaders.

So far, we are only talking my opinion—but serendipity being what it is, this morning I stumbled across an article in Business Insider which quoted research by Zenger Folkman that confirmed just that. Their findings are based upon a substantial sample and over a long period of time. They have credibility.

For more than a decade, our organization has been collecting 360° feedback data from leading organizations worldwide. We now have 450,000 feedback instruments pertaining to about 45,000 leaders, covering a wide variety of industries. The studies that follow include our most current data collected in 2011 and 2012. The sample we have used includes just under 16,000 leaders of whom two-thirds were male and one-third female. Each participant had on average 13 respondents, including their manager, their direct reports and their peers.

The data are very clear. Women make better leaders—yet we males don’t give them much of a chance.  

I’m pretty sure we would all have a better quality of life if we did.

Photo at top is of GM CEO, Mary Barra. As matters stand, she is being paid slightly less than half of what her male predecessor received.

MARCH 4 2014: THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE HUNGRY CHARACTER AND THE COMPLEMENTARY QUARTET

If you hear a voice within you say, 'You cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."

-- Vincent Van Gogh,
Dutch artist

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Yesterday, I worked for 14 hours sustained only by two mugs of tea. I’ve come to the conclusion I work better when somewhat hungry—though I don’t notice that I’m hungry when I’m writing (more or less true). Also, I seem to have more energy—not less—when I eat less.

Counter-intuitive? Very much so. Downright unscientific.

In fact, I’m not quite sure what lessons to draw from all this—because we all have different metabolisms—but I’m certainly of the view that we eat too much, eat the wrong things all too often, and are conditioned into truly terrible habits.

I say ‘conditioned’ because even if you think you are a rugged individualist—who is entirely his or her own person—you are wrong. Even the mentally strongest of us is affected to some extent by the barrage of commercial and political propaganda that surrounds us from birth to death—and there is substantial research to support that statement. Are there exceptions? I doubt there are—except in degree. Some of us are undoubtedly more influenced than others.

It strikes me that it is about time we admitted that the tools of marketing work—and I say that as someone who used to be in marketing (among other things) before I became a writer—and reined them in somewhat. Freedom of choice is an illusion if someone else is pulling your strings—and our strings are pulled much more than we are willing to concede. Europe constrains the excesses of commercialism to some extent—and is, in my opinion, much the better for it. We do not.

Do I normally work such long days? No—I haven’t gone completely loopy—and normally work ten to twelve hour days. However, in this case, I had had something of a breakthrough—and just wanted to stay with it.

Why have I changed my eating habits? Fundamentally, as an exercise in willpower. True, I wanted to lose some weight as well—but what I really wanted to do was see if I could. Call it an exercise in character building. Insert the words ‘much-needed’ in front of ‘exercise.’

Can one improve one’s character? Being of a curious disposition, that’s what I’m trying to find out. My sense is that it is extremely difficult—rather like writing—but worth the effort. Currently, I’m six months in—and intrigued by the results. They are not what I expected; but—hunger apart—they are nothing but good.

After a walk, I finished the day by watching Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, the movie QUARTET. All I can say is that even if Hoffman did not have an impressive body of work to his credit already, he would have more than justified his existence by way of this magnificent movie. It’s a masterpiece directed with sensitivity—and a light touch. It’s also vastly entertaining and moving. Beautifully written too. Funny? Extremely so. It’s also a movie about human decency—a quality that it is good to be reminded of every now and then.

My normal type of movie? No—but I love Maggie Smith in just about anything—and you’d be a sad sack if Billy Connolly didn’t brighten your day.

What’s it about? You’ll find the details on Wiki. I’m trying to make my blogs shorter—which is a great deal harder than making them longer.

All in all, it was an exceptionally good day. I truly love what I do.

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WHAT MY READERS THINK

Hello Victor, I happened upon your blog at BLOGSPOT.COM and remembered that you were once my favorite read!  Last I heard from you was an email after you had moved  to VA and your daughter was off on her life adventure.  How are things all these years later?  I always expect a new book and would welcome it with readers lust!!  Hope all is well with you and that you are having lots of smiles and fun in your world!  

Teri Lambert

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MARCH 3 2014: READING ROCKS!

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”

William Styron, Conversations with William Styron

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I found the above quote on Lu Anne Worley’s excellent book review site—Rockin’ Book Reviews –-which is great fun.

Book reviewing in traditional media has declined so we authors owe a great deal to the bloggers who have stepped up to the plate—and who feel so passionate about books and reading.

Book reviewing is much more difficult than you might think because you have got to convey the essence of a book, and your opinion of it, in a limited space—and in a fresh and entertaining manner  every time.

These largely unpaid book review bloggers do an amazing job.

Thank you.

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I have been trying to work out whether my books conform to William Styron’s quote (see above).

• Many experiences? Yes—I certainly qualify on that account.
• Leave you slightly exhausted at the end? I write pretty good endings but have never thought in terms of leaving my readers exhausted—more satisfied. But I understand what he means.
• You live several lives while reading. What a marvelous sentence—and so true.

All in all, it’s not for me to say whether my books are great—or not. All I can say is that my readers have been very kind. The following is an example.

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WHAT MY READERS THINK

I have just discovered your books through my local library and would just like to compliment you on your storylines and the humanizing of your characters. It is a true joy to sit down with one of your novels after a tough day at the office and immerse myself in a Victor O'Reilly masterpiece. Thank you so much for your courage in writing and the impact you have had on your fan's lives.    Best wishes in all you do, Debbie 

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MARCH 2 2014: A SERIES OF BOOKS SET IN THE GREEK ISLANDS—WHAT A TERRIFIC IDEA. LET ME INTRODUCE BESTSELLING AUTHOR ANGEL SEFER

“Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying, has the good fortune to sail the Aegean sea.”

― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

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Currently, Greece is best known for its economic problems. That’s a great pity. Greece is a stunningly beautiful country which has provided the basis for the fairest system of government we have evolved so far. We don’t always implement it very well—the current U.S. political gridlock illustrates this—but even imperfect democracies are superior to the alternatives.

We owe Greece a great deal (and, frankly, we should treat it a great deal better). Go visit—you’ll love it. Great food and wine too. And yes, I do like retsina.

If the Greek mainland is impressive, the Greek islands raise the bar even higher. They are a series of gems—each island different, each its own very special world.

Author Angel Sefer has come up with the brilliant idea of writing a series of books set is the Greek islands. This is what is said on her LinkedIn site.

Angel Sefer was born in Athens, Greece. She has studied and worked on both sides of the Atlantic. She holds a degree in Economics and divides her time between the corporate world and her true passion: reading and writing romantic mystery & suspense novels. She lives in Athens, Greece, with the two loves of her life — her son and her husband. Angel is a member of several writers groups.

"This book LITERALLY sucked me in with the very first paragraph. I had a very hard time putting this book down because it is so action packed!" - Joe Cool Review
"I would summarize 'Spellbound in His Arms' in one word: exciting! This was a fun easy read that had it all; romance, excitement and mystery with Corfu for the backdrop of the story." - The Masquerade Crew

Her award-winning, romantic mystery & suspense, #1 bestseller, “Spellbound in His Arms” — published by Booktrope — is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It’s the first novel in “The Greek Isles Series”, taking place on the alluring island of Corfu.
“The Greek Isles Series” is a series of six novels, each taking place on a different island. In this series, while sharing with the readers the development of the romance and the unfolding of the mystery, Angel also takes the opportunity to share with them the unbelievable experience of visiting some of the most enchanting Greek islands. These islands are places of impeccable beauty, where nature exists lavishly in hundreds of shades of green and blue, and in which centuries of Greek tradition coexist harmoniously with cosmopolitan activity.

“Deadly Secrets” — the second novel in this series — blends mystery, romance, and adventure on Mykonos, one of the most beautiful islands in the Aegean Sea. The picturesque setting on one hand and the unique way of life on a Greek island, which reflects the values and traditions of the people, on the other, set the background for this intriguing story.

“Deadly Secrets” will be published soon by Booktrope.

MARCH 1 2014: THE TROUBLE WITH OUR DEFENSE BUDGET IS THAT IT DOESN’T SHOW NEARLY EVERYTHING WE SPEND ON DEFENSE—OR EVEN CLOSE

The Defense Budget is the budget of the Department of Defense—but everything we spend on defense is NOT included in it. If we were remotely honest, we would feature a National Security budget instead—and then we would have a much better fix on what we spend to defend ourselves.

Well, theoretically we would have a better idea. It’s hard to know the truth of the matter though because the Pentagon has made itself impossible to audit. Yes, I know it’s the law; but the Pentagon is—in effect—above the law, or beyond it, or something. Either way, the place has so many incompatible accounting systems that auditing has become ‘mission impossible.’ You’ve heard of ‘too big to fail?’ Well, we also have ‘too big to audit.’ So much for checks and balances. And, by the way, this situation has gone on for years.

But doesn’t Congress have oversight? Why don’t they do something?

You can’t oversee what you can’t audit. Currently, we shovel money in—but have no way of checking where it all goes. In fact, we don’t really know what the Pentagon owns. We have ‘official figures,’ but such figures are unverifiable claims.

Only in America.

What is missing from the DOD budget?

• Veterans Administration
• Homeland Security
• Intelligence
• Nuclear Weapons
• DARPA
• Various Black Programs
• Supplementaries.
• A lot of other stuff I have forgotten.

What does the total come to? Something well over $1 trillion. So we say we’re spending about 4.5% of GDP but the real total is more like 6.25%.

Weirdly, just about everyone takes the Pentagon budget at face value—even the international institutions who should know better like SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute). Thus, when we compare our Defense Budget to that of others, we are not comparing like with like.

Is anything being done about all this?

To quote a good friend of mine—he was talking about Congress: “Watch what they do—not what they say.”