tomthewriter.com

Tag: reading

  • Library of Congress – Muddling By

    Here I am, again, beginning the wait as the US Library of Congress decides whether to add my most recent book to the collection. This morning, January 22, 2026, I mailed off a copy of the book and the form to the other Washington (from where I am in Washington State). I’m sure if I…

  • The First Words

    The first words. The first 1,800 words. The third book in my scifi trilogy has begun. I wonder how it will turn out. That should be easy. Sit down and start typing. Easy to say. Easy to type. Don’t lose track of those first thoughts. Get words on media! But… This is my third scifi…

  • A New Year Means New Works

    It’s already the third day of the new year and I haven’t started working on any of this year’s projects. Only 362 days left! Oy. Step 1) Don’t beat myself up about it. Holidays happen, and are not to be ignored. Step 2) Write this post instead of working on the books. A sneaky way…

  • Popular Posts 2025

    Another year, another set of lists. I check the stats at least once a year to see what readers want to read. As a writer, I’ll write what I want to write, but readers are the reason to write. Unfortunately, most readers are too busy to comment. I know I am; I rarely leave comments,…

  • Social Media Posting In December

    You’ve all been doing it, right? You know, posting posts about your content? Pointing out your books to people who might want to see your point? It’s the holiday season, really the shopping season, the season to sell, sell, sell – or not. Sales are good. Sales aren’t everything. But this is the season for…

  • Before Black Friday

    It is the day before the day before Black Friday. US Thanksgiving is tomorrow. The bird is thawing. First round of dishes washed. A day of baking and cooking will commence. And. Anyone selling retail, like authors, can be spending time trying to prepare for selling their goods (even if they’re bad books) on Black…

  • Unboxing And Delivering

    The next phase begins. Muddling By has been launched! But that’s just the end of the first act. Now for the transition from introverted writer to extroverted author. This morning, both behind and ahead of schedule, my first box of books arrived. Books in a box are fine, but my day off became a day…

  • How A Book Can Begin

    Some people plan. I even had a job that required it, and I enjoyed it. And then there are those events that spring up on a mix of whim and opportunity. I live northwest of Seattle. There was a family celebration happening on an island in North Carolina. I decided to drive there and back…

  • Whidbey Island Comicon – 2025 – After

    Hey! They asked me back! Er. They asked for me back. Hmm. They asked me to return. ‘They’ were the organizers of last year’s Galaxy Edge event where I was a panelist because I was local, and a writer of science fiction. (Firewatcher, Fire Race) This year, a name change for them. For me, it’s…

  • Whidbey Island Comicon – 2025

    The quick post to social media: Back for my third year as a guest speaker at theWhidbey Island Comicon – this weekend ! (July 18-20).Cool.See you there.(Details to follow, as time allows, eh?)address: 390 NE Midway Blvd, Oak Harbor, WAhttps://www.whidbeyislandcomicon.org/ The longer post: What? Whoa! Yay! Eep! I just got the word that the event…