Upcoming week.
No picture today.
I’ve been busy getting together all the print versions of, not just upcoming titles, but also those already in print. Remember, I did a mass edit at the beginning of this year. I need to get all those print interiors updated and out there. That’s been my Sunday.
Well, and My Favorite Daughter and The Boy stopped by with the puppies. Always great.
Next week I’ll be starting on Jack Kane, book 3. Excited to get words down again. Mike and I will round-robin the chapters and keep the story moving forward. This one will be a blast!
Also going to experiment more with OBS and adding background music and need to get the title card in there. Still much to toy with on that front. I’m loving that the Go Live on YouTube will make this process so much easier and save a TON of time.
Lots to happen in the coming weeks and months. Going to be interesting as things start to grow slowly and continually. This is one of the things I know need to happen and it’s the most difficult part about publishing is putting work out there and seeing the slowness of the growth. Slowness doesn’t matter. What matters is there is growth.
I’m off to go make magic happen.
Until Next Time!
Stay Awesome!
Yes, I’m behind on my TV viewing.
In the Murdock Family Household, we’re Marvel fans. We’ve gone back and rewatched all the MCU movies in order. I’ve watched all the NetFlix series (with the exception of Jessica Jones season 3, and Daredevil Season 3). We LOVED Wandavision.
My Favorite Daughter burned through Falcon and Winter Soldier as the episodes came out. The Mrs and I, well, we took our time.
Last weekend, we burned through the first 4 episodes, and today we finished off the last two.
Wow, Marvel is getting so good with their story telling. That’s all I really have to say here. I don’t get the hated toward the “new” Captain America character. To me, he was not someone to hate, but rather sympathetic.
If you’re a fan of the Marvel Universe, you need to keep up with what Disney is doing. It’s amazing.
That’s all I’ve got today.
Until Next Time!
Stay Awesome!
It all about carving out time…
Tonight I testing out live streaming to YouTube instead of recording, editing, compiling, and uploading an episode. I went from taking 2 hours to do my 15 minute video, to 20 minutes and it was already live on YouTube.
There are still many things to figure out and while my audience is still small, there’s time to figure it all out. I need to find out how to add looping bed music. How to add an intro/outro. Title cards. Perhaps even a caption. Lots of things to figure out.
But guess what…
I now have time to do that. Normally when the file would be compiling, I’d be working on the title card for the video. Then I’d come over here and work on the blog post. I’d upload the video to YouTube and now I’m uploading to IGTV. All of these eat into time I could be spending doing something else.
Like writing.
I had, honestly, thought about not doing the videos any longer. It was a brutal internal struggle. I’m torn. I want to keep doing the videos, but they were eating into my writing time. The videos are helping me grow my audience, so I didn’t want to stop making them. I feel there is value there.
Live streaming may solve all those issues. I’m even more excited now, knowing that I can keep making the videos, and have more time for writing. That’s my main goal is to be an author, not a YouTuber. One must be primary and not eat up all my time.
Also, it’ll free up a little bit of time for me to do TikTok videos as well. I want to expand into that platform. Got to keep the content flowing to grow a following.
As I say over and over again, mostly to reinforce this in myself, I’m on a journey of learning. The more I learn about what I’m doing, the more fun I’m having doing what I’m doing. I’m so happy you’re on this journey with me.
Until Next Time!
Stay Awesome!
Audio Only: https://anchor.fm/jr-murdock/episodes/5-a-Day-With-Jay—0136-e10thb9
Slow Boil.
A few things tonight.
First off, I spoke with my co-author, Mike Plested, and we’re ready to get started on Jack Kane Book 3. No title as of yet.
We do know some things. We know where the story will start. We also know where the story will end. Much like a Rubik’s Cube, what we don’t know, yet, are all the steps in the middle that will get us from that beginning to that end. Oh, we know some movements. Much like solving a cube, there are certain patterns and known situations. It’s a matter of doing all the right movements and seeing where that brings us next to know what we’ll be doing next. Until we get to that point, we won’t know.
What we’ll know is when the book is done. Much like the cube, there are infinite possibilities to get from a start to an end, but you always know the start, sometimes, you know the end.
Next, Haircut is doing well. I’m honestly surprised. I’ve sold 5 copies compared to the 0 I’ve sold of GRPC2. I expected the latter, I’m surprised at the former. I had thought I’d sell exactly 0 copies of Haircut as well. Not only did I sell copies, I got a 5 star review on the same day. I’m floored.
I’ve said all along, I’m not expecting much in the first couple of months as I get this all started. I’m going slow. Yes, I’m posting all over every platform that I can, but my followings are small. Time. A fraction of what they were when I was podcasting back in the Hey Day of podcasting. It’s going to take time to rebuild. I’m going in expecting this to be slow and I’m ready for it to take time.
If you’re watching the videos, I’m trying out my GoPro as a WebCam. Let me know how it looks.
Finally, My boss announced that he’s quitting. Retiring, really, but he’s leaving the company. He’ll be gone in 3 weeks. Though not entirely unexpected, it’s surprising. Everything he’s had in motion personally, he’s been getting ready for this moment and it jumping while he can.
That said, I’ve been working very closely with him over the past couple of years. We meet twice a week and go over nearly everything the team is working on. We’ll discuss things at length. I know all the moving parts of the team.
But I’ve never been in a leadership position before. Even so, I’ll be applying to be his replacement. This is scary AF. I doubt I’ll get the position for a variety of reasons, but going through the interview process will be enlightening. If I even get that far.
I’ll need to reach out to his boss and find out.
I’ve been in a similar situation before. I took leadership mentoring. Did tons of leadership courses. I’ve got all that behind me. Only thing I don’t have is practical experience. With a team like ours, it might not be wise to put an unproven leader into that position. Cybersecurity is no joke.
We shall see. I’ll keep you posted.
Until Next Time!
Stay Awesome!
Audio Only: https://anchor.fm/jr-murdock/episodes/5-a-Day-With-Jay—0135-e10rlpj
I’m a reader before I’m a writer.
One thing I don’t like about the kindle tracking my reading progress with my reading goal for the year…or my days/weeks/months reading…it doesn’t take into account the days I read physical media.
I read. Like, I read a LOT. Not just books, short stories, and magazines. I also read news articles. Mostly politics, science, astronomy, and the like. I also read a good number of writer blogs and web comics.
In today’s video I mention Kill Six Billion Demons. I purchased the first two books off Amazon and I’m currently reading the webcomic on Comic Rocket (a website that will remember which page you’re on with a webcomic). First, Comic Rocket is great for, not only discovering new web comics, but also remembering where you’re at in your reading of a given web comic. I know it’s frustrating trying to remember where you’re at when reading a long running comic and not remembering your place.
At any rate, I’ve been reading a lot of older Marvel comics. Lots of old Ditko and Kirby comics. The stories are weak, yes. But then these comics were intended for kids. Villains explain in great detail what their plans are and every character talks…a lot. And then they talk some more. Lots of thought bubbles. There’s never a question as to what is happening.
I’m not reading most of the dialogue. I’m going through and looking at the artwork and being amazed at how many comics some artists were putting out in a given month. Truly amazing.
Back to KSBD. This isn’t a comic for kids. It’s not an adult comic, but it covers some weird topics that, unless you’re a little versed in various religious backgrounds, it’ll go over your head. That artwork is intense and visually strange. I was draw to this one much like all comics I’ve been drawn to over the years. The artwork. Topped off with a fun story, that’s keeping me around even more.
As I said at the start, I read a lot. My kindle doesn’t track all my reading. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes it’s annoying knowing I’ve a far longer streak than the device will give me credit for. Darn it.
I wish I could support every artist I find on the web. I do. There is so much great content out there. I do what I can. When I can’t do anything financially, I’ll do it through this blog with reviews.
That said, what are some web comics you’re reading? I’d love to know. I’ve got so many, that it’d be hard to come up with a quick list. Perhaps someday I will.
Until Next Time!
Stay Awesome!
Audio Only: https://anchor.fm/jr-murdock/episodes/5-a-Day-With-Jay—0134-e10pk7l
Expanding My Platform.
Let me start with saying…I’m not a smart man. By no means an I tech-tard, but there is so much new technology, that I’m trying to keep my head above water with it all.
Tonight, I decided to stream to Twitch. This won’t be my first time, but it will be the first time I’m talking. I don’t even know what I have on my channel over there. What I do know is that I set up my account to allow me to stream to it. I hooked that key into my OBS software, and, if all went correctly, I was streaming while I was recording.
I know I’ll need to get on a schedule and try to record at the same time each night. We’ll see how that goes.
Why? Why am I doing that?
To expand my reach.
Yes, yes. Jack of all Trades, Master of none. I get that. I’m having fun and still learning. I know Twitch is mainly for streaming games, but there are talk shows over there as well. I won’t be able to compete with any of them, but that’s not what I’m trying to do.
I know everyone consumes content differently. I’m exploring options for content delivery.
To that end, I’m also looking at converting videos to upload to IGTV (Instagram longer videos). I’m looking at doing shorter 1 minute videos for both TikToc and YouTube shorts, possible even for Instagram stories.
There are so many options for getting content out there and much of it I can repurpose. I need to take the time and figure it all out.
Why? Why you ask?
Because I’ve got content, writing content, coming out and I want people to easily find me and what I’m doing. I’ve got a short story coming out tomorrow. So, I’ll mention it in all the right places.
Like here!
I’m LOVING what My Favorite Daughter did with the covers. You may hate it. I get that. What this cover will do is start out in the crowd. When I have 9 shorts out, those 9 covers will piece together to make the cover for the collection of those 9 short stories. And that pattern will keep going! I’m super excited about doing this.
The other thing this will do, for my readers, is give them a visual cue that this isn’t a novel. I don’t want people to drop .99 and be like “Pfft, this isn’t a book.” No, it’s not a book. It’s a short story and it’ll stand out because of that. Hopefully people will get it.
Also, this cover will stand out dramatically when in a huge list of other stories and books. If you scroll on Amazon looking at the top 100 of any category and saw this cover, it’d stand out in dramatic fashion. One of these things is not like the other.
I want people who are scrolling to stop and look and wonder…what’s this? And hopefully click on it, read the blurb and be intrigued enough to buy it.
That’s the plan, at any rate. As always, I’ll let you know how it goes. This is the first of many short stories to come.
I’m off to go study the back of my eyelids.
Until Next Time!
Stay Awesome!
Audio Only: https://anchor.fm/jr-murdock/episodes/5-a-Day-With-Jay—0133-e10njgo
Trigger Warning: A discussion about depression.
Because of my foray into podcasting so many years ago, I’ve met a large number of people online that I consider friends. My circle is wide and I keep in touch with as many of them as I can. It’s not always easy and there are times I lose touch. I’m not a perfect person. I do my best and that’s all I can do.
That said, one of those friends was lost last year. I only found out last week. For the individual’s privacy, I will not mention the name or circumstances. The struggle was personal and unfortunately the struggle was lost.
What I will talk about today is depression. Clinical depression.
Let me state here and now, I’m not a professional. I cannot diagnose or help someone suffering from depression. I can offer a ear if you need to talk, but I’m not able to do more than that. If you feel you may suffer from depression, mental illness, or have suicidal thoughts, please seek professional help and get the help you need. If you’re reading this blog, know you mean the world to me and I want nothing but the best for you in all ways.
First off, depression is not sadness. Sadness is what I felt this weekend. I lost my mother some years ago. My wife lost her mother as well. Though I miss them dearly, I’m happy for my step-mom, all my wife’s sisters and my wife who is a wonderful month to our favorite daughter. I feel sadness that My Favorite Daughter is in the process of moving out. Very slowly, but she is moving out. It makes me sad that she won’t be in our house any longer, but I’m so very proud of the woman she’s become and that this was her decision she made with her boy. The two of them will do well.
Depression is a clinical condition. It’s a mental imbalance related to how one’s brain is wired. Not everyone suffers from depression in the same fashion. Most people I know who have admitted to having depression, after seeking professional help, admit they spent years hiding their condition from family and friends. Most are ashamed to talk about it. That’s part of depression. It lies to you and tells a person they’re wrong in the head and undeserving.
I suggest go to http://wilwheaton.net/ Wil has suffered openly with his depression for a long time and blogged at length about his condition. Same with Jenny Lawson talking not only about depression, but her other multitude of mental illnesses. There is such a stigma around talking about metal illness that many chose to hide their condition. Some self-medicate to hide their condition. Others find release in the bottom of a bottle. Others see no hope and seek a more permanent release.
This topic isn’t easy to talk about or bring up. As I said, I’m not a professional. I cannot offer help, hope, or diagnosis. All I can do is talk about this topic openly and hope that others do the same. It needs to be normalized that those who suffer from mental illness are just as ill as people with a physical condition. The difference is those with mental illness can hide their condition easier.
If you suspect someone you know is struggling with a mental illness, don’t push them to seek help. Don’t berate them to do what you think is the right thing to do. Don’t think that just because you would do something about it means they’re capable of doing that. Everyone suffers differently when it comes to depression. Offer to talk with them. Support them no matter what choice they make even if it’s not the choice you would make. I’m not saying let them commit suicide if that’s the path their on, but understand that you’re also (most likely) not a professional and will be unable to diagnose what’s wrong with someone.
Another thing we all can do is to open the national dialogue when it comes to talking about mental illness is all its forms. From Autism, Asperger, Depression, Down Syndrome, the list goes on. People who suffer or take care of someone who suffers, shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it. It’s way past time we open the topic and stop letting people suffer in silence because they feel like they’re broken.
I could continue, but I’d rather do that in the comments. Please, share your stories. If you’re not comfortable doing that here, find a place where you can talk openly without fear. If you’re struggling with mental illness, seek out professional help. Know I care about you.
Until Next Time!
Stay Awesome!
Happy Mother’s Day
Happy Mother’s Day (to all whom this may apply). I hope you have a wonderful day and are spoiled by your children and/or significant other.
GOJIRA!
As a kid, I loved watching Japanese monster movies. I’m sure I’m not alone saying that Godzilla was my favorite. Followed closely by Gamera. There’s something about giant monsters and giant robots battling with little care for the destruction they’re waging on the cities and landscape around them.
There’s also a special charm in the creation of these monsters. From radiation, to G-Cells leaking into space, to genetic manipulation. It needs little explanation beyond that and, presto! Monsters! As a kid, you don’t need much in the way of explanation.
I think that’s what makes these movies so enjoyable.
Tonight I watched Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla. I might have seen this one, but I don’t recall any of it. This one is filled with a carefree attitude toward science in favor of getting monsters to battle. There’s almost no explanation on where things came from or why. Just, hey, a giant crystal in space that bonded with Godzilla’s cells and you have SpaceGodzilla.
How much more of an explanation do you need?
This was one movie that, if you’re concerned with dialog, you need to pay attention to because half the dialogue is in Japanese and you’ll need to read the subtitles. Honestly, all you need to do is watch the action to get what’s going on and know there’s not much else going on.
It’s a fun ride and I’m glad I spent the time watching it.
Until Next Time!
Stay Awesome!
Well…
Good Evening and welcome to 5 a Day with Jay. I am your host, J.R. Murdock. Thank you so much for joining me. How are you tonight? Good to hear.
<looks around awkwardly>
Wait, the camera isn’t on. I’m not recording. Uh…oh yeah.
Sorry, no 5 a Day this evening. The Mrs and I were helping My Favorite Daughter and her boy get moved into their new place. Mostly. Still a few things to go, but they’ve got the bulk of what they need there.
It’s strange. The house is so quiet. No kids. No dogs. This will take getting used to.
At any rate, far too late to record this evening. We will resume next week!
Until Next Time!
Stay Awesome!
J.R. Murdock 