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Our lively discussion of the state of and the future of the entertainment industry.
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BOOKSPROUT
During the year 1843, young Judy walks onto the slave ship Baroque Panthian but all signs point towards the secretive teenager setting up the situation herself. She has psychic abilities and is determined to become an influential spiritual figure in New Orleans, but everything changes after she’s enthralled with a married member of the Green family. The Green Legacy is a work of fiction, but it also explores the writer’s family history. Most of the people in the story actually did exist.
AMAZON
Deidre is thrilled that her younger sister Kelly married someone as easy-going as Dyllon, but will he be faithful? Deidre is mysteriously given three wishes to assist her sister. Are Deidre’s efforts being clouded by an insidious evil or perhaps by her own selfish needs? Things are not always what they seem in this story of deception, love, and hope, which picks up where book 1 (Reflections of EL - In Search of Self) left off.
AMAZON
Idle curiosity driven by darker emotions causes Dyllon to release the seven deadly sins from his father’s clothing trunk, forever changing his peaceful world. Dyllon becomes an increasingly comfortable player in the dance hall of life as the lies and deceit pile up. Through reckless bouts with assorted girlfriends, he eventually falls for the cheerful and confident Kelly. Dyllon feels she could be the one but the demons that haunt him think otherwise.
The gothic building on 135th Street is used as the place where love blossoms and dark mysteries find a home.
Years of separation have not changed the warm feelings Ethan and Dora have for one another. The childhood friends reunite at the High School for Dimensional Arts, which accepts only the most talented students and where mind-over-matter rules. But as their relationship blossoms, they discover that something sinister haunts the cold walls of the school. Dora is experiencing a fear of ghosts that she has not felt for years, and her blood runs cold when she finds that Ethan might be involved. Will their love survive? Will they? The answers lie within the not so hallowed halls of the high school of the future, the Castle on the Hill.
You’ve finished writing your book (see part 1), but what good is it if it sits in your computer? The next logical step is to put it out there in eBook form (or as a paperback) so that others can appreciate your work. There are a few different ways to do this.
Creating an Ebook
Reason for a website - Let’s say that your friends and relatives are interested in reading your book. You could send the file containing your manuscript to these individuals separately, or you could do a mass emailing to all concerned. Unfortunately, this means that every time there is an interested reader, you must plop yourself in front of your computer so that you can send them your book. It’s much more convenient and less time-consuming to set up a place where everyone can quickly locate your work. Others can then type in an address, and they instantly have your manuscript. The first step towards this is to set up a website or a blog.
Website 101 - There are many sites on the Internet that can assist you in facilitating this. Some are free, while others charge a fee for their services. It might seem strange that a site would allow you to set up your book or other ideas on their site for free, but, of course, nothing in life is truly free. Once your eBook is up and running, you will probably see advertisements alongside. Advertisers are always looking for ways to increase their sales. The more your story draws interest, the more likely others will see the ads attached to the website. In other words, the website owners use your eBook to draw attention to their ads.
In contrast, when you pay for a website, you have more control over others attaching distractions to your work. You can also put together a more attractive-looking package to showcase your work by paying an extra fee. As the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for.”
Self-Publishing - You also have the option of sending your manuscript to a self-publishing company. They, in turn, would not only set up a website (or webpage) for your eBooks but also produce a final copy of your work, which looks a lot more professional. The paperback version will undoubtedly incur a fee, so understand that the expense depends on your need. Depending on the package you choose, the amount you spend could run from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. Those interested in reading your book would have to pay (at retail) to download this ebook version or purchase a paperback or hardcover copy.
Self-Publishing Companies
Outskirtspress.com Lulu.com Authorhouse.com 
Independent Publishing - Some companies allow you to use their platform to create your book from scratch. For some, this can be a Herculean task. In contrast to self-publishing, where they will build the book that you want (usually at a high cost), independent publishing means you must:
Once you’ve completed the book, the independent publishing company will make as many copies as you need for your use (at wholesale cost), and they will also sell your book directly to your adoring fans.
Independent Publishing Companies
KDP.Amazon.com Lightningsource.com 
Dealing With Traditional Publishing Companies - In general, we all want to be published by a company that will place our work on a bookshelf and circulates our precious work worldwide. This endeavor takes the most work but is also the most fulfilling. Every editor has their preferences for guideline submissions. You might have written War and Peace, but publishers will instantly reject it if you submit your masterpiece improperly. Even when you follow all guidelines, you might get that disappointing rejection email. Don’t look at it as a bad thing. Anything that you thoroughly love takes time. Work hard, have patience, and you will succeed.
And that’s about it. To all those that love the written word, please remember: Words enable you to take flight. The skies may only reach a certain height, but the regions that your imagination can attain are limitless.
Congratulations and good luck.
Dreams
Never Lie
Deidre is thrilled that her younger sister Kelly has married someone as easy-going as Dyllon, but she has troubling dreams involving the new groom. Her visions predict that Dyllon will soon be unfaithful. Three wishes mysteriously tempt Deidre, but each wish granted also brings disastrous debts. Are Deidre’s efforts being clouded by an insidious evil or perhaps by her own selfish needs?
THE DREAM DILEMMA. Things are not always what they seem in this story of deception, love, and hope, which picks up where book one (Reflections of EL - In Search of Self) left off.
KINDLE COUNTDOWN DEAL
Get the entire REFLECTIONS of EL Series As low as .99c per book 
Kindle Countdown
REFLECTIONS of EL - In Search of Self (Book 1)
Dyllon's games become painfully more complex.
THE DREAM DILEMMA - Reflections of EL (Book 2)
Are Deidre's dreams really visions?
THE GREEN LEGACY - Prequel to Reflections of EL (Book 3)
A young psychic named Judy starts her insidious plan.
KINDLE copies available from Amazon:
Thur, 12/9/21 - Sun, 12/12/21 - .99c Sun, 12/12/21 - Wed, 12/16/21 - $1.99 Thur, 12/17/21 - $2.99
Get your copies now before time runs out.
You’ve always felt that you had a story to tell, and you want as many people as possible to read all about it. In my guide, I will give pointers on correctly writing that eBook that you’ve kept inside and how to promote yourself so that others will know that you have a voice.
Writing an Ebook
Getting Started - The experience of creating an eBook should be fun, but like all worthwhile endeavors, a special part of you must be devoted to the task. In other words, take your writing seriously. Set aside some time exclusive to this mission of telling your story. It doesn’t have to require a strict 7 pm – 10 pm schedule, but you should be willing to dedicate a healthy amount of time to the job of fulfilling this dream of yours.
Write down ALL of your ideas - The many thoughts that you have are building blocks towards the final product. Do not sort these things out in your head; put them down on paper (or the computer). After writing this out, you can now go about sorting out what you are really trying to say.
Central Theme - Decide on the subject. What you share with others might cover many different ideas, but there should always be one central theme that ties them together. You can’t take a fundamental first step unless you have a direction. 
Outline - It would be best to draw up an outline to make it clearer to view the overall picture. This framework will eventually become your book. The rule should be the following:
1. Focus on the main character (or event) and build on who or what they are about (goals). 2. Name the problem or obstruction that prevents the main character from accomplishing these goals. 3. Explain how the main character attempts to work through these issues. 4. And finally, explain if the main character resolves the situation and how the story ends. There is no expectation that you should have all the finished components when you begin. Completing the above chart will eventually make it easier for you to expand on your story. 
Building on characters & plots - You can have subplots and extra characters, but just don’t get lost by following too many roads. The reader will eventually want to know what happens to the main character you made seem so important at the beginning of your tale, so don’t begin a premise that you cannot finish.
Tying loose ends - Be careful to tie up all loose ends and unresolved issues. There is nothing more confusing to the reader than being interested in your journey and finding that you have left them with many unanswered questions.
Grammatical errors - After completing your masterpiece:
1. Go through it for grammatical errors and content at least twice. It’s helpful to use a program like Grammarly to assist with any corrections. 2. Have a few other people read your book to get their opinions and, yes, their criticisms. 3. Make whatever adjustments you deem necessary, and then read your book one more time. After all of this, you will be more prepared for the enjoyable part, which is putting your story out there so the world can appreciate it. 
My First Book
Next - How To Write an eBook - Part 2
(Websites, Self-Publishing, Independent Publishing, Traditional Publishing) Pre-Cable
As an old poorly colorized movie fought its way though my HDMI cables and the mostly red and blue images lit up my flat screen, I thought back to the state of movie-watching, decades past, as compared to now. It’s hard to believe that there was such a thing as “pre-cable.”
Movies
Movies were such precious things back in the day. The only way that you could see a beloved film would be to return to the theater again and again. Popular ones could run for years and at times it seemed they would never find their way to the small, home screen. I guess after the money that Hollywood and theater owners could squeeze out of patrons had been exhausted, we couch potatoes could finally get to see our favorites. That is, after they cut the film to pieces with commercials, parental restrictions and made-to-fit your-television formatting, of course.
Invaders From Mars
I remember a particular TV show, which came on only in the evening, in New York on Channel 9. It was called The Million Dollar Movie. It would run only movies, some pretty old, others pretty bad. There was one in particular that made me have nightmares and the fear stayed with me for years. By today’s standards, the flick might be considered pretty lame but it had enough of a strong theme to scare the crap out of a particular ten year old. By the time the movie got to the small screen, in 1963, I was ten. The movie I’m talking about was called Invaders from Mars and it was made back in 1953.
When the film premiered in theaters, Americans were still healing from the open wounds of World War II, which ended in 1945. The country was also dealing with the creeping fear that insidious forces might still attempt to influence and overcome their way of living. The not so unreal paranoia of take-over caused many to relate to this film and similar ones of the era.
I’ve read countless reviews about Invaders from Mars and the common thread was always the same. The fact that scary movies easily instilled fear in those of us who were of an impressionable age goes without saying. But the fear that a more ominous threat was on the way helped the more adult audience to identify on a level that they all knew too well.
The belief that the Black man of the 1950s might be someone to be uncomfortable around was not so quietly being used in this film. For some, having this person’s face, as the leader was probably a little more than disturbing, especially since he was described as, “Mankind developed to its ultimate intelligence.” He was of ultimate intelligence on Mars but still fighting for rights on Earth. I guess the movie producers decided to use a Black guy to mess with the movie-goers heads. In actuality, this “guy” was an actress named Luz Potter born in Chihuahua, Mexico. Her name was never mentioned in the credits but neither were any of the other Martians in the movie for that matter.
As seen today as a horror flick, it’s hard to understand what all the fuss was about. The visible zippers down the backs of the Martians made me laugh and the long lectures by the scientist about space travel were drawn out and boring. But regardless of how rationally we can look at things today, the ten year old in all of us will always have a reason to fear the unknown. I guess it’s just a matter of perspective. 
A True Story
Most ghost stories that we are familiar with take place in what we call a haunted house. There is a reason that these houses are haunted. Someone has to die, in order for there to be a ghost story. Sometimes this occurs under not so pleasant circumstances. Let’s take a close look at what took place in one rural community on June 9, 1912. Eight people met a gruesome end on that ill-fated night and afterwards, an old house in Villisca, Iowa, more than earned its reputation as a haven for otherworldly spirits.
HISTORY
The name Villisca means “place of evil spirits” as named by the Sioux. In 1868, a two-story farmhouse was constructed at 6th Avenue & 7th Street on lot 310. It was not until 1903, that the Moore family finally purchased the home of their dreams. By 1912, the following family members lived there:
1) Josiah B. Moore, 43, Villisca’s most prominent businessman. 2) Sarah Montgomery (Moore), 39 years old, active member of Presbyterian Church and she also led the Children’s Day Exercises. 3) Herman, 11 years old, always known to be by his father’s side. 4) Katherine, 10 years old. 5) Boyd, 7 years old 6) Paul, 5 years old
In addition, on that dreadful night of June 9, 1912, there were two other children in the house.
It was because of the deaths of these eight people that the home passed through eight different families. Here are a few reasons why some of the future dwellers of the home could not stay:
After renting the home in the early 1930s, Homer Ritner and his wife began to hear and see things. In addition to many other occurrences, the tenants said they had seen the shadowy figure of a man with an axe at the foot of their bed. After witnessing this, the terrified couple fled from the house that same night. Soon after John and Allie Geeseman purchased the home, John decided to live in the shed behind the house. It was said that he couldn’t live with all the ghosts. Neighbors saw these owners flying down the sidewalk with their nightshirts blowing out behind them as they left the house at 3 am. They later said the reason they ran was that the doors would not stop opening and closing on their own. 
After moving in during 1963, another family, (two young sisters and their mother and father) woke up hearing a faint crying, which sounded like a whimpering child or little girl. Certain areas of rooms were very cold. Dresser drawers were found opened and clothing was discovered thrown around the room. It was not until the disbelieving father’s pocketknife flew from his hand and then stabbed him in the palm, which he packed up his family and left the house that night. That finale occurred in 1971.
The home sat vacant for many years until Darwin & Martha Linn purchased it in 1994 but they never actually lived there. The Linns instead converted the building into a museum and it’s open every day of the year to the curious. Unexplained voices and sounds can be heard whenever visitors or paranormal investigators spend the night at the old house. Either from the violence of their deaths, or their unresolved nature (maybe a little of both), this house has subsequently become a very active sight for the supernatural. Apparitions have often been seen, and disembodied footsteps and voices are common occurrences. The sight and sounds of the children are the most widely reported, with EVPs and personal accounts indicating laughing and then crying, as well as some children telling others to hide. Mist has been seen on occasions moving through the house and then quickly disappearing. Also, doors have been known to open and close be themselves. Villisca Axe Murder HouseRead The Story - The Beginning of the End at Villisca.
The following is a particularly gruesome rendition of the true-story.
During the quiet Sunday afternoon of June 9th, 1912, the entire Moore family was attending activities at the Presbyterian Church a few miles from their home. Mrs. Sarah Moore actively led the Children’s Day Exercises, which extended well into the evening. As the sunlight faded across the countryside, families gossiped and children innocently played into the evening.
***
Just outside the Moore’s home, a tall man watched for others as the darkness surrounded him. After stepping onto their property, he pulled the axe out of the overused chopping block and allowed the weight of the tool to feel comfortable in his hand. After walking up the solid wooden front steps, he found the front door to be open. Once inside, he moved through the kitchen area, explored the parlor room with the upright piano and then leaned into the doorway of the scantily decorated parlor bedroom. Satisfied that he was comfortable with the layout of the first floor, he then returned to the kitchen and found the doorway to the curved stairwell that led to the upper floor.
The landing opened directly to a master bedroom, which the intruder assumed belonged the two adults in the house. He moved through the connected doorway to his left that led to a short hallway. As he walked through the darkened hallway, he noticed an open room to his left, which might be used for storage. The end of the hallway opened to another bedroom that contained two beds and a baby crib. The sizable room could easily hold the couple’s four children. He turned around and returned to inspect the sloped ceiling, attic-like storage area. The coolness of the room comforted him. He found a recessed corner, made himself comfortable and loosened his grip on his newly found axe, which he laid within arms reach. He quickly pulled out two cigarettes and struck a match to light the first one. He knew it was best to smoke them now because the family might be home soon. He puffed a few rings of smoke towards the back window as he waited.
***
Sunday activities were over and everyone was beginning to start home. Lena Sallinger and her younger sister Irma were walking down the church steps along with their friend, Katherine Moore.
“I’m going to my granny’s house for dinner,” Irma said with a bright smile. The children looked in the direction that the two sisters were about to venture. “Look,” said Irma’s older sister Lena. She pointed to a clearing in the field, which led into the woods. They could easily see that the kerosene lanterns, which normally gave light to the darkened path, had not been lit. “I’m not going down there,” Irma said moving closer to her sister. “That’s too scary.” “But we promised Granny we’d be there,” Lena said sounding reluctant. Ten-year old Katherine pulled on both the girl’s arms. “Why don’t the two of you come to my house,” she said happily. The three girls had caught up with Mr. and Mrs. Moore and their three boys. “It’s alright, isn’t it, father?” Katherine asked happily. Josiah turned and smiled at his wife who nodded in agreement. “I’ll go back in the church and call your people to make certain that it’s okay,” Josiah said. “No need to make anyone worry.” When he returned to the group, Mr. Moore stated that Lena and Irma’s older sister gave consent and said she would pass along the message. The group of eight then headed towards home on that cool June night. The family returned home about 10:00 pm. Katherine and the two Sallinger girls chattered excitedly as they prepared to sleep in the first floor parlor bedroom. Mrs. Moore entered the bedroom. “Kathy. Get yourself upstairs with your brothers and not another word.” Katherine began to object but then thought better about it. “Yes, mother,” she said politely. She then smiled at her friends and ran out the bedroom doorway. “You’ve got fresh bedclothes, all the doors are locked and the pot is under the bed,” Sarah said. “You should be alright for the night. If you need anything else, just holler.” “Thank you, Mrs. Moore,” the two girls graciously said in unison. Sarah smiled at them and thought how nice it would be to have another girl child. She kissed them both on the cheek, blew out the mirror-framed light on the wall and then went upstairs to her family. The building had no electricity, so the light from the kerosene lamps flickered the across the walls of the different rooms but were usually blown out at bedtime. On lamp was purposely been left on the kitchen table, mostly for the sake of the visitors. By 11:00 pm, everyone in the Moore house was deep asleep, except for one. The unseen intruder quietly stretched his sore legs. He had waited until midnight before budging from his hiding spot in the attic. He moved out of the room and towards the parent’s bedroom. The wood of the axe felt sweaty but he would not allow the handle to slip through his fingers in the slightest. He stood at the foot of the bed determined to follow through with his plan. His closest prey was Josiah who slept quietly on the nearest side of the bed. The intruder struck him strong and swift with the blunt end of the axe instantly cracking his skull open. As Sarah began to stir, he leaned over and repeated this action with her. Sarah continued to move around so he continued to strike her repeatedly about her head and face. She finally laid still. As the killer moved towards the doorway, a line of blood slid down the bed sheet next to Josiah and landed into an upturned shoe just under the bed. Once in the children’s bedroom, he bludgeoned Herman, Katherine and Boyd, who were asleep in their two beds and then Paul, who was sleeping in the crib. As he furiously swung the axe upward, the sharpened side struck the ceiling, leaving numerous gouge marks there. He did this numerous times until the faces of the children were unrecognizable. After walking through the hallway, the killer then returned to Josiah and Sarah’s bedroom. He proceeded to chop multiple times at Josiah’s face. The father was so badly bludgeoned that his eyes appeared to be missing. While performing this act, the killer unknowingly knocked over the now blood-filled shoe, which spilled across the floor and onto his own shoes. The killer quietly walked down the curved stairwell towards the first floor bedroom. When he was previously seated in his hiding place, he could hear extra voices coming from that bedroom. He knew that his work was not done. Twelve-year old Lena lied half awake in her bed. She swore that she had heard creaking boards as if were someone walking around in the upstairs section of the house but it sounded so distant. Her eight-year old sister was on her left side, breathing heavily, which meant that she was fast asleep, as usual. It was clear that someone was coming down the steps from upstairs. Perhaps Mrs. Moore had forgotten something in the kitchen. With only the moonlight shining through the window near her headboard, Lena saw the dark figure of a man standing in the doorway. Was she dreaming, she thought to herself? He was holding something in his hand but she could not make out what it was. As she moved her right leg off the bed to touch the floor, the man rushed at her. Now she could clearly see the shape of something that looked like an axe in his hand. Her needs to instinctively protect her sister made her move her body over to cover her. As the killer swung the axe, she held her arm up to her face and cried out as the blade deeply sliced her arm to the bone. Before she could struggle further, the assailant hit her with the axe in her face. The last memory before she blacked out was of the sharp edge tool passing her head and striking out at her sister. His anger was so fierce that he kept wielding the tool of death until the heads of both girls’ heads were nearly cut off from their bodies. After his attack was complete, the killer noticed for the first time that the older girl’s bedclothes had slid up around her hips. As she lies there with one foot on the floor, he could see that she wore no undergarment, so her private area was completely exposed. He dropped the bloody axe at the end of the bed, stared for a short while and then left the room in disgust. He had not wanted to fight with anyone. He simply wanted to finish his mission. He found a coat hanging in the bedroom’s closet and used it to cover the faces of the girls. He then made certain to cover the dresser mirror. There was silence throughout the house. He could not leave until he was finished. He first washed his hands in a pan of water that he found on the kitchen table. He returned upstairs and covered the faces of the parents and children with whatever clothing he could find. The sight of his own work sickened him but this was something that he had to do. The killer also had to cover the mirror in each bedroom. Josiah seemed to be a similar body size so the killer changed from his bloody clothing but he decided to take his ruined shirt and pants with him in order to discard them elsewhere. Some first floor windows had curtains so he drew them closed but those that did not have curtains; he found clothing and covered them so that in the morning, no one could see in the house. He got some of the stored food, made a plate for himself and sat at the table. His stomach growled as he prepared to eat but the smell of the bloodied pan of water turned his stomach. He did not want to vomit so he left the uneaten food he had prepared. Lastly, he then made certain that the doors and windows were all locked and he then left the house through the front door, firmly locking it with the key he had found. He made his way into the darkness, towards the railroad tracks. A train was approaching, not far in the distance and one way or another he was going to be on it. The killer never looked back at the house. There was no need. He had finished what he had come there for.
***
The new book, which shares the warm audition stories of alumni of the arts high schools, is available for purchase. CHASING THE DREAM is filled with the true accounts of those who attended the School of Performing Arts, the High School of Music & Art and the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Get your copy today.
CHASING THE DREAM is the third book in the Audition Stories series. Also available:
CHASING THE DREAM
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LLOYD A. GREENThoughts, news and reader updates. 
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