Lubrican: Blog

Well, friends, while my shoulder was out of commission I worked - one handed - on a story. It got longer and longer until it was 28 chapters long. Now it has been massaged and edited and is ready (I think) for public consumption.

It's called Megan Makes a Movie and I have to say right up front that Megan actually does make a movie. She just does it after a whole bunch of other stuff happens. The foreword is important to read, too.

I should say that this evolved because I got an email from the guy who invented the "Movie Girls" universe, suggesting that one of the stories I posted could have gone into that universe and suggesting I write one especially for that universe. The problem was that, the way this plot broke down, nobody was tricked into making a movie, and that is one of the tenets of the Movie Girls Universe.
Maybe next time.

I'll post a couple of chapters a day until it's all up. This one is published, which means this will eventually go behind the pay wall. So if you want it free, download each day's offering and save it on your hard drive.

Thanks to all for your support while my shoulder was down. The other one won't get fixed until next spring, so I should be able to keep writing for a while.
Thanks for reading.
Bob

just had five issues with my left shoulder operated on. will be in a sling for 6 wks. everything being typed with on hand so no caps for a while unless the machine fixes that.
the good news is that doc says i won't make more mistakes when it's healed.
i'll make the same amount
bob

I'm posting another shorter story because my left rotator cuff is going to be repaired and I won't be able to write for a while.
This one is called Rounded Away which is a play on words with the term Squared Away. Sorry. I can't help myself.

Basically, a beautiful (of course) young woman tries to flee a controlling family by joining the Army. Her boyfriend does the same thing because the recruiter said they'd be stationed together and would live together. That didn't happen and she got assigned to Master Sergeant Wilsons (Bob, of course) section. He decides to take care of her and you know what happens.

There is another one in the works, but I am not sure I'll be able to process it. It depends on how long my arm is in a sling and I'm not allowed to use it.

Thanks for reading.
Bob

Okay, here we go. I'm posting a new story and this one came to me in a dream. It is not like anything I've ever written or posted before. It is extremely dark in the beginning but it is, in the end, a Lubrican story. It gave me very sour lemons and I've tried to make it into lemonade.

The Extortion of Heather Mercer is eight chapters long and the whole thing will get published this week if all goes well.

Read the foreword. Look at the codes. I have included any possible code that somebody could think should be included, but the story isn't about the codes. What I mean is the codes don't tell the story. When you see "rape" in the codes, and that's not your bag, I get it. I don't normally write about rape. In this case, though, it had to be done for the plot to work. It's the same with any other code.

I'll turn comments on so you can vent if that will make you feel better.

I get mail all the time from people who say things like, "I was going to pass this one by because of [imagine a reason here] but because it was written by Lubrican I decided to give it a chance. I'm glad I did."

That comment means a lot to me because it tells me the reader trusts me to deliver a "Lubrican" story. I think you can trust this one, too.

I'll be interest to see the feedback
Bob

I recently got some kudos aimed at my support staff, whose names you see (or should see) in the end note of all my recent books and stories. By recent I mean books and stories I wrote in the last ten or so years. Michelle is my proofreader and "normal human" who does a 'reaction video' to each book I write, except it's not a video. Most people have seen those reaction videos, though and she does very much the same thing. Once she sends me her changes and thoughts back and I digest them, the book then goes to Andy, who is in Mensa and twice as smart as I'll ever be. His background is in strict grammar, so he keeps me honest (or tries to) when it comes to using the King's English, so to speak.
So I passed on the kudos to them, as I always do, and I thought the readers might like a peek into our little literary world, in which we all work very well together.

Here are their responses:
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Andy: I don't know that I've put it this way before, Bob, but anyone can follow known rules, which is what I and Michelle do (sorry, dear, but it's true). The creative spark is yours alone, and that is the end-all and be-all of art. It's you who keep us "in business", so to speak.

Michelle: It is true what you say Andy, but mostly I just make changes just so things flow better and look nicer. Knowing the rules is just what makes things easier to understand in my book. I'm not so anal to think I've got everything nailed down, but I understand what needs to go where to make things flow nicely. That said, I do leave all the harder edits to you Andy so take your bow.

As for your fan base, Bob, be sure to tell the kind fans that they are very much appreciated and that I hope their experiences with reading your works make for a relaxing and entertaining time as it does for me. I've said many times how much I enjoy reading your work and I'm always happy to hear that they do as well. It makes things on my end much more pleasant and I'm waaaayyy more willing to make sure to catch as much as I can so their reading experience sails smoothly. Be proud of your work first and foremost and let their praise come as a close second. You really do earn it. :)
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It isn't much, just some ordinary email exchanges, but they exemplify the process in which the product you read gets to your e-reader. I hope this was interesting.

I just wanted to thank you for the nice things you say.

So do Michelle and Andy.

By the way, I just got one back from Michelle and sent it on to Andy just before I posted this blog entry. He's a busy guy and it's a longer story, so it may be a while until it gets to your e-reader, but for those of you who think i might have died or had a stroke or fallen and couldn't get up, now you know there will be something... eventually.

Thanks for reading.
Bob