rlfj: Blog

The cruise comes to an end, and we learn something about Grim's new job. Should be interesting.

Thanks go to pdkrause for some additional editing and typo assistance. Another reader pointed out a minor error in Chapter 2; the army has drill sergeants, not drill instructors. Fixed.

Social distancing is getting to be crazy. I live in a very small town, and since my mailbox got destroyed by an out-of-control driver two months ago, I've had to get our mail from the post office. The lobby is all of eight feet by eight feet. Yesterday there were four of us in the lobby. Try working out how to keep six feet away from everybody in a space that small.

Enjoy!

You readers are great! I posted a blog item last night about problems with my wife's Kindle Fire. You guys got me the answer inside of ten minutes! You rock! Also, okay, Kindle is Amazon, not Apple. My sincerest apologies to Steve Jobs; Jeff Bezos sucks. I've had problems with Amazon; don't ask.

A few people complaining about laying/lying confusion. Not sure how critical that is, but I uploaded a fixed chapter. Just remember to send me a note on any typos or errors you find.

My wife got her cast replaced with a padded boot and replaced her old-lady walker with a knee scooter. She's getting around pretty good on it, but she's annoying as hell when she zips past and goes "Wheeee!" The docs said she could go back to work, light duty, which would get her out of my remaining hair. She works at the local grocery store and that's still open. Some of the shelves look like they've been ransacked by Vandals (the originals!)

One reader suggested I just stop publishing, that coronavirus would radically affect the events happening in the story and make it untenable. Not sure I believe that. The effects are more economic at the moment than medical. This is not the Black Death, where one-third of the nation will die. At some point, probably by the summer, people will revolt against the stringent measures taken. Yes, the death rate will rise, but people will go back to work. In any case, the story begins in 2018. A current period of time, spring/summer 2020, doesn't occur until Chapter 12. That won't be published until the end of April. Let's see what things look like then.

So far people seem happy with the story. Chapter 2 is just more fun on the cruise. Enjoy!

Thank you readers! One of you told me that it doesn't go in the Books directory but in the Documents directory. Now she can read it! Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

Still putting up Chapter 2 tomorrow. In the meantime…

Anybody know anything about a Kindle Fire? (Not the HD model.) My wife has one, but I haven't been able to load the new book on it. I connected it to my laptop and copied it to Internal_Storage/Books but it doesn't show in her list of books when she is using her Kindle Fire. The Amazon website is next to useless.

Thanks.

And so we begin! For those new to the story, you simply won't understand it without reading the two earlier stories in the series, The Grim Reaper and Adventures in Southern Law Enforcement. Reaper Security Consulting begins immediately after the end of ASLE.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, thank you to all who responded to my requests for assistance. I can't do this without the active assistance of my readers. I don't need any more responses to those questions, but I do need continuing editorial assistance. If you find a typo or error, let me know and I can do an edit and upload a fixed version.

In case you were wondering, there really are police consultants. They range from giant multinational firms down to single person firms who do one single thing. Let's see how Grim does at it.

My publishing timeline remains the same. I should be able to upload a chapter every Tuesday and Friday. Sometimes, though, life takes a detour. Two weeks ago, my wife broke her leg. Trust me when I say that multiple hospital visits can screw up your schedule! (PS: She's in a cast and will be fine in another month.) As Woody Allen once said, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans!" (That was taken from an old Yiddish proverb, "We plan, God laughs.")

In any case, enjoy!