Tag Archives: October

Announcement, Book Presentation, e-Publishing, Product, Public Appearance, Update

Update on All Points of Interest

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Things Going On & Things Coming Up!

March 19th, 2019, Tom Trimbath and I will take the floor again at the Langley Public Library to give our “Self-Publishing: From Inspiration to Publication” presentation. If you’re anywhere between considering writing and publishing a book or close to completion, check the WIBC events page and put us on your calendar. Coupeville and Freeland libraries here on Whidbey Island have also been talking toward hosting events including and in addition to Self-Publishing: From Inspiration to Publication.

Tom and I are looking for additional locations and avenues to present this topic and help authors along their paths.  Here’s video of our October presentation — I also made an audio recording which I intend to post somewhere online ASAP.  The video stopped about an hour into the evening, however my audio recording captured the whole night.

After completing and publishing “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” in both paper book and e-book forms last Fall, I didn’t take a break — I rolled right in to my next 2 book projects! One is a cookie recipe book which I’m quite excited about, the other is a bagpipe sheet music book for a veterans organization I’m honored to be a part of. While I am working on both, the sheet music book has taken the lead as I am aiming to have it published come spring — somewhat more specifically, June.

No-no — it’s a good thing — really ……. I think. 😉

Now that things are getting stabilized with pivoting WIBC from being a production baking company to writing & publishing books, yours truly is on the hunt for a day job.  Lately I’ve reworked my resume so it is in fit fighting form and I have gotten a few interviews line up with interesting looking local employers.  At the same time, I’m working on my infamous truck to further get it into fit commuting form.  Since buying it I’ve done a lot of needed repairs; while it is currently in good shape, there are these last few projects to address so it is less likely to create interruptions as I re-join the traditional workfarce …. er, I mean, workforce.

And now, further on the audio front …

Three things I’m excited to tell you about!

A year ago I started looking into becoming an audio book narrator.  I developed a solid initial understanding of the industry and ways to get into it.  This interest is still in me, however I have had higher priorities.  I plan to narrate my own books and others — first though I need to get things stabilized with my day job.

I’ve said a few times recently that I have 4 recordings ‘in the can’ for my experiential recording project Archive Of Resonance.  I’m getting help with the audio now  and intend to (er, finally) complete each album as time allows — if I can get all of these put together and published through Amazon this year, great, if not then no big deal … they’ll get done when they’re supposed to.

LASTLY And Not Leastly …
In my superhero persona as BagpiperDon, I have taken on a personal challenge!  An online bagpipe school called Dojo University has put forth an activity that bagpipers may take part in For FREE.  I’ve known about Dojo U for years, heard nothing but good things about them, and would LOVE to make use of their services.  They produce various Free materials which I have been gratefully using in the mean time — chiefly e-articles and some videos.  Lately I’ve been taking part in the “Dojo U 100 Day Bagpipe Challenge“.  The primary part of the challenge is for pipers, in their individual practice, to assemble their pipes and practice one tune (any tune) a day for 100 consecutive days …. and if you miss a day, you have to start over.  I see the object of this as not so much to work on one’s playing ability as it is to develop discipline.  Today will be Day 017 for me — only 083 days to go!

Thanks for keeping up with me!
~ Don

Announcement, Author, Baking, Book, Cookies, Experiment, Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies, Product, Public Appearance, Publication, Update

New Year – New Endeavours!

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HAPPY 2019!

New Years can be a bit funny — because what is it really?  Another 365 days and 6 hours* past and another to go … a December 31st and January 1st is just the difference of a day … and yet it is also something many of us use as an opportunity.  We look to the past to make changes or try something new with the future — and sometimes it’s not so much about the past as it is about trying something new to enjoy.  So what does 2019 hold for you?  I know a few of the things I’m looking toward…
(* Yes, 6 hours — this is how we get leap year AKA the bissextus or a or bissextile year)

It’s harder to show a picture of the e-book version…

This past October I published my first book — “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” — then in mid-December I followed with publishing the e-book version.  I’ve had the pleasure of getting to present my book a few times during late 2018, and with the New Year I aim to get more speaking dates.  I thoroughly  ENJOY getting to talk with other people about baking — getting new-bakers turned on to the idea and talking with old-hats at baking to find out about their ideas!

On the heals of releasing Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies I was compelled to get to work on 2 new books — yes, “compelled“!  These were not the next projects I thought I would do, but they were the two that chewed on my mind the most — I was just drawn to them…

But what are they?

I both can and can’t tell you you that…

Yours truly in my other superhero persona… (you can also find me on FB as BagpiperDon BTW)

YES, 2 books, not just 1 …. because that’s how I do things.

One of these books is an ‘official’ Highland bagpipe sheet music book for the local-chapter of a Scottish military origination I’m a part of.  The aim of this is not just to create something for my group but ultimately to offer this to the national organization to become all of our ‘official’ bagpipe sheet music book ….. SO, potentially producing and publishing a book for a national (actually international) organization … it’s kind of a big deal!

As for the other book…
(I’m really excited about this project!)

As a performing musician and recording artist I have learned to play certain things close to the vest.  I have something in excess of 30 album ideas which I would LOVE to record — and have every intention to produce ….. HOWEVER … I generally don’t reveal those ideas to many if any people beforehand.  Why?  Simply because I want to make my albums — as opposed to someone hearing my idea, swiping it, and beating me to the punch.  This other book is along these lines, but I will tell you this…

  • So far as I know there is only one other recipe book at all similar to it currently on the market &/or ever before made; it involves cookies which I am developing new recipes specifically for this project.
  • I may be partnering with another writer for the content of this book.
  • To fully and correctly publish this book I will have to learn and do things that I previously have only been familiar with however have not otherwise done.
  • This will probably be a coffee table book.  I would like this book to have its own t-shirt.  I may not make an e-book version however I definitely would like to make an audiobook version.  AND it is my preference to release all of these at the same time.

AND two other things I’m working on…

Well …. not quite like this.

As an extension of being a professional musician I like to record things — and I do mean ‘things’ being not-music however are sounds I find interesting.  I do this under the project name of Archive Of Resonance.  I have been a busy boy over the last number of years — both getting things done and sometimes having to put a few things on the shelf.  One such thing …. or moreover four such things … are AOR recordings.  While there are recordings I have wanted to make*, I have captured four sets of audio which I have wanted to turn into albums …. just that finishing this work has not been a priority.  By my guesstimate, each of these need about 20 hours of work.  My aim is to work on these over the course of 2019, publish them, and make them available on Amazon.
(*mostly couldn’t because I lacked transportation — but that’s changed now!)

AND LASTLY …

With pivoting WIBC from production baking to writing and publishing books and other products, I knew that I would need to get an Author’s/Musician’s Day Job.  I got an initial start on my job search in the fall of 2018 and will be getting back at in during January 2019.  This previous start was a decent beginning — I have some leads that look interesting and a decent idea of what my skills apply to.  So the future looks …… interesting!

Going Forward!
~ Don

Announcement, Book, e-Book, e-Publishing, e-Reader, Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies, Progress, Update

Darn Good Cookies E-Book Publishing UPDATE

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Immediately on the heals of publishing “Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies” this past October I dove in to making an e-book version of this first publication.  With some tips from my friend and self-publishing coach, Tom Trimbath, along with ideas I gleaned from a few e-articles on the subject*, I made strong progress in a few week’s time.
(*this article in particular)

Bulldoggedly!

For the past couple of weeks I have been awaiting a review of my work on the e-book version — and last night I received it BACK! There were positive comments on my work along with some constructive questions — questions about things to correct and things to improve that I was unaware of.  I have worked over this list and my document doggedly since last night –I believe I have fixed everything, I have improved a number of things, and I even included a few recipe tweaks that I didn’t mention in my paper book. My understanding is that this work is or should be close to done. I would like to get one more check-over and my aim is to have the e-book published before the holidays at the end of the month — likely sooner!
(*PSST* — I also plan to make an audiobook version of Make Your Own Darn Good Cookies.)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

In the meantime I have kept myself busy working on one of the future books I have conceived — and I have to say, I have made some SMOKIN’ PROGRESS.  The funny thing to me (/cue laugh track) is that I didn’t intend on working on this book until I had a few other works published ….. but something about it grabbed my brain and wouldn’t let it go!

^^^ It can be kinda like this ^^^

I’m having a little too much fun working on this future book idea.  New recipes have been devised, experimented with, and are taking form.  Exciting elements to this book have been added in that I didn’t think of before.  There are a few select people I have shared the details of this project with and they’ve gotten on-board to help.  This book feels like it’s writing itself!

So when will it be ready…

Perhaps ….. Fall 2019?