Can you tell Christmans is near?
New Blogging Adventure
Sorry about the infrequent blogging, everyone. With Christmas fast approaching, along with my trip, the days stay filled and I haven't carved out time for writing much of anything.
Seemed like the perfect time to commit to more writing, so I am very pleased to announce that I will be doing book reviews (on an irregular basis) over at BookHorde.org. By now, you've gathered I read quite a lot. Most of that I do not review on this blog, though I am reconsidering that thought.
Book Horde is a newer book review site, committed to bringing attention to emerging writers. As readers, we live in the greatest age of story-telling that has ever existed as authors, including yours truly, begin to see the power of self-publishing. Therein lies a problem, though - separating good work from bad. Book Horde, like many of its fellow review-blogs, pans for the literary gold for you. (Well, maybe not literary - they reviewed Trail of Second Chances (and liked it a lot!), but you get the drift.)
I'll be putting up reviews on sci-fi, fantasy, and thrillers. Since I'm involved in some writing groups, the range could conceivably grow to include genres I don't normally read. We'll see - it's an interesting adventure.
Old Blogging Adventure
I've talked to quite a few people recently that lamented the fact that I didn't blog over at InlandXC this past season. The principal reason wasn't a lack of interest, but of time. The original intent of said blog was to cover races in the inland northwest. That's too big a territory for one guy with a full-time job, coaching responsibilities, writing addictions, and family obligations.
I need help. (No, not mental help. I'm happy, I'm harmless.)
I am looking for people interested in contributing on a regular basis, in season, to the site. Ideal candidates are high school students who would like a byline and a snazzy looking reference for college applications. Proficiency with English is a plus. I think I have someone in Pullman who might be interested. Could use a couple of someones in the Spokane area, and the Tri-Cities area.
Notes About Kenya
Prep work is done with the exception of packing and buying Traveller’s Checks. (Just realized that my internet browser spellcheck is set for English English, not American English. Colour me embarrassed.)
Justin Lagat got hold of me to let me know that the NIKE Discovery Cross Country race will be in Eldroet while I'm there. That will be exciting to watch. He's also trying to arrange some interviews for me, which will help me cover the spectrum for my book.
Or books. I might try and do a non-fiction book out of this whole experience, too. In any event, I will be posting to the blog as frequently as internet connections permit. Expect plenty of photos as well.
In checking the various embassy warnings about Kenya, it appears that the area up on the Somali border and the area along the coast are relatively hazardous for westerners due to the risk of kidnapping. Fortunately, I'm not headed to either of those locations. Still, there's plenty of good advice available. I check in with the American State Department, as well as the Canadian Embassy and the Australian Embassy.
Kenya also has quite a few English-language newspaper online. The two that I have been reading are The Daily News and the Digital Standard. Both have pages devoted to the areas that I'll be traveling.
Having Justin there to point out when I might be doing something dumb will be a big help. I'm pretty good at dumb-but-survivable mistakes, but that's within my current experiences.
From here to Christmas, I'll probably put up a couple more posts, but I'm not going to try to hold to the normal two-a-week schedule. Family time is important.
Take care, run gently. Or get caught up on shopping. Or hanging lights. Or spiking the egg nog.