...on Boardwalks, Paddles, and E-book Pricing...

The Auld Y'in and the boy at Job's Cove boardwalk, 2008

The long weekend is finally behind us. Speaking of behinds...I ate more than my share of turkey and chocolate (not at the same time) when we visited my parents 'round the bay. The weather was nearly warm on Saturday and we ventured out onto the boardwalk at the nearby community of Job's Cove. The snow drifts had finally melted from its boards and the 20 minute walk was  now do-able. The only issue was that a couple of sections were blown over by recent high winds and repairs have yet to be undertaken. We didn't have a camera with us, but I've included a couple of photos from previous years to give you the idea of the topography. This moss-covered moonscape is a familiar sight all over this island.

Many of you may recall this conversation that the boy, V and I had when we were out to supper recently. I know present an abridged version of a chat that occurred while my mum was making lunch. Let me set the scene...she held a knife and then brought out  a cutting board to chop up some veggies to stuff into pita bread. The board had a short handle and appeared wider than it was long.

Me: "Jeez, that cutting board looks like a paddle."

My dad (the auld y'in): "Aye, you mother and I break that oot on Tuesday nights. There's nae much on the telly..."

Me: *Shudders*  "I don't recall the paddle being an instrument of such fun when WE were kids." *flashes back to cricket bat-like paddle hanging prominently from a nail on the kitchen wall*

Sometimes, visits home can be a bit TOO educational. Speaking of educational...

I'd like to point you in the direction of John Wiswell. Those of you who contribute to and read #fridayflash stories will be familiar with John's eclectic and often satirical brand of writing. Today, at his blog The Bathroom Monologues, John has posted an essay entitled High Book Prices are Good For You. He discusses the practice of some e-book publishers setting prices as high as $14.99 for top-notch (ie. those that are enormously popular with massive fan bases) authors down to the regular folks (comparatively new or unknown writers) peddling their wares for a mere $0.99. Take a few minutes to read his essay and to follow the growing comment thread. There are some interesting thoughts that are both for and against his arguments.

And speaking of interesting thoughts writing...I'd like to take a moment to remind you all that there 12 days left to submit your stories to our Lost on the Rock 2011 flash fiction contest. You can get the contest information here. Laurita and I will post later in the week about the prizes up for grabs this year. Those of you who followed this blog last year may recall my 'unsightly begging' just days before last year's contest...I'm not at that point yet, but am getting dangerously close. Even if you're not going to enter, Laurita and I would really appreciate if you would promote (blog, Twitter, etc.) the contest to other circles of writers. Many thanks!