Tuesday, April 26, 2011

...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!

9 comments:

Gigi said...

Had I a circle of writers to promote to....you know I would.

Yeah, sometimes going home again is far too educational for anyone's liking.

K.C. Shaw said...

I love those pictures! Moonscape is right. It looks like a great place to sit and think bleak thoughts about the end of the world and how cold you're getting. :)

Fox Lee said...

Cool walkway : )

Cathy Olliffe-Webster said...

Och, I will give pimpage to the contest... and, I SWEAR, I will enter... not until I get back from the SPRING FISHING TRIP! WOO HOO!
Your parents are right, there is nothing on the telly that night... off to get a paddle from the canoe...

Laurita said...

Mmmm, chocolate turkey.

I've been a little lax in promoting our contest too. I'd better get on that.

You create such clever little segues in your posts.

John Wiswell said...

Well I'm already in on the contest. Or am I allowed to say that, given the contestant anonymity? Am I disqualified now?

Thanks for the plug on my essay, Alan. Be happy have you pop over and weigh in any time.

Katey said...

Oh god, we could all do with less of that sort of education at home :/

If I don't shut up about pricing soon, people are going to stop reading my blog. Er, the people that haven't already...

Lou Freshwater said...

Those photos are beautiful. I want to walk there on that moss covered moonscape.

Alan W. Davidson said...

Gigi- Yep, when it comes to revisiting 'the old days' its best to be like those three monkeys covering their eyed, ears and mouth.

KC- That's a perfect assessment of visiting the moonscape. I think a lot of writers are inspired by the landscape on this island.

Nat- Yeah the walkway helps because the area is generally boggy. During the summer you'll see a lot of the carnivorous Purple pitcher plants growing there (it's the 'floral emblem' of our province.

Cathy- Perhaps you and my mum can exchange techniques on wielding the paddle.

Laurita- Thanks, though I think some of those segues are kinda forced. I think this weekend is a good opportunity to pimp the contest some more...Yikes! only eight days left...

John- To be honest, we only have a small number of entries at the moment (I hope everyone is leaving it until the last day or two to enter) so I haven't read any of the entries yet. I'll be sure to penalize you by 10 points once I figure out which story it is!

Katey- Ha! Were you refering to the paddle used for the forces of good, instead of evil? You know that I'm always lurking about your blog someplace.

Lou- You're alway welcome to visit up here, Lou. There's lots of stunning scenery. Well worth the long drive/ferry crossing.