The Gift of the Lake - Thank You's

GREATGIFT  ....coupon code for Blurb.com good til Dec. 31,2009

Thanks to all who have viewed my book online and to those who have purchased a copy.  Special thanks to Sonja Simmons of Reflections on Main in Albemarle, NC for her support and willingness to display not only my books, but selected large prints from the book.  I also want to thank Dorothea Theus, Jackie Smith, LaDonna Greene and Jean Thompson for their permission to publish their very kind and thoughtful comments.   I also thank neighbors in Woodrun who allowed me access to their beautiful views, and to the Woodrun board members and office staff who supported a joint sales venture to benefit our quiet and special subdivision by the lake.  I can't fail to mention Don Bullock of Bullock Pro Labs, who is one of my "unofficial business managers and marketing directors".  I say "one" because I've received so many marketing ideas and so much support in general from old friends and new friends,and I want to acknowledge them. Being a self-described "hermit", much of the promotional aspects of the book have been challenging, so I am most appreciative of all the help.

I will also be taking into consideration those suggestions from residents of other lakes along the Yadkin-Pee Dee River system that I make "their" special lake the focus, or at least part, of my next book.  When I commented to Sonja that "would be a very big project", she shot back, "well, you better get busy!" 

Getting my feet wet

My boss suggested the idea of blogging to me today, and I guess I've jumped right in..."jumping right in" isn't typical of me but that's where I am today.


I work in digital photography and I play in digital photography and graphics, so this blog will have lots of images, mostly my own. For example, the header of this blog is from a 2 page spread of "Swift Island"...80 Years A Beauty, a book I've recently self-published. Not meaning to sound self-important, in case you're oblivious to the self-publishing revolution, anybody can fairly easily publish a book these days. Quality, content, appeal...none of that is required...just the motivation to collect thoughts and/or images and dump them into the self-publishing website's software, and then "pay up" .


The self-publishing idea caught on with me a couple of months ago when a neighbor sent me a link from a professional photographer whose Yosemite workshop she and her husband attended this past winter. One of their instructors had published through Blurb.com and I was instantly and thoroughly sucked into site. If you're a photographer or writer, or both, you should check out some of the self-publishing sites sproutin' up all over. Even if you have no intention of getting a book together yourself, you'll probably find browsing the crazy, wide variety of books available from those who have. Blurb.com is an easy one in which it's easy to navigate and search. Although I've already mentioned "anybody" can publish, some of the self-published photography coffee table style books are gorgeous ....bookstore quality and are truly first rate in content and style.


I'm just starting to explore what's out there along this line, but I plan to comment on my new finds, bad finds, ...whatever. Well, I guess I got my feet wet, so I'll give it a rest for now.