Look, You Just Can’t Make This Up

Posted on March 4, 2014 by R. Richardsson

The shining star of this week has been the completion of the book cover for my upcoming novel; J.R. van Helsing. I’m extremely pleased with the work of my artist, not that I haven’t been before, and am raring to spend some time away from my book to create a book trailer for it! For the last two days, I have been scouring the internet for royalty free goodies that will be a fit for what I have in mind.

Yes, this cover has been the shining star over a week that has had the worst luck my family has seen in quite some time.

You know how they say that bad things happen in threes, right? Yeah… We’re one shy of doubling that.

The first happened when my youngest boy was running through the house with a laundry basket over his head and he ran into one of our largest windows. No, he wasn’t hurt! Thank goodness! But he made very good use of that one second we took our eyes off of him. Quotes to replace it have been in the five hundred-dollar (plus) range.

The second happened that very same night. While washing the dishes from dinner, my oldest dropped a ceramic bowl into the sink, shattering it. Some of the smaller pieces fell into the garbage disposal, unbeknownst to her at the time, and whatever happened when it was next ran has assured that it will run no more. Another hundred dollars in repairs.

A couple of days later, while exiting my van upon returning home from work, I dropped my cell phone. Now… This isn’t anything I haven’t done before. I have it in a protective case to help prevent any damage! However, this time I won the lottery. It landed on the bottom right corner, and for some reason that physics has yet to explain, the screen exploded. Eight hundred-dollar phone, however, my protection plan will replace it. I’m still waiting on it to get to my local sales team. Yes, it’s good news, but my family depends upon me having this communication link.

Last night, as I was on my way home from work, my van became possessed by the spirit of Christine, and tried to defeat me by way of acceleration. For some inexplicable reason, my van began to slowly accelerate and it would not stop! My pedal was not stuck, nor was there anything keeping it down. My brakes still worked. Again, thank goodness, because it could have gotten very ugly, very fast! (No pun intended.)

Finally, and the most painful of this unholy quintuple, I came home to find my wife in tears. At some point between our room and the kitchen, her wedding ring decided that it was Harry Houdini in a past life, that is, if inanimate objects could be animate in a past life!

So. That happened.

I’m not usually the type of guy to air out his woes for the world to see, but this is something I had to get off of my chest. Somewhere along the way, one of us crossed the path of a black cat. We must have broken a mirror. Hell, I’m apt to believe that I’ve roused the ancient wrath of God for crying out loud!

Perhaps by saying it, letting others see this series of unfortunate events, I can break this chain of bad luck. Maybe my words will touch a reader who had been ‘touched’, (in a holy, good luck kind of way and not the creepy kind of way) and some of their good fortune will pay forward to us? Yeah I’m reaching, but a guy can dream, right?

I know there are others less fortunate than we. Some hail from broken homes, others battle with illnesses that no person should have to deal with. Would I give all of my woes for just one? I guess, no. In retrospect material things are just that. Broken or lost items can be fixed or replaced and we’ve had to go without a lot of things over the years, so what’s a few more?

I’m not the most religious man.

But you already knew that, right? Sure you do. I’m willing to bet that you’ve read some of my work by now?

As I was saying; I’m not the most religious man, but I suppose I should feel somewhat honored. They say that ‘He’ never puts more on a person’s shoulders than they can bear. Well, considering the cross we already carry, and now having these five vultures perched upon it, I’m led to believe that ‘He’ must think very highly of us.

Three Sixty-Five, or Thereabouts

Posted on March 4, 2014 by R. Richardsson

I’ve put some serious thought into whether or not I was going to write this post. I wondered if it really mattered in the grand scheme of things. I see these posts all the time and I feel like I should share how much I have grown since creating this blogsite, but I truly wonder. Have I grown? Has utilizing this form of media been beneficial?

I honestly can’t answer these questions myself. I won’t allow my ego to step far enough forward for it to happen. These are questions best left to my friends, my fans and the casual readers who return here from time to time. Rather than spend the next few lines smothering you with things like; “I’ve had so much fun over the last year,” or, “I never would have thought about how good this blog would be for my writing,” I’m going to do something a little different.

I want to thank you.

Thank you for reading my posts. Granted, it’s not very often I write in this form, I do appreciate that you listen when I’m speaking my mind.

Thank you for reading my stories. I’ve had quite a few positive comments on my writing, and have made some very special friends over the course of this journey. I’ve appreciated your insights, I appreciate the wisdom you share and when I’m not buried in deadlines with my books, I vow to spend more time reading your work as well.

Not that I don’t. I try to read the stories, blog posts, reviews, (etc.) each and every day! In the very least, I ‘like’ your work so that you know I stopped by! And, little do you know, I occasionally promote your more interesting pieces on my various social media platforms. >:) It’s just that the growing list of bloggers I follow has created a waterfall of posts for me to sort through each day, and sometimes I only have enough time to read through a dozen of them before having to move on to my next task.

I’ve grown quite the collection in this old burial grounds. I gain new mourners every week. Many of the empty plots have become filled with the stories I’ve resurrected and there are many more waiting for those to come. I may not always show my appreciation immediately, but I make my rounds. A good undertaker always does, doesn’t he? And though some of my plots are rough around the edges, so too do I find the time to clean them up from time to time.

By my count, there are now (as of this post) one hundred and two mourners who have visited or regularly visit. Some of you are quite lively! Others? Others have faded back into the lands of reality, leaving their own blogsites untended and overgrown. I’ve enjoyed meeting each and every one of you, and I look forward to meeting those who venture here in the future. While you may not like some of the creatures I bring to life in these lonely old plots, you can always count on something new to ‘popping’ up from Beneath The Headstone.

Trolls-R-Us, a guide to blog Trolls – Moose, Mr Whisk and The Axe Murderer

Posted on February 24, 2014 by R. Richardsson

Again, thanks for commenting on my own post regarding trolls, as well as taking the time to share this one with me.

When I wrote my own version, it was because one of my followers had recently dealt with a troll on Amazon and it reading his resulting post had fired me up. Thankfully, *knock on wood*, haven’t had to deal with anything like that as of yet. Sure, I’ve had past experiences with these little beasties, but it was in a different setting altogether. (Forums, live chats, etc.)

I enjoyed reading this post of yours because you not only detail the troll’s behaviors, but what you did about them as well. Very informative material and excellent advice, which I will enjoy sharing!

Don Charisma

Personally, I don’t follow the news too much, I started my information diet some years ago, and I’m emotionally much fitter as a consequence. I catch the occasional story when I check my email on Yahoo, and keep abreast of issues which are relevant and necessary, but largely I don’t miss it or need it.

UK – I was incredibly saddened by the death of Hannah Smith, suicide, it’s said the cause was Trolls on the website ask.fm. I don’t know the entire story, nor will any of us probably ever know the truth of exactly what Hannah was thinking. From what I understand she was young girl struggling to come to terms with personal issues and looking for friends and people to support her, normal stuff in any kind of caring community. Normal supportive behaviour of people who have any kind of moral compass, good heartedness or integrity. But…

View original post 3,231 more words