Here's a collage of some of my paintings this winter so far..

Off to the right, you'll see a collage of eight of my paintings this winter so far..and it's not over yet. I should have well over a dozen by March or April. I just received permission to paint a scene I really like, so that will be next.

With regard to book sales, the figures for 2012 are almost in. I can see that Apple will continue to lead the pack over Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, Diesel, etc. Barnes & Noble is making an international push and I can see some results even this early.  When I receive final totals in a couple weeks, I'll publish percentages from each sales channel.

Flatline Virus, my first book, a Zombie thriller, continues to lead the rest. Be sure to go to the Apple bookstore (the link is a few lines down on the column to the right) to check it out. It is four star based on the reviews of 29 reviewers.  If you like guns, I pay attention to these in the story (check out one of the reviews). That's how our heroes defend themselves, although not only from the undead.

2013 will be rougher on independent authors as there will be more competition...i.e. many more books written, published and ready to read and only so much demand. One good thing is that digital books and reading on digital devices will take over hard and soft cover books this next year.

Newest Painting on Video - Two minutes time-lapse!

This is a time-lapse video of my latest painting from beginning to end in two minutes. I've also included a written, running commentary as I paint. Like I admit on YouTube, it's not necessarily a how-to instructional video, but I always think it's useful to watch how someone else paints, i.e. doing something I can learn from or seeing how they 'fix' things.  I know I make mistakes. The learning comes in having to fix the mistakes, make adjustments, sometimes painting over whole areas. Compared to where I was three years ago when I started, I feel like I've come a ways.

I paint in acrylic usually, but not always landscapes. I'm enthralled with lighting and the effect it has on the painting. I'll use sponges, fan brushes, my finger, a paper towel, anything to get the effect I'm looking for.

Thanks for watching.

Painter at Work - Check out the video

Just a peek while I work on a couple of recent paintings. http://youtu.be/vs5c0b00cHQ

Flatline Virus - Book Trailer

A Zombie story...gears up from New Mexico as the undead population spreads and evolves. Follow the story through Europe, Baltimore, Dover AFB, Naples (Italy), and finally to a well-armed standoff in the Southwest. Plenty of guns and ammo, the undead on planes. Four stars in the Apple Bookstore.

Collage of Paintings of Segregansett Country Club

I've put together a collage of nine of my paintings of Segregansett Country Club. It's shown over to the right side of this blog. For those golfers who know the course, you will notice that the path between the 17th green and the 18th tee (painting on middle left) used to have a number of trees which are now cut down. They provided one of the most colorful scenes in the fall. Not so much now. Also, the tree behind the fourth green (painting on upper right) used to have three big branches or trunks. One came down last year, so there are only two. Anyway, the holes shown include the two I've already mentioned in addition to holes #10, 6, 14, 15, 2, 16 and the entrance on Gulliver Street.

5,000 Page Views !!!

Sometime within the last several days, this blog surpassed 5000 page views. It's not a lot for many blogs, but I'm quite happy to have made it this far. The blog is less than two years old. It began in March 2011 as I was finishing my first book and had painted my first few paintings. The counter is at the bottom of the page.

Four New Paintings Finished

I've completed four paintings. See them to the right. I've got two city street at night scenes, a sunlit forest, and a scene along Route 10 near Deming, New Mexico. All were completed from photos.

Flatline Virus is a 4 Star Rating Zombie Novel !!!

Based on 29 reviews in the Apple iBookstore and the 3 reviews on Amazon, 'Flatline Virus', my first book (and first Zombie novel) is weight-rated four stars. It's a fast moving apocalyptic story that takes place in Italy, Baltimore, Texas, on planes, and in New Mexico, among other places. Hope you enjoy it!
                   
Also, this blog is closing in on 5,000 page views (counted at the bottom of this page).

Latest Sales Channel Results

Thus far through 2012, here are my latest sales channel results:

Apple 42%
Amazon 34%
Barnes & Noble 21%
Smashwords 1%
Sony 1%
Kobo 1%

Apple continues to lead the pack. I expect that to continue. Both Amazon and Apple are now making ebooks available in a number of countries around the world. I have had sales for English worded books of mine from Italy, France, England and Germany, although very few. It will be nice to see how India, Australia and New Zealand make a difference.

Apple's results are delayed somewhat just because they report up through my distributor, Smashwords. So, actually their percentage is higher than 42%. When the end of year results are available in the first quarter of 2013, I expect them to lead the rest, including Amazon, by a wider margin than seen above.

Link to Apple Bookstore

I've created a link to the Apple Bookstore for my first book, 'Flatline Virus', a zombie thriller. It's to the right of this entry, I've called it Apple Bookstore for some strange reason. If you don't have iTunes on your PC it won't show up, however. Apple is my biggest sales channel and has more and better ratings than Amazon. Check it out.

First Prize (in Acrylics) Won at Taunton Art Show!

My entry #1, Chariot Tracks of Ancient Pompeii, won First Prize (Acrylics category) at the Taunton Art Association's Fall Art Show. I'll have to hand it to the judging. Not that I won, but it was my best work that did. I still think my Iguana picture, 'Liz Odd', is pretty much an equal in detail and technique, but I guess it just doesn't have the intangible.

Another good piece of news. I sold an art piece, 'Misty Summer Morning'. I believe it was a woman who was an active member of the Art Association. I failed to get her name. I'm not sure any other pieces were sold by other artists. I did price mine low enough to be marketable.

The judge's comments were posted under my winning painting. They were as follows.

Judge's Notes: 1st Place Acrylic
Recognized it to be Pompeii
Loved the vanishing point
Strong work with excellent texture

Overall, it was a good day.

Taunton Art Association 2012 Fall Art Show

The Taunton Art Association is holding its 2012 Fall Art Show on Sunday, October 21 from 12-4 p.m. An awards ceremony will be held at 3:30 pm.

I have entered four pieces. They are shown to the right. This is the first time I have entered a juried show in Taunton. It's exciting to have some work to show.

Pulseless Pandemic - First Rating is a 5 Star

My second zombie book, Pulseless Pandemic, has its first rating on Barnes & Noble and it's a 5 star. No words, but I'll take it.

Advice to Readers....Don't Ever Rely on the Rating of One Person

My Amazon ratings are based on 1-3 ratings. As an example, my first book, Flatline Virus, suffered from a single early bad rating from someone on Amazon who clearly was expecting the Pulitzer prize-winning author by my name. I also later found he was a regular negative reviewer of many things on Amazon. My book was the last he ever reviewed. Must have killed him.

On the other hand, my book sales at Apple (my largest selling channel) for 'Flatline Virus' are much, much better and based on 29 reviews. 4 starsin fact.  An early bad review hurts. An early good one helps as in my Apple book store experience.  Eventually, it almost works out, but my advice is always to not rely on a single review.

The Scoop About Poop Now Available on Amazon for $0.99 !!!

Book 5 is now available on Amazon and priced at the low price of 99 cents. It took them a matters of only a few hours to review the book. I'm very curious, based on how different this subject matter is from my previous books, how fast the first sale develops.