Togwotee Passage by L. G. Cullens

5/1/2021

Multivolume, multi-genre author Leighton G. Cullens introduces us to his eco-fiction adventure “Togwotee Passage”:
An impassioned, thought kindling journey on a wilder side of life, from youth to passing, with a breadth of charged life experiences.

In 1940s Wyoming, a seven-year-old under the yoke of a dysfunctional family is beginning his life journey with stumbling steps. When an intervention whisks him reluctantly away, he faces new challenges in a sweeping wilderness setting, where a sustaining influence is the friendship of a Shoshone youth with differing cultural values. On into the treacherous terrain of life's chaotic landscape, with his mettle tested time and again he is increasingly rankled with civilization's Janus-faced ways and ill-conceived progress. Mitigating his irritation, is a distracting fascination with the wonderment and paradoxes of the natural world. That is, until he considers where humankind's varying proclivities stem from.

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Togwotee (toe'-ga-tee) is the name of a challenging mountain pass in the Absaroka Mountains of northwest Wyoming. As used in the title of this fictive tale, it's an apt metaphor for the protagonist's life path.

The story is character driven, contains Native American mythology, has an entwined thread of natural world interconnectedness, and is complemented with expressive illustrations.

I really enjoyed this story. While I didn’t grow up in 1940s Wyoming, I grew up on small farms in Oregon and Washington in the 1960s. I was reminded of the many wonderful hours I spent in the woods, it was my sanctuary.
The scene-setting was excellent, I could plainly see what the author was describing. The dialogues were good also, downright funny at times. The action was very satisfactory, though it wasn’t extensive.
I really enjoyed the relationship Cullen had with Derek, his Shoshone friend. A lot of good-natured bantering surrounded by a secure relationship. Each man walked his own path and respected the path of his friend.
I award 4.7 stars to “Togwotee Passage”.

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Togwotee-Passage-L-G-Cullens-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/-togwotee-passage
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/togwotee-passage-l-g-cullens

You can connect with the author:
https://lgcullens.com
https://www.goodreads.com/author/L_G_Cullens

The author is giving away a limited number of copies of this book during the month of May, 2021. The details for obtaining a copy can be found at https://lgcullens.com/tpigiveaway

Tags: ecology, environment, environmental, balance, nature, fiction
Copyright © 2021 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction

39 Comments

L. G. Cullens link

5/1/2021 11:05:01 pm

My sincere appreciation for your review, and a red-faced thank-you for the additional spelling/typo errors your sharp eye caught — errors that were missed by three other editors and my own multiple read throughs.

I also appreciate your mention of the ebook copies giveaway I instituted to coincide with your promotion. At my late stage of life I'm not interested in fame or fortune, but I am interested in increasing awareness of the book. Through a hopefully interesting story, I'm adding my voice to the many authors that are trying to further understanding that our well-being is intrinsically dependent on the state of our little blue canoe.

As a side-note, Robert Folzenlogen (of Nature's Blog) wondered if the book isn't, at least in part, autobiographical. My reply was the quote, “Literature is a process of producing beautiful lies that tell more truth than any facts.” ~ Julian Barnes.

My best to you and yours

Mark

5/2/2021 09:45:15 am

You are very welcome, Lee. I enjoyed the story. I have to agree with Robert, I sense a bit of auto-biography in your story. The truth is, almost every story has a touch of that because we write from our experiences to some degree or another. I am not going to presume that any one event in your book is from your life. Your depth of description without using a lot of words is quite good.
First question.
Please, tell us more about yourself. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

L. G. Cullens link

5/2/2021 11:59:41 am

I don't know what to say about myself that might be interesting. I'm progressing through stages of denseness like so many, and my unthinking big mouth hasn't been an asset. An example being, during a PT session some months back I asked the therapist to repeat herself because I didn't hear well. When she asked why I didn't get a hearing aid, feigning shock I replied, "What! and jeopardize over forty years of marriage." Though she seemed to take it as a joke, I felt afterwards it was a stupid thing to say. My daughter, a HS teacher at the Mount Desert Island Regional School District in Maine, tells me my wife, Karen, is the best thing that ever happened to me. I heartily agree, especially after a disastrous first marriage.

In spiting distance of eighty, and not getting around well anymore, these days I spend reading, dabbling in writing, puttering around my natural garden, and trying to keep up with a new puppy. Thankfully, my wife is in much better shape, tending our organic garden, walking miles each day, and golfing a couple days a week. I have only myself to blame for my condition, what with wild and woolly early years, jumping out of airplanes in the military, and doing back-breaking chores keeping up this old farmstead.

Is it possible to follow the old adage, Live with no excuses & Love with no regrets?

Mark

5/2/2021 12:28:46 pm

I know what you mean, my filter is rather limited also. My mouth creates a lot of my trouble.
A new puppy is a wonderful thing to force you to move around more. We lost our dog a few years ago. We are looking forward to getting another puppy later this year or next year.
That old adage is a nice goal.
New questions.
How long have you been writing fiction?
Does your past work have any influence on your writing?

L. G. Cullens link

5/2/2021 03:06:39 pm

Don't wait :-) "A new dog never replaces an old dog, it merely expands the heart." – Erica Jong

This little rascal we got from the shelter is great company, and when he gets into something he shouldn't he's a good distraction from life's woes ;-)

I'm reminded of a time years ago, when a couple ladies came to the door asking if they could sit down with me and read the Bible. I asked them if dogs were allowed in their version of heaven. When one of them replied, "Of course not," I said, "Sorry, I want to go where dogs go."

"How long have you been writing fiction?"

I'm not counting what a teacher in school asked us to turn out after reading The Lady, or the Tiger? ;-)

Maybe twenty years ago, I wrote some short stories on a blog I had at the time. The response was encouraging, and I tried my hand at a novel. Unfortunately, I came to see it as poorly written compared other's books I read, and have long since unpublished it.

Then about a decade ago, I wanted to write something meaningful (for my grandson and all the innocents whose futures are threatened) and started working on Togwotee Passage. It has been through several iterations, and finally after engaging a substantive editor (not an easy decision when one is living on SS, but the book was important to me) the writing evolved to what I felt was a respectable offering.

Currently I'm working on a non-fiction reference book about nurturing a natural garden. I don't know if I'll have time to finish it, but it helps occupy my time.

"Does your past work have any influence on your writing?"

Only as experiences to learn from, and maybe use as material.

Mark

5/2/2021 03:41:01 pm

I agree with that quote from Jong. A new dog is a new love experience.
A lot of people talk about writing a book and never do it. Many start a book and never finish. Finishing a first draft is a notable accomplishment, but that is really only the beginning. It has been said that a book is never written, it is really rewritten over and over.
New questions.
This next question might seem obvious, except that I sometimes miss something the author intended. What do the elements on the cover represent?
Was it hard to come up with the title? What was the process?

L. G. Cullens link

5/2/2021 09:12:25 pm

"What do the elements on the cover represent?"

First, as one reader intuited in their review, it represents the natural life aspect of our little blue canoe that is a thread in the book. Second, in combination it suggests an overarching perspective (an eagle's view) of our life giving natural world, something lost in good part in our human bubble. And one reader noted that it brings Calan's life full circle, which I can see in part, but hadn't thought when I created the cover.

"Was it hard to come up with the title? What was the process?"

The title came to me in remembering strenuous backpacking treks in the Togwotee Pass, Bridger-Teton National Forest, and Shoshone National Forest areas in the 1950s. That before modern 'economic' development, and the volume of fouling machine sports. It seemed a good metaphoric title to me.

Not to leave the preceding without explaining my perspective, which is pertinent to my book. I'm currently reading The Wolverine Way By Douglas H. Chadwick, and have great respect for the hardy souls studying our effects on biodiversity. Especially in that they do so out of respect for our natural world, and do so for a pittance.

"Don't be seduced into thinking that that which does not make a profit is without value." ~ Arthur Miller

“Ability to see the cultural value of wilderness boils down, in the last analysis, to a question of intellectual humility. The shallow-minded modern who has lost his rootage in the land assumes that he has already discovered what is important; it is such who prate of empires, political or economic, that will last a thousand years. It is only the scholar who appreciates that all history consists of successive excursions from a single starting-point, to which man returns again and again to organize yet another search for a durable scale of values. It is only the scholar who understands why the raw wilderness gives definition and meaning to the human enterprise.” ~ Aldo Leopold

A telling snippet from my book is:
"For an unmeasured time, I'm thinking not about why I'm here, but the course my life has taken, and the many other lives whose paths I've crossed. What a rollercoaster, if it weren't for my early difficulties I might never have experienced the awe of wilderness on a grand scale, nor with other twists of fate been exposed to Shoshone values. Being a stranger to their culture, and estranged from my own, was a blessing in disguise, opening my eyes to see beyond the horse blinkers of cultural inculcation. For all that though, it was the truly caring individuals I crossed paths with whose wisdom helped me weather the many storms."

Wow, you got me going with that question :-)

Mark

5/3/2021 08:17:43 am

I am guessing that you made the cover since you also did the illustrations. I did enjoy them all.
It has been said that no book is finally complete until a person has read it. Since each person comes to a book with different perspectives the book that person reads differs from my reading the same book.
Almost every person born thinks they are a modern person, this hubris exists throughout the human race in one level or another. As you noted, it can be the cause of many ills in society and personal life.
New questions.
Were the character names difficult to develop? How did you choose them?
Your book is available as an e-book and a paperback. Are you planning any other formats?

L. G. Cullens link

5/3/2021 11:27:39 am

"Were the character names difficult to develop? How did you choose them?"

Humm ... what's in a name? The main character's name, Calan, and in good part closely associated characters' names, were picked in part to suggest family roots. For example, Calan, his sister Aileana, cousin Elleen, etc. suggest Gaelic origins, and Calan's mother, Valida, suggests an old Norse strain in the family. Such may also be an aspect of further depicting a character, as in the case of Dr. Zhao, Calan's childhood friend Juan, and a later work associate Jorge.

Shoshone characters' names, though, are anglicized to varying degrees (not necessarily obvious), that I recalled hearing on the res. Names such as the other main character, Derek, his mother, Nina, and sisters, Haiwee and Leotie.

Lesser characters were simply given names that struck my fancy.

One name, Dr. Jeffries (only briefly mentioned) was a name from my childhood. Back before corporatized medicine, he made house visits, and if a family was strapped for cash would accept chickens, residence upkeep labor, whatever. I remember one summer, after a bout of measles, being sent over to mow his lawn multiple times — that with a dull push reel mower.

As you are aware, there are a good number of peripheral characters in the book, so I included a characters index in the back matter. Maybe such isn't needed though, as no one yet has mentioned any confusion.

"Your book is available as an e-book and a paperback. Are you planning any other formats?"

No, no other formats. The ebook is easy to maintain because I build my own epub, and in being digital is simpler to distribute. The paperback on the other hand is tedious to format, costly to distribute, and to my mind is overpriced. First, it is printed in color because of the included illustrations which is expensive, and second, one outlet requires an overly hefty cut (true to our money-grubbing ways) in addition, leaving a pittance royalty in minimizing the purchase price. Costs would be even higher for a hardback version.

There is a silver lining to the overpriced printed copy though, that in limiting the purchase of such reduces tree harvesting. I'm not convinced the digital route is all that green, but we need many more trees than there are at present.

Mark

5/3/2021 03:10:22 pm

I like how you worked out the names. I have always been fascinated by names. When I left our very small town in 1970, population 1,352, I moved to San Francisco to live with my bio-dad. One of the delightful things about that metropolitan experience was meeting people from many different countries and cultures, especially when I was working at a car wash.
An audio book would be an expensive proposition most likely. Then the consumer wouldn't have the benefit of the illustrations. But, audio books are exploding all over the world and English audio books are very popular because much of the world speaks English as an official language or a second language. Except the USA, we don't have an official language.
If you would like to learn more about audio books I interviewed a narrator in the middle of an author interview. Type "Green" in the search box at the bottom of the page, the first result should be a book title "Heir To a Prophecy". If you want more info type "audio book" in the search box, I have links to many blogs about audio books including how to DIY.
New questions.
What are the Amazon keywords you chose for your book?
Have you entered any writing contests?

L. G. Cullens link

5/3/2021 11:26:35 pm

As to your mention of an audio book version, I've looked into it several times and decided not to. I don't have the voice skills to narrate the book myself even if I could swing the equipment costs, upfront costs for engaging a good professional narrator are beyond my SS income, and zero upfront shared royalties has too many cons — chief among them being that potential narrators interest is influenced by a book's sales history, which equates to the better a narrator the less the interest.

And before you ask, nor have I queried any agents or publishers about my book. That relative to personal views of the business model.

Speaking of publishers, when I search for books I might be interested in reading, It doesn't matter to me whether a book is traditionally or self published (there are good and bad reasons for both), but rather how well it is written and edited, if the subject matter intrigues me, and if it makes me think. Something that turns me off is all the marketing hype in a blurb (International/NYT/USA Today bestselling author ...; Longlisted/shortlisted/winner of ...; Stunning sequel to ...; media and celebrity one-liners; and on and on, often in bold type) to lure the sheep.

Having read so many books over three quarters of a century, I'm likely jaded and picky, but I'm still finding ones I'm interested in reading.

"What are the Amazon keywords you chose for your book?"

Eco-fiction; Adventure; Nature; Native American; Literary fiction; Historical fiction; Mythology

In searching for books to read, I've found that combinations of three or more keywords reduces what to me is chaff.

"Have you entered any writing contests?"

No I haven't, and have no plans to. The ones that I've looked at, and checked out the previous selections of, didn't seem to be much of a fit, and the more prestigious ones likely wouldn't give such as me a thought.

As a relative anecdote: During my woodworking decorative arts days I created a marquetry work that I called a Celtic Treasure Chest (can be seen on my website at https://lgcullens.com/l-g-cullens-sampler). It has remained in the family because my daughter said it will be worth more when I'm gone ;-)

Mark

5/4/2021 09:09:38 am

I am not sure who is funnier, you or your daughter. I suspect it runs in the family.
Yes, audio book production is expensive. It takes a narrator several hours to produce one good hour of an audio book. Artificial Intelligence is starting to make inroads into this field. An AI-narrated book still needs some cleanup by a human. Soon, that won't be necessary. The next step will be celebrity voices, an author could choose a famous voice, duplicated by AI to narrate their book. Then, human-narrated books will be become more sought after by some because of the rarity. The narrators that embrace AI will find their costs go down a lot and then will likely charge more if they produce a book without the AI narration.
Keywords can certainly help make locating a new book much easier.
There are a lot of bogus contests out their, most are satisfied with just getting a bunch of your money. The insidious ones want your Intellectual Property rights also. Here is a copy-and-paste link for a good article about these dangers https://annerallen.com/2019/05/beware-bogus-writing-contests
New questions.
Every genre's fans have expectations about what they are going to want to read. Fans of cozy mysteries have a set of expectations that can differ greatly from the expectations of fans of hard-boiled murder mysteries.
What expectations do fans of your genre look for in a story that they want to read?
I noticed that you didn’t put your book in Kindle Unlimited. Why is that?

L. G. Cullens link

5/4/2021 12:48:11 pm

Thank you for seeing it that way. At the risk of being misunderstood, humor, especially curmudgeonly humor, is a depression antidote in later life.

And thank you for pointing me at Anne R. Allen's Blog... post about Bogus Writing Contests. I may watch it for her opportunity alerts. One among them she noted in the blog post (for veterans) may be a possibility. My apprehensions of writing contests run pretty deep though. One is the tendency of many's expectations, the many to me seeming what I think of as surface readers (entertaining themselves with human bubble stories, and not much into expanding their perspective of how connected we are in the natural world). And that within the current literary dogma inculcated in our manipulated education system (like show, don't tell, to the lack of integrating broader aspects). I've tried to integrate broader aspects within such as best I can, striving for reader's interest for broader exposure, but my book isn't intended to be a simple human bubble who-done-it, head-between-the-legs, horror, or whatever. An example might be the snippet, "Sensing my annoyance with Derek’s lengthy didactic remarks, Calan says, 'Understand his frustration, Kay, with so many of our species' subjective avoidance of inconvenient problems they are causing.'"

Don't get me wrong, I think fiction is a great vehicle towards more enlightened understanding when it at least subtly incorporates meaningful broader aspects of life, and might even lead to eventually reading non-fiction like Edward O. Wilson's The Meaning of Human Existence ;-)

Enough of my big yap, on to your questions.

"Every genre's fans have expectations about what they are going to want to read. Fans of cozy mysteries have a set of expectations that can differ greatly from the expectations of fans of hard-boiled murder mysteries.
What expectations do fans of your genre look for in a story that they want to read?"

I don't see my book as fitting any one genre, and thus any narrowly focused readers. At most the book in its time span through the main characters lives might be considered event oriented fictional biographies, but that's simply an approach to the other aspects — such as adventure in a walk on the wild side, the Nature encountered, late history, and a contrasting Native American cultural aspect complete with their mythology.

Readers vary to be sure, and adding my voice to the eco-fiction umbrella I'm hoping many find my cross-genre approach interesting. They may not immediately connect with the gist, but hopefully questions will nag at the periphery of their minds.

"I noticed that you didn’t put your book in Kindle Unlimited. Why is that?"

Maybe is has something to do with the corporate monopoly mindset I frown on :-) I see it as overly limiting and geared to our culture's economic thrust. I hope there will be more awareness of the book with wider exposure.

Mark

5/4/2021 02:14:22 pm

I have been playing the old man humor card for a number of years, so I enjoy a good dark or wincing laugh every now then.
The bubble experience is real, I can appreciate your disdain. A lot of people are miserable in their lives and don't even know why. They seek out one form of entertainment or another to escape the pain for just a few minutes, if they can.
You are so right, your book fits in many different categories. One of my favorite categories is the Native American culture. One of my good friends grew up on a reservation in the 40s or 50s. He was forbidden to speak his language, use his given name and express his culture while in the boarding school with all of the other kids. He was given a new name, John George, required to use only English in school and taught American (white man) ways.
Amazon is the 800 lb. gorilla in the room. No other publisher even comes close.
New questions.
What are the main advantages of being self-published as opposed to signing a traditional publishing contract?
Have you had contact with a vanity publisher or a company you thought might be trying to scam you?

L. G. Cullens link

5/5/2021 01:45:20 am

I see I'm overly slow responding again, I apologize. My wife took me with her today to a nursery some distance away, her for some flowering plants for the dooryard, and me for some more high-bush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) to add to my natural garden. When we got back, I was so tired I had to lie down for a nap, and several hours later I awoke when my wife looked in on me to see if she needed to call the mortician (and the puppy jumped on me). Tomorrow, I'll likely wear myself out again getting the new blueberry bushes in the ground, and adding pine needles around all the blueberry bushes for needed acidity.

This brings to mind something else that causes me to shake my head. Later in the summer when blueberries begin to ripen, around the village I notice others putting nets over their blueberries. To me such selfishness is self-defeating ignorance. The foundation of good health is the good health of our little blue canoe, which includes the biodiversity. One book I've read that addresses the point well is Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants.

Enough of my digressions, and on to the questions have you meted out?

"What are the main advantages of being self-published as opposed to signing a traditional publishing contract?"

As I've noted earlier, there are good and bad aspects to both traditional and self-publishing. A writer such as Thomas King, having established a significant reputation, does well enough leaving all aspects of publishing in his agent's hands. At a cost though, with the economic games that are played. In the US I can't buy an ebook version of his book The Back of the Turtle, and I buy only ebooks so I can enlarge the type for these old eyes. Audio books might satisfy the issue, but my mind tends to wander more, and it's more troublesome skipping back to hear what I missed. Traditional publishing has the advantage of more extensive marketing (to the extent seen as economically advantageous), and commonly enforces readability. The rub of it to me is the commodity aspect of books predominately present in traditional publishing, which is inculcated in our culture. One consequence is a quagmire of books of little value other than short term entertainment diversions, regardless of how well written. To me, a book should be more that a short term entertainment diversion (though the occasional reading of such does no harm), at least subtly increasing the reader's perspective of reality. Humankind's development of writing improved the dissemination of both knowledge and entertainment, but has become significantly weighted with entertainment and propaganda. The dime-store novels I remember from my youth seem to have become the predominate literature.

Self-publishing is obviously no cure-all. Big business still bleeds both writers and readers, the scams have increased many fold, propaganda has ballooned, readability has suffered significantly eroding trust, and the quagmire of, to me frivolous, books has grown hundred fold (like the plastic garbage patch in the Pacific). I have read many articles on the pros and cons of self-publishing, and the five most common pros I've seen are no gatekeepers, creative control, price control and higher royalty rates, less waiting, and the opportunity to make a name for yourself. Other than creative control and no commodity oriented gatekeepers (both of which cut both ways), all the other pros I've seen are aspects of our inculcated neoliberal thinking (not unlike the mentality of netting blueberry bushes mentioned above). The advantages of creative control and no commodity oriented gatekeepers can, though, allow for more meaningful subject matter and more creative presentation if one has the chops to pull it off. Self-publishing also allows for much longer shelf life, which can be an advantage in waiting for more awareness of the subject matter. The less waiting so-called pro though, is a come-on in glossing over the years of rewriting effort, engaged editor give and take necessary to produce a decent book, and the ongoing arduous marketing/awareness effort (which can also alienate potential readers). Higher royalty rates is also a come-on, playing to money-grubbing mentalities. And the opportunity to make a name for oneself not only, if you will forgive me, borders on narcissism, but is likely more easily achieved through Evel Knievel stunts.

To me it boils down to the reason one is writing, and the trade-offs one is willing to accept. I don't have the name recognition and clout of such as a Rachel Carson or Aldo Leopold, so I chose self-publishing despite the negative aspects. There is also the aspect that often enough for writers there is no choice.

Other considerations are conversion to an ebook format, and publishing platforms. The auto-conversion employed by numerous platforms left something to be desired to me, so I built my epub. As to platforms, I did not avoid the 800

L. G. Cullens link

5/5/2021 01:57:13 am

I guess I got a little too longwinded. The remainder of the post is:

As to platforms, I did not avoid the 800lb gorilla, because the file size limit on other platforms is too low. The file size of my book is higher because of the included illustrations which I believe are advantageous. I originally published on the Amazon and D2D platforms, but am transitioning to the Amazon and IngramSpark platforms for greater distribution.

"Have you had contact with a vanity publisher or a company you thought might be trying to scam you?"

Having already flapped my gums overmuch, I'll say only, often enough, especially with sales starting to increase.

You've wore me out again, so I'm off to bed :-)

Mark

5/5/2021 07:22:36 am

I is important to do things with your wife. We have both been married for awhile, my 45th anniversary is in August. Happy wife, happy life. I don't begrudge you that time, it was well spent.
You covered the pros and cons pretty well, from a bird's-eye-view perspective. I can't disagree with any of that.
Not being able to buy that e-book "The Back of the Turtle" is part of the reason the traditional publishing industry is collapsing in on itself. They have studiously avoided the ebook publishing industry to their own detriment and the consumers. when they do publish the e-book they tend to price it much higher than indie published e-books and then point to the lack of sales and say it is a dead category, because there are very few sales.
New questions.
What are the three most important considerations for an independent author to be certain of when signing a contract with a publisher?
After rejecting traditional publishing, did you consider an independent or hybrid publisher?

L. G. Cullens link

5/5/2021 02:14:22 pm

Hmm ... you've also noticed that traditional publishers tend to price e-books higher than most indie published ebooks. Part of it I assume is to help cover overall promotion costs — all the endorsements, mentions in major media, reviews by such as Kirkus, and other hands in the pot aren't free. Still though, every dollar added above that is necessary to support their cash-strapped executives ;-)

To me, it adds to the difficulty of finding each next book I want to read, because I won't pay over $9.99US for an e-book, except in rare cases. As much as I read, I can't afford to, and regional libraries and subscription services often enough don't have a book I'm interested in.

"What are the three most important considerations for an independent author to be certain of when signing a contract with a publisher?"

Not going down this road I haven't thought much about this aspect. As with any contractual arrangement though, my first step would be to have a trusted lawyer explain the contract in detail to me, and how it might be used to my disadvantage. That especially with all the horror stories I've heard.

"After rejecting traditional publishing, did you consider an independent or hybrid publisher?"

Now you are getting into an area where slippery slopes abound. Granted, no doubt there are some that are above board, and that offer services indie authors may benefit from. However, on my SS income I couldn't afford many of their services, so along the way I've reached out for reciprocal beta reading; done my own artwork, ebook build, and print formatting; searched long and hard for first a substantive editor to work with (my greatest expense I'm still recovering from), and then copy editing/proofreading (I wish your sharp eye, Mark, had registered with me sooner).

----------------------

Throughout this interview, and my book, you've likely noticed my aversion to the pyramid like economic model and what it does to people. Earlier on I've been there, done that to a degree, and am shamefaced. You would think I'd have known better, having been exposed to other culturals and perspectives in my formative years, but we humans are for the most part slow when it comes to full realization.

Maybe it is better follow the dictum, "If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side."

Mark

5/5/2021 03:30:37 pm

Traditional publishers don't spend much to promote a book unless they think they are going to make a big pot of money. It's simple economics for them usually. They are barely making a profit now, so they will invest as little as possible to promote an e-book. I am making the assumption that they are also publishing a paper book, hard or soft cover.
Unless you are the government, you have to live within your means. The government hates competition when it comes to making money and laws.
Having a lawyer check a contract is a number one priority in my book also. The longer the contract the greater the need for an experienced intellectual property rights lawyer.
Trading services and learning how to do things are a great way to keep costs down.
Thank you for the compliment. I do seem to have a unique ability to spot the spelling errors missed by others.
People are slow to look beyond their bubble very much for multiple reasons. Don't be too hard on yourself.
Did you get the blueberries in the ground?
New questions.
Have you started your own imprint? Here is a good article about that idea: https://www.janefriedman.com/why-self-publishing-authors-should-consider-establishing-their-own-imprint
You are not using Twitter and other social media as part of your marketing strategy. What other marketing ideas do you use?

L. G. Cullens link

5/5/2021 09:11:04 pm

There was a steady rain all day, so the high bush blueberries are still in their nursery pots. The forecast for tomorrow is partly cloudy, so it looks like I should be able to get out. I also need to be thinning out the wild raspberry brambles (prickly work), and removing the bittersweet vines that harm the trees. Last fall I was in poor shape and didn't prune the Fox grapes as much as I should have, so the grapes this year will be small. Fine for the birds, but not us. Hopefully the gunships (dragonflies) will be out soon to keep down the biting black flies and mosquitoes. There are considerably less birds than there used to be several decades ago because of all the pesticides we spread, or they would be a big help also.

"Have you started your own imprint?"

I purchased ISBNs for both the epub and paperback versions directly from R. R. Bowker and filled in the imprint name as L. G. Cullens. I didn't want the freebies from Amazon/whoever as those reflect the giver as the publisher, and I didn't make up an imprint name because I'm not trying to deceive anyone.

"You are not using Twitter and other social media as part of your marketing strategy. What other marketing ideas do you use?"

I was active on Facebook and Twitter for a few years, seeing what people had for dinner on Facebook, and joining in with the soapboxing on Twitter. With zip results, and more interesting ways to spend my time (out shuffling along in the woods communing with Nature), I deleted my Facebook account early this year, and haven't checked in on Twitter since. Both also pissed me off in suspending my account several times, because they said they thought I wasn't a real person. Their spin, because I didn't have a mobile phone number to supply, which in their being so insistent made me wonder what all they used such for ;-) I've gotten by without a mobile phone this long, and have no plans to get one. Besides, I see the cost as excessive relative to how little I would use it.

Since, I interact occasionally on a few book review blogs and LibraryThing, and have been active near daily on Goodreads (hey, and with some results). I don't care for Amazon's meddling on Goodreads (which they own), nor to a lesser extent on LibraryThing (which they have a stake in), but it isn't as bad as the agendas of Facebook and Twitter. I also occasionally engage such as yourself that strike me as more upright.

So basically, not having a get rich quick neoliberal mindset, and in this for the long haul, I'm shuffling along, giving priority to helping our little blue canoe in my small way by planting more over-harvested trees and other greenery in naturally beneficial groupings — that without agrochemicals. Makes for more peace of mind in these last years.

Mark

5/6/2021 07:39:37 am

I love that gunship name for dragonflies. Quite appropriate. I also appreciate your helping keep our communal blue canoe afloat. It sounds like you are a wonderful caretaker.
Can you even get a cell phone signal where you live? Do you use a satellite dish to access the internet?
Good to hear that you are doing well on Goodreads. I have no idea what LibraryThing is.
I have mixed feelings about Facebook and Twitter also. I wouldn't be hurt at all if Facebook shut me down. Twitter on the other hand would be a problem because all of my customers have come to me through Twitter.
That brings up an interesting question. How did you find me if you have stayed off of Twitter for the last year or so?
I avoid the soapbox entirely. I have stopped following most people who spend all of their time on the soapbox, also.
New questions.
Do you have a newsletter you send out to fans? Why or why not?
Do you subscribe to any author newsletters?

L. G. Cullens link

5/6/2021 11:32:20 am

Thank you, but I mention my natural garden puttering only in the vein of hopefully interesting others in rewilding for greater ecosystem productivity (i.e. improving the health of our little blue canoe). That's also why I started working on a natural garden reference book (a compilation of my notes over the years) rather than an idea for another eco-fiction story.

Where much of our natural garden production is for the benefit of wildlife, my wife and I also have a large organic garden, and shop other local produce, to reduce the environmental costs of long-distance distribution of foodstuffs. For instance, I love clementines in the winter, but we rarely purchase them because of the distribution and habitat costs to the biosphere.

We've made our lives too "busy" in the pursuit of materialism, losing sight of simple pleasures like home-grown foodstuffs and canning for the winter months (a shared labor), which are more healthful. That as opposed to say gym workouts wearing an oxygen mask ;-)

“It is, of course, one of the miracles of science that the germs that used to be in our food have been replaced by poisons.” ~ Wendell Berry

As to a cell phone signal here, I'm told there are blind spots like most everywhere, but present. My goodness, people nowadays would go crazy without their cell phones :-) Internet access is possible via satellite dish and cable. A cable runs through the village on the way to a well-healed burg north of us.

How did I find you, hmm ... to tell the truth I forget. You've been on Twitter long enough I think for me to have noticed there, or I might have come across your website on one of my internet searches.

"Do you have a newsletter you send out to fans? Why or why not?"

I don't think in terms of "fans," and am not into newsletters, but I am part of an email circle where in part we review and discuss eco-fiction books.

"Do you subscribe to any author newsletters?"

No, I get too much email as it is. If an author's work interests me, I look into what else they've written or are working on, and keep a potentials list. For instance, I look every once in a while at Richard Powers' upcoming book Bewilderment, both to learn more about it, and to watch for a reduced price promotion (the traditional publisher has of course overpriced the e-book).

The day is turning out nice, and the puppy and I are eager to get outside :-)

Mark

5/6/2021 12:25:54 pm

I love the gardening updates, keep them coming.
I have been on Twitter for over 5 years now. Almost all of my business has come from Twitter.
I hope you and puppy have a nice time outside.
New questions.
You are giving away up to 200 copies of your book during this week of promotion.
What other kind of marketing are you doing or planning on doing for your book?
Have you thought about offering a POD, large-print edition of your books?

L. G. Cullens link

5/6/2021 09:24:18 pm

After about four hours of planting more high bush blueberries, thinning wild raspberry brambles, and whatnot, I was sore and exhausted to the point I laid down in the grass by the pond, at which point the puppy, still going strong, started jumping on me. Luckily, the puppy was soon distracted by some small critter to chase, and I nodded off. Later though, my wife returned home, and finding me there poked me with a garden stake to see if I was still alive. Still, I wouldn't trade this time for my younger days, when, like many, I was too dense to understand what was of real value in life.

"You are giving away up to 200 copies of your book during this week of promotion.
What other kind of marketing are you doing or planning on doing for your book?"

Through the month of May actually. Shuffling along as I do, other ways of increasing awareness within my pension budget haven't occurred to me yet. There were three more receipts from Amazon today, so possibly your promotion is starting the ball rolling. Maybe it's nothing more than my own frame of reference influencing me, but I believe that with enough awareness a fair number of readers will find Calan and Derek's story interesting and possibly informing.

"Have you thought about offering a POD, large-print edition of your books?"

The current POD paperback printed in color (because of the illustrations) uses a 12.5 point font size, which in a 6"x9" trim size formats to 260 pages. For a large-print edition (18 point font size) I would need to increase the trim size which, even so, would increase the page count. Looking into the options, I see the printing cost would roughly be half again as much. That in turn means I would only offer a large-print edition through IngramSpark distribution to keep the price as low as possible (Amazon's hefty cut already overprices the current paperback version, leaving a paltry royalty).

So, no, I hadn't thought about a large-print edition, but with you bringing it up, considering the formatting effort and costs involved, I doubt I will offer such without some reasonable demand. I can't see where readers wanting a large-print edition would be willing to pay forty-some dollars for a copy. Hey, I'm just some unknown guy from the sticks, not National Geographic :-)

Going to bed early tonight ;-)

Mark

5/7/2021 07:20:53 am

Glad you are above room temperature still.
That would be pretty expensive for a large-print version of your book.
I am glad to hear that you have given 3 copies away already. A number of people have clicked on the link in the tweets.
New questions.
Have you thought about using Kickstarter or other crowd-funding platforms to pay for publishing or production of books or special editions? Here is one example, granted, it is extreme because the author has a large number of fans: https://kriswrites.com/2020/07/22/business-musings-the-kickstarted-game-changer-part-two/ Copy and paste time again.
For reading fun or pleasure, what is your favorite genre?

L. G. Cullens link

5/7/2021 03:57:44 pm

I've been out trying to walk off the soreness in these old bones, so I'm slow getting back to you.

No, I haven't given Kickstarter a thought. Maybe I'm too old-fashioned, but I believe in doing things myself as much as possible. It is an intriguing idea though, for someone that has enough name recognition, I don't. What I really noticed in the article you noted, is the disproportionate advantages traditional publishing takes from the author. Of course, there are still a good number of readers that won't consider self-published books (judging from what I've seen on Goodreads), and I can see their shortsighted reluctance to a point (like the snipe that 99% of lawyers give the other 1% a bad name, caveat emptor). There is a quagmire of poorly written self-published books on the market, making it difficult to find a good read, but I find an equally irritating problem in sorting through, what I consider, frivolous traditionally published books that are market driven. Human nature being what it is, it seems too many readers wallow in the subjective human-bubble avoiding reality.

With effort though, I am finding enough decent to exceptional reads in both traditional and self-published books. And to be honest, when I was much younger my reading included a good share of what I now think of as frivolous.

My writing likely doesn't rank with a Samuel Clemens or Garrison Keillor, but judging from the feedback of readers so far, those looking for meaningful content in an interesting story, it seems to be good enough. That's the audience I'm addressing, not those with their head in the sand upon hearing there is a tsunami on the horizon :-) Also why I'm in this for the long run, as it is human nature to touch a finger to a burner to see if it is hot.

As to your question about my favorite genre, there is no single one. Most often though, they fall under the umbrella of eco-lit. Some favorite books of late are Lynda Rutledge's West with Giraffes; Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass; Kim Heacox's Jimmy Bluefeather; Edward O. Wilson's The Meaning of Human Existence; John Vaillant's The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival; Dalene Matthee's Circles in a Forest; Nate Blakeslee's American Wolf; and others.

As to the earlier question and answer about writing contests, today I received one of those prompting emails from Readers' Favorite. Looking into it a bit, they have a good business plan in having many different categories with prizes and substantial entry fees, and playing on author's fame and fortune dreams. I even looked at past winners and wasn't impressed. Fact is though, I've never been attracted to a book because of a prize metal on the cover. And a big turnoff is a blurb that begins with highlighting such. I'm on the lookout for other ways to increase awareness among the reasoning crowd.

I hope you and yours are holding up well.

Mark

5/7/2021 05:39:50 pm

Crowd funding is an interesting idea, no doubt. The more name recognition an author has the easier. No doubt about that also. More authors are doing it and it will get easier for all as time passes.
E-book quality is a lingering issue from the earliest days when an e-book was a novelty. So many writers jumped onto the idea and put out books as fast as they could, with no thought for the plot or editing. Quite a few early adopters swore off e-books forever. Some have never returned, even though most authors care a great deal about their book and its presentation.
Your readers are thoughtful, that is certain. You have a well-defined niche and will do well in it.
How timely of Reader's Favorite. I am not familiar with them in particular.
We are doing well, thank you. I have been proofreading quite steadily.
New questions.
Have you thought about trying to get your book into libraries? Here is a copy-and-paste link with more information: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2019/06/12/book-marketing-how-to-get-your-book-into-libraries
Did you have a favorite book as a child?

L. G. Cullens link

5/7/2021 10:23:29 pm

"Have you thought about trying to get your book into libraries?"

Both IngramSpark and D2D distribution have connections with libraries, and IngramSpark's catalog to institutions is an industry standard reference. By the way, Amazon's extended distribution (where they take another 20% bite out of the author) is in my mind a poor choice. As an example, if say a brick and mortar book store considers your book and sees it is distributed by Amazon, they are likely going to think something like, "Yeah right, Amazon thinks I am going to buy through them, the 800lb gorilla that is stomping all over my business, fat chance."

In addition, I have been slowly (within by pension budget) donating new books to libraries and some other charitable organizations (e.g. prison libraries). Not to those libraries though, that shortsightedly accept only donations by authors whose book has been reviewed by a 'major' reviewer (i.e. a money bottleneck such as Kirkus). I can donate e-books easily and without cost, but the print books I donate through IngramSpark are at author's print cost.

One aspect that may limit distribution sales through IngramSpark, is that I don't allow returns. I can't afford to.

"Did you have a favorite book as a child?"

I don't remember any particular favorite. On the ranch in western Wyoming, with the nearest library hours distant, there was a small collection of tattered old classics, and some of the Hardy Boys series. In addition, the one room school had a larger collection of books that were donated by other ranchers. One book there I remember liking was The Hobbit — a relatively new book then and the only copy required reading.

Mark

5/8/2021 07:22:03 am

You are ahead of the game in many ways. A lot of authors stick with Amazon because they are the big player and they miss out on a lot of opportunities.
I didn't know that Ingram did returns.
I was given Tolkien's LOTR and The Hobbit while I was in junior high. Heretofore sci-fi was my favorite genre, far and away. Fantasy became a close second and I read the series three times before graduating from high school.
Did you know C. S. Lewis wrote a sci-fi trilogy? The first volume was "Out of the Silent Planet" and the protagonist was patterned after his close friend John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.
New questions.
Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired at the end of a good writing session?
Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?

L. G. Cullens link

5/8/2021 12:46:16 pm

Hmm ... I don't recall being aware of a C. S. Lewis space trilogy book titled "Out of the Silent Planet." Looking it up on Wikipedia I see an important aspect was a theme of moral theology, and its connection with Tolkien. Actually, the only books involving space travel that I have looked into at length are "The War of the Worlds" and "Dune" — and those relative to their eco-fiction aspects. "The War of the Worlds" is the only, or at least first, book I know of that incorporates the aspect of other world habitats being ecological disasters for alien life forms, and H. G. Wells got that right back in the 1890s way ahead of our understanding. There are likely others with meaningful content, but two ilks I haven't been much into over the years are space travel and many Western themes. The former because of the sheer improbability of more than a few, if any, ever escaping our Earth to colonize another world, and the latter because exposed to Shoshone culture I could see the self-justifying propaganda of our culture. For example, I was appalled by John Williams' book "Butcher's Crossing," but paradoxically that may be its strength.

Oh my gosh, and at times I label others as horse blinkered, tut-tut, what an old fool I am.

"Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired at the end of a good writing session?"

The evolution of conveying a perception is integral to human development, such as my efforts to get across the actuality of individual well-being being dependent on Earth's well-being relative to a conducive environment, but I have difficulty keeping my mouth/written words in check (why it took nearly a decade to finalize "Togwotee Passage"). So you could say that writing is a very trying effort for me. Each time I think of my grandson though, or other innocent life form, I'm spurred to go for broke.

I wrestle endlessly with, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” ~ Mark Twain

"Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?"

Robert Frost said it best with, “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”

Mark

5/8/2021 01:06:09 pm

A lot of people know no more than Narnia about C. S. Lewis. He was a prolific writer in different genres and topics.
Dune and The War of the Worlds are excellent books. I have read both. I have read all nine volumes (at the time) of Dune, the last was kind of strange.
A grandchild can be a great motivation to exert more effort than in the past. Of course, by the time we have grandchildren we tend to be a little bit wiser than before.
We have five grandchildren. If we had known how much fun they would be they we would have had them first. ;-)
I love both of those quotes.
New questions.
Are you an under-writer or an over-writer?
When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much?

L. G. Cullens link

5/8/2021 10:57:03 pm

"Are you an under-writer or an over-writer?
When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much?"

A combination. You might say my writing is highly disorganized, and I don't start with an outline other than what is in my head wanting to be included. With "Togwotee Passage" I had already been working on a number of short stories that I decided to integrate into a novel. Working on early drafts, meshing the short stories in and adding chapters in-between, I skipped around writing down everything that came to mind, without necessarily thinking about the best wording. For example, I might be filling out what happened at one stage of life, and thinking of something that would be interesting at another stage, skip to there. You can still detect the remnants of some of those short stories in the segues of skipping through time in the book.

The early stages producing an unwieldy story, I set about paring it down and improving the wording of passages. It is a bit like painting in decluttering, balancing the background, bringing out the activity, and highlighting intended emotions (without seeming to). A long involved process fraught with indecision. Some whole chapters disappeared in this stage, after extracting important aspects and integrating them into other chapters. The emotions aspect was the most difficult for me, with not knowing if an instance causing me to leak at both ends was only because of a similar experience in my life, or would be more widely perceived.

Knowing the story still needed more work, but not knowing how to improve it further for the time being, I reached out for reciprocal beta reading. Such being a less time consuming activity I also worked on illustrations to complement the text. The beta readers comments helped me see the story through others' eyes, and to improve it, but I was still uneasy with the results. With considerable economic anxiety, I engaged a substantive editor I was familiar with the work of, and though a rocky experience the results removed my uneasiness.

From there on the writing effort became easier in further polishing with the help of two copy editors/profreaders. Even so, at least in my case, there always seems to be more misspelling/misuse/typo errors lingering in plain sight, evidenced by what your sharp eye fell on, Mark.

Switching to a technical hat, I've built an epub version and formatted the book for printing; keeping both updated.

As you know, I've donned a third hat now, that of generating awareness in a wide enough audience to find interested readers, and do so on a shoestring within the limits of my pension. I'm finding this is the most time consuming and frustrating effort of all. I recognize and respect the aspect of different strokes for different folks, but am staggered by the quagmire of the sheer volume of published books, and by such a high proportion of them being human-bubble entertainment only. Good for your business hopefully, Mark, but to an author such as myself it is like scaling Denali with a host of Grizzlies on the slopes.

Oh well, there are others that are exerting or have exerted far more effort than I am, like Rachel Carson did at a greater expense to little avail judging by business as usual since, and like the hardy wildlife biologists and other scientists trying to keep us informed of how we are destroying the environment that is essential to our being. I'm currently reading the book "The Wolverine Way" by Douglas H. Chadwick and have read other such books that give me hope that wisdom and caring are yet possible in humankind.

Mark

5/9/2021 07:21:35 am

A lot of writers are just like you, they care known as pantsters or pantsers, writing by the seat of their pants. Other writers develop an outline of some sort and use that as a guide for where the story goes. Still others are a hybrid, they try to write in a straight line without a written plan. Each writing type has its strengths and weaknesses.
Many new writers try to write a perfect first draft and they get into a mess and frequently lose touch with their muse and encounter a dead end because they get bogged down in the details of grammar and plot. A perfect first draft has never been written, there is always a need for paring and polishing. It has been said by many that a great book is not written, it is rewritten many times to become that great book.
Good for you wearing the t3echnical hat. Necessity is the mother of invention and learning to fix things yourself.
Many authors struggle with the business hat, the third hat. Writing the first draft is a solitary experience, after that there is a need to bring more people on to the team to produce a finished product. Promoting and marketing a book is the hardest nut for many authors to crack.
I help authors in my own way, but I have no illusions that my service is all an author will ever need. That is why I have lists of people who provide services to authors, including book reviewers and book promoters. Those lists are found by clicking on the three dots under the banner on my Twitter page.
With a million books being published each year on Amazon, it is quite difficult to rise above the tide and gain much traction.
New questions.
Do you save the parts that didn't make it into the final version?
Do you prefer dialogue tags or action beats in your books?

L. G. Cullens link

5/9/2021 12:55:28 pm

"Do you save the parts that didn't make it into the final version?"

I don't have a bucket (text file) for such, but I do retain versions of a book, such as:
TPI_Master_Rev_210430.odt
TPI_Master_Rev_210212.odt
TPI_Master_Rev_201001.odt
etc.

Those and supplemental files, like artwork preparation, are also retained on iCloud.

In addition, on my Mac there is the Time Machine external disk (an incremental backup facility).

"Do you prefer dialogue tags or action beats in your books?"

[I'm including simple html tags (framed with < and >) to italicize in the following, hoping they are recognized as such by the posting software. Also, in the snippet examples, paragraphs are indented in the ebook, and separated by a blank line in the print version.]

I employ a mix, with dialogue tags used only to avoid confusion, and I italicize thoughts. For example, in the story opening:

Running into the house he'd been told to leave, he finds Mom comforting his five-year-old sister. "Did he hurt her?" Calan asks anxiously.
"How many times have I told you to brush the dirt off before coming in, Calan?" Mom exclaims in a harried tone, then explains, "Your father was in a bad mood after a long, hot day of work, and it upset Aileana. He's sorry and has gone out to cool off."
Sorry, you say? It's his sister's response that reassures him, rubbing her teary eyes and shaking her head no. "Why do you make excuses for him, Mom?"
"Maybe it's best you go back outside and calm down, Calan. It does no good to upset Aileana more."
Indignantly turning towards the door, over his shoulder he says, "You know where to find me if you want to play, Aly."

Another example is the opening of chapter eight (with an illustration to emphasize the dream flash back not shown):

Some years later, after a period of military service, Calan is returning to Wyoming.
Deafening explosions, piercing screams, stinging air, can't breathe ... Tent, netting, bedding burst ablaze ... Acrid reek of oil and charred flesh ... Staccato rat-a-tat of firearms ... Down, roll away, flames everywhere ... Marcel beyond help ... Tormenting water torrents ... Being dragged, flesh raw, torturous ... "AAAaaarrrgh!"
"Hey! Wake up, buddy!"
What? Where? On a bus? Who's this grungy ol' fart standin' over me, shakin' me, hurtin' my arm? Bus slowin' down?
"S'okay driver, kid's havin' a fright dream, awake now."
Damn, thought I left these terrors behind. Folks'll think they got a crazy on their hands. What's this kid crap?
"Musta been a helluva fright. Ya been in 'Nam fightin' ta help those double-dealin' bastards?"
What's with this blinkered fool? "A bad dream is all, fine now." Go away, dammit. Night's cloak outside, a full moon, yeah it fits. All runs together, returnin' stateside, east coast to Chicago, sprawl ebbin' 'till Omaha, farm country and far less folks since, better. Oughta be in Ogallala for breakfast. Hope they still got the biggest an' best steaks I ever dug into.

On a broader note, I'm not much into the current writing dogma. For instance, I keep seeing the advice, "show, don't tell." Kind of a blinkered approach to my mind, as such depends on the context of application, evidencing a lack of appreciation for the volume of great writing, or ignorance thereof. Although, I think it is important to understand the rules and dogma before bending them in artistic license to suit the story. Examples abound in the works of such as Margaret Atwood.

A specific example is one reader taking exception to shifts of POV in Togwotee Passage. I employed such to broaden the story with more of other thoughts and perspective, and did so only at chapter breaks so as not to confuse readers. To me, it made for a more well rounded and interesting story.

Back to different strokes for different folks, as I explained in discussing the audience targeted.

L. G. Cullens link

5/9/2021 01:02:43 pm

It seems the simple html tags weren't recognized, nor indenting paragraphs in the snippets (like in an ebook). But, I think it is still clear enough, so will leave as is.

Mark

5/9/2021 03:45:20 pm

It's too bad the HTML tags didn't work. Italics is pretty standard to delineate thoughts from speech.
Action beats are good to mix in with dialogue tags, it is easy to move the story along that way.
I think the show don't tell is needed at times, some new writers get carried away with long descriptions and the pace of the story can really suffer, if there is much of it. Most of the time long and meticulous description is not needed. It does serve a purpose at times depending on the genre. I don't think your story is hurt by some of the longer descriptions in the least.
Shifting POV at a chapter break is the perfect place for that change. When the POV shifted to Kay at the end I was a little surprised because I wasn't expecting it, but I did enjoy hearing her point of view.
Last question.
I know you are writing a gardening book at the moment. I am hoping that you haven't given up on fiction. I see a number of possible side story ideas in Togwotee Passage. Have you had any thoughts about expanding that world and its message?

L. G. Cullens link

5/9/2021 09:08:21 pm

"Last question.
I know you are writing a gardening book at the moment. I am hoping that you haven't given up on fiction. I see a number of possible side story ideas in Togwotee Passage. Have you had any thoughts about expanding that world and its message?"

I haven't given up on eco-fiction, but a primary consideration in writing "Togwotee Passage" was to add my voice to the growing body of authors writing eco-lit books because they are concerned with where the shortsighted materialistic mindset is leading us. Moreover, with the vast potential readership that could benefit from better understanding the natural world that makes our existence possible, there are many different tastes in reading, which equates to many different writing approaches/stories needed. Thus, rather than focus on expanding the "Togwotee Passage" story, I have another very different eco-fiction story in mind. First though, I'm working on the nonfiction Natural Garden reference book (to be offered free under a CC4 license) addressing readers interested in gardening, and those possibly becoming more aware of potential produce shortages due to climate change.

There is nothing wrong with mixing in reading/writing human-bubble stories, as long as one is aware that the siren song of our subjective desires is what has gotten us into our life affecting predicament. It troubles me that humanity seemingly has the capacity of wisdom and respect for all life, yet for the most part forfeits the benefits of such in pursuing materialistic gluttony.

Do you recall the ending of the postamble poem, Mark? To me, it is a latent lament for our grandchildren.

Sashaying in the streets of Pompeii,
our steadfast way naïve to natural sway.
Oil and water seething at every crossway.

Nature oblivious to right or wrong,
adapting life forms in moving on.

Oil and water.

I sincerely appreciate the effort you put forth on my book's behalf, Mark. Whatever its impact, I think your services are superior.

Mark

5/10/2021 08:23:30 am

You are right, environmental concern can be woven into the storyline of any genre. I have no doubt that your next contribution to eco-lit will not take anywhere near 10 years to write.
Nice allusion to Pompeii. I could see Mt. St. Helens from my front porch in 1980, our son was born the day after the mountain erupted. the top 1,000 feet of the mountain disappeared. No one knew what the effects of the ashfall and the particles suspended in the air would be. I believe our son's asthma was a direct result of the eruption. His young lungs were damaged by the ash.
Thank you, Lee, for being a wonderful guest on the Wordrefiner channel. I have enjoyed our conversation quite a bit.
Thank you for your kind words. I wanted to bring a unique interview process to the #WritingCommunity. You are now a part of that.
I have another promotion starting tomorrow so I must bring our chat to a close.
Until next time, keep on writing.

L. G. Cullens link

5/10/2021 02:54:27 pm

Further information that may be helpful to other readers and writers.

Book files may be distributed in many formats and a recipient can send many of these formats through Amazon to their Kindle app or device to view there. The kicker though, is that there is a 50MB file size limit on any such file imposed by Amazon. This is the reason I didn't include an azw/mobi choice in my giveaway (an azw3 version is 67MB). The epub and pdf file formats I did include are industry standards that can be viewed with many different apps and devices without file size restrictions. On a Mac, I prefer reading epubs with the Books app and pdfs with the Preview app.

Another point is that in the earlier discussion, when asked if I thought about getting my book into libraries, I only mentioned that IngramSpark has connections with libraries. Actually, IngramSpark has a program (in association with public libraries, curators, and curated collection distribution channels) called Indie Author Program that arranges regional literary contests, has video educational Expert Sessions, that curates indie books to include in collections offered to libraries, and that even includes publicity and the potential of royalties. And the IAP is free to indie authors. The hurdle is that the indie books are curated at various levels, which is understandable ;-)

This all leads to who to publish with? Having researched this question at considerable length, like others I've come to the conclusion that the best opportunities are with a combination of IngramSpark (greatest distribution exposure and meaningful author assistance) and the 800lb gorilla, Amazon (avoiding as much as possible their money-grubbing, monopolistic gotchas). Of course, if a book isn't well written and rigorously edited, the choices of where to publish it aren't going to be as important.

Togwotee Passage by L. G. Cullens

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