The Writer's Life 2/9 - Relief

RIP legendary North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith, 83. He was not only successful, he was the epitome of class. He guided the Tar Heels to national titles in ‘82 and ‘93. His won-loss record is impressive: 879-254, a winning percentage of  .776. He also restored the Olympic team to glory in ‘76, following the debacle of the '72 games, when the referees gave the Soviets several chances to steal the gold medal. And he did it using college players, as professionals were banned from participation back then. I was interested in what percentage of his players graduated, but I failed to find any results. I'd guess it was middle of the pack or lower. Still, he gave a lot of kids a chance to succeed. Well, done, sir.

I'm trying to finalize the Kindle version of my rock n roll epic, Rising Star. Looking through the review copy, I thought I'd finally gotten it right, then I noticed the page numbers didn't transfer. They were faint in the Word file, so I wondered if they needed some sort of finalizing. Unable to figure it out, I sent an umpteenth email to my literary angel, Victoria Valentine of Water Forest Press. She said an ebook didn't need them. Duh! Still, how do Kindle users bookmark when they tire of reading? I'll ask the Lady Eve, who has been waiting patiently for the book. Anyway, that wasn't the last of the frustration. When I tried to upload the cover file, which I'd created at Amazon affiliate Create Space, it was rejected, so I had to send another email. I know my PC skills are middling, but it seems the process should have been easier than it's been.

My sciatica has all but disappeared. Except for an occasional short period of intense pain in my left leg, my condition is just about normal. The stiffness in my lower back has also diminished considerably. What a relief! Given this glimpse into chronic pain, I now have a lot of respect for those who suffer it. Quality of life dwarfs all other aspects of it.

Looks like NYC again dodged the worst of a storm. There wasn't more than a quarter inch of ice in spots at noon, and it should be gone by tomorrow when the temperature is supposed to climb past the mid 30's. If it's not too windy, there will be a book shop.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/rP7o9

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/