And Then The Sun Comes Out!

Back-to-back storms, some decent snow. It's great to play in. But what about to look at?

Check it out.

On our walk today. Looking north.
The highest mountain in the distance is Mt. Rose, 10,778', about 30 miles away as the crow flies.
Just down the far side (6,300 vertical feet down) is Reno, which sits approximately 2,000 below the lake.

Tahoe Deep Free On Christmas

As I have done in many previous years, I'm making the Kindle version of Tahoe Deep free on Christmas! Please download it and send the link on to your friends and family. It will be free for a total of five days, December 25 - 29. This is my gift to you in thanks for your support over the years.

Here's the link:
https://www.amazon.com/Tahoe-Deep-McKenna-Mystery-Thriller-ebook/dp/B07RFHW3VW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tahoe+deep&qid=1576889945&s=books&sr=1-1

 ENJOY!

I Found My Dream Cabin On The Water... There's Just One Problem

Yes, it's true. After living in Tahoe for 29 years, my dream cabin came up for sale. It's not big, of course, but I can live with that. It's in Tahoma, not the easiest place to get in and out of during winter storms or the summer tourist season. But I can live with that, too. It's a bit short on the room count, but, as you can tell, I'm being agreeable here. The amount of blue-water view coming in the windows is a bit overwhelming. Maybe if we put up some black-out drapes, we wouldn't have to look at the lake.

So what's the problem. 3.5 million dollars.

Tell you what. I'll pass on this cabin so you can snatch it up fast. And even if 3.5 mil seems a bit much for you as well, just hang onto it for a year or two, and you can resell it for 5.

Want to see more pics or put in an offer? Here's a link:

https://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/Best-vacation-home-ever-Tahoe-cabin-asking-3-5-14905706.php#photo-18753822

Enjoy!

How To Get Audio Versions Of My Books

I get lots of requests to put my books on Audible.com. This is the modern version of Books-On-Tape. Audible works well, and I'd love to have my books available that way.

But it is a big project, and I haven't gotten to it yet.

However, there is a new technology that is fast improving and may eventually render Audible obsolete.  It is Kindle's Text-To-Speech function.

You don't have to read your Kindle books, you can LISTEN.

Here's the basics of how it works. Most books available on Kindle have the text-to-speech function enabled. It says if that's the case on every book's detail page on Amazon. If you have a recent version of a Kindle, it will likely "read" those books.

My books, for example, are all available to listen to with Kindle's text-to-speech.

All you need to do is learn a few steps for how to make it work. You can choose the type of voice you like, female, male, American, British, etc. There are Many choices. You can control the speed, certain accents, and other qualities.

The voice can be projected through a Kindle with speakers or through a separate speaker. You can connect your Kindle up to your car speakers or to headphones so you can listen during your commute.

You are of course wondering if the voice sounds like a synthetic robot or a real human. I was initially prejudiced and assumed that only a recorded human voice would be a reasonable way to listen to a book.

Yet I've listened to several of the voices and have been pleasantly surprised at how realistic they are. In fact, I was shocked at how good they are. I recommend you give it a try.

There are many Youtube videos that explain and show the process of how to get your Kindle to "Read" books out loud. Here are some links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9SWqf8Ky18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2a9GoQe8QY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OswiTA0lts

If these videos don't make it clear enough, I'm sure you can search out one that will make the process clear.

No doubt you can also find a fellow Kindle reader who can help show you the process. Call your friends and ask. It won't take long before you will hook up with a Kindle "Listener" who can walk you through the process.

Enjoy! I think you'll be surprised at how good the voices are.

Super Cold Temps As The Earth Warms??!!

This past week saw several cold temperature records fall in the Bay Area and elsewhere in California. When this happens during the constant news stories about the unmistakable warming of our planet, people often wonder how it can be.

If the Earth is warming, how can we have record cold temps?

Here's an answer by way of a metaphor.

Think about a rushing river. Many of us have stood at a river's edge and seen, among the gush of downward current, the odd eddy current here and there. Because of the randomness of flow, or the shape of the river bed, or the boulders and other obstructions in the river, some water often flows the opposite of the general current. Another way to say it is that while most of the water flows downhill, some of the water goes uphill for brief moments.

Think of global warming as a river. The general warming trend is as visible to scientists (and those of us old enough to seen glaciers decades ago) as the flow of a river.

And yet, all rivers have eddy currents. If one focused closely enough on an eddy current, one would think the water was going up the mountain instead of down. But when one stands back and looks at the big picture, the general trend is obvious.

Expect temperature eddy currents. They may even increase as the river volume grows.

Ski Resorts Open, I'm Watching Harness Racing Horses Under Palm Trees

Some ski resorts are now open, and the rest open soon.

Mt. Rose, Alpine Meadows, and Squaw Valley are all open. Heavenly is due to open soon, and the rest won't be long. Yes, the territory is currently very limited. However, winter weather is supposed to hit us on Tuesday.

No snow where I am... I'm exhibiting books down at the Sacramento Harvest Festival at Cal Expo for my last major book launch event. It runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

What do I love about California? Well, among other things, the weather is spectacular.  It might be cold up in Tahoe, but before the Harvest Festival opens each morning, I walk over to the race track and watch the Harness Racers in training. With a backdrop of palm trees, they come around the track, trotting and pacing.

For those who are curious, when trotting, horses move their legs on the diagonal. Left front and right rear at the same time, then right front and left rear.

When pacing, horses move both right legs forward at the same time, then both left legs. I'm told that pacing is faster than trotting. (When I was young and had horses, they didn't pace, they only walked, trotted, cantered, and galloped.)

As always, regardless of gait, horses are gorgeous animals.

Whole Foods Is Open In South Lake Tahoe

Whole Foods is open. Judging by the parking lot which was way overflowing, people are at least curious if not very excited. The vibe I got was very exciting.

It's on Lake Tahoe Blvd, just a half-block to the west of Ski Run Blvd. For those of you who know the town, that's a half block west of The Red Hut Cafe.

The address is 3600 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Phone number is 530-578-4555. But judging by the crowds at the slowest time of the year (early November), don't expect them to answer their phone now or maybe ever.

Talk about a hot business. Is it because Amazon bought them? Or is it simply that people want whole foods?

Spring In The Fall

Speaking of snow - you do remember that I wrote about snow last week? - there are multiple places where we still have snowfields left over from last winter. The Crystal Range on the west side of Desolation Wilderness. Steven's Peak. Mt. Tallac even has a few patches left. Just a bit south of Tahoe in Hope Valley, you can see large snowfields on Roundtop and The Sisters, and on Highland Peak and Raymond Peak down by Markleeville.

Would you like a dose of Spring during the Fall? Hike up to one of those snowfields and look in the soil/Grus just to the edges of the snow. These are areas that were covered with snow a week or two ago and they have just melted. In those places, you'll find plants that have suddenly felt the warmth of the sun after being buried in snow for most of a year. Those plants have evolved to take advantage of this sudden, short "spring" in the beginning of November. They do a little bit of growing in the few hours of sunlight that they see each year. They have to be fast because they could get covered by snow any time and be buried again for 12 months. Or more.

Major Daily Temp Variation

Last week we had beautiful sunny days, but some really cold nights. Check out the National Weather Service report. 47 degree difference between day and night. You see this in high deserts. But you won't generally see it in the Midwest or Back East. And you'll never see it in the tropics.

P.S. While Tahoe has some high desert temperature characteristics, we usually get so much snow in the winter that our annual precipitation (water equivalent) is up there with places in the east that regularly get summer rain. Tahoe gets no summer rain outside of the rare thunderstorm.

The Sierra foothills to the west get even more precipitation, however that precip is mostly rain in the winter. It adds up to more precipitation than most places in the US outside of the Pacific Northwest. Parts of the West Slope of the Sierra average over 50 inches of precipitation.

I knew you'd want to know this...

Rats Driving Cars!

The news this week that scientists have observed pigs using tools - finding pieces of wood to dig with - comes as no surprise. The list of animals that use tools, which is considered a sign of high intelligence, is large.

But the news that scientists have taught rats to drive little cars is a real surprise. First of all, most of us probably have a hard time thinking of rats as smart like pigs or dogs or dolphins or all the primates. Second, it sort of elevates rats in our minds. We (I) simply don't think of rats the way we (I) think of dogs. (Maybe I don't want to.)

Here's what happened. Scientists at the University of Richmond developed little vehicles in which a rat could fit. They figured out a steering mechanism. Then they taught the rats to drive using Fruit Loops as a reward. The rats quickly figured it out.

When the researchers placed Fruit Loops in different places around the lab, the rats got very good at driving their cars to each different Fruit Loop, where they could stick their heads out the little car window and grab their treat.

The study didn't just end there. The scientists wondered if this new, complicated skill would stress the rats out. So they rigged them with sensors to study rat stress (mini EEGs). The results were the opposite of what they expected. As the rats zoomed around in their cars, looking for Fruit Loop treats, they actually got calmer.

Hey, it's relaxing to go out for a ride, right? 

If this experiment had been about teaching chimps or gorillas to drive, we'd be so pleased to watch the results.

But these are rats!

Wow. 

Rethinking How New Writers Should Think About A Writing Career

Last week, I was interviewed by a college student who wanted to know what a writing career entails. She wasn't asking about how to write. She was asking advice on how to have a career as a writer.

I've written many times about the importance of writing multiple books if you want a career as a novelist. For some reason, this recent interview put things in a clearer perspective for me.

Writing seems to be unique among creative endeavors in that people think they might like to write a book and then, before they've even started it, imagine that the book might get published, and they might find an audience, and then it might sell enough to bring in good money.

Just One Book??

Way back in the past, when people have asked me about the process, I didn't make a big deal out of the multiple books aspect. I thought it was best for people to run with their enthusiasm and not face any more hurdles than necessary. (Like the realization that one book won't do it.)

Not so far back in the past, I've been more forthright about the need for lots of books. But I haven't pushed it very hard. I was still trying to walk carefully so that I didn't dampen the writer's enthusiasm.

Over the years, I've now watched many writers produce one book, and sometimes two or three books, and then feel dejected and, sometimes, profoundly disappointed when the audience didn't materialize.

Am I doing someone a service by playing to the idea that a writer should dive into writing a book without considering up front that it is just the first brick in the building? After all, most writers need a lot of encouragement to follow through on such a long, complex project as writing a novel.

Or am I doing writers a disservice if I don't explain right up front that, statistically, a single book has just about zero percent chance of finding success. (Yes, some do, although many of those "one-book-success" stories aren't true and are merely spin put out by publishers who've dreamed up a new pseudonym for an experienced author.)

It's a tough choice. If I describe only the joys of writing, that helps a new writer be excited. But they may get through the work of writing a novel only to be devastated when they find out that one novel won't likely go anywhere. (Certainly my first didn't.)

If instead I'm realistic about the task ahead and think that new writers are best prepared for the journey by knowing that they will need many books, I will serve them well. But I risk discouraging a new writer who is excited about their first book idea.

I've often used the metaphor of the restaurant menu. If you want to find success in the restaurant business, you need a full menu. It's the same in any field.

No architect wannabe would ever dream that they could find success by sitting down at the kitchen table night after night and designing one significant building.
No doctor wannabe would ever think they could find success by watching Youtube videos of a complex surgery and then attempting to perform it. .
No athlete would ever think they could find success by entering one very difficult marathon.
No oil painter would ever think that they could find success by exhibiting just one show of paintings.
No astronaut would ever... You get the picture.

Yet, when you think about those examples, you realize that every architect/doctor/athlete always assumes from the beginning that they face a very long and tough slog to find success.

So why is it that writing is one of the only things where a majority of people who consider the idea of writing a book imagine that success could possibly come from that single book?

I've decided to change my approach. When I look at the pros and cons of advice about writing, I think I will be more direct about the need to write many books before one can hope for success. I'll model it on all the other professions. I'll phrase it in these terms: Writing novels must be done in significant numbers in order to gain traction. If you are prepared to put in that work, you will have good odds of success, and you will enjoy the world's greatest job, with the potential for unlimited rewards, both reader excitement, and freedom of schedule, and creative satisfaction, and income.

As a writer, this picture depicts your goal. Lots of books.

Every Writer Should Plan A Whole Lotta Books

Here's a closing question for all people who want to become writers. Think of your favorite writers. How many books have each of them written? There's your mission.

Maybe The Evil Power Company Ain't So Bad Afterall

As everyone knows, PG&E has gotten excoriated for all of its major mistakes and infrastructure problems that have led to deadly fires in the past.

One of the solutions was to anticipate Red Flag fire conditions and turn off the power lines that often spark the fires.

This last week, they did just that and, predictably, their turn-off procedure left something to be desired. In many cases they turned off the power nearly 24 hours before there was any wind. People were furious.

Turning this stuff on and off doesn't look very simple.

I'm no apologist for the power company. But I wondered if turning off power was not very easy to coordinate. For example, in our house, if you are worried about a fire in the back bedroom and you turn off the breaker that supplies the electricity to that bedroom, you end up also turning off power to the bathroom, where there may have been no fire concern.

In addition, the people working the switches to turn off power to ABCville probably aren't in ABCville and have never even been there. Hard for them to know the nuances of ABCville powerline risks etc.

Now that the Red Flag warning has passed, it seems that NorCal had no major powerline-caused blowups. Maybe no deaths from fire at all.

So while we're piling on our complaints about how PG&E handled the power shutdown, let's try to remember that.

Maybe, just maybe, PG&E succeeded at doing what everyone wanted them to do. Which is to minimize the fire risk to Northern California.

Writers and Persistence

Do you want to write novels? Perhaps no aspect of writing is more important than persistence.

Have you ever run a marathon? Talk about needing persistence.

There are lots of quotes about persistence, and most of them ring true. The most famous may be the one by Calvin Coolidge, who was our 30th president. 

Coolidge said, 

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” (Read: Persistence is the single most important thing to getting your book done.) 

A shorter quote about persistence comes from Woody Allen.

"Eighty percent of success is just showing up." (Read: Just keep showing up at your writing desk - whatever that is - until you finish the book and, then, keep editing and rewriting until you make the book good.)

Shorter still is the famous Nike ad line "Just Do It." (Read: Just do it.)

For writers, the message is clear. 

Is there a single rigorous approach that gets the book done? No. For example, many times people assume that there are certain techniques that are critical to writing. Perhaps the most common is that you supposedly have to write a certain amount every day. While that may be smart, it isn't necessary. Although I work full time as a writer, I don't write every day. There are too many other writing-business chores to allow me the luxury of writing every day. A daily writing goal is great but hard to achieve. I still have a writing goal. It is annual rather than daily. I have to finish the book by a certain day each year. Then I have to do it again next year. Then again and again. Just do it.

Over time, my bookshelf grows.

Is there a good time to start this slow but steady creation? Yes.

RIGHT NOW. Just do it.

P.S. 

Many writers do two or more books a year. I'm more like the slow tortoise. I've only been doing one book a year. If you only average one page a day (or 7 pages a week), you can still write a book in a year. You could, for example, plan to get an entire month's worth of writing (30 pages) done in two intense days of creation. Having said that, I don't recommend that approach, as it moves perilously far afield from what works best for writers. Even slow writers know that writing every day is ideal.

So all of us who haven't gotten our book done need to remember Coolidge/Allen/Nike. Stop hesitating. Stop waiting for inspiration. Stop looking for the perfect moment/place/time to be a writer.

Just do it.

P.P.S. While I make no promises, I am writing more than one book a year, slowly building a second series. Check back in two or three years to see if it produces much of a result.

Candy Dance Rain, Wind, Snow

This weekend I'm exhibiting books at the 100th annual Candy Dance Festival in Genoa, Nevada, which is Nevada's oldest town.

The festival brings huge crowds. This weekend, the weather forecast is daunting. Cold, wet, windy, colder still, windier still. Sunday, it is supposed to snow, the high temp is supposed to be 38, and the winds are supposed to gust to 35 mph.

I guess I'll wear my ski suit. So I'll be there if you want to come out and brave the weather!

Snowing In Tahoe And Summer Ain't Over!

The SacBee headline last Monday was great. Six days left of summer and it's SNOWING IN TAHOE.

Nothing new for us locals. Here's the link:

https://www.sacbee.com/news/weather-news/article235155302.html

Check out the pics from High Camp at Squaw at 8200 feet. There's a shot of the swimming pool, and all the surrounding country is white.

South Lake Tahoe Whole Foods Update

There have been lots of rumors regarding the Whole Foods that is coming to South Lake Tahoe.

Here's what we know for sure:

The building is up.
The sign is up.
The lights are on inside.

Here's what we don't know for certain:
When is it going to open?

The answer according to the Whole Foods website is November.

So,  it's looking good. And we can probably assume it will happen.



Get ready for more food options during the coming holiday season,

Atmospheric Science And The Brilliance Of My Readers

Back in 2013, I wrote a blog about why it's usually colder in the mountains than in the valleys.
http://toddborg.blogspot.com/2013/01/why-are-mountains-colder-than-valleys.html
My focus, as I recall, was on the rate at which air cools as you gain elevation (roughly 4 degrees for every 1000 feet of altitude gain.)

I got some things right, but I got some major points wrong. Six years later, a reader I haven't met, Neal Mielke, wrote a response to that blog. He was gracious in his corrections, and I appreciated his input very much.

Neal's smarts are self-evident. After I wrote him back, I found out what I suspected - that he was a Physics major back in the day. (It must grate on fellows like Neal when a physics dilettante like me rambles on without expertise). So I print his response here.

Thanks again, Neal.

Here is his letter:

Hi Todd,

 

I just discovered your mystery novels, and your blogs, and I am enjoying both.  I’d like to comment on your 2013 blog about “why mountains are colder than valleys.”  OK, it’s an old blog, and I’m years late in making a comment.  But I just bought your 5th novel, and that’s even older, so hopefully you’ll forgive me. 

 

You wrote: “The simple only-kind-of-techy answer is that the lower you are the more atmosphere is above you, and the more the air gets squeezed by all the air above it. The molecules in compressed air have more energy and they bounce around faster than they do in air that isn't so compressed.”

 

Pressure being the root cause just isn’t right, and thinking that it is will lead a person to be confused about a lot of situations where higher pressure doesn’t correlate at all with higher temperature.  The air in a scuba tank isn’t hot, even though its pressure is more than 100 atmospheres.  There are also a bunch of real-world meteorological effects that would make no sense if higher pressure led to higher temperature:

 

1) Christmas Valley was colder than Echo Summit last night, even though Christmas Valley is lower

2) Frost often forms on valley bottoms when the nearby hilltops are frost-free

3) Meteorologists often refer to inversion layers, when warm air is above cold air

4) An upstairs loft in a townhouse or condo can be baking when the bottom level is cold

5) Once one hits the stratosphere, air temperature starts to rise with increasing altitude

6) Water temperature drops as one dives further below the surface of water, while pressure dramatically increases.

 

Thinking in terms of pressure also misses out on explaining why thunderheads form over mountains rather than valleys.  And why hawks (or a hanglider) circling overhead is a visual manifestation of the lapse-rate effect.  Understanding the reality behind the lapse rate is pretty cool, I think, and it’s worth really understanding it.

 

Localized heating combined with convective heat flow (warm air rising and cooling as it expands) is the real reason for all of this: the lapse rate effect that you blogged about, the seemingly contrary examples that I listed above, plus thunderheads and circling hawks.  If you want a simple non-techy answer to give people, it would be better to say “it gets colder as you go higher because you’re getting farther from the source of heat, which is the sun hitting and warming the Earth’s surface.”  The atmosphere is nearly transparent to the sun, which means that the sun warms the earth rather than the atmosphere directly.  The atmosphere gets warmed only indirectly, from contact with the surface.  When the surface air gets warmed it rises and carries heat higher into the atmosphere, so the whole atmosphere gets warmed.  You “see” that effect when you see hawks circling in a thermal – they’re riding the rising warm air.  The lapse rate of (about) 4 degrees per thousand feet exists because that’s the natural rate at which warm air rising cools as it expands.  That lapse rate can actually be calculated on a single sheet of paper, from a handful of equations including the Ideal Gas Law. 

 

  Think of the sun-baked earth (or surface of Tahoe) as a hot plate, and a lot of things will make sense.

 

Christmas Valley was colder than Echo Summit last night because the surface heating went away when the sun set – the hot plate got turned off.  Even more than that, the Earth’s surface radiates more infrared energy than the air does (otherwise night-vision goggles would see nothing but murky air).  So the surface cools faster than the air – the hot plate turns into a cold plate.  This cools the air in contact with the ground, and the cold air is stuck there because cold air wants to sink rather than rise.  Because of that there are no “reverse thermals” of warm air above flowing down to the ground.  The cold air clings to a narrow boundary layer close to the ground, trying to sink.  The cold air in Christmas Valley stayed there, and the cold air up on Echo Summit flowed down to join it.  That cold-air-flowing-downhill effect is the same reason why frost often forms on valley bottoms but not on hilltops.  And inversion layers happen because warm air rising is a one-way street.  If anything causes warm air to be above cold air, it’ll tend to stay that way.  Inversion layers are common in the morning, because of the cold-plate effect, and they can happen when a warm air mass moves sideways over a colder one.

 

Convection is also why upstairs lofts are hotter than rooms downstairs.  The warm air from the heat registers rises.  It wants to cool as it rises, but merely at 4 degrees per thousand feet, to that’s a negligible effect indoors.

 

Temperature starts rising with altitude once one reaches the stratosphere, because there’s actually a second hot plate up even higher.  That’s the ozone layer, which absorbs most of the sun’s UV energy.  Up there, the temperature rises with altitude because you’re getting closer to that source of heat.  It’s an inversion layer (higher temperatures at higher altitudes), so this is stable – the warmest air is generated way up high and it doesn’t want to sink.  Similarly, if you dive below the surface of the ocean (or Tahoe), it gets colder as you go deeper.  That’s because the heat source is above you where the sun hits the surface, and you’re getting farther away from it as you go deeper.  This too is an inversion layer.  Warmer water is less dense than colder water, so warmer water stays near the surface.  (This effect, famously, reverses near the freezing point, at which point colder water is actually less dense than slightly warmer water.  Everyone knows that ice floats, but water that’s very near freezing also floats to the top.)

 

What about those thunderheads?  Well, if you think about it, why should Tahoe be cooler than Sacramento, if sunlight is all that matters and pressure is irrelevant?  The sunlight at Tahoe is just as strong as in Sacramento.  Why doesn’t the surface of the Tahoe basin heat up to 100 degrees, the same as Sacramento?  Well, it would ... if you surrounded the Tahoe basin with a wall that extended up into the stratosphere (and made it transparent so that it didn’t block the sun).  But at 10,000 feet the temperature would be about 85 above Tahoe and 60 above Sacramento.  If the wall went poof, the warm Tahoe air would rise and the cold Sacramento air would rush in, because cold air is heavier than warm air.  This air movement would stop only when the temperature at 10,000 feet was the same in both places, which (because of the lapse rate) would mean that the temperature at Tahoe’s surface would be the same as above Sacramento at 6200 feet.  So, horizontal airflow guarantees that Tahoe is cooler than Sacramento.  There’s no wall going poof, so the effect is a gradual one, but it’s there, and it’s responsible for afternoon thunderheads.  The sun “tries” to heat the air at the summit of Mt. Tallac just as much as it’s heating the surface air in Sacramento.  But hot air at Tallac’s altitude doesn’t belong there – on all sides it’s surrounded by colder, denser air.  So when the sun is out there will always be a thermal rising from the summit of Mt. Tallac.  And if the humidity is right you’ll get a cloud forming above the peak.  Thunderheads form in the afternoons because the effect builds and builds as the day progresses, until the sun starts to set.

 

I hope that this is interesting to you, and not an annoyance.  Again, I’m enjoying your novels and your blogs.

 

Regards

 

Neal Mielke

(from the Bay Area ... love the Sierras though!)

Mountain View Art & Wine Festival Sept 7 & 8

This coming weekend my artist wife Kit Night and I are both exhibiting at the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival.

This is a candidate for the biggest art festival in Northern California - something approaching 600 artists. If you want to see a wide range of artists plus at least one author - me, come on down to Mountain View AKA Google Country. 

(For those interested in tech, Apple is just 5 miles to the southeast, Facebook is 5 miles to the northwest, and a thousand other tech companies populate the surrounding area.) 

The Mountain Art & Wine Festival is worth the visit. Sept 7, 8, 2019

Even Dogs Get Shut Out By Phones

We've all seen it, the couple or family at a restaurant, and one or more of them are on their phones. Anyone not on their phone, whether it's the husband or grandmother or little kid, is locked out of that world. They sit alone even as they should be part of the group.

It happens to dogs, too.

Dogs are very social and focused on people. It used to be that people were focused on dogs. Now it seems that people care more about what's on their phones. Dogs are shut out.

Maybe it's time that we rethink our priorities. Maybe a phone addiction should be treated like a cigarette addiction, limited to short periods of time, outside, away from other people and dogs. Others, people and dogs, don't want our secondhand smoke. They probably don't want our secondhand attention either.

How To Start A Writing Career

Another newish writer just wrote me, saying they were finishing their first book and were looking for advice and direction specifically in regards to getting critique, writing query letters, and dealing with agents. As I assembled some thoughts, I realized that they were suitable for this blog. This isn't earth-shaking stuff. But it is practical information that I wish I had known in the beginning. If you or someone you know are a new writer, read on.

This was my response to the writer.

Congrats on writing a book! That is a big deal, and you should be very proud! You sound articulate and intelligent, and you will likely find success in this business if you are tenacious.

To find critique partners and beta readers, it is good to join a writing group. They are all over. We have one on the South Shore: Tahoe Writers Works. I recommend joining and going to their monthly meetings. Over the years, many of their members have gotten great benefits, and several have published books. Here is their website: 

http://tahoewritersworks.com/

First, a caveat. I've learned that writers generally don't want to hear advice on how to succeed in writing because success takes more than writing a single book. (But your first book is what makes it all possible!)

I don't want to sound tedious but it is worth repeating. Success comes from constant writing and many books. Making up stories for a living is the best job in the world. When you finish your book, start another and then another and then another. It may be that the single most important component of finding success is that, like all successful writers, you have to write many books. (Check out your favorite successful authors and notice how many books they have. Use them as role models. Plan to write as many as they have.)

As for publishing, the world of agents and traditional publishing has been shrinking fast. Many agents have gone out of business with the rise of self publishing. If you want to pursue agents, there are many books and blogs on the process. Just spend a few days Googling your questions.

But the bottom line is that pursuing agents takes an enormous amount of time and rarely yields results. If you can eventually get a publishing contract (the average advance on a novel is just a few thousand dollars), you give up all control to the publisher, yet as author, you still have to sell the book to readers. The publisher takes 90% of the book's earnings and the agent takes 15% of what's left. This is why the vast majority of New York-published authors still have to have a day job their whole lives. 

In contrast, with self publishing you retain control and you get most of the money. The pundits who study this stuff say that half of all Amazon bestsellers are now self-published, and many those authors make much more money than the other half that are giving their profits to publishers. 

Love it or hate it, Amazon now controls the book business. You can self publish on Amazon for free. (Although a professional cover is a huge help and is worth the few hundred dollars it usually costs.) To learn about Amazon self publishing, check out: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/

Self publishing is a lot of work. As with all professions, success comes to those who are the most focused and work the hardest. (Sorry to sound harsh, but I assume you want the truth.) But if you write lots of books (the one thing that all successful authors have in common is they write lots of books), you can do very well.

I launched my writing career with two books. In the eyes of readers, two books immediately made me seem more serious than one-book authors. If I did it all over again, I would launch with three books. (Bestseller Hugh Howey wrote 20 before he launched - talk about learning your craft!) Write a few books before you do anything else except for participating in a writing group. Make your books in a series with the same characters. Have the titles and covers coordinate. (Study your favorite authors for examples. And notice that you probably have no favorite authors with just one book!)

If you choose to self publish, please don't go with one of the thousands of so-called self publishing companies. They are scams preying on authors with stars in their eyes. Self publishing is doing it yourself, where you have complete control and give no rights to anyone. You can self publish at nearly no cost. It takes some research of course, but it's nothing compared to the work of writing a novel. Except for paying for professional covers and professional editing, don't pay anyone else! If someone wants money to do what you can do yourself for free, run the other direction.

When you get specific questions, feel free to write and ask.

Good luck!

Todd

P.S. On my blog, click on the "on writing" link on the right side. There are over a hundred articles on publishing and writing. Most of what I know about the business is there. Scroll down and you will find many ideas on how to find success in writing.

Black Bear At City Hall. No, Make That IN City Hall

A gentleman named Robert A Eplett was at the South Lake Tahoe City Hall not long ago, when a bear walked up to the automatic doors. Of course, they opened. The bear walked inside. Robert took a picture of the bear going inside.

Not long after, the bear turned around and walked back outside. Robert also took a picture of the bear going back outside. A news organization or two did a story and included the photos.

(I don't have time to track down Robert and get his permission to post the pics. But I'm pretty sure you can imagine what they looked like. Or you can Google it.)

Hmmm. What was in City Hall that was not to the bear's liking?

Whatever it was, not many city halls across the country have to wonder if a bear is going to join the employees for lunch... But that's Tahoe.

A Dream Book Launch

I couldn't have been luckier than I have with my 17th mystery, TAHOE DEEP. It was an instant Amazon bestseller, rising to #6 on the Private Investigator bestseller list, then hanging out in the top ten for a while.

Lots of eager readers out there! My events have been overflowing. As this gets posted, I've already given talks to large crowds at Sundance Books in Reno and Shelby's Books in Minden, NV. Sunday morning I'll be at The Red Hut cafe in Carson City at 8:30. Come Wednesday, I'll see what is traditionally an SRO crowd at the South Lake Tahoe library at 6 p.m. Come join us if you can!

It's a dream for an author to have people want to read one's book.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

TAHOE DEEP Is Almost Here

My new book, TAHOE DEEP, is going to be published in four days.  This is #17 in the series. I've just gotten the first advance reviews, and they are raves. So I'm excited!

TAHOE DEEP will be available in both the paper version and the Kindle version.

I have lots of events coming up, and I just sent out an email with my signing schedule. If you aren't on my mailing list, you can see my events and signing schedule by going to my Events page. Here's the link:

http://toddborg.com/Events.htm

I hope to see you at one of my events!

Learn About Moon Landing At South Tahoe Library Talk

The Moon landing was July 20th, 1969, 50 years ago. Wow. At the time it seemed utterly amazing.

In some respects, it seems even more amazing now. Could politicians and government officials find the political will and the dollars to do such a thing today? Could they even agree on something long enough to put such a plan into action?

If you'd like to learn more about that extraordinary event, come to the South Lake Tahoe Library at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24. Dr. Cathy Cox will be talking about the moon landing, answering questions. The program is free. It should be fun.

Hey, Bicyclers, Here's A Cool New Trail

If you've ever biked the highway that heads south from Incline Village toward Sand Harbor, you know it is a dangerous ride but with some of the world's most beautiful views.

It just got much less dangerous. A fabulous new section of trail has opened. The trail is exclusive to bikers and walkers, meaning non-motorized traffic. It cost a lot, and it appears that many thousands of people will think it was really worth it.

Hmmm, does Tahoe offer any really pretty bike trails? No, I mean, REALLY pretty ones?Oh, I suppose this pic answers that question...

Here's what part of the trail looks like from a drone

A portion of the trail down by the water

Not many bike trails have views like this

For more info, go to Tahoefund.org

Signing Schedule For Tahoe Deep

My new book will be out in a few weeks. Here is my initial signing/appearance schedule:

August 2, 2019 6:00 p.m. I'll be giving a Talk and Signing my new book TAHOE DEEP at Shelby's Bookshoppe 1663 Lucerne St. in Minden Village, Minden, NV 775-782-5484.

August 3, 2019, 11 a.m.,  Talk and Signing for TAHOE DEEP at Sundance Bookstore at 121 California Avenue, Reno, NV (775) 786-1188

August 3, 2019 3 p.m. Signing TAHOE DEEP at Geared for Games, Boatworks Mall, Tahoe City, CA

August 4, 2019, 8:30 a.m. I'll be signing my new book TAHOE DEEP at The Red Hut Cafe 4385 S. Carson, Carson City, NV

August 7, 2019 6:00 p.m. I'll be signing my new book, TAHOE DEEP, and giving a talk at the South Lake Tahoe Library, Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA. NOTE: Room opens at 6 p.m. for signing, Talk is at 6:30 p.m.

August 8, 2019 5 - 7 p.m. Signing TAHOE DEEP at Truckee Thursday street fair, at the Word After Word tent in Truckee, CA

August 17, 2019, 8:30 a.m. I'll be signing my new book TAHOE DEEP at The Red Hut Cafe @ Ski Run Blvd and Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe

September 7, 8, 2019, I'm exhibiting and signing  books at the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival, Mountain View, CA

September 28, 29, 2019 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Exhibit books at the Candy Dance Festival, Genoa, NV

September 30, 3019 4 - 5:30 Minden Library Author's Day, I'll be signing my new book, Minden, NV

November 15, 16, 17, 2019 Exhibit and sign books at the San Mateo Harvest Festival at the San Mateo Event Center, San Mateo CA.

November 22, 23, 24 2019 Exhibit and sign books at the Sacramento Harvest Festival at Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento

What A Castle, Vikingsholm!

Last week, I was invited to give a talk at the Vikingsholm Castle for a Trivia/Murder Mystery event.

My talk was fun, and I gave it to a sold-out crowd assembled in the courtyard behind the castle. My name might have been on the invitation, but the star of the show was of course the Vikingsholm Castle. No finer place like it exists.

If any of you haven't been there, go. The castle was built by Lora Knight in 1929. It is considered as good example of this type of Scandinavian architecture as anywhere on the planet. Add to that its location at the head of Emerald Bay, one of the most beautiful and most photographed places on the planet, and you have an amazing experience.

Look it up and visit. Bring your camera. Plan to spend some time taking the tour, hiking the short distance to Eagle Falls, maybe renting a kayak and paddling out to Fannette Island.

You'll be glad you went. Here's a link: Vikingsholm Castle

Another Roundabout Coming To Tahoe

By several measures, Highway 50 is the busiest route into the Tahoe Basin.
And, by several other measures, the intersection where Highway 89 comes from the south and ends at a "T" at Highway 50 in Meyers, is one of the most accident-prone, delay-causing places in the basin.

The powers that be have long debated if there should be a traffic signal or roundabout at that intersection.

The roundabout won the debate.

Construction has begun. Completion is expected in the fall.

Let's hope that traffic will flow better. (Although we locals fully expect that congestion will still be a feature of all our roads during the tourist season.)

Check Out Summer Snow At Kirkwood!

We just drove out to Kirkwood, the base of which sits at 7800 feet. Talk about beautiful, summer back-country skiing. Round Top (10,400 feet) and The Sisters (slightly lower) are buried in snow. Caples Lake is still mostly frozen, and the runs at Kirkwood could be covered with skiers. Except the skiers are all thinking about summer stuff. But with this much snow, summer stuff should include skiing.

Round Top is on the left, The Sisters on the right.

In the middle of June, the runs at Kirkwood are still heavy with snow.

Summer Skiing At Squaw For $5

My wife and I once skied at Alpine Meadows in June. It was a wonderful combination of hot sun, great snow, and purple butterflies that filled the air all over the mountain.

Now you can enjoy June skiing for $5.

Really? $5 Skiing? Skiing in June?

Yes, it's true. Squaw Valley, which is planning to stay open until July 7th, is offering $5 Fridays in June.

There are a couple of catches. (Of course!) You have buy the ticket a couple of days in advance. You have to do it with a special app. And there are only 500 cheap tickets available for each Friday. (Otherwise, the ticket is still a cheap $39.)

Here's the link to $5 Fridays.

How Literate Are Bears?

Back in 2004 there was a very fun and informative book about punctuation titled Eats Shoots and Leaves.

The title was a fun joke. With no commas (Eats Shoots and Leaves), it referred to what Panda Bears eat.

With the addition of commas (Eats, Shoots, and Leaves), it referred to a robber who has a meal at a diner, then pulls out a gun and shoots it as he's robbing the place.

I think of that book every time I see one of these dumpsters. Do you see the period after the word 'Bears?' I always have the urge to get out some white paint and change the period to a comma!