State of writing.

This post is a note to myself -- trying to get a handle on the crazy amount of writing I've done.

After roughly 3 years, I have written 9 books, in various stages of completion.  I've been so obsessive -- especially in the last year and a half -- it's like I'm only now emerging from a fever dream.  I'm finally willing to admit to that amazingly prolific number.  It's like, instead of a normal writing career over the last 35 years, I've condensed it all in the first three years and the last three years...

Add in the two leftover books, the three books that were published in the early 80's, and the two books I finished but which have been retired or lost (yes, believe it or not, I lost a book) and I've completed 16 books in my lifetime, plus a multitude of false starts.

Scary to think what I might have done if I hadn't chosen to buy Pegasus Books and make a living that way.

Of course, all that activity may be for naught.  But it does give me a small sense of satisfaction.

I wrote just about every day I wasn't working on the store -- I took several week long vacations where I wrote just about every waking hour.  I pushed through whether I felt like it or not.  I didn't let anything distract me or get in my way.  I was a working writer and I worked at writing.

Some of the books came extraordinarily easy, others were harder.

Some are better than others, and some are more finished than others.

Of the 2 books that were left over from my previous writing career,  I completely rewrote Sometimes a Dragon from top to bottom, and I intend to give the Deviltree a once over.

Three of the new books are online, at Amazon and Smashwords.

I put Freedy Filkins, To Rule Them All online first.  This was a fun little book to write -- my cyberpunk hobbit.  It is complete -- in and of itself -- a short, fast read.  Instead of "One Ring to Rule Them All," it's  "One Flashdrive to Rule Them All."

I've also put the first two books of my Vampire Evolution Trilogy online:  Death of and Immortal and Rule of Vampire.  The third book, Blood of Gold, is ready to be edited and then will be put up online.  I'm really proud of having finished a consistent and integrated series of books.  It was kind of test to me, to see if I had the stick-to-it-ness.  If nothing else, I've accomplished a Trilogy!

Led to the Slaughter is finished and polished.  I've been trying the traditional publishing route - agents and publishers -- with this one so far, without much success.  (Someday I'll be willing to talk about that -- to admit to failure -- but I'm not ready yet.)

Faerylander is my problem book -- it was the first book I tried to write after coming back and I made all kinds of mistakes.  I've completely rewritten it several times and I think improved it each time.  I like the ideas in this book and still want to publish it, but I want to make sure it is fixed.

Wolflander, the sequel with the same characters and setting, is finished to my satisfaction and just needs to be edited -- and of course it can't be published until Faerylander is -- which is a pretty big motivation.

The Reluctant Wizard was my breakthrough book -- the book after my missteps with  Faerylander where I found my footing -- where I finally settled on a work process that worked -- and when I finally relaxed on my writing.  I really like it, but I just feel it needs to be fleshed out.  Recently, I've had some ideas about how to do that, and I've also realized that it is the middle book of a trilogy, of which the first book is Spell Realm and the last book is Sometimes a Dragon.

Spell Realm is pretty much a mess that I got halfway through before I realized it, but I finished anyway.  Just as well -- both Spell Realm and Sometimes a Dragon will need to be rewritten to match The Reluctant Wizard.

 
The Unfinished Books:

Faerylander -- just need to keep tinkering with it until it's truly ready.

Wolflander -- needs to be edited, but can be published when I'm done with Faerylander.

Spell Realm -- needs extensive rewriting, but that can't be done until I've finished The Reluctant Wizard.

Sometimes a Dragon -- Ditto.

Led to the Slaughter -- pretty much done.  I need final confirmation that the traditional route isn't going to  happen.  Needs cover art, and maybe a bit more tinkering, but I feel like it's a good book and ready to be published.

Blood of Gold -- needs to be edited and published.

Deviltree -- a finished book, but one I'm wondering if I can't give a little boost.

The Reluctant Wizard -- my current project.  I feel like I have about half a book finished, as is.  It needs about a quarter of book added to the front, and a quarter of a book added to the end.  


A few observations: 

One -- I'm proud of my patience.  So far I haven't put out a book that I didn't think was ready.  That's a big difference from my first writing career.  I need to continue to be patient and make sure that what I publish is as good as I'm likely to get it.

Two --  No matter what happens from here on -- whether all these books are ever finished to my satisfaction or not, none of it has been wasted.  I've practiced my writing diligently, and I think I'm getting better at it.  Certainly, I've worked out a pretty good process.

Three -- It is easier and more fun to write new material than to work on old material.  But the material is starting to pile up and needs to be dealt with. 


I've more or less taken the last month off -- finishing the last few thousand words of Spell Realm, but otherwise thinking about writing more than actually writing.

So I just need to pick a new starting point -- I'm thinking November 1 -- and get back to doing it.

Sky-is-falling attitude.

So I was checking to see what blog posts have been read lately, and up pops an old one.

April 16, 2008.

Basically, it was the moment I decided for myself, once and for all, that we were falling into a deep recession and it was going to get a lot worse.  It was the moment I made the harsh decisions to prepare for the worse.

Interestingly, almost no one thought it would be as bad as I did.  Even the infamous Bilbobuster was talking of a two year time frame.

I thought it would be a minimum of 5 years, and possibly 7 years before we would recover and that it would never be quite as booming as it was before the crash.

I had one interesting comment from someone back then, that is reflective of the thinking at the time.

"I think your sky-is-falling attitude is both overly pessimistic and inaccurate. From what I can see Bend is doing very well. Within a block of my house two homes are being built and another is being remodeled. The stores I shop at are busier this Spring than I've ever seen them. Traffic today, a mid-week weekday, was more congested than on a summer weekend. Where I work we're overwhelmed with business. Bend is booming and prospects are good."

Funny thing is -- I was actually soft-pedaling what I really thought.  I thought sales could drop as much as 50%, based on previous experience with bubbles. Fortunately, it never dropped more than about 15% in one year, which was a manageable decline -- I could adjust my orders and costs according.  I worked the store alone that year, so basically I wasn't any worse off than the year before.

Overall, my sales dropped 28% from 2007 to 2010.

The store has recovered in the last couple of years, though I'm still about 10% down from the peak.  On the other hand, my profit margins are better, so the store is in good shape.

But back then, like I said, I wondered if a 50% drop was possible.  I could survive a 50% drop, because that's the way I designed my business.  But I can guess that very, very few businesses can survive that much.

So it dropped about half as much as I feared, and it took 3 or 4 years to do so and it turned out to be manageable.  In fact, I'd have to say that I barely felt it, beyond the fear it engendered that it could get worse.

The lesson I think is to prepare for the worst.  Then when it doesn't happen, you're ahead.  

Ordered a ton of books. No, really, a ton of books.

Well, if each book weighed a pound or two.  I weighed a thick hardcover and it was 1.4 pounds, but most paperbacks probably barely register.

The point being, I ordered every book on my wish list -- plus.

I had several months worth of books on my list -- many of the books were ones that sold over and over again.  That really pops out, that my lists often consist of the same books again and again. 

I need to try to make certain that once I ascertain a book is a self-seller, that I keep it in stock.

Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children
How to Tell if Your Cat is Trying to Kill You.
The Game of Thrones series.
Wildwood
Ready Player One
Hunger Games series.
City of Bones series.
Name of the Wind
Ender's Game.
Wild.
Gone Girl.
Neil Gaiman
Neal Stephenson

And so on....

Anyway, I've loved carrying books partly because once I have a base stock in place, they continue to sell even if I don't make constant reorders.

But obviously, they might sell even better if I was making constant reorders.  The minimum for affordable shipping from my wholesaler is pretty low -- only 10 units at a time, mix and match.

So I've decided to put that to the test.  I'm going to order all the books that have a history of selling, pick out a handful of new best-sellers in hardback, and continue to stock up on classics and cult books.

Then keep reordering and having them shipped every time I go over 10 units.

Support the book part of the store completely and fully for several months and see what happens.

It may not result in immediate sales, we'll see, but I'm certain that there is still a ton of potential in the book trade.

It will be a challenge to fit them in, but I always seem to find a way. 

More good stuff than budget.

Here's what you don't want:

You don't want to stock up on all the good stuff you can get, and then have sales still too low to pay the bills.

Here's what you want:

You reorder all the good stuff that you know you will sell, and your budget is almost used up, and the little bit extra is for new or experiments.  If I had to room, I could actually order more.

There was a period of time in the late 90's where I felt stymied.  Everything I was selling -- comics, sports cards, non-sports cards, etc. were declining, due to no fault of my own.  All the fads were pretty much finished -- pogs, beanies babies, and pokemon -- which had tided me over the collapse in comic and sports card sales.  I didn't have access to books or games or toys or books, because there were no wholesalers I could easily work with because of my limited funds.

I was stuck.  I took a chance on Magic, and that worked to some extent, made things better.  Then I started dabbling in games, but there was a game store in town so I really couldn't make headway.

What really helped was the the wholesaler I used for most of my material started carrying toys and games.  Then graphic novels got to be bigger.

That was all well and good through the first half of the 2000's, but I could tell that everything was artificially high because of the boom in the housing market.

Even though the store was full and I was pretty much using up most of my budget, with the collapse of local bookstores and game stores, I decided to take a real stake in those product lines.

I had about a year before the Great Recession hit, but I'd positioned myself in advance so I wasn't in debt and could still bring in new product, which I did for the first few years of the recession.

Then the store really did become completely full.  No more room to be had.

So I've been in that position for a couple of years now.  Now it's more a matter of tactical buying than strategic buying.  The games and books helped immensely to spread the risk, and as I said above, I now find plenty of great material to sell within my budget.

So it took a long time to diversify that much, but it was worth it.

I especially love that there are dozens of games I could still try, and thousands of books that would probably sell.  That is, the potential is higher than my budget.  Which is vastly better than having the potential be less than my budget, if you will.

It's a serious book, dammit.

Read the final 30 pages of Led to the Slaughter at writer's group.  Gary, who is my toughest critic, just looked up and said, "It's really very good.  There's some real depth there that I'm not sure I expected."

"Yeah, but isn't that's where the depth is supposed to be -- the last thirty pages?  It's the culmination of the whole story -- if I can just get them there."

I think established writers are given the benefit of the doubt.  If you can keep the reader's interest they'll stick with you for the first half of the book and then you can turn up the heat.  A published book is almost given that due -- an unpublished book isn't.

I think it's a bit like a job interview -- the interview may or may not be reflective of the actual job.

The sad part is trying to cram so much in the first 10 to 30 pages artificially, instead of letting the story gather steam. 

But really, I meant this as a straightforward serious novel.  A survival story, a story of what happens when things fall apart.  The werewolves are almost a force of nature, who are another thing the immigrants  must deal with.

So I think I'm going to take out the subtitle -- The Donner Party Werewolves -- because I think it leads people to believe the book is something different, something kinda silly. 

I tried to make it historically accurate and to make it as realistic as I can.  Even the werewolves...

Finished Spell Realm.

I've finished Spell Realm. 

Boy, this one didn't come easy.  In fact, if I hadn't stalled so close to the end, I might have given up on it.  It took me nearly a month to do the last 10% of the book -- which is considerably slower than I've been writing.

As a general rule, it is probably best for me to finish what I've started.  But I probably should try a little harder before I start writing to be sure it is something I want to finish.

The book feels a little sparse and a little clunky -- but there is nothing so off that it can't be fixed.

I'm going to give it some time.  Leave it be and go on to the next thing.

All this writing I've done has sort of narrowed down in my mind what my strengths and weaknesses are as a writer, and so it's time for me to construct a book that takes advantage of my strengths and ameliorates my weaknesses.

There are elements where I think I can do better than I have so far, and I'd like to work on those things. 

I'd like to plan ahead much more, make sure I'm satisfied with the premise and the plot.  Flesh out the characters and settings. 

Sickly Gazelles.

Mr. Bezos said Amazon “should approach these small publishers the way a cheetah would pursue a sickly gazelle.”

"...once they became dependent on Amazon for sales, Amazon turned the screws...demanding longer pay periods and lower discounts. Publishers who didn't "pay to play" would get unfavorable treatment on Amazon, making their books more expensive and harder to find."

The above quote is from Business Insider, from a book called, The Everything Store by Brad Stone.


But hey, I'm sure once the customers become dependent on Amazon for books, they'll be treated so much better....

Zombie writer.

Last night, I dreamed that a couple of professor types completely eviscerated one of my books.  Just tore it to threads.  Brought me about as low as you can get.

So I spend the rest of the dream moping about my room.

Then, I go up to another room full of 'critics' and I rip their throats out with my teeth.  Blood all over the place.

So satisfying.

Walking Dead questions.

Walking Dead is really good this year.  They've hit that Star Trek N.G./X-Files 4th year groove, where they know just what to do.  The beginning of last night's episode gave me chills.

But I can't help but have some questions.

1.)  Security.

A.) Overall security.  Are you telling me they don't have perimeter patrols?  Apparently Glenn and his girl in the tower are bopping all night and can't see the 'rat feeder.'  It seems strange to me that they don't have more security.  Even inside.  This is the Zombie apocalypse, after all.  Having each of the residents spend 1 or 2 nights a month patrolling the inner and the outer perimeters would seem to be a minimum.

B.) Personal security.  Again, Zombie apocalypse?  I would have a weapon at all times -- I'd have a weapon next to me in bed, when I go to the bathroom, I'd have hold of my weapon in the shower.   (no, not that weapon...).   And while I was at it, I'd have my door closed and locked at night.  Just because.  Hell I'd do that if there weren't no Zombie apocalypse.

Speaking of weapons, I think I'd fashion myself a little rapier type blade, not too long, not too short.  One that has a very sharp end and could be used to stab quickly in tight quarters.  (Not a samurai sword that is too long to draw when they're already on top of you, like Michonne last night.)

2.)  Where are they getting all the stuff?

It's been several months, but they have really cleaned up the place.  But where did all the stuff come from?  In previous seasons, they were having a hard time finding anything at all -- now they seem to have all the food, ammunition and medicine they need.  But they never show any foraging parties.

Hell, they should all be farmers, not just Rick.

3.)  The fences.  Like I said, should have patrols.  I also don't buy that they can't just burn the bodies of the dead zombies so they don't pile up.

4.)  What do they do all day?  Just wondering.  But really, what do they do all day?

None of these are deal breakers -- I think I'm only noticing them because the rest of the show is so good.

Still writing -- barely.

I finally finished a new chapter of Spell Realm.   I have only two chapters and epilogue to go.

I hope they come easier than the last two chapters have.  I've been stuck for three weeks now, writing a few words here and a few words there, none of them very satisfying.

But I want to finish this draft before I move on.

Everything else seems to be on hold.  Linda has her book The Telling Tree with our editor, so mine have been pushed back.  (Not complaining, just explaining.)

My bag of tricks.

Most writers seem to have a bag of tricks.

I remember reading Louis L'Amour the first time and thinking, "Hey, I really like this."  Then reading three or four books and realizing he was repeating characters, scenes and plots.  Oops.

I'm rereading the Travis McGee mysteries by John D. McDonald, and already by the fourth book he's repeating motifs.  (Especially women.  Wow.  So patronizing.)

I all but stopped reading heroic fantasy because it seemed nearly impossible to come up with anything new.

Anyway, I've been planning the next book, and dang if it doesn't seem to include a whole bunch of elements from previous ideas.  That is, I seem to have a general tendency -- things that appeal to me.

My bag of tricks.

I'm not sure whether to refine my bag of tricks, or mix them up and toss them in the air and see if I can't come up with  something new.

The cushion is gone.

I've had this nice little cushion much of the year while I was saving up for taxes.  It was just sent off to the IRS in one fell swoop, bringing my balance down to hand to mouth levels.

Object lesson:  Try to get far enough ahead to not worry about my balance.

Easier said than done.   Always something to spend money on.

I've decided to really stock up for Christmas after having a very slow season last year.  As compared to the rest of the year, it shouldn't have been that slow.  So I'm going to make sure this year it isn't because I didn't have enough material.

It's fun to order stuff.  But it doesn't take long to spend the budget.  I'm doing it the old-fashioned way -- spending 90% of it early, frontloading it so it has plenty of time to sell.  Then reserving just 10% for reorders of stuff that sells out.

I'm still hoping to beat last year.  Won't be easy with only 2.5 months left.

Planning and plotting and outlining.

I've begun planning my next book.

This is new.  This "planning" thing.  Usually I just set off writing a story and see where it leads.

I don't know what is going to happen with this new method.  Maybe it won't work, but I figure I have to try.  I need some kind of leap in quality. 

I see book writing as coming in three stages.

Stage 1:  The planning and plotting and outlining.
Stage 2:  The actual writing.
Stage 3:  Re-writing.

Stage 1:  On a scale of 1 to 10, I feel like I'm only at a 2 or 3 in terms of planning.

Stage 2:  I'm doing pretty well on the actual process of writing -- maybe a 7.

Stage 3:  I'm struggling to be patient with my re-writing, but still at only a 4 or 5.

So the most obvious area of improvement is Stage 1.

So what can I do?

Find a sturdy premise, one that will hold the weight of the story.  That has some thematic possibilities.  That is logical and interesting.  But most of all, that allows the characters to become real and become the drivers of the plot.

Behind that, I'd like to have a good solid history and geography and so on.  (If I use real locations or historical incidents, I need to research.)

Strong, well fleshed and deep characters.

A plot that isn't too predictable, and keeps the surprises coming. 

So that's what I'm going to be doing over the next weeks and months -- planning as much as possible before I actually sit down and write.

Stepping back.

I haven't written anything for about 3 weeks now,  which is the longest hiatus in the last year & half or so.  Discouraged, yes.  Thinking about what I'm doing.  Trying to decide my next step.

I'm still a few chapters from finishing Spell Realm, and I've just been hoping for inspiration.  But the longer I go without writing, the less inspiration I have.  I'll probably just try to finish it this weekend -- which is the same thing I told myself the last 3 weekends.

The re-edited version of Death of an Immortal is now up on both Smashwords and Amazon.  Just small editing changes and such, nothing major.  Lara also returned the rewritten version of Led to the Slaughter.  Amazing how many things she still found to change the second time through.

So I have this backlog of books that need to be dealt with, one way or another.  Lara is doing Linda's book, The Telling Tree, right now so she won't be able to get to my books for awhile.  That's all right, I suppose.  I mean, I just published Rule of Vampire a month ago, so there is no hurry to get another book out.

Anyway, just taking a step back and disconnecting for a short time.  Just a sense that I need to do so.

The world isn't short of books.

Started reading my backlog of New York Times Book Reviews.  Probably have a couple years worth.

But reading them this way really points up the patterns -- certain types of books succeed, and most do not.  In fact, most of the books reviewed aren't best-sellers.

It is really intimidating to read this magazine -- the sheer number of reviewed and advertised books alone is enough to give one pause. 

They all seem so talented, so deep, so intelligent....

What am I doing writing my little stories?  Who cares?  Why read my book instead of another? 

The world isn't short of books -- good books. 

It's important to recognize that -- to put my efforts into perspective.  It is both discouraging and explanatory.  Against such a tidal wave of books, my own efforts are tiny little things.

The type of "supernatural" books that are being written and published bear little resemblance to what I've been writing.  The covers are almost exclusively hot girls in tight leathers...

 -- whatever.

So I'll just keep writing my little stories and putting them online and not expecting anyone to read them...

Overstock.

Running a store like mine, I end up with lots of excess.  There's no way around it.  If I try to order so tightly it doesn't happen then I'm inevitably underordering.  Yes, I can sell through at 100% --- but only at much lower sales levels.

Obviously it's a constant balance between profit margin and sales. 

So anyway, I end up with a lot of junk.  I will sell the junk to individual customers at big discounts if they express an interest, but other than that I don't put stuff on sale.  Too much work for too little return.  Like advertising, I thinks sales have lost their effectiveness.

So I simply set it aside in the basement.

Lately I've been wondering what I can do with it all.  We have a storage unit full of books, as well. 

I may just see if I can't get pennies on the dollar for my boxes of comics.  The overstock toys and books and cards are probably just a loss.  Headed for the dump some day.

I'm lucky to have the storage, I guess.

I just ordered a ton of books at discounted prices -- and I know that probably half of them won't ever sell.  But the half that do sell will pay for the rest.  It's the only way to do it.  Seems like a bit of a waste but without knowing what the customer will buy, I'll always have stuff I thought they would buy but they didn't...

What about the internet?

The hidden costs are too high.  Mostly time and mental space.  It's more or less an all or nothing proposition -- being aware constantly of what things are selling for, and how to divvy up the material in a cost-effective manner, etc. etc.  For low return.  Yes, I could spend years online selling this stuff off, but I've got better things to do.

So, I'm not asking for anything here, just saying. Our whole culture is awash with overstock, though maybe only retailers see it cold-bloodedly.

Being grateful.

I'm 61 years old today.  No longer "middle aged".

Too much trouble and confusion to change the title of my blog, which has now been going for almost a full 7 years.  Haven't missed a day yet.

My sister Susie called last night, and we talked about my writing a little (a very nice birthday present to let me ramble about my writing) and she asked how it felt to be writing again after 25 years of not writing.

Got me to thinking -- how grateful I am that I did pick up the writing, and that I produced something, and that some of what I produced I think is pretty good.

I recently rewrote Led to the Slaughter, adding historical detail and rearranging the first 30 pages to make it start faster.  I also had it re-edited.  My overall opinion is that this is a worthy book.  Even a good book.  I like it.  I can't think of where I would change it.

This is unusual.  I normally have a sneaking suspicion that I need to do more work on a book.  I have the suspicion that Faerylander, for instance, the book I've worked on for almost 3 years now, still isn't ready.

So I'm  grateful that when I decided to write that the writing came, and that it came out pretty well.  I like the Vampire Evolution Trilogy, too.  I like the characters and the settings and the writing.  Maybe not too many other people do, but how many times in my life have I had to depend on my own judgement -- pretty much everything?

However -- Led to the Slaughter has been pretty much rejected.  For the last six weeks I've been dwelling on the fallout of that rejection, and feeling pretty dejected and dispirited.

Then yesterday I did this thing -- something I've done in the past with unpleasant things -- I just put it aside, compartmentalized it, and decided to quit thinking or worrying about it.  That actually seems to work for me, though it's a process I have to got through to get there.  But once there, I'm able to just kind of set a wall between my everyday going forward and the implications of whatever problem it is that I'm setting aside.

I'm incredibly grateful for Linda, who is a huge support.  And I'm grateful that the store is doing well, after so many years.  Most of those years were a struggle -- so much so, I couldn't write.  But now the store seems to have reached a level where it is sustaining itself.  I love having the store and working it, and it gives me a break from being a mono-maniacal writer.

So I don't usually get sappy -- "grateful" -- but I am.

I'm grateful to be writing, earning a living my own way, and having a fantastic wife. (Among other things.)  The things I'm not grateful about? -- they're over there somewhere...

New Favorite Show -- American Horror Story: Coven

Before I start, just let me say -- in case you're wondering -- I don't watch sitcoms or reality shows, so I'll never be reviewing those.




Meanwhile:  ***************SPOILERS!! *********************


I haven't watched the first two seasons of American Horror Story -- fortunately, they are on Netflix so I have that to look forward to.

This show is perfect.

Over the top and straight down the middle.  Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange are forces of nature.  Lange is perfectly believable as a hag trying to find her youth -- and yet, she's one good looking hag.

I liked everything about this show, but what nailed it for me was when Lange says to the young witches -- "Dress in black" and the next scene is the four girls dressed like stylish Halloween witches following her down a New Orleans street like little goth chicks, and no one even taking a second look at them.

Just the right tone of horror and goth and humor.

**********

Meanwhile, The Tomorrow People.

I can't get over how good looking everyone is.  How they all seem to be 25 year old's pretending to be in high school. 

The story actually holds up until -- damn, it doesn't.  The scene where the main character is confronted with a video of his missing father, and runs out the room.  Huh?  All to set up a scene later where he comes back and watches it.  Why?

Then at the end, he joins the obvious bad guys though he obviously is simpatico with the good guys.  Again, why?

For plot.  As a writer, I seem to really notice nowadays when characters act out of character for plot reasons.

The main kid has a real Tom Cruise thing going.  Once I noticed that, I couldn't help but keep noticing that.  Ironically, the kid is probably a better actor.

***********

Of all the Gloomy Gus shows, I think I like The Bridge best.  While a lot of people were apparently put off by the autistic vibe the lead actress was trying to put across, I felt she was too pretty and too normal for that.

But she's grown on me.

Mostly because she's grown on the lead actor.  Damian Bichir is one of those lead actors that seem to come from nowhere at middle-age.  Where did he come from?

I looked him up and he's actually been an Academy Award nominee for the movie A Better Life, which I didn't see.

So to me, he's new.  And he just gets it.  World weary, and funny, and charming and sympathetic in every way.

Even as he apparently is going to Break bad.

***********

Speaking of middle aged actors who get the role of a lifetime.

Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).  He's such a decent guy.  Funny and smart and interesting.

He's the best part of SHIELD so far, and enough by himself to keep me watching.  If that character goes off the rails, the whole show doesn't work.

**********

Once Upon a Time: Wonderland.

I don't like the original show.  Too cheesy.

But I kind of liked this.  I'll keep watching for awhile....

The Off Season.

This time of year is always a wake up call about how dependent we are on tourism.

This is the off season.  The whole tenor of the store changes -- much less spontaneous buying, many more people looking for specific things, and most of all, 'broke locals.'  I'm not putting anyone down by saying that, it's just a fact that people tend to spend money on vacations more readily than they do at home. 

I'm always thankful that I have a built in clientele that at least lays down a base amount of sales.  It isn't sufficient, but I pick up enough stray sales to make it through.  It is the reason I've packed the store with so much stuff, of different varieties.  I think that is the only way to survive in a small town.

There's an article in today's Bulletin about how national chainstores are sniffing around Bend.  Well, first of all, we've already gotten most of the major ones, as far as I can tell.  I've always wondered if they think they made a mistake....

A couple of revealing comments:

"...even if they determine a profit isn't possible...they consider other factors, such as competition in a given market, growth opportunities and seasonal fluctuations, which are more extreme in Central Oregon due to tourism."

I remember reading one of the chain stores commenting that they wouldn't open in a town that had less than such and such a population -- and then said chainstore opened anyway, despite Central Oregon not having the numbers specified.

Interesting if Big Boys are truly aware of the "extreme seasonal fluctuations."  I've always thought that outsiders come to Bend and open businesses without really being aware of that.  It comes as a shock, I think.

I've always said -- if you want to open a store in Bend, go pick a street corner on a Tuesday in late October and count the passersby.  But of course by definition, that's not when they are here.  If the vast majority of people come in the summer and Christmas, then they are most likely in that number, right?

I think that the idea that Bend has a "much more dynamic market than they expect just looking at our population" is mostly bullshit.  In fact, I'd argue the opposite.  Our demographics mostly suck.  We're a big donut hole of a town -- a large number of minimum wage employees, and a overlay of rich folks, and a lousy middle class. 

So the rich folks, right?  Well, my guess is that in most cases, they spend their money elsewhere. 

There was a point in the lowest part of the Great Recession when we had more furniture stores than new houses built each year.  A goodly number of those furniture stores are gone...

 I've also always said -- I make money four months out of the year, I lose money four months out of the year, I break even four months out of the year.  If you're willing to accept those numbers, then Bend is the place for you.

Bend survives because of tourism, but it doesn't thrive because we are missing the middle class wages from some business other than those dependent on minimum wage jobs.  I don't think that is going to change any time soon.

Downtown Comings and Goings: 10/10/13.

New restaurant selling "raw food and juices" opening where the Pastrami Deli was, called Salud Raw Food.

Bhuvana, selling yoga products.

NEW BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN

Salud Raw Food, Franklin Ave., 10/10/13
Bhuvana, Minnisota Ave., 10/10/13.
Outside In, Wall St., 9/26/13.
Bishop's Barbershop, Oregon Ave., 7/24/13
Oregon Store, Wall/Franklin, 7/24/13
Supervillain Sandwiches, Bond St., 7/24/13
Taste Oregon, Bond St., 7/24/13
Wild Rose, 5/2/13.
Bluebird Coffee Company, Franklin, 3/29/13.
Pure Kitchen, Franklin (Bond), 3/29/13
Jeff Murray Photography, Minnesota Ave., 3/29/13
Luvs Donuts, Minnesota Ave. 3/29/13
Hub Cyclery, Wall St. 3/29/13
Ju-bee-lee, Wall. St.  3/29/13.
Sweet Saigon, Wall St., 1/20/13.
Brickhouse, Oregon Ave., 1/20/13.
The Drake, Wall St. , 1/20/13
541 Threads, Minnesota Ave., 10/13/12.
O Mo Mo!  Bond Street, 10/3/12.
Crow's Feet Commons, Brooks Street, 9/21/12.
The Cozy Lamb, Minnesota Ave., 9/14/12.
Noi, Bond Street, 9/14/12.
Azillian Beads, Franklin Ave., 9/6/12.
Earth*Fire*Art, Oregon Av., 7/10/12.
Pastrami Deli, Franklin Av., 7/10/12.
Bend Your Imagination, Minnesota Av., 7/10/12.
Paul Scott Gallery), Brooks St., 7/10/12
Natural Edge Furniture, Bond St., 5/10/12
Hola!, Bond St., 3/3/12.
Amanda's, Franklin Ave., 2/24/12
Barrio, Minnesota Ave., 2/12/12.
Rescue Moderne, Harriman, 1/12/12.
Letzer's Deli, Franklin Ave. 2/12/12.
Navidi, Minnesota Ave., 2/9/12.
Mazza, Brooks St. , 2/9/12.
La Magie Bakery, Bond St., 1/6/12
Brother Jon's Ale House, Bond St., 12/10/11.
What Lola Wants, Wall St. , 12/2/11.
Jackalope Grill, 10/12/11.
Gypsy Soul, Wall St. 10/12/11.
Colour N' the City, Tin Pan Alley, 10/12/11.
Lotus Moon, Brooks St., 10/12/11.
The Lobby, Bond St. , 10/12/11.
Ruby, Minnesota Ave., 10, 12/11.
Kariella, Lava Road, 8/24, 11.
Plankers, Wall St., 7/11.
Faveur, Franklin, 7/11.
Dream Pebbles, Minnesota Ave., 6/15/11.
Bend Yogurt Factory, Franklin/Bond, 4/26/11.
High Desert Lotus, Bond St. , 4/4/11.
Tryst, Franklin Ave., 3/11/11. (Formerly Maryjanes, **Moved**).
D'Vine, Wall St. , 2/9/11.
Let it Ride!, Bond St., 1/29/11.
Gatsby's Brasserie Bar, Minnesota Ave., 1/8/11
Tres Jolie, Wall St., 12/20/10.
Caldera Grill, Bond St., 12/7/10
Bond Street Grill, 12/7/10.
Perspective(s), Minnesota Ave., 11/20/10
Toth Art Collective, Bond St. 11/20/10
Boken, Breezeway, 11/20/10
Dalia and Emilia, Wall St., 10/3/10.
Antiquarian Books, Bond St., 10/3/10.
Giddyup, Minnesota Ave., 10/3/10.
The Closet, Minnesota Ave., 8/11/10.
Showcase Hats, Oregon Ave., 8/11/10,
Red Chair Art Gallery, Oregon Ave. 7/13/10.
Earth Sense Herbs, Penny's Galleria, 7/12/10.
Mad Happy Lounge, Brooks St., 6/2910
Common Table, Oregon Ave. , 6/29/10.
Looney Bean Coffee, Brooks St. , 6/29/10.
Bourbon Street, Minnesota Ave., 6/22/10
Feather's Edge, Minnesota Ave., 6/22/10
The BLVD., Wall St. , 6/13/10.
Volt, Minnesota Ave. 6/1/10.
Tart, Minnesota Ave. , 5/13/10
Olivia Hunter, Wall St. 4/5/10.
Tres Chic, 4/5/10 (Moved to Minnesota Av.)
Blue Star Salon, Wall St. 4/1/10.
Lululemon, Bond St. 3/31/10.
Diana's Jewel Box, Minnesota Ave., 3/25/10.
Amalia's, Wall St. (Ciao Mambo space), 3/12/10
River Bend Fine Art, Bond St. (Kebanu space) 2/23/10
Federal Express, Oregon Ave. 2/1/10
***10 Below, Minnesota Ave. 1/10/10
Tew Boots Gallery, Bond St. 1/8/10.
Top Leaf Mate, 12/10/09
Laughing Girls Studio, Minnesota Ave. 12/7/09
Lemon Drop, 5 Minnesota Ave., 11/12/09
The Curiosity Shoppe, 25 N.W. Minnesota Ave, Suite #7. 11/5/09
Wabi Sabi 11/4/09 (**Moved, Wall St.**)
Frugal Boutique 11/4/09
5 Spice 10/22/09
Cowgirls Cash 10/17/09
***Haven Home 10/17/09
Dog Patch 10/17/09
The Good Drop 10/12/09
Lola's 9/23/09
**Volcano Wines 9/15/09
Singing Sparrow Flowers 8/16/09
Northwest Home Interiors 8/5/09
High Desert Frameworks 7/23/09 (*Moved to Oregon Ave. 4/5/10.)
Wall Street Gifts 7/--/09
Ina Louise 7/14/09
Bend Home Hardware (Homestyle Hardware?) 7/1/09
Altera Real Estate 6/9/09
Honey 6/7/09
Azura Studio 6/7/09
Mary Jane's 6/1/09
c.c.McKenzie 6/1/09
Velvet 5/28/09
Bella Moda 3/25/09
High Desert Gallery (Bend) 3/25/09
Joolz
Zydeco
900 Wall
Great Outdoor Store
Luxe Home Interiors
Powell's Candy
Dudley's Used Books and Coffee
Goldsmith
Game Domain
Subway Sandwiches
Bend Burger Company
Showcase Hats
Pita Pit
Happy Nails

(List begun, Fall, 2008.)

BUSINESSES LEAVING

Pastrami Deli, Franklin Ave., 10/10/13.
Edman Furniture, Wall St., 9/26/13.
At the Beach, Wall ST., 9/18/13.
New York City Sub, Bond St. 3/29/13
Soba Asian Bistro, Bond St., 3/29/13
Volt Lighting, Wall St.  3/29/13.
Topolino, Wall Street, 1/20/13.
Cozy Lamb, Minnesota Ave., 1/20/13 (moved inside, Bond St.)
Amalia's, Wall Street, 1/5/13.
El Jimador, Wall Street, 9/1412.
The Closet, Minnesota Ave., 9/1/12
Common Table, Oregon Ave., 8/11/12.
Honey Threads, Minnesota Ave., 8/11/12.
Bella Moda, Wall St., 8/11/12.
Giddy Up, Minnesota Ave., 5/10/12
Pottery Lounge, Oregon Ave., 5/17/12.
Boondocks, Newport Ave., 3/27/12
Game Domain, Oregon Ave., 3/27/12.
Toth Gallery, Bond St., 3/27/12.
Letzer's Deli, Franklin Ave., 3/22/12.
Clutch, Minnesota Ave., 3/22/12. (Moving to Tres Jolie).
High Desert Gallery, Minnesota Ave., 3/22/12.
Tart, Bond St., 3/3/12.
El Caporal West, Franklin Ave., 2/24/12
Bo Restobar, Franklin Ave., 2/9/12.
The Lobby, Bond St. , 2/9/12.
Arts Central, Brooks St., 2/7/12.
Typhoon!, Bond St., 2/5/12.
Gatsby's, Minnesota Ave., 2/5/12
The Dog Patch, Minnesota Av. 1/9/12.
Bend Mapping, Bond St., 1/9/12.
Lotus Moon, Brooks St. 1/9/12 (Moving into Tres Jolie)
Bond Street Grill, Bond St., 11/20/12.
Mad Happy Lounge, Brooks St., 10/11.
Azu, Wall St., 10/25/11.
Showcase Hats, Oregon Av., 10/11.
Bourbon St., Minnesota Ave. 10/12/11.
Curiosity Shop, Minnesota Ave., 7/11
Luluemon, Bond St., 8/26, 11.
Shear Illusions, Franklin Ave., 7/11.
Crepe Place, Wall St., 7/11.
Pita Pit, Brooks St. , 6/28/11
Smith and Wade Salon, Minnesota, Av. , 6/3/11.
Perspectives, Minnesota Av., 6/1/11
River Bend Art Gallery, Bond St., 5/5/11.
Donner's Flowers, Wall St. 3/11/11. (**Moved out of downtown**)
Maryjanes, Wall St. , 3/11/11. (new name, Tryst, moved to Franklin.).
Di Lusso, Franklin/Bond, 2/9/11.
Earth Sense Herbs, Penny's Galleria, 1/2/11
Marz Bistro, Minnesota Av., 12/20/10.
The Decoy, Bond St., 12/7/10.
Giuseppe's, Bond St., 12/1/10.
Ina Louise, Minnesota Ave., 11/3/10.
Laughing Girl Studios, 10/21/10
Dolce Vita, Bond St, 10/21/10
Diana's Jewell Box, Minnesota Ave., 10/15/10.
Lola's, Breezeway, 10/8/10.
Oxygen Tattoo, Bond St., 10/3/10.
Great Outdoor Clothing, Wall St., 10/3/10.
Volcano Vineyards, Minnesota Ave., 10/3/10.
Subway Sandwiches, Bond St. 9/2/10.
Old Bend Distillery, Brooks St., 6/19/10.
Staccato, Minnesota Ave. 6/18/10.
Showcase Hats, Minnesota Ave., 6/1/10 (Moved to Oregon Ave., 8/10/11.)
Cork, Oregon Ave., 5/27/10.
Wall Street Gifts, 5/26/10
Microsphere, Wall St. , 5/17/10.
Singing Sparrow, Franklin and Bond, 5/15/10
28, Minnesota Ave. and Bond, 5/13/10.
Glass Symphony, Wall St., 3/25/10
Bend Home Hardware, Minnesota Ave, 2/25/10
Ciao Mambo, Wall St. 2/4/10
***Angel Kisses 1/25/10 (Have moved to 'Honey.')
Ivy Rose Manor 8/20/09
***Downtowner 8/18/09 (moving into the Summit location)
Chocolate e Gateaux 8/16/09
Finders Keepers 8/15/09
Colourstone 7/25/09
Periwinkle 6/--/09
***Tangerine 7/21/09 (Got word, they are moving across the street.)
Micheal Cassidy Gallery 6/15/09
St. Claire Coffee 6/15/09
Luxe Home Interiors 6/4/09
Treefort 5/8/09
Blue 5/2/09
***Volcano Tasting Room 4/28/09** Moved to Minnesota Ave.
Habit 4/16/09
Mountain Comfort 4/14/09
Tetherow Property 4/11/09
Blue Moon Marketplace 3/25/09
Plenty 3/25/09
Downtown Doggie 3/25/09
***King of Sole (became Mary Janes)**
Santee Alley
Bistro Corlise
Made in Hawaii
EnVogue
Stewart Weinmann (leather)
Kebanu Gallery
Pella Doors and Windows
Olive company
Pink Frog
Little Italy
Deep
Merenda's
Volo
***Pomegranate (downtown branch)**
Norwalk
Pronghorn Real Estate office.
Speedshop Deli
Paper Place
Bluefish Bistro

(List begun, Fall, 2008 )