Conversations with Calliope- Book Release

(Flying Free)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. What's new?
JOE: Our book is ready. Here is the release information:

Just Released

Conversations with Calliope: A Year With My Muse

Joseph G. Langen

Have you ever wondered about the day to day life of a writer? Is it fun, exciting, frustrating? If you are a writer, have you thought about how other writers’ lives compared with yours. Follow a year in a writer’s life through frequent conversations with his muse about writing, marketing, publicity, inspirations and distractions. This book is available free of charge. Read a selection at http://www.slidingotter.com/conversations.html.

Ten Reasons to Read Conversations with Calliope: A Year with My Muse

1. Find out where writers get their ideas.

2. Hear what a writer does all day.

3. Listen to what writers say about being a writer.

4. I want my muse to be more helpful.

5. See how to get unstuck when you write.

6. Learn how to talk with a muse.

7. Explore what else writers need to know besides how to write.

8. Discover what keeps a writer going page after page.

9. Determine who supports a writer’s efforts.

10. Unearth the sources of writers’ inspiration.

Ten Reasons Not to Read Conversations with Calliope: A Year with My Muse

1. Who needs a muse? Writing is the writer’s responsibility.

2. I don’t care how things get written. I just want to enjoy what I read.

3. I can write a book if I want to. Maybe some day I will. I’ll do it my way.

4. There’s nothing magic about writing. It’s just hard work.

5. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to write anything good.

6. Writing’s old fashioned. Everybody watches TV these days.

7. I don’t have time to read, much less write.

8. Most writers are just crusty alcoholics.

9. Writers are like teachers. They can do anything useful so they just talk about it.

10. If it's free it can't be worth anything.

JOE: Happy reading. Talk with you on Monday.

Order a free PDF copy of Conversations with Calliope: A Year with My Muse by Joseph G. Langen from Sliding Otter Publications at http://www.slidingotter.com/order_page.html.

Conversations with Calliope- Publishing Time Approaching

(Broadway Street Sculpture)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Excited.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: I'm getting ready to publish our book.
CALLIOPE: Do you mean Conversations with Calliope: A Writer's Year with His Muse?
JOE: Exactly so.
CALLIOPE: How did the manuscript suddenly emerge from the mothballs?
JOE: I had difficulty knowing how to organize and format it.
CALLIOPE: And now those issues are resolved?
JOE: They are. I think I know how to proceed and have started putting on the final touches.
CALLIOPE: Then what?
JOE: I will proofread and print the manuscript and then have my two human muses review it.
CALLIOPE: You skipped that step the last time.
JOE: I have learned from my mistakes. I'll keep you posted. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Liber Natus Est

(Sunrise on Nantucket Sound)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Help me out a little. I'm more familiar with Greek than with Latin.
JOE: The title above translates as, "The book is born."
CALLIOPE: Sounds like good news.
JOE: It is. I received the revised bound galley of Navigating Life in the mail yesterday and am ready for my sales promotion.
CALLIOPE: Where do you start?
JOE: I sent a message to Booklocker saying everything looks fine. I am waiting for them to set up my sales page. I also have some personal orders to fulfill locally.
CALLIOPE: Congratulations. It seem like it has been a long haul.
JOE: It seems that way to me too. I don't seem to be getting any more patient as I age.
CALLIOPE: At least you know your limitations. What's your next step?
JOE: Publicity. I almost have my flier ready. Today I will work on recording a video clip to include.
CALLIOPE: Anything else?
JOE: As a matter of fact there is. Last night I ran across a wonderful little passage on Reflection by a fellow member of one of my online groups.
CALLIOPE: And?
JOE: I have asked his permission to use his passage in my promotional materials. I'm waiting for his response. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(West Chop Lighthouse- Martha's Vineyard)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Trying to stay calm and focused.
CALLIOPE: What's making it difficult?
JOE: Continuing work on revisions for Navigating Life. We're getting closer to it being ready for publication with the exception of a few small details still in the process of being worked out.
CALLIOPE: Anything you can't handle?
JOE: No. But the closer I get to publication the more excited I get about the adventure and the harder it is to keep myself calm.
CALLIOPE: Understandable. How is the publicity coming?
JOE: I worked on a one page publicity blurb which I want to run by Carol before I share it with you.
CALLIOPE: When will that be ready?
JOE: Hopefully in the next day or so.
CALLIOPE: How about your column on Peace?
JOE: It is just about finished. I heard from a good number of readers what gives them a sense of peace. It turned out as well as I expected. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Sunset over Lake Erie- Dunkirk, NY)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Not half bad.
CALLIOPE: What have you been up to?
JOE: Puttering around while waiting for my book proof to arrive. I've been catching up on my writer and marketing communities, listening to a marketing broadcast and preparing publicity for Navigating Life.
CALLIOPE: You have been busy. When do you expect your proof?
JOE: I was just getting to that. It arrived yesterday afternoon. Technically it is a bound galley. I was quite satisfied with how the cover turned out after all my grief in developing it.
CALLIOPE: Why didn't you just pay to have it done?
JOE: I'm not yet in a financial position to pay people for such services as design or even proofreading. Sometimes I wish I were.
CALLIOPE: Did you learn anything from doing all your own design work?
JOE: I learned to appreciate all that goes into it. I also got to think about each component of my book more than I would have if I had farmed out the work.
CALLIOPE: There are those benefits. How about proofreading?
JOE: That is the one place I wish I had been able to hire someone professional. Many of the sections were proofread in the past. I didn't feel I could impose on friends to proofread this text. Maybe I will regret it. I think in the future that I will try to budget money for this.
CALLIOPE: Good idea. When do you expect the book to be available.
JOE: You'll be the first to know. Perhaps in another week or so. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Rocky Mountains- Estes Park, Colorado)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Somewhat rested.
CALLIOPE: Did you accomplish anything yesterday.
JOE: I accomplished taking it easy.
CALLIOPE: What else did you do?
JOE: Some Christmas shopping and completion of gifts.
CALLIOPE: Anything exciting?
JOE: I had planned to give my new book, Navigating Life to a few people. After some difficulty with the cover, I think it is about ready for the printer, but I haven't had final word yet. I'm not sure I will have copies in time.
CALLIOPE: There's always New Year's.
JOE: True. Part of the focus is what we can do personally to improve our own lives, the country and the world. Perhaps releasing it just before the inauguration would be timely.
CALLIOPE: Perhaps. It's sensible to make the best of whatever circumstances present themselves.
JOE: You're right. That's what I tell everyone else. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Geese preparing for migration)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Busy but productive.
CALLIOPE: Tell me more?
JOE: I was gone most of yesterday. Saturday night I received an online proof of Navigating Life. I did a little editing and returned it as a final copy for publication.
CALLIOPE: Is your book ready for printing?
JOE: Almost. There are a few details to settle such as the price, advertising copy for Amazon, etc.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like you're getting close. Did you have time to do anything else?
JOE: Yesterday morning before I left for my travels, I composed a marketing brochure for Navigating Life. The brochure is getting good reviews from the few people to whom I showed it.
CALLIOPE: Do you think it will help with sales?
JOE: Yes. I have already sold some copies even before the book is printed.
CALLIOPE: To what do you attribute this?
JOE: The title, cover art, spiritual theme and my reputation based on selections from the book which I previously published.
CALLIOPE: Great. What's next?
JOE: I plan to start developing other promotional materials such as a sample chapter on my web site, print and video materials for MySpace, YouTube and other sites. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Paphiopedilum Orchid)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you this morning?
JOE: Relieved.
CALLIOPE: On what account?
JOE: My book finally stayed fixed, paginated and indexed long enough for me to send it to Booklocker.
CALLIOPE: And the cover?
JOE: Converted to PDF form and also sent.
CALLIOPE: Congratulations. Now what?
JOE: Now I wait for the proof copy.
CALLIOPE: What will you do in the mean time?
JOE: I have already started on marketing. I am exploring key words to use in the text of my promotional materials.
CALLIOPE: What do you plan to do by way of marketing?
JOE: Publicity on my website, notification of my mailing list and friends on social sites. I also plan to request a spread in the local paper and some promotional videos to post on the Internet. I might be able to get some coverage in the Rochester papers as well.
CALLIOPE: Sounds like a good start. Anything else?
JOE: Perhaps, but this weekend I would like to catch my breath before going further. Talk with you Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Lighthouse- Portugal Coast)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Busy. Carol and I did some shopping yesterday. I found a set of Bose speakers for my computer to enhance my many hours in front of the computer screen with listening to the radio stations I have created for myself through Pandora.com.
CALLIOPE: My sister Euterpe would be proud of you.
JOE: We also attended calling hours for the mother of Carol's coworker and dined out for our sixteenth anniversary of being together.
CALLIOPE: Did you have any time for your Navigating Life?
JOE: Yes. I worked hard on it on Saturday and had a little time yesterday as well.
CALLIOPE: How far did you get?
JOE: I finished reviewing the manuscript and worked on format as well as the table of contents. I am considering an index as well although I have never created one.
CALLIOPE: Good luck. What else awaits?
JOE: The only outside information was my Library of Congress Control Number which just arrived by email seconds ago. I still have the cover design to complete but have the template from The Pastor's Inferno which should save me quite a bit of time.
CALLIOPE: What did you decided about outside review?
JOE: Most of the text has already been reviewed for prior publication as columns. I think it's in pretty good shape.
CALLIOPE: Better read it one more time just in case.
JOE: I will. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Bridge over Oatka Creek- Leroy, NY)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. Back to your regular schedule?
JOE: As regular as it gets.
CALLIOPE: What are you up to today?
JOE: I have been working on my second volume of Commonsense Wisdom. I thought it would be nice to have it in print by Christmas but thought it was not possible.
CALLIOPE: Do you still think so?
JOE: I'm starting to wonder. I have about half the quotes I need. I should be able to finish gathering them in a day or two.
CALLIOPE: Then what?
JOE: I have "Life Lab Lessons" to add to some of the articles. Then I would need to organize them into themes.
CALLIOPE: What are the chances?
JOE: Good I think. I tend to underestimate time needed. However I think it might be possible.
CALLIOPE: So what's your plan?
JOE: Keep forging ahead and see how far I get. If I can finish the manuscript by the end of November, I think it might be possible.
CALLIOPE: Good luck with it.
JOE: Thanks, Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope

Good morning Calliope. I told you I would share my announcement of The Pastor's Inferno availability. Here it is. Back to our regular programming tomorrow.

The Pastor's Inferno Now Available


About The Pastor’s Inferno

Some novels are designed to distract the reader from his or her daily routine. Others are meant to lead the reader to understand the human condition a little better. This is a novel of the second sort.
The Pastor’s Inferno is a fictional account of a priest’s journey from denial to changing his life in a quest for redemption. Father John Spador learns how to confront his behavior and its consequences as well as his motivations and relationships. His story shows how an otherwise ordinary person can become lost to his demons and then work toward redefining his life.
The Pastor’s Inferno is an insight into the mind of an abusive priest and explores why a priest might become abusive as well as what he might do about it. This story should have special importance for Catholic priests, the laity and hierarchy as well as those of other faiths touched by clergy sexual abuse. It will also appeal to readers interested in understanding the darker side of the human condition and how to approach it. Paperback and e-book copies are available at: http://www.booklocker.com/books/3312.html

Paper: $14.95
E-book: 8.95

About the Author

Dr. Langen has been a psychologist for many years, experienced in working with sexual abuse survivors and perpetrators. He has lived in a seminary and monastery, chronicled in his memoir, Young Man of the Cloth. He has also published a book of life observations, Commonsense Wisdom for Everyday Life. For more information please contact:

Sliding Otter Publications

Web: http://www.commonsense-wisdom.com/
Email: jlangen@commonsense-wisdom.com
Phone: (585)343-2693

Conversations with Calliope

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: A little disconcerted. I signed up for a bulletin board which I thought was a writers' forum. It turned out to be a cesspool of viruses which invaded my computer.
CALLIOPE: What did you do about it?
JOE: Fortunately I have a couple good antivirus programs which I used to scrub my computer. I think it is clean again but will run them again to be sure.
CALLIOPE: Did you get anything accomplished yesterday?
JOE: Yes. I completed my contract with Booklocker and the files are on the way to the printer. Next is a bound proof.
CALLIOPE: Sounds exciting.
JOE: It is. I am glad to get that finished. I was prepared for some fiddling with the PDF for the cover, but none turned out to be necessary. I guess the time I spent developing it was worth it.
CALLIOPE: But no work on Marital Property?
JOE: No. The viruses hit just as I was about to do some writing. I plan to get back to it today. I did some work yesterday and today developing an announcement and News release for The Pastor's Inferno and plan to have them ready to go when the book is ready for distribution.
CALLIOPE: You sound prepared.
JOE: I am. After a sigh of relief, it's back to work.

(Cereus- new growth)