Kendall Giles

New Podcast Series – Episode 1 – Beginnings

Kendall — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:04:24 +0000

So, I’ve started a new podcast series. Here’s Episode 1. Take a listen and drop me a line–I’d love to hear your feedback!

In this episode: a new podcast, a new publication, and something to be revealed in Episode 2.

Podcast:

Play in new window | Download

Mentioned in the Podcast:

InYo: The Journal of Alternative Perspectives on the Martial Arts and Sciences, Winter 2012 Edition

New essay published in InYo martial arts journal, winter 2012

Kendall — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:51:33 +0000

I just had an essay published in the Winter January 2012 issue of InYo: The Journal of Alternative Perspectives on the Martial Arts and Sciences.

Check it out!

Review: Every Writer’s Dream, by Jeff Goins

Kendall — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:53:49 +0000

With today’s dynamic publishing landscape and tight economic times, writers are increasingly expected to take on more of the marketing aspects by publishers for their books that make it to market. One subtle effect of this shift is that agents and publishers are looking at more than just the text of the book when deciding whether or not to sign the author. Yes, the author has to have written something great, but agents and publishers are also looking to see how well the author can help market the book.

For example, consider a book that is being proposed–the text is flawless and the book tells a compelling, interesting, and sellable story. Now, consider two hypothetical authors of that book. The first author is a housewife in Prairieville, Kansas, who tends to her house and family but otherwise has no community or online presence. The second author is a woman who is the CEO of a Fortune 1000 company, has a regular segment on NPR, and frequently is asked to keynote important industry conferences.

Both women write equally well, but hardly anyone knows the first author, while the second author is well-known across the country and perhaps in other parts of the world.

Suppose an agent or publisher loved the book and now has to decide which author to sign–the first author or the second author? Hopefully you can see why the agent or publisher would sign the second author–she is a widely known figure and her book would likely sell just because she is so well known.

This is the dilemma facing authors today. Yes, you have to write a great book, but there are things you need to be doing now in order to increase the likelihood that an agent or publisher will sign you once you finish writing your book.

What should an author be doing, in addition to writing the best book they can?

In Every Writer’s Dream, Jeff Goins details three important tools all authors should be using in order to increase the chances that an agent or publisher will accept a manuscript. These tools are called platform, brand, and connection. In this short, focused book, Goins explains what these tools are, why they are important, and how to get started using them. In fact, if an author uses these tools well, agents and publishers may come calling on the author instead of the author having to pitch to the agents and publishers.

Get Every Writer’s Dream and Before Your First Book using this link to Jeff Goins’ website.

As a bonus, Jeff is also including his short guide Before Your First Book, which includes motivations and tips to help get an author to stop waiting and start writing, right now.

For the next week, you can use the promo code “stopstalling” for $2 off.

How to Choose a Creative Writing MFA Program

Kendall — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:07:37 +0000

It’s early in the morning—-the sun is not yet up, but here I am, typing away, coffee at the ready.

What’s going on? Why aren’t I sleeping?

Though I didn’t get home last night until 1:30AM, I’ve got things to write.

You see, I’m just back from a creative writing residency as part of the Stonecoast MFA program in Creative Writing, at the University of Southern Maine–I’m brimming with ideas, energy, knowledge, and inspiration, and am still warm from the love and fellowship of other dedicated writers.

A good MFA program will motivate you this way. Though Stonecoast is a top-ten program and I’m absolutely thrilled with my experience there so far, for those of you who have the inkling that they might want to become a writer, but aren’t sure if they want to commit to an MFA program, I want to take a step back and talk for a moment about how to choose a creative writing MFA program that is best for your own specific writing needs and goals, and whether or not you should go for an MFA after all.

WHO WANTS TO WRITE?

So, you want to be a writer? You want to write poetry, a novel, or maybe a screenplay?

Well, nothing is stopping you—just start writing!

Or maybe you want a way to guarantee that your book will be published? Maybe you want to know how to write a best-seller?

Sorry, there are no guarantees, though there is always self-publication and hoping for the best.

Maybe you want an MFA so you can earn tons of money?

Um, you just might indeed write the next bestseller, but, in general, “tons of money” and “writer” are seldom seen in the same sentence, unless also combined with “are you crazy?”

However, maybe you want to learn how to write well and to improve your writing so that it is the best it can be. Maybe you want to work with top writers and develop a circle of motivated writers like yourself. Maybe you want to go to stimulating workshops and learn the ins and outs of writing craft and the profession of writing. Maybe you need structure and dedicated time to write.

If so, there are several choices available to you, one of which is to get an MFA in Creative Writing. Everyone has their own writing goals and writing interests, so know right upfront that there is no one best program for all students. There are programs that are better for certain students than others, however, and so below I’ll touch on some of the criteria and options you should consider before applying. It’s a serious decision, but I hope this guide will provide some help and clarity.

WHY I WROTE THIS GUIDE

I went through this entire process myself—the same process you are now undertaking. I agonized over different programs and unfamiliar jargon, and compiled reams of data. After deciding to get an MFA and analyzing all the different choices available, in the end I applied to a top-ten creative writing MFA program (Stonecoast) and, luckily, I got in! I couldn’t be happier with my decision. So, after realizing that a lot of the resources out there on how to choose MFA programs are a little dated, I decided to write this guide, compiling together all my notes, thoughts, questions, and discoveries, in the hope that it might help someone else.

WHY GET AN MFA?

I alluded above to some reasons why you might want to get an MFA, including:

improving your writing
networking with other writers
learning writing craft and professionalism.

These are noble goals, for sure, and an MFA can help take your writing to the next level. However, getting an MFA will require a lot of work, will take time, and may cost a lot of money, so it helps to be sure that this is really what you want to do.

All of the reasons I listed center on the desire to make yourself the best writer you can be. Note that none of these reasons say that with an MFA you will automatically get your book published or that you will automatically get a job teaching. Getting an MFA may help with these two events, but again, there are no guarantees. An MFA program costs a lot of money and time, so be sure you are spending your time and money on the right things. In the end, it’s up to you to do your homework. Only you can make the decision on whether or not to go, and where to go.

So, with those caveats out of the way, let’s dig in.

SHOULD YOU GET AN MFA?

Questions to ask yourself:

Are you looking to become a writer or a creative writing teacher?
Are you mainly interested in self-expression or is your focus on getting published?
What do you want to write? Poetry? Literary fiction? Popular Fiction? Screenplays? Creative NonFiction? Horror? Romance? Crime? Science Fiction? Fantasy?
Do you want to go for your PhD?
Can you relocate to another city/state easily or do you have job/family obligations that would make moving impractical?

Since the expected financial return from an MFA degree is rather low compared to other graduate degrees, especially degrees in engineering, be sure you really are making the wisest choice. I.e., an MFA might be right for you if you are passionate about writing, really want to improve your writing, and are willing to assume the time/money burden such a program will entail. If you are looking for your MFA to guarantee a six-figure salary to support your spouse and five children, then you might want to reconsider.

Note that, again, you don’t need an MFA to write. Many people have developed successful writing careers without one. There is a lot of debate out there on whether or not the MFA program is worth the money/time cost. Some of the arguments made are valid, some not, but you have to decide for yourself based on your unique goals, expectations, and life situation.

So here are some additional resources that may help you decide if an MFA is for you:

CREATIVE WRITING MFA PROGRAM MODELS

The Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree is a terminal graduate degree, meaning that it is considered to be the highest degree in its field. With an MFA, you can often be hired to teach in a college or university. Note, however, that current trends have seen the rise of Creative Writing PhD programs. Be aware of this if your goal is to teach in a university, since universities often, all else being equal, tend to favor someone with a PhD rather than just an MFA. So if you are only in it to teach, then you should seriously consider enrolling in a PhD program or continuing on to a PhD program after your MFA.

Generally, MFA programs last 2-3 years and, at a minimum, you will be required to present some sort of portfolio of your writing to graduate. Each school has their own course, project, teaching, writing, and other requirements, so you will need to look at the requirements for the schools you are interested in.

The MFA is more of an applied degree—the end products you create are actual creative writing stories, novels, poems, and screenplays. The Creative Writing MA degree (not an MFA degree) is less applied and more academic.

There are generally two “models” for how the MFA programs are run—the “full-residency” model and the “low-residency” model. (Note that currently I am not considering online models.)

The “full-residency” model is the traditional way MFA programs were organized—you go to classes on campus during the day and do your homework at night, probably much like you did during your undergraduate experience. Many graduate programs, especially in the Humanities, are organized this way.

A newer model is the “low-residency” model. Here, students attend classes and workshops on campus for a few days of the semester during a “residency,” then complete the semester working from home. The on-campus residencies are often at the beginning of the semester and generally last 7-10 days. For the rest of the semester you usually work with a faculty mentor, who critiques your writing and provides guidance based on your specific writing needs and interests.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each model, so deciding whether you want to go to a full-residency program or a low-residency program is one of your big decisions. There are more full-residency programs available to choose from, since that is the traditional model. Also, this type of academic experience will likely be familiar to you from your undergraduate years, so most students are familiar with the structure of this type of program.

However, there are some disadvantages to the full-residency program, which is why low-residency programs were created and are becoming so popular. In the full-residency model, just like in your undergraduate years, you are on campus away from home for the duration of your program. If you have family or work obligations, maybe leaving home for a few years to go back to school is not really an option. Also, since most full-residency courses are taught during the day, and you have to go to class every day of the semester, this might conflict with getting or keeping a job. Finally, some feel that the traditional classroom experience—classes during the day and homework at night—is a bit insulated from how writers work “in the real world.” So, the full-residency model is often more attractive to students going into an MFA program directly from their undergrad program, or for people who do not have work or family obligations to keep them from moving away for several years.

No surprises then, but the low-residency model is ideal for students who have family or job obligations that keep them from moving away, or who aren’t really looking for the whole “full-time” student experience again. Except for the few days at the start of each semester, in the low-residency model the student spends the rest of their time at home. Also, some feel that the low-residency model better trains the student for learning how to write “in the real world”—balancing family and job obligations with writing goals, deadlines, and the need to structure their own time to make everything fit. However, some students don’t want to deal yet with balancing home and writing obligations—they are looking for the structure, support, and “writing cocoon” that the full-time residency model offers.

As I’ve discussed, there are pros and cons to each model, so deciding which model will work best with your writing goals and what you are looking for is an important step to take.

RANKINGS

Just like with universities and colleges as a whole, there are rankings for individual creative writing MFA programs. The rankings for the 2012 year are below, by Poets and Writers magazine.

That said, you should take the rankings with a grain of salt. One advantage of the rankings is that, for a given set of criteria, you can compare across different MFA programs based on those criteria. One disadvantage is that the rankings are often made based on a subjective methodology weighted by criteria that you, as an individual person with your own writing goals and needs, do not care about. Here is the methodology used to create the 2012 MFA rankings.

Just for completeness, here are a few articles criticizing or cautioning against rankings:

OTHER CRITERIA TO CONSIDER

What else should you base your decision on?

Visits to Prospective Schools: Especially if you are considering a full-residency program, be sure you won’t mind being a full-time student at that particular school. Some programs have alumni weeks or opportunities for visitors to sit in on a class or talk to current/past students.
The Books Written by the Faculty: If you want to write and publish horror or science fiction and the faculty members write like Jane Austin (or vice-versa), while you will be able to learn something from those faculty, there may also be a disconnect between your writing goals and their sensibilities.
Funding: In general, many of the full-residency programs offer full funding, whereas many of the low-residency programs do not. Most programs offer partial funding. If you want the full-residency option, since there are so many good full-residency creative writing programs that offer full funding, unless you have some overriding reason otherwise, I would only consider going to full-residency schools that offer you full funding.
Location: For those interested in the full-residency option, if you are used to the big city and are moving to a more rural environment, or vice-versa, consider carefully the campus location. Big city folks often feel isolated and don’t know how to find things to do on their own when in a rural environment. On the other hand, students from rural locations often feel overwhelmed when coming to a large city. Can you spend 2-3 years in your program’s city? This is less of a factor for low-residency programs, since the residencies are so short. In this respect, an on-campus residency becomes more of a vacation.
Genre: As with reading the books that the faculty members write, most full-residency programs teach “literary” fiction–reading and writing the classics. However, this is a different genre than “popular” or “mainstream” or “commercial” fiction: e.g., science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, crime, thriller, young adult, etc. If you like to read Chekov, James, and Faulkner, then it is likely you will want to write in that style as well, so a literary fiction program might be better for you. On the other hand, if you like to read authors like Stephen King, J. R. R. Tolkien, Jim Kelly, Liz Hand, David Durham, Nancy Holder, or Scott Wolven, then you might want to consider an MFA program that has a commercial or popular fiction program. Stonecoast, for example, has literary as well as popular fiction tracks. In fact, I’ve spoken with students who chose Stonecoast because they actually wanted exposure to both genres. Reasonable advice says that you should study the type of writing you like to read, since that is where your interest and passion are located. In this regard, here’s a podcast where Liz Hand talks about MFA programs and Young Adult Fiction.

ALTERNATIVES TO AN MFA

After all this, maybe you still aren’t sure if an MFA is for you. Are there other options for improving your writing craft without going through an MFA program?

Yes!

You can:

Just write
Take one of many writing workshops, such as Clarion, Odyssey, or Norton’s Island
Start a writing group
Take free writing classes

In the End

In the end, only you can decide if and which MFA program is right for you. Either way, I hope that this guide has been of help in making your decision. The important thing however is to write to the best of your ability, and toward your dreams and goals.

My dog has died. Diamond: December 1996 – January 2012

Kendall — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:32:46 +0000

My dog has died, and also a part of me.

She came into our lives 16 years ago during a snowstorm in Wisconsin.

I had just come home from work in nearby Madison. It had started snowing earlier in the day, and by the time I got to our isolated farmhouse out in the country, the snow was more than a foot deep. Usually I entered the house via the back door, but something black, huddled in the corner of the front porch, caught my eye in all the snow.

It was a little puppy, shivering and frightened.

How that little puppy made it to my isolated doorstep with more than a foot of snow on the ground, in biting cold, to this day I cannot fathom the answer. Maybe a neighbor dumped the puppy there. Maybe divine forces were involved. All I know is that I picked up the whimpering puppy into my arms and brought Diamond into our lives.

She was named Diamond because of a white diamond shape on her chest, everywhere else glistening black fur. She was like a German shepherd in build, more petite though, but with the same intelligence and disposition. When she perked her ears up, they reminded me of a bat. She quickly became a loved member of our family, and each day she would amaze us with her intelligence, love, strength, and devotion. She was a good dog.

One day we rescued another stray puppy, and Diamond immediately became the puppy’s surrogate mother, shepherding and protecting him, and when the puppy grew up they remained close friends.

On another day, I took Diamond out for a walk and noticed someone was in our yard. Playing golf. So we walked up near the dude and I asked him why he was in my yard, playing golf. Diamond stood alert, ready. She knew the man didn’t belong, and I don’t think she liked him swinging around metal sticks. But she was a good dog, and she remained quiet.

He said that the previous owners of my house had let him hit golf balls into my yard. When I politely told him that the former owners no longer owned the house, and that I did not permit him to play golf in my yard, he got defensive and started to protest. But when I stepped toward him, Diamond tensed on the leash. She was ready to remove this golf terrorist from our yard. He must have realized this too, because he stopped his protest, gathered up his golf equipment, and left.

Diamond loved to run and explore, and would spend hours racing through the woods of our property.

One night Diamond came back to the house with a cut on her nose. Actually it wasn’t just a cut—part of her nose was hanging off her face, blood oozing from under the flap. We rushed her to the vet, and he said he could easily just cut off the flap and stitch up the wound. “No!” my wife protested. “She’s a girl dog. You have to make her nose look perfect.” He looked at my wife for a moment, sighed, then proceeded to carefully stitch her nose back together.

After it healed, you couldn’t even tell her nose had been cut. My wife still reminds the vet of that incident, and calls him “the dog plastic surgeon.”

And years passed by. Diamond was always strong, always vigilant, always loving. As we rescued more dogs and incorporated them into our home, Diamond asserted herself as the leader of the pack, even over larger dogs.

One evening, I’m estimating she was about 12 years old at this point, Diamond was running with the pack. Unfortunately, she took a turn too sharply, too awkwardly, and tore the ligament in her knee. We took her to the vet and he rebuilt her knee, putting in an artificial ligament. But she was not allowed to run with the pack anymore though, since the artificial knee could not withstand those stresses.

So, after that she became a house dog. And yes, you guessed it. She became Queen Protector of the house.

We were fortunate to have lots of woods in which to run and play. One favorite game Diamond loved was Hide and Seek. When she was distracted, sniffing at this or that, I would sneak off and hide somewhere—behind the car, or behind a tree, or even under the bushes. I’d then whistle for her, and her ears would perk up and she’d race around, knowing that she had to find me.

It usually didn’t take long before she ferreted me out, and then she’d roll on her back, wagging her tail, happy. And then we’d play the game again, and again, until it was time for dinner.

One day, she was about 14 years old at this point, she had a lot of trouble finding me. Either her nose wasn’t working as well anymore or maybe it was her eyes. Or both. But she just couldn’t find me. And then, she gave up. She had never given up before. No matter how well I was hidden, she always found me, she always kept trying.

But that day, a threshold seems to have been crossed, and I realized she was getting old. We played a few more times over the next year or so, but it never seemed the same after that.

One evening, about a year later, after we had just come back from her last walk of the night, we were just about to climb the stairs to go inside the house when I realized I needed to get something from out in the yard. So I told Diamond to wait right there. Of course, she did. She was a good dog.

By the time I got back, her back legs had collapsed from under her, so she sat there at the foot of the stairs in the shape of an awkward triangle, still waiting though. Patient. What else could she do but wait for me to lift her up so she was back on her feet? She seemed happy when I did so. She made it up the stairs, but in a hopping manner, pushing off with both hind feet together.

Other oddities in her movements cropped up too, over the next year. Her body was betraying her. Her back legs, especially, became weak, and if she stood still too long they would collapse under her. Her front legs remained strong, and if she was outside, sometimes she could pull herself back up into a standing position. Inside the house though, the floor and carpet were too slick, and I’d have to help her up.

When she was about 16, she began to have trouble turning in one direction, and she could no longer back up if she walked into a corner, which she sometimes did because she was having trouble seeing.

One vet wanted to put her on pain medication, but due to her advanced age, her body could no longer tolerate the medications. And she did not seem in pain. It was more like she was frustrated at having no longer being in full control of her own body.

But despite her body giving up on her, she never gave up on life. She resisted, until her last breath, Death whispering into her ear, “Come now, dear sweet Diamond. Why the rush? Just lie down here and relax. You’ve run enough, don’t you think? You’ve scoured the fields and protected the humans and guarded the houses and splashed into all the ponds. You’ve no more burdens left to you, so relax. Give up.”

She refused to give up. Despite what life was throwing at her, she remained happy and loving.

Over the last month, though her appetite remained healthy, she would only urinate with my help. Her walking became more awkward, her back legs weaker still. But she figured out how to make it all work. When she ate, she would take a bite or two, then walk in a big circle back to the plate for another couple of bites. If she stayed still, her hind legs would fold under her, so she kept moving. I think she knew that Death caught those who sat down and gave up.

When she was younger, when she slept, often her legs would kick out and make running motions there on her pallet, like she was chasing a rabbit. But, eventually, as her health declined, even in her dreams, she no longer ran.

Our walks through the woods and along the road became shorter. I don’t remember exactly what day it was that she could no longer make it to the end of our street and back. If I had known, I would have let her stay there even longer, to take one extra sniff at the bushes or a longer look at the cows in the field.

Some things are only clear in hindsight, so you should make sure to cherish each walk, every day.

In her last days, when Diamond needed something she would whimper, calling for me to come help her. Sometimes she wanted help rolling over, sometimes she wanted me to bring her a drink of water. Sometimes she just wanted petting, some sort of reassurance that I still loved her despite all the care she was needing. She sensed that she was no longer the mother dog ruling the pack, protecting us from harm. Instead, she was back like when she was a puppy. I think she knew that something had changed, that now we were vigilant and protective of her rather than the other way around.

We took her to a specialist Vet. He said that she had a “degenerative disease” common in large old dogs. Compression of the spinal column was causing all the symptoms we were seeing: inability to get up, inability to walk, lack of potty control, and inability to flip in bed. There were only two scenarios: either she would eventually lose all mobility and feeling in the lower half of her body, or the nerves would become pinched so that she would be in chronic pain and she would stop eating. Either way, there was nothing medically they could do to improve the situation. There was no operation nor cure. They could try to find other pain medications that she could tolerate, but her body had already rejected aspirin, meloxican, rimadyl, tramodo, and adequan.

The vet said Diamond has had a long, happy life that any dog would be jealous of. There just wasn’t anything they could do. No miracle cures.

Soon, Diamond was only able to just make it down to the end of the driveway and back.

And then, we were only able to make a loop around the house.

Finally, she made her last walk, had one last meal, took one last look at us, and breathed her last breath. I don’t know if she understood our tears as we held her that one last time, but I like to think that she knows how terribly much she was loved and that she will never be forgotten.

She was a great dog and a cherished member of our family.

[ UPDATE ] Thank you, everyone, for your heartfelt comments and condolences. It’s truly comforting to hear your words. I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone, but knowing that you are out there really helps. Hug your pet. Hug your child. Hug your significant other. Life goes by so quickly, and you just never know. Thank you, all.

Five Slices of Death, my new horror short story collection, is available now

Resolutions, Goals, and Improving Your Craft

Kendall — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:22:12 +0000

I made a resolution to myself years ago that I would make a serious effort to pursue and improve my writing.

I’ve always been interested in writing stories and telling tales–hey, maybe I’ll even write a novel one day–but somehow job, career, and family always seemed to take a higher priority. And so no progress was made toward my goal.

There wasn’t enough time left over at the end of the day to work on my fiction after getting home late each night from work, then cooking dinner, then spending quality time with the family. I was too tired, mentally and physically. And if there was a spare moment here or there, other projects, emergencies, and duties jumped to the head of the queue, demanding attention.

If only there was more time in the day, I’d have time to work on my writing.

If only I didn’t have so many other obligations, I’d be able to focus my schedule and make progress toward my goal.

If only there weren’t so many other more important things to do, I’d be able to do something for myself.

You know what?

If you truly want something, you’ll find the time for it.

So when I caught myself making endless “if only …” excuses for why I wasn’t making progress on my writing, I realized that the problem wasn’t all the external obligations, duties, and responsibilities I had that kept me from my goal. Rather, it was my internal lack of commitment and strength to take seriously my own goal that I had declared.

When I caught myself in my own lie, I resolved to recommit myself to my goal, starting from scratch, with renewed commitment and strength.

And you know what?

I found the time.

It wasn’t easy though:

I cut out time from my sleep to sneak in a writing session here and there.
I declined many social invitations.
I sold my television.
I trimmed back the number of non-priority projects I was working on.
I drank way too much coffee.
I realized I essentially was doing more work for other people at the expense of my own health and happiness, and was wasting my time on things that weren’t getting me closer to my goal.

If you truly want something, you’ll find the time for it.

However, there was a price for my diligence.

I found myself lost when my friends discussed the television shows they were watching or the movies they had seen at the theatre.

I didn’t know the latest pop music albums/songs.

I missed out on all the excitement of people playing all the new online and mobile games.

But you know what?

When I started taking my writing goal seriously, within the last two years I:

This, after basically starting my writing career from scratch.

I’m currently in Maine on a writing retreat:

Just last night, I heard Jim Kelly read a flash fiction story:

I heard Nancy Holder read her new work:

I heard poets, memoirists, essayists, and master storytellers like Liz Hand, Boman Desai, Tony Barnstone, Sarah Braunstein, Annie Finch, Aaron Hamburger, Joy Harjo, and Debra Marquart. I’ll work with David Durham, Scott Wolven, and others. All of them inspire me with their energy and enthusiasm and passion for writing.

I’ll be eating with, listening to, and learning from these people, and more, over the next ten days in a concentrated revelry for those serious about improving the craft of their writing.

And I’ll be setting my alarm earlier than normal. And going to bed later than I should.

And I’ll be losing out on the latest Reality TV results.

And I won’t know who won this or that sports contest.

And you know what?

The problem with goal setting and achieving your goals is not external, it is internal.

Blue Skies Ahead: Thank You, Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

Kendall — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:34:26 +0000

I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for their support, friendship, and love throughout 2011. I’ve had a lot of visitors to my website and have enjoyed keeping up with old friends and making new ones on various social networks.

2011 was a year of change for me, full of risks and surprises, big wins and failures. But 2012 is here now and it looks to be an another exciting year of growth, happiness, health, and reaching for the stars.

Join me, won’t you? Set your goals, keep your targets in your sights, and let me know how you are doing as we tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Take a moment to say hello. I hope to hear from you soon.

Onwards and upwards.

How to watch movies on your Kindle Fire

Kendall — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:23:43 +0000

If you’ve just received a new Kindle Fire, it may not be immediately obvious how to watch movies on your device.

Your Kindle Fire comes with a free month of Amazon Prime, which includes not only free 2-day shipping, but also free Amazon Instant Videos (TV shows and movies).

To watch Amazon videos, tap the “Video” label on the home screen of your Kindle Fire. I’ve highlighted where to tap in the picture:

Next you will see a screen that looks similar to this:

From this screen you can scroll through the various videos until you find one you want to watch. Then tap the video’s icon, and you can then purchase the video and begin watching it. NOTE: some videos are free, so your purchase price is $0.00!

In order to watch movies on your Kindle Fire using your Netflix account, you need to use the Netflix app.

From your Kindle Fire home screen, tap the “Apps” label:

If you do not see the Netflix icon in your list of installed apps, then you will need to install it. Tap the “Store” label from the Apps screen:

Now you will see all the apps available to install on your Kindle Fire. Some are free, some not. But the Netflix app is free, so “purchase” and install the free app by tapping the Netflix icon and following the purchase and installation directions:

Once the Netflix app is installed on your Kindle Fire, you will see its icon on the Kindle Fire’s Apps screen:

If you tap the Netflix icon to run it, you will be taken to your Netflix account, where you can then select and watch any of your Netflix movies using the Netflix app.

Enjoy, and I hope this information has been helpful!

Amazon Kindle Fire Unboxing

Kendall — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 23:33:52 +0000

So the Amazon Kindle Fire ereaders are out now and there’s a lot of anticipation in the air as folks wonder what this new device is all about.

Here’s a quick guide I put together, explaining what are ereaders, ebooks, and Kindles. And here’s an overview of the Kindle ereaders now available.

As for the Kindle Fire itself, I put together a quick unboxing video so that you can see exactly what comes in the box if you get one.

Once I get to use it more I will post a more extensive review, but initial impressions are quite positive: I connected it to my Wi-Fi network easily and in seconds I was able to surf on the Internet. The Kindle Fire also found my Amazon account and library of previously-purchased Kindle books painlessly–I was reading one of my books with just a few screen touches.

The device itself feels quite solid in the hand (but heavier than the second gen Amazon Kindle) and the touch screen is responsive.

But until I can take the device through its paces more, for now, please enjoy the unboxing.

So I guess this is now the Kendall Fire.

By the way, once I connected the Kindle Fire to my Wi-Fi network and to my Amazon account, this is what the screen looks like.

You can see in the middle Carousel I’ve got a few books opened up and the last web page I browsed to. Along the bottom are pre-installed apps and along the top are the categories of apps, books, movies, etc. that I can view/watch/use.

Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Kendall — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:17:21 +0000

We’ve no doubt all heard the cliche, “It takes a village to raise a child.” But award-winning author Neil Gaiman turns this phrase on its head and, with The Graveyard Book, explores a much more interesting premise: “It takes a graveyard to raise a child.” The prospect leads to tantalizing questions. For those who can imagine it, can the dead teach a child how to live? Can the dead protect a child from being killed?

In this coming of age story, primed for younger readers—say, ages 8-13 years—we follow the adventures of Nobody Owens, a toddler who survived the murder of his family and is then raised by the supernatural denizens of the local graveyard. The story setup is analogous to, even down to the title, Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. In The Graveyard Book, young Nobody, or Bod for short, learns the ways of the world from the perspective of the graveyard. There in his home and playground of tombs, gravestones, and bones, Bod comes to know ghosts, a vampiric mentor named Silas, a witch named Liza Hempstock, a guardian of an ancient Celtic burial mound called a Sleer, ghouls, and even Death herself. His education is rather unique as well, since he learns history from (dead) people who were actually at the historical events. He also acquires ghostly skills, like fading from view and passing through walls. But Bod, ominously, learns that the killer of his family is still out there beyond the graveyard looking for him. This “inside the graveyard is safe, and outside the graveyard is dangerous and scary” sets up the main conflict of the story, which resolves in a bittersweet ending.

Gaiman tells a great tale, and this one will not disappoint. The characters are memorable, the action suspenseful, and the scenes and descriptions vivid—especially Bod’s turn through the Lovecraftian kingdom of the ghouls. However, Gaiman created a bit of a challenge for himself in that the story follows an 18 month old Bod at the beginning of the book to when Bod becomes a teenager by the end of the book. This is a lot of temporal ground to cover, and so especially at the beginning, the story is a bit episodic in nature as we glimpse Bod at ages six, eight, ten, eleven, and thirteen. In fact, during these early chapters the story loses the main plot arc of Bod’s family’s killer, while the reader follows the early years of Bod growing up in the graveyard. The main story arc picks back up though once Bod is many years older, and from there the book really comes into its own.

Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is a story that is creative, touching, suspenseful, and funny. The reader is almost compelled to turn the page in order to find out what happens next. This, it seems to me, is what storytelling is all about.

Kendall Giles

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