A walk in the dark without a lamp, and why this vexed me so . . .

I am essentially blind without my spectacles. Have been all of my life. There is very little I do without them. A simple walk out into my yard, night or day, without those lovely glasses, turns into an adventurous catastrophe of stubbed toes, bruised knees, and loss of direction. Since I have always relied on this visual crutch for my navigation, my other senses must have atrophied, and do me little good when I find myself in this predicament. And so, I have found myself in a similar situation, while stepping out into the virtual world of social media. Namely, my adventures with Twitter.


I have not been using this media for any true length of time. Honestly, I found it too noisy, and too simple for my tastes. I usually avoid anything that approaches a collective by today's standards, and run from anyone that starts the conversation with, “Look here, do this! Everyone is doing it! You will like it!”

 Thank you, no.

And so, when my business partner came to me and said, if you want the world to see your indie novel, Twitter is the way to go. My response was, “Thank you, no.” And then he thumped me on the head and dragged me, screaming and thrashing all the way to the party. Through his advisement, and skills, my friend has guided—if not facilitated—my entry into the world of Twitter. Without his adamant and incessant, step by step guidance I probably would have far more stubbed toes, bruised knees and directional losses than I have thus far experienced. Thank you, Jim.

Yet, I still have felt like an anchor-less, oar-less, frog-boat adrift on a tempestuous sea. Until now.

A few days ago I was followed by a gentleman named Nat Russo. He is a published author with a very colorful life story. He runs a wonderful blog about his adventures in writing, and it was there, just recently, that I suddenly found a lamp in the dark—or a pair of glasses that suit me in the uses of Twitter. He has a very informative, ten part series on how to use Twitter, what to expect from it, yourself, and a few hints on what not to do. Suddenly I can see again! He also has many other wonderful tips and links to information on writing and publishing. Out of all the screaming, jabbering, spamming, yammering noise makers at the party, Nat's work brought some clarity and focus for this blind guy. Thank you, sir.

Here are a few links I'd like for you to check-out when you have the time. Even if you don't write, these links are very much worth a few moments of your day.

Nat Russo's Blog
Sci Fi, Fantasy & Horror Book Reviews Page
James Hubbs Fatal Visions Blog

Best Always!