2011 was a pretty good year. I finally realized my lifelong dream of getting published. It didn’t happen like I’d been visualizing for years. There were no publishers competing to sign me. There was no six figure advance. There’s currently no movie in the works. Strangely enough, after trying for so long to get an agent…and finally getting one, I ended up breaking off that relationship so I could self-publish unencumbered.

It’s a new world for the author, and one must embrace change. As they say – a bend in the road isn’t the end of the road, unless you fail to make the turn.

But it’s okay. My agent said my first book pegged me as an historical fantasy writer and that must be my focus for awhile. I didn’t much like that box; and now I don’t have to follow that rule. And that made me realize I didn’t like a lot of the “rules” of the old publishing model. I can write and publish whatever I want. The agents and publishers are no longer the gatekeepers. The readers now have that role.

So, that takes me to my brief message at the end of the year. If you haven’t already done so, make this the year you find yourself. Finish that book, take those last three classes to get your degree, learn that foreign language, take up that hobby you’ve been putting off. Do what makes you happy. Think the “rules” will hold you back? Actually, not so much as you think. As Morpheus says in the Matrix, some rules can be bent, some can be broken.

Where did this guy come from anyway? The prototype that everyone seems to go back to is Saint Nicholas, a generous 4th century Catholic bishop who found ways to help those in need. However, there other influences to the story as well. Germanic people have pulled in the story of Odin, their Father god, blending in some of his characteristics. It’s easy to see a common resemblence with this well known old picture.

The Dutch added to the story with Sinterklaas, a saint associated with the giving of gifts. Sinterklaas is depicted as wearing a long red cape, or chasuble. During the reformation, this giver of gifts was changed to the Christ child, called Christkindel. This effort to change the focus was short lived, however, because Christkindel became Kris Kringle, which brought us right back to Santa Claus.

In the 17th century, in some parts of Europe, this personification of the holidays became known as Father Christmas, and was often seen dressed in traditional garb, except it was then the color green.

In the British North American Colonies, SinterKlaas became Santa Claus and evolved into an American version of a large jolly elf. The legend became set even more with Clement Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas”, and numerous magazine illustrations by the cartoonist Thomas Nast.

The legend has become complete, with names for his reindeer, the declaration that he has a wife, that he lives at the North Pole and has a large contingent of elves working for him year round.  Santa has found his way into advertising, books, song, and movies, becoming a popular icon around the world.

He’s the perfect spokesman, giving credibility to any endorsement, no matter how naughty or nice. His image can be freely used; he requires no pay, no royalties. He bears no copyright burden and is claimed by no author.Some people have speculated that Coca Cola was the company that changed the colors of his uniform.

I would tend to think this was set in place somewhat earlier. Please have a look at the slideshow below.  With the exception of Santa and Wodin, these are all portraits of various popes of the Catholic Church over a period of several hundred years.The dates are the years in which they became pope. My theory is that the image of Santa Claus is one deliberately crafted and handed down by the Catholic Church. Think that’s farfetched? Consider that the word “Pope” means ”Father”.  Our word “Christmas” literally means “Christ’s mass.”

Now, think again about one of the other names for Santa Claus: “Father Christmas.” Take a look at the previous post of that hat everyone wore during Saturnalia, the Pileus. Make it red, put some white fringe on it and a ball on top…looks like Santa’s hat to me…

All images courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
Click to view slideshow.  

It’s that time of year. The time of year when we start thinking about that guy. Which guy? Well, it’s an election year, and January primaries are just around the corner, so maybe that “guy” is your political party’s hoped for nominee for president. But let’s say it’s not an election year. That narrows it down. Now we’re down to two contenders for public attention. The first choice should be the only choice. He’s known by several names: The Babe of Bethleham, Jesus Christ, The Savior, Immanuel, The Prince of Peace. But it’s rather strange that we celebrate his birth at this time of year. It says the angels went to the shepherds with news of the savior’s birth. They were out in the fields with their sheep. It would be very unusual for shepherds to be spending a December night in the fields with their sheep. This would be a springtime activity. Well, wait, you say. There must be a good reason we celebrate Christmas in December. You’re right. There is. It’s the same time as the Winter Solstice. And there’s this ancient Roman holiday that fell right at that time of year. It’s called Saturnalia. There’s not room in this blog post to explain it all, but look it up sometime. It was a celebration filled with eating, drinking, the lighting of candles and giving of gifts. Start with the article on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia Oh, more about this in the next blogpost, but here is a picture (also from Wikipedia) of a Pileus, the type of hat everyone wore to this festival. But wait, you say. We give gifts at Christmas time because the Wise Men took Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to Baby Jesus. My Nativity scene proves that!

Uh…back up. Jump from Luke over to Matthew chapter 2. The Wise men visited the “young child” (it says ‘young child’  more than once. It never says baby.) And Herod killed all male children from two years down to birth in an effort to destroy what he perceived as a threat to his throne. The wise men came significantly later.

So far: We’re celebrating at the wrong time of year, and we’re not finding any valid reasons to justify going to Walmart at midnight on Thanksgiving.

Have a look at my blog tomorrow. We’ll have a closer look at that “other guy” who, one may argue, takes over the #1 spotlight at this time of year.

However, procrastination aside, it’s still a valuable tool. What to do, however, if you can’t find a picture that looks like your character. Try averaging two images together. There are several websites out there to help you, but here is one that I used: http://www.faceresearch.org/demos/average
To use it in the most simple way possible…
1. Click Register
2. Read and click on the consent agreement
3. Log in as a guest so you don’t have to give all the information.
4. Either fill out the fields or log in as guest.
5. Now click on: Make your own average faces with our interactive demos
6. Click on Upload your own faces
7. Now you are at a page where you upload your image. After this you will be comparing it to the face of the girl and matching points on the face you upload to the points indicated on the girl’s face.
8. After this, then upload another face and do the same thing.
9. After that you have the opportunity to average your two faces by clicking on them both.
10. It gives you a composite face you can copy and save.

Here is an example. My character looked somewhat like the model on the left and somewhat like Jennifer Connelly the actress (on the right). This is how it came out.

Give it try. You’ll come up with a unique face, one that no one has ever seen before. I looked at this averaged face and realized I’d found the character I’d seen in my mind. It’s quite an intriging experience.

I’m excited today to be interviewing author Janie Bill.
She’s a writer of fiction laced with fantasy, has served as Conference Director of the Florida Writer’s Association and also created the blog “Feeling Fiction.” I first met Janie over two years ago on the HarperCollins website Authonomy and eventually read the entire novel she had published there called Spirit Prisoners.

One of the reasons I was drawn to it was that it was set in Florida, a state I’ve been able to visit several times. It’s an amazing place that keeps pulling me back.

Jeff: So Janie, what was it that attracted you to
Florida and what about the state appeals to you the most?

Janie: I wanted to move to a tropical climate for several reasons. 1) My joints ache in cold
weather. 2) I love meeting new people. 3) I prefer summer outfits. Less is more, so the saying has been proved true. I arranged to interview in Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, New Mexico, California, Arizona and the Carolinas. While visiting the destinations, I met intriguing people who inspired some of the characters in my novels, but none of the places had everything I envisioned. I realized my imaginary place where life was fabulous evolved from my traveling with my family to Florida. Being close to the wild and woolly ocean and within a few feet from modern conveniences appealed to me.

Once I settled into the Florida life and met amazing people who were open-minded and creative, I knew it was the perfect place for me. It’s as if the ground emits vibrations the same way heat visibly rises from a hot pavement. Those comforting vibes give me the sense of having energy pumped into my system. The lush vegetation and exotic wildlife makes me feel connected to nature. The atmosphere possesses a new age thinking based on traditional religious principles. Uniquely intelligent individuals with centered ideals gravitate to the state, all ready for an adventure like I am.

Jeff: You’ve written some great columns about writing, some wonderful travel blogs from a number of places around the world, and some fascinating fantasy in Lochness, Evangabella, and Under a Full Moon, moving back and forth between these different genres with apparent ease. Are you drawn to any one of these more than the others?

Janie: Traveling, learning about other cultures and seeing how they live, provides a great deal of inspiration for my stories. I don’t specifically write fantasy, but in my quest to answer difficult questions about the many layers of life that are not visible to the naked eye, it is the genre that describes what the reader can expect. My goal is to explore the reality of what forces influence our lives in addition to our choices and actions.

Two common themes in my novels are water and man’s quest for peace. In Lochness, a boy travels though the underwater world where souls exist between life and death. In Evangabella, a teenager searches for mystical waters to right her ancestors’ wrongs. Under a Full Moon takes place in the Caribbean where a ghost guides a student-sailor to solve a murder. Stone Surfer contemplates death and the ocean’s control over man. The more I incorporate reality into the character’s motivation, the more fantastical the stories become.

What I’ve learned about the last judgment day where people rise from their graves would’ve made an excellent 1970s horror flick. The parting of the Red Sea, the plagues, and hundreds of other events are accepted as miracles by conservative people who never question how reliable a story told by an angel to a monk four hundred years after the fact is. I have complete faith in the authenticity of supernatural events, but a non-Biblical story with the same subject matter is suitable for the fantasy and mystery genres.

The same elements that I rely on when writing travel stories surface in my fantasy novels, and a mystery is really just a well told fantasy. All of them are based on reality, albeit the difficult to explain moments in life.

Jeff: I love what you’re saying about fantasy, how it helps to explain and understand reality. The novel of yours I’m most familiar with is Evangabella. It’s a great example of explaining and understanding the primeval energy of a place as unique as Florida. I’m thinking of three very diverse pieces of this story: Ponce de Leon and his well documented historical adventures in Florida, ancient Native American legends
that are even older, but probably passed down purely by oral tradition, and a
“Bonafide” psychic with some bayou charm living here in the present day. What
brought those diverse elements together for you and how they work together to
tell your story?

Are there characters or places in that particular story that were inspired by people you know or places in Florida you’ve been?

Janie: If I could be anything in the whole wide word, I would be an explorer. My favorite part of history covers their adventures, which paths they took, how they survived, what
they discovered. When I go sailing through an undeveloped area, I imagine the flowering Florida as it was before men bushwhacked their way through the thick vegetation, amazed by nature and the never-before seen bugs and critters. Evangabella begins with a girl becoming an explorer in order to save her family. In referencing old, out of print books, I learned there was credibility to Ponce deLeon’s quest for the Fountain of Youth and incorporated the information previously printed as fact.

My family isn’t just those who are living; the people before my grandparents paved my life-path as much as my parents did. I wrote with action and circumstances as the driving forces in the plot. To better understand the protagonist’s ancestors, I studied numerous historical records, which included Native American legends. By coincidence, my fabricated circumstances were identical to their folklore, thus I gave them credit by adding a Native
American theme.

Madame Bonafide was born as a result of my experiences and by people I’ve met. I was taught at my Southern Baptist school that any notion of spirits referenced outside the Bible was the devil trying to lure and entice me to become his victim; he was tricky and pretended to be Buddha, ghosts, all kinds of things. The concept ghosts and dreams and fortunetellers mentioned in the Bible were directed by God, but no one else was, didn’t make sense to me. Why would God stop? Man wasn’t particularly evolved spiritually at the time, as evident by all the wars and murders, and other sins. So, why would God hide
from modern society when so many of us are trying to understand him? He wouldn’t.

My family shares special abilities without trying to develop them. We have dreams and visions about the future and people’s past. Since they happened to us, we accept them without believing intuition is anything evil or fraudulent. Everyone has psychic skills the same way all can reason but not everyone knows the difference, and maybe there isn’t much. That’s actually a hidden message in Eangabella.

My curiosity led me to digest everything relating to spirituality and my new knowledge complimented my religious training and deepened my understanding of God. For fun, I joined a friend in having readings by psychics and while visiting the Virgin Islands, I befriended a psychic who also predicted my future. The psychics gave conflicting advice. I can’t say if any are ever accurate, all probably giving some truth with misinterpreted
snidbits.

I don’t think psychics are all knowing and always right, but I do believe they see glimpses of future events, since I have that same ability. We all do; however, with every second of every day all of us make choices that constantly redirect our paths. Therefore, a psychic sees the future that is never experienced due to a change before the event takes place.
Then again, maybe the psychic misinterprets a blue shirt to mean someone will marry a blue-collar worker, when it really showed a stain on a favorite white blouse. Psychics working from a positive God-source likely intend to spread love and help others, but what happens to the events a psychic prevents from materializing – another issue within Evangabella?

To delve further about my plot, some of my friends visited psychics in a town similar to my fictional location. Their lives unraveled as a result of their full-heartily believing the advice was truth according to their interpretations of snidbits. We hear what we want and with psychics only seeing glimpses of events, it’s possible to steer off the desired path by trusting an incorrect interpretation. Evangabella addresses that aspect of relying on others in paving our paths, as well.

Jeff: I like that you’ve talked about writing being a journey of discovery and learning for the writer. I think we’re often writing just as much for ourselves as we are for readers.  Are there any things you’ve found out about yourself through your writing that you didn’t know before?

Janie: I discovered my thoughts don’t translate easily into words. Prior to writing
fiction, one of my strengths was writing, however, shifting away from facts and
persuasive arguments forced me to reinvent my wheel by detaching myself from
the way I hear the story in my mind.

As far as soul-searching, I had an internal journey when I immersed myself in nonfiction books during my spiritual quest before I started writing fiction. My character development and plots are inspired by what I learned about myself before picking up the pen.

Jeff: One of the things I enjoy about your blog is that you often write about traveling. Some of your local destinations sound almost as interesting as foreign ones. I get the impression that many people think of Florida and all they consider are things like Disney World, Miami, retirement communities, hurricanes and Cape Canaveral. But you’ve written about some very fascinating places in Florida and I particularly liked your blog
article about St. Augustine.  What are some of the places you like best in Florida and how have they influenced your writing?

Janie: Traveling pushes my imagination and gives depth to my characters. I grew up with Griswald vacations where we drove for three weeks at a time due to my mother’s determination for her kids to see all fifty states and much of Canada. We took our 120 pound Airedale and drove from sunrise until about 3 p.m. when we’d explore a monumental location, like touring the Badlands, driving up the Black Hills, or taking a boat under Niagara Falls and a cable car down the Grand Canyon. When not traveling, my family went somewhere every weekend, whether it was the farm or to a nearby lake. By the time I was old enough to drive, I took off on my own, going to zoos and amusement parks, or canoeing and boating, in various towns throughout the South.

I always wanted to live life rather than witnessing others having their experiences, but instead of ceasing my travels, they spread farther. Now I am glad because meeting people all over the world builds on my interests to study other religions and learn about varying personalities, my internal journey.

There are so many amazing places to visit in Florida and each has such a unique environment. It all depends on what kind of mood I am in as to which is the right one for the moment. Each area has its best time of year for visiting it, too. Over the following year, I will feature many Florida coastal destinations at www.janiebill.com.
New Smyrna Beach, the setting for Stone Surfer, is the ideal beach town. The hometown of Palm Beach for the protagonist in Under a Full Moon is always breathtaking with its vias and whipping ocean. Evangabella takes place around the mysterious marshlands with
enormous Lake Okeechobee as the backdrop. The socially active and outdoorsy Captiva Island is the setting for Lochness. The list of inspirational environments in Florida is endless.

My travels provide mood, background, and even motivation in my novels. The ocean doesn’t act the same everywhere and neither do the clouds nor the wildlife. For instance, in Evangabella, Denmark influences the fantasy world the protagonist enters, while quaint towns in the Central Florida establish her reality. The landscape and elements around a community play a major role in how the people perceive life, whether they
struggle to survive or have all the resources they need. Man’s environment
shapes his religious views and his temperament. Locale is critical to my stories.

Jeff: I always find it interesting that when one writer starts talking about the writing process, other writers often nod and smile because they can relate, and yet we all seem to have something unique about how we create. What is your creative process like?

Janie: When I think about my creative process, a vision of clawing the air comes to mind. I have story ideas and before writing I spent long hours considering why people act the way they do. I’ve always loved making new friends with all types of people, including understanding why one person is the way he is and how a thought triggers an emotion. I went through a period of many years where I analyzed how religious beliefs, childhood experiences, anything and everything molds personal outlooks, and develops perceptions, which shape personalities. Incorporating those characteristics to diverse settings with original plots is my goal.

My creative process requires thinking it through, spending time not writing. Once I’ve started the novel, details born in moments that make me smile or cause me to reflect on what it means to be alive in this world add flavoring. We are all trying to understand the “whys” and I research the possible answers and include theories for others to contemplate.

Jeff: I really didn’t get connected with other writers until about three years ago. I joined Authonomy and made lots of new friends (including you) and also went to my first writer’s conference and was excited to meet many more writers. I mentioned to someone how cool it all felt and she said: “Welcome back to your home planet.” And I thought yeah, that’s what it feels like. Have you had long term connections with other
writers, or has it been sort of a recent thing for you too?

Janie: I first began by secretly writing young adult and middle grade books. One day my
husband suggested I write children’s books. He felt I would be a natural, probably because I read so many to my kids over the years, because my strength when employed was with writing, and because of my successes with artwork. Even though he meant I should create picture books, he was thrilled to find out I had been writing. My family became my audience, eagerly listening to me read aloud when we took our weekend road trips, which I deeply appreciated.

My self-taught skills from years of reading hundreds of thousands of books gave me the potential to write well, but I needed to improve my skills to earn a chance of becoming published. During my secretive days, I considered writing to be a solo project, as if I sat in a dark closet all day, which was the case since my study used to be a closet. I attended a couple of workshops and, despite my being the rough stone among polished academics, I stumbled across some long-term friends. Sticking with the craft, remaining in writing
circles led to friendships with authors and instructors.

A significant benefit of participating on Authonomy is networking. The writers on Authonomy taught me to take time to reach out for encouragement, advice and learning new skills. Today, I consider writing to be a community effort. To improve my craft, I’ve relied on other authors critiquing my work, teaching me about the social media marketing, and learning from their successes. The experience creates a bond between participants and as with all great sports opposing teams are comrades.

At the end of Authonomy, I surrounded myself with writers by serving as the conference director for the Florida Writers Association. While developing my talent, writing involved isolation, but once I desired publication, writing became a worldwide act of giving. Writers give so much to each other and must receive even more in order to write well, particularly in today’s evolving publishing market. Success within the industry calls for relationships similar to apprenticeships.

Jeff: Do you have some things you feel passionate about that you’ve yet to address in your writing? What sort of new things are on your writing horizon?

Janie: I have numerous ideas, all of which focus on fantastical adventures in exotic
environments. I want to apply my newfound skills to my manuscripts from my
secret writing days, most of which include life on the water, mysteries to be
solved, and supernatural elements. I also have some fresh concepts that include
traveling and historical themes. I intend to develop my illustrations for children’s
books by next year.

Jeff: Janie, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. I’ve had a great time getting to you know even better.

Jeff, I deeply appreciate your taking time to learn more about me and understand my stories. Please stop by www.janiebill.com and join me on my adventures in this world.

1. Five dollar a month for ATM fees? Oh B of A, you humble, modest, gosh-darn bank you! The fee should be five dollars per transaction! We’ve got to get you healthy and do it quick. You are anemic and sickly, a shadow of your former self.
2. Then, the *monthly* fee would be the ATM fee fee. After all, this is creating a lot more work for you, to ding our accounts for every transaction. You should be compensated for this extra work.
3. A bank tax. Who wouldn’t object to a 1% bank tax? Just roll it in with our payroll deductions. This will guarantee our banks will always be healthy.  Surely that peace of mind is worth a measly 1% tax!
4. We’ve got the annual Farm Aid concert to help farmers. But what about the banks! Let’s get an annual Bank Aid concert going!
5. Tooth Fairies for B of A. Let’s get a campaign going to get kids to proudly donate the money the tooth fairy gives them to…Bank of America. What kid wouldn’t want to do that?
6. We need to get creative. If everyone out there sold their blood plasma just once and donated the pay to B of A, just think how far that would go to returning this bank to fiscal health.

So come on people. If we don’t act now, we’re going to be seeing “Bank of Anemica” sitting on the corner, sad and forlorn, holding up a sign that says “Will bank for food.” I know that’s a pathetic sign of abject poverty that I don’t want to have in my mind and on my conscious. So people, come on! Let’s help this bunk…er, bank!

Such has been the case with my writing adventure thus far. I’m actually a Science Fiction writer, really I am. But I also like history, particularly the older stuff. So I ended up writing Draegnstoen. And then even though I hadn’t originally planned on it, there was a sequel – Highland King, being published later this month.

Draegnstoen told a little bit about the Pictish people. Highland King is truly their story, based on all the history and legend I could get my hands on.

It’s been a great adventure writing about them, but it was time to move on to something else.  Sometimes, to look for new ideas, I go to Wikipedia and hit the “Random Article” button. If I see an interesting article, I read it. If it doesn’t catch my attention, click it again! Well, I found another story that I knew needed to be told. It pulled me in and I’ve already started writing it. And yes…more Picts.

I hadn’t planned on this. I know this will be their last book. However, they’ve sort of grown on me. I can trace my family back to their family tree. Just like many others who may not even know it, I have a little bit of blue woad in my veins. I embrace them. I’m taking them home.

I know they’re not just mine. Their blood belongs to many of us; their history belongs to all of us. They ruled Scotland for over 2000 years, and they’ve been gone as a people for nearly 1000 years. And so I created a Facebook page called “The Picts.” Here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Picts/298842453464261

I hope that anyone who feels an affinity and kinship for the Picts will join and share anything they know or have found about this amazing and interesting people and culture.

When I am writing a book I put one in because it helps me bounce around to different chapters. I can find them faster if I want to work on them.

But in the actual finished book, are they really necessary? If your chapter names are just numbers, then perhaps not. But I like coming up with interesting names for my chapters. It feels sort of cool to see them in a table of contents: Corranach an Feill, The Gates of Dawn, On the Brink of Chaos, The Battle of Heroes, The Last of all Battles…they invoke a feeling that adds to the emotion of the book.

But an ebook is a whole different experience. You can do an electronic bookmark. You can ask your kindle/nook, etc to take you to the furthest point read. Some sources say you need need a table of contents, some say you don’t. For me the decision was made by how much trouble it was to include one and how poorly the instructions were written. I tried one upload with a table of contents and the results were disastrous. That clinched it for me. No TOC. But still, was that the right decision?

I would love to hear what YOU think. Do you want a table of contents in an ebook? Please comment below.

Bill Gates and Paul Allen were the geniuses that built Microsoft from the ground up. They secured a sweet deal from IBM to put their Disk Operating System onto new IBM machines. And thus DOS and its numerical descendants were born. Finally Microsoft gave us Windows, and people cheered. And then, every few years, Microsoft gave us a new, better (?) version of their operating system. Windows 95, 98, ME (or 2000), XP, Vista and Windows 7 arrived.

After twenty years of windows, one wonders what else can be improved on,  besides adding bells and whistles. We’re getting to the point where it’s sort of like a toaster or lawn mower. I think we’re about done. However, I’m willing to bet that this latest version is still not going to address my Windows pet peeve: memory problems.

When Windows first came out, who would have thought we’d now be doing such amazing things as wirelessly sending videos by email to our friends. And yet…Mr. Gates flagship software still won’t give me back memory when I close an application.

If you’re curious about what Microsoft has to say about this issue, do a Google search. They offered three different answers, all of which I found laughable.
1. “Buy more memory.” Really? You tell me the minimum memory requirement for my Windows 7, 64 bit installation is 2GB. I have 4 GB. It’s not enough. I’m betting that if I had 8GB that Windows would hog all of that too. That’s like buying a new car and then finding out it will only go half the speed you want. The manufacturers answer: “You need a bigger engine!” Ludicrous.
2.  ”What’s the matter with Windows using all of your memory? That’s what it’s there for.”
Back to the car analogy: My tachometer goes up to 8000 rpm too. But do I want my engine running that fast? NO!
3. “Shut down some of your programs. You may have to reboot.” What? This is not a solution.

I’ve found over 20 different programs on the web for managing memory. Most of them are fairly inexpensive, some are free. I’ve installed two of them on my desktop computer to manage memory. Depending on what I’m doing, I run one of those two applications every couple of hours. I can bring my memory usage from about 70% back down to about 35%.

But I don’t think I should have to do this. Microsoft has a history of buying out rivals as a shortcut to solving their software issues. If the rival won’t sell, Microsoft simply takes a bit of time,  builds their own version and steamrolls the competition.  It is incomprehensible that after all these years they have not solved this simple nagging problem.

Many people I know have Apple computers. They all tell me Apple doesn’t have this kind of issue.  So…listen up Bill…this is not an impossible task.

Wikipedia will tell you that about 1000 different computer engineers worked on building Windows 7. Microsoft Windows 8 is coming out soon. I’m sure they had just about as many brains building this version. Are they finally going to solve the memory problem and save my computer from it’s daily dementia attack? Or am I finally going to throw up my hands and buy an Apple?

Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Draegnstoen-ebook/dp/B005GL5UF8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316320587&sr=8-1

And Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/88111

Coming soon to Barnes and Noble.