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I found the people at the post office helpful. I realized the alligator they kept in the back room belonged to the government. Every time I paid a mailing fee it was thrown though the door and you could near the jaws of the reptile snapping and gnashing on my money. The cost of mailing was set by the post master. The clerks informed me that a smaller fee was charged for media mail. My books qualified as media mail and I could hear the post office alligator roar his disapproval. I roared back when I found out it now cost 26 cents to send a postcard. It was part of my promotional campaign to send postcards. Not everyone has a computer so U.S. mail is the next best choice. I had to stop to figure out costs and profits. I was morphing into a bean counter. God forbid I become one of these strange people who worship the god Scrooge. When I used to negotiate contracts for the Firefighters Union I had to deal with bean counters. They usually had beady eyes. Their hands were frozen in a curled position with white knuckles from holding the purse strings of the city budget. It never mattered how awful the fire protecytion problems were as long as the costs were kept within budgeted estimates. Bean counters also work for publishers, movie companies, and other busnesses. To me they are a plague upon the world but I will grudgingly say they are a neccessity. I had to come to my senses before I became a bean counter. It was like becoming a zombie wandering around rerpeating the word no over and over again. I became aware of costs but I did not give up my risk taking attitude. I had to find the best way to communicate with buyers of my book.

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The first guy I talked to, at my book signing, engaged me in conversation for a half an hour. It was interesting because he asked me every imaginable question you could think of abaout the Fire Department. When he left I was reeducated about what it took to be a Firefighter. Several other people came by and in two hours I sold six books. Not a lot but enough to get the word out that Fire Horses was for sale at the book store. All in all my first book signing experience was a good one. The book store took fifteen books to stock their inventory. I learned that people are naturally curious. Not all are interested in the action/adventure genre. Many have an interest in the Fire Service and I was humbled by how many thanked me for my service. The day I spent, at the book store, signing my book, added to my knowledge bank. I was getting smarter and smarter as I traveled through Literature Land. My next move was to improve my website. I realized the computer would be my most effective tool in selling my book. Advertising in a small town newspaper brought small town results. Advertising to the world on the web broadened the chances for success. I was again going to sail the Promotion Ocean but this time I was Captain of my own ship.

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When I walked into Casey’s Bar I stepped into the past. The place was full of old memories. It was 16 years since I mingled with the Firefighters who frequented this place. The echos of long ago meetings filled my head. Many of my running mates, who I shared a beer with at this bar, were long gone. Most were in heaven. A few were probably at the great fifth alarm the Devil runs for those who who go astray. I didn’t recognize any of the young Firefighters who were talking and laughing at the bar. The bar maids were new and good looking as usual. I ordered a beer and looked at the end of the bar. Was that Jerry Cummings? Yes it was. He looked up and started to smile. He was just in from out of town to help the Axeman motorcycle club work on their new club house. We grabbed each other and hugged and laughed. It was good to see a brother Firefighter to share the past with.

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It was fun setting up my web site. I was now traveling with a pack of nerds. Click here, set up a new thread, use this tab, upload and download, were some of the concepts I absorbed. The hyrogliphics of the computer territories was complex but I slowly started to go with the flow. Soon my web site started to come alive. I felt like Dr. Frankenstein. All I needed was a final jolt of energy to bring my masterpiece to life. My home page jumped out at readers with a blast of fire yellow color. My name, R J Haig was emblazoned across the top with roaring flames as a background. The navigation tabs were bright red fire alarm boxes. My book, Fire Horses, filled the right side of the screen. I decided to give my readers a Engine House recipe once a month. The first entry was my Fire House Chili formula. This concoction will allow you to pass gas guaranteed to keep flies and mesquitos from coming near you. My site www.rjhaig.com was ready to go.

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The boat slid into calm waters between a multitude of islands. There were beautiful women and handsome men calling to us from the beaches of every bit of land we sailed by. They said they wanted to help us promote our books. I could see why the islands were named the Right Choice Isles. Making the right choice was important if we were to sell our books. We were past the turbulent waters of the Promotion Ocean where the sharks and charletans took most of our money. I spotted a young man in a wheel chair holding a lap top computer. He was smiling as he waved us into the dock. He told me the key to sales was through a web site which he was willing to set up for me. If I thought Literature Land was confusing I was stepping into a whole new world of terms and proceedures. I followed this young man into cyber space. It promised to be the ride of my life.

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I entered the Print on Demand Village with an open mind. I had waded around in the Web Site Swamp for a long time before I picked out a few publishers to contact. I found the people I met to be friendly and helpful. I decided to go with Infinity Publishing. It was a good choice. I was given an instruction manual that would guide me through the publishing process. The only problem was that I had to do a lot of reading again. There was a lot to learn. I was thrown into the icy waters of the Computer Tech Ocean. I started to swim like crazy. I learned how to set up my manuscript so it could be put on a CD disc. I learned how to transfer pictures and art work for my book cover. I had to write a biograpy, do a blurb about the book, and add an excerpt to be used in promoting my novel. I sank below the surface of the Computer Tech Ocean a few times but kept struggling back to the surface. I finished all the tasks and mailed in my signed contract and completed novel. I arrived at Writer’s Island. There were other authors there. I was surprised by the mix of personalities. There were young people, old people, and people from all kinds of backgrounds. We were all trying to get our book published. We were waiting for our books to arrive so we could start selling them. I talked to a few survivors who had traveled to Agent’s Mountain. Some were in bad shape. They had bite marks on their butt ends from the rejection bulldogs who lived on the mountain. We found we had a lot in common. We were writers who wanted our stories and books to be read. It was just a matter of waiting for the Postal Service boat to arrive to take us on the next leg of our journey.

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I started searching for information on my computer. The PC is a wonderful tool but you must be prepared to do a lot of reading. I sorted through many catagories. How to find an agent, how to find a publisher, how to find an editor were some of the prompts I followed. I purchased a copy of Writer’s Market. A good resource but again a lot of reading to wade through. I talked to librarians, english teachers , and friends. No one could stand up and give me a definite direction to take. Back to the computer and more reading. I did have concerns about protecting the contents of my book as I navigated the roaring rapids of the Write-A-Book River. I sent my manuscript to the Library of Congress and recieved my copywrite number. I felt great. This was the first small victory in my quest. Lost in the Land of Literature I had finally accomplished something. I kept polling my raft down the river. I could hear a tremendous noise up ahead. I shot by a sign that said Frustration Falls around the next bend. I did not want to follow this river any longer. I beached my raft, grabbed my book, and started up the bank. At the top of the ridge I came on a wide desert with a sign that said follow the Path of Dreams. Along the way I found the path was also the Trail of Broken Hearts. There were discarded pens and pencils. The wind was blowing the papers from unffinished books and a few human skeltons with bleached white bones could be seen on the side trails still clutching their manuscripts. This Land of Literature was starting to give me the creeps. Then I got lucky. I came to a fork in the road that gave me a choice. A turn left would take me toward Agent’s Mountain. A right turn led toward the Print on Demand Village. I turned right.

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I had crossed that time space continuem that comprised my writing efforts. I was ready to have my book published. I tucked the completed manuscript under my arm and opened the next door. I stepped into another world.

I was at the bottom of a slope with roads heading in all directions. A tall pole stood there with signs stacked from the bottom to the top. No one was around to direct my next move. I was alone and on my own. I gazed across the broad expanse of this new world. I could see tall mountains, wide valleys, and deep rivers that I would have to cross. I read the signs on the pole. The directions were confusing. One sign said 100 miles to the top of Agent Mountain. Another said only a short walk to the Web Site Swamp. The top sign said straight ahead to the Valley of the Editors. There was a mix of directions starting with marketing your own book to assistance with cover design. One sign pointed to a deep dark area where the Traditional Publishers and Print on Demand people lived.

The scariest sign said beware of agencies that only want your money. They hide behind a facade of helping you but only lead you to frustration. I decided to use my computer to assist me on my journey.

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As a new writer I needed input. I asked family members and friends to read some of my material. This was a mistake. Looking back I realize how awful some of that writing was. My suggestion is to please yourself. Keep at your book until it is complete. You will find that it needs to be rewritten many times over. The making of a good novel takes time and effort. I changed directions numerous times. I changed character names a couple of times. The journey was filled with false starts and dead ends. Because each of us is different I can only give you my experiences. My most important suggestion is to keep grinding away. You will eventually get there. Polishing and perfecting your book in rewrite is a hard task. I found I had a 220 page book that became a 170 page book during the rewrite process. Eliminating redundancy is important. I found myself saying the same things many times over. I learned to go slower in the writing process. I also learned to keep a list of characters as the plot expanded. After three years I had the finished product. I now know that was the easy part. My next step was to get my book published. 

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It was a warm cozy fire in my memory. A tale of high adventure, daring rescues, and battles with the roaring fire dragon. I decided to write a book. Sound familiar? I know many of you are still going through the same thought process. The only way to do it……is to do it. I started by making a rough outline of my story. I decided on a fictionalized portrayal of the incidents I encountered during my career. I added characters. A word of warning. Pick good names. Be careful if brothers or family members are involved. These names can become easily confused as you progress with your book.

When I started I knew the main thrust of my book was to promote the Fire Service and those men and women who put their lives on the line everyday. I tried to define the character of a working Firefighter. The process I used was to create a desperate situation where the dangers of fighting a fire and the complexity of  a fire rescue are depicted in the pressure driven time frame of a rampaging fire.

I was on my way. Little did I know it would take me three years to produce my first rough draft. Along the way I sharpened my computer skills. I pulled out my college dictionary dated 1953. It was 2004 so I had to buy a new dictionary. I soon realized my writing skills left a lot to be desired. I found that I fell into a pattern of attempting to write a page a day. It was fun but at times I got lost and would not write for days on end. Getting away from the book was a good thing for me. It seemed I had a renewed vigor when I returned to my computer. Each of us has a different style so take my ramblings with a grain of salt. The main thought here is to get started and keep it going even if you must take a break now and then. Please take my warning about picking character names to heart. It will prevent a lot of problems.