Moderation by Amazon, again; follow-up

May 27, 2022

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my recent experience with my advertisement for my Consortium series and suffering a Moderation by Amazon. With this article, I’d like to report on Moderation by Amazon, again; follow-up. ?‍♂️

Rinse and rewind

To those who might have missed my last post, I wrote about mother-effing Amazon moderating an advertisement I had run on their Kindle platform for years. And by moderation, they mean discontinuing distributing the advert. Suddenly, they discontinued running the ad, stating that it ‘does not comply with our current Creative Acceptance Policies.’

Their message went on to say,

‘Please ensure your ad does not contain erotica, pornography, or explicit sexual practices or preferences.’

more …

Moderation by Amazon…again

May 7, 2022

Yep, earlier this week, I was hit with a moderation by Amazon…again. Mother effing Amazon. This time, it was for an advertisement for The Trafficking Consortium running for years. Why now? I have no idea.

Of course, they have rules and regulations on appropriate content. The advertisement followed them and stayed within the boundaries of their rules. I even paid a consultant who was well versed in their rules and practices to write the ad. I even got Facebook and Twitter copy I could use, although I don’t use their advertising services very much due to cost. The ad should have been safe.

Quite the Ride Consortium Series — Consortium

Think again.

At first, they just shut down the ad and notified me with a stupid generic moderation statement. Amazon’s message did not identify what was specifically wrong with the ad. I had to file an appeal to the moderation to dig into it. I ended up speaking to an Amazon Advertising Service Representative on the phone. After reviewing the ad, he agreed with me that it did NOT violate their rules and regulations. He then forwarded the appeal to someone up the chain.

more …

Amazon’s Kindle Quality Notice Update

October 3, 2020

Amazon’s Kindle Quality Notice Update

Announcing:

I’ve published a second edition of ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ fully revised and edited, along with a bonus of new material for my reader’s enjoyment. Thank you to everyone for your patience while I set aside my other responsibilities to take care of dealing with Amazon’s Kindle Quality Notice. Not only did Amazon approve my #kindle version of the book, but they did the same for the paperback version. Read #TheTraffickingConsortium today, knowing you are getting some of my best work.

To catch you up

If you read my last couple of posts, you know I received notice from Amazon of defects in my book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ The news shocked me initially, but then as I reviewed the reported flaws in the story, I realized, whoever wrote them, was spot-on correct. They were apparent, and between my editor and I, we should have found them four years ago before I published the book. more “Amazon’s Kindle Quality Notice Update” …

A Ring of Truth

June 13, 2019

A Ring of Truth

After I wrote my story, The Trafficking Consortium, I started looking over my shoulder, wondering I had stumbled upon a ring of truth. Was I being watched and followed. I can’t tell you how many times I debated with myself whether to finish the story and then again, to publish it. I may not fit their profile of acceptable prey, but I believe that if I get too close to the truth, they may want to remove me as a threat. more “A Ring of Truth” …

Avril’s Story

May 23, 2019

Avril’s story

In writing Avril’s story, I wrote an article on my research into missing adults. You might find it interesting. Here’s the link to the article.

https://richardverry.com/2017/10/missing-persons-human-trafficking/

I struggle with the idea so many people go missing each year. Honestly, I still look over my shoulder. Am I getting too close to the truth? Is someone watching me?

Questions

After reading ‘Perfect Prey,’ I left you with unanswered questions in Avril’s story. You know, of course, I do this on purpose. I dangle hooks to entice readers to continue reading my stories. I intentionally leave some things unresolved. However, I will respond to some questions readers like you have asked.

more “Avril’s Story” …

Writing up a storm

March 31, 2019

Writing up a storm

For the last three weeks, I’ve been writing up a storm. One thing you don’t know is that I am back from a vacation in the sun, mild warm temperatures, and dips in the pool. It sure is nice to get away from the brutal snow and frigid temperatures.

I wrote while enjoying the blue skies in my shorts and t-shirt. Writing up a storm, I got a lot done. I’m working in the third book in the Consortium Series. I only have a few more chapters to write to finish the draft. It’s time to build up to the exciting climax, and of course the hook to bring you back for the next installment.

I haven’t given book 3 a title yet, but it will come. Right now, I’m using the working title of ‘Consortia,’ but I very much doubt I will use that. Working diligently, writing up a storm, I hope to have it out by early summer.

more …

Coffeegasm

February 22, 2019

Coffeegasm

Last week, my girlfriend gave me a refrigerator magnet with the definition for Coffeegasm written on it. I had never heard the word before, nor the meaning. Still, I loved the gift. Without a doubt, it’s me.

The definition reads.
Coffeegasm {noun}: that little rush you feel after the first sip of good, strong coffee.

It’s not a real word but so what. It’s an accurate depiction of what I feel when I take that first sip of coffee.

more “Coffeegasm” …

Perfect Prey cover reveal

June 11, 2018

Perfect Prey Cover Reveal

Book 2 in the Consortium series

Hello, all you readers out there, I am proud to show you the Perfect Prey Cover Reveal, book #2 in the Consortium series.

Nice huh? Okay, I am excited. Namely, this latest book is in the final stages of pre-publication. It’s been a lot of work, but hey, I don’t care. I enjoyed writing it. I can’t wait to get it out so you, my readers, can enjoy it as well.

Check out the synopsis and download the first chapter at my website page.
https://richardverry.com/stories/consortium/perfect-prey/ more “Perfect Prey cover reveal” …

Perfect Prey, are you being hunted?

March 3, 2018

Are you being hunted?

Is someone following you? Are you being hunted? Can you feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up on end? Are you their perfect prey?

Perfect Prey, read it today.

Available now at Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle Reader

[purchase_link id=”8493″ text=”Read the Free Preview” style=”button” color=”blue”]

Suitable for all readers 18+

Daydreamer and a Night Thinker

January 18, 2018

Daydreamer Night Thinker

Hello, my readers and fans of my books, I’m going to write about being a daydreamer night thinker. But first, I have to say this. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, knowing that I haven’t reached out to you lately. I’m sorry about that. I could tell you several reasons why but really, do you care? I doubt it. Besides still recovering from the holidays, dealing with my post-concussion syndrome (yes, it’s still an issue), and other things, I have been working hard on finishing up the sequel to ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ I have maybe four or so chapters to write in the first draft.

Of course, you writers out there know that a book doesn’t stop there. The author must go through it many times cleaning up action sequences, dialog, inconsistencies, and basic grammar. Then, it’s off to an independent editor who will do it all again, shredding it and putting it back together. While that is going on, it’s getting your beta readers to read it and give you feedback. Once done, then it’s on to formatting the manuscript into something suitable for submission. It all takes time. Anyhoo, I’m working hard, and hopefully, I can finish the first draft this month. Knock on wood.

Daydreamer and a Night Thinker

My incredible girlfriend, patient as she is (not), supports my writing efforts and looks for ways to help me when she can. Over the years, she has heard the stories of how I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, dreaming up dialog and scenes to incorporate into my stories. She also is well aware of the imagery that flows through my head during the day, as I try them out on her or when they end up on my canvas or drawing pad.

She found and gifted me for Christmas a pillow that has the phrase, “I’m a daydreamer and a night thinker” on it. How appropriate.

This is precisely who I am. By day, I’m the mild manner daydreamer, dreaming up stories, scenarios, and images that I can incorporate into my writing and painting. At night, I’m a night thinker. In my half away, half-asleep state, I write dialog in my head, fitting it into the scenes I daydreamed about over the past.

The pillow sits on my bed after I make it in the morning, and when I am asleep, it sits next to me on the floor where I can see it when reflecting upon my storylines in the middle of the night.

Honey, I love the sentiment and the journey it took to come to me. Thank you.

While I’m in a thanking mood, thank you also to my beta readers, and my friends that encourage and otherwise support me.

p.s.

Of course, while I was searching for an appropriate image, I discovered that this phrase is used quite commonly across the globe. Of course, in my little corner of the world, I had never come across it. Damn, now I have to be careful I don’t plagiarize someone. I hope I got it right. You’ll forgive me if didn’t. Right?

Of course, check out my companion site, maggicalexpressions.wordpress.com where I display my visual representations of my daydreaming night thinking turned into reality.

I Write for Myself

December 29, 2017

Inspiration by Kingsley Amis

I write for myself, and I’m all the happier for it. Writing gives me a sense of joy as I dream up the scenes my characters must navigate. Over the years, many have asked me how I can write such horrific stories where brutality rules. Honestly, I don’t know, except that I tend to get bored with stories that gloss over the human condition and only deal with those seeking to resolve the event.

Yes, I write for myself, and it makes me happy. The other day I stumbled upon the following quote. Instantly, just like one of my characters, I was captivated.

“If you can’t annoy somebody, there is little point in writing.” – Kingsley Amis

I love this quote. Why? I feel in tune with the sentiment. Anyone who has read my books knows that I don’t usually write feel-good stories and there is always a twist to them. They are not for everyone. Nor can I envision ever writing stories that appeal to everyone.

I learned a long time ago that you can’t please everyone. You’re lucky to please most people, which I define as 51% of the population. Fifty-one percent is usually just enough to get a bill passed by our legislature and signed into law. Even then, I don’t believe that most people are happy with the result but are resigned to accept it as it probably better than the alternatives.

So, I don’t write to please everyone. I write to please me, all the while knowing that many will not. Hopefully, others will like what I write, especially if lots of people like my stories.

Examination

So, the question begs, since I write for myself, how can I know whether someone likes my stories or not?

Sales help a lot. I sell lots on a regular basis. Do I foresee one of my books making the New York Times best seller list? How about some producer picking up the option to turn one of my books into a movie? Not anytime soon, I grant you. However, I am hopeful. In fact, I feel that at least one of my books might make the cut and get optioned. Of course, I’m probably wrong. I just need to get the story noticed by at least one producer.

How does that happen? Usually, it’s word of mouth. That and also an agent. I don’t have an agent. I don’t even know how to get one. I’ll work on that one day. In the meantime, it’s word of mouth, which I do use via various means, including advertising.

Besides sales, reviews and email are what I use to determine the direction of my writing. While I post all of my reviews, comments, and direct messages weight more heavily in my decisions on whether to continue a series or write something else.

Decisions

Case in point, my ‘Her Client’ and ‘Consortium’ series.

‘Her Client Trilogy’ sells well, despite the horrific circumstances of the main character and protagonist. Jolene suffers terribly at the hands of her attackers and turns the tables in the end. Yet many of the comments sent to me by my readers ask the question, “What will Jolene do next?” or they just ask me to continue her story. I seriously considered extending her story, but at this time, I’m not going to. I have too many other stories in my head waiting to get out.

In the ‘Consortium,’ I originally wrote it as a stand-alone novel, not intending to write further books about Avril. Well, my audience has spoken in both sales and comments sent to me. There is an overwhelming interest to read more of Avril saga and what she can do to overcome her situation. My readers will be pleased when I release the sequel to ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ I am well into writing the follow-up book, hoping to release it by spring 2018. Knock on wood. (Ouch)

I Write for Myself

Whether you like my stories or not, I write for myself first and my audience second. I suspect that with this mindset, I may not make my millions but I don’t care. I know many authors who write based on their audience. That may be the path to financial success.

I’ve considered changing my style, and I finally have an idea for a feel-good story, one the general public probably buy and enjoy. But first, I need to finish the ‘Consortium’ series. I have two more books outlined, and I’m too into Avril’s story to bow out. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out.

Stay tuned and find out how it goes.

This is Richard Verry, signing off for now, needing to get back to work. Have a great day and the happiest of new years.

The Trafficking Consortium comes to life

December 15, 2017

How did I come up with ‘The Trafficking Consortium?’

Coming up with the idea for my novel ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ occurred quite by accident. In the summer of 2016, I suffered a severe concussion which lay laid me for months. After a trip to the hospital, I started seeing doctors and therapists four to five days a week. In the beginning, I didn’t care. They helped me get better.

About three months after my injury, I realized that I was missing something in my brain, that being the creative stream of images and ideas that flow through my mind every hour and every day of my conscious life. Frankly, I was getting scared. Would it ever return? Would I have to live my life without my favorite friend in my mind? After another two months, I was still wondering.

As a change of pace and to get out of the house, I accompanied my girlfriend when she needed to attend a conference in Washington DC area with her daughter. After arriving, while she was out for the day, I stayed behind and pulled out my drawing tablet and pencils. For three days straight, I drew. Not from imagery in my mind but from photographs and what I saw out the window of my hotel room. All well and good, and it was a change of pace that I needed. Still, though, the creative stream remained elusive.

Voilà

A couple of weeks after I returned home, I found myself sitting in yet another doctor’s office waiting to be called in for an assessment. As I sat there, I watched people come up to the check-in window, hand over their personal information, and sit down to wait. Some of the people I saw were quite attractive, decked out in outfits that emphasized their bodies designed to appeal to potential lovers and bedmates.

Watching them, I suddenly had a thought. “What if?” I asked myself.

“What if the secretary handed over my personal information to those whose agendas were unrelated to the doctor’s business?”
“What could happen?” “Do I really want to share my personal information?”
“Can I trust them?”
“What can I do if I can’t trust them?”

And for a brief time, my mind ran rampant with the possibilities. On that day and in that instant, a story idea exploded in my mind and consumed me. I had to write it down. In about five weeks, I had written the first draft of ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ After that, I began the refinement process and six months later, the story was published to outstanding reviews.

Oh my, poor Avril!

Poor Avril Gillios, the heroine in this story. I wrapped her story around the people I observed while waiting to see my doctor. To no fault of her own, she was tagged, kidnapped, and sold into bondage half a world away. Fighting for her life, she never gave up looking for an opportunity to escape. More horrifying, is that she was not alone. Hundreds of people; men and women alike; are taken by the Consortium each year. Most are dead within months. All of them become objects of Consortium members depraved desires. Have you ever wondered how many adults go missing over the years, you should

Her story is one of determination to survive and to return to her old life. Along the way, something buried inside her awakens, and she discovers that despite her disgust towards the organization, she finds that her new owner and master isn’t so bad after all. She struggles with the paradox that she can’t seem to resolve. Her Surviving her ordeal and keeping her soul unstained; drives her work within the system, determined to escape and return to her old life.

In the coming weeks, I’ll talk more about Avril and the Consortium. How I came up with her character, as well as those exposed to her. I’ll write about the motivations of those behind the counter and their private agendas. In the meantime, you can discover for yourself, some of what drives Avril on her webpage at my site.
[https://richardverry.com/stories/consortium/trafficking-consortium/who_is_avril_gillios/]

You can also read the book ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ for yourself. Get it on

I’m Getting Lax

November 20, 2017

But really, am I getting Lax?

Alright, I admit it, I’m getting lax in writing to you. It’s just that I’m excited to get back into rejoining the human race, and going out with friends and family. While I am still recovering from my injury sixteen months ago, I’m down to the short rows in my progress. By that I mean, I’m probably back to 95% of what I was before my injury. It’s this last 5% that is getting to me. My progress slows the closer and closer I get to 100%.

My doctors and therapists tell me, I may never get back to 100%. I won’t accept that. I will continue working hard to stop forgetting names, words, and concepts that are clearly visible in my mind, just not making it past my lips. Grrr…. And, I still have a constant, low-grade headache to deal with that gets me down at times. Rest assured, I’ll figure it all out. In the meantime, I’m enjoying getting back into the swing of things.

Also, I am writing, though not at the pace I was when I had lots of free time on my hands. My followup book to ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ is well underway. It’s entitled ‘Perfect Prey.’ Anyone who has read the first book will understand the meaning of the title. The first draft is about 60% done, with lots of scenes that need integration into the overall story. Not to fear, I’ll figure it out. I also have a clear understanding of what the third book in the trilogy will entail. Unlike when I wrote ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ which I expected to be a single, stand-alone novel, Avril’s story is evolving into a trilogy. I hope to finish it by the end of the holidays and begin editing it for real before turning it over to my editor for the heavy red-pen. 😉

More ideas

Plus, I want to finish these two books soon, as I have ideas for more normalized novels that don’t involve crime and punishment. Wouldn’t that be a change in direction? One might even call them romance novels, not that I have read any. I just like the snippets I’ve been writing and sharing with my female friends. They are encouraging me to take this turn, and I’m likely to do it.

In the meantime, sales of all of my books are doing well. I am thankful for the host of people out there who are reading my works. Please, consider writing a review. Good or bad, I enjoy reading them. Plus, they give me incentives to continue writing and refining my talents. Thanks, everyone.

maggicalExpressions

Might I also suggest that you check out my online art gallery at maggicalExpressions. When I need to take a break, relax, and unwind, I tend to draw and paint. This gallery displays a collection of most of my favorite pieces. Let me know what you think. Most are available for sale, either as the original artwork or prints at a substantially reduced price.

So, overall, am I really getting lax? I kind of doubt it.

Have a great day and a better tomorrow.

Shocking but Happy Discoveries

October 22, 2017

Discoveries

I discovered something fascinating the other day, discoveries that shocked me, and made me very happy. It has to do with sales of my books, specifically, my printed versions.

Amazon had sent me an email regarding the royalties for my sales for the past month. Usually, I just delete them as they do not contain any specific information that I am interested in, other than a payout is coming. However, the format of one of those emails was different than the rest. I was intrigued.

Upon opening it, I realized that it was different than the standard fare, and denoted sales from an unfamiliar source. Digging deeper, I logged into my Amazon account and checked. Nothing. Huh?

Investigations

After following sales channel after sales channel, I was stymied. I couldn’t figure out who generated these sales. Amazon is good at identifying transactions. They just don’t offer the seller information on who the buyer is, that is without paying for it. They know how to make money.

After investigating all of the sales channels my books are available through, I checked one last source. A source where I don’t expect many sales, as it prices my books reasonably high, considering the costs of producing the book.

I realized that this email had to do with sales of my paperback versions. WhooHoo!

Findings

People are buying the hard copies of my books. What’s more, I dug deeper, finding that I had a spike in paperback sales back last January. I missed that.

What an honor. Sure, it’s easy to purchase and download an eBook and read it on your favorite eReader. But holding a book in your hand, smelling the paper and ink, and feeling its weight as you turn the pages, well that is entirely something else altogether. I know many a reader who prefers holding a real book as opposed to the electronic version.

Most sales were people buying the book ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ I suspected that. However, I noticed that someone bought every one of my books on the same day. I’m astounded, pleased, no, happy. This one person is not the only one. I noticed several sales of all of my books over the course of the month. To be honest, I’m shocked but very pleased.

Gratitude

Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to read my books, including ‘The Taste of Honey,’ ‘Broken Steele,’ and ‘Her Client Trilogy.’ You don’t know how much that means to me. What can I say? You, my fans, are fantastic.

And, oh, by the way, thank you Amazon.com. None of this would be possible without you.

Missing Persons, Human Trafficking

October 8, 2017

Reviews

I recently received a review of my book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ a story about missing persons and human trafficking. As much as I love five-star reviews, this reviewer gave a single one, and I love it.

So far, readers are on one side of the fence or the other. To date, there have been zero mediocre reviews. They don’t comment on the writing, the grammar, or other such vital issues regarding a book. They all write about the story, either it’s terrific, or they’re too horrified, denying to themselves to think it might be genuine. Awesome. People are reacting to my story. Nice!

The latest review states:

“I don’t think this crazy sadistic world needs someone giving them horrific ideas to make people even worse.”

And the one that especially makes me smile is:

“Hope and pray this is truly fiction since it made me sick to THINK that a human could treat another human this way. “

Missing Persons

I have to tell you. It concerned me to write this novel, but probably not for the reasons you may suspect. The concept of the story may seem so far out there that it couldn’t possibly be real. While it is a pure work of fiction, I hope and pray that the agency I write about, ‘The Consortium,’ does not exist. Yet, I fear that I am wrong. I honestly believe that they might be real.

Look at the evidence. Each year, thousands of missing persons disappear, forever. No trace of them is ever found. No evidence shows what might have happened to them. And this is just in America. Similar numbers per capita exist in every developed country on the planet. Horrifically, most of the missing are children. Since I won’t write stories involving children, I will keep my numbers to adults.

According to CBS researcher, Tanita Gaither, published May 9, 2013, in Atlanta Updated, “Of the 900,000 reported missing persons each year in the U.S., 50,000 are over the age of 18.” The chart breaks down the missing by race. It seems to me that none of us is immune.

Fifty thousand adults in America, gone. most are never found. The rate of the missing person incidence is growing, from 150,000 in 1980 to over 900,000 each year. Those figures are just those in the U.S. They do not include those reported missing overseas. I can say with certainty, that thousands more go missing and unreported to authorities. I can’t even fathom the 850,000 being children under the age of 18. I’m appalled.

In 2008, 481 British adults disappeared while abroad, and 401 in 2007 and 336 in 2006. (Carole Moore, ‘The Last Place You’d Look,’ [Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2011.]

Where are they now?

In researching this article, I wanted to find an appropriate image or two to use supporting the evidence. I was astounded and perturbed to see the sheer volume of pictures of missing people, from all sects of life, race, gender, nationality, what have you. Google images using the tag ‘missing persons’ and you will discover yourself just how fucked our species is. God help us from ourselves.

What happened to them? Are they choosing to disappear? Do they not want to be found? If not, who is culling them from their homes? Were they kidnapped, stolen off the streets? Where are they? Are they dead? If so, where are their bodies? If they are still alive, where did they go? Are they, in fact, slaves for someone’s amusement? Are they bound servants, performing to fatten their owner’s wallet?

A Ring of Truth

While writing my story, I started looking over my shoulder, wondering whether I was being watched and followed. I can’t tell you how many times I debated with myself whether to finish the story and then again, to publish it. I may not fit their profile of acceptable prey, but I believe that if I get too close to the truth, they may want to remove me as a threat.

You may think I am crazy, but I cannot control my feelings. They just happen, and I would be a fool to ignore them. I’ll be honest with you. I am scared and you should be too.

It’s true, I fear that my story may have more than a ring of truth to it. I wrote the story with the idea that the Consortium only culls a few hundred people a year, out of the billions who live on the planet. Could I be understating the number? I hope I am wrong.

I’m not saying that an organization like the Consortium is out there, snatching people for personal gain and satisfaction. I just raise the possibility that there may be such a global outfit.

Follow-up

And still based upon the feedback I’ve received, I’m writing a sequel, to turn Avril’s story into a series. She is one such missing person, a slave to someone’s amusement, and is the main character and victim of the book. It is unlikely that anyone ever reported her missing. The Consortium is superb at covering their tracks. I told her story from her point of view, and at the end, she seemed to accept her new station in life. But did she?

Did she really accept a life as own property, to do someone’s bidding or suffer the consequences? Can she accept her new life as someone’s slave? Can she willing suffer anguish and even learn to do the same to others? Will she learn to torture and kill another human being? Her owner seems to think so, but will she really?

I can’t wait to finish writing her new story.

If you read the first book, you’ll understand why I’m calling the sequel, ‘Perfect Prey.’

Famous Quotes to Write By

September 11, 2017

Recently, I saw the email signature of one of my co-workers that includes the following quote. She is a career librarian and knowing her; the quote suits her.

(Librarians) “are subversive. You think they’re just sitting there at the desk, all quiet and everything. They’re like plotting the revolution, man. I wouldn’t mess with them.” ~ Michael Moore, author/filmmaker.

When I first read the quote, all I could think of was rubbing my hands together in a nefarious way and grin an evil smile. However, the quote got me thinking. Perhaps, I should change my author signature. So, I went looking for one. I came up with several, but so far, the one I found that suits me, is:

Roald Dahl

“I don’t care if a reader hates one of my stories, just as long as they finish the book.”
~Roald Dahl

That is exactly how I feel. I write my stories for fun. I don’t care if you love or hate them. I write for the joy of it, transferring images from my brain to the blank white screen of my writing program. If a reader doesn’t like the story, they are welcome to their viewpoint. I won’t deny them their right to their opinion.

At first, I deeply cared whenever I read a poor review of one of my books. All of them talked about the story itself, how it was not their cup of tea or some such thing. What they never wrote was that it was poorly written, filled with grammatical errors and the like.

I fretted over the reviews. That is until I realized that all of the reviewers read the entire book. They didn’t just abandon it halfway through. They chose to read it to the end. That tells me they liked the story enough to take it to its conclusion.

Success!

Over the past couple of years, I’ve taken a lot of grief about the subject matter of my stories. They are often gruesome and horrendous. I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me, “How do you think of the stuff you write about?” or “Is what you write about, something you did or wish you could do?”

How aberrant do you think I am? Okay, don’t answer that.

What is important is, these are just fictional stories. I get my inspiration from everyday life, and I let my imagination go wild. That’s exactly how my book ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ came to life. I sat in a doctor’s waiting room, watching people being checked in and asked myself “What would happen if that person behind the desk sent the patient’s file off to someone with no rights to have it?” Within minutes, the entire framework of the book appeared in my head. I spent the next six weeks writing the first draft. The rest is history.

Need I say more?

My take on a book review

August 17, 2017

I received a one-star review on my book ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ the other day. It contained two words “Terrible ending.” I won’t say who it was that wrote the review, it’s not important. What is important is that the reviewer liked the book enough that they read the entire thing. If they read the entire book, how can it deserve only a single star? There had to be some redeeming value to the story.

Now me, if I’m going to give a book a bad review, I’m either going to do one of two things. Abandon the book during the early chapters and move on to another book. There’s plenty of other stories out there. Or if I choose to read the whole thing and decide to write a review, I will be detailed in my evaluation of the book, pointing out specific things that riled me.

I’ve written a couple of bad reviews in the past, but it’s not often. I grew up taught that if I can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. I guess that is why I don’t write many bad reviews.

As I pondered the review last night, I realized that the book did just what I wanted. It left the reader with a question or a desire for more. While people reading a book dealing with felonious acts want nice clean endings, I like putting in twists. If they want the details neatly wrapped up, prosecuting the offender, and the victim fleeing their harrowing experience, then they may or may not get their wish.

In my case, as I repeat throughout the book, there is no escape for my heroine. Why should the reader think that she would? Is it because they retain hope that she will find a way to freedom? Well, as my readers of my other books well know, I like leaving a hook at the end. This book is no different.

Though I originally intended to write this as a stand-alone novel, so many people are asking for a sequel, and I’m considering it. The hook I left in the book allows me to do that. Who knows, there may be a trilogy in it. I can envision many scenarios that will allow that to come to pass. There couldn’t be a sequel if I wrote Avril’s story so that she found a way to escape to her old life. What’s the fun in that?

I don’t plan on writing a comment on the site with the review. In my head, I’m dismissing the review. Better to leave well enough alone.

Until next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow.

Time slips by

August 15, 2017

Hello, everyone. I’ve been meaning to write and have gotten bogged down in posting an entry in my blog. Damn, it’s been, what two weeks, since I updated it. Sorry folks.

To catch you up, my regular full-time job that pays the bills interfered with attending to my website, writing, and of course updating my blog. Unlike most careers I’ve worked, the month of August is one of the toughest, most demanding months in the entire calendar. What I actually want to be doing is sitting on a beach, soaking in the sun, drinking a cocktail, read a good book, take a swim in whatever ocean I’m sitting in front of, and of course, writing my next great novel.

Not going to happen.

What is going on is that I leave work, spend an hour or more at the gym, and barely have enough energy to eat dinner and spend a little time with my girlfriend, only to fall asleep in the chair in the living room. I’m ready for bed by 8? WTF? Multiply this by 14, and you know what I mean.

On weekends, I’ve been able to recover somewhat through rest, but it takes the entire weekend to do it. However, I try to fit in a couple of hours either with formulating and writing several notes for my next novel or by working on my new website design.

I happy to say, I like the new design, and it’s probably ready for real-time. However, I can’t check the security cert yet, which means I can’t check the online purchase modules. Hopefully, I can work with my hosting provider and work out those details this week. If I can, I’ll be promoting the new site this coming weekend. Look for it.

I’ve also been checking sales, and pages read of my books. I’m pleased to see what’s happening. Thank you to each and every one of you who either purchased outright or read my stuff via Kindle Unlimited. The book release of ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ has jump started the lagging sales of my other books. Even the free copy of ‘Her Client’ didn’t do that, as I had hoped. Sales of my other books have also jumped back on the charts.

Thank you, everyone. You are making the months of July and August a happy time for me. One that I seriously need.

As I wrote the last couple of sentences, I couldn’t help but think of Snoopy (from the Peanuts® cartoon) jumping up and down in joy. You put smiles on my face over these past several stressful days when I needed them the most.

Next on the agenda, seriously begin writing the next great novel. Hopefully, I can get it ready for the winter holidays. Until next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow.

When family comes to visit

July 18, 2017

My sister just left. Whew, I’m tired. She and her husband arrived last Thursday and departed Saturday afternoon. Everyone had a great time. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. However, I’m still tired. As hosts, I tried to be up early and stay up late until they were ready for bed. So, what was I to do? I stayed up past midnight, ate and drank a bit too much, and talked into the wee hours of the night.

I miss my sister. I do. I haven’t seen her for at least two years(?). She lives three hundred plus miles away and until this past weekend, last came to visit me when I first moved to my adopted town back in the late eighties. Since then, I’ve gone to visit her. She has a bunch of kids, and she felt that kind of car ride would be difficult. I understand. So, I visited her as much as I can. I have only one kid, and he’s grown up and moved away. I have no pets to take care of, nor do need to find accommodations for them when I go away, nor deal with the hassles of taking them with me to contend with her pets.

The long and short of it, I’m just glad they came. I miss her.

I even had a chance to chat with her alone, one-on-one. Sometimes, I feel the need to tailor my conversation based upon whether her husband or my girlfriend is around. Even though I know that she is very traditional, she is still open and liberal enough to accept me for whom I am. She accepts me, faults and all. And boy, some say I have many faults.

What? Me? Faults? I kid of course, but that doesn’t change who I am. I like me as I am, and I hate tailoring myself to protect the feelings of others.

So, that is in part, why I haven’t written in a while. I’ve been busy. In the free moments I had, I spent researching how to redesign my website. I found a theme I like, and I’m playing with it to see how it turns out. If not, I’ll move on. Until then, I’m not buying the professional version until I am satisfied. It is going to take some work though. My old theme used page templates that don’t translate very way to other themes. It’s these templates that drive me crazy. They interfere with the SEO (Seach Engine Optimization) routines and are not compatible with the higher end online shopping cart systems. A big PITA (Pain In The ASS). Still, what I’ve accomplished over the past couple of weeks is promising.

Now, on my head issues, cognitive issues are rampant. Do you know how long it took me to remember the word ‘promising’ in the previous paragraph? Way too long, let me tell you. Grrrrr!!!! Periodic chiropractic adjustments seem to work. My headaches live in the one to two range of ten. When they start to grow, doc tells me I’m out of adjustment. Damn, I didn’t know one leg could be shorter than another simply by being out of adjustment. A quick fix and I’m on my way. Even my neurologist is impressed. He’s put me on a decreasing dose of my meds with the intent to hopefully stop within 18 weeks. Knock on wood. Wish me luck.

Oh, I almost forgot. ‘The Trafficking Consortium‘ is now available in paperback from Amazon and Createspace.com. If you’re one to like a book in your lap rather than on a tablet or smart-phone, then now is your chance to get it at a decent price. Join the hundreds of others that have read the book. As always, I appreciate your honest critique and review posted on the site from where you bought the book. Thx.

Okay, that’s it for now. I hope you enjoyed reading about my latest news. Until next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow!

p.s. Theme photo is from the original Addam’s Family television series from the 1960’s, a take off of Charles Addam’s cartoons, which I devoured in my youth. By no means, do I want to equate my sister’s visit with the Addam’s. I love both, just differently.

Besides, Morticia Addams is hot!

Thunderstorms and other things

July 8, 2017

We had the most magnificent thunderstorm overnight. Despite their danger and possible damage to our environment, I love watching them form before breaking out in lightning and thunder. I love the feel of the concussive force against my chest as they roll across the landscape. I love seeing the bolts of light gather strength and reach out to the ground in impressive displays of their power.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I protect myself, mindful of the danger. I stay safe and if necessary, flat to the ground. I know the danger, having observed my mother get struck once when I was a kid. The experience scared me to death. Come to think of it, I had forgotten all about the incident until just now. It’s been decades since I recalled watching the bolt jump from the sky and touch my mother, pulling weeds from the garden. She was okay shortly later, but at the time, scary.

Perhaps I’ll write a story involving lightning and thunderstorms one day.

The other day, I made the commitment to once again, redesign my website. While pretty, maintaining it is problematic. The theme it uses are very restrictive and let’s not get started on the SEO components. I’ve tried to take advantage of several plug-ins only to find that they cannot work with the primary template of the theme. A template used on most of the pages of the site. It’s very discouraging.

So, sometime in the future, probably in the fall, I will release my updated site and add the functionality that I struggle implementing. Wish me luck.

My latest book ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ is selling well. It is outselling the ‘Her Client’ series by a significant amount. It pleases me that it has also brought traffic to my other books, including ‘The Taste of Honey,’ ‘Broken Steele‘ and ‘The Breakup.’ I still need to finish the third book in the Mona series, called ‘Lucky Bitch.’ The first draft is done but I need to go through it again, clean it up, send it to editing, and well, a whole bunch more before it is published.

I’m still hoping that ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ will take off and launch an exciting future. In the meantime, I’ve been tossing around ideas and framework for a new book. It’s a serial killer drama, and I have already written two scenes for it along with a rough outline. However, it’s too early to tell whether I will proceed with the concept. Time, inspiration and perspiration will tell. So far though, I like it.

Lastly, on my concussion recovery front, I am doing surprisingly well. It seems that the chiropractic work is succeeding. I am ecstatic. However, it’s only been a month and while these latest sessions indicate that I am ‘Holding,’ my body is still reacting to the realignment of my vertebrae. He calls it ‘retracing.’ There’s lots of information on that on the web so that I won’t go into it now. Let’s just say that the nerve endings in my brain must find new ways around the detours to get from point ‘A’ to point ‘B.’ They are not happy and tortures my body until they settle down. Much like lightning. The parallels are uncanny.

I’ve experienced everything from vision changes, extreme neural and physical fatigue, and dry mouth. It seems I can’t go a minute or two without taking a sip of water. I wake up with a dry mouth and to bed with one. The dry mouth symptom started minutes after my first adjustment and is only now, four weeks later, starting to settle down. Doc tells me that this is normal as my body is flushing built up poisons.

That’s all well and good, but I need to pee every twenty minutes or so. Too many times I find the bathroom already occupied, as I stand outside, restless as my body jerks around trying to contain the imminent expulsion of poisons.

“Damn it! Whoever’s in there, get the hell out, please!”

Hello all my fans and readers

July 2, 2017

It’s been, maybe, more than a week since I last wrote to you. Sorry about that. Marketing, headaches, and producing the paperback version of ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ focused my attention these last several days.

Let’s start with marketing. Alright, so the image I’ve chosen is not directly related to my business, but the image does make it feel that way. Bickering. Plew! Sometimes I feel like it’s a terrible waste of time and then other times, not. For two weeks or so, I paid for Facebook advertising. The results weren’t too bad, and I sold some books. Was it enough to offset the cost of the advertising? No, but this time round, I didn’t expect to come out ahead. I do know that I generated enough to minimize my overall costs, and perhaps, will come out ahead in the months to come. So, I figure mixed results. Now I am off and trying a different tactic, Amazon advertising. This model is different. Where Facebook charges every time the advert is displayed, Amazon will only charge when someone clicks on the advert. I don’t know which will work better, but I do know, that one has to focus on the target audience for the advertising to be effective. Let’s see what happens.

On the headache front, I saw a chiropractor for several adjustments. He specializes in upper cervical services, and I must say, the results are positive. My headaches are now in the low-intensity range, and I’m hoping soon, they will disappear altogether. The trouble is, I am drinking water as I have never before. I wake up with a dry mouth, spend the day with a dry mouth, drinking vast quantities, and still go to bed with a dry mouth. Doc says that it is a good thing and that I am flushing the poisons from my body. I also feel extremely fatigued, feeling like I need sleep all day long. It’s hard to function, and I can’t multitask as I am accustomed. Both maladies will resolve themselves, or so the Doc says. It all has to do with something he calls, ‘Retracing.’ There’s a YouTube video on the subject. Check it out. I’m not sure what to make of it all, but I put my trust in his tender care.

Lastly, I’ve been working on formatting ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ for print publication. I can’t believe how many times I submitted a version to the printing house, only to reject it myself as I am proofing it. Hopefully, the version I uploaded yesterday will be my final and approved, version. Knock on wood.

It’s so odd; I never expected that I would be rejecting my proofs. The printing company, yes, me … no. However, I know that it will be a better product. Afterward, I will update the e-book version to match the printed edition. Don’t worry, the edits are minor, and anyone who already purchased the e-book version will get a free updated version.

And, oh, BTW, check out the new 5-star review from a brand new reader of mine. I was sooooo excited to read it. Thank you, Amy. Here’s the link to her review.

Till next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow.
Rich

The Trafficking Consortium Front Book Cover

Avril Gillios just got picked up!

June 18, 2017

The problem is, it wasn’t the police who picked her up. She was kidnapped, snatched off the streets of NYC, as she was walking home from work. Only a block away from her apartment building, tired after a long, hard day, someone pushes her from behind into the open door of a taxi stopped by the sidewalk.

Flailing, she is caught in the waiting arms of a man who puts a foul-smelling cloth over her mouth and nose. Moments later, she is unconscious as the taxi joins the vast sea of other cabs navigating the seemingly friendly chasms of the city. Did anyone notice her abduction? Did anyone call the police? A couple of hours later and still unconscious, she is on a plane and well beyond the borders of her native country.

Yes, that’s right. I refer of course to my latest book, The Trafficking Consortium.

It’s a brutal erotic suspense thriller about Avril Gillios, a young woman in her mid-twenties, who get’s caught up in an international organized crime ring specializing in human trafficking. The thousand-year old organization call themselves ‘The Consortium.’ Their affluent and influential members can order or acquire anyone, men and women alike, to satisfy their unique needs and desires. From organ acquisition; to perverse sexual satisfaction; or feasting upon their prey, they seemingly operate above the law all across the globe.

Told from Avril’s point of view, the story describes how this criminal organization targets her, kidnaps her right off the streets of NYC and sells her to the highest bidder; marking the beginning of a new life, forever barred from returning to the only life she ever knew.

She must navigate the perilous events that threaten her life to survive her ordeal and attempt escape. Sold to a sadistic monster, her captivity is relatively comfortable. Locked in a luxurious suite with all the trimmings included in the most elegant high-end apartments enjoyed by the upper one-percenters, a cage is still a cage.

She endures brutal beatings and violent ravishments as her new owner trains her to be compliant to his demands and needs. Along the way, she discovers that her sadistic owner, in his own way, loves her.

Confused and bewildered, she must figure out how to navigate the ever narrowing serpentine path to escape the growing threat to her life. Her captor eventually gives her an impossible choice, one that takes away all doubt of what he intends to do with her. However, he requires that she select the path that her life will take. Failing to choose is the same as choosing a horrific, slow, and painful death.

Will she choose life or death? I encourage you to find out for yourself.

Give it a go and let me know what you thought about the book. Then ask yourself. Could this happen to you or one of your loved ones; a son or a daughter, a niece or a nephew?

I hate to think so but, yes it could. My advice? Be vigilant with whom you share your personal information with. You might not like what the do with it.

Amazon kindle — **Free on Kindle Unlimited**

Hello my Fans

June 16, 2017

Hello my fans,

Please accept my apologies for not writing for almost two weeks. These past days have been quite hectic as a result of my PCS (post concussion syndrome) and the release of my latest novel, ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’

Let me tell you; there is good news on both fronts.

First, let me tell you about my book. Avril’s story about being kidnapped and sold into the underworld of human trafficking is doing quite well. In the first two weeks, more readers than I can imagine are reading it, and I received my first review yesterday.

Five stars! Can you imagine? I am ecstatic. You can find the review on Amazon’s website. Click any of the book titles and it will bring you right to it.

The reader/reviewer, Bibs wrote:

Another Winner, Another Panty Melter
“You did it again Richard. I couldn’t put it down. A very fast paced read. If you have not read a book from this author, you’re missing out. Every book I read of Richard Verry’s has been excellent. Please pick one up today, and you will be hooked. Thank you, Richard!!”

Wow! What an endorsement.

Bibs has reviewed many of my books, but by far and large, I believe that this one is by far the best for my career as a writer. Personally, I agree with the reviewer, but then again, I’m biased. Thank you Bibs.

If you haven’t yet read ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ I suggest that you do. I’d be interested if you concur with the review or not.

There is more good news regarding my PCS. Over the past two months, I’ve been miserable. I was suffering near unbearable pain, at times moaning and screaming in a poor effort to deal with my headaches. They reached new highs during that time, and if you have read my recent posts, you already know this. Last week, I hooked up with yet another new doctor, this time, a chiropractor. He did a full assessment on my issue, concentrating on my neck and skull. Using a CBCT (a type of 3D cat scanner), he found that my C1 and C4 vertebrae were out of position, and not just on one side but both. The doc reported that discovering both sides out of position is rare. My C1 (also called Axis) was both skewed and rotated out of whack, making the opening for my spinal column smaller, pinching nerves.

CBCT - 3D Cat scan — Rich’s CBCT 2017-06-06

After getting my first adjustment to pop them back into the correct position, I felt better almost immediately. Within hours, my headache dropped to low levels. On my second adjustment appointment, he reported that both C1 and C4 were still in the correct position and no adjustment was necessary. I was both ecstatic and disappointed. The later because he denied me the opportunity to be adjusted again. How dumb is that? That’s what expectations can do. Yet, I was happy that his prior adjustment held. After all, the vertebrae had gotten used to being out of alignment and may very well want to get back to its old position. He tells me that this is very possible. On my third adjustment appointment, he needed to adjust me once more, which he took care immediately. The funny thing, over the past two days, I knew that I was out of adjustment, my headaches were growing worse and a bad fatigue had set in.

What really excites me is that someone finally found a physiological cause to my perpetual headaches. With the vertebrae out of alignment, they were pinching the nerves of the brainstem and spinal cord. The nerves have to transgress a very snug opening, so to have the vertebrae shrink their pathways even smaller, well, I could have been suffering from a host of issues. The brain, after all, controls the entire body.

I’m in good spirits and anxious to see whether this is the right treatment for me. If so, I can drop seeing the voluminous doctor and therapy appointments I attend each week. Better yet, I hope I can wean myself off the pills I’ve been taking to manage the pain. Wish me luck!

Well, that’s it for the time being. I look forward to today and tomorrow, getting back to writing and the like. Have fun.

The Trafficking Consortium released

June 4, 2017

The Trafficking Consortium released

These last several weeks have been hard, but I have some good news. I completed the final steps in order to submit for publication my latest book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ I uploaded it to Amazon last Wednesday. Sales for the first three days are off to a great start, selling numerous copies in the U.S., Great Britain, and Germany in only three days. This without any real marketing.

I’m ecstatic.

Oh yes, I have been talking about it for months now, but now it is a reality. Now begins the daunting task of marketing the book. Seeing the early results, I’m trying something new. I’ll let you all know in the months ahead how it goes. All that is left to do is the prepare the paperback version and upload it to the printers. If you get a chance, check the book out. It is available for free on Kindle Unlimited or just $2.99 to purchase it outright for your Kindle or your favorite eBook reader.

She must navigate the perilous events that threaten her life to survive her ordeal and attempt escape. Sold to a sadistic monster, her captivity is relatively comfortable. Locked in a luxurious suite with all the trimmings included in the most elegant high-end luxury apartments enjoyed by the upper one-percenters, a cage is still a cage.

She endures brutal beatings and violent ravishments as her new owner trains her to be compliant to his demands and needs. Along the way, she discovers that her sadistic owner loves her, in his own way.

Will she choose life or death? I encourage you to find out for yourself.

I’m Miserable

May 20, 2017

I’m miserable

Okay, it’s official. I’m miserable. I feel broken. Do you know when you see someone for the first time in a day, the usually greet you with “Hi! How are you?” You know they are expecting the answer “Fine.”

I can’t say it anymore. I just can’t. I finally came up with an appropriate response. “I’m miserable.”

“What? Oh, how come?” they respond with the obvious.

In my head, I’m thinking “Oh, shit. Not fucking again.” I want to scream at them and say “Duh!”

What I do say is “You know, it’s this thing that is constantly going on.” pointing to my head.

“Did they forget from yesterday? It’s the same shit every day, only everyday is a bit worse.” I’m thinking. Please stop asking “How are you.” I’d rather hear “Are you okay?”

I’ve relapsed and the pain in my skull is the worse I’ve ever felt since this all started. It feels like a crushing hand griping my entire skull and squeezing. Everything else seems to have resolved but the headaches? No. It’s almost as of my brain is saying in the only way it knows how. “Enough is enough already? Stop trying to fix me.” It’s true. Before my relapse, I was pushing hard to increase stimuli and repair the broken synapses in my brain. I guess I pushed too hard. The worse part? I thought I was about to resolve it all and return to normal. Shit!

For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m suffering. Oh yes, I am well aware that there are others all across the world suffering greater hardships and dealing with painful, even deadly situations. I get that. I really do. I feel for them and if I had it in my power to ease their suffering, I would. I do when I can, but it will never be enough.

However, I’m in pain. Each and every day. Some are worse than others, but over the past four weeks, my headaches have reached new heights. Most days, I’m barely making it through work, then on to an injury related appointment, be it physical therapy, counseling, doctor, or yet another damn assessment or test.

After that, I arrive home wiped out, depleted, and a mess. I lie down in bed, resting, often with my loving girlfriend lying next to me, trying to comfort me but honestly not knowing how. The fact that she is there, right there next to me, touching me, is comforting. Thank you hon. You may never truly understand how much you help simply by lying next to me, but trust me, it is a welcome respite from the painful crushing headache, if however brief.

I know I’m needy right now. I will not apologize for that. I need her more than ever, and I know she is just as frustrated with our lives right now as I am. I say this. Thank you, my love, for trying, and I beg forgiveness when impatience lashes out. I understand, even it takes a day or so to realize it.

I’m a mess and I know it. Thankfully, I do speak to a counselor, though these days, it’s more like venting and screaming the words that I can’t say anywhere else. That’s the thing. I keep so much bottled up inside because it’s just not right to vent to my girlfriend, coworkers and friends. They understand but there would be consequences to venting to them. I could lose my job, lose my friends and the worse would be isolation from my loving girlfriend who is the center of my world.

As for all my friends, family, and acquaintances, I have received your kind words, your reaching out to say, “I’m thinking of you.” et. all. They make me smile, and I plan on reaching back, especially in your time of need.

In the meantime, instead of making it through one day at a time, I’m working on making it one minute at a time. Now, if I can only just finish up my book and submit it for publishing, damn, I’m so far behind. I just know that I have to get these polishing touches just right. Not the story mind you. That’s done and put to bed. It’s all the blurbs, cover art, book categorizing, and a bunch of other things that can make a book a success or failure. You indie-publishers all know what I am talking about, it just has to be perfect from the onset. Then there is the guy who want’s to help publicize my work if I cooperate and help publicize his work. I’m excited at the prospect. I just can’t get the motivation going to do anything but survive right now.

Now, back to resting and sleeping. Thankfully it’s the weekend where I can get a break from the past week … maybe.

Till next time, I wish you a good day and a better tomorrow. I think about you, my fans, often and I look forward to the day where I can get back to normal. (Though, my girlfriend will be the first one to tell you, I’m not normal. I smile and say “Thank you, love.”)

Quiet lately

May 14, 2017

Quiet lately

Apologies all. I know I have been quiet lately. I had a relapse with my post concussion shit and my headaches reached new heights over the last three weeks. For the first time in my life, I truly feel like I am suffering.

I have been working hard over the past couple of months to increase the level of stimuli to my brain, in order to force it to repair the damaged nerve connections. It’s been working and I am progressing. I just think that my brain finally said ‘enough is enough. Give me a break already’ in the only way it knew how. By beating the shit out of me and intensive my headaches to new levels.

A nerve block into the back of my skull and plenty of rest (i.e., doing nothing but sleeping and parking myself in my recliner) seems to be helping. BTW, two needles into the back of my head was not my first choice. The burning and shooting pain that came with it almost took me down all together.

Add into the mix the numerous emotions as a result, and I was barely able to do much beyond my mandatory responsibilities. Yes, I’m not going to list all of the emotions I had to deal with over the past two weeks. I’ve made my girlfriend suffer enough as it was.

So while I have a few moments of clarity, I’m writing to you to let you know that I am thinking of all of you. I plan on continuing my regime of rest today, hoping that by tomorrow, I can start the work week off and not crash by mid-afternoon.

I’ll write when I can. And, I am oh so close to releasing my latest book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ That’s first on my agenda when I can spend quality time on it. Stay tuned. Thanks for your understanding.

There’s such a thing as too much

April 29, 2017

There’s such a thing as too much.

That’s right, too much of a good thing is often too much.

If you love ice cream, eating a cone every so often is a savory treat that coats your tongue with exploding flavors as its cooling succulence slips down your throat. Even eating it once a day, in small portions, is manageable. Force fed it continuously, hour after hour, every day, well I know that I will soon hate the stuff.

That’s how I feel about some bloggers I follow. Many I eagerly look forward to, soaking in their insights on the world around them. I enjoy reading about their inner struggles and their ways in coping with life.

What I don’t like are posts done six to ten times a day, touting this or that, or promoting their wares. I want to support them. I really do. However, I am finding that I simply delete the unread post from my inbox. I am treating the posts as junk mail. Yes, I know it’s not fair. However, is it fair to be inundated with a dozen posts or more every day? Nope. Perhaps you feel the same way?

Just over a year ago, I was working with a publicist that wanted me to post something of 300 to 600 words at least daily, more if I could manage it. The idea was that the more I post, the more people would find me, and follow. At the time, I knew nothing. I trusted what I thought of as an expert. So, I tried. Six months later, we parted ways, but I still decided to follow the recommendations.

What did it get me? I started hating the idea of posting an article, especially daily articles. It took a lot of time away from my novels, stories, and painting. I also started to feel like it was too much ice cream.

Fortunately, I suffered a severe concussion last summer that I am still dealing with the aftereffects today. What it did for me in posting articles was first, a well-needed break. Then, I had a whole new topic to write about and share.

In the writings, I knew that I had to give you, my readers, something they wished to read. I did not want to fill them with fluff about marketing my books. I wanted to give you want you liked. I also had trouble with cognitive and creative thought, so I landed upon the idea of posting the ‘Word of the Day.’ Using M-W, I used them to add my personal two cents to their daily word.

Easy I thought. The trouble was, I was really getting into researching the word, finding images to support the word and then adding my two cents. Towards the end of last year, I was spending upwards of two hours a day, fascinated by the word, and digging deeper into it. As the holidays rolled around, I found that I was, once again, getting tired of the daily grind of blogging.

As you may have noticed, I have since cut down my posts to once or twice a week. I can manage that, I think. Since my cognitive and creative streams of thought are slowly returning, I am writing once again, focusing on the final tweaks to my new book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ I’m even thinking about a sequel to the story, but that’s down the road.

Limiting my posts gives me the time to work on why you follow me. Many of you are looking forward to my next release, and have written me asking when, et.all. How cool is that? Anyway, with summer approaching, I must decide between blogging and writing. I think writing is going to win every time.

Followup to ‘How do I think of these things’

April 14, 2017

Followup to ‘How do I think of these things’

In my last article, I wrote about how I come up with my ideas for my books. I received several comments from people who read my books. I found them interesting.

The first comment comes from a reader who read my first book, ‘The Taste of Honey.’ At the time, this reader wrote me and, if I recall correctly, told me she had a hard time with the story. She considered herself to be a traditional, conservative person and didn’t read all that much. However, a friend turned her onto the book and while struggling with the storyline, discovered an underlying unexpected love story that she loved. It turned her around, and she eventually wrote a compelling five-star review.

The following is what I received in response to the article.

“I found it insightful as well as a confirmation of what I already felt in my heart was the way you find your inspirations. I’ve always believed you to be intelligent and extremely creative. It’s nice to see you finding the right outlet for that creativity (of which you do so well!).” jb

Apparently, she knows me well, and yes, I am acquainted with this person.

Another reader sent me this comment.

“It’s hard to understand how you can write that in such detail and emotion. And, not wonder about you. […] After reading your statements and seeing that your girlfriend felt the same way, I think I feel much better. Maybe, lol.” gd

I am only just becoming acquainted with this reader, having recently received several comments and messages regarding my ‘Her Client’ trilogy. After reading the first book, she contacted with a note indicating how much she liked it. After reading the second book, I received a second comment expressing the need “… to think about this one?” implying that the story might have been a bit over the top for her. [No surprise. This book is intentionally horrific and deals with the real monsters among us.] Her followup to this comment to this book inspired me to write my previous article. The last I heard, the reader was just starting the third book, ‘Her Essentia.’ I have little doubt that she will send me an additional note.

Interestingly enough, the ‘Her Client’ books are my best sellers. I never expected that to happen. As a result, those are the kinds of books I will continue to focus on as I write.

I received many comments on the article. I hope it helps you understand where I am coming from and where I am going. My stories don’t come from personal experiences. Rather, they come from observation and wondering, “what if …”.

That’s how my latest book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ came to life. I was at my doctor’s office and as I sat in the waiting room, wondered “what if someone behind the counter and sent the medical history of a patient to someone who had no right to the file?” From there, the pieces just fell into place, and Avril’s story came to life.

Then there’s ‘The Breakup’, a story about what a woman hopes will happen on a date of dinner and dancing. My ‘what if’ revolved around the word, dancing. “What was his definition of dancing?” Ginny is about to find out. The question is, will she be happy about it?

Overall, I don’t really know what to say. If you, my current and new followers, continue to read my books, what am I going to do but keep writing new ones that tickle your fancy and your emotions? I have notes on several ideas for future stories. Stay tuned.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I finally finished putting together my online art gallery. It’s called ‘maggicalExpressions.’ Links to it are on my book site.

Yes, that’s correct. I paint and draw when I need to disappear. Oh, yes, that’s what I do when I write. Well, it’s a different kind of medium, and I enjoy it. I hope you like them.

It’s a nice day today, blue sky, and lots of sun. I’m going to work on my book most of the day, and then I’m going to a party tonight. I can’t wait. It’s a themed party sponsored by a social club I belong to. It’s been way too long since I’ve attended one. I’m looking forward to it.

Have a great day and a better tomorrow.
Rich

Hello to all my followers

March 15, 2017

Hello to all my followers

If you have been reading my last few articles, you know that a lot has happened in my town, county, and my state. Last week, we suffered a wind storm of sustained 80+ mph winds that lasted for hours. It started at around 2 pm and was still raging after I went to bed that night. It’s no surprise that I didn’t sleep that well that night. By the weekend, local law enforcement reported 6 people died as a result of the wind storm.

Now, just as we are recovering from that storm, yesterday, once again, two massive weather patterns decided that the north-eastern US was ready for another clash. Guess who is stuck in the middle? You got it, I am. That is my part of the state. While the northeaster ravaged the coastal states with blizzard and blizzard-like conditions, I don’t live in that area. I’m about 500 miles west of the coast, right where the northeaster storm decided to interact with the arctic storm coming down over Canada.

My local international airport closed, shutting down all flights into and out of my area. Officially, as of this moment, the airport has so far recorded 22.2 inches of snowfall, and it’s still coming down. Wind is a problem. The snow that is falling, is falling almost sideways. While there is a patch of ground next to my house where I can see the grass, in other area, the drifting snow is the real problem. Roads are still snow covered, despite the highway department doing an awesome job in plowing the highways. Even some of the large massive plows have slipped off the roadways and ended up overturned in ditches. It’s scary, and I’m staying put.

My girlfriend’s daughter is stuck in Hamburg Germany waiting for a break in the weather and return home. The news tells us that things should break around midnight, and by tomorrow, we should be able to get back to what constitutes normal for my region of the country. Yes, you get that right, it’s still snowing and they are estimating another foot of snow before it ends tonight. What progress made to keep the roads and driveways cleared last night must be repeated all over again.

The replacement hot tub cover that I bought after the windstorm now has more than three feet of snow on it. Thankfully, I was able to get a cover as I doubt the plywood and tarp I used temporarily would have survived the snow.

But you know what? I’m healthy. I’m strong. I’m warm and safe. There is a lot to be said for that. I know that there are thousands of homeless, hanging out in shelters and abandoned underground subway tunnels trying to keep warm in temperatures approaching 0 degrees F. I feel for them. There was a time, almost two decades ago, that I might have been one of them. Providence, luck and perseverance helped prevent that from happening, though I believe luck was the most significant portion of that. Thank you Lercher for being in the right place and the right time to pull my ass out of the fire.

In the meantime, I am working on cleaning up before publishing my latest book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ and getting back to writing anew. I’ve got my cup of hot coffee to warm me as I stare out the window, and see mostly white snow. Cheers.

Have a great day and a better tomorrow.

Oh, and have a cup of your favorite beverage on me.

I feel fortunate

March 10, 2017

I feel fortunate

That’s right. I feel fortunate and incredibly lucky. Two days ago, my area of the country and specifically my county was hit with a disastrous sustained windstorm.

By sustained, I mean a storm raging, hour after hour, and lasting just over fifteen hours. It started slowly, teasing the people in its path, lulling us into thinking it wouldn’t be too bad. At its peak, lasting many hours, we registered eighty-plus miles per hour wind speeds. Speeds that were similar to those recorded by smaller hurricanes. Yet, this was no hurricane, just a clashing of two weather fronts. A clash of two weather fronts? I feel like it was a clash of the titans and we were insignificant casualties.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t live in a hurricane region or in the tornado belt. I feel for those that do. When a tornado touches down, it reigns havoc for those in its path. However, it’s pretty localized to a rather narrow track, which can be only a couple hundred yards to a mile or more. Hurricanes are another story of course and are more akin to what our region experienced.

In my case, our windstorm encompassed dozens of counties, two or three by six to eight long. Meteorologists in the area report that our area hasn’t ever seen one of this magnitude in over a hundred years. The damage was incredible and extensive.

In the early stages, tractor trailer trucks were flipped over on their sides, like toys in a child’s hand. As the day progressed, roof shingles were ripped from the roofs of houses and tossed like confetti in a parade. Then, trees were uplifted out of the ground, root ball and all, toppling which way and that, often landing on houses, crushing them and their occupants.

The roof of one of the local middle schools in my town was ripped off and sailed in the wind for hundreds of feet before touching ground. States of emergency were declared in several towns in my county, including my own. Live electrical wires danced in the streets, begging for the occupants of cars they draped, to step out in a futile attempt to escape their deadly touch.

Thankfully, in all the turmoil and bad situations, no one was seriously hurt or killed. Wow!

I could go on and on. It’s bad, but I know, it could be worse. I feel fortunate that my house faired well. My roof is intact, and I didn’t lose power to my house. I have about $600 in damages in non-critical areas of my house. Not bad considering most of my neighbors have damage ranging in the thousands. Kudo’s to the builder of my development. He coordinating the immediate repair to the roofs of the quality homes he built, and within a day, all of the houses on my street had their roofs repaired. Today, as I write this, he is doing the same on the homes located the next street over.

Kudo’s Joe Sciortino of .

Over ten thousand homes and businesses in my county lost power. It is going to take a week or more to restore power to most of the region. Temperatures dropped overnight, and the thermometer outside my window informs me that we are currently at eight degrees F. It’s cold, and I pity those that do not have electricity to power their furnaces. Many of my friends lost power, and I offered them a warm bed for the night. Gratefully, their power came back on last evening. All due to the willing power workers that showed up in our region yesterday from all over the state to help out.

I feel fortunate, and I am grateful to all those that descended on my community to help out. It could have been worse. Thank you. Now, I need a cup of coffee.

Thank you

March 5, 2017

Thank you

I would like to take a moment to thank all of you that purchased and read my books. You are the greatest, and I appreciate your support. My writing has transformed from something I dabbled in, to a passion that I cannot live without. I am writing new stories even now, and I have tons of ideas in my notebook. I look forward to sharing many with you as soon as I can. I am a transformed man, embracing change while bringing these stories to life.

Far and away, the most popular of my books are the ‘Her Client’ series, a study on what might happen if you piss off a client at work. The main character in these books does exactly that but doesn’t know she did so. The day was a stressful one, and it’s about to get worse. She leaves work intending on having a quiet evening at home, drinking a glass of wine as she relaxes in her soaking bathtub. From the moment she walks into her home, thoughts of her tub are pushed aside as she has to deal with a home invader intent upon exacting his revenge upon her. The ordeal she suffers is horrific and, frankly, disturbing. These books are not for the faint of heart, as they document the darker side of humanity. The first book is available free on Amazon and your favorite eBook retailer.

I will tell you, I’m surprised by the success of ‘Her Client.’ I had no idea it would take off as it did. In many ways, it’s horror begs the question, how did I ever think this stuff up? My girlfriend is certainly questioning our relationship. Don’t worry. Our relationship is fine.

‘The Breakup’ is a novella in the same genre as ‘Her Client’ and is a natural follow-up for readers of ‘Her Client.’ The main character is in love with her boyfriend and is certain that he is about to propose to her on a special date of dinner and dancing he has planned. She is an affable kind of girl, easy going, and very trusting. Her date does not turn out as expected, as her boyfriend’s definition of dancing usually ends in death. As I wrote earlier, if you liked ‘Her Client,’ you will like ‘The Breakup.’

A new book, titled ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ about to be published, is in the final stages of review. It too is in the same genre as ‘Her Client’ and ‘The Breakup,’ but is more realistic. I would not call it horrific but you will cringe at what may, and sometimes does, happen to the victims. It’s a full-length novel about what might happen if you came to the attention of an age-old global human trafficking ring simply by going for your annual physical at your doctor’s office.

In this story, the main character is noticed, selected, and kidnapped right off the street. After a harrowing time in an auction house, she is sold off to a foreign buyer who pays an exorbitant amount of money for her. As owned property, she has to figure out how to survive. Survival is not a given. Survival must be earned. She must use every bit of her wit and intelligence to persevere and explore every possibility of escape and return home.

Of all my books, so far, ‘The Trafficking Consortium’ is my favorite. It will leave the reader worrying that what happens in the book, might happen to you or your loved ones. Could this happen to you? Yes, it might very well. After reading this story, you will forever be on guard and watch what happens to your personal information. Look for it. It’s coming soon.

My semi-sci-fi series of books are also favorites of mine. ‘The Taste of Honey’ and ‘Broken Steele’ are a study of humanity, and how they must reinvent society a thousand years in the future. The human race overcomes a tumultuous reign of death and extinction events when scientists and corporations lose control of GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) which decimate the world. A thousand years later, humanity is the only animal species left on the planet. Even plant-life was affected by the scourge of the GMO’s, forcing people to make the impossible choice, at least by today’s standards. To those in the future, it’s not an impossible choice but an everyday fact of life. Softening the blow, they live in a society where there is no war, no coveting for property or territory, no crime, not a single agency, religion, or morality governing their lives. Sex is enjoyed by all adults, with multiple partners, and in every conceivable situation. It is the main stress reliever in a society struggling to survive extinction.

‘The Taste of Honey’ is my first published book and ‘Broken Steele’ is the sequel. A third book, entitled ‘Lucky Bitch’ is in the works and picks up after the end of ‘Broken Steele.’ All things considered, ‘Lucky Bitch’ should be released later this year.

I love the storyline introduced in ‘The Taste of Honey.’ In many ways, I would embrace living in their society, far from the turbulence of today’s life. After all, no one wants for anything, and everyone enjoys all the sex they could ever want. What’s not to like? Oh well, yes, there is that one little thing but what are the odds? Even if you are selected, you know that you will be helping your family, friends, and community with all that you can offer.

Lastly, available only on my website, ‘A Mermaids Irresistible Curiosity’ is a free short story of a very curious mermaid, who rises from the depths to checkout a very handsome fisherman. She is ecstatic when he captures her and brings her on board. Discover what happens next to a willing mermaid, enthralled by the primal urges raging throughout her body. I wrote this short story decades ago. I love the twist that is revealed in the very last paragraph. Download and read it today for free. Unlike my other books, while it does deal in adult topics, this story is suitable for young adult readers sixteen and up.

Other than the exception mentioned above, all my books are suitable for readers eighteen and above. I hope you enjoy reading them just as much as I enjoyed writing them.

As I close this article, I want to once again thank all of you out there that bought and read my books. I will be the first one to admit that they are not for everyone. However, if you have an open mind, and an open heart, you might just find that you like them.

Read my reviews. Many can be found on my author site on Amazon or on my website, RichardVerry.com. You can buy and download all of my books to your Kindle or your favorite eBook reader.

Finally, thank you to all of you out there that sent me a note, kind or not. I welcome all thoughtful, constructive critiques. I try to respond to as many as I can. Without your feedback, I can’t become a better writer.

Have a great day and a better tomorrow.

Keep plugging

February 10, 2017

Keep plugging

It’s Friday afternoon, and I am sitting in my home office for the first time in a week. I’m a bit surprised by that as I ordinarily come in here every day, whether I am working at my full-time job or not. The past several days have once again, been an eye-opener for me. I’ve learned a few things, and I’ve needed to deal with doctors, medication interactions, and my job. But what might I write about that will interest you, my fans and fellow readers out there?

I could write about how well sales of my books are going. I’m very pleased with that, especially with the ‘Her Client’ series of books. It seems they are taking off. I’m a bit surprised with that revelation but what do I know? I write what comes to me, whether it is a nice, vanilla topic or not. But do you honestly care what my sales figures are? No, I wouldn’t think so. However, thank you to everyone who has bought my books.

I do have a new book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ on the cusp of being released. An Advance Reader Copy (ARC) available for purchase right now on my website right now. My beta readers, (those readers who I make the book available for free with the understanding that they will write an honest critique as well point out problems in the book) have suggested a couple of revisions. After chatting with them and thinking about it, I decided to implement the changes. They were right. The changes will help with the flow of the book, and rectify a timeline issue that I had not considered before. In the end, it will be a better book.

If you want to be one of my beta readers, send me a request and I will be happy to send you a link to the free copy of the ARC.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be implementing the changes and once again offer the revised edition for free with the promise of an honest critique of the book. So, if you’re eagerly awaiting the delivery of the first edition of the book to the general market, please be patient. I promise you. It’s coming. I love this story too much to let it die.

Circling back to what to write about in this post. I finally decided that, despite the issues I’ve experienced and suppressed from most people, I learned a valuable lesson which I would like to share with you.

Persevere & Persist

Keep plugging. Don’t try to analyze and problem-solve that which you have no control over. Instead, deal with the here and now, work out a way to do what you love, and ways of coping to allow you to do exactly that. You know who you are. Be who you are. Fuck the rest. That’s my message to you.

Until next time, this is Richard Verry, with a cup of coffee, writing to you from my home office with windows that look out on a snow covered landscape and glad to be indoors.

Life’s learned lessons

January 28, 2017

Life’s learned lessons

Good Day Everyone. Looking at my site, I just realized that I haven’t posted in a week. I knew it had been a while, but I didn’t know that it was that long. Sorry about that.

To tell you the truth, I’ve been seeing a lot of doctors and going to Physical Therapy (PT) lately. I’m working on my post-concussion issues, and I have made some progress and learned a few things. The two biggest things that I learned are:

I’m still not ready to go back to work. (Shit!)
I’m dwelling too much on my headaches and other issues, and not enough on life.

Number 1 scared me until I learned about number 2. I must accept it and deal with it while living my life. I’m sure that my colleagues at work won’t be happy with number 1, but I’m not in control of that aspect of my life. ‘It is what it is.’ As I write this, David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ is playing in the background and I just realized that I identify with many of the verses in the song.

To deal with number 2, I’ve been advised to change things up in my life. Change the venue so to speak. What does that mean? Well, for one thing, get out of the house more often. Now that the holidays are over, I can do that on my terms rather than on someone else’s terms.

My psychologist asked me an important question. “What are your go to items that make you happy?”

An easy answer for once, “Drawing and Painting, Writing, and Sharing intimate time with my girlfriend.” (I don’t necessarily mean sex, but that’s an important part.)

The problem is that all are suffering. I don’t yet have my painting studio setup which prevents me from putting paint to canvas. My injury stopped me from working on it for several months. I muddle through it at times, but I usually ran out of steam before getting far. I’m now motivated to get it done.

Then there is the writing. Without my creative stream running through my head, I am struggling to come up with a storyline. What I do know is that last October, I put pencil to paper and came up with several new compositions that I am very happy with. Drawing them put me in a headspace that made me happy and I forgot about my chronic headache. Checking my headache logs, I discovered that during those days and the following weeks, my headaches were relatively mild. And guess what? That’s when I had my inspiration for ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ Writing it consumed me, and after looking at the logs, the headaches never surpassed a four on a scale of zero to ten. What do you know?

I can draw almost anywhere and yet; I prefer either my studio or my office. They represent my personal space and allow me to dive in without distractions. Until last night, my office was not configured to allow me to draw easily. It is now. 😉 Starting later today or tomorrow, I’ll finish a piece I started months ago and move on. Perhaps that will be the avenue to find inspiration for a new story. In fact, I’m betting on it.

That leaves the last of my goto’s, my girlfriend. Due to my injury and other issues, which I am not going to go into, our relationship has been strained. She is concerned about my condition and often frustrated that she can’t help. So, I was advised to change things up, do things differently and do it in new environments.

So, change the venue, right? Last night, the two of us went for a walk around my neighborhood. The first time since last fall. I usually do it alone. It was nice. Later today, we’re planning on doing a couple of errands together and then go to the movies. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a movie in a theater. I’m looking forward to it. We’ve also made plans to go out more, see friends in other venues, rather than have them come to our house. I’m also looking forward to playing cribbage or other games together which we’ve not done since last summer. Playing games at the table gets us away from the TV, and conversing in an intimate setting which is something I crave.

What does all this mean to you, my fans and followers of my blog and readers of my books? Despite what my marketer muse has told me, I’m going to stop forcing myself to write a daily blog. It is stressful to think of topics to write that you are interested in and it takes time away from life, my girlfriend, and my happy place. But don’t fret, I will write you at least weekly and maybe more as things settle down. Yes, it will be true that I will miss your interactions and responding to your comments. You can comment all you like. I will read, and I will write back.

In the meantime, just know that I love and appreciate all of you. Thank you for your support and reading my books. Be sure to look for my latest novel ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ which I will be publishing on Amazon in early Feb.

Have a great day and a better tomorrow!

Post Concussion Syndrome or Writer’s Block

January 21, 2017

Post Concussion Syndrome or Writer’s Block

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the plot of my next novel. I find that once I am in the midst of the storyline, I feel fantastic. The writing is comfortable and natural. I can lose all track of time and my environment. Much to the despair of my loving girlfriend and partner, I’ve been known to ignore her while I am in the depths of typing out my latest scene. Sorry love.

I don’t know about you other writers out there, but when I am invested in a character, I tend to feel what they feel, be it pleasurable or not. I like it, and I get to imagine what it is like to experience their lives as they fulfill their destiny.

I need to revisit the realm of one of my characters. I have several great story lines I’d like to delve in one day. Just not today.

I don’t understand why not. I remember how excited I was when I wrote down those story outlines. In fact, I remember one day, writing down over a dozen plots that I could use in developing a new book. Yet, as I reviewed them over the past couple of weeks, none of them stood out and captured my interest. Of course, I wrote all of those notes pre-concussion.

My question to everyone out there, am I experiencing a writer’s block or did my brain injury affect me in ways that are changing me? I hadn’t thought so last month. I was in the depths of the glory of producing my last novel, ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ My stream of creative thought, missing for many months after my brain injury, seemed to return with a big bang. Yet, today I wonder if it was just a fleeting spark. The stream, so much a part of my life, has regressed to a mere trickle, falling ever so slowly from a water faucet.

What do you think? Am I suffering a short-term writer’s block or am I suffering from the after effects of my brain injury? Can ‘Post-Concussion Syndrome’ be that devastating? Please leave me a reply by commenting in the field below. Unless otherwise requested, all replies will be publicly shared.

Thanks for reading this and sharing your thoughts. I do appreciate the valuable time you spend in my little corner of the world.

Until next time, this is Richard Verry, sitting at my desk, looking out the window at an unseasonably mild and overcast gray day, and anxious as to whether I will ever return to my normal self.

Free Pre-Release Novel

January 20, 2017

Free Pre-Release Novel

I’m offering a free copy of my latest novel, ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ currently available as an Advance Release Copy on my website. Clicking the free button will direct you to a special page where you can download it for free.

All I ask that you write a review and post it on my site. You can do that, right? Just click the envelope on my home page, RichardVerry.com.

This is a limited time offer. The promotion will end once the book is published.

It’s a first person view of a woman caught up in the human trafficking trade and what happens throughout her captivity. While she hates her subjugation, she grows as a person and start to see her life in a whole new way.

Suitable for all readers 18+. I think you’ll like it.

Sunday Update 1/15

January 15, 2017

Sunday Update 1/15

It’s Sunday morning, and for the first time in a very long time, I see blue sky above. They tell me that within the U.S.; my city has the second fewest blue skies throughout the year. Seattle being the first.

Speaking of Seattle, the Seahawks went down quickly to the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round of the American Football playoffs yesterday. Damn, they were my girlfriends pick to appear in the Super Bowl. We also had hoped that the Houston Texans would topple the Patriots, but as expected, they didn’t. They did put up a great fight against the home team. I thought it was going to be a blow-out and it wasn’t, despite the final score. For once, though, officiating didn’t feel all that one-sided for a change. Others may have a different opinion, but that’s what I got out of the game.

I hate to say it, but I think that the teams that will play in the Super Bowl will be New England vs. Dallas. The two teams I hate the most. Hey, don’t kill me. That’s how I have always felt, and probably will for the rest of my life. And for you Boston fans, let me just say, I love your city, been there a few times. I just hate the team. Dallas, to me, the only good thing you got going are the cheerleaders. There, I said it. Just don’t shoot me. Green Bay Packers, can you do it today? Can you put down the Cowboys in this afternoon’s game? I’m rooting for you.

Of course, my home team hasn’t made the playoffs in seventeen years. What the f#$&? So, what does that tell you?

Enough about weather and sports. I’m sure that there are enough weather and sports outlets out there that can fill your hungry minds.

I’m pretty sure my book, ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ is ready for publishing. I’m just waiting on a couple of responses from my beta readers who are reading an advance release copy (ARC) of the book. I’m excited and nervous to read their reviews. Damn, the wait is excruciating.

If you want your own ARC of ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ click the free button where you can download it free. All I ask that you write a review and post it on my site. You can do that, right? Just click the envelope on my home page, RichardVerry.com. This is a limited time offer. The promotion will end once the book is published.

It does deal with a tough subject, although the story is not as horrific as the ‘Her Client’ trilogy. I wrote it intentionally that way. Sure, there’s sex and death in the book but so do most suspense dramas. It’s a first person view of someone caught up in the human trafficking trade and what happens throughout their captivity. While they hate their captivity, they grow as a person and start to see their life in a whole new way. Suitable for all readers 18+. I think you’ll like it.

Time to refill my coffee, so, thank you for reading this. Remember, if you want your free ARC copy of ‘The Trafficking Consortium,’ click the free button where you can download it free. All I ask that you write a review and post it on my site. This is a limited time offer. The promotion will end once the book is published. All I ask that you write a review and post it on my site. Just click the envelope on my home page, RichardVerry.com.

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Everything is possible, nothing is impossible, it's all in the attitude

Friday update

January 13, 2017

Friday update

Hello everyone. I’m sitting at my desk, not knowing what to write about. Sure, there’s stuff bouncing around in my head right now, but is any of it worthy to tell you about? I doubt it. It’s 38 degrees (3C) and a bit breezy out there. Do you care? I doubt it. Even better since I don’t really care either.

I’m nearing the end of reading my new book The Trafficking Consortium as a simple reader. I had put it down for a couple of weeks and now I’m reading as a reader, not an author. Though it went through an editing process, I found a few minor edits I’d like to make. It’s a good thing I haven’t yet published it yet, though I have a couple of beta readers currently reading it for content and reviews. Yet, do you really care?

Even though it’s about noon right now, I am feeling fatigued. I had PT yesterday and next week will be a full week of doctors, therapists, and the like. I doubt I will get much writing done. Though I have a few story ideas I’m playing with, I haven’t gotten the vision of how the stories should play out, as I did with The Trafficking Consortium. How that story came to life is an interesting story in of itself. After months of missing my creative stream of thoughts running through my brain, that story just appeared one day in the front of my mind, demanding to be released. Three weeks later, the bulk of the story was done. I was consumed in writing it. I was consumed with finishing it. I spent hours each day, often at the expense of other needs and responsibilities. And I was loving it. I loved writing it and getting it out of my head. I was consumed and I allowed it, seeing how much I loved writing the story. What I need right now, is more of that. Perhaps my cognitive thinking assessment next week will help along those lines. All I know is that I need to write and with Avril’s story (the main character in The Trafficking Consortium) done, I am thrashing a bit. I’m not worried about losing my mojo. I know an idea will solidify enough to write a new story. I just want it now. Then again, do you care? Probably not but I would hope that you do.

I need to meet my muse and confident. She’s unavailable right now, having had to go out of town unexpectedly. Or, I just need to blank my mind and trust a good idea will appear. It should, it’s happened before.

I did have an interesting conversation with one of my twitter followers yesterday. It was enlightening. Plus, I had fun chatting with someone who opened the conversation with ‘keep up the good work.’ He wrote me to say that he enjoyed reading my stuff which is always good to hear and good for the ego. Maybe I’ll do more of that.

If you would like to follow my ramblings and such, my updates and my Word of the Day feature (something I would like to get back to soon), please subscribe to my blog by filling out the form below.

In the meantime, I hope you have a good day and a better tomorrow.

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Good Morning World

January 8, 2017

Good Morning World

This morning, as I sat at my desk wondering what to write to you about, I struggled. With what you ask? Good question.

I keep looking to resume my Word of the Day takes and yet, every time I start, I put it away and do something else. I enjoyed doing them. It’s true. I’m also bored with doing them. Well, not so much bored but undriven.

I started them as a way of consistently putting out content in a time when my web host and another vendor struggled to correctly publicize my posts. If they failed to be forwarded to my social sites and email subscribers, then so what. I could always repost it easily enough, or just move on. The thing is, I didn’t what my regular posts disappearing and short changing you, my audience.

The problem went on for months, and if you are a regular reader of this blog, you know the background. They say they fixed the problem, but I am not entirely convinced. Yet, the only way to test it from my end is to … drum roll, please … post articles.

What I’m struggling with right now is that I have a dilemma. I have a desire to start a new novel, now that The Trafficking Consortium is finished. I have several ideas cooking in my brain which I’m excited about and would like to get started. On the other hand, I could finish up Lucky Bitch which only needs a chapter or two before I send it out for editing. While I like writing to you in my posts, I enjoy writing my stories so much more. The writers and artists out there know just what I mean.

Part of the problem with Lucky Bitch is that I am losing interest in the series. I had originally planned at least five books in the series. However, if I abandon the overall storyline established in Broken Steele, many questions and mysteries will be left unanswered and unsolved. If I stop now, I can use the end of Lucky Bitch to respond to the unresolved issues.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the characters as they live their lives within their community. Let’s look at it this way. They live in a world where recreational sex is the norm. Not just enjoying sex in bed but also in public, on the streets, at the club, and during office meetings. There are no issues of unexpected pregnancies, disease, or maladies from enjoying sexual relations. There are no social norms or moralities that interfere with the practice. On the contrary. To them, it is inconceivable to think of a monogamous relationship such what our society is based upon.

It’s every adult of both sexes dream. They recharge their batteries by sharing orgasms on a regular basis and among various partners. As a result, they never get bored, and they spread their DNA around a large pool, preventing issues from inbreeding. Damn, can I guy a ticket on that train, please?

Still, the storyline is getting convoluted, and I’m not sure I want to figure it out. I am thinking of scraping the drafts of Lucky Bitch and starting over. Would that be so bad?

The problem? What to do about the Bloodline, which somehow became an integral part of the main character, Mona in her world in Book 2, Broken Steele. I need to resolve it or find a way to kill it off completely.

Part of me wants to do the later which will allow me to write new stories for Mona and her friends that standalone from novel to novel. I had originally wanted to do that, but somehow, I got excited by creating an even bigger conflict that would affect the entire community.

I have to give it more thought. Any ideas from you reading this article would be greatly appreciated.

So, it’s back to writing and living. And damn, it’s 8 degrees F (or -13 C) out there and very windy. Brrr, it’s cold out there and the prospect of going out and getting the paper is daunting. Bundle up!

Hey love, be a dear, and put on a pot of coffee, please?

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New Novel

January 7, 2017

New Novel

Consider this.

During your annual physical, a well-paid receptionist forwards your chart to an international human trafficking ring. A clear violation of the HIPAA Laws, but who cares? Money is a great incentive.

Consider what happens after they take you, ship you off, and sell you at auction? Can you imagine your new life? Can you imagine a life as owned property?

Avril Gillios doesn’t have to imagine it; she has to live it.
The question is, can she survive it?

After you read this novel, you will forever worry for yourself and your loved ones. Could it happen to you?

The Trafficking Consortium, the new novel by writer, author Richard Verry, available right now at RichardVerry.com

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The Trafficking Consortium

January 6, 2017

The Trafficking Consortium

Consider.

During your annual physical, a well-paid receptionist forwards your chart to an international human trafficking ring. A clear violation of the Hipaa Laws, but who cares? Money is a great incentive.

Consider what happens after they take you, ship you off, and sell you at auction?

Can you imagine your new life? Can you imagine a life as owned property?

Avril Gillios doesn’t have to imagine it; she has to live it. The question is, can she survive it?

After you read this novel, you will forever worry for yourself and the lives of your loved ones. Available now on my website: richardverry.com.

The Day After Christmas

December 26, 2016

Day After Christmas

Well, it’s the day after Christmas.

The world still exists, and I am recovering from hosting a number of people for the holiday feast. As Dr. Seuss wrote, we served roast beast, au gratin potatoes, green beans and a broccoli cheese casserole.

For desert, we served a wide array of strawberry rhubarb pie, cannolis, cheese puffs and the annual traditional rum cake. Oh, and let’s not forget the numerous bottles of wine and spirits consumed.

Cheesy Eddie’s, Rochester NY, USA

For me the best of all was the local and best cheesecake I’ve ever tasted from Cheesy Eddie’s. I love their cheesecakes, especially the perfect New York style. My belly hurts just thinking about it all.

They tell me that the roast beast was cooked to perfection. It’s amazing what you can do if you have a great recipe from the butcher shop and an accurate thermometer. Hint: virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and fresh thyme lovingly rubbed into the meat before cooking. I think it was the thyme that made the difference. Delish.

Everyone had a great time and I even heard comments like ‘this is my favorite party,’ ‘looking forward to coming back next year,’ and so forth. Warms my heart though I always look forward to bedding down afterwards and sleeping in the next day. Ah! That’s today.

Despite the chaos and cacophony of loud conversations, I managed to survived to the day after Christmas without too much trouble. Of course, for awhile and in order to stem the growing concussion migraine headache I’ve lived with for the past five months, I had to wear dark glasses and ear plugs at times to soften the assault to my brain. Fortunately, I kept it in check and even managed a couple of glasses of red wine.

Chillin’

Today is recovery day. My girlfriend and I are just chilling, taking it easy. Whew! We had a great time but I’m glad it’s over.

Chilling out and relaxing is giving me a chance to read my new novel on my eBook reader (my phone) as if I am an ordinary reader. So far, so good. There are probably a couple of very minor edits I will do. I’m marking them as I read. When I finish the novel, I’ll incorporate them into a second edition of the book.

I must say, I’m very pleased with the way the book turned out. I love the story, and regardless of the circumstances of the main characters, there is budding romance that came about entirely by accident. It is not in the nature of either character to see the other with warm, compassion, and love, yet, each character’s heart softens to the other as the story unfolds. Of course, with any good story, you’ll need to read the book to see whether their romance flourishes or explodes.

Sure, it’s gritty and disturbing, even horrific at times but it’s also a gripping story that keeps you connected to the end. Afterall, a good story needs conflict, drama, and suspense to keep you riveted to the story. Give me a week, and I’ll upload the second edition. I’m sure you’ll like it.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. I’m looking forward to a better 2017.

Announcing my new novel

December 20, 2016

Announcing my new novel

I am proud and excited to announce the release of my new novel,

‘The Trafficking Consortium’

available exclusively at

www.richardverry.com/books/the-trafficking-consortium/

Click on the book cover to take you right to my web page for the book.

You can read the first chapter for free before you decide to get your own copy and read the story. It’s available in all eBook formats as well as in pdf. If you’re not comfortable with eBooks, early next year, I will make available a printed version of the book.

If you liked my ‘Her Client’ series and ‘The Breakup,’ you will love this story. Pure fiction, this story follows the development of a young, intelligent woman in her mid-twenties, who is caught up in an unexpected life of love, happiness, sadness, anger, pain, and anguish.

It’s the gritty, gripping, disturbing, and even terrifying tale of a woman who unintentionally catches the eye of an international human trafficking ring. After being snatched off the streets, she is auctioned off to the highest bidder where she learns to live a life as a slave, suffering torment at the hands of her master, while still finding peace, joy, happiness and possibly finding the love of her life.

The question is, can she survive long enough to escape, assuming she still wants to?

You can only get a copy from my site. I’m experimenting with this book, seeing if I can raise interest in my works without paying exorbitant royalties to the various retailers.

Suitable for adult readers 18+.

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My Quandary

December 12, 2016

My Quandary

I’ve sat here, at my desk, or messing around the house trying to decide on what to write today. It’s not the Word of the Day. I can do that. It’s the My Take section that takes so much time. And right now, time is a commodity that is very expensive.

So, I’m going to slow down on the Word of the Day for the rest of the holidays. I’ll publish them, but as time allows or an interesting word captures my interest.

Why am I in a quandary? I’m working hard to put to bed my latest novel ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ Between getting ready for the holidays, which for me has already started, working with the editor to clean up my manuscript, cover design, website work, and all things related to indie publishing, it’s just a lot to deal with, and I hope you don’t mind the intermittent Words of the Day. It’s good to do, but the novel is so much more fun.

Till next time, this Richard Verry, getting back to work.

Book Cover Reveal

December 12, 2016

Book Cover Reveal

Announcing the cover of my latest novel, ‘The Trafficking Consortium.’ Comments and critiques are welcome. There is still time to make minor changes before the release, scheduled in a couple of weeks. If you liked my earlier works, you will love this new one. I am very proud of this story. It’s more mainstream that my other works but still maintains their flavor.

The Trafficking Consortium in 85 words

Imagine, coming to the attention of an international human trafficking ring just by getting your annual physical. Consider what happens after they take you, ship you off, and sell you into a life of slavery. Can you imagine your life as a slave, suffering cruel torments? Can you imagine being forced to choose between a long, torturous, and painful life or a quick but excruciating death? Avril Gillios doesn’t have to imagine it; she has to live it. The question is, can she survive it?

The Trafficking Consortium 3D Book Cover

Latest update, it’s been a whirlwind

December 10, 2016

Latest update, it’s been a whirlwind

Hello, everyone. I hope today finds you well and at peace with the world.

The last forty-eight has been rough. Two nights ago, I went to bed thinking all was well in the world. Well, in many respects, it was. Just not with my website. Maybe that’s why I didn’t sleep well that night. Maybe those problem tendrils were reaching out from the void and tickled my brain to say, “Hey Bro,” I’m having a problem. Which I ignored. After all, I already had a decent headache going.

When I woke up and after making coffee, I logged onto my site. Only, it was barely responsive. The admin page was for all intents and purposes, unresponsive. The public page rendered only once out of maybe six times. Shit! What the hell was going on?

Eventually, I called my hosting provider for support, only to be told, yes, it was slow but that I had too many plugins installed. Well, I hadn’t added any recently, but I did have about ten that were inactive. They recommended that I delete the inactive ones.

Now, I had them installed because on occasion I would activate them for a short time, perform their magic, and then deactivate them. I didn’t want to have to search for them every time I needed their reason for existence.

Long story short and hours later, I called support again, only to be told, “Oh, yes. We are having a problem on the cluster your site resides on. The estimate is about twenty-four hours before it gets resolved.”

Oh, great! Couldn’t they tell me that when I called the first time? Of course, it took at least another hour on the phone the second time before they acknowledged that they were having a problem. What is it with these people? So, now that I knew that it wasn’t me, I put the site aside and went on to other things.

Which is the good news. After being forced to ignore the website, I went about to create the cover for my new novel. It’s pretty much done. After much research, I decided that the title will, in fact, be my tentative title after all. It’s called…drum roll, please.

‘The Traffic Consortium’

I’m quite happy with the overall look of the cover though I may tweak it a bit before I finalize it. Let me know what you think?

Gifts for readers like you

December 1, 2016

Gifts for readers like you

If you liked my books, your friends and relatives may like them too. All of them are available on my website, richardverry.com, Amazon.com, or from your favorite eBook store.

Most are available to read for free with Amazon Unlimited.

Several are also available in paperback; perfect for under the tree.

Thank you for your support.

To read the reviews by readers like you,
click on any of the book covers for more information.

The Taste of Honey	Broken Steele	The Breakup	A Mermaid’s Irresistible Curiosity
Her Client Trilogy	Her Client	Her Overseer	Her Essentia
	The Trafficking Consortium	Perfect Prey

Trafficking Consortium

July 1, 2015

This book has everything in it. It can happen and most likely DOES happen. You will hate and love Sir. He’s so complex. There has to be more. — Gail Dagmar (Aug 1, 2017)

Available now at Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle Reader.

[purchase_link id=”7045″ text=”Read the Free Preview” style=”button” color=”blue”]

Suitable for all readers 18+

Honestly, I need to find a real man … one who can control me

June 1, 2015

Be careful of what you wish for. You may just get it.

Available now at Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle Reader.

[purchase_link id=”7045″ text=”Read the Free Preview” style=”button” color=”blue”]

Suitable for all readers 18+

Avril discovers the world of human trafficking …

May 1, 2015

The problem is … it’s from the inside.

Available now at Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle Reader.

[purchase_link id=”7045″ text=”Read the Free Preview” style=”button” color=”blue”]

Suitable for all readers 18+

Be careful with whom you share your personal information.

April 1, 2015

You may not like what they do with it.

Available now at Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle Reader.

[purchase_link id=”7045″ text=”Read the Free Preview” style=”button” color=”blue”]

Suitable for all readers 18+

Available now at Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle Reader.

[purchase_link id=”7045″ text=”Read the Free Preview” style=”button” color=”blue”]

Suitable for all readers 18+

Rinse and rewind

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Think again.

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Amazon’s Kindle Quality Notice Update

Announcing:

To catch you up

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A Ring of Truth

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Avril’s story

Questions

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Writing up a storm

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Coffeegasm

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Perfect Prey Cover Reveal

Book 2 in the Consortium series

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Are you being hunted?

Daydreamer Night Thinker

Daydreamer and a Night Thinker

p.s.

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Inspiration by Kingsley Amis

Examination

Decisions

I Write for Myself

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How did I come up with ‘The Trafficking Consortium?’

Voilà

Oh my, poor Avril!

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But really, am I getting Lax?

More ideas

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Discoveries

Investigations

Findings

Gratitude

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Reviews

Missing Persons

Where are they now?

A Ring of Truth

Follow-up

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Hello my fans,

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The Trafficking Consortium released

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I’m miserable

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Quiet lately

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There’s such a thing as too much.

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Followup to ‘How do I think of these things’

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Hello to all my followers

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I feel fortunate

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Thank you

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Keep plugging

Persevere & Persist

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Life’s learned lessons

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Post Concussion Syndrome or Writer’s Block

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