Disruptions, Releases & More
I'm changing webhosts, my wife is releasing her first music, & more
TLDR!
Here’s what to expect from this month’s update:
Monthly update
My wife is releasing her first music track this month!!!
Bookish events for September 2024
August 2024 Accountability
Website disruptions possible!
September is rolling around, and I’m expecting some disruptions.
My webhosting service is due for renewal, and the price has gone up significantly from last time I renewed it.
I’ll be changing webhosts over the next couple of weeks, which might mean having to either update, or rebuild the site.
This is something I have to look at every couple of years, and I’m never quite sure how things will go. So, I’m warning you ahead of time. I’ve already picked my new hosting service, and will be signing up for a three year hosting plan to minimize disruptions going forward.
My wife is finally releasing her first music track “Freedom’s Heart”!!!
“Freedom’s Heart” was written on September 11th 2001, in the aftermath of the terror attacks on American soil. My wife was moved to lay down the lyrics over the course of her lunch break, and the melody followed shortly after.
For years, this song existed only as written words, and the occasional performance. But 10 years I encouraged Sandi to record some of her music, and she found a local musician and recording studio to help. She started to lay down several tracks, and then life happened.
Everything from people moving, through Covid, to files going missing got in the way of getting the music out there.
Thankfully, before that happened, she was able to get a rough copy of the song. However, it wasn’t complete, and needed some additional recording time to get a finished version.
In August of this year, she finally managed to get into a new recording studio, and add the harmonies she wanted for this, and a couple of other songs.
With “Freedom’s Heart” finally completed, we signed her up for a music distribution site, and uploaded the files.
And now, it’s just a few days (or even hours) from when the song will be available through most major streaming services.
Click the image above to find out where you can hear this amazingly patriotic song!
And if you do listen to this amazing song, PLEASE, leave a comment. We’d both love to hear what you thought of it!
Bookish events for September 2024
August 29th - September 4th - Literacy & Numeracy Week - Can you imagine life without being able to read, or do math? Neither can I!
September 1st - 30th - Read A New Book Month - I’m always looking out for new reads. How about we share some of our favorites in the comments?
September 1st - 30th - National Library Card Sign-up Month - Because who can forget these amazing sources for books?
September 4th - Indigenous Literacy Day - help raise awareness of the challenges faced by some indigenous communities, when it comes to literacy resources.
September 6th - National Read a Book Day - Time to free your imagination, and disappear into the pages of a book! What will you be reading?
September 7th - National Buy a Book Day - Because how else are you going to read a good book over & over again?
September 8th - International Literacy Day - donate time, money, or books to help spread literacy. The ability to read well can change lives!
September 11th - Libraries Remember Day - let’s remember how libraries encourage not only reading, but being part of a community, sharing knowledge, understanding and unity.
September 15th - Wife Appreciation Day - I know I appreciate how supportive my wife is of my crazy dream to write for a living!
September 18th - Read An Ebook Day - Because who doesn’t like the convenience of being able to carry books on their phone/tablet? (Yes, I do read books this way, but I far prefer to have physical copies).
Feel free to share any local book-related events in the comments.
Writing/Editing Update - August 2024
Words edited: 4,554/32,231 (second pass) - Shadows Over Seattle: Prequels 1-5”
Dedications added to “Shadows Over Seattle: Prequels 1-5”
Days I’ve written something: 0
Days I’ve been unable to write anything: N/A (Editing)
Outline pages: 13 (finalized for “Shadows Over Seattle #1: Of Wolves & Men”)
Draft pages: 4 (for “Shadows Over Seattle #1: Of Wolves & Men”)
Words written: 4,083 (draft - for “Shadows Over Seattle #1: Of Wolves & Men”)
Okay, so it looks like all the links ARE being shared @ https://ditto.fm/freedoms-heart . It's just taking longer for some of the stores to come online than others.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=aGwhd1dZSR8 - the full track is available on YouTube Music!