Read My Book for Free

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Diary of a Gay Nerd on AmazonDo you have Amazon Prime and a Kindle? If you answered yes to both of those questions, you are eligible to read my book for FREE! Amazon Prime is this awesome membership that allows you to get free 2-day shipping on everything you buy, unlimited music, movies, TV shows and books among many other features all for just $99 a year after your 30 day trial.

When I first published my book in 2012, I wanted to publish it for the Nook, the Kindle and Rainbow eBooks as well as have the paperback version available on Amazon. Kindle has this option for authors who are self publishing to make more money, but only if you sell your digital copy through them. I didn’t want to give people one choice because I don’t believe in the monopoly. Well, after a few years I’ve decided to just go ahead with the deal. This is a great deal for you and me, it’s literally a win/win situation

This is your chance to finally read my book if you haven’t already. You can also tell your friends and family to read it for free if they also have a Kindle with Amazon Prime.

Of course if you do want to own my book, you still have the option of buying the paperback or Kindle copy. You won’t be able to buy the Nook copy, for now. It will be back eventually, I’m sure, but for now, read it on your Kindle.

I am told this does not work on the Kindle app for phones or tablets, it only works if you have a Kindle. Luckily the Kindle is cheaper than ever. You can buy a Kindle, 6″ Glare-Free Touchscreen Display, Wi-Fi – Includes Special Offers for only $79. It’s a great price, and it’s an awesome new Kindle.

So start your one month free trial of Amazon Prime (One Year Membership) so you can start reading my book Diary of a Gay Nerd: Life after Child Abuse, It Gets Better! What are you waiting for? An engraved invitation?

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My WriteItNow 4 Plan

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I have planned on buying this software called WriteItNow 4 on Amazon for $69.95 along with 2 books. One of the books was called Making The Most of WriteItNow 4 but the Demo of the program seems to be self explanatory, and I really can’t afford to spend $15 on a book with only 112 pages. I would much rather spend that money on books that will help me learn to write fiction instead.

One of the books I was going to buy from Amazon for $9.85 is called Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish, but I found that on the Nook store for $10.49. It’s a bit more expensive, but I will get it instantly and not have to pay a shipping fee, so I don’t mind paying an extra .64 cents.

I found some other books that are also available on the Nook store that I will find useful. They are in the Write Great Fiction Series. I won’t be able to buy them all at once, but I will be able to buy them gradually. I can’t afford to go to school for this, but I can afford to buy a few books that will probably teach me everything I need to know in my own time. I am basically home schooling myself lol.

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I have saved up $32.84 in my PayPal account with a $20 transfer in progress from my Etsy sales. I have an automatic $20 transfer every month which will bring my balance up to $72.84 which will be more than enough to buy the WriteItNow 4 software which is $69.95 with free shipping and no taxes. I was expecting to spend $100 with the 2 books so I’m going to focus that money on these Nook ebooks.

For now, I started reading Writing Fiction for Dummies which I bought a few years ago to help me learn to write, but I never got past Chapter 1 because it was too frustrating to keep reading about publishing. I don’t care about publishing because I am a self publisher, I just want to learn to write a book. I wrote my memoir without this book, but I need help to write fiction so I started reading it again today and Chapter 2 has actually started helping me. I’ve already made 22 highlights and written 2 notes. I’m going to continue reading that to teach me all that it can teach me before I buy the other 5 books.

I have waited so many years for this and it’s finally going to happen and I can’t be more excited. My dreams are finally coming true. I don’t expect to be popular or to have the best novel in the world, I don’t even expect anyone to buy or even like my books. All I want is the chance to write them to make my childhood dreams come true. Once I do that, then I will be happy.

New Front Page Design

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The first page of a website is the first thing that people see, and first impressions are everything.  After all, we all judge a book by its cover, and this page is for my book Diary of a Gay Nerd, so I have to make sure the front page is pleasant to look at.

I liked my other image, but it has been on the website for over a year and I thought it was time for a change.  So here is the new image with icons.  I thought about adding some more pages like my other website, but I honestly don’t know what to add that isn’t already on the blog, so I think I will just keep it the way it is for now.

I would like to blog more, but I spend way too much time on Facebook which is where most of my audience is, so I don’t really know what to blog about that isn’t already on Facebook.  I don’t know if it’s writers block, or if I have just said all that needed to be said with the book.

I didn’t make the frame, I got that from an app on my phone called Picsart.  I did however create the images inside the frames as well as created all new icons so they all matched.  I hope it’s nice to look at.

Please buy the paperback at Amazon as well as the ebook for the Kindle, the ebook for the Nook and help support LGBT businesses by buying the ebook at Rainbow eBooks (the .mobi file works for the Kindle and the .epub file works for the Nook as well as iBooks for the iPhone/iPod/iPad and Aldiko for the Android) and they always have sales.  Make sure to add it to Goodreads and please give me a review and rate my book.  I really appreciate that.  Also make sure you visit me on Facebook and say hey on Twitter too.

I donate 30% of all profits to 3 charities (they each get 10%) which are PFLAG Bakersfield, The Bakersfield Gay & Lesbian Center as well as the Bakersfield AIDS Project: Ricky’s Retreat.

I really appreciate all the support I have received since I published my book and I thank you all for reading and listening.

What Is My Main Focus Anyway?

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I wrote my memoir and published it in February 2012.  My memoir (if you haven’t read it) is about child abuse, anti-gay bullying, acceptance, heartbreak, relationships and health matters.  When I published my memoir, I created a website with a blog, a book fan page for Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Showcase Freedom with the main purpose of selling books, but also to share stories that are in the news about child abuse, anti-gay bullying, acceptance, heartbreak and relationships in the gay community.  I have never veered off course, although I haven’t been trying to sell books as much as I should, but my main focus is what is happening in the world today.

Speaking of which… Buy my book at Amazon on paperback or for your Kindle, Barnes & Noble for your Nook only and Rainbow eBooks.  30% of all profits go to charity.

Some of the things that I post or have posted on Facebook in the past have been hurtful towards some people because they were anti-religion.  I am not trying to be anti-religion, but I do post things that religious anti-gay people say or do because it is part of what I dealt with when I came out of the closet and what people are being put through today.  Those anti-gay religious people are who made me the atheist I am today.  I don’t have anything against religion itself, but I will post images, quotes and stories of religious people being anti-gay.  I don’t think I am being disrespectful, they are the ones who are being disrespectful.  You can’t expect me to not say anything and let them walk all over gay people can you?  I refuse to apologize for that.

I saw an image of Snooki with a quote of her saying this:

“There is no way I’m changing any diapers when my baby is born. That is disgusting,” she said.”That’s what maids are for and babysitters. I don’t have time for that. I’ll have them do that stuff. I’ll be there for the good parts, like dressing my son up, making sure he got style. You don’t have to cook or clean or change diapers to be a good mother.”

Some people were outraged that she would say such a thing, one person in particular got mad at me because I was attacking someone he admired by posting that on my page.  He said that my page was specifically for “the gay community.”  Don’t tell me what my page is for!  That’s my page, not yours.  He didn’t like that I posted it, so he not only stopped being a fan of my page/book, but he also unfriended me.  Look, my page isn’t just about gay rights, it is also about child abuse and this falls under that category.  Although I have seen her show Snooki and Jwoww so I am no longer worried about her being a terrible mother because she has proven that she will be a good mother and raise her child in a loving environment.  Not that she has to prove herself to me or anyone else, but my opinion of her has changed since seeing her with her baby.

Look, I am going to post things that people may not like, but think of it this way, I only post 5% of what I see in my feed.  There are so many things that I could be posting, but I don’t because I don’t want to overload people with everything that I have to see on a daily basis.  So what you see is the best of the best, even though it seems pretty bad.

Sometimes there is a story with an image of a beat up child that says in the story that the father or uncle or brother needs to be caught, then that story goes to the front of the line.  I’m sure not everyone is going to see that story or know who the child is, but even if 1 person out of 1159 sees it and knows that person or saw that person, then he gets caught and arrested because I posted that story, then I have done my duty and I won’t apologize for that.

Abraham Lincoln said:

“You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.”

I post what I feel is appropriate.  Most may think it’s awesome while one might think it’s the worst idea ever.  See quote above.

I am sorry if someone doesn’t like something that I post, but I won’t apologize for posting it.  I may have had a reason for posting something.  If I agree that what I posted was offensive, then I usually remove it, but if it’s not offensive then it stays.

That guy who unfreinded me over the Snooki post said that I was supposed to be anti-bully, but I was being a bully.  Every time he commented on any of my posts, it was almost always a nasty or rude comment.  He could never say anything nice to me, but he was calling me a bully.  While I was still his “friend” on Facebook, every time I saw him comment on anyone else’s post, it was always a nasty or rude comment.  So I ask, who was the bully?

My main focus since I began has never changed.  If the day ever comes when people are no longer beating up children or are no longer bashing gay people then I won’t have anything bad to post and I can start posting images of panda bears, baby penguins, babies and kittens.  I would love it if that fantasy ever came true.  Until then…

My Christmas Giveaway Ends With A Winner

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I published my memoir “Diary of a Gay Nerd: Life After Child Abuse, It Gets Better!” earlier this year in February and I had my first giveaway for my birthday in June.  I wanted to give my book away as my birthday present to you.  I actually gave 2 books away.  I couldn’t wait for Christmas so that I could give another book away, but sadly I could only give 1 away.  The giveaway has finally ended and a winner will be announced shortly.

I am very humbled tonight as my second giveaway comes to an ending because of how many supporters I had this time around.  There were 321 people who signed up for the June giveaway, but this one had a whopping 545.  I couldn’t believe it!  It has just made my whole year.  I have felt my whole life that people didn’t really care about hearing my story (or my side of the story anyway) and to have this many people wanting to read my book just brings tears to my eyes.

So I am happy to name a winner… 

Sandie W. of Brigham City, UT.

Way to go Sandie!  I will ship that book out to you as soon as I wake up in the morning.  Thank you so much for entering and I cannot wait for you to get your book.

For those who didn’t win, you can buy my book in paperback format and Kindle format on the Amazon website and for the Nook from Barnes & Noble (paperback coming soon to Barnes & Noble) and as always Rainbow eBooks which has 3 formats, .epub for the Nook, iPhone,iPod and iPad and Android phones and tablets, .mobi for the Kindle and all you have to do is email the file to your kindle email address.  PDF file is also available.  You can also save 30% by entering the code “GAYNERD” at the Rainbow eBooks checkout.  That code ends in January so if you want to save money, use that code now before it goes away.

Any format you buy, even with a coupon, just know that your money is going to a good cause.  30% of all profits will be going to 3 different charities so that each of them gets 10%.  The Bakersfield Gay & Lesbian Center who by the way is running on steam, a piece of string and hopes and dreams, PFLAG Bakersfield and The Bakersfield AIDS Project aka Ricky’s Retreat.  All three of these non-profit organizations are in desperate need of funding to keep them going.  This year in October I was so thrilled to make my first donations and was so happy to see the looks on their faces when I handed over the check.  I tell you, it brought me joy to be able to finally make a donation to so many worthy causes.

Follow me on Twitter and I will follow you back, Like my Facebook page and check in on GetGlue, my sticker should be there, if not let me know.  I am also on Google Plus, but not often.

Congrats go out again to Sandie W. of Brigham City, UT.  Thank you so much for making this my most exciting giveaway.  I will have another giveaway again in the near future.

We Are Celebrating Our 18 Year Anniversary

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Chip and I met on March 25th, 1994 and have been together ever since.  I wrote in my book about how I thought that our relationship wouldn’t go past the 10 month mark because my relationships before only lasted 10 months.  I don’t know what it was about 10 months, but we have stayed together and now it has been 18 years.

I think that this should be a lesson to naysayers who say that a gay relationship cannot last.  I think we have more than proven that love doesn’t have a gender.  We deserve the same rights as every straight married couple out there in the world.

Here is to 18 more wonderful years together and the end of marriage discrimination.

While I have you here, please buy my book, that would be a great anniversary gift for us.  You can buy it for $6.99 for the Nook and the Kindle, you can also get 30% off if you buy it at Rainbow eBooks by typing in the code “GAYNERD” at checkout.

(Note for people buying the ebook from Rainbow eBooks, the .mobi file is for the Kindle and the .epub file is for the Nook.)

My Paper Book at CreateSpace

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The e-book version of my book will always be available for the Kindle at Amazon and the Nook at Barnes & Noble and in other formats from RainboweBooks.com for only $6.99.  If you don’t have an e-book reader then you can buy the paper book version at CreateSpace for $16.99.  It will be available on Amazon in 5-7 business days from today and I will add another post when it becomes available.

I was going to wait until it was available through Amazon because I’m sure some people would be more willing to buy from a company they know and trust.  CreateSpace is who is publishing the book and they are an Amazon Company so it doesn’t really matter where you get it from.

My book is print-on-demand and they usually print it immediately.  I ordered my proof copy on Monday and got it today.  It was shipped to me from North Charleston, SC and it only took a few days via UPS so you won’t have to worry about it taking a long time to get to you.

Thank you for taking an interest in my book and I look forward to hearing what you think of it.

Waiting for the GetGlue Sticker

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If you are wondering what is going on with the GetGlue sticker, well I will tell you.  My book isn’t in their system because it doesn’t have an ISBN number yet.  The paper book will have an ISBN number, but the e-books won’t.

The Kindle has an ASIN number and the Nook has a BN number, but there is no way to add the e-book to the GetGlue database with those numbers.  I actually do have an ISBN number, but that is for the paper book only.  When the paper book is available on the Amazon website then I will be able to add my book to the GetGlue database.  When that happens then you will be able to check in and get your sticker.

When will that happen you ask?  Soon.  I am waiting for my paper book proof (2nd proof) and if it is acceptable, then I will publish it and immediately add it to the GetGlue website.  As soon as that happens I will add another post.

Thank you for your patience.

Revised Edition

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If you are one of the many who bought my book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Rainbow eBooks and have noticed a lot of errors, please feel free to redownload the file because I have corrected all of the errors.  Well, all of the errors that I recognized to be errors.

I spent the last 3 days re-reading the book to find and fix the typos and grammatical errors.  I seriously have no idea how that even happened because I thought it was finished, otherwise I wouldn’t have published it when I did.  Thank goodness Chip caught a few of the errors when I got the proof book on Wednesday.  There was one error that I wouldn’t have even caught if I didn’t read it again, the page numbers on one side of one of the chapters, I believe it was chapter 11 was missing.  I don’t know how I missed that lol.  He also noticed some redundancy issues in the description on the back of the book which I had to fix in Gimp.

I was glad that I found the errors and fixed them because I didn’t want the paper version to have the errors.  I mean, e-book errors are one thing because they can be downloaded again, but a paper book is forever.  You cannot update a paper book.

I don’t know if the Nook and/or Kindle will automatically update the ebook for you, but I do know that the files from Rainbow eBooks will have to be downloaded again.  I would send out an email if I knew who downloaded the book, but I don’t so I only hope that you are going to my website and are reading this right now.

Thanks for your purchase.

Edit: Rainbow eBooks files have been updated, the Nook and Kindle files may take 12-24 hours.  Check in at Noon on Sunday…

Edit: The Nook file on the B&N website and the Kindle file on the Amazon website have been updated.  However, it will not update on your Nook or Kindle automatically.  If you want to receive the update, you will have to delete it and download it again.  Here is a quote from the FAQ section:

“If you replace your NOOK Book file, customers who have already purchased and downloaded your NOOK Book will not have the NOOK Book replaced on their devices. If they delete and re-download your NOOK Book, or if they download the NOOK Book for the first time to a new device, they will receive the updated file.”

I can only assume this would be the same for the Kindle.  Again, I am very sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused you, but it is worth it if you have found errors that drive you as crazy as it has driven me.

I tried to delete an e-book from my Nook that I bought in the Nook store but there wasn’t an option to delete.  So maybe you are wondering how you can delete a book if your Kindle or Nook won’t let you.  Perhaps you can plug your device into your computer so you can view the files.  Find where the e-books are that you paid for and delete mine.  When you unplug it, go into your library where your paid books are and have it check for new content.  It will find my book and download the updated version.  I hope this helps.

Re-editing My Book

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I was so ready for my book to be published and I thought that I had fixed every error there was to fix, but apparently I was wrong.  I knew I should have read it one final time just to be sure, but I just wanted to be finished with it and have it out there in the world.

I got the proof of the paper book and started to “proof” it and found 6 errors in the first 10 minutes.  I continued to read and found 2 more errors 40 pages ahead, but since then have found even more.  I have been working hard to read it and get it ready to print so just know I am working on it.

For those who bought the e-book version through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Rainbow eBooks, I would like to apologize for the grammatical errors you may have come across.  As soon as I finish reading the whole book again and fix all of the errors I will be uploading the file so you can download a fresh copy.

Rainbow eBooks users can just go in and download the file again, but I’m not positive how it works for Nook and Kindle users.  I am not sure if your device will automatically update the file or if you have to do something special but I’m pretty sure that it should update on its own if you log in to the book store for your device.  Of course I will notify Amazon and Barnes & Noble of the update so they can update devices if that is what they do.  I won’t really know until I do the update.

At any rate, just know that I am aware of the grammatical errors and I am working on it and I thank you for your patience.