Test Audio for Our Volunteeers

Posted on April 10, 2021April 16, 2021 by D. L. Keur

A Jessica Anderson K-9 Mystery, Book 1, by D. L. Keur Like I posted on FB, We need some Guinea Pigs …er …volunteers to test Ch1 of my audio book compressed to MP3. We left it full, rather than chopping out the bottom, and what I need is for you to try it on whatever device you usually listen on (phone, computer, mp3 player, etc.) then report back telling us what device you used, whether you used onboard speakers, good quality speakers, etc., PLUS a report on how it SOUNDED on your device.

Usually, the ACX specs (and, no, I will not be putting this on Audible, EVER), has the whole bass end cut back, so only the mid-range and treble are pretty much left, making the sound bright and sharp. My husband (and I agree with him) would like to keep it more natural. So, without further ado, here is a link to the page where you can either listen to it right on the interface or download the .zip file and listen to it (after unzipping it, of course) on whatever you choose.

And a HUGE thank you. We need to see if our treatment works or we, in fact, will have to cut the low mid-range and bass out.

(Put your results in the comments ~~here or~~ on FB here.)

Chapter 1, 9-1-1 Call – 441-16.ZIP

Pernicious Impertinence

Posted on February 4, 2021 by D. L. Keur

I’m part of several writing groups around the Net. Where I used to be quite active, now, mostly, I lurk, unless the forum is absolutely private, and, even then, most of the time, I offer little input. Why might that be? Well, a recent incident in a private forum will illustrate one very pertinent reason.

Somebody asked a question. Several people cautiously answered with patently safe responses, namely of asking the OP (original poster) tangential questions about aspects of their topic, a technique which neatly avoids having to actually answer. Finally, somebody was candid enough to give an on-point answer …and immediately that person got piled on by people who hadn’t even yet participated in the thread.

Why?

Because, with typical ignominy, ‘The Collective Miffed’, as I’ll call them (and, yes, there were several), didn’t like the candor and the inherent implications that underlay the truth in that answer, namely that, if you want to target the specific demographic market that the OP was trying to reach, you have to target what that demographic market wants and avoid targeting what it doesn’t.

What caused the upset among ‘The Collective Miffed’ is that, in exposing that truth, the respondent also exposed a truism about one particular, very large demographic target market, a trusim that immediately marked books authored by ‘The Collective Miffed’ as inappropriate.

Can you say pitchforks and torches, feathers and tar?

Yep. That’s what happened.

The respondent was labeled harmful and rude, never mind that he was the only person to lay it out the way it is. Darn his pernicious impertinence, y’know? Give not answers of unpopular truth to the mob, but only flowers and icing, baldfaced lies, and lots and lots of steaming [*]! .

It’s Never Safe to Tell the (Unpopular) Truth when Mob Rule runs Rampant

A New Series in the Making

Posted on January 29, 2021January 29, 2021 by D. L. Keur

Yes. That’s right. I’m writing a new fiction series.

No. I’m not going to tell you much about it, yet. It will be a surprise.

But I will share this: It features a female protagonist. It’s set in today’s rural West (as in U.S. West), but, unlike Through Better & Worse and To Have & To Hold, it’s NOT a Western Family Saga, and it’s certainly not Modern Western Romance. It’s got absolutely no profanity and no sex. It’s got no ‘gruel’ — no gratuitous cruelty, gore, and/or barbarism.

Will you like it? I think a lot of people will, yes.

Why am I writing it? Because I need something in my catalog that will appeal to a broader audience than my more literary efforts.

I write good books. But, unfortunately, what I’ve published doesn’t fit neatly into a genre. This series will, though. This series will fit right into one major fiction genre that people love.

More later.

Mystery Cover

Why I Write.

Posted on February 18, 2019January 28, 2021 by D. L. Keur

…Because I have to. It’s a compulsion. And, no, I’m not an obsessive-compulsive personality. I am driven, yes. I am passionate. I am labelled a ‘high achiever’, though, when measured against the achievements others I know and what they accomplish in the same amount of time, I’m a slacker by comparison.

Someone asked me what genres I actually prefer to write. I had to think about that, because, I love all the stories I write. I love the characters, I love their stories. But, when push comes to shove, when it comes to ‘genre’, I love writing science fiction. As usual, though, I don’t write formula. The aliens aren’t the bad guys. Humans aren’t the heros. There aren’t any bad guys and good guys, no good against evil. Because that’s not really how reality works. It’s all about perspectives.