Activities§

These are general posts to this site.

Translating ‘I Have No Friends’ Novel to Russian

Based on some elements of the story (e.g., almost all female characters; the inclusion of an oracle), one of my editors, who teaches at Pushkin Institute in Moscow, suggested it might be appealing to Russian women readers and offered to to translate it.

Excerpt from ‘I Have No Friends’ Novel

In case some are curious about my novel, I’ve provided an excerpt from one of the earlier chapters. It will probably be changed by the time it’s published, though. Still, I think it’s a nice sample.

Cast of Characters

A few people have asked me about the characters in my new novel, I Have No Friends. So, I’ve written this post describing them. Actually,I’m doing this in three posts, starting with the main characters.

I Have No Friends

The idea for my new novel came from some Google statistics on my writing site. There are many people who have read articles I’ve written over the years about living alone and losing friends. This is the basis for the novel I’m writing.

Up to Chapter Three on No Friends Novel

It’s been about two weeks since I started my new novel, but I’m already up to chapter three. Since the start is so sad, it’s been depressing writing it. Soon, though, it will be lighter and more fun to write—and read hopefully.

From Marketing to Writing

While doing some marketing research related to this site, I stumbled on an idea for a new novel. It’s a very exciting idea and it may help me to begin to establish myself as a novelist.

The Writing Trail

Many have asked me how I started as a writer and managed to write books. Not knowing other writers, I relied on encouragement from friends and pushed myself, plus I used some trials to prove to myself I could do it.

‘Learning MySQL & MariaDB’ Book has Arrived!

I received a printed copy of my new book, today. It’s very exciting. Now I need to have a book party to celebrate the completion of this writing project. And I need do some marketing to promote the book.

‘Learning MySQL & MariaDB’ Goes to Press

My new book is almost finished: the writing and editing are done; the production department has just finished the cover, including a great quote by Colin Charles endorsing the book. In a few days the book will go to the presses for printing.

Foreword for ‘Learning MySQL & MariaDB’ Book

Last week I was in Malaga for a MariaDB meeting. While there, I interviewed Monty Widenius, the creator of MySQL and MariaDB. Monty has agreed to let me use this interview as the basis for a Foreword for my new book, Learning MariaDB and MySQL.

New Book on MySQL & MariaDB

It’s taken quite a while, but I’m almost finished writing my new book on MySQL. This is the best technical writing I’ve ever done. I’m very proud of this book and hope it will be well received.

On Kindle

Last December I bought an Amazon Kindle to begin to understand how one uses electronic books and the like. It took me awhile to get around to dealing with the software to format one of my books for Kindle, but I’ve finally done it.

Writing a MySQL Tutorial

A few weeks ago, I began writing a tutorial on MySQL. I’m already up to two-hundred twenty-fives. Give me another few weekends and I’ll be finished and ready for tech. review.

New Cover for Kafka Novel

Since I had to engage a graphic designer in Milan to help me to design the cover of my new book on MySQL Replication, I decided to get her to help me to redesign the cover of my novel.

Published New Book on MySQL Replication

I just published a new book on MySQL. This one is on MySQL Replication. It’s not a big book, but it has plenty of good information on the subject.

New MySQL Book

I just published a new book on MySQL Replication. It’s not a big book, but it has plenty of good information on the subject. I chose to self-publish it so I can learn more about publishing.

My First DrupalCon

Having worked for MySQL, and having written about the software for many years, I have perhaps a limited perspective regarding open-source software. This past week I attended a Drupal conference for the first time. The difference is subtle.

In Chinese

Much to my delight, the second edition of MySQL in a Nutshell has been translated to Chinese. With the growth of the Chinese market so broad and strong, I’m hoping we’ll sell my books in this market.

Writing Book on MySQL Replication

In record time, I have written a book on MySQL Replication. I’m not sure why or how I got started on it, but I wrote it in three weeks, over the holidays. I finished yesterday. It’s not overly long, just 200s.

My Kafka Novel is on Amazon

Finally, I have managed to get my novel on Amazon’s web site. It took some doing, but today it hit Amazon’s site. It looks so good there.

Lower Price for Kafka Novel

Although I like Lulu.com, I’ve recently encountered two problems with having them print my novel: the cost to the reader is too high; and after two months my book still isn’t in the databases of booksellers.

First Novel Published

At last I have finished the final corrections to my novel and published it. This is officially my first published novel—albeit a self-published one.

Kafka Novel is Beta Mode

My editor finished his edits of my novel in December and this past month while in the U.S. I made all of the changes that he suggested. Soon it will be for sale on-line.

Publishing First Novel

The self-publishing of my first novel is coming together, finally. I’’ve been working on working out the layout and other factors in printing and binding the book.

Self-Publishing

With the new technology of on-demand publishing, it costs me nothing to self-publish my book. So, rather than not write novel or not published them, I’ve decided to publish my novels on my own.

In the Bookstores!

The second edition of my book, MySQL in a Nutshell has been printed and bound. It’s now available at bookstores. If you’d like to review the book to do an article for a publication or web site, let me know and I’ll send you a copy.

MySQL takes the Red Pill

As a current employee of MySQL and having worked previously in the investment industry for over twelve years, I’m able to see the larger picture of the acquisition of MySQL by Sun Microsystems for a billion dollars.

David Lodge’s Book

Recently I discovered David Lodge’s book, The Year of Henry James. It gives the reader some insights into the life of an experienced and accomplished novelist. As a would-be novelist, I’m finding the peak enjoyable and interesting.

Graham Greene Books

For the last several months I have been reading Graham Greene books. I’ve read over a dozen so far. So now I’ve begun reading The Life of Graham Greene by Norman Sherry.

Working on Second Edition of MySQL in a Nutshell

It’s time for me to work on the second edition to my book, MySQL in a Nutshell. I’ve begun listing what needs to be added or changed. If you have ideas about what I should add to this second edition, please let me know soon.

Nutshell translated to Polish

My book, MySQL in a Nutshell has been translated to Polish. So far it has been translated to German, Japanese, and now Polish. If I could ever become proficient in Italian, I might be able to help translate it to Italian one day.

My Kafka Novel is Finished

My first novel, In Search of Kafka is finally finished. I sent out the first query letter with a sample chapter to a literary agent in New York. I will be sending more queries to other agents.

Meeting in Prague

As part of my new job, I was invited to attend a meeting in Prague, from May 2 to 11, 2005. While at the conference, I managed to squeeze in some time to do some sightseeing.

First Book Released

My first book, MySQL in a Nutshell is now available for sale. It’s a little over 300s long. So far I’ve gotten some good reviews on Amazon’s site and a few other sites.

Linux World Expo in Boston

In recent months I have contributed a few dozen articles to MySQL’s new Knowledge Base and have been acting as its editor. The Knowledge Base was announced at Linux World Expo in Boston on February 15, 2005—I attended the conference.