FirstBlog

Now through Thursday 10/18 at 11:59 PM I am giving away my poetry collection, Digging to China , for free. It's available exclusively on Amazon Kindle. If you don't have a Kindle, you can purchase one here or simply download one to your PC or Mac . I want to get this book in the hands of as many folks as possible so please take advantage of this opportunity as I don't know when I'll be able to do so again. If you like the book, please take a few minutes to like it on Amazon and maybe write a review of it on Amazon and any blogs you might have. I'd be more than happy to share the link with my readers. Thanks for reading and enjoy the book! Click here for your free copy. Check out my latest work on Hubpages.

Another in a series of videos created for my dad. Enjoy! If you'd like to get ahold of his music, e mail me .  Thanks!

Greetings! I haven't blogged in over a week. I deeply regret this, but, I have my reasons. I started school again last week, which puts me out of the house every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 am until 9 pm. Most of my spare time is spent doing homework (BTW... I have a cubby hole at school. Isn't that weird? A college student with a cubby hole? Ha!). On top of this, my wife and I have gone full bore into a writing and editing business, Big Dipper Editing. We offer writing, editing and critiquing services. We specialize in term papers and corporate blogs. I already own the domain and have been editing, ghost writing and freelance writing for about a year but, now, it's a true partnership and we have been steadily gaining clients. We're working on a website to build our web presence. I currently have a few steady clients whom I ghost write and review for.  It's exciting and reminds me of when I started my tutoring business. I'm a dr...

In celebration of my impending series of literary magazine publications and my 10,000 lifetime blog views (as of Tuesday, September 18th) , from 9 am until 11:59 PM PST today, September 20, 2012, you can get a free copy of my poetry collection, Digging to China. The book is for Kindle. You can download a Kindle app for your PC or MAC if you don't have the handheld version (or even if you do, I suppose). There is no catch... I just want to thank you for your support. I hope you enjoy the book. Let me know how you like it. CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE BOOK. Justin Sign up for updates in your e mail inbox.

Ducks win, Seahawks win and I get multiple acceptance notices. It's been quite a week! This month. After a series of months with nothing but rejections, I have recently received a plethora of acceptance letters, including THREE new markets, one previously unpublished story and TWO previously unpublished poems. While none of these are paying markets, they are widely read, up and coming markets and I hope to build off some of the momentum I've gained recently, due in no small part to awesome reviews of my books by Kim Kruise Thompson and Stessily . Having my by-line in a bunch of new places can only help. Here's more specifics (sorry for all the links): Flailing Empty Capillaries will be published in the October issue of eFiction Magazine , which will be released October 1st for NOOK , Kindle  and through the eFiction store . The poem has been published in my book and on my hubpages account. eFiction has previously published...

T his is my first blog featuring a guest blogger. I've been wanting to do this for awhile, figuring that my fans were tired o f hearing me ramble on and on and on. The subject of this blog is poet/photographer Audra Leigh Fisher. She hails from Fairport New York, located nine miles east of Rochester. Also known as "The Crown of the Erie Canal", the village has a population of just over 5300. She's lived in this town most of her life but claims to be "T he opposite of Fairport but [I] fit in on the beach at Durand on Lake Ontario. I just live and breath[e] here. [My boyfriend] Micah and my family are here. And what is familiar and safe I guess. I reflect on inanimate objects and wild life more than people...less conflict." When I learned several weeks ago that my HUBPAGES colleague, Audra Leigh Fisher, was leaving the site, I wanted to know why. I asked Audra to share her story in her own words. I hope you'll find it interesting and I hope th...

Customer service is the number one thing I consider when determining whether or not a company will get repeat business from me. I don't have a lot of money, I have even less time, and I generally don't like crowds, shopping or running errands. If I am going to endure those things, I better damn well get treated like my business means something to you. Many of you have read my Hub Five-er Up about a poor experience I had a gas station that I will not return too because the ownership put the needs of the employee ahead of mine. While it's nice to see an employer stick up for his employee, it's also reprehensible. What happened to the days where the customer was always right? I will no longer dine at certain restaurants because ONE employee made the experience unbearable. Its true. One bad apple DOES spoil the whole bunch. Take note, business owners. And that's why this trend for websites to use forums and FAQ's instead of making employees available live, or...