Len Boswell's Blog
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Feb.02.2011
The January 31 issue of Publishers Weekly had an interesting news article on “the explosive growth of digital sales.” Currently, about 8% of book sales are for e-books. That’s up from 3% just one year ago. Current projections are for e-books to represent 50% of sales by 2014. Most interesting to me...
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Jan.31.2011
A rat terrier purportedly holds the world record for disposing of rats: 2,501 rats in 7 hours, all said to be in the same barn. After adopting a 3-year-old rat terrier a few weeks ago, I am closer to believing this seemingly impossible statistic. My nickname for her—actually my superhero name for...
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Jan.26.2011
Writing is like having a wonderful dream while you’re wide awake. The world becomes what you make and what you make of it. Characters lurk in the shadows or burst into the room, some with their own agendas, others looking for one. Windows appear, draperies descend, wallpaper blossoms with patterns...
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Jan.25.2011
It should come as no shock to you that sales of my two e-books—The Leadership Secrets of Squirrels and Skeleton: A Bare Bones Mystery—skyrocketed in January, thanks to the big bump in holiday sales for Kindle, iPad, Nook, and other readers. The leadership book continues to be the number one “...
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Jan.19.2011
To me, a movie based on a book I’ve read must meet two conditions to keep me in my theater seat munching on popcorn. First, the casting has to be perfect for all the major characters. I don’t ever want to see Jon Stewart cast as James Bond, for example. Second, the script has to stay true to the...
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Jan.04.2011
For those lucky enough to have received a Kindle, Nook, iPad, or other reading device during the holidays, I humbly submit my e-book for your consideration. At just $2.99, it’s about the cost of a grande latte. Here’s an excerpt from . . .
SKELETON: A BARE BONES MYSTERY
Wolf sat quietly at his...
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Jan.04.2011
The idea for a book can come upon you suddenly. Not too long ago, I was driving home after a long, boring day in an Executive Team meeting, where a pricey consultant had held forth for hours on his so-called leadership theories. As I turned onto my street, a squirrel darted across the road in front...
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Dec.29.2010
I hereby resolve to start smoking, drink more alcohol, gain weight, lose more hair, go deeper into debt, lose all my friends, divorce my wife, disown my children, gamble my paycheck on one roll of the dice, laze about, lose my job, and end the year bankrupt, homeless, and in poor health, living in...
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Dec.23.2010
When my children were younger, we had a “recipe” for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, we would sit around the tree and read books out loud to each other, as we nibbled on homemade cookies and sipped hot cocoa with marshmallows. The youngest would go first, usually with ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas...
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Dec.23.2010
If you get an e-reader for Christmas or are planning to give one to a loved one, consider downloading my e-book, The Leadership Secrets of Squirrels. It's available for every reading device, whether you're using a Kindle, a Nook, an iPad, or any other reading device. See a description of the book,...
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Dec.22.2010
With the possible exception of a killer dumpling, my mother’s recipes typically involved a can and a can opener, which she could twirl through her fingers with the speed and agility of a Ninja or a majorette. So the recipe I’m about to give you is not for gourmets.
No, it’s not the dumpling recipe...
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Dec.22.2010
Here is an excerpt from one of my e-books, SKELETON: A BARE BONES MYSTERY. Available at $2.99 for Kindle, Nook, iPad, and other reading devices.
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/2dbstrg
Barnes and Noble: http://tinyurl.com/3x2r494
Sean “Jelly” Jansen had drifted through high school and into the work...
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Dec.17.2010
I roll the tape backwards, through the many Christmases that came and went, some in joy, some in sadness, some in anger or despair, and I arrive at the Christmas of 1957. What a year that had been. Bogart died, Sputnik was launched, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road got published, Bobby Fischer (at age 13...
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Dec.14.2010
Did you know that you can actually give someone an e-book for Christmas? I didn’t until Amazon reminded me that it’s an easy thing to do. If you follow this link, you can learn how.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_left_sib?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200555070
That means you don’...
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Dec.10.2010
I try not to think too hard about the cardinal directions. North, South, East, West—just don’t talk to me about it. If you’re giving me directions, I’d much prefer left, right, right, right, left, you can’t miss it over west, north, east, south, east, am I talkin’ too fast fer ya?
Even as a Boy...
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About Len
Born in a hospital that has since been torn down, grew up on a street that has since changed its name, in a house that has since changed its number. Everywhere around me my life seems to be erasing itself. Before the eraser finishes its work, however, I spend...