Bailey's Books - Creative Writing Website

Bailey’s Books

Bailey's Books Website 

Bailey’s books is my creative writing website.  It includes numerous fiction, science fiction, adventure, instructional, and self-help material.  As you find your way through the site you will find my past, current, and some future writing projects that are on the horizon for me to accomplish.  There are links to my articles and other published materials throughout the web.  In the web store you can purchase books I have published as well.  I have listed a few of my published materials below with excerpts from the book along with my site’s address for you to visit.

Shalamar Book I

  “There are many things that happen everyday right underneath our noses and we never seem to notice them.  It could be money on the ground that we walk right over, a person sitting on a park bench that we walk past and not notice, or it could even be another world that exists within ours….”

Publishing 101

  “Having your work published carries with it an outstanding feeling of accomplishment.  As a writer, each and every time I see my work published, it carries with it the same emotion as the first time.  The feelings of joy, accomplishment, and complete satisfaction are overwhelming…”

Hell on Earth

  “Some of us explore the everlasting reoccurring torment of our souls demise.  Some of us fight it the best way we can.  The fight we can never truly win.  We continuously torture ourselves to death.  We drink, smoke, fast, and kill ourselves from the inside out.  It’s ironic when some of us want to kill ourselves when it’s someone else who initiated the soul-crushing blow…” 

Screenplay Writing

  “Individual scenes are the writer’s time to be creative and to expand on the reader’s comprehension of the character.  It is up to us to explain to the reader just who the characters are.  This is the creative chance for the writer to open up his/her imagination and let it flow…” 

How to Find out if Your Wife is Cheating on You...

  “Generally speaking, the first thing that vanishes in a relationship is the sex.  They will usually blame it on something like being tired, not feeling well, or possibly something going on at work that is bothering them.  We all know that this is not the case…” 

Publishing by Bailey

  “In the beginning God created the pen and the paper, and the paper was blank and void; and confusion was on the face of the writer, and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the writer, and God said let there be words and there were words’…”

To see a full list and other links to my works visit:

Bailey's Books website

Project Atlantica

People of all ages and from all walks of life are familiar with the lost city of Atlantis.  Some 2370 years ago, Plato described the location as a “Utopian society” in need of nothing.  The land was fertile in every way possible.  The beauty was unprecedented and the city flourished with food, flowers, and animals.   

After conquering North Africa and Europe, the greedy and corrupt leaders of Atlantis set their swords to Egypt and Athens.  The persistent Athenian army subsequently beat Atlantis and drove them back to their Utopian world to recover.  The unfortunate loss to Athens would prove to be a minor set back in comparison to what they would encounter shortly after their retreat.  A series of destructive earthquakes created gigantic tidal waves and massive flooding destroyed Athens and wiped the continent of Atlantis off of the map.  Imagine an entire continent reportedly displaced within one day and one night. 

Was Atlantis once a real city?  Many scientist, doctors, and professors bet their reputations on its existence.  Others simply explain it as Plato’s effort to express his views on war and corruption.  What are your thoughts?  Was it a real city?  Is it still out there?  I don’t have the answer to that one, but I do know that there are plans in the works for Atlantis II, Project Atlantica.

Project Atlantica is the first of its kind.  The goal is to establish a permanent human settlement in the sea.  Don’t confuse this to a part time stop and flop underwater hotel.  For the first time in history, families will live permanently within the confines of Atlantica.  Children will be born, go to schools and live their lives with their families underwater on the seabed within the settlement community. 

The first stage of the project began May 1^st, 2009.  The Leviathan Habitat was submerged along with two aquanauts, Dennis Chamberland and Terrence Tysall. 

 

The second stage will begin Monday July 7^th, 2012 off the coast of Florida.  Three aquanauts will begin their 90-day underwater mission called Atlantica I.  If successful, they will establish a new world record for an uninterrupted underwater mission.  The Leviathan will be used for their 90-day mission.  The Leviathan was engineered to support permanent human stay within the underwater world. 

Let’s meet the crew of the Leviathan Habitat that will embark on their mission July 7^th, 2012.  First, Dennis Chamberland will be the Mission Commander.  Dennis is a 12-year veteran of undersea missions and is a former US Naval Officer and a civilian nuclear engineer.  Dennis is an architect of the Atlantica Expeditions and is an advanced life support systems engineer. 

Next, Claudia S. Chamberland will be the Executive Officer for the mission.  Claudia is a former US Army Major and a graduate of Mercer University and the US Command and General Staff College.  She is one of the first woman Army Paratroopers and is also an experienced Aquanaut. 

Last, Art Ortolan will be the Chief of Diving Operations.  Art brings his former law enforcement experience to the mission along with being an experienced aquanaut and an explorer of reportedly numerous frontiers.

During their 90-day stay the crew will be participating in educational links with students in classrooms around the country.  Environmental monitoring and advanced life support systems will be utilized during the mission.  There are 10 phases they will follow that will construct the philosophy, mission plans, hardware construction, educational resources, testing, aquatic environment for the mission with the ultimate goal being to ready the environment to permanently sustain human life. 

Statistical information:  Combined logged Aquanaut Missions +8500; Number of Certified Aquanauts 22; Number of Certified Astronauts 2; Professional Drivers 6; Certified SCUBA Dive Instructors 2; Professional Educators 8; Physicians and Psychologists 3; Scientists 8; Engineers 6; Documentary Film and Motion Picture Producers 5; Students Grades 7-Graduate 7; Youngest Age Crewmember 10; Oldest Crewmember 86; Nations Represented 7 (US, Canada, Malta, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Guatemala); Average Age 41

Appraisal, The Value of Art

Through the mist emitting from the halls that house the finest and most decorative works of art, an Appraiser emerges.  To succeed in today’s competitive world of art appraisal, antiques, fine and decorative arts, one must acquire current specialized knowledge and practical hands-on experience in the fields of art and history.

An appraisal is an informed opinion of value (monetary, cultural, historical, etc.).  Statements are validated upon expertise, experience, and educational background of the person providing it.  Opinions and statements must be without coercion. 

Utilizing hundreds of techniques, appraisers determine the value of selected pieces of art by painting their “authentic” seal of approval.  Appraisers measure the value of fine art for the purposes of buying, selling, insuring, or to retain for their pleasure. 

Listed are a few helpful hints to guide you while assessing a piece in your possession or at an auction. 

• Observe the condition of the piece by looking for cracks, wear, or other possible contaminants.
• It could be shown as “good form” to acquire a second and possibly a third opinion at times to ensure accuracy.
• Be sure to acquire ALL of the proper documents in order to prove its authenticity.
• Use antique price guides for appraisals (a basic price list for common products).
• Antique appraisals based on sales records (actual sales records).
• Money Matters as seen on Comcast CN8 listed that the top five indicators that impact value include quality, condition, scholarship or publication record, exhibition record or public awareness, and provenance.
• Age and historic value are important but not on the top of the list.
• I reiterate QUALITY is important when it comes to fine art.

The bottom line is art appraisals are essential to the art world, history, and protecting your investments.  Below I have chosen a few organizations within the appraisal industry including, A.S.A. (American Society of Appraisers), to further your education in the art of appraisal.

A.S.A. (American Society of Appraisers)

555 Herndon Parkway, Suite 125

Herndon, VA  20170

800.272.8258

www.appraisers.org

Fine Arts Services

7334 Versailles Lane

Charlotte, NC  28277

704.752.4214

www.fineartservices.org

Mir Appraisal Services, Inc.

307 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 308

Chicago, Illinois 60601

312.814.8510

www.mirgallery.com

NYFAA (New York Fine Art Appraisers)

410 Park Avenue, Suite 1530

New York, NY  10022

212.772.0319

www.nyfaa.com

Art Appraisal Firm

Post Office Box 8904

Elkins Park, PA  19027

215.469.0010

www.artappraisalfirm.com

How PPC will Optimize your Business

In December of the year 1999, Google started search engine advertising.  However, it wasn’t until October of the year 2000 that the AdWords system was initiated.  Adwords allows advertisers to create text advertisements on the Google search engine.  Lastly, in 2002 PPC (pay per click) was introduced.  Prior to 2002, advertisements were charged at cost-per-thousand impressions.  Google has changed the face of the online advertising world.  

To succeed in marketing a business today you need to do the following:

• Know where to find your customers.
• Build a relationship with them.
• Communicate your product or service with your customer in a way that makes them want to do business with you.

Pay Per Click advertising or PPC is one of the fastest most profitable ways to increase traffic to your website.  Pay Per Click is very simply explained; you pay when a customer clicks on your advertisement online and enters your website. 

In this article we will discuss five aspects of the PPC system.  When followed, these five aspects will lead you to marketing success.

1. Keyword Selection:  The most important stage of the Pay Per Click campaign is researching the keyword selection carefully.  Both the relevance and popularity of your business are taken into account when selecting your keywords.  Finding the proper keywords is very crucial and imperative to the success of utilizing the PPC system.  The more common keyword research tools are: Nichebot, Google keyword tool, Word Tracker, etc…  You may also purchase a larger set of keywords, being either the more commonly used or the less commonly used sets.  Logically, purchasing the more popular set will be more expensive.
2. Converting a visitor into a customer:  Your link may get them to your website however, your marketing expertise you utilize in your business proposition selling your product(s) or service(s) on your website is what will convert your visitors into customers.  Keep in mind while writing your website; The heading of your PPC link must be delivered in your website, and due to the overwhelming number of “get rich quick scams” online you may even need to give a chosen number of products or services to customers in order to make your name in the industry prior to making your mark.
3. PPC Engine selection:  This may be the only time you will read, “the second best is your best option”.  Too many businesses use the “top” engines & keywords and the price for duplicate keywords is very high; therefore, using the “second best” engine is the best in this case.  Keyword price bids are regulated by other advertiser bids and how much you are able to pay as well.
4. PPC Engine submission:  There are two primary models for determining the per click cost:  Flat-rate & Bid-based.  With Flat-rate a fixed amount is agreed upon with the advertiser and the publisher.  Advertisers can negotiate a lower rate when agreeing to a long-term / higher value plan.  With bid-based the advertiser informs the host of the maximum price they are able to spend on a given spot generally utilizing online tools and keyword based.  
5. Continue monitoring for optimal results:  Setting up the campaign is not the end of the Pay Per Click advertisement campaign.  Continuous reports from the PPC engines or from software that continuously reports progress of the PPC engines must be analyzed and changes must be made until the best results are achieved.

Elementary School - How to Start a Book Club

It’s more enjoyable to share a book with someone then it is to read alone.  Starting a book club is a great way to meet new people and share your thoughts on various types of literature.  Online book clubs are convenient, but there are readers who agree that nothing can take the place of the face-to-face traditional book club experience. 

Prior to starting your own book club, I suggest you attend a few clubs in your area and take note of their structure and activities they offer.  Patience is the number one characteristic you must adopt.  A good book club takes time to get off of the ground and develop into a successful activity. 

The following steps are to create a well-developed book club that will develop life long relationships with your neighbors and community.

1. Increasing your numbers – If you know many people in the area, finding people to join your club may only take a short time.  If you don’t, you might want to display flyers at local establishments and other locations you may frequent.  Local organizations in your area may be a good place to start to increase your member numbers.  School organizations such as the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and other community gatherings are a good place to find other literature lovers.  If you are fairly new to the area, you may want to take a more aggressive approach and spend a few dollars to place an advertisement in a local paper or two. 
2. Marketing help – Have your book club members help you with finding more members.  Ask them to post or hand out flyers.  Have them ask their friends and family.  Have them ask their church congregation if they have any interest in joining.
3. Selecting locations for meetings – Ask your members if they have any ideas for meeting locations.  Each month the meeting could take place at each of the member’s houses.  A local church or non-profit organization may have a location for your meetings.  Another possibility may be to make a reservation at a restaurant in advance and hold the meeting over lunch or dinner.
4. Meeting times – Create a schedule in advance so all of your members can make the proper arrangements to make it to each meeting.  We all have responsibilities and busy life schedules to maintain.  The further in the future your club’s schedule can be created the better.  For example, scheduling your club meetings for every first Thursday of each month will give all members ample time to make arrangements. 
5. Meeting structure – Establish the events that will take place in every meeting.  Have an agenda to follow every month so there are minimal dead spots during meetings.  Establish how books will be chosen to discuss and who will run each meeting and organize each book discussion.  For example, chose a different member each month to chose and discuss a book of their choice.

Above all remember to have fun.  Don’t think of it as work.  Think of it as a vacation from reality.  On that one day a month you can escape into the world that is created by literature.  It gives you the opportunity to loose yourself and find yourself.  Reading keeps the brain active.  Physical exercise is good for your body as reading is good exercise for your brain.  Reading keeps your brain alert and sharp.  Now saddle up children, it’s time for adventure and exploration.

Writing for Magazines

9 Easy Steps to Follow

 

Stand out or sit Down

I take daily walks to the local news agency.  One day, I took a look around at all of the publications and I realized that most of the material was supplied by freelance writers.  That’s the good news for us freelancers.  The bad news is that due to the vast number of freelance writers, the competition can be tough.  The bar has been raised by the writing industry.  With the high number of freelance writers and the large number of article submission requests, the publishers can sit back and wait for that one article that fits their needs.  It’s now time to stand out or sit down.

I will be breaking down four major areas of interest with regards to writing an article for a magazine.  The areas I will cover are as follows; one, basic core knowledge of article writing two, knowing your audience three, writing a marketable article and four, selling your article.

§       Basic core knowledge of article writing

Everyone possesses the basic core knowledge of article writing.  We have all had those unique experiences in life that are story worthy.  How about getting through the grueling holiday dinners with your families?  I know we all have at least one good family holiday story.  How about watching your first child being born?  I speak from experience it’s truly amazing.  However, my wife has a different take on the subject.  I guess it has something to do with the pain involved with childbirth.  Every time I talk about our son being born, she grabs her stomach, gives me a dirty look, and walks away.  My point is we all have memories and experiences.  Our memories, experiences and research are the core of article writing.

§       Knowing your audience

Knowing your audience is knowing your publication’s demographic audience, style, and general tone they have come to acquire. 

The publication’s readers are accustomed to opening up the magazine and navigating through the pages in a predicable manner.  Every writing entry has its home and the readers take comfort knowing they can rely on the magazine’s staff to deliver that comfort on a regular basis.  

§       Writing a marketable article

Marketable articles are in high demand.  The idea is to grab the reader at the very beginning of your article, keep a firm hold throughout the article, and lastly end with a convincing summary.

To create a marketable article, you must begin by acquiring a set of editorial guidelines and follow them to a tee.

In order to grab the reader at the very beginning, you must shock them into not being able to put the article down until they get to the ending.  Insert an unusual unknown fact to keep their attention.

The middle portion of the article is filled with fact-based information, examples, and opinions of the topic at hand.  The boring writer will refer to this portion of the article as the simple list of facts.  The outstanding writer will add opinions and other colorful comments.

A convincing summary is the writer’s last chance to leave a long lasting impression of their work on the reader.  You are to link your first paragraph all the way through to the last paragraph.

A good system of writing marketable articles is to make your own outline or template and use it for every article.  I researched outlines on-line, took pieces from many sites, and came up with my own outline for a successful article.

§       Selling your article

Selling your article gives you a great feeling of accomplishment.  The publisher is saying, “I like your work, please except our money, and please write me more of your good articles”.

The first stage of selling your article is to create a query letter and submit it via email (sometimes by snail mail but usually email).  To write a successful query letter you must do the following:

• List your education and qualifications you may have in the writing, editing, or publishing fields.
• Explain why they should consider publishing your article(s).  What personal interests or direct experience do you have that may link you to their publication?
• Mention that you have a digital camera, digital voice recorder, a laptop and other technology that can assist you with your trade.

§       Magazine demographic & formatting research

You will find this section very helpful for identifying the magazines tone, theme, and overall content.  There are three aspects of a magazine’s format to take into consideration while educating yourself about the publication’s audience.  One is the cover, two is the table of contents, and three are the articles.

§       The cover

Study the pictures and text on the cover.  They communicate the magazine’s content and its overall tone and theme.

§       The table of contents 

The table of contents outlines what topics are currently featured in the magazine and what the future topics will be covered as well.  The page numbers of the contents can determine to what length selected topics are covered.  This vital information can assist you with future time management issues and to ensure that your efforts are properly disputed on time worthy topics.

§       The articles

Are the articles of the magazine specifically structured or generally structured?  By answering this question, you will determine the overall tone of the magazine.  Is it a hard hitting, in your face, serious magazine; or does it take a passive approach on its issues? 

Is the magazine more of an entertainment type of magazine or does the article fact checking take a considerably large amount of time?  What size paragraphs are used (small, short, long, in depth)?  The answers to these questions could change how you approach writing an article for the magazine or if you are a good fit for the magazine.  Are multimedia files or other inserts a good part of most of the articles?  If so, a digital camera with user-friendly software wouldn’t be a bad idea to acquire.  Are there many different author names listed on the bylines, or do a few authors write most of their articles?  Generally speaking, the more authors listed, the higher the chance you have for freelancing for them.

Supplemental Note: 

It is absolutely imperative that you purchase, Writer’s Market, published annually by Writer’s Digest Books.  It is the most comprehensive guide to the North American writer’s markets.

Terrorist Activity Signs

Terrorism is an organized use of fear, force, or threats to intimidate a person(s).  The International community has failed to develop a universal definition of terrorism.  "Terrorism" is a word that all civilians take to heart.  When the term is heard, people are emotionally charged and take a concerned demeanor for family, friends, and state.   The term terrorism has a violent or a series of violent behaviors attached to its definition.  Politics, religion, or personal goals appear to be at the heart of each act of terrorism.  The perpetrator of the act of terrorism unfortunately targets the most emotionally vulnerable part of the receiving end of the terrorist's act(s).  If the receiver is an individual, it may be family or friends of the receiver that are unfortunately targeted.  If the receiver is a leader of a country, it may be the civilians of that country who are affected.  To hurt someone, terrorists target the people who mean the most to their target.
Bin Laden supported Al Qaeda's attack on American civilians and promises further attacks as well.  Laden, further holds Americans accountable for the policies that their democratically elected government creates.
Bin Laden has stressed the importance of preserving oil to Arab governments.  He explained the economical affect the oil preservation could have on the rest of the world (namely the United States).  This strategic move will certainly increase the cost of gasoline and attack the United States economy and its citizens as well.  This economic attack on the United States doesn't increase the death toll as in a typical terrorist attack would however, it hits their economy where it hurts (in the wallets of their citizens).  This welcomed change of strategy doesn't add to the body count however, it also doesn't affect Al Qaeda's commitment to its ideological agenda.
The ASIS International (American Society for Industrial Security) is an organization for security professionals.  ASIS focuses their concentration on increasing the productivity and effectiveness of security professionals by keeping educational programs and seminars up to date for its members.  The organization has many different resources and other information that may be useful to every person who is interested in their nation's security.  A question in many American's mind (since the September 11, 2001 tragedy) may be how do I recognize if a particular location is going to be a victim of a terrorist attack?  After visiting the ASIS public website I found the answer to that question.

The following seven signs of terrorist activities I obtained from the ASIS public website.

• Surveillance – When terrorists choose a specific site, they will have the site observed and document the following: traffic, number of employees (when and where they are located), the number of routes to and from the target (both by vehicle and foot), cameras and other means of surveillance, building & property plans (floor plans, external dwelling plans on property), etc…
• Elicitation – The Gathering of sensitive information for the target, which includes the following:  security information of the target, infrastructure plans, traffic routes and structures within the target's transportation routes, plans of surrounding properties, individual(s) taking an usual interest in mail or certain boxes / packages received by or mailed from the target, etc…
• Tests of Security – These tests may consist of the following: a member of the terrorist organization may apply for employment at the target to obtain security and local authority response times to emergencies in sensitive areas or a specific area of concern; or possibly enter a secured area as an outsider and time the security and police response and the general number of people involved in the response and the locations they respond to.
• Acquiring Supplies – The terrorists may either make rather large purchases of a product used in explosives, or a product that is not commonly purchased and must be ordered.  They may also bypass the purchasing stage by steeling the products needed.
• Dry Runs – Terrorists may perform practice runs of their operation prior to the actual terrorist's act.  These practice runs may be the most important part of their plan.  They may find what part of their plan is the most vulnerable and needs the most attention.
• Deploying Assets / Getting into Position – Deploying assets or getting into position may be the last sign that preempts the actual terrorist's act.

 NOTE: Pre-terrorist act indicators may occur days, weeks, months, or even years prior to the final act of terrorism.  It is imperative that all incidents are reported, no matter how trivial they may be.