A Sign of the Times, Buyer Beware by M.J. Claire

I don’t often venture into the land of essays. I live in the world of fiction. Reality is often too harsh and brutal for my tender soul. So, let’s not call this an essay, but rather a commentary, a product review or perhaps a consumer warning.

I think it is no secret that quality control and pride in workmanship have been on a steady decline. However, is it just me or has everyone seen this phenomenon take a rapid plunge downward of late? It seems that with some (many) companies, there is no longer even a pretense of making the customer happy. I don’t consider myself particularly hard to please, yet when I buy something I still hold onto the expectation that it will perform as promised.

Even large companies feel safe in selling crap (yes, I said it, CRAP) with a high price tag that is either defective or works below expectations or promises made. It seems to be a sign of the times that these companies’ philosophies have changed to ‘get in, get paid and get lost’. There is no regard for the happiness of the customer, culling repeat business or even ensuring that the product works. There is only lip service given to customer support because the customer no longer matters once the sale is made. If they don’t come back, no problem, there are five more standing in the wings waiting to take their place.

I can cite two examples; one from a major company and one from an internet company that seems to be doing a very good job of hiding their physical entity (with good reason). The first and most recent example is with Kodak. I think everyone has owned a Kodak camera at some point in their lives. You have to believe that they, at one time, knew how to do things right. However, after three calls to their customer service department, I am still not satisfied with the way they are handling the issue of an EasyCare camera that has not worked for a full 60 minutes since I received it a month and a half ago. I am obviously a less than avid photographer.

Over the few times I used this item, performance declined to the point where it will not even stay on long enough to take a picture. In the course of several phone calls, it became apparent that just because Kodak employees are handling customer service complaints in the U.S., fluency in the English language is not a requirement. Nonetheless, I finally got someone who could understand me and did not disconnect me twenty minutes into the call. After all the wasted time on hold and being REPEATEDLY asked to give my personal information, the ‘technical diagnosis’ consisted of this: take the battery out, take the media card out, put the battery back in, try to turn the camera on. Don’t get me wrong, I have the greatest respect for people with technical experience that offer assistance by phone. It must be very difficult and infinitely frustration, but, when the best you can do is ask me to reboot the item – well, that is just a colossal waste of my time.

In the end, I was told to return the item (under the warranty) for repair. A satisfactory outcome, I suppose, but Kodak thinks that it is okay for me to foot the bill to return this defective item to them. I just think that is wrong. We both agree that there is something serious wrong with this item. We both also agree that it is still under warranty and yet they leave the onus on the consumer to go to the expense of sending it back to them for repair. That is not my definition of standing behind your product.

Case number two: I have a house full of animals. Anyone with a lot of animals has probably experienced at least one close encounter with the flea population. Last fall I had just such an experience. These critters resisted everything I could throw at them. I love my animals and was becoming seriously concerned about the toxic measures I was going to have to take to deal with these pests. I instituted an online search and found a company called Cedarcide. The site was cheesy and in retrospect I discovered a marked omission of any clear guarantee but they tout products that work naturally, are safe for animals and effective for ridding treated areas of fleas and various other insects. The product was supposedly developed for the U.S. army. I purchased 100-some-odd dollars of this garbage, with disastrous results. The product, a cedar derivative, reeks in both the figurative and literal sense of the word. The scent is noxious. Although the claim is that you can apply it to any surface, it is an oil-based product that left stains on bedclothes and carpeting. One of my cats lost a significant amount of fur. Itching increased twofold, so either the fleas loved it or we were all having an allergic reaction to it.
Within two weeks, I had exhausted the supply and there had been not the slightest abatement of the problem. To the contrary; the fleas were having a ball, my animals were miserable and my house stank. I called the manufacturer for satisfaction. I was told simply that the item had been tested by the U.S. army and worked – end of story. After lodging a dispute with Paypals, Discover and the Attorney General’s office, the company, which apparently has no physical address, refuses to resolve the issue. Case closed.

Maybe it is more of the corporate philosophy that is so concerned with keeping the bottom line low so they can preserve their big bonuses. I don’t know the reason for this blatant and total disregard of the customer, but I do know that it is becoming rampant and we, as consumers, should take a stand before it’s too late.

Yet Another Pitfall For The Unwary

On the news the other night, there was a short segment on Caller-ID Spoofing. I had never heard of it. For those of you in the same boat, I'll paraphrase based on my interpretation. Apparently, there are now companies on the internet that offer an interesting new service. It is called spoofing and it allows the user to make a call that shows up on the recipient's caller-id as having been placed from another source.

My understanding is that it works like this; you log into one of these services and pay, then you enter the number you would like to call followed by the number that you would like to show up on their caller-id (it seems that this could be anything from your favorite actor to the IRS), there is also a feature that allows callers to mask their voice so that a man can sound like a woman or visa versa.

I think it comes as little surprise that this new technology is being utilized in a nefarious way. Callers are representing themselves as reputable businesses in order to obtain sensitive information from unsuspecting people. Yet another caution for anyone trying to protect themselves against identity theft.

It is not the idea of this that surprises me. Technology is moving at lightning speed and man's ability to utilize this technology to bilk their neighbors out of a buck never ceases to astound me. What does amaze me is this - apparently, only one state has chosen to make this practice illegal. According to this news program, other states were holding back on legislating against this practice at all whereas some wanted to limit their legislation to usage that was meant to defraud.
Hmmmmm, maybe I am missing something, but what other application could this have? I had to check to confirm it, but true to my recollection, the definition of spoof is to deceive.

I try not to form party affiliations. Liberal, conservative, middle of the road, I try to judge each issue on its merits rather than on where it falls in the party line. But, in this instance, I am afraid that I will come down squarely in the conservative camp. When is our government going to start exhibiting a greater level of care for the average, law-abiding citizen than it does for the criminal?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lYK84Ri09Q]This seems to be yet another example of government doing back bends in an attempt to protect those who should not be protected. When are we going to stop protecting criminal behavior? If you took the time to watch the above video, you will see argument for the one possible acceptable use of this service; for those in battered women's shelters. That seems to be an odd, double-edged sword to me. I would have to believe that there are more abusive husbands making use of this technology than battered wives. Furthermore, there are other ways of disguising your location or identity (such as prepaid cell phones) without doing it fraudulently. In any case, it seems that the legislature could handle this situation with an exclusion of some sort rather than just ignoring the problem. With millions of cases of identity theft, does it really make sense not to address this situation head on?

The bottom line is that this is a service that is based on deceit and has fraud built into its very nature. The fact that our legislative body has to even debate whether this activity should be made illegal is cause for concern. I think it should make us wonder how far off course our moral compass has fallen. Technology is a wonderful thing, but if we are going to sit back and let it rule our lives and dictate our morals, we are in for a bumpy ride my friends.

The Changing (?) Face of Publishing Today

There is no question that the world of publishing is experiencing some growing pains. With the development of new Print-on-Demand technology, one has to wonder why we are holding onto the old ways.

It has been almost 600 years since the advent of the first printing press. Much of what we are seeing today, in the publishing world, are operating practices that are that deeply entrenched and equally outdated. Large print runs, short promotional periods and unlimited return policies are just a few of these antiquated carryovers. Isn't it time that we reavaluate those practices?
Today, when our forests are dwindling, can we really say that we have the luxury of large print runs that will eventually wind up in the supermarket discount bins? Why should a book's shelf life be limited to 4-6 months unless it is a breakout bestseller? Today, we have the luxury afforded by new POD technologies. We can print a text out in 1-500 copies at the touch of a button. Those books can be at the vendors front door in a day or two.

Why then is it necessary to continue overshipping books, storing and handling them only to pack them back up after six months and return them for a credit.
What other product in today's economy offers a no-questions-asked, unlimited return policy? Perhaps there was a need for such guarantees at one time. Now, there is no need for such speculative safeguards, in fact, they are counterproductive. No other industry offers a guarantee of sale on their merchandise. There is always a bit of speculation involved. By allowing a merchant to return books, in any condition, upon their failure to sell, there is no incentive for the merchant to exercise intelligent buying practices. They can buy large quantities to fill their shelves, secure in the knowledge that they can return unsold books at any time.

It is lovely to have a sea of bestsellers spreading across the entrance to your local bookstore, but ask yourself - what is the cost? What is the cost in labor to print, package and ship those books? What is the time investment required to unpackage and display those books, only to repackage them months later for return? And most sadly, what is the cost to the environment of producing thousands and thousands of books that will at best end up in the recycling bin.

Maybe it is time for a more enlightened, environmentally sound approach to book publication. Maybe it is time to break free from outdated practices and approach the job of publishing with a less short-sighted outlook. Perhaps it is time for the book publishing trade to join step with the new publishing technology and quit holding on to old, outdated practices.
We can only hope.

To Be Released - August 2009

Animal Chat by M.J. Claire

A cute commercial, I believe the product is Pupperoni, shows an assortment of animals and how we communicate with them: a woman holds up a dress to a great Dane who is holding a sign that says 'I like the red one', a dog lies on his back holding a sign that says 'a little to the left' as his owner scratches his belly and a Bulldog, sitting by his burly owner, holds a sign that says 'I'm not going to cry' as they watch a sad movie. It makes me think about how we communicate with the animals in our lives.

Most of us have come to know when the animals we live with need the essentials: a fresh bowl of water, some moist food or a scratch behind the ear. One of my cats will meow and head butt me until I lift the covers so she can come under and snuggle against me. Another can go for days without any human contact but then she follows me everywhere I go, winding herself around my legs and trying to trip me up, until I give her some much needed attention.

It gets more difficult when these animals that we love so much are not feeling well, especially cats. Felines are so independent that we don't always notice, especially in a multiple cat household, when they are not eating, drinking or using the litter box. More than once, I have had a cat become ill and I have wondered to myself if I should have seen the signs earlier. In those instances, I can't help but think how nice it would be if they could hold up a placard saying 'hey stupid, I'm sick'. For owners with AIDS infected cats, it becomes even more important. Oftentimes, when we finally realize that they are sick, it is already too late for their depressed immune systems.

But not all pet owners are even that mindful. How many households are there where the dog or cats in residence are nothing but an afterthought? In those instances, the animal may be lucky just to be brought inside on a night when temperatures dip below zero. In these homes feeding and watering the animals may or may not get done on a regular basis, shots and regular vetting doesn't usually occur and the animal is probably not neutered.

These neglectful situations occur because many people do not see the health and well-being of their animals as an important consideration. If they did, our animal shelters would not be overflowing and there would not be astronomical numbers of innocent animals euthanized every year. For these owners, I would say; take a moment and look into the eyes of your animal. They are trying to communicate with you. They can communicate with you, but they cannot do it with a big sign around their neck. You have to look and listen.

On the far extreme of these owners are the ones who can only communicate with their animals in a violent manner. These are the people who enjoy inflicting abuse on something that is small and defenseless. How can someone actually enjoy looking into an animals eyes and seeing pain and fear? It is incomprehensible to me and yet it happens every day. These people just do not know, or care, that human beings do not have a monopoly on suffering. To these people, I would say, talk to your animals. They are much more than so much fur and bones. Perhaps, if you let them, they can help you find a way to heal the anger that drives you. Because, no matter what abuse you heap on them, the animals in your life will accept you. That is a great gift that should not be squandered.

Nightsweats in Bigelow Hollow

First Chapter

Our Boat Has A Hole In It by Janus Kane

I am curious. How many of you out there actually believe that our economy will have any integrity at all when the dust settles? Will the American dollar have any value after this recession has finally leveled out? First the disclaimer - I am by no means an expert. My one undergraduate course in Economics did not go well. I think I recall a C+ for my efforts. But, I have been successfully managing my own finances for over 30 years and I believe I have developed a sense of what works and what doesn't. I had no love for 'the Bush administration'. I do like Barak Obama and what he stands for. I think he is the shot-in-the-arm that this country needs. I do realize that 'doing nothing', in light of this recession, was not an option.

Having said all of that, I have to add emphatically that I am not in favor of, nor do I understand the current bailout philosophy. This is not the first time we have helped to bail out an industry (several years back it was the Savings and Loan organizations) and it will probably not be the last. But, where is this money coming from and are we placing no restrictions on its use? A wise man once told me; 'if you are going to give money - give it with the understanding that you will, in all likelihood, never see it again'. The context here was loaning money to a family member. The banking industry is not a family member, unless we consider it the shiftless uncle that drops in only when he needs some cash, and this money was not a gift. At least I hope it wasn't.

But, I am not sure. In all of the congressional hearings, I don't remember any mention of interest rates or repayment terms. How odd that the American people would give money to financial institutions that survive on one thing alone - the interest that they charge us for the use of their money. So now, if I am understanding this correctly, we are giving money to the banks so they can loan it back to us at the going interest rate. ????

I suppose that the original logic was based on the trickle down theory - that these large amounts of money would eventually trickle down and benefit the general populace. Unfortunately, the only trickling seems to be happening within the hierarchy of these major corporations.
But, if we put that questionable plan aside, that still leaves the question of where this money is coming from. How is it that we have suddenly gotten access to over a Trillion dollars that we are free to loan/give to whomever we choose? Is there a little back room at the Treasury where we are printing this special EXTRA money? Is this money backed up by gold bullion? If so, where was it when our government was running a financial deficit of its own?

Again, I acknowledge that math is not my strong suit, but it still does not add up. We had a Trillion dollars sitting around collecting dust while we had elderly who were shivering in the cold, while kids were dying for lack of health insurance and while mothers had to send their children to bed, hungry. I ask again, where did this big influx of cash come from? And while these corporations happily pad their bonuses and use this money unscrupulously, what will it do to the American dollar.

Are we creating a world where our children will have to carry thousand dollar bills around like we carry twenties? Are we edging toward the fifty dollar cup of coffee or the twenty dollar tank of gas? I have to wonder, because that is the one thing I took away from my Economics 101 course - supply and demand. In this instance, have we increased the supply of greenbacks in circulation to the point where they will loose their value? I suppose only time will tell, but one thing seems pretty clear - we are not going to fix our current economic problems by throwing more money at them.

The Little Insanity Intro

March Books Changes its Release Date for Nightsweats in Bigelow Hollow

March Books has changed the release date for their upcoming YA title 'Nightsweats in Bigelow Hollow'. Originally, this title was scheduled for publication in April 2009. That deadline has been moved to August 2009 to accommodate the review and printing schedule.
The release of March Books first publication, 'Nightsweats in Bigelow Hollow' has been changed to August 2009.

Nightsweats in Bigelow Hollow

Author - M.J. Claire
Website – www.mj.claire.com
genre - YA fantasy
Publisher - March Books
Publisher's website – www.marchbooks.com
ISBN 9781935367000
Publication Date - 8/1/09
Format - 6x9 Paperback
Pages - 148
Price - $12.95


Imagine walking through the park one night and being catapulted out of reality as you know it. Suddenly, you find yourself surrounded by mystical creatures called Animelfs. These creatures can transform themselves into any animal at will. Balthazar, Fagan and Maximillion also have the unique ability to travel anywhere, instantly, simply by stepping into a painting.Nightsweats in Bigelow Hollow is a character driven YA fantasy. The story revolves around Kelly Black, a college-aged heroine who is one part Buffy Summers and one part Nancy Drew. Kelly is reluctantly yanked out of her hectic but infinitely normal life and into a Twilight Zone adventure she won't soon forget. Her path leads to the unwelcome discovery of revelations about her family and herself that she might prefer remain hidden. Kelly learns that the Animelfs did not come upon her by accident. They sought her out because their destinies are, in fact, inextricably linked. Kelly must deal with the discovery of her mother's deception about their true heritage and the startling insight into her father's nefarious, secret endeavors.

Nightsweats is the first in a series of YA novels by M.J. Claire; it will soon be followed by 'Bigelow Hollow Revisited'. The series speaks of courage and determination as Kelly discovers strengths and feelings she did not know she possessed. However, Kelly's greatest challenge still lies ahead of her. She must confront her father about his inhumane treatment of countless innocent animals. The outcome of that confrontation has yet to be determined.

Serious review requests can be sent to elizabeth@marchbooks.com

March Books Changes its Release Date for The Little Insanity

March Books has changed the release date for their upcoming adult title 'The Little Insanity’. Originally, this title was scheduled for publication in April 2009. That deadline has been moved to August 2009 to accommodate the review and printing schedule.
The release of March Books first publication, ‘The Little Insanity’, has been changed to August 2009.

The Little Insanity
Author - Janus Kane
Website – www.januskane.com
genre - Commercial Fiction
Publisher - March Books
Publisher's website – www.marchbooks.com
Publisher's email – elizabeth@marchbooks.com
ISBN 9781935367291
Publication Date - 8/1/09
Format - 6x9 Paperback
Pages - 296
Price - $16.95

What percentage of us are damaged, handicapped, or fractured in some way that we struggle desperately to hide from the casual, and not so casual, observer? How many of us can lay claim to total mental stability, renouncing any character flaws or defects that can adversely affect our relationships and interactions with others?The French call sex 'Le Petit Mort', the Little Death, because it temporarily suspends the heart and the head. The 'Little Insanity' focuses on the equally crazy effects of relationships on our behavior, in the new millennium. Watch the insanity that ensues when six, seemingly sane, individuals mix and shake their own, not so healthy, personality cocktails together. Follow Jenn, Jason, Kyle, Kyra, Brad and Beth through the sexual and personal relationships that are 'The Little Insanity'. Don't mistake this for another knock-off of 'Friends'. This relay of relationships between these 30-somethings shines a light on the different faces we wear and the machinations we all go through to hide what is really beneath the surface. The setting for this little dysfunctional drama is a small town in Connecticut, although some of the story takes place in 'The Big Apple'.

With the pace of a literary soap opera, Janus Kane's first novel should appeal to readers who enjoy watching these fictional, but realistic, characters' lives unfold and unravel before them. These six characters are on a path of discovery that will lead them to painful truths about life, love, themselves and others. Like a car crash, we must watch as these events drive some of our characters, inexorably, toward a crescendo that is the ultimate insanity.

Serious review requests can be sent to elizabeth@marchbooks.com

The Trying Task of Self-Editing

Every time I try to read Strunk or ‘The Chicago Manual of Style’, my head starts to hurt. I don’t think that attention to grammar comes easily to most people, especially in today’s ‘hurry up and go’ society. In my own case, I find myself using punctuation the way a blind musician plays music - by ear. For good or bad, my acid test is how a sentence sounds when I read it. That does not mean that it is right. I am sure there are those who would argue with my comma placement or my use of a dash rather than a colon. To a degree, some of these choices are open to the author’s interpretation.

What is not up to interpretation is the myriad of careless spelling errors that seems to be so prevalent in self-published works. Whether it is online or a hard copy publication, this is an infraction that hurts everyone who ventures into the seas of self-publication. I would venture to say that this is the main reason that self-published authors do not get the respect they deserve. Publishing a work that you have labored over is a complex endeavor. It should be taken seriously. Editing your own work is tedious, exhausting and difficult, but it has to be done.
It is a given that, even after the most strenuous editing efforts, there will still be small things that may be missed. Big publishing houses put out books that are less than perfect and that is with the resources of an arsenal of editors and proofreaders. But, we can all tell the difference between one errant typo and a story that is replete with errors.

In some instances, it is hard to believe that the author has made even a cursory effort to proof their writing. It is almost as if, once the words are written, the author wants nothing more to do with them. How tragic? If an author doesn’t even enjoy reading his/her own words, how can they expect someone else to?

We all realize that editing ones own writing is a difficult and arduous task. We can commiserate with those who have words popping into their heads so quickly that they just have to write them down, but please, have some compassion for the reader. Mistakes are made. We’re not perfect. That’s why God made erasers and that’s why Bill Gates gave us spell check (is he the one who was responsible for that…hmmm?).

This kind of careless effort brings us all down. The advances in printing technology are a huge boon to those who want to see their lovely words in book form. Let’s not take advantage of it and let’s not take advantage of the poor reader who spends their hard-earned money, only to get a sub-standard piece of literature. We can’t all be Keats or Tolkien, but we can all make our publications the best and most polished works they can be.

After all, your name is on this story that you have labored over for months and months. Have some respect for your art. Put your best work out there and make sure that it is a reflection of you. If you like going out to dinner in a dirty, tattered t-shirt, okay then. Hopefully you don’t, but even if you do, don’t make your book suffer by sending it out into the world looking like a filthy street urchin. Dress it up in its Sunday best. Give it the respect it deserves and make your writing something you can be proud of.



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