Smokey Mountain Breakdown

We have a few new lurkers here on the Breakdown, some of whom may not really be aware of exactly what they are looking at. I thought I'd take a moment to update and let you know about future plans as well.

Here is the first official SMB FAQ (frequently asked questions).

1. Arghhhr! What is this?

The SMB is a blog, which is short for "weblog". It's an online journal composed of one individual's thoughts, usually. In the SMB's case, this is a fiction blog. That means that virtually everything here is pretty much made up. In fact, the more I write, even the stuff I thought might be true, turns out to be made up. It's called creative writing. If you think you recognize yourself here...well good. That means I'm doing my job well. If your really think you see yourself here, may I suggest the works of J.K Rowling. You might be Dumbledore!

2. Is this a "secret" blog?

No. The SMB has been on the web since 2003 and alternately active and inactive. It has been easily accessed through the web since it started and I've made no secret that I was writing it. Everyone I know, online and off-line, has been told about the blog since I started writing it and my emails have held it's url since I started working on it. If you are just getting around to checking it out, let me offer you a warm welcome.

3. Do you hold a copyright on all this stuff?

Yes. I don't have a notice because I don't need one legally. All rights are reserved for all of my images and written material. While I certainly don't mind you copying off a story to take to bed to read, if you are making copies and passing them around, you are committing a crime. You are welcome to refer others to my url, but please don't steal my work and take it out of the context in which it was written.

4. You must make a gang of money off this thing, right?

Not a sou, not a red cent, not a dime, nada, nothing. My google adds have yet to do anything, even. I write this as a service to my county and for myself. This blog brings in many tourism dollars into my community and helps the local economy.

5. So who reads this thing?

My readership is is spread across the world. Many of my readers are referred from Appalachia-friendly sites who appreciate my sensitive portrayal of the Appalachian people. A good portion come from academic sites where scholars and intellectuals find the social history and linguistics I include interesting. I get anywhere from 100 to 200 "hits" per day. Mostly people are looking for good recipes from my food articles or entertaining stories. I also get a fair number of "hits" from men and women serving in the military. It makes me feel good that I might bring a smile to someone trudging through a distant desert, far away from these hills they call home.

6. How do you know all of this?

The SMB is a highly moderated and closely monitored blog. Stats are checked often and suspicious or inappropriate searches are banned from the blog. Essentially, when you look at the blog....the blog is looking at you. I know the number of the computer you are on, the location, your isp, what you looked at, how long you spent here and other things. This may seem intrusive, but I had to start this after the blog came under attack for my writing about faith. Particularly the Christian faith. Not sure why this is...I don't have a bone to pick with anyone's religion and it's impossible to write about Appalachia without writing about Christianity as well.

7. Are you really 40% evil?

It's a joke. Actually I think my evil rating has been slipping considerably. I think I'm down to only 28% evil at this point. So there may be hope for me yet.

8. Do you actually handle serpents?

No. I am not one of the anointed. I am an Episcopalian. But I feel privileged to be an observer in their services. I have a great deal of admiration for the Signs Followers. They really practice what they preach on so many levels. I've found them to be some of the sanest and most consistent people up here. They have a true kindness and generosity of spirit.

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Upcoming on The Breakdown.....

For the month of October I'm planning to do some new scary stories. I may take Stir with a Knife and expand it even more. I'd like to do a prequel of how my evil quilter got that way. I think she was good to begin with. I've got a really good hellfire and brimstone story that I've got mapped out that should be very chilling. I'm in a dark and angry enough head space now that I may be able to get back to The Dark Hole.

I've decided to actively pursue submitting a novel. I've been putting it off for far too long. It will be written off-line since that's how submissions work. So...it will be a complete surprise when it comes out! But I'd like your input as to the type of story you might like to see in print from me. Any ideas?