If it's Weird, There's a Berkeley Connection

Anyone with a functioning brain knows there’s something hinky going on with the Paul Pelosi attack. It’s not possible for a random person to simply break into a house in Pacific Heights, San Francisco, let alone the Pelosi’s. They are mega-rich. She is mega-famous. It is a sure bet they have top-of-the-line security. And most likely staff on site seeing as Mr. P is an elderly dude alone in a giant house.

But leave it to all the local politicos to immediately put out statements that the nutcase involved was a Right-Wing Violent Person.

SF Representative Jackie Speier from an interview on KTVU: SF GATE

…"This was a vicious attack and this was spurred by those who want to do harm to those of us who want to protect our democracy.”

…"When you told me the line was, ‘Where’s Nancy?’ that’s code. That’s code for what the Oath Keepers and the other groups that associated themselves with then President Trump and his effort to consecrate a coup in this country. And we’ve got to fight back, and I’m going to be one of those who’s going to be vigilant in terms of doing that."

 

And from the Mayor of Berkeley:

From the riot on the Capitol to the attempted kidnap of Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer, the plot to blow up the CA Democratic HQ and now this invasion of Speaker Pelosi’s home, there must by unambiguous, unilateral rejection of the dangerous cancer that is growing extremism. (2/3)

— Jesse Arreguin #GetVaccinated (@JesseArreguin) Oct 28, 2022  

 

For the first time in ages, I flipped through the local tv news and heard the same propaganda from each and every newscaster. There was a time in the Bay Area when we had real reporters. But that has changed. Not one of them will even entertain balanced reporting.

When I saw the photo of the alleged perpetrator’s home in Berkeley, I decided to find it and take a look. Most people do not realize how small the city actually is. It takes up only a tiny slice of the East Bay metropolis. The house should be easy enough to find.

With only the house number visible on a garbage can, I went to work. It could only be in one of two neighborhoods. Run down abodes are now few and far between in Berkeley. Most have been renovated and sell for over a million dollars.

I soon eliminated area number one because it appears that all the falling apart homes have been upgraded. Using google maps, I scoured street numbers in the second neighborhood and soon found it.

Once charming Victorian cottages had morphed into Hippie Communes in the 60’s and 70’s. And most have been sold off for a pretty penny and renovated. I am not sure why anyone with a garbage heap like that shown in the photo has not cashed out.

Zillow lists the house as being built in 1896, making it one of the older homes in the city. Even in its dilapidated sate, its value is listed as over one million dollars. But exist, it does.

And it resembles more of a homeless camp than a proper home. I’d say a fair amount of drug use goes on inside and out. When you grow up surrounded by crazy people on drugs, it is easy to spot.

I have my theories about what really happened at the Pacific Heights home, and none of them have anything to do with a whacko breaking in and randomly attacking Mr. P.

It would be nice if just one of the Bay Area news stations or newspapers could go back to doing real journalism instead of their one-sided reporting.

It would be nice if they ever reported on the violence done by Antifa, BLM, and other “progressive” entities.

 

Independent Authors Beware

As an independent author, I have relied on Amazon’s KDP publishing programs and used their Author Central page to advertise and promote my books. For this, I am grateful. Without it, no one would ever have heard of Kate McVaugh, nor have read any of my books. Now it seems, that may no longer be the case.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that not all of my eight books were showing up on my Author's Page. Things occasionally go wonky in the tech world, so I let it go.

Then a few days ago I noticed that it had gotten much worse. Maybe three books would show up across the banner on my Author’s Page.  Below that, where all my books had previously been listed, only one or two were visible. This was not good.

I wrote to Amazon Author Central, the department in charge, expecting to hear back that it was all down to a slight technical problem. This was their devastating reply.

                                                     ***

Greetings from the Author Central team!

Please note that that is no mistake or error. It is a new design of Author Pages which our developers made called Top Picks (which changes from customer to customer-including yourself- and it will change constantly based on your shopping behaviors and each customer's shopping behaviors).

The Top Picks feature allows Amazon customers to see personalized recommendations from your catalog of books. Customers will see this on your Author Page and it will suggest books based on these traits:

• New releases and pre-order books matching their interest.
• Unread books from a series they started.
• The customer’s reading and purchase history.

The goal is to help them find more books they want to read from you. Each customer will have a different recommendation, including you, if you’re logged into your Amazon account.

Author Pages currently support the “Top Picks” feature in the US and UK marketplaces.

Since this feature is updated based on customer shopping habits and changes frequently to reflect current buying patterns, I'm not able to modify it.

While changes to the feature are not possible, I hope this information better explains the way the feature works on our website.

Thank you for using Amazon Author Central”

                                                                    ***

Were I some controversial, well-known author, this would not be a surprise. Amazon has been playing around with such authors for a few years now. But I am not famous. Added to that, there is not one controversial topic in any of my fiction writing. True, my blog posts might possibly be a bit more on the provocative meter, but no one really reads my essays. I’m lucky if one hundred people a week dip into my blog.

Most alarming is that Amazon is now deciding which books a person should read based on “their shopping behaviors”. Even if one is not logged into their Amazon account, the wizards at the company feel they can mind-read a computer and only show certain books.

I checked popular authors who write in one genre. All their books are listed. I write across several genres so I presume Amazon feels that if someone pulls up one of my mysteries, they could not possibly be interested in my thrillers, literary fiction, or anything else.

Even more alarming is that my one and only Paranormal Romance seems to pop up as my only book more often than not. The Curse Breaker of Cairo is my only naughty book and there will never be another. I am quite happy with the tale, but I do not ever promote it to anyone.

I am at a total loss for how to proceed. It is true that I have not yet been able to fully support myself with book sales, but I have never lost hope that one day it will happen. I spend hours and hours writing, working on my Amazon Author’s Page, and blog. I’m not sitting around eating bon bons and waiting to be discovered for a book I wrote years ago. But now that Amazon has decided to basically eliminate half, to 90%, of my books that a prospective reader might see, what is the point of it all?

No longer can I pass out a business card and tell people that they can see all my books on Amazon. They can’t. I have lost prospective customers before even given a chance.

Today I went back on Public Square 
to try and figure out how to best use their service as a platform for my books. It’s a bit confusing, and not really geared toward authors, but it remains my only hope at this point. Possibly I can start an Independent Author trend on Public Square. It’s a thought.

Meanwhile, I will continue to write and try not to feel so bummed by the latest tech trend. I am certainly not the first author to be silenced.

Power to the Indy writers out there!

                  ******************   

25 Oct update:

I sent the above listed concerns to Amazon Central. The reply is below. Takeaway: Authors and readers do have input. Any concerns about the current “Top Picks Feature”, should be addressed to Amazon. It might just be possible to get rid of this crazy feature.

                                                                          ***

“Thanks for taking time to share your thoughts about "The Top Picks feature". Customer feedback like yours is very important to helping us continue to improve our products and services. From time to time, we test both new and existing features to determine which features or services provide a great customer experience.

We’re unable to provide information about future plans but we will consider this as feedback and pass on to business team.

I appreciate your thoughts and will be sure to pass your suggestion along.

Thank you for using Amazon Author Central,

Your feedback helps us improve our service.”

                                                                              ***

26 Oct Update:

My Author's Page is back to normal!  I still cannot believe it and check several times a day to make sure I'm not imagining it.

Could it be that a non-famous author wrote to Amazon Author Central, and they actually took my concerns seriously?  Whatever happened, I am extremely greatful.

 

Thinking About Matlacha

Matlacha, that lovely little strip of a town where I stayed for two weeks in August, has been hit hard by Hurricane Ian. I cannot stop thinking about the people and business owners I met over my short stay on their magical island.

After flying all night from California to Florida, with no sleep, and nothing more than a protein bar and a cup of yogurt, I needed nourishment. Where to go in Matlacha? I decided to simply walk up a block or two from Matlacha Ave, turn right on Pine Island Drive and hope some sort of food venue would be close by.

The first place I spotted was the The Blue Dog Bar & Grill. I approached a group of people just leaving and asked about the food. “The best food in Matlacha,” came the answer.

As we continued to talk about Matlacha, the woman told me she lived on Pine Island but was originally from California. And then it turned out we’d grown up a few miles apart and we briefly reminisced about the good-old-crazy-old days.

I walked into the cool air of the Blue Dog and was seated in a cozy booth. Being off-season, only a few people were inside. I took in the fun décor and cool vibe of the place. Definitely a joint I would have worked in in my younger years.

The staff were all top-notch. My server, Chip, filled me in on various menu items. At that point, I needed red meat and an energy kick, so got a burger. Delicious. And of course, I needed a to-go order of Key Lime pie. I left not only sated, but happy. What a first day of vacation experience!

A few days later I realized I had neglected to get a few items at the Cape Coral Publix. (And Publix is the absolute best grocery chain in the known world.) I knew Matlacha was only a bitty stretch of land, but certainly there had to be a mini mart on the island. I set out to explore.

Many places were still closed for the summer. But as I walked by the Olde Fish House I thought I heard voices. I walked around the back and found a couple seated outside on the covered deck. The gentleman was busy painting a blue door that led inside. After I asked about if there were any markets in town, I stayed a while and chatted.

His daughter owned the place, but I got the impression that he had either once owned it or worked there. The couple had definitely both been in the restaurant business. They filled me in on a bit of history of the surrounding area. They then suggested I head down the road and over the bridge to another place that might have supplies. (I did manage to get back and had my final Matlacha meal sitting out on that beautiful deck, overlooking the water.)

I am all for walking wherever I go, but it really was hot and humid, and I’d left that walking stick in California. However, I figured my bum knee could manage a short-ish stroll unaided.

Once over the bridge, I ran into a man leaf-blowing the area in front of the The Bridgewater Inn. We got to talking and he told me how he and his wife ran the Inn, about all the work they had put into it, and their plans for the future. He explained that the guests could fish right off of their balconies and clean the fish and cook them without leaving the inn. What a place!

I also met lots of neighbors during my stay. One woman joined me on my evening walk and pointed out other places to walk. I met the neighbor who, like me, did not like air conditioning inside the house. He had all his windows open and fans going. I believe I only saw one other house with windows open.

There were other people in my little Airbnb that I hung out with on the patio overlooking the canal on Second Street. One couple from Cape Coral had driven their little boat over and spent the days exploring the mangroves. Another couple drove down for the weekend. One woman was there with her mother who lived in Cape Coral. I honestly can’t remember a time when I’ve met such fun, interesting folks.

Another day I ran into a woman who was readying a house to rent out. As with most everyone else I met, I asked about where might be a good place to settle down in the area. She suggested St James City and recommended I take a hop down to the the Ragged Ass Saloon. It was Sunday and they had live music.

It was a bit of an Uber ride, but the Ragged Ass was fun. My server there was a lovely young lady who had grown up in St James City. She loved living there and encouraged me to look around. When I said I didn’t have a car, she offered to lend me hers. I didn’t take her up on her offer but was quite touched.

I spent a bit of cash in Frills Galleria Clothing store. I probably could have bought a whole lot more except that I knew once I got back to the cold, grey, San Fransico Bay Area, the items would sit in my closet along with all my other tropical dresses.

Being a bit of a sugar addict, I of course stopped by CW Fudge Factory a few times. I chatted with the owner and heard all about the history of his shop.

I enjoyed the wonderful art and gardens at both Leoma Lovegrove's and the The Gallery of Matlacha.  I loved the contents of Island Visions Gallery. The owners and staff of each shop were charming and helpful.

Although I did not stay at Angler's Inn Motel, (I’m not an angler), I did pass it every day on my way out. From what I hear, people love the place.

And now many of the establishments I visited have either been completely swept away by the hurricane, or severely damaged. Many of those people I talked to just a few short weeks ago have lost so much, if not everything.

What I can offer is free eBooks. Maybe a bit of escapism can help. My stories are light and fun. I even have two in my Tropical Seaside Villages series that remind me of Matlacha. They are also quite uplifting.

Should anyone in Matlacha, Pine Island, or actually anywhere, need a book or two, please use the contact box on this page. Simply let me know what book or books you would like, and I’ll get them off to you. (If you want all 8, I’m happy to do that.)

My thoughts are with all of you in that part of Florida where I hope to live someday soon.