Audi Performs Better! 'The Large Gift', and Publishing My Books.
Audi's World ran a much better race on August 28. See the video below.
My book self-publishing journey for the Meg Sheppard Mystery Series has hit a snag, which I plan to turn into an opportunity. See the update after my latest story.
It is another word challenge piece. The words I had to use are: crocodile; penitentiary; beetle; festival; flag; dream; toaster; braid; yacht; sunshine.
I hope you enjoy it!
The Large Gift
Maxine was sprawled in a rather ungainly fashion, soaking up the sunshine, on Gareth’s opulent yacht. Gareth and Winston sat in large, padded chairs on the deck. They both wore sunglasses which acted like mirrors. Gareth hated them. He resented having to look at his reflection and not being able to see Winston’s eyes when they were chatting. He could have picked up a lot of useful information from Winston’s eyes—but not now, when it was really important.
Maxine shifted her plump body. Gareth assumed she wanted to tan evenly, but he couldn’t be sure of anything with Maxine. Although he didn’t take to her, he had to admire the fact that she’d escaped from the penitentiary. It took brains and courage—lots of both. Gareth didn’t think he had much of either, so she deserved his respect.
Winston was her beau. He had what looked like braids in his hair. Gareth wondered how he washed and dried them while keeping them neat.
“I’m going below.” Winston broke the silence. “I might as well be inside a toaster sitting out here. I don’t know how Maxine stands it. Coming?”
“Sure,” Gareth said, knowing it was a command, not a question.
“Is there more to drink?” Winston asked.
“Of course.” Gareth summoned one of the crew, and drinks were served. But Gareth’s cocktail contained no alcohol. He needed to keep a clear head. However, that was going to be impossible because Gareth felt overwhelmed and muddled. There was little clarity in his thinking. He had desperately wanted the whole thing to be a dream. But it wasn’t.
Winston told the server to check with Maxine, saying she must be dehydrated.
“Maxine has always wanted to go to the Highland Festival,” Winston said, waving a cocktail stick in the air. “She likes to celebrate her Scottish heritage.”
“She’s Scottish?”
“Her great-great-grandfather on her mother’s side was. Anyway, that’s none of your business.”
“Where is the festival?”
“Can’t you tell where your boat’s headed? I thought you sailors had knowledge of shorelines, coordinates, you know, stuff about where you are. You disappoint me.” He swirled the martini in the long-stemmed glass and sucked the olive off the cocktail stick with sounds that repulsed Gareth. In fact, the man in his entirety sickened Gareth. “Since you don’t have a clue, we’re headed to Florida.”
“That’s a long way.” Gareth almost choked.
“Well, well. You have some idea of where we are then.” Winston leant back in the chair.
Gareth wondered if Winston and Maxine had passports, if the police would be waiting, and what they planned to do with him, his crew and his yacht.
“Highland festival in Florida? That seems odd,” Gareth said.
“Lots of yanks claim Scottish heritage. They love the bagpipes.”
Gareth didn’t want to chat but found the whole situation so incredulous it was hard not to ask questions, trying to make sense of it all.
It wasn’t long before Gareth saw a US flag fluttering on a flagpole. But it would be much longer before they reached Florida. Gareth associated that state with crocodiles and had no desire to step onto its soil.
What to do? How to get his yacht back and get rid of these people? He was not allowed out of Winston’s sight, even to go to the washroom.
Winston and Maxine had boarded his boat out at sea. They made out they needed rescuing from their dinghy, but it had been a ruse. They were obviously fugitives, running from the law. Gareth was a quiet, some would have said, boring man. He did not relish excitement.
He appreciated the silence that had descended on Winston, but his heart was pounding so much that it was making his body rock, and his head was throbbing too. He needed to focus his brain. But instead, his mind drifted to an image of the endangered northern Barrens Tiger Beetle revealing its dull metallic-green wing covers with cream-coloured markings. Gareth’s study of rare Ontario beetles was a hobby, and it worked well to distract his mind from his intense, stressful, high-stakes IT business when at home.
‘Pull yourself together,’ he told himself. ‘Now is not the time to think of beetles.’
A horrific scream flew down from above deck. Both Gareth and Winston leapt up from their chairs, but Winston managed, miraculously, to hang onto his glass with its diminished contents. He pushed Gareth ahead of him and shoved him several times as they climbed up to the deck.
The crew member who served drinks earlier stood holding a tray adorned with a fancy-looking cocktail, complete with a cherry, an umbrella, and something else.
“Maxine, wake up!” Winston was on his knees, shaking the lifeless woman and then he slapped her face.
Gareth daren’t open his mouth and daren’t look at his crew member.
“She’s dead,” Winston screamed. He lunged at the crew member. “You killed her!” The crew member stepped back, holding the tray up high.
“No, sir. I was about to serve the lady this cocktail she ordered.”
Winston looked at the cocktail as the crew member lowered the tray. “You drink it!” He snatched the glass from the tray and thrust it towards Gareth. But as he turned his back on the crew member, the tray walloped him hard, and he crumpled.
“Would you like me to dump them overboard, Gareth?”
“We’ll do it together and in a little while I’ll report men overboard.”
They slid the dead woman and the unconscious man into the ocean, and they did their utmost to ensure nothing on board could reveal the truth.
Once they were turned around and back in Canadian waters and thankfully well away from the crocodiles, Gareth reported that the two had boarded his yacht at sea, got drunk, had an argument and fallen overboard. He gave his current position.
He wasn’t sure how to thank the crew. They were the best. But as they tied up the boat, he made up his mind.
“She’s yours. Do what you want with her.” Gareth felt good. He’d not realized how pleasant it was to give a meaningful gift to someone. It changed his life.
Copyright Vicky Earle 2026
Self-Publishing Journey
The most recent editions of my books have been formatted and designed by Wordzworth. This company then distributes the digital files (using other companies) to e-book retailers and to IngramSpark. IngramSpark prints the softcover versions.
I have several concerns about this arrangement, including the fact that IngramSpark does not print in Canada.
To get softcover copies of my books, I must order through Wordzworth, and IngramSpark ships them from the US.
Well, the costs have skyrocketed-particularly the shipping.
When I last checked, my cost to obtain one copy of Love and Death would be $58 CAD. I realize if I ordered a larger number, shipping costs would be less per book, but obviously it's not feasible since I don't ever order large volumes.
I checked what the cost to a bookstore would be, and it's about $35 CAD.
That's too high, given that a bookstore's standard revenue from a book sale is 40%. They would have to charge nearly $60 to get that return. (I currently provide copies to Blue Heron Books at a loss so that they can sell the books at a price readers will pay).
Plus, I do not want to support US businesses if I have an alternative. And I also want control over the distribution of my books.
So, I plan to issue new editions of my books, with my own ISBNs (the current editions have Wordzworth ISBNs), and I will distribute the e-books and softcover books myself.
Wish me luck!
I'm telling you all this because the release of Book 7, which has a working title 'Buried Secrets', will take longer than I hoped.
I had been working towards November, but it's more likely to be in the new year.
I will keep you posted.
Thank you for your patience.
Audi's World's Better Performance!
Here is his race.
Audi did so much better in this race.
Many thanks to Pietro Moran, Kelly Callaghan, and Slade Callaghan, and to Franz Crean, breeder.
Martin and I appreciate being members of the ownership partnership for Audi's World.
We're hoping for a suitable race later this month (September).
He's looking good and feeling fine!
Thank you for reading my post.
Please share.
Thank you!
Vicky
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