A Few Seconds of Moral Dilemma

Personal Notes:

Moral or ethical dilemmas are part of our everyday life. I tried to get the exact meaning of these words and I think this one is the closest: Moral dilemmas, at the very least, involve conflicts between moral requirements. (Thanks to our modern tech of copy, paste thing, he he.)

As an unknown Indie Author with two full time jobs and struggling to pay my past and current bills, I had these few seconds of 'moral dilemma' yesterday at the workplace.

I was sent to check the room where the guest who used to stay and checked out the same day, said she left something in the safety deposit box. (I have been in the loss prevention job for almost half a decade in the hospitality industry, and three years in facility-semiconductor industry, so eight years in this field totally). When I got there, the room was cleaned up and ready to sell for the next occupants, the safety box was unlocked. I was wondering why the guest just called the hotel this late (at almost 8 pm) and notified us about it. The dispatcher never told me exactly what the guest left in her room.

Then I checked the safety deposit box and I found a bunch of hundred dollar bills wrapped with a rubber band. At first I thought it was just a few hundred dollars and twenties and other lower denominations. But when I checked, it's all in hundred dollar bills.

I would be a hypocrite if I would say I never experienced a few seconds of moral dilemma when the good angels along with Satan's chosen ones were lingering around my head and told me 'don't' while the bad ones were pushing me by saying, "yeah right, it's a chance of a lifetime. Do it! Duh?"

Something sparked on my mind and remembered my cousin's husband back home (Philippines) who's suffering from cancer, and my mom, who needs her cataract removed with some health issues associated with aging. And hey, not to mention my bills, house payments that I would need to take care. I knew $4k was a lot of money and it could pay off my bills ( I don't have any credit cards and car payments but some other obligations in the past that pushed me to work two full time jobs, whew!). I was thinking how many short stories and novellas I would easily self-publish if I would keep that money.

In fact, the room was cleaned up, the safety box was open and I had all the opportunity to say, "hey, I never found anything". End of story. I could get away with it. Easily. But no. I declared to myself I would never do it.

I'm glad the ethical dilemma only lasted for a few seconds and I decided that I would turn the money in. It doesn't belong to me. A few thousand dollars won't last that long, but honor will.

I was in a few seconds of moral dilemma thinking how $4,000 would help me self-published my upcoming novellas and short stories.

$4,000 cool cash found in the workplace.

Then lately, as I was recollecting the moment I decided to turn the money in, I remembered when I was in elementary when my mother would always tell me about these words that I hated to hear every single day. As a young boy, I couldn't get the substance of this meaning: "Honesty is the best policy". As I grow older every single day, I finally realized how valuable these words are.

And oh, by the way, the hotel operator told me before I finished my shift and gearing up for another eight grueling hours for my next job, that the owner of the money was on her way back to Dallas from Austin to pick up her money. Well, I could feel it, she must really be happy.


SYNOPSIS LOUNGE presents... (pretty related to what my personal notes were all about, :-)

Her First Billionaire
by Julia Kent
USA Today Bestselling Author

COULD SHE REALLY FIND THE RIGHT GUY ON THE INTERNET?

"Hot, luscious piece of ass who can suck a golf ball through forty feet of garden hose seeks rippling-ab'd firefighter who has a tongue that thrums like a hummingbird and enjoys painting my toenails and eating Ben & Jerry's out of the carton while watching Mad Men."

Laura Michaels stared at the online dating site's registration screen and frowned. That's what she really wanted to write. Here was the truth:

"Needy, insecure, overweight twenty-six year old Business Analyst with three cats, a corporate job with pension and no debt seeks Mr. Impossible for way more than friendship and lots of ice cream. I'm desperate for some physical affection and oral sex with a guy who doesn't view it as some sort of favor he's granting me, and then expects to be praised like he cleaned my toilet. One night stands are better than nothing as long as you brush your teeth. So call me, maybe!"

So when hot firefighter Dylan Stanwyck responds and asks her out, it's just too good to be true. When she searches him online and learns he offers himself up for date nights in bachelor charity auctions, she wonders if she's on the right planet.

Because what could a guy like that see in a fat girl like her?

OR WOULD HE NOT BE WHO HE SEEMED?

Trawling through the online dating profiles isn't Dylan's idea of fun, but it's been more than eighteen months since their lover, Jill, died, and Dylan and his unconventional partner, ski instructor Mike Pine, need to find a new love. While their threesome situation is more complicated than a contract from 50 Shades of Grey, at least one aspect is simple: Laura Michaels, the cute, soft blond from the online dating site, seems like a good fit for at least a first date. Soft curves, gorgeous hair, eyes that light him up from the computer alone, and a profile that makes her seem smart and interesting -- he has no problems asking her out.

The problem is letting her in.

Dylan and his not-quite partner have more secrets than their unconventional romantic relationships, and this latest snafu is a mixed blessing, for both became billionaires overnight after the third in their threesome, Jill, died. With her estate finally settled and Dylan and Mike the recipient of an annual income that gives them enough to buy entire towns in the Midwest, the two were left reeling. Months after the lawyer explained their new-found fortune, Dylan still works his regular shifts at the station while Mike remains on the slopes as a ski instructor, but with a caveat; now he owns the entire resort.

But if they tell Laura everything, they risk losing a chance at a new bond...

Two problems may have one lush, ample solution as Laura meets her first billionaire on her date with Dylan, but with a stunning twist at the end...

Short Stories from One of My Idols

Personal Notes:  I was not on vacation, folks. I spent my 4th of July at work. I had to explore the web and read my fellow bloggers' articles on the marketing aspects as an Indie author. I had this feeling of being sent to a forest, wandered and got lost.

Hugh Howey is my idol when it comes to reaching your potential readers. He had plenty of advice in the past about this matter. I admit, this is the hardest part: reaching potential readers.

At first, I thought it was the final phase of publishing a book that was the most difficult part. I hoped that after launching my novella, sales would come along with it. I was wrong. No wonder the word 'discoverability' is the most exciting word among the Indie writers. It is challenging as well-to be discovered. It will take time, they say.

Mark Coker, the founder of Smashwords, had numerous articles emphasizing the challenges of being discovered as an Indie author. He said one time that being an Indie author, you should also be a great publisher. And most of my fellow bloggers recommend you should write a good book as it would promote itself on the process. True. The word of mouth would traverse to every corner of this world. 

And I truly believe that reaching  readers is the greatest challenge to every single Indie author out there, including me, :-) Then after thinking the strategic approach, I realized that building a back list of novels and short stories is one of the great strategies. 

And speaking of that, my Facebook friend Patrice Fitzgerald, now a successful Indie author, when I visited her Amazon Kindle profile, I was really amazed on her back list of short stories and novellas. I envisioned myself to do the same. That's why I'm writing the Ravens of Deep Ellum, The Back of the House and Secrets of the Bayou. In addition to Patrice's success, she designed her own promo for the 4th of July, she gave away her novel Running, free on Amazon Kindle.

So, let me do the honor of presenting my Facebook friend Patrice Fitzgerald's pieces to our SYNOPSIS LOUNGE issue for today.

SYNOPSIS LOUNGE presents... Patrice Fitzgerald.

Publication Date: January 21, 2012

Another quirky short story from Patrice Fitzgerald about love and the ways people connect.

When Felicia gets a special birthday request from her husband Herman, she can't believe what he's asking her to do. Will she say yes? This 3,000 word short story explores the nature of a happy marriage, compromise, and passion.

A four-chapter sample of Fitzgerald's best-selling political thriller, RUNNING, is also included

Publication Date: July 4, 2011

A contemporary tale about politics and peccadilloes by the author of the best-selling "Karma" series of WOOL shorts.

Action, suspense, romance, laughs, and just enough sex... a campaign you'll never forget. The political thriller with heart.

THE NEXT PRESIDENT IS GOING TO BE A WOMAN...

Catherine Young, Vice President and newly-anointed Democratic nominee, is surging in the polls. The race is on against opposition candidate Jerusha Hutchins, former stewardess and blonde beauty, who is the darling of the far-right Liberty Party. But with political wunderkind Zane Zarillo running her campaign, Catherine is bound to hold her lead.

Suddenly a medical emergency puts the President in the hospital and forces Catherine to act in his place… a perfect opportunity for her to show her Oval Office stuff. Just when her election looks like a sure thing, Catherine's romantic fling from decades ago comes to light. Will the American public accept a woman with a past?


"Rating: 5.5 out of 5 Stars – Top Pick."
Underground Book Reviews

50,000+ copies downloaded so far.

63 reviews, 4.3 star rating.

What Amazon readers are saying:

… RUNNING had me up till the wee hours of the morning! And, when I was not reading it, I was thinking about the characters. This book is at times funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful.

… writing, pace, and storyline were so good that I found myself putting off other things so I could keep reading.

… it grabbed me and didn't let go. With a fast-paced plot and an unerring feel for the cinematic, Fitzgerald creates a thriller that will resonate not just with political junkies like myself, but the suspense-thriller reader as well.

Publication Date: July 4, 2011

A contemporary tale about politics and peccadilloes by the author of the best-selling "Karma" series of WOOL shorts.

Action, suspense, romance, laughs, and just enough sex... a campaign you'll never forget. The political thriller with heart.

THE NEXT PRESIDENT IS GOING TO BE A WOMAN...

Catherine Young, Vice President and newly-anointed Democratic nominee, is surging in the polls. The race is on against opposition candidate Jerusha Hutchins, former stewardess and blonde beauty, who is the darling of the far-right Liberty Party. But with political wunderkind Zane Zarillo running her campaign, Catherine is bound to hold her lead.

Suddenly a medical emergency puts the President in the hospital and forces Catherine to act in his place… a perfect opportunity for her to show her Oval Office stuff. Just when her election looks like a sure thing, Catherine's romantic fling from decades ago comes to light. Will the American public accept a woman with a past?


"Rating: 5.5 out of 5 Stars – Top Pick."
Underground Book Reviews

50,000+ copies downloaded so far.

63 reviews, 4.3 star rating.

What Amazon readers are saying:

… RUNNING had me up till the wee hours of the morning! And, when I was not reading it, I was thinking about the characters. This book is at times funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful.

… writing, pace, and storyline were so good that I found myself putting off other things so I could keep reading.

… it grabbed me and didn't let go. With a fast-paced plot and an unerring feel for the cinematic, Fitzgerald creates a thriller that will resonate not just with political junkies like myself, but the suspense-thriller reader as well.

Publication Date: July 4, 2011

A contemporary tale about politics and peccadilloes by the author of the best-selling "Karma" series of WOOL shorts.

Action, suspense, romance, laughs, and just enough sex... a campaign you'll never forget. The political thriller with heart.

THE NEXT PRESIDENT IS GOING TO BE A WOMAN...

Catherine Young, Vice President and newly-anointed Democratic nominee, is surging in the polls. The race is on against opposition candidate Jerusha Hutchins, former stewardess and blonde beauty, who is the darling of the far-right Liberty Party. But with political wunderkind Zane Zarillo running her campaign, Catherine is bound to hold her lead.

Suddenly a medical emergency puts the President in the hospital and forces Catherine to act in his place… a perfect opportunity for her to show her Oval Office stuff. Just when her election looks like a sure thing, Catherine's romantic fling from decades ago comes to light. Will the American public accept a woman with a past?


"Rating: 5.5 out of 5 Stars – Top Pick."
Underground Book Reviews

50,000+ copies downloaded so far.

63 reviews, 4.3 star rating.

What Amazon readers are saying:

… RUNNING had me up till the wee hours of the morning! And, when I was not reading it, I was thinking about the characters. This book is at times funny, heartbreaking, and suspenseful.

… writing, pace, and storyline were so good that I found myself putting off other things so I could keep reading.

… it grabbed me and didn't let go. With a fast-paced plot and an unerring feel for the cinematic, Fitzgerald creates a thriller that will resonate not just with political junkies like myself, but the suspense-thriller reader as well.

Publication Date: October 23, 2012

A futuristic farce by the author of the best-selling "Karma" series of WOOL shorts.

[Unfortunately, the early reviews completely give the plot away. Avoid reading them -- just take the leap!]

Join Harold and Rosemary as they bring together their family and friends for a night of celebration before a long-planned trip... and see just how this journey ends.

Mix a little Dorothy Parker and a little Shirley Jackson, add a twist of David Sedaris and a pinch of O.Henry, and out comes a satirical romp. "Till Death Do Us Part" is a 3,000 word short story. This is a sophisticated take on the way people fool themselves. More New Yorker magazine than Asimov.