I've been plotting. Plotting so much I've now come up with a completely different path to the ending of the Rift Runners series, than the one I sold to the publisher.

This happens to me all the time. I think I know what's going to happen  when I start writing and then I start thinking... but what if this.. and what if that...???

Seriously, I don't think I've ever sent in an MS that had much in common with the synopsis I sold my publishers other the names of the main characters, the ending, (which never changes) and the title (which is a never carved in stone). 

And I have to say, except for the main characters, the names are still changing with alarming regularity, too..

Sometimes, you get it right and and sometimes it takes time for a character to find their right name...

Kinda like your kids really...

Getting ready to leave town would be much easier if we didn't have psychotic landscape gardeners to deal with.

I'll get around to blogging the whole sorry saga eventually, but the gist of it is this:  I hired a guy to do a job for $7000, and he billed me $11000, which might be because I wouldn't leave him my credit card while I was away so he could pay himself (oh seriously... he asked me to do that).

He claims I have to pay the full amount because of the "awesomness" of the work. I kid you not:)

Anyway, I was talking to the guy from Consumer Affairs the other day, who was telling me that he's now got a whole filing cabinet drawer devoted to this guy. I gave him my lawyer's number to pass onto all the other customers who want to sue him. Then I had to ring up and apologise to my lawyer for dobbing him in...hahaha

If you want an idea of this guy's lunacy (along with emails threatening to get "legalistic" and cost me "exuberent legal fees" - yes, he said exuberent) this guy went to my lawyer's office and AND TRIED TO HIRE HIM so he couldn't represent me! Not sure of his logic there, but he wasn't  happy when the staff tried to explain that you can't hire the lawyer who's already repesenting someone in an action against you...

What a dick...

Anyway, he threatened to come around and rip out all the plants and the retaining wall he built (which would actually save me money seeing as how I have to have it rebuilt anyway), despite the trespass notice we've had issued to him. I now wonder if he's sitting here, waiting for me to leave town, so he come vandalise the place. Kinda hope he does. We've arranged for a friend to stay in the house after we're gone, to keep an eye on the place unitl it's sold.

Friend conveniently happens to be a cop.... hehehe

Kinda hope Simon does come around and try to vandalise the yard. Some time behind bars would mean all the other people hunting him down to serve him with summonses would know where to find him...

Still, only a few weeks to go and we'll be gone.

Never a dull moment in my life:)

If you Google "Jennifer Fallon" you will discover that in addition to Jennifer Fallon the Author is Jennifer Fallon the Wedding Favors Website Guru.

I think she started her business online with her husband Brad about the same time as my first book was published in 2000 or thereabouts. I know this because my little Google Alert doovey has been sending me updates about Jennifer and her wedding favors business for the last 10 years or so.

And today, I got another Google alert. But this was sad news. The Jennifer Fallon wedding favors business that I have been accidentally following from one success to another for the last decade, is no more. Apparently, Jennifer's husband is a bit of a lad and was mixed up in something called Stompernet.com and it's all gone a little bit pear shaped.

You see, today's Jennifer brought me this...

Ken McCarthy (an Internet marketer who has my utmost respect, by the way) introduced Brad Fallon to the Internet marketing community back when I still had a job.

I bought the first “Stomping the Search Engines” program, listened to it in my car, and used what I had learned to build a site that’s been cranking out $20 to $70 a month for more than five years now. The methods described in the program worked for me, so I thought highly of Brad — at first.

Well, Brad went on to partner with Andy Jenkins and formed StomperNet. They did a big launch, claimed to make millions — and from the outside, everything looked peachy.

Here’s what I found interesting: With the exception of giving Brad Fallon his initial credibility, I don’t think Ken McCarthy ever promoted him again. I had always wondered why.

Now I don’t wonder so much.

Andy Jenkins (no saint himself) ended up suing Brad Fallon. They haven’t paid affiliates from the first StomperNet launch. And now Brad has sued his own wife (Jennifer Fallon) over ownership of their wedding favors business. (Oh, they’re getting divorced, too. No surprise there I guess.)

And just so you know I’m not making this stuff up, you can read all about the StomperNet shenanigans on Salty Droid, links to legal docs included. (Warning: Strong language.)

Oh dear... and I thought they were doing so well.

I'm going to miss the other Jennifer Fallon, and the odd email every now and then asking if I can send wedding invitation samples ...