BEWARE: "Ken Martins" & Other Nigerian Scams

"Ken Martins"(Kenneth/Keneth/Ken) takes on many forms: Different ages, occupations, races,  countries, after women and men. It's a scam that has been a problem for over five years in Europe (including Romania), Australia, Canada, and the US. When "he" wants to share a secret, it is to get you to send money (to Nigeria, Malaysia, etc.). My granddaughter works in a grocery store and tells me that unsuspecting folks are sending of their cash to these countries via Western Union, obviously thinking they are helping someone who loves them and expecting big money in return. My contact said he had gone to Nigeria for a few days and wanted me to text him on his cellphone, a  different number than the first one, a Nigerian number per internet search (+234). It's a typical Nigerian scam that I've seen go from mail to fax to the internet over the last 20+ years. It started out as royalty in distress because of a death in the family, then progressed to using dating services.

I was contacted with a friend request on Facebook, my public site. I never indicate my marital status or mark "interested in" anywhere. I've never used a dating service of any kind. Red flags went up. So my first thought was "why me?" I remembered seeing an African viewing in this blog's stats. Aha! The light came on: My bio, my link to Facebook...

I played with the "friend" to see if there was some way I could bust them. Unfortunately there isn't, so I decided to jerk them around. I waited to see when the request would come. Their story got so twisted. Pertinent questions were ignored until they thought I might walk away, and then the excuses/reasons were lame. It took less than two weeks! (Some say it has been up to three months. Others that the requests keep coming for more money.)

Google/search "Ken Martins scam" and see for yourself.

By the way, the pic was of a handsome, silver-haired, debonair gentleman, probably an  Italian model, so gorgeous that I kept a copy of it. No wonder it gets women's attention! I also found "him" on LinkedIn, along with other versions of Ken Martins, with a different picture of the same man working as an admin. asst. in Dallas. (In USA he's a widowed engineer, in UK a divorced doctor or a lawyer.) I knew not to text or call the cell phones. Those who did reported strange accents and high charges. There are 3 Facebook accounts for him, with the same picture:
   https://www.facebook.com/#!/kenneth.martins.75?fref=ts
   https://www.facebook.com/#!/keneth.martins?fref=ts
   https://www.facebook.com/#!/kenneth.martins.7923?fref=ts

What did I do? He said I was his one and only...and then asked if I could be trusted with his family secret, I FB-messaged them I already knew the secret: Nigerian scammers. Then I clicked Unfriend.

Advice from an attorney-friend when I was 20, "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Don't."

Don't fall for it. Tell your friends.

Feeling Great!

This is a great day! I'm finally over my cold enough that my head (mind) is clear and I feel so good. I felt like I was in a mental fog last week.

I know some of you haven't seen me in years, so I'll give an update. "About Me" disappeared from this blog months ago, and I can't retrieve it. It is on my other two linked blogs if you're interested. That weight I gained in 2003 is TOTALLY GONE, slow but sure. I have a waist again! Now I need to trim my waistline and flatten my tummy. Yes, I do and to shed a few more pounds doing it. I'm back into my normal skinny sizes, but I'm not skinny, yet. That's a benefit of big bones. If you don't get it, it's because you're normal. :) 

My broken feet (August 2010) are doing fine, as long as I refrain from going barefoot. too much. I need to keep them supported with shoes most of the time.  

On my next visit to my daughter's, I hope the weather is good enough to ride the horse. If not, I'll just cuddle the ferret. Oh, yeah, that breaks my heart. Good times. ;)

I'm really pleased with how well my adult granddaughter (my roommate) is doing. She's got a great job and going to college at the same time. She's majoring in accounting, like I did. She and her special guy have been together almost 3 years now. 

I'm so glad my son, daughter and all my grandkids are doing well. I miss the close contact we used to have. Distance is such a hinderance.

I miss all my great friends, family and extended family who are now separated from me by distance. I think of all of you often, with love and joy for having you in my life. Love you all!

2013: One submission, one rejection year-to-date

I submitted Mysterious Castle to a literary agency in New York two weeks ago and received the "Thank you but no thanks" reply within a week. On Monday, I opened the letter to receive the all too common "not the right fit" comment that said it wasn't what they are looking for right now. That's all right. I have other options.

I was trying to stay within a specific word limit for teens and young adults, which is about 2/3 to 1/2 of the minimum for adults wanted by most publishers. I had to leave out a lot of the adventures I'd planned. A friend led me to another publisher that has a much higher word-limit range (75,000-100,000). Yes! I will be writing those adventures before resubmitting Mysterious Castle. This is a good thing!

My backup plan is epublishing, avoiding the frustrating middle men.

Today is a special day

My friend Joyce told me that she had a feeling that this year would be the breakthrough year for me. I hope she's right. Tomorrow morning I will go to the post office and mail the query letter and synopsis off to a literary agency in New York City for Mysterious Castle. It was so fun finalizing everything today and getting the final prints ready to mail and sealing the envelope. Waiting for their response will be difficult. I try not to think about it, as to whether they will say yay or nay.

Happy New Year!

My #1 goal is to focus on publishing, starting this week. I have a plan and will give it everything I've got, energy-wise.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Another year has slipped by. In the last 14 months, I've written 5 novels and have another one half-finished. My favorite will always be Mysterious Castle. I have been frustratingly wishy-washy, with so many ups and downs regarding whether/how to publish. I wrote for myself, although I would like to be able to share the stories and perhaps enjoy some monetary enrichment for my family. I have also read almost one hundred novels during the year. I didn't have time for those pleasures while working. I love retirement!

The Black Widow story

To publish or not to publish, that is a question that keeps me awake at night. The name keeps changing, for both the author and story.

Mysterious Castle update

I just finished Mysterious Castle. I may or may not be using the pseudonym Dee Petersen-Griffin.

There are some things that I had to leave out from my original version because the word count for YA Fantasy genre is much less, 30k less, than for other novels. I'm still over the maximum word count, but I may epublish this one, with print-on-demand paperbacks. I will pursue a few agents/publishers first.

In the last month, I have also read almost a dozen novels by others and completely re-read two of my own and skimmed another. I find reading helps me refresh, regroup, and recenter my focus, to get beyond writer's block. I then read the story up to my stopping point or to the chapter to be edited and continue on. Fatigue is my greatest enemy. I spend a lot of time thinking instead of sleeping, deciding how I want to proceed next. No wonder I'm tired!

Mysterious Castle

I started Mysterious Castle yesterday. I hope that the third time really is the charm! Check out the way it begins... Just click on the titles to the right, folks.

Before Sunset update

I just finished BEFORE SUNSET. Now the proofreading and editing begin.

UPDATE: 12/12/12: Wow, what a project that was, making sure the dialects were true for each character and watching for typos. (Took my time and had fun with it.) I am ready for the next step.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

It's summertime, and that means more time with my grandchildren. I enjoy that, but that also translates into less time to relax, think, write, etc. Of course, grandchildren are distractions, too. Distractions from writing as well as distractions from everyday stresses. What shall I do? People first, things second, as I always say.


With grandchildren come the questions I deplore. They always start with "What's your favorite. . .?" I don't have favorites, although I have many preferences. So answering those questions has always been . . .a pain in the neck. Headache time. Don't get me wrong. I am extremely opinionated. No doubt about that. I just don't have favorites. Favorite color? I mostly wear blue, black, red, white, green. Favorite food? Potatoes fixed any way, Italian & Mexican. Favorite movie? Ever After, Somewhere in Time, The Lake House, Harry Potter (most of them), Back to the Future 1st & 3rd. I can't pick ONE favorite, not one that I prefer over the others, so don't ask!


Still trying to finish Before Sunset. It's getting close to completion. It is more in accordance with the traditional romance novel plot template. I have decided to pursue standard publication methods for Dreams & Secrets first. I have to consider my end goal. With the cost of ISBNs and the potential epub revenue from research I have done, it would be for vanity only. If for vanity, I could just release it on a website. I might try that somewhere down the road if all other efforts fail, in hopes of attracting positive attention and fans in order to eventually get published, but I would prefer an income-producing method over that. Then again I could test those waters with one of my other works. So many decisions!  :)

EBOOKS?

I am currently working on epublishing Dreams & Secrets and Magnetic Attraction. Hopefully they will both be available soon.

UPDATE: 5/23/12
    A successful author advised me to reconsider epub until I pursue hardcopy publishing again, for the benefits of distribution and potential profits. I am considering my options. The ebook/epub option is currently on hold.
    As a precaution, I've asked another peer, from the Brazos Writers group this time, to critique both novels. I am awaiting response. I am confident that she, as a teacher, will be brutally honest, red pen and all. I am hoping for the best [I love it!], dreading the worst [It's terrible.]--

UPDATE: 6/1/12
    So far so good! She finished one and is into the second. Positive feedback, and I asked her to be brutal. I am now leaning toward giving traditional publishing another try. It seems like the smartest way right now.

Magnetic Attraction

I just finished it! Now I have a new dilemma. Hearts Crossing has competition again. I have ideas for sequels nagging at me. Plus I have two more stories pestering me. I must focus on finishing Hearts Crossing. It is only fair.
If no one ever reads any of them, I am still very happy.

Moving Forward!

The best thing I ever did was retire. I love it! I have de-stressed, which allows me to write. I am still working on the cover design before epublishing Dreams & Secrets. I've almost finished Magnetic Attraction. Hearts Crossing is progressing, mostly set aside because of the other two! (Maybe I will have it finished by Mother's Day.)

Publishing Update

Earlier this week I received a rejection letter from the agent of my choice. He isn't looking for new, unpublished authors right now. He's older than I am, so maybe he's taking it easy. :) But that is okay, because after a program at the Brazos Writers club, I am considering the EPUB method (electronic publishing) instead. I am still excited about it. I prefer to do things myself, rather than waiting around while hoping someone else will do something for me. One thing I have noticed, when you let people know you are an author (in person or electronically) the proofreaders and editors pop up their heads offering their services. Be it known, right now, that I have been employed as a proofreader/editor so I am not looking for one. It IS nice that they offer. Thank you very much and good luck .