I get regularly deluged with more than 200 e-mails per day, and that’s not counting spam e-mails. I regret that I simply don’t have the time to respond to all of your e-mails. To save time, here are some answers to some frequently-asked questions (FAQs):
1.) “Can you recommend a retreat group in my region?”
See my static web page titled: Finding Like-Minded People in Your Area
2.) “Why do you have a comma in the middle of your name?”
I use the comma to make a distinction between my Christian name, and my family name. My Christian name (James Wesley) is my property. My family name (Rawles) is the common property of all those that share the Rawles bloodline, and our wives. This is a Common Law distinction that is only used by a few right wingers who poke around law libraries. Every novelist seems to have an idiosyncratic affectation. George Bernard Shaw had his iron-clad five page per day writing limit. Clive Cussler has his car collection, and he includes an obscure collectible car in each of his Dirk Pitt novels. Charles Dickens cried when he read his own novels. The comma is my own little idiosyncrasy!
3.) “I can’t find your personal Twitter or Facebook page. Is it hidden under a pseudonym?”
I’m not a member, nor do I want to be! Please refrain from trying to get me to join Facebook, or any of the other social networks. Getting dozens of daily “John Smith is following you on Twitter” messages drives me crazy. I consider social networking a huge OPSEC risk, and I advise my readers to cancel their accounts.
4.) “Could we get together for a cup of coffee when I pass through Moyie Springs, Idaho next week?”
Sorry, but I don’t live anywhere near there! That is simply a mail forwarding address that I use, to help keep the actual locale of the Rawles Ranch secret.
5.) “Can you please forward my e-mail to Mr. X., who recently posted a letter in SurvivalBlog?”
For the privacy of my readers, I forward e-mails only under rare, exceptional circumstances. Also, be advised that I regularly scrub my e-mail folders, so I don’t have addressees that date back more than a few months.
6.) “How can I read SurvivalBlog on my cell phone?”
We have an RSS Feed available. Click on “RSS” in the left hand bar. That will bring you to: feed://survivalblog.com/index.xml. If you aren’t familiar with how to configure an RSS feed, see this tutorial.
7.) When I try to bring up your blog page in Firefox, I get a message saying: “Content Encoding Error” What is wrong? Is there a problem with your site, or with my computer?”
The problem is with you computer’s cache settings, not with the SurvivalBlog site. It is actually fairly common, with many web pages. Try re-starting you browser. If you still get the same error message, the workaround is to close tabs with SurvivalBlog, then go though these Firefox menus: Tools -> Options… -> Advanced -> Network -> Offline Storage -> Clear Now
8.) “Can you appear as a guest on my podcast?”
Because of my time constraints of writing, editing, and running a ranch, I only do interviews on network or “major market” talk radio shows. So unless your radio show has a very large listenership, I generally have to pass. Sorry!
9.) “I’m writing my own novel. Attached is my draft. Could you please edit it for me or read it and make some suggestions?”
I’d love to, but I don’t have the time. Sorry, but there aren’t enough hours in the day.
10.) “Can you put a link to my blog on your Links page?
I’m generally willing to put folks on my Links page. but only for blogs and web pages that I think would be of interest to a large number of SurvivalBlog readers, and only if they have no objectionable material. (Assorted ranters, racists, anti-Christians, anti-Semites, loose wing nuts, blasphemers, and folks with girlie pictures on their web pages need not apply.) Also, keep in mind that I don’t put up links until a blog can provide the bona fides of a six month track record, with at least weekly postings. (I’ve seen far too many blogs die young.)
11.) “Can you recommend an online dating site where I can meet a survivalist spouse?”
See my static web page titled: Finding Like-Minded People in Your Area.
12.) “I can’t find the “Post” button on your site.”
I don’t allow “autoposting” of comments from SurvivalBlog readers. This is because A.) I don’t want to have to have the time to moderate the posts and B.) I know from past experience that if I were to allow autoposts, it would quickly degenerate into a venue for flame wars and foul language. So I pick and choose the letters that will be posted. I am the sole “filter” for what is posted on SurvivalBlog. Just e-mail me what you’d like me to post. (There is no “Post” button, so don’t look for it!)
13.) “How can I order autographed copies of your books?”
Sorry, but I no longer do any mail order sales, so autographed copies of my later books are very hard to find.
14.) “When do you think that a Crunch or “Cliff Event” will actually happen?”
As I state in my Provisos page: I’m not a guru. I’m not a prophet. I’m just a guy with an opinion and perhaps the ability to extrapolate some trends. Your mileage may vary. I don’t know when, but I do know how the world will end, because I read the last chapter of the book. Come swiftly, Lord Jesus!