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The Simpsons gets political satire right on so many levels. A lot of people are referencing the eerie real-world similarities in a clip of Homer using a voting machine. But this is the one I think of every election day.

What are some of your favorite political comedy sketches?

As mentioned in this post, my next crime thriller novel is set in the Bakken oil patch of North Dakota. The boom there is bringing oil companies and workers from across North America. They're using a practice called "fracking" to extract oil out of shale.

There's a lot of misinformation about fracking out there, both for and against. This Snopes article dishes them out pretty well. While there are environmental concerns with any mining operation, the benefits of the oil boom in North Dakota are also on a lot of minds. The state has such a budget surplus, voters considered doing away with property taxes.

The measure failed last year, but it highlights an important point. Fracking radically transformed North Dakota. It changed the land, the demographics and possibly the direction of an entire country. It's important to understand what the process entails. Energy independence is a big issue this election season, and fracking will come up.

What do you think about this process? Does the potential for water contamination make the process too risky? Or are the economic and energy independence issues too important to not use fracking?

Whenever I get a little blue, I think of this classic Cash Call from Brainerd, Minnesota. Listen to the whole thing. It's worth it.

Ladies and gentlemen, the real Maynard Soloman has been found. Besides being the star of the Funny Detective Stories series, he's apparently an expert whittler. The how-to video below is complete with phrases like, "I don't like to sand anything," "I won't paint anything" and the obligatory story about "the war." Best quote, "If you're in a hurry, don't do this."

Crusty? Check. Vaguely endearing? Check. Flannel shirt? Check.

If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck and looks like a duck, it's a duck. World, meet the real Maynard Soloman.

Kidnapping isn't as easy as throwing someone into a pedo-van and driving off. What if they have to use the bathroom? Will it cramp your style as you and your kidnapping brethren try to enjoy a road trip?

These questions and more are answered in the short crime film, It Got a Little Complicated. The guy in the red is Tyler Bancroft, a high school buddy from back in the day.

* The print book will be available as soon as that color fix goes through. Should be just a few more days. So close! Here's the e-book version on Amazon.

* When you buy the print version, you get a link inside the book to get the e-book version for free.

* I didn't have high expectations with Amazon Createspace's print quality. Figured it'd be OK at best, like the POD books from back in the day. Nope. Really a nice job. You can't see here, but the cover image is super crisp.

* Takeaway lesson for all you authors out there: Make sure you lighten up any dark fonts. 'Cause they'll print darker than you see on the screen. Also, if you're not uploading images at 300 pixels/inch, you're wasting your time.

* I have nothing against Wisconsin-based PODs. I just threw out a state.

An interview with Les Edgerton, one of the great crime authors today. I especially enjoyed his views about learning to write. It starts with reading.

You can read my interview with Les Edgerton here.

If there was any lingering doubt in my mind about going the self-publishing route, readers pulverized it during March.

Third time's the charm, right? Seems to be true with Cleansing Eden - The Celebrity Murders. The crime novel was with two publishers before heading to the house of self. It's found robust success in the UK. That came out of left field, but I'm not complaining.

5 Funny Detective Stories - A Maynard Soloman Collection is fetching tons of interest in every e-book market. Most interesting, it became the number one political humor e-book in Italty for English language titles. Again, this totally caught me off guard. I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me.

Here in the US, readers are all about "borrowing" these titles from Amazon. That means they can read for free after joining Amazon Prime. I hope more people check out this innovative program, it's really a good deal.

A huge thank you to every reader who made March a month to remember. You're making all the difference to this humbled author.

P.S. Many have e-mailed me to share their thoughts after having a read. I appreciate this feedback and always write back. Feel free to contact me at bsobieck [at] journalist [dot] com.

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do things worth writing." - Benjamin Franklin

It's one of those days when I look to the musical stylings of my favorite underappreciated country/folk guy, Ramsay Midwood. He gets my endorsement for president.

Pick up his latest CD here. Better yet, send me one. Or two.

Coming later this month from Trestle Press: The Girl from Yesterday by Joshua J. Mark

Although paranormal mysteries are something I'm only starting to inch toward writing, I find myself interested in reading more of it after watching this video. Joshua J. Mark's The Girl from Yesterday is set to hit digital bookshelves later this month.

His delivery in this video really draws me into the story. Reminds me of someone reading Poe next to a bonfire. Mark could find success in audiobooks, don't you think?

The synopsis of The Girl from Yesterday:

Rebecca Pender has never been to the small, haunted village of Galen's Mills before in her life - or has she? Sent to live with her father in upstate New York, following her parent's divorce, Rebecca can't help feeling she's seen the village before. Her feelings intensify after she visits the ruined mansion on the hill and the, even more, after she meets the strange girl, Clarice, with the faraway accent and the odd mannerisms. Rebecca begins to think she's going crazy as she increasingly remembers events she knows she never lived through. In her determination to discover what's going on in Galen's Mills, and to find out the true identity of Clarice, Rebecca uncovers the mystery of the girl from yesterday.

Keep up with author Mark by friending him on facebook.