tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11801306067112751252024-03-13T21:10:04.857-07:00Between PagesThoughts from a Writer's LifeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-90302188485078557752017-02-15T07:17:00.001-08:002017-02-15T07:17:39.911-08:00Conversations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Author photo on the couch: <i>ready to write, ready to sleep . . . take your pick</i>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have enjoyed several speaking engagements, interviews, and book signings of late. But, although I have been a public speaker for over thirty-five years, these things still make me uncomfortable, especially TV and radio interviews. I hate speaking into a microphone in a vacant studio, for example, and I've never grown comfortable in front of a camera lens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where I am most comfortable is here . . . in front of a blank page of paper or a Word.doc screen with a flashing cursor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having said that, it is always an interesting and engaging experience meeting the public. I do enjoy people and the conversations, and some are, to say the least, fascinating.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At a book signing last week, for example, one lady approached the table at Barnes & Noble and studied the various books/titles that were displayed between us. She looked at my name on the book covers, looked at me, and then said, "I've never heard of any of these book titles, but I <i>have heard</i> of you." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"How so?" I asked.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Well," she answered, "aren't you that guy who never sleeps?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I laughed and then said, "I can assure you that I do sleep. But I do write late into the night and often rise early of a morning to write . . . and there are times when I do work all night to meet a deadline. But that's most writers. I do sleep."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, she wasn't interested in purchasing one of my books, but she was fascinated by the moniker. <i>Guy who never sleeps</i>. Gotta remember that one. Perhaps I should use that as my handle--<i>GWNS</i>. It would make an easy business card or a text handle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>GWNS</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A lot easier to remember than the book titles and my name.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~Todd </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-44947478566279913732017-02-03T09:39:00.000-08:002017-02-03T09:39:08.785-08:00Missing Old Friends & Old Pages<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBvT7148-V2tjAOcAfcvPOletRpbqBKArj1j0LlfKZkAm58vvbAIJII2cRQSAtdpfC-Kc_nQhMGY1hPo-RFJNrpbwoZdBLUyAx76_cm55yi_6E69krvZln1p04TfcBpYGp2nK_Yt-pyCo/s1600/Door+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBvT7148-V2tjAOcAfcvPOletRpbqBKArj1j0LlfKZkAm58vvbAIJII2cRQSAtdpfC-Kc_nQhMGY1hPo-RFJNrpbwoZdBLUyAx76_cm55yi_6E69krvZln1p04TfcBpYGp2nK_Yt-pyCo/s200/Door+3.JPG" width="153" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h3H8XSNIpEnOIxPexOatkl-nGekyLrYr4jnRXs4V_0aiGWSY2nrHYITmxJset5bJOv7emlSNDJJmmNqSY17WrSVYjegQixLEZ7FUgzdd76jESIA3NnLvXuB5TrwcFtA9BxKrV0XpYkFK/s1600/Door+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3h3H8XSNIpEnOIxPexOatkl-nGekyLrYr4jnRXs4V_0aiGWSY2nrHYITmxJset5bJOv7emlSNDJJmmNqSY17WrSVYjegQixLEZ7FUgzdd76jESIA3NnLvXuB5TrwcFtA9BxKrV0XpYkFK/s200/Door+1.JPG" width="153" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-J9tDVIr1Brdg79YWRYS5O8ix1VmWxPRADKd4I07EpKSI0DdM9RT62Y3axXv7iyYqr7LZnoU_b4ZQh-AcYJaAZaebig-el0DUrW-jEPUNOsaHrYpwr0Fvf-OyWsxo9nz26EbXg-2Osusx/s1600/Door+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-J9tDVIr1Brdg79YWRYS5O8ix1VmWxPRADKd4I07EpKSI0DdM9RT62Y3axXv7iyYqr7LZnoU_b4ZQh-AcYJaAZaebig-el0DUrW-jEPUNOsaHrYpwr0Fvf-OyWsxo9nz26EbXg-2Osusx/s200/Door+2.JPG" width="153" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thoughts today turned to old friends and past publications and I found myself mourning the loss of <i>The Wittenburg Door </i>. . . a magazine that I began writing for back in my Duke Divinity School days, back when Mike Yaconelli was holding court in those pages of parody and speaking truth to power and privilege. I hitched my star to that wagon for many years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I still miss Becky Garrison, Joe Bob Briggs, Bob Darden and the rest of the crew . . . and I miss writing my religious parodies most of all. These kept me honest (or at least a bit more so). Religious professionals, and especially the vast army of televangelists, are like shooting fish in a barrel. It's easy to parody what is, in essence, a cast and crew of zany personalities and fundamentalist wackos. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of the pieces I wrote were classics. The Three Stooges Bible Study. The Theology of SpongeBob Squarepants. Christian Singles Ads. The Prayer of Jezebel. I could go on . . . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I still pray that someone, some how, will revive this much-needed magazine of Religious parody and bring it back to health. God knows we need it. I certainly do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~Todd</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-71649938259566278592017-01-24T11:21:00.005-08:002017-01-24T11:21:58.924-08:00Memoir<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowxaixlnT7jqi5L45RiNEhUpftEJKlODM2mssqWP3hBSDYo9_gLWn3U4M-U06dWiRKEw14fFMc1dZF6mdPTd8w6bKUF02JpZUdWksXa3ltqG4ui3qId_DCUeZVji9wzSgOuzijz_wYCRa/s1600/Tippy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowxaixlnT7jqi5L45RiNEhUpftEJKlODM2mssqWP3hBSDYo9_gLWn3U4M-U06dWiRKEw14fFMc1dZF6mdPTd8w6bKUF02JpZUdWksXa3ltqG4ui3qId_DCUeZVji9wzSgOuzijz_wYCRa/s1600/Tippy.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Photo: <i>the young author and his dog, Tippy, 1964, Robinson, Illinois</i>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am currently at work on my memoir, <i>Tippy's Nine Lives: A Family Memoir in Dog Years</i>. It's been fun going so far. But a memoir, unlike fiction or a book of non-fiction, is tricky business . . . a no-man's-land of real life stories that may yet impact the living. As I write, I continue to ponder how my family and friends will respond to my memories of situations and events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I told my brother not long ago . . . I can't make this stuff up. Our lives were too zany to create out of whole cloth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But memoirs are tightropes . . . a dangerous journey across mind and memory, trying to stay the narrow course of events, stepping lightly upon secrets and private conversations while maintaining enough humor and dignity to make the realities readable for others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been wanting to write the memoir for years, and I'm so fortunate to be able to do so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I'm not sure about the outcomes. Once the book is published, I may discover that I am an orphan . . . abandoned by family and friends. I can only hope I tell the story truthfully. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So please stay tuned. Tippy's on the way. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-59365496930500185962017-01-04T17:26:00.001-08:002017-01-04T17:26:56.642-08:00In Between<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFe8KYDeND1L4T8WHY8m2qocZmPvA-Rvm5GLH3GjBT7JJYq3J26m3Ewccpo_X86EIVa0Xw7Mw91l5CxwihOSB11y3Fjs7ydUGx4s2DeLUla9zGo7BX1hwgsj8ZOaiz3hdfk44nxbWucLA/s1600/Martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFe8KYDeND1L4T8WHY8m2qocZmPvA-Rvm5GLH3GjBT7JJYq3J26m3Ewccpo_X86EIVa0Xw7Mw91l5CxwihOSB11y3Fjs7ydUGx4s2DeLUla9zGo7BX1hwgsj8ZOaiz3hdfk44nxbWucLA/s320/Martin.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been many moons since I wrote a blog post, but here at the apex of 2017 I decided to re-up my commitment to writing "Between Pages". And although I've not written a blog for six months, that's not to say that I have been lax in my commitments to the written word. I've written plenty of pages, and a few forthcoming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week my latest book hit the shelves--my first children's work--a reader entitled <i>All About Martin Luther King, Jr</i>. I am always excited about new titles--but this one, in particular, is dedicated to the Ten Point Coalition of Indianapolis. In case you are not familiar with this work, it is a movement dedicated to keeping peace in the streets and working for the improvement of young people, offering hope and purpose to those whose lives, otherwise, might be defined by poverty, crime and violence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is only fitting that this book have a place in helping the Ten Point Coalition's work. In the coming weeks I'll be speaking in schools and libraries, talking on a few television and radio shows, and scheduling in a few book signings . . . all to help raise awareness and pledge support. You can help, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, let's all celebrate the upcoming Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday--a day not only to remember Dr. King and his words, but perhaps more importantly to remain firm in our commitment to equality, social justice, and civil rights. This is an American holiday reminding us that the work of social equality and justice is ongoing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Secondly, we can pray for the work of Ten Point and other ministries that are addressing poverty and lifting up the needs of our young people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thirdly, we can be involved in peace-making and peace-building. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I especially enjoyed writing this book on Dr. King because I knew he was, first and foremost, a pastor--a preacher of the gospel, and one who believed in the power of Christ's words to transform, both personally and socially. His legacy, and the struggles of Civil Rights, must always be told to a new generation of children. If we don't tell the story, we are doomed to repeat the past.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, thanks for reading. And thanks for helping to spread the word about the Dr. King reader and the work of Ten Point Coalition. I hope my little biography of Dr. King might touch a few young lives and make the work of social justice evident, all the while holding out the hope of a better future for all Americans. <i>Let justice roll down like waters . . . and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream</i>! Amen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~Todd</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-23572402113720821392016-06-15T17:19:00.000-07:002016-06-15T17:19:35.921-07:00Lost and Found<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many years ago I recall reading one of Garrison Keillor's essays about a lost comedy piece--a story he had worked on in a train station, composing on yellow legal pads. After boarding the train, and several miles down the track, Keillor suddenly realized that he had left the yellow legal pads in the train station restroom where he had washed his hands prior to departure. In that moment of losing his work, Keillor was certain that he had forfeited some of the best work of his life, and he moved on down the track feeling lonely and dejected.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tell this story because, as I have talked to other writers over the years, it is obvious that most have encountered this lost feeling at one time or another.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few years ago, when my PC crashed, leaving me with only the blue screen of death, I realized that I had several great stories, essays, and book proposals that I had not backed up. They were lost. And for some weeks I walked around in a stupor, a writer's funk, a purgatory of the soul. I just couldn't get going again, certain that I had also lost some of the best work I had ever produced.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I try to do a better job now of backing up my work . . . lingering doubts always in my mind as to the trustworthiness of memory chips produced in Japan. I write, but always with the fear and trepidation, however distant, that someday the lights might go out and I'd lose, say, an entire year's-worth of work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Toward that end, I have always appreciated my 1993 Compaq PC (with Windows '95 operating system and three fans). This computer still runs. But some years ago I had apply named it "Old Sparky" due to its tendency to suddenly leap into flame (which is why I also kept a spray bottle next to the keyboard). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last night, in a post-midnight apocalyptic fit of locating some old stories I knew I had written (again, certain that these were some of the best material I have ever produced) . . . I fired up Old Sparky and set about navigating through a few hundred floppy discs to see what I could find.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In particular, I was looking for a horror story entitled "Up in Jacky's Treehouse". And low and behold, after perusing more than 50 floppies, each holding a myriad of essays and poems and whole book manuscripts, I finally found "Jacky". In addition, I also found four other stories that, for the life of me, I can't remember writing at all. It was like reading another person's work . . . but I'm looking forward to reading these again, and seeing how well I did writing the stories--some, perhaps, twelve or thirteen years ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love finding these types of gifts. I'm sure there are more that I have not yet discovered among the hundreds of other floppies that I have stored in boxes and closets. Losing a story is depressing. But locating old ones, and, even better, finding homes for them with a publisher, is pure gravy. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-24875470000247908422016-05-09T12:48:00.001-07:002016-05-09T12:48:20.660-07:00Sheer Poetry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>(Training for the Camino)</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having just completed (walking) the Mini-Marathon last Saturday, I now feel that I am "in shape" to make my way down the Camino de Santiago in Spain . . . or at least the last 100 km. I'll be ready.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I've also been in training, of sorts, as I've worked diligently on several projects . . . including writing the final touches on my book for InterVarsity Press, to be entitled <i>The Seven Deadly Virtues</i>. Readers can look for this one as we roll into 2017. Some months ago I also completed the 2nd book in a projected 12-book series of novels written under my <i>nom de plume</i>, R.L. Perry. This one, <i>Bleak Midwinter</i>, should be out this fall, with a third novel, <i>Cold Snap</i>, nipping at its heels. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was also having a conversation with my wife, Becky, the other night (on those rare days when we actually talk) and noted that I seemed to be writing with some poetic interest these days. Or, at least I've had some success in recent months placing work in university journals and literary magazines. But I've also written some verse representative of my personal best, for which I'm grateful. And in between the flavorful poetic cookies, I sometimes manage to sandwich some lighter verse that my wife might actually read in her spare time (a commodity of which she has little as the school year winds down). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, thanks for reading . . . and I'll close by sharing this little piece of gray matter on a gray subject (parody courtesy of Robert Frost). </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gray<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As hair succumbs to gray<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So nothing dark can stay<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And though her dye is power<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It only stays an hour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As white trumps her brunette<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her roots cannot forget <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That age will have its day<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">So nothing dark can stay </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Palatino Linotype, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">~Camino Todd</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-89696827298216690492016-04-24T13:55:00.002-07:002016-04-24T13:55:33.610-07:00Camino de Santiago<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mid-May I will be travelling to Spain to make pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago--the traditional French-Way leading to Santiago de Compostella, cathedral and revered burial place of St. James. As a pilgrim, I have my shell--the traditional symbol of pilgrimage, identifying me as one making journey, and my Camino passport, a document that, stamped along The Way, will mark my completion of the journey (at least in Spain).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I expect this pilgrimage to be many things . . . and many have asked me about my purpose and the outcomes. But here are a few of my thoughts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, I am going on this pilgrimage with an open mind and a willing heart. Whatever I encounter, and whomever, I expect much of the journey to be serendipitous, as I depart with few possessions, my Bible as sole reading material, good socks, and a few other pieces of gear that will protect me from the sun, the rain, and the elements. I hope I will be prepared to just "be" in each moment, each day, and allow God to open to me whatever sights and relationships and insights are in store. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Secondly, I go to pray for others. I will carry with me at all times the relationships of parish, friend and family--either expressly stated or in spirit. I expect, on my shorter-walking days in particular, to pause along the countryside, in small towns and villages, to reflect and learn. I plan to eat no food along The Way (only breakfasts and dinners) but do plan to enjoy water and good Spanish wine as I discover it. I also plan to lose at least ten pounds on this pilgrimage, and my energy through the day will be taken from the sun, the conversations, the soil beneath my feet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, some have asked me if this pilgrimage will lead me to write other articles or books about the Camino. My short answer is: There are already hundreds of books about the Camino experience, dozens of memoirs, even movies. I have no such plans per se . . . but I am keeping two options open as sidebars:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A book proposal that I have been working up, tentatively entitled, <u>Twelve Roads with Jesus</u>, and this idea will form the basis of a 3-part sermon series I will do in June upon my return. I may also keep my palate primed to write an article, or series, on some of the Spanish wines.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Until then, I walk to prepare. A few miles to go before I sleep. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Buen Camino</i>,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~Todd</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-44158461796588912212016-01-11T15:05:00.000-08:002016-01-11T15:05:06.608-08:00The Year Ahead<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have been remiss of late with my blogging . . . but here at the cusp of a new year I should give an update on family, life, and my writing. Many changes, but then that is the very essence of life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Family</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> On New Year's day Logan moved to Portland, Oregon. New adventures in learning (fashion and design school), new friendships, new apartment . . . the works. For me and Becky, back to the "empty nest" (again). Already our nights are filled to overflowing--mostly with work. She: writing reports, emails, presentations, reviews. He: writing like a slave to many deadlines.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Toward that end I am working late nights and early mornings trying to crush out two new novels for the Mary Christmas mystery/romance series (published under my pseudonym R.L. Perry). Next books in line will be entitled <i>Bleak Midwinter </i>and <i>Cold Snap</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I have not stopped there. Interspersed among the long pull of the novels I still manage to eek out and publish at least six or seven essays a month (of various lengths and subjects) and short stories in a variety of genres.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of my scheduled stories are entitled "The Last Man on Earth", "The Law of Zupiter", "The Arsonist", "The Superannuated Man", and "The Thin Man". As you can see, I'm not very good at titles . . . I just grab a central character or theme and away I go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have been fortunate of late to see these science fiction stories into print (or scheduled for print) as well as some others that could be loosely categorized as horror, fantasy, mystery, or mainstream. And poetry--I take spells, but have quite a few scheduled for publication in early 2016. Actually, quite proud of many of the poems written in 2015. Some of my best, I think, and I've received the thanks of some editors, which is a nice touch. And I now have enough published poetry to make a second collection (my first, <i>Where in the World We Meet</i>). Any editors looking for a poetry collection from a near-sighted white guy who writes about sex, Greek mythology,life and death?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As for my total count of upcoming books in 2016, so far it stands at five:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Praying Through Cancer </i>(Upper Room books)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>All About Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</i> (Blue River books, children)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Seven Deadly Virtues</i> (InterVarsity Press)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Bleak Midwinter</i> (as R.L. Perry)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Cold Snap</i> (as R.L. Perry)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Earlier last year, during a trip to New York when I reunited for after-work drinks with a former literary agent, the question was asked at the bar, "Who the hell publishes eight books in two years?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I guess I do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope to continue & thanks for reading.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~Todd </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~R.L.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-58299921259576267592015-12-11T08:44:00.001-08:002015-12-11T10:34:38.983-08:00A Year in Retrospect<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQer9ty3lduzRZY9GA0NiJQ4zX5u3ODYOzkJWl6FAXCvOV_kueOp0v2fmxIYxg0XCRLhpIaFwtDMISVfeoQZLZNfaNoTFXGFp8VZ3lkYGAZyRqJrFpCnL0ikD2IEXTjwm-qtNpx9eulu0/s1600/Slay+Bells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQer9ty3lduzRZY9GA0NiJQ4zX5u3ODYOzkJWl6FAXCvOV_kueOp0v2fmxIYxg0XCRLhpIaFwtDMISVfeoQZLZNfaNoTFXGFp8VZ3lkYGAZyRqJrFpCnL0ikD2IEXTjwm-qtNpx9eulu0/s320/Slay+Bells.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Every December, as I am writing my year-end family reflections and history, I also take stock of my writing goals and outcomes to see if I have made any progress in my development as a writer, in my knowledge and insight and connections of, and within, the publishing industry, and in the outcomes I am attempting to achieve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But no matter how I look at it 2015 was a big year in many respects. In addition to having three books released in one year--<i>Common Ground</i> (Skyhorse, New York), <i>Indiana Wineries</i> (Blue River Press, Indianapolis) and the novel <i>Slay Bells</i>, as R.L.Perry (Blue River Press, Indianapolis)--I also published a large pile of other material, wide-ranging in subject, scope, and genre. Every morning, when I get up to write in the dark, I write what I <i>want</i> to write--and sometimes what I <i>have to</i> write in order to meet deadline(s).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As far as essays and articles go, I placed work in <i>Midwest Outdoors</i>, <i>YouthWorker, Preaching</i> and <i>Together</i> magazines. All told, something like 75 essays for these publications alone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But in addition, I also placed a number of stories in other magazines this year--mostly university presses and literary journals--that ranged from what might loosely be deemed as romance, fantasy, or literary. Among these, "The Tall Girl's Wedding", "Equinox", "The Man Upstairs" and "The Thin Man" are some of my best. I now have a wide ranging corpus of stories, few clearly defined by genre, that I hope to collect between covers very soon. As one editor wrote about one story, "I'm not sure what this is, or how to define it, but I like it."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I also published a few more science fiction stories this year (with others sold and scheduled for publication in early 2016) that include, "The Last Man on Earth" in <i>Nebula Rift</i> and the forthcoming "The Superannuated Man" in <i>Morpheus Tales </i>(England).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Note: this last story, "The Superannuated Man", was one of the many that I lost when my computer crashed and burned two years ago. Of the stories lost, I knew that I would have to rewrite this one from memory, but the new version turned out even better than the first, for which I am grateful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As far as poetry goes, I also placed many new poems in literary magazines in 2015. Some of these could be categorized as "love" poems, but others were experimental, emotional, regional, domestic, or light verse. I also continued writing on my poetry collection that I hope to entitle, <i>Circus</i>. It is safe to say that I wrote over 100 new poems this year, and many that I consider my best to date, and they continue to emerge . . . often late at night before I go to sleep or when I wake in the middle of the night with some hair-brained idea and begin writing again. Poems often jump-start my creativity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a rule, I write about everything that is part of the human experience and the human condition. Spirituality, love, ministry, horror, recreation, wines, joys, sorrows, relationships, sex, outdoors, fitness and the future . . . to name a few.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Finally, as I look forward to 2016, I anticipate five new books that will be forthcoming--that's almost a book every two months and thinking about it astounds me and fills me with a certain anticipation and dread. Lord willing, and if I don't die first, I will also sign on for more books that I will produce in 2017 and beyond. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those titles you can look for in 2016 include:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.</i> (a children's biography of the Civil Rights leader)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Praying Through Cancer</i> (a book for cancer patients and their families)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Seven Deadly Virtues</i> (Inter Varsity Press)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Bleak Midwinter</i> (2nd book in the Mary Christmas mystery series)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Cold Snap</i> (3rd book in the Mary Christmas mystery series)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I thank all of my publishers and editors and my agent, Cynthia, for working with a weirdo like me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And what will I write in 2016? Only God knows . . . <i>and me</i>. As I told my mother decades ago (age 12) when she asked, "What are you going to write <i>about</i>?" I answered, "<i>Anything I want to</i>."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Land of the free. It's a great country. And I'll keep writing if you'll keep reading.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">~Todd</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-39971736173122947792015-12-02T19:47:00.000-08:002015-12-06T03:40:18.647-08:00Nome De Plume<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Just published, my first novel under my Nome De Plume . . . R.L. Perry. Hot off the press and available now through Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. </i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Some years ago it became apparent to me that I was writing far more material than my name could carry into publication. And so, with the help of my publisher, Tom, we hit upon the idea of my writing under a <i>Nome De Plume</i>. But what name?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I suggested several, including Cornelius MacGillicudy, Eustace Von Coldcream IV, or Lady Godiva. But these didn't seem to fit. Eventually we settled upon a combination of my wife's initials (R.L.) and my maternal grandmother's maiden name (Perry). And hence, R.L. Perry was birthed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And so is my first <i>Nome De Plume</i> novel: <i>Slay Bells</i>. This mystery/romance featuring female sleuth and funeral director, Mary Christmas, is the first of a projected twelve novels in a series. I'm looking forward to writing the other eleven . . . and if I write one a year, I'll be 67 years old when I complete the dozen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Naturally, this makes me ponder some of life's deeper questions, such as:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>What was I thinking?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Can I write one novel a year in addition to my other books, essays, short stories, poems and book reviews?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Will R.L. Perry be a success?</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>At age 67, will I be taking my nourishment through a straw?</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, in the event my readers would enjoy something different (<i>sizzling</i> romance and mystery/mayhem) I hope I will be able to deliver . . . especially writing in a female voice. Perhaps Father Andrew Greeley would be proud.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am especially hopeful that other women will find my romance compelling, especially since my wife will never read these and as she always says, "You know nothing about romance anyway." Well, we'll see. I have a feeling these sexy little holiday mystery novels will catch on . . . and with a name like Mary Christmas . . . heck, my wife might even make me dinner.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Yours in pseudonym, love and mystery . . . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">~R. L. Perry</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-24858889349095382802015-11-12T03:05:00.002-08:002015-11-12T03:05:57.169-08:00Working With the Wife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwv1wBTlFJZzzf7hmbQK44QAiYH9iDNqOhTc2n42l34A2IA39HUyY_Nq5IfEBHraMqoZZlkDjLKV4mo-7ixEXw05tJ82uj6x_TnCT34TeShgcYJ-S-6916bW9aznpphnLt-nWvp48-mmBR/s1600/IMG_0235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwv1wBTlFJZzzf7hmbQK44QAiYH9iDNqOhTc2n42l34A2IA39HUyY_Nq5IfEBHraMqoZZlkDjLKV4mo-7ixEXw05tJ82uj6x_TnCT34TeShgcYJ-S-6916bW9aznpphnLt-nWvp48-mmBR/s1600/IMG_0235.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Photo: July wine trip, California, Navarro Winery before 31st wedding anniversary and a bunch of other junk</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My most recent book, <i>Indiana Wineries</i>, was written with my wife, Becky. Since she snapped many of the photos in the book, and often accompanied me on the winery visits around the state, I thought it was important to have her name on the cover . . . that, and we could then divide our time at book signings, appearances, and other winery visits once the book was published.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A great plan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But working with a wife, <i>any wife</i>, is not what it's cracked up to be. Now, instead of being this independent writer who is footloose and fancy free (isn't this the definition of <i>freelancer</i>?) I am bombarded with questions like:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"So, when is <i>our</i> next book signing?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>Why</i> did you schedule it <i>then</i>?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"What were you <i>thinking</i>?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"You did <i>what</i>?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"You <i>Idiot</i>!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This experience has taught me one thing: I admire those married couples who can work together for long expanses of time . . . such as a full day or a swing shift. Being able to work with your spouse demonstrates a certain resolve. But believing that you can work with your spouse for days-on-end demonstrates a proclivity toward insanity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong. I love my wife. She's my best friend, my confidant, my sometimes-cook and cleaning lady. She's also the principal breadwinner and my lover (at least twice a year and always on my birthday if she doesn't have a headache). You do the math. We were meant for each other. She doesn't even care if I forget an anniversary or two. What a woman! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But going on a book-signing tour together was not God's design for marriage. Rather, God intended for literary couples to write from their respective cubicles and holler at each other late at night: "How do you spell <i>olfactory</i>?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The fact is, we are just getting started on our book tour around the state. I have miles to go before I sleep . . . and I was getting very little of it before I began working with my wife. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But folks who are looking for entertainment should seek us out at these book signings. Chances are, we'll be there together, and patrons can catch us mid-argument, or perhaps wrestling with deeper frustrations that involve split infinitives or choice adjectives. We might even toss in a noun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just don't forget to ask us about Indiana wines. That will help. My wife knows more about these things than I do. I'm just along for the ride. And I try to keep my mouth shut unless I'm tasting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~Todd Outcalt</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-24059947519115670892015-11-08T12:46:00.000-08:002015-11-08T12:46:18.654-08:00A Week's Worth of Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6DrF3ptONAhfna5xwB87cE2OeTpRMZ9zufyY4NTRT4Jmi7-su-R8w7N0dP2NBkyWxNtCSCThBApGgBQGNQtgM5nDwp0Eqkw-AOToZeKRsklx45kVNLn1vV0dX18ZueMt6KXB85jDKbTr/s1600/sciencefiction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6DrF3ptONAhfna5xwB87cE2OeTpRMZ9zufyY4NTRT4Jmi7-su-R8w7N0dP2NBkyWxNtCSCThBApGgBQGNQtgM5nDwp0Eqkw-AOToZeKRsklx45kVNLn1vV0dX18ZueMt6KXB85jDKbTr/s320/sciencefiction.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Writers often discover success like bananas--in bunches. And this past week was an interesting, and eclectic bunch, for sure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition to completing a few new essays for submission in 2016, some of my older essays found their way to readerships at <i>YouthWorker</i> and elsewhere. I was also overjoyed when two editors said "yes" to some of my poems--all of which were fast-tracked to publications before year end. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And then there's science fiction. A couple of week's ago I had a nod from an editor in London (thanks, Adam) who has been very kind to me over the years, accepting my short story "The Superannuated Man". Last week I placed a second story, "The Last Man on Earth", in a newer publication.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Often, it takes weeks like this to keep a writer writing . . . but that's part of the struggle <i>and the fun</i>. Nothing comes easy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is also fun to ask: "What's next?" Much yet to write. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And eating a banana now and then doesn't hurt, either.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~Todd Outcalt</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-70043675729725053622015-10-14T15:07:00.003-07:002015-10-14T15:07:35.206-07:00A Beginning, A Middle & An End<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Photo</i>: (Wine tour, Northern California, July 2015)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week Becky and I heard Joyce Carol Oates speak at Clowes Hall, Butler. A remarkable experience as she read for an hour from her new memoir and afterwards entertained questions. Although nominated several times for awards such as the Pulitzer and National Book Awards, and having authored more than 150 titles, I doubt that 1% of the American population have heard of this remarkable wordsmith. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ah, but such is the life of a writer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the course of her talk, Oates noted that she is always working on various books, stories or essays . . . all in various states of dress or undress. Writers who write every day know the drill.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week I completed a manuscript for InterVarsity Press--a book to be entitled <i>The Seven Deadly Virtues</i>. It will be published some time in 2016. That's an end for me (or perhaps a fresh start, depending upon how one looks at it, as now I can begin another book).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm also in the middle of finalizing a final draft version of a novel written over a year ago . . . but it should be out in a week or two. Middle? End?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And I have two or three new stories that I'm working on, each in the beginning stages of production . . . work that is seeking clarity and direction in the wee hours of the night (or is it morning?) when I am hammering away at the keys in the dark. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Right now, Becky and I are enjoying our publishing foray into the world of wines (<i>Indiana Wineries</i>, Blue River Press) and some of the appearances and signings that will afford us a chance to meet the public and scratch our names onto the title page. It is always important to have fun while it lasts . . . as all good things eventually come to an end. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So until the next beginning. . . </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~Todd </span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-21788795988928839552015-09-28T12:31:00.003-07:002015-09-28T12:31:41.789-07:00Bits & Pieces<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes writers can--just like sports teams or race cars--find themselves "running hot". Momentum, clarity, or even perseverance can all play in part in the streak. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the past two months I've learned the value of patience and revision, especially as it pertains to essays, short stories and poems. I've had several short stories that have found their way into print, including one romance story, "The Tall Girl's Wedding", and a quirky piece of flash fiction that I entitled, "The Tall Man". (The "tall" in the titles is purely coincidence.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week I also learned that a Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine in London will be publishing my science fiction story, "The Superannuated Man"--a story that I've worked on for some years now and rewrote from top to bottom a few months ago. I knew it was a good story, I just had to perfect the tone, pace, and point of view. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And as for essays, a few upcoming book reviews top the list and I also wrote an outdoor article about fishing for Sheep-heads. While I don't personally fish for the dang things, I spent an afternoon earlier this summer watching some teenagers haul them in . . . and I took photos and conducted interviews on the spot. (This was during vacation, so I broke my vow to Becky that I would not do any writing away from home . . . but she'll never know since she doesn't read this blog and certainly won't see the article.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, a few poems forthcoming in various literary and university journals, including <i>The Lyric</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all . . . a rather productive summer for short pieces. Well on my way to having more than 100 essays published for 2015. Now if I can just finish my science fiction novella and my essay about funeral eulogies . . . in addition to the books . . . I might be able to eat that ham sandwich. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-85157950437805446732015-09-24T02:38:00.000-07:002015-09-24T02:38:37.321-07:00By the Numbers<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not long ago someone asked me: "How many sermons have you preached?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Offhand," I responded, "I don't know." But the question intrigued me and so I set off on a hunt through my files, my history, and my shoddy memory to arrive at a number. However, I quickly bumped up against some roadblocks. Words--and their creation--are indeed elusive commodities. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My search for sermon fodder also took me on other side trips through the far country of word-land, and before I knew it, I was making lists and columns and screaming at my wife: "Where's the calculator?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(She reminded me that I have one on my cell phone and another on the computer I'm using right now . . . but again, I forget these things. I'm still hunting for the slide rule I used in high school and I nearly flunked calculus.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nevertheless, I did eventually arrive at some neatly crafted columns. I'm not sure what these numbers say about me, but I do know that they represent a huge portion of my life--a life spent, often, crafting these things early in the morning or late at night. I cannot begin to estimate the hours represented by them . . . but here they are:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1700 sermons written</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3000+ sermons preached</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">30+ books published</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">100+ books written </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">700+ published essays/stories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">125 published poems</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">500+ poems written</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As far as other stats go, these might be of interest to some:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5 (number of sermons my wife said were "good")</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1000+ (number of times my wife has heard me preach)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2 (number of my books my wife has read)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">0 (number of my short stories my wife has read)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">0 (number of my books my son has read)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">0 (number of my books my son says he will read someday)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">0 (number of my books I have read after publication)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">12 (number of sermons my parents have heard me preach)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1000+ (number of blog posts I have written)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">0 (number of my blog posts my wife has read)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">300+ (number of romantic poems written to my wife)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7 (number of romantic poems my wife says are "good")</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">0 (number of my love poems that produced "results")</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you can see, living life by the numbers is no fun. I'm not a mathematician. I'm not an engineer. I'm not even an author. I'm a writer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But every time I do the numbers, life doesn't add up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~Todd</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-4329270498933532912015-08-31T17:42:00.003-07:002015-08-31T17:42:23.889-07:00Of New Orleans, New Books, and New Blogs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6FQzzbAEnC20qOSrABFvjKR2i7j4hRnr6CHvbo6W4-KBBNlEPPAQpMQnVFrKUVMMoPJ9C2tXPfDYSwjz9VplKByNL1DJBj6VcxhbvgtZqAF9F9PbU_tgElBswFGeMRnXZ2Bm8BY55gT6/s1600/winery+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6FQzzbAEnC20qOSrABFvjKR2i7j4hRnr6CHvbo6W4-KBBNlEPPAQpMQnVFrKUVMMoPJ9C2tXPfDYSwjz9VplKByNL1DJBj6VcxhbvgtZqAF9F9PbU_tgElBswFGeMRnXZ2Bm8BY55gT6/s320/winery+book.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It's been several months since my last confession . . . and my last blog posting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nevertheless, I want to begin by announcing that I have a new book,<i> Indiana Wineries</i>, fresh from the mint. (Actually, I should say that <i>Becky and I</i> have a new book, as her name is on the cover, too.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is this book? Well, it's a five-year project whereby we visited all of the wineries in the Hoosier state, photographed, interviewed, and profiled each and all. The book is beautifully illustrated and photographed--by far the most ornate and eye-appealing book I've done to date (thanks to Blue River Press). The book also contains a history of Indiana vineyards and wineries, wine appreciation, weekend trip suggestions, recipes, tips . . . and so much more. For those who want to know what's now available on the wine scene from Indiana wineries--this is the book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To accompany the book, we also have a new blog: www.indianawinery.blogspot.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What's on this blog? Upcoming interviews, profiles, wineries new and old, and plenty more. Check it out and check back often to get the latest on Indiana Wineries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally . . . I noted today, after picking up a used hardback copy of my book, <i>Candles in the Dark</i>, that I had obtained the copy once owned by the New Orleans Public Library. The book was published in 2002, probably stayed in the library in New Orleans for two or three years, and obviously made it out before hurricane Katrina in 2005 . . . ten years ago now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, having that copy looking me square in the eye as I write this has set me to thinking about these odd connections. How did something I wrote fifteen years ago make it from New York (published) to New Orleans and then back to my house? How many people--now living or dead--read this copy? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, I'm still reading, still writing . . . and still waiting. I also hope to write more often right here--and I won't be waiting until the spirit moves me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">~Todd</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-10168950913780637922015-04-19T11:31:00.002-07:002015-04-19T11:31:44.823-07:00All That Jazz<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't always post news of my writing endeavors . . . but when I do, I use this blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, but it has been a wild month of conversations, assignments, potentialities. I'm so grateful to my editor, Sarah, for meeting me in Boulder last week to discuss further marketing ideas for <i>The Other Jesus</i>. And, of course, it was fun to catch up over a cup of coffee.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And many short assignments completed also in March & April. Seven published essays on my count, along with three book reviews and a feature article on rainbow trout. I also received word of two short story acceptances, including one story that I've been trying to find a home for for nearly a decade--a romantic story entitled, "The Tall Girl's Wedding". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And poems? By last count I was elated to receive word that one magazine had accepted five and another three. If I can still do math, that means eight published poems in one month . . . so not too bad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm also elated to have signed on to write a book for InterVarsity Press, a book entitled, <i>The Seven Deadly Virtues</i>. Thank you, Helen and IVPress. I've been getting my notes together, thoughts clarified, and now I'm ready to set out on this journey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I've got to get moving. Why, just the time it has taken me to write this blog has been time I could have used in these other endeavors. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's always the message for writers . . . don't sit and talk about writing. Get writing. Don't sit still. All that jazz . . . . </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-44154291045307081222015-03-26T18:03:00.000-07:002015-03-26T18:03:04.836-07:00Woody and Me<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some three years ago, Becky and I set out on a quest to watch all of Woody Allen's movies. (He's made more than you might think.) We are still trying to get to the end of this queue. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Recently, however, my attention fastened upon a character played by Nick Nolte. In this one scene Nolte, a painter, was discussing the significance of his painting with a young art student who was threatening to quit. She asked, "But how do you get inspired to paint? How do you find the energy to keep doing it?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The answer came suddenly, with the Nolte blurting out, "One doesn't paint because one wants to. If a person is a painter, he will paint because he can't do anything else."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've heard this same line used in ministry . . . but I've also heard it used when it comes to writing. Writers write because they have to. At least it's held true for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even now, sitting here watching an NCAA basketball game that I've pulled in through my rabbit ears (and high def no less) . . . I am writing. In the past two hours I've written three essays to meet a publication deadline. Last night I wrote five short stories (all less than 1000 words each, but five nonetheless). And early this morning I finished two poems, wrote eight pages of material for a review, and began writing a new book proposal. Why? What else can I <i>do</i>? What else <i>is</i> there to do in the middle of the night? (And don't mention sex cause I can't meet that deadline any more.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No . . . it's writing from here on out. Writing until my back goes, my knees, my mind. And besides, I've got too many books, too many stories, too many essays, too many poems--both unpublished and yet to be written--that are waiting in the wings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An actor acts. A painter paints. A writer writes. It's a life <i>sentence</i>. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-10330330531411493152015-03-13T10:10:00.000-07:002015-03-13T10:10:16.267-07:00Books of the Year<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in October I traveled to New York to visit editors at several publishing houses, talk shop, and even deliver a book manuscript. I also had drinks with my former literary agent who, at one juncture in our conversation, asked, "So how do you manage to write so many books for so many publishers?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a question I had not pondered before, but my answer leaned into the category of diversity--and the idea that I write different types of books for different publishers: some are relational, some theological, others are more in the vein of general interest or even academic. I'm not sure that's a sane answer, but it's one that I've lived with now for some thirty years as I continue to write devotional work, academic, self-help, travel, and fiction in the genres of mystery and science fiction and literary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week I had a short story accepted for publication that is romance, so I guess I write romantic fiction, too. (My wife thinks I know nothing about this subject and believes I am a fraud. But since she doesn't read what I write, what does <i>she know</i>?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also had two essays accepted for publication last week on outdoor/sporting related subjects . . . so I guess I write outdoor and recreational work as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of this to say that every day is an adventure. I never know what I'm going to get into when I wake up at four a.m. to begin my next writing session. I might write a chapter. I might write an essay. I might write a poem. It could be a short story or a 2000-word essay on some subject I know nothing about (such as Jungian psychology or the chemistry of chicken feed). If an idea grabs me, I start writing (or I start learning) and I go with it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last year (2014) I had four books published and anticipate at least six in 2015. But It's always fun to look back and give thanks for what can be accomplished through blood, sweat and tears . . . which are a writer's greatest friends. (There's no such thing as a "muse" . . . only hard work and discipline.)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneIz80nfGVVyU_fpSEF5L7hTt49ViZp2XeQicAlK-A6mCyH1ffbMp6_M98ErEMhVQnu3uOxOmz6KtgBT8vH40Lg6FPh4k7dtMZbfoscQIxgtV58NveoE8efZOIe07tSCdA7-YNsT0httH/s1600/where.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgneIz80nfGVVyU_fpSEF5L7hTt49ViZp2XeQicAlK-A6mCyH1ffbMp6_M98ErEMhVQnu3uOxOmz6KtgBT8vH40Lg6FPh4k7dtMZbfoscQIxgtV58NveoE8efZOIe07tSCdA7-YNsT0httH/s1600/where.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Gotta feel the gratitude in these . . . and thanks for reading.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANffgkRv9WzCEm3HBHP4XO88C50qgOqGYYpLUv0ztIVmG2glqLxKZV2ZWNcUgriyu2ePgwT6M71UDMzlG-ZtK-ekajlcBMFs_KwpAtgimjNFu-o6ZgNGDb-ZG_81Z8m4BUZo3Pj7MDszs/s1600/cancer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANffgkRv9WzCEm3HBHP4XO88C50qgOqGYYpLUv0ztIVmG2glqLxKZV2ZWNcUgriyu2ePgwT6M71UDMzlG-ZtK-ekajlcBMFs_KwpAtgimjNFu-o6ZgNGDb-ZG_81Z8m4BUZo3Pj7MDszs/s1600/cancer.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-43521217099455187932015-03-02T17:15:00.000-08:002015-03-02T17:15:14.771-08:00A Week in the Life Of . . . <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now and again people ask me, "What are you working on?" I guess they think I actually <i>work</i>, which is a good sign. Or perhaps they recognize that writing is work . . . especially the way I have to do it: late at night or at ungodly hours of the morning when I frequently rise at 3 a.m. or thereabouts. I'm not complaining, but my goal is that someday (in retirement?) I will actually be able to write in the daylight instead of in the dark.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But in answer to these inquiries: "Yes, I am always working on something." In fact, I am always working on <i>somethings</i> (note the plural). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week, for example, was a very productive pipeline despite having the flu for two days. Before and after the vomiting I had a number of deadlines to meet, producing four essays to be published in March, and I also received word from <i>Poetry Quarterly</i> that they were accepting three of my poems for publication this summer. (I thank the editors and their kind words about those respective poems.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition, I also proofed an entire book (<i>Common Ground</i>) now in the galley stage, and began working with a designer on another book that will also be released in May of this year. (Two massive books in one month ain't for the faint of heart or for the sleepy . . . but I figure I'll have time to sleep when I'm dead.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also received word that another publisher is interested in one of my books on cancer--or, more accurately, cancer support. I'll be hot on the trail of that puppy very soon and will have to write that one <i>quickly</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And finally, I received word that my book, <i>The Other Jesus</i>, <u>did not</u> receive a Wilbur Award . . . an accolade given each year to various books in religion (kind of like an academy awards ceremony for nerds). But hey, it was nice to be considered, though I doubt anyone would want to take a selfie <i>with me</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all, a rather memorable week, puking and shakes notwithstanding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, although Becky claims I got sick because I am worn out, I actually don't feel tired at all. Rather, I feel stoked. But I'd better be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With all these pages to write and a short time to get there, I'd better buy some more floppy disks and keep my water bottle near the monitor in case it bursts into flames. Call me a Luddite if you like, but I doubt there's another writer in America who is still dredging up work from his old Tandy 1000. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now excuse me while I catch two hours of sleep.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-79027760125680310942015-02-22T15:55:00.000-08:002015-02-22T16:00:12.827-08:00Mona Lisa Moments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been some months since I've posted a "Between Pages" blog entry, but much has happened in my world of words since my last post, including a 30th anniversary trip to Europe, publication of <i>The Other Jesus</i>, and a rash of essays and articles. I've also enjoyed a business trip to New York, where I met with three publishers and a former literary agent (for drinks no less)--making my way through Greenwich Village, the Flatiron building, and midtown bearing gifts from Venice . . . and all the while feeling very much at home in the Big Apple, publishing capital of the world. (Picture Ma and Pa Kettle in Manhattan and you have some idea of how my two worlds collide.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One thing though: my frustration runs deep. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With dozens of books now in the hopper and in various stages of dress and undress, I set a blazing pace at the keyboard and may soon have to buy more floppy disks to keep up with the deadlines. Sleep would be a welcome friend as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While in Europe, however, I did manage to keep my promise to Becky that I would not write a single word during this anniversary excursion. I let go of writing completely, but since my return in August I note that I have had one new book released, have written four more book proposals, and have half a dozen others scheduled for release later this year. I've also written nearly 80 published essays and some fifty poems. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Among these verses--some of which I consider my best work to date--I've also reflected on some of the lighter moments of Europe . . . including our visit to the Louvre--a destination that has become nearly singularly defined by the mass pilgrimage to see a tiny Da Vinci portrait, otherwise known as the Mona Lisa. But I personally found the mass-appeal laughable and just had to write about it. If you've been there and witnessed the pull . . . you'll understand this bit of light verse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Mona Lisa in the Louvre</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We wait in line</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> We
do our time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> By
centimeters move<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Humanity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> That’s
come to see<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The
Mona Lisa in the Louvre<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You feel the pinch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> As
inch-by-inch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The
line snakes in a groove<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dreaming awhile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> You
smile her smile<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Like
Mona Lisa in the Louvre<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then at the last<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> You
hasten past<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Great
works of art and prove<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That you don’t care<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> What
else is there<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> But
Mona Lisa in the Louvre<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One final push<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> And
then you rush<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> A
chaos in commove<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To glimpse in mass<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Da
Vinci’s caste<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> His
Mona Lisa in the Louvre<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes there is art<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Back
at the start<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> But
none of them behoove<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The hours of wait<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Right
from the gate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Palatino Linotype","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> As
Mona Lisa in the Louvre<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-63183129076440375712014-09-10T20:35:00.000-07:002014-09-10T20:35:04.801-07:00Memories of THE DOOR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBWn0Oz4Ltotp1Xm59hWJNl4iG8XDCfXLiIyWKauqGhhzIIkd88WRZArlFgkoQCrQp1HadJcfYdoOkMvE91uk0w7_SUQ6zJuylEtLVHjVc2kLCjfT3zqHVew4cCdmgntcGc9D4GgMG-ym/s1600/the+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBWn0Oz4Ltotp1Xm59hWJNl4iG8XDCfXLiIyWKauqGhhzIIkd88WRZArlFgkoQCrQp1HadJcfYdoOkMvE91uk0w7_SUQ6zJuylEtLVHjVc2kLCjfT3zqHVew4cCdmgntcGc9D4GgMG-ym/s1600/the+door.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few days ago I happened to be looking over a pile of old magazines when I happened upon several copies of <i>The Wittenburg Door</i>. I miss this magazine very much and began contributing when I was a seminary student back in the mid 1980's. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few years before the magazine went defunct, I was told by then editor Bob Darden that, outside of Mike Yaconelli (the founding editor) and one or two others, I had been writing for the magazine for nearly twenty years. As memory served, I had also contributed one piece about a national Christian conference that had angered one of the featured speakers--Tony Campolo. So I guess I did my job with the satire.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking back, I had written satirical pieces about Christian dating websites (like shooting fish in a barrel), little-known saints, famous theologians, various Christian televangelists of the day, and seminaries. My last piece, I believe, was about SpongeBob Squarepants--a purely satirical diatribe that elicited several letters to the editor, all from folks who didn't understand why I was attacking a cartoon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well . . . I do miss THE DOOR. Wish I could write for that magazine all over again. A classic.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8-692VemanYtnqj9vSpWl7BecFo5r4Hycy74VJ0YjGWPkbkE-B70w0NHxydD4FUc4DKLS-miJeFFsKxedpFGIoB1pj0k3kUxe7aQ7MVkGqMAGgK1YEfKC6oOZIh5omJerFuWbE6dkVOo/s1600/the+door+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8-692VemanYtnqj9vSpWl7BecFo5r4Hycy74VJ0YjGWPkbkE-B70w0NHxydD4FUc4DKLS-miJeFFsKxedpFGIoB1pj0k3kUxe7aQ7MVkGqMAGgK1YEfKC6oOZIh5omJerFuWbE6dkVOo/s1600/the+door+2.jpg" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-41069714753309967662014-08-29T12:19:00.000-07:002014-08-29T12:19:09.522-07:00Paper Cuts<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I rarely work with paper anymore, but time was, when I was writing and submitting through the mail, I lived with an array of festering paper cuts that, from time to time, would bleed onto the actual pages. Perhaps this is where the phrase "blood, sweat, and tears" comes from in reference to a writer's sacrifice for the written page.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I do know is that I don't bleed anymore. I do occasionally sweat. Sometimes I also weep over the page--either out of sadness at how awful my writing is, or the surprise of finding that I have written something stirring. But I don't bleed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This past week, though, has made me realize how deeply embedded I am in the publishing industry. It's weird, but as publishing has continued to morph out of the old ways into new arenas, markets and methodologies, I've navigated them all fairly well. Mostly, I think that is because I have maintained my relationships. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although publishing has changed, I have found that one thing has remained consistent, and that is <i>people</i>. Or, more specifically, the relationship between writer and publisher/editor is still the backbone of the enterprise. Without trust, without conversation . . . even friendship . . . publishing cannot work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a few weeks I will be traveling to New York with my wife and a couple of good friends. While the trio will be out visiting Ellis Island, Central Park, museums, and perhaps taking in a Broadway show, I will be criss-crossing the publishing district near Greenwich Village and Chelsea taking small gifts to publishers and editors, a former literary agent, and two literary "giants" who have agreed to meet with me (<i>why</i>, we'll never know).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I expect nothing less than gratitude to come out of this trip and these connections. Although my wife thinks I'm crazy (she still doesn't understand why I keep writing through so much failure), she does have a tinge of respect for the people I'll be seeing and the possibilities that are born and bred of these friendships. Or, as she has told me, "While you're traipsing around all over New York worrying about your books, I'll be enjoying myself. Sorry."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More power to her. But she's wrong about enjoyment. I'll be in my element. I'll be walking the avenues carrying a bag full of gifts and trinkets of thanksgiving. As long as I don't get mugged, I plan to deliver them into their respective offices. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I may sweat in New York. I may cry. But I don't plan to bleed. I won't be carrying any paper. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-77545056298157906972014-08-24T17:42:00.001-07:002014-08-24T17:42:17.339-07:00Contributor's Copies<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2014 has been a rather prolific year for me. In addition to seeing four books published so far (my fourth being the upcoming <i>The Other Jesus</i> published by Rowman & Littlefield on September 5) I have also written a fair number of essays as a regular contributor to several magazines. Here I won't equal my output of 2013, but counting upcoming book reviews, I should top out 2014 near the 90 essay mark.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week I also received my contributor's copies for two additional books. (I never count these "other" books in my author totals, as they don't have my name on the cover.) Both of these, however, were in the health-wellness genre and were essays that I had written with Becky.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We actually sat down last week and re-read these essays . . . and neither of us could recall writing them. But we must have! There they were, in print, with our names in the by-line. That's what a year will do to old minds! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While some people never kiss and tell, we write and don't remember. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now these other two contributor's copies sit on my shelves alongside the many others that contain some portion of my work. (I've lost count of these as well.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I do like contributor's copies. Always have. I just can't so <i>no</i> when an editor calls. Just like I can't so <i>no</i> to Becky.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or, at least, I can't remember the last time I did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180130606711275125.post-48944717255838217422014-08-13T13:50:00.002-07:002014-08-13T13:50:57.425-07:00Writing Abroad<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few have asked about my writing while abroad, and the truth is--other than some day-to-day journal entry and a few notes--I completely abstained from writing<i> anything</i>. I did manage to read two books on Kindle, primarily in-flight time: Garrison Keillor's <i>The Keillor Reader</i> and <i>The Road to Echo Springs</i> (an extended conversation about six great writers who were also alcoholics). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Upon returning to the states, however, I put down the books and began writing again. I've written (and already shipped off to editors) several poems with themes touching on love, beauty, music, and Venetian history. And I've made notes that should carry me through several travel articles, should I be offered the opportunity to produce them. I'm also back to the grind of completing another very large book, a title I feel compelled to complete before month's end (and will!) so that I can move on to other books and shorter projects to fill in the chinks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Traveling abroad did open up my mind and stir the creative juices. There's nothing like a change of venue to clean out the writing cobwebs and freshen the imagination and the possibilities. I see a great many long nights, and all-nighters in my future if I am to grab hold of these ideas before they slip away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I continue to try to place a positive spin on losing eight years' worth of writing (blue screen of death and crashed hard drive) . . . but one positive now is that I have to create fresh. Since I cannot remember most of the material that's burned (even whole books), I now have a clean slate, so to speak. I'm taking the approach that I will be writing the best books, the best essays, and the best fiction and poems in the coming year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As long as I don't forget where Becky put my food dish, I should be fine. Otherwise, I'll just lap at the wet floor in front of the sink and take in whatever nourishment I can glean from the cracks in the tiles. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anything beyond this, as they say, is gravy. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1