It’s a brave new year, and from the looks of things, we’ll each need our share of bravery going forward. The world as we know it continues to flirt with hell and hand-baskets. It’s up to us to steer the best course possible.
The arts, some mutter, have no serious part to play. I beg to differ. Not only do the arts inspire, but they provide welcome––necessary, even––respite from all the rest. As Bob Dylan (or Renner & Quist) might put it, they offer shelter from the storm.
So, I keep writing. Might as well! Sometimes, I write “letters to the editor.” Sometimes I write to our elected representatives, from the school board on up to the Senate.
And sometimes, I get back to writing prose and plays.
Vinyl Wonderland is trekking along. The marathon run of ongoing publicity is a lot like gardening. You keep on tending what needs tending, and in time, periodically, every now and again, you get rewarded. While I’ve yet to crack a major book review market, it’s not all friends and family putting up their comments on Goodreads and Amazon. A good many total strangers have left superlative reviews. On Goodreads, Vinyl Wonderland now boasts a 4.84 rating (out of five), and on Amazon, it’s at an even 4.8.
Just the other day, a former Borders employee, again a stranger, reached out to tell me that she thought the book was “outstanding.” Yes, that made my day, and she promises to add a more public review shortly.
Meanwhile, I’m busily shopping two additional spec-fic titles, both of which fall neatly under the umbrella of science fiction. I’m 34,000 words into a literary novel that I hope to have “finished” by the end of February. If I can knock out approximately 1000 words per day, that’s easily achievable. Given my pace over the past week, that’s a deadline that I should be able to meet.
If only I were as good at marketing as I am at generating new material!
That’s another way of saying that if you, gentle reader, happen to be a dedicated agent in search of new clients, I can use all the help I can get.
In other news, my latest short story appears in Wyldblood 16, available as of now at Amazon or directly through Wyldblood’s own website. The story in question is “Boggle Dog and Blue Cat,” a dystopian tale set right here in southern Indiana, and featuring two A.I.-enhanced children’s toys, one of which turns out to be not just lovable and cuddly but also downright destructive. A sad, wistful sort of story, featuring melon crops and Hollywood voice-overs.
Nothing on the theatrical front to report at present. By hook or by crook, this will change soon!
Finally, I cannot in good faith close without mentioning the recent death of my friend and fellow writer, Howard Andrew Jones. Howard was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer last August, and he died early morning on Thursday, January 16th. He was a good man who loved his family, and as a writer, he was a mentor to an entire generation of wordsmiths, especially to those who deal in sword & sorcery.
Howard and I met because we had kids in the same class at our local Montessori preschool, many moons ago, and we quickly became friends. He was a support for me; I was a support for him. (Writing careers pretty much define the cliche of “ups and downs.”) Lately, I’ve had a front row seat to watch Howard fade and fail, and these past months have been sobering in the extreme. A celebration of life will follow in February. Reach out if you want to know details.
In case you’d like to read through a great testimonial to Howard, click HERE.
In case you’d like to see what I have to say about Gideon the Ninth (and it is highly enjoyable), click HERE.
To check out Rich Horton’s very positive review of Vinyl Wonderland, click HERE. (Some spoilers contained; the final paragraph or so is what matters assessment-wise.)
To explore some pre-release positive press on Vinyl Wonderland, click HERE.
And finally, if you’re looking for a short piece of contemporary fantasy, maybe check out my story, “True Songs of the Pennyrile,” from Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. Click HERE for a link to a highly positive review from Paula Guran, with a link from there back to LCRW in case you want to purchase. It took me about a decade to place this piece (submissions are so slow!), and while I love all my story-children equally, this does stand as one of my personal favorites.
If you’re a reader, thank you. Keep reading.
If you’re a writer, thank you. Keep writing.
We must do what those who are gone cannot.
Onward.