Alex P. Wu's Blog, page 3

Morocco, Maybe: Author Interview at Elflandia and Goodreads Giveaway

I've been meaning to mention this, but I kept forgetting. Ugh. Bad memory. An author interview about Morocco, Maybe is posted at Elflandia. Thanks Avery.

Oh, and I just started a paperback giveaway at Goodreads. The deadline to enter is April 30, 2016.


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Thankful to be Home on Thanksgiving

An American classic, which sadly no longer existsToday is Thanksgiving. I am super thankful to be home.
We left on July 14, 2015. After 3.5 months on the road, we returned to L.A. on November 2nd.
Was it good? I dunno. Still recovering, I'd say no. But that’s too simplistic of an answer. It fails to do justice to the weather of thoughts still chaos-ing in my skull.
The Great American Road Trip is heavily romanticized in pop culture. The idea is inherently enticing: the open road, the idea...

Home and Alone on Thanksgiving ... Yay

An American classic, which sadly no longer existsToday is Thanksgiving. I will be alone, as on most holidays, but boy am I glad to be home—that is what I’m super grateful for.
We left on July 14, 2015. After 3.5 months on the road, we returned to L.A. on November 2nd.
Was it good? I dunno. Still recovering, I'd say no. But that’s too simplistic of an answer. It fails to do justice to the weather of thoughts still chaos-ing in my skull.
The Great American Road Trip is heavily romanticized in pop...

An American classic, which sadly no longer existsToday is...

An American classic, which sadly no longer existsToday is Thanksgiving. I will be alone, as on most holidays, but boy am I glad to be home—that is what I’m super grateful for.
We left on July 14, 2015. After 3.5 months on the road, we returned to L.A. on November 2nd.
Was it good? I dunno. Still recovering, I'd say no. But that’s too simplistic of an answer. It fails to do justice to the weather of thoughts still chaos-ing in my skull.
The Great American Road Trip is heavily romanticized in pop...

I'm So Tired

Arches National Park, Utah
As Donald Trump would put it, I'm a “low-energy” guy.

My partner and I have been on a cross-country road trip for over five weeks, and I am homesick. Terribly.

Not that the trip hasn't been interesting. It has. Saw some beautiful sights, met many really nice people, and learned a lot. But easy it ain't. Fun? Sometimes, but not always.

So what were the motivations behind my harebrained decision?

The main reason was to explore the big USA, which has so many parts we know n...

Mandy More More More

This here is Mandy, a four-year-old pit bull mix. Deaf, cancer survivor, and my favoritest dog in the galaxy. The second time I took her for a walk, she licked my face all over like a lollipop and wouldn't stop. I had never been so happy to be painted with saliva.

The best part is that Mandy is super nice, even to aggressive dogs. One time we passed a little dog that lunged and barked furiously at her. Mandy just stood there, calm as a buddha.

Curiosity is her thing. Mandy likes to look at all...

Alternate Cover for Morocco, Maybe

I'm indecisive.

Doing the book cover for Morocco, Maybe took forever. I browsed thousands of stock photos and hundreds of fonts. After narrowing down the images to two finalists, I did mockups and showed them around. About twenty-five people voted, and the result was close. The majority chose a photo of blue steps from Chefchaouen. That became the final book cover. Democracy. The runner-up was a picture of Moroccan lamps (see above), which had big support as well.

I like them both. The steps im...

When Do You Stop Wiping?

View image | gettyimages.com

Life usually gives you pretty clear signals about when to stop doing something. When you cough, you stop smoking. When the light turns red, you stop moving. When the tissue appears free of skid marks, you stop wiping.

Writing is trickier if one has obsessive tendencies. Call it perfectionism (to be polite), OCD (to be clinical), or analness (to be Freudian). I have a hard time stopping. Even when I write a casual email, sometimes I read it three, four, five or more...

Indiegogo Fundraising Campaign for Saving Mes Aynak

The good folks who made the documentary Saving Mes Aynak are trying to raise money to help publicize the threat to the priceless Buddhist ruins in Afghanistan.

An Update on Mes Aynak

Brent Huffman, the filmmaker behind the documentary Savings Mes Aynak, has written an update on the status of the archaeological excavations to save the ruins. It's sad enough that the pace of preservation has been slowed while the start of the mining approaches. It's worse that some of the archaeologists have reportedly looted the site.