Robert Jacoby's Blog, page 12
December 28, 2013
About Me page update
Posted one of my newly published poems on my About Me page. So if you don't feel like going to the journal site, going to the proper issue, opening a large PDF file, and then searching for my poems...
:)
The poem is "When I told you I was thinking about nothing, I lied." And it's from Cobalt Review Issue 10 (Winter 2013). Check it: http://about.me/robert.jacoby
:)
The poem is "When I told you I was thinking about nothing, I lied." And it's from Cobalt Review Issue 10 (Winter 2013). Check it: http://about.me/robert.jacoby
December 13, 2013
2 poems in Cobalt Review Issue 10
I'm really pleased with how both turned out. And that they have a permanent home in Cobalt Review, Issue 10 (Winter 2013).
I worked on "is Joy" for two years.
"When I told you I was thinking about nothing, I lied" was easier in the most difficult way. Only took six months to produce. The first stanza bursts life:
Marry me in some tomb of king or prophet,
Say you are my clay and captured stream,
You of tree and field and rock and fish,
Hidden by time’s bright pocket and memory’s maps.
(Dedicated with much love and affection to my golden girl, Gina.)
Read both poems in Cobalt Review (Issue 10) (pages 37 and 38). (The issue contains an interview with National Book Award nominee David Kirby.)
PS: Read my other poetry at my website robert-jacoby/poetry.
PPS: Amazon.com is wrong. Both of my books are available for immediate shipping. Believe me. Read my blog post on how Amazon is Wrong. Or go to either book page on Amazon and order There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes (novel, 2012) or Escaping from Reality Without Really Trying: 40 Years of High Seas Travels and Lowbrow Tales (memoir, 2011).
Merry Christmas!
Robert
"The destroyer of worlds speaks with one thousand mouths." (From "Tears wet the sea colour sky", unpublished) (dedicated to another)
I worked on "is Joy" for two years.
"When I told you I was thinking about nothing, I lied" was easier in the most difficult way. Only took six months to produce. The first stanza bursts life:
Marry me in some tomb of king or prophet,
Say you are my clay and captured stream,
You of tree and field and rock and fish,
Hidden by time’s bright pocket and memory’s maps.
(Dedicated with much love and affection to my golden girl, Gina.)
Read both poems in Cobalt Review (Issue 10) (pages 37 and 38). (The issue contains an interview with National Book Award nominee David Kirby.)
PS: Read my other poetry at my website robert-jacoby/poetry.
PPS: Amazon.com is wrong. Both of my books are available for immediate shipping. Believe me. Read my blog post on how Amazon is Wrong. Or go to either book page on Amazon and order There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes (novel, 2012) or Escaping from Reality Without Really Trying: 40 Years of High Seas Travels and Lowbrow Tales (memoir, 2011).
Merry Christmas!
Robert
"The destroyer of worlds speaks with one thousand mouths." (From "Tears wet the sea colour sky", unpublished) (dedicated to another)
December 10, 2013
The Beatles - 10 Great Years
Stumbled across this image and wanted to share it....
The Beatles - 10 Great Years
The Beatles - 10 Great Years
December 7, 2013
My next novel
MS Word shows 60,000+ words in 236 pages. I just came back from the store with my newly printed novel. The last copy I printed out was in May. Never mind the word count or number of pages, then, I tell myself. That's not important. What is important is that I've printed out a fresh clean copy. All this white to ruin now. To enliven. To make something of nothing. I have so many notes. So many notes, scattered across three little notebooks and a yellow pad. I was able to revise the first few chapters over the last couple of months into something that gelled in my mind as working. This could work. I can make this work.
On the drive to the store to print my new copy I saw a parking lot being leveled to make way for new stores. Rubble. The word rubble came to me, and also a place for it in the novel. I kept the word with me all the way to the store. (I did not bring my little notebook with me, which I usually do, always, everywhere.) As the novel printed I stood by the printer, waiting. When the pages came out I scooped them up. On the page where I thought it would work I penned the word "rubble".
That's how it works for me sometimes. One word at a time.
On the drive to the store to print my new copy I saw a parking lot being leveled to make way for new stores. Rubble. The word rubble came to me, and also a place for it in the novel. I kept the word with me all the way to the store. (I did not bring my little notebook with me, which I usually do, always, everywhere.) As the novel printed I stood by the printer, waiting. When the pages came out I scooped them up. On the page where I thought it would work I penned the word "rubble".
That's how it works for me sometimes. One word at a time.
December 2, 2013
Amazon showing "Out of Stock"
Being an indie writer certainly has its share of frustrations. Ups and downs. Writing is hard enough; and marketing and sales is an aspect of book publishing that needs to be done, but takes me away from the actual writing.
So, you can imagine my frustration to learn today that Amazon is showing both of my books as "Temporarily Out of Stock". My POD publishing house is Lightning Source, a unit of Ingram. Yeah, that Ingram. What could go wrong, right?
Plenty.
See the Amazon.com page for my novel There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes .
And see the Amazon.com page for my nonfiction book Escaping from Reality Without Really Trying: 40 Years of High Seas Travels and Lowbrow Tales .
Both are listed as "Temporarily Out of Stock."
Great. Right at the highest book buying season of the year. And with me pushing both via Google Adwords.
So I called Amazon. They said, "Not our problem. Check with Lightning Source." Great.
I called Lightning Source. They said, "Not our problem. Check with Amazon." Great.
I felt like Dorothy watching the Scarecrow point in every direction yelling, "They went that way!"
Seems like this has happened to Lightning Source titles in previous years. I asked the LS rep "What's up?"
She said: "Your books are available, they're just not showing that way on Amazon. If people order them, they'll get them. On Barnes and Noble everything is fine."
I checked. They were.
I asked her when the issue might be resolved on Amazon. Her reply?
"If past years are any indicator.... After the New Year."
That's just great.
A guy can't get relief.
So I got creative and went around both: re-directed my Google Adwords ads to the Barnes and Noble books pages. Which show both in stock. Of course.
See the Barnes and Noble page for my novel There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes .
And see the Barnes and Noble page for my nonfiction book Escaping from Reality Without Really Trying: 40 Years of High Seas Travels and Lowbrow Tales .
So, if you were thinking of buying a copy of one of my books but saw that "out of stock" notice at Amazon, buy it anyway. Or go over to Barnes and Noble and get them there.
And happy holidays!
So, you can imagine my frustration to learn today that Amazon is showing both of my books as "Temporarily Out of Stock". My POD publishing house is Lightning Source, a unit of Ingram. Yeah, that Ingram. What could go wrong, right?
Plenty.
See the Amazon.com page for my novel There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes .
And see the Amazon.com page for my nonfiction book Escaping from Reality Without Really Trying: 40 Years of High Seas Travels and Lowbrow Tales .
Both are listed as "Temporarily Out of Stock."
Great. Right at the highest book buying season of the year. And with me pushing both via Google Adwords.
So I called Amazon. They said, "Not our problem. Check with Lightning Source." Great.
I called Lightning Source. They said, "Not our problem. Check with Amazon." Great.
I felt like Dorothy watching the Scarecrow point in every direction yelling, "They went that way!"
Seems like this has happened to Lightning Source titles in previous years. I asked the LS rep "What's up?"
She said: "Your books are available, they're just not showing that way on Amazon. If people order them, they'll get them. On Barnes and Noble everything is fine."
I checked. They were.
I asked her when the issue might be resolved on Amazon. Her reply?
"If past years are any indicator.... After the New Year."
That's just great.
A guy can't get relief.
So I got creative and went around both: re-directed my Google Adwords ads to the Barnes and Noble books pages. Which show both in stock. Of course.
See the Barnes and Noble page for my novel There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes .
And see the Barnes and Noble page for my nonfiction book Escaping from Reality Without Really Trying: 40 Years of High Seas Travels and Lowbrow Tales .
So, if you were thinking of buying a copy of one of my books but saw that "out of stock" notice at Amazon, buy it anyway. Or go over to Barnes and Noble and get them there.
And happy holidays!
November 11, 2013
My Facebook page
I took the plunge. I'm now on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/Robert.Jacob...
https://www.facebook.com/Robert.Jacob...
November 8, 2013
Best Songs You've (Maybe) Never Heard of from Bands You've (Maybe) Never Heard of (Part 3)
This playlist is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It's a mix of indie and alternative. Check em:
1. Up on the Ride by Guillemots
2. A Thousand Pieces (instremental version) by Editors
3. The Devil and the Liar by Longwave
4. It's True by Longwave
5. Out of Touch by Lotus Plaza
6. Friendly Advice by Bad Books
7. Lucious Life by Patrick Watson
8. Radio by Dark Horses
9. Laura by I Used to Be a Sparrow
10. Something to Believe In by Citizen Cope
11. Myth by Beach House
12. World of Beauty by Fixers
13. Tales of Kamanakera by American Wolf (661 views on YouTube)
14. Au revoir pluton by Sourya
15. Freemason Waltz by Clinic
16. Turquoise Lake by Ohbijou
17. Nothings by dEUS
Remember, if you like the music, please pay the artist.
1. Up on the Ride by Guillemots
2. A Thousand Pieces (instremental version) by Editors
3. The Devil and the Liar by Longwave
4. It's True by Longwave
5. Out of Touch by Lotus Plaza
6. Friendly Advice by Bad Books
7. Lucious Life by Patrick Watson
8. Radio by Dark Horses
9. Laura by I Used to Be a Sparrow
10. Something to Believe In by Citizen Cope
11. Myth by Beach House
12. World of Beauty by Fixers
13. Tales of Kamanakera by American Wolf (661 views on YouTube)
14. Au revoir pluton by Sourya
15. Freemason Waltz by Clinic
16. Turquoise Lake by Ohbijou
17. Nothings by dEUS
Remember, if you like the music, please pay the artist.
November 2, 2013
Giveaway over at We're Jumpin' Books blog
There's a book giveaway for There are Reasons Noah Packed No Clothes going on now over at the We're Jumpin' Books blog.
Read my post; sign up to win a signed copy of my debut novel. At: http://werejumpinbooks.wordpress.com/
Read my post; sign up to win a signed copy of my debut novel. At: http://werejumpinbooks.wordpress.com/
October 30, 2013
Two poems accepted for publication
Just received word this morning that two poems have been accepted for publication in the December issue of Cobalt Review.
Poems are:
When I told you I was thinking about nothing, I lied
and
is Joy
Very excited.
I'll post links when they're online.
R
Poems are:
When I told you I was thinking about nothing, I lied
and
is Joy
Very excited.
I'll post links when they're online.
R
October 13, 2013
Finished chapter 1 of my second novel
I've finished (again) chapter 1 of my second novel. I say "again" because I've worked and re-worked and revised this opening text so many times that I've lost count. It feels like I'm working a fine piece of wood, sanding and smoothing and smoothing until it is just so. To get the feel of the text and what I want to say I must keep working the words.
